According to the early warning regulations formulated by the Qing court, with the closure of the nine gates of the capital, the Eight Banners officers and soldiers and bannermen Dingzhuang in the city must assemble in formation according to their banners and follow the flags of their Niulus. The assembly order of bannermen from each department is as follows:
Because the two yellow flags live in Andingmen and Deshengmen, the assembly point is Di'anmen; the two white flags live in Chaoyangmen and Dongzhimen, and the assembly point is Dong'anmen; the two red flags live in Fuchengmen and Xizhimen, and the assembly point is Xi'anmen The two blue banners are located inside Xuanwumen and Chongwenmen, so they have to pass through the Qianbu Corridor and assemble in front of the Jinshui Bridge; the Hujun Camp and Xiaoqi Battalion, which are affiliated with the Inner Government Counselor and Assistant Leader, go to the Shenwumen separately to assemble.
In addition, among the royal family members in Beijing, Prince Heshuo led 15 armored servants, Prince Duoluo led 10 people, Dorobeile led 8 people, and Gushan Beizi led 6 people. They went to the gathering place of the banner guard outside the Meridian Gate to stand by. . The idle princes of the clan must lead the strong men in the palace to assemble in front of their homes and stand ready. The fifth patrol battalion of the Nine Gate Infantry, which is responsible for maintaining public security in the capital, must immediately rush to various city walls to prepare for guards.
When the above-mentioned flags are assembled at the designated place, the leader of the team should immediately go to the Meridian Gate to listen to orders. If the official is sent to Beijing or is vacant, the deputy will take his place.
As soon as the cannon fired, the four gates of the imperial city were closed. Wang Yongxuan of Yi County and military ministers Wang Jie and Qinggui, who were trapped in the military aircraft area, could only ask the Ouchi guards to pass information on the Meridian wall, so as to keep track of the outside world. Case.
Yongxuan really regretted it at this moment. Why did he come to the military aircraft office when he had nothing to do? He couldn't get out now!
He entered the palace, and as soon as he arrived at Longzong Gate, he heard the sound of cannons, and the four gates were immediately closed. As the Prince of the Military Aircraft Department, he had no choice but to summon the general managers and deputy general managers and eunuchs to ask them to stabilize the order in the palace, and at the same time, they must always pay attention to the situation outside.
What impressed Wang Jie and Qing Gui was that this "King of Weijiao" dealt with problems vigorously and resolutely, and his methods were truly unstoppable. When more than a dozen panicked eunuchs were severely punished by him, all the eunuchs in charge also led their men to patrol the palace in separate areas under his orders; all the imperial guards were on duty at the top of the city. In less than half an hour, the order in the Forbidden City was stabilized.
Don't look at the comment Qianlong once gave Yongxuan, which was "frivolous in behavior and ignorant of the general principles of doing things", but that was more than 20 years ago. Yongxuan, who is forty-eight years old, has become more and more calm in recent years. His so-called "indulgence in drinking, sex and sexual behavior" are all for others to see, and he is just keeping a low profile. What would a prince want to do if he had such a good relationship with the people around him? Do you want to be like Prince Lian back then?
Historically, the education received by the princes of the Qing Dynasty was very strict, even harsh; they had to study for 10 hours from morning to night every day, and only had five days of rest throughout the year. Regardless of whether he is a prince or a prince, anyone who dares to mess around in class will be severely punished. Under such a palace education, although there are mediocre talents, they are definitely not useless, let alone the ability to play tricks, which are first-rate.
Not long after, Yongxuan and the others received information about the gathering of various ministries outside the Meridian Gate. However, what surprised them was that neither Prince Yi Yonglang nor Prince Ding Mian'en came, saying that they were summoned into the garden before dawn; in addition, Fengshen Yinde, the commander of the Zhenghuang Banner Guards, did not come, and his The eldest brother-in-law, Dorobel, was never seen again.
Yongxuan, who was sitting in the military aircraft office, raised his head and thought for a moment, his face gradually turned livid, and he said with certainty: "Dong Xingguo, Duke Shuzhai, I'm afraid something happened in the garden!"
Qinggui and Wang Jie were startled and hurriedly asked what was going on. Yongxuan immediately gave a general overview of the situation.
After the city gate opened early this morning, Yongxuan went to the Old Summer Palace to pay his respects as usual. It is said that since Yongyan went to Xi'an and Qianlong went to the Old Summer Palace, he was responsible for many affairs in the capital, especially since he also served as the Zongling of the Zongren Mansion - that is, "Da Zongzheng", so he had to go in every day. Yuanzi asked for instructions and reported. Even if Qianlong's current state is good and bad, he cannot make his own decisions.
However, what surprised Yongxuan was that when he handed over the sign, it was Heshen who came out to see him. The other person said that the emperor was in a bad mood today and did not want to see anyone. He would wait until tomorrow to discuss anything.
Even though this was Qianlong's biological son, he didn't dare to argue with He Shen and force his way into the Forbidden Garden. If the other party slanders you, you will inevitably be punished again. It is light to think about your mistakes behind closed doors. Nowadays, everyone in the court understands that the relationship between the emperor and Heshen cannot be compared to that of his own son. So Yongxuan had no choice but to stand on the other side, kneel down three times and kowtow nine times to where Jiuzhou Qingyan was, and then left angrily.
After hearing these words, Qing Gui and Wang Jie looked at each other, and they understood each other's meaning when their eyes intertwined. There was something fishy about this!
If Yong Lang was here, why didn't He Shen mention it? Could it be that a biological son cannot meet the Holy Spirit, but a biological nephew can? That doesn’t make sense!
Just when the three of them were confused, a second-class guard delivered another letter from outside the Meridian Gate. Yongxuan took it without reading it first. She opened it and spread it on the table for Qinggui and Wang Jie to look at it together. Unexpectedly, the content above shocked the three of them, and they broke out in cold sweat. The arrows that I dare to keep in the Yamen headquarters are gone!
According to the rules, when the cannon is fired, the infantry commander's Yamen should quickly dispatch three Zhangjings, each with four officers and soldiers, armed with arrows ordered by the headquarters, and ride out of the city from Xizhimen on fast horses. One of them rushed directly to the Old Summer Palace and notified the Eight Banners guard camp to enter the park to escort them and strictly guard the outer walls of the Old Summer Palace. The other two rushed to Indigo Factory and Xiangshan respectively, notifying the Foreign Firearms Battalion and Jianrui Battalion to quickly gather in the Old Summer Palace, and together with the Hujun Battalion, escorted Qianlong back to the Forbidden City.
But now the arrows for troop deployment have mysteriously disappeared. What the hell is this?
"What do the people in the infantry commander's yamen do for food! Tell the outside world, and immediately capture all the people in the yamen headquarters, take them into custody, and hand them over to the prince for strict interrogation!"
Yongxuan roared loudly, his face turned crimson, the veins in his neck were stretched high, and he looked furious. The guard was frightened and stood still. Qinggui frowned and shouted: "Don't you understand what Prince Yi said? Go quickly!"
Yongxuan gritted his teeth and hesitated for a moment, then raised his hands and said to Qinggui and Wang Jie: "Two of you, the safety of the emperor is more important than anything else. Now that there is no command arrow, if you want to mobilize the troops outside the city, you can only forcefully use military aircraft. It has been sealed, and I and the two of you will sign it together."
Wang Jie said: "But the key to the seal box is in Hezhong Hall."
Yongxuan said: "Smash it open!"
Wang Jie and Qing Gui were both startled by each other's tone. However, when things got to this point, the anxious two people had no other choice. The most important thing now was to quickly bring Qianlong back. Then he stood up and bowed his hands to Yongxuan and said: "I obey your Lord Jun's order!"
Since Yongzheng established the Military Aircraft Department, seal management has been extremely strict. The seal of the Military Aircraft Department is cast by the Ministry of Rites and kept by the eunuch. When it is necessary to use it, it must be reported to the emperor for approval, and then the minister of military aircraft can open the seal with a card and use it under the supervision of a dedicated person to play a restrictive role.
However, none of the three people cared about it at this moment. Even if Qianlong punished him later, they would admit it. Just do it. Wang Jie pulled up the official paper and wrote three orders to mobilize troops. After checking that they were correct, he signed his name first. He ranks second only to He Shen in the Military Aircraft Department, and he is also acting in charge of the Ministry of War, so his name should be given first. Later, both Qinggui and Yongxuan also signed their names at the end of the troop deployment order.
The three of them took the written troop deployment order and left the military aircraft office. They also called several imperial guards who were standing guard outside the door and went straight to Maoqin Hall on the west side of Qianqing Palace. When they arrived at the place, Zhang Ming, the eunuch responsible for managing the seals, hurriedly knelt down.
Yongxuan said with a straight face: "Zhang Ming! This king is the king of Duoluo County and the Zongling of the Zongren Mansion who was conferred by the emperor! Do you know these two?"
"Oh, my lord! You have killed this slave. Master Qing and Master Wang see each other every day, how dare you not recognize them." Zhang Ming answered cautiously.
"Beihai pirates invaded Miyun, and the cannons were fired and the flag was raised on Baita Mountain. The emperor is now in the Old Summer Palace. In order to prevent disturbing the Holy Emperor, he must immediately mobilize troops to escort him back to the city. Now I have given an order to call the Military Aircraft Department to seal it."
"This!" Zhang Ming looked at Yong Xuan in surprise and said to himself, "My lord, without the badge issued by the emperor, I would lose my head!"
Yongxuan saw what the other party was thinking, gritted his teeth, and said with a ferocious expression: "If you dare not listen, I will kill you right now on the charge of 'disturbing the palace order'!"
At this time, Qing Gui cupped his hands at Zhang Ming and said, "Zhang Ming, don't worry. Prince Yi, Lord Wang, and I will definitely explain what happened to the emperor afterwards to ensure that nothing happens to you!"
How dare Zhang Ming say no? The man in front of him is the emperor's own son. From the time the cannon was fired to now, he had ordered more than a dozen eunuchs to be killed with rods, and the entire Forbidden City was under control. So he said with a mournful face: "Since it is jointly guaranteed by the prince and the two adults, I will risk my life today! So that the three of you will know that as long as it is for the emperor, I will never be greedy for life or fear of death."
Wang Jie immediately took off the gold medal from the military aircraft department from his waist and showed it to the other party. Zhang Ming inspected it seriously before leading them into the hall. As soon as they entered, the three of them rolled their sleeves and knelt down in front of the Xumi throne in the middle. They kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have no choice but to do this. For your safety, I have no choice but to take this step!"
After a while, Zhang Ming came out with the wooden box containing the seal, placed it on the table under the west wall, and then stepped away. He only has the authority to keep the box, but not to open it.
Yongxuan walked outside the palace, borrowed the Yanling knife from the guard, turned around and walked to the case, saying in her mouth: "Your Majesty, Ama, please forgive me for being unfilial!"
After speaking, he raised his hands high and slashed hard. A knife mark immediately appeared on the edge of the exquisite boxwood box. Wang Jie on the side saw that he was unable to chop, so he said: "Prince Yi, let me also strike with the sword. We will share in the difficulties!"
Even though this person is a scholar, he is a proper Shaanxi man. Although he is nearly seventy years old, he is still fierce at heart, otherwise he would not have become the go-getter who brought down He Shen in history. As expected, Lao Jiang was still fierce. Wang Jie only slashed twice and completely split the box, revealing the square silver seal inside.
Qinggui immediately stepped forward, took out the big seal, dipped it in cinnabar, stamped the three troop deployment orders, and put them into the envelope prepared in advance. Yongxuan walked to the door with the letter and said to a guard: "Take it and go to the Meridian Gate quickly. Let Prince Li and Prince Rui collect it personally. They know what to do."
"嗻!" The guard admired Yongxuan's performance today. He then knelt down on one knee, took the envelope, repeated it again, got up and ran towards the Meridian Gate without looking back.
Yongxuan returned to the palace and said to the grim-faced eunuch Zhang Ming: "Put the seal away! No one is allowed to use it except the three of me who signed it before the emperor returns!"
The three people who returned to the military plane had not yet warmed up, when the guard who had delivered the letter came back and got another letter. Yongxuan took it and opened it before reading a few lines. She couldn't help but yelled angrily: "He Zhizhai is indeed a ghost!"
Wang Jie and Qing Gui came up to take a look, and they were both stunned and their eyes were about to burst. Especially Wang Jie, he even spouted out swear words in his hometown dialect: "Sun! He is going to surrender to the thieves!"
The letter, co-signed by Prince Li Yong'en and Prince Rui Chunying, said that the people sent to the He Mansion came back to report that Fengshen Yin De and Princess He Xiao had gone out by car with their personal servants before noon. No one knows where; in addition, Heshen's wife Feng, the concubine's second aunt, and other concubines are all gone, as are Liu Quan, Hushtu, Ma Baishan and other housekeepers and nurses. trace.
In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Dorobele Yongjun and the housekeeper were not there. According to people in the house, Mr. and Mrs. Beile left in the morning and left in a hurry. They said they were going to visit the He Mansion and that they had lunch and dinner. No need to wait. Because Yongjun is the son-in-law of Hefu, the servants in the mansion do not doubt that he is there.
Now the two princes have sent people to question the gatekeepers at Deshengmen and Andingmen, but the news has not come back yet.
After Yongxuan and Wang Jie finished voicing their anger, they both sat silently, their hearts in a state of confusion. Qinggui silently read the content of the letter twice, frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly twitched his brows and said in a shocking voice: "Your Majesty, Duke Xing, tell me, will the firing of cannons from the White Tower today be possible?" Is someone trying to make an edict?"
"You mean?" Yongxuan raised his head in surprise, then nodded: "Yes, he has this ability."
Wang Jie suddenly stood up and stared at Qing Gui. When he saw Qing Gui nodded slightly, he walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. Suddenly he stamped his feet and said, "If he can pretend to fire the cannon, the emperor will be in trouble!"
"Mr. People are playing around!" Qinggui helped Wang Jie sit down, sighed and said: "If the Holy Master is fine, then God bless me. If not, I'd better make preparations early."
Wang Jie looked dejected and said, "It seems we have to invite Master Fifteen back."
Qinggui's heart skipped a beat after hearing this, and she couldn't help but look at Yongxuan sitting on her left. I saw the other person lowered his head, not knowing what he was thinking. However, he keenly noticed that Yongxuan's left hand was holding the armrest of the chair hard, the veins on the back of his hand were exposed, and the knuckles were cracking.
Just as the entire city of Beijing was in chaos and turmoil, a mule cart guarded by more than thirty riders was driving quickly on the bluestone road outside Xizhimen. Due to the martial law in the city and the gloomy sky, there were no pedestrians on the road outside the city at this moment, and the stone road that could accommodate two cars running at a time was free to roam.
This mule cart is made of chestnut shell paint, clear tung oil noodles, and large mushroom-head iron nail wheels. At first glance, it is not something that ordinary people can afford. The windows at the front, rear and both sides of the car were tightly blocked by curtains, making it impossible to tell who was sitting inside. There were dozens of tall horses on both sides of the car, and a group of people who looked like bodyguards were all dressed in short-distance attire, and they looked extremely tough and fierce.
Even though the two fat green mules were already running very fast, the handlebars kept waving their whips and floating them above the mules, trying to make them go faster.
In the bumpy carriage, a gray-haired old man asked the man sitting on the thick quilt opposite: "Master, do you think we can come back after we leave? As soon as we left, I felt a little reluctant to leave."
The middle-aged man opposite smiled and said, "What's the point of not wanting to part with me? I've done all the big things, and it's good that everyone in my family is fine."
"It's just a pity that Nanmu Hall. I spent so much time and effort to let Khushtu. By the way! And that monument with the word "Fu". Alas! What a pity!"
"Looking back at the prosperous dream of the Red Mansion, the illusion of the Yujing Fairyland seemed real!"
The middle-aged man muttered, then closed his eyes and leaned against the carriage, saying to himself: "Quan'er, don't think about it. No matter whether the clouds covering the city behind are named Aixinjueluo or Zhao. It has nothing to do with us anymore. Where we can go in the future depends on our own abilities."
