Emperor Yongzheng

Chapter 8
No one in the family is prepared for a strange crying spirit to appear suddenly on the flat ground.While looking at each other in astonishment, Li Fu ran to the coffin with the yellow paper in one hand and the banner in the other, and threw himself on the ground, already weeping so softly:
"Brother Mei Qing! I came to see you..." Li Fu burst into tears, bursting into tears like springs, "I promised you to climb the western mountain this autumn, drink the jade spring water, look at the maple forest at night, stop the journey and cut candles for thesis. Why did you abandon me? Wake up... look back at Li Fu, answer my question?..."

He knelt in front of the coffin and wept, mourning so much that he couldn't bear to live. The sad wind and cold rain outside the shed added to the desolation, which made everyone cry.Wu Sidao was at a loss for a while, and after a little thought, he suddenly realized that this person is treacherous, and his ghostly tricks are refurbished. He actually pretended to be a bitter play to hit Zhang Tingyu's wooden clock. A virgin, a handsome scholar, has such tricks!Just ignoring it, she turned to a gray-haired old woman, supported by a middle-aged man in her 40s, surrounded by thirty or forty old women and maids.The housekeeper muttered in a low voice, "Master is here too!" He stepped forward to greet Qian'er and said, "Slave, please greet the old lady and master!" Wu Sidao knew that this middle-aged man with a fair face and a long gown made of moon-white bamboo cloth, It is the emperor Xingchen who has power over the government and the public, the minister who walks in the study room, the minister of the bodyguard, the prince Taibao and the cabinet scholar Zhang Tingyu.

The butler greeted the old matriarch and Zhang Tingyu, glanced at Li Fu, and was about to say something, Zhang Tingyu waved his hand, signaling him not to speak, and only supported his trembling mother to stand aside and ponder.

"Brother Mei Qing..." Li Fu's face was yellow from crying, and he said in a calm sobbing voice, "The heroic spirit is not far away, Qintai is close, I have a few words to remind you, send you off to Yetai—" said Cong Huai He took out twelve taels of silver from his pocket, put it on the spirit table with trembling hands, bowed and bowed again, and chanted: "On June 46, midsummer in the [-]th year of Emperor Kangxi of the Wei Dynasty, Li Fu, a scholar in Jinling, took only one petal of his heart fragrance, Two bouquets of Moqin, weeping from the heavy rain, and the pulley of the plain curtain, before offering sacrifices to the dead friend Mei Qing. My brother’s life is also rich in golden cars, noble in noble families, gorgeous in hairpin tassels, and brilliant in purple algae. ; but it is Huaisu containing Qing, transcendent elegance and suave, indifferent and humble, rustling under the forest wind. With the capital of Xinyi Lushen, the chastity of orchids and chrysanthemums, although the wind of bamboo, the fragrance of plums, and the beauty of osmanthus The beauty of the moon is indescribable. With a down-and-out body, meager talents, withered grass covered with frost, and dead wood with disease, once you meet by the bank of Mochou, and then you meet again in the temple where the cock crows. Lang's eyes are green, and he has to serve Ziqi's Qintai!... Recalling the beginning of my brother's friendship, it is said that "the brilliance of a gentleman will be cut off in the fifth generation. If you lack the skills to rule the world, you may find it difficult to fulfill your life’s wish!’ Si’s words are like a mausoleum, his heart is like a valley, and although he is not sensitive, he admires him in the heart. He thinks that there are so many scholars in today’s scholastic circles, and it’s rare to see someone who is talented and pure and moral…”

He recited eloquently without hesitation: how he made friends with Zhang Shiping, how the two of them had similar tastes, and so and so, they made an appointment to travel in the capital together.Now the high mountain is still there, the flowing water is ruthless, the string is broken, the dream soul is empty, the blue blood is gone, the butterfly comes back... When it comes to the pain, I feel heartbroken, eyebrows and wrists, every word and every word is heartbroken, and everyone is stunned. .Wu Sidao couldn't help but think: This person's ancient prose is very impressive.In a daze, Li Fu's article had come to an end, and he turned to the sky with tears in his eyes, and said eloquently: "...the five strings are still there, where is Qiu Hong? In the depths of the white clouds, the yellow crane is far away! Thinking about the previous step, Thin horse west wind, Xianyang ancient road, staggering and difficult to walk... Oh my God! How can I take away my good friend and keep the rough village quality in this world? The heartache is silent, the tears and blood are dry, I cry and ask, and the sky is speechless!  … ... Fu Wei Shang!" At the end of the song, Li Fu kowtowed three times, and his breath was dead.Although the family members don't understand his words, seeing him so sad, they have already sobbed with tears.

Zhang Tingyu thought that a woman from a brothel should not berate her beloved son to the point of hurting her mother and making her feel unhappy. Listening to this heart-piercing text, every sentence is shocking, every word is soul-stirring, no one can hold back tears Come out like a child.Li Fu ignored it, stood up in a daze, bowed to the steward standing in front of the coffin, and said, "Brother Mei Qing lent it to me in Nanjing. He said not to return it, and I originally wanted to use it to buy wine." Let's drink with Brother Zhang... oh... I'll trouble you to buy a jar of wine and bury... beside his grave..."

"This is Shiping's friend?" The old lady turned to ask Zhang Tingyu, "Do you know him?" Zhang Tingyu shook his head, bowed and said, "My son doesn't know him—it's rare that such a wicked person has such a friend!" The old lady's face was full of sadness. Rong Yingying was about to cry, and when she turned her face and saw Li Fu was about to leave, she raised her hand and said, "Mr. Is something wrong?"

When the old lady looked him up and down, she looked so refreshed and weak, as if she was her beloved grandson who died young, she couldn't help but sighed, and asked, "Are you Shi Ping's literary friend?"

"Yeah." Li Fu nodded, almost crying again, "We met in Nanjing."

"Shiping has only been in Nanjing for two months." Zhang Tingyu frowned and said, "It is worthwhile to make a friend like you."Li Fu replied indifferently: "The way to make friends is to connect with each other through breath and voice, and the cover can be the same. How long does it depend on the length of time?" There is nothing to say.

Li Fu took a step forward and asked, "Your Honor is..."

"I am Mei Qing's father." Zhang Tingyu looked at the coffin, the expression in his eyes seemed to call his son to get up, and it took a long time before it dimmed.Li Fu cried out in pain: "Uncle Shi!" But he couldn't finish a word, he just covered his face and cried bitterly.Zhang Tingyu knew that he was blaming him, but he avoided the taboo and couldn't say it out. He felt more and more grateful for this filial piety and courtesy, and she couldn't speak and shed tears.The old lady was stroking Li Fu's shoulder, choked up and said: "You are really polite! —— You are going to Beijing to take the exam, right?"

Li Fu couldn't answer either, he just sobbed and said: "Yes..." He kowtowed and got up to wipe away his tears.The old lady said: "The three grandchildren of the Zhang family, I feel sorry for Shi Ping the most, I don't want me, the white-haired man, to send him away first! Ting Yu, I think this child has both filial piety and righteousness, and he is like Shiping. Well, since you are coming to Beijing to take the exam, why not live in our house to study? His elder brother and second elder brother can also have a chat together when they are free..."

"Old lady!" Zhang Tingyu hurriedly bowed and smiled apologetically, "My son also loves scribes. But since Mr. Li is here to take the exam, he should avoid it. It is not suitable to live in the mansion. Since the mother has such a benevolent life, the son thought, why not live in the mansion?" Go to our family temple to study. After passing the exam, no matter whether you pass or not, you will be taken care of, and outsiders can't say anything—the imperial court has ordered the fourth and thirteenth masters of Anhui to return to Beijing, Qiuwei is afraid that the two masters will also preside over it!"

The old lady couldn't help being startled: There were too many people here, so it was difficult for her son to say anything, but the fourth elder brother Yin and the thirteenth elder brother Yinxiang were both notoriously mean people. Zhang Tingyu was in a dangerous situation, and it was not without reason that he thought carefully. Xiang Xiang said, "Then it's up to you." After that, he ordered people to go home, and Li Fu naturally followed.

Wu Sidao dragged his heavy legs back to the backyard, only to find that the rain had stopped and the sky was white and bright.Xingyin went somewhere, but Tian Wenjing was sleeping leaning against the wall with a book in his arms.The room was empty, and Wu Sidao suddenly felt an inexplicable loneliness.Tian Wenjing, who originally felt amiable and respectable, suddenly felt a slight estrangement.His stern face seemed to be covered with a layer of frost. He carefully read the writings on the stone tablets attached to the wall one by one.

I don't know how long it took, the bell in the temple rang, and it was time for lunch. There were voices and hurried footsteps outside, and someone shouted, "It's here, it's in this room!" More than a dozen people swarmed in even talking and running.Tian Wenjing sat up in his sleep, rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked, "What's the matter? Is it a fire or a rebellion?" Wu Sidao saw Zhang Gui staring at him in the crowd, and his face turned white: Jin Yu After all, Ze couldn't let himself go, so he came looking for her!

"It's him!" Zhang Guileng frowned, glanced at the room viciously, and designated Wu Sidao, "Forcing the mistress to refuse, hanged himself, and secretly hid in the temple-ahha! What are you staring at me for? You This wild bastard who has never made a fortune in eight lifetimes, doesn’t he know that it’s hard to hide in a three-foot world? I thought you had gone far away, but it turned out that my wife is still haunted—what you do can be tolerated by others, but you can’t hide it with your farting hands , where are you going?" Wu Sidao could hear his head buzzing, and he sat down paralyzed when he lost his crutches, muttering in his mouth: "She's dead...she's dead? Lancao'er is dead..."

Let him tell where Zhang Gui is, "Take it!" Several long followers rushed up like wolves and tigers, and tied Wu Sidao, who had no resistance, like a rice dumpling with a rope, dragged him up and was about to leave However, Tian Wenjing, who was startled, woke up, waved his hand and shouted loudly:
"slow!"

Tian Wenjing slowly walked up to Zhang Gui and asked with a cold smile: "He forced your mistress to rape, who is the witness?" Zhang Gui saw that he was wearing an engraved silver crown, and knew that he was a scholar, so he did not dare to be too disrespectful, hum. He made a sound and said: "What kind of witness is needed for such a thing? The mistress hanged her in his room, and his robes were all there. It is obvious that he escaped in a hurry due to adultery on a rainy night. Human life is a matter of heaven and earth, you Leave it alone!" "Oh?" Tian Wenjing tilted his head and thought thoughtfully, "Did your mistress die in Wu Sidao's room? As far as I know, Wu Sidao stayed in the Jin family for less than twelve hours. She traveled a long way to visit relatives and had many social interactions. , why did your mistress actually have an affair with him, and why did she come to Wu Sidao's room? Wu Sidao was a disabled person and had no strength to bind a chicken. If he was forced to have sex, why did your mistress not scream for help, but hang herself from the beam? Zhang Gui couldn't help but be speechless. After a while, he came back to his senses. He chuckled, looked at Tian Wenjing and said, "Are you the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture or the Magistrate of Wanping County? Is this the case?" Are you trying me, or Wu Sidao? But seeing as you are a scholar, you are afraid of ruining your reputation, so you dare to go on this stage! You bastard, you are so full of ink in your stomach, prepare to enter the stage! You fart so much that you are minding your own business? - Grab the guy named Wu and let’s go!”

Just at this time, Xingyin came from the south corridor with a bowl of vegetarian food in one hand. He could already hear the situation clearly in the room, because he said with a smile: "Hey, the chief steward of the Jin family, how can you be so Meng Lang? Mr. Wu hasn't been here for a few days. You have to rely on your breath to eat. I am following you right now. Is there still life? Come on, come on! Give the monk some face, go back and tell your master that he is sick, and the monk is treating him until he is cured. How about I send him to your door personally?" After saying that, he pushed a bowl of porridge to Wu Si who was in a daze, "Eat it quickly before it gets cold, and you can have another bowl soon - Lao Tian, ​​you go too When it comes to eating, it’s gone when it’s too late. I’ve never seen monks and Buddhist disciples like this in the temple. They were all supported by ghosts who starved to death. They didn’t even care about their lives even if they picked up the food! Oh my, oh, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk...” He was in a cloud of confusion. The playful and smiling face kept chattering, but the people in the room actually ignored it. Several family members couldn't help laughing, covering their mouths and laughing.Zhang Gui thought he was a lunatic at first, but now he couldn't help but became furious, shouted "Go away!" He slapped Xingyin on the face with a round hand!Unexpectedly, Xingyin raised his hand and grabbed it tightly. With a twist, Zhang Guizao turned over and half-knelt on the ground, dragging his legs and sticking out his butt, grinning in pain.

"It's so ugly!" Xingyin smiled and pushed down a bowl of hot porridge in his right hand to his face, and with a flick of his hand, Zhang Gui fluttered out of the door for more than a foot!Xingyin rubbed his hands and laughed, "Buddha, sin! A good bowl of rice is dirty." Then he turned to the crowd and said, "Which one of you dare to try again, why don't we go to the fasting room? There is still half a pot of porridge there !" After that, he tucked Wu Sidao out with one hand, and said: "Let's go, let's go... Can't afford to provoke, can't we still hide?" Seeing his tricks like this, how could they dare to stop him, they just watched them go.Wu Sidao was dragged by him and walked fast, earning a couple of bucks, just like being cast in Xingyin's arms, because he said: "Don't drag me, I am not guilty, I want to argue with them in Shuntianfu!"

"Mr. Wu," Xingyin has been dragging Wu Sidao out of the mountain gate - there was already a sedan chair waiting there - he stuffed Wu Sidao into the sedan chair, and he himself came in and sat across from him, and then said politely, "I am Sibeile Mansion The head monk of the family temple, I have been ordered by the fourth master to protect you for a long time! You were angry with others in Yangzhou and offended the eighth master. If the fourth master did not love your talent, you would have been dead for a long time! In the whole world, except for the fourth master, I am afraid that no one can protect you You are considerate! Let me explain, I hope you will understand the affairs of the world, and follow Fourth Master to do some business, if you are definitely not willing, then my monk will be doing my best."

Wu Sidao quietly looked at the retreating houses on the street, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare, and many things that he didn't understand were answered vaguely, and he took a long time to breathe out, and said: "From now on, I am the fourth master's son." people..."

"Si Ye has repeatedly said in his letter that you should not be forced." Xing Yin said coldly, "You are so lucky. Si Ye will treat you with respect as a teacher."

Zhang Tingyu served his mother back home and just got off the sedan chair, the person at the door stepped forward and said: "Master, Mrs. He Zhu'er in the inner court has just left, and the crown prince Jun ordered you to come in!" Zhang Tingyu couldn't help being startled, and asked quickly "Is it Yuqing Palace or Changchun Garden?" "Changchun Garden." The family said, "Ma Zhongtang and Tong Zhongtang have already gone. Go, pass the sign together with Ma Zhongtang and Tong Zhongtang and go in." Zhang Tingyu looked back at his mother, bowed slightly, and said: "Mother asks for resettlement, and my son has to go. This Mr. Li lives in the family temple. Let's meet again after the exam. .” After saying that, he hurried on his horse.Dozens of family members in Zhang's mansion have already prepared their clothes, crowns and pearls, and they mounted their horses and followed them.This is the rule of the Zhang family, which is commonplace, so there is no time to describe it in detail.

Changchun Garden is located in Nanhaidian, the western suburb of the capital. Because it is south of the Old Summer Palace, it is also called "Front Garden".It was originally the reading villa of Li Wei, Marquis of the Wu and Qing Dynasties of the Ming Dynasty.The Manchurians lived in a cool place in the north and could not stand the scorching heat.After 42 years of Kangxi, when the national power was abundant, more than [-] million taels of domestic currency was allocated. In addition to building a summer resort in Rehe, the front garden was greatly repaired in the capital, and it was named "Changchun".The outer ring is Changxi, and the inner is blue waves. Among them, the rocky mountain paths are secluded, and the pavilions are scattered. Although the hot sun is hot in summer, when you enter the garden, you will feel the coolness of the water vapor, and the cold moss and talc. It is indeed a summer resort.

Zhang Tingyu and his family rode out of Xizhimen for a quick ride, passed the Qingfan Temple, and in the distance, he could see dragons singing and wind whistling, blue and green, a large expanse of luxuriant forest and bamboo, and a colorful square on the left and right of the entrance of the garden, with colorful brocade and colorful walls on the top. The vines are intertwined with vines, and the branches are intertwined, just forming the words "Longevity without borders", and the algae tendrils hang down to the ground.Next to the double gates of the flowing water, on the golden lacquered red pillars of the gate, there is a very energetic couplet written by Yan Shu:
Immortal battle, five clouds, the sound of luan and the prosperous age

Deche Qisu Longjiao Yun Zhongtian

Zhang Tingyu got off the saddle when he saw the lack, and changed his court clothes. He had seen an official coming out of it earlier, with a gold and bluestone crown on his head, peacock feathers with eyes pierced, but there was no patch on the robe of eight pythons and five claws.Zhang Tingyu was surprised inwardly: "I didn't hear that the fourth-rank civil servants have flower-appreciating feathers. Besides, why didn't the emperor even wear mending clothes?" After thinking about it, the man had approached, and Zhang Tingyu saw clearly that it turned out to be the envoy of North Korea Jin Zhongyu, who is permanently stationed in Beijing to communicate with the two countries, was awarded the fourth rank in Beijing by the Long Live Award last year, so he stopped and asked with a smile, "Old Jin, have you met the emperor?"

"I've seen it." Jin Zhongyu said with a smile.He speaks very beautiful Beijing dialect, and just by listening to his accent, he doesn't even know that he is a foreigner. "Today, I won the lottery. Because I have to return to China to report on my work, Babeile said a lot of good things to the emperor, the old elder Jin. The emperor was happy, After rewarding this plume, I’m not afraid to offend Prime Minister Zhang, even if you don’t have one!” “Oh, you’re going back to China?” Zhang Tingyu pondered for a moment: This eighth master even flattered foreign envoys, and he didn’t like it. Is it small?Thinking about it, he said with a smile: "I have a lot of things to do these days. Look, if I have time, I will see you off in person; if I have time, I will ask my family to send some Cheng Yi—go back and say hello to the king for me! "

Jin Zhongyu said with a smile: "You are a busy person. With this sentence, you have everything. The eighth master Cheng Yi gave me 6000 taels, which is enough. If there is a problem next spring, I will find Zhang Xiang to fight the famine—come in quickly." , Ma Qi and Tong Guowei are waiting at Peiwenzhai!" After saying that, he raised his hand and resigned.Zhang Tingyu didn't dare to delay any longer, led by the little eunuch into Caifang, passed through a flower hole made of interlaced rose branches, and went to an open space to the west-nine oilcloth yellow sheds on one side, which were used to introduce officials from various provinces to Beijing to report their duties Waiting for the decree - I saw a small Xieshan-style hall with three jacarandas connected to the north of the road, with "Pei Wen Zhai" written in three big characters. A tall official inside, wearing a flowered coral top, came out early and clapped his hands. : "Hengchen! What's the matter? You didn't come here sooner or later? Long live Lord just met with the North Korean envoy and is changing clothes. If you don't come in for a while, what's the matter with us?"

"Ma Qi," Zhang Tingyu said with a smile, "You have a quick temper, and you look like a prime minister? Am I here?" While talking, he walked into the room, and saw Tong Guowei, another minister of the study room, talking with him across the coffee table. When an official spoke, seeing Zhang Tingyu coming in, he just nodded his head as a salute, and said, "Hengchen, let me introduce you. This is Shi Shilun, the Anhui chief envoy..." Shi Shilun had already stood up, and bowed to Zhang Tingyu in his seat, Move out and perform the ceremony of attending the hall.Zhang Tingyu quickly raised his hands, and said with a smile to Tong Guowei: "I have admired your name for a long time, Shi Shilun, the sixth son of Lord Jinghai Hou Shilang!" Is it 'incomplete'!"

One sentence made everyone laugh, even Tong Guowei, who was full of airs, couldn't help but smile.Only then did Zhang Tingyu take a closer look at Shi Shilun. As the folks said, the hanging eyebrows, triangular eyes, nose and mouth are very close together, the chin is raised forward like a shovel, chicken breasts, shrinking neck, smart pimple teardrop mole, walking still Slightly lame, full of failures all in one body, only a pair of eyes shining brightly, revealing the strength of the whole body, because of a smile, he said: "It is true that it is incomplete. The "Book of Changes" says that it is not perfect, but it is expensive. Meet." Tong Guowei said: "Tingyu, the emperor asked Lao Shi to come in together today. I'm afraid he will ask about officials. We must be prepared. The fourth master and the thirteenth master are very popular in Anhui. Shenben dismissed thirty government and Taoist officials—Lao Shi came from Anhui, the emperor must ask—this is an abbreviation of the approval department, you can read it first." He said and handed over a booklet with a yellow silk cover .Zhang Tingyu took the notebook and looked at it, but hesitating in his heart: this pair of brothers and partners cleared up their debts in Beijing, forced [-] people to death and ordered officials, and caused a stir in the court and the public.The prince asked them to go to Anhui to do river work, in fact, to avoid the limelight. Why are they still in Anhui and press for debts?Not for yourself, don't you think for the prince?While pondering, Ma Qi sighed: "No matter what others say, it's rare that the fourth master and the thirteenth master are so devoted to the community. How can the current officials be able to manage? With one hand digging money from the national treasury, with the other hand they beat the bones of the people. You Look, being an examiner receives Xiaolian's money; being a military officer eats the vacancies of being a soldier, and earns military salary; If people are in pain, they need to be rectified. Otherwise, they must be called empty!"

"Governing a big country is like cooking small fish." Tong Guowei laughed. "You can use a shovel to stir up a tender little fish, okay? Haste makes waste. Don't rush." ​​He is the direct relative of Kangxi's biological mother, Tong Jia. Younger brother, with the posture of a nobleman, always speaks with an unquestionable tone, and his words are to teach others.Hearing that the two disagreed, Zhang Tingyu gently closed the folding page, and said: "The corruption of officials is obvious, no wonder the fourth master and the thirteenth master are anxious, but the accumulation is hard to recover, and it is not easy to stab blindly with only blood and courage—" —Shilun, tell me, what is the tone of the Anhui people about this matter?"

"Respond to Zhang Zhongtang's words." Shi Shilun bowed and replied, "Officials have a kind of tone, and folks have another kind of tone. Officials say, 'Don't be afraid of the sky, don't be afraid of the earth, just be afraid that the fourth master will call you back', and the common people say, 'Heaven is not afraid. Surprised, not surprised, I'm afraid that the fourth master will be transferred back to Beijing'. The tone is different——" He kept his neck straight and continued, Zhang Tingyu saw a man in his 50s standing in front of the house. He listened quietly with his hands behind his back, waved his hands in a panic, stood up, took a step forward, knelt down and kowtowed, and said, "Long live! When did you come? The ministers were only talking, but didn't see the master!" Shi Shilun was also startled, and turned quickly Turning around and kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times, Ma Qi and Tong Guowei also knelt straight and long, inviting Emperor Kangxi to eat.

(End of this chapter)