golden scales

May of the 17th year of Chongzhen came to an end while the world was boiling, and the increasingly fierce sun and less and less rain announced the arrival of June. .

After Yanjing City experienced the rampant plague, Taiwei's salvation, Yongchang's disaster, and the entry of the Eight Banners into the city, there were no idle people waiting on the streets.The vast majority of shops are closed, but those with some property have escaped from this barbarian-occupied place.It was in this stagnant water that a pebble fell, causing ripples to swing outward.

"Master Song, have you heard? The Prince Regent issued an order to shave his head again!"

When Song Hongye returned to the office, the principals and scribes who were familiar with him surrounded him one after another.On the surface, it seems to be sharing news, but in fact they are asking for the exact name of the news.

Since the Manchus entered the city, many officials, large and small, have fled. The Manchurians' own political structure and manpower reserves alone, not to mention the rule of Beizhili, even the city of Yanjing could not operate.

Therefore, Dorgon adopted a policy of not rejecting anyone who came, and not asking about his origin.

He first invited back Feng Quan, an eunuch who was deposed in the early years of Chongzhen, and conferred the title of a bachelor in the inner courtyard, ranking ahead of Fan Wencheng, Ganglin, Qi Chongge, and Ning Wanwo, who were Han scholars.Afterwards, Dorgon announced that regardless of Ming officials or Shun officials, he would be hired in his original position.Some people were not Taoists in the Ming Dynasty, but they were promoted to the governor of a province in Shun, while the Manchu Qing treated them with high positions and still gave them the title of governor.

Song Hongye was only a sixth-rank official in the Ming Dynasty. In the Shun Dynasty, he belonged to a middle- and lower-level official who could be used vigorously and exempted from recovering stolen goods. Therefore, he was promoted to the position of the third-rank minister of the military department, directly crossing the hurdle of the fifth rank, and also saved During the honing period of the fourth grade, he became a dignitary in the court.

After the Manchus entered the city, as long as they didn’t leave, they could work in their original positions, and even their official uniforms remained the same. Song Hongye changed from the servant of the Ministry of War in the Shun Dynasty to the servant of the Qing Dynasty. Although the king’s banner at the head of the city changed, his position became more and more stable up.

"Oh? On the 24th of last month, didn't the regent tell our ministry that all the subjects in the world should keep their hair tied as usual, and everyone should follow what is convenient?" Song Hongye pretended not to know, and asked instead.

After the Qing soldiers entered the pass, the people were forced to shave their hair and wear clothes along the way.When he entered Yanjing, he originally said he wanted to shave his hair, but the crowd was so excited that Dorgon had to give in and told the Ministry of War: Originally, shaving his hair was just to distinguish obedience from obedience, and he was afraid of causing accidental injury. That's business as usual.

As soon as this decree came out, the tense atmosphere in the city was relieved.

But now, it seems to have changed again.But the Manchus were originally barbarians, and they didn't pay attention to faith, so what's so strange about changing three times a day?

"Oh, my master doesn't know yet?" A familiar scribe stepped forward and cried, "It's time to shave my head again! I heard that someone said that the Nine Kings... oh, it's the regent... said that shaving hair will inspire Nan The change of the people is not a unified policy. The regent answered him: "Nowadays, every inch is equal to an inch, and every foot is equal to a foot. There is no unified policy. Doesn't this mean we have to shave hair again?"

Song Hongye was in charge of the crown prince's secret mission, so while collecting information, he could not be noticed by others. He just echoed a few words, as if he was absent-minded but kept them in his heart.Others didn't know what was on his mind, and had no time to care about him. Seeing that they couldn't find anything, they chatted a few gossips with each other and then dispersed.

Song Hongye sat in the office for a long time, just in a daze, and finally when it was time to get off work, he hurried out of the office and went to his home.He has long been a waiter of the Ministry of War, and his status is extraordinary. Naturally, his house and servants have also risen, and he even remarried and "married" a family of officials who were ruined.

At that time, Dashun pursued stolen goods, and many officials and rich families were forced to have their families ruined. Their wives and daughters fell into the Shun army general's house, or served as concubines, or became servants, countless.Song Hongye is an upstart, and marrying such a woman can be regarded as following the fashion.

But in fact, that woman was a court lady selected by Zhu Cihong from the attendants' room. She was capable and caring, and she was willing to come to be Song Hongye's assistant.

Song Hongye returned home and went straight into the inner hall.The "beautiful wife" who was 20 years younger than him greeted her, and said, "Master, you have worked hard."

Song Hongye waved to his wife and said with a big smile, "Seeing my wife, what's the trouble? Come on, let's go into the room and talk." He immediately grabbed his wife's slender waist, opened the door and entered the room.

As soon as he entered the room, Song Hongye let go of his hand instantly, and lay on the crack of the door to look out.

Through the crack of the door, one can just see the gossip mirrors hanging on the two corners of the eaves in the courtyard. It seems to be a feng shui treasure of a town house, but it takes the corridor near the bedroom into its eyes. It is absolutely clear at a glance whether someone is hiding outside to eavesdrop.

The maid's wife just watched from the sidelines and didn't speak.

Song Hongye made sure that there was no one outside, so he dragged his wife to the bedside.The two took off their shoes and boots, got into the bed, and put down the thick curtain. Song Hongye just said: "Military situation: On May [-], the Qing army caught up with the Shun army in Qingdu (now Wangdu County, Hebei). Hou Guying intercepted, the Shun army was defeated, and Gu Ying died in battle."

The beautiful wife quickly remembered it in her heart, her lips twitched slightly, and she repeated it silently.

Song Hongye looked into those bright eyes in the dark, and said again: "On May [-]th, the Qing army broke the truth. The Shun army entered Jinxing from Jingxing and guarded Guguan. On the [-]th, the Qing army was ordered to return to the division."

His lovely wife blinked her eyes to show that she remembered.

"If there is any more, it will not be news from our department." Song Hongye thought for a while, and said: "The Manchu Qing returned to the Shun Dynasty to confiscate the land and hire officials, whether it was the Eunuch Party, Donglin, Daming, Dashun... as long as you are an official, you can use it. .Now it's a mess. Some ministries are packed with several Manchu and Han servants, while others are serving as two servants. No one is focused on doing business. Oh, and tell Your Highness: This time the Manchurian soldiers robbed and killed The looting is limited, not as much as when the army left. Many nobles in Manchuria have already wanted to enclose land in Gyeonggi. There is also the matter of raising the flag..."

The charming wife patted Song Hongye lightly, and interrupted: "You are no longer in charge of unofficial discussions." She added: "I heard that an infantry commander is going to be established, do you know?"

"I've also heard a little bit," Song Hongye said, "From the point of view of functions, it's like the army of the five cities. But it is in charge of the Manchu, Mongolian, and Han Baqi infantry battalions, as well as the nine officers and soldiers. It seems that they are also in charge of patrolling and arresting." Second battalion affairs. I'm not a member of the banner, so I definitely can't get involved."

"That's it..." Song Hongye's lovely wife pursed her lips, and said quietly, "From this point of view, Banner people are still a head taller than Han people."

"It's more than one head..." Song Hongye shook his head heavily: "We Han people are already slaves to the subjugated country, and the hair given by our parents alone may not be able to be preserved!"

The beautiful wife's face also turned pale, but she couldn't see it in the dim light.She stroked her chest and said, "I saw Manchurian women with hair, but they wear rings on their nostrils and browbones, like ghost animals. It's really creepy to see. Let me say yes first, if I really want to pretend to be them in the future." With that appearance, I will go back even if I am punished by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Song Hongye teased: "I don't know who said that day: but for the restoration of the emperor's Ming Dynasty, it's easy to be smashed to pieces!"

The charming wife's face turned red again, and she said stubbornly: "Then you want to shave your hair? Are you willing to shave too?"

Song Hongye also felt that his chest was blocked, so he raised his head, took a cattail leaf fan, slapped it twice, and finally said: "Shave! When Your Highness rejuvenates Daming, my hair can still grow back!"

"What if..."

"I will stop being a human being and become a monk!"

The two were talking when they suddenly heard a thumping sound from the wall.

It turned out that when Song Hongye rebuilt the house, he specially ordered people to hollow out the bricks under the porch outside the door, and buried hollow copper pipes inside, leading to the wall behind the bed.As long as someone walks by, the amplified footsteps can be heard here.Those craftsmen all went to Shandong later, so he didn't worry about anyone knowing the secret of this house.

"Master, Grandma, there is a Manchurian who wants to see Master." The childish voice of the close servant girl came from outside the door.

Although this maid was a reliable person brought by Shandong, Song Hongye never let her know any information.He opened the curtain and got off the bed, took off his sweaty clothes, and said, "Please have tea and wait a while, I'll change my clothes and go."

Grandma Song also got out of bed, wiped off the sweat from her brow, put on her embroidered shoes, and said, "I'll go to Dongyue Temple tomorrow."

Song Hongye nodded, quickly changed into casual clothes, and went out.With his current status, he is no longer able to communicate too much with ordinary people in the market, and he is worried about sending outsiders. The usual news delivery depends on his "beautiful wife" going to temples to offer incense, fortune-telling, and "chatting" with Taoist priests.