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Although the streets and houses outside Xuanwu Gate cannot compare with the magnificent inner city with its palaces and pavilions, it is considered to be a better area in the outer city of Yanjing.
Two years ago, also in May, the Eight Banners Army led by Dorgon entered Yanjing and issued an order to designate the inner city as a Manchu city, where only Manchus were allowed to live. All existing residents, whether officials or ordinary people, had to move out within a limited time. Those who disobeyed would be executed!
As soon as this order was issued, all the high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty, in a panic, moved out of the inner city and settled down in the poor streets and alleys of the outer city.
Among them, the area outside Xuanwu Gate became the first choice for the former Ming Dynasty dignitaries and today's Qing Dynasty Han officials because of its better streets and houses.
The home of Gong Dingzi, a member of the Imperial Household Department of the Qing Dynasty, was also located deep in an alley on the east side of Xuanwu Gate. It was a small courtyard with two entrances in front and back. Although the courtyard was not large, it was neatly and elegantly maintained.
The crabapple blossoms are reflected on the green gauze window. Under the window is a beauty, graceful and charming. She was once a famous prostitute in Qinhuai, with her surname being Gu, her name being Mei, and her nickname being Hengbo.
She was almost thirty years old, but time had not left any traces on her. She still looked like a young lady in her prime.
After entering May, the weather became hot. She was only wearing a thin pink dress with a white silk skirt underneath. Her hair was tied loosely in a bun, which made her look even more round and plump. When she looked around, she was graceful and charming.
The courtyard was quiet. Looking at the time, her husband should be back from court soon. Gu Mei remembered her newly made cheongsam, so she went back to her room and bolted the door. Then she took off her women's clothes and put on the new cheongsam.
It was a Manchu-style high-collared white satin robe, with a royal blue waistcoat with a ribbed collar. The waistcoat had five buttons, a wide wavy border, and was embroidered with floral patterns.
The clothes of the women of the Bannermen were tight fitting, and Gu Mei's figure was very slim and well-proportioned, which made her look even more beautiful and graceful.
She looked at herself in the mirror and was very satisfied. Nowadays, wearing cheongsam is a fashion in Yanjing. Gu Mei planned to give her man a surprise, so she carefully drew her eyebrows, applied light rouge, and dressed up carefully.
The courtyard gate rang and the maid went to open it. Gu Mei hurried out of the room to greet her, but she saw her husband walking out in a hurry with a very serious expression. He didn't notice how charming her feminine charm was set off by her brand new cheongsam.
Gu Mei was surprised and disappointed, and asked with a smile: "Husband, you are back?"
"Let's talk inside."
Gu Mei followed him into the room, and Gong Dingzi turned around and closed the door. She thought her husband was like this because he was irritated by the Manchus in the court. This was a common thing, and she just had to use some tricks to make him feel comfortable.
She went to the table and made some tea. Holding the teacup, she turned around and bowed, and asked in a tender voice, "My husband, do you think my cheongsam looks good?"
Gong Dingzi then noticed that she had changed into a cheongsam, and Gu Mei turned around with a cup of tea in her hand. She was indeed very charming.
"My husband, today I went with Madam Wang to make a set of clothes, and it cost me three taels of silver. But I think it looks so noble when I wear it, so it's worth it. What do you think, my husband?"
"You... ... you change first, change this cheongsam." Gong Dingzi seemed upset.
"Husband, what's wrong? What happened?"
"What happened? You don't know. This is a big deal."
"Ah, sir, what is it that has so upset you? Didn't you say a few days ago that the Regent praised you?"
Gong Dingzi sat down on the rocking chair and sighed, "Mei Niang, you don't know that times have changed. Now it seems that the regent's attention may not be a good thing."
Gu Mei put the tea on the table, sat on his lap and asked, "Husband, please tell me what happened. I am so worried."
Gong Dingzi put his arm around her waist and buried his head in her swollen chest, as if seeking shelter, and sighed, "Mei Niang, the situation in the world is really... Alas, I thought the Qing Dynasty could unify the world, and even if it couldn't unify the world, it could always divide the country and rule it. But now it seems that the world is changing again!"
"Are you referring to the Qin State in the south?"
"Who else can do anything to the Qing Dynasty except the Qin State? I just received news that the Regent King sent Xifu, the Grand Secretary of the Inner Academy of Literature, to Nanjing to seek peace and send the princess to marry. That's fine, but he even wants to send the emperor to Nanjing as a hostage and withdraw from the border in exchange for the Qin State to stop fighting. Let's not talk about whether the Regent King wants to do this for real or not, but if the Qing Dynasty had not reached the end of its rope, why would the Regent King send Xifu to seek peace? And put forward such sensational peace terms?"
Gu Mei was shocked and asked, "Is this true?"
"If it was just this incident, it would be fine. But I heard that Xifu sent someone to assassinate the King of Qin after his peace talks failed, but the fatal arrow was blocked by the King of Qin's guards. After this incident, the King of Qin was furious and quickly issued an imperial edict to march north to attack the Qing Dynasty. The King of Qin's edict stated that if all Han officials immediately drew a clear line with the Qing Dynasty, it would be fine. If they continued to be accomplices to the tiger, when the Qin Dynasty took over the world in the future..."
"What will happen?"
"The worst punishment is death by thousands of cuts, the worst punishment is slavery for generations."
"Ah!" Gu Mei exclaimed, and asked in panic, "Husband, what should we do? What should we do? Aren't the Eight Banners very good at fighting? Will the Qing Dynasty lose the war? Doesn't the Qing Dynasty have a chance to defeat the Qin State?"
"Alas!" Gong Dingzi sighed heavily, "Mei Niang, you don't know that it's not the summer harvest yet, even the Eight Banners soldiers can't get enough to eat, and the Qing Dynasty is even more starving and rioting. I heard that even the Mongols have rebelled against the Qin Dynasty. When the Regent saw Qin Mu's edict of attack at the court today, he was so angry that I think he must be in a state of panic. Mei Niang, if even the Regent is like that, can the Qing Dynasty still win this battle?"
"Husband..." Gu Mei's face turned pale as she hugged her man and said anxiously, "Husband, what should we do?"
"I don't know, sir."
"Husband... ... ... How about... How about we flee? Didn't the King of Qin say that as long as we stop being officials of the Qing Dynasty, everything will be fine? Husband, let's flee back to the south. Maybe with your talent, you can even get a position in the Qin Dynasty."
"Escape? How to escape?" Gong Dingzi subconsciously touched his smooth head. The rat tail on his head made him look like a clown.
Just as the two were at a loss as to what to do, a maid came over and reported through the door: "Master, Mr. Xiong Tongzheng is here to visit."
When Gong Dingzi heard this, he quickly said to Gu Mei, "I'm afraid Xiong Xuetang is here for this matter as well. Mei Niang, please wait. I'll go talk to him and see what ideas he has."
"Well, my husband, go quickly."
Gong Dingzi came out to greet him. This Xiong Xuetang was named Xiong Wenju, with the courtesy name Gongyuan and the pseudonym Xuetang. He was a Jinshi in the fourth year of Chongzhen. When the Ming Dynasty fell, he was promoted to Langzhong of the Ministry of Exemplary Affairs.
Li Zicheng came to Beijing and surrendered to him like Gong Dingzi. Later, when he heard that Wu Sangui was leading troops to attack the capital, Li Zicheng hurriedly evacuated the capital. At that time, rumors were spreading in the capital. Officials such as Gong Dingzi and Xiong Wenju who had surrendered to Li Zicheng were worried that once Wu Sangui's "royal army" fought back, they would be held accountable for their "disloyalty and betrayal".
So several families fled out of the city together in panic. At that time, there was chaos and war, and several families fled together. They also became friends in need.
Gong Dingzi exchanged a few pleasantries with Xiong Wenju and then hurried into the study.
As expected, as soon as he entered the study, Xiong Wenju said worriedly, "Brother Zhilu, there is no need to hide anything between us brothers. Just speak frankly. What do you think of the King of Qin's edict on the Northern Expedition?"
"Brother Xue, the regent was furious about this matter in the court today, but he was a little bit timid." We are friends in need, and at this critical moment, everyone really has nothing to hide.
"What are your plans, brother Zhilu?"
"To be honest, Cousin Xue, I am at a loss as to what to do. I am just about to ask you for advice."
"This Qing Dynasty... .Alas, it seems that I can't stay here any longer."
"Cousin Xue, is there any way to leave the capital?"
"If you had a solution, would you still be so worried?"
This pair of brothers, who surrendered to Li Zicheng when Li Zicheng came and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty when the Qing Dynasty came, locked themselves in the study for a long time to discuss, but could not find a way to leave Beijing. The lessons learned from the past by Hong Chengchou and others made them extremely nervous.
In addition, Qin Mu made it clear in the Northern Expedition edict that from the day the edict was promulgated throughout the country, anyone who assisted the Qing Dynasty would be punished by being cut into pieces at the worst, or enslaved for generations at the least.
Seeing that the situation was extremely unfavorable to the Qing Dynasty, which Han official in the Qing Dynasty did not worry about being cut into pieces in the future
In fact, Gong Dingzi and Xiong Wenju are just two microcosms. Now, all the Han officials in the Qing Dynasty, after seeing the King of Qin's edict of northern expedition, who would not be terrified and worried all day long
The King of Qin's edict of the Northern Expedition was like an ultimatum to the Han officials who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. What kind of person was the King of Qin? It is said that he built countless Jingguans. In Yangzhou, he killed thousands of captives at one time to commemorate the dead civilians. He also carved statues of Hong Chengchou and others kneeling in front of the Memorial Hall for the Victims, and was despised by the world.
Qin Mu's actions made it so that no Han official in the Qing Dynasty dared to treat his ultimatum as a joke.
It is said that as soon as the imperial edict for the Northern Expedition was received, a large number of Han officials in the Central Plains abandoned their posts and fled. Today at the court meeting, the Regent Dorgon was furious and seemed to be strong on the outside but weak on the inside, precisely because a large number of officials had fled from the local areas.
The Manchus were a nomadic nation that had just entered the Central Plains. In order to appease the people, they appointed a large number of Han officials.
Now, with the Qin King's army approaching the border, and an imperial decree that was tantamount to an ultimatum to launch a northern expedition, many Han officials were immediately frightened and fled, and the Qing Dynasty's local administration was almost paralyzed.
At first, Gong Dingzi, Xiong Wenju and others were complacent about being able to enter the central institutions of the Qing Dynasty, but now they are regretting it so much. The local officials were able to abandon their posts and flee, but they were trapped in the capital, like birds in a cage. How could they escape
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ps: I'm begging for monthly tickets. Every month at the end of the month, when other people's monthly tickets soar, my monthly tickets decrease instead. It really hurts my heart, my liver, and my lungs... Brothers, how can I lose money at the critical moment? Please support me!
.(To be continued..)
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