After the Qing army crossed Li Zicheng and occupied several provinces in the Central Plains, due to the shortage of soldiers, coupled with the surging resistance of the Han people in various places, they were no longer able to invade the south, and they began to focus on the governance of the northern provinces. The Qing court also opened up departments to recruit scholars, appointed Han officials extensively, and won the support of the people; For those scholars and local forces who oppose the Qing Dynasty, they also focus on appeasement and tolerance as much as possible. These measures were all policies set by Huang Taiji during his lifetime, and when they were implemented, they produced immediate results, and the people who had been struggling in the war had a stable livelihood, and the situation in the northern provinces quickly stabilized.

Due to the shortage of food and salaries on the Taiping army, the troops needed to be reorganized and trained, and they were unable to attack northward, and the two sides gradually formed a situation of confrontation. The domestic situation gradually stabilized, the small court of the Southern Ming Dynasty and the officials of the Ming court in various places reverted to their old ways, and began to enjoy singing and dancing again, and it was rumored that Emperor Hongguang was negotiating with the Qing court about the demarcation of the north and the south, and the armistice and the absence.

The political situation is stable, Wang Qiang is idle, although he has retreated to the second line, he still feels that he is in the general rudder and is an eyesore, and feels that Li Gang will not be able to let go of his hands and feet at work because of him, so he decided to leave for a period of time, since the formation of the Taiping Army, Concubine Li and Cai Ling'er They moved to Kunming, Yunnan to live, separated for nearly two years, every time I think of it, Wang Qiang decided to go to Yunnan to visit his wife, Concubine Li and the three princes, and at the same time carefully investigate the governance of Yunnan.

On March 15 of this year, Wang Qiang and his entourage set off for Yunnan, which traveled through several provinces and was far away, Li Gang took into account that Zhang Xiaoping had traveled back and forth to Yunnan and Guizhou many times, and was familiar with the situation along the way, so he arranged for him to accompany Wang Qiang on the road, and Xiaoshanzi and Yanbao took 100 Chinese military guards to protect Wang Qiang's safety along the way. For security reasons, the news of Wang Qiang's trip was not released to the public, and only the main officials within the Taiping Army knew about it. Wang Jianqiang pretended to be a merchant doing trade, and the Chinese army guards also disguised themselves as men and followed the people secretly, with a posture of tightening inside and loosening outside.

Wang Qiang passed through Hubei and Guizhou, stayed overnight all the way and did not stop, and entered Yunnan for more than a month. Yunnan has been governed by Tian Jingming for more than two years, and the Taiping Sect has invested a lot of manpower and financial resources here, and all the provincial and state officials are selected and appointed by the Taiping Sect, so this is completely the world of the Taiping Sect. Entering the boundaries of Yunnan, Wang Qiang began to slow down the trip, every place, several people are divided into the place, to understand the people's sentiments and public opinions, official ethics, government affairs, money and grain production, price levels, people's livelihoods, etc., the results of the investigation made Wang Qiang and others happy, in just two years, Yunnan has shown a prosperous and wealthy scene under the governance of the Taiping Sect, not only the growth of agriculture and animal husbandry is very fast, the development of industry and commerce is particularly gratifying, mining, logging, trade, handicrafts, papermaking, metallurgy have great development, A new group of wealthy people who have started industrial, mining and commercial businesses as their main business has emerged, the living standards of the common people have improved, the world is stable, and the voices of praise for the Taiping Sect and Wang Qiang have been heard endlessly, and Wang Qiang is very satisfied.

On this day, Wang Qiang and his entourage quietly entered Kunming City, and Wang Qiang planned not to alarm the local government and go to meet with his family first. Under the guidance of Zhang Xiaoping, Wang Qiang took Xiaoshanzi and a few guards to Jiuhua Mountain in the west of Kunming.

When Tian Jingming was in Yunnan, in order to house Concubine Li and the three princes, a palace was built on Jiuhua Mountain, as the residence of Concubine Li and the prince, Cai Linger accompanied Concubine Li to Kunming and lived in the palace together, she already knew that the three princes were Wang Qiang's flesh and blood, because she had not given birth, she regarded this prince as her own child, and she was more doting than that Concubine Li, Tian Jingming and the later governor Zhang Lan took care of Concubine Li and Cai Linger in every way, and they had a complete supply of food and clothing, and they were free of food and clothing, and there was only one dissatisfaction. is that Wang Qiang is not around, Concubine Li has lived in the palace for a long time, she is used to loneliness, and she can bear it, but Cai Ling'er is very unbearable, every time she thinks of Wang Qiang, she doesn't think about tea and dinner or tears on her face, and she wants Concubine Li to persuade her in every way.

This time, Wang Qiang came to Kunming and did not notify Cai Ling'er of them, so on this day, Cai Ling'er and Zhu'er accompanied Concubine Li to the temple behind the mountain to make incense, and they were not in the palace. The third prince Cijiong is now eight years old, because he is doted on so very naughty, he has to study with the teacher this morning, so he did not go to the incense with Concubine Li, and stayed in the palace alone with his family.

Wang Qiang arrived at the gate of the palace, and the guards and housekeepers guarding the door were all old men in Wang Qiang's house

led Wang Qiang into the palace, Wang Qiang heard that Concubine Li and Cai Ling'er were not at home, he was in a hurry to see his son, so he asked the housekeeper to take him to the harem to find the prince.

Passing through a courtyard and turning a moon gate, Wang Qiang arrived at the harem, but saw that the room was in a mess, as if it had suffered a military disaster, the teapot and bowl were broken on the ground, several chairs and several stools were also overturned, and several landscapes and paintings were torn apart and scattered all over the place. Wang Qiang looked at the housekeeper suspiciously, but the housekeeper was not surprised, it seemed that this situation had long been commonplace, a palace maid in the palace saw someone coming, and greeted her, but she didn't know Wang Qiang, and only said to the housekeeper: "The little prince lost his temper because the concubine didn't take him to the back mountain to play with incense, and it became like this." The little prince is now punishing the little sixth son in the back hall. He was deaf and did not tell him the news of the concubine's trip in time. ”

Seeing that his son was so stubborn, Wang Qiang frowned slightly, and said in his heart: "What's the matter with this Concubine Li, she actually used her child like this, how can she get it if she goes on like this, doesn't anyone care about him?" ”

He was thinking to himself, only to hear the wind in his ears, and then the back of his head was hit by something, Wang Qiang was in pain, screamed, quickly turned around to look, but saw a peach fall to the ground, only to see a seven or eight-year-old child standing at the door with a wicked smile, holding a peach in his left hand and a thin whip in his right hand, it was the little prince who arrived. Wang Qiang saw his son at a glance, he looked like he was when he was a child, the relationship between father and son arose, and he looked at his son intently, and the unhappiness just now flew to the back of his head.

The little prince pointed at Wang Qiang and asked the housekeeper, "Lao Zhao, who is this person?" ”

The housekeeper immediately bowed down and said, "Back to the little prince, this is our family's lord Wang Qiangwang." ”

"Aha!" When the little prince heard that Wang Qiang was coming, he suddenly came to his senses, rushed to Wang Qiang in a few steps, pointed at him and asked, "You are the little eunuch that the queen mother often mentions." The queen mother said that you still used me as a horse to ride back then, and I also on your neck, didn't I? ”

Wang Qiang remembered that when he saw his son in Wuchang, he was playing with his son and was soaked, and he couldn't help but smile and said: "There is such a thing, you were only five years old at that time, not as tall as now." Wang Qiang said, squatting down, holding his son's small shoulders with both hands, and looking carefully.

"I want you to be a horse for me to ride! Hurry up and get down. The little prince jumped to his feet, waved the whip in his hand, and shouted excitedly. Wang Qiang saw that his son was so naughty, just like when he was a child, but he remembered that he was beaten by his father a lot because he was naughty when he was a child. He couldn't bear to sweep his son's interest, and just wanted to hold his son on his shoulder, but the housekeeper knew Wang Qiang's identity, and he couldn't see it next to him, and said angrily: "The little prince can't be reckless, this is the leader of the Taiping Sect, not a slave in the palace!" ”

The little prince squinted, glared at the housekeeper and scolded: "What a mouthy minion, dare to take care of me, I am the prince, everyone in the world is my subordinate, I can do whatever I want, who dares to take care of me." So saying, he swung his whip and struck it at the butler's head.

Wang Qiang was annoyed when he saw his son being so unreasonable. Xin said: "You little rabbit cub, I will teach you a lesson today!" He reached out and pulled the whip from his son's hand, pressed him to his knees, slapped him on the ass a few times, and said with hatred in his mouth: "At a young age, so tyrannical, how can you get it when you grow up, see if Lao Tzu doesn't clean you up!" ”

The little prince was beaten and hurt, and cried loudly: "Come on, everyone, save me, the little eunuch has beaten me!" ”

Wang Qiang heard him scold his little eunuch, and he was even more annoyed in his heart, and slapped him a few times, and reprimanded him in his mouth: "Tell you to beat people indiscriminately, say, do you dare to do it?" ”

The little prince was stubborn, he didn't change his words, and he still cried.

The housekeeper and the palace maid saw that Wang Qiang was disciplining the little prince, and they were not discouraged, and the shouts attracted the guards and family members in the palace, but most of these people were originally from Wang Qiang's mansion, in their eyes, Wang Qiang was their master, and the little prince was overbearing on weekdays, everyone was dissatisfied, and no one was willing to stop it at this time.

It was the first time that the little prince was so old that someone dared to really beat him, and at this time he knew that the eunuch in front of him was not easy to mess with, so he was cowardly, and he didn't dare to scold anymore, so he had to move out of his mother and shouted: "Queen Mother, come and save me, someone has beaten me." ”

Wang Qiang saw that his son was crying miserably, and brought out Concubine Li, and his heart was also compassionate, and he let go of his son as soon as he let go of his hand. The little prince was already crying with tears in his eyes, grinning and crying while looking left and right, trying to find someone who could rely on complaining, at this time, I saw his teacher Zuo Wensheng walking in quickly, this Zuo Wensheng is a well-known Confucian family in Jiangnan, one

A few years ago, he was recommended by Gu Yanwu to be the teacher of the little prince, and when the little prince saw that the teacher was coming, he finally found his relatives, and threw himself into Zuo Wensheng's arms, pointing at Wang Qiang and sobbing and saying, "Teacher, he beat me!" None of these people help me. ”

Zuo Wensheng didn't know Wang Qiang, he glared at Wang Qiang and reprimanded: "Who are you, you dare to spread wild in the palace and bully the prince, do you want to rebel?" ”

Wang Qiang knew that this person was his son's teacher, and said politely: "Oh, under Wang Qiang, I came to see the concubine, and saw that the little prince was rude and beat his family, so he stopped him." ”

Zuo Wensheng said coldly: "It turned out that the head of the Taiping Sect was here, and now you are so powerful that even the young master dares to beat him, no wonder so many people dare not stop it." ”

Wang Qiang hit the little prince in a hurry just now, and now he feels that doing so is suspected of overstepping, so he politely explained: "The so-called jade does not peck into a weapon, the little prince is so stubborn at a young age, if you don't discipline it as soon as possible, how to become a weapon in the future, I also love the Lord with a heart, so I made a reckless move, please forgive me." ”

Zuo Wensheng is a member of the Donglin Party, he was persecuted by Wei Zhongxian in his early years, he has always hated the eunuch party, and he is also quite prejudiced against Wang Qiang, and now he thinks that Wang Qiang is relying on power and has no master, so he snorted coldly and said: "Even if the little prince is not, he has his own concubine and teacher to discipline, and it is not your turn to intervene, although you are the leader of the Taiping Sect, but you are also a relict of the Ming Dynasty, and the little prince is separated from the minister, how can you deceive the master!" If you still have a pure heart, you should ask the little prince for guilt and accept the punishment! ”

"This?" Wang Qiang hesitated in his heart, Lao Tzu's discipline of his son is a matter of course, but he can't say it here, Zuo Wensheng's words are righteous and strict, and he can't refute it, if he doesn't ask for guilt, it proves that he has the heart of deceiving the master, and it will be misunderstood by the world if it is preached, thinking of this, his knees are weak, kneeling on the ground, his heart is painful, and he hangs his head and can't speak. When the family members saw that their master was humiliated, they were resentful in their hearts, and they couldn't bear to look at it anymore, so they turned around and went out. Seeing that Wang Qiang was soft, the little prince regained his spirit, jumped in front of Wang Qiang and raised his whip to beat him.

"Jiong'er, stop!" With a broken drink, Concubine Li hurriedly ran in, followed by Cai Ling'er and Zhu'er.

Concubine Li snatched the whip of the little prince, pushed him aside, and stretched out her hand to help Wang Qiang up, and the little prince shouted: "Queen Mother, this little eunuch beat me just now, why didn't you let me beat him back?" ”

Concubine Li looked at her son and then at Wang Qiang, with mixed feelings in her heart, she took her son by the hand and said sharply: "If it weren't for him, our orphans and widows would have no place to live, and the Tartar soldiers would have already hit Yunnan, without him, there would be no you today!" You are stubborn, someone should have taken care of you a long time ago, even if he disciplines you for me today, I will allow him to take care of you for me in the future, if you don't clean up your tiredness, sooner or later you will suffer! ”

The little prince was beaten, and was scolded by his mother, and he was wronged in his heart, and he grinned and cried again. Cai Ling'er saw Concubine Li's voice and said that the little prince had the heart to protect him, so she hurriedly stepped forward to protect him, and comforted him: "Okay, little prince, your mother said that you are for your good, as long as you are not too naughty in the future, be obedient, ah!" ”

When they made a fuss here, Zuo Wensheng felt very embarrassed, feeling that he was the only outsider here, so he hurriedly saluted Concubine Li and retreated.

Zhu'er also stepped forward to greet Wang Qiang, and then led the little prince to the backyard to wash, only Wang Qiang, Concubine Li and Cai Ling'er were left in the house.

Concubine Li said: "This kid is messing around all day long, I can't control him, please invite a gentleman who is also a foolish and loyal person, and his knowledge is good, but he is too obedient to the child, and he doesn't dare to discipline him, you come back just right, take care of him for me, and you should also do this responsibility as a father." ”

Cai Ling'er saw that Wang Qiang was coming, her heart was full of joy, her cheeks were crimson with excitement, and she interjected: "The child is still young, even if you discipline your hands are lighter, you men's hands are heavy, and it is very bad to hurt the child's muscles and bones." ”

Wang Qiang smiled and said: "Hehe, I came all the way to see you, I didn't expect to come here first, but this child's temperament is all used to it on weekdays, when I am not there, you should not be too lenient, you will not be able to succeed in the future, you are in a hurry." He put on a husband's shelf, blaming Concubine Li and Cai Ling'er, although the two were blamed, they felt close to each other in their hearts.

That night, the family had dinner together, Cijiong also admitted his mistake to Wang Qiang at the dinner table, Wang Qiang wanted to envelop his son, and promised to take the child to ride a horse in person tomorrow.