Chapter 7 Prequel to Empress Dowager Cixi (3-2)

Those patented medicines are all based on hundreds of years of proven prescriptions, selected high-quality medicinal materials, and taken in time, they are really effective. Unfortunately, they were used too late and had no effect. The emperor was so anxious that he couldn't bear it and finally had to Get up to go to the toilet, and shout repeatedly: "Quick, quick!" So the two young eunuchs tucked him, barely touched the ground, and sent him like a gust of wind into the backyard suite where a clean bucket had been prepared in advance. It happened suddenly, everyone was shocked!But no one dared to talk nonsense, and just looked at the queen one by one.The queen has learned to be calm, she knows that someone will come to report soon, so she is anxious in her heart, and she can still maintain the majesty of the palace on the surface.

Sure enough, Chen Shengwen hurried over, knelt beside the queen's seat, and whispered, "Queen Wan'an, Lord Long Live just has a stomachache." "Oh! Go and have a look, come back and tell me right away. Look for Mrs. Luan and Li Deli again, where are they?" "I have already asked for an order just now, and the Lord Long Live is not called the Imperial Physician." "En!" The queen understood the meaning of the emperor's reluctance to panic, "You go and see how the situation is before we talk about it." "yes!" "Also, quietly tell the girls in the palaces, let them tell their master, don't panic, don't mess up!"

"The servant has told them." "Okay, you go! I'm waiting to hear from you." Chen Shengwen agreed, kowtowed, stood up and rushed to the emperor's place, only to see seven or eight young eunuchs surrounding the emperor, those who wiped his face, those who wiped his hands, those who played fans, and tied their belts Although the emperor still looked tired, his complexion was much better. Seeing Chen Shengwen, before he could open his mouth, the emperor said: "Hey! My stomach is relieved now! I'm afraid that the fruit I ate at noon is not clean." Chen Shengwen quickly knelt down and played back: "The slave will go and investigate immediately."

"Oh, forget it! Happy days." The emperor asked again, "How is it outside?" "The empress is very anxious. The servant told the empress that the Lord Long Live was just having a stomachache, so the empress was relieved and ordered the servant to come and see it before answering." "You tell the queen, it's okay! I'll go out right away." "Yes!" Chen Shengwen said again, "Your servant asks for an order, but do you want the imperial physician to serve you?" "Nonsense!" Hearing this sentence, Chen Shengwen didn't dare to say any more.Hastily rushed to report back to the queen.At this time, the former imperial ministers Sushun and Jingshou who were guarding outside, and the inner minister Chun Wang Yilan who led the guards all got the news, and they ignored the empress and concubine.As soon as they entered the theater, the emperor had already arrived, so the concubines, ministers, eunuchs, court ladies, and even "Chen Zuiliang" and "Chunxiang" on the stage knelt down to welcome the emperor, and then stood up to perform as usual.

Sushun, Jingshou, and King Chun went to the imperial court to greet him again. The emperor shook his hand and said flatly, "Nothing, nothing! You are here to listen to the opera with me." Then, he turned around and told the little eunuch Ruyi: " Set a table for the six foreheads and the others, and bring some dishes over there!" The three ministers kowtowed their heads one by one and thanked them one by one. Taking advantage of the time when the dinner table was set, the three retreated to the back and asked Chen Shengwen to ask about the situation, discussing whether to send the imperial doctor to serve him.Sushun took the emperor's will as his will, Jing Shou had no opinion, but King Chun insisted on being cautious, saying that it would be better to bring Mrs. Luan and Li Deli to stand by.It's always good to be prepared, but Su Shun couldn't resist King Chun's intentions, so he had to send someone to look for him.

It's not difficult to find, it must be in Fushou Garden.I found the east corridor and the west corridor, looked at the faces under the big hat, first found Mrs. Luan, and then found Li Deli on the last seat. He waved and called out, followed the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and left. The Fushou Garden. The action under the eyes of everyone immediately attracted the attention of all the officials present, and they all whispered to each other, guessing in surprise, guessing that most of the guesses were concentrated on the emperor, was it vomiting blood or fever?Anyway, the coming is not light, otherwise the royal doctor would not be summoned on the day of great joy.

Many people have a feeling that they dare not express in their hearts: calling for a doctor on a birthday is a bad omen.There are also some people who have no intention of watching the theater—they have a "drama" in their hearts, and it is about to begin. The sick and broken emperor left a group of young and beautiful concubines and a six-year-old orphan. Substitute palm?Is it the domineering minister in front of him, or the prince Yingfa in Jingli?Can this kinsman, who is so powerful, be able to let go of the past and work together to help protect the young master?If not, then the intrigue, the scramble between open guns and dark arrows, the thrilling level, I don't know how many times more than that on the stage at this moment!

However, the generals and ministers on the stage, once the emperor and the courtiers, are just the faces of actors. When the "play" off the stage is sung, who knows how many people are proud and how many are frustrated?Some people who feel that they are personally related to honor, disgrace, misfortune and fortune not only have no intention of going to the theater, but also have to try to find out the news early. Among these people, one is Cao Yuying.He is a very deep person, since he can't get away to inquire for a while, he simply doesn't talk about those groundless speculations, so he is the hottest in his heart, but the calmest on the surface.

When the play is over, each exits.Cao Yuying first went back to the Zhilu of the military plane to rest. The military plane Zhang Jing on duty that day was Xu Geng. "will try".Seeing Cao Yuying, she put down her pen and stood up to give up her seat. "I really envy you!" Cao Yuying took off her big hat, put it on the table, took a hot towel from Xu Geng's servant, wiped her sweat thoughtlessly, and said, "On a day like this, It’s rare to have this moment of leisure! Look at me, my robes are soaked through!” Xu Geng smiled and asked, "Come inside, have you heard anything?"

"I'm still asking you!" "Luan and Li haven't come down yet, but they haven't asked for pulse either." "Oh! Why don't you hesitate, Sheng Gong?" "Zuo Weng still doesn't know?" Xu Gengshen replied in surprise, "It is said that he had a stomachache after eating raw cold, and it will be fine after he vomits." "So that's how it is!" Cao Yuying nodded and said in a low voice, "I'll go back first, it's just too tiring here." "Please. If there is any news, I will send a letter at any time. When Li Zhuoxuan comes down, I will inform him to go to your place."

"That would be great. Don't worry, don't worry!" Cao Yuying cupped her hands and said goodbye.Because I had to wait for the news, I told the doorman as soon as I got home that all visitors, except for Li Taiyi, should be kept out of the way.At night, I was alone in the backyard enjoying the cool air. I looked at the night, but there was no news. I was about to go to bed. A gauze lantern on the door attracted a guest to come in. It was Li Deli. Cao Yuying hurriedly put on a long gown to appease the guests, please take off the clothes first, Li Deli hurriedly replied: "No need. I still have to rush into the palace to work as a servant." This statement is to take the time to deliver urgent news.Cao Yuying waited for the servants to serve the tea, and then waved his hand to make all the servants avoid. So Li Deli said in a low voice with concern: "The illness above is not good!" "What? Didn't you say that you had a stomachache for a while, are you all right?" "It broke out again at night. I had diarrhea four or five times in a row. Diarrhea hurts people the most, not to mention it is extremely weak? Alas, it's just half a day's delay, which seriously hurts the vitality." Cao Yuying thought about it, and understood what he said. The emperor was afraid of sickness and refused to call for a doctor, and he was not afraid of cold and greasy food, so that he would have diarrhea again. But: "Having a stomach in summer is not a serious disease, is it?" "Others have nothing to do with it. It's not the case to put it on people who are consumptive. It is important to know that the foundation of life is to accumulate essence and become strong. It is said in the Internal Classics: 'If the essence is insufficient, supplement it with taste.' Taste is the root of five grains." Taste also, supplementing with taste and saving labor, will accumulate wealth and save life. Therefore, the treatment of the above diseases has always been based on warming and tonifying. Use 'Xiaojianzhong Decoction', add ginseng and aconite, build it Qi, you can increase your diet and body fluid, congest the blood and produce essence, and gradually recover the deficiency of true yin. The achievements of the past few months will be ruined in one day." Li Deli stomped his feet again and again, looking into the sky and sighing: "The destiny is so, What do you say?" Hearing these words and looking at his expression, the emperor's illness was unexpectedly serious. Cao Yuying thought about it thoroughly, and in order to truly understand the situation, he asked: "Zhuo Xuan, Qi Huang, I'm an outsider. Could you please make an analogy?" "It's like a thatched hut, patched with radish, and covered up with painstaking efforts, only to wait for the bad weather to pass, so that it can be used as a plan to replace the pillars. Who knows that a gust of wind for no reason knocked off the thatched roof! You see, in the future How to be caught off guard?" "Then," Cao Yuying's voice was so low that the other party could only hear: "How many days are left?" Li Deli pondered for a while and replied: "You must remember that I once said a word, as long as you spend the midsummer in peace, and when the autumn cools, there will be improvement.'" The words are already very clear, the emperor is afraid that he will not be able to survive the midsummer.Cao Yuying nodded deeply and did not speak again. "Zuo Weng, I'm taking my leave, and I have to rush to the palace." "Hard work, hard work!" Cao Yuying replied with cupped hands, "I won't keep you either. When you have some free time, I'll have a drink." "Thank you in advance!" Li Deli hesitated for a while and then said: "Zuo Weng, when the 'big event' happens, I will be the first one to be unlucky, so please take care of me at that time!" The host couldn't stop him, so he had to return the gift as usual, and hurriedly replied: "Severe words, serious words. Don't worry, brother, your business is my business. If there is any change, I hope I can reward you with a letter at any time, and I will be grateful." gone." "That's for sure." Li Deli said again: "This is a matter of exhaustion, and the days can be counted by then." This said Cao Yuying was a little relieved.He was afraid of the sudden collapse of the emperor's disease and was caught off guard. Now according to Li Deli's words, when the deadline comes, he can know it in advance. In any case, he can get a period of slow deployment time to respond, and things will be much easier. After Li Deli left, he spent the whole night thinking about it.The next day was still within the Longevity Festival, so there was no need to enter the value, but Sheng Gong didn't hesitate and went to pay his respects.As soon as he arrived at Zhilu, he heard the news that the Minister of Military Aircraft was closing the door of the room and had secret discussions. But for Zhang Jing of the military aircraft, there was no secret to keep. Cao Yuying quickly got a further report. What the ministers of the military aircraft secretly discussed was a very headache-the price of silver in the capital rose sharply.The money bills issued indiscriminately by the official money account have greatly depreciated. The face value is one thousand, but the real value is only twelve coins. Because of the lack of copper, it is rare to make money. Take it out, so that the price of goods soars.Rich people use silver, and the rising tide will not affect them. The poor people, especially the banner people who don’t do production, only rely on limited money and food every month to make ends meet. All they have in their hands is just a few official banknotes. , we must find a way to preserve their value. Some people in the meeting advocated the abolition of official account money tickets.This is the fundamental way to cut through the mess quickly and clean it up thoroughly, but most of the money for the official title is in the hands of the common people, without proper compensation, it is bound to stir up civil uprisings, so no one dares to agree this claim.But no one can come up with a good plan on how to maintain the value of the official account money ticket.Moreover, Sushun was not present, he also held the position of Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and this matter belonged to him, without his participation, the discussion would be futile.In this way, it is conceivable that after talking for a long time, there will be no results. Sushun knew that there was this meeting. In fact, he initiated this meeting. He deliberately chose an opportunity for Wanshou to not have to deal with other government affairs on the next day, so he could discuss it carefully. With the dual qualifications of the minister of the bodyguard and the minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he must take care of him in front of the emperor, so he had no choice but to ignore this extremely important meeting. The emperor's illness brought him great anxiety, because from Luan Tai and Li Deli's tone, it seemed that he had lost confidence in the diagnosis and treatment, and the emperor's dying look after repeated diarrhea was even more shocking.Once "Da Jian", there must be a will, discuss relatives and nobles, among the ministers who take care of orders, the name of Prince Gong is indispensable, where the power is, conflicts are inevitable, although it is not impossible to defeat him, it is always a very troublesome matter. For this reason, Sushun dared not leave the emperor's bedroom for a moment, fearing that the emperor would issue some decree that would be unfavorable to him at the moment when he was not in front of the imperial court, and he would not be able to stop it in time.But he can use "labor saving" and these reasons to dissuade the emperor from summoning relatives and nobles, but he cannot prohibit relatives and nobles from coming to greet the emperor. On this day, there are three relatives who made an appointment to come to see the sickness and say hello, besides King Dun and King Chun, the other is Prince Hui Mianyu, the emperor's uncle, Xingwu, known in the palace as "Old Fifth Lord" .Being a respected relative, Sushun didn't dare to play any tricks, handed the "sign", the emperor "woke up", and led the three kings to the front of the imperial couch. Both King Dun and King Jin knelt down to say hello. The "Old Fifth Lord" had a special decree that he was exempted from kowtowing and saluting when he met at a banquet on weekdays, so he just stood with his hands down and said, "Mianyu greets the emperor!" The scrawny emperor leaned on the imperial couch, nodded his head slightly, and said with a wry smile, "I wanted to have a good day with you all, but it was a pleasure in the midst of suffering. Who knows that heaven doesn't obey people's wishes. Sigh!" "The emperor rests in peace. It's common to have stomach upsets in summer." "Yes!" the emperor said confidently, "I think it will be all right to rest for a day or two." "I only hope that if you take Wu Yao early, it will be the blessing of the people in the world." The old fifth grandfather glanced at Sushun for no reason at this point. "Hmm, um!" The emperor also glanced at Sushun. This was a signal, and Sushun immediately said to King Dun and King Chun: "The emperor is tired. Fifth and seventh, kneel down! " Kneeling down, the three kings withdrew together.The two kings, Dun and Chun, met the emperor brothers, and they were sick, but they couldn't even speak a word, and they felt very uncomfortable.But even so, Sushun still couldn't help becoming wary. He felt that to protect himself, he must seize power.Power must not only be heavy, but also more - the more errands you have, the easier it is to take precautions. However, it was not the time to speak out, the emperor's diarrhea had gradually stopped, but as Li Deli said, "the vitality was seriously injured", he couldn't make up for it for a while, and he was so dizzy that he couldn't even speak. Naturally, it is impossible to summon military planes to rule on government affairs.The emperor's way of handling the big affairs is not clear to the outside world, but for three days in a row, there is no one who has made a breakthrough, so it goes without saying that the emperor has not summoned a military aircraft during these three days.Diligent administration has been a tradition that has been carried on since the founding of the country. Since the establishment of the Military Aircraft Office during the Yongzheng period, the emperor has "meeted" with the military aircraft almost every day, unless he was too sick to speak. Therefore, from Rehe to the capital, there are many rumors with bizarre contents, but they are nothing more than saying that the emperor has reached the time of "Dajian". Some people even say that the emperor has passed away. The "edict of mourning" was issued only after the deployment was completed. These words were naturally ridiculous to the ears of knowledgeable people, but they were considered reasonable and reasonable when they were circulated among the market.As a result, silver prices and commodity prices fluctuated extremely violently. This is something that Sushun should take care of, he can't sit idly by.Fortunately, after he took over as Minister of the Household Department, he had mercilessly handled a case of collusion between officials of the Household Department and Guanqianhao. With this strong foreshadowing, the article will be much easier to do.Finding an opportunity for the emperor to be in better spirits, he told the emperor that the official money accounts must be strictly rectified. It was changed back to the private sector, but the five official money accounts managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs must be separated and sorted out separately, so as not to be involved together.At the same time, it is unavoidable to bring up the old things again about the "ineffectiveness" of the former "officials" of the Ministry of Household Affairs, such as Weng Xincun. The emperor had long been obedient to Sushun, and what's more, he was ill and didn't have the energy to deal with the troubles at all. At that time, he only said: "You should think carefully about it! Write an order in two days." Then, Sushun said a lot of things that the emperor liked to hear, first about the military situation in various places, how to make progress, and then talked about the project of repairing the "Mountain Resort".This reminded the emperor of something and interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "I heard that you also built a house in Rehe. Do you have that?" "Yes," Sushun replied without hesitation, "I dare not hide my every move from the emperor. The servant has built a house, and it is very solid, and it has not been completed yet." "Oh!" The emperor said such a word, and the question in his tone was very obvious. "There is a reason." Sushun said calmly, "I know the emperor's yang energy is strong and he is afraid of heat. From now on, he will serve the emperor to Rehe to escape the summer heat. The days are still long! We have to plan far away. a little." Saying "afraid of heat" means "exuberant yang energy", saying "I want to go to Rehe every year to escape the summer heat", saying "the days are still long", these are very pleasant words for the emperor, and I suddenly feel refreshed and want to go to the ground walk around. So, the little eunuchs helped the emperor put on his clothes, helped him get out of bed, and guarded him left and right. The emperor felt his feet fluttering, and the ground seemed to be soft everywhere.Moreover, walking with the help like this, I couldn't help panting slightly, so I leaned under the south window and said to myself: "I'd better sit down!" As soon as Sushun heard this, he quickly moved a thin rattan soft armchair over and helped the emperor to sit down.It was a cool day, and in the evening, a good wind entered the house, and it felt very comfortable blowing on the soft and smooth ruffled trousers.The emperor ate Jinzhou pickles and two small bowls of rice porridge with diced duck and stem. He was in good spirits and thought about finding some entertainment. "Su Liu!" the emperor shouted, his voice quite clear. "Cha!" Sushun also agreed loudly. "Today is fifteen, the moon is white and the wind is clear. Look, where can I go for a stroll?" "This..." Sushun thought for a while and replied: "The servant gave the emperor an idea, the moon at 'Zhijing Yundi' is the best, the emperor might as well go there to enjoy the cool air, and then pass the news to the students of the Shengping Department to let They sang a cappella for entertainment." "Okay, okay!" The emperor happily replied, "That's it!" "Yes! The slave will go prepare immediately." Sushun then sent people separately, notifying the Shengping Department to serve the a cappella, and preparing yellow tents, seats and tea stoves at "Zhijing Yundi".Then go back to the palace, take care of the food and start driving. Afraid of the cold night and the emperor's weakness, he especially told the "four deacons" eunuchs in charge of the emperor's boots, hats, gowns and gowns to bring a variety of single-clip clothes so that they can be added at any time as the weather changes. minus replacement. When everything was ready, the emperor sat on the bright yellow soft sedan chair, and Sushun personally supported the sedan chair, and meandered away to "Zhijing Yundi". "Zhijing Yundi" is one of the "Thirty-six Views of the Summer Resort" inscribed by Emperor Sheng Zuren. A clear lake at the foot of the mountain is divided into two halves by a sesame-shaped earth embankment. This embankment is called " Zhijing Yundi".Across the embankment to the north is "Ruyi Island", also known as "A Piece of Clouds". The stage built near the water is there.But the place where the emperor was fortunate to be at this moment was on the south bank, and when he got there, it was just when the moon was on the east mountain, the clear toad light reflected a lake reflecting the willow silk, it was extremely quiet.The emperor specifically ordered not to see any lights, so the eunuchs rushed to nearby houses separately and ordered to turn off the lights.Naturally, the big palace lanterns illuminated in front of the imperial court were also extinguished. After a short rest, Sushun took An Fu, the eunuch in charge of the Shengping Department, some of the emperor's favorite students, and Qian Sifu, an old actress who had worked in Rehe during the Jiaqing period and now specializes in teaching students to sing, Fei Ruisheng, Chen Jincui and others came to kowtow to the emperor, and then presented the play excerpts, asking for some plays. The emperor didn't need to read the opera excerpts, he was very rich, so he casually ordered: "Sing!" Then, looking up at the faint clouds in the blue sky, he read: "Looking at the clear autumn, I can't see the cold clouds, the distant trees and the beautiful trees! Bitter memories covered in dust, shadow lonely and body tired, sick horse severe frost, Wanli Bridge, do you know if he is healthy? Even if he is healthy, he is expected to lose weight for us..." After reading this, the emperor bowed his head and asked: "What is this fold called?" This fold is called "Death of the Dead".The emperor had been ill for a long time, and An Fu was afraid that speaking out would be taboo, so he just kowtowed and dared not answer. Although Sushun didn't understand the melody, he was familiar with the legends often sung in the palace. He remembered that the song the emperor read just now was about Concubine Yang Guifei who was forced by Chen Yuanli's mutiny in Mawei Post and committed suicide by hanging herself. How to injure yourself under the pale moon and pear blossoms, and recall the kindness of that day.At this time and here, singing such a bleak and bleak piece is really taboo, this is the reason why An Fu dare not play it back. So he deliberately reprimanded An Fu: "Look at you, the more you work as an errand, the more you go back! How did the emperor pass the exam? Go down, and choose a good song for the emperor to listen to!" This can be regarded as a resolution of a stalemate, and An Fu was certainly relieved, the emperor also remembered that the book was called "Death of the Corpse", and at the same time understood the reason why An Fu did not dare to play back, so he let Su Shun not make a sound. Anfu knew that the emperor loved those Nanqu with clear and beautiful words or lingering emotions. Seeing the scenery in front of him, he remembered that there was a twist in "Pipa Ji", which happened to be a good one, so he called Chen Jincui the flute, and Fei Ruisheng mastered it. Appreciated student Zhang Duofu leads the vocals. With the sound of the sandalwood board, the flute sounded, Zhang Duofu opened his throat and sang: "After the rain in Chutian, the waves are clear and the trees are falling, and the autumn is bright and clean, who will drive the ice wheel. Come to the bottom of the sea? Grind thousands of hectares of glass. The surrounding wind is clear, the Sheng Xiaolu is cold, and life is pure and empty. The pearl curtain rolls, Geng Tower Unlimited autumn prosperity." The tune is called, and the key will be changed next time. In this gap, the emperor asked Sushun, "Do you know what the tune is called?" "Does this servant understand?" Sushun said with a smile, "It sounds like it's describing a scene on a moonlit night, but this is a painting against the scene." "That's right! This is "Appreciating Autumn" from "The Story of the Pipa". If you don't write about the moon in autumn, what can you write about? Listen, there are still good things to come." Zhang Duofu in front, hearing the emperor say this, got more energetic, and then sang the following "Sheng Chazi" and the preface. "Everyone once sent a book, and when the book is gone, God also goes. Tonight is so clear, but it is a pity that there are thousands of miles of people and thousands of miles in the sky. I see the lovely beauty, and there is no slack at all. Twelve rails, the light is everywhere, and the beaded foil silver screen is soaked in coolness. Partial name , living in Yaotai, pouring jade pot with a smile, how often do you see such a beautiful scene in your life?" "Good song, good song!" The emperor praised him with a slap, and said: "Zhang Duofu's voice is at home today, and his articulation is better!" When Sushun heard this, he immediately shouted: "The emperor praised Zhang Duofu. Thank you!" An Fu had prepared it long ago, and then brought Zhang Duofu to kowtow in front of the imperial case.The emperor rewarded a plate of apricot pears, so he kowtowed again to thank him, returned to the original place, and continued to sing. The emperor frowned greatly when he sang "It's cold, the mandarin ducks are cold, the jade pot is ice, and the railings are dewy and wet."Every move he made, eyebrows raised and eyes lowered, Sushun watched all of them, at this moment he knew something was wrong, so after finishing singing "Gu Lun Tai", he leaned over and asked in a low voice: "But where is the song wrong? " "Yeah!" The emperor nodded and asked, "Who taught it? Pass it on to him!" Zhang Duofu's "Appreciation of Autumn" was taught by Chen Jincui, and An Fu brought him to the Imperial Palace anxiously, knelt down, and waited for the question. "The word 'wet' is entering tone. How do you teach Zhang Duofu to sing in a flat tone? It sounds terrible!" Chen Jincui murmured back: "The word 'wet' is in a flat tone, which sounds like a flat tone." "Who called you 'Lianqiang'?" This touch made Chen Jincui sweat profusely, and stammered: "It was taught by the slave's master." How can his teaching master be used against the emperor?This is an extremely inappropriate performance, which can annoy the emperor and cause unexpected disasters.According to the mentality passed down in the palace, when encountering such a situation, one should be the first to reprimand and excuse, so as to calm the emperor's anger that might erupt.So An Fu sternly shouted: "What a fool! What is your master? What your master taught is comparable to the teaching of Long Live God!" "Yes, yes!" Chen Jincui kept bumping his head on the ground, "I am confused, please teach me!" The emperor has a good temper, and he has always been "teaching people tirelessly" on these things. If the little eunuch made a mistake, he would point it out to them in a friendly manner, and even wrote a "word" with a red pen, ordering "write it like this in the future."Therefore, Chen Jincui and An Fu were very frightened, but the emperor didn't take it seriously and gave them some pointers. "That master of yours is not very smart. I'm afraid that he can't even understand the southern and northern operas." The emperor said slowly: "The incoming tones of the northern operas are high-pitched like the outgoing tone, and low-pitched like the upper tone. It’s a level tone. "Pipa Ji" is a southern song, and the word 'wet' is wrongly sung on this 'connected tune'. Do you understand this?" "Long live God is holy! The teachings of Long live God will never be used forever." Chen Jincui said boldly again, "I dare to ask Long live God to teach me how to sing Nanqu so beautifully?" "It's broken at the exit, don't make it intentional, just throw it lightly, it will be clean and neat. Kunqiang is the so-called 'water grinding tune', and there must be setbacks in the twists and turns, so pay attention to these." The emperor Gu Qu was truly a bosom friend, and all the veteran actors in the Shengping Department were sincerely convinced.The emperor was also very proud, and showed his own experience, so he hummed and taught them in a low voice.In this way, at the time of the second watch, Yeliang invaded, Sushun repeatedly advised, and the emperor got up and drove back to the palace with lingering joy. I slept very soundly that night, and when I woke up the next day, the emperor felt refreshed and decided to summon the minister of military affairs.As usual, before that, he had to discuss with Sushun first. "The spirit is not very good after all, and today I can only take care of the most important things." The emperor asked: "Look, besides the military newspaper, what other things must be done first?" "Revealing the emperor, the case of the official money ticket must be decreed as soon as possible." "Yeah." The emperor nodded, "I see. 'Call'!" So Sushun went to "call up" himself.Some military ministers hadn't seen him for two days. After a kiss, they had to exchange a few words and inquire about the emperor's condition at the same time. "It's much better." Sushun replied, "But it's still too annoying. When you ask the gentlemen to play it right, you don't need to talk too much." Sushun's words were the same as the edict to them, so they could not speak if they could not speak before entering the imperial court. However, the case of the official money ticket was very complicated, so it was not possible to discuss it in detail for a while, so it was put aside again. During this period of shelving, Sushun was enjoying the cool air at home one day, and suddenly thought of a good strategy to expand his power, support party members, and attack political opponents.Entering the palace the next day, I found an opportunity to speak to the emperor. The conversation started with the funds for repairing the "Mountain Resort".Sushun told the emperor that the profit and loss of the five "Tian" official money houses managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Beijing are related to the expenses in the palace. Repairing the palace will definitely arouse gossip from the censor.In this way, a conclusion naturally emerged: the five "Tian" official money accounts must be assigned a proper person to effectively rectify the management. Of course, this person should be the minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is no quota for the minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.There are two people left in Beijing, one is Bao Yun and the other is Ming Shan. Ming Shan has low qualifications, and his talent and integrity cannot be trusted by the emperor.But Bao Yun was even worse, the emperor had a very bad impression of him. After arriving in Rehe, Bao Yun had two things, which were disobedience.The first thing is that after the Old Summer Palace was burned by the British and French allied forces, Bao Jun, as the minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, did not even dare to go out of the city to take a look, and because the key to manage the Old Summer Palace had been handed over by order, he felt that he no longer had the right to guard the garden. He was not responsible, so he didn't ask for punishment, but only made a note of "Zou Wen".The burning of the Old Summer Palace was the emperor's most painful hatred. He was full of worry and anger, and he just vented it in this script. Zhu Bi denounced Bao Yun for having no "people's heart" and "a trash in my Manchuria". , the punishment is: "get rid of all errands, and downgrade to the top five".But not long after, relying on Prince Gong's good offices and the merits of the "city defense" of the capital, the restoration officer was appointed.The friendship between Bao Yun and Prince Gong is so thick that he can joke around at any time, this is the main reason why he is hated by the emperor and excluded by Sushun. When he arrived in Rehe, he wanted to practice in the palace, so he ordered Baoyun to allocate 200,000 taels of silver for use.I don't know if it's because there is no money, or there are other reasons, but Bao Yun never obeyed the order.This made the emperor even more resentful, so the official money account with the word "Tian" would never be assigned to him to manage it. So Sushun suggested that among the ministers in Beijing, another Jian should be the minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and be in charge of this matter.The emperor agreed, and it was only waiting to decide on the candidate. There is a shortage of ministers in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so we can only choose from among the ministers of Manchuria.Sushun deliberately said a few unqualified names, and then forced out the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Quan Qing. Quan Qing was born in the Imperial Academy, and had been an examiner for the township examinations and a "minister reading papers" for the imperial examination several times. At the same time, he also knew that Quan Qing had some intention of being attached to him, so he took the opportunity to sponsor and win over. The emperor took his advice. "Ask for an order from the emperor again, can the seal key of the Ministry of Internal Affairs still be worn by the slave?" "Of course! What do you mean by that?" "The servant wants to ask the emperor to reward him with a Zhu Yu, stating his will. It will be much more convenient for the servant to discuss business matters with Quan Qing in the future." This "discussion of business affairs" included the withdrawal of funds from Quanqing, and the emperor naturally supported his request. So the emperor issued an order to the Minister of Military Affairs, Quan Qing, Minister of the Ministry of Officials and the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, at the same time: "Sushun still carries the seal key of the Ministry of Internal Affairs." In addition, several memorials approved by Zhu were handed over. , making Zhang Jing, who had been idle for several days, busy again. Only a copy of the memorial approved by Zhu was recorded at the military plane, called "Guo Zhu", and the original copy was handed over to the original memorial office.Officials in Beijing, big and small, have never seen "an edict issued in the open" since the Wanshou Festival, and they have not seen the original document sent back when they went to the yamen of the memorial. As a result, there are so many rumors that everyone cares about them, and they don't know that "the holy bow is not hesitant." To what extent?Therefore, all the officials who were on duty in the inner court were full of visitors in those few days, intending to inquire about the news.Of course, they themselves were asking every day in the palace: "Is there an 'envelope' in Rehe?" Summoning military planes and handling government affairs as usual is of course "holy recovery". This day finally arrived at Rehe's encirclement. Officials on duty in the inner court, especially those Hanlin who were in high positions and relatively free to move, went to the cabinet to inquire about news.Seeing the calligraphy and painting of "Yubi" is correct and powerful, it shows that the emperor's spirit is very good. The suspense and anxiety for seven or eight days have been swept away from these few words, and everyone is rushing to tell him, with a smile on his face. However, as far as very few people know, this is not the case.Zhu Xueqin is one of these very few. In Cao Yuying's Tao Ge Mi Zha, it was mentioned that the emperor's illness, the diarrhea had stopped, but the "weakness" became worse, he was short of breath when he moved, and he had hot flashes in the afternoon and night sweats at night. All kinds of syndromes were worrying. What is worrisome is not only the emperor's illness, Sushun seems to be even more favored!Of course, only those who know the inside story can comprehend the role of this, and even Quan Qing himself didn't know that he was secretly used by Sushun, thinking that he was blessed by the holy family, so he had this fate, Apart from being proud, he was in great interest, and almost all the guests who had congratulations were received in person. When Zhu Xueqin went to congratulate him, he happened to meet Weng Tonghe.They all have a teacher-student friendship with Quan Qing, so they call him "Teacher". As a teacher, there is such a Hong Zhangjing and a student named Hanlin. Quan Qing insisted on keeping them at home for a "drink". Talking and talking, talking about Sushun.Zhu Xueqin is cautious, Weng Tonghe is "peaceful" by nature, and he doesn't like to talk about people's shortcomings, but because his father Weng Xincun was "rectified" by Sushun to the point where he could hardly step down, he naturally didn't like him, so he had to keep silent. "Su Liu is a person who can be said to be 'famous all over the world, and slander follows him'." Quan Qing, who was a little bit drunk, stroked his mustache and said loudly: "It is said that he looks down on our own banner people, according to me See, this can’t be generalized.” As he spoke, he raised his glass and watched from one student to another, meaning to ask them to express some opinions. Zhu and Weng glanced at each other. Zhu Xueqin was older and had an earlier name, so it was "obligatory" for him to speak before Weng Tonghe. "Senior Hanyuan, the teacher, has a clear look. Of course, Su Zhongtang dare not disrespect him." "That's right! Su Liu himself doesn't know much about reading, but he knows how to respect scholars best. It has to be said that it is one of his strengths." This is more or less the truth, and because of the teacher's face, Zhu Xiubo and Weng Tonghe had to agree.So Quan Qing talked about Sushun even more vigorously. When talking about the imperial examination case in the eighth year of Xianfeng, Quan Qing defended Sushun again, saying that after this rectification, the examination hall was completely free from corruption, which was entirely due to Sushun, so He believed that Sushun strongly advocated that the chief examiner, Dashi Baiyu, should be placed in the heavy code of Dabi, which is upright and decent.At the same time, he also revealed that he was in favor of Sushun's proposition at that time. This statement made Zhu Xueqin suddenly realize that Sushun's sponsor Quanqing had a long history, and further confirmation can be obtained from this. Sushun's sponsorship of Quanqing was not only a show of favor, but a planned cultivation of party members. The next day, he told Wen Xiang his opinion. Wen Xiang, named Bo Chuan, was the only Minister of Military Aircraft who stayed in Beijing.He and Bao Yun are recognized as the right and left hands of Prince Gong, but the government and the public all think that he is much higher than Bao Yun, and he is the first-rate talent in the Manchurian family. After hearing Zhu Xueqin's words, Wen Xiang fell silent. After a long time, he picked up the Shixian book and flipped through it, and said to himself, "The second day of July is the beginning of autumn." Zhu Xueqin was puzzled, "Master Wen!" he asked, "What about Li Qiu?" "Did you forget?" Wen Xiang replied, "Didn't Li Deli say that once the summer is over, the emperor's illness will improve." Those words were spoken a few months ago, but Wen Xiang still cannot forget them.Zhu Xueqin couldn't help admiring this piece of loyalty to the emperor, overflowing with poetry. "I hope it's as you said. But..." He smiled wryly, and felt that there was no need to say any more. "Uncle Xiu!" Wen Xiang cheered up suddenly, looked at him with piercing eyes and said, "Don't be sad! You and I are both people who know what we can't do. Besides, there is an optimistic side to the overall situation. You and I look up Get up and see farther." Zhu Xueqin was naturally deeply moved when a senior officer comforted his subordinates with such an equal tone.Because of this, he felt that he had to fulfill the responsibility of "telling everything he knows and saying everything", so he responded respectfully: "Yes!" He lowered his voice again, "In my opinion, the situation changes from day to night, and the prince should make a decision sooner or later. Method!" "Didn't there be a solution long ago? Cao Zhuo said in the letter that it is a good solution. But we can only wait and see what happens, and there is no way to prepare for it until the last moment." The so-called "last moment" was when the emperor was in his prime, and the imperial edict sent ministers to Gu Ming. With the name of Prince Gong, he could justifiably take over the power at that time.Prior to this, if there were any tougher actions, it would be enough to give people facts and aggravate the rumors that "Prince Gong is going to rebel". Of course Zhu Xueqin also understood this point, but seeing Sushun's continuous expansion of power, he was afraid that at the "last moment", Prince Gong would end up with an unexpected result.Therefore, even if there is no action, there should be arrangements, and if necessary, "follow Duke Zhou's punishment", there must be enough troops. It is inconvenient to say this clearly, he hinted insinuatingly: "Cao Zhuoru said in the letter that there should be someone who is 'urgent and reliable'. I don't know if there is such a person in my lord's mind?" "Let's talk about it later!" This was the cue to end the conversation, and Zhu Xueqin got up and resigned, but his influence was completely left behind.At dusk that day, Wen Xiang was alone at home, meditating slowly, thinking of all possible changes in the overall situation. According to his ideal, the best thing is that King Gong and Sushun can help each other and make use of each other's strengths.He saw Sushun's strengths very clearly. The kind of vigor to promote advantages and eliminate disadvantages, and the courage to know people and do things well, had long been lost among the princes and ministers of Manchuria.As for Sushun's shortcomings: stubbornness, arrogance, and ignorance of external influences, you can find ways to eliminate and remedy them.The most important thing is to convince Su Shun that Prince Gong is not willing to be his enemy, and that Prince Gong will use his strengths as much as possible, and that Prince Gong's strengths, such as dealing with foreign affairs, just make up for his weaknesses.In addition, a group of veterans from Hanyuan in the imperial court are well-educated and dignified. If they can get their support, plus the Huaiyong of the Hunan Army who is loyal and hardworking in the southeast, internally and externally, and the top and bottom are united, will the overall situation be stable?It is not difficult to rejuvenate the dynasty.Wen Xiang longed for this. However, Prince Gong's hostility towards Sushun can be dispelled, but Sushun's suspicion of King Gong, but how to resolve it?It seems that my own ideas will eventually become extravagant hopes! Therefore, the most practical consideration at present is that once the emperor dies, if there is a power struggle between Sushun and King Gong, what will happen then?Of course, it is inevitable that I must stand on the side of Prince Gong, but no matter what, I can't let them meet each other in battle!He doesn't believe that the Forbidden Army in the capital and Rehe will have the possibility of "taking over". What do those soldiers look like in the "coated" guard battalion to which they belong?He who had been the "Admiral of the Nine Gates" and now also serves as the "Commander of the Zhenglan Banner Guards" knew it all too well. He remembered the four proverbs he had just heard a few days ago: "The brown rice should be dropped, the thief should run away, the replacement should be hired early, and the camp should be entered less." He couldn't help but smiled wryly.The Eight Banners athletes who were extremely fierce and played a splendid country in the past have now become a laughing stock in the eyes of ordinary people!These good-for-nothing Eight Banners children even have to hire someone to replace them, so how can they fight?Their prestige can only be seen when grain is distributed every month and "brown rice is about to fall". This is Wen Xiang's grasp. Although Sushun, Yi Wang Zaiyuan, and Zheng Wang Duanhua control the imperial army in Rehe, they must not have any effect.Cao Yuying must have seen this level very clearly, so in the letter to King Gong, he suggested calling troops into the defense, without any action, to deter Sushun. Sheng Bao, the imperial envoy before the army, is worthy of this post. Wen Xiang is very cautious, and feels that calling Shengbao to Beijing, even if he does not act, will be a stimulus to Sushun, and may be mistaken for one of Prince Kung's "backtracking", so he does not take Cao Yuying's suggestion seriously.But at this moment, his worries were taken a step further, Sheng Bao was arrogant, greedy and arrogant, and had a great heart for fame and fortune. If Su Shun went first and colluded with him, it would become a confidant's trouble, which must be guarded against. It is also easy to prevent, you might as well pass the paragraph first to make a foreshadowing. So the next day he found Zhu Xueqin and asked him to write a letter to Shengbao.Shengbao has been playing very well recently, and he has been courted by him in the name of congratulating several counties in Krubei. When Shengbao committed crimes in the British and French allied forces, he was ordered to lead reinforcements from all walks of life in Beijing. Although he was defeated in the Battle of Baliqiao in Tongzhou, it can also be said to be a "crime not of war". , I don’t see Shengbao almost every day, so I don’t have anything to say if I want to reminisce about the old friendship. Of course, Prince Gong's "greetings" should also be mentioned in the letter, which is the main purpose of this letter.For Shengbao, not only did he have a bond with Prince Gong in times of trouble, but he should also be grateful to Prince Gong for his kindness in helping him in defeat.In the Battle of Tongzhou, the first close relative of the Qing Dynasty, Prince Horqin of Mongolia from the natal family of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang Borjigit, Seng Gelinqin's army collapsed, and Shengbao was also injured and retreated. At that time, the emperor was followed by Sushun. Fleeing to Rehe in a hurry, I can't take care of myself, how can I get Shengbao?Thanks to Prince Gong cleaning up the mess, the defeated generals had a chance to settle down and make up. From this level of in-depth observation, Shengbao will never have a good impression of Sushun and others.On the other hand, it is self-evident that this letter will make Shengbao fall in love even more! Therefore, while Zhu Xueqin was writing, he admired Wen Xiang in his heart. This "first move" move seemed ordinary, but it was actually an important point. It was an unremarkable move. With this understanding, I dare not be careless about this "entertainment letter".Jun Ji Zhang Jing's pens are all good, and Zhu Xueqin has read a lot and is a good hand, so after careful planning, he wrote this letter in a deep and graceful way, with beautiful diction, and he was quite proud of it after reading it. So he put on his gown, delivered the letter to Wenxiang himself, and said with a smile: "I'm afraid the words don't convey the meaning, so beg for an axe." Wen Xiang didn't read the letter for now, looked at his face, and smiled with his beard: "If there are any regrets in his words!" He said, "If you don't read it, you will know it is good." "Please take a look first." After reading a few lines, Wen Xiang's smile faded away, and Zhu Xueqin couldn't help asking himself in amazement: Is there something that he didn't check carefully that made him see something wrong?So I read my manuscript silently, but I didn't know what was wrong. "Uncle Hugh!" Wen Xiang stood up and handed the letter back to him, saying seriously: "I thought this letter was dispensable, but after reading the draft, I realized that it is absolutely necessary." With such a solemn demeanor and tone, Zhu Xueqin really felt a confidant, so he replied straightforwardly: "This letter is of great importance, and I dare not neglect it. Please consider it carefully and hope for the best." "The writing is excellent, perfect." Wen Xiang said with a smile, "Sheng Kezhai pretends to be a Confucian general, and he writes manuscripts by himself. He likes to show off his literary talents. Let him also see the handwriting of the Military Aircraft Department. Don't think that everything is rushed. Like the "Ting Ji" in the "Ting Ji", it just counts when you understand what you say." With a modest smile, Zhu Xueqin withdrew, sealed the letter separately, and the postman braved the scorching sun and flew it to the army. In the blink of an eye, the second day of the seventh lunar month passed, and according to Wenxiang's hope, the midsummer was over, and the emperor should be looking like a day, but things went against his wishes, and the emperor seemed to be unable to deal with government affairs.Starting from the fifth day of the seventh month, for three days in a row, there was no "clearly issued a decree". There were four cases on the eighth day of the seventh month, and they were broken again on the ninth day of the seventh day. As soon as the news spread, the rumors revived.There is no way to sort out the official money bills, but the shopkeepers of the "Ganyi" and "Tianyuan" two official money accounts, fearing the crime or unable to pay the huge "30% fine", escaped without a trace.Then the "Tianli" money account outside the front door was robbed.This is the scene of a chaotic world. People in the capital are panicked and have a premonition of impending disaster.