Chapter 11 Section Eleven

After walking for more than ten miles, I saw a lot of dust in front of me, and several mules came towards me with their boxes and cages.When they approached each other and asked each other, they realized that it was exactly the luggage that Duo Long'a sent someone from Dexing'a to bring back from Dexing'a. So both sides stopped.One of Shengbao's confidantes, Baosheng was promoted to be the leader of the third-rank ginseng, but in fact he was equal to Mabian's military academy, a banner man named Ladha, who was originally sent to Beijing with his family, and now he came here with his luggage. Go to the Shengbao sedan chair and ask An to call back.

It was necessary to report some of the incidents of being robbed at that time. The words were very trivial, and Shengbao became impatient. "Anyway, you have a good job." ! Tell me, what's going on now?" "Your Majesty sent someone there, made a lot of negotiations, and brought back the eight camels' luggage." "Is there a lot less stuff?" "Probably a lot." "How do you call it 'probably'? What is missing?" "Only one box was moved. For the rest, the seals are still well pasted." "That box?" Sheng Bao asked anxiously, "Isn't the box numbered?"

"It's the number one bite." fine!Shengbao was quite comforted.The contents of the first box are worthless.When packing the box, I intentionally made the name inaccurate, and the higher the number, the less important it is. This small thought really paid off.However, no matter how valuable it is, it is nothing more than something outside the body, so he immediately asked: "Where is the person?" "Several aunts and maids are still living in Puzhou City, and they will leave together when the commander arrives." "Oh!" Shengbao finally asked the most important sentence: "Is Aunt Lu okay?"

Asked this sentence, Radha's complexion was uglier than that of his dead parents. He only moved his lips, wondering what he was talking about? "What's the matter?" Sheng Bao asked loudly, "Didn't you hear me? I'll ask Aunt Lu!" "Call, Master Jiao De is here to stay." "Ah!" Shengbao jumped in the sedan chair, took off his big sunglasses, pointed at Radha angrily and asked, "What did he say?" "Master De's words are hard to hear." Radha murmured, "It's better not to ask, Commander." "Bastard! How could I not ask."

"Master De said..." Radha lowered his head and lowered his voice, "He said that Mrs. Lu is a rebellious wife, and he has to do business properly!" The words "business as usual" hit the key point of Shengbao.Knowing that Dexing Ah would pretend to be "public" to benefit "private", there is nothing he can do about him.So he leaned back dejectedly, not bothering to ask anything. In this way, after a few days, I was able to let go of missing Aunt Lu a little bit.In Shanxi for the new year, I wanted to stay for a few more days, but couldn't stand the court's repeated urging, so I had to leave after the seventh day of the new year.He arrived in Beijing at the end of the first month and was immediately sent to the Ministry of Punishment.The chief secretary received Duolong'a's message to ask questions about Beijing, and handed Shengbao over to the "Prison Hall" for temporary settlement in the "Fire Room".With the door closed and locked, it was already a prison, and now Shengbao really panicked.

This test was closed for several days, but no one came to ask him. He was only taught to "deliver a confession". Among the countless charges of impeachment, he only admitted to one: bringing a prostitute. The "professional confession" has been handed in, and the Military Aircraft Department has drafted an order according to the report of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs to "send the King of Political Affairs, the Minister of Military Aircraft, and the University Scholars to interrogate with the Ministry of Criminal Affairs, and prepare a written statement according to the law", but Prince Gong has not acted for a long time , Because of the mouse-scare, I have a lot of worries.

Before Sheng Bao arrived in Beijing, their planned rescue plan was launched.The first one was the memorial of General Mu Teng'a of Xi'an and Governor of Shaanxi Ying Kai, who rushed to deliver it within six hundred miles.When the memorial was delivered, Empress Dowager Cixi had gone to bed.Because it was a first-class emergency in the order of transmission, the internal affairs office did not dare to delay at all, and knocked on the palace door at night, and An Dehai took it, and then went to knock on the Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom, and sent the yellow box in. At this time, although the Empress Dowager Cixi had only one year and two months of experience in listening to politics, she was already very familiar with the procedures of internal and external affairs.Seeing that it was Mu Teng'a and Ying Chuan who took the title and rushed to submit the memorial within six hundred miles, he couldn't help being surprised, and cried out: "Could it be that Duo Long'a died in battle?"

This is no wonder she thinks so, because if it is an urgent military report, it should be reported by Duolonga, the imperial envoy who is in charge of military affairs. Six hundred miles to step up.Therefore, she intuitively thought of what happened to Duolonga.Unexpectedly, when he took it apart, he said, "Zhili's military affairs are in short supply, please ask Yu Shengbao to go and suppress it." "Bastard!" Empress Dowager Cixi was so angry that she threw the memorial to the ground. It was rare for An Dehai to see such a situation, but he couldn't ignore the memorial when it fell to the ground, so he quietly picked it up.Just when she didn't know how to deal with it, the Empress Dowager Cixi gave instructions.

"Get a pen!" An Dehai agreed, and brought the vermilion pen, and she personally approved the eight words: "Strictly enforce the order in accordance with the decree." Then ordered him to return it to the internal affairs office immediately. Early the next morning, Zhang Jing picked up the military plane and turned back to the military plane. Naturally, he put the most urgent ones on top and sent them to Prince Gong to pick them up for a look.However, he is calmer than the Empress Dowager Cixi, and he has to discuss with his colleagues the intention of Mu Teng'a and Ying Chihui to be included in this fold first, and then make a reason.

"Mu Teng'a is Sheng Bao's best friend, and Ying Chi is a fool. He must have been instructed by Mu Teng'a, so why bother?" Bao Jun frowned. "I'm talking about the purpose of this book. Don't they know what kind of result will be obtained if such absurdity is done?" "That's nothing more than to repay Shengbao." "Otherwise!" Wen Xiang had another opinion, "This is 'throwing stones to ask the way', to detect the intention of the court. If the tone of criticism is loosened, those who speak for Shengbao will come one by one."

"Not bad, not bad!" Everyone present nodded deeply. "Then draft an order and reprimand it!" Prince Gong made a decision. This "strict order" was issued by the cabinet.People in and out of Beijing who have been affected by the Shengbao activities will wait and see when they see that the situation is not good.But indirect news also spread to Prince Gong's ears, saying that the group of people Shengbao recruited to surrender did not understand the righteousness of serving the country and the people, but only knew to be grateful to Shengbao. If there is a change, the overall situation will be even more difficult. After taking power for more than a year, Prince Gong's purpose is still to stabilize the situation as the first priority. As long as Miao Peilin can be wronged, as long as he can be imprisoned, even if he is the "Emperor of Earth" in the Shouzhou area, he can tolerate it. Unexpected changes caused by Shengbao were naturally something he took a serious precaution against. Moreover, Prince Gong's feelings for Shengbao are different from others after all.It is difficult to say how much threat Shengbao's mixed army can pose to Sushun, but King Gong has indeed increased his confidence because of Shengbao's attitude and at the same time It shows that there are people who can use Shengbao to make those who were hovering between Sushun and him turn to his side.Win or lose, you know yourself, and Prince Gong feels that he owes Shengbao his love. Because of this double obstacle between public and private, Prince Gong, who has always been decisive and bright in dealing with affairs, seems very sticky in this big case that has attracted attention from inside and outside the capital after the "killing of the three culprits", as if he had forgotten Like this thing. He understands Wen Xiang and Cao Yuying best, and then Bao Yun.Bao Jun has always taken Prince Gong's will as his will, Cao Yuying's qualifications are still inexperienced, and it depends on the opportunity to make a speech. Only Wen Xiang thinks that it is not an option for Prince Gong to delay like this, and feels that he must speak. Whenever he has a proposition, he always speaks softly but with a firm purpose. He pointed out to King Gong that when Sheng Bao was dismissed, the most important thing is the word "ask".Rectification without questioning is worse than "Qu Yu Yourong" in terms of rectifying the discipline.What's more, it doesn't matter if you don't ask. The empress dowagers of the two palaces don't say anything, and they are already dissatisfied. The cabinet is also waiting for news. Waiting for them to ask, it will be embarrassing. Ministers discussing crimes have always been discussed by important ministers in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Punishment. Shengbao was interrogated in the cabinet.In any case, the king of politics should convene a meeting first, and then proceed.Therefore, Prince Gong accepted Wen Xiang's opinion, consulted with the cabinet, and held regular meetings. Beforehand, of course, there was some private contact, and Prince Gong got a report: Zhou Zupei, a scholar, and Li Tangjie, Minister of Military Aircraft, were very fierce, and they had already stated that strict enforcement of victory protection would not be enough to uphold the law of the country. "Why is that?" Prince Gong frowned and asked, "Could it be...?" Bao Yun has always spoken without reservation, and said loudly: "Henan people! Sheng Kezhai has done too much in Henan. Zhou and Li, if you don't say so, how can you explain to their fellow villagers?" This was straightforward and straight-forward, Prince Gong knew it in his heart.So on the day of the cabinet meeting, let Zhou Zupei and Li Tangjie scold Shengbao, let them vent their anger first. "In short, in a nutshell," Zhou Zupei said, slapping the table, "like this, corrupting the people, corrupting and dereliction of duty, and letting down the commanding officers of the imperial court, a hundred deaths are not enough to cover their guilt!" "Old Zhi is right." Prince Gong spoke slowly and confidently. After agreeing, he suddenly changed his mind, "However, as the saying goes, 'you can't cast a mouse', Shengbao is already in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment and can be executed at any time. I think—— Let's talk about Katsubo aside!" Zhou Zupei was taken aback, not knowing who and what else would be discussed in this case apart from Shengbao? Above the temple, it is inconvenient to say something that is not grand enough to accommodate the reality, so I put aside Sheng Bao and talked about his hidden property.This matter was under Bao Jun's control. He talked about the situation of Duo Long'a's inspection and the information he got from him, as if he was chatting and talking about the news. Who might have hidden some property from Shengbao?Who will be sent to search?In what way?And so on, although it is too trivial to talk about it, it sounds interesting. The first meeting ended in such a muddled way.In a few days, a memorial from Zeng Guofan, governor of Liangjiang, brought new troubles and worries to Prince Gong and his colleagues——Shengbao played another ruthless game besides Miao Peilin. Zeng Guofan's memorial said: Li Shizhong, the admiral of the south of the Yangtze River, wrote a letter, willing to deprive himself of his position and make atonement for the victory.This is a whimsical thing, and it is not only presumptuous but also absurd to use a military officer in the front to interfere with the court's authority to deal with the guilty minister.Logically speaking, Zeng Guofan should have been reprimanded, but Zeng Guofan did not deal with it, and acted on his behalf according to the facts, and only briefly stated that the reason for his acting on behalf of him was: "I dare not block the news." This understatement, for those who understand the relationship between Li Shizhong and Shengbao, there is a lot of meaning in it.What Zeng Guofan meant was that if Li Shizhong didn't make his request on behalf of him, there might be troubles, and this trouble was something that even he, the governor of Liangjiang, who controlled the military power of the four provinces, couldn't take care of it, so he "did not dare to block the news" . "You three discuss it first!" Prince Gong handed the memorial to Wen Xiang, Bao Jun and Cao Yuying, shook his head and said, "I have a terrible headache!" Why don't the three of them have a headache?We got together and read Zeng Guofan's memorial several times, but didn't know how to comment. Finally, Wen Xiang said this: "In my opinion, Li Shizhong's intention is not all to repay personal favors, but also to show merit for Sheng Kezhai." Bao Yun didn't quite understand what he meant, but Cao Yuying had a great understanding and nodded repeatedly: "This is a deep understanding!" "how?" "In September of the eighth year of Xianfeng, Sheng Kezhai recruited Li Shizhong to surrender, which benefited the overall situation. It was indeed not easy. At that time, Li Shizhong was not called Li Shizhong, but Li Zhaoshou." Li Zhaoshou was originally a Nian bandit, joined forces with Hong Jun, and fought against officers and soldiers in Chuzhou and Liuhe on the north bank of the Yangtze River.In the autumn of the eighth year of Xianfeng, Li Xiucheng and Chen Yucheng worked together to stabilize the north bank of the Yangtze River, and they entered northern Anhui, and Chuzhou handed over to Li Zhaoshou for defense.The discipline of his subordinates was extremely bad, and he was not a direct descendant of Hong Jun, so Chen Yucheng always despised him, which made Li Zhaoshou feel strange. So Shengbao managed to capture his whole family, and treated him very kindly. Li Zhaoshou considered his own interests, sacrificed Chuzhou City, and accepted Shengbao's offer to surrender.When Zou reported to Beijing, he was rewarded with the second grade Hualing, named Shizhong, and appointed as the general soldier, and still let him garrison Liuhe area. "From that time on, the Hong army in Jiangning and the north of Anhui couldn't be united. It wasn't the beginning of Li Shizhong's blocking. In terms of this, it can also be regarded as the credit of Sheng Kezhai." "But it's wrong to coerce the court!" Wen Xiang said with a frown, "I'm afraid Li Shizhong is also the second Miao Peilin. I heard that the bandits and salt lords in that area all come and go. Li Shizhong's nickname is 'Shou Wang. " "Then," Bao Jun said in surprise, "are you going to rebel again?" The other two were silent.After a long time, Wen Xiang clenched his fists and said in pain, "We must not force Li Shizhong back! Which relationship, too big, too big! " In this way, a conclusion is naturally raised, and there is only one way to appease.But it was very difficult to express the edict in reply, so Bao Yun pointed to Cao Yuying and said, "Zuoru, this must have been done by you." "Let's talk about it after we see the prince!" Cao Yuying replied, "I'm afraid there must be other arrangements besides the decree." "Yes!" Wen Xiang nodded deeply, "After talking for a long time, Zhuo Ru's words are very useful. Let's go, let's go to Jianyuan. " When we arrived at Jianyuan in Daxiangfeng Hutong, Prince Gong was having a banquet, so he left the banquet to accuse him of a crime, and had a private meeting in the small study.Along the way, Wen Xiang had a plan in mind, so he calmly put forward his solution at this time. "Peace is inevitable, but there is no need to rush to approve this memorial." "That's right!" Prince Gong interrupted involuntarily, "This is a good purpose, first let Li Shizhong have some hope, and then we can discuss it in the long run." "Yes." Wen Xiang continued his own words, "Zhuo Ru thinks that there must be other arrangements. This is a cunning plan. In my opinion, I will write a letter to Zeng Disheng in the name of the sixth master today." "What did the letter say?" "Li Shizhong's request is absolutely unacceptable. Let him comfort him well, and," Wen Xiang said in an emphatic tone, "take strict precautions!" "Okay!" Prince Gong immediately made a decision: "Just ask Zhuo Ru to work hard for a while, write it here and post it." Because it was decided to put Li Shizhong's request on hold for the time being, so when he met the Queen Mothers of the Two Palaces in the Hall of Mental Cultivation the next morning, Prince Gong didn't mention it at all.But the Empress Dowager Cixi just remembered that when she finished processing the other chapters, she asked kindly: "It seems that Zeng Guofan still has a book. What's the matter with Li Shizhong?" "This is trouble." Prince Gong shook his head vigorously. "There is no way out of trouble. What should we do? There must be an explanation." Empress Dowager Cixi turned to look at Empress Dowager Ci'an and asked, "Sister, do you think so?" "I," the Empress Dowager Ci'an replied with an apologetic smile, "I still don't know what's going on!" The Empress Dowager Cixi didn't know much about Li Shizhong's background and the current situation, so she took this opportunity to look at Wen Xiang and said, "You must be clear, tell me about it!" Wen Xiang went out to answer the class, and briefly explained the process of Shengbao's recruitment of Li Shizhong, and then mentioned his current situation: "Li Shizhong is currently stationed in Liuhe, and he has collected the salt lessons and lijin there. His reason is to teach him to be grateful, don't follow Miao Peilin's example, and get rid of the heart of surrender and rebellion. Li Xiucheng brought 300,000 people from Jiangxi to northern Anhui in November last year. , wanting to hit Zeng Guoquan from behind and save Jiang Ning, if Li Shizhong changes his mind and votes in the past, it will play a pivotal role and the overall situation will change." "Then you have to talk to him, Luo?" Empress Dowager Cixi's words were full of self-deprecating meaning. Prince Gong felt a little hot on his face, so he replied: "'If you can't bear it, you will make a big conspiracy', the two empress dowagers are wise." Seeing the embarrassment on Prince Gong's face, Empress Dowager Cixi kept nodding her head as a comfort, but she had her own opinion, but she still said it out. "I often think," the Empress Dowager Cixi said gracefully, in her unique, clear, calm and authoritative voice: "There are so many people in Beijing and outside of Beijing who are doing things. In the end, it's up to us, the monarchs and ministers." Ideas, things, not everything can be done; people, not everyone can be convinced, as long as we can explain it with our own conscience, we can't control so much. Liu Ye, you mean that? " "The Holy Mother and Empress Dowager can see it." Prince Gong raised his dangling hand, pointed to his heart and said, "I just use one heart to repay the grace of heaven and ancestors." "Yeah! But how can I be worthy of my conscience? I think there is only one word 'gong'." She stopped, and looked around at every minister of military aircraft with a calm gaze, which made people feel a sense of power without anger. With her two deep words, they couldn't help but feel nervous, wondering if she had something to say to blame. "Take the case of He Guiqing as an example." Empress Dowager Cixi still said leisurely, as if talking about family affairs, "in my opinion, it is a little too serious. He is not the only one who lost his teacher and lost his land." Why should he have his head chopped off? Last summer when he was escorted from Shanghai to Beijing, some people in the court spoke for him, and some had to be dealt with strictly. Our sisters couldn’t tell who was right and who was wrong. Selfishness, one set of arguments on one side and another set of arguments on the other side messed up the rationale, and the matter would be difficult. At that time, I thought, if He Guiqing's case was decided by me alone, I would definitely spare him It is enough for him to be dismissed and never to be employed again. However, many people say that the overall situation is improving, and the chaos must be rectified in order to put down the chaos. The sisters wanted to spare He Guiqing, but they couldn't do so, so they had to be charged with "execution after autumn". Originally, He Guiqing could live for another year when the yuan was changed last year and the autumn judgment was suspended. According to the usual practice, he was finally tied to Caishikou. Naturally, there is nothing to say about the imperial court's great law. But..." As soon as I was about to get to the point, the Empress Dowager Cixi stopped for a while, picked up the tureen bowl of the Kangxi Kiln Greenland Huanglong, uncovered the bowl, and brought it to her mouth. The eunuch was replaced.This delay was fine for others, but Wu Tingdong felt like a thorn in his back, and he was extremely cramped, because he was the strongest advocate for punishing He Guiqing strictly. In the cold February weather in spring, I was sweating on my back.