Emperor Yongzheng

Chapter 121: Surviving the Mourning: Baylor escapes for his life, obeys the strict decree, and Prince Lian is censored
Full of suspicion, Yunzhi got out of the sedan chair. Hongshi and Yunlu had already hurried over from behind.The two kings and Baylor stood at the entrance of the alley, and people watching the excitement immediately crowded over.But they were all talking, laughing and pointing. They were not at all as solemn and dignified as if they were mourning.The three of them were paying no attention to each other, when a family member from the depths of the alley, Xiaofei, wearing sackcloth and sackcloth, seemed to be running towards him. He fell down in front of the three of them and howled loudly, saying: "Our Lord Wu Beile has ascended to heaven!"

"When did you die?" Yunlu asked with a frown, "Have the funeral notices been sent out? Didn't you report it to the Zongren Mansion and the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Did you ask them to submit a memorial?" His mood became very heavy. The heir of Yongzheng It was already very difficult. Six of the nine sons died of pox, and only three of them, Hongshi, Hongli and Hongzhou, became adults.This time, Yongzheng's knees became even more desolate!Just as he was sighing secretly, Hongshi shouted beside him: "You are a killer! Look at you, you look like you are mourning for your master? Your name is Wang Baoer, right?"

Only then did Yunlu Yunzhi take a closer look and saw Wang Baoer wearing his filial piety hat backwards and two white ribbons hanging in front of his forehead.His forehead and cheeks were daubed with light ink horizontally and vertically, looking like Bai Wuchang dancing on a stage.Just as he was about to scold him, Wang Baoer kowtowed and said, "Gentlemen, please don't be angry or sad. This is our Lord Beile's decree. We will neither send out mourning posts nor submit memorials. Just now our Lord said that after all the liveliness and excitement in our own homes..."

Just now!The three people suddenly seemed to be in a fog.Hong Shi rolled his eyes and said sternly: "You bastard, what are you doing? What's going on with Hong Zhou? If you don't tell me, I can't expose you?" Then he shouted: "Come here, whip me." Waiting!" Wang Bao'er kowtowed and said, "It's my servant who didn't explain clearly. Our Lord Beile is a living sacrifice, and he is still strong!" Thinking about the bustling atmosphere in the house at the moment, he couldn't help but "puff." laugh out loud.

"Absurd!" Yunlu and Yunzhi looked at each other and walked towards the gate of Wubeile Mansion.Seeing that there was more and more excitement from behind, Hongshi ordered his accompanying eunuchs and soldiers: "Seal this alley for me, and drive out the idlers inside - Lao Wu is really making a fool of himself!" As he spoke, he had already arrived at Wu Beile Mansion. in front of the door.I saw that a stone's throw outside the house were filled with spiritual flags, paper people, paper horses and paper sedans, treasury and bank vaults, hundreds of white gauze curtains floating all over the sky in the breeze, paper flowers swaying all over the walls, and paper money flying in the wind. , thousands of gold foil and silver ingots clattered, but it didn't have a special atmosphere.In the doorway, there are more than a dozen trumpeters surrounding two Eight Immortals tables. On the tables are piles of wine, food and vegetables, as well as soup and cakes ordered by the palace. The suona, reed, bamboo, drought and thunder are deafening, but they are playing "The Little Widow Goes to the Grave". .Hongshi's eyes were sharp and he caught sight of a second-grade official wearing a mourning cloth on his red hat. He was holding a simple board with both hands and said, "Papa papa! Papa! Papa!" He was clapping along with the music, bending and raising his head very enthusiastically.Hongshi snatched him over and asked: "Aren't you Luo Zhukang from the Military Aircraft Department? A big Zhangjing, an official of the imperial court, does such a thing? Bah!" He looked at Luo Zhukang and spat.

Luo Zhukang was dancing in the music, but was caught by Hong Shi and gave him a slap in the face. After a while, he woke up. Seeing that it was Yunzhi and others, he knelt down and said, "I am a slave under the banner of Xianglan. The fifth master is my right path." Master, I asked you to come here to attend the funeral... The youngest among the trumpeters here is also the county magistrate, and they are all slaves of the Fifth Master!" Yunzhi couldn't help but laugh, patted Luo Zhukang on the shoulder and said: "You are right, I am still playing for you! The emperor is reorganizing the flag affairs and correcting the status of superiors and subordinates." After saying this, he entered the courtyard.

The courtyard is even more lively, surrounded by white curtains and separated from the corridor. To the east are the monks of Dajue Temple, chanting the "Great Compassion Mantra" with hands clasped together amidst the sound of gongs and drums; to the west are the Taoist priests of Baiyunguan, singing with bronze drums, silver gongs, and shengs. There were more than a hundred people, but some of the family members were killed. They dressed in sackcloth and mourning, danced and sang, and sang "The Turtle Sues Longevity" in a tone-deaf tone.

Wine and song, life geometry?For example, morning dew...

After passing the curtain is the main courtyard.Wu Beile also had more than twenty wives and concubines, as well as his son Yongbi, but he was alone. They were all kneeling in the corridors on both sides. Under the middle steps, there were elephants, tripods, Yi, plates, bowls and other bright objects everywhere, as well as cigarette smoke. Shrouded in a long case are mountains and seas of food.Amidst the trembling ritual drums and cymbals, dozens of men and women here sang and howled in long tones.Yunzhi, Yunlu and Hongshi entered the Baylor Mansion from the street, which did not look like a temple or a home. Their eyes were dazzled by the five colors and their ears felt the sounds of nature. They were all in a daze as if they were in a dream. They opened their eyes and took a good look. After half a day, I saw the "dead man" Hong Zhou wearing a brand-new Baylor uniform, sitting upright behind the confession, looking at which food on offer he liked, and then picked it up with chopsticks and ate it as if no one was watching.

"Zhi Le!" Sanbeile Hongshi suddenly shouted, stepped forward and grabbed Hong Zhou and pulled him down from the seat, "Lao Wu, you are getting more and more ridiculous. The last time you made such a fuss, the Holy Ancestor was fooled. The joke is not being investigated, but you are still doing this nonsense! If Emperor Ama knows, will you still be alive?" At this time, there were 800 people inside and outside, including family members. They had already stopped dancing and had fun, and everyone was confused and confused. Looking at the people under the eaves, I wondered what had happened.It was inconvenient for Yunzhi and Yunlu to come forward on such an occasion. It was the time to show off his identity as a brother. Only one person in the courtyard heard Hongshi shout loudly: "This is the Baylor Mansion of the Qing Dynasty? This is a temple fair - the devil and the snake god have done this. Big pile! Old Five, beat them all out!"

Hong Zhou just returned to reality from the memorial ceremony and music just now. Seeing his brother losing his temper, his two uncles also had blank expressions. They changed their smiling faces and said: "Third brother, you are so angry that it will hurt your body. Don't be so angry." ! Is there anything that cannot be discussed? Come, come, sit down, sit down! Third uncle, sixteenth uncle, nephew, I want to pay my respects to your two elders!" Upon seeing this, several family members rushed to move chairs.Yunlu said: "Don't blame your third brother for being angry. Go to the alley and take a look. I'm afraid there are tens of thousands of people living in mourning like you! What kind of reputation do you have?" Hong Zhou had a single eyelid, a confused look on his face, and seemed to be unable to smile. He grinned and said: "Uncle Sixteen, why did you forget? Seven years ago - this month too - you took me to Prince An's Mansion, and Prince Xiaoan also made a sacrifice. My nephew was still with me. You are attending the banquet together! Since you are here today, you are doing me a favor and don’t leave. After singing these few volumes of sutras, I’ll treat you to a drink!”

"I'm afraid not." Yunzhi said from the side, "We all have a decree, and we are here to deliver it to you." Hong Zhou looked at the people in the courtyard with a smile and said, "We can't ask them to avoid it. Here. Ready-made incense table, please ask the third uncle to give the edict to your nephew to kneel down and read it, okay?" Yunzhi looked at this living treasure helplessly and said, "Okay." Then he held the edict to Hong Zhou.

Hong Zhou knelt down to receive the imperial edict, held it in his hands and read it silently. He returned the imperial edict to Yunzhi, kowtowed and said, "My son, Hong Zhou, obeys the decree!" He stood up and gave up his seat.Hongshi said impatiently: "Since we obey the order, let's go now - ask the family to remove all these troubles inside and outside, and the monks and Taoists will send them back!" Hongzhou bowed repeatedly and said with a smile: "This seems unnecessary. Busy. Uncle Aqina doesn't have wings, so they can't fly anywhere. The imperial edict didn't say to check immediately without delay. My life and death is a big matter at this moment. At least uncle and brother give me some face, although I never I am on an errand, and I also know that there is a lot of room for accommodation. I sent it to me today, and tomorrow - I will go with you tomorrow - I will do what I say, if I don't go, I will be -" He crawled with four fingers on the table After a moment, he said, "——Turtle!" He was smiling, greasy yet polite, and polite with stubbornness.Yunzhi was recognized as the most knowledgeable among the saints, but there was nothing he could do.Hongshi somehow felt slighted.He directly waved to Wang Bao'er, Hong Zhou's housekeeper, and ordered like a master: "The fifth master has been ordered to go on an errand. Tell everyone here to disperse!"

"Yes, Third Master." Wang Baoer promised, but did not take action. He bent down and asked, "Our master also called a show and ordered "Hunyuan Box". Can you please tell me whether to withdraw it?"

"Of course we withdraw!"

"Yes, Third Master." Wang Bao'er asked again without raising his head, "Several old princesses, including Prince Cheng, Dowager Concubine, Prince Zhuang Fujin, and Prince Yi Xian Fujin, have all said they want to come to the show, please. Show--"

Hongshi tilted his head and thought about it, but he was no longer confident, so he said: "Send people to inform the empresses, Fujin, and palace relatives everywhere that the play will be rescheduled to tomorrow, and ask them to come back tomorrow!"

"Yes, Third Master." Wang Bao'er asked again in the same old tone, "The master of this mansion also knows that there are thousands of caged birds in the front and back yards. Since the show has been moved to tomorrow night, I'm afraid it will be inconvenient to move them - some birds He has a bad temper and is not easy to serve. How can I ask retired old Liu Tou from the backyard to take care of him for a day? He is an old expert."

At this point, Yunzhi Yunlu fully understood that Hongshi had been fooled, and when they heard "some birds have too bad tempers", both of them almost laughed out loud.Although Hongshi felt something was wrong, Wang Baoer spoke sincerely and politely. He couldn't wake up for the moment and said impatiently: "These are small things, you can handle them at your discretion-"

"This is no small matter. Birds are the lifeblood of our master!" Wang Baoer said seriously, without raising his head. "My slave has to ask for instructions. Mrs. Sifujin is the one who prepares the food for the birds. The one in front has enough food for one day." For food, the third uncle from the east of the city came to see Mrs. Si Fujin’s old lady and aunt yesterday. The aunt went to the third uncle’s house and picked up Mrs. Si Fujin’s house. The key to the bird food warehouse is still with her. The servant sent someone Bring Si Fujin back, or do you want the key back?"

"These are all trivial household chores in your house, why should I take care of them?"

"I don't know what you said to Third Master!"

"You!" Hongshi realized at this moment that he had fallen into this slick guy's plot. His face suddenly turned blood red, he pressed the handle of the chair and stood up, his whole body shaking with anger. : "How dare you tease the master! Who taught you to talk to the master like this?" Wang Baoer raised his body respectfully, then leaned deeper and said: "Third Master, please don't be angry. I'm just saying this. How dare I, the slave, have the intention to look down on my master? In fact, I also know that I should kowtow to apologize for the last question I asked. However, the fifth master’s family law does not allow kowtow to be perfunctory, and is only allowed to answer clearly, so I misunderstood..."

Only then did Yunzhi and Yunlu realize that Hong Zhou had such a surly family tradition, and couldn't help but smile at each other.Hong Zhou saw his brother blushing furiously, and then he shouted back Wang Bao'er and said to Yunzhi Yunlu: "Second uncle, third brother, Wang Bao'er is skinny and stubborn. In his previous life, he was a donkey. Don't fight with him." General knowledge. I'm really sorry today, because Jia Shifang and Jia Shenxian made a calculation for me. I'm not allowed to go out for ten days, otherwise there will be a bloody disaster. Today is the last day. Don't worry about this. There are exactly three of the three houses that were raided. Personally. I also wrote a secret report to the Emperor about this this morning. If you want to wait patiently, it will be tomorrow; if you can't wait, just go on errands. Whatever I deserve, it's fate. I'm really offended. Well, running errands is a small matter, but life is a big deal, is it Brother Bo?"

"I'm always as quick as a spark when I'm ordered to do errands." Hong Shi's face turned green with anger. He always thought that Hong Zhou was as dissatisfied with the red-hot Prince Bao as he was, so he didn't make friends or run errands for a long time, and just entertained himself.Today I saw this Naidi, who turned out to be a piece of brown candy that could not be torn apart or chewed. Because of this, he sneered, "You yourself believe in the nonsense of old-nosed old-fashioned people. You pretend to be dead in a foul atmosphere, and you want to get on with others! Third uncle and sixteenth uncle." , we’ve been wasted a lot of time, let’s split up and run the errands quickly!” Hong Zhou was tepid, without any lack of courtesy, bowed down with a long bow, and walked from them to Yimen in person, right in the doorway He shouted loudly: "Luo Zhukang, you servants with official duties, send off the third master and the two princes for your master - farewell, see you tomorrow!"

Surrounded by more than a dozen officials with filial piety and playful smiles, the three of them got into the sedan chair.Hongshi was full of cowardice and had a sullen face. He threw the curtain and got into the sedan, and ordered: "Go south, go out of Lao Qihua Gate to Chaoyangmen Pier!" Yunlu was worried that Hongzhou would be offended for his willfulness, and complained at the same time. Bai missed the moment, and while getting on the sedan, he said: "Third brother, let's go north, don't we take a short detour?" Yunzhi thought about Hong Zhou's various eccentric behaviors and several officials bared their teeth and cried. With a funny look on his face, he forced himself to get on the sedan chair. As soon as the curtain of the sedan chair was lowered, he laughed uncontrollably, but he just held it in and refused to let out a sound.When I listened to the preaching, it was already playing again, but it was a song called "Little Cowherd" with a strange tune.

Hongshi got on the sedan with great enthusiasm. He was less than a stone's throw away but he was already calm.By doing this, Hong Zhou didn't know that he was not showing to himself that he would never covet the throne. Standing on the dry bank and watching the river rise, he could not escape his position as a prince.If I were in this position, maybe it would look like this too!Thinking about Uncle Eighth's current fate, he himself felt terrified.However, he had previously taken advantage of the fall of Lung and Long, and had taken many of their followers under his wing.On the surface, Hongli seemed to be generous and generous, and seemed to only obey Yongzheng's will and work hard on errands. In fact, word came from behind that Hongli was very wary of him. He once said to Yongzheng, "The third brother has too many followers, and the emperor's elder brother is rich in gold and jade." , Chunhua and Maode, it is not suitable to make too many foreign ministers."In the case of Zhang Tinglu's examination room, Hongshi also interviewed several parties involved. He was obviously suspected of doing something, but he didn't even say a few words in front of his face. He even kept it secret in front of Yongzheng - what does this mean?Do you want to keep something secret until the evidence comes? Will you tell the truth?He then thought about it again. Although Hongli had been granted the title of prince and had the highest status among the three brothers, Yongzheng seemed to be quite dissatisfied. Once in Yunsongxuan, they were discussing the transfer of foreign officials to the army. Speaking of Tian Wenjing, Hongli To say that Tian Wenjing is eager for quick success and quick success is not the image of Wang Chen.A disciple of a scholarly saint should establish his character through knowledge, otherwise he would be doing things in a desperate manner, and his sons and ministers would dislike him for two things: one is seeking auspiciousness indiscriminately, and the other is eager to achieve success.Yongzheng grabbed the spot in front of him: "In today's world, it has become a common practice to talk empty words without doing practical things. You have to go down and see what officials are like, what big business owners say, and what is the situation of small business owners. Knowledge is not only in what you read. A few books!" - This time I was in charge of Beijing, and Hongli went out to Beijing on business. It seems that Yongzheng may not have had other deep intentions.To miss such an opportunity, you would be the biggest fool in the world! ...Hongshi was thinking wildly when the sedan chair had landed steadily.Looking through the sedan window, the majestic Prince Lian's Mansion on the north bank of the canal was clearly visible. Hongshi calmed down and got out of the sedan with a bow.The eunuch Niu Sen shouted loudly:
"Master Imperial Envoy, Mr. Sanbeile has arrived!" The vast empty space on the screen wall of Prince Lian's Mansion was already packed with people.More than 100 officers sent by the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen all stood with their hands down in front of the closed red lacquered and copper-nailed gate of the big building.More than twenty people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, all officials of seventh rank or above, stood beside the tall and mighty stone lion.Tu Lichen, the admiral of the Nine Gates, personally led Goshiha in two rows, standing upright in front of the door with guns and swords. Under the warm spring sunshine, there were many swords and guns gleaming, murderous, creating a tense and terrifying atmosphere.Seeing Hongshi slowly walking over, all the officials, except for the imperial guards led by Tu Lichen, knelt down in silence.Tu Lichen strode forward, knelt down and said, "I would like to say hello to the Third Master! Just now, Mr. Zhu from the Military Aircraft Department of the Inner Court sent someone to ask if he had started checking. I said that the Third Master has gone to make an appointment with the Fifth Master. He will come as soon as he can - -What, the fifth master didn’t come?”

"Hongzhou is not feeling well and is talking nonsense because of his fever." A smile flashed across Hongshi's lips, and then he straightened his face and asked, "You are in charge of the internal and external police, who is handling the inspection affairs inside?" Suddenly, a fourth-rank official trotted over beside the stone lion. He was no more than 40 years old. He had two pointed heads like date pits, high cheekbones and concave lips, and a pair of small eyes under thick eyebrows. He was capable and agile. You could tell at a glance that he was this man. A character who can move at the touch of a button.He walked up to Hongshi and beat Qian'er very skillfully, and said with a smile: "My slave Ma Mingqi greets the master and asks the third master for instructions." Hongshi said with a smile: "Let's go, we will talk after we go in!"

The front door, which had been blocked for an unknown amount of time, was opened with a groan.Hongshi was in the middle, and Tu Lichen and Ma Mingqi on both sides behind him followed suit and walked in along the Linqing brick corridor in front of the main hall of the palace.This is the second largest royal palace in Beijing. It is only slightly smaller than Prince Yi Yunxiang's palace. It covers an area of ​​about three hectares including the garden.When it comes to the regulation and grand layout of the inner palaces, there is no other place like it except the Forbidden City.Along the central axis of the main entrance, there are two symmetrical courtyards in the east and west. The third courtyard in the east is where Yunhu held banquets and formally received officials.There are male servants in the front yard and maids in the backyard. The middle courtyard of the third west courtyard is Yunhu's study and living room.The eunuchs in the front yard, the family members in the back yard, and the Yinluan Palace in the middle are just for show.But there are five or six acres of land in front of the empty space, and the small houses on the two verandahs are occupied by family members on duty.In the middle of the courtyard stands an "Eryi Gate" more than three feet high, but it does not rely on any four walls. It looks like a lonely stone square, far away from the main hall.At this time, Hongshi came in. There were almost no people in the house. There were only a few old and frail family members holding brooms and shovels. Some were shoveling the dark red moss on the platform base, and some were carefully sweeping the cracks in the bricks. .A group of crows were pecking at something in front of the platform. When they saw so many people suddenly crowding in, they flew up to the sky and circled "croaking", as if lamenting the loss of this bustling place that was once covered with clouds. perish.Hongshi was also surprised. He was standing in front of the stone quarry and was trying to figure out how to meet this "Aqina" eighth uncle. Suddenly, there was a sound at the east side door, and a middle-aged eunuch in his 40s came up to him. He was from Prince Lian's Mansion. He Zhuer, the eunuch in charge.He Zhuer's face was so pale that there was no trace of blood. He looked at Hong Shi and his group with indifferent and dull eyes at the door. He slowly took off his horse hoof sleeves, bent down, walked over and knelt down, and said in a trembling voice:

"Third Master, I'm here to say hello to you!"

"I guess your master already knows?"

"This is an obvious thing." He Zhuer kowtowed, "Our master is waiting for the imperial envoy. He will come out soon." As soon as he finished speaking, Yunhu had already walked out of the side door, followed by his son Hong. Wang, Hongming, Hongyi, Hongying.Yunhu seemed a little surprised when he saw that it was Hongshi who came to convey the order. He straightened his crown decorated with ten east beads and walked slowly over. He only glanced at Tulichen with extremely contemptuous eyes without saying a word. He said, standing up and standing opposite Hongshi.

"Uncle Eighth," Hongshi suddenly felt a little ashamed of himself and his legs were a little disobedient and trembled from time to time. "How are your health?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. My knee joint is swollen and I can't kneel down. Ask two people to push me down." Yunsu's chest rose and fell sharply, obviously very excited, but his tone was still very calm, "Since Emperor Yongzheng gave me a new Name, you don’t have to hide your identity now, just call me 'Aqina'. Is it Aisin Gioro? Yunsi is not as smooth as this." There was a slight trill of gold and stone in his words, and he was half afraid. And neither does grief.Several of his sons were sobbing together. Hongwang's knees softened and he knelt down. He choked and said to Hongshi: "Third brother, I kneel down to listen to the imperial edict on behalf of my father!" Yunhu suddenly became angry and shouted loudly: "Disobedience" Seeds, why are you howling in mourning?"

Hongshi glanced at the expressionless Tulichen, looked at his tearful younger brothers - they were all friends who met every day in the Zongxue, and now they were prisoners - and couldn't help but have red circles in his eyes, and said : "Since Eighth Uncle is not feeling well, you can let your sons kneel and accept the decree on your behalf. Eighth Uncle, my nephew will not comfort you in vain when things get to this point. Please take care of yourself. The Emperor will definitely have some favors for you when you come back." . My nephew is also very sad to accept this job. Please ask the Eighth Uncle for his understanding first." After that, he hardened his face and said loudly: "According to the emperor's order, Hongshi went to Prince Lian's Mansion to inspect the Aqina family property. Kudos to this!"

"Thank you...Long live!" The four Hongwang brothers kowtowed together.

When Ma Mingqi saw that the person involved had already accepted the order, he took a step forward and gave Yunhu a Qian'er very ably, saying: "This servant is on a mission and can't help himself. The eighth master will be more considerate!" He turned around and crossed his arms. He bowed and said to Hongshi: "Please tell me, Master Baylor, so that the slaves can obey the order!" More than a hundred government servants brought into the house by the Ministry of Internal Affairs stood on the west side of Eryifang. When they saw someone about to take action, they all He was so excited that he was gearing up and his eyes were shining.

"I know you bastards are used to confiscating family property." Hongshi said coldly, "Today, I have been ordered to check the family property and not move it. He Zhuer will take him with him to look at each warehouse and take away the royal gifts and private property. One category is piled up, and a register is made and reported. Fujin is a member of the Anjun Wang family, and there are a lot of dowries and gifts when passing through the house, so they cannot be seized all together. This was also confirmed by He Zhuer, registered and made, but it can still be used . The family members and family members gathered in the courtyard where the eunuch lived. No disturbance was allowed. The study and the signing room were handled by me personally. The eighth uncle, all the imperial letters, and the correspondence between the adults inside and outside, I forgive my nephew for taking them away. As for the eighth uncle himself. The books don’t even need to be sealed, please be sure to forgive me, Uncle Eight."

Yunhu said coldly: "I have also raided other people's homes, and now that I have been raided, I understand the rules. If you don't let these thieves and bastards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs get some benefits, they might dare to smash the imperial gifts for me." My crime is cruel, if I add a few banned books to my pile of documents, I will be destroyed. I have already prepared, and each person who comes will be rewarded with 200 taels of silver. Don't hide it secretly anymore If I can’t figure it out, I’ll just ask you for help. As for the paperwork, I’ve sorted it out, so what to do is all ready-made.”

"That couldn't be better." Hongshi said with a half-smile on his face, "Brothers, please kneel here, and I will accompany Uncle Eight to the study to have tea and talk." After saying that, he gave up his hand, and he and Yun were familiar with each other. Xiang Xiang followed him to the east study.Ma Mingqi waved his hand to several clerks, and the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs immediately split up. Carrying glutinous rice buckets and seals, some checked the study, and some chased away their families. When Yunhu and Hongshi entered the study, they could already hear the commotion in the west courtyard. There was a lot of noise, and the faint sound of a woman crying and cursing could be heard.Yunhu seemed to turn a deaf ear, but Hongshi showed a look of intolerance. He ordered the people who followed him to stand on the patio outside the study, and followed Yunhu into the study alone.

"I never expected that things would get to this point." Hongshi said hurriedly as soon as he sat down, "Now I can't say anything, and it's not the time to complain or regret. If Uncle Eight has any advice or anything to do, I'll take advantage of it. No one cares about it, my nephew is going to protect you no matter what."

Yunhu hesitated for a long time, just conspired silently.He only believed half of Hongshi's words.But now he was desperate for a comeback, and his mind was full of hatred and revenge against Yongzheng.After thinking about it, he pulled out a piece of paper as thin as a cicada's wings from the boot page, which was only about the size of a palm. It was densely covered with small characters. He handed it to Hongshi and said, "I don't complain, and I don't have anything to do. This is the list of officials in the 'Baye Party' who have not yet been exposed. Unfortunately, there are not many first- and second-grade officials left. You may need it." He took out another document from under the case file and said, "This is It’s a list of items in the study, the east cupboard is the handed-in documents, and the rest are my private collection of books.”

"Is this the amount that was turned in?" Hongshi quickly put the list in his sleeve, looked at it, frowned and said, "There is not a single letter, and the imperial memorial is incomplete. What a shrewd person Huang Ama is, this You can’t get over it.”

Yunhu stood up and paced around the study for a long time before asking: "Do you know how the fourth child (Yongzheng) plans to punish me?" Hongshi sighed and said: "It doesn't matter for a while, last night When I went to pay my respects, I saw that the emperor had approved in the Ministry of Rites notes, "The king of the people is temporarily appointed to see the consequences. At all court meetings, the people will be treated as princes and princes." I haven't heard anything else." "He always pretends to be two people. My dear, I thought of this." Yunhu's eyes were as dry as dark red coals, staring straight ahead without blinking, "But this situation won't last long, everyone will push against the wall, and those sycophants and sycophants , the grasshoppers refused to spare me, this is a good time to offer them the bezoar dog treasure. Life and death, life and death! I have already ignored it, otherwise I would not take this risky move. Hongshi, I have never had the intention to usurp the throne. . You must make this clear when you go back. This is also what I tell you from the bottom of my heart. Because of this, I do not advise you to usurp the throne. That Yongzheng went against the grain and acted against the will of God. He will not last long! Look at him, in fact, he has already I'm so tired! No matter how capable a person is, no one can be a single man by doing things that go against the rules and regulations. He's tired because he doesn't know how to do nothing and just go with the flow. He won't live long!" He was like swallowing a piece of bitter and dry pancake. Calmly speaking with a fire of resentment, he took a breath for a while, and then said: "As for you, I also have a word of advice. You must not protect me and your uncle Jiu. You must persuade him to punish us - we Not only do I not hate you, I am also grateful to you! - I also want to tell you that the people in your office are not as smart as Hongli. Hongli does not show his edge, but you are too sharp, and many people can see that you are talking to Hongli. What are you fighting for? This is a disadvantage. Don't suffer the same losses as I have suffered in this generation. Be decisive and decisive! By the time someone occupies the central position, it will be too late for you!" Hongshi listened to these words, It was like thunder and lightning, I was moved and sad at the same time. I felt like I had a five-flavor bottle filled with all kinds of flavors.He screamed in pain, "Uncle Eighth——" His lips trembled and he couldn't take it anymore.

"Don't feel sorry for me, don't protect me!" Yunhu's blood was flowing backwards, "Hongli has already regarded himself as the prince! If you can make further progress, my sons may one day see the light of day again. .Hongli! He is the destined successor, how could he think of my son!" Thinking of the unpredictable future of his sons, Yunhu couldn't help but shed tears even though he had the heart to die.

"Uncle, don't be sad." Hong Shi stood up and said comfortingly, "The most important thing is to keep the green hills. As long as I don't lose anything, I can take care of you. I heard from Fang Bao that the emperor said, 'The crime is not as bad as the child'." Fujin and his younger brother It doesn't matter if we predict it. Who can predict what will happen next? Bai is so anxious that his body is even worse! You can't stay here for a long time. Just rest here, I'll go out to greet the people and leave." He was also afraid to look again. Yunhu glanced at it, paused briefly at the door, stepped out and went to the main courtyard.

Tu Lichen and Ma Mingqi had already received copies from various places. A dozen copyists sat on low stools next to the Eryi Gate and were in charge of copying, and the abacus clattered like rain.Seeing Hongshi coming out, the two of them came up to him at the same time. Tulichen smiled and said: "Third Master, the list will come out immediately. Just now, Fujin came over and told me that the eight-treasure glazed screen on the east side of the main hall belongs to her Wuya family and belongs to the emperor." The Queen Mother gave it to her mother-in-law back then, but it was also a royal gift, what should I do?"

"Come out so soon?" Hongshi asked for a few copies of the copy from the clerk, switched them over in his hand, and said, "That's not a taboo thing. The old lady Xiaocheng gave it to my mother. My mother There are a lot of things to send at home. Just add a note to the booklet." Seeing Hongwang and others still kneeling on the cold brick floor with tears streaming down their faces, they walked over and said warmly: "Brothers, get up. Let's get up. Now that the official business is over, you should go and take care of your father. When it’s time to ask you to come out and see him off, someone will of course call him.” After Hongwang left, Hongshi said to Ma Mingqi: “How much money is the total worth? It’s reasonable now. I won’t give details. But if the emperor wants to ask, I can’t say I don’t know.”

Ma Mingqi smiled apologetically and said, "Eighth Master's things are very organized and clear. The silks and satins are in the silk and satin warehouse, and the tributes are in the tribute warehouse. Jade, porcelain, curios, antiques, furniture, gold, silver, and money all have their own warehouses and accounts, and there is no mess at all. The brothers here each received two hundred silver, and none of them dared to be greedy or bold. The bank account and the items were consistent and they were sealed. I made a rough estimate and found that, except for the reward from the emperor, the private wealth was around 200 million taels of silver. There are ten Zhuangzi in each place. Three buildings, not including banks, pawn shops, and antique shops. The value of the money here is about 27 million. Mr. Baylor and the emperor estimated it at 600 to 800 million, which is not outrageous."

"It's just this amount." Hongshi knew that Yunhu was poaching people in the Northeast to participate in the gold mining tax collection, and his private wealth was by no means such a small amount, but he also admired him for how clearly he had ripped it off in such a short period of time.Yin smiled and said: "I can't even make a fraction of him. He is generous in spending money, but he thinks he is frugal. When I copied the Thirteenth Uncle, I only copied 10,000+ in total. Even brothers have the same salary. Whether they can run a business or not depends on God." It's a big difference." After saying that, Ma Mingqi and Tu Lichen led them to check the various warehouses, and then personally sealed the Yinluan Palace. Seeing that it was almost dusk, they directed everyone to leave Prince Lian's Mansion.He also told Tu Lichen: "The Eighth Master is still a prince and has not been dismissed. The people guarding here must not lack courtesy, let alone be barbaric. The Eighth Master's family property has been sealed, and some family members must be dismissed. This is natural. Do not search and detain without authorization." . Your people are causing trouble for no reason, please be careful and I will deal with you!" After that, he went up to the sedan chair.

(End of this chapter)