Emperor Yongzheng

Chapter Twenty

Yinxiang had already arrived at the Ministry of Revenue. While sending someone to Yuqing Palace to invite Yin, he also asked the summoned officials to be accompanied by people from the Ministry of Rites.He didn't sleep well at night, but he had been practicing martial arts since he was a child and had strengthened his muscles and bones, so he didn't mind staying awake for two nights.He leaned back on the easy chair with his legs stretched out, stroking his shaved blue forehead, still worrying in his heart.Listening to the roar of laughter from time to time in the lobby of the Ministry of Revenue, he murmured a little in his heart: He knew that none of these people were oil-saving lamps. They all followed Kangxi's three expeditions to the west. They sent out troops and horses several times to protect the people. After Kangxi fought his way out of a desperate situation, accumulated meritorious service, recommended him, and led troops outside, he often turned against Kangxi when he saw him. How could he take this "little thirteen" seriously?While he was in a trance, he saw a dog rushing in, jokingly greeting him and saying, "Sir, the people who went to Yuqing Palace are back. The prince got up and went out without even sitting in the sedan. Chen Jiayou, Zhu Tianbao and the others were sulking. , saying they don’t know where the prince is – can’t we wait any longer?”

"Wait a little longer." Yinxiang took out his pocket watch and looked at it. "If he doesn't come in a moment, it means there is something important. We will do our job. Kan'er and the others are in the lobby, you go first."

The dog jumped to the lobby of the Ministry of Household Affairs and saw Kan'er leaning on the door frame. Inside, there were more than 30 frontier officials. Some were sitting upright, some were whispering to each other, and some had their big hats slapped on the coffee table, with their sleeves rolled up. He tilted his chin to listen to the jokes.Yao Dian sat under the public seat, gesticulating and talking with saliva flying:

"If you want to get rich, you don't have to rely on fighting. There are plenty of ways! When I saw Kui Xu last time, he taught me a way!"

Liu Xie was sitting next to Yao Dian, squinting his eyes with a smile, his forehead was shiny, shining like a wine jar, and he joked, "No wonder Kui Xu is so broad, there is a knack for being brave. Tell me!"

"Old Kui said——" Yao Dian took a sip of tea, "If you want to get rich, you must first deal with foreign thieves before you deal with internal thieves. Foreign thieves have five-eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body-eyes, this thing is cheap, they like to see beautiful women, and they want golden houses Cangjiao is a waste of money. Could it be that if you marry a girl without salt, you can’t stay overnight? Besides, ears, this guy likes to listen to music, so he has to spend money to buy opera actors. In fact, it’s annoying. Just; let’s just talk about the nose, it’s natural to like fragrance, and it’s not expensive to buy incense cages and tripods? In fact, people, you’re lying in the stables, so you don’t have this idea. There’s also the tongue, it’s a natural liking. It tastes good. I saw that poor people eat Guanyin soil, and it really costs nothing! As for the body, it is even more costly. You need fine kudzu in summer and cotton robes in winter. Just take a look, in fact, follow the ancient teachings of the Yellow Emperor, get some leaves to wear, weave a grass circle to wear, see how much you can save?"

He was talking nonsense, and everyone grinned when he heard it. Admiral Huguang slapped his thigh, frowned, and said, "It's better than studying for ten years! Listen to these words early, why should I borrow money?"

"There are also internal thieves," Yao Dian said seriously, "If the five thieves are not eliminated with benevolence, justice, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, the fortune will be as high as the sky. Benevolence is the chief evil, and it is outrageous to have this idea in my heart. How much money is enough to help relatives and the poor?" ? Righteousness must not be involved: forgetting profits when seeing righteousness, where does the money come from? The Master said that if gifts are reciprocated, and others give you back, how can you get rich? Is it better to come and not go? And that wisdom, it is not necessary, you are smart, please There are too many things to do, and if you only focus on doing things, you will definitely miss out on making money! Believe this thing is the most disgusting thing, promise a thousand gold, and get it, 1000 taels are gone... So, the five thieves must be eliminated!" Everyone couldn't help shouting after hearing this. Miao, Jinling's deputy general Ma Guocheng, nicknamed "Ma Dapao", laughed so hard that he beat his legs and said: "Miaoji, but we don't study enough. I'm afraid only the fourth and thirteenth masters can get rid of these ten internal and external thieves!" Liu Xie said with a smile: "Well said! It's just a little wordy. He said in a nutshell: Don't care about face, don't want fame, don't care about integrity, don't be afraid of laughter and scolding, go to Marshal Zhao to make Luotian's great wish: never do a single good deed in your life, and wealth will come rolling in!"

The dog couldn't help but get angry when he heard everyone insulting Yin. Just as he was thinking about it, Kan'er laughed and said, "You didn't tell me everything. There is one more. Eat slowly!" Everyone was listening with interest, but no one was interested. Just in case the kid wanted to curse, a tall and thin ginseng general tilted his head and said, "How do you eat it?"

"Last year when I passed the Yellow River, I bought a donkey kidney," Kan'er said earnestly. "I sat in the back of the car with a sesame seed cake and ate for half a day. I even saved lunch!" Gou'er asked with a smile: " How do you eat it?" Kaner said with confused eyes: "Donkey kidneys are so long, I'll walk around and bite some (Yao Dian), and walk around and bite some more..."

Everyone didn't come back to their senses, and the dog also had a word, and said with a smile: "If you want to say this, I have a way to save money: no matter what you eat or drink, urinate slowly. I urinate forty minutes in one soak. inside!"

"How did you spread it?" Kan'er turned around and asked.Gou'er laughed and said, "I'm also sitting in the back of the car, I'll squeeze it to bleed some (Liu Xie), and then squeeze it to bleed some more..."

Before he even finished his words, everyone was already bursting into laughter.Ma Dapao danced, and the tea in the cup splashed out: "Bite some? Sip more! Hahahaha... Mr. Yao and Mr. Liu's family must be rich in gold and silver! Can you win tens of thousands by borrowing from your brothers? Hey, hey, hey..." Yao Dianhe Liu Xie and Liu Xie were blushing with embarrassment among the laughing generals. Thinking that these two little devils were both Yin's people, and it was difficult to get angry, they just twisted their faces and laughed.Just as he was about to speak, he saw Yin and Yin Xiang coming in one after another, and the hall fell silent.

"Everyone has been waiting for a long time!" Yin Xiang glanced at the crowd with a smile, and said with a self-deprecating voice: "There were some chattering and laughing just now, why didn't you say anything? It seems that I am a dead door god." Said: "Fourth Master, please sit over there. The middle part is reserved for the crown prince. If he wants to come, he can sit there."

Yin nodded and sat down calmly. Everyone came to their senses and stood up to say hello. In front of this cold-faced and cold-hearted prince, even the tough old military officers such as Ma Dapao and Guizhou General Luo Wen became behaving well. , I don’t dare to be presumptuous.

"Lao Shi hosted a banquet for everyone yesterday, and he has already talked about what he said." Yinxiang paced, throwing a big braid behind his head, and said in a heavy tone, "Don't talk about big principles. Small principles. It's called 'debt-free and light-hearted'. Debts must be repaid, sooner rather than later... I feel like a mirror in my heart, this job is not a pleasant one, and I also know that now I am an elder brother who hates dogs. But... You might as well put yourself in his shoes, I am the emperor's brother, I have property, a garden, and a study. I don't know how to have nothing to do when I have nothing to do. How about chatting with a few friends, playing chess, singing about the wind and moon, fighting cocks and running dogs? I have a beautiful family. I don't mind it! But the emperor chose me to do the errands. This is called 'although you want to be with the plum blossoms forever, you can't get them'!" He coughed dryly, looked at Yin who was sitting silently, and said again: "From a big and small point of view, I understand my difficulties, and basically speaking, treasury silver is different from private debt. It needs to be used for disaster relief, to accumulate grain, to stabilize rice prices, to pay official salaries, and to serve as imperial emissaries - you are all veterans of the military, and you need to use it to fight wars. Use it! If something happens to the country, I will give you the IOU as payment. Can you agree? So I invite everyone to discuss it. You will declare when you will pay it back, how much you can pay now, and make it clear. I really can't afford it. , Fourth Master said, we can’t force everyone to take off their pants and sell them for pawns. Write a note and put it here, and tell it to the Holy One. It is your fate that the Holy One exempted you. The Holy One said that there is no exemption, and it has its own rules for the elderly—— What do you think?"

Everyone looked at each other in shock after hearing such talk.These people made up their minds to listen to Yinxiang's rage and make things stalemate, and then go to Kangxi to fight to the death.Now that I heard him speak calmly and in an orderly manner, I didn't know what to do.Yin glanced at Yinxiang appreciatively, and thought to himself: People are very capable of being squeezed, and they are really making progress!

After being stunned for a while, Guizhou General Luo Wen coughed dryly and opened his mouth.Although he looks big and thick, he has a delicate mind, and this group of people all regard him as the backbone.

"Master Thirteen," Luo Wen said with a smile, "we all understand the big principles and the small principles, but you still don't know that we, the heads of the border officials, live in eight seats, but are actually strong outsiders and capable in the middle. Those shameless corrupt officials, Borrowing money to sell the real shortage, it is absolutely right to kill them; the foreign officials are scraped by the common people, so they can't be poor; It’s hard for us to lead the soldiers, except for the salary, there is no other money. We can’t break our conscience when we eat empty money and drink the blood of the soldiers. Alas... What are the generals and beggars who stripped their clothes when they were raised by their parents? We ourselves He also came out wearing a number jacket, and he had the heart to pay his own debts out of the soldiers' mouths—we are in trouble!"

When Yin heard what he said sincerely, he felt cold in his heart: Although Luo Wen wanted to pay off the debt, his words were very affectionate, so he said: "What Luo Wen said is reasonable. But as far as I know, how can he be so poor?" ? Gentlemen, don’t think that you will suffer a loss in repaying your debts, and then you have to clean up the officials. Some people avoid the first day of the junior high school, but they can’t escape the fifteenth day!”

"Fourth Master Mingjian!" The person sitting behind Luo Wen was Tao Sanwei, who was the admiral of Guangdong.He murmured for a while, and said with a wry smile: "Yuquan has the best mountains and rivers, and far away water can't quench your thirst. Who is willing to borrow money if you have enough money? We have little literacy, and we have to write memorials and follow-up correspondence. The young master and the book office all have to pay out of their salaries. Those who lead soldiers know how to raise soldiers and use them for a thousand days. Who doesn’t love soldiers as much as their lives, and dare to deduct their salary? It’s really hard for us to pay off the debts for so many years. . Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master gave us a year and a half to allow us to deal with it a little bit, that's how sympathetic it is!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Guocheng retorted: "Sorrowing? How to deal with? Who to deal with?! Even if you take off one of your pants, you can't sell it! Thirteenth Master, Ma Dapao can't tell lies. He used to be Zhou Xuan with Tu Junmen." The army raided Chahar and got some money, but the motherfuck has shaken it all off. If you don't believe it, just ransack my house and confiscate all the valuables. I will frown because my mother did not light the lamp for me!" Luo! Wen turned his face and said angrily: "Old Ma, this is not your military tent. Be more polite! What kind of decency is this?" Ma Guocheng was the red-coated artillery battalion commander of the Kangxi Middle Camp during the Western Expedition. He was a fierce man and a fool in battle. , was quite favored by Kangxi, so he was very arrogant and arrogant. After listening to Luo Wen's words, he put down his crossed legs and glared: "I said the same thing in front of Long Live Lord - I want a good backer to pay back the money for me. , and also know how to be decent. Well! They are scrapping the land to pay back the money, and some Tommen ask Mr. Baylor to pay back the money, which is only bad luck for us!"

Yinxiang's eyes burned when he heard this. He looked at Yin thoughtfully and said with a smile: "After talking for so long, are you thirsty? - Serve tea to the adults!" He glanced at Kanergou'er.The two of them nodded in understanding. After a while, one was carrying a pot and the other was holding a bowl, serving tea to everyone one by one.The generals were already in the mood to complain. While drinking tea, they continued to cry about poverty:
"Master Thirteen, just say a word, as long as you drink the blood of soldiers, you will pay back the debt immediately!"

"You don't need to drink the blood of soldiers, just report a few fake robbery cases and pay off your debts!"

"Nowadays it's really hard to be a dead person. I can't afford to support my wife and children. People who speak out and lose the court!"

"Mother Xi fart! It's better to fight, we can't use mediots in peacetime!"

"Exactly! During the war, there was a lot of meat and wine, how happy! Now it is peaceful, and Ge Laozi eats tofu and vegetables instead!"

Yao Dian took the opportunity to perform Taiping Fist, and said with a smile, "Don't say such shameful words, do you eat tofu and vegetables?"

"It would be nice to have tofu and green vegetables, come and have a look at my house!"

"...I can't afford it!" "Give me some grace..."

"To tell you the truth, Master Thirteen, I'll eat breakfast at other people's house..."

For a while, the lobby of the household department was buzzing like a boiling water pot, and thanks to the military master, he looked like a group of beggars, moving out in a set like a lotus flower falling.When did the Goshhas at Hubu Tangkou Station see this, they just smiled with their faces turned away.As they spoke, their voices gradually decreased, and everyone felt their internal organs were tumbling, their chests were stuffy, and the yin and yang in their stomachs were not fighting with dragons and tigers.Yao Dian was the first to cover his stomach, and said, "Why is it so disgusting?" Before he could finish his sentence, he vomited out "Wow", spraying all over the world.Some of the rest of the people's faces were black and blue, let alone smell the bad smell of wine and farts?
"Wow!"

"Wow--"

"Wow--"

For a time, the hall was filled with vomiting and vomiting, and the stench was so foul that it turned the Hubu Hall into a vomiting dojo.Yin was startled at first, but then he realized that this was a game between Yin Xiang and Gou'er Kan'er, and he couldn't help but be shocked. He frowned and thought about how to end it.

"I can't help you." Yinxiang looked up and said with a half-smile, "It's not that I'm being mean, it's because you pretended to be poor that you pissed off the gods! Whoever vomited green vegetables and tofu, I'm willing to vouch for it, please live forever Save him the trouble!" He winked at Yin and actually went to check them one by one.

Just when he didn't know what to think, Yin led a large group of guards and eunuchs into the Hubu compound.As soon as he entered the hospital, Yin Laoyuan smelled the stench coming from the lobby, and saw people from the household department whispering among themselves, so he knew something was wrong.He hurriedly walked into the lobby in three steps and two steps. All the officials had already left their seats and knelt down together.Yin covered his nose, glared at Yin Xiang, and asked, "What's your name?"

"I'm attacking the other's shield with his spear." Yinxiang sneered, "They said they drink the northwest wind, and they drink green vegetables and tofu. Please check it, my lord!"

Yin Yin stood in the hall with a sullen face, ignoring Yin Xiang's words, and only glanced at Yin coldly. Yin only bowed slightly, placed his robe, and stared at the door as if nothing had happened.Yin Yue became angry, walked around in circles twice, sat down in the middle of the lobby, and said to Yin Xiang with a smile: "Thirteenth brother is doing Meng Lang! These generals today have been personally trained by Long Live Master for decades. How can a man be so unreasonable? Debt matters should be discussed calmly." Seeing that he slapped Yin Xiang fifty-fifty without asking the reason, Yin felt that the matter had come to this, so he had to help the prince and smiled. , said: "Thirteenth brother is a bit reckless, but the military sects are too disrespectful. Thirteenth brother is in a hurry and does not choose the right path. You have to be more understanding." Yinxiang seemed to be overwhelmed with heat, tugged on his lapel, and lowered his clothes He said angrily: "Prince, you have just arrived. I have said a lot of good things to all the adults, and I almost made a noise in the lobby of the Household Department! I was originally a stupid young man, and I went too far. I have finished my errands." , I went to each person's door to apologize. This little bit of foolish loyalty can be used to express my gratitude to the sun. If I have the slightest intention of offending others, lightning will strike me!"

"You've already done it, and you still say you don't have the heart?" Yin sneered and said, "Do you know that my master Xiong Cilu has also passed away! I just went to the Ministry of Etiquette for this matter. I came a few steps late. You The commotion here is so overwhelming!"

Xiong Cilu was a Jinshi during the Shunzhi period. He became the prime minister in the eighth year of Kangxi's reign, and was the minister of study together with Mingzhu and Suo'etu. He was the only surviving figure of the two dynasties in the Xi Dynasty.Yin felt chilled after hearing this. Does the prince want to blame this on cleaning up the deficit?Yin frowned and said: "As far as I know, Xiong Cilu does not owe any national debt. Even Wei Dongting, who has been ill for more than ten years, dies is normal. Prince, these things have nothing to do with debt settlement, don't blame Lao Shi wrongly." three."

"I was ordered to clean up, Prince!" Yin Xiang fully expected Yin to sit in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs and support him through this final hurdle. He did not expect that he would be so stupid and cowardly. Because of his resistance, he said, "Now it doesn't matter whether it's a excrement pot or a urinal, as long as it's Just press the basin on my head! If this happens, the prince will tell the emperor to withdraw me and hire someone else!" Yin turned pale with anger and snorted: "You are talking to me? I still count on you. What's wrong with you, Yu Zhong! Why shouldn't I take this job? I'm afraid you can't afford it with your status!"

Yin thought about it and realized that it was getting more and more difficult to deal with. He swallowed and said: "The emperor has said many times that clearing the shortfall and debt is the first priority. Old Thirteen went too far. When I turn around, I will accompany him and apologize. Today, it is still the case. Let's discuss debt settlement first, and ask the prince to calm down his thunderous anger." Yinxiang also woke up at this time, suppressing his anger and whispered: "I'm young and I'll deal with the trouble later. I'd better follow my fourth brother and deal with it first. Serious business..."

"Stand aside!" Yin shouted imperiously, "I'll argue with you later!"

The officials below originally thought that today's matter was planned by the prince, but they came out to pretend to be a good person to clean up the situation. This will taste good, the three elder brothers are not the same thing.The admiral of the Taihu Navy was the first to kowtow, and said with a choked voice, "I don't blame the imperial court, and I don't blame the Thirteenth Lord. Who told the servants to be poor and want to borrow money from the treasury?" sound.Luo Wen followed and said: "Prince Shengming, the ministers did not dare to say that they would not pay back the debts, but only asked for a lenient time limit. The ministers linger on for a whole year, isn't it also to preserve the dignity of the court?" Choked, some said: "Poor people like us, we climbed out of the dead, with no backing, no way, and no way, and we ended up like this." Anyway, they are all dead! Didn’t I hear that Arabutan is going to rebel? Send us away..."

"Our lives are really at stake! Fighting to fight for our lives, not fighting for our lives, it's too peaceful, there's no need for it!"

"Even Wei Junmen is forced to death, what are we?"

Ma Guocheng was different. He knelt forward and tore off his robe with a "chi" sound, revealing a black, red, black and red bronze-like chest, and shouted: "Brothers, you have all read books. As the saying goes, 'Shi Ke' It’s impossible to kill us! Why should we kill us?” Everyone was stunned for a moment, only to realize that he had misunderstood “disgrace” as “day”, and they all lowered their heads, trying to hold back their laughter.Ma Guocheng became more and more fascinated, and said: "Long live my surname Ma also knows that I have never wiped salt water. Please examine the 72 stab wounds on my body! When I was surrounded in Khobduo, I rushed out protecting my master and left this place. One injury, long live sees tears, one injury gives a glass of wine! I owe [-] silver today, and I still need another knife in my heart? Thirteenth Lord, you are a good man, come here, if the old slave frowns , son of a bitch!"

Yin was so confused by their crying that he regretted not telling Yin Yinxiang yesterday. He sighed, got down and covered Ma Guocheng's clothes, and said: "Get up, get up! What's wrong with you? The imperial court When did I say that I won’t support you? You veterans are the most honest and I know best, so why do you do this?" He took a breath and said again: "Give me a face, don’t care about the Thirteenth Master, he He has his own difficulties. He is supporting such a big situation alone for the first time. He wants to get things done, but he is young and competitive and eager for quick success. You have to be considerate." He looked at Luo Wen.Luo Wen then said: "Prince, just don't worry. We are all rough people. Whatever is in our hearts, we can pour it out and feel free. It's okay to resent the Thirteenth Master. How can we be at odds with him?"

"In this way," Yin felt a little relieved when he saw that everyone had calmed down. He secretly made up his mind and said, "the debt still has to be repaid. But if you have to deal with it in a flexible way, the time limit can be relaxed. You are all the pillars of the imperial court and have the same relationship with the country. We share weal and woe, and we must think about the emperor and the country—how about making up for the loss while in office for a period of five years?"

When he said this, everyone was elated. Let alone five years, just one year, who would have expected that this fourth and thirteenth master would still be in charge?As long as the mission is not withdrawn and a few major cases are removed from office, why does a mere tens of thousands of dollars matter?Yin couldn't help complaining in his heart, and he was surprised again and again. Yin Xiang was so angry that he stamped his feet out of the lobby.

Yinxiang went back to the signing room in a fit of anger, and wanted to call the people who cleared the accounts to speak, but there was no one there. Seeing the dog standing at the door, he asked, "Where did everyone die?"

"Master is confused." Gou'er laughed, "We're all waiting in the study!" Yinxiang stood up without saying a word and went to the back study, where he saw more than 30 people standing inside and outside the study, including Shi Shilun and the assistant minister. You Mingtang was also inside, and they all sat silently facing each other with their heads downcast.As soon as Yinxiang stepped into the door, he grinned and said: "You know? Don't be so damn ugly, like a stray dog! There are some things, you're a jerk now, who knows what will happen later? Old Shi Laoyou, when you take over the job Long live gave you a guarantee ticket, and the old thirteen will give you another layer: I really want to send you Uliasutai, and the thirteenth master will carry dry food and send you across the desert!"

"Lao You and I have thought of this step a long time ago." Shi Shilun looked out of the window calmly, his small eyes sparkling, and said, "You and I should take care of yourself. I've already taken off my hat and my official uniform." It's a common thing." You Mingtang sighed: "I didn't expect the tree to fall so fast! Look, within two years, it won't go back to the old way, and it will goug my eyes! I can only sigh and tune these dozens of people, who are in the wild. And run away, where to go back to ask for a living?"

"You're talking about them?" Yinxiang pointed at the crowd and said with a sneer smile, "You two are high-ranking officials, so you can't do anything here. The civil servants like Li Fu and Tian Wenjing have already arranged their way out. These brothers are all My soldiers, how can I let them suffer?" Yinxiang said, took a wooden box from the bookshelf, opened it, and inside was a thick stack of papers, covered with the defense of the Ministry of War, and blew it away The floating dust above smiled self-consciously, and said: "It can be said that there is no danger! This is a sixth-rank military officer who was obtained from the Ministry of War last year. They are all stationed in the capital. It can't be said that they are rich or lacking, but they can be regarded as inferior..."

Everyone couldn't help opening their mouths wide in astonishment, listening to Yinxiang's roll call in a daze, and foolishly taking over the appointment letter, but all of them were Qianzong, who were assigned to Xishan, Yuquan, Fengtai, Tongzhou, etc., some of them were green camps of the Han army. , some are Shanzhu camps, some are Ruijian camps——these missions are already unattainable missions in the eyes of the garrison outside the Great Wall!Yinxiang assigned them one by one, looked at the dog Kan'er and said with a smile: "The Thirteenth Master can't take care of you, you belong to the Fourth Master, and you should go back to the Fourth Master's mansion - I have already talked to the Zhili Governor's Yamen and the Infantry Commander." Yamen and Shanzhuying Lao Zhao said hello. All vacancies will be filled for you, and you will fill them up as soon as you go. There is only one, don’t brag to everyone that I gave it to you. Our errands are messed up, it’s not decent!" With a straight face, he let out a sigh of relief, and walked away.

The dog took a step behind and asked: "Shall we come to meet tomorrow?" Yinxiang raised his hand and said loudly without looking back:
"Come if you want, and forget it if you don't want to. The Ministry of Finance still has other things to do!"

(End of this chapter)