Emperor Yongzheng

Chapter 12
Chaoyangmen Wharf is the terminus at the northern end of the canal. It fell into disrepair due to the war in the late Ming Dynasty.When the rain is sufficient, the official ships of the water tanks can still berth directly. In normal years, the port is located in Tongzhou, which can also be counted in Beijing.After the 16th year of Kangxi, the national power gradually became more abundant. During this period, Jin Fu, Chen Huang, and Yu Chenglong, who were able to govern the river, repaired the paintings several times. Not only the old appearance was restored, but the river was widened by tens of feet, and the water depth was more than a foot, and it prospered again. .There are row upon row of shops and shops in Jia’anpu, and the dangerous buildings with their wings raised and their eaves soaring into the sky. It is like an independent small city outside Beijing, which is really bustling and lively.

Ba Beileyin's mansion is on the north bank of the pier.When he received the news that Yin was about to return to Beijing, he felt very hesitant.According to the national etiquette, he could not go to greet him without the order; according to his brotherhood, it was absolutely unreasonable for his brother to come back from a long way and disembark at the door.Among the many sons of Kangxi, Yin was the most leisurely prince in charge of the three flags of red, blue and white.However, he is a smart, knowledgeable, tolerant and kind person. Regardless of whether his brothers or foreign ministers have troubles or difficulties, they are always willing to turn to him to complain and seek help.Whatever he can do to help, no matter how close or distant he is, whether he asks for money to seek an official position or to steal his love, Yin never stands by and watches someone fall into the water without rescuing him.Therefore, this "eight virtuous king" lived alone and never left his home, abided by the ancestral precepts and did not engage in government affairs. Nothing in the six ministries could be hidden from him, and nothing could refute his face.After thinking for a long time, Yin decided to change into casual clothes to greet Yin.The ninth elder brother Yin came to the government yesterday and had already learned about the affairs of Jiangxia. The tenth elder brother Yin owed money to the treasury and was angry with Shi Shilun. It had already been revealed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs that Long live was becoming more and more dissatisfied with the prince Yin.Yin Yinxiang was Yin's right-hand man. He knew these things immediately when he returned to Beijing. If he didn't come out to meet him, the brothers would become more and more embarrassed.The court officials have been secretly rumoring that the eighth master of the crown prince has been deposed from power. Although it is nonsense, the brothers are jealous among themselves. What kind of gossip can't come out?

After playing chess with the Qing guests for a while, when it was almost dark, people from outside rushed in and reported: "Eighth Master, the official ship of Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master has arrived!" "What are you busy with!" Yin Han said with a smile. , "Wait until they pick me up before I go." After saying that, he stood up, changed into a moon-white poplin robe, and did not wear a coat or hat. He tied a sandalwood ponytail sleeping dragon belt around his waist, and stepped on a pair of black red trousers under his feet. Wearing low-soled shoes, she walked out of the door with only two slaves.

The ceremony to pick up the imperial envoy on the pier has just passed.It seemed that Yin Yinxiang had just gotten off the boat and was holding hands with several people from the Ministry of Rites and greetings.At this moment, the music and singing stopped in the reed shed. Under the twelve yellow gauze palace lanterns, a group of officials with brilliant crests gathered around Yin Yinxiang and chatted with each other. When they saw that Yin was coming, they quickly moved out of the way to an alley. .

"Fourth brother, thirteenth brother, it's been a hard journey all the way!" Yin walked a few steps closer and slapped Qian'er in front of Yin. He stood up, held Yin's cold hand tightly and said with a smile: "You look good. See you in Beijing. , I don’t think anything. As soon as you have been gone for eight or nine months, I feel empty in my heart. There is always a brotherly relationship!" After saying that, he turned around and said: "The thirteenth brother is still as heroic as before. Seeing this with a little experience, see You seem to be a little more sophisticated up there." "I'm thinking about you, Brother Bago!" Yinxiang said with a smile, "We are really thinking about you outside! Seeing that it's August [-]th, what good fruits have you prepared for me? "

Yin just listened with a smile, and said: "Let's go, there are still many people kneeling over there in the reed shed!" Yinxiang said with a smile: "The man has gold under his knees, and he is eager to ask them to kneel for a while! Promotion and wealth are not guaranteed. What do you mean by kneeling down to say hello?" "Thirteenth brother was not like this when he was young, but he is so smart now!" Yin smiled, "This mouth is so unforgiving."

The three of them walked past the reed shed talking and laughing.The people who picked him up on the shore were all officials above the rank of Langguan. There were hundreds of officials in the shed here. When they saw them coming, they kowtowed together.Yao Dian and Liu Xie, the officers of the Fourth Translation Office of the Ministry of Rites, took the lead in greeting him and said: "Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master Ji'an!" They were all people walking around in Yin's mansion. They just paid attention to Yin when they stood up.

"That's all, I'll thank you all!" A smile flashed across Yin's face, and he raised his hand slightly and said: "Everyone, get up. It's already so late, some are still living outside Xizhimen, so we just dispersed. See you another day. ." Song Wenyun, the minister of etiquette, followed on the right side and said hurriedly: "Fourth master, you have come all the way back, and you may not have had dinner just now. The servants have prepared some water and wine, use it a little before going."

Yin glanced at it and saw that there were more than twenty tables arranged neatly under the shed. Tables of dried and fresh fruits, land and water delicacies were piled up like a mountain. Lao Gao couldn't help but frowned, stopped and said: "I have a decree for a long time, imperial envoy We are on patrol, and we are not allowed to do anything in other places! My thirteenth brother and I have already used it on the boat. We are so tired now that we just want to rest early. Murasaki, you are old and know my temper. Why are you still doing this? I never accept invitations from local officials when I'm outside, and I don't need them when I get under the carriage. Besides, the ceremony tonight is too extravagant, and I can't afford it."

Everyone rushed over like a hot mess, thinking that even if they couldn't be intimate with each other, at least they wouldn't be bored.After receiving these cold words, everyone couldn't help but look at each other. Everyone felt uncomfortable. They smiled dryly and cursed in their hearts: Damn it, we are forcing a hot face to rub a cold butt!Song Wenyun felt like a fly in his heart and said with an apologetic smile: "Fourth Master, don't be suspicious. This is not the money from the palace, but the flattery of the lower officials. If you don't use it, how can the lower officials get it off their faces?" Yinxiang My stomach was growling with hunger, and when I heard Yin say "I've already used it", I felt angry and funny, but I couldn't say anything.

"Use a little bit of it." Yin saw that everyone was sullen and silent, and said with a hearty smile, "I won't do it next time. It's done now. If you don't eat it, it will be a waste. If you don't eat it, it will be a waste of money. If you count it on your brother, I invited you. Originally, I There are some in the government, just ask them." After saying that, he followed Yin in.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at this time and filed into the seats.After a while, people were drinking and drinking, and the sound of punching and giving orders gradually started, and the atmosphere became lively.But Yin had his own thoughts: It stands to reason that when the prince returns from a tour to the capital, there are only eight palace lanterns and only nine dragon flags.Nowadays, there are twelve palace lanterns and twelve dragon flags placed outside, and the royal music from Changyin Pavilion is used to sing the prince's victory song when he goes on tour. There is no place where the prince is not pompous. Whose idea was this?If you are following the order, you should explain it. If you are not following the order, then you are setting a circle for yourself to jump through!Looking at the banquet, it was also of imitation dining standard. Yin Yue became suspicious and just pondered.But Yinxiang didn't care, he ate the food regardless of meat or vegetables, munched his head and said with a smile: "If we don't have 15 taels of silver, we definitely can't do this. Bago has money to treat us, so I'm going to enjoy it!"

"They are responsible for the banquet, and the thirteenth old man has to honor their favor." Yin He was so alert. He knew as soon as he heard that the old thirteenth man had bad intentions and wanted to put the reputation of "treating guests" on his head. The body said: "I want to be stingy and not pay. You two just walk away, which is too disrespectful to everyone." He then advised Yin: "Why don't you move your chopsticks, fourth brother? You can't take things too seriously now. Last year I When I went to Fengtian, Bahai, Zhang Yuxiang and others invited me to the same banquet. I didn't say a word to them, but they said: 'This meal recipe was given to us by Long Live Lord during his tour to the East! If it doesn't tell us to eat, what will we do as a reward?' Tell me, aren't you confused because you can't understand clearly?" "I like to be clear." Yin made up his mind not to eat and said with a smile, "It's not that I don't dare to eat this meal. Firstly, I'm really not hungry. Secondly, I was thinking, such a meal costs three to four hundred taels of silver. In such a big place in the world, with so many officials, how much does it cost? Are we really so rich? We can do a lot of things just by saving this entertainment money... "

While eating, everyone listened to his lesson, each one was so angry and helpless.After a while, one said, "How did this chicken do it? It's so light!" The other said, "Oh, it's stabbed!" Yao Dian slapped himself for no reason, and Liu Xie asked, "What's wrong?" Dian said with a smile: "This mosquito bites people!" Song Wenyun smiled dryly and just persuaded: "Si Ye, the food is cold, please..."

"I really can't eat it." Yin felt clear in his heart and just said, "Han Chunhe invited me when we were crossing Luoma Lake. A roast pig costs more than 100 taels of silver. I told him, 'Look at these two of me. The accompanying boys, one is called Gou'er and the other is called Kan'er, and their parents are starving to death. I bought a servant girl, worth only five taels of silver, this is the blood of the people!'" Yinxiang chewed on a chicken leg, thinking He wanted to bite off a bunch of tendons inside and said with a smile: "Fourth brother, it's okay to save it, you can use some of it too!"

Yin's expression suddenly changed, he stood up and walked away.Yinxiang burped, stood up with a red face and said: "You are full, you are full! Just eat slowly." Then he followed out.Seeing that Song Wenyun and a large group of people were blushing and embarrassed, Yin hurriedly stood up and comforted him: "Fourth Master has such a temper, look at my face, don't take it personally!" He excused himself and followed him out.

As soon as the brothers left, the officials here immediately unlocked the locks like monkeys.Liu Dian knocked the bowl loudly with his chopsticks, and said loudly, "Please! Mr. Village Bamboo, let's eat! Why are you in a daze?"

"Cun Zhu got a picture of the horse's hoof this time!" Liu Xie poured wine for Song Wenyun with a smile, and said, "Your face is so pale! What are you afraid of? Just admit that it's bad luck, don't talk about us, elder brothers and men still do it." It's going to be like chickens flying like dogs!"

One of the generals held up a cup and said with a smile: "What bad luck? Eat a dick and burp, it will make you angry!" Everyone burst into laughter. This one said: "My father-in-law carried his daughter-in-law across the river, it is thankless for his efforts!" The other said: " The editors are great! What kind of obstacles are there? Is there any obstacle that cannot be overcome in the world? Shibuquan gave the emperor a list of officials who were in debt. The first one was Cao Yin, and the second one was Mu Zixu. They were both Qingqing. God protects you from birth to death! Wait and see, who can't pass Gou'er Kan'er?!" Yinxiang hadn't left yet because he had urinated. When he came back, he saw Gou'er and Kan'er waiting for him outside the shed, so he said: " Why haven’t you left yet?”

"Listen!" the dog gritted his teeth, "What kind of maggots are these donkeys chewing in their mouths!"

Yinxiang listened attentively, and there were really a lot of people talking inside, pointing out the mulberry tree and cursing the locust tree. Some people vaguely said, "There are nine kinds of dragons and phoenixes, and mice can dig holes for generations." But it was like innuendo and scolding himself, and he couldn't help but get angry. His face was as white as snow, and he walked out with his two children, saying, "I have to punish them!" Kaner saw at a glance more than twenty horses tied to the river bank, all ridden by officials from the shed. He ate wine without anyone watching him. He blinked and whispered something into Yinxiang's ear. "What a good idea!" Yinxiang's eyes suddenly lit up and he smiled, "You really have it! Just do it, if anything happens, it will be Master Thirteen's fault!" Kan'er nodded, took out a firecracker from his waist, and said silently With a smile, he walked up to a horse and tied the firecracker firmly to the horse's tail.The dog had already understood and hurriedly stepped forward to untie the reins. He lit the fire and said with a smile: "Master Thirteen, you look a little indecent. When the firecrackers go off, we have to run away!" He led him over.Yinxiang saw him light up the twister and give the horse a hard kick on the butt. He smiled and said, "Just for your master's pleasure, tell them to scold you again!"

The horse was kicked and ran forward a few steps. Just as it stood still, the firecracker behind its tail "crackled".The beast jumped up in shock and rushed towards the shed with a long hiss. Suddenly, the turtles inside started shouting, turning tables, horses neighing, glasses clattering, and no one knew what the fuss was about.Yinxiang smiled proudly and said, "Let's go!" The three of them went straight to Babele Mansion to look for Yin.

When they arrived at the door of Babele Mansion, the three of them slowed down. The long attendant at the door recognized Yin Xiang, so they went straight in and headed straight for Yin Xiang's study, Yixingzhai.But I saw Yin's three sons, Hongshi, Hongzhou and Hongli, all waiting respectfully at the entrance of the Zhai Zhai. The eldest was only eight years old and the youngest was only five years old. They were all children. Behind them were a large group of eunuchs, girls and old ladies.The eldest son Hongshi quickly took a step forward, knelt down and said, "Uncle Thirteen is back? Just now, my father asked you." Hongzhou and Hongli kowtowed, then threw themselves into Yinxiang's arms and twisted their hips. As coquettish as sugar.Yin had already heard it inside, so he walked out and said: "Let go of your thirteenth uncle. Gao Fu'er took your three sons back and told Fujin that I am the imperial envoy. I will not go home until I see the emperor tomorrow, and I will also give it to Mr. Wu." Wen Jue Xingyin and the others have a message." Yinxiang picked up Hongzhou and Hongli, put him down one by one, and said with a smile: "Fourth brother is true. If a father can do well for his son, he will train the child well. Like avoiding cats and mice. Although a gentleman embraces grandchildren but not children, without this family happiness, what is the taste?" He turned back and said: "Gou'er Kan'er, you also follow the three masters back and take me I gave them the clay figurines, folding fan sachets and bamboo grasshopper cages I bought from Wuxi." After teasing for a while, he went into the study to have tea and talk with Yinyin.

"Fourth brother," everything was settled, Yin personally laid out the snacks, Fang sat down and waved Xiang Fei's bamboo fan, and said sincerely, "Brother, I have a word of advice. Not to mention that I'm panicking, but after saying it, I'm a little afraid of you; I don't know what to do. Say?" Yin stared at Yin with his dark eyes for a long time, and then said with a smile: "Am I that powerful? That's all you say." Yin smiled broadly and said: "Fourth brother is born with evil aura, he is intimidating, even though the gang is angry, I don’t dare to be disrespectful, this is rare. The ancients said that the strong ones are easy to break, the strong ones cannot defeat the weak ones, and the soft ones can last for a long time. The perfect way is to combine hardness and softness. I was very happy after hearing about Tongcheng’s fundraising, but Beijing He is so big, how can he not be a villain? It is inevitable..." He glanced at Yin and said no more.Yin smiled and said, "Oh? What are you talking about? Just talk!"

Yinwei leaned over and said, "I have an unveiling note here. It was written in a very sinister way. The Ministry of Punishment took it from me. I asked him to hold it back and not pass it inside." As he said this, he picked up a piece of yellow paper from under the desk book and handed it over. To Yin.When Yin took it and looked at it, it read:

The plaintiff, Liu Xiazhi, a salt merchant, swallowed blood for the sake of power: the two brothers Boyi and Uncle Qi were extremely evil, relying on the power of their father and grandfather, they excavated Xu You's tomb, and connected with Liu Qi and Chen Yankang, the ministers of Anhui Province. A certain extorts people's wealth, exhausts the river to fish, and is extremely vicious. He forces three hundred mu of Weitian in Shouyang Mountain to be donated, but there is no contract.Chonghou saw the tiger.Weeping and thinking about the supreme king of Wu, he is still tolerant of knocking on his horse and admonishing him. In the world of Yao and Shun, how can there be no sound of fighting horses?Eager to appeal!
Yin just smiled after seeing it, handed it to Yin Xiang, and said: "The writing is not bad, I don't know how much money I bought it for - take a look." Yin asked again: "What else can I say?"

"Nothing else." Yin muttered, "Like what happened just now, the fourth brother did a good job, but I think it was a little too much. After all, everyone has good intentions, and Xingxing comes to take over. It's too embarrassing." Yinxiang He snickered secretly, pretended to be bored, and said in his heart: "You haven't seen the embarrassment later!"

Yin picked up two pine nuts and rubbed them in his hands. After a while, he said: "If the sky is sentimental, the sky will be old, and the moon will be full without hatred! I also want the horses to be good, but also want the horses not to eat grass. How can there be anything in the world?" Such a beautiful thing?" He paused for a moment and then changed the subject, "How is Emperor Ama's health?"

"It's still strong." Yin breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This old man didn't leave Changchun Garden this summer. But his energy seems to be failing sometimes, and he likes to forget things. Feng Sheng was recommended by the Governor of Water Transport. Fortunately, he had agreed, and summoned the people from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and said, "Why hasn't Feng Zhiren, the governor of Xinhe, come to Beijing to introduce you?" The people from the Ministry of Civil Affairs stared blankly and did not dare to reply. Zhang Tingyu reminded him that it was his eldest brother. My disciple had a good fortune, so I remembered." After saying that, he pursed his lips and smiled.Yinxiang opened his arms to fan the wind, served tea one sip after another to quench his thirst, and said with a smile: "Feng Shengyun, this old dog, has finally come out of the camp! Fourth brother has never seen this man before, with a big chin and a shovel-like tilt. ——" He tilted his chin up, biting and biting as if chewing something, "That's the virtue!" It made Yinyin smile.

Yinyin said: "I asked you to come back because I wanted to clear up the accumulated debts. Shi Shilun has already taken office. He has a strong character and the emperor also values ​​​​him. Now the debt that should be paid has been paid. Among our brothers, only Lao Shi has not paid it off. There are still ten or twenty people among the foreign ministers, such as Cao Yin and Mu Zixu. Some of them cannot afford the repayment, and some are generals who have followed the emperor on several military expeditions. These merits and deeds are so obvious that it is difficult to make a decision. Last time I saw the old man Shi, I'm so anxious, I'm waiting for you two to come back!" As he said that, he stood up and walked around with square steps. He seemed to be filled with emotion when he said, "Old Shi has a short-sightedness, which is actually not bad. Cao Yin and Mu Zixu were both Long Live Lord's old guards. From the first year of Kangxi to the present, they had been with the Emperor through life and death through thick and thin. On the surface, the money they borrowed from the treasury was actually spent by the master. Yes, you can’t afford to pay back millions of dollars even if you sell pots, break bones and boil oil!”

"I don't think it matters." Yin tried to figure out Yin's intentions, as if interceding for these people, and took a sip of tea and said: "We know that we can't pay back the debt, and the emperor also knows it. If you are in a hurry, the emperor has his own rules to protect you. They. As for Lao Shi, I usually listen to my eighth brother the most. Please advise him not to lose his dignity for a few dollars. Even though I am poor, I can still help him. The former people spread dirt and deceived the eyes of future generations. I You can't ignore justice, and you can't ignore personal feelings." Yin didn't expect that he would be blocked tightly just after he tried to plead for mercy. He couldn't help being startled, and then he laughed dumbly: "Fourth brother, you have this kind of heart that people can't help but accept. Old Nine Lao Ten and Fourteenth are just in charge of the Imperial Manor, so they should live closer to me. In fact, they respect you and are a little afraid of you. Even I suppressed all the jokes I made when I saw you."

However, Yinxiang didn't seem to hear the two brothers fighting each other. He flicked the cup with his fingers and said with a smile: "We talk about official business as soon as we meet, and we don't get too tired! My brother, I have something to ask of you!"

"What's the matter?" Yin turned around and smiled.

"I beat Brother Ninth a servant, and I want Brother Nine to mediate a few words with Brother Nine." Yinxiang put away his smile, "I heard that Brother Nine asked the servants to buy those operas for you, I'll see That's right, starling is a generous person, how about giving it to me?"

As soon as Yin heard it, he knew it was the kind of thing Ren Bo'an had reported. He was stunned for a while and said, "What are you talking about? I don't understand at all. There are no servants in my house, and I don't have any actors!" Then he turned to Yin and said, "I don't like going to the theater the most. As you know, fourth brother, the old man and the old man got a few people to send them over, but I accepted them. When I asked, they were all daughters of good families. Qianli They were sold all the way to Beijing. It's so pitiful that I sent them back all at once - are you afraid that someone is doing this outside in my name? We need to check it out!" Only then did Yin bring up the matter of Yin Xiang in Jiangxia Town. After saying that, he added: "I didn't want to take care of it at first. It's really inappropriate to listen to their cries and howls. I asked Thirteenth Brother to discipline this slave."

"How wonderful it is that a hero saves a beauty!" Yin laughed loudly, "However, the person is indeed not mine. Since the thirteenth brother cares about this matter and it is connected to my reputation, I will definitely get to the bottom of it. If you have a little more time, let me handle it. If it's Lao Ninth's person, Thirteenth Brother can rest assured that it will be taken care of by me."

Yin stood up with a smile, took out his pocket watch, looked at it, and said: "It's Haishi, we have to go to the post house. If we haven't finished talking, let's talk about it later - I have to see the emperor tomorrow!" Yin also agreed. Stay and send them straight out of the gate.

(End of this chapter)