Chapter 19 second quarter

The Empress Dowager Xi glanced at her, and said slowly: "That's a good word. But, even small coins like sand shells have to be made of copper! Where are they coming from?" "The slave is already prepared. Send people to Yunnan to purchase." "Why don't I know?" The Empress Dowager Xi's complexion was ugly. "This is the usual business of the Ministry of Household Affairs." Sushun's tone was also very firm: "There is no need to ask for an order." Seeing that she couldn't refute him, the Empress Dowager could only hold back her breath, and asked a question based on the facts: "Yunnan is so far away, and the road is not peaceful, how much copper can be brought in? I'm afraid it won't help!"

"What the queen mother said is true." Sushun followed this very polite sentence, and then turned around: "But the queen mother only knows one thing, not the other. Now it's not that there are no copper coins in Beijing, it's just that rich people are hiding money. Willing to take it out! As soon as the new money comes out, their "exotic goods can live" will no longer be mentioned. Naturally, there will be more copper coins on the market. This is a trick called "arranging jade bait to catch golden snakeheads!" " "What if someone sees through this trick?"

"Then how could it be?" Sushun shook his head and said, "No one knows how much copper the Ministry of Households has purchased? No one can find out the details. If there is such a thing, someone must have leaked the secret and ruined the imperial court. Big plan, the servant must name and participate in the performance, please order the Fa!" Seeing his complacent expression, showing a state of public loyalty, even the Empress Dowager was a little moved, "I understand!" She nodded and said, "If you want to set the reign name early, you must To mint new money. Is that what you mean?"

"Yes! Once the year is confirmed, you can start to cast it immediately. What I mean by slaves is to cast a large amount of money, which is called 'Qixiang Chongbao', so as to win the trust of the people." "Wait!" The Empress Dowager waved her hand, interrupted him and asked, "How do you say the word Qixiang?" "It means auspiciousness." "Yeah!" The Empress Dowager raised her head slightly, and with a pair of piercing phoenix eyes, looked all over Gu Ming's eight ministers, and then asked: "Changing Yuan is a big event! How did the year name come about? But it is also like the posthumous posthumous posthumous title." For example, how many have been drafted by the military and the cabinet, and delineated by Zhubi?"

This question, including Sushun, was stunned for a moment!None of them expected that the Empress Dowager Xi knew quite a lot about the court code and allusions, so Zai Yuan, the foreman, had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree: "Yes!" The Empress Dowager Xi didn't say anything, she just stared at Sushun, put the note on the imperial case with the word "Qixiang" on it, pressed it with a slender index finger, and pushed it away. This soft nail was not small, and Sushun was a little anxious, "The Queen Mother Qizuo and the servants discussed for a long time before deciding on these two words. There is a saying in it." Having said that, he turned his head and looked Kuang Yuan: "You play the two empress dowagers with the origin of these two characters."

Kuangyuan was not as casual as Sushun. He knelt down first, and then said: "The word 'Qixiang' comes from "Song History·Lezhi": "Never dry up and never be a child, and give birth to Qixiang." The water is dry and the day is dry. "When the river is blocked, it is also called dryness; the mountain with bald appearance and no vegetation is called Tongshan. "Not to dry up" means that the river flows smoothly and can be used for irrigation; , that is to say, the trees on the mountain are flourishing, and the birds and beasts are bred. If this is the case, the land will make the best use of it, and the things will be prosperous and the people will be prosperous, and the country will be prosperous and the people will be safe, so it is said that "Birth is auspicious."

The word "Qixiang" was Kuangyuan's suggestion, and was greatly appreciated by Sushun. This presentation was still thorough, but he had no choice but to stick to words. The two empress dowagers could only understand the general idea, so they remained silent and did not give any instructions. So Sushun spoke again.The first thing he said was "the first emperor was in Japan, and he often mentioned it to his slaves". When he mentioned that the treasury was empty, the people's livelihood was in decline, military supplies and government expenses were huge, and there was great chaos and injustice, what would be the end?Then he praised Hu Linyi for being in Hubei, the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and living in the middle of the world. He "associates" with the provinces, so Zeng Guofan has no worries about the future.

When the topic changed, when it came to the court, Sushun immediately talked about himself, talking about the difficulties in handling military expenditures and state expenditures.He said that he had been told by the first emperor: "Be sure to live within your means." In order to obey the will, he could not meet the needs of all aspects, so he was scolded and angry a lot, and he was really wronged endlessly.However, he said that he didn't care, and only remembered the two words of the ancients: "How can it be as good as you want? But I want to be worthy of my heart!"

Obviously, these words were more or less for the current empress dowager and the former concubine Yi, so the loyal Eastern Empress Dowager felt quite uneasy and frequently cast winks.Helplessly, Su Shunzheng spoke so vigorously that he turned a blind eye, and when he finished complaining, he started talking again. His remarks can be said to be pleading for the people.He believes that the military has a chance of winning, and the restoration of Jinling is only a matter of time, but the aftermath of the chaos is extremely difficult.In the folk, reorganizing the countryside is a waste of time; in the army, arrogant soldiers must be resettled.This layer is of great importance. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers with high military exploits will be disarmed and returned to the fields, and there must be proper arrangements. Otherwise, they will live among the people and become bandits, and the world will still not be peaceful.

And all of this requires money.Therefore, in the future, the only way to deal with the big government is to make use of the wealth and livelihood, and to rest with the people after the chaos, that is, to cultivate the national strength.The use of "Qixiang" in the year name is an edict to the world that all facilities should be aimed at enriching the people. This is not only a great plan for the future, but also an inspiring call for people in front of us. Sushun talked for a full quarter of an hour during this presentation, gesticulating as if no one was around.The Western Empress Dowager couldn't refute it, and after thinking about it calmly, there was some truth in his words, so she turned to ask the Eastern Empress Dowager for advice with a wink.

The Empress Dowager Dong admired Sushun's opinion quite a lot, but she couldn't make any comments. She only said: "Since it is an auspicious word, I think it's good to use it!" This answer was expected by the Queen Mother of the West. The reason why she asked the Queen Mother of the East was to imply Sushun, but she herself did not think so.So he used the language in Zhu's criticism and said two words: "Yiyi!" Yes, the Queen Mother expressed her dissatisfaction with Sushun in private. After the eight ministers Gu Ming withdrew, she immediately told the Queen Mother her feelings. "Look at his defiant appearance, he is so impetuous, he is simply not polite to a courtier. He is full of 'we, we', who do you think we sisters and sons are?" The Empress Dowager was silent.She wanted to defend Sushun, but she couldn't find a reason to say it. "As it is today, we have to follow what he says, and there is no room for discretion. Sister, tell me, who owns the world of the Qing Dynasty?" "This..." The Queen Mother Dong couldn't help but say, "Su Liu is just a little too arrogant. If you say he has any rebellious thoughts, there is nothing wrong with him." Hearing this, the Empress Dowager saw the opportunity and stopped making a sound, but she couldn't help worrying in her heart. The secret plan of summoning King Gong to Rehe was agreed by the Queen Mother, but she still had the intention to defend Sushun, and she seemed a bit indecisive. If you can't bear it, it will be very bad!In the eyes of the Empress Dowager, Sushun is a poisonous snake, and she must hit him on the deadly "seven inches". If you hesitate for a moment and allow him to turn around and bite back, you will definitely suffer a lot. But she also knew that the Empress Dowager Dong defended Sushun, and in fact she also meant to protect her. She was afraid that if the trouble broke out, she would not be able to fight against Sushun.This is good intentions, but difficult to accept.Sushun is sure to be able to fight, as long as the top and bottom are united, add strength together, and close the kung fu with one punch. For this reason, we must find an opportunity to have a good talk with the Queen Mother.The so-called opportunity is to wait for Sushun to do something wrong, or say something wrong, and when the Queen Mother Dong is dissatisfied with him, then he can use the momentum to speak well. However, the Empress Dowager is still not familiar with the political affairs in all directions, so even though Sushun did something wrong, she also ignored it. The fault lies with the briefing staff.According to the originally agreed method, if there is a lack of governors in all provinces, the eight ministers of Gu Ming, the think tank and government affairs, will jointly propose their names, and ask Yizhi for a ruling in person.For the rest of the missing points, each yamen will make a list of candidates and decide by drawing lots. The people who were released for the first time were Qing Er among the officials in Beijing and Xuezheng in various provinces.Seventy or eighty namesticks were pasted by the military plane in advance, put into the stick, and held on the imperial case. The empress dowagers of the two palaces sat next to each other, and the little emperor drew lots.This was the first time he "performed" state affairs. Naturally, he only thought it was fun, and he smoked wildly with a smile, and threw one down.The provinces study politics, and the minister Gu Ming chooses the provinces. Whether it is the enviable "Guangdong Xuezheng" and "Sichuan Xuezheng" and other fat jobs, or they are sent to remote and barren provinces, it is up to the little emperor. Child's play is a foregone conclusion. Since the lottery is drawn by chance, whoever it should be, there are no exceptions.However, Sushun decided to make an exception by making an exception. He retained the Zuo Shilang of the household department and the Zhengqing of the Taipusi, and did not draw lots.Zuo Shilang of the household department released Kuang Yuan, and Zhengqing of Taipu Temple released Jiao Youying.The Empress Dowager was actually deceived, and the outsiders only regarded it as the lottery. Only Zhang Jing from the Military Aircraft Department knew the inside story. From Cao Yuying's point of view, it's not just contempt, he thinks this is a method of Sushun, who did not hesitate to use despicable means to win over Kuang Yuan and Jiao Youying.Therefore, spreading this news can be used as an excuse to attack Sushun. Therefore, he made a secret letter, habitually used the "seal" of the military aircraft, and flew it to the capital along with other important official documents, and sent it to Zhu Xueqin for his personal seal. Although the contents of the secret letter are not known to the public, it is common knowledge that the "seal" is used to transmit private letters.There was a black chapter Jing Zheng Xiying, who watched Sushun monopolize the power and was full of flames, and wanted to join him. He thought he had found a good opportunity to curry favor with the errand, so he set a rule by himself, checking the seals every day, every shift How much was used, a book was registered, and it kept saying: "Finding out private use of seals is a crime of dismissal." Having said that, since the establishment of the Military Aircraft Department, no one has ever been convicted of using a seal for private use.In order to grasp the timeliness and make it easy to use, it has always been a rule to take a blank envelope in advance, cover it with the silver seal of the Military Aircraft Department, and put hundreds of them in the Fanglue Pavilion. In addition to official business, personal emergencies or secret accidents need to be communicated in time , also take a seal, mark the mileage, and send it to the reporting office of the Ministry of War.Although this is suspected of acting for the public and benefiting private interests, it has become a habit and has become a privilege of Zhang Jing.Now asking Zheng Xiying to put on a business-like face and interfere with Cao Yuying will cause great inconvenience to others, so everyone looks sideways and sneers, secretly despising. However, although Zheng Xiying is a dark-eyed black Zhangjing who doesn't understand anything, the act of registering and sealing the book was indeed an effective blow to Cao Yuying. Not only was the secret communication greatly affected, but also because of his actions, it also reminded Knowing people like Du Han, Kuang Yuan and Jiao Youying, knowing that he has always supported Prince Gong, one can't help being wary.Originally, no matter what kind of confidential matter, the foreman of Zhang Jing of the military aircraft was not unaware of it, but now Cao Yuying is rarely asked to hear about it, and the "court mail" sent by the governors of various provinces is mostly done by Jiao Youying himself. The seal is sent, and no one knows the contents.This way, Cao Yuying was very free.He himself is also a person who is very good at observing the scenery. Seeing this situation, he especially keeps a low profile. After work, he does not see any customers, let alone visit them. He only spends drinking and playing cards with a few friends who are speculative. Naturally, sometimes I can't help talking about my colleagues in the Military Aircraft Department. When Zheng Xiying was mentioned, some people laughed and said: "There is a poem to describe this gentleman's recent situation: "The flowing water is like a car, a dragon is a horse, and the master is like a tiger and a servant like a fox; , and asked with a smile if Zhongtang was there?" This is a doggerel that has been handed down for a long time. It describes Hong Zhangjing's arrogance, which is quite vivid, but, "That's just because he thinks he is popular!" Jiang Jizhu, who was in Zheng Xiying's class, said disdainfully, "Actually,' Palace Lantern, why do you put him in your eyes?" "Don't talk, don't talk!" Cao Yuying waved her hands and stopped loudly, "Tonight we can only talk about Fengyue." The guests smiled at each other and talked about him.After arriving at Dinggen, the guests left one after another, Cao Yuying secretly pulled Jiang Jizhu and Xu Geng back, the two understood, and excused themselves to stay. Yan entered the secret room, set up wine for supper again, Cao Yuying asked in a low voice: "The two have many relatives and friends in Beijing, what news do you have?" "There is very strange news." Xu Gengshen replied, "I received a letter from Beijing, the meaning of which is cryptic, it seems that Xiao Anzi's deportation back to Beijing is a 'bitter trick', so as to convey the secret order of the two palaces." "Do you know what the secret order is?" "I do not know." "I also have news." Jiang Jizhu said immediately, "I heard that the elders in Beijing are doing secret business. Is it feasible to discuss behind the curtain?" "This is 'closed'!" Cao Yuying lightly tapped the table with her hand, "If there is a secret order, it must be to activate the curtain! And it must be the idea of ​​'West Side'." "This...," Xu Geng leaned over and asked, "This violates the taboo of 'Palace Lantern', can it be done?" "Who knows if it will work? Just wait and see!" During the moment of silence, Xu Gengshen and Jiang Jizhu thought of a question at the same time: If Xiao Anzi was the order of the two palaces and passed on the secret edict, then Zhu Xueqin in Beijing must have heard about it. Could it be that it was not mentioned in the secret letter? "Yes!" When Xu Gengshen raised this question, Cao Yuying replied in confusion: "That's why I'm surprised! In Uncle Xiu's letter, there was nothing that should have been mentioned. It is true that I have informed Uncle Xiu , Recently, some people have been paying attention to the wording in letters, but no matter what, you should give me a letter for something like this!" "Could it be 'Burke' who detained him?" Xu Geng asked Jiang Jizhu, "You are in his class, think about it, is this possible?" "I never noticed. But I don't think so." "How did you see that?" "If Huber mentions these words, he will naturally use the 'formula'. Do you imagine that an idiot like him, when he sees the 'formula', there will be someone who is not surprised and yells out loud?" Both Cao Yuying and Xu Gengshen agreed with him.Zheng Xiying is a superficial and useless person, if he opened the envelope from Beijing and found a secret letter with a "set of grids" that he didn't understand, he would naturally spread it as a miracle news.From this point of view, either Zhu Xueqin was particularly cautious and deliberately didn't mention it, or Xiao Anzi passed on the secret edict, which was nothing at all. "I think the news is true. And I would rather believe it than believe nothing." Xu Geng went on to argue further, "Even if nothing happened, we should go on this road!" Cao Yuying nodded deeply, raised his glass and drank it down, put a piece of honey juice in his mouth, chewed slowly and said: "Uncle Xing's words are interesting! I also often think that we should do our best You Zhengren. But to be honest, I don’t dare to be confident in my opinion, and now I hear Uncle Xing say the same, it can be seen that people have the same heart and the same reason.” "Yuanyou" is Song Zhezong's reign title, and Zhezong also ascended the throne at his age.The Empress Dowager Xuanren came to the court to call the system, appointed Sima Guang, reused the works of Lu Gong, Lu Dafang, and Fan Chunren, the world was ruled, and the history books were called beautiful.But both Xu Gengshen and Jiang Jizhu understood that Cao Yuying's so-called "should be encouraged to be a gentleman of Yuanyou" meant more than words, firstly, he was in favor of the Queen Mother's curtain hanging, and secondly, he compared Sushun to Lu Huiqing, and the eight ministers of Gu Ming to Wang Anshi's "new party" .It is an excellent way to use the past to describe the present, especially when the Daxing Emperor is virtually compared to "filial piety, friendliness, learning, respecting each other and seeking talents", "wanting for peace but not seeking treatment", suffering from anxiety and illness, and dying at a young age Song Shenzong never constituted the crime of "disrespect" for slandering the late emperor, it's wonderful! Therefore, Xu Geng also came to a realization, and praised him: "What a metaphor for "Yuanyou!" " "That's right!" Jiang Jizhu also said excitedly, "There is a saying, 'walk on this road', it can be regarded as a teacher who is famous!" "Second Gong, don't be impatient!" Cao Yuying changed her extremely cautious expression again: "Others are hot, we have to be cold. We might as well watch everything with a cold eye, don't show your signs, and be careful in everything, and be careful not to be provoked by anyone." Palace Lantern "It's Wang Dun and Huan Wen who are first-class figures. They have no scruples about killing ministers and gaining prestige, let alone me? Picking a small problem, there is no need to do other tricks, just go back to the original yamen, I can't afford to lose face !" "Yes, yes!" Jiang Jizhu, who was relatively loyal, was deeply educated. In Xu Geng's body, of course he also remembered Cao Yuying's warning, but he had another thought in his heart.Being "consulted"——Military Aircraft Zhang Jingru is selected by the cabinet secretary and the ministers of various ministries. It is a very embarrassing thing to be expelled from the military plane, but the face is still secondary. The main thing is that once you get out of the military plane at this time, you will not be able to really see a lively "good show"!This was the biggest reason why Xu Gengshen was willing to follow Cao Yuying's advice. Coincidentally, Cao Yuying happened to have the feeling of this "drama". He was half serious and half joking: "The play of 'Gongmendai' plus 'Dabaoguo' is about to start, and the main character is about to start. Although you and I It's a trick, so you have to be extra careful, follow the rules, and don't ruin the show!" The so-called "Zhengjiaoer" refers to Prince Gong.In the early morning of the next day, the Military Aircraft Office received a message from the clan mansion to inform Prince Gong of the date of his departure from Beijing. Palace, inform the preparation ceremony.In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs received a message requesting that Prince Gong and his entourage be on behalf of the office, and that the battalion infantry command the yamen. These kinds of actions seem to be the so-called "showing off" in the Banner population, giving people the impression that Prince Gong intends to show off his status.There are ten princes in Beijing Zhonghexing, five princes Li, Rui, Yu, Zheng and Su, five of the eight "iron hat kings" in the founding of the country, Prince Zhuang was conferred by Shunzhi, and Prince Yi was conferred by Yongzheng These seven princes were all inherited. The "Old Fifth Master" Prince Hui and the "Fifth Lord" Prince Dun were conferred by the county kings. Only Prince He Shuogong Yisu was personally conferred by Xuanzong Zhubi, especially Distinguished. Therefore, Prince Zheng Duanhua was very dissatisfied. While wiping his snuff and sneezing, he said intermittently: "So is Gong Lao Liu! When is this? You still make these styles! You want to show off and put it in your own mansion. You are escaping here, where can I find the big mansion for you? I think, talk to Lao Qi, his place is more spacious, let him make two rooms, they are brothers, so it should be possible to negotiate." "No, no need!" Sushun waved his hands and smiled, showing that smug generosity, "Gong Lao Liu only has this bit of ostentation left! Let's obey him." Then he ordered to do an errand for Prince Gong, and the etiquette required Solemnly, the supply must be plentiful. Sushun's "satisfied generosity" provided a point of view, and he felt that Prince Gong's deliberate "showing off" and causing trouble for this yamen and that yamen were nothing more than frustration.Those who have a deeper understanding think that these actions of Prince Gong are intended to show that his trip is purely as the younger brother of the Emperor Daxing, to mourn before the funeral, to show his brotherly affection, and to be "specially authorized to stay behind" with him. The titles of the capital, the supervising office and the bureau, doing things cheaply, the imperial envoys with full powers, and the ministers who manage the prime minister's foreign trade affairs have nothing to do.But no matter what your opinion is, before Prince Gong arrived in Rehe, the momentum of the pioneers had been easily created. Civil and military officials, eunuchs, and maids in the palace were all talking about Prince Gong, and they were also looking forward to Prince Gong. Take a look at his majesty.