In the fifty-first year of Qianlong's reign, it was the second day of the seventh month, and it was Guiyou day.
Southeast of the main entrance of the Summer Resort is Heshen's mansion. With five couplets in front and three rooms in the main hall, He Shen bowed deeply to Wu Shengqin and said very sincerely: "If you don't tell me quickly this time, He Shen will be in danger. Please pay homage to me."
Liu Quan on the side also knelt down quickly, kowtowed to Wu Shengqin, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Bai Hua, for saving my life!"
Wu Shengqin hurriedly went over to support He Shen and said, "Master Zhongtang, why are you doing this! The matter is over now, let's not mention the past. This time it is just a small effort. It does not deserve such a great gift. It will disgrace the students." After that, he said again He said to Liu Quanda: "Steward Liu, we have known each other for many years, why are you doing this? Please get up quickly!"
Wu Shengqin, known as the most shameless scholar in the Qing Dynasty in later generations, was named Chongzhi and Baihua, and was a native of Nanhui, Jiangsu Province. This man once taught in Xian'an Palace with his younger brother Wu Shenglan Tong, and He Shen was his student at that time. Later, in order to pass the imperial examination, this person attached himself to Heshen and actually recognized the student who was the examiner as his teacher.
After He Shen sat down again, the servants brought tea again, and He Shen smiled and said: "I haven't had time to ask you, why did you come here suddenly this time?"
"For this year's Shuntian Prefecture Township Examination, Xiaguan was appointed by the emperor as a supervisor. This time, he received the emperor's order and attended the meeting with Mr. Peng from the Ministry of Rites, Mr. A and Mr. Hu, the cabinet bachelors. Today, When I arrived, I handed over the sign and thought of coming to the main hall to pay my respects first."
He Shen nodded and smiled and said: "You must be careful in the national talent promotion ceremony. The examination questions are of great importance, so don't let the little ones get in."
"Yes! I will never forget the teachings of Master Zhongtang."
He Shen smiled and then said: "I will go in to see the emperor now. You can stay here tonight. We will have a long talk when you come back. Shuntian Prefecture Yin has many complicated things. If there is anything difficult or difficult to handle, Let's talk later." After saying that, he said to Liu Quan who was standing aside: "Ask Mr. Hu to come and talk with Mr. Wu. Mr. Wu will arrange it in the west wing in the evening. I will come back after seeing the emperor."
After He Shen entered the Li Zhengmen in a sedan chair, he handed the sign at the Yi Gate outside Yanbo Zhishuang Building. After a while, the eunuch on duty came over and bowed to He Shen and said: "He Zhong Hall, the old man and the fifteenth master are in Jie De Hall. , I asked you to come over."
Jiedetang is a group of rectangular courtyard buildings located to the north of Qingshushan Pavilion and in the center of Jinghu Lake. It was built in the 45th year of Qianlong's reign. This is the place where Qianlong studied on weekdays when he stayed at the summer resort. The courtyard gate is three rooms wide, and the main hall upon entering is the Jie De Hall. There is an artificial pool behind the main hall, and the veranda in the north of the pool is called "Jingxiang Pavilion". Qianlong would enjoy lotus flowers here when he was not busy.
When He Shen entered, he saw Qianlong sitting to the south with his eyes closed, and Yong Yan sitting on a small stool facing west.
"This slave pays his respects to his master!"
After waiting for a long time, Qianlong, who was sitting next to him, showed no reaction as usual. He Shen waited for a long time but didn't see Qianlong speaking, so he raised his head slightly and saw Qianlong with his eyes closed as if he was asleep, muttering something in his mouth. Yong Yan on the side tilted his ears, as if trying hard to hear clearly.
After a while, Yong Yan finally gave up. He really couldn't understand what Qianlong was talking about.
Suddenly, Qianlong suddenly opened his eyes and shouted: "What's that person's name?!"
This loud shout immediately frightened Yong Yan and made him stunned. "Who? Who are you asking?"
He Shen, who was kneeling on the ground, immediately stood up and answered without thinking: "Zhao Xin." Qianlong then stopped talking, closed his eyes, and began to recite silently.
After almost an hour, He Shen's back hurt from kneeling, but he still endured it. At this time, Qianlong suddenly stretched out his hand and waved to Yong Yan and He Shen respectively without saying anything. The two knew that they were letting themselves out, and after bowing, they exited the main hall.
The two of them left the courtyard of Jiedetang and walked to a quiet place. Yongyan turned around and asked in a low voice: "Hezhongtang, what was the emperor reading just now? I didn't understand a word."
He Shen whispered: "Fifteenth Master, you are brave to redeem your slave, so I dare to tell you this. Please don't spread it."
Yong Yan was stunned and said: "Who do you think I am?!"
He Shen turned his head and looked around. Seeing that there was no one around, he sighed and whispered: "What the master just recited silently is a secret spell from the Western Regions. If you recite this spell silently, the cursed person will be thousands of years away." People will also die without illness in places outside the house. When the master asked about it just now, I used the name of the traitor Zhao Xin to deal with it. Master Fifteen, this is the matter. "
When Yong Yan heard this, he was shocked and horrified. He knew that Qianlong was very proficient in Tibetan Buddhism and sometimes practiced Tibetan Buddhist secrets with lamas, but he did not expect that he could actually practice this kind of magic. How afraid Qianlong must be of Zhao Xin! Even this method has been used.
He Shen's thoughts were also turning over and over again at this time. According to his guess, Qianlong must have been touched by something before and cast a curse. However, we cannot ask Yong Yan directly about this matter. We can only speculate from Qianlong's actions in the past two days.
In the flash of lightning, He Shen's heart moved. Qianlong has been reading "Records of Taizu" and "Records of Taizong" these days. He Shen thought of what Fukang'an had said before that Zhao Xin's occupation of the Fuldan City area was to imitate the old stories of Taizu and Taizong. The answer is already obvious.
The emperor is so worried! After two attacks, it was obvious that they couldn't defeat them if they had fewer people. If they raised more troops, the Eight Banners would be afraid of being beaten, and the Green Camp would not be able to defeat them if they had fewer people. At present, there are constant droughts and locust plagues in various parts of the Central Plains, and the cult parties in Henan and Shandong are also ready to take action. I am afraid it will be too late this year.
After the defeat of Fuldan City, Qianlong knocked out his teeth and swallowed his blood, and used the crime settlement silver to finally redeem more than 10,000 people. Now Duerjia is in jail, Fukang'an is at home thinking about his past, and Agui has been demoted to Jiangsu to inspect river engineering; but the dead Ushhada, E Hui and others have taken the biggest blame. Not only can they not get a single pension, but their families have also Exiled to Ili.
Fortunately, a group of redeemed Eight Banners elites and their families were grateful to Qianlong, and this saved some face for the court. After thinking about it afterwards, the Qing faction was shocked to find that the person who gained the most this time was actually He Shen! Not only did this man earn the reputation of "being alone in a tiger's den and dealing with wolves", but he also became a bachelor and the leading military minister. Bannermen from all over the country, especially from the capital, praised Heshen. He said that if it weren't for He Zhongtang, his family would be finished.
This is also the reason why they secretly encouraged Cao Xibao to participate in the impeachment of Liu Quan, just to cause trouble and curb He Shen's momentum. Dong Gao, Liang Guozhi and others thought that if they did not curb it, the DPRK would really become He Shen's "one-spoken hall" in the future.
After all calculations, Cao Xibao accidentally met a hypocrite and showed the memorial to Wu Shengqin. As a result, the news was leaked in advance, allowing Liu Quan to demolish the house within three days to cover up the evidence. At the same time, Qianlong also personally took action, apparently to investigate strictly, but in fact to protect him. In the end, the Qing Dynasty was disgraced. Cao Xibao couldn't say that he was instigated by others, so he had no choice but to make up the reason of "coveting to take charge of the provincial examination".
Qianlong has been reading "History of Ming Dynasty" and "Records of Taizu" these days. At that time, Ming Shenzong was also very happy about his success. After the three major conquests, the national treasury was completely exhausted. In the Battle of Saarhu, the Ming army suffered heavy losses and was severely weakened. The victory of the Jin army not only stabilized its regime, but also seized the initiative in the Liaodong battlefield. Due to the war, huge military expenditures caused the Ming Dynasty to continuously increase taxes, intensifying domestic conflicts and causing internal and external troubles in the Ming Dynasty.
The situation then is so similar to today! At this time, the Qing faction still wanted to start a political dispute, so how could Qianlong not be alerted? Just slap him to death.
After being screened and appeased, the redeemed Eight Banners soldiers returned to various garrison cities to rest and recuperate. Now they have to hand over an offshore island to Zhao Ni for use; they even have to pretend to be blind and allow Zhao Ni to send people to Guangzhou. Each of these incidents was a great shame and humiliation for Qianlong, and he was unworthy of his ancestors!
Since Heshen returned with Fukang'an, Duerjia and others, Qianlong summoned him more than a dozen times to inquire in person and learn more about what happened before and after, not sparing any detail. Later, he ordered the princes and ministers to come up with a report and propose countermeasures.
But at this time, the military attache faction headed by Agui had been broken by Zhao Xin. Agui, who was busy regulating the river, pretended to be deaf and mute and did not dare to interfere at all; while Fukang'an, who was shutting himself up at home and thinking about his past, resisted the pressure and stabbed the blood. Wrote a memorial of ten thousand words. Qianlong did not publish it after reading it. Only Yong Yan and He Shen knew what it said specifically.
According to Yong Yan's idea, he still had to accumulate strength, practice and review the green camps in various places, and strengthen his military preparation before fighting Zhao Xin. The originally extremely expensive sail warships were mentioned again. Qianlong thought about it and decided to buy two ships from Macau and Westerners, and at the same time ordered the Fujian shipyard to start building them.
But at present, disasters continue to occur in various places, and Qianlong has continued to whitewash peace in these years. The money for the Old Summer Palace project was spent like water, and even the Ministry of Household Affairs could not come up with the money; so the heavy responsibility of fundraising fell on He Shen's shoulders.
Faced with such a situation, Yong Yan knew that even if Cao Xibao had real evidence, Qianlong must protect He Shen. Now the only one who can figure out a way to get money is He Shen! So during the whole process, Yong Yan didn't say a word.
But what shocked Yong Yan the most was that He Shen could actually understand the incantation chanted by Qianlong! It is estimated that he also knows this kind of spell. If you want to kill someone, no one can escape by doing this and chanting the mantra!
Thinking of this, Yong Yan's face became guilt-ridden, and she said in a deep voice: "Since the defeat in Jilin, the Holy Heart has been worried and angry, having trouble sleeping and eating, and all kinds of anxiety are manifested in the appearance. But there are still scofflaws in the court. When talking about saintly virtues in private, the thought is so heart-breaking. At present, the military officers in various places are doing well, but the civil servants are spending a lot of time and money, and they are watching it deteriorate day by day. How can the prosperous age created by the emperor himself be allowed to be violated at will! "
"Fifteenth Master, my master is the only emperor of all time, with great strength and high demeanor! It is difficult to continue to be prosperous. This is something that has happened in all ages. But in my opinion, whether it is a bannerman or a local official, they are corrupt and rotten. At best, there are only a few people. When it comes to the administration of officials, I think the matter is acceptable, so the fifteenth master does not need to worry too much."
Yong Yan smiled slightly after hearing this and said, "Maybe I'm overthinking it." Although he said this, he didn't think so in his heart.
More than ten days ago, when Wang Erlie, who was appointed as the Shaanxi Provincial Supervisory Envoy, came to the Summer Resort to meet the Holy Spirit, he mentioned to Yong Yan that now the imperial court is eating a lot of food, the treasury is empty, and the people are extremely poor, who is going to eat the money? If we do not make great efforts to rectify the administration of officials, the officialdom will be in decline and the people will not be able to survive!
Yong Yan also shook his head and smiled bitterly at that time. There is a saying among the people that "officials are tigers and officials are wolves. If you drive away a tiger, what will be left is a pack of hungry wolves." In the past few years he has been in the military aircraft department, he also understands that government administration is really a big deal, but this person in front of him...
Thinking of this, Yong Yan said no more and said goodbye to He Shen in a hurry.
At some point, the sky had become gloomy, and the rolling dark clouds seemed to be pressing down from above. Suddenly, a purple lightning flashed across the sky, and He Shen shrank in fear. He remembered the secret spell Qianlong had cast just now and couldn't help but shudder. He quickly quickened his pace and walked towards Li's main gate.
"Sneeze!..." On board the Thor, which was bumping along with the waves, Zhao Xin sneezed three times in a row. The sound was so loud that the eardrums of everyone else in the cockpit hurt, and their ears were buzzing.
Ding Guofeng said: "Don't you have a cold?"
Ten minutes ago, it suddenly started raining on the sea. The fine raindrops were blown by the sea breeze and continuously hit the glass of the cockpit, making a crackling sound. Zhao Xin wiped his nose with paper and said strangely: "I suddenly felt itchy in my nose just now. Maybe it was blown by the sea breeze in the morning."
After hearing this, A Miao quickly walked out of the door, ran to the restaurant on the second floor, made Zhao Xin a cup of cold medicine, and asked someone in the cafeteria to make a pot of ginger syrup.
One day ago, the Thor arrived near an island more than a hundred nautical miles away from Humen. This place already belongs to the outer sea. According to Heshen's slave Wang Ping, if you walk a few dozen miles to the northwest from here, you will reach the large island known as "Danggan Mountain". The boat party of the Thirteenth Party Cai family should have been waiting at Wailingding Island, fifty miles northwest of Danganshan Island, to pick up Liu Zheng and his party to land.
As a result, it suddenly rained heavily, so Ding Guofeng had no choice but to pilot the Thor. Under Liu Sheng's guidance, he carefully parked the ship in a sheltered bay on Dazuiwei Island; he waited for the rain to stop before heading to Wailingding Island. .
In the smoky rain and fog, several wooden houses on the island can be faintly seen. Ding Guofeng asked in surprise: "Is there anyone else living here?"
Wang Ping on the side explained: "Master, this is a Danhu family."
Ding Guofeng nodded and said, "Oh, I've heard of it, the people on the water."
Wang Ping, a domestic slave, was quite knowledgeable and continued to explain: "Master, you are really knowledgeable! At that time, Emperor Yongzheng opened the registration system for Dan households. After these Dan households came ashore, they settled on the islands with few people. Reclaim unused fields.”
At this time, Zhao Xin pursed his nose and said, "According to what you said, are we okay if they see us?"
"Mr. Zhao, it's okay. These people never dare to go ashore. They are most afraid of seeing officials."
"Oh? Why is this?" Since the boat couldn't leave anyway, Ding Guofeng decided to break the casserole and ask the question.
There were no chairs in the cockpit. Wang Ping's legs were sore after standing for a long time. The cockpit was full of small flashing lights of various colors, and he couldn't understand any of them. There were guards watching behind him. Wang Ping did not dare to move around at all, so he carefully leaned on the chart table and said: "Although Master Yongzheng is kind, a lowly status is always a lowly status. The fields on these islands must be unclaimed." If those who have paid taxes dare to report to the officials, the secrets about the fields will be revealed. Besides, the navy and customs have sent people to inform them in advance, so please relax."
On Wailingding Island, a young man in his twenties was lying behind a boulder, looking at the Thor in the bay, with a frightened look on his face. He turned around and ran through the heavy rain, and came to a cave behind a rock. He said to the people warming themselves by the fire: "Brother 1, no, it's not good! There is a strange ship coming outside, but it scared me to death!"
A twenty-year-old young man whom he called his elder brother suddenly stood up, holding a long knife in his hand, and asked: "Are they officers and soldiers? Has anyone landed on the beach?"
The young man who reported the news shook his head: "It's raining too much outside, and it's impossible to get ashore. As for the boat, I can't say, it's too scary! Brother Yi, you'd better go and see for yourself."
"Brother One" sneered and said to the people in the cave: "I am short of a big boat! In this weather, if we really are an army officer, we will hijack the boat and kill him!"
At this time, a dozen other people in the cave also stood up and responded: "Listen to Brother Yi!"
After that, everyone picked up the guy and followed the messenger outside despite the heavy rain. When they arrived at the place, they were all stunned and trembling with fear.
Is this a ship? Is this called a boat? This is clearly a mountain!
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