The Biography of Concubine Wen Xi in Qing Palace

Chapter 184 San Francisco
This year, the Empress Dowager returned to the palace before the New Year's Day in winter. Looking at her ruddy complexion at the banquet in the palace, one knew that the recuperation effect of the past year was very significant. After returning to the palace in March, the wind disease disappeared. Not guilty.

On that day, the emperor was reviewing the memorial in the Qianqing Palace. Liang Jiugong walked in with his waist bent, kneeling down with a slightly anxious expression, "Your Majesty, something happened to Niu Hulu's mansion."

Emperor Zhu Pi hesitated, raised his head and stared at him: "What's the matter?"

"Master Ye Bilong is seriously ill, maybe it won't last long."

When the emperor left the palace in a sedan chair and rushed to Yebilong's mansion, he was already as thin as dry wood, lying on his side on the couch and moaning out of breath.

Ding, who was serving in front of the bed, was shocked when he saw that the emperor was coming, and hurriedly knelt down and stammered, "Caomin. Caomin pays respects to the emperor. Long live the emperor, long live, long live."

Hearing this movement, Ye Bilong turned over with difficulty and looked in front of the door, he thought it was his servant who went crazy, but he didn't think that the emperor was willing to visit his dying person.He was both happy and worried in his heart, supported himself up with both hands, and wanted to get down to the ground to salute the emperor.

"Now you are wearing regular clothes, and I am also wearing regular clothes. For the time being, those etiquettes of monarchs and ministers will be waived." The emperor took two steps forward, and Ding, who was in charge of the family, moved a high pear wood chair for the emperor to sit on, and then went outside the house with Liang Jiugong. waiting.

The emperor sniffed the unpleasant smell in the house with the tip of his nose, the smell of bitter soup mixed with the sour smell of Ye Bilong's body was very pungent.He frowned slightly, but Ye Bilong saw it, he cupped his hands and bowed, coughed a few times and said helplessly: "The mansion of the sinner is shabby, the emperor laughed."

"When I was young, I came here with the first emperor, but I didn't expect that things are so different now." The emperor sighed slightly, and said: "I have forgiven your sins, so don't call out one by one. .”

"That's the emperor Haihan, who gave the criminal minister a little bit of a face, and the criminal minister dared not disobey the rules."

The emperor was silent for a moment, took a short breath, and seemed to have infinite emotion and said: "When I first came to the throne, the days when the four assistant ministers discussed politics with the court are still vivid in my mind. At that time, you, Sony, Sukesaha, Oboi, They are all so loyal and dedicated to the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty and worry about it day and night. I am thinking about these things, and I am also very grateful to you in my heart."

Ye Bilong's sunken eyes were filled with tears, and he couldn't speak for a while like a lump in his throat.

Seeing him like this, the emperor lightly placed his steady and strong palm on his shoulder to comfort him: "If your body is so weak, if not, let the imperial physician in the palace come and show you."

Ye Bilong shook his head and declined: "The guilty minister has been ill for some time, there is no point in letting the imperial physician go to waste. The emperor is here today, and the guilty minister also has some private things in his heart, and he wants to talk to the emperor."

In the past, among the four assistant ministers, now Ye Bilong is the only one left. The emperor couldn't help sighing, and agreed to his words.

"Nowadays the world seems to be peaceful, but there is a big trouble, does the emperor have a plan?"

"You mean?" The emperor's face was solemn, and he faintly spit out the word 'San Francisco'.

The so-called San Francisco refers to the vassal towns under the jurisdiction of Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and Shang Kexi in the early Qing Dynasty.

In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, because the rulers of the Qing Dynasty were not strong enough to directly control the southern provinces, the Han people were subdued and those who made meritorious contributions were entrusted and managed in some southern provinces.Among them, Wu Sangui was granted the title of King Pingxi, who guarded Yunnan and also governed Guizhou; Shang Kexi was granted the title of King Pingnan, who guarded Guangdong;

San Francisco has great power in the provinces it guards, far surpassing local local officials, and can control the local army, taxes, etc.

Ye Bilong nodded. He seemed to be exhausted. He took a soft pillow and leaned on the bed post: "The three feudal clans have hired heavy troops, and they have been counted for a long time. Only Pingnan and Jingnan feudal clans have their own troops. Fifteen assistant leaders①, green battalion soldiers② each with 53 troops, and Dingkou each with [-] soldiers. Besides, Wu Sangui has high military exploits and strong soldiers, and most of the elite and fierce soldiers from all directions belong to his subordinates. He has [-] assistant leaders and [-] green battalion soldiers. , tens of thousands of small mouths."

"Wu Sangui first came to town in Yunnan and Guizhou. His ancestors granted him great power. The governors of Yunnan and Guizhou were all controlled by him. The selection of soldiers and personnel was based on his own words. It was called 'Xuanxuan', and there is a saying among the people that 'the officials selected from the West are all over the world'! Now He is self-respecting in his army, and he spreads his cronies all over the water and land, and there are many confidantes in the towns of the provinces. And his subordinates are all brave and good at fighting. Compared with Oboi in the past, he is even worse. But the sky is high and the emperor is far away, the emperor If you want to take back Yungui from him, it will be extremely difficult."

Ye Bilong sighed slightly, took a breath and continued: "After Geng Jingzhong became king, he ordered his subordinates to seize agricultural and commercial businesses and collect money with taxes; Tax, although it is gratifying to be more loyal to the emperor, but he is old and sick like the old man, and most of the military affairs are handed over to his son Shang Zhixin. Complaints abound."

He was a vain person, but he said so much in one breath, and it was really too much for him.

Although he was full of heartfelt desire to express his sorrow to the emperor, he was unable to do what he wanted, so he breathed out weakly, and spit out the last sentence: "The San Francisco seems to be divided into one side, but in fact they are angry with each other and spread their wings. The power of the San Francisco has almost spread all over the country. !"

The emperor nodded, supported Ye Bilong's back to make him lie on the couch, and carefully covered him with a soft quilt: "I know what you said, and San Francisco hasn't made any movement yet. , even if I want to rule, I have learned from no one. Wait a little longer, if someone is impatient, I will not stand by and let my ancestors be destroyed in my hands."

Ye Bilong coughed violently several times, saliva flew all over the place, and warm and bright red blood seemed to overflow from the corner of his mouth.

The emperor frowned in shock, and hurriedly ordered Liang Jiugong to call the doctor to come in. Ye Bilong struggled to force out a wry smile, tugged on the sleeves of the emperor's bright yellow dragon pattern, and said hoarsely: "Sinner, I still have something in my heart. There is one more thing, I want to I beg the emperor to agree." He stared at the direction of the imperial city outside the window, showing hidden worries: "The sinful minister is gone. Yide and Wanyi will no longer have a mother's family to rely on. Only the emperor can protect them well. The criminal minister In this whole life, I was afraid of the first and the last, and I could not do my best to help the emperor because of Oboi's lust. Now that Oboi has passed away, the criminals are not slacking off. I hope. I hope the emperor will remember that the criminals have been loyal to the Qing Dynasty for decades and treated them kindly A pair of daughters of criminal officials."

"Don't worry." The emperor tucked the corner of Ye Bilong's quilt, and firmly nodded his head in response to the matter: "Yide is an old man by my side, and now he is assisting the sixth palace, and he only manages the harem in an orderly manner, which is worthy of me. As for Wan'er, she has won my heart since she entered the palace." As he spoke, he smiled secretly at Ye Bilong, and whispered: "I know what your original purpose of sending them into the palace is, but I also sincerely love you. Thank you for raising such an excellent woman by my side."

Ye Bilong breathed a sigh of relief, and the boulder coiled in his heart immediately fell to the ground.

　Remark ①: Zuoling is the name of the basic unit of the Eight Banners organization in the Qing Dynasty.It is the Chinese translation of "Niulu" in Manchu.In charge of household registration, land residence, military registration, litigation, etc.At the beginning, Yizuo led 300 people, and later it was changed to 200 people.The head is also called Zuo Ling, the hereditary one is called Shiguan Zuo Ling, and the elected one is called Gongzhong Zuo Ling.

　　Remark ②: Green (lù) Battalion, one of the national standing soldiers in the Qing Dynasty.In the early years of Shunzhi, the Ming army and other Han soldiers recruited by the Qing Dynasty in the process of unifying the country were organized with battalions as the basic unit and green flags as the symbol. They were called green battalions, also known as green flag soldiers.The total number of green battalion soldiers in the country has increased and decreased from time to time. Before Xianfeng, it was about 60, which was three or four times more than that of the Eight Banners soldiers.In the early Qing Dynasty, especially in the pacification of the San Francisco Rebellion at the beginning of Kangxi and the previous wars before the middle of Qianlong, the Green Camp played an important role.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)