Chapter 13 first quarter

Similarly, in Rehe "Mountain Resort", from the inside to the outside, it is also shrouded in an atmosphere of suspicion and anxiety. After all, autumn has already begun. Although the daytime is still hot and humid, sooner or later there is a sense of autumn, and the wind and dew at night are the most painful. The emperor felt the wind and cold, coughed a lot, and could hardly sleep all night.Any prescription for nourishing the lungs didn't work, and the emperor was so angry that he called the imperial doctor "a useless". There is a saying: "The emperor's external influence is just worse, it's a big disaster!" It spread throughout the forbidden garden and deep palace.It is rumored that this sentence was said by the imperial physician, but the imperial physician did not know about it, and no one dared to inquire about it, let alone talk about it openly, they just whispered behind their backs.

As a result, there were many bizarre and weird news.Eunuchs and court ladies are the least courageous, have the most taboos, and most believe in the sayings of ghosts, where there are foxes on the ceiling, and where there are snakes under the stones, all of them respect ghosts and gods, and respect them as "temple gods"—— It is best not to meet the god of the temple, so as not to rush into trouble, so before entering the palace that is not often visited, you must give a "warning", either by coughing loudly, or shouting: "Open the palace!" , Somehow, this one also said that he ran into the temple god, and that one also said that the temple god appeared somewhere.However, it is not a good thing for all the gods to appear. When they said those words, they clearly expressed a kind of feeling of "ghosts tricking people".

There was even an old eunuch who said he saw "Master Jiaqing"! "That night, it was time for me to 'sit up'. It was cool, and I was dozing off in a daze." The old eunuch told his colleagues in the imperial tea room where the news "originated", "Suddenly, I felt someone Kick me, open my eyes, my mother, scared my soul out, guess who I met? " "Don't guess! If you have something to say, quickly say it, and if you have to fart, let it go!" A little eunuch in the Lifei Palace picked up a copper bucket of hot water on the ground, "Our master is still waiting I wash my face with Choshi water."

"What are you in a hurry for? You'll be shocked when you say it, it's Lord Jiaqing!" "Ah!" Everyone exclaimed in unison, and someone asked anxiously, "How are you doing?" "What else can I do? Kneel down in a hurry. Lord Jiaqing asked me: 'Where does the eldest brother live?' I said: 'The eldest brother lives in the row of bungalows behind the queen's bedroom." Lord Jiaqing said: "Then it's inconvenient for me to go." After finishing speaking, I was stunned for a while at Yanbo Zhishuang East Nuan Pavilion, and left with my hands behind my back, sighing. When I walked into the yard, I didn't know how to shake it, but there was no one. At this time, I Thinking about it, ah, it has been 40 years since the funeral of Lord Jiaqing, why did you tell me to see him today? Could it be that I was dreaming? Don't worry, let me try it myself. I just put my finger in my mouth bite……."

Before he finished speaking, someone rushed to ask: "Is it a dream?" "Look!" He stretched out an index finger of his left hand, the bite marks were still there, proving that he was not dreaming. "Bah!" The little eunuch in Concubine Li's Palace said mercilessly, "Look, Lord Jiaqing saw that you were cautious in your errands back then, and he is about to send you back to serve." This harsh remark made people laugh.But that is only a limited number of people, the vast majority of eunuchs believed the words of this old eunuch who had stayed in the summer resort for more than 40 years, and at the same time, they were thinking about the "Jiaqing Lord" who collapsed here 41 years ago. Because of the sudden appearance.

It depends on each person's "ghost cleverness" to explain those "nonsense".The ghost who had been dead for forty years suddenly appeared, and looked at the emperor's residence, shaking his head and sighing. What kind of misfortune does this mean?Even unintelligent people can guess it. Another thing is that even people who are not very confused think it is ominous.These days, the emperor often speaks some "guilty words" unconsciously, which seems to be idiomatic prophecy. In addition, the emperor has been particularly attached to the empress recently, either inviting her to Dongnuan Pavilion for a chat, or struggling to come to the empress for an afternoon.On the right side of the queen's bedroom, there is a water pavilion with curved sills and corridors, and it faces the Guangchi. White lotus, talking about the past with the queen.

In the past ten years, it is really unbearable for the emperor to look back!At the beginning of his accession to the throne, it was the year of the weak crown, and his body was extremely strong. How would he have imagined such a decline as today?Think about it for yourself, in the past ten years, internal and external coercion, coping with the corrupt situation, exhaustion of body and mind, is indeed the cause of the disease, but indulging in sensuality, self-willedness, and not knowing how to cherish it, I really regret it. Of course, he would never express his remorse.But being attached to the queen is just an expression of repentance.But the queen is honest and honest, so she can't see what he means.

The emperor was very weak and tired of talking too much.However, he always felt that he had something to say, and he wanted to tell the queen, and he himself understood that if he didn't say a few more words at this time, he would have no chance to say it again. In order not to make the empress sad, he avoided the tone of solemnly asking for the funeral, and many very important words were revealed in the way of chatting when he thought about it and talked about it.Fortunately, the empress is very convinced of the emperor, and she keeps every word of his in her heart, and the emperor is not worried that she will ignore those important words.

Once talking about the character of the ministers, the emperor mentioned the famous Confucianism ministers of the previous dynasty, and told the empress about the friendship of Tang Bin and Zhang Boxing in the Kangxi Dynasty. , Li Tangjie, who lectured on Confucianism, the emperor said that he was a true Taoist who had a good character and learning, and could be entrusted with important tasks.He also talked about Wo Ren, a Mongolian bannerman who was stationed in Henan. He used to be the master of King Dun, and now he is the governor of Fengtian. The queen remembered the two names Li Tangjie and Woren in her heart.

Once when talking about Sushun, the queen told the emperor tactfully about her complaints about Sushun from Concubine Yi and the palace, which meant that she hoped that the emperor would suppress Sushun's power. "I also know that many people are dissatisfied with Su Liu." The emperor said very calmly, "What do you mean by 'resentment'? This is resentment! If he hadn't stood in front of me in everything, I would have been in a lot of trouble!" "I also know that he has shared a lot of labor for the emperor. But...," the queen said seriously, "you have to pay attention to the system in everything. I think he is a bit rebellious."

"That can't be generalized. For example, for you," the emperor continued after a pause, "I know he respects you very much. You can rest assured." "I'm not worried about anything!" The queen hurriedly argued, "With the emperor here, what else should I worry about?" The emperor responded with a wry smile, and there was something he didn't say: What if I'm not here?The queen tacitly expressed her meaning and deeply regretted her slip of the tongue.It would have been possible to talk in-depth about the great affairs behind the emperor, at least as for the origin of Prince Gong, you might as well take a look at the emperor's tone. After this small setback, the opportunity was lost, and there will be no such opportunity in the future. The next day, the twelfth of July, was the queen's birthday.Beforehand, the empress asked the emperor again and again to waive the due etiquette on the grounds that the times were not good, but the emperor was also very firm, saying that this was her first birthday after fleeing, and she must have a good time as a commemoration.It is true that the emperor likes to be lively. If there is a way to make him happy, she will never object, so she finally obeyed the emperor's wishes. In the early morning of that day, the princes and ministers, wearing python robes and mending gowns, went outside the gate of the queen's bedroom to wish Qianqiu respectfully.The few Fujin wives in Rehe went to the palace to congratulate the queen with heavy make-up.At noon, the play started with a banquet in the Danbo Jingcheng Hall. The emperor came to congratulate the queen in person, and seemed to be in good spirits and spirits. The plays were ordered by the emperor himself, and they were all stories of persuading goodness and punishing adultery, and karma, which was most loved by the empress.But just after watching one episode, the emperor said, "There was a lot of noise, and I sat without makeup, so I got up and drove back to the palace. This is like the situation on the day of Emperor Wanshou on the ninth day of June, a grand banquet full of flowers and flowers was eclipsed only because of his hesitation.In order to maintain the system, the queen had to sit there very calmly, but her heart was agitated and extremely uneasy. The emperor liked to listen to operas the most, and after taking his seat, he couldn't sit for a long time. This was the first time in her memory. The emperor is abnormal!I'm afraid his illness will change drastically. Therefore, the eunuch Chen Shengwen, the leader of the respect room, went to inquire about the news according to Yi's decree.When he arrived at Dongnuange, the imperial doctor was asking for his pulse—Since the ninth day of June, Mrs. Luan and Li Deli have been taking care of him in shifts day and night, so they arrived as soon as they were passed.Chen Shengwen didn't dare to enter the house, but just looked out the window.The emperor was lying on the bed, covered with a yellow dragon quilt, the ground was flat, and there seemed to be nothing underneath. Li Deli was kneeling in front of the bed to get his pulse, and not far away were the imperial ministers Sushun and Jingshou. Except for the sound of the emperor panting, the room was so quiet that even a needle could be heard falling on the ground.Finally Li Deli kowtowed and said as usual: "Your Majesty Wanan!" The emperor closed his eyes, with an air of distaste for hearing these words. Li Deli withdrew, Sushun followed behind, their faces were terribly gloomy as soon as they left the emperor's sight, neither of them seemed to have seen Chen Shengwen, they kept walking outside, to the side room where the eunuch rested to prescribe medicine . Chen Shengwen had to ask the truth before he could go back and report.After walking a few steps, Su Shunfa saw him and waved to him. "Go and report to the queen, elder brother don't go far away! The emperor might want to see elder brother anytime." "yes." Chen Shengwen went back and quietly reported to the queen, and soon everyone in the palace knew that the emperor was in danger.Everyone hung their hearts high and prepared to adapt to unexpected changes. Only Concubine Li did not give up. She got up in the middle of the night to pray to God and lend her lifespan to the emperor.She doesn't know if God is willing to bless her?But after doing this, it seemed that I felt much better. Of course Concubine Yi will not feel better.Although the emperor seems to have reached the point of utterly benevolent to her, after all, there are still days when he dotes on the sixth palace, thinking about the past kindness, it is inevitable to face the storm.But this is not the time to be sad, she is very clear that she is at the most critical moment in her life, and she must not be negligent in the slightest, especially when it comes to her elder brother, she must work harder to hold him tightly. She taught the elder brother a lot of things, the most important of which is only one sentence: "Feng'er Niang is the queen mother." Falling behind the queen again, instead of conferring on the same day, the two palaces have the same respect.But let's not say it's too early, if the emperor is still alive, the elder brother will cause great disaster for her if he says these words.It would be best to say this in the first sentence as soon as the emperor dies and the eldest elder brother ascends the throne. Concubine Yi was there to plan for her own fame and status. Similarly, Sushun also made active arrangements in various aspects to maintain her power.On the day of the Queen's birthday, he had another assignment: "The Minister of the Department of Zhenghuang Banner Guards", and the "Imperial Guards" and "Qianqing Gate Guards" who were on duty in the inner court were all in the "Zhenghuang" and "Zhuanghuang" offices. Select from the so-called "Shang Sanqi" and "Zhengbai".Due to this errand, Sushun gained the power to command the guards of the Zhenghuang Banner, and gained more convenience in controlling the traffic at the palace gate. The second is to discuss the list of ministers to be appointed. Apart from Zaiyuan and Duanhua, there is only one Duhan with whom they secretly discussed. The location of the secret meeting was in a water pavilion in Sushun’s house, which was isolated on three sides, and the only access was a small Qulan bridge, and cronies and family members were sent to guard the entrance. Because it was so strict, everyone spoke without any hesitation. Don't have any scruples. Of course, Sushun was the first to speak, "The disease from above is much worse than what the outside world knows!" The heavy burden is on us. We should let him say something while he still has breath!" "Isn't it just a matter of sending Minister Gu Ming?" Zai Yuan responded, "Anyway, you can't put Gong Lao Liu in it." "Jiyuan," Sushun looked at Du Han and said, "Do you have any good ideas? Tell us and listen." After all, Du Han had read a few sentences, thought for a while, and said slowly: "Minister Gu Ming, many relatives ordered, and there is no example that a minister intends to submit. If he speaks out boldly and arouses resentment, it is not as expected. Isn't it self-defeating?" "It won't." Su Shun said with certainty, "I'm sure." "Okay, then let's think of names!" Duanhua pointed with his snuff-stained fingers, "You, him, me, and him. There are four of them here." "The whole class of ministers of military aircraft." "No, no!" Sushun corrected Zaiyuan's words, "How do you mean the whole class? Wen Bochuan is not included." "Then there are four. Mu, Du, Kuang, Jiao, and our three elder brothers, a total of seven. Enough, enough!" "There should be one more." Sushun said this, looked at Du Han and asked again: "Do you understand what I mean?" "I understand what Zhongtang means." Duhan nodded. Not only Du Han, but Zai Yuan and Duan Hua also understood Su Shun's intention after a little thought.The family law of the Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the words "respect the virtuous and the virtuous", and the appointment of ministers to protect the young master should not violate these two rules. Chen Duan, "Kiss" relatives cannot be excused at all. Close relatives are like siblings, and the emperor was once raised by Empress Dowager Xiaojing. In this way, there is no better relative than Prince Gong. Therefore, in the list of Minister Gu Ming, If Prince Gong is to be pushed out, there must be a suitable person to replace him. Jing Shou is the son-in-law of the forehead, the emperor's direct brother-in-law, who is older, and is appointed as the minister of life by taking care of the elder brother's study affairs as the former imperial minister, which does not lose the meaning of "kinship". A taciturn and kind old man came to resist Prince Gong, and he could barely talk about it. Gu Ming's eight ministers are considered.Then a list of "Ministers of Funeral Rituals" was drawn up. This is an honorary title and a meritorious distinction. As long as the list is on the list, after the funeral is over, there will be rewards as usual.Sushun didn't have any prejudice against these irrelevant lists, so Prince Gong was also one of the default candidates.However, he set a principle that the "Ministers of Funeral Rituals" in Beijing do not have to travel, but only work in Beijing as errands.Of course, this is also boycotting Prince Gong. Of course, this is a matter after the emperor's death, and it can be written on a piece of paper, so there is no need to rush it at this time.On the contrary, the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who specialize in weddings and ceremonies in the court, will be very busy these days, just like the days before Emperor Wanshou. Pre-arranging funeral affairs should not be done with joy and openness like the grand ceremonies of longevity and big weddings.So Sushun called a secret meeting to pre-check the preparations. The first thing is to ask for money, of course.But there are two other things, which are more important than money. They are readily available in the capital and can be done immediately, but in Rehe they must be arranged early. The same is the emperor's coffin. The weather is too hot, and it has to be encoffined as soon as it falls down.The emperor's coffin is called the "Golden Chamber", and the material has long been available. It is a pair of gloomy wooden boards, its color is dark, and it makes the sound of gold and stone when it strikes the abyss.This kind of rare and rare material is produced in the mountains of Yunnan, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has reimbursed 400,000 taels of silver for the shipping cost of this pair of boards. The materials are stored in the "Huangmu Factory" in Beijing, and Sushun ordered: transport them quickly, quickly, and in secret. Another item is white cloth.As soon as the emperor enters the "Golden Chamber" and the young master wears clothes, inside and outside the palace, concubines, family members, civil and military officials, all have to change into white cloth filial clothing, and many places have to change into white cloth filial curtains, most of which have to be supplied by the Ministry of Internal Affairs .In Beijing, as long as a few shopkeepers of silk and satin shops of the "Xiang" brand are passed on, how much they want and how much they want, but in Rehe they have to make preparations in advance. In addition, there are thousands of items that should be prepared in the funeral ceremony, and if one is missing, it will be charged with "neglecting the funeral ceremony", and no one can afford it.However, if things are done smoothly, there is a lot of money to be made, and in the insurance case of future performance, there will be a great benefit of being promoted.Therefore, the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with joy and fear, closed the door, checked the meeting code, found the case, adjusted the old file, opened the bill, checked the amount of money, handled it with style, and moved the official business. , very busy, which is quite different from the laziness and boredom of those military aircraft Zhang Jing who "drink their sorrows with wine and cheer them up with cards". The more leisurely the military plane was, the more anxious the emperor was.The emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not visit the court for forty years, hiding in the deep palace and setting up an altar to practice Taoism.The emperor of the Qing Dynasty felt uneasy if he failed to dismantle the military affairs of the country one day, let alone for several days in a row, let alone when the military situation was urgent?Therefore, although Sushun repeatedly comforted him, saying that all places were extremely stable and free from worries, the emperor on the sickbed was always concerned, but he didn't even have the spirit to inquire about military affairs and government affairs. In the afternoon of this day, I took the medicine of reusing Shenling, ate a bowl of bird's nest porridge with rock sugar, took a peaceful nap, and woke up suddenly feeling refreshed.He knew that this was an extremely precious moment, and he didn't dare to spend it leisurely, so he summoned Sushun. Seeing that the emperor was sitting on the soft couch in good spirits, Sushun was very surprised, and immediately congratulated him when he knelt down: "The emperor is very happy! Shengzheng has really improved a lot!" The emperor shook his head and said only: "You tell everyone to leave and send guards to guard the gate. No one, even the queen, is allowed to come in." This is an extremely important and extremely confidential thing to say, Su Shun comprehended the order, made arrangements, returned to the front of the imperial court, and stood with hands down. "There is no one else here, you move a stool and sit on it." The more pretentious the words were, the more Su Shunfan dared not exceed the etiquette, knelt down and played back: "Slave dare not!" "It doesn't matter! It's convenient for you to sit down and talk." It's not bad to think about it, he stood and listened, and the emperor had to look up and say, it was hard, so Sushun kowtowed, thanked him, took a prayer mat, and sat cross-legged on the ground. "Su Liu, how will I treat you?" With this sentence, Sushun quickly got up and kowtowed again: "The emperor treats his slaves with great kindness. The sons and grandchildren of slaves will not repay you even if they are dogs and horses." Days are numbered! Don't look at me in good spirits for a while, I know it myself, this is the so-called 'return to the light'." Before he could finish his words, Sushun was touched by his acquaintance, touched his heart, exchanged tears for a moment, sobbed and cried and said: "Your Majesty, don't say such words again! Your Majesty is rich in spring and autumn, and there will be a catastrophe." What? The slave will serve the emperor for decades, and wait for the emperor to bestow the slave's posthumous posthumous title..." The more he talked, the more sad he became, and he couldn't speak. The emperor was sad and relieved, but he was really impatient with his behavior, "I know you are a loyal minister, the important thing is important, don't cry!" The emperor said in a low voice, "While I am in better spirits, I have a few important words. I want to tell you!" "Yes!" Sushun slowly stopped crying, wiped his tears with his horseshoe sleeve, and still knelt there. "I know that you respect the queen all the time, but in the future, you should change the normal way, just like I did in Japan." These words implied sharpness, Sushun couldn't help being embarrassed, and swore at each meeting: "If a slave dares to disrespect the master, I will punish the slave!" "In addition to respecting the queen, you also have to protect the queen. This is not easy! Concubine Yi will definitely want to climb on top of the queen in the future, and you have to find a way to stop it. However, she should also have her due. .” The emperor paused for a moment, and then said with great difficulty: “I can’t tell for a while, but we must guard against her, but don’t go too far!” This is because Concubine Yu Yi may gain power after she becomes the empress dowager, so Su Shun is specially assigned to prevent it.In fact, even if the emperor did not make such instructions, as long as Sushun had power in his hands, he would definitely do so.But since the emperor mentioned it at this moment, he might as well seize the opportunity and ask for clarification. "The slave is ignorant. If there is a sentence that I don't know how to say, I dare not say it!" "You said it." "After ten thousand years of the emperor, if someone proposes to hang the curtain, I don't know what to do?" The emperor nodded: "I have thought about this too. There has never been such a system in this dynasty. I think no one dares to play lightly." Although this is not a direct answer, the emperor will never allow the system of hanging curtains to appear, and the meaning is very obvious.Since the young master is in power, it is not the empress dowager who hangs the curtain, who is in charge of the court, or the special ministers who are concentric and assist the prime minister, Sushun thought, this is the end of the story, let's just bring up the list of ministers who have ordered Gu Ming! After thinking about it for a while, he still used a roundabout way of probing, "The emperor is holy!" He knelt and said, "Respect the heavens and the ancestors, and pay attention to the ancestor's system. The slave accepts the emperor's grace and entrusts him with great things. Report. But I have something to say at this moment, dare not risk my life to Chen Zou, the responsibility will be heavy in the future, I always ask the emperor to send a few more loyal people to work with me, so that I can handle it." Sushun's eloquence is usually very good, but his words were fragmented and inappropriate.Fortunately, the emperor understood what he meant, so he immediately asked, "Are you talking about Minister Gu Ming?" Sushun didn't dare to agree openly, but only met again and again. "Ah!" The emperor suddenly sighed, "This matter is so difficult!" The tone was not good, Sushun was a little worried, and had to take a step forward: "The emperor has something embarrassing, let the slaves handle it!" "This is something you can't do." The emperor shook his head and said: "In your opinion, who can be ordered?" "This must come from Chen Gu, the slaves dare not speak rashly." Sushun purposely chose to retreat in such a way. "It's okay to talk about it, I can consider it." So Sushun replied slowly: "The two kings Yi and Zheng were the old ministers who were ordered by the previous dynasty. The four army planes accompanying the emperor are the ministers of the emperor's special brief. Consciously not as good. These people, slaves dare to protect, and will never let down the entrustment of the emperor." "Mmm, um." The emperor responded like this, and closed his eyes, struggling to beat his waist with his hands.