Chapter 28 The twenty-eighth round invites famous uncles and nephews to hold back

Received Kangxi's imperial edict to enter Beijing on October 26th, Tong Guowei, the Minister of Shangshu who was staying in Beijing, felt his heartstrings relax a little. Arrange pick-up.Ordered the Criminal Department of the Ministry of Households to fold all the backlog of cases into a document, and wrote a summary for the emperor's review, ordered the Luan Yi Division of the Ministry of Rites to prepare a note for the welcoming ceremony, and the Ministry of War will synchronize the army to command the Yamen, and the generals sent by Shuntian Mansion and Langsou It was agreed to hand over the defense——Lang Shuang's soldiers would not enter Gyeonggi, so as not to cause more turmoil in the hearts of the people.Tong Guowei was thoughtful and confident, and he talked for a long time.These officials already knew that something serious had happened to Chengde, but they couldn't figure out how big a crime the crown prince had committed and how much he was involved with him. They wanted to ask Tong Guowei about it.But this Tong Zhongtang spoke eloquently, and the long-winded speech was not painful, and everyone couldn't help but feel a little anxious.Tong Guowei saw that everyone was staring at him, and smiled back: "Brothers, I know what you want to ask. But at the moment, I am the same as you, and I don't know. What do you want to do so much for your ministers? The point is. I have been with the emperor for decades, and I haven’t seen anything? Long live has never offended a loyal minister. Be different. Do you think you are close with which elder brother, he wants him to be close with which grandfather If you have a friend with a glass of water, you will incur a crime instead, which is called self-inflicted crime! Running errands in peace is a natural and righteous policy for self-sufficiency!" After finishing speaking, he served tea to see off the guests.Everyone babbled this endless official language, getting more and more pointless, so they had to separate in dismay.

Tong Guowei taught others a lot of reason, but in fact, he was the most anxious for many days.Yinzhen wrote a letter almost every day, and he knew everything about Rehe's movements and movements, and he himself was facing a critical moment of decision.Tong Guowei is the cousin of Emperor Kangxi's biological mother, Tong Jia's family.But Tong Jia's family died in the third year of Kangxi, and people went to cool tea. In addition, he belonged to the Mingzhu faction, and Suo'etu controlled the government, so he insisted that no one from Tong's family was on the edge of the study for more than 20 years.Emperor Kangxi conquered Galdan and fought in Ulan Butong. Suo'etu borrowed a knife to kill people, and sent Tong Guowei's elder brother Tong Guogang to the Jedi. He was shot by random arrows like a hedgehog.With this kind of festival, he went into the study, and he was always on guard against the prince.Now that Yinreng had an accident, he was full of joy, but then the elder brother also had an accident, and the spirit that had just relaxed a little bit became tense again.There is also the words in Yinzhen's letter "Although Yinfeng has no power, the power of the prince still exists, and the holy family seems to be unfinished", which aroused his vigilance.The ups and downs of the officialdom are unpredictable, and even Yinzhen is not a character to be trifled with.So he couldn't make up his mind what to do.

Tong Guowei was searching for an idea in the study, but saw the housekeeper come in and said: "Zhongtang, Second Lord Long is here." "Second Lord Long" is Tong Guogang's son, Longkoduo, who often visits the mansion. He used to be an acquaintance of Shuntian Mansion, but because he was implicated in the fifth brother Zhang case, he lived at home.Tong Guowei is upset at the moment, why would he want to see this unlucky guy?Yin said angrily: "Let's just say I'm taking a break. See you tomorrow if there's anything else to do. He's coming to play the game. You can give him whatever money you want."

In fact, Longkodo has already entered the hospital.This is a middle-aged man with a short stature, in his forties, with two stab wounds on Zitang's face and cheeks, shining black and red, which are the battle wounds left by his driver's expedition to the west.This person has long been in the official residence, but he was reinstated as an official, and suffered troubles again and again when he became an acquaintance. One of the early successes, I don't know why it's not his turn!Standing in the corridor, he heard Tong Guowei's words. He was so angry that his whole body was cold. He almost burst into tears. He suppressed it again. He pretended not to hear it. He stepped into the study and said with a smile, "Sixth Uncle, are you strong?"

"Second brother!" Tong Guowei expected that he could not help but blush when he heard his words. He gave up his hand and said, "I'm so tired that my body hurts. I just wanted to sway for a while, and you came! What's missing, tell me!" That's it, why do you have to see me?" Longkodo felt uncomfortable, seeing him look down on him so much, he didn't want to use it.After pressing and pressing, I finally couldn't help it, and sat across from him with my robes, and said coldly: "It seems that my funeral star is really hated by my sixth uncle. I borrowed three hundred silver when I was a candidate doctor the year before last, and my sixth uncle was worried about it." Got it! On the contrary, today I even brought you my principal and interest!" After speaking, he took out a 500 taels of leading bank note from the leaf of his boot and handed it over.Tong Guowei was taken aback by him, and hurriedly said: "Nephew! Don't blame me, that's not what I meant...I'm upset, and I wouldn't believe it if I told you. You can't be so shabby to your uncle!"

Long Kedo's five hundred taels of silver was just borrowed from the Ministry of Households to fight the famine. Seeing Tong Guowei's sincere words, he rubbed his legs and put them away, and said seriously: "Since I said that, my nephew appreciates it. I heard that the crown prince It’s a bad thing, I think you’ve settled for the top spot in the study! I want to ask Uncle Six to help me talk about the matter——Uncle Six, let me tell you with conscience, look at me, I came out from the West together. Who is the same as me? Even Ma Dapao is a general with eight seats!" Tong Guowei became angry when he heard it: He came to me for an official at this time!But he, the prime minister of the city, was particular about not showing his emotions or anger. He pondered for a while, and said slowly: "In terms of qualifications, you are enough to be the Minister of the Ministry of War. When you come back from the Western Expedition, you will be released as a lieutenant general. If you don't want to shake your gauze cap, you will come to me in private." When Uliasutai comes back, who can compare to you?"

"Does Uncle Six think so?" Long Kedo sneered, "It seems that my nephew doesn't know how to flatter me. In the Gobi Desert in Uliasutai, except for the exile and demotion of criminal officials to make atonement, who can do it?" Are you willing to be the leader of the army there? If I can come back, I know the current affairs, and I didn’t learn from my former lieutenant general, who went out to patrol and asked quicksand to bury him alive!” Hearing this, Tong Guowei suspected that he was intentionally punishing him, swallowed and said, "Second brother, listen to my advice, now that the city of Beijing is full of turtles, what about the prince, what about the elder brother and the thirteen elder brother, what about the rumors Flying all over the sky, I still don't know where the court will go. Some people have already called me "Tong Banchao". Wu Sangui's selection of officials is called "Xixuan", and my election is also called "Tongxuan"! Listen, what kind of good words are these? What's the use of electing you at this time, if you still carry your sins?"

"The prince's collapse is only beneficial to you. What are you afraid of?" Long Kedo's face became calmer, "It's difficult for the fourth master now!" "But Da Qiansui has also fallen!" Tong Guowei frowned Said, "Looking at its coming, the matter is even bigger than the prince! You can't hide what's going on here. To put it bluntly, if there is no skin, how can the hair be attached?" Long Ke smiled and said: "It turns out that the sixth uncle is This trouble! The third master and the eighth master are still there! The new prince can't escape one of them, and they still have to count on you to escort him!"

Tong Guowei was taken aback and didn't speak for a long time.Long Kedo's casual words were like enlightenment to him.Although the third master and the eighth master are not as close as the elder brother, they are still close. Why do you only think about your own difficulties, and never think that others are more demanding of you?What a fan of the authorities!As he thought about it, a gratified smile appeared on his face, and just as he was about to speak, the servant of Si Yan, the door boss, came in and reported, "Great scholar Wang Ji is begging to see Lord Zhongtang!" "Well, you go back first." Tong Guowei stood up with a smile, and said, "I'm old, and I have a lot of things to count on your younger generations! I can do it for myself-please come in, Mr. Wang!" After finishing speaking, he walked out of the dripping eaves.Long Kedo hurriedly resigned, stood under the magnolia tree and waited for Wang Zhen to enter the study, and then left in a hurry.

"Hao Weng!" Tong Guowei invited Wang Jian to sit down, took the tea from his family and presented it to him with his own hands, smiling all over his face, "I have already said that I have come to visit you at the mansion, but I have a lot of troubles, so I have to send someone to greet you Be careful. The Holy Master Zhu Pi asked you several times, and I have turned around, but have you seen it? I can’t take care of you everywhere, Hao Weng should be more considerate, even if you are sympathetic to me.” Wang Jian looked tired and coughed dryly. Said: "My God, I am a person who can die. The holy grace is so high, and I feel more and more ashamed. Now there are more and more rumors, and there is no clear purpose. Qiufeng, I can't sit still now. Don't talk to me in an official tone, tell me, is it true or not that the emperor abolished the crown prince?" Tong Guowei moved his seat forward kindly, and said: "The decree Hao Weng to deactivate the crown prince's seal Must have seen it?"

Wang Zhen shook his head and said, "That can't be done correctly. Wansui said it a long time ago. It's not appropriate to use the words 'Yuqing Palace King' in writing." If you don’t ask me to speak official language, you can trust me. I respect your moral articles, and tell you the truth, now the crown prince, eldest brother, and thirteenth brother have committed some crimes, and they are all under house arrest!” Wang Zhuo nodded, his eyes jumped suddenly, and he said: "I have already prepared. For this kind of thing, the courtier will die." As he said, he took out a stack of Xuetao paper from his arms tremblingly, and handed it to Tong Guowei , "Master Zhongtang please take a look." "What is this?" When Tong Guowei took it to read, there was no title, no inscription, and a few sheets of paper were densely written with names, but he immediately understood that it was this old man who contacted his former disciples. The memorial wanted to protect Yinreng, he sneered in his heart, but said in his mouth: "I understand, Hao Weng wants to protect the crown prince. This is the time when my ministers see their bones and integrity. How can I, Tong Guowei, be willing to be a descendant?" He said without hesitation He hesitated to pick up a pen and walked to the corner of the desk, and Gong Kai wrote his own name under Wang Jian's name, "I'm one too—not only me, but Zhang Hengchen, Ma Xiushui and the others won't just stand by and watch!" When Wang Jian came here, he didn't expect Tong Guowei to protect the crown prince, he just wanted him to stand by and not suppress him, so he was satisfied. Seeing that he was so generous, he signed his name, and wanted to persuade Zhang Tingyu and Ma Qi to protect the crown prince, so he felt a sense of confidant.After receiving the paper, he was already in tears, and said: "Tong Xiang, I never thought that you... are so loyal! I thought there was a gap between Tong's family and Suo'etu. Yes... the crown prince is Guoben, and the country is hard to deal with when it touches people's hearts... You are so daring, I am ashamed of the old man, this person, where did you start...Prince, prince... What happened to you? I I really hate myself, why didn't I resist the order and went to Chengde together...you useless Wang Zhen..." He spoke incoherently, his robe was already wet with tears.Seeing him being so sad, Tong Guowei suddenly felt a sense of self-ashamed guilt. His heart ached, and he also shed tears. He comforted Wang Jian and said, "Old man, don't be too sad. It is the job of a courtier to protect the crown prince and strengthen the country. Although it is not sensitive, it is not so confused that you don’t know the general idea. You can rest assured that the matter of the prince has not been finalized. As far as I know, the Long Live Lord has not closed his eyes for six days and six nights, and he also knows that the big brother is suffering. Sacred Heart is still hesitating about the ambiguous matter. Even if the prince is at fault, it will be harmed by others, so there is room for protection..." "Alas..." Wang Jian sighed sadly, unable to say anything.He is an orthodox Taoist, and he doesn't believe that demons can harm people at all. The prince is weak and incompetent, which in his opinion is a curable disease, but the rumors and rumors of his palace are ambiguous. If it is true, it will be in vain. Thinking of it... Thinking of this, I felt even more sad as if a knife had cut my heart out, and I burst into tears.It took Tong Guowei a while to persuade him, and he sent him out of the house in person without mentioning it. The court situation is changing rapidly.Kangxi returned to Beijing without stopping, and ordered Zhang Tingyu to send an edict the next day, and gathered all the officials to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, and issued a proclamation to depose Prince Yinreng: Prime Minister Heshan Minister Aixinjueluo Xuanye would like to tell the God of Haotian: The minister has Liangde, and Zhaoxu has been unfounded for more than forty-seven years.Concerned about the national economy and the people's livelihood, he takes care of himself day and night, does not show favoritism, does not seek favoritism, does not dare to be less slack, this banditry is well known to all the subjects of the world, and it is in the sky, which is a real lesson from the hearts of the ministers!However, I don't know what is wrong with my ministers. Those who give birth to children like Yinreng occupy the position of the Qing Palace, do not think about making progress, and are prone to illness.The minister observed his behavior, he violated the ancestral virtues, did not obey the minister's training, did not speak the words of loyalty and trustworthiness, did not perform the deeds of morality, gathered party feathers, became violent and promiscuous, and killed and humiliated the courtiers.How can the grand career created by Chen Si's ancestors be given to this person?It is used to smoke, wash and respect, and play it in the sky, and Yinfeng will be abolished as the crown prince.Let the Qing Dynasty be long and long, and beg to increase the longevity of the ministers, the ministers must devote all their energy to seek governance to pay the mercy of God; if the Qing Dynasty is a disaster, please grant the ministers a quick death, in the name of the whole minister's order, so as not to be unbearable Such a tragic catastrophe... I am overwhelmed and trembling, and I want to tell you about it! Zhang Tingyu read it, thinking of Kangxi's miserable face when he had just dictated the imperial edict, and his sickly and disfigured body, looked at the dark crowd of officials below, and saw that some elder brothers in the row in front of them bowed their heads in silence, some picked at the cracks in the bricks, and some remained calm , with an unmoved look, his heart was ashamed, and tears dripped from his eyes, he worshiped the altar with sobs, ordered all the officials to disperse, and then boarded the sedan chair and returned to the Qianqing Palace to pay the order.The elder brothers knew that the emperor was not in good health, so they also followed the signboard handed out by Xihuamen and entered the palace to pay their respects. Kangxi was wearing a small hair smoked sable satin crown, a sable yellow-faced coat and a maroon river silk-faced Tianma fur robe, and a string of coconut king Fangfo beads in his hand. He was waiting for Zhang Tingyu's return in the Xinuang Pavilion of Qianqing Palace.Ma Qi and Tong Guowei knelt on the ground one by one, looking at Kangxi quietly, without speaking.Seeing Liu Chengcheng and Zhang Wuge guiding Zhang Tingyu to Danchi, De Lengtai came in and said, "Zhang Tingyu is back." Kangxi stood up. "My lord," Zhang Tingyu walked slowly to the Xumi seat with a gloomy expression, held up the astronomical notice with both hands, and said, "I come back to pay the order." Kangxi bowed heavily to the document, took it, sighed, and handed it over to the waiter Li Dequan, who was beside him, sat down and asked, "Do you have anything to say?" At this time, Zhang Tingyu no longer has the status of offering sacrifices to angels, so he asked Ann first, then knelt down at Tong Guowei's head, and forced a smile: "I don't have anything to say. Ah Brothers also came in with signs and waited for orders in Tianjie. The slaves came in from Qianqing Gate and saw Wang Jian kneeling in front of the door, crying and begging to see the master. Did the master see them missing?" Kangxi was stunned for a while, then said: "Brothers Don't come in, please greet the palace, and send them back. Tell... Wang Zhen to come in." Zhang Tingyu agreed to go out, and the huge hall returned to silence, even the eunuchs walking softly outside the hall could be heard.Both Ma Qi and Tong Guowei felt anxious.It stands to reason that if one prince is abolished, one should be established. I thought that this matter must be mentioned in the astronomical document, but it didn't mention a word. What is the emperor's plan?While bowing his head in thought, Kangxi coughed lightly and asked, "Tong Guowei, what are you thinking?" "Slave..." Tong Guowei was caught off guard, flustered for a while, and had an idea, and said, "Slave is thinking about the prince." These words were so smooth that they didn't fall to the ground. The new crown prince, Ma Qi couldn't help laughing secretly, but Kangxi said: "This is the most important thing today, of course we should think about it. Yinfeng was abolished, half of it was suppressed by others, and he was unbearable to be the heir. , does not study, does not cultivate virtue. He is a smart person, and his intelligence and learning are not inferior to other elder brothers. If he is willing to study like the third elder brother, and he is willing to study and cultivate morality like the eighth elder brother, how can he become a villain? the way?" The two broke apart and crushed every word of Kangxi's words, chewing carefully.It seems that Kangxi is interested in these two elder brothers, but after a closer comparison, it seems that the eighth elder brother is more advanced!Just thinking about it, Kangxi said again: "But the third and the eighth, I don't want to take them. The third elder brother quotes, the eighth elder brother is lenient, and neither of them has the strength of the fourth elder brother. It seems It is difficult for a natural person to be born into the world, and it is always difficult to gather all virtues in one body..." Just as he was speaking, Zhang Tingyu brought Wang Jian in, and just as he bowed to Kangxi, Wang Zhen had already prostrated himself on the ground, crying bitterly: "Long live! What crime did the crown prince commit, so that he was abolished for no reason?..." "Unprovoked?" Kangxi restrained his voice when he was waiting for him, and asked coldly, "The reasons for his crimes are all written in the imperial edict and the astronomical document, didn't you hear?" Wang Jian nodded repeatedly, and said: "I see I heard it and listened to it, there is nothing to be said—he was the crown prince for thirty-five years, and he was dismissed with a few empty words? How can this be enough to win the trust of the world?" Kangxi stared at Wang Zhen who was trembling with excitement. After speaking, he said after a long time: "Wang Jie, you must know that I will take the time to talk to you alone. Leaving aside his violence and promiscuity, think about it calmly. No, officials form cliques for private interests, he can’t govern, donations are unfair, prison lawsuits are unfair, land is annexed, he can’t do anything - what I want is someone who can govern the country and the world, can he meet this requirement?” Wang Jian kowtowed loudly, and replied brightly: "Could it be that these accounts are all calculated on the prince alone?" Kangxi snorted and said, "Of course not, so I didn't punish him with death! You are his master. De, you have a heavy responsibility, and I will naturally clean them up one by one." Hearing Kangxi's words, Wang Jian stood up and knelt up straight, and said: "I am guilty, long live I don't say it, I know it myself, I have argued the truth, the court If you don't punish, the ministers will be ashamed in the world. But the ministers in the study room are always wise and safe, and they have no words of praise for the prince. The kings and elder brothers are doing their own things, and Long Live has not restrained them. Isn't Long Live responsible? Are the ministers not responsible? Now that the crown prince has been abolished, people say that he can be killed if he is threatening, please live long and observe silently. The small people flatter the front, set up traps in the middle, and lay stones in the back. Should he be killed or not? Now he alone says that the crown prince is immoral, isn't it? Unfair?..." "Fork it out!" Kangxi was furious before he could finish listening, and shouted, "He wants to do Bigan, I will fulfill him!" Zhang Tingyu, Ma Qi, and Tong Guowei were already covered in cold sweat. Since they entered the study, they have never seen any courtier who dared to talk to Kangxi like this. With Kangxi's power and influence, and a slight change of face, there is no one who is not scared out of his wits, Wang Jian He actually scolded all civil and military officials in one package, even Kangxi's "responsibility" was swept in!All the eunuchs standing in the hall were pale, their calves were twisted, they didn't dare to neglect at all, they came three or four earlier, set up Wang Jian and went out.Wang Jie simply burst into tears: "Lafayette, late emperor...you open your eyes and see...they want to kill the young master..." "return!" Kangxi waved his hand suddenly and ordered someone to bring Wang Jian back. His face became extremely calm, he stared at Wang Jian for a while and said, "You scolded well! This is the second time in my life that I have heard someone scold me. It's Guo Xiu, who called me the Lord of Jie and Zhou, it seems that you have shown me some kindness. There must be two of them in a court, so I won't offend you!" "I don't want your majesty to forgive me!" Wang Jue stared and said, "I ask your majesty to forgive the prince so that the world will be safe!" Kangxi shook his head, and said: "That's another matter. I didn't care about Yinfeng. He has gone to the prison now, but the elder brother, I have strictly banned you! Wang Jie, you are from a scholarly family, what kind of book? Haven’t read it? The most important weapon in the world is a gentleman who can’t be trusted. Don’t you understand the truth? From my heart, it’s also good for Yinfeng. Danzhu is unworthy, and Yao also abolished his prince. Let him go to Tong, and suffer a little, he may become a good person!" Zhang Tingyu couldn't help but gasped: How could it be compared to the anecdote of Taijia's exile?Taijia released Tong, reformed in three years, and regained the crown prince. What is this emperor who has learned from ancient and modern times, what is his mind?Just as he was thinking wildly, Kangxi said again: "I have made up my mind, and today I will invent an edict, and all officials will recommend it from among my elder brothers. I will only follow the public opinion!" "Long live," Tong Guowei was still thinking about what Kangxi had said before, "There is no precedent for the public election of officials, and I am afraid there will be trouble again. Who does Long live want, it is settled, why bother to ask?" Kangxi sneered: "You and Ma Qi is a Manchu, a bannerman of the Han army, learn from Zhang Tingyu, so he can read some books! Before the Ming Dynasty, the emperor established the crown prince, and he still needs to ask his subordinates for their opinions!" Wang Jie had stopped crying long ago, with tears still on his face, he stared at him and asked, "Long live, what if I still recommend the crown prince?" "That's unreasonable! I've already said that the public will is the only thing to follow!" Kangxi's face was expressionless, and he turned his face after a while and said: "Just to be fair, I don't allow any gangsters. I heard that you Wang Jian made a fool of yourself. A joint memorial to Bao Yinfeng? Yours doesn't count!" Everyone resigned, and Kangxi looked very tired, so he called Zhang Wuge in, and He Zhuer pressed him, talking with Zhang Wuge. "Fifth Brother Zhang," Kangxi half-closed his eyes and asked, "You are from the people below. According to your opinion, which elder brother is the best?" "Master Thirteen..." Kangxi seemed surprised, Qu Ran opened his eyes and asked, "Why do you see it?" Zhang Wuge lowered his head, and said, "I come from a poor family, a slave who sold private salt, and was caught by the government. Thirteenth Lord released him during his inspection tour." He killed the servants and reprimanded the officials, saying: "The real smugglers are the Yandao salt lords, and those who are transported to rely on strength to support their families, you are not allowed to take it in the future!" The thirteenth master knows the inferiority. It is good to be righteous... ..." Kangxi listened and closed his eyes.No matter how good the thirteenth elder brother is, he can't be the prince!Brother Zhang Wu saw that Kangxi was not sleeping soundly, so he said softly, "Master, I will stay here, who will not disturb you, you really should have a good night's sleep..." "I can't sleep..." Kangxi said lazily. Let... let him out..."