Emperor Qianlong: the beginning of his glory

Chapter 52
Liu Kang was lying on the ground and could not speak.A yamen servant raised his shoulder and sprayed water with a "poof", and he woke up slowly.His spirit had completely collapsed, and he tossed and turned and said: "Fate should be like this... I admit it... He Daotai... Don't pester me, pay your life for your life, pay your life for your life!" His voice was hoarse and shrill, His face was distorted beyond human shape, and he looked at the coffin in horror, as if the coffin had grown legs and was approaching him, covering his oily and sweaty face and rubbing back: "Don't you come here? Don't! Life for life!"

After Gao Wuyong left, Fu Heng immediately asked someone to prepare the horse and said that he was going to leave the mansion. Tang'er came out from the back room and said: "I came back yesterday and saw the emperor's work. I have been busy non-stop until now. If you don't relax, what else do you want?" Go?" Fu Heng said with a smile, "I want to meet Zhang Tingyu, but the emperor can't take care of some details, so I should listen more to this old minister." Tang'er teased: "You are also a minister now. Now, he is still the prime minister of the uncle of the country, so he naturally puts the country's affairs first!"

One sentence reminded Fu Heng that he was obviously frivolous in rushing to pay respects to Zhang Tingyu, and said with a smile, "You are right. What is the difference? I am just a minister with scattered ranks. I am not as good as at home when I am doing things outside. The prime minister is also better than being a bodyguard. I think, the emperor is so generous, I can't let it down." Tang'er is a very clever person, and she has heard her husband's intentions. She brought a bowl of ginseng soup to Fu Heng and said: " This makes sense. Last time I went to the palace, I heard from Yun Xianger in front of the empress that there was an Enke champion Zhuang Yougong who became crazy after drinking hairpin wine. He asked everyone, "I am the champion, do you know ?' I see you are fidgeting, and you are going to be paired with Zhuang Yougong, which makes people laugh!" This is the first time Fu Heng heard about it, and thinking about Zhuang Yougong's questioning appearance, he couldn't help laughing: "I'm so ignorant. Future? I-"

"Are the couple talking privately?"

There was a sudden burst of laughter in the courtyard. Fu Heng and Tang'er were startled. When they looked out of the window together, it was Gao Heng, the younger brother of Concubine Huixian who came.Gao Heng is only about 20 years old, with straight eyebrows and a square face. He wears a sauce-colored pegasus-style wool lamb batulu vest, a rain-coloured azure leather robe, and a pair of black cloth shoes with a layered sole. Playing with a sandalwood fan and walking gracefully, seeing Fu Heng hanging the curtain waiting for him, he said with a smile: "I don't dare to do it, Heng Chen's old Xiangguo is here too!"

"Really?" Fu Heng let go of his hand, and walked down the stairs with the corner of his robe. Seeing the old Zhang Tingyu helping a family member enter the second door with one hand, Fu Heng smiled with satisfaction when he saw that the family was serving him attentively, and stepped forward to greet him personally. He helped Zhang Tingyu, and said with a smile: "You are over 70 years old, if you want to see me, don't you just send a personal message?"

Zhang Tingyu is a deep person, he only smiled when he heard this, and entered the upper room with the help of Fu Heng.Fu Heng then rushed to the back room and said, "Nara's (Tang'er), Gao Heng is not an outsider, once Xiangtou Zhang comes to the house, you don't have to avoid it, and make the Dahongpao tea I brought back for you two."

"What's so rare about Dahongpao tea?" Gao Heng was in Zongxue with Fu Heng since he was a child, and he was very familiar with him. Sitting in his chair, he said with a smile, "If you like to drink, I will give you twenty catties. Zhang Xiang is here, and when you are promoted again, Take it! Do you want to show your innocence?"

"You are so bold!" Fu Heng laughed. "The real Dahongpao has only one tea tree. Lightning struck half of it, and only half of it survived. I went to Lingnan Lupo in person, and only got two taels. Even as a tribute to the emperor, it was a The tea tree nearby is mixed with it. It’s twenty catties as soon as you open your mouth!”

A few words made Zhang Tingyu excited, leaned back on the chair and smiled: "So what I drank in the past was also fake? I want to taste it today!" After speaking, Tang'er had already brewed three cups, and used a small cup The tea tray was brought out by himself, Zhang Tingyu picked it up and saw that it was a glass cup? , a piece of floating tea is gone, only a thin layer of white mist diffuses over the mouth of the cup, and the faint fragrance is refreshing.

"This is called Yaochi Wusheng." Fu Heng pointed out with a smile, "Look, the tea in the cup has five layers of color, green and red are clear, and the leaves turn yellow after being soaked in water, floating in the middle...the surrounding tea trees are also fragrant. Alright, even if it doesn’t have a cold fragrance, you can’t tell the difference between the five colors, that’s the difference between real and fake!”

Zhang Tingyu looked at it carefully with a smile, took a cup and sniffed it lightly, touched his lips and took a sip, tasted it and said: "It's mellow but not thick, the fragrance is not strong, the color is not lewd, it refreshes the heart and refreshes the spleen - good!" Heng Xinsi was not on the tea at all, he stared straight at Tang'er until the tea was delivered to him, then hurriedly took it, and said with a smile: "The tea is good, and the brewing is good, my sister-in-law's skill is extraordinary! It's rare that this All five colors come out!" Then he took a sip of his drink.When Tangtang was a child, she had already left.

"Mr. Zhang," Fu Heng returned to the main topic, sipped his tea and said, "I just received an order that I want to go to Shanxi. I originally wanted to visit the mountain tomorrow to receive your instructions. Since you came in person, it just so happens Let me ask you for advice. I am young and out of sorts. The emperor entrusted me with a heavy responsibility. I am really afraid that I will fail the errand. Gao Heng was ordered to go to the south of the Yangtze River to pick up my errand, and he came just in time. I have something to say later. I need to explain." Gao Heng hurriedly lowered his head and agreed with "Yes".

Zhang Tingyu stroked his beard and said, "I have read all the papers you handed out outside. Those articles are so detailed that I would not be able to write them when I was young. The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead. I have been thinking about it for the past few days. It is indeed time for you young people to contribute to the master."

"This is the humility of Hengchen. When I gave my speech, the emperor said, 'You must learn from Zhang Tingyu, not Mingzhu and Gao Shiqi. Zhang Tingyu has served his superiors with respect and care for decades. , No matter how cumbersome it is, there is no slack. The ancestors regarded benevolence as the law, and they cannot be separated from him. The first emperor regarded strictness as the law, and they cannot do without him. The country has always been self-sufficient. Lord Shizong once allowed him to enter the Xianliang Temple, which is a natural reason. Now I can't let him retire. When that day comes, I will let him enter the Xianliang Temple, give poems and feasts, Let this generation of fame and glory start and end.'”

Zhang Tingyu listened very intently, "Hong Fan" five blessings, the most important of which is "final test of fate".Before the founding of the Qing Dynasty, none of the ministers who went to the study room had "full beginnings and complete ends". Mingzhu and Suo'etu were almost killed by Kangxi.The more he pays attention to it in the past few years, the more he feels that this is determined by the "Qing Qi".He was not like Ertai, who felt jealous when he saw Qianlong using a newcomer.What he thinks most is that he would rather die from exhaustion, and finally get a good reputation all over the world, so after listening to Fu Heng's words, he feels more comfortable than drinking this cup of Dahongpao tea.He didn't even know that Fu Heng missed what Qianlong said, "Feng Dao was prime minister during the five generations, and after the revolution of the fourth generation, Zhang Tingyu was in prime minister at about the same time as Feng Dao. It is not a good thing to compare Zhang Tingyu to the shameless "Elder Changle" Feng Dao, because Fu Heng naturally avoided it because he did not pass the message according to the order.Zhang Tingyu stretched his wrinkled face, and said: "Master Fu, the emperor's words are really flattering to me. To be honest, two things are easy to happen after being in this position for a long time. Arrogant and extravagant, because of their power, they forget their status as courtiers; the second is that villains tend to cling to each other, and there are endless connections between disciples and old officials. How can they all follow the rules when they are outside? I feel that my face is dull. Just like Liu Kang, how many faces have been scanned? Prince Zhuang, Qi Lesu, Xu Shilin... and even Prince Hongxiao and Prince Hongxi. Li Wei I was shrewd and was dragged into the case this time .I sent someone to see him yesterday, he was skinny, and he didn't even have the strength to speak..." As he spoke, Zhang Tingyu looked sad.But he immediately lifted his spirits, and said with a smile: "Your happy day, I shouldn't have said these words. Now that the Holy Spirit is above, and the candles are shining in all directions, it's just like what Long Live said, how caring you are! It’s the age to ride the wind and waves and start a career, cheer up and do it well, and it’s justified to do better than me!”

"I will always remember Zhang Xiang's warning." Fu Heng pondered and changed the subject, "I was ordered to go out before, but I didn't have any rules in my heart. I don't care about what I see. To be honest, I have a bad reputation in the officialdom in Nanjing. What' Fu Liuye, brother of the empress, is in charge of the sky above and the land below, even if we sneeze or fart, he will play it, making the emperor laugh and making officials feel unlucky...'" He didn't finish, Zhang Tingyu laughed out loud, and Gao Heng couldn't help laughing.Even Tang'er, who embroidered next door, laughed so hard that her needles pricked her hands.Fu Hengdao: "No matter what, I want to do things well, and I don't mean to make a mess of it. It's just that I haven't worked on a special job, so I can't figure it out. So if you know me, you can forgive me." Zhang Tingyu said with a smile: "Employing people, administration, and financial management are the same thing. You are an imperial envoy, you can't just grab the gourd and grapes, let alone do it for you. For example, Zhengyang Cult Bandit Gathering in Tuotuo Peak, Heicha Mountain, Shanxi, this is your full-time first job. You must handle the errands cleanly and neatly. You just look at the rest of the matter, and only remind you about minor problems, or send a document to ask the Yamen to handle it and report back. For major problems, it is best to discuss with the governor and general there, and jointly report it. The errands have been done, and they don’t think you’re in the way anymore.” Then he turned his face and smiled and said Gao Heng: “This means Master Fu Liu, the same goes for you when you go to Nanjing. You are all royal relatives, and you are more scruples than ordinary people. , Word of mouth is like a sword, it is also very scary."

"Yes." Gao Heng said with a quick smile, "I can't compare to Sixth Brother Fu. He is a genuine national uncle, and I am a non-brand. Shake the mountains. Do a few decent deeds, and I will come back and pay the order." Fu Heng smiled and said: "I am most concerned about Lu Zhuo and Zhuang Yougong. One Jianshan Dam is related to the safety of Fujian Province, and the other is for Anhui, Henan, and Shandong. The disaster victims who flowed into Nanjing will spread the epidemic and die if they can't handle it well. If the religious bandits incite again, it is easy to cause serious trouble. The disaster victims are extremely poor, and there are many robberies and fights. Zhuang Yougong still wants to do well, but the officials are as slippery as oil , I haven’t had time to rectify it—you know, the emperor waived the annual donation. Those corrupt officials can only profit from their errands. Zhuang Yougong is a good man, but he is too kind, cowardly and honest, so go and help him." "Thank you, Brother Six, for your advice." Gao Heng said with a smile, "I don't plan to stay in Jingduo if I don't accept them. After I go, it's convenient to discuss some things with a sealed letter."

Several people were talking about authentic tea, and the family members outside hurried in and said: "Gao Gonggong is here." Then Gao Wuyong came in hurriedly, only bowed to Zhang Tingyu, and said: "Master asked Zhang Xiang to come in." Zhang Tingyu got up Asked: "Is the master in Changchun Garden?"

"No." Gao Wuyong smiled and nodded with Fu Heng and Gao Heng, "Liu Kang's case is over. My master has just returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and summoned Prince Zhuang, Neqin, Ertai and you to discuss matters." He didn't even eat tea, and said: "I still have to go to Nezhongtang Mansion." Then he left in a hurry.

Fu Heng hurriedly got up to see him off, and called Tang'er back, "Bring the rest of the big red robe to Xiang Zhang." Tang'er agreed, and Gao Heng looked at the curtain eagerly, but saw a girl coming out with a paper bag, Give the tea to the servant of the Zhang family who is guarding the door.Gao Heng had no choice but to resign in regret.

(End of this chapter)