Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 64 Prince Gong Yixin

After lunch, take a short break.

With the help of his maid, Zheng Guohui changed into the official robes of the second rank, tidied himself up, put on the top hat and peacock feather, and prepared to go out.

The front gate was not far from Prince Gong's Mansion, so Zheng Guohui led his men there on horseback.

When I walked to the front yard

Looking at the group of people busy loading the truck, he suddenly ordered, "Wait! Don't load the silver, just load the local specialties brought from home."

"As you command, General."

None of his men dared to ask why. They simply stopped loading the silver boxes onto the cart, and took them down again and returned them to the storage room.

Zheng Guotai, the staff advisor, had just been supervising the loading of the truck, and now he was asked to unload it again, so he came over and asked in a low voice:
"Owner, you..."

"I feel it is inappropriate to bring such a large gift on your first visit. I should proceed with caution."

"It's better to be cautious and see which way the wind is blowing in Prince Gong's Mansion before making any decisions."

"Sir, you're right. When I made the decision this morning, I didn't see you try to dissuade me at all."

"Master, this is the student's fault."

"Needless to say, sir, you know this is not what I want to hear. If you have any objections in the future, please raise them directly in person and I will help you fill in the gaps."

"The students have remembered this and will not dare to disobey."

"Um……"

Zheng Guohui snorted. Seeing that a ceremonial carriage was ready, he took the whip handed to him by his personal guard, stepped forward, jumped on the horse, and waved the whip in his hand, commanding, "Let's go."

As he said this, he tapped the horse's belly lightly with his feet, and set off with his two mounted attendants, Zheng Fu and Zheng Gui, and ten foot attendants, escorting a fully loaded ceremonial carriage.

In mid-May, the capital city was already a bit hot in the afternoon.

Under the strong sunlight, the walking entourage had sweat marks on their foreheads after walking for a while.

Zheng Guohui was riding leisurely, controlling the horse to move forward at a normal pace. He had plenty of leisure time to look around and appreciate the style of the capital city of that era.

Passing through the tall front gate tower, on both sides of the wide imperial road are the offices of the six ministries of the imperial court. They are all rigorous Qing-style buildings with flying eaves and brackets.

The large courtyard is surrounded by small courtyards, and the layout is very rigorous.

On the east-west road, there are many vendors selling goods at stalls, and there is a constant flow of people coming and going, which makes it quite lively.

Among these people, only one or two out of ten were wearing gorgeous clothes, while the majority were wearing ordinary cloth. There were also many poor people with patched clothes on top of patches, their skinny faces full of numbness and helplessness.

This is even more common in the South City, where most of the people live in poverty. The smell of decay and dullness of an old empire hits you in the face, making people feel strange.

There are many Manchus in the capital, and they are particularly particular about the word "etiquette".

When he met elders, relatives, and neighbors on the road, he would flick his sleeves and give them a slap from a distance.

"Hey... Sixth Master, how come you have time to come out for a stroll today? I'm here to pay my respects to you."

"Don't worry, Master Chen, I don't deserve it. If I were to greet you, I should have done so first. I'm giving you a return gift."

"You're welcome."

"No, good luck to you!"

The other party also returned the greeting, nodded and bowed for a while, then turned around and went their separate ways, muttering to himself, "Damn, bad luck... Why did I run into this rabbit?"

This servile habit of bowing and scraping, and kneeling at every turn, was particularly prevalent in the capital, and Zheng Guohui frowned at the sight.

However, in the dozen or so provinces in the southeast, this habit has become much less prevalent.

Perhaps it was because the local Manchus were eradicated that the resulting new changes were welcomed.

In Han Chinese etiquette, one kneels before heaven and earth and before parents. In ordinary social interactions, one can just clasp one's fists and bow.

The friendship between gentlemen is like the fragrance of orchids and they would not perform such a grand ceremony easily.

In a short while
The group had already arrived at the gate of Prince Gong's Mansion. Zheng Fu stepped forward and handed over the visiting card, and also stuffed a silver ingot worth 10 taels of silver over.

The middle-aged doorman of Prince Gong's mansion shook the silver with his hand with an arrogant look on his face and snorted coldly, "Okay, I'll go report to the prince. Wait here."

It seems that he is not satisfied with the 10 taels of silver door package.

Zheng Fu said with a shy smile, "Thank you for your hard work. I have a gift for you."

"Tsk, you're still arguing with me about such a trivial matter? Wait at the bottom of the stairs and don't offend the nobles in the palace."

"I know, I know."

Zheng Fu smiled along, and only stood up after the doorman entered the house, with a helpless look on his face, the corners of his mouth twitched.

I'm just letting you know that 10 taels of silver is not enough as a door gift. How much do you want?
It took him two incense sticks of time to return.

The doorman stood at the door, his face full of a look of "suffering a loss", and scolded Zheng Fu who rushed over with a nose that was not a nose and a face that was not a face.

"You officials from other places are clueless. The old prince is still taking his lunch break.

As soon as I went in and interfered, I got... scolded for no reason.

I was also concerned about this matter, and I felt that it was not easy for you officials from other places. Taking advantage of the fact that I still had some face in front of the prince, I said a few good words.

I am just soft-hearted, and ended up being in a difficult position..."

As he spoke, he squinted his eyes at Zheng Fu, and saw Zheng Fu took out another 20-liang silver ingot. He reached out to take it with a look of disgust, and then waved his free hand again. The meaning was very simple.

Give me another piece, otherwise you can't get in.

Zheng Fu looked back at the general in embarrassment. Seeing that the general did not express anything, he could only take out another 20 taels of silver ingots and stuff them into the hand of the doorman.

"Humph, you won't go away even if you're led, and you'll go away even if you're beaten. Be more observant in the future and follow the servant in."

Zheng Guohui didn't say much. He stood at the gate of the palace, straightened his clothes, ordered "Wait outside", and followed the blue-clothed servant into the palace.

After passing the coiled dragon screen wall and passing through the ceremonial gate, you will see the main hall with seven rooms designed according to the prince's standards. It is covered with glazed yellow tiles and has flying eaves and brackets, which is very magnificent.

The main hall has a large opening and is used for large-scale sacrificial ceremonies and ritual activities within the palace on a daily basis. Visiting guests are not received here as it is too spacious.

Passing through the gate of the Second Daoyuan, a middle-aged eunuch from the palace came to greet him. He looked Zheng Guohui up and down and asked, "Is this Master Zheng?"

"Thank you, eunuch, for asking. It is me."

"That's right. My last name is Hou. Please follow me. You came at the right time. The prince just woke up from his lunch break."

"Oh... I wonder how you feel about this little bit of silver being used for drinking?" Zheng Guohui handed over a three-liang gold leaf and asked casually.

Eunuch Hou put it into his sleeve, stood still, and said with a serious face, "Your Highness is in a good mood. I advise you that he doesn't like people who talk in vague ways. Just report what you have to say and don't beat around the bush."

"I appreciate your advice. Thank you very much!" Zheng Guohui expressed his gratitude sincerely.

"Let's go, don't delay." Eunuch Hou only gave a reminder, and he probably felt that the three taels of gold leaves were only worth this one sentence.

Fortunately, this eunuch Hou was better than the doorman and did not ask for more, which would have been disgusting.

The outer study in the third courtyard of Prince Gong's Mansion

Eunuch Hou brought Zheng Guohui here and left him there, saying "Wait," and then left.

Zheng Guohui remained calm about this cold treatment. After all, Prince Gong Yixin was a super-super-super-class, first-class royal family prince.

In addition, as the emperor's uncle, he holds great power in the government. His status is only second to the two Empress Dowagers and above hundreds of millions of people.

This time, it didn't take long before Prince Gong Yixin, wearing his home brocade robe and a brocade round hat, walked out of the Chuihua Gate with a vigorous and powerful step.

Prince Gong Yixin is only in his thirties now, in the prime of his life. Among the royal family, he is particularly known for his erudition and competence. He is open to introducing the strengths of foreigners and is a rare clear-headed person.

"Your humble servant, Zheng Guohui, the deputy general of Jiangnan, pays his respects to the Lord Zhongtang and wishes him good health and happiness!" Zheng Guohui leaned forward with one leg but did not kneel firmly.

Prince Gong Yixin hurried past him and said in a flat voice, "Well, come here."

"Yes, Master Zhongtang." Zheng Guohui quickly stood up and followed him obediently into the study.

After entering the study

Prince Gong Yixin walked to the large purple cloud couch in front and turned around to sit down. Two palace maids immediately brought him warm tea, and two other palace maids fanned him from behind, bringing a cool breeze.

As a subordinate, according to court rules, this requires formal greetings.

Zheng Guohui straightened his clothes, brushed his sleeves with his hands, and then respectfully lifted his official robe, knelt on his knees, and bowed his head, saying, "Your Excellency, I, Zheng Guohui, the Deputy General of Jiangnan, kowtow to you. May Your Excellency be blessed with good health."

With Zheng Guohui's current position as a second-rank official, he can kneel or not even if he meets a minister.

What does it mean to kneel or not to kneel?
According to the Qing Dynasty system, low-ranking officials were required to kneel down and kowtow when paying a visit to high-ranking officials, but civil and military ministers of the third rank and above were exempt from kneeling.

However, some people still kneel down to flatter their superiors, teachers, elders, etc.

For example, when Zheng Guohui paid a visit to the Minister of Rites Fuzhu Shoushan, he should have knelt down to pay homage. He was clearly an elder, and he was showing respect to him, which was within the scope of "kneeling".

When meeting with high-ranking officials from other ministries and departments, even if they are first-rank officials, there is no need to do so, because there is no such close relationship and it is within the scope of "not kneeling".

Prince Gong Yixin was different. As the emperor's uncle, he had a noble status and was a prince with an iron hat. He was the regent and the head of the military affairs council, the chief minister of the Zongli Yamen and the acting chief of the imperial clans. He was also the leader of the Bordered Red Banner and represented the royal majesty.

Except for the officials of the six ministries, other Manchu and Han court ministers had to kneel when they saw him.

Prince Gong Yixin drank his tea slowly, put down the teacup, and looked at the young military officer kneeling in the hall with a wandering look, not knowing what he was thinking.

Fortunately, Zheng Guohui didn't have to kneel for long. He calmly said, "No need to be polite, please stand up and take a seat."

"Thank you for your seat."

Zheng Guohui got up from the ground, lowered his head and a silent divine beast flew over his head. After adjusting his expression, he showed a respectful look, then raised his head and sat down below.

"You are so bold, but do you know your crime?" Prince Gong Yixin suddenly scolded.

Zheng Guohui hadn't even sat down for a moment when he quickly stood up again, clasped his hands together, and bowed to the ground, saying, "I acknowledge my guilt. Please punish me, Your Excellency."

According to normal logic
Zheng Guohui should have hurriedly knelt down on the ground and kowtowed to apologize.

But he really didn't want to kneel anymore. This method was very similar to what Zeng Guoquan used before.

Whenever the superior was startled, the subordinates would stand up and kneel down again. If they couldn't stand firmly, they would kneel down again to apologize, and this would be repeated many times.

Damn it...it never ends.

Zheng Guohui lowered his head, and the little flames in his heart were already surging up. Don't forget that he also has the nickname "Crazy Zheng".

"Your strength lies in your youthful courage and skill in serving the court. However, you are also daring and have exploited your position to smuggle salt, disrupting the salt administration, enriching officials, and fabricating charges to frame the gentry. Impeachment memorials have piled up on my desk." Prince Gong Yixin's voice grew increasingly cold as he paused before continuing his rebuke.
"Not only that, you are secretly organizing the Tzu Chi Association, recruiting young children to gain fame and popularity. This is truly a wolfish ambition. What is your intention?"

These rebukes were like thunder, exploding in Zheng Guohui's ears, stirring up a turbulent wave in his heart.

At this moment, he really wanted to rebel and just kill that devil.

(End of this chapter)