Chapter 71 Section 71

It was the twenty-seventh day of the first lunar month when the emperor formally summoned the military aircraft in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.Prince Gong, Wen Xiang and others have long seen that after Empress Dowager Cixi returns to power, there must be many extravagant actions, and the expenditure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will increase greatly. Suppressing the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a means, hoping to achieve the goal of saving money.On the first day when the emperor asked about politics, he instructed the Ministry of Households to submit a memorial, and at the same time prepared a statement in advance to issue an edict: "The Ministry of Households played: 'The treasury of the Ministry is empty, and the money should be stored. Please follow the preliminary discussion for another payment. "Sealed" is 10% off, 40% of the foreign tax and silver. It was stated by the Prime Minister's National Affairs Office before that it was handed over to the Ministry's treasury and stored in another fund. Recently, there is an endless stream of funds from various offices, and the main items are not enough. They can be borrowed at any time. It is inconsistent with the initial discussion. The Ministry follows the original plan and seals it all up. Afterwards, the customs will declare 40% of the foreign tax, and seal it as soon as it arrives. Even the previous deposits are not allowed to be tampered with. If the inventory is positive, it will not be enough for a while. Turnover, but the Eight Banners soldiers' salaries and Shenji battalion funds, which are urgent military supplies at any time, are allowed to be announced by the Ministry, and 40% of the foreign tax is temporarily borrowed and opened; when the main items are sufficient, they will be repaid according to the amount, and all other loans are not allowed to be announced. This item is used to inspire the gradual shifting. Another piece: Inner government and outer treasury, custom-made and divided, each should live within its means, and should not be confused. Another piece: Inner government funds are still allocated in various languages. Supply by the Ministry of Internal Affairs All the items used by the inner court originally included various funds from Guangdong Customs, Tianjin, and Changlu, as well as the first rent of the manor. In addition, the Ministry of Households added funds every year to meet the income. If necessary, verify the thrift, and strictly order all the staff to handle it carefully, and do not spend arbitrarily, which will lead to fraud! If the amount of the customs clearance of the provinces exceeds the limit, or is still in arrears, the minister will wait It is clearly stated that the governor, supervisor, and envoy, etc., will be severely punished to prevent them from venting. The 600,000 taels allocated by the Ministry of Finance are now stated by the Ministry of Households, and they are still raised on an annual basis. They are funds for the inner government. Not to be too short. Afterwards, no more borrowing from the Ministry of Households, custom-made with amulets, and all the decrees will be known."

Of course, what the emperor saw at this time was the memorial of the Ministry of Household Affairs, which also mentioned the original case that was approved in the past. Apart from the foreign tax used to guarantee the "foreign debt" borrowed by Zuo Zongtang's military expenses in the west, the rest Forty percent is stored in a special account, and is prepared to prepare for the navy in the future.This is the century-old plan of Jingguo, and the relationship is extremely important. King Gong feared that the emperor would not have such far-reaching considerations, so he specially told the story of Chen Yongzheng.

When Sejong was in power, he comprehensively checked the names and facts, and stopped all non-urgent tasks. Except for river defense and seawalls, there was no "big work".The remaining money was deposited in the "sealed pile warehouse" located in the east of the cabinet. In the last year, more than 30 million taels of silver were saved, and the storage of grain and rice could also be used for 20 years. This is why Qianlong had a prosperous age.When it comes to the "sealed pile library", the emperor who has read "Song History" understood, "Ah!" He had a deep understanding, "Without Yongzheng's sealed pile library, there would be no Qianlong's 'Ten Great Martial Arts'! This is important .”

"Yes!" Prince Gong responded happily, and praised a few words without realizing it, "Your Majesty is smart and wise. In the future, he will be comparable to Yong and Qian, and the prosperous world will reopen." "The Ministry of Internal Affairs allocates 600,000 taels from the Ministry of Household Affairs every year. How did this case come about?" the emperor asked again. "It was decided in two parts. In the fourth year of Tongzhi, 300,000 taels were allocated for the year, and another 300,000 taels were allocated for the seventh year of Tongzhi." King Gong replied, "According to the rules, it is enough!"

"Since it's enough, why do you keep borrowing it?" the emperor asked, "Why don't you pay back what you borrowed?" Prince Gong was silent at first, and then answered the emperor's last sentence: "There is still no way to pay it back! The only thing is not to borrow it." "Of course! You are not allowed to borrow again in the future." The emperor still couldn't let go of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.From then on, he began to criticize, saying that the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs "have no conscience" and "greedy enough", and they want to be expensive when they are rich. More selfishness! It's too shameful!"

Prince Gong only said yes, he originally hoped that the emperor would make such a statement at the beginning of his administration, so that the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs would know that besides the mighty kindness of the emperor, there was also unexpected power of thunder, so they should be a little vigilant and restrained a little.But when the emperor spoke a little excitedly and advocated cleaning up the bad debts of the House of Internal Affairs, Prince Gong couldn't help feeling panicked, how can the bad debts of the House of Internal Affairs be cleaned up?If it comes out, it involves too much, and even Empress Dowager Cixi's face will not look good, so I have to think of ways to stop it.

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs has accumulated a lot of problems, and there are many malpractices that have been going on for a long time. It is natural to waste money, and there are a little more 'incidents', which is also true." Prince Gong paused for a while and said, "The emperor has been in charge since the beginning. All the top and bottom of the House of Internal Affairs will be able to change their minds and be cautious in their duties." The emperor naturally understood the sentence "there are more incidents to be passed on", so he couldn't say any more!He thought for a while and asked: "How much is the 'handover silver' of the two empress dowagers every year?"

"One hundred thousand per year, 30,000 for the Dragon Boat Festival and 30,000 for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and 40,000 years to go." "The two empress dowagers will take care of themselves in the future. There are many places to reward people. In my opinion, it's time to add money!" The emperor said, "Although we don't say 'raised by the world', the two empress dowagers can't feel wronged. .” This is a matter of little cost, and Prince Gong has realized that the emperor's move is to hope that the Empress Dowager Cixi will not ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to do errands in the future, so he immediately replied: "This is the emperor's filial piety. The use of the two empress dowagers cannot be missed.

Please ask the emperor to order a number, and the ministers will handle it according to the order. " "I think double it!" "Yes." Prince Gong turned his head and said to Bao Yun, "Remember, immediately ask the Ministry of Households to make up for it." This news spread to the deep palace very quickly. The two empress dowagers were naturally pleased with the emperor's filial piety. It is the same as "respecting the emblem" twice in the pro-government, so it should be humble and artificial.So when the emperor was serving meals in Shufangzhai, he said that there was no need to increase it.Naturally, the emperor tried his best to persuade them, and finally made a discount. The annual "payment silver" of the two empress dowagers was set at 180,000 yuan, 50,000 yuan each for the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, and 80,000 yuan each year.

Then he talked about a memorial of the King of Chun——Wang Chun had been in charge of the Shenji Battalion for more than ten years, and suddenly made a decision. Please return the Imperial Army selected by the Eight Banners and concentrated in the Shenji Battalion to the original banner, saying It is "to restore the old system".The emperor was quite confused, wondering why he wanted to "throw the gauze hat"? "Isn't it just for the salary?" Although the Empress Dowager Cixi has returned to the government, she still reads the imperial edict every day. .Thinking about this, King Chun was unhappy about this, so he asked to "restore the old system", and the salaries belonged to the Guanzhi of each banner, so that Shenjiying didn't have to bear the name of borrowing money.

From this point of view, the emperor suddenly realized that King Chun must have known the original music of the household department in advance and deliberately "lost his temper".The emperor didn't admire this "seventh uncle", but because he was the brother-in-law of the Empress Dowager Cixi, he had to look at him differently.Fortunately, according to the original announcement issued by the Ministry of Households, it has been specifically stated that "the soldiers' salaries of the Eight Banners and the funds of the Shenji Camp, as well as the military supplies that are urgent at any time, are allowed to be announced by the Ministry of Households, and 40% of the foreign tax is temporarily borrowed and open." King Chun's face has gained, and his anger should have dissipated. As long as he makes another edict and keeps it as it is, the matter will be over. Empress Dowager Cixi of course agreed with his disposition, but found that the emperor was only perfunctory, and did not understand the deep meaning of her cultivation of King Chun, who cultivated King Chun to fight against Prince Gong.After four years of Tongzhi, Prince Gong was cautious and restrained everywhere. The Empress Dowager Cixi thought that as long as she was in power, she would be able to subdue him. However, the emperor was young and inexperienced. Domineering and disobedient.From this point of view, it is more important to cultivate Alcohol King in the future than in the past.This must be understood by the emperor. Having said that, I was hesitant about how to tell the emperor, because if I said it implicitly, I was afraid that he would not understand; After much deliberation, I think we might as well talk about Chun Wang from the front. "Your seventh uncle's talent is naturally not as good as your sixth uncle's. But he is honest and upright, and the things entrusted to him will not be changed in private." The Empress Dowager Cixi said, "He has another advantage. Everyone is willing to do things for him wholeheartedly, like Rong Lu, they are all very capable people. With these people there, it doesn't matter if he has a little talent." "Yes!" The emperor replied respectfully, "In the future, we must rely on Seventh Uncle to build a navy." "By the way!" Empress Dowager Cixi said very pleased, "Military affairs are entrusted to your seventh uncle, and government affairs are entrusted to your sixth uncle. This is like your left and right hands. You can make good use of your two hands to ensure peace and prosperity." thing." That's all I can say, I can't use the "left hand in charge of military affairs" to look at the right hand in charge of government affairs". Anyway, as long as the military power is in the hands of loyal and reliable people, Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang are on the outside, and King Gong and others are on the inside. Waiting for relatives and nobles, no one dares to disagree. Of course, the emperor didn't think so much and deeply. He just kept in mind what the Empress Dowager Cixi said, "They are all capable people like Rong Lu", and planned to reuse these people when they had the opportunity. . As soon as I had this thought in mind, I summoned Rong Lu twice in succession, and asked how to police him on the way to Yeling.Rong Lu's voice was clear and clear, his performance was calm, and all arrangements were made in an orderly manner. The emperor was quite satisfied. On the fifth day of March, the emperor served Qiluan, the empress dowager of the two palaces, and paid respects to Dongling.Yi drove out of Chaoyang Gate, first went to Dongyue Temple and Ciyun Temple to burn incense, and then stopped at the station to repair the pre-arranged palace.Although there are many princes and princes, there are only two people who are the most important, one is Gong Wang and the other is Chun Wang.As a former imperial minister, King Chun took Rong Lu to the front station, dispatched the police all the way, and he took full responsibility for it.Prince Gong brought Shen Guifen and a group of military aircraft Zhang Jing along with his "Xingbao". Every day after dinner, he would meet with the emperor, play the due order, and deal with military and state affairs as usual. Of course, I spend a lot of time in the sedan chair every day. Although the imperial sedan chair is big, it is still stuffy. He wanted to get down and ride on a horse, but the spring rain was like oil and the mountain roads. Zai Li didn't dare to agree. Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, he had to report to the King of Chun. Make a decision", the emperor gave up disgruntled. So I had to sit in the sedan chair for entertainment.This is the original method of Qianlong to follow. This emperor who knew how to enjoy life was very fond of calligraphy and painting antiques. During his southern tours, he often brought finely crafted calligraphy and paintings to display in his sedan chair.There is such a box of "gadgets" in the Maoqin Hall where the masters eat and rest.The emperor originally wanted to take a few pieces in the sedan chair to relieve boredom, but Xu Tong thought that "playing with things will lose one's ambition" and refused to follow the advice, but he brought a lot of scriptures and sages. The emperor has not moved, and he doesn't want to read them at this time , So I asked Zai Cheng to discuss it. "I really don't want to sit in the sedan chair," he said, "You try to find two idle books to entertain me." "I sent you to Beijing to discuss Taiping Guangji" to present it for review." "That book," the emperor shook his head, "is meaningless. What else? There should be many?" "Yes! There are a lot of idle books." Zai Cheng lowered his voice and said, "However, I dare not submit." "What are you afraid of? I read it in the sedan chair, but no one knows. After reading it, I leave it to Xiao Li to hide. He dare not be careless." Zai Cheng thought for a while, with a smile on his face, "I will do it right away." He said, "It won't happen today, but tomorrow night at the earliest." "Okay! As fast as you can." In the evening of the second day, I stayed at the Longfu Temple Palace, which has already arrived at Dongling. During the day, I burned incense at Dule Temple and Longfu Temple. After dinner, I summoned a military plane, because the "encapsulation" in Beijing had not arrived, and nothing happened. It can be done, Prince Gong only replied a few words and then withdrew.It was still early, and the emperor was bored, so he saw Zai Cheng enter the bedroom hall with a happy expression to say hello.When the emperor saw the blue cloth bag in his hand, he knew that the book had arrived, and ordered the eunuchs to retreat, leaving only Xiao Li to wait. "Is that the thing?" "The emperor will know it when he sees it." Zai Cheng unwrapped the blue cloth bag, and inside were two books. He frowned when he saw the inscription on the cover, "Who wants to read what?" The emperor pushed the book out. Without saying a word, Zai Cheng took a copy of the book, opened the first page, and bent his knees to submit it.The emperor received it in his hand, couldn't read a few lines, and smiled apologetically and embarrassedly. "It turned out to be a trick!" He said, "I don't even know the name of this "Pin Hua Bao Jian". What about that one?" The cover of that book is "Journey to Songting" written by Gao Shiqi's retinue on the eastward tour of the holy ancestor, recording the scenery outside the mouth, and the inside page is about the famous prostitutes in the Qinhuai River in the late Ming Dynasty.The emperor got these two books like a treasure, but it brought a lot of trouble to Xiao Li. Not only did he have to keep them carefully, but the emperor couldn't bear to let go of them every time he saw the second watch.If you don't sleep at night, how do you get up the next day?Therefore, every night, he had to be soft and hard, and it took a lot of effort to snatch the book from the emperor's hand. After returning to Luan, the emperor naturally did not dare to take idle books into the study.But no matter reading or making a fuss, as long as Shensi is a little negligent, he will think of the beautiful pear orchards in the Qianjia period described in "Pin Hua Bao Jian", or the beautiful scenery of the Qinhuai River in the late Ming Dynasty.Of course, if the emperor didn't work hard, Li Hongzao could no longer be "sensual" like before, and could only remonstrate with good words. This is not only because the emperor is already in charge, but also because the emperor is already married, and when married, he is an adult, so naturally he can no longer teach with an attitude that is close to admonishing and supervising boys.Moreover, the emperor's attitude has naturally changed. In the past, he asked for advice on everything. Even if he had any opinions, it was out of a deliberative tone. Asking Li Hongzao to state his opinion was a bit of a test.This made Li Hongzao have to answer cautiously, because the discrepancy in one sentence could have an impact immediately, and if it was contrary to King Gong's opinion, it would cause a lot of misunderstanding, and he suspected that he should play Chen Zhengwu with his status as the emperor's teacher. Occasionally, encroach on the authority of military aircraft.If there is such a situation, he will be greatly tabooed, so that Li Hongzao is often in a dilemma and suffers from being at a loss as to what to do. The most troublesome thing was of course the affairs of the Prime Minister's Office. He didn't have to say a word when he came in with his class, but he had nothing to dodge if he had any inquiries in the Hongde Hall.When returning to Beijing from Yeling, the envoys of various countries asked for an audience. When it was time to delay and push, there was no agreement on etiquette.On this day, the emperor showed Li Hongzhang's brochure to the "master", which said: "When the first court summoned the western envoys, the countries did not make peace treaties, and the envoys were not stationed in the capital. Obtain the law to ascend to the palace and accept the rituals. However, in Jiaqing, when the British envoy came to the court, he could no longer kneel three times and nine times. Afterwards, the agreement was made, and it seemed that the enemy was evenly matched. If the relationship is not in harmony, I kneel down and worship, and it seems that I don’t see it widely. The first thing I do is to respect more than enough, and I should forgive my lack of courtesy. It is advisable to discuss and establish rules and regulations so that everyone can abide by them. Let each of them come, promise to see each other, and never see each other again. Let's meet together for a while, don't ask for a meeting in a single class, you can avoid their covetousness. And the etiquette is flexible with the times. Our dynasty is a state-owned custom, and there is no fixed ceremony with the country. The current business agreement has changed for thousands of years. The country has no such etiquette. , and Desheng didn't make a reservation, the ritual scriptures are based on the situation and expediency, and the tree is the standard." After reading the memorial, Li Hongzao took it back to the imperial case. It would be best if he didn’t state his opinion, but the emperor would not let him go. “Master,” he asked, “do you think Li Hongzhang’s words are worthwhile?” Li Hongzao knew very well that the opinions in this booklet must have been discussed with Prince Gong in advance, and they were agreed internally and internally, and had already been agreed upon. It would be absolutely impossible to teach the envoys of various countries to kowtow to the emperor.If it is impossible to kneel down and salute, then refuse to see him, Yuan Zhe's so-called "the relationship is not compatible", is a very implicit statement, in fact, I am afraid that it will cause great disputes, and it seems that we have to compromise. Although Li Hongzao talked about Neo-Confucianism, he also believed in the phrase "maintaining the general principles of government". Good. But how do you mean 'more than respect'? Always be honest and show yourself!" The emperor thought about it for a while, he was noncommittal, he didn't take what Li Hongzao said in his heart, he just respected his master and refused to say it out loud.Of course Li Hongzao couldn't make any more presentations.Therefore, Li Hongzhang's excerpts still had to be submitted to the Zongli Yamen meeting for a reply. The audience was delayed again, and the emperor was happy to ignore it. He read the idle books that Zai Li went to find when he was free, and chatted with the queen when he was tired, but such a peaceful life would not last long. "Long live God! Changchun Palace summons." Seeing Xiao Li's anxious expression, the emperor murmured in his heart, "What's wrong?" He asked, "Look at you!" Xiao Li knew he couldn't hide it.His mood was very contradictory. On the one hand, he was very angry and wanted to tell the whole truth;In this way, the attitude of speaking becomes more panicked. "Just now the superiors passed on the queen, and I heard that they were blamed. The servant couldn't find out what it was for." Xiao Li then said in a pleading voice, "If it's for the queen, the superiors said two serious words. Long live Lord, please bear with me! This slave is not worthy to say this, but he is just loyal. If he doesn’t say it, his heart will be uneasy. Long live Lord only sees this point of foolish loyalty and listens to what this slave has to say.” The emperor didn't want to listen to Xiao Li's loyalty, but was surprised that the empress somehow offended the "superior" - naturally referring to the Empress Dowager Cixi.You have to find out about this before you can deal with it with the camera. So he asked: "Where is the queen? Go and see, where is it?" "Still in Changchun Palace." There is no way.It is impossible for him to meet the queen first, or to send Xiao Li to inquire.Only bite the bullet and go to see the Empress Dowager Cixi. Upon arriving at the Changchun Palace, the Empress and Concubine Hui were standing around the Empress Dowager Cixi. They looked calm, and the emperor was a little relieved.So he saluted the queen mother first, and then the concubine saluted the emperor. "You all go back!" Empress Dowager Cixi said to the queen and Concubine Hui. Obviously, she didn't want the concubine to hear what she wanted to say to the emperor, so it was conceivable that the matter had something to do with the concubine. Sure enough, the Empress Dowager Cixi said as soon as she opened her mouth: "The queen has been in the palace for more than half a year, and she still doesn't know the rules. She has to learn a lot!" She said the last sentence very emphatically, as if it was infinitely painful. The emperor didn't know that the queen was wrong with those "rules"?It's just that she is very attentive to learning the rituals in the palace, which he knows very well.However, he didn't dare to defend the queen, so he could only reply respectfully: "Yes! I'll tell her." "No need! If you want to be considerate of her, you have to spare time for her and avoid visiting her so that she can learn to be a queen." In front of the court ladies and eunuchs, the emperor couldn't hold back his face because of this nail, but he still could only answer with restraint: "Yes!" "Don't look at Concubine Hui's young age, she is very sensible. After all, she came from the old family in Manchuria, so it's good to follow the rules since childhood. You have to work hard after you leave the study, and you can't have someone to wait on you, so you can go to Concubine Hui. " After talking for a long time, it turned out that this is why!The emperor couldn't help but sneered in his heart, and made a decision at that time: he didn't want to go to Concubine Hui's palace! "Okay, what I want to tell you is these two sentences. Go back, I'm going to rest too." When he returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the emperor became more and more angry, and it was Concubine Hui who was angry.According to his thinking, it wasn't that Concubine Hui had complained in front of Empress Dowager Cixi, so why would she be summoned this time.It's really hateful for a fox to pretend to be a tiger!You have to find a way to let it out so that you can feel comfortable. He was still planning in secret like this, but there were rumors outside that the Empress Dowager Cixi was at odds with the empress' mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and the emperor was caught in the middle, making it difficult for both ends.Those who said these words were people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.They are well-informed and flexible in mind. When they get together to drink and chat, they can talk about a way to make money. "It's almost time, it's time!" said Guibao, a doctor in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, "It's a big job, I'm happy, there's still time to play around?" "The emperor ruled the world with benevolence and filial piety. He took care of the queen mothers in the two palaces. If you don't repair the garden, where will you go to see filial piety?" Another minister of internal affairs, Wen Xi, continued, "It is common people who have a prosperous family. A garden, build a villa, entertain your old relatives, not to mention the emperor is rich all over the world?" The two of them have high official positions in the audience, and what they are talking about is such a righteous and strict principle, so they are not just echoing, but each expressing what they see, sincerely wanting to offer something.I have talked about this matter many times, but before, it was a broad-based talk, and this time it saw that "things must be done" and talked about "the feasible way" in a serious manner. There is only one feasible way, "ask those who have money to pay, and those who have no money are willing to pay."But this can be said to the outside world. If one’s own people close the door and tell the truth, this way may not work, because the money is not too much, and asking people to take out their wallets is also a matter of complaints. "Things can't be thought so far. We eat carrots, eat a section, and peel a section. As long as we open the scene, is it possible to give up halfway?" Guibao added a sentence: "No Yes! At that time, Liu Ye, Wen Zhongtang and Bao Zhongtang can't ignore it!" Hearing this, they smacked their lips one by one, carefully discerning the taste, there was something beyond the words, and there was something in the taste, everyone understood.In the name of service, they "pull the scene apart", and then put this burden on Prince Gong, Wen Xiang, and Bao Jun, and forced the Ministry of Households to raise funds, whether it is using 40% of foreign taxes or opening donations, Or increase the miscellaneous taxes on lijin, in a word, restore the old system, take care of the two palaces, and never stop working if there is no money! So it started from here, and the steps were agreed upon. The first step, of course, was to go back to the hall officials of the Ming House of Internal Affairs; the second step was to get through with Xiao Li and speak to the emperor.And the most important thing is that it can only be done in secret, and it must not be ostentatious, lest the wind will be too loud, let Prince Gong know, and stop in front, then the scene will not even be able to open. After the discussion was over and tasks were assigned, there was an alternate, Shi Chenglin, who knew Xiao Li very well, and quickly took over.Xiao Li is different from An Dehai, he doesn't want to seize power himself, he just thinks of the emperor in every way, and like the emperor, he is young and loves to be lively, and feels that if this great project is promoted, it can resolve the relationship between the Empress Dowager Cixi and the emperor's mother and child. Moreover, it is very interesting to often inspect the progress of the project according to the order. So I pat my chest and guarantee that I will be able to make things happen. "However, this matter can't be rushed. Long live Lord is feeling annoyed for a while, and we will talk about it after Long Live Lord 'moves'." The relocation of residences in the palace is called "moving", also known as "moving the house". The emperor's relocation was out of anger with the Empress Dowager Cixi.Of course, it was also to blame for Empress Dowager Cixi's interference in her son's room curtains, which was too much. She often sent people to spy on the movements of the emperor and empress.But the mother's fate is hard to break. Since it is said that being with the empress often prevents her from "learning the rules", she will not even go to the empress's place. The excuse is to calm down and study hard, and move to the West Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace to sleep alone. Hanging calligraphy and painting, changing decorations, I was busy for two full days before moving.The emperor really wanted to enjoy Wen Han's affection, so as to forget the unhappiness caused by Concubine Hui's competition for favor.Every night in the Xinuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, I read books and wrote poems. When I finished a poem, I wrote a "Dou Fang" by myself, nailed it to the wall with a needle, and admired myself. Seeing that the emperor's thoughts had calmed down, and he was in a leisurely enough mood to talk about urgent matters, Xiao Li deliberately combined a Yongzheng "Poetry Collection of Forty Scenes of the Imperial Summer Palace" with some of the emperor's daily browsing and casual reading. Books are laid out for him to discover for himself. The emperor liked poetry, so naturally he would not let it go. It took less than a whole day for the collection of poems to be read, and he picked it up and opened it. . "Do you have a detailed map of the Old Summer Palace? Look for it!" The relevant pictures and books have been prepared long ago, but Xiao Li is still a bit pretentious, "I'm going to look for them." He said, "I don't know if I can find them or not?" "Go find it! I'm waiting for it." Then don’t dare to delay on purpose. After less than half an hour, Xiao Li brought a hand scroll with a smile, saying that he found it in Zhaoren Temple. Looking at it, it is a very fine brushwork, with a thousand flowers and a hundred herbs, and a golden tower. The illustrations printed in woodcut and ink on the collection of poems are even more moving. The emperor read it carefully from beginning to end, leaning on his chair in a daze.Judging from his perplexed and slightly excited eyes, Xiao Li knew that the emperor would definitely mention Xiu Yuanzi first, so he deliberately ignored him and let himself roll up the scroll. "No hurry to collect!" The emperor pointed to the painting and said. "yes." "Look it up, who was the guard when foreigners burned the Old Summer Palace?" The emperor was always in a hurry, so he added another sentence: "Quickly check! I'll wait." This made it difficult for Xiao Li. He didn't know where to check?It's already night, and the key is released at the palace gate, otherwise, you can ask someone from the House of Internal Affairs to understand.At this moment, we can only check it in the file. So I took out "Xianfeng Shilu" and turned to August of the tenth year of Xianfeng, which was committed by the British and French allied forces. I searched page by page, and finally found a clue. Xiao Li then went to the respect room to find the original record of the situation, which clearly stated: "The ministers in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Wen Feng and Ming Shan, follow the order to take care of the Old Summer Palace."And Wenfeng had thrown himself into Fuhai to die on August 22 when the "barbarian bandits" burned the Old Summer Palace. "According to this, Mingshan is the only one who knows the situation at that time?" "Yes!" Xiao Li replied, "Bao Zhongtang probably also knows." "Don't look for him!" The emperor waved his hands again and again, "You will deliver the decree tomorrow morning, and I will summon Ming Shan after I get out of the study." Xiao Li agreed and asked again: "What is the Lord Long Live asking for? Should I tell him in advance so that he can be prepared first?" "I asked him, how did the fire start? Did it all burn out? If you want to repair it, do it first?" Once Xiao Li heard this, he didn't need to say anything more.Early the next morning, when the emperor was meeting with Jun Ji in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he rushed to the House of Internal Affairs, went to find Ming Shan, and stated his will.At the same time, he guessed what the emperor meant, and told him that he didn't need to tell Bao Yun, which was to hide the truth from Prince Gong.Mingshan naturally understood, so he didn't even mention it in front of the officials for the time being, and he would talk about it after he was summoned.