In the past, once they appeared among the people in Taiyuan Prefecture, the people would avoid them. They would flee one after another as if the devil had come to the world...
These local officials in Taiyuan Prefecture have never encountered the enthusiasm of local people today.
The love and enthusiasm of the people made these corrupt officials, who always only know how to embezzle money, feel a little moved.
It is naturally impossible for corrupt officials like them to suddenly change their money-grubbing behavior just because of these common people.
In their eyes, white money is still much more important than the love of the people...
"………………"
However, if you can be like He Shen, who can be loved by the people while taking bribes, it seems to be a better choice, maybe?
Many people have begun to seriously consider this, such as Liu An, the fifth-grade prefect who has become He Shen's younger brother.
"…………"
Through various channels, officials in Taiyuan Prefecture know very well that these days, while He Shen is loved and sought after by the people of Taiyuan, he also earns a lot of money...
Not counting the 150,000 taels of silver from local officials in Taiyuan, it is said that the filial piety of Qin merchants alone amounted to hundreds of thousands of taels.
Gaining both fame and fortune, having both money and a good reputation is naturally very enviable...
………
Not to mention the myriad thoughts on the minds of the Taiyuan Prefecture officials, in the evening, Heshen had returned to his temporary residence in Taiyuan Prefecture.
Here, He Erzao has been waiting for a long time.
"..."
He Er has a rough temper, doesn't like working, and is too lazy to do any "face projects" with He Shen in front of the people...
Therefore, He Shen simply left him in his mansion in the city to avoid causing trouble for him.
He Er stood at the door doing nothing. When he saw He Shen coming back, he quickly went out to greet him...
He Er, on his side, cupped his hands and said, "Master, you have worked really hard on this day. You left early and came back late."
He Shen heard this, shook his head with a smile, and said jokingly: "Yeah, how can you be like a guy like you who idles around all day and has nothing to do."
"I teased the little maid when I was in a good mood. When I was in a bad mood, I scolded the male servant. I, the master, have begun to envy you."
When He Er heard this, he touched his head in embarrassment and said.
"Master, if I'm young, this disaster relief is just for show. It's enough to go there for a few days to fool the people. Why do you go there every day..."
"As a third-rank official, you have a noble status. You have been working so hard for half a month and your body is exhausted. What should you do?"
Heshen rubbed his sore shoulders and said, "It's only been a few days, half a month has passed..."
"Now the locust plague is almost extinguished, and the distribution of relief food and grass is also proceeding steadily. In a few days, I think we will be able to go back."
"…………"
He Er nodded and said nothing more. He just clapped his hands and asked several maids to bring out plates of exquisite food one after another and put them on the table...
He Er smiled and said: "Master, I asked the kitchen to prepare exquisite meat dishes for you. How about you try it?"
"………………"
Looking at the Peking duck, Dongpo pork, steamed bird's nest, sweet and sour carp, smoked chicken with sauce, Dongpo pork, steamed cured meat, spicy chicken and other famous dishes in front of him, He Shen, who had just had a meal at noon, couldn't help but order it. nodded.
He Shen, who had no fat in his stomach, did not refuse. He just sat down and started eating.
"..."
I picked up a piece of Dongpo meat, which is fat but not greasy, and put the meat into my mouth. The Dongpo meat is fragrant and waxy, fat but not greasy, with a slight aroma of wine, and is very delicious...
The steamed cured meat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, golden and buttery in color, mellow and juicy, crispy but not broken, and full of oil and water...
Spicy chicken is made by tenderizing the chicken, adding fire oil and peppercorns, and adding salt and sauce. The resulting spicy chicken is numb and spicy...
And the most expensive dish in front of me is steamed bird's nest..."
This steamed bird's nest is made of the most expensive bird's nest as the main ingredient, with mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, and chicken broth as the soup...
When cooked, the top-quality bird's nest is complete, white and bright in color, crystal clear like jade; the fish body is decorated with red, white and black ingredients, which makes it even more elegant and gorgeous...
These meat dishes fully embody the Chinese characters of "numbing, spicy, hot, fragrant, crispy, tender, fresh and lively"...
Ever since Heshen and the people of Taiyuan Prefecture "shared the joys and sorrows" and worked together to eliminate locusts every day...
He Er's side will find some delicious famous dishes for He Shen every day...
It is human nature to be fond of flesh and blood, and He Shen is no exception...
In addition, He Er was doing it for his own good and no one knew about it, so He Shen just went with the flow and came back to eat Xiao Zao alone every day.
"…………"
"…………"
He Shen believed that not only him, but also Liu An and others were enjoying the food cooked in the small stove just like him, and maybe the dishes would be more abundant.
This may be a bit hypocritical, but the "shared joys and sorrows" between the superior and the inferior is what it is.
And this is also the reason why He Shen only eats one lunch in the porridge shed, because he knows that he is not hungry.
Porridge, pickles, and steamed buns are okay to eat occasionally, but if you eat them all the time, to be honest, He Shen really can't get used to them.
Because that’s how people are…
Under certain conditions, a person's life should be about enjoying life, rather than adapting to life reluctantly.
The basis for being able to maintain the same standard of living lies in equal status and conditions. However, if there are obviously better living conditions, but we still have to be the same as ordinary people, is this possible? Totally impossible?
Just as Heshen was enjoying the deliciousness of several exquisite side dishes, a servant reported outside the door: "Sir, there are eunuchs in the capital..."
Heshen was slightly stunned when he heard this. He didn't know what happened in the capital. Emperor Qianlong was so anxious that he sent eunuchs to find him...
However, He Shen still said: "Wait a moment, I will go see him right away."
With that said, He Shen picked up the white silk towel on the side and wiped his mouth. He looked back reluctantly, and after eating a few bites of a few exquisite side dishes, he walked towards the living room.
………
Eunuchs are envoys and servants of the emperor.
Eunuch originally refers to a eunuch, a man who enters the palace to serve after his genitals are castrated, that is, an eunuch.
They are responsible for serving the emperor and his family, and are also known as eunuchs, eunuchs, eunuchs, and eunuchs among the people.
"..."
Now Heshen has been away from Beijing for nearly a month, far longer than originally planned...
As the head of the Department of Household Affairs, He Shen is also in charge of some important finances. Many affairs of the court are inseparable from him...
After being away for such a long time, given Emperor Qiankun's temperament, it was time to send someone to urge him.
On Heshen's side, as he walked, he wondered about the purpose of the eunuch in Beijing...
"………………"
When He Shen and He Er arrived at the gate of the mansion, they saw the eunuch waiting with a group of followers outside the mansion...
Looking at the dazzling purple eunuch uniform, Heshen's pupils shrank slightly...
In the Qing Dynasty, eunuchs of different ranks wore different clothes.
Generally, five colors of clothes are worn, namely gray, brown, blue, purple and red.
Clothes of different colors represent different positions.
The ones who wore the highest number were red, such as the chief eunuch Li Dequan, followed by the purple eunuchs.
This is an eunuch who is about forty years old. Judging from his clothes, he has a high status in the palace, at least he is a steward.
However, although this eunuch has a smile on his face, He Shen always gives He Shen the feeling that he is smiling but not smiling...
Looking at this senior eunuch, He Shen was instinctively wary.
"Heji, do you know this eunuch?"
After seeing the eunuch from a distance, He Shen frowned and asked He Er.
Seeing that his master He Shen didn't know the identity of the visitor, He Er sighed softly and replied softly.
"This eunuch, the master, is the adopted son of Li Dequan, the chief eunuch, and Zhang Tong, the former eunuch!" "
"He has been with the current Emperor Qianlong for more than ten years, and he is also a person who is not easy to mess with."
He Shen nodded after hearing this.
After listening to He Er's introduction, He Shen already had a basic impression of Zhang Tong, the eunuch's supervisor.
In order not to offend the eunuch, He Shen walked quickly to Zhang Tong, raised his hands and said: "The steward is here, but I am not far enough to greet him. Please forgive me... please forgive me."
Hearing this, Zhang Tong clung to his fingertips and replied with a smile.
"Hey, sir, please be polite. Our family has a low status. Being able to greet you outside the house in person is flattering to our family. How can we dare to be angry..."
Zhang Tong's voice is sharp, like a drake's voice, which is very unpleasant, and there is a strange and sinister sound in his tone...
"…………"
"Eunuch Zhang, you're welcome. For our part, let's go into the house to talk."
He Shen led Zhang Tong towards the mansion.
Although Zhang Tong is the imperial eunuch, He Shen is also the imperial envoy of Chao Yan, so after the two parties meet, they do not need too much etiquette.
On He Shen's side, after leading Zhang Tong to the hall, the two parties took their seats.
As the owner of the mansion, He Shen asked: "I wonder if the current emperor has sent Eunuch Zhang to look for me, but does he have any orders or instructions?"
Zhang Tong smiled sinisterly, coughed, and replied slowly.
"Haha, the Emperor's explicit will is not there..."
"However, the emperor's verbal decree is..."
"The Emperor hasn't seen you for such a long time. He just misses you a little..."
"This time our family came to Taiyuan Mansion, we just wanted to ask you, sir, when will you be able to return to the capital..."
"Our family knows that you have important things to do in Taiyuan Mansion, but you can't leave for a month, right?"
"To serve the emperor, we have to prioritize things, right? There is not much money in the treasury, and the emperor is very angry right now..."
Zhang Tong spoke very slowly, appearing rigorous and sophisticated...
After hearing this, He Shen was about to say something, but he heard Zhang Tong cough again and continue.
