Chapter 51 Section 51

At this time, the "Master Zhao" in Zhizhou Yamen had received the news that Ding Baozhen had issued a warrant ordering Zhao Xin, the governor of Dezhou, to pay attention to An Dehai's whereabouts. The warrant stated very clearly that once An Dehai entered the province, if he committed any crime, he could be arrested and reported at the same time.Therefore, Zhao Xin had already dispatched capable officers to wait on the northern border of the state government. As soon as he found the two peaceboats with dragon and phoenix flags, he immediately reported to the state.When the boat berthed at the west gate, Huang Shikui asked someone to buy ducks, someone nearby heard it clearly, and immediately reported it to Zhao Xin.

"How do you call it 'illegitimate'?" Zhao Xin asked his friends and "officials" to discuss, "Ordinarily, hanging the dragon and phoenix flag is illegal. Can he be arrested based on this?" "Can't be caught!" The old master surnamed Cai shook his head like a rattle, "This eunuch surnamed An made great achievements in the time of Zhu Sushun, and Prince Gong was helpless! Dong Weng went to arrest him. It's really called 'eggs hit rocks'!" "That's a good word." Zhao Xin asked, "How can I explain to my superiors?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing wrong with the surname An. Even the ducks were bought with their own money, and they didn't harass the local area. How can it be called 'lawless'?" "Otherwise!" There is an "official relative" who is Zhao Xin's distant nephew, who is also very shrewd. "They spend their own money to buy ducks, which shows that they have no 'reconnaissance'." "Reconnaissance" is issued by the Ministry of War. All officers and soldiers who are allowed to go out of Beijing must submit to inspection and reconciliation every time they arrive at a post station to prove their identity and obtain all local supplies.Therefore, it is not only an obligation to show the platform survey, but also a right to be enjoyed. If An Dehai has a survey and cooperation, there is no need to spend money on eating two ducks.

Everyone thought his opinion was good, only Old Master Cai disagreed: "Even if there is no investigation, it can't prove that he is illegal. Who dares to say that he has no decree? You can't ask him!" Zhao Xin decided not to arrest An Dehai, but, "The report must be reported!" "No way!" Old Master Cai shook his head again, "Ding Gongbao has just made a promise that he will not care about the past and the future, and if he plays according to Dong Weng's report, the Queen Mother will only say: No one talks all the way, so why is Zhao making trouble out of nothing?" Please think about it, Dong Weng, Ding Gongbao’s royal family is in the prime of his life, and he will perform according to the report, so there will be no punishment, so Dong Weng will be the Empress Dowager’s punching bag!"

This is very thorough, and Zhao Xin thinks it is, but because of this, he encountered a problem. If he does not care about it, although he will not offend the queen mother in the palace, he will offend the governor of the province. He is not afraid of officials but only of management. You will lose your job.So Zhao Xin frowned and paced back and forth, not knowing what to do? The screen friends couldn't just see the owner's embarrassment, they discussed quietly for a long time, and finally came to a conclusion, the report must be reported, it just depends on the method?Someone proposed to go to the province to report to the provincial government, but Old Master Cai thought that this was absolutely unacceptable, if Ding Baozhen told him face to face: arrest An Dehai!It is impossible not to follow the order, and if you follow the order, something will happen, and there is no evidence to say it.That would be too bad!

"I have a plan." It was still Zhao Xin's nephew's idea: "How about using 'clip sheet'?" Subordinates use the "red handbook" to write their resumes when meeting their superiors, and use the "white handbook" to report something. In this book, it is called "clip sheet".The folder does not have a title, so it has always been kept by the Shangguan at random, and it is not an official document. Zhao Xin, who had been walking squarely for a long time, stopped and said, "I've been pondering for a long time just now, and I've figured out the truth. The higher ups are going to play a performance. The sky is falling because of the top of the elders. The misfortunes and fortunes may not have anything to do with me. I'm afraid I don’t want to play, but I leave a report there. I don’t know if it was turned out that day, I must be troubled. Using the idea of ​​clipping the list, the good thing is that you don’t need to file the case. It must be done this way, but there is no need to be busy, it’s not a joke The horse bandit has arrived, so there is no need to fly overnight to report."

"Dong Weng is right." Old Master Cai replied, "You might as well take another look, and report when they leave, it's not too late." "Yes, yes! If you send the ghost out of the house, there will be no business for us in Texas." Zhao Xin's nephew echoed.After the discussion was over, they dispersed.Zhao Xin always felt a little uneasy, so he found his nephew and Mrs. Cai, suggested to change into plain clothes, and quietly went to spy outside the west gate. What is the situation? Old Master Cai was more serious, thinking that one thing more is worse than one thing less, but "Master Nephew" was young and curious, and tried his best to encourage them, but he couldn't hold back their uncle and nephew, so Old Master Cai agreed.

All three of them were wearing only a gauze shirt, and each held a round fan to cover their faces.When I got to the canal outside the west gate, I saw people on the shore watching the excitement, there were always three to five hundred people.It was July 20th, the moon hadn’t come up yet, and it was pitch black on the shore, but the boat was brightly lit, and the windows were wide open. From a distance, it seemed that there were more women than men in the cabin, and they were playing bamboo and tuning strings, having fun . "Why, did you get a troupe of actresses?" Just as Zhao Xin asked, a gust of wind passed by, and indeed he could hear the strings ding-dong, but he was afraid that people would discover his true colors, and stand too far away, so he couldn't hear or see clearly, so he asked his nephew to take a closer look.

Squeezing to the front of the crowd, it was very interesting. Eight women in their twenties with heavy make-up were sitting in groups, some were playing the pipa, some were playing the huqin, and some were playing the flute.It’s the same musical instrument, and two people serve it. The person who plays the pipa only uses his right hand to hold the pipa lightly and slowly, while another person presses the strings for her. She frets.Such intertwining is used, but it is not entangled.The people on the shore looked stupid. Zhao Xin's nephew, however, paid attention to something else. He saw an eunuch sitting in the middle of the head, about twenty years old, fair-born, with a effeminate face, and other men, women and children, sitting around him about.I thought this was An Dehai, he didn't look like a bad person, how could he act so boldly?

"Did you see it?" He heard someone pointing to the boat and saying, "There is a dragon robe hanging there!" "Yes, I saw it." "I heard from the people under the boat that tomorrow is Erye An's birthday, and everyone should kowtow to the dragon robe." "What kind of rule is this?" Someone was asking, "Why do you kowtow to the dragon robe on my husband's birthday?" "That's right, I'm also surprised. When I asked, it's said that Mr. An said this: You all don't dare to pray for my birthday. You must not forget your roots. I have today, it is all the grace of the queen mother and the emperor. Pao kowtowed and saluted, which can be regarded as a filial piety for me."

What kind of courtesy is this?It's nothing more than wearing a dragon robe for self-respect!Zhao Xin's nephew thought, this is a big crime!So he squeezed out again and told Zhao Xin everything he had seen and heard. "The thing where two people serve a musical instrument is called 'Eight-tone Gala', which is rare now." Old Master Cai said. What "Eight Music Festival" is all gossip.Zhao Xin was thinking in his heart, looking at it like this, did An Dehai follow the order to go out of Beijing?It's hard to say.Now I only hope that he will leave the country as soon as possible, otherwise this trouble will not be resolved, so when he returned to the Yamen, he immediately called for the arrest and ordered him to monitor the two peaceboats while secretly protecting them. If there is any dispute with the local people, it is necessary to resolve the repression and not cause trouble. Early the next morning, the person sent to watch came back to report that An Dehai's boat had left.The reported situation is different from what Zhao Xin saw last night.There are two big flags on the boat, one says "Imperial Envoy by Order" and the other says "Purchase Dragon Robes". On the two big flags there is a small flag, which depicts a sun and a crow under the sun, which looks like a crow. In particular, three legs. "Ah!" Zhao Xin lost his voice and said, "I'm afraid it's really an imperial envoy under Yi's order!" "This..." Old Master Cai asked in bewilderment, "What did Dong Weng see?" Zhao Xin was born in Juren, and there is some ink in his stomach, "Old Master," he said, "There is a saying in "Spring and Autumn", called 'There are three-legged crows in the sun', do you remember?" Old Master Cai thought about it for a while, and thought of it: "Ah, ah, so it is such a scripture!" "There is another classic." Zhao Xin told his nephew, "You fetch the "Historical Records." Take "Historical Records", turn to "Sima Xiangru Biography", Zhao Xin pointed to a place and showed it to Old Master Cai: "Fortunately, there is a three-legged crow as an envoy". The Queen Mother of the West feeds on the north of Kunxu." "Did you see it?" Zhao Xin said proudly, "That's very clear, the 'envoy' is the imperial envoy, and the 'Queen Mother of the West' is the Queen Mother of the West!" "There is such a profound and appropriate scripture," Zhao Xin's nephew said with a smile, "It seems that he was instructed by an expert." The belly is Zhao Xinkuan, but the brain is the old master Cai who handles the punishment. He sneered at the time: "Hmph, not at all! Just with this three-legged crow, this person is innocent!" Zhao Xin was taken aback: "How do you say that?" Old Master Cai took a look around, pulled Zhao Xin aside, and said quietly: "Please think about it, Dong Weng, to feed for the Queen Mother of the West. Doesn't that mean that you come to fight the autumn wind under the order of the Empress Dowager West? During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty There are many such things, and there are such things in this dynasty? Even if it is true, how can it be used as a cover? What crime should be for slandering the Holy Mother? It is really a common saying, and it is necessary to 'copy and kill'!" "Ah! Old Master," Zhao Xin bowed his head and said convincingly: "You are better than me. From this point of view, he is still a fake imperial envoy. The Empress Dowager Cixi is very shrewd. Even if she taught him to fight the autumn wind, she would never teach him. Put up the cover. It's An Dehai's Zhaoyao." "Dong Weng sees it. It's not too late, report it quickly. This small flag is more important than those dragon and phoenix flags. Now there is no need to use the clipboard, use the official post, The matter of the three-legged crow must be described in it. But there is no need to explain, Ding Gongbao was born in the Imperial Academy, and there are many celebrities in the shogunate, so you can understand it at a glance. Once you understand it, you must kill An Dehai! If you kill it, you have to teach the Empress Dowager Cixi See you, because this is to defend the 'Queen Mother of the West'." Zhao Xin was naturally educated. At that time, Mr. Cai started to write a letter, and immediately handed it over to the provincial capital. But An Dehai didn't know it. After paying homage to the dragon robe, eating birthday noodles, and celebrating his happiest birthday since he was born, he sailed south and arrived at Gucheng County in Zhili that day.From here to the west is a section of the canal that is famously curved, and the locals call it "Three Bends and Three Looks". After walking ten miles for a day, I arrived at a huge town called Zhengjiakou. There are people on both sides of the canal. The Weizi is as high as the city wall, and it is also a large wharf for land and water. Mooring the boat for dinner, An Dehai had just picked up his wine glass when Huang Shikui walked up and said, "Second Lord, as expected, you will have trouble getting through Linqing." It is difficult to pass because the canal is shallow.In the fifth year of Xianfeng, Tongwaxiang broke through, and the Yellow River "shenlong dropped its tail", swung from south to north, and broke the canal between Shouzhang and Donghe. The Wenshui River cannot reach the North Canal, but the Yellow River is poured in with silt, causing the riverbed to silt up over time. Only in spring and summer when the water rises can a light boat pass.The water has dried up due to the recent drought, and the section of the river from Linqing to Zhangqiu has become a sewer with only a few feet of water. "Then let's have a drought!" An Dehai said, "I've never been on a boat except for 'Visiting the Second Sluice'. I really think it's stuffy." He said it lightly, but Huang Shikui got into his mind.With so many people and so much luggage, it took two or three days of continuous work to complete the journey from Beijing to Tongzhou. At this time, it was really difficult to find twenty or thirty carts at once. "What's the matter?" An Dehai asked puzzled. Huang Shikui didn't answer immediately, turned to look at one of his colleagues and asked, "What do you think?" This man's nickname was Tian'er, and he was also An's servant. He was from Shandong, so Huang Shikui asked him for advice.But Tian'er also frowned, with a bitter face, and thought for a while before saying, "It would be great if I could 'catch the job'." "Why can't they be caught?" An Dehai immediately interjected, with a loud voice, looking a little angry, "You two are my 'former station officers'!" "Yes!" A eunuch, Li Pingan, said, "You two will follow the orders of the second master." It seems that it can’t be done, and at the same time, he is afraid that An Dehai will be angry if he fails to do it for a while, so Huang Shikui came up with an idea: "Well, the boat will go as usual, and we will go to Linqing to catch a drought. I will catch up with Tianer along the way The car, caught and waiting in Linqing." "That's fine." An Dehai nodded. What Huang Shikui wanted to say, Tian Er quietly gave him a hand, so the two went to the bow of the boat to discuss closely, Tian Er complained to him and said: "You didn't figure it out, so you just agreed to come down. This errand It's very troublesome, and if you don't do it, you will cause a big disaster!" Huang Shikui was startled, and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?" "Just look at this," Tian'er said, pointing at Weizi, "you know that the common people here are not easy to mess with. If the stragglers are restless, they will either be buried alive, or their heads will be smashed and thrown into the river." Huang Shikui became more and more frightened, but also somewhat disbelieving: "Isn't there no kingly law?" "Hmph!" Tian'er sneered, "That's not bad. Youfang Town, forty miles away from Linqing, killed six or seven hundred officers and soldiers at once last year." The more he said the more mysterious, Huang Shikui suspected that he was trying to scare people, so he deliberately asked: "Then, what do you think should be done? The job has already been taken, and there is no room for you to retreat!" Tian'er was stunned for a while, then replied helplessly: "I have no choice but to go forward. But I have to go with the five bodyguards. " "That's a good idea, even if it's just for show." After Huang Shikui said this, he turned around and went back to the middle cabin to discuss. An Dehai didn't express yet, but there was a 60-year-old eunuch Hao Changrui who was accompanying him, so he had a hard look on his face.Huang Shikui knew in his heart that they carried a lot of jewels and needed protection, and he couldn't let go of the bodyguards once they left. "Look," Huang Shikui said, pointing to the village on the bank, "everyone in this area has muskets, and the place is the most peaceful. And with the flag of 'imperial envoy' hanging, who would dare to go to Tai Sui to break ground?" "Yes!" An Dehai agreed deeply, and made a decisive decision, "You take Old Han and the others away." Old Han's name is Han Baoqing, and he is the brains of their five bodyguards.When Huang Shikui went to hire their bodyguards, he asked a question, saying that since he was ordered to go out of Beijing and was escorted by officers and soldiers along the way, why hire bodyguards?Huang Shikui smiled but didn't answer, just took out a silver note of one thousand taels and handed it over.The remuneration of two hundred taels of silver per person is considered very generous, and the protection is the humble "dark bodyguard".No one would have thought that the eunuch would bring such valuable things with him, and nothing would happen to him. Therefore, there was no need to worry about whether he was really following the order. Due to such a tacit understanding, Huang Shikui and Tian'er pretended to be "former station officials" to seize the car, and Han Baoqing didn't think it was strange. Fortunately, they still "give the official price" to seize the car, so the trouble was not too big.The main purpose of the five bodyguards is to deal with the small officials on the checkpoint. If someone expresses doubts and wants to question the details, Han Baoqing will lead his colleagues to rush forward, clasping his arms and fists, as if preparing to beat someone. It can scare the other party into silence and let them go away. Walking all the way, grabbing all the way, captured more than 20 large carts, and headed straight to Linqing South Bay in a mighty manner. More than a dozen people drove south along the dry canal.