"Shi Yao, you came at the right time." Li Shiyao handed over the sign to the military machine, Ah Gui had just met with a group of officials serving tea and sending guests, the two had been friends for many years, and there was no greeting when they met, and the first sentence said: "Here are a few pieces of folding clips, I have asked them to pick them out, they are all the movements of the White Lotus Sect, you can take a look first." The emperor may not be able to summon you this morning, in addition to the things in office, these things are also to be asked when you see them, and you must have a number in your heart. ”

Li Shiyao took a stack of thick recital clips and folded them, and gently placed them on the kang table, after all, he refused to be rude, and asked for peace on the spot, saying: "Zhongtang is auspicious!" When I looked at Ah Gui, my complexion was still very good, but I looked a lot older, it turned out that Fang Zhengyi's face was longer than the first, and he was not yet fifty years old, his eyelids were already loose, his beard was also variegated, a pair of triangular eyes were so deep that he was bottomless, and he only looked forward to it, and his thick eyebrows like frost were also gray, and they were pressed low, and his eye circles full of fish scales were also a little dark - this is evidence that middle-aged people are overworked and tried and tested. Li Shiyao smiled and said: "There are letters and official affairs almost every day, but it is far away from Yunshan - the last time I went to Qinghai in the middle hall of Beijing, we haven't seen each other for seven years, and the back of the middle hall is a little hunched, and it looks old, but the spirit is so deep that it makes people feel obstructed." ”

"You're still strong, so tough and exposed." A Gui Wan'er smiled: "The excerpt in front of me has already been read." Hong Renhui was imprisoned, Li Guanghua was imprisoned, and Li Yongbiao, the superintendent of Guangdong Customs, stripped off his official robe and wore it, and the forty canes in the hall were distributed for 3,000 miles. A knife slashed down Liu Ya's plaque, and blood flowed all over the ground. Under the rage, the officials shuddered, and one of the servants was so frightened that they fell to the ground—but there were all of them? Li Shiyao said with a smile: "Gui Zhongtang has revealed his true colors back then. These words are like the words in the teahouse saying "Liu Tongxun's Private Visit to Jining Mansion". Gui pointed to the people waiting outside the window, picked up his pen and said, "Look first." This year, the frost fell early, the winter came early, and there were disasters everywhere, and more than 40 prefectures wanted relief, winter grain, spring wheat to grow grain, and winter clothes and foreign army uniforms to be replaced—they waited for my approval to go to the household department to handle it. We'll talk about it later. As he spoke, he sat down at his desk and wrote.

Li Shiyao nodded yes, leaned on the kang, and leaned against the window to look at the clips. Some of them are directly related to the chapter, and some are just an additional explanation of the local situation, so that the minister of military aircraft can understand the original meaning of the chapter, large and small, there are dozens of pieces, tens of thousands of words long, and only a few crosses are short, and there are no heads and brains and are very messy. Li Shuyao was very organized, first singled out the provinces of the clips, but the five provinces of Sichuan, Chu, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Henan accounted for about eighty percent, and the rest of Zhili, Shandong, and Fujian accounted for more than one percent, and the rest were sporadic incidents. In this way, I already have a number in my mind. Then I picked out the provincial copywriter, and then picked out the important ones from the topic. The clip is not complicated, so it must be important to write long, or it is ordered by the Military Aircraft Department to elaborate on it, and then pick it out. About a bag of cigarettes, the clip has been divided into three categories: urgent, slow and contractual, he picked up one and looked at it, it was the text of the clip of Xu Ji, the governor of Henan:

According to investigations, there is a mixed yuan cult in Luyi County. Mixed Yuan and Shui Yuan, Wu Wei and White Lotus Sect are all the same religion and different names. According to Rong Zhu's interrogation of Fan Mingde, 37 people confessed to entering and leaving the church, and all the people of Bo County, Anhui Province, Ding Hongqi and Zhang Juye, who were adjacent to Luyi, were arrested, and the rest of the gang were still locked up and arrested by each other. And according to Pei Zongxi's report, Ding Hongqi and Zhang Ju were interviewed, and a copy of the scriptures was found, which is now attached for reading. In the scriptures, there are paradoxical words such as "change the world, change the world, and (the year of rebellion) and the end of the year", which is the same as the words made up by Wang Lun and others in Shandong to confuse the public, and is not comparable to an ordinary cult......

He let go of this twist, and the Wang Lun cult in Shandong and Su 43 in Gansu and Wang Fulin gathered people to rebel, and Lin Shuangwen in Taiwan all echoed and colluded with each other, collectively referred to as the "Tianli Sect", but in fact it was still not within the scope of the White Lotus Sect. But he has never been involved in handling this kind of case, apostasy doctrine, how to echo the contact, and the people in the religion follow the rules of the religion, all of which are full of paste, because of the folding page of Shandong, there is no such volume, only a nine-palace gossip map attached to it, on one side it is written "Thirty-six will come to the mortal world", on the other hand it is written "twenty-eight Suzhou in the mortal world", and the words "the last year of the calamity, the sword soldier is now" are soaked in water, and the handwriting has been blurred. Look at it again, there is a sworn oath of Hu Shenghai and others, with the words "copy "Liu Meizhan Red Cloth" written on it:

Since ancient times, he has been loyal and righteous, and has not been too concerned with the Holy Emperor. Since the beginning of its Taoyuan uprising, brothers are no less than compatriots, taking care of each other in times of adversity and illness, and they have never given up. We will respect the emperor's loyalty and righteousness, and steal the name of the party. Heaven and earth gods and five grains landlord Han Peng, sun, moon, starlight, wealth, silk and star Jun Han Fu, Jade Emperor God Si Ming Five Emperor Zheng Tian, Guanyin Buddha Mother Five Thunder God General Li Changguo Four Generals, Heavenly God Dan Two Sword God General Xuantian God Fu Dragon God Guan Tiancheng, Li Sedi, Fang Dahong, Zhang Yuantong, Lin Yongzhao Five Brothers...... Since the alliance, brotherhood is the same flesh and blood...... Don't dare to spit out obfanity, dare not use the big to suppress the small, dare not deceive the brother's property, rape the righteous sister-in-law, and dare not retreat......

Then there are the words of the gods descending wealth and wealth together, and there are several couplets below:

Carry a sword on your back and swim through my door

Holding a wooden stick to beat the country

Heroes and heroes are determined to be the best of the world

There is a round of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains

Fight for the sky and the country

Leaked military aircraft sword forgotten (dead)

Fluttering and shaking

Everything is quietly watching, and the sun is red

What else is "one worship the heart of the alliance Wang Baoming, the second worship vow to summon the gods, the third worship of the community to be loyal to the heart, and the fourth worship to a family of people from all over the world...... "a total of eight worships, the end is "eight worships after the day after the emperor's name is sealed".

He sat here and watched attentively, Ah Gui had already assigned to meet with several groups of senior officers, and called the commander of the arsenal of the Ministry of War, saying that the early frost and cold weather in Huaibei in Henan and Shandong, and the poor people had no clothes to survive the winter, and the army of the Zhangjiakou battalion was replaced with uniforms, so they did not have to be sold on the spot, and they were transported to the Ministry of Household Affairs in the interior for disaster relief. The Arsenal Division complained bitterly, saying that the clothes changed by the soldiers could only be used to make paper and pulp, and they were sold to the army for tooth sacrifices, which was the rule of the past years, and there were complaints in the army when they were transferred.

"Do you know how to love soldiers?" Ah Gui frowned and said: "Zhangjiakou all said that the old clothes were scattered to the poor on the spot, and the military clothes in Kabul said that they were handed over to the military department!" I'm a general myself, don't you know these little tricks? All the household departments have received it - the generals stationed in the camps will handle it directly with the household department, and it will not go through your military department - go! ”

The official ate the hard nails, served the tea, and retreated, Ah Gui saw Li Shiyao looking at the clip and looking at it intently, and said with a smile: "Let's rest." You're just getting started, and you don't know a lot of things. Go back and ask the prison officer of the Criminal Department to tell you an example, and you will understand. Li Shiyao vaguely agreed twice, only to understand that Ah Gui was talking to himself, put down the folder folding, and said with a smile: "The meeting is over?" I looked in, and all I could hear was the buzzing of voices and the words of the people. I didn't hear a word of what I said. Listen to you, this time you transferred me back to Beijing, and you intended to let me go to the Criminal Department? ”

"It's not up to you to assign you on any errand. The holy will is still hesitating...... "Ah Gui seemed to be tired, slowly shook his body, closed his eyes to recuperate, stretched out his fingers and pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed and pressed the side eye acupoint, and said while breathing with a long breath: "There is no Han Shangshu in the Criminal Department, Manshang Shuying A is actually a bubble yamen, all day long in India, running Guanglu Temple, Dali Temple, except for the autumn trial and prison, the thing to take care of is to make money in the oil pot - he is the milk brother of the third master's mansion!" A close and intimate coat family gives birth to a child. Although the third master of Hongshi is not authentic, after all, he is the emperor's own brother, and he has been dead for many years, orphans and widows, there is no big mistake, the emperor can't bear to make the widow sad, and he refuses to compromise his dignity. can only be equipped with a capable Han member to take care of the affairs of the government...... "This is actually an important thing that is difficult for the outside world to know, Li Shiyao listened very attentively, nodded and sighed: "Hongshi tried to plot against the emperor several times back then. The emperor's heart...... Alas! It's so benevolent...... But then again, there are very few people who can really do things among the flag people nowadays. I suggested several times to rectify the flag affairs, but the excerpts were all left in the middle. Is it really impossible to straighten out? ”

"I can't straighten it out...... Ah Gui let out a long sigh, his face seemed to be happy and sad, with no doubt helplessness, and said: "Holy Ancestor Tianzong is wise and wise through the ages, and the Grandmaster is so resolute and resolute!" How many times did you make a decision to rectify, but what was the result? The whole time there is a big thing, and the whole time it turns back even more corrupt! As soon as the flag man falls into the grass, he is destined to have a share of the imperial grain, who is willing to study hard and practice martial arts? It is easy to be an official and easy to be promoted, and it has become a rule to reward heavy and punish lightly, who is willing to really do things for the country? …… Like a piece of rotten meat, stinky fish and rotten shrimp, can it be rectified into fresh meat? Not only the flag affairs, but also the rule of officials, you are the governor of Liangguang outside, you are more refreshing than me, can you still rectify? Alas...... It's better not to think about these things, and the more you think about it, the worse and more alarming it becomes. Just sleep with your eyes closed, wake up and do things, and do your best to maintain it......" said him, tears soaking out of the corners of his eyes.

He was so worried about the country, Li Shiyao was ashamed and moved, and hurriedly comforted: "In "Dream of Red Mansions", it is said that 'fire cooks oil and flowers are brocade', which is extremely difficult to continue, and it has been a thing in all generations. The banner people are corrupt and rotten, at best, there are more than a million people, but the officials can still do it. Hold on to this end, so that there will be no great chaos. "I have also thought about what you said, and the officials do not dare to relax in governance." Ah Gui had regained his composure, and said with a self-deprecating smile: "I'm talking about hidden worries, and the roots are corrupted. There is also a sentence in "Dream of Red Mansions" that 'a hundred-legged insect dies but does not stiff', when the outside is still in its heyday, it is precisely because things are still possible that the emperor is doubly diligent in government affairs and must be unremitting, you see, Yin Jishan is already exhausted. The last time I saw him, it took me half a day to recognize me. Fu Heng is on weekdays, and the aisles are staggering, and this time the illness is in Myanmar, and it seems that it is difficult to ...... It's me, the one you knew the most back then, who could hold 300 catties of hard bows and 50 catties of stone locks to play around, is this what it looks like now? Seeing it's your turn again......"

"What's wrong with the sixth master's illness?" Li Shiyao asked. He relied on Fu Heng to make his fortune at the beginning, and he made steady progress all the way, among which Fu Heng's aid was not without strength, his body Li Shiyao was naturally more concerned than usual, and leaned over and asked: "Listen to the officialdom all the way." Some say it's just malaria, some say it's plague, say that passing by Huguang, Le Min specially asked Ye Tianshi to see it, and there are all those who say it's okay and those who don't say it's good. You know that Fu Gong treated me very kindly, I was unhappy all the way, because I was afraid of seeing the sixth master seriously ill......" He lowered his head and sighed.

Ah Gui squinted and sat silent, as if he was considering how to answer. After a long time, he sighed. "Regardless of morality, talent, seniority, and hope, the matter is to be loyal and benevolent, and the major festivals are pure and cautious, and no one can compare with the characters of this dynasty, even the sages of the previous generation, and it is difficult to compare! People, too complete to be, alas...... He is jealous of creation...... "This is actually to say it thoroughly, Fu Heng's illness is unexpected!" Li Shiyao was flustered in his heart. He suddenly felt empty for a while, and only then did he realize that he had been trusting and relying on this person all his life, and once he took away this backbone, there was a sense that his soul could not be autonomous! His face turned a little pale, and he muttered, "Even Ye Tianshi is tied?" This...... This ...... "Ah Gui actually has a deeper relationship with Fu Heng, but he has been cultivating a deep city mansion in the central center for a long time, and pays attention to "everything is not excited", seeing Li Shiyao's distracted appearance, he comforted: "You, me, and Jishan in the past, even Ji Yun, have been wandering for half a life, and have been relying on the sixth master, long live the lord and his flesh and blood relatives to support the righteousness of the monarch and ministers, he is really the pillar of our Qianlong Dynasty's pillar country." Not only are you feeling bad, but everyone is the same. He was suffering from miasma, and the prescription prescribed by Ye Tianshi was 'fighting poison with poison', and the amount of arsenic was very heavy, and Wan Sui Ye and Fu Heng's family were discouraged from using it...... It's half human and half destiny...... He has worked so well, his body was originally strong, and he returned to Beijing to slowly recuperate, maybe there was a turnaround...... "He is an old and capable person, and he is already in tears when he speaks." Before Li Shiyao could speak, the eunuch at the door came in and said, "Gonggong Bu of the Heart Cultivation Hall is here." There is a will! Ah Gui and Li Shiyao hurriedly got off the kang, and they saw Bu Yi open the curtain and come in.

"The emperor has a decree." Bu Yi was very accustomed to entering the house and standing still, and said to the two ministers who were standing by and standby: "Fu Heng has arrived in Beijing, and the emperor will immediately drive to the Fu Mansion to see the disease." At the emperor's behest, Ah Gui and Li Shuyao can also visit Fu Heng. Chin this! ”

"Wow!" The two replied in unison: "The minions obey!" ”

Seeing that the two of them were still about to kneel, Bu Yi hurriedly smiled and grabbed Ah Gui and said, "The master has ordered those who are exempt from courtesy, please come over." He smiled at Li Shiyao again: "I haven't seen Master Li for many years, I should still give you a ...... to say goodbye." Li Shiyao was very familiar with him, pulled it up with one hand, and said with a smile: "You old gelding, I don't know if you miss me or my little host!" - Look at your outfit, you are now the boss of the Heart Cultivation Palace, right? Bu Yi seemed to be a little afraid of Ah Gui, so he didn't dare to laugh insolently, and glanced at Ah Gui timidly, and said: "Now he is still the head of Wang Basha, but he is in the Old Summer Palace, and I am waiting in the inner city." Adults are joking, but small ones can't afford it! Ah Gui had already changed his clothes neatly, and said lightly: "You go back to pay the decree." So he came out with Li Shiyao. When he arrived at the gate of Xihua, Ah Gui asked, "You came on horseback, right?" ”

"Yes." Li Shiyao suddenly felt that Ah Gui was very different from a few years ago, his posture, demeanor, smile, and voice had changed, revealing a coldness, which was difficult to approach, so he hurriedly said: "But riding a horse to visit the sixth master is too showy, and it is not in line with the rules, I still ask them to prepare a sedan chair." Ah Gui smiled: "The family may not want to prepare a sedan chair for you." Why bother to be so angry, just sit in my sedan chair. Save time and hassle. Saying that, he got into the sedan chair. Li Shiyao hesitated for a moment, and hurriedly got on Ah Gui's four-person lift, while squeezing to sit opposite Ah Gui, and said with a smile: "Now that there are eight sedan chairs on the outer Taoist platform, you are still sitting on this for such a big official!" What's the matter, it changed as soon as I arrived in Beijing! As he spoke, he felt that the sedan body had moved, and the sedan body had already moved slowly, and he couldn't even hear the footsteps of the man outside the sedan chair, Li Shiyao wanted to say something, looked at Ah Gui's face, and was speechless.

Fu Heng's Mansion is in the area of the old Qihua Gate in the east of the city, not far from the alley in the depths of the flowers, in fact, it is much closer to the Donghua Gate. But Donghua Gate is the door of Emperor Chongzhen's escape from the country, inauspicious, the Manchurians first entered the customs, do not care about this set, Kangxi Nian also has all the signs in Donghua Gate, Yongzheng after the habit of becoming a habit from Xihua Gate. Donghua Gate opened early in the morning, and the live pigs, live sheep, fresh vegetables, and charcoal purchased in the palace entered the palace from here - it has become a rule. But this time, the sedan chair went around the distance, almost half a turn more than half a turn to the Forbidden City. Seeing that Ah Gui didn't say a word, silently looking at the gray streets outside the sedan window, and the pedestrians who avoided it seemed to be thoughtful, but didn't seem to think about anything, Li Shiyao was patient for a long time and asked, "Jiamugong, what are you thinking?" ”

"I'm thinking......" Ah Gui's eyelids twitched slightly, and he realized from his contemplation, "Fu Heng was trapped in Laoguantun, it was easy to wait for reinforcements, and he was sick like this himself, this battle can't go on, it's time to accept it when he sees it......"

"Your Majesty, what does the Emperor think? I met in Guangdong with people from the Sixth Master Army who went to procure medicines. The battle was too difficult, covering the sky and the sun with old forests, green snakes and miasma all over the forest, mosquitoes, midges, and scorpions biting...... I don't know how many people died, after all, there were not many casualties in the battle with the Burmese soldiers...... But this matter is related to the national system, and it can only be fought, and the emperor may not be willing to give up and make peace. ”

"Oh, you're right. However, Myanmar is different from Mongolia and Xinjiang, and even if Burma is defeated, it will still be a vassal state like Korea, Annam, Japan, and the Ryukyus, and it is difficult to unify it legally. Now that the king of Burma has repaired his table, he pleaded guilty and asked for peace, which is the time to talk about peace, and he is afraid that the emperor will blindly destroy this dynasty and send more troops and generals. If you can't win quickly, this pot of raw rice will be unpalatable......"

"You corresponded with the sixth master, what does he mean?"

"The sixth master is the commander of the army, and he is not suitable for the master."

"What about the emperor?"

"The emperor is still between the two. Some villains don't understand politics and military affairs, but they just blindly welcome them, do what the king likes, and instigate more troops to fight down...... The sixth master is seriously ill this time, if he is not treated, he will also fight against his will......" Ah Gui took a heavy breath, as if he had endless depression and sorrow in his heart, and said slowly: "So...... It's hard! ”

This time, Li Chuanyao also fell into deep thought. He served as a feudal commander in the foreign world, endlessly punished with money, food, and punishments all day long, and was so busy with the appointment and dismissal of local public security that he was so busy that he didn't know why, and at this moment he weighed out what was called "major national affairs" and what "important military and political affairs" were...... Thinking about it in his heart, he said tentatively: "The emperor is sage, far-sighted. As far as I know, there are no villains in the Military Aircraft Division. As for the six departments of the three courtyards and the little eunuchs, there is no one who can influence the holy bow, so Jiamu Gong doesn't need to be so worried. ”

"I was about to warn you." Ah Gui rose and fell slightly with the sedan chair, frowned and said leisurely: "The country has a system, and the minister has a body. When dealing with people like eunuchs, you must be measured and courteous. ”

Li Shiyao blushed for a while.

"If you come to Beijing occasionally, I don't have to say that." Ah Gui said quietly: "The eunuch is a transsexual shemale. When I say that etiquette is not disobedient, I want to use 'etiquette' to suppress his sexuality. The dead Han and the Tang Dynasty died and the Ming Dynasty died, it was Zhao Kuangyin's 'candle shadow axe', he died unexplained, without the help of eunuchs, was it done? - This is Yin Jian! The eunuch is yin, a real villain. You joke with him, he thinks he can be close to bullying, so he has nothing to do with you, and I don't know how big a thing will happen after a long time! This is a big no-no in the military aircraft department......"

Before he finished speaking, Li Shiyao already understood that he was wrong. He is a very smart and alert person, and he immediately raised one to three - he is a prince outside, and he can ridicule left and right at will, and this is on the side of Jiuding, and there is only one ruler for hearing and hearing: etiquette, thinking of fighting with He Shen last night, he suddenly felt that it was very inappropriate. He immediately felt uneasy, rubbed his hands and muttered for a long time, and said with a red face: "It's not what it used to be, I really can't keep up with your footsteps, I'm used to being outside, and I am deeply favored by the master, and I have an arrogant heart, Jiamu Gong's reminder, I am deeply ashamed, I haven't studied for many years, and even my heart is barren and messy......" because of a long and a short general said about entering Chongwenmen.

"You underestimate this and Shen. Getting along with him is actually a truth when getting along with eunuchs. A Gui said: "He is my follower, followed for two years, I only feel diligent and charming, is petty, sometimes and generous, the office is good, and now it is more and more incomprehensible." He was not wrong in impeaching him, and the official was too small, but he was either in the palace or the prince's mansion all day long, and there were his shadows everywhere, and everyone was saying good things about him, and the household department and the internal affairs office said that it was his boss, and his official position was in Luan Yiwei, and he was promoted to a guard, and he was actually a salt turtle household[1]

, I can't manage anywhere! When we saw the emperor, one was to hand over the sign, and the other was to pass the call, he could enter the Yang Xin Palace and enter the Ning Residence as soon as he raised his feet...... I talked about him with Ji Yun, and Ji Yun said that he was the emperor-" He suddenly felt quite difficult to phrase, Ji Yun's original words were "lice in the crotch of the emperor's pants", but this could not be quoted, and the words became "The imperial lice on the emperor's body, I can't catch them". Li Shiyao smiled when he heard this, but Ah Gui said: "It was the prince who asked me to recommend the guard, and he was promoted to observe, he is so popular, and there is nothing wrong with the messenger, it is difficult to get rid of him!" You and he are angry, probably also listened to these words, Jiangsu Governor Lu Gongju is your close friend, he can't afford to pay taxes over Chongwenmen, and he entered Beijing alone, you borrowed the emperor's secret edict to give this tone for the public, but? ”

Li Shiyao's eyes flashed, and he nodded: "Gongju, what an honest and upright person he is!" Insist on 10,000 taels! He was sick in Wuchang, I went to see him, took my hand and just sighed, saying, 'It is difficult to be a Qing official, and when I see the emperor, I have to pay 10,000 taels of silver, and I can't get it in this world...... "A piece of money for a crime, and a tariff for officials entering Beijing, are all suggestions from He Shen." Ah Gui laughed self-deprecatingly, "Corrupt officials who commit crimes and pay silver are exempted, and Qing officials can't afford to pay taxes when they enter Beijing - it's really interesting!" I went to ask the emperor whose suggestion was Chen, and the emperor said that it was his own idea, and said that these two had shortcomings and wanted to be banned, but there was no clear purpose to ban them, in short, the villain was terrible, and the villain was difficult to prevent——" He also had to go down, and the sedan chair had landed gently, and then stopped. Li Shiyao's heart was shaken when he heard this, and he looked a little dizzy, and said with a pale face: "I don't know what the holy will is now." If it hasn't been decided, please ask Jiamu Gong to speak kindly and let me out to be the governor. ”

"It depends." Ah Gui raised his hand and motioned for him to get off the sedan chair first, and said: "It is my suggestion that you stay in the military aircraft office, the emperor has no will, and when it comes to Beijing, I will talk about the situation, and I can't say anything now." After that, the two got out of the sedan chair.

Li Shuyao got out of the car and looked at his watch, just after the dawn. I haven't been here for three years, and the Fu Mansion has not changed much from the original. It's just that the original three-wing hugging Xiamen was changed to five wings according to the scale of the public mansion. At this moment, it is the middle of winter, and the red, thin and green are sparse among the ten thousand trees and Xiao Sen, changing the verdant scenery in Li Shiyao's mind, the leaves of the impenetrable evergreen vine on the female wall have turned dark green, and the sometimes coiled artemisia vines are still vigorous and powerful, but the leaves have withered, or hidden or hidden in the honeysuckle vines, like the raised earthworm tendons on the back of the old man's hands. The pomegranate, locust, poplar, elm, and willow trees layered near and far inside the wall have almost completely lost their leaves, and the dense branches stretch into the distance like a purple mist, and from time to time flocks of sparrows, crows, storks and other birds flutter up and down to feed. A huge duke's palace, although it is caged under the dark autumn sky, the dense forest of trees and trees is continuous, sandwiched with bamboo, old cypress, cedar and black cypress, it still looks magnificent and magnificent. If on weekdays, Fu Heng's Mansion is lively at this moment? On the opposite side of the wall, there are sedan chairs everywhere along the embankment of the first line of the coast, and the head of the sedan chair is accompanied by a group of people waiting in the pavilion to enter the house to meet the master, and the officials who are sent in front of the gate are all dressed in purple waist jade feathers, and the top is brilliant to let in and out; The small door on the east side is the inner family who came to the house to meet the lady, and it is also the sound of laughter and greetings. But at this moment, because the emperor wants to be fortunate here, all the idle people have already retreated, swept a single grass knot and no leaves, it seems particularly empty and open, the internal affairs office came to clean the street to serve more than 30 eunuchs, and the Fu family members with more than 100 people, all of them stood by the stone lion in front of the door to wait, seeing that the two of them got off the sedan chair by the Haizi Pavilion far away, and a family member seemed to run over, and the two of them did not move, and they were determined to wait for him to pass the word. When I came to see it closely, I recognized that it was the second housekeeper of the Fu Mansion.

"Gui Zhongtang and Li Ye have arrived!" Hu Jingge slowed down his pace, ran a few steps and said, "Long live the Lord is still half an hour away." He and the prince have already come, as well as the Zhaohui Military Gate and the Hailancha Military Gate, all waiting in the east study, please ask the two masters to go over to serve tea. ”

Ah Gui nodded, and said to Li Shiyao for a while, and followed Hu Jingge into the mansion one after the other, only to see that the palace gate, Yongdao, corner gate, and each side courtyard in the mansion were all the personal soldiers of the Yamen under the command of the infantry army. The two of them went straight north along the main entrance road, and when they passed the main hall of the public mansion, Ah Gui noticed that there was a Qianlong imperial pen plaque hanging on the main hall "the first class public mansion", which was never opened on weekdays, and now each partition door was open, and it was more than a dozen Sula eunuchs guarding the door - from the east side to the north and then to the north, and then to the east to step through a hedge, into the moon cave door, then listen to the voice of the east study, but it was the voice of Prince Hongday:

"I thought it was Ah Gui coming, go take a look!"

Then the curtain rang, and a person flashed out, both of them were stunned, it turned out to be Heshen again! In response to what Ah Gui just said, "There is his shadow everywhere". Li Shiyao couldn't help but be stunned. He Shen didn't seem to have happened to anything, he only smiled at the two of them, picked up the curtain with one hand, and gave way with the other, and said: "Li Zhengtai is also here-please, the prince is inside!" Ah Gui's face was expressionless, and with a "hmm" sound, he and Li Shiyao entered the room before and after. When Li Shiyao looked at it, sure enough, Zhaohui Hailancha was there, Zhaohui was fatter than a few years ago, a scar more than two inches long was added to his cheek, his hands were pressed to his knees, and he sat upright like a tower, but Hailancha was not old, he was still tall, with a black and fat round face, pouting and sucking his lips, and he turned a grimace at the two of them. In the middle of the kang sat Hongday, who was in his fifties, but his face was full of smoke, his cheeks and eye sockets were slack, and in the warm room, he was still wearing a mink sauce-colored Baturu vest, and the python robe he was wearing seemed to be carrying a stove, and his thin body was leaning on the big pillow by the window, and he looked a little ridiculous - this is Qianlong's only younger brother, the "ridiculous prince" Hongday, who is known all over the world. Ah Gui saw that he only bowed twice, and Li Shiyao had to bend down to bow because he hadn't seen him for a long time.

"That's it, you talented ruffian!" The two iron walnuts in Hongday's hand turned around and brushed, and said with a smile, "The general is majestic on all sides, and the people who play so well with Shen make you confused-" He turned his face and smiled at everyone, "Swing the musket team, carry the king's order flag into Chongwenmen, have you heard of it?" You—" He faced Li Shiyao again, "What good things do you have to honor me when you enter Beijing this time?" Do you want to bring the soil? ”

Li Shiyao finally got up after a thousand years, and said with a smile: "The fifth master also looks in the mirror, he is so thin that he has become a skeleton, and he has to burn bubbles and smoke!" I brought me a few catties of fine white fungus, as well as American ginseng to replenish my body. There is also a case of French perfume and brandy that the master wants. The tobacco soil is the East India Company, which is much better than the cloud soil, and I have the intention of disobeying the fifth master's order not to bring it, think about the fifth master's treatment of me - the master knows, this hinders the ban - the yamen searched and stacked it in the stable, I still brought some to the master, as well as Ye Tianshi's clay ointment, I also got a few big bags, and the master used them. It's best to be able to quit somewhat, the poor master is so frail, and the slave is also distressed! ”

Even the opium with smoking cessation cream was given, Li Shiyao said it humorously, and everyone laughed. Hongyang yawned and smiled: "So it's really considerate of your fifth master!" It's hard to pay for the old and thin, and the people are expensive and suitable - you don't understand the fucking bullshit, leading the troops to claim the king and hegemony outside, and you are used to being wild, and the books you originally read are pulled out as shit! Hailancha said with a smile: "The slave originally said, the fifth master is full of economic and brocade hearts, and our number is full of stumbling tendons, waiting for the wind and snow moon that can't come to the master." He Shen interjected on the side: "I have convinced the army of the gentlemen who sent troops to release the horses, Li Ye's musket team is about to go away, and this time He Shen's wandering soul does not know where to wander!" ”

Originally, this was an excellent reconciliation button, Li Shuyao only had to return a joke, and the grievances muttering in his stomach for a day would be resolved, but Li Shuyao was bright and open-minded on the outside, and arrogant on the inside, which was born with a problem in the womb, and only glanced at He Shen, but asked Zhaohui: "When did Lao Zhao enter Beijing?" Now that he has opened a mansion, he is still leading the troops to take the lead? This scar has not long been scabbed - you look at the people of Hailancha, raised with a red face, no matter how you look at it, it looks like you are overly wine-colored, and you look like you have lost your body. Zhaohui was originally a serious and cold person, he was familiar with Li Shiyao in the war in Jinchuan, and he was used to jokes, so he only bowed on the chair and smiled: "You don't have to worry about me, ask the prince to look in the mirror, and you can also look in the mirror!" People say that women in Guangli have high foreheads and deep eye sockets and black faces, which are not good-looking, why don't you dislike them, make them look like thin monkeys, and show off their martial arts and return to Beijing to see their masters! ”

"I am the commander of Taihu Lake, and the fish, shrimp and rice are full three times a day, and my face is naturally full of red light. You are a disciple, and the widow is sick and lustful, so you are dry. Hailancha laughed and said, "People say that Ye Tianshi doesn't understand world affairs and is a medical idiot, but it's not." I heard someone say that I went to see the pulse of the fifth master, saying that the fifth master was 'splitting wood with a double axe, and he had to quit drinking and sex', and when he raised his eyes, he saw Fang Fujin stunned and looked at him, and he was busy kowtowing and said, 'Even if you can't quit sex, you must quit drinking quickly' - Fifth Master, but there is? ”

Everyone laughed when they said this, but when they came to wait for the drive, and secondly, Fu Heng was sick, and everyone came to visit, and they all laughed so much that they didn't dare to raise their voices. Hongtian trembled with laughter, pointed at Hailancha and said: "This monkey cub dares to make me happy - you ask Heshen, he procures things for my house, and he sees Fujin at two ends in three days, and he also knows Fujin on the side, and asks him if there is such a thing?" He Shen was stunned, and said with a red face and a smile: "What kind of person is you!" There's no such thing. ”

"Let's talk a few words and give the sixth master a bad luck, and stop in moderation. The master is not in good health, and the people in the house are happy when they hear us, what is the matter? Ah Gui listened to them talking and laughing, and he didn't like it in his heart, but he was just in the way of Hongday's perfunctory pandering, and at this moment he saw the opportunity to say, "The rolling order from the post station all the way ahead sent the military plane, Fu Liuye passed Gaobeidian and his condition was mild." I actually have a lot to ask him about today. Here, I will first tell the fifth master that although you don't care about the Military Aircraft Department, or the Prime Minister Wang - the war in Burma is not suitable for fighting again, and it is a rare opportunity to take advantage of them to repair their expressions and apologize for their crimes, and allow peace with a little repetition. Hongday's cigarette addiction, snot and saliva yawned, and Shen took three steps and two steps on the kang, waiting for him to burn two cigarette bubbles, and then he came back to his senses, because he said: "Why do you have to tell me about this? Just play the emperor directly. Ah Gui said with a smile: "I'm worried that Fu Liuye will persuade the emperor to continue fighting, and I'm also worried that if the sixth master is not safe, I will annoy the master and decide to use troops to the end, so I want to ask the fifth master to mediate." Long live the Lord who listens to the fifth master the most, you are ready to speak! Hongday's eyes lit up when he heard this, and his fingers knocked on the kang table and said, "Cheng!" The fifth master will help you! When he was about to go on, he heard the sound of footsteps outside, opened his eyes to look through the glass, and said to everyone: "The holy car is coming, Bu Yi called us—let's change our clothes quickly." ”

Bu Yi had already come in while speaking, and sure enough, it was Qianlong who arrived, in order to prevent Fu Heng from alarming, all the bands and honor guards were not used, and they had already descended at the gate of the mansion, and ordered the ministers to go first without having to take the car, and went to the West Flower Hall Fu Heng to lie on the couch and salute again. At that moment, everyone hurriedly changed their clothes, and they all changed their crowns and supplements, and Hongday took the lead, followed by Ah Gui, Li Shiyao, Zhaohui, Hailancha, and He Shen, and came out of the Moon Cave Gate. In front of the main hall, the great eunuch Wang Bashi has taken thirty-six eunuchs into two rows, holding a scarf, a cough bowl, a silver bottle, a silver furnace, and a solemn and graceful change of clothes in the west hall, followed by more than a dozen grandmothers, Chenda, and the palace have a head and face of the female attendants surrounding the Qianlong Emperor recently, Hongday is the head of the sleeves and robes, and leads everyone to kneel down the steps in front of the main hall in their clothes, prostrate, Li Shiyao peeked, only to see Qianlong wearing a camel-colored satin cotton robe, covered with a stone blue satin sheepskin gown, and wearing a green felt satin crown on his head, There is a gold headline tie tied around the waist, and the green satin cool soap boots are stepping on the stone floor, and he is already in his early sixties, his hair is still black and shiny, and his black pupils are shining under his bent eyebrows, and his beard is very delicately groomed, and the two ends of the word "one" are slightly down, because he is not close, he can't see the wrinkles on his face, only this posture and gait, at first glance, he looks like a person who is not confused. pondered: "The master is heroic and refreshing, how did he recuperate?" Hearing the footsteps near, Li Shiyao hurriedly lowered his head, felt that the footsteps had reached the top of his head, stopped, and even his breathing became short, he tried his best to hold his breath with his back, and gently touched the ground with his head.

"It's Li Shiyao!" Qianlong Guo stood still, only two feet away from the top of Li Shiyao's head, and asked, "When did you arrive in Beijing?" ”

"Slave Li Shiyao - respectfully invite the master Sheng'an!" Li Shiyao breathed out a breath of air, and his body was a little looser, and he hurriedly replied loudly: "It turned out that the distance was calculated, and I could get to Beijing on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and I wanted to meet my master as soon as possible, so I was in a hurry, and I arrived last night." ”

Qianlong nodded and said, "I already know. White asks you. After visiting Fu Heng, you will come in with a sign in the afternoon. Li Shiyao kowtowed again and again, and Qianlong said to everyone: "Hongday and Ah Gui got up to accompany me to see Fu Heng." A few of you go into the room and wait for the order. Fukang'an, Fulongan, take me to your father. ”

Ah Gui and the others stood up, and then they saw that it was Fu Heng's sons Fu Longan and Fu Kangan who took over the guidance. Fu Longan is the princess of Qianlong and Jia, and the secretary of the military department. Fukangan and A Gui have a more personal relationship, and the current general of Jinchuan Dingbian is a well-known "Xiao Zhoulang" in the government and the opposition, who can write poetry and is extremely martial. The year is about to stand, and it looks like it is still standing tall and jade, and the eyes are like a crown of jade. He rushed back to the capital, firstly to serve his father's illness, and secondly, Ah Gui wanted to personally lead the troops to the west, and asked him to follow the military counsellor with the troops. At this moment, it was inconvenient for him to speak, so he only nodded his head and followed his brother to the lower part of Fu Heng in the West Flower Hall. Ji Yun, the Minister of Military Aircraft, was specially accompanying Fu Heng and was already guarding the steps.

"The medicinal fragrance is too heavy." Qianlong frowned and said when he entered the hospital. looked at the few imperial doctors kneeling under the corridor, and said: "The medicinal fragrance is also medicine, and when it is mixed with the main medicine, there will be no time for fire." And it's mixed with sandalwood. He looked forward to it, and saw Fu Heng's wife Tang'er kneeling in the door, expecting that the sandalwood was burned by her to worship the Buddha, so he stopped talking about it, stepped into the door, and said with a sigh: "Tang'er, don't kneel." Look at you, you're so haggard...... The work of the ministry here is accomplished by the sons. Anyway, pay attention to yourself, if you fall ill again, how can Fu Heng treat him with peace of mind? Go - rest in the study room, I have seen Fu Heng receive you. ”

Tang'er leaned down and listened, I don't know whether she was excited or moved, tears were already pouring out of her eyes, her body trembled and sobbed, her gray hair trembled slightly, and she only sobbed and said: "Slave and maid obey...... The purpose ...... "Qianlong just entered the inner room, the Fulongan brothers pulled up the curtain on the bed and knelt on the ground, Fu Heng was so awake that his eyes were blazing, but he was so weak that he didn't have any strength, seeing Qianlong leaning over to look at himself, he also searched for Qianlong with his eyes, staring tightly, as if he was afraid that Qianlong would disappear in the blink of an eye, staring a little distractedly, for a long time, big drops of tears broke off the beads and rolled out from the cheeks, and murmured:

"Master, master...... The minions can't wait for you anymore...... The slave is useless, and he can't even give the master a courtesy, and he can't speak angrily...... Alas...... I didn't expect that I, Fu Heng, would have today's ......"

Qianlong's heart was sour, and he arched and moved, and his eyes were full of tears. He stared at the dying Fu Heng with infinite pity, this is a heroic Manchurian man, because he is the younger brother of Empress Fucha, he has chosen the Qianqing Gate guards since he was a child, and followed him day and night...... Wherever things are complicated, there is this Fu Heng who is expected to respond, and he is sincere and courteous, courteous and decent, and everyone thinks that there is nothing to do, but now that he has reached the end of the road, he has become such a situation!

[1]

Salt turtle household: that is, bats.