Nian Qianyao bowed his head and obeyed orders, and Yue Zhongqi personally sent him to Tongguan and reported to Beijing urgently, Zhang Tingyu breathed a sigh of relief. The Qinghai fire, which he was most worried about, did not happen. Because of this 800 miles, he hurried to the Heart Cultivation Hall to see Yongzheng.

"He is willing to obey, and I am not too much to do." Yongzheng was playing chess with Fang Bao, listened to Zhang Tingyu's recital, smiled and turned his face to Yun Xiang, who was sitting and watching the game, and said: "I lost this game of chess with Mr. Fang, and I can afford to lose." and Nian Qianyao won this game of chess, and also won. Then he smiled happily. Yun Xiang looked in good spirits, but he was pitifully thin, and after listening to Yongzheng's words, a smile bloomed on his pale face, and he said, "Hengchen is meticulous. It is indeed appropriate for the inner court to handle this matter in the study. Yongzheng smiled and got up, took a stack of pieces from the case of the Warm Pavilion, handed it to Yunxiang and said, "This is the manuscript of Zhu Criticism last night, and the text has been sent." A few of you take a look. ”

Yun Xiang's slender fingers were so white that there was no blood, and when he took it, he read a thank you letter sent by Nian Qianyao Xining before leaving, which read:

I am a little happy to see this performance, and if I can change it, there is no mistake. I'm afraid I can't be convinced. Reluctantly.

Another copy was given to Gao Qizhuo, but it was:

I cherish the talent of Nian Qianyao and pity his merits, and still use his strength, and have his own way to protect him. He has also recently learned of remorse.

Look at another copy, it's for Tian Wenjing:

Nian is a little evil. Er's fold is clear, his position is demoted, and the gentleman is not too much, and he is no longer able to interfere in politics, so he can rest assured that he will do it himself.

There are also a few copies, and the vague rhetoric is also to exonerate Nian Qianyao. Yunxiang looked at it and turned it to Fang Bao. Fang Bao was speechless, and handed it to Zhang Tingyu again. Zhang Tingyu gave a thick stack of Ming Fa chapters to Yongzheng, and then read Zhu Pi and the edict. Yongzheng took it and browsed through it, there were more than 100 abridgements, all of which accused Nian Qianyao of committing lawlessness, meddling in government affairs, arranging private individuals, and soliciting and accepting bribes. I couldn't help laughing: "The wall is down and everyone pushes it, the love in the world is really as thin as paper, only the icing on the cake, who is willing to send charcoal in the snow?" Stay in the middle and don't send it! ”

Zhang Tingyu bowed down and smiled: "Yes." He frowned again and said: "This is the bullet seal of more than 100 officials, and it seems that it is too popular to leave it in the middle." Nian Qianyao was too bold to take 1,200 personal soldiers to Hangzhou, 270 sedan chairs, 2,000 years of post cars, and more than 400 carts. He also sent a letter to Hangzhou, asking the political envoy Yamen to build another 120 houses for him to settle down - how can this not offend the public? He reported so many numbers in one breath, Yunxiang just shook his head when he heard it. Fang Bao knew that Nian Qianyao wanted to avoid the crime of "committing irregularities", and was willing to pretend to be a miser who begged for a field, so that Yongzheng knew that he had no ambition, but this time Zhang Tingyu offended Nian Qianyao and offended to death, and if he didn't kill Nian Qianyao, Zhang Tingyu would never end well. Fang Bao opened his mouth, and sighed without saying a word.

"It's going to rain, and my mother is going to get married." Yongzheng's face was pale and pale, "He is not a general, he is going to be a corrupt official!" I took him down, because I wanted to clean up the government, and he was willing to touch this national code, and I couldn't save him. Saying that, Yongzheng stood up and pulled out a fold to the case, but it was Yang Mingshi when he looked at it, brushed away the chess pieces, lifted the pen and wrote:

Junzhi Yunnan is very relieved to be virtuous. Da Fan De can be relied on, and Nian Qianyao is an example, and he will eventually be killed.

After writing, he sneered: "Whether the rabbit is dead or the dog is cooked, you think." Nian Qianyao pretended to be a greedy miser, wanting to escape the name of 'betraying the lord's disloyalty'. In fact, I am not afraid of his rebellion, and I will suppress it in the open. I don't punish him as a corrupt official, and the officials of the world will follow suit, how can this official rule? The three of them blushed and bowed their heads silently.

Fang Bao pondered for a while, and said with a smile: "The lord's words are heart-wrenching, and even the ministers are ashamed to listen to them. However, the person who led the troops was rich, and everyone in the world knew it. In addition to Nian Qianyao in this name, it is not cooking dogs, and there are also discussions about cooking dogs. Nian is so arrogant and domineering, it is better to follow this line of thinking. ”

"That's what you're talking about. You have all hidden your words, how can I not know the reason? But this is a natural reason, and I can understand it. Yongzheng said casually, turned to the desk again, and turned out the excerpt handed by Nian Qianyao in Tongguan, and wrote on it:

I have heard rumors for a long time: "The emperor is out of the mouth of the three rivers, and the battle field of Jiahu". Guanqing's actions seem to be eager to compete with me! I thought, if you claim to be the emperor, it is a fixed number, and I will not be able to save it. If you don't want to do it yourself, with you commanding these thousands of soldiers, you will never allow Sanjiangkou to be called emperor!

After writing, he threw the pen and said to Zhang Tingyu: "All these bullet chapters are abridged and published in the Di Bao Mingfa, and the Nian Qianyao is replayed one by one according to the facts, and the Ministry of Officials, the Criminal Department, the Military Department, and the Household Department, all the excerpts of playing the Nian Qianyao are all copied!" ”

Then on the fifth day of this conversation, Emperor Yongzheng issued a clear edict:

Hangzhou General Nian Qianyao was demoted to eighteen levels.

Nian Qianyao finally walked into a desperate situation. There is no distinction between the top and bottom of the Beijing Division, and the sound of the crusade is the sound of the snowflakes, and the snowflakes are sent directly to the study through the provincial governors, the supervision of the imperial history, and the six departments. Anyone who had a one-sided friendship with Nian Qianyao and had a dealing, all of them turned against each other, added oil and vinegar to write an excerpt and sent it directly to the Beijing Division, and in an instant, it was compiled into an abridged and sent to the upper study.

The will of "downgrading eighteen levels" arrived in Zhejiang, which made it difficult for the governor Zheerke. According to the Qing system, there were nine grades and eighteen grades for officials, and the Hangzhou general was "from one grade", and then lowered to eighteen grades, that is, "not into the stream", but there was no military attache before entering the stream. Zheerke could neither obey nor dare to disobey the order, so he had to consult Li Wei, the governor of Liangjiang. Li Wei replied very quickly, and sent a note with a rolling order, which read, "You are actually stupid!" The emperor's meaning is just to get rid of him! Find a broken gate for him to see! Tell him I'll go see him in a few days. Zheerke thought about it, Hangzhou did not "break the city gate", only thirty miles away from Hangzhou there is a town called "stay", the north gate of the town has been in disrepair for a long time, so he ordered someone to "invite" Nian Qianyao, who had already been under guardianship.

This superb minister, who leaned towards the government and the opposition, suddenly realized the preciousness of life the moment he put on the "soldier" gown with the size of the baked cake. He joined the army at the age of eighteen, and at the age of twenty-two, he was a guerrilla in the official residence of the four products, and he was meritorious in escorting the southern tour of the Holy Ancestor Kangxi, and carried into the banner to return to the door of Prince Yong, twice with Kangxi West to conquer Zhungar, the battle of Ulan Butong and the battle of Kobdo, with a silver spear in the army of ten thousand horses, the sword bush and the sword tree rampage, such as entering the realm of no one, in the battle of Kobdo grain collection with a slight general to capture the governor of Gansu Ge Li, to ensure the supply of grain and straw for the North Road army, and to be favored by Kangxi, directly promoted to Sichuan Bu political envoy, governor, and become a general...... In the past 30 years, a proud tide maker who has risen from the top of the sea has fallen from the top! ——This is the end of this life, Nian Qianyao suddenly felt unwilling.

The town of "Stay" is a small town in the south of the Yangtze River with beautiful scenery; It is bordered by Fuchun River in the north, Longmen Mountain in the south, and countless rivers, lakes and ports are criss-crossed along the city. The moss-mottled gatekeeper under the grass at the north gate of the city can only accommodate himself, and this "old army" Nian Qianyao lives. No one in the city knew where he came from or who he was, but they only saw him silently sweeping the floor every day, opening and closing the doors, occasionally playing tai chi, pulling the grass on the head of the city when he was idle, and slowly shoveling the moss on the walls with a broken shovel...... Every night, there was a newspaper from the provincial capital, on which his heinous crimes were written, and he used a bald pen to write his defense and confession on the reverse side of the newspaper, and handed it to the person who sent the newspaper to take it back. He was waiting for the final decision of the imperial court on his fate, waiting for Li Wei to come and see him. In the evening, he looked at the black city, listened to the gurgling sound of the Fuchun River outside the city, and hoped that he could "stay" and become a fisherman on the Fuchun River (he no longer dared to have Yixing like Yan Ziling).

But the news came worse and harsher and harsher, and on May 22 an edict was issued:

Nian Qianyao recruited power and bribes, was good at prestige, dared to deceive, endured burdens, and almost fell into the unknown. The thought hurts!

On July 12, he issued an edict:

Since he was appointed governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Nian Qianyao has been good at making prestige and profiteering, reversing right and wrong, citing bandits, reprimanding those who disagree with him, recommending those who go to him, and borrowing the name of soldiers, falsely pretending to be military merits, aiding the evil party, and favoring his own personal feelings in the name of the imperial court.

On September 17, it was not the Di Bao that came, but the Zhu Criticism on the confession fold after the Di Bao:

Do you want to live? I have ordered Tu Lichen to go to Guangzhou to get your brother, and I will come to you immediately!

Along with Zhu Pi and the excerpt of the summary of the impeachment of Nian Qianyao by hundreds of officials in the upper study, the table of contents alone is several large pages, five major treason, nine deception, thirteen rebelliousness, six monopoly, and greed and erosion are eighteen and fifteen...... A total of 92 major crimes, by the Dali Temple, the Criminal Department collegial, "please set up a canonical punishment for Nian Qianyao".

Yongzheng expects Nian Qianyao to commit suicide, but Nian Qianyao's desire to survive is getting stronger and stronger. On the night of September 17, in the face of the bright moon with broken windows and broken paper lamps, he wrote "Dying Plea":

Ten thousand of his ministers know their sins today. If it is the grace of the master, the merciful minister repents of his sins, and asks the master to spare the minister. The minister is not old, and he is left as a dog and horse for self-efficacy, and slowly serves the master. Nian Qianyao's heart wept and blood was solemn.

After writing, Nian Qianyao "clicked" and broke the pen that could no longer be used, and fell to the nest shop resignedly.

Zhang Tingyu received Nian Qianyao's begging from Li Wei, and rushed to the Heart Cultivation Hall without stopping. As soon as he entered the Hanging Flower Gate, Gao Wuyong greeted him and said with a smile: "The emperor was asking me to call you, and you came." Zhang Tingyu nodded slightly and entered the hall, but saw Yongzheng talking to Ma Qi, and when he came in, Yongzheng beckoned and smiled: "You are good to come, this old horse wants to pick a son, you persuade me." Zhang Tingyu handed the fold to Yongzheng with both hands, and said with a smile: "Mr. Ma has talked to me, and the slave can't persuade him." Since the emperor did not allow him to rest, he naturally couldn't rest. ”

"I can't make it difficult for others." Yongzheng sighed and got off the kang, paced slowly, and said: "People say that I am mean, but I don't want to bear this reputation. Ma Qi, what you know best, you have guaranteed Yun Xi to be the crown prince, it was originally an out-and-out 'Eight Masters Party', the emperor put you in prison for this, and it was I who released you, entrusted you with great power, and gave you a high lord. Why? For you have no selfish intentions, for you to have a king in your heart, and for an honest official. The matter of Changchun Garden is not for you to hold down, who would have predicted the situation later? So, you are a virtuous minister. There are so many things to do in the country, I can't bear to ask you to go, so why can you bear to leave me? ”

Ma Qi stood up with an old man, bowed and said: "Since the emperor said this, the minister is really in love with him, but the minister is already in his seventies, and in this position, he can't do things in this position, isn't it also a loss to the emperor?" It's time to quit and vacate the throne for the younger, like Altai and Li Wei, who are young and strong to follow their masters, which is beneficial to the emperor and the world. ”

"The study is for writing and ink, and Li Wei and Altai are not suitable." Yongzheng breathed a sigh of relief: "To refresh the rule of officials, it depends on the governors of various provinces, like Tian Wenjing, Li Fu, Li Wei, and Altai, I want to be a model." Following the old rules and regulations of the ancestors, the old rules and habits are deep-rooted, intertwined, and non-sharp weapons are incomprehensible...... Zhang Tingyu hurriedly said: "What the Lord said is very true. That is to say, the slave thought that Ma Qi could live in the suburbs of Beijing, without having to return to his hometown, and he could still consult at any time if he had something, which was also a law. Yongzheng nodded and said, "Then let's do it according to Hengchen's opinion." After saying that, he looked at Nian Qianyao's fold, but he only glanced at it and threw it on the table, just groaning.

Ma Qi looked at Yongzheng and said, "It's Nian Qianyao's excerpt again?" What is the Lord's hesitation now? Yongzheng sighed and said: "He refuses to commit suicide, I can't bear to do it after all!" Unlike you, he has a personal relationship with me, and his sister-in-law, Concubine Nian, is sick...... When I went to see her this morning, she was already skinny and had only one breath left, and she didn't even have the strength to kowtow on the pillow, and she looked at me speechless...... I don't have anything to say to comfort me, but I'm human after all, and she's been with me for decades...... I can't be sorry......" Yongzheng said, his eyes full of tears. Zhang Tingyu saw that he was so sad, and he was also sad to himself, so he only hung his head and said nothing.

"Hooray." Ma Qi's walnut-like face was wrinkled and motionless: "Concubine Nian is Concubine Nian, and Nian Qianyao is Nian Qianyao." Nian Qianyao committed an unforgivable sin, and the saint did not connect to the concubine, which is already a grace of the world. The state and public institutions are also connected to private friendship in one place, and nothing can be done. ”

Yongzheng raised his head, looked at the caisson on the top of the hall in contemplation, took a long breath, and breathed a heavy breath, without saying anything, walked quickly to the front of the case, pulled a piece of paper and wrote:

Begging for a look. If you refuse to commit suicide and apologize, I have to give you the opportunity to kill yourself. You are also a person who reads, and in the history books, there have been rebellions and lawlessness. Since ancient times, there have been lawless ministers, but before they are exposed, they are still pretending to be reluctant and pretending to abide by the ministers' festival. If you are lawless and unscrupulous, there have been people in ancient times? The grace of my treatment is as thick as the sky and the earth. And the kindness of your father and brother and your son and your family is as thick as the sky and the earth. I take your solid heart for the country, and I will never deceive, so I will be suspicious, I will appoint you wholeheartedly, I will be a blessing, and I will plant the party for personal gain. After committing suicide, there is a slight sense of resentment, then the so-called eternal fall into hell in the Buddhist book, ten thousand calamities can not eliminate your sins, Yongzheng three years December 11.

After Yongzheng finished writing, he handed the edict to Zhang Tingyu, and stared at Dongnuan Pavilion with a slow gaze. Zhang Tingyu knew that the emperor was already thinking about what to do with his younger brother Yun Xu, who lived in the east of the city. As soon as Nian Qianyao is gone, Yun Yu has become an anvil of fish meat, although it is not effortless to chop this fish meat, but it will be stained with blood and bring the notoriety of slaughtering his brother. But if this tumor is not removed, Yongzheng's ambition to turn the tide and revive politics is still only in vain.

None of them spoke, only the chiming bell in the main hall "clicked" without hesitation.

On February 6, 1992, the night of fireworks explosion

Emperor Yongzheng - Hate the Water and Die (Published)