Chapter 57 Jade Seat Bead Curtain (16-2)

At this time, Ding Baozhen, who was in Jinan, had already received Zhao Xin's secret report, and the way to deal with it had already been discussed with the celebrities in the curtain.Seeing An Dehai's entry into the net, he took a two-pronged approach, begging and arresting him at the same time.The reason for the arrest was simple: there was an eunuch named An who "claimed to be dispatched by order, ostentatiously and incitingly, and could not tell the truth from the false".His Muyou, after quoting Zhao Xin's original report, reported in a simple language that even the Empress Dowager Ci'an could understand:

"I was amazed when I read it. Fusi, I have inherited the sages. For more than two hundred years, eunuchs have never been allowed to associate with outsiders, nor have they sent eunuchs to other provinces. Kuanglongpao is the royal garment. , I have our own weaving system, if it must be purchased, but there must be a clear order, the weaving, etc. should be respected and followed immediately, why use eunuchs to waste money? Besides, my empress dowager and the emperor advocate thrift and are admired by the whole world, so there is no need for eunuchs Go out to buy. Even if there is something real, there must be a decree and a document to inform the ministers. Even if the eunuch goes back and forth, there should be a pass card inspection as usual, and he must not be allowed to parade arbitrarily, nonsensical research. Especially The difference is that the dragon and phoenix flags are forbidden for the imperial use. If they are eunuchs, they serve as envoys in the inner court and know the etiquette. How dare they use them in violation of the rules? Even when they travel with female music, it is not a system! The concern is not superficial. There is no harassment or deception at present, but it may be a fake errand, or it may be an excuse to send it out privately, and the authenticity cannot be distinguished. The minister is in charge of the place, so he has to intercept and interrogate it, so as to be cautious. It has been secret Cheng Shengwu, the magistrate of Dongchang prefecture, and Wang Xilin, the prefect of Jining prefecture, will follow up together, find out and solve the province, and let the ministers personally interrogate, please obey the decree."

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

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

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

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

"You are different, it is not a shame for others, but it is a shame for you. So, what are your plans now? " "My plan is that I would rather outsmart the enemy than force the enemy. I led the team to follow it and play it by ear. I came to discuss with Brother Zhiping today, can you lend me some short guns?" "The word 'discussion' is still needed? How much do you want? Send someone to tell me. Can I not give it?" In fact, Cheng Shengwu had his own personal squad of more than 20 people, and each of them had a "seven breeches" with extremely powerful firepower.He purposely borrowed a gun from Wang Xin'an to get close to him. At that time, he wrote a written receipt for borrowing eight guns and handed it to Wang Xin'an face to face.When he returned to the yamen, a general had already delivered the gun, and there were 200 extra rounds of "zi medicine", which showed that Wang Xin'an gave it to him.Cheng Shengwu sent someone to pick it up, and rewarded him generously.Then ask about An Dehai's whereabouts.

"I've already been beaten, let's go." Mr. Qian, who was leading the soldiers for him, surnamed Yu, told him. "Out of the east gate, or out of the south gate?" Cheng Shengwu asked. "Go out the east gate." There are two roads going south from Dongchang Mansion, and the south gate is through Yanggu and Yuncheng.There are two roads out of the east gate, one is Zhengdong, passing through Pingyin and Feicheng to Tai'an, and turning south, it has been a thoroughfare from north to south since ancient times; Jiangsu.I don't know which route An Dehai took? "My lord!" Yu Qianzong, who was eager to try, asked, "Are you going to arrest those eunuchs?"

Cheng Shengwu was slightly startled, the arrest of An Dehai was a top secret, how could the news have leaked out?But he has a lot of experience. The more important the leaked secrets are, the faster they will spread. The best way is to ignore them, so he asked in a casual tone: "So what if it is, so what if it is not?" "If not, then he should be escorted out of the country. If so--if you want to arrest this group of eunuchs, you can kill chickens with a sledgehammer. We can catch them all in one go tonight." "Oh!" Cheng Shengwu's face became very "serious". He felt that Mr. Yu Qian should not be regarded as an old man, so he wanted to discuss with him, so he asked: "Escort is unnecessary. I will ask first." You, how did you know you were going to arrest these eunuchs?"

"Someone came from Jinan - a very reliable person, saying that Kung Pao lost his temper, and he must be arrested." "That person?" Cheng Shengwu's voice was very urgent. "Yes, it's a chief eunuch surnamed An, who is said to be a celebrity in front of the Queen Mother." Cheng Shengwu didn't answer, just nodded.After a while, he said: "There is no need to escort him, and there is no need to arrest him, but the task is more difficult than arresting. I don't know if you can do it or not?" This is a provocative method, of course Mr. Yu Qian will be fooled, and he said with a face full of dissatisfaction: "My lord's errand has not been dispatched yet, how can you say that someone can't handle it?"

"Others can't do it, but of course you can do it." Cheng Shengwu said slowly: "They fought here at noon, and they will stay at Tongcheng Station tonight, so they will part ways, so we won't know that they are going to Zhengdong until tomorrow. Or go to Yanggu? You leave tonight, find out their whereabouts, and come back overnight to tell me." "Yes!" Mr. Yu Qian replied, "I'll leave right away, and I'll come back at dawn tomorrow to report to my lord." "Okay!" Cheng Shengwu asked again: "How do you go about asking?" Mr. Yu Qian thought for a while and replied: "I don't take anyone with me. Just myself, put on plain clothes, and go to Tongcheng Station and ask the porters to find out. When you find out clearly, you will come back immediately. Your Excellency will get up tomorrow, and there will be definite news. hear." "That's it. When the matter is over, I will guarantee you to change the top hat, otherwise I will ask Zongbing Wang to make up for your lack of strength. You can go quickly! I will wait for your news tomorrow morning." Early the next morning, the news came that An Dehai was going to Dong'e.Cheng Shengwu made preparations long ago, dressed in plain clothes and a cool hat, and led a dozen people to chase him down. Before leaving, he made a secret report to explain the situation. After two days of tracking under the scorching sun, I suddenly found that Andehai's itinerary had changed. He set off from Wenshang County and was supposed to go straight to Yanzhou, but turned east to Ningyang, and then headed north.Cheng Shengwu sent someone to inquire, only to find out that An Dehai was very interested, and wanted to visit Mount Tai by a devious way, and then go south from Tai'an. At this time, Wang Xin'an, under the order of Ding Baozhen, drove down with a small group of people, chased Cheng Shengwu, and discussed with each other.According to Wang Xin'an's intention, he had to do it, but Cheng Shengwu still insisted on being cautious, saying that He Yufu, the county magistrate of Tai'an, was extremely capable, and there must be a way to "outsmart him".Otherwise, it's not too late to wait for An Dehai to come down from Mount Tai and send troops to intercept him. Wang Xin'an agreed to his proposal, and after a secret discussion, he specially dispatched Mr. Yu Qian to Tai'an with Cheng Shengwu's personal letter.When An Dehai's convoy arrives, it will be late, so they enter the South Gate and go to the inn first.The largest family was named "Yixing". Coincidentally, there were two large courtyards that were empty. After An Dehai had rested, he had just dusted and washed his face, and was sitting drinking tea. Huang Shikui came in and told him: "Tai'an County sent someone. Can you see him?" There was not much attention along the way, and he didn't want this place to be different, An Dehai seemed very happy, "See you, see you!" He said, "Why don't you see me?" So a "subordinate man" wearing a blue cloth coat and a red tasseled cap was brought in, greeted An Dehai, and signed up by himself: "The young one is called Zhang Sheng, and my superior specially asked Zhang Sheng to greet the imperial envoy An Dehai. My superior He said that he should have come to greet him in person, but he didn't dare to be presumptuous because he was not on official business, but he knew that envoy An Qin was sent by the Empress Dowager, so he didn't dare to be rude." As he spoke, he opened the prayer box he brought with him, and took out a name card , holding it up with both hands. "Oh!" An Dehai looked at the name post, "So it's Mr. He!" "Yes!" Zhang Sheng said, "My Majesty asked Zhang Sheng to come to ask for instructions. My Majesty has prepared a table for envoy An Qin. I would like to invite you over. If it is inconvenient, please bring the table here." This was intended to be provocative, and An Dehai immediately said: "No inconvenience! Since Your Majesty knows my identity, I have to bother him." "Yes! An Qin sent me a favor." Zhang Sheng invited An Qin and said, "There are still a few masters, please go there together." "Okay! You wait a moment." So An Dehai asked someone to discuss it, and decided to bring Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan to the banquet together, with Huang Shikui accompanying him to serve.Zhang Sheng led the way, and went straight to Tai'an County Yamen by car.Please go to the flower hall, Zhang Sheng backed out, and another servant brought three cups of tea on a tray—not a bowl of tea for hospitality, An Dehai's face changed when he saw it. "Huang Shikui, Huang Shikui!" he shouted loudly. There was no response from outside, where did Huang Shikui go?An Dehai went down to the corridor to have a look, and saw several shadowy figures on the corridor and by the rockery. "What's going on?" Chen Yuxiang rushed over and asked in a low voice. "How unreasonable!" An Dehai lost his temper and scolded: "What kind of trick is this?" wave to him. They looked at each other for a long time before An Dehai said: "Calm down!" The so-called "holding one's breath" is really helpless.Obviously, the most important thing for An Dehai at this time is to still put on the air of "imperial envoy" to bluff people, so he picked up his Beijing accent and complained loudly.But Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan were really terrified. When they saw someone coming in with a candle, they hurried up and grabbed his hand and asked, "Master He said he invited us to dinner, why didn't you see him?" The servant replied with a half-smile: "You must come out soon!" After saying that, he put the candle on the table and retreated by himself. "Stop talking!" An Dehai said with a straight face, "Everything is up to me." It is very difficult to teach eunuchs not to speak. Chen and Li couldn't bear it anymore. They hid aside, whispering quietly, and heard voices of resentment from time to time.This would of course annoy An Dehai, he walked back and forth on the brick floor of the flower hall, whenever there was a noise, he would look outside, thinking that it was He Yufu who had arrived. He Yufu finally arrived, he was waiting for Cheng Shengwu and Wang Xin'an to discuss the solution. The two large courtyards of the "Yixing" inn were originally specially ordered to be vacated by the shopkeepers. Once they fell into a trap, they sealed them off and said "snakes can't do without a head". , dare not walk indiscriminately.After dealing with these people, Cheng and Wang also arrived.Just as the discussion was over at the "Yixing" inn, Cheng Shengwu still returned to Dongchang, Wang Xin'an divided half of the people into the "Yixing" inn, and he took the other half to escort An Dehai to Jinan. So He Yufu hurried back to the county yamen, and as soon as he entered the flower hall, he cupped his fists and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! There was a robbery case in Dongcheng, so I had to rush to take care of it. So much so that it turned into a lip service to An Qin's envoy, but it didn't come." Then he yelled, "Come on!" The same servant with the candle had a completely different attitude towards his master, he stood at the door with his hands down, waiting for orders. "Quickly serve the wine!" He said, "I'm afraid the imperial envoy is already hungry, so let's see if there are any ready-made snacks in the kitchen, and bring them to the distinguished guests first." "Cha!" The footman agreed, and when he left, he greeted the "honored guest". This action made An Dehai confused, unable to distinguish good from bad.Anyway, he stretched out his hand without slapping the smiling faces. After introducing Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan, he sat down and exchanged greetings with He Yufu. First, he asked about his fame, and then he talked about how to buy dragon robes in Suzhou according to the order of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Next, he talked about the situation in the palace. These are secrets that cannot be heard outside. After talking for a while, the mat was laid, and the servants came to invite the host and guest to their seats.An Dehai probably still had some doubts in his heart, he didn't dare to drink too much, he was afraid that he would slip up when he was drunk, but Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan were brainless people, seeing He Yufu's attitude, all doubts disappeared, and they drank happily. "Master!" The servant came and said to He Yufu, "Someone from the province is here." "Who is it?" "It's 'Goshha' from the Futai Yamen. He said he has some urgent business, so he should meet the master." "Oh!" He Yufu said: "Commissioner An Qin is not an outsider, please invite him in." Goshha, who was played by Wang Xin'an's guard, came in to salute, took out a letter written by Cheng Shengwu, and handed it up. He Yufu read it hastily, then raised his face and said: "Commissioner An Qin, I have to ask you to go to the province overnight." An Dehai's complexion changed, and he forced himself to ask calmly, "What's the matter?" "The province sent a letter, saying that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has sent someone to talk to you face to face with something important." The complexions of An Dehai, Chen and Li were no longer so green and white, "There must be some news from Beijing." Chen Yuxiang said smartly. "Of course it's news!" An Dehai gave him a slight look, signaling him to keep his mouth shut, and then he continued his own words: "It must be the two empress dowagers who passed on the matter. I don't know if it was stated in the letter, is it the one from the Ministry of Internal Affairs? " "Look!" He Yufu handed over the letter. When he received the letter, he saw that it read: "Branch Dongchang Prefecture, Tai'an Prefecture, Jining Prefecture and its affiliated counties: within a short period of time, the Secretary of the Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, went to the province, and said that there was a need to negotiate with the imperial envoy who went out of Beijing to purchase. Fengxiantai ordered: Fei Chuan All the counties in this province will inform him personally, and escort him to the province immediately. Don’t be careless! We will write a letter to inform you, please do as we wish.” There is a stamp on the bottom, the handwriting is illegible, and it is only after a closer look that it is the nine characters of "Shandong Governor's Yamen Copywriting Office". "The letter was pressed very hard, so of course we don't want to wait for this night." He Yufu said, "Empire An Qin has a drink, and I'll prepare a car to take you there tomorrow." "No!" Although An Dehai was calm, he paid great attention to the matter, "It's better to leave tonight. It's too hot and dusty to ride in the car during the day, it's really unbearable." "Hear your respect, I'll ask them to prepare right away." So he called the footman, and told him to prepare the cart face to face. The cart must be clean and the horse must be strong. "What about you two?" An Dehai asked his companion, "Come with me to Jinan, too, to visit Daming Lake?" Hearing that he wanted to invite Chen and Li as companions, He Yufu urged them to say, "Jinan is so wonderful when it's autumn, 'a city with mountains and half a city with lakes'. The two of you are idle anyway, Why don’t you go for a walk if you have the chance?” "Okay!" Chen Yuxiang said to Li Ping'an, "Let's go with the second master." "Then," He Yufu continued, "let's go from here. Envoy An Qin doesn't have to go back to the store, I will send someone to inform. He looked at An Dehai and asked: "Is there anything to explain? I will definitely say it." An Dehai was a little hesitant, he should go back logically, but he didn't have much to say when he thought about going back, he just said that he would go to Jinan and he would be back soon.Just such a sentence, it is the same to ask Mr. He to convey it. So he said: "No other words, just say that I will be back in three or two days." "Yes, I will send someone to notify immediately." "Excuse me, please!" An Dehai put down his glass and said, "Please enjoy the meal!" After eating, An Dehai changed his mind again, "Don't bother." He said, "I'd better go back to the store by myself. " As soon as he got back to the store, all the details were leaked. He Yufu had planned it long ago, and replied without hesitation: "I listened to what An Qin said. When I turned around and boarded the car, it was very convenient to go to Nanguan Bend first. " After getting into the car, he first headed south, then turned left and right, which made An Dehai lose his way.There is no moon on the second day of August, and the night is so dark that it is difficult to distinguish east, west, north, south.But one thing is clear, the car is out of town. "Hey, hey!" he yelled from the car, "Stop, stop!" It's okay if you don't shout, but when you shout, the driver raises his long whip, and with a "swipe" sound, the horse pulling the cart spreads its four hooves, rushes forward, and runs faster.Then, with the sound of hoofbeats, a group of people and horses, holding torches, rushed up from behind, protected the carriage, and headed west. ※ ※ ※ The weather in early autumn is crisp, and it is the weather of "putting night stations", and the chaos has subsided, and all businesses have recovered, so this road is also full of business travelers at night. When you see lanterns and torches, the army guards you, you will be regarded as some kind of official. , I don't know why the public is required, and the starry night is galloping. No one thought that it was Ding Gongbao who caught the "imperial envoy". At daybreak, the famous city is in sight, Wang Xin'an takes the lead and goes straight to the south gate to vote for the governor's yamen.This yamen is very famous. It was originally the Qi Wang Mansion built in the Hongwu period of the previous Ming Dynasty. Many places in it still use the old name. The boundary between the second hall and the upper room is called "Palace Gate".Therefore, "Gongbao" has almost become a nickname for the governor of Shandong.The governor rewarded the "palace title" of "Prince Shaobao", so they can be called Gongbao, but it is not as appropriate as the governor of Shandong who has a palace title, and is called Gongbao. Ding Gongbao had already received a secret report from Cheng Shengwu's special messenger in the middle of the night, knowing that An Dehai would be arrested in Tai'an, the calculated journey was only a hundred miles away, and he could arrive early in the morning, so he had already told Xu Shen of the Fubiao Central Army General, send someone to wait at the south gate, wait for Wang Xin'an to escort An Dehai there, and immediately take him to see Ding Baozhen. Wang Xin'an was Ding Baozhen's favorite general, and with a special style of speech, he stood in front of the signing room and greeted him in person. As soon as he entered the "palace gate", he first shouted: "Zhiping, you have worked hard!" The ranks of the governors of the general army are the same, but the governors are usually given the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, so as to control the military attaches of the whole province.Therefore, Wang Xin'an followed the etiquette of a member of the "official hall", walked quickly for a few steps, knelt down with one foot, and lowered his hand to ask for An, saying: "Xin'an is on business with your lord." "Where are people?" Ding Baozhen said while walking in, "Come in and talk." "There are four people in total, An Dehai, two eunuchs, one Chen and one Li, and one of An Dehai's followers. They are all handed over to General Xu." Then Xu Can will report back, saying that the four people will be guarded at the gate of the gate, where can they be interrogated? "Not busy!" Ding Baozhen said, "Let me hear what happened first." So Wang Xin'an made a detailed statement to the best of his knowledge.Halfway through the conversation, the servant came to report, and He Yufu, the magistrate of Tai'an County, came to report. He was carrying a suitcase with him, which was the most important piece of luggage for An Dehai. "Please come in, please come in." He went to the signing room together with the suitcase, opened the suitcase, and found a brand-new dragon robe and a pair of emerald beads inside. "Damn it!" Ding Baozhen scolded, "I really stole the dragon robe from the palace to flaunt it. These court beads are also used by the imperial court, so they must not be neglected." He said to General Xu, "Add a seal and send it to the vassal. The company collects." It's time for an arraignment.Ding Baozhen ordered the copywriters to be brought in, explained what had happened, and invited the jury. One of the copywriters looked at his colleagues and said, "We'd better avoid it!" "Yes, yes! It should be avoided, please ask the palace to conduct a secret interrogation!" With this statement, Ding Baozhen understood that they were afraid that An Dehai would inevitably reveal the secrets of the palace ban in his confession, which should not be heard by outsiders.Then he nodded and said, "Since that's the case, I'll do business with you later." "My lord," He Yufu stood up and said, "I will ask your lord for leave first, and come back to listen to my orders!" "Okay! You have been running around all night, please rest first. I will have a drink at noon, and I have something to discuss." Ding Baozhen held Wang Xin'an's hand when he said this, "Don't go!" So, only Wang Xin'an was left alone, accompanying Ding Baozhen to interrogate An Dehai in the West Flower Hall of Fushu. General Xu Can said that he guarded An Dehai at the gate, but he was actually treating him as a guest of honour, and he greeted him very thoughtfully, but he couldn't move freely.When Ding Baozhen sent an order for interrogation, General Xu Shen personally led people on guard, from the Yuanmen to the flower hall west of the second hall, densely packed his own soldiers, cut off traffic, and then "invited" An Dehai in. He is very calm and arrogant, with a slight sneer, which seems to mean "capturing a tiger is easier than manipulating a tiger", and it depends on how Ding Baozhen ends up.At the same time, it seemed that he wanted to show off his style, those few steps were more peaceful than the prince and Zhongtang, with the sound of boots, full of square steps, majestic and unrestrained, he really deserved to have seen the world in the palace. "An Dehai mentioned it!" In front of Ding Baozhen, General Xu took another attitude, lifted the curtain, and reported loudly. "Call him in!" The curtain was opened by the footman, and An Dehai lowered his head slightly, and once he entered the room, he neither greeted nor opened his mouth, standing proudly. Wang Xin'an couldn't bear it anymore, and angrily reprimanded: "Come here! You are just a Lan Ling eunuch, why are you rude when you meet Master Ding? Who taught you the rules?" "So it's Lord Ding." An Dehai gave in reluctantly, and came over to greet him with his hands down. Ding Baozhen sized him up from head to toe, and Fang Shi asked in his strict Guizhou accent, "Are you An Dehai?" "Yes. I'm Anderhai." "Where are the people there?" "Qing County, Zhili." "How old are you this year?" "I am twenty-six years old." "You're only twenty-six years old," Ding Baozhen said, "you're quite impressive!" "I don't dare to speak of style. But I have done great things since I was eighteen." That refers to the "Xinyou coup", An Dehai was ordered to carry out "bitter tricks", was condemned to return to Beijing, and secretly communicated with Prince Gong about the "big event".Of course Ding Baozhen understood, but it was inconvenient to talk to him, he just asked: "Since you are an eunuch, why don't you work in the palace, what are you doing in Beijing?" An Dehai answered by reading the words on the two flags: "I am ordered by imperial envoys to purchase dragon robes." "Purchasing dragon robes?" Ding Baozhen asked, "Is it the dragon robes of the empress dowagers of the two palaces, or the dragon robes of the emperor?" "All of them!" An Dehai replied eloquently: "The wedding ceremony is already under preparation. Usually when people celebrate weddings, the whole family has to make one or two new clothes, let alone the emperor's big day?" "You're right! But I don't understand. Whose order are you following?" "It is the order of Empress Dowager Cixi." "Since obeying Yi's decree, someone must issue an edict, why don't I know?" "Lord Ding doesn't know, and neither do I." An Dehai replied very easily: "Then you have to ask the military plane." "Hmph!" Ding Baozhen sneered, "I have to ask the military aircraft. Take out your survey and cooperation and have a look!" An Dehai's complexion changed, "It's not that the Ministry of War sent me an errand," he said with a firm mouth, "Where did Kanhe come from?" "It won't work without reconnaissance!" Ding Baozhen shook his head, as if a little unreasonable. An Dehai softened, "Master Ding," he said, "you always listen to me." "What do you have to say? Go ahead and say it!" Ding Baozhen added: "You have to say something sensible." "Master Ding!" An Dehai spread his hands together in a look of helplessness, "There is nothing to say here. I said that you are following Yi's order, and you always ask me to cooperate with the military department. These are two different things!" "How do you call it two different things? You are under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. For example, officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs go to Beijing to do business. Is it like you, empty-handed, nothing, just relying on your word?" "This..., Mr. Ding, let me say something that is not afraid of you being angry all the time. You have been out of the Imperial Academy and are in other provinces. You are not familiar with the situation in Beijing." An Dehai raised his face, speaking with an air that seemed Arrogantly, "People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs may not be able to be envoys of the inner court. Even the envoys of the inner court have to be particular about it. There are 'walking in the inner court' and 'walking in front of the imperial court'. If you don't follow the imperial edict, even the prince will not be able to go to the inner court. " What he was showing off was the identity of the eunuch in charge in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi.Ding Baozhen thought to himself, at this point, his demeanor and tone are still so arrogant, so how is he pretending to be a tiger?You can imagine.Thinking about it like this, the disgust became more and more serious, and I made up my mind that I must ask him to find out the truth. "I'm a foreign official, and I don't know the rules in Beijing. Let me ask you, how about walking in front of the imperial court?" Is it based on your words that imperial envoys are imperial envoys? " "According to my words? Hey, Mr. Ding, what am I? Isn't it all the meaning of the superior?" An Dehai said plausibly, "You always think, if it is not the meaning of the superior, can I get out of Beijing? Even if I sneak out of the capital, the Yamen of Shuntian Prefecture, the Yamen of Zhili Governor, will they let me go?" "That's right! That's what I said, I can't let you pass here." "Then," An Dehai seemed a little annoyed, "Master Ding, what are you going to do to me, are you going to kill me?" Hearing this, Ding Baozhen flew into a rage, but Wang Xin'an was already furious, rushed forward, stretched out his hand, and beat An Dehai's head to the side. "Bastard!" Wang Xin'an shouted with staring eyes, "If you don't tell the truth, hang up and beat me!" It seemed that An Dehai was discouraged. He covered his face and said after a long time: "Why do you have to be like this? You have something to say!" "You didn't listen to what I told you, but you insisted on clinging. If you don't hit me, who will you hit?" "Hmph!" Ding Baozhen sneered and said, "Don't get me wrong, you think I dare not kill you?" "Did you hear that? Tell me quickly." Wang Xin'an shook his arms, and planned to punch again. "What do you want me to say?" "Tell the truth!" Ding Baozhen asked, "How did you leave Beijing without permission?" "I didn't go out of Beijing privately." An Dehai said with a mournful face, "I work in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and I can't do without seeing each other for a day. If I go out of Beijing privately, won't I be afraid of losing my head when I go back?" This is really the end of the story, but Ding Baozhen can't admit his statement anyway, "That's what you say," he refuted very reasonable, "There are also many people who work in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Like you, all of you have become imperial envoys, is that still true? Besides, eunuchs are not allowed to go out of Beijing, there have been rules for a long time, what is the Empress Dowager Cixi's order, who is not easy to send, so I have to send you?" "Master Ding clearly sees it," An Dehai replied immediately after his words, "There are so many people in the palace, why didn't you send someone else to single me out? The people in front of me didn’t understand even if they said it.” "Wait!" Ding Baozhen finally caught the loophole in his words, and asked without hesitation: "It turns out that you are just trying to figure out what the Empress Dowager means! Huh? Say it!" An Dehai was still stubborn: "It's been explained by the superior. There are many other meanings, and it's inconvenient for me to explain it to Mr. Ding." "Do you still dare to pass on the imperial decree?" Ding Baozhen patted the Kang table and said sharply, "You are carrying women and using dragon and phoenix flags without permission. Is this also the meaning of your superiors?" "This, this is my fault!" "There is also that little flag, and that thing painted on it. Let me ask you, what does that mean? It was also explained by the superior?" Ding Baozhen was a little excited, and angrily reprimanded: "You are ostentatious all the way, disturbing the place, don't say you are a fake imperial envoy , even if it is true, you will not be tolerated! Do you know what crime you have committed? It is not an exaggeration to put him to death!" It wasn't until this point that An Dehai was considered to give in. His face turned blue and white for a while, and finally confessed: "I deserve to die, I deserve to die! Lord Ding, please let me go!" As he spoke, he was already short a cut. Kneeling was useless, Ding Baozhen shouted loudly: "Come on!" There were four or five Geshhas standing on the porch, and they entered the room together when they heard the sound. In the end, General Xu Shen rushed over, and stood in front of Ding Baozhen, asking An to wait for instructions. "Search for him!" "Cha!" General Xu Shen agreed, turned around and waved his hand, and two Goshhas came up, one pinched An Dehai's collar and lifted it up like an eagle catching a chicken, and the other untied him. Inside the bright gauze robe, there was a snow-white foreign gauze shirt with a deep pocket on the skirt. He took out a paper bag and handed it to General Xu.He pinched it and found that there were pieces of paper inside, so he didn't dare to open it to read, and turned around to present Ding Baozhen again. "Huh!" Ding Baozhen read the two pieces of paper, and said with a sneer: "Eunuchs are not allowed to associate with officials or interfere with official affairs. Based on this, it is a capital crime!" After finishing speaking, he put the two pieces of paper into his arms, No one knows what is written on it. "Talk to your lord," General Xu Shen reported, "There is nothing foreign on him." "Put it down first, and find a secluded place to guard it carefully. No one else is allowed to spy." "Yes!" General Xu Shen waved his hand again, signaling to take An Dehai down. "Master Ding!" An Dehai, who was being held hostage, struggled with all his might, turned his head and said, "Whether it's true or not, you always send me to Beijing to ask and you'll know." Ding Baozhen ignored him, and when he left the flower hall, he whispered to Wang Xin'an: "This guy is dreaming, and he plans to return to Beijing alive!" "My lord!" Wang Xin'an yelled, hesitating as if he had something harsh to say. "You don't need to say it, I know." Ding Baozhen said to General Xu again: "Bring up the other two eunuchs!" Both Chen Yuxiang and Li Pingan were pale and trembling, and when they entered the flower hall, they both knelt down, took off their hats, bumped their heads on the green brick floor, and then reported their names, just begging: "Lord Ding, please be kind! " "Tell the truth, who told you to come out with An Dehai?" "Yes!" The older Li Pingan said, "It's An Dehai." "Are you both in his charge?" "It's not his business." "Since it is not under his control, how can he command you? If you are told to leave Beijing, then leave Beijing?" "Return to Master Ding's words," Li Pingan replied timidly but cautiously: "An Dehai is the most favored person in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi. We must listen to his words." "Then why didn't he look for someone else, but the two of you?" "It's not just the two of us," Chen Yuxiang interjected, "There are five people in total." "Why did you only find five of you?" Ding Baozhen asked, "There must be a reason." "This..." Li Pingan said hesitantly, "I think it's because we usually respect him very much." Needless to say, they were all An Dehai's accomplices.Ding Baozhen asked again: "How many people did you come together?" "There are always more than thirty." "Who are they?" So Li Ping'an and Chen Yuxiang checked and reported everyone's identities, except for An Dehai's relatives and servants, there were a lot of people from coachmen, grooms, hair shavers and pedicures.These people can be handed over to subordinates for interrogation in the future, so Ding Baozhen doesn't bother to ask. Detain the two eunuchs and bring Huang Shikui to trial.He didn't know the situation in the palace, but when asked about An Dehai's departure from the capital, he answered in detail. He said that it was said that he had left the capital as early as April, but it was not until the second half of June. Suddenly he became busy, and most of those who followed were found by Huang Shikui. "Why did An Dehai bring so many people?" Ding Baozhen asked puzzled. "Because," Huang Shikui replied, "little master likes to show off." Ding Baozhen thought he answered very honestly.People who are restless like to come to this set, taking advantage of right and wrong and being domineering, that's where it comes from.Then, he asked how Huang Shikui pretended to be a former station official to catch the car, and the answer he got was also satisfactory.This is the end of the preliminary "in-person trial". At this time, Pan Ji, the magistrate of Jinan Prefecture, and the magistrate of Licheng County in Shouxian County all came to serve after hearing the news.Ding Baozhen only heard about Shou County, and sent An Dehai and others under strict supervision.The rest of the judges and the Jinan government were all in the way, because it was inconvenient for him to say anything to the judges who were in charge of criminal names in a province before he had discussed with the copywriter. Back in the hall outside the "Palace Gate" signing room, a table has been set up for writing, but Ding Baozhen didn't want to drink and eat, so he invited all the copywriters to explain the case and ask for everyone's opinions. “宫保，”有人这样答道：“我在屏风后面听着，有一层疑义，提出来跟宫保请教。安德海的随从中，有天津的一个和尚，说是愿意回南，安德海喜欢招摇，带着他一起走，也算是做好事，这在情理上讲得通，然而，何以有绸缎铺和古董铺的掌柜，而且各带一名伙计随行？其中怕有隐情。” “这话说得是。”丁宝桢深深点头，“我还觉得安德海带那些太监，必有作用。他本人胆大妄为，跟他来的那五个太监，总有明白事理的，难道不知道太监不准出京，犯了这个规矩，非同小可，就不顾自己的祸福，贸贸然跟了他来？” “是啊！”王心安建议：“我看还得严加拷问，真相才会大白。” “问不妨问，无须用刑。”丁宝桢这样表示，随即派了一个差官到历城县下达口头的命令，设法问明实情具报。 历城县的知县也很能干，把陈玉祥、李平安二人隔离开来，个别询问。话里套话，终于摸到了底蕴，刘同意和王阶平都是跟着去做买卖的，只是性质正好相反，一个卖，一个买。有珠宝要带到江南去卖，所以带着古董铺的人去估价，以免吃亏；又想从苏杭等地，买一批绸缎运到北方销售，这自然要请教绸缎铺的掌柜。 珠宝是从那里来的呢？陈、李二人虽不肯说明，但从话风中可以推想得到，是窃自宫中。丁宝桢接获报告，大起戒心，他只要杀安德海，不愿兴起大狱，现在牵出一件宫中的大窃案，可能是几十年的积弊，如果认真究办，株连必广，而未见得会有结果，于公，非大臣持重处事之道，于私，只会惹来麻烦，徒然挨骂。 因此，丁宝桢决定把这陈、李二人的这一段口供，连同从安德海身上搜出来的那两张纸片，一起销毁。但木本水源，推论到底，无非安德海的罪状，益见得此人该死！ “安德海罪不容诛！”他神色凛然地说，“决不能从我手上逃出一条命去。我想，先杀掉了他再说。” 这真是语惊四座了，彼此相顾，无不失色，“宫保，”有个文案提醒他说：“不论如何，安德海决不会无罪。等朝旨一下，他就是钦命要犯了，交不出人，可不是开玩笑的事。” “我就是不愿意交人。地方大吏，象这样的事，该有便宜处置之权。” “说得是。不过出奏的时节，有'请旨办理'的话，既然如此，就不能擅自处置了。” 丁宝桢略一沉吟，慨然说道：“我豁出去了，就有严谴，甘受无憾。” 大家都认为犯不着为了安德海，自毁前程，苦苦相劝，丁宝桢执意不从。谈到后来，泰安县知县何毓福，越众出座，向上一跪说道：“大人，我有几句话，请鉴纳。” “有话好说，不必如此，请起来！” 何毓福长跪不起，“大人，”他说，“照我的看法，安德海一定处死。到了该明正典刑的时候，却提不出人来，绑到刑场，这是莫大的憾事。” 这一层，丁宝桢不能不考虑，同样一死，逃脱了“显戮”，便是便宜安德海了。 “而且，可能有人不以大人此举为然，只是义正辞严，不得不依国法处置，如果大人不依律办，岂不是授人以柄，自取其咎。”何毓福又说：“大人，恕我言语质直！” 这一层，尤其说中了要害，都道他说得有理，但口头上不便明说，“不以此举为然”的人，自然是慈禧太后，正好抓住丁宝桢擅杀钦命要犯的错处，为安德海报仇，那不是太傻了吗？ “为此，务求大人鉴纳愚衷，请再等两天，看一看再说。” “你是说等朝旨？”丁宝桢说，“不杀安德海，我无论如何不甘。” “宫保必能如意。”居于末座，一个素以冷峭著称，为丁宝桢延入幕府的朱姓候补知县，慢条斯理地说道：“人在历城监狱，宫保要他三更死，不敢留人到五更。” 语气涉于谐谑不庄，却真正是一语道破！朝旨下达，安德海处死，自然最好，不然，擅杀钦命要犯是严谴，违旨擅杀一样也不过是严谴。而且在处分以外，还有个说法：“因为朝廷不杀，我才杀他。”否则，有人问一句：“是不是疑心朝廷会庇护此人，所以迫不及待地先动手？”这话会成为“诛心而论”，倘或言官参上一本，降旨“明白回奏”，还真无以自解。 “好！”丁宝桢亲手扶起何毓福，“诸公爱我，见教极是。 我不能不从公意，就让此獠延命数日。 "