The emperor not only issued an order to open the scholarship next year, but also thought of Jiangsu. Scholars in Anhui were unable to take the provincial examination due to the fall of Jiangning, so he granted permission to Jiangsu and Anhui. The two provinces' academic affairs offices borrowed the Zhejiang Gongyuan to open the scholarship to recruit scholars.

This is great news for scholars all over the world, but in the second year of Xianfeng's Renzi Enke, the third year of Xianfeng's Guichou Ke, the sixth year of Xianfeng's Bingchen Ke and last year's Jiwei Ke, they failed all the examinations.

Ren He, who had passed the examination, was not only disillusioned with the imperial examination, but also did not even want to participate in the examination.

Seeing that Zhuzi wanted to return to Ba County, he also had the intention of quitting.

Han Xiufeng also felt that someone like him could not make a name for himself in the capital. It would be better to go back to his hometown to teach in an academy or become a leisurely and contented gentry in the countryside. Not only did he agree, but he also offered it as a gift like Wang Qianli and others.

A copy of the process.

The appointment as head of the agency was just an errand, not an official vacancy. There was no need to go to the relevant yamen to resign. I just packed up my luggage, took my wife, children, and children to say goodbye to my friends from the same hometown in Beijing, and then set foot on the road back home with Zhuzi.

Because I had my family with me and a lot of luggage, the box cage alone could hold five large cars, so I couldn’t make it all the way.

Zhu Zhu was eager to return home, but he was too embarrassed to rush him, so he could only walk slowly with his family. It took him two and a half months to get from the capital to Chengdu.

I thought I didn't need to go into the city, so I would just find an inn outside the city to rest my feet, and then continue my journey early tomorrow morning.

Unexpectedly, Ren He jumped out of the car, caught up with him and said apologetically: "Brother Zhuzhu, I know you are eager to return home. Keba County is so far away from the provincial capital. It is not easy to visit the provincial capital. Can you please go to the city?"

How many days will you stay in this humble house?"

Zhu Zhu was stunned and suddenly reacted: "Brother Xing, are you planning to return to Ba County?"

As the saying goes, when leaves fall, they return to their roots. It’s not that Ren He doesn’t want to go back to his hometown, but he has no shame to go back. He said with a bit of embarrassment: “Ren has been wandering around for so many years, accomplishing nothing, and has no face to see the elders in his hometown.”

"What's the point of being embarrassed? If you want to say that you don't have Chinese style, then there are many people who don't have Chinese style, and you're the only one!"

"Brother Zhuzi, I...I want to visit my father-in-law first. Besides, Chengdu is a provincial capital after all. I want to see if I can find a living in the provincial capital."

Thinking that his father-in-law was a famous rich man in Chengdu, Zhu Zhu smiled and said: "Okay, let's say goodbye here. I'll go and find an inn ahead to rest, and I'll set off early tomorrow morning."

"Let's go into the city and sit down."

"Don't bother me anymore, we will meet again if we are destined!"

Mrs. Liu was well-informed and wanted to get out of the car to try to persuade her to stay. However, she realized that she was going back to her parents' home, not her own home, and she was worried that Zhu Zi would feel uncomfortable, so she could only lie down by the car window and wave goodbye.

…

Just when Zhuzi was taking two fellow villagers who had followed Han Xiufeng from Hubei to the capital and were returning to his hometown in Ba County along the "East Road" at starry night, a major event happened in Beijing.

Sushun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, discovered that the amount owed by Baochao No. 5, Yuzi, was inconsistent with the archives of the General Administration of Official Money. After a thorough investigation with the emperor's permission, it was found that many people were involved, including Prince Gong, six or seven princes, and Weng Xin.

There are more than a dozen ministers and ministers in the existence who can't escape the connection. They have been investigating and investigating, but they can't go on.

Just when Sushun was determined to get to the bottom of it, the Hubu Yamen was flooded, and the fire burned from noon to late at night. Even though so many officers and soldiers from the patrol battalion tried their best to save it, they could not save it.

The fire burned from the manuscript library to the lobby, the second hall, the second door, the Eight Banners Pay Office and the north and south stalls, and from the north and south stalls to the Secretary Affairs Office, the Autumn Examination Office, the Official Ticket Office and the Fourth Division of Shaanxi, Huguang, Zhejiang, and Shandong

, more than 300 halls and rooms, as well as numerous documents and books, were burned to ashes!

Han Xiufeng has not been to the city for a month and a half. He has been living very leisurely these days. After listening to Xiao Shandong who hurried back from the city to report the news, he was not in the mood to read any more. He suddenly stood up and asked: "Is there anyone dead?"

"It's weird to think about it. The fire was so big and burned so fiercely, but all the gentlemen and clerks working in the government office were fine. No one died. It seems that only a few clerks were burned while putting out the fire."

Seeing that Han Xiufeng was silent, Xiao Shandong took out another piece of paper from his sleeve, looked at the crooked words on it, and said cautiously: "There are a lot of discussions in the city right now, about everything, and someone has written a poem. The poem sounded interesting to me, so I quickly borrowed a note and wrote it down."

"read!"

"Money is running out day by day, and money is in urgent need of supply. The petty officials are doing nothing, and the treasures they keep are polluted. Why should they die and be imprisoned? The jade will be burned together. God ordered Zhurong, and there will be no survivors in the sweep..."

Han Xiufeng took the poem from Xiao Shandong, thought about it and asked, "Does the Emperor know what the current situation of the various ministries is like?"

"The entire Hubu Yamen was almost burned down. Who would dare to hide such a big thing from the emperor? I heard from Mr. Jixiang that the emperor was furious. Not only did he not blame Mr. Sushun, he also ordered Mr. Sushun to investigate thoroughly. He must have felt that the water was flowing strangely. People in various ministries and academies are now in a state of panic. Even Mr. Ji, who doesn’t usually go to the Yamen to order mao, went to the Hanlin Academy this morning.”

"I know, you go and have a rest first."

"I obey, little one."

Just after sending Xiao Shandong away, Ren Yuer walked in gently holding on to the door frame, closed the door and said: "Fourth Master, I heard everything. I think this must not be a natural disaster."

"Does this need to be said? Someone must be worried about being found out, so they set fire to extinguish the traces. I don't know if there was anyone who ordered it." Han Xiufeng thought for a while and said solemnly: "Sushun is here. It pushed those people into a desperate situation, otherwise they would never dare to make such a move."

In Ren Yuer's opinion, Sushun is a good official, and she couldn't help but ask: "Fourth brother, now that all the official documents and books have been burned, can Mr. Sushun still continue to investigate?"

Han Xiufeng pondered for a moment and said helplessly: "Even if those documents and books were not burned, he still wouldn't be able to check them."

"Why can't we investigate if there is solid evidence?"

"Government is achieved through bribery, do you think it's just a joke? From the princes and ministers to the subordinate officials in the county government, who is not corrupt? If they were not corrupt, more than half of the officials in the world would starve to death based on their official salary. What's more, If you don't follow the social network and don't send money, you won't be able to get an official position." Han Xiufeng sighed softly and continued: "The ancients said, 'Heaven does not change, so does the Tao. Sushun alone can't save him."

"Fourth brother, are you saying that even if Master Sushun finds out the actual evidence that Prince Gong and the others have enriched their own pockets, the emperor will not hold Prince Gong to account?"

"The expenses of those royal palaces are bigger than the last. If they are not greedy and don't accept money from others, how can the princes maintain their dignity. As for Weng Xinchun and other important ministers, the same is true. Even if there is real evidence, the emperor will only punish him and will not take any money. After all, their heads cannot be punished by a doctor."

"But……"

"Yu'er, you can think about it the other way around, if you kill all the corrupt princes and ministers, who will the emperor use?"

Ren Yu'er reacted and said with a grimace: "Fourth brother, according to you, it's useless no matter how much Mr. Sushun investigates?"

"Although it can't cure the root cause, it can cure the symptoms. At least it can make those princes and ministers restrain themselves."

Thinking that talking about this was too boring, Ren Yuer quickly changed the topic, looked at the book he just put on the desk and asked: "Fourth brother, what book are you reading?"

Han Xiufeng looked back and said lightly: "The New Chapter of Zizheng, Yu Qinghuai asked someone to bring it from Hubei. He was worried that he would be caught by officials along the way, so he tore off the cover."

"Who wrote "The New Chapter of Zhengzheng"? How come I haven't heard of it?" Ren Yu'er was really interested in this and picked up the book out of curiosity.

"It was written by Hong Renxuan, the brother of the bandit leader Hong Xiuquan. It can be said to be an anti-book." Han Xiufeng sat down, picked up the tea cup and said: "According to Yu Qinghuai who worked for Zeng Guofan, this Hong Renxuan lived in Hong Kong a few years ago. , it was not until this spring that he arrived in Jiangning. He was first named a military advisor by Hong Xiuquan, and soon after he was named a king of Qian. Now, Prime Minister Chang Mao's "government" is considered to be one person under ten thousand people among Chang Mao. "

"The long-haired military advisor..." Ren Yu'er looked at it and actually raised his head and said: "Fourth brother, don't tell me, this Hong Renxuan has some knowledge. The methods of employing people and managing politics that he mentioned in the book, especially This sentence, 'The country puts the rule of law first, the rule of law depends on compliance with behavior, the initiative follows compliance, and then there is the rule of law, and there is the rule of law, and then there is the country.' It seems a bit like the approach of foreigners."

"He believes in foreign religions and has been staying in Hong Kong in the past few years. It is reasonable that his thoughts are similar to those of foreigners."

"But now he is the king of Changmao, and he is also the prime minister of Changmao's government. If he really implements this trick..."

Before Ren Yu'er could finish speaking, Han Xiufeng said coldly: "You don't have to worry about this. You may not be able to do many things you think of, even if you are in a high position. For example, Sushun is powerful enough, but Can the things he wants to do be accomplished? Speaking of Changmao, they have long said, "Everyone in the world works in the fields, and everyone in the world works together." They say, "There are fields to cultivate together, food to eat, clothing to wear, and money to share." "Everywhere is uneven, and no one is not fed and warmed." But have they done it? Not only have they not done it, those who have been named kings and prime ministers are actually more greedy than the last!"

"According to you, Hong Renxuan is nothing to worry about?"

"Not only is it nothing to worry about, I guess he won't be able to be the god king for long."

"Why did it take so long?"

"Whether it is Shi Dakai or Li Yucheng who has just been crowned the King of England, his high position depends entirely on his military exploits. Hong Renxuan has been hiding in Hong Kong for these years and has not made any achievements. Why is he suddenly in a high position? How can he convince the public? What's more, the Chang of Jiangsu Mao was back and forth with the army in Pukou. The long hairs in Anhui's strongholds were being plucked out one by one by the reorganized Hunan army. Shi Dakai fell out with Hong Xiuquan again and failed to make a fortune in Hunan. He fled to Guangxi like rogues. I don’t know how long the disintegrated ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ can survive, and how much more he, Hong Renxuan, can do.”

"Fourth brother, so it seems that long hair is not a concern, but foreigners are a serious problem?"

"But now the imperial court has healed its scars and forgotten the pain. When it comes to foreigners, it's more important to talk about it than to do it. Han Chen sent a letter yesterday, saying that the Eight Banners Green Battalion officers and soldiers stationed in Tianjin are going to fight. I felt a little complacent after winning the battle, but my food and salary arrears started again as before."

Ren Yuer asked in horror: "What should I do?"

Han Xiufeng said helplessly: "People speak lightly, and there is no point in rushing. We can only prepare for the worst."

Ren Yuer realized why he was reluctant to go to the city these days. After a long silence, he pretended to smile casually and said: "Fourth brother, don't talk about these unhappy things. Don't you like to eat Western snacks? I'll go and give them to you right now."
Chapter completed!