Emperor Kangxi had a good cloth and soap clothes all his life, and he paid private visits to micro-clothes. Whether it is the western patrol outside the south of the Yangtze River, or in the capital, he likes to take one or two close ministers, follow some internal guards from afar, and go wherever he goes, unrestrained. He took this as the right way to get close to the common people and sympathize with the people's suffering.

It's early autumn when the autumn wind rises and the weather is cool. On this day, after breakfast, Kangxi called the Ouchi guard Wu Dan, and the master and servant changed into civilian clothes and prepared to go out for a micro-service tour. As soon as he left Xihua Gate, he saw Ma Qi and Zhang Tingyu coming out, both dressed in civilian robes. Kangxi said Wu Dan:

"Oh no, let these two ministers target us, cough, I really want to be free for a moment, let's go."

Zhang Tingyu had something in his heart and followed, walked in front of Kangxi and stopped:

"Your Majesty, where are you going?"

Kangxi waved his hand and muttered:

"Didn't you see the casual clothes I was wearing? Don't be called by the emperor. If you want to follow, you can only call me 'master' outside, call me Master Long like Wu Dan, just a rich businessman, do you understand? ”

"Yes, Master Long," Zhang Tingyu smiled. He originally wanted to ask Fang Bao about it, the Criminal Department has always been tried in the autumn, and he was beheaded after the autumn, and now the prisoners who are locked in the prison are all beheaded one after another; What should not be beheaded, what should be sentenced is sentenced, and what should be released is released, only Qin is the offender, and there is no trial or judgment. The emperor has no will, and no one can take it. He just wanted to look at the sky and ask the "master", so he smiled and asked, "I don't know where the master is going to do 'business' today?" ”

"I heard that Baiyunguan is new to preside over Zhang Banxian," Kangxi said divinely, "The Tao is done, let's be pilgrims, go and see what the origin is." ”

"Master!" Ma Qi has always hated Buddhism and is an atheist, he is afraid that the emperor will mess with these gods and ghosts, and Baiyun Temple is outside Xizhimen, the road is far away and sparsely populated, what is wrong with a mistake? For he said, "He who has gone a long way, why should he go to that place?" If you want to see the excitement, it is better to go to Zhengyang Gate and come back early in the afternoon, and you can also take a break. As soon as I woke up, the prince's case came over. ”

Wu Dan pouted and said:

"It's lively outside Zhengyang Gate, so I'm afraid of bad luck. When I left the palace just now, I glanced at the notice posted on the wall, saying that I was going to kill someone today. I am afraid that I will lose the good interest of my master. ”

"What are you afraid of killing?" Kangxi laughed, "Are you a horse thief who kills people less?" It's been too long since it's been peaceful, and everyone is afraid of killing their heads - the last time Changyin Pavilion performed "Uncle Cutting the Country", a knife went down, and the 'blood water' gushed out, and the Shi family of Yinren was so frightened that he fainted, and even Yinren was so scared that his soul was not possessed, is this still like words? I started killing people when I was eight years old, and at the age of fifteen, I cut a batch of people, went west and east, and started to kill, so that there is a peaceful world today. ”

"What the master said is right," although Zhang Tingyu had a different view on killing, he still echoed the saint and said, "The peaceful and prosperous era is not easy to come by, and we must keep the family business of all generations, and we must rule with benevolence and virtue-" He originally wanted to say "rule the world", but when he thought that the emperor's identity was wrong at this time, he immediately changed his words to, "We must treat people with kindness." ”

"Yinren, that kid, is so pitifully timid, how can he keep a huge family business," Kangxi said along his own lines, "This is exactly what I worry about day and night." ”

The group talked and laughed, and unconsciously came to Zhengyang Gate. Today is not what it used to be, the narrow streets and alleys of the past are now thoroughfares, crowded with thousands of heads, and it is more lively than anywhere. The main corridor temple is lined with new high-rise buildings with shops and stalls. The street sells vegetables, sells oil cakes, twist flowers, pancakes, wontons, dumplings of the snack stalls, yo five drink six, boiling, lively and extraordinary, than the Forbidden City that is as quiet as a deserted temple, there is a hole in the sky.

Several people guarded the "Dragon Master" step by step, and this "Master" really looked like a rich businessman, look here, touch there. After watching a hundred operas for a while, I ate a string of rock sugar gourds, bought a rubbing of "Hengshan Yuwang Tablet", and was very interested in going to the glaze factory to see antique calligraphy and paintings. As soon as I came out of the Sifu Hall, I saw a group of people in the distance, holding a spirit flag, carrying a coffin, and walking slowly. Ma Qi stood aside and said in surprise:

"Hey, this family is at the funeral, there is no ringer, and no one is crying and mourning—it's not like a small family, it's really strange."

"Of course it's not a small household," Kangxi looked at the spirit banner and said with a mocking smile, "Ma Qi, you are also a nerd, didn't you see that it was the evil rich Ding Qiao Sheng of Huangye Village in the western suburbs who was going to be killed?" An old man in his 60s raped a 16-year-old girl with yellow flowers to death, if his wife hadn't been jealous and scolded, the Criminal Department might not have been able to write the conclusion of the case so clearly in the excerpt. People haven't been cut for a while, what kind of musical instrument is played? It's just that the coffin was carried to collect the body. ”

Zhang Tingyu remembered that he had read the excerpts of the Criminal Department, and the emperor Zhu criticized "maintaining the weather, beheading the decision", and said with a smile: "Master Ma, it is still the ticket you proposed, why did you forget it?" ”

"Ding Qiaosheng that old brute-" Ma Qi laughed at himself embarrassedly, "I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten, I am innocent of death!" ”

As he spoke, the ox cart carrying the condemned prisoner slowly drove over, and Yin Long Keduo, who was in charge of the beheading of the Shuntian Mansion, followed closely behind on a high-headed horse. Two lines of soldiers drove away the onlookers in front, and one soldier almost pushed Kangxi on his back. Kangxi was staring at the death criminals in the cage, suddenly pulled Wu Dan's sleeve, and pointed in amazement:

"Look, why is Ding Qiaosheng so young?"

Wu Dan was two years older than Kangxi, he pulled up his sleeves and wiped his eyes to look over, and said suspiciously: "It looks like a thirty-year-old man at most, how can he not look like an old man in his sixties, is it a mistake, another person who was killed?" ”

Kangxi was afraid that there was a mistake, and then looked at the outlaw card, which was not wrong at all, it was clearly written: "Kill and decide to commit Ding Qiaosheng in Tianfu." He suddenly realized something, his eyes immediately became gloomy glaring at Ma Qi and Zhang Tingyu, and he said coldly and loudly: "Quick, follow me to the vegetable market, I want to see who I killed today and what tricks I played!" ”

In fact, Zhang Tingyu and Ma Qi had already seen the strangeness, and both of them were stunned. Ma Qi is the person who drafted the vote, and Zhang Tingyu is even more because his father-in-law is the secretary of the criminal department, if there is really a mistake and there is a matter of stiff Tao Dai Li, none of them can get rid of it, and the first to bear the brunt is naturally Wang Shizhen, the secretary of the criminal department.

The entrance of the vegetable market has always been a killing field, and this time it is already crowded. The shops in the execution ground were all two-story small buildings, Kangxi and the four of them crowded to the nearest shop to the beheading table, Wu Dan took out a few taels of silver, and the boss sent them to the second floor. Kangxi sat down in front of the street window, silent, and glanced at Ma Qi and Zhang Tingyu from time to time with gloomy eyes.

Wu Dan stood behind Kangxi, Zhang and Wu stood opposite, looking at the execution ground for a while, and looking at the emperor with a blue face for a while, he was so frightened that his heart fluttered and he didn't dare to speak.

When the death row car arrived, the soap officers opened the cage with a "click", set up "Ding Qiaosheng", dragged it to the beheading platform and firmly tied it to the wooden pillar. The prison officer Long Keduo paced out of the ceiling, ascended to the seat, and read aloud the statement of the death offender "Ding Qiaosheng". Kangxi listened to it without missing a word, and the plot was correct, only changing Ding's age from sixty-two years old to twenty-nine years old. There is no doubt that someone in this case has done a lot of tricks. Zhang Tingyu and Ma Qi were as anxious as ants on a hot pot, as long as they beheaded, killed innocent people in vain, let go of the real criminal, and it was difficult to recover the water, they made mistakes on top of mistakes. Kangxi was on fire, he didn't speak, and neither of the two dared to touch the mold.

At this time, Long Keduo had already rewarded people with death wine. I heard the onlookers shouting violently:

"Hey, man! Let's sing a few words to everyone! ”

"Kill the big scar of the head bowl, and after twenty years, he will be a good man again, sing!"

"Haha, he's a dumb man!"

"Your dad is dumb!" The young man drank wine and wiped his mouth, "There is no beauty on Huangquan Road, Lao Tzu is too lazy to speak!" ”

Another burst of laughter.

It was already noon, Long Keduo took out his pocket watch and looked at it, stood up and made a false salute to the royal pen, took the death card, and without hesitation used the cinnabar pen to shout:

"It's noon, executioner!"

"In!"

"Execution!"

"Piercing!"

I saw two black men covered in meat, raising the ghost head knife, and just waiting for Long Keduo to give the order with his sleeves, he was about to chop the knife down. Ma Qi, who was so anxious that his face was pale and trembling, suddenly screamed:

"Wait!" Ma Qi was in a mess, the ticket he drafted, as soon as his head fell, and there was no proof of his death, wouldn't the emperor want to cut him for the "crime of bullying the king"? Kangxi originally suspected that Ma Qi had been sold for his life, so he had been waiting for the development of the situation coldly. It wasn't until Ma Qi shouted "Slow" that he was relieved, stuck his head out of the window, and shouted at Long Kedo:

"Be merciful!"

The crowd below immediately exploded with a bang, and the soldiers thought that someone had robbed the Dharma field, and scattered in all directions, ready to fight with the comers. Listening to a shout from the second floor opposite, Long Keduo was violently assaulted. The voice was both majestic and familiar, but at first I didn't see the person who spoke. When his eyes wandered for a while, he suddenly seemed to see the thunder god falling from the sky, and he was so frightened that he flicked it and bounced off the prison beheading platform. He trotted all the way with the corner of his robe, and Deng Dengden ran up to the second floor of the tea shop, snapped down the horse's hoof sleeves, knelt down on the floor, panting and kowtowing like a cow and bowing:

"I don't know that the saint has arrived, and Weichen has not had time to meet him, the crime should be——"

Before the words fell, Kangxi interrupted and said:

"You're beheading a prisoner in prison, what do you want you to drive?"

Long Keduo was so frightened that he almost collapsed to the ground, just now the emperor personally ordered "keep people under the knife", which shows that this case is yellow, and the person who was beheaded is wrong. This is an unjust case made by that bastard, did the emperor suspect him, thinking of this, he stammered with a sad face and said incoherently:

"Emperor Shengming, you just spoke, you just spoken...... Whether...... Wechen Supervisor Neglected to Supervise ......"

In fact, Kangxi did not suspect Long Keduo, and the prison of the Criminal Department was not in his hands. Besides, when Long Keduo was in the west to conquer Geerdan, he escorted him, and he left an excellent impression on him, and now he is puzzled by Wang Shizhen of the Criminal Department. It is useless to be a scholar, and it is unlikely that Wang Shizhen will make a ghost by himself, but in the prison, Ding Qiaosheng, who is in his sixties, is replaced by a "substitute ghost" in his twenties, and he is at least responsible for negligence.

"Long Keduo," Kangxi waved his hand, and said angrily, "It's none of your business, go and bring 'Ding Qiaosheng' quickly, I want to ask him personally!" ”

Roncodo's hanging heart relaxed, kowtowed, stood up, and ran down without stopping. The owner of the tea shop, when he heard that the thin old man sitting there was the current emperor "Kangxi Lafayette", curiously poked his head out and was slapped back by Wu Dan. Kangxi Chong Wudan said:

"Don't be rude, he's the boss, we're the guests." He turned to the shopkeeper, patted the bench next to him, and issued an invitation, "Come, boss, you can sit." The shopkeeper stroked his feverish cheek and sat down on his toe carefully. In the blink of an eye, Roncodo brought the bound prisoner up.

Look at the excitement below, I don't know what happened upstairs, when it was cut or not, this is a strange thing that has never happened. Therefore, the excitement is getting more and more vigorous, and the downstairs is surrounded by water.

All the soldiers came downstairs and drove the crowd away, but they didn't know that the emperor was upstairs. Fu Yin Long Keduo only said in a hurry: "Guarding this building, there is a slight difference, Weier and others are asking." At this time, the noisy crowd dispersed most of them.

Upstairs, Kangxi ordered Long Keduo to loosen the tie for the prisoner, and then asked:

"What's your name?"

"Lord Hui," the prisoner was not afraid, kneeling there and replied stiffly, "Ding Qiaosheng, the murderer who raped and killed people." ”

"Where are you from?"

"Huangye Village in the western suburbs."

"Who are the people in the family?"

"Three sons, three daughters-in-law."

"How many grandchildren do you have?"

"This ......" this fake "Ding Qiaosheng" was speechless for a while, he knew that his reply was exposed, "Adult......"

"What sir?" Since the emperor had already revealed his identity, Ma Qi shouted, "It's the current emperor sitting here, you are not Ding Qiaosheng at all, don't hurry up and tell the truth!" ”

This impersonating criminal looked up and saw that the thin old man sitting there turned out to be "Kangxi Lafayette", his eyes were straight with fright, and he trembled all over his body and said: "I am Ding Qiaosheng, I am Ding Qiaosheng...... Can't I die? What else is there to say about it now? ”

Hearing that he was rude, Ma Qi shouted:

"Presumptuous! Watch out for the palm! ”

"Your accent is wrong," Kangxi stopped Ma Qi and asked repeatedly, "You have a Tangshan accent, why are you from Huangye Village?" Besides, the girl who Ding Qiaosheng tried to rape to death was invited by his granddaughter-in-law to go into the house to do needlework. How old are you? Do you have a granddaughter-in-law? I ask you, why did you go to Huangye Village in the western suburbs to die for Ding Qiao's life? What benefits did he give? ”

"......" The prisoner was dumbfounded by the question, but bowed his head and remained silent.

The shopkeeper looked at the restless emperor, stroked his knees and sighed, and said boldly: "Long live the lord, this matter is clear, it is a slaughtering of white ducks!" Slaughter the white duck...... Sin, sin! ”

"Slaughtering a white duck?" Kangxi was stunned and asked, "What do you mean by slaughtering a white duck?" ”

"There are a lot of murders in this place at the entrance of the vegetable market, and it is not uncommon to slaughter white ducks." The shopkeeper smiled bitterly and said, "The villain has seen and heard a lot. Whenever a rich family violates the law, they are not punished, and they pay a lot of money to buy a stand-in, and they use money to buy it from the ministry to the government. Even if he is caught in the prison, he takes advantage of the food delivery to visit the prison, spends money to send the prison and the jailer to Zhou Zheng, send the 'white duck' in, and replace the real prisoner, which is called slaughtering the white duck. Pitiful, pitiful, this brother must have suffered in his family and was in urgent need of money, so he became a 'white duck' and died in place of that 'Master Ding'......"

The young "human prisoner" was still holding on at first, without saying a word, listening to the words of the shopkeeper, touching the scars, cutting the intestines, and finally couldn't help but cry "wow". With his head and hands, he slammed the floor hard. The wailing and wailing are like a wolf in the middle of the night, like a scream when killing a pig, which is terrifying and unbearable.

Kangxi was also ruthless and killed people without blinking his eyelids. But that was to consolidate the imperial power of the country, and it was the people who should be killed. And in the face of the miserable innocent man's cry that he couldn't die, his heart was broken and bleeding as cold as iron. In the prosperous era of the Qing Dynasty, Lang Lang was good, but there was such a tragic and heinous thing as "slaughtering the white duck" in the prison of the Criminal Department, which involved how many corrupt officials and corrupt officials were corrupt and perverted the law, reversed black and white, and disregarded human lives! Where is the Code? Where is the rule of the officials? Where is charity? The more he thought about it, the more annoyed and frightened he became. Don't look at the usual robes and clothes, kneeling and worshipping like a ritual, one long live at a time, but behind the scenes, they are greedy and harming the people, the world is upside down, and the platform is demolished! Thinking of this, he slapped the case with a "whoosh", glanced at several courtiers and shouted:

"Long Keduo, detain the people who collected the bodies of the Ding family, both men and women! quickly go to Huangye Village to arrest the real culprit Ding Qiaosheng; The 'White Duck' was sent to the Criminal Department, and Wang Shizhen was ordered to investigate and understand, release the person immediately, and reply in person. Zhang Tingyu, Ma Qi, Tong Guowei and Chen Tingjing went to the study to discuss matters. Wu Dan, drive back to the palace! ”

Zhang Tingyu, Ma Qi, and Long Keduo knelt on the floor slab, and replied with trembling together:

"Your Majesty obeys!"

Wu Dan sang the promise:

"The emperor is driving back to the palace—"

The deliberations between Kangxi and the four ministers of the Han Dynasty in the upper study room lasted from morning to 3 p.m., and they were still in the ascendant. On the way, Kangxi sent Li Dequan to the imperial dining room, and sent five servings of noodles, bear's paws, bird's nest soup, pastries and other imperial meals, and gave the ministers and workers to eat with the emperor. This is a rare honor for both the prince and Baylor.

After some admonition and the courtiers' resigned, Kangxi's angry mood calmed down, and after the palace maid waited for him to clean his hands and face, he threw the towel into the imperial basin, took a silver toothpick, and paced while slowing down and said:

"Ding Qiao gave birth to an old villain, who originally didn't live for a few years, and life and death are trivial matters. Now that his case has been reviewed and decided by the Imperial Court, he can still make such a big move, which shows how bad the rule of the officials is. A few years ago, Heng Chen had told me about the importance of Chen Zhizhi, and although I felt that it was a matter of the overall situation, I did not feel so urgent. Tong Guowei, the second department of criminal and household is under your jurisdiction, and the criminal department will be sealed from now on, and the whole country will be suspended this autumn, and all death row prisoners will be retried, and their bodies will be verified one by one. The criminal department from the squire to the officials, and the provinces according to the inspectors, must check one by one, sift through them, and find corrupt officials, if they are found to be down, they will be punished, and if they are serious, they will be beheaded! ”

"Yes, yes!" Tong Guowei didn't have enough confidence to speak, the problem was the subordinates under his control, frowning, he seemed to be grabbing the back, and squeaked and said, "The Criminal Department still has Shangshu Wang Shizhen, what should I do?" ”

Zhang Tingyu just breathed a sigh of relief and became nervous again. However, he still responded to the changes with the same and remained silent.

"As for Wang Shizhen," Kangxi said in a deep voice, "there is a scholar, with a clean breeze on his sleeves, and a master is full of anger." If you cut off your head, you won't be greedy for petty profits. However, he is no longer suitable in the Criminal Department, so he is told to go back to the Hanlin Academy, volatilize his director, and go to write poems. ”

"The Emperor Shengming!" Zhang Tingyu fell to the ground and finally spoke, "However, the rectification of the Criminal Department, such a big matter must be presided over by someone, please long live the decree!" ”

"According to Hengchen's opinion, who should be sent to preside?" Kangxi was not at ease with Ma and Tong, and Zhang Tingyu couldn't leave for a while, so he didn't pick out a suitable candidate for a while, so he asked rhetorically.

Zhang Tingyu thought for a while and said:

"All the departments of the imperial court must be purged. According to the provincial twists and turns, the old rivers of Fen, Wei, Jialu and Yangcun urgently need to be dredged. In addition, Shuntian, Hejian and Shandong and Zhejiang provinces were hit by floods, and they had to raise grain and silver for dredging the river and giving relief, and presided over the inspection of the criminal department, which was not an ordinary minister. Can you choose one or two of the princes and ask the emperor to issue an edict! ”

"I think so too," Kangxi looked at the four ministers one by one, "The prince asked him to go to the household department to raise food and silver, and the fourth elder brother and the thirteenth elder brother have been going to Anhui to inspect the river workers for many months, even if they come back on the same day, they can't be allowed to make trouble again." People say that Eighth Elder Brother Yinxi is shrewd and capable, so let him do it. ”

"Then I'm going to pass on the message to the eighth elder brother?" Tong Guowei has a deep friendship with Yinxi, and he was a little comforted and relieved, and asked to leave.

"Wait, there's still something to be done." Kangxi stopped him, took out a few copies of the fold from the yellow box, flipped through them in his hand, and handed them to Zhang Tingyu and said, "Hengchen, the prince is not reliable. Look at it, Yinzhen and Yinxiang have caused some trouble in Anhui, and the more they help, the more chaotic they are. ”

Zhang Tingyu took the excerpt and looked at it, the first one was the governor of Anhui, and the title read: "For the topic, the political envoy of Anhui Province relied on his brother to extort people's money and disorder the salt class." The next few books were sent by the provincial and government envoys, saying that the Qincha had mishandled the salt class, which caused the salt people in the province to strike the market, and the salt lords colluded with pirates to rob the salt ships, so that the Anqing, Luzhou, Yingzhou, Chizhou, Ningguo, Taiping and other prefectures were not in order, and they asked for an order to suppress them. Repeatedly, with earnest words and insinuations, the spearhead is aimed at "Ah Ge Qincha", ignorant of the people's feelings, inappropriate measures, and incurring public resentment. Zhang Tingyu read the excerpt, but still didn't say a word.

Ma Qi, who was standing on the side, couldn't help it, the scene at the entrance of the vegetable market was always worried and uneasy, and he stepped forward and said: "The slave is reckless today, and he almost frightened the holy driver, please long live the crime and punishment!" ”

"Oh?" Kangxi's train of thought was interrupted, and he suddenly thought about it and said with a smile, "If you don't shout and stop the execution, your top will be picked off by me for a while." What a surprise not to drive! It is the duty of the prime minister to assist in the administration of the government and handle the maintenance of the aircraft. Kangxi turned his face and asked Tong Guowei again, pulling back to his original train of thought, "What do you think of the few elder brothers who can still do something?" ”

"The fourth master and the thirteenth master can do something," Tong Guowei said confidently, "but the anger is too great, the means are too ruthless, and it is easy to poke leaks." The ones who can really do things safely are still the third master, the eighth master, and the tenth master. ”

Ma Qi and Tong Guowei said-for-tat:

"If you talk about treating people, it is naturally the crown prince, the third master and the eighth master; When it comes to doing things, the slave thinks that the fourth master's seriousness is indispensable for breaking off. ”

Only then did Kangxi know that there was no agreement among the ministers of the upper study. lowered his head and thought for a while, and asked Zhang Tingyu with a smile:

"Hengchen, why don't you say a word?"

"The slave read the excerpt and kept thinking," Zhang Tingyu said with a tense face, "Is it a bit exaggerated by the Anhui Third Division." Since the salt lords of the six mansions are in turmoil, why didn't they alarm the military department! Several courtiers in Anhui who folded and played in secret did not see the box handed over to them - they all ate dry rice? ”

Like an empowerment, Kangxi was awakened by a word: Yes! According to the inspection and inspection, Anhui has long been a mess, why didn't a few prefects hand over a fold? He patted the little numb light brain, asked for a cup of tea and drank two sips, motioned for them to sit down, and muttered.

At this time, Li Dequan walked in and reported:

"Long live the lord, the fourth elder brother and the thirteenth elder brother have returned to Beijing, and they are waiting outside to see you!" Then, on the jade steps outside the hall, I heard two horsehoe sleeves "snapping", and reported loudly:

"Sons Yinzhen and Yinxiang, respectfully invite the emperor to Sheng'an!"

Kangxi beckoned outward, and after a long time, he snorted from his nostrils:

"Come in—"

The two brothers glanced at each other, and walked in. Kangxi waved his hand and said, "You kneel aside, this time I am discussing with the ministers." ”

Kangxi deliberately snubbed the two troublesome sons, and after speaking, he rested his cheeks on the tea vulture, squinting his eyes and saying nothing. The two brothers knew their father's temper, and they knelt there and did not dare to move. Yinxiang peeked sideways: But he saw that his father was a little thinner than before he left Beijing, but his spirit was also shining, and his eyes were bright under the eight-character Shou Mei. Kangxi seemed to find that his naughty son was secretly looking at him, so he took out a part of the box again, and wanted to say it or not:

"Shi Shilun is a person, and he still has to be saved. This person is capable, but he is eager for quick success and quick profit, and provokes right and wrong. What kind of fire is done in Ningbo Mansion to return to the public, and the county government can't even afford to invite the master - he has been demoted to the official, but his temperament is still difficult to change. Heng Chen, do you see what is left behind in the six departments? ”

Without waiting for Zhang Tingyu to reply, Yinxiang couldn't help but say:

"Ama Shengjian, insight thousands of miles away. Erchen knows that Shi Shilun and Yu Chenglong are both well-known Qing officials, and they are good at managing money, and there is still a shortage of the head of the household department, why not make up for him? ”

"What are you anxious about?" Kangxi sneered, threw the original few folds to the ground, and said loudly, "I don't know what good things you two brothers and sisters are doing outside!" Before the people returned to Beijing, the excerpt of the complaint came first - I don't talk about you, let's go and see it myself! ”

Yinxiang picked up the fold and glanced at it, and suddenly became angry, and was about to speak, but was stopped by Yinzhen. He lifted the excerpt of the governor Shen He Yifei, moved it forward, and said calmly:

"Amma, this is nothing to do with anything, it is all the idea of the son. Anhui is not like the chaos played - however, the collusion of officials and bandits, embarrassment, has become a big problem, resulting in the salt class is difficult to collect, the loss of treasury silver, this is a fact, not to ruthlessly rectify those corrupt officials will not work! ”

Kangxi jumped up with a "hoof", forced to look at Yinzhen and said:

"You're a doll in your twenties, what a big breath! He actually said such a big thing in front of me. It's a good Anhui, so that you two brothers will make a lot of trouble. I told you to go to see the river workers, who asked you to consult the salt administration? Even in the affairs of the rulers, you, you ...... It's all to blame for the prince for conniving at you brothers! ”

Everyone was furious when they saw Kangxi, and their faces turned pale with fright. Yinxiang hurriedly kowtowed and said: "It's all caused by my son, please make a decree, my son is willing to go to Anhui again to quell the rebellion of the salt lords, and ask for an explanation!" ”

"It's none of your business, you're just a follower of the fourth elder brother." Kangxi just shouted at Yinzhen and asked, "You go to see the river worker, who told you to cause trouble and squeeze the silver of the salt class?" One or two million silver, the household can't take it out? ”

"Long live the words," Yinzhen replied in the tone of a courtier, "In fact, the courtier is kind-hearted and did not act beyond his authority." The excerpts of some people in Anhui, Sima Zhao's heart, and passers-by know it, are afraid that the ministers will stab them through the collusion of officials and bandits in the salt class. The autumn flood is coming, the river is not firmly defended, the silver is not raised on the spot, and then it is transferred from the household, and it is difficult to save the fire from far water. Besides, the ministers of the household department also know a little about the situation, and if they want to come up with so much silver, I am afraid it will be difficult to get their hands on it for a while......"

Kangxi laughed angrily, turned his face to Zhang Tingyu and the others:

"Listen, he knows a little more than I do! Tong Guowei, don't you still have more than 50 million taels of silver in the treasury? ”

"That's right." Tong Guowei became nervous.

"Hooray—" Ma Qi took over and said, "Fourth Elder Brother is telling the truth. Although the minions do not know the details, the accounts of the household department do not match the inventory, and it has been a long time. ”

Tong Guowei immediately changed the topic and said: "When it comes to Anhui, the fourth master and the thirteenth master are indeed kind. It's just that Meng Lang is a little, and he should do it later. ”

The two sons knelt for a long time, but in fact, Kangxi's heart was painful, so after Tong Guowei's words, his tone became gentle and authentic:

"Fourth, I have to say something to you, it's good that you are serious, but you have to be generous. There are the following difficulties, and everything must be put in the shoes of others. You've worked hard all the way, go ahead! I went to see the prince first, and asked him to find out the truth about the household department immediately, and return to me. ”

The two brothers kowtowed and left with tears, Kangxi looked at his son's back and sighed: "Yinxiang is a fool, Yinzhen is fine, but he is mean by nature, no one is perfect!" He patted his head, suddenly looked at Zhang Tingyu, and returned to the original topic and asked:

"Hengchen, just now Ma Qi said that the treasury of the household is empty, what is going on, do you know?"

"As far as the slave knows," Zhang Tingyu, who was sitting on the wooden pestle, stood up and replied, "There are 50 million silver in the accounts of the household department, but in fact, the inventory is almost empty. There are not only Beijing officials but also Xinjiang ministers from other provinces. Therefore, in order to rectify the flooding of the river, the fourth master raised money on the spot, which was also a last resort. Although he can't say this clearly, but long live you, you have to know it in your heart. ”

Kangxi stared at Zhang Tingyu suspiciously, and asked:

"Listening to your tone, it seems that you have already checked, how much money is left in the treasury?"

"The slave listened to what the fourth master said before he went to Anhui, and he couldn't believe it." Zhang Tingyu said honestly, "After the fourth master left, he didn't feel at ease, but he still went to check - it's really appalling!" ”

"What are you talking about, how much?"

"Less than 10 million."

"Ten million!"

Kangxi suddenly felt dizzy, only to feel lightheaded, pale, fell on the soft kang, and broke out in a cold sweat. He knows that the officials are borrowing debts, but if the treasury is empty, if there is another rebellion of the three feudatories or the emergence of "Li Sangui" and "Wang Sangui", if there is a war, the imperial court has no money to deal with the war, and the Qing Dynasty will not be over? After a while, he staggered to his feet and sighed: "What a prince who can't be helped...... What kind of wealth is managed, what kind of home is it, to this point, it is still hidden from me! He turned to Tong Guowei again and asked viciously, "You are in charge of the household department, and you don't know these things?" ”

Tong Guowei knelt down and said resignedly: "I've heard some." ”

"Why don't you make a few for me?"

"There is borrowing and repaying, this is common sense." Tong Guowei just wanted to open the topic, "Even if you are corrupt and bend the law and do it too quickly, it is difficult to avoid the suspicion of not being punished." ”

Ma Qi retorted:

"Tong Zhongtang! Corrupt officials and ink officials have one to do one thing, can this be called punishment without teaching? The Emperor's hadith has been promulgated for decades, and the Four Books and Five Classics were not written last year. The tiger and wolf are in the hierarchy, and they also say pedantic words, sad and sad! ”

"Tong Guowei!" Kangxi said sharply, "You are negligent in your duties, and you are still talking cool here." With your virtue, you are still the prime minister and the assistant to the government! Go home and read a few books on self-cultivation and morality! He turned around and asked Zhang Tingyu, "Rectify the household department and clear the treasury silver, what are your good ideas?" ”

"The fourth master has a good idea," Zhang Tingyu took out a few pages from his cuffs, handed them to Kangxi and said, "This is his article Chen, and he has already put the slave here." According to the fourth master, it is said that it is a debt, but in fact, it is not an official style, and it should not be taken lightly. The slave thought that there were so many things to do, so it was better to start by clearing the treasury silver. This matter is not only easier to handle than prison lawsuits and bribery, but it is also a top priority. Otherwise, once the country has something to do, and there is no silver in the treasury to support, then it will still be done! ”

Kangxi took Yinzhen and glanced at it, and shouted with a raised face:

"What about Li Dequan?"

"Zha! The minions are in. Li Dequan, the chief eunuch, stood at the door and waited, hurriedly bowed in and asked, "Long live what are your orders?" ”

"You go to Yunsongxuan, pass the decree to Yinren, Yinzhen and Yinxiang, and start to clean up the deficit of the household on the same day.

"Piercing!"

"Message: Liang Qingbiao, the current secretary of the household department, is old and frail, and he is allowed to retire."

"Piercing!"

"Go ahead."

"Piercing!"

After everyone sent Kangxi away, they stepped out of the palace, and it was already unitary time. A gust of autumn wind swept by, and the cold swishing chill made people can't help but tighten their bodies. Zhang Tingyu looked up at the sky where the dark clouds suddenly rose, and sighed unconsciously:

"It's easy to clean up debts! The two Ah are going to cause a lot of trouble for the prince again. ”