Emperor Yongzheng

Chapter 19 Prince Yong dropped out of the middle school

As soon as Yin left the palace, he took a sedan chair and went straight to Prince Yong's Mansion. He was thinking about many unhappy things. The more he thought about it in the sedan chair, the more uncomfortable he felt.He had heard rumors about deposing the crown prince for a long time, but he didn't expect that the ministers around him would also believe these rumors and would often make alarmist statements.In the 42nd year of Kangxi's reign, the conspiracy to commit rebellion was done behind his back. This matter was reviewed by the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Punishment and the Lifan Yuan, and it was already concluded that Zhang Tingyu personally executed him.So after the matter was over, Kangxi summoned him alone in the Qianqing Palace. After Yinzao knelt down and told the secret, the father and son held their heads and cried loudly, swearing to the sky that they would never betray each other.It's funny that people outside don't know about it, so they have endless worries. Whenever something happens to him, he is not as responsive as before.He thought bitterly of these brothers: the eldest brother was the nephew of the traitorous star, frivolous and impetuous; the third brother only knew how to make friends with literati, and was an expert at singing about the wind and the moon; where was the fourth brother?He only immerses himself in business and has no ambition; the fifth child can't even speak honestly; the sixth child does nothing but play chess and birds; the seventh child dies early; the eighth child - only the eighth child can be called a strong rival, and he and the old man The nine elders, ten elders and fourteen are all connected with each other, and they seem ambitious, but he has never done anything alone, so how can he have the talent to control the overall situation?The rest of the little brothers are either black-browed or young... If I lose myself, who can bear the heavy responsibility of the prince?After thinking wildly all the way, we passed through Beiding'anmen and arrived at Yongjun Prince's Mansion.As soon as Yin got off the sedan, he saw another large sedan with a golden roof and green cloth coming from the west and landing in front of the door. When he glanced at it, it was the third elder brother Yinzhi who came out with a smile on his face and said with a smile: "It turns out to be the third brother!" I thought about making an appointment with the fourth child to go to Songhe Shanfang to see what rare books you bought, but I didn’t want you to come too."

"It's the crown prince!" Yinzhi was startled, hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, and said with a smile, "I was thinking about asking my fourth son to come in to greet him! I have already thought of one place." Yinzhi is 31 years old this year, standing tall like a jade tree facing the wind , very chic and quiet, speaking eloquently, appearing calm and steady, the two were chatting and laughing, Gao Fu'er came out early, kowtowed to please An said with a smile: "There is a visitor at the door, so it's impossible to think it's the crown prince and the third prince! Go in and ask Fourth Master to welcome you!"

Yin Zhi smiled and waved his hands, "I'm a frequent visitor, so I don't need this trick. I'll show the prince the way—your master is in the study in the East Courtyard?" The two masters are playing chess!" As he said that, he hurriedly called the long followers to receive the two followers and waited for tea in the east chamber of Yimen.

This was the first time for Yin to visit Prince Yong's Mansion. He followed Yinzhi along the pebbled corridor and came in. He saw that the main room inside was decorated with carved sculptures and towering eaves, but the interior was not luxurious. Under the central big kang, there were a dazzling array of books, instruments, swords, bottles, and stoves. The pillows, mats, and curtains were all in order and spotless, and Yin was weighing them secretly in his heart. People say that the fourth child is the most elegant, and indeed they were tidied up. Seeing that Yin Yinxiang was concentrating on the game, he signaled to Yin Zhi not to speak and to just stand. Watching from the sidelines.This game of chess has reached the middle of the game. Yinxiang is the famous chess king in Agori, but Yin is a bad chess player, so that the three pieces of chess have already lost. Yin held the chess piece in one hand and said with a smile: "Old Thirteen , it seems that you are not willing to give in to me even a step..." Yinxiang also smiled and said: "I will give in to things that should be given up, and give in to things that shouldn't be given up, just to look down on people." As he said that, he looked up and saw Yinyinzhi , couldn't help being surprised: "Hey, when did the prince and third brother come?" Yin then stood up, messed up the situation and sat down politely, and complained to Gao Fuler not to come in.

"We are brothers behind closed doors, so the rules are good." Yin waved his hand and said, "Loyalty or disloyalty does not matter. Lao Ba and Lao Jiu are very respectful to me on weekdays, but later on they will call Lao Ten this one. When the firecrackers come out to cause trouble, it really makes people angry to death." Yinxiang sneered and said: "You probably don't know that there is also a big Qiansui who is trying to offset me at the table. When he sees that I have the upper hand, he pulls me, and when he sees him coming to fight, he pushes me away. Waiting for me to be beaten! At night, he came to my house to act as a good guy, scolding, "Old nine and ten are really nothing!" What kind of justice and brotherhood are there in things nowadays? I was the one who originally wanted to impeach brother ten, but I was the one who wanted to impeach brother ten. They stopped me. They were obviously targeting me, but they were actually writing an article about the prince. Let’s take a look and talk about it. Why are you so busy?” Yin couldn’t help but be stunned and asked with a smile: “My article? It’s so ridiculous - what have you heard? ?”

Yinxiang personally brought two cups of tea to Yinyinzhi and said, "Can't you see it yet? You humiliate Shi Shilun on the outside and cause trouble in the imperial garden on the inside. It's a series of tricks! Prince, there are already rumors that you said, 'Where is the past and the present?'" Is there anyone who has been a crown prince for 40 years?' And he also said that when you were in the army at that time, when you saw that Banzai was dying of illness, you couldn't help but snicker! Listen, aren't you going to be treated to death? " After hearing this, Yin pondered for a long time with a blank face. Fang sneered and said, "I can't explain this to God. I only ask my own heart! If you take these gossips seriously, I will be scared to death or angry to death!" Yin! Zhi shuddered and his face turned a little pale: "The human heart is so sinister, it's really scary!" But Yinxiang turned around and said, "Ignore these straight bitches! I'm not afraid of being beaten, but you are? What?"

"It's useless to be afraid; if you're not afraid, you need to have countermeasures." Yin looked at the window pane, his eyes shining brightly, and said, "Actually, people hate me for being above the prince and Yin Xiang, and wish they could eat flesh and sleep with skin! We don't avoid resentment here. If we don't like doing something, some people will stir up trouble, take the opportunity to build a party to show favor, and wait with red eyes until the job is done badly, and a swarm of bees will come up and bite us to death. Therefore, the only way out is to do the job well and make them unable to bite us. ." Yinxiang held up his palms and smiled and said: "Here! That's what I'm saying! These few generals and admirals, who are unwilling to bleed, will fight with them in the ring tomorrow. They are not afraid of the poor who owe debts, but they are afraid of the heroes who collect debts. ! I don’t believe it, the arm can be twisted past the thigh! Hey——!” He slapped his neck and killed a flower-legged mosquito.Yin thought of Kangxi's cold gaze on her, frowned worriedly, and said: "Old Shisan, you can't be reckless! It's incredible to force people to death again! Look at people's hearts! The last time Lao Shizhi humiliated Shilun, Dozens of ministry officials were standing by, but no one came out to persuade me. Do you really want me to be a single husband?"

Yinxiang became angry when he heard this. Thinking that he was the prince after all, he suppressed his anger and said with a smile: "We are dealing with thieves, how can we become an independent husband? If this is considered an independent husband, I can just admit it." Although Yinxiang Suppressing his anger and speaking pleasantly, Yin still felt that this bastard was too rude to him, and said coldly: "Do you recognize me or not? What kind of good reputation is this? A thousand people can blame you for dying without a cause!" Unexpectedly, the words had just finished. , Yinxiang put his palms together and smiled: "Amitabha! Such a happy ending is my wish!"

"You!?" Yin felt that there were too many things that were not going well for him today. Seeing that Yinxiang was complacent and nonchalant, chatting as if no one else was around, he couldn't help but elongate his face, his lips trembled for a long time, he stood up and said, "You... Are you talking to me? Who did you take advantage of to act so boldly?" Yinxiang originally had no intention of joking, but when he saw the prince's face change, he was startled for a moment, then stood up, stared at the prince's face, smiled "hee" and said : "It's mine, isn't it? I wanted to make a joke, but why did it offend your power? In this case, I will be careful to serve you from now on - it will be sooner or later. Today, Lao Ba is serving wine and he wants to invite me." Farewell!" He cupped his fists and gave the prince a slap in the face, stood up and walked away.Yin was so anxious that he slammed the table and shouted: "Stop!"

For a moment, the room became completely silent, and even Gao Fu'er and Gou Kan'er, who was waiting on the porch, were stunned.For a long time, Yin Zhi sighed in frustration, sat down slumped, covered his face with his hands and said, "Go ahead... Just let him go... It's really difficult to do things..." Yinzhi frowned and said, "Old Thirteen, what are you doing now? You are so rude. Even we and Lao Ba Lao Ten are not like the master!"

"What can I compare with Ba Ye?" Yinxiang gasped, "Do you think it's easy for me? When I just went to the Ministry of Households, those officials and old subordinates almost beat me to death! Even counting the front, in the two years in the household department, whoever has slept a full sleep is not a human being!" He said, tears rolling in his eye sockets, and he suppressed them violently, "...I want to What are you talking about? Aren’t you trying to win face? You tell me to take Songjin Pills and Xiaolisan at critical moments, can I take it anymore?”

These words were so touching that Yin couldn't help lowering his head, frowning and just sighing.Yin dragged Yin Xiang back and persuaded: "The prince also has good intentions. He wants to do everything well! Are you annoyed?" Yinzhi also said: "The prince's words are reasonable. You must be moderate in everything, and you cannot overdo it. But the prince doesn’t have to worry about it. He said it a few times and appreciated it. Now that General Wei Dongting has passed away, he is worried about it and says otherwise. Having said that, Old Thirteen also wants to give up when things go well and just roll around. , it’s not a bad ending.”

His persuasion made sense to the prince. Long Live is not bad. Yinxiang did the right thing. He was surrounded by light. Yin smiled when he heard it and was about to speak. Yinxiang said angrily: "I can't roll on the slope." , that's a donkey! Anyway, we can't let this matter go!" Yin said: "The more I think about it, the general can't dismount! If he collapses again this time, it will be difficult to get back up!"

"This matter is no small matter." Yin glanced at Yin Xiang, feeling very conflicted, "You have worked hard for the court and for me, how can I not know why? But what Long Live said must not be ignored: our glorious dynasty is at its peak. , we can’t act like a philistine forcing usurers to make things too miserable for us. Old Thirteen, please calm down and you’ll understand what I mean. Let’s do this, gather people together tomorrow, don’t say anything, I’ll go see you Long live, let's see what the will is. If we do things according to the decree, they will have huge grievances, and they can't blame us. As long as there is grace and forgiveness, we don't have to be evil people." After hearing this, Yinzhi couldn't help but say that he was good. , Yin Xiangyin was silent.The four people chatted a few more words, and Yin Zhifang accompanied Yin back to his house without mentioning it.

Only two people, Yin Yinxiang, were left in the room, both frowning and thinking.I don't know when the wind started blowing outside, and the melancholy clouds were very low, covering the courtyard with a dark and gloomy tone. Only the iron horses under the eaves jingled in the wind unwillingly.After an unknown amount of time, Yin took a deep breath and said, "You are too impatient. The prince advises you to be cautious. Isn't it a bad thing?"

"He's so cautious! He's so mean! A woman's kindness is as courageous as a rabbit's!" Yinxiang spat, "Don't look at him sitting next to the emperor all day long, trying to figure out what the emperor means, for fear of making the emperor unhappy at all. According to me, what displeases the emperor the most is his little virtue!" Yin sat up straight uneasily and was about to speak when he heard someone behind the screen say leisurely: "Such a good thing! The so-called affairs of the world and the feelings of the world, It's easy to bow down, but it's difficult to stand up. The prince is not stupid, but he can't understand the wonderful meaning of the three vehicles, which makes people sigh!" Then he heard the cane being used, and Wu Sidao stepped out calmly, beside Yin. Standing still, with a stern smile on his lips and a faint green light in his eyes, he said: "I listened for a long time in the back. I thought that the Thirteenth Master was just a man of heroic spirit and courage, but this insight is impressive. This is really the blessing of the Fourth Master. !”

Yin's eyes twitched, he lowered his eyelids, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile: "I was just about to refute his casual remarks! Sir, I praise him!" Wu Sidao sat down calmly, intertwined his two slender pale fingers, He nodded briefly and said: "The words of the Thirteenth Master are irrefutable. The Crown Prince is indeed like this. He pries into the Emperor's will in a trivial manner, tries to figure out the holy meaning from a few words, and is always attached to the Emperor. He is afraid of making even the slightest mistake. It is precisely he who has already done so. He felt that his position was unstable, but he just didn't dare or didn't want to admit it. I once said that he was in danger because the emperor wanted a prince, not a slave! How could the emperor look down on such a cowardly and incompetent person when he himself is a talented person? People? This is called looking up to ask for something difficult. For example, standing on tiptoes to pick something up is not as easy as bending down to pick it up? If the prince can take the world as his own responsibility and not avoid resentment, he will lead the fourth master and the thirteenth master on the left, and Shi Shilun on the right With a capable official who is good at rectifying things and refreshing the administration, how can Long Live still be worried about his left and right? This is easy when you look down and pick it up. But there is ease among difficulties, and there are difficulties among easy things. Life is hindered by material desires, such as entering the world. The seven saints are all confused by the mountain of Juci. It is not easy to see it clearly and neatly!" After saying this, he couldn't help laughing.Yin Xiang listened with rapt attention to his talk. He saw Yin sitting cross-legged and rubbing his beads without saying a word. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind: If the fourth brother becomes the prince, then... Just as he was thinking about it, Yin Qing Shen asked: "Mr. Yiyi, what should I do?"

"Don't hesitate. The fourth master has thirteen tendons to support this situation, and we must make them spit out all the fat and fat of the people!" Wu Sidao's face was pale and pale, "What is an independent husband! Only when the disabled people try their best Dufu! The fourth master and the thirteenth master work hard day and night to deal with the king's affairs, and those who are punished are the thieves of the people. Why do you talk about Dufu? I also have a slogan: Such a person who is pointed at by thousands of people and watched by thousands of eyes is the aura of sages!"

Yinxiang's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he clapped his hands and said, "Sir's words penetrated the seven letters! It made people's eyes clear!" Yinxiang suddenly asked: "What if the prince is surprised? Suppose the emperor really has a decree of leniency. What?" "What's so scary about someone like the prince?" Wu Sidao's voice was as dry as swallowing a piece of charcoal. "As for the emperor, if he had a favor, why would he ask for leave on behalf of the two generals Wu and Mu? Just fish from the lake and catch them all in one catch. Long live To soothe people's hearts, or to reproach a little, Fourth Master, even so, if you plant such a melon seed in the emperor's heart, you will gain more than you lose!"

"The prince will eventually ascend the throne!" Yin's eyes flickered like a will-o'-the-wisp, then dimmed, "The aftermath... is so difficult!" Wu Sidao pondered, and said carefully: "You won't do him any harm at all. How can he be jealous? He can't live without you two, so how dare he offend you? One day, he will have to rely on you to deal with the Eighth Master!"

"That's it, the more you listen to the words, the better!" Yinxiang slapped his thigh and stood up, "Gou'er, Kan'er, go, follow me back to the Ministry of Households!"

Yin left Prince Yong's Mansion full of thoughts and went to Yinzhi's Mansion to pick up books for a while. When he returned to the palace in dismay, Wang Guan and others had already retired.Sitting alone in the empty hall, listening to the howling and whimpering of the autumn wind outside the eaves, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that there were so many things that I couldn't explain myself, so I asked the palace maid to make strong Pu'er tea and leaned on the spring bench. It was just a trance.Suddenly, He Zhuer came in with a stack of copywriting papers, and hurriedly stopped and said, "Prince, are you back?"

"Ah."

"The servant just came back from the upper study."

"Ah."

"He Meng from the imperial hospital came here. The medicine the crown prince asked for has been prepared. Following the crown prince's order, I added a flavor of snow lotus."

"Pills and powder?"

"pill."

He Zhuer said, taking out a small bag from the large gold lacquer cabinet and holding it to Yin.When Yin opened it and looked at it, he saw that it was a particle the size of a pea, made from beeswax. After a sniff, the fragrance hit his nostrils, and he put it in his arms.This is an ancient prescription he copied from the "Yongle Dadian" in Yinzhi's study. It is a treasure that nourishes yin, strengthens yang, and dispels old age and youth. It is said to be the elixir taken by the Huangdi's imperial daughter.But once the emperor discovers this kind of thing, it will be a big deal.Even if Wang Tuan knew about it, he wouldn't know how much trouble it would cause.To prevent the eunuchs from doing tricks, he always carried it with him.While taking the medicine, he asked: "Have you gone to the study to relax? Have they drafted these details?"

"The slaves were still there when they came back." He Zhu'er laughed, "They were busy drawing up a posthumous title for Wei Dongting, and there was also Wei Dongting's legacy approved by the emperor. Please look at it, the crown prince."

Yin's body trembled, he sat upright, took the scroll above and read it.As expected, the first item in the abbreviation clearly reads: Wei Dongting, the second-class Duke and the customs governor of the four provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan and Zhejiang, passed away on August [-]th.Attached is a posthumous fold - after flipping through it a few times, it turns out that there is a posthumous fold written by Wei Dongting.When we look closely, we can see how the illness mentioned above is a great favor. The emperor traveled thousands of miles to repeatedly give good medicines and prescribed prescriptions. It is extremely difficult to repay the kindness and nostalgia.As he looked at it, a few lines of writing came into his eyes:
... The slaves treat the body of a sinner, and their hearts are bowed down. This body is used as a soil to cover the mausoleum, and the debt owed to the state has not been returned.Such an innocent person, I don't know where to enter hell!Wandering around the night stage, staring at the palace in a daze, tears and blood have dried up, and the heartache is silent.I only hope that life after life will follow the emperor's left and right, and maybe I can repay my kindness in case of emergency.The heart that knots the grass and holds the ring, but the Lord forgives it...

These lines of words are very eye-catching because of Kangxi's fingernail marks. There are spots on the sides, which may be Kangxi's or Wei Dongting's tears. There is a mark on the corner of the paper: "Immediately, Wei Tianyou, son of Wei Dongting, will attack the first-class earl. He still takes charge of customs affairs and makes up for the shortfall of silver year by year." There is also a small seal with Kangxi's nickname "Master of Tiyuan".

Yin took a deep breath and felt a little relieved. He felt that he had understood Kangxi's "holy intention". When he returned to the palace, he did not call for the concubine. He fell down in his clothes and stared at the caisson on the top of the palace. He just fell asleep. Not sinking.For a moment, I dreamed of my mother, Hesheli, whom I had never met before. She glanced at him briefly and then drifted away; for a moment, I saw Mingzhu and Suo'etu coming in, saying hello and suddenly disappearing; for a moment, I saw Yin's twinkling eyes, and then I saw her again. Yinxiang grinned and made a face; suddenly he thought, if Suo'etu had really mobilized troops to support himself as emperor, what would the situation be like now? ...I had random thoughts and nightmares until Yinfang fell asleep at the fourth watch.

Unexpectedly, I overslept this time.At the beginning of the morning, Pai Yinfang suddenly woke up, complained that He Zhu'er didn't wake up, hurriedly wiped his teeth with green salt, ate two snacks indiscriminately, and hurried to Yangxin Hall without even using the sedan chair.

It seemed that there had been a drenching rain at night, and the sky was filled with mist, and it was dripping with rain. The Linqing bricks spread all over the Forbidden City were covered with puddles of shallow water, and there were even cloudy bubbles.Yin was wearing an oil coat and wearing a pair of Baoding wooden clogs, followed closely by dozens of Sula eunuchs. When he walked past the entrance of Yongxiang, he saw De Lengtai, the guard of Yangxin Palace, and Xing Nian, the eunuch, coming over. Yin hurriedly asked: "Your Majesty, Are you in the Yangxin Palace right now?"

"Not here." The plainclothes man went out. Before leaving, he said that the prince was coming to pay his respects, so he just told him. Please help yourself!" Yin couldn't help being stunned.Thinking about turning around and leaving, he accidentally hit his foot on the moss, staggered and fell into a puddle, dripping with mud and water all over his body.Delengtai rushed forward, hurriedly helped Yin up, and asked with concern: "Prince, you are not hurt by the fall? You don't look good, are you sick?" He is a Mongolian, can't speak Chinese well, and can hear what's going on around him. People want to laugh but dare not.

Yin's face was green and yellow, very ugly, and he forced a smile and said: "It doesn't matter. I'm going to the Ministry of Finance. I won't go back to Yuqing Palace. I asked them to prepare a sedan chair - Xing Nian, find me a job in Yangxin Palace. Clothes." He said, taking off the outer robe and handing it to Xing Nian, "Dry it and send it back to Yangxin Hall!"

(End of this chapter)