Chapter 29 Five days before the expiration of the national system, Peng Yulin brought a young woman

It turned out that what was sent by the discount was the Tingji copied by the Military Aircraft Department, who asked Zeng Guofan about Miao Peilin's capture of Shouzhou, whether to suppress or appease? It's all about Shengbao's failure!After reading the court post, Zeng Guofan cursed fiercely in his heart.In the past few years, Miao Peilin recruited troops and bought horses in northern Anhui, and built villages extensively. His disobedience was fully exposed, but Shengbao wanted to take self-respect and protected him all the time.Last month, Sun Jiatai and Xu Lizhuang, the gentry of Shouzhou, played Miao Domineering.Miao was furious, sent troops to capture Shouzhou, and hijacked the former Anhui Fu Weng Tongshu who was in Shouzhou city.Shengbao appealed to the imperial court. He was afraid that the matter would become too big and out of control, so he asked to appease Miao.

"Miao Peilin must not be appeased. We must take this opportunity to declare his crime of treason against the imperial court and eliminate it completely to eliminate hidden dangers." Zeng Guofan said to Zhao Liewen, "Huifu, you should draft a memorial according to this idea." .” "What if the imperial court accepts your lord's opinion and sends the Hunan Army to suppress Miao Peilin?" Zhao Liewen always thinks far-reaching when he encounters problems. "The Hunan army cannot divide its troops, and must concentrate its forces to attack Jinling. The reason why Miao Peilin dared to fight against the imperial court today is that Yuan Jiasan, Weng Tongshu and others are causing trouble. They should clean up the mess. You write: "Please ask the emperor to order Shengbao and Weng Tongshu attacked Miao Peilin and recovered Shouzhou. "Let them go to the melee!" Zeng Guofan smiled triumphantly.

Wang Kaiyun lived in Anqing for a few days, seeing that Zeng Guofan didn't mention state affairs to him anymore, he felt bored, and left behind the poem "I'm gradually carrying a dagger, I really come to see the mountains", and took Cheng Yi, which Zeng Guofan gave him, back to Xiangtan Cloud Huqiao went to see his mother, wife and children.As soon as he left Anqing, earth-shattering news came from the capital: the empress dowagers of the two palaces united with Prince Gong, abolished the eight ministers of Gu Ming, Zaiyuan and Duanhua committed suicide, Sushun abandoned the city, Prince Gong became the king of politics, and the two palaces drew curtains Listen to the government and change the name of the country to Tongzhi from next year.

Zeng Guofan secretly thanked himself for his prudence.Wang Kaiyun bid farewell to the officialdom from then on, devoted himself to his famous mountain career, deliberately searched for geniuses, and was determined to pass on his full knowledge of the emperor to his disciples and leave it to future generations. Immediately afterwards, there were frequent edicts from the capital: "Imperial Envoy Zeng Guofan, Governor-General of Liangjiang, governs the military affairs of Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi and the entire province of Zhejiang, and all officials below the governor of the four provinces are under control." "Zeng Guofan co-organized the University degree." "Zeng Guofan controlled the four provinces, and yesterday he briefly conferred the co-organization of the university degree. His application is his confidant, and I have high hopes for him to govern." Zeng Guofan was flattered when he received this letter.He himself didn't know that there was another important reason for this series of grand occasions.

After Sushun's downfall, his home was ransacked, and several large bundles of letters were confiscated from his home.Due to Sushun's hot power and intention to win over, the governors of all provinces and the generals leading the troops all had close correspondence with him, and the letters were full of flattering words, and the only one who did not leave his handwriting in Sushun was Zeng Guofan.This incident made the empress dowagers of the two palaces and Prince Gong greatly lamented, so they were cited as their confidantes.Zeng Guofan felt that his dependence was too heavy, and repeatedly begged to resign from the post of controlling the four provinces, but the court repeatedly refused.He had no choice but to take up this heavy burden, discussing with his civil and military officials day and night the plan to restore Jinling.However, the ringworm disease broke out again, which made him extremely distressed.

In the afternoon of this day, Zeng Guofan tried his best to review the documents, and suddenly felt a bright light in front of his eyes, and Peng Yulin walked in with a young woman. "Di Zhang, how do you keep looking at this girl?" Peng Yulin asked with a smile, pointing to the woman standing beside her with her head bowed.Before this, Peng Yulin had brought three women with him, and Zeng Guofan was not satisfied with them, either they thought they were vulgar or ugly.As soon as this woman came in, he gave him a good impression: she was well-proportioned, her steps were dignified, and her shy appearance was both serene and charming.

"Raise your head up." Zeng Guofan ordered softly.The woman raised her head, feeling the cold eyes of the old man opposite, she lowered her head quickly.Zeng Guofan saw that although she was not beautiful, she had good features, especially the peaceful look between her eyebrows and eyes, which made him very satisfied. "What is your name?" "The little girl's name is Chen Chunyan." The voice was clear and clear, and Zeng Guofan felt very comfortable listening to it, and asked again: "How old is this year?" "Twenty-two years old." "From your accent, do you sound like a Hubei native?"

"The little girl lives in Xianning, Hubei." Chen Chunyan was generous and articulate, not at all like the previous few. They were either too frightened to lose their hands or awkwardly, unable to answer a word for a long time.Zeng Guofan was delighted. "Who else is in the family?" "There are mother, brother-in-law and a little sister." "Where's father?" Zeng Guofan asked. "Father died of illness a few years ago." Chen Chunyan's tone was obviously sad. "She is a filial woman." Zeng Guofan thought to himself, and then asked, "What did your father do when he was alive?"

"He is a poor scholar who taught Mongolian children to make ends meet all his life." Hearing that she was the daughter of a scholar, Zeng Guofan was even happier: "Then can you also read?" "The little girl also knows a few words." "Xueqin, thank you!" "Di Zhang accepted it!" Peng Yulin relieved, said happily: "Tomorrow I will bring everyone to ask Di Zhang for a drink." "Slow down, slow down!" Zeng Guofan called to stop Peng Yulin and asked, "Isn't the hundred-day national system full?" "Today is just 100 days old, so you can rest assured that Chen Chunyan will serve you!" Peng Yulin said with a smile as he went out.Zeng Guofan stretched out his fingers and nodded, and left Chunyan behind.

At night, Zeng Guofan, who had been tired all day, returned to the bedroom and found that the room had changed drastically: the room was cleaned, the paperwork on the table was neatly arranged, and the bedding on the bed was clean. Chunyan came up with a big bucket of hot water, and said softly, "Please wash your feet, sir." "How do you know I have this habit?" Zeng Guofan asked in surprise. "The little girl asked Mr. Peng, and he said that adults have the habit of scalding their feet before going to bed. Mr. Peng also said that adults should eat sweet and soft things before going to bed, such as porridge and egg soup. They like to eat fish and fresh vegetables on weekdays." , eat salted ginger and dried vegetables made in Xiangxiang, and like to take a walk after dinner."

"You are so careful." Zeng Guofan took Chunyan's hand and looked at her affectionately.Chunyan felt that Zeng Guofan's eyes shot out soft and warm eyes, not at all cold and gloomy during the day, and he looked younger. "Chunyan, I'm a weak old man with ringworm all over my body. Are you afraid of sleeping with me?" "Your Excellency is a hero that everyone admires, and it is a blessing for a little girl to serve you." Chunyan's answer made Zeng Guofan very happy. He felt that the tenderness and tenderness that had disappeared for many years had quietly grown again. While stroking Chunyan's delicate palm, he said kindly: "Chunyan, you have become my concubine today. I am from the Zeng family. I want to tell you about the family affairs." Zeng Guofan soaked his feet in hot water, and slowly talked about his family to Chunyan, from Gaozu to his wife: "Ouyang is my first wife. When she was in her natal family, her father, Mr. Ningzhi, named her My name is Bingyu. At the age of eighteen, she married into my family from Hengyang, and I was twenty-three years old. She was a lucky person. In the second year of marriage, I was awarded Juren. In this year, She gave birth to my eldest son, Zhendi. A few years later, I became a Jinshi and selected Hanlin. In the 20th year of Daoguang, she brought her son to the capital. It is more than three thousand miles from Hunan to Beijing. , also thanks to her." When Zeng Guofan said this, he thought of Mrs. Ouyang who was in the hometown of Heyetang at this time, and suddenly felt grateful and guilty towards her.Chunyan was also thinking: Unexpectedly, this big man who leads the army to fight is so devoted to his wife! "Madam wrote many times, asking me to ask for a concubine outside, saying how the rough-handed Jing Qi can replace a thoughtful woman! Every time I rejected her offer. I will write a letter to tell her tomorrow. , saying that I accepted her advice and accepted a dignified and gentle concubine, please rest assured." Chunyan felt that Zeng Guofan's skinny hands gripped her plump and soft hands tightly.Her heart was pounding. The words "dignified and gentle" made her feel a little bit happy. "Don't worry, Madam won't bully you." Zeng Guofan's tone became gentle and warm, his eyes focused on Chunyan's face, and he raised his hand again, stroking her shiny black skin hair.Chunyan blushed and her heart beat even harder. " After a while, Zeng Guofan's hand left Chunyan's hair, and said in a calm tone again: "Zhen died at the age of three, suffering from acne, and my nine-year-old sister Man went with him. The current eldest, Jize, is actually the second child. Jize is twenty-three years old this year, one year older than you. This child is like his mother, more gentle than strong, but also honest and smart, willing to study hard, in the future, although I can't say that there is great promise, but it won't embarrass the Zeng family. I'm very relieved about this. He married Mr. He Gugeng's Manchu woman before. Mr. Gugeng, do you know which one?" Chunyan shook her head. "Yes. You won't know." Zeng Guofan smiled lightly, "When Mr. Gu Geng died of illness, you were only a few years old. He was a well-known high-ranking official in our Hunan Province. He was the governor of Guizhou and the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. His knowledge is also very good. His brother, Mr. Cane Nong, was also a Jinshi. He was a censor and magistrate. In his later years, he was the head of the Chengnan Academy. It was the heyday before, but it is still the largest family in Changsha." Zeng Guofan took the trouble to introduce the situation of the He family. Chen Chunyan didn't feel that he was boasting of the in-laws' nobility, but he told her the knowledge that a Zeng family should have on the first day she stepped into the gate of the Zeng family.Chunyan was very grateful for this. Her heart stopped beating fast.With her head half down, her eyes fixed on the bucket, she listened attentively. "Miss He had a hard life. She died of dystocia in the second year of marriage. The midwife said that she was pregnant with a boy, what a pity! Jize missed her and refused to marry again. His mother has persuaded him so much It was not until the year before last that I married Liu Mengrong's second daughter. Meng Rong is my deepest friend for many years, and he is a very good person." Chunyan touched the water for her feet with her hands.The water is a little cold.She stood up and said, "My lord, the water is no longer hot, I'll go and boil some more." "Okay, don't burn too much." After a while, Chunyan brought over half a pot of boiling water and added it to the barrel. The temperature of the water rose, and Zeng Guofan felt very comfortable. "Sister Liu had been married for three years and gave birth to two children. The first child was Yazi, who died at only half a year old. The second child was a girl who suffocated to death when she was born. Jize and his wife were very sad. I wrote Xin comforted them: life and death are life and death, don't be too sad, young people, are you afraid that there will be no cubs in the future?" Zeng Guofan smiled slightly, and Chen Chunyan also smiled quietly.Suddenly, she thought of herself, she hoped to have more sons in the future; in this way, she could have status in the Zeng family. "Ji Ze came down, and his wife gave birth to five daughters in a row. The eldest girl is Ji Jing, and she married Bingzhen, the eldest son of my friend Xiangtan Yuan Fangying from the Imperial Academy. Bingzhen is smart but fun-loving. It seems that she will be a rare success in the future. The second girl, Ji Yao, married Yuanji, the son of Chen Daiyun in Chaling in the same year as me. Yuanji is a poor child. His mother died only a few days after he was born. My dear mother, no one spoils me, so I can endure hardships and know how to love myself. In the third year of Xianfeng, Daiyun died for his country in Chizhou Mansion, and Yuanji was only nine years old. Seeing that he had no father or mother, his wife loved him very much, and she often picked him up Go live in the lotus leaf pond. In the first half of this year, when Yuan Jixu turned eighteen, his wife hastily let him marry Ji Yao. The third girl, Ji Chen, Xu is Luo Luoshan's second son, Zhao Sheng, and the fourth girl, Ji Yao. The one who made the pure promise was Guo Junxian's eldest son, Gangji, who hadn't passed the family yet. The fifth girl died before she was one year old, suffering from dysentery. The second son, Ji Hong, was next. The tiger is angry, and everyone loves it when they see it. Guo Yusan, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, insisted on betrotting his third daughter to Ji Hong. His daughter is three years older than Ji Hong. The wife said that Ji Hong should follow the example of his great-grandfather and grandfather and marry an older one. I will take good care of my wife in the future. I think it makes sense, so I booked this marriage. Therefore, Ji Hong had a wife when he was one year old." Zeng Guofan laughed happily.Chunyan also found it funny, so she pursed her lips and laughed with him. "Madam's last child is a girl named Ji Fen. She is ten years old this year and she has no husband yet. Sister Man is thick and well-groomed. She is blessed and long-lived. I will find a good husband for her in the future. " Zeng Guofan was rambling on.It was late at night, and he was never tired.Chunyan listened quietly, silently remembering every bit in her heart.She felt that the old man in front of her was not as majestic and terrifying as the legends in the world said, he was actually an ordinary man, he had a deep love for his family, his wife and children.As a woman, Chunyan likes such a man. After washing his feet, Zeng Guofan sat down at the table and began to write in his diary.He regarded Chunyan entering the room today as a big event and solemnly wrote it down in his diary.In order to confirm that today is the expiration of the 100-day national system, he pointed his fingers at the diary day by day.Counting from July 16th to today-October 24th, I am surprised!No matter how much you plan, today is only the ninety-eighth day, two days away from the expiry date! "Why are you so confused!" Zeng Guofan cursed secretly.He thought of the court's unconventional treatment of him these days, and he felt a strong sense of guilt in his heart, "How can this be worthy of the heaven and earth monarch father!" "Jing Qi!" He shouted loudly.Wang Jingqi didn't know what happened, so he came in hastily from the house next door. "You take Chunyan to the guest room to sleep!" When Chunyan heard this, she was so frightened that she trembled all over, she knelt down and cried, "My lord, the little girl has committed a crime, and I will let my lord beat and scold me, I just beg my lord not to drive me out." "I didn't drive you out." Zeng Guofan smiled wryly, "I can't keep you in my bedroom just because there are two days before the 100-day national rule expires. After these two days, I will let you in again. " "My lord, why are you so serious?" Jing Qi finally understood the whole story, and felt really funny in her heart.He persuaded with a playful smile: "The concubine has already entered the room, so you can let her sleep with you in this room, just keep it secret for two days, why bother asking her to sleep in the guest room, alone." "Nonsense!" Zeng Guofan glared at Jing Qi, so frightened that he hurriedly said: "Yes, yes. The villain will take his aunt and wife there. Just as Jing Qi took two steps, Zeng Guofan called him again: "After you arranged for your concubine, you rushed to Mr. Peng's boat by the river, and said that he got the date wrong, and I sent Chen Chunyan to the guest room. On the afternoon of the 17th, I entertained everyone in the yamen for a light meal, and officially announced that Na Chunyan was my concubine! "