Chapter 52 Section fifty-two

At this time, Ding Baozhen, who was in Jinan, had already received Zhao Xin's secret report, and the way to deal with it had already been discussed with the celebrities in the curtain.Seeing An Dehai's entry into the net, he took a two-pronged approach, begging and arresting him at the same time.The reason for the arrest was simple: there was an eunuch named An who "claimed to be dispatched by order, ostentatiously and incitingly, and could not tell the truth from the false".His Muyou, after citing Zhao Xin's original report, reported in a simple language that even the Empress Dowager Ci'an could understand: "I was surprised when I read it. For more than a hundred years, eunuchs have never been allowed to make friends with outsiders, and there has never been a matter of sending eunuchs to other provinces. Kuanglongpao is a garment for the imperial court, and it is woven and carefully made by itself. If it must be purchased, there must be a clear statement on it. Weaving, etc. should be respected and followed immediately, so why use eunuchs to spend far away? Moreover, my empress dowager and the emperor advocate frugality and are admired by the whole world, so there is absolutely no need for eunuchs to go out to purchase. Even if there is something real, there must be a decree and a document. Know the minister. Even if the eunuch goes back and forth, there should be a pass card survey and combination as usual, and he must not be allowed to parade arbitrarily, nonsensical examination. Especially different, the dragon and phoenix flags are forbidden for the emperor. Knowing the etiquette and law, how dare to violate the system and use it? It is especially unsystematic to bring female music on business trips!

It seems that this is obviously ostentatious, shocking, and of great concern.There is no harassment or deception yet, but it may be a fake errand, or it may be an excuse to send it out privately, and the authenticity cannot be distinguished.The minister's duty is to guard the place, so he has to intercept and interrogate him, so he should be cautious.Cheng Shengwu, the magistrate of Dongchang Prefecture, and Wang Xilin, the magistrate of Jining Prefecture, have been closely ordered to follow up together, find out and solve the province, and let the ministers personally examine them. Please obey the order. "

After sending out the memorial with the "Sibaili" post, which is second only to the emergency military newspaper, Ding Baozhen immediately distributed the secret letter with a fast horse, one of which was sent to Liaocheng, and sent to Cheng Shengwu, the acting prefect of Dongchang Prefecture, and ordered him to arrest him immediately. Andhey. Cheng Shengwu, styled Koizumi, was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. He was the magistrate of Shanxian County in Shandong Province when he was suppressing Nian.However, the reputation gained from military exploits is too superficial, so the Taoist team can only act as the prefect of Dongchang, and is known as the most capable official in Shandong.

The ability of a competent member means that he can handle any tricky tasks properly and beautifully.Before he received the secret letter from the governor, he had already received the news that An Dehai was going south early. There were more than 20 carts and more than 30 entourages. Send someone to follow behind, secretly monitor, send him out of Dongchang Mansion, and forget it. When he received the secret letter from the governor, he was the first to go to Wang Xin'an, the commander-in-chief stationed in Dongchang Mansion.This man was from Xiangyang, Hubei, and he was Duolong'a's subordinate. Later, he was transferred to Shandong by Hu Linyi and was appreciated by Yan Jingming, the governor at that time. After that, Ding Baozhen followed Yan Jingming's vacancy and relied heavily on him as before.When Li Hongzhang suppressed Nian, the Huai army was extremely domineering, and the so-called "Eastern Army" of Ding Baozhen and Wang Xin'an suffered from the anger of Li Hongzhang and the Huai army.The Huai army general Liu Mingchuan's troops are now led by his nephew Liu Shengzao and stationed in Zhangqiu, so Ding Baozhen asked Wang Xin'an to station in Dongchang, separated from each other, so that they can live in peace.

"Brother Zhiping," Cheng Shengwu said to Wang Xin'an, "Gong Bao's order, you have to do it, and it's not difficult to do it, but as long as there is a gossip outside, my mission will be ruined." "You have an explanation for everything." Wang Xin'an said with a smile, "You say what you say, and I'll listen." "First, it's hard to say whether An Dehai obeyed Yi's orders. The palace guard is upright and diligent, and the holy family is upright. I'm a subordinate, so I can't help him in any way. Once this case comes out, It must be good-looking, but what the Queen Mother thinks in her heart, you have to worry about it."

"That's a clear statement." Wang Xin'an asked, "You still have second place, right?" "There is not only the second, but also the third." Cheng Shengwu said, "The second is that I cherish your reputation and don't want you to send troops to arrest the eunuch." "Thank you so much." Wang Xin'an clasped and waved his hands again, "Going out to arrest the eunuchs is truly invincible, once word spreads, Liu Shengsan and the others take it as a joke?" Cheng Shengwu didn't want to use Wang Xin'an's army, and was afraid that Wang Xin'an would feel uncomfortable.At this time, he went on to say: "You can't rely on your subordinates, so there is a third one. An Dehai has a lot of bodyguards. If you want to catch him, you may not be willing to give in. If you attack him twice, you will definitely be killed or injured. When the news spread, people said: Cheng can't even cure a eunuch! I can't afford to lose face."

"You are different, it is not a shame for others, but it is a shame for you. So, what are your plans now? " "My plan is that I would rather outsmart the enemy than force the enemy. I led the team to follow it and play it by ear. I came to discuss with Brother Zhiping today, can you lend me some short guns?" "The word 'discussion' is still needed? How much do you want? Send someone to tell me. Can I not give it?" In fact, Cheng Shengwu had his own personal squad of more than 20 people, and each of them had a "seven breeches" with extremely powerful firepower.

He purposely borrowed a gun from Wang Xin'an to get close to him. At that time, he wrote a written receipt for borrowing eight guns and handed it to Wang Xin'an face to face.When he returned to the yamen, a general had already delivered the gun, and there were 200 extra rounds of "zi medicine", which showed that Wang Xin'an gave it to him.Cheng Shengwu sent someone to pick it up, and rewarded him generously.Then ask about An Dehai's whereabouts. "I've already been beaten, let's go." Mr. Qian, who was leading the soldiers for him, surnamed Yu, told him.

"Out of the east gate, or out of the south gate?" Cheng Shengwu asked. "Go out the east gate." There are two roads going south from Dongchang Mansion, and the south gate is through Yanggu and Yuncheng.There are two roads out of the east gate, one is Zhengdong, passing through Pingyin and Feicheng to Tai'an, and turning south, it has been a thoroughfare from north to south since ancient times; Jiangsu.I don't know which route An Dehai took? "My lord!" Yu Qianzong, who was eager to try, asked, "Are you going to arrest those eunuchs?" Cheng Shengwu was slightly startled, the arrest of An Dehai was a top secret, how could the news have leaked out?But he has a lot of experience. The more important the leaked secrets are, the faster they will spread. The best way is to ignore them, so he asked in a casual tone: "So what if it is, so what if it is not?"

"If not, he should be escorted out of the country. If so--if he wants to catch this group of eunuchs, he can kill chickens with a sledgehammer. Tonight, he can be caught in a net." "Oh!" Cheng Shengwu's face became very "serious." Now, he felt that Mr. Yu Qian should not be regarded as an old man, so he wanted to discuss with him, so he asked: "Escorts are unnecessary. Let me ask you first, how did you know to arrest these eunuchs?" "Someone came from Jinan - a very reliable person, saying that Kung Pao lost his temper, and he must be arrested."

"That person?" Cheng Shengwu's voice was very urgent. "Yes, it's a chief eunuch surnamed An, who is said to be a celebrity in front of the Queen Mother." Cheng Shengwu didn't answer, just nodded.After a while, he said: "There is no need to escort him, and there is no need to arrest him, but the task is more difficult than arresting. I don't know if you can do it or not?" This is a provocative method, of course Mr. Yu Qian will be fooled, and he said with a face full of dissatisfaction: "My lord's errand has not been dispatched yet, how can you say that someone can't handle it?" "Others can't do it, but of course you can do it." Cheng Shengwu said slowly: "They fought here at noon, and they will stay at Tongcheng Station tonight, so they will part ways, so we won't know that they are going to Zhengdong until tomorrow. Or go to Yanggu? You leave tonight, find out their whereabouts, and come back overnight to tell me." "Yes!" Mr. Yu Qian replied, "I'll leave right away, and I'll come back at dawn tomorrow to report to my lord." "Okay!" Cheng Shengwu asked again: "How do you go about asking?" Mr. Yu Qian thought for a while and replied: "I don't take anyone with me. Just myself, put on plain clothes, and go to Tongcheng Station and ask the porters to find out. When you find out clearly, you will come back immediately. Your Excellency will get up tomorrow, and there will be definite news. hear." "That's it. When the matter is over, I will guarantee you to change the top hat, otherwise I will ask Zongbing Wang to make up for your lack of strength. You can go quickly! I will wait for your news tomorrow morning." Early the next morning, the news came that An Dehai was going to Dong'e.Cheng Shengwu made preparations long ago, dressed in plain clothes and a cool hat, and led a dozen people to chase him down. Before leaving, he made a secret report to explain the situation. After two days of tracking under the scorching sun, I suddenly found that Andehai's itinerary had changed. He set off from Wenshang County and was supposed to go straight to Yanzhou, but turned east to Ningyang, and then headed north.Cheng Shengwu sent someone to inquire, only to find out that An Dehai was very interested, and wanted to visit Mount Tai by a devious way, and then go south from Tai'an. At this time, Wang Xin'an, under the order of Ding Baozhen, drove down with a small group of people, chased Cheng Shengwu, and discussed with each other.According to Wang Xin'an's intention, we must do it, but Cheng Shengwu still insisted on being cautious, saying that He Yufu, the county magistrate of Tai'an, is extremely capable, and there must be a way to overcome his "wisdom deficiency. Otherwise, it's not too late to wait for An Dehai to come down from Mount Tai and send troops to intercept him. Wang Xin'an agreed to his proposal, and after a secret discussion, he specially dispatched Mr. Yu Qian to Tai'an with Cheng Shengwu's personal letter.When An Dehai's convoy arrives, it will be late, so they enter the South Gate and go to the inn first.The largest family was named "Yixing". Coincidentally, there were two large courtyards that were empty. After An Dehai had rested, he had just dusted and washed his face, and was sitting drinking tea. Huang Shikui came in and told him: "Tai'an County sent someone. Can you see him?" There was not much attention along the way, and he didn't want this place to be different, An Dehai seemed very happy, "See you, see you!" He said, "Why don't you see me?" So a "subordinate man" wearing a blue cloth coat and a red tasseled cap was brought in, greeted An Dehai, and signed up by himself: "The young one is called Zhang Sheng, and my superior specially asked Zhang Sheng to greet the imperial envoy An Dehai. My superior He said that he should have come to greet him in person, but he didn't dare to be presumptuous because he was not on official business, but he knew that envoy An Qin was sent by the Empress Dowager, so he didn't dare to be rude." As he spoke, he opened the prayer box he brought with him, and took out a name card , holding it up with both hands. "Oh!" An Dehai looked at the name post, "So it's Mr. He!" "Yes!" Zhang Sheng said, "My Majesty asked Zhang Sheng to come to ask for instructions. My Majesty has prepared a table for envoy An Qin. I would like to invite you over. If it is inconvenient, please bring the table here." This was intended to be provocative, and An Dehai immediately said: "No inconvenience! Since Your Majesty knows my identity, I have to bother him." "Yes! An Qin sent me a favor." Zhang Sheng invited An Qin and said, "There are still a few masters, please go there together." "Okay! You wait a moment." So An Dehai asked someone to discuss it, and decided to bring Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan to the banquet together, with Huang Shikui accompanying him to serve.Zhang Sheng led the way, and went straight to Tai'an County Yamen by car.Please go to the flower hall, Zhang Sheng backed out, and another servant brought three cups of tea on a tray—not a bowl of tea for hospitality, An Dehai's face changed when he saw it. "Huang Shikui, Huang Shikui!" he shouted loudly. There was no response from outside, where did Huang Shikui go?An Dehai went down to the corridor to have a look, and saw several shadowy figures on the corridor and by the rockery. "What's going on?" Chen Yuxiang rushed over and asked in a low voice. "How unreasonable!" An Dehai lost his temper and scolded: "What kind of trick is this?" wave to him. They looked at each other for a long time before An Dehai said: "Calm down!" The so-called "holding one's breath" is really helpless.Obviously, the most important thing for An Dehai at this time is to still put on the air of "imperial envoy" to bluff people, so he picked up his Beijing accent and complained loudly.But Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan were really terrified. When they saw someone coming in with a candle, they hurried up and grabbed his hand and asked, "Master He said he invited us to dinner, why didn't you see him?" The servant replied with a half-smile: "You must come out soon!" After saying that, he put the candle on the table and retreated by himself. "Stop talking!" An Dehai said with a straight face, "Everything is up to me." It is very difficult to teach eunuchs not to speak. Chen and Li couldn't bear it anymore. They hid aside, whispering quietly, and heard voices of resentment from time to time.This would of course annoy An Dehai, he walked back and forth on the brick floor of the flower hall, whenever there was a noise, he would look outside, thinking that it was He Yufu who had arrived. He Yufu finally arrived, he was waiting for Cheng Shengwu and Wang Xin'an to discuss the solution. The two large courtyards of the "Yixing" inn were originally specially ordered to be vacated by the shopkeepers. Once they fell into a trap, they sealed them off and said "snakes can't do without a head". , dare not walk indiscriminately.After dealing with these people, Cheng and Wang also arrived.Just as the discussion was over at the "Yixing" inn, Cheng Shengwu still returned to Dongchang, Wang Xin'an divided half of the people into the "Yixing" inn, and he took the other half to escort An Dehai to Jinan. So He Yufu hurried back to the county yamen, and as soon as he entered the flower hall, he cupped his fists and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! There was a robbery case in Dongcheng, so I had to rush to take care of it. So much so that it turned into a lip service to An Qin's envoy, but it didn't come." Then he yelled, "Come on!" The same servant with the candle had a completely different attitude towards his master, he stood at the door with his hands down, waiting for orders. "Quickly serve the wine!" He said, "I'm afraid the imperial envoy is already hungry, so let's see if there are any ready-made snacks in the kitchen, and bring them to the distinguished guests first." "Cha!" The footman agreed, and when he left, he greeted the "honored guest". This action made An Dehai confused, unable to distinguish good from bad.Anyway, he stretched out his hand without slapping the smiling faces. After introducing Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan, he sat down and exchanged greetings with He Yufu. First, he asked about his fame, and then he talked about how to buy dragon robes in Suzhou according to the order of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Next, he talked about the situation in the palace. These are secrets that cannot be heard outside. After talking for a while, the mat was laid, and the servants came to invite the host and guest to their seats.An Dehai probably still had some doubts in his heart, he didn't dare to drink too much, he was afraid that he would slip up when he was drunk, but Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan were brainless people, seeing He Yufu's attitude, all doubts disappeared, and they drank happily. "Master!" The servant came and said to He Yufu, "Someone from the province is here." "Who is it?" "It's 'Goshha' from the Futai Yamen. He said he has some urgent business, so he should meet the master." "Oh!" He Yufu said: "Commissioner An Qin is not an outsider, please invite him in." Goshha, who was played by Wang Xin'an's guard, came in to salute, took out a letter written by Cheng Shengwu, and handed it over. He Yufu read it quickly, and then raised his face and said, "Miss An Qin, I have to ask you to stay overnight." "An Dehai's complexion changed, and he forced himself to ask calmly: "What's the matter?" "The province sent a letter, saying that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has sent someone to talk to you face to face with something important." The complexions of An Dehai, Chen and Li were no longer so green and white, "There must be some news from Beijing." Chen Yuxiang said smartly. "Of course it's news!" An Dehai gave him a slight look, signaling him to keep his mouth shut, and then he continued his own words: "It must be the two empress dowagers who passed on the matter. I don't know if it was stated in the letter, is it the one from the Ministry of Internal Affairs? " "Look!" He Yufu handed over the letter. When he received the letter, he saw that it read: "Branch Dongchang Prefecture, Tai'an Prefecture, Jining Prefecture and its affiliated counties: within a short period of time, the Secretary of the Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, went to the province, and said that there was a need to negotiate with the imperial envoy who went out of Beijing to purchase. Fengxiantai ordered: Fei Chuan All counties in this province, inform him personally, and immediately escort him to Yuwuhu! We will write a letter to inform you, please do as we wish.” There is a stamp on the bottom, the handwriting is illegible, and it is only after a closer look that it is the nine characters of "Shandong Governor's Yamen Copywriting Office". "The letter was pressed very hard, so of course we don't want to wait for this night." He Yufu said, "Empire An Qin has a drink, and I'll prepare a car to take you there tomorrow." "No!" Although An Dehai was calm, he paid great attention to the matter, "It's better to leave tonight. It's too hot and dusty to ride in the car during the day, it's really unbearable." "Hear your respect, I'll ask them to prepare right away." So he called the footman, and told him to prepare the cart face to face. The cart must be clean and the horse must be strong. "What about you two?" An Dehai asked his companion, "Come with me to Jinan, too, to visit Daming Lake?" Hearing that he wanted to invite Chen and Li as companions, He Yufu urged them to say, "Jinan is so wonderful when it's autumn, 'a city with mountains and half a city with lakes'. The two of you are idle anyway, Why don’t you go for a walk if you have the chance?” "Okay!" Chen Yuxiang said to Li Ping'an, "Let's go with the second master." "Then," He Yufu continued, "let's go from here. Envoy An Qin doesn't have to go back to the store, I will send someone to inform. He looked at An Dehai and asked: "Is there anything to explain? I will definitely say it." An Dehai was a little hesitant, he should go back logically, but he didn't have much to say when he thought about going back, he just said that he would go to Jinan and he would be back soon.Just such a sentence, it is the same to ask Mr. He to convey it. So he said: "No other words, just say that I will be back in three or two days." "Yes, I will send someone to notify immediately." "Excuse me, please!" An Dehai put down his glass and said, "Please enjoy the meal!" After eating, An Dehai changed his mind again, "Don't bother." He said, "I'd better go back to the store by myself. " As soon as he got back to the store, all the details were leaked. He Yufu had planned it long ago, and replied without hesitation: "I listened to what An Qin said. When I turned around and boarded the car, it was very convenient to go to Nanguan Bend first. " After getting into the car, he first headed south, then turned left and right, which made An Dehai lose his way.There is no moon on the second day of August, and the night is so dark that it is difficult to distinguish east, west, north, south.But one thing is clear, the car is out of town. "Hey, hey!" he yelled from the car, "Stop, stop!" It's okay if you don't shout, but when you shout, the driver raises his long whip, and with a "swipe" sound, the horse pulling the cart spreads its four hooves, rushes forward, and runs faster.Then, with the sound of hoofbeats, a group of people and horses, holding torches, rushed up from behind, protected the carriage, and headed west.