[Qing Chuan] Mu Emperor's Grace

"Let's take a step to talk to the adults." Elder Brother Twelve is young, but his tone of voice is mature and dignified.

"September is the birthday of Lafayette, all officials will be invited to the banquet in Qingyi Garden, and His Excellency must also be invited." Yong Xing said while looking at He Shen's face.

He Shen raised his eyes in surprise, and replied cautiously: "I don't know if Brother Twelve is..."

"For this birthday banquet, the imperial grandmother specially invited princes and ministers to appreciate the chrysanthemum. The meaning of the chrysanthemum..."

Yongzhen's words were very reserved, but He Shen understood what he meant.Hongli is now in his prime, and the reserve position is vacant. During the birthday banquet, facing hundreds of officials and ministers, he must find a way to assess the knowledge and character of his brothers.The theme of this birthday banquet was set by Lafayette, so the test question must come from the image of chrysanthemums.

He Shen looked at Yongzhen's face that hadn't fully grown, and inexplicably remembered what Hongli said today, the nobles of the Tian family, the most lacking in power is family affection.

Thinking of this, He Shen smiled and said: "Brother Twelve, you are the grandson of Lafayette. Apart from other things, only the word "pure filial piety" is the most important. Don't forget, this But Lafayette's birthday banquet."

Yong Xing was taken aback for a moment, he thought of many countermeasures, but he forgot that in the birthday banquet, Lafayette was the birthday star.Everything Hongli did was for the happiness of her old man.The purpose of assessing Elder Brother is also here, whoever can make the queen mother happy will be praised by the emperor.

Having figured this out, Yong Xin couldn't help showing joy.He Shen saw it, and sighed in his heart: After all, he is still a child.

Thinking of the errand entrusted to him by the emperor for a while, He Shen asked in a gentle voice: "My servant answered the question of the twelfth elder brother. I am bold, and I also want to ask the twelve elder brother to help the slave."

Yongzhen suppressed his smile, and said seriously: "Tell me about it."

He Shen said calmly: "The emperor has given the job of arranging the birthday banquet to the servant. He said that he must satisfy the Queen Mother, Lafayette, but the servant does not know Lafayette's preferences, so he made a difficult decision, and I hope Twelve Brother can mention a point or two."

Now that Yongzhen lives with the Queen Mother in Shoukang Palace, he is very clear about Lafayette's preferences.Yong Zhen pondered for a while, and said firmly: "The imperial grandmother likes to listen to operas, and her favorite is the Sanqing troupe she heard in Yangzhou during the southern tour. She can sing a few lines by herself when she has nothing to do."

He Shen was overjoyed, and hurriedly saluted and said: "Slave, thank you Twelve Brothers for your advice."

Lafayette's birthday is approaching, and He Shen didn't dare to procrastinate, so he ordered people to trim and decorate the chrysanthemums in Qingyi Garden, and then ordered people to go to Yangzhou to bring the Sanqing team to Beijing.The stage was built day and night, and the Buddha statues on each floor of the Wanfo Building were also counted by special personnel, and all matters were arranged in an orderly manner.

On this day at Xushi, when He Shen returned home, Liu Quan stepped forward and said, "Master, Mr. Chen Chuzhe is here, and he is waiting in the front hall."

He Shen heard the words and hurried to the front hall.Chen Chuzhe was absorbed in reading, and his plain clothes made his appearance even more outstanding.The number one scholar who was at the same time as Heshen, after working in the editorship of the Imperial Academy, he was awarded the fourth grade Shandong Duliang Road, and went to the local government to take office.According to the usual practice, the number one scholar is rarely sent out to be an official.As a result, there were rumors in the court that this number one scholar could not catch the eyes of the emperor, and was blinded by his good looks.

But Heshen didn’t see it that way. In Heshen’s eyes, the Imperial Academy is equivalent to a modern research institute. For a talent like Ren Dachun who is obsessed with academics, being a scholar of book editing and editing is the best arrangement.Those who can work in local governments and yamen need not only knowledge, but also experience and ability.Hongli's move was intended to allow Chen Chuzhe to accumulate practical experience. In time, this number one scholar would definitely become a member of the party.

Hearing footsteps, Chen Chuzhe turned his eyes away from the book, and saw He Shen entering the house hurriedly, and said with an apologetic smile: "My lord, I'm really sorry to come to your house to bother you at such a late hour." There was an exquisite envelope, and the envelope was inscribed with the words "Eight Rhymes of Chrysanthemum Poetry".

He Shen suppressed his smile, and said with a straight face: "What is Mr. Chen doing?"

Chen Chuzhe sighed: "Brother Heshen, I know you don't care about these empty etiquettes, but it's a common practice for foreign officials to give "charcoal respect" to Beijing officials in winter, and etiquette cannot be discarded."

He Shen calmed down, and said with a smile: "My dear brother, don't worry about it. I know that you are a clean and honest official, and your annual salary is only 60 taels. You and I are in the same age, and we have a deep relationship. There is really no need to be so. I don't know that my dear brother is here this time , what is it?"

Only then did Chen Chuzhe put the envelope away, and said in a deep voice, "If it weren't for the seriousness of this incident, I wouldn't have come to you at night. I'm going to Beijing to report on my work, and I don't know whether I should go to Datian to listen to it. Come to ask Brother Heshen for advice."

He Shen took a sip from his teacup, frowned and said, "What's the matter?"

Chen Chuzhe dipped his fingertips in the tea and wrote four words on the table: "Shandong Guotai"

He Shen was taken aback, he was impressed by the name Cathay Pacific.A well-known corrupt official in the Qianlong Dynasty, and one of Heshen's henchmen in history.However, the Cathay case should have occurred in the middle and late Qianlong period, after Cathay was promoted to governor of Shandong.Why did Chen Chuzhe mention Cathay Pacific at this time?

Seeing that He Shen was thinking, Chen Chuzhe said clearly: "This person openly asked for bribes from officials in various counties and prefectures in Shandong when he was serving as the chief envoy. Shen Xintong, the county magistrate of Laiyang County, Dengzhou Prefecture, refused to pay, but he The crime of killing people with sticks is heinous."

He Shen pondered for a long while, tapped his fingertips on the table, and sighed softly: "If I remember correctly, this person's father is the governor of Sichuan, Wenshou, and the uncle of the late imperial concubine Zhemin?"

Chen Chuzhe nodded and said, "It's this person."

Cathay is a relative of the emperor, and his status is much more prominent than that of an ordinary official like Chen Chuzhe. Even the current governor of Shandong wants to treat him a little less, and Chen Chuzhe's concerns must be based on this.If Chen Chuzhe reported Cathay to Hongli this time, and Hongli did not punish Cathay severely for the sake of the imperial concubine, then crazy revenge must follow.

He Shen sighed, "This matter...is difficult."

Chen Chuzhe moved the braids from the back of his head to the front, and the white hair mixed inside was shocking. He Shen said in shock, "My dear brother, you..."

Chen Chuzhe is just standing now, but he has so many gray hairs in just two years.

"Why don't I want to cover this up secretly, but I'm always suffering in my heart. That's a life!"

He Shen was silent, and suddenly remembered the inscription on the envelope just now—eight rhymes of chrysanthemum poems.

Chrysanthemum...chrysanthemum banquet...Sanqing Class...Yangzhou...

He Shen sat up straight suddenly, staring at Chen Chuzhe's face.Chen Chuzhe was embarrassed by him, and said with a sneer, "Brother Heshen...you..."

"Your brother is from Suzhou Prefecture?" He Shen suddenly asked something that seemed to be out of his mind.

Seeing Chen Chuzhe nodding, He Shen then asked, "Can you sing Kunqu Opera?"

Chen Chuzhe was stunned for a moment, and then responded: "My mother loves to listen very much, and I know a little bit of it, but I am not proficient."

He Shen was frightened by the sudden thought in his mind, and he said word by word: "He has a plan, but he needs the cooperation of my virtuous brother, please don't be angry."

Seeing that he was serious, Chen Chuzhe also sat up.

"In a few days, it will be Lafayette's thousand-year-old birthday. On one occasion, I invited someone from Yangzhou's Sanqing troupe to the garden to celebrate Lafayette's birthday. If my brother is willing, this playbook can be refurbished Write it. Write all the grievances and grievances of the people of Shandong into it, and the little official student who plays the leading role will ask my virtuous brother."

Chen Chuzhe stared at Heshen dumbfounded, and waved his hands again and again after regaining his senses: "You mustn't do it, you can't do it, Brother Heshen, I'm just a scholar, how can I be confused with those actors and actresses."

He Shen saw that his face was determined and there was no room for negotiation, so he raised his forehead in frustration.He forgot that scholars in the feudal era thought they were superior to others, and people always despise the low-end fashion such as performing on stage and singing operas.

Seeing that He Shen was silent, Chen Chuzhe was anxious, and stared at He Shen firmly, with the appearance of a chaste and strong woman who was ready to die at any time.Suddenly, he didn't know what he thought of, his face changed, and after several hesitation, he still said: "Brother Heshen, don't talk about me, with your appearance, Zhengdan official student, which one is more than enough?"

He Shen just drank a sip of tea and almost spit it out. He smiled wryly and said, "Master Chen, you and I are Jinshi on the same list. You know better than anyone that I am from Shuntian Prefecture. I don't even know the fur of Kunqu opera. on stage?"

Even in modern times, he is still a serious citizen of the imperial capital, and he doesn't know anything about Wu Nong's soft language.

Unexpectedly, Chen Chuzhe continued: "If Brother Heshen is willing, I can teach you. After all, the playbook is newly written, and it cannot be compared with the predecessors."

Seeing Chen Chuzhe staring at him with burning eyes, He Shen deeply understood what it meant to dig a hole and jump by himself.

He Shen asked the stage pillars of the troupe to rehearse intensively, and at the same time began to write a new script by hand, and handed it to the orchestra to compose the music again.Sometimes when he sat up in a dream, he felt like he was crazy.This is Lafayette's birthday banquet, not to mention how many operas she has heard, she can hear He Shen's timid singing with just one ear.Even the minister sitting below may be able to hear the clue.At that time, it will be the crime of deceiving the king.

But Heshen memorized the libretto calmly, and asked Chen Chuzhe to teach the pronunciation word by word.Sometimes when Liu Quan got up at night and passed the yard, he could still hear He Shen's singing voice repeatedly polished.

After the Sanqing class came to Beijing, they rented a temporary place in the capital.He Shen was afraid that there would be a mistake on the official stage, so he went there in advance to rehearse in micro-services. He came and went, and gradually became a tacit understanding with the troupe.Seeing that the time had come, He Shen went to the head of the troupe himself and made it clear that on the day of the birthday party, three plays would be arranged.This first play is a newly rehearsed play, and the remaining two plays are selected from the playbook by the queen mother and empress.

The head of the theater troupe took a closer look at He Shen's face, and said in shock, "You...you didn't come on stage that day..."

Seeing that he recognized him, He Shen didn't deny it, but just smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the Queen Mother's birthday, the class leader must do his best."