Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 539: Prince Jia lets his soldiers snatch Heshen's favorite concubine and beats the dog to shock his father~
The 7th Corps was temporarily stationed outside the city of Nanning, and carried out training in military discipline, camping, formations, shooting, and flags and drums in accordance with the Wu Army Infantry Manual.

The Wu army temporarily stayed in the city.

Internal and external resonance, internal and external supervision.

Lu Tingsheng was silent as he watched the training. He knew that he no longer had a say in the 7th Legion.

"Lord Lu~"

"What's the matter?"

"His Majesty has rewarded you with 10 taels of silver and appointed you as a senior staff officer of the General Staff Headquarters. Please leave for Songjiang Prefecture with your family as soon as possible."

Seeing that Lu Tingsheng looked unhappy, the messenger explained:
"Don't think too much. The imperial court has moved all the Han tyrants and chieftains who were aware of the current situation and took the initiative to submit to the court in the southwestern provinces to Songjiang Prefecture. Songjiang is a world of flowers and beautiful people."

Lu Tingsheng smiled, thinking that the three words "know the current situation" were correct. If he didn't know the current situation, he would probably be killed on the spot.

……

No one expected,
Lu Tingsheng suddenly stood on a baggage cart and shouted:
"Brothers of the Gui army, I, Lu, am sorry for you. His Majesty rewarded me with 10 taels of silver, which is too much for me to spend. I decided to donate 8 taels of it to the families of the brothers who died or were injured in the attack on Nanning."

"Angel, is that okay?"

The messenger suppressed his anger and said with a smile:
"can."

Thousands of Gui soldiers knelt on the ground and watched the old general leave.

The faces of the Wu army staff around him were grim.

no doubt,

Everything that happened today will be reported to His Majesty without omission. Lu Tingsheng is trying to buy people's hearts in public, and his heart is worthy of death.

……

Lu Tingsheng's cousin, Lu Tingwu, a powerful man in Wuzhou Prefecture, died.

After the defeat in Lianzhou, he was depressed and his condition gradually worsened, and he died. His daughter and son-in-law took care of his funeral.

at the funeral,
Imperial Commissioner Fan Jing suddenly arrived and presented 200 taels of silver as funeral gifts.

after that,

Have a brief conversation with his son-in-law Bai Jianren.

A few days later, Bai Jianren was promoted from second lieutenant to captain.

Such courtesy did appease some people.

Lu Tingsheng was not even allowed to show up at the funeral. Escorted by a team of soldiers, his entire family set out for Songjiang Prefecture.

He kept silent along the way.

As a successful candidate in two imperial examinations and a former employee of the Lifanyuan, Lu Tingsheng certainly understood politics. He knew very well what his rash act of donating silver today meant.

but,

He thought that even if he didn't do this, he might not be able to avoid it.

in contrast,

This move may make Wu Ting cautious and concerned about the morale of the 7th Army Corps, so he may not dare to touch him in the short term.

……

During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the descendants of the chieftain Peng family in western Hunan, who were forced to relocate to Jiangxi Province as a result of the policy of converting chieftains into civilians, benefited from this opportunity.

When we were in dire straits,
A graceful angel came in a carriage, rewarded 3 taels of silver, and invited people to settle in Songjiang Prefecture.

The descendants of chieftain Peng were extremely excited.

All the way, he kept expressing his loyalty and promised to write letters to other chieftains in the southwest.

If you are so tactful, you will naturally be treated with courtesy.

Your Majesty's move is nothing more than: spending a fortune on horse bones~
Announce to the world,

Since the imperial court was able to support the descendant of a long-out-of-date chieftain, it would naturally not do anything like throwing away the bow after the rabbit had died and the bird had been used up.

The big bosses may not pay attention, but many small bosses will judge the situation and sell their goods at high prices.

……

Outside Songjiang City, on the banks of Suzhou River.

Large tracts of leveled and compacted land welcomed the anxious southwestern guests who came from afar.

every day,

There are always crowds of merchants loitering nearby, hoping to serve the master.

The masters soon discovered that as long as you were willing to spend money, Songjiang Prefecture was a paradise.

Entertainment includes but is not limited to:
Pavilions, high-end furniture, servants, pleasure boats, musical instruments, delicacies, silks, actors and concubines, horseback riding and hunting, sightseeing, calling friends, cockfighting and horse racing~
……

Wang Shenglie, who came from a wealthy businessman family, also lamented again and again that in Songjiang Prefecture, money is just like dirt.

but,

Being shrewd and worldly-wise, the first thing he did was to marry his children to those of Zhang Youdao, the soon-to-be-appointed Hunan Provincial Governor.

The wedding was grand and there were many guests.

The Wang family held a grand banquet that lasted for three days.

Rong Mama from the Wu Palace suddenly appeared and brought two sets of fine Suzhou embroidery clothes on behalf of the Queen.

The person involved, Zhang Youdao's daughter, blushed to her ears when she saw the fabric of the clothes.

but,

After going through so many ups and downs, she has become open-minded and is willing to thank him openly, turn the page and embrace a beautiful new life.

……

Wu Ting once again faced an embarrassing dilemma - lack of money

1. The Battle of Western Hunan cost a huge amount of military expenditure.

Second, the 7th Legion was given a number, and military uniforms, weapons, training, and salaries became another fixed expense.

Third, in order to support the reactionary monarch George III and Parliament in seizing the throne and indirectly attack Washington, a huge amount of money was spent.

Fourth, the Navy Department asks for money every day.

Fifth, the implementation of the three-level education system is another achievement.

Sixth, a plenipotentiary minister was sent to London with a huge amount of funds and a delegation of up to 150 people, which was another expense.

All of the above is for the empire.

Your Majesty was not even willing to spend money to buy himself more concubines, more clothes, or build a garden.

I only have 8 sets of clothes for the four seasons~
They gritted their teeth, tightened their belts, and supported George III in his "Reverse Glorious Revolution."

……

Under the urgent pressure, Finance Minister Hu Xueyu worked diligently for four hours every day.

The Imperial Customs arrived at the scene at the speed of light and began collecting customs duties.

Customs at all levels were in urgent need of a large number of clerks who could do math and write. Under Hu Xueyu's care, all of Shaoxing Prefecture's reserve legal advisors were used up.

not enough.

The twelve or thirteen-year-old disciples from Shaoxing Prefecture also came out to work, holding abacus.

Your Majesty is well aware of this, but there is nothing he can do.

At least 5 years later,
Only the first batch of professional talents trained by ourselves can leave school.

Education takes too long to show results.

Unlike the military industry, you invest this year and can kill people next year.

……

April 4th.

The Spring Imperial Examination officially began, with a total of 1552 candidates from various northern provinces participating.

The list will be released in 5 days~
In Qiulai Inn,
More than a dozen candidates pretended to be calm and spoke insincerely to each other.

"Brother Zhang is really talented. He will definitely win first place this time."

"Where."

"Brother Wang Shi's brilliant writings are well-known in Shanxi. He will definitely be among the top three this time."

"I am over-flattered."

The shopkeeper listened attentively and suddenly whispered:

“Here comes the messenger who brings the good news.”

Everyone held their breath as the sound of the gong gradually approached.

The Beijing-born scholar opened his arms with open arms, was so nervous that he could not stand steadily, and barely leaned on the pillar to avoid slipping.

……

The messenger who brought the good news shouted at the top of his voice:
"Congratulations to Mr. Wang from Lanzhou, who ranked 1221st among the top three high schools~"

"Congratulations to Mr. Zhou from Zhili for being ranked 91st in the second class of high school."

"Congratulations~"

The scholar lost his composure instantly when he heard the name.

Some had tears in their eyes, some raised their arms high, some clapped and laughed, and some rolled on the ground.

People who often fail in exams understand the value of this moment.

I opened my arms and cried uncontrollably.

Got it~
After so many years of suffering, I finally endured it.

The innkeeper is an outsider after all, so his mind is relatively clear.

Amid the sound of firecrackers,
He suddenly discovered something strange: all the candidates staying in his inn passed the exam! Not a single one failed!

……

After a day's hard work, the messenger who brought the good news made a fortune.

The two officers discussed:
"It seems that there are so many candidates on the list this year that I am almost too busy to report the good news."

"It's not like, it's true."

"Ah?" "Hush. Let me tell you, there are no failed candidates in this spring's imperial examination."

"what?"

"Those who failed the exam are waiting to be executed at Caishikou."

"what?"

"Mr. Wang from the Ministry of Rites said that according to reliable information, except for the candidate who criticized the imperial court in his essay, all other candidates were admitted regardless of the quality of their essays."

"what?"

"Forget it. Why should we care so much? The more we record, the more rewards we will get. Let's go to the Eight Great Hutongs. Tsk tsk, you don't know that the Eight Great Hutongs have changed their old appearance and are full of new faces. I'm afraid those red girls in the past couldn't stand the beating of Master Sauron. Red girls have a hard life."

……

Qianlong instructed:

In order to win the hearts of the people in the south, we have to fight a political war.

As long as the candidates are loyal to the Qing Dynasty, they should be admitted.

How to identify loyalty?

One test question is enough.

ask:
When the country is in danger, every citizen has a share of responsibility. The Qing dynasty occasionally encountered minor setbacks. What was the root cause? How can it be improved?

More than 100 candidates pointed out in their essays, either fiercely or tactfully, that the Qing Dynasty needed to encourage land reclamation, clean up bureaucracy, curb annexation, develop firearms, lift the ban on Liaodong, and so on.

It was taken away in one pot~
……

Ministry of Rites,

Shangshu Yu Minzhong covered his face with a folding fan and did not dare to move it away, for fear that he would not be able to help showing a sarcastic expression.

In the future, how will history books evaluate the special examination in the 44th year of Qianlong’s reign?
Qianlong instructed that the autumn examinations held in the provincial capitals this year should also follow this principle and implement 100% admission.

It was so rare that I hadn't seen it in 2000, but I encountered it myself.

The thought of joining Wu
Yu Minzhong decided to let his son contact the south secretly and it was time to consider changing the boat.

The broken Qing ship was leaking water while playing music, and the emperor and his son were fighting over the rudder.
……

Heshen locked himself in the study and refused to go out for a long time.

What does such an absurd Spring Examination mean?
How could someone as smart as He not see through it?

What followed were the even more absurd autumn examinations, the indiscriminate issuance of students to the Imperial Academy, and the plan to levy taxes in advance for the 46th year of Qianlong's reign.

(Wang Danwang in the south sneezes wildly)

In this comparison,
The system of negotiating fines for crimes was portrayed as being elegant and harmless.

Heshen sighed that in this world, everything depends on the support of peers.

"Master~"

Outside the study, the voice of the favorite concubine Xiaoqi was suddenly heard.

"Come in."

The favorite concubine Xiao Xiaoqi, who had given birth to a son, did not look dull. On the contrary, she looked even more radiant.

……

"Why is He Ye worried?"

"Well, it's okay to talk to you. The government is getting more and more out of control, and it seems like drinking poison to quench thirst. I, I'm afraid~"

Xiao Xiaoqi sighed.
Comforting:
"Do your best and leave the rest to fate. I am a woman and I only know that a tree that is moved will die, but a person who moves will live."

"What do you mean?" Heshen's face suddenly changed.

"Don't get excited, Master. I think we need to make preparations early. We can learn from the past events of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and the Western Liao Dynasty."

"Shut up."

Xiao Xiaoqi took two steps back and knelt silently.

He Shen was upset:

"Get up, get up, and don't mention these words again."

"Yes."

……

Heshen leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, while Xiaoqi helped him comb his hair to relieve stress.

suddenly,

She blurted out:
"He Ye, are you worried about being caught between the father and son and being bullied?"

"Prince Jia is aggressive and has placed his cronies everywhere. The emperor can only turn a blind eye. I, I have a very difficult time~"

Xiao Qi asked in a low voice:

"The Emperor's dragon body?"

"Your Majesty has been sometimes excited and manic, and sometimes depressed. He has become more and more radical in his actions, and has lost all his caution and prudence in the past forty years. I am really worried, ah~"

Xiao Xiaoqi's mind was as clear as a mirror.

The beholder is clear.

The Qing Dynasty is beyond salvation.

If you want to save your life, you can either go hunting in the west or flee north. If you can't defeat the Han people, can you still defeat the grassland nomads?
……

"Is Second Uncle's business going well in Sichuan?"

"Well, Helin has control of the military power of a town. I arranged for all the soldiers in his town to be equipped with new guns and cannons, and also let him concurrently serve as the governor of Sichuan."

"Master He, the Wu bandits are about to enter Sichuan."

He Shen is silent~
"Master He, as the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. The property in the palace cannot be all in Zhili, should we distribute some of it? For example, Shengjing, Xi'an, Yili~"

"I think dead things like fertile fields, shops, manors, calligraphy and paintings should be sold as soon as possible and exchanged for gold."

Heshen let out a long sigh and finally made up his mind.

"We have to do it covertly so that no one can catch us."

……

suddenly,

There were messy footsteps coming from outside.

Someone rushed into the study and said angrily:

"Master, it's bad. Prince Jia has led his troops in."

Heshen was stunned. He didn't have time to tie his braids and hurried out of the study with his hair loose.

Just after walking a few feet, he saw Prince Jia with a vicious look on his face.

"Your servant pays homage to the Crown Prince. May you live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years."

Yongyan's eyes twitched when he heard this.

Thousand years old?

Are you reminding me that I haven't ascended the throne yet?
Yongyan looked around at the luxurious environment unscrupulously.

Sarcastically said:
"I am here to inspect the defense of the capital and I am hungry. I heard that your noodles taste good, so I came to ask for a bowl."

"Don't dare, don't dare."

slap~
Heshen was beaten with a horsewhip and felt wronged and stunned.

Yongyan had a ferocious expression and cursed:
"Heshen, how dare a slave of yours disobey my military order?"

"If you cannot deliver 50 taels of silver to Shuntian Prefecture before sunset, I will kill you~"

……

Yongyan suddenly fell silent and stared at Xiao Xiaoqi who walked into the courtyard.

The atmosphere was awkward~
Xiao Xiaoqi was horrified and tried to remain calm. He could neither advance nor retreat, so he could only squat on the spot three times.

He Shen stood up awkwardly:

"Minion~"

"Shut up."

Yongyan walked around Heshen and quickly walked up to Xiao Xiaoqi and looked at him unscrupulously, from head to toe, from the sunken parts to the protruding parts.

The look in his eyes was so fiery that Xiao Qi, who had experienced so much, could not help but understand.

The merchants who bought me in my early years, Chen Huizu, Heshen, and the good monk, all looked at me so passionately and aggressively.

……

"Xiao Qi greets the prince."

"I've heard that there's a female Zhuge in He Mansion. Are you the one they're talking about?"

"Don't dare."

Changes occurred suddenly.

Yongyan suddenly made a move and picked up Xiao Xiaoqi horizontally.

"He Shen, can you lend me the female Zhuge? The Eastern Palace is in need of talent."

"Prince, she is my woman."

"Yeah~" Yongyan questioned Heshen in front of him, "Don't you know that the whole world belongs to the king? You are just a slave, and everything you have belongs to the master. Including your woman~"

……

"Where is the soldier?"

brush~
The guards who came with him took a step forward, drew their swords in unison, and shouted:
"The slave is here."

"Open the way ahead. Anyone who dares to stop me will be killed with a single blow."

Xiao Xiaoqi widened his eyes and said helplessly:
"I have given birth to a son, a disabled one~"

"Hush... I don't care about the corrupt Confucian ideas of the Han people."

Yongyan laughed wildly all the way and walked away holding Xiaoqi in his arms.

(End of this chapter)