Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 456
"Vice Envoy Yan, Ambassador Hu, please go to the office as soon as possible! Someone from above is here!"

In a warehouse in the Bei'anmen warehouse compound of the household department of the Beijing Normal University, Yan Yingyuan was inspecting the grain in the warehouse for signs of being bitten by rats. A secretary hurried into the warehouse and handed over his hands to report.

Yan Yingyuan glanced around at the grain stacks in the warehouse, and asked casually, "Do you know why the ambassador is looking for me? But he wants to issue more military rations? The grain stored in Ningyuan should be enough for the army for two months. Isn't it too much to send it out now?" morning?"

"Vice Envoy Yan, this time it's not about military rations. I heard that someone from the Ministry of Officials is here. Vice Envoy Yan, you are going to be promoted!"

The secretary smiled enviously.

"Promoted? You are just a low-level official, how can you talk about being promoted? You don't want to cheat someone's wedding money!"

Yan Yingyuan turned around and said jokingly with a smile.

He is just a student, and his current position is just a low-level official, and he doesn't have any backing in the court, so there is no reason for him to be promoted.

"Really! Qian Langzhong, Yuanwailang, and the head of our department are also here! Deputy Yan, please go there quickly, don't make the gentlemen wait too long, or it will be too rude! I have to Go back and answer first! Hurry up!"

After the young secretary finished speaking, he hurriedly bowed his hands and turned around to leave.

Yan Yingyuan was taken aback for a moment, although he felt strange in his heart, but he didn't take it too seriously, he turned around and left the barn, ordered the soldiers at the door to close the barn door, and then walked to the front office.

Yan Yingyuan, who is over thirty years old, is tall and burly, with a black face and long beard, and looks more like a martial artist.

He is a native of Tongzhou, Shuntian Prefecture. His wife gave birth to him two sons and a daughter. The eldest son entered school at an early age and got good grades. In the township examination, the 15-year-old second son is now studying in the county school, and the 12-year-old daughter is studying female red with her mother at home.

Yan Yingyuan's family was relatively well-off since he was a child, and the surplus money in his family was enough to support him in his studies, but he lacked a little talent in learning. He studied hard for many years before he was selected as a scholar in his twenties.

Later, because his old father who was a businessman died of illness and lost his main source of income, he had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​winning the exam. With the help of his relatives, he became a small official in the household entry department in order to earn some salary to subsidize the family. From then on, he worked here for six years. More than a year.

"My humble Yan Yingyuan has seen all the superiors, but I don't know why the superiors declared their inferiority!"

There were several people sitting or standing in the small office room. His immediate boss Hu Yizhong, the ambassador of Bei'anmen warehouse, stood bowed at the door. He had never seen a middle-aged official sitting next to him wearing black gauze and a blue official robe with a round collar embroidered with white pheasants.

"Hehe, Mr. Gao, this is Yan Yingyuan, deputy envoy of Bei'anmen Warehouse. He has served here for many years. He is dedicated to his duties, diligent, honest and fair. He is a model of officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs. Deputy envoy Yan, this superior Director Gao Yuanzhi Gao, Department of Anthology of the Ministry of Officials, this time the edict is here just for you, why don't you come and see the ceremony before you go?"

Qian Fangmiao first smiled and introduced to the principal surnamed Gao, then put away her smile and told Yan Yingyuan to speak.

"My humble Yan Yingyuan has met Master Gao!"

"It's easy to say! As a low-level official, Deputy Envoy Yan's reputation can be heard in the sky. It's really admirable! I have worked in the Ministry of Officials for many years, and this is the first time that an official has been promoted. What a surprise! Fushi Yan has a bright future!"

Gao Yuanzhi looked up and down at this little official who looked like a martial artist, and couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion in his heart.

After he was on duty today, Zhou Yun, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, sent someone to call him to the public house, and asked him to prepare the seal of the official seal, and go to Bei'anmen in person, to announce the promotion to the official named Yan Yingyuan on the spot, and Tell him that this is the appointment of the holy order, and there is still an oral order to be conveyed in person.

Gao Yuanzhi was secretly surprised and hurriedly ordered people to prepare items and find the household department, and then came to this remote place accompanied by Qian Fangmiao and others.

Afterwards, Gao Yuanzhi announced in public that Yan Yingyuan was promoted to the county magistrate of Taichung County, Taiwan Province, with a grade of Zheng Qipin. A secretary of the Ministry of Officials immediately handed over the official seal letter to Yan Yingyuan.

Yan Yingyuan, who was holding the official talisman letter in both hands, was stunned by the congratulations of envy and jealousy.

He still hasn't figured out why the Ministry of Officials suddenly promoted such an insignificant person to the high position of a seventh-rank official, and it was done under the emperor's behest.

The biggest official among his family's relatives is just a successor from Shuntian Mansion, that is, this trustee relationship arranged him here, but he can't possibly have any connection with the palace anyway.

After thanking Shengen, Gao Yuanzhi got up and prepared to return with Qian Fangmiao and others. Before leaving, Gao Yuanzhi specially asked Yan Yingyuan to go to Jiangyin County for a walk in the next few days. Take the sea boat directly to Taiwan.

After seeing off all the officials to leave, colleagues who were waiting outside rushed in. Yan Yingyuan promised to invite a table in Chunfeng Tower tonight amidst congratulations, and then returned home full of question marks.

A few days later, after the handover, Yan Yingyuan and his servant Li Su boarded a passenger ship bound for Jiangnan from the wharf not far from home, and arrived in Jiangyin five days later.

The moment Yan Yingyuan stepped onto the Jiangyin Wharf, an inexplicable sense of familiarity quickly diluted the doubts in his heart for several days. This place he had never set foot in the first half of his life made him feel familiar. Stand up suddenly.

Yan Yingyuan walked forward slowly with his hands behind his back, while his servants were calculating the cost of the journey with the boatman, and the tall city wall of Jiangyin County was already faintly visible not far away.

"How is Yan Dianshi? My hair is still there, so I can comfort my ancestors!"

A passerby carrying a load greeted Yan Yingyuan with a smile.

Yan Yingyuan only felt that this person was very familiar, but it seemed that he had never met, and the name Yan Dianshi made him very surprised.

Yan Yingyuan, who didn't know how to answer, stopped and cupped his hands. Passers-by rubbed shoulders with him, and looked at him with admiration, respect and pride.

Along the way, people smiled and greeted him from time to time, they all called Yan Dianshi by mouth, and they also looked at him with respect.

Among these people are teenagers, middle-aged men in official uniforms, young vendors selling vegetables on the side of the road, scholars in white Confucian robes, and even some who come out to buy with bamboo baskets. young woman.

Looking at these familiar and unfamiliar faces, Yan Yingyuan's heart gradually became agitated, and he couldn't call out the other person's name, so he had to bow his hands frequently to return the salute.

Not far ahead, there was a corner of a pavilion looming in the woods by the roadside, and there was loud laughter from time to time, and Yan Yingyuan stepped into the forest involuntarily.

More than a dozen old men with white beards and hair were sitting or lying in the mid-spring forest, under the lush vegetation, several empty wine jars were tilted to the ground, and some old men sang loudly with pottery bowls in their hands. , the rest of them clapped their hands or sang in harmony, and their voices came out through the forest and reached the sky.

Suddenly, after a very high-pitched chant, the sound stopped abruptly, and all the elders looked at each other and laughed, as if they had accomplished some earth-shattering event.

"Yan Dianshi, can this old man's name be written on a stele?"

An old man smiled and shouted at Yan Yingyuan.

"The old man would like to attach the honorable name of the history!"

The other old man, who seemed to be drunk, also shouted loudly.

"Several old men who don't know how to cultivate are not going to make noise! ​​Yan Dianshi is destined to be a person who will go down in history! How can we be compared with great heroes!"

An old man with a peaceful expression smiled.

"Let's go and go! My Jiangyin people will never forget it!"

Yan Yingyuan was silent, tears welled up in his eyes suddenly, he bowed to the ground and bowed for a long time.

A group of old men ignored him and chatted and laughed heartily. Yan Yingyuan got up sadly, and retreated out of the forest with sobs choked up.

While turning around, in a trance, he suddenly heard the sound of thunderous cannons resounding across the sky, interspersed with shouts, miserable cries, the sound of bowstrings, and the sound of firecrackers. Yan Yingyuan looked around in surprise, but only saw people in a hurry. The scene, the blue sky, did not show the slightest trace of battle.

Stepping under the majestic and towering city wall, Yan Yingyuan seemed to feel that the city wall was covered with blood and stains, and several walls had collapsed. Countless unkempt, blood-drenched young, old and weak were waving bamboo spears, wooden sticks, sickles, and rakes out of thin air. It seemed to be wrestling with evil spirits, some people fell to the ground from time to time, but the rest were still shouting and fighting fiercely.

The sky suddenly drizzled, and its color was crimson. Yan Yingyuan suddenly felt the grief in his chest, and he staggered and propped himself on the city wall with one hand. roar.

At this moment, at the entrance of the main hall of Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youzhen stood with his hands behind his back, his deep eyes seemed to look at him from thousands of miles away, and he praised in a very solemn tone:

"Leading allegiance on the [-]th day, representing the people of the seventeen dynasties of Taizu!
10 people united to die for righteousness, leaving Daming for three hundred miles! "

"Great, Yan Dianshi!"

"Excellent, from Jiangyin!"

　Thank you Lin Lingsu for the reward in 2018.Suddenly the inspiration came and I wrote this chapter. If everyone scolds me for skipping chapters, just scold me. I’m afraid I won’t be able to write without inspiration.The second half of this chapter briefly describes historical fragments in an unrealistic form, just trying to express a feeling. Although the writing is not good, I can't help but want to write.Faced with the ruthless shaving order to keep their hair on their heads, the stubborn Jiangyin people defended the city for 81 days, killing and injuring more than [-] Qing troops. In the end, there were only more than [-] people left in the city. More than [-] Jiangyin people either died in battle or committed suicide. People from Jiangyin are so proud!Yan Dianshi, what a hero!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)