In the past six months, the Jiangbei and Jiangnan camps were successively broken by Changmao, and most of Jiangxi's Banzhou counties were lost. A few days ago, I just received an urgent report from Guizhou for 600 miles, and the two cities of Duyun and Shibing have fallen one after another, of which Duyun is only 200 miles away from the provincial capital Guiyang!

The emperor's mood can be imagined, not only is he always borrowing wine to kill his sorrows, but once he was drunk and drove Jingshan, he had to go to see where Chongzhen of the previous dynasty hanged himself.

Wen Qing was ill, Peng Yunzhang could only take care of the affairs of the military aircraft department, and did not dare to hand over the sign to the emperor to ask for a meeting, until it was clear that the emperor did not drink too much today, so he took the drafted edict with his head and was entrusted with the important task by the emperor again.

Shende Hall is not just a hall, but a hook-type hall with five rooms wide and three volumes deep.

In the front yard of the hall, there are white Taihu Lake stones and nine wooden fish tanks, planted with green bamboo, peonies, peonies, apple trees and other flowers and trees. There is a throne in the bright room of the main hall, and the jade bi made of the word "Fu" of the imperial book of the emperor is hung under the poem plaque on the throne. The imperial scroll of the first emperor and the two plaques of "justice and peace" and "serenity and tranquility" that were originally hung in the Fengsan Selfless Hall were also moved to the hall.

Shaded by green bamboo, the artistic conception is quiet and tranquil.

If it hadn't been built in the Old Summer Palace, if it had been built in other places, I would have thought that this was a leisurely and comfortable retreat for literati and artists.

In fact, this is similar to the Forbidden City's Palace of Nourishing Hearts, not only the emperor's bedroom, but also the place where the emperor deals with political affairs and summons ministers.

After Peng Yunzhang and Bai Ye waited for the guards to report, they cautiously crossed the threshold, peeked at the emperor who was holding the throne, dusted off his horseshoe sleeves and bowed.

Xianfeng was in a bad mood, and he hadn't let the princes and ministers stand and speak for a long time, so he looked down at them and said, "Say it." ”

Peng Yunzhang knew that the emperor was too lazy to read the excerpts, and he didn't want to look at the edict drafted by the Military Aircraft Department, so he responded to the "ministers obey the order", and read them one by one as usual.

"Due to the defeat of the Yangzhou military camp, Lei Yicheng responded to the delay, and fabricated the claim to help suppress and recover Yangcheng. And because of the performance of Fang Junyi and He Guifen, Lei Yicheng and Lei Fengzhuo, members of the military camp, etc., persuaded donations and salaries. All kinds of private interests, even causing serious harm to people's lives, replied to Ling Dexing and others, and interrogated them together. ”

According to the excerpt, in February of this year, the Sanxia River fell, and after Lei Yicheng retreated to Shatou, he did not immediately supervise the Yong attack, and it was a miscalculation to delay for many days. He recovered Yangcheng, but with his brave words, he claimed that the soldiers would chase and suppress him, which was also a false report, and he also cheated in the camp with his nephew Lei Fengzhu and his son-in-law Huang Zhong, without realizing it, which was really Gu En, and he was sent to Xinjiang to serve to atone for his crimes......"

This was drafted according to yesterday's intentions, and Xianfeng said listlessly: "Mingfa." ”

If it weren't for Lei Yicheng's willingness to be instructed by thousands of people to set up a financial bureau, the Jiangbei camp would have fallen apart as early as March or Fourth because of the lack of food. But such a capable official who has been in charge of Jiangbei military affairs for four or five years, even if he has no credit, has hard work, actually said that he was dismissed and investigated, and now he is even sent to Xinjiang to atone for his crimes!

Although this edict was written by Peng Yunzhang himself, Peng Yunzhang felt very uncomfortable in his heart, and continued to read: "Hu Linyi and others, the arms need to be used in a large number, please prepare for the solution on a monthly basis." The water and land divisions in Hubei Province need as much as 100,000 catties of ammunition per month to attack and suppress bandits. Lebin, Wu Zhenqi, and Luo Bingzhang raised 30,000 catties of gunpowder each in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Hunan provinces every month. At the beginning of each month, he set off for approval and went to Hubei to pay for the attack and suppression, and there was no mistake in needing to know this by the edicts of the five hundred miles. ”

Hubei is the only place that has won a battle during this time, after listening to the edict drafted by the Military Aircraft Department, Xianfeng subconsciously asked: "Peng Aiqing, it has been several days since I received the good news from Hubei, how to seal the reward and the shirt, why don't the officials and the military department have a charter?" ”

This matter was done by Bai Ye, and Bai Ye hurriedly took out an excerpt: "Your Majesty, the slave is preparing to report it." ”

"Tell me."

"Huh." Bai Ye opened the fold and read: "To attack and suppress Hubei Wuchang to aid the thieves, reward the Taoist Li Xubin, the rank of political envoy; Appreciate the name of Shubao, Xilinbu, Huahuia, and Baturu; Reward the ginseng to lead Shuangfu, Sekejing, Deping, defend Qing'an, Bayan Dule, Chenghui, Gengyinbu, Dusi He Shaocai, etc., Hualing; Reward defense and blessings, etc., Lan Ling; Li Tianbao, the supervisor of Xianba County, and other eight-grade top belts, Yu Shengxu is poor. ”

"That's all?" Xianfeng frowned slightly, thinking that it was reasonable for him to have no official text and Hu Linyi, after all, one of them was the governor and the other was the governor, and there was no way to reward them anymore, but how could they lead the eastern Sichuan regiment to practice starry night and rush to Hubei to help suppress Han Si who was long-haired without receiving the order.

"Your Majesty, there are still those who are compassionate about it."

Bai Ye didn't know why, and then read: "To the fallen guerrilla Liu Xiwen, the general Yang Qingchun, Yan Guangming, Yan Zhenyan, Ai Wenxuan, Li Qixiang, Huang Wutai, Tang Yongfei, foreign commissioner Zhu Chaoqing, etc., to bury the world. ”

Xianfeng's face became even more ugly, and he asked, "Gone?" ”

This edict was drafted by Bai Ye according to the regulations submitted by the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of War, who knows what the emperor really wants to ask, and said worriedly: "No." ”

If there is no reward for meritorious service, why let the civil and military officials in front of the battle use their lives? It's normal for the military department to think of it, after all, Han Si is not a military attaché. The officials can't think of it, it's a little intriguing, is it because Han Si has a bad background, so he doesn't treat him as a civil official, the more Xianfeng thinks about it, the more angry he becomes, staring at Bai Ye and asking: "Did you bring the excerpt of the victory?" ”

"Your Majesty, the slave has brought it."

"Read!"

"Huh."

Bai Ye didn't know why the emperor was angry, so he took out the Hubei good news that he had brought with him in good probes, so that the emperor could ask for it and compare it with the edict of rewarding and compassionate people, and read it tremblingly.

“…… On the 16th, the thieves of Wuchang City attacked Hongshan, and Li Xubin and others destroyed more than 200 thieves twice, and chased and killed more than 400 thieves; On the 17th, Yang Zaifu and others burned down the thieves' nest in Youfangling; On the 18th, Hu Linyi, Li Xubin and others divided their ways to aid the thieves in Lujiagang, killing six or seven hundred, capturing fifty-three alive, and breaking the fifth base of the thieves; Yang Zaifu and others also attacked the thief bridge and burned it down. ”

"On the 19th, the thieves were so large that after Zhai Dingguo and others, more than 100 thieves rowed boats; On the 28th, the thieves and the thieves in the city came out from all sides, and Li Xubin and others were waiting for the battle, and they came out at the same time to immediately kill several thieves who charged. Jiang Yili and others, intercepted it. Shu Bao led the horse team to clash on all sides, and the thieves were defeated, chased them to the embankment, and killed three or four hundred thieves. Each battalion killed 1,000 or hundreds of thieves, destroyed four thieves' bases in Lujiagang and other places, destroyed more than 70 thieves' boats in East Lake, and burned more than 80 thieves' nests. ”

"On the first day of the first month of this month, Han Xiufeng, the former counselor of the General Political Department, led a thousand eastern Sichuan regiments to help. On that day, Jiang Yili, Pan Changsheng, and Chen Zhankui attacked back and forth, killing six or seven hundred people one after another. Li Xubin, Han Xiufeng, Zhang Ronggui, etc., repelled the thieves of Wuchang City who attacked Luxiang again, and then set foot on a total of 19 thieves' bases, killing 16,700 thieves successively, capturing more than 60 people, and the thieves suffered a big setback. In this ten days, there were twenty-eight battles of all sizes, and both land and water could use their lives, and the horse team had the most of them......"

Peng Yunzhang is not Bai Ye, who has been sitting on the "cold bench" for two years, and suddenly realized why the emperor was angry, but he didn't want to or dare to say anything, so he lowered his head and said nothing.

Sure enough, Bai Ye was about to read the list of civil and military officials who killed thieves and contributed to the performance of Hu Linyi, the governor of Hubei, when Xianfeng snapped the case and asked: "What about Han Xiufeng, why is there only Li Xubin on the list of rewards, and there is no Han Xiufeng?" ”

Bai Ye finally remembered the former General Secretary of the Department of Counsel who was urgently transferred back to Beijing from the Yongding River Yamen, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, as far as the slaves know, the former General Secretary of the Department of General Affairs Han Xiufeng is worried about filial piety, as usual...... As a rule...... As a rule, Ding Wei officials are not allowed to be promoted. ”

"You can't be promoted, and you can't be rewarded?" Xianfeng stared at him closely, and asked again: "If it is really as usual, the Hanlin Academy's Ji Shi Ding Baozhen is the same as the township, why can he be promoted to the Hanlin Academy for review?" ”

"The minions don't know."

"Peng Aiqing, do you know?"

Peng Yunzhang hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, if the old minister is not mistaken, the reason why Ding Baozhen was able to be promoted to the Hanlin Academy for review is because Jiang Feiyuan, the governor of Guizhou, broke his family and set up a regiment, and made efforts to suppress thieves. ”

"Former General Secretary Han Xiufeng can't help the thieves?"

"Your Majesty, Han Xiufeng is deeply favored by the emperor, and he is dedicated to serving the court, so he naturally contributes to the suppression of thieves."

"I don't understand, I also make efforts to suppress thieves, why can others be promoted, but he Han Xiufeng can't?"

"Your Majesty, something must have gone wrong."

Xianfeng's heart was like a mirror, and he knew very well that if he counted on the officials, Han Xiufeng would never be promoted.

Thinking that the long hair of the western invasion of Hubei has retreated, Hubei is not as tight as before. Thinking of the errand of inquiring about Yiqing, Wen Xiang was not careless, but the more he did it, the more cautious he became, and he was always surprised. Feeling that Wen Xiang still lacked experience, and that he had fought and killed thieves against Xiyi, Han Si, who was both bold and careful, was more suitable, Xianfeng groaned: "This day flies so fast, think about it, it has been two years since he returned to his hometown. He was ordered to return to Beijing immediately. ”

Bai Ye was secretly frightened, and couldn't believe that Han Xiufeng's holy family, who was inconspicuous and inconspicuous, was so engraceful.

Peng Yunzhang was not surprised at all, secretly thinking that as long as the "Houyitang" was not abolished for a day, the emperor would not be able to forget Han Si for a day, and subconsciously said: "It is okay to order Han Xiufeng to return to Beijing, Zeng Wangyan has just been promoted to Shuntianfu Yin, and the vacancy of the General Political Secretary has just been vacated, and he can just make up for it after he returns to Beijing." ”

Xianfeng was stunned, and then stared at him with strange eyes.

Peng Yunzhang was stared at, and hurriedly said: "The old minister is vain in his holy will, the old minister is disobedient, and the emperor forgives ...... sin."

"Peng Aiqing, I don't blame you, I just want to ask you, is it appropriate to let Han Xiufeng come back and continue to be a counselor of the General Political Division?"

Seeing that Peng Yunzhang wanted to speak and stopped, Xianfeng continued: "He returned to his hometown as a regular vacancy, but he really stayed in his hometown for a few days? First, he led the eastern Sichuan regiment to train and garrison the Sichuan-Guizhou border, and then assisted in suppressing bandits in Tongzi, Suiyang and other places. Now he led a thousand regiments to gallop to the aid of Hubei to help suppress Changmao, and made a great contribution, and the merit was not rewarded, so that the courtiers who were dedicated to serving me were chilled, where did you put me, could it be true that I was a faint king! ”

"The emperor is angry, and the ministers ......"

"Forget it, I can't blame you either."

Xianfeng waved his hand and said coldly: "Others can be promoted as a senator of the general political department, Zeng Wangyan is even promoted from the senator of the fifth grade to the Shuntianfu Yin of the third grade, Han Xiufeng has long been the top belt of the fourth grade, and he intends to make efforts to suppress the thief and promote Han Xiufeng to the secretary of the Honglu Temple!" ”

Bai Ye thought he had misheard, and subconsciously raised his head.

Peng Yunzhang was also taken aback, thinking that although Honglu Temple is a Qingshui Yamen that has neither any power nor any oil and water, and is under the control of the Ministry of Rites, which also has no power, although Honglu Temple Qing is the same as the fourth grade, but it is a "little Jiuqing", and it is a noble and incomparably noble second official.

Thinking that the emperor actually talked about Zeng Wangyan, I thought to myself, can Han Xiufeng be compared with Zeng Wangyan?

Although he is also a counselor of the General Political Department, Zeng Wangyan is not only a jinshi, but also a jinshi in the second year of Daoguang. After the title of the gold list, the museum selected Shu Jishi, and the museum was awarded the editor, and then moved to the imperial history. In the fifteenth year of Daoguang, the "Fourteen Things of the Rectification of the Science Field" were adopted by the first emperor and moved to the middle of the matter, and then moved to Guanglu Temple Shaoqing, Taichang Temple Shaoqing, Shuntian Mansion Yin, and then released Fujian political envoys.

In the twenty-first year of Daoguang, he was refuted by Lin Wenzhong because he asked the imperial court to close the sea and cut off trade with Xiyi, so he lost his official position, and it was not until the third year of Xianfeng that he was a candidate for Wupin Jingtang.

In short, no matter in terms of background or qualifications, Han Xiufeng is much worse than Zeng Wangyan, in fact, Han Xiufeng is not only incomparable with Zeng Wangyan, but even with all the previous counselors of the General Political Department, but Han Xiufeng actually served as a general political secretary.

Peng Yunzhang had never felt that the step of entering the body was so important as at this moment, and he didn't know what to say, seeing that they were stunned, Xianfeng asked unhappily: "I didn't hear clearly, is it difficult for me to say it again?" ”

Peng Yunzhang suddenly realized that the emperor not only wanted to promote Han Xiufeng's official, but also prepared for how to deal with Xiyi, who was constantly provoking and causing trouble in the future, because there were not many errands to be done in Honglu Temple. If there is a tribute, it will be reported to the Quartet Pavilion with its number, and it will be introduced to advance".

Thinking that this was not a good thing for Han Si, and that he would be ruined like Qiying, Peng Yunzhang weighed it and said stubbornly: "Your Majesty, the ancients said that 'Mu Xiu will be destroyed by the forest wind', and if Han Xiufeng really suddenly becomes the second of the Qing, he will definitely criticize it." The old minister was brave and implored the emperor to think twice. ”

Bai Ye also realized that if this matter was really a fait accompli, it would definitely cause an uproar, and hurriedly said: "The slave seconded the proposal, and the slave also implored the emperor to think twice!" ”

Xianfeng was on fire and was about to speak, Peng Yunzhang continued: "Your Majesty, the old minister knows that Han Xiufeng is a capable official, and he also knows that he is loyal to the court and the emperor, otherwise the old minister would not have guaranteed him to act on the south bank of the Yongding River." But it is really inappropriate to promote him to Honglu Temple, forgive the old minister for his courage, if the emperor does not take back his fate, it will only harm him. ”

Xianfeng could hear what Peng Yunzhang said from the bottom of his heart, and hesitated for a moment and asked, "Then what do you think is appropriate?" ”

Peng Yunzhang realized that Han Xiufeng, the official, must be promoted, racked his brains and thought for a while, and asked cautiously: "What does the emperor think about promoting Han Xiufeng to the Shaoqing of Taifu Temple?" ”

is also a four-grade, but not a "little Jiuqing", barely a second official, not as eye-catching as Honglu Siqing.

It's just that in this way, Han Si can only manage the horse farm outside his mouth, and he can't negotiate with Xiyi justifiably, but thinking that the reason why Peng Yunzhang and Bai Ye oppose it is also Lao Chengmouguo, he can only say coldly: "Then it's too servant temple Shaoqing." ”

"The emperor is sage, and the minister will go to draft the decree."

"Wait." Xianfeng thought for a while, and then said: "Ordered Wenxiang to be the Taifu Temple Man Shaoqing, they are familiar with each other, let them work together, so as not to shirk each other's errands." ”

Taifu Temple can be called a yamen that can no longer be idle, and now there are only two horse farms left and right wings outside the mouth, and there are only two groups of more than 30,000 horses on the left and right. The affairs on the racecourse are under the control of the two divisions of the left and right of the racecourse, the Manchu and Han people, the foreign lang, and the Manchu and Han chiefs. The Manchu and Han Taifu Siqing and the Manchu Taifu Si Shaoqing, as long as they go to the racecourse every three years to inspect and take turns, they have no official business at all.

Peng Yunzhang suddenly realized that the emperor was not angry with the "Houyi Hall" because Wenxiang always reported worries and did not report good news, otherwise he would never take out the two shortcomings of the Taifu Temple as the promotion of the two great treasurers before and after the "Houyi Hall", and hurriedly bowed down and said: "The minister obeys the order." ”