The Tianhuang Mansion in the Iron Lion Hutong is now the seat of the highest authority in Beijing except for the Wuying Palace. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Liu Zongmin, the marquis of Ru and the head of the battalion, lived in the palace of Emperor Tian. Half of the alley is guarded by his own army, and there are many sentry posts and heavy guards. In front of the gate, there is a three-zhang six-foot-high cedar flagpole, a blue silk silk is hung on it, and the center of the flag is embroidered with a red "Liu" character. There is a pair of iron lions in front of the high bluestone steps outside the gate, which was originally an old thing in Tianfu, and now it is set off by dozens of gun-wielding warriors with bright armor and eyeing the door, this pair of iron lions is more powerful than in the past. It is very commensurate with Liu Zongmin's respect for the Marquis of Ru and the head of the civil and military ministers of the Dashun Dynasty.

As the number two people in the Dashun Dynasty, Li Yan, Wu Xing, Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance also had to inform him and ask for instructions on major military and political issues, and only after obtaining his consent could they be implemented.

Tian Mansion has a total of hundreds of houses, pavilions and pavilions, curved sill corridors, rockeries and beautiful pools, there should be everything, Tian Hongyu bought back two beautiful prostitutes from Jiangnan in the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, one surnamed Chen, one surnamed Gu. After Tian Hongyu died, Wu Sangui bought the surname Chen for 1,000 taels of silver, and he had already arrived in Ningyuan last spring. The surname Gu still lives in Tianfu, and has redeemed himself with his private savings, but he is unwilling to marry in Beijing, so he only waits for the canal to open and returns to the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River. After Liu Zongmin came in, the famous prostitute surnamed Gu couldn't escape, and became a "stunner" in the hands of the Marquis of Ru, living with the servants and maids in a quiet courtyard with flowing water and fish, flowers and trees.

Far away at the mouth of the alley sits a teahouse, which was originally prepared for the sedan chair drivers and coachmen who served the big shots. Now they have changed customers. A group of former Ming officials who tried to dig a door to find a way here in Ruhou, dressed neatly with crowns and robes, waited here around the Eight Immortals Table with a large porcelain bowl of tea. tried to be able to be recognized by the eyes of the Marquis of Ru, and since then he has soared in the new dynasty.

Since everyone is now seeking a future under the Ruhou Sect, just like a teacher and a protégé, they will have to work together in the future and help each other. Naturally, they are very close and polite to each other. In the past, when there was a disagreement in the Ming Dynasty, the behavior of waving fists against each other had long been thrown to Nanjing, and the view of the gateway region between the people was even more gone.

"The Great Shun Heavenly Soldiers are really military discipline!"

Looking at the group of soldiers patrolling the street outside the teahouse, the colonel led by him held the big order in his hand, and all the soldiers were in green clothes and white hats, each holding a sword, and his face was solemn. When the people walking on the road saw soldiers and horses patrolling over, they should dodge the side of the road and let the patrol team pass. This was a means taken by the Dashun soldiers and horses to maintain order after they entered the city. "Add guards to prohibit people from entering or leaving; Let the horsemen enter the city, and the neighborhoods and alleys are all there, but they do not plunder. Zhao Shijin, the former Ministry of Labor, couldn't help but admire.

"When the Heavenly Soldiers first entered the city, Xia Guan witnessed it outside the front gate. Two soldiers grabbed the silk in the front door, immediately killed it, and nailed it to the left fence of the front door with their hands and feet. ”

"Your Excellency is right. Since ancient times, soldiers have been like combs, not to mention hundreds of thousands of horses have entered the world of flowers in the capital? It would be absurd to say that there was not the slightest theft, abduction, etc. However, the merchants were still unbridled. There is a ban on soldiers and marauders, there is a ban on those who rob the people, there is a ban on those who go down to the city, and those who commit crimes are immediately killed, their heads are cut off, and they are crisscrossing the road. ”

"Brother Chen is very right!"

Chen Jisheng, who was called Brother Chen by Zhao Shijin, took a sip of tea from the bowl very proudly, "Now the saint is like a stream, and he has issued an edict to order all civil and military officials to surrender their names the next day and see the court on the 21st." Those who are willing to use their resources for officials, and those who do not want to listen to their hometowns. If there is a person who is hidden, he will stop his home and bless his neighbors to rectify the Fa together. It shows that the thirst for talent is the time for my generation to serve the imperial court. ”

As soon as the order was announced, the bureaucrats who were keen on their careers rushed to sign up; Some bureaucrats who were on the sidelines also went to the point under the supervision of the long-term attendants. On the 21st, "all the officials who signed up, and the little hat in Tsing Yi was prostrate outside the noon gate to listen." On weekdays, the old-fashioned, the skillful, the famous, the sharp-mouthed, and the high-spirited, all shrank their heads and lowered their eyebrows, standing like puppets, insulting the soldiers, and not daring to speak out. There are also hair cut into monks, Pa Shou is sick, all kinds of ugliness, the pen is not finished. ”

On the 23rd, Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing were in front of the Wufeng Tower (i.e., the noon gate) to announce that the detained officials of each battalion had entered the court to listen to the election and take a roll call according to the name register. There were 96 people in the first batch of hires, "the users went out of Donghua Gate to listen to the selection of officials, and they were still accompanied by their families in the long class, and there were no people who were detained; Those who do not need it are still sent to the camp to guard. On the 26th, another batch was chosen.

People like Chen Jisheng and Zhao Shijin were not selected for various reasons.

However, when selecting officials, Dashun also has its own implementation standards. Because they know very well what kind of virtue the officials of the Ming court are, especially those high-ranking officials and eunuchs who occupy important positions, are not only the planners and promoters of various policies and decrees in the Ming Dynasty, but also the vast majority of those who are corrupt. Many people have the blood of the Dashun soldiers on their hands to a greater or lesser extent. Therefore, it was decided that the civil and military officials above the third grade would generally not be hired, and would be sent to each battalion to recover stolen goods and salaries; Officials below the fourth grade were given posts according to their respective circumstances, and they were automatically given silver to help them with their salaries, and a small number of those with notorious deeds were also sent to the battalions to recover stolen goods.

Of course, there are exceptions to the implementation of this system. For example, Zuo Liangyu's Engong Marquis Suihou, as a former household secretary and a former supervisor, was very lucky to be hired by the Dashun Imperial Court. The reason is definitely not because his son is a genius for resuming society, but because he is really lucky. When Dashun soldiers and horses entered Beijing, he and Sun Chuanting were both imprisoned in the prison because of the disadvantage of suppressing thieves!

After Sun Chuanting worshiped Chongzhen in front of the spirit, he went back and died of hunger strike. This Lord Hou gladly accepted Dashun's official position. went to the Wuying Hall to give Li Zicheng advice.

I don't know what his famous son will think of him after he knows about it in Nanjing? Speaking of which, knowing the current affairs and being ready to serve the new dynasty at any time is also a family tradition of Hou Fangyu's father and son.

(In other words, whoever is locked up in prison by the enemy must be his own people?) At that time, the Italian mafia was beaten to the death of the leader's iron fist. Public order in Sicily has never been better. As a result, after Patton and others landed, they thought that all those who were imprisoned by the fascists were boilers, and they were immediately released and reused. As a result, the power of the mafia immediately swelled dramatically. ）

On the one hand, it is to select and screen officials, and on the other hand, it is to recover stolen goods and help them.

"Jiexuan, the former Ming Dynasty had no officials and was not greedy, and the people hated it, and severely punished the officials to recover the stolen goods, so as to help the army and enrich the treasury, which was the established strategy before leaving the army, and there was no delay. When do you plan to start? ”

Liu Zongmin forgot to get up, sat on the chair and replied: "The minister has decided to arrest the imperial relatives and ministers of the Ming Dynasty and officials above the sixth rank from tomorrow, first kill a few with sticks, beat a few to death, kill their past majesty, and show the resentment of the people in the world!" ”

Li Zicheng nodded and said: "This major event of recovering stolen goods, regarding national military supplies, must be made before the end of the month!" ”

Liu Zongmin said: "Please rest assured. Such officials who don't distinguish between grains and grains, pampered on weekdays, fine skin and white meat, as long as the leather whip is drawn, the stick is clamped, and the ten fingers are tightened, don't say that they are asked to give up gold and silver treasures, hum, even the wives and concubines and the young ladies who have not left the cabinet will also give them! ”

The matter of recovering stolen goods and subsidies not only involves the military needs of Dashun, but also the wish of many generals of the Dashun Dynasty, and Li Zicheng relied on the generals of the big and small to lay down the country, so he could not help but make this decision in accordance with the wishes of the generals and generals. Not to mention the past, since the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, less than 1,000 men and horses lurking in the mountains of southern Shaanxi and western Hubei rushed into Henan from Zhejiang, and came to attack the city and break the village in a few years, using the money and property confiscated from the corrupt officials and the rich and wealthy families as military salaries and government expenses, and using a part of the food and property to help the hungry people, which has formed a consistent policy and habitual thinking in the Dashun army. Although it has occupied several provinces, but production has not been fully restored, everywhere hungry people are carrying roads, even if a new dynasty has been established, but the cost is greater, and the fund-raising still cannot fail to follow the old rules, so it is imperative to enter Beijing to torture and recover the stolen goods from the Ming ministers with great fanfare, and no one can discourage them. It was Li Yan who was the founding prime minister and Wu Xing was in charge of administrative affairs, although he didn't agree with it in his heart, but looking at the huge account books of expenses at hand, and the money and treasures confiscated in the palaces of King Jin and Acting King along the way, thinking about the usefulness of these treasures, he could only secretly acquiesce.

"On the 27th, the salaries were paid to all the officials in Beijing, whether they were used or not. The user sends less, so that it is self-finished, and the person who does not use it sends more, and it is clamped without saying a word. …… The number of its salaries is 100,000 in the middle hall, 70,000 in the ministry, Jingtang, and Jinyi, or 50,000 or 30,000, 50,000 and 30,000 in the department and the ministry, 30,000 and 30,000 in the Hanlin, and 10,000 in the subordinates. There is no definite number of families for the honorable relatives, and both people and money are gone. ”

The same fund-raising, the same target, and the same city of Beijing, the process and effect of raising military salaries before and after were very different.

The last time Chongzhen's classmates ordered the noble minister to donate money, Zhou Kui, the prince of the country and the Marquis of Jiading, who claimed that "the old minister has a lot of gold", not only refused to take out the silver, but instead deducted most of the private money sent to him by his daughter Empress Zhou to save his face.

However, this Zhou Guozhang suddenly took out an astronomical amount of 500,000 silver dollars in front of Liu Zongmin! That's 50 times the 10,000 military salaries he had paid!

For the rest, Wang Dehua donated 100,000 silver dollars, and Chen Yan donated 40,000 silver dollars.

These are only the numbers that have been voluntarily offered in the face of the fear of the new dynasty's authority. A few days later, the situation made Liu Zongmin, the Marquis of Dashun, smile even more.

A large number of silver dollars, gold ingots, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and even Tianqi flowed into Wuxing's treasury in an endless stream. The daily increase in the number of money and food made the civil and military monarchs and ministers of Dashun smile from ear to ear.

However, there are also discordant voices.

Outside the examination room for the selection and screening of the former Ming officials in Dashun, a generous and powerful voice sternly questioned the officers guarding the door: "If you want us to donate military salaries, we should naturally serve the king as courtiers, so as to share the worries of the monarch's father, and thunder, rain and dew are all the king's grace." But how can we prevent us from working for the new dynasty?! ”

The one who said this was to give the light in the matter.

Behind him, dozens of former Ming officials with the same attitude were aggressive and inwardly accusing the gatekeepers, why they didn't let them in.

The noisy voice made Niu Jinxing, Wu Xing and the others in the examination room frown, "What's the matter?" ”

"Lord Hui, there are dozens of former Ming officials outside, saying that they are going to enter the exam and are eager to serve the imperial court. But the people at the door wouldn't let them in, so they quarreled. ”

"Huh! Monkey business! Are they officials above the third grade of the former Ming Dynasty? If not, why block the emperor's recruitment path and cut off the door to advancement? ”

With Niu Venus here, Wu Xing naturally didn't say anything. So, Guang Shiheng and others finally walked into the examination room for the selection of officials in Dashun, ready to transform themselves and become the ministers of the new dynasty.

Seeing that the officials were receiving more and more money, Liu Zongmin smiled happily, but after the scholar Chen Yan offered 40,000 taels of silver, things suddenly changed.

Someone reported to the Fu Division of Biyang Town that the 40,000 silver dollars offered by the university scholar Chen Yan was just a drop in the bucket. His family fortune has long been buried deep in the cellar. If you don't believe it, the general can send someone to dig in his mansion. Liu Zongmin was suspicious and sent people to Chen Yan's mansion to excavate, and sure enough, there was gold and silver everywhere, and 40,000 taels was just the tip of the iceberg.

As a result, Liu Zongmin had a sense of annoyance and anger after being deceived, and decided to torture the silver, and some of the people who were put back were arrested again, such as Guozhang Zhou Kui, scholar Chen Yan, and Shoufu scholar Wei Zaode.

Clip sticks, here!

The clamping stick is more than three feet long, made of poplar wood, more than five inches to the ground, penetrated with iron bars, and each one is tied with three pairs of clamps. When a person is to be clamped, he shall hold it upright, and one person shall hold it upright, and put it on the toes of the person being tortured, and put a stick on the left side of the foot, so that the person being tortured cannot move. Then use a large pole six or seven feet long and more than four inches in circumference, and slam the shin from the right side, causing the foot to bleed and spill on the ground.

In front of the sticks, the military salaries and property sacrificed by the people were several times greater.

"I'm a Qing official, a Qing official, where did I get a lot of silver! General, spare your life! ”

From the courtyard of Emperor Tian's mansion, there were bursts of screams from time to time.

"Are you a Qing official? Let's ask you, how much is your silver in a year? Your monthly income is only a few dozen stones, but you have given tens of thousands of taels of silver at a time, as well as land deeds everywhere. You told Lao Tzu that these acres of money and grain fell from the sky, or did they come out of the ground?! ”

"Lao Tzu turned over Chongzhen's inner treasury, and it was only hundreds of thousands of silver, thousands of taels of gold. Not much has been copied out of your house yet! Tell Lao Tzu, as a cabinet minister, why did you bring the country to such a chaotic state? ”

The painful feeling made Wei Zaode, a scholar from a university, wake up from his coma again, and at that moment of awakening, how he wished he was having a nightmare, and when he opened his eyes and woke up, he found that he was lying in the arms of the concubine, facing a pair of beautiful eyes full of concern and tenderness. However, the sharp pain from his legs and hands quickly shattered his dream.

I knew that today, when the emperor called on everyone to donate money, he must have taken out the money! Or, when the emperor advocated a southern tour, we wouldn't be so obstructive!

Wei Zaode instinctively replied: "I am a scholar, I don't know about political affairs, and the first emperor has no way, so that's it." ”

Liu Zongmin said angrily: "You are just a scholar, Chongzhen promoted you to the champion, and after three years as an official, you were promoted to a cabinet minister, where is Chongzhen sorry for you, and dare to accuse him of being a dumb king?" After scolding a few words, Liu Zongmin suddenly turned his anger into joy: "Chongzhen appointed you people as officials, and entrusted them with important tasks, no wonder the country was destroyed!" ”

After the torture failed, Wei Zaode fainted again. was dragged by Liu Zongmin's personal soldiers to the bottom of the steps with a bucket of cold water poured down, the cold water was poured on the head, and as soon as the cold wind blew, Wei Zaode shivered and suddenly came to his senses. I could only hear the conversation between two of Liu Zongmin's personal soldiers.

"Born this generation and harms my generation."

"I was born because of my generation."

Ten fingers were all broken by the clamping stick, Wei Zaode finally couldn't survive the punishment after five days and five nights of punishment, and handed over more than 100,000 silver belongings, but Liu Zongmin didn't believe that an official who had become the first assistant of the Ming Cabinet only had so much money? (Oh, here is a grievance for this Wei scholar, who only served as the first assistant for a month, and the city of Beijing was breached.) Where will he get more money? And when Chongzhen ordered hundreds of officials to donate money, he took the lead in saying that his family had no money to spare and was unable to repay the service. And, when Li Zicheng's troops were approaching the city, Chongzhen hinted at him and asked him what his countermeasures were, and he chose to keep silent. Chongzhen asked again, as long as you open your mouth, I will do it immediately, Wei Zaode knelt on the ground, his buttocks pouted, and he didn't say a word. was so angry that Emperor Chongzhen, who had planned to let Wei Zaode come out and pave a way for his southward proposal, kicked the table and walked away. ）

"Alas! I didn't serve the Lord faithfully before, and today is too late to regret it! If he had gone south that day, he would have been in Nanjing at this time, enjoying the Qinhuai Fengyue. ”

Wei Zaode opened a pair of hollow eyes, trying to recall the earth-shaking changes in his life in just dozens of days. Originally, this young Shoufu who had not yet reached the age of confusion believed that he still had a long way to go, with his talent high and high, and his mouth was like a river, Li Zicheng's Dashun Dynasty would definitely cherish his unborn talent, make a comeback, and enter the phase.

However, when he welcomed the new monarch into the city with the highest rank among the demoted officials, Li Zicheng asked him: "Why don't you go and die?" The first-class scholar of the cabinet replied: "If you want to be effective, then dare to die?" (I'm preparing to serve the new court, how dare I die.) ）

However, these people, who originally planned to change ******** court to serve the new king, found that Dashun gave them not a purple robe and a gold belt, but a stick and leather whip. Zhou Kui, the national abbot, died, and copied out millions of gold and silver. University scholar Chen Yan died, the same number. Shoufu University scholar Wei Zaode died, and there were more than 100,000 silver.

The news of chasing stolen goods and helping to pay and torture the ministers spread outside the Donghua Gate, and the little eunuchs who were waiting with them whispered who was tortured to death, and how much gold and silver were copied from who's house. Zhu Cihong couldn't help but have a smile on his face that he hadn't seen for many days.

"Emperor Dashun's move can be regarded as a bad breath for his father. It is enough to comfort the soul of my father in the sky! ”

However, in the eyes of Guang Shiheng and others, Beijing at this time was a new dynasty atmosphere.

"Drive the eunuchs out of the city, don't re-enter, and call out to chase her husband. The people of the temple are old and low, crying and running, losing their shoes, tearing their clothes and hats, and their faces are bloody. ”

"There shall be no more than a thousand eunuchs."

"The well-known people of the factory guard have always been restrained, and they want to be cunning, and they will first dump their homes and then kill them. The move was a great deal. ”

It is undoubtedly a very happy thing to expel the eunuchs in the palace, limit the number of eunuchs, and eradicate the eagle and dog minions in the eyes of Donglin gentlemen such as Dongchang and Jinyiwei.

"I heard that the daughter-in-law of a certain Guogong who was tortured and recovered was young and beautiful, and she was recently widowed, and Guogong sacrificed this widowed daughter-in-law. This beautiful young woman brought twenty or thirty maids and servants to live alone in another courtyard, and was quite favored by the Marquis. ”

In the teahouse at the mouth of the Iron Lion Hutong, a group of officials of the New Dynasty waiting for the summons of the Marquis of Ru were chatting excitedly about their experiences and experiences.

"Alas! It's a pity that the yellow-faced woman in my family is too ugly. It's hard to get into the giant eye of the marquis. Otherwise...... (To be continued.) )