Chapter 212: The results of the investigation into the children's marriages are chilling. ...
The results were chilling.
Hesheli had suffered a stroke for many years, and his limbs were paralyzed, his mouth and eyes were crooked, he could not speak, and he could not eat. He was just a bag of bones, and he relied on ginseng and other things to survive every day.
It is said that Li Si'er personally served and fed the ginseng soup every day.
Longkodo never asked this wife a single question and left the backyard entirely to Li Si'er. Even after Tong Guowei passed away, the Cheng'en Mansion was taken over by Li Si'er, and the wife of Cheng'en had no choice but to stay away.
Yinzhen suspected that he was listening to a fabricated folk story. He couldn't believe that Longkodo, who was considered a capable minister, would be so confused about family affairs.
Qi Buchen sighed in her heart. When she learned that Li Si'er's lower limbs were paralyzed, she thought that even if Hesheli could not step on Li Si'er in this life, she would still have a better ending than in history. Who knew that in the end, although she did not become a "human pig", it was very close.
Sometimes, I really don’t know whether I should believe in fate.
"Where is Hesheli's son?" Yinzhen remembered that Longkodo had a legitimate son, and he even went to have a drink with him at that time.
Lin Changqing replied, "Yue Xing'a is now a commoner, living in seclusion in a corner of Duke Cheng'en's mansion. It's said he hasn't seen his mother in over a decade, and he rarely appears in public. The servants at Duke Cheng'en's mansion don't have much impression of him."
Nowadays, it is an era where "filial piety" is more important than anything else. Kangxi has been emphasizing filial piety over the years. Yue Xing'a did not dare and did not have the ability to confront his powerful father. He himself could hardly protect himself.
Qi Buchen couldn't help but ask, "Where is Hesheli's family?"
Lin Changqing lowered his head a little: "Fujin Hesheli's father drank with Lord Longkodo a month ago, and then the young master of the Hesheli family was arranged to enter the military camp."
Li Si'er was snatched away from his father-in-law by Longkodo, but now the two of them are sitting together drinking and chatting happily. It can be seen that in the minds of some people, nothing can compare to power, and a daughter is just used to pave the way for their own family.
Qi Buchen was not surprised by this. Having lived in the Qing Dynasty for more than 30 years, to be honest, she had not seen much pure family affection. If the Hesheli family really had such a thing, the Hesheli family would not have had the ending that they did in history.
“Boom.”
Yinzhen slammed his hand on the table and said, "These servile people are worse than animals!"
Qi Buchen quickly pulled up his hand and complained, "Why are you exerting so much force? It doesn't hurt."
While Yinzhen let her hold his hand and rub it, he was thinking about how to teach Longkodo a lesson. He couldn't let go of the incident at Duke Cheng'en's mansion that day, and he couldn't let it go unless he got revenge.
Yinzhen was trying hard to find fault with Longkodo, but he didn't expect that he would be the one to find fault first.
The fourteenth army, which set out in December of last year, finally arrived in Xining after nearly four months of marching. However, after arriving there, they did not march into Qinghai, but stayed there and wrote to the court, saying that many people in Qinghai had married into the Dzungar Khanate, and they were afraid that the news of the large army would be leaked, so they stayed in Xining to reorganize the army.
This was a legitimate request, so Kangxi agreed.
But what followed was not military intelligence from the front line or intelligence from Junggar, but one impeachment letter after another.
I request that Minister An Baling be dismissed and investigated for his negligence in handling Xining's food and military supplies, for delaying and shirking his responsibilities, and for withholding the transport of rice.
During the march, the Second Commander-in-Chief, Wuxiha, extorted officials and harassed civilians. His soldiers were undisciplined, wasted food and grain, and consumed horses and livestock, resulting in casualties among soldiers and horses. I request that he be dismissed and investigated strictly.
The Ministry of Revenue was accused of delaying military affairs. The horses and camels needed by the army were purchased in Ganliang last year, but they have not been delivered to the army's camp yet. As a result, the post stations cannot be set up and the transmission of military information from the front line is difficult.
None of them mentioned Yinzhen's name, but their criticisms were all directed at Yinzhen, who was in charge of the grain and fodder affairs.
Yinzhen was so angry that he almost laughed. He knew Anbaling, who was a very rigorous and meticulous person in his work, ruthless, and had a bold and flexible mind. Yinzhen had always admired him, so he recommended him to be in charge of the transportation of food and grass on the front line. He didn't want the front line army to be besieged for the second time.
As for Wuxiha, he didn't know much about this person. Perhaps it was true as the impeachment said, but this person's other identity made Yinzhen doubt the authenticity of the memorial.
——The grandson of Wuxiha married the daughter of Qibuchen’s second brother from his mother’s family.
Although Qi Buchen did not have a close relationship with his natal family, in the eyes of others, members of a clan were naturally a family. Who could say that Wuxiha did not consider Prince Yong's relationship when arranging this marriage?
The last one, reporting to the Ministry of Revenue, is even more ridiculous. Although the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of grain and fodder matters, there is also a division of labor and a leader within the Ministry, and not the entire Ministry of Revenue is only involved in this one matter.
He also reported to the Ministry of Revenue. Why didn't they just read out Prince Yong's name, ranking, and date of birth?
As for the delay in the horses and camels, the reason they were originally purchased and sent to Ganliang was because they intended to supplement their supplies along the way to Funing and An. It was only after the defeat on the front lines that they put the matter aside and kept them in Ganliang. Later, the Western Expedition army departed from the capital, and their initial planned base was not in Xining. Now, the army has only been in Xining for two weeks. How could they have driven five thousand horses and camels from Ganliang to Xining in just two weeks?
But since they have impeached us, no matter whether it is true or not, we have to submit a memorial to apologize first. After all, the front line is the biggest now.
Fourteen was looking for trouble, and Nian Gengyao was not quiet either. Although he was still in Sichuan, letters of advice kept flying to the capital, as if he was fighting hard on the front line.
Sometimes he said that he had received secret information that the rebels had reinforcements coming from Balkhamu, and requested to lead troops to Balkhamu to intercept them, but his request was rejected, and Gao Ningpei was sent to deal with it instead; sometimes he said that he had found out that the secret information was a conspiracy of the rebels, and Gao Ningpei did not need to go anymore. It would be better to transfer the Manchu and Han bannermen under Gao Ningpei's command to his own to train together. No one knew what Kangxi was thinking, but he actually agreed.
This was not the end. Two days later, Nian Gengyao reported that he had learned that the rebel allies were going to send 8,000 troops from the West Sea into Tibet.
, and requested to lead troops to Litang and Huer to guard the area.
In short, it was a lot of trouble, and the final result was that you were required to lead troops to war.
Yinzhen threw his hat on the table and said unhappily, "The imperial court's serious Western Expedition Army is not as busy as him."
Qi Buchen felt strange: "Shouldn't he inform Fourteenth of these situations first? Wouldn't it be better for Fourteenth to report to the court?"
Although Fourteenth Prince's expedition was planned by Yinzhen, now that it was already a reality, he must have taken some credit and demonstrated his ability. The army was still being prepared, and the intelligence, situation, and battle plan could also give Fourteenth Prince a lot of points. As one of Fourteenth Prince's allies, Nian Gengyao, not only gave his full support, but also seemed to be trying to steal the limelight from Fourteenth Prince.
Yinzhen's face was gloomy: "Lu Zhenyang has been escorted back to Beijing."
Qi Buchen was confused: "Huh?"
Yinzhen twitched his lips and smiled meaningfully, "According to Lu Zhenyang, when the barracks mutinied, Nian Gengyao showed up just in time. He had just finished arranging his men and was about to go and pacify the mutinous soldiers when Nian Gengyao showed up, quickly pacified and gathered the mutinous soldiers, and then quickly reported Kangtai's situation. He was just a figurehead."
"He also said that the reason the remnants of Kangtai's army left Sichuan was because Nian Gengyao received news that Tsewang Arabtan had divided his forces, and sent him to investigate the rebels' movements."
"Ah?" Qi Buchen opened her eyes wide and blinked. No way, could Yinzhen's implication be what she thought?
Yinzhen sneered, "It's a pity that Lu Zhenyang talks a lot but can't produce a single shred of evidence. Regarding the incident where Kangtai's remaining troops were lured to death, it's said that a survivor has been found. Now it depends on whether this survivor can be sent back to the capital alive."
Qi Buchen pondered, "So Nian Gengyao is jumping around so much now, trying to divert attention and claim credit?"
Yinzhen shook his head. "Even if the survivor came back alive, he wouldn't be able to do anything to Nian Gengyao. After all, all of Nian Gengyao's actions were legitimate. As for what he did secretly, Lu Zhenyang can't produce any evidence, so it will only be considered slander."
"But it's true that they have made great contributions. Although the tribes of the Western Sea have close ties with the Dzungars, the distance is far. Even if they send troops, the closest route is through Tibet and Sichuan, and they can't reach Gansu. The Fourteenth's main target is still Tsewang Arabtan. The Western Sea is too far away to reach, so it's best to let Nian Gengyao handle it."
Qi Buchen shook her head. Although she had often heard these place names recently, she was confused about their specific locations. The difference between the current territorial division and that of later generations was quite significant.
"How are things going on your side? Have the previous impeachments been resolved?" she asked with concern.
Yinzhen's face darkened when he mentioned this: "Well, it's almost resolved."
Qi Buchen patted his hand soothingly: "Didn't the Emperor say he was going on a tour outside the Great Wall? Would you like to take him with you?"
Yinzhen shook his head: "I'm busy here, so I don't have time to waste on the road. The ones going with me this time are the third, seventh, tenth, and the fifteenth and sixteenth sons."
Qi Buchen nodded and said, "After the Emperor leaves, the selection will be about to begin. I have selected some families from the list. Take a look at them."
Yinzhen pinched his brows. His son was really a debt collector, so he couldn't just ignore him: "Let me take a look."
While Kangxi was choosing a daughter-in-law, Longkodo was pleading with him: "...My daughter-in-law is sixteen this year, and was originally scheduled to be selected in this selection. During the New Year, my father asked the emperor to find a good marriage for his granddaughter. However, he passed away before he could tell the emperor. Before he died, my father said that he didn't want him to delay his granddaughter's wedding. He asked me to ask the emperor for mercy after the mourning period to allow my daughter to participate in this selection. We can arrange the marriage first and then deal with the rest after the mourning period."
It was normal for girls aged fourteen or fifteen to look for a husband at this time, but the Eight Banners required all girls to participate in a selection before they could get married, so Longkodo's daughter had not yet been engaged at this age. But now that Tong Guowei has passed away, if she misses this opportunity due to mourning, she will be nineteen next time, and it will be difficult for her to find a family that satisfies him.
Although Kangxi had neglected Tong Guowei for many years because of the incident, now that he was gone, he only thought of the good things. He sighed and said, "Master Tong was truly kind-hearted. Even before his death, he did not forget his descendants. Well, I will find a good family for him later."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. But as for the good family, to be honest with Your Majesty, I am very optimistic about one."
Kangxi raised his eyelids and said, "Oh? I wonder which family is so good that it caught the eye of our Third Master Tong."
Longkodo raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Of course it's your family. Is there any family better than yours in this world?"
Kangxi narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are you interested in Xiao Ershi?"
The eldest of Kangxi's unmarried sons is the 20th prince, who is twelve years old this year. He is strong and chubby, and has been quite favored by Kangxi in recent years, and is often kept by his side.
Longkodo bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you are joking. Twenty-year-old Prince is too old for me to be his match. I have my eyes on Hongshi from Fourth Prince's mansion."
"Oh, the fourth son's family." Kangxi said indifferently, "I haven't seen this child many times, but I think he is a good one, worthy of your attention."
"But this is a generation difference."
Longkodo was Kangxi's cousin and brother-in-law. His daughter could be considered Kangxi's niece, but Hongshi was Kangxi's grandson.
"That child is indeed quite good. Although he's a little frail, he's very clever and intelligent. However, that's not why I'm attracted to him. I'm attracted to the upbringing of the Fourth Prince." Longkodo said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you don't know that the three sons of the Fourth Prince's family are now highly sought after by families in the capital who love their daughters. They all want to marry their daughters to them. My wife nags me every day, urging me to get close to the Fourth Prince so that she can win over my daughter."
Kangxi smiled slightly. "Really? I really don't know why the fourth son is so popular."
Longkodo said, "It's because the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince are chaste, and there's only one Consort in the harem. Your Majesty knows that women are always jealous, and in their eyes, men like this are no less virtuous than the shining Buddha."
Kangxi thought thoughtfully: "I understand, you can go down."
She also did not express whether she agreed to the marriage or not.
At the Fourteenth Prince's Mansion, Wanyan looked at Nian Rui coldly: "What's the matter?"
Nian Rui seemed unaware of her indifference and sat down with a smile. "I'm fine, but Madam Li just sent someone to see me. She mentioned that her daughter had been granted the emperor's grace to participate in this year's selection. I was touched and remembered that our daughter Hongchun is also of the age to be engaged. Before he left, he asked me to help him find a partner."
"I wonder if you, Madam, have found a family you like now?"
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