"Listening to Hushtu, Su Ling'a's words, and perhaps Wu Shenglan, I think they are all here to test me. Hushtu explained to me like this, which means I have gained their trust. But what happens next?

Are there still many difficulties in this matter?"

Ruan Yuan secretly calculated in his heart, and also thought hard about how to break the situation at several key points. Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps outside the south study room, and then there was a rolling sound, and the concierge opened slowly. A black figure

The figure walked in,

Under his black fur coat, there was a faint layer of yellow clothes. Ruan Yuan knew clearly that the person who came was none other than Jiaqing. He immediately stood up, walked to Jiaqing, prostrated and kowtowed: "I don't know that the emperor is coming at night," Ruan Yuan said.

This is truly a sin!”

When he looked up, he saw snowflakes falling from the sky, and there was another person standing outside the door. That person was Zhang Jinzhong, Jiaqing's confidant eunuch, but Ruan Yuan did not recognize him.

Jiaqing looked at Ruan Yuan, but his words were modest, not as majestic as Qianlong's. He only said: "Sir Ruan, when I was the Supreme Emperor, I remember that you were already on duty in the South Study Room. In the South Study Room, some charcoal fires will be prepared in the winter."

Yes, why did you forget? You also saw it today. It’s cold. Why don’t you give me a break and talk about other things before it’s too late.” After saying that, he walked towards the east.

A cabinet was opened on the kitchen wall of the compartment, and a basin of charcoal was taken out and placed next to Ruan Yuan's chair. Zhang Jinzhong immediately came in, took out the fire folder and lit the charcoal fire, and took out the cover from the cabinet and placed it on the charcoal fire.

, to avoid a fire. Then Jiaqing waved his hand, and Zhang Jinzhong walked out, closing the door gently, as if to patrol outside to prevent strangers from approaching.

Seeing Jiaqing being so close to him, how could Ruan Yuan remain indifferent? As soon as Zhang Jinzhong left the room, he kowtowed to Jiaqing and said, "Your Majesty, I will never repay you for your kindness! Your Majesty, it's just a light snow now, it doesn't matter."

I'm so ashamed of myself for being like this. Why don't you just put out the charcoal and take it back? I don't deserve the emperor's love."

"I've brought it for you, what else are you unwilling to do? It's my intention to give you charcoal today, but I'll have to work hard for you later." Jiaqing also found Ruan Yuan's seat and sat down, and then

He said: "Don't kneel down. I have important things to do today. How can you discuss anything like this? Go find a chair over there and sit down together."

After hearing this, Ruan Yuan had no choice but to stand up and stand beside Jiaqing, but he absolutely did not dare to find a seat by himself.

"Shilang Ruan, the Supreme Emperor summoned you before, right?" Jiaqing asked. Ruan Yuan thought about Jiaqing's previous words, and he should never hide anything at this time, so he should claim it was.

"Yes, but you may not know something. It seems that Huang Ama summoned me not long after you left. Huang Ama told me everything you told him. Later, Huang Ama

Ma Ye specifically told me not to blame you, Mr. Ruan, you are supervising schools outside and understand the local customs.

Tell me again, this is a great achievement, how can I be dissatisfied? It seems that you resigned from Guangxing three years ago and insisted on going south to continue working in academic administration. Now it seems that you did the right thing. On the contrary,

I had just become the prince at that time, so I was a little impatient for a while." Jiaqing didn't seem to be dissatisfied with Ruan Yuan.

"Your Majesty, this... In fact, I was still relatively junior at the time, so the Emperor wanted to use me, but I thought that if I were in the capital, and if I was promoted without merit, I'm afraid other colleagues would not be convinced. At that point,

At that time, I was afraid that I would not be able to protect myself, and I could not

I have done my best for the emperor. So I thought that the most urgent task at that time should be to achieve results first before making other considerations. Thinking about it this way, I originally had selfish motives, so I had to ask the emperor to forgive me for resisting the imperial decree.

That's it." Ruan Yuandao.

"What crime are you guilty of? I just asked Guangxing to consult with you, and I didn't issue any edicts. How can you resist?" Jiaqing laughed, but after a moment of thought, he added: "But

In any case, looking back now, you made the right choice at the time, and that’s enough. If you hadn’t carefully investigated the local customs in Zhejiang, how would I have known that in the mountains of southern Zhejiang, there was such a violation as drowning babies?

What about human relations? Whether it is Sichuan, Chu, or Zhejiang, it seems that most of the people are living a more miserable life, so why have they ever been willing to rebel? They are all forced by the officials and the people to rebel. Think about it this way, Mr. Ruan, you

In the past three years that I have been in office, have I done a lot of wrong things, and have I failed the people of this world?"

"Your Majesty, this..." Ruan Yuan was modest after listening to Jiaqing's words, but after all, monarchs and ministers are different, so they always have more scruples. After pondering for a long time, he said: "Your Majesty has issued an edict, and there are many backups in the south study. When I return,

I have been in Beijing for more than half a month, and I can clearly see that the emperor has no disrespect for the people. On the contrary, he has seen a lot of tax exemptions."

"'Everyone is hungry today and has no one to turn to. They sit guarding the countryside and wait for all the ravines. They are exempt from the residual tax and there is nothing to collect.' Minister Ruan, I have heard before that when you were young, you read a lot of history, especially history.

It's this "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" that I'm even more familiar with. Who said this and where it came from, do you still remember it?" Jiaqing suddenly asked.

"Back to the Emperor, this passage was written by Lu Xie, a Hanlin scholar, in the "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" in the Tang Dynasty after Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty came to the throne." Ruan Yuan was no stranger to "Zi Zhi Tong Jian", so he naturally responded calmly.

"Yes, what Lu Xie said that day has not changed much even after thousands of years. Even if the people no longer pay taxes, some are already poor and helpless. Even if I exempt them from taxes, how many lives can I save?

This section of "Tongjian" was written in the first year of Qianfu, at the end of that year, Wang Xianzhi rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. Huang Chao was the subordinate of Wang Xianzhi, and later defeated the Tang army in succession.

After conquering Chang'an, just before Huang Chao entered Chang'an, Lu Xie had become the prime minister, but because of improper appointment, he resigned and finally committed suicide. It seems that if the country and the country once fall, even the wise people in the court will

It's hard for a scholar to protect himself, let alone me as an emperor?" Jiaqing has always been proficient in historical affairs, so when talking about old events in the late Tang Dynasty, he also talks about the treasures of his family.

"Your Majesty, don't be so depressed. The dynasty is different from the late Tang Dynasty. The emperor has been in power for sixty years, and the country is prosperous. The Jiangsu-Zhejiang Canal is still prosperous. Although there are poor people, they have not affected the foundation of the dynasty. The world's affairs

, It's still okay. Your Majesty, please don't compare the governance of the country with the late Tang Dynasty?" Ruan Yuan couldn't help but comfort Jiaqing.

"Yes, it is precisely because the Chinese dynasty is different from the late Tang Dynasty that I came to see you tonight? You are right, the affairs of the world can still be done." Jiaqing's tone gradually became firmer, and he said: "You are here

I am fully aware of what the Supreme Emperor said in front of me. In short, I think there are four major disadvantages in the world: First, over the past hundred years, the world’s population has increased, so the number of poor people has also increased day by day.

There are many, but there are commanders and commanders who, because of the long period of peace, have become lazy and ignored the sufferings of the poor. Second, the officials exploited the people in the name of making up for the shortfall. Third, the officers and soldiers were undisciplined.

Law, incompetence in the face of battle, killing good people and taking credit for merit. Fourth, officials are corrupt and bribery all the time. In short, it is a problem, that is, officials only care about their own interests and do not care about the people. Is what I say reasonable?"

"The emperor is kind and loving to the people, and I have great admiration for him." Ruan Yuandao.

"So, I am thinking that the first step I will take in the future is to clarify the administration of officials and re-select governors who put the people first. But this first step is really difficult, Your Majesty.

Mar's reign

At that time, many corrupt officials were brought to justice, such as Wang Danwang, Chen Huizu, Cathay, Wulana... But after executing these many corrupt officials, in the Qing Dynasty, there were not only a lot of corrupt officials, but even more.

I was thinking,

The only reason is that the person who presides over the election of officials is not upright and harbors selfish interests. After all, Huang Ama is old and his energy is naturally not as strong as in his prime, so he was taken advantage of by the person who elected him." At this point,

The north wind outside became stronger, and the falling snowflakes gradually became louder. Amidst the sound of the wind, even Zhang Jinzhong, who was guarding the door, could not hear clearly what was being said inside the house.

"The election will gradually change. It will take ten years at least, and it will be almost fifteen years at most. After I took charge, I should follow the word 'public' in everything, but now I have the biggest problem in the Qing Dynasty.

The crux is that the word 'public' has long been changed into the word 'private'. Ruan Shilang, you should know what I mean, right?" Ruan Yuan naturally knew that what Jiaqing said was about Heshen.

"Your Majesty, I understand what you mean. But I still don't know something. I have been in foreign posts many times and I don't think I am close to the Emperor. Why does the Emperor come to me to entrust all this to me?" Ruan Yuan said again.

.

"The person I trust most right now is you." Unexpectedly, Jiaqing actually said this: "In the Military Aircraft Department, the only people I can use are Dai Quheng and Na Yancheng. After all, they are only second-grade people with little qualifications. The rest

, I can’t control it. So the army

I can't make the decision as to where the machine is located. But the South Study Room was originally a place favored by the Holy Ancestor Emperor of the previous dynasty. Even though it was the place where Wen Han was located, many people consulted on the world's political affairs. However, today, most of the people who have entered the South Study Room are

They are all poets, apart from their literary talents,

I have nothing special. But you are different. You have learned a lot, and you are not limited to literary matters, classics, astrology, historical theory, military strategists. You have been supervising schools for many years, and you are also good at common affairs. I have not met you often.

But even if it’s just a few words, I still

I know your character well, and you are just the person worthy of my appointment. Mr. Ruan, what do you think? If you feel that today's matter is beyond your ability, just say it, and I will leave immediately. After tonight, this place will be yours.

Act like nothing happened."

Ruan Yuan was naturally grateful after listening to Jiaqing's words, but he was even more sober at this time. If Jiaqing could not completely trust him, there would be no way to discuss future plans. Therefore, he did not directly agree to Jiaqing at this time, but said: "Your Majesty, my ministers

Things to do when entering the Imperial Academy for the first time, teaching and learning

It is Heshen. I have been an official for ten years and have never made any remonstrance on anything related to Heshen. I have never shown any disrespect to Heshen in front of any of his colleagues. Naturally, the emperor should know these things.

.But even so, is the emperor still willing to believe me?"

"As a minister, naturally everything cannot go according to your own will, but I still know what your character is and what He Shen's character is. I still believe that things of the same kind flock together and people form groups." Jiaqing said calmly.

After hearing this, Ruan Yuan also bowed to Jiaqing again and said: "Even if I die a hundred times, I will never be able to repay the emperor's trust. I should naturally do my best to help the emperor in the matter at hand! However, this matter is very important.

, we also need to prepare carefully and everything is in order before we can implement it. But I don’t know what good plan the emperor has in mind right now?”

"There are some things you may not know. I have considered the current situation for a long time. Heshen's party mostly occupies high positions. It is not easy to move. Civil servants are second. The first thing is not to let him control everything inside and outside.

Army. In this way, the Ministry of War is the most important place in the capital. I informed Emperor Ama of your initial proposal to serve as Minister of War. However, unexpectedly, He Shen changed his mind in just two days.

Since you are the Minister of Rites, I don't want you to get involved more. But the Ministry of War still needs at least a few people to watch over it, so I have already transferred Fujun from Khovd to go south, and he should be going to Beijing in the next two days.

In addition, I can control most of the capital’s garrison and guard camp, but He Shen, the nine-door admiral, has been in office for twenty years. There are also some difficulties with the bodyguards’ office and Luan Yiwei…”

But after saying these few words, Ruan Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up, and a series of countermeasures gradually took shape.

"Your Majesty, I have a message. If Your Majesty can trust me, I am willing to provide you with the solutions to these key issues one by one."

"But it doesn't matter."

"Your Majesty, I believe that if we want to break the current situation, it is better to block it than to remove it. Instead of doing nothing and missing the opportunity, it is better..."

The wind and snow outside were getting bigger and bigger. Zhang Jinzhong had always been a hard-working man, but he could withstand it. Even though he was facing the wind and snow, he still carefully looked around to make sure that there was no one else around the south study room.

And this snowstorm also made it possible for no one to know about this night in the south study.

In the winter of the third year of Jiaqing, there were several heavy snowfalls in the capital. People at the time observed the snow conditions and said that the snow was more than five inches deep. The wind and snow also carried a lot of good news for Heshen.

Due to the deep snow, it was inconvenient to travel and explore the road. One day after Qinggui, Minister of the Ministry of War, returned home, he accidentally fell into the snow due to a moment of negligence. Immediately, news came from Qinggui's mansion that Qinggui had injured his foot and was unable to do anything.

He had to take a leave of absence for a month, and the affairs of the Ministry of War could only be left to Jin Shisong and a few ministers.

Everyone knows that Jin Shisong is too old to do anything important. At the same time, after Fu Jun returned to the capital, he only concentrated on his own government affairs and never said a word to others. He Shen once sent Liu Quan to contact him.

Fu Jun, but his words were vague and he finally sent Liu Quan back. But even so, after careful inspection, Liu Quan found that he had no contact with Jiaqing's cronies and other people who did not agree with Shen.

It seems that the road to the Ministry of War is now open.

Soon after, Ruan Yuan also received the first secret letter from Heshen from Khushtu. Due to official business, he took it with him when he returned to the army. He inadvertently came to the Ministry of War to chat with Li Huang, and handed it over to the Ministry of War.

The secret message was given to Li Huang.
To be continued...