Under the sky, it is not the king's land, and on the shore of the land, it is the king's ministers. (eng.com) Even big things are trivial even at the level of the emperor. Kangxi only had one batch of imperial pens, and the Ministry of Personnel made an extra vacancy to add a bachelor's degree. The chairman appoints someone to take the position, and the original thirty deputy director positions are increased to thirty-one deputy director positions. This is not difficult at all, and the human resources department cannot refuse.
However, Emperor Kangxi had just finished approving the memorials from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Household Affairs. When he turned to the next book, it turned out to be a memorial signed by Li Guangdi to Emperor Kangxi, asking the emperor to pardon Chen Menglei.
Li Guangdi's memorial said: " I, my uncle, sneaked into his house to inquire about it. Meng Lei wept and said that he could endure it and live in vain. The crime is worthy of death. However, if he still has a breath, he should spread rumors, leave his generals, disperse their hearts, and repay the country. Just in case. My uncle recalled this saying, and I know that his heart is not lost." Li Guangdi also said that Chen Menglei once "said that the enemy's power was empty, and repeatedly sent people to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang armies to welcome the soldiers, but it was difficult to cross-examine at the pass. . Because each of the detailed statements was false and true, I ordered him to return to report to the minister. I made this secret appointment twice, and I know that his heart is actually excusable. Please ask the Holy Emperor for a clear warning."
Emperor Kangxi was a little stunned after reading it. This was a letter pleading for mercy for a friend. After reminiscing for a while, Kangxi suddenly remembered that Li Guangdi was vaguely involved in a "selling friend case" related to the wax pill incident. Unfortunately, in his previous life, Kangxi was neither a scholar of Qing history nor an encyclopedia of treasures, so he had no understanding of the causes and consequences of the betrayal case, so he had to send someone to summon Gao Shiqi and ask him about trivial matters about Chen Menglei's life.
Gao Shiqi has been in a bad mood recently, because Kangxi suddenly valued Zhang Yushu, the imperial minister, and asked him to help with the affairs of the General Commercial Association. There was also a lot of traffic in front of the house, and he was like a rising figure in the capital, and he was more powerful than Gao Shiqi. , really annoying. That day, the emperor suddenly summoned him, and Lao Gao immediately rushed into the palace to see him. After meeting the emperor, Gao Shiqi hesitated when Kangxi mentioned Chen Menglei. It wasn't that he didn't know, but it was too subtle.
Gao Shiqi had the opportunity to compile a roster of official files, carefully studied the resumes of previous officials, and had considerable experience in political backgrounds and close relationships. Kangxi asked him about Shi Lang a while ago, but Gao Shiqi's answer was quite satisfactory. Lao Shi was demoted in name and promoted in real life, but went to Dalian to practice navy. Just this time, Chen Menglei is involved with Li Guangdi again. He may still be beheaded, which is really difficult to deal with.
Gao Shiqi straightened out his thoughts and answered carefully: "Your Majesty, Chen Menglei is a Marquis of Fujian Province. He was born in the seventh year of Shunzhi. He was smart and alert when he was young, and he studied tirelessly. He was a scholar at the age of twelve, a scholar at the age of nineteen, and became a scholar in the ninth year of Kangxi. Jinshi, selected from common people, were given the post of editor after disbanding. In the twelfth year of Kangxi's reign, he took leave due to his father's illness and returned to his hometown to visit his relatives. Later, he experienced the rebellion of the Three Feudatories, and the relevant experiences are unknown to the minor officials."
In less than a hundred words, Gao Shiqi simplified a person. The last sentence means the most crucial thing, "I don't even know Chen Menglei's experience in the San Francisco Rebellion."
Kangxi smiled, nodded and said: "Well, I also understand that Gao Aiqing doesn't know much about this matter. Therefore, Gao Qing might as well go and inquire to see if there is anyone who knows the matter. The details of the past need to be clarified clearly."
Gao Shiqi's heart suddenly became bitter. He took the order and walked out of the south study room. He couldn't hold back his face anymore. He frowned and folded his hands and started to feel depressed. This matter is clearly a dispute between Li Guangdi and Chen Menglei. Why should I be involved? Besides, don't look at the fact that they are both from Fujian Province and are Jinshi in the same discipline. Once they compete for power and gain in the officialdom, they will not even recognize their relatives, let alone a matter of life and death.
Li Guangdi was awarded the title of Bachelor of Attendant before Ding You, and he was also a talented person who resisted adversity and was personally recommended by Prince Kang Jieshu. Chen Menglei had been unknown for a long time since he returned to his hometown to visit relatives. It was only heard that he had been hired as an aide by Geng Jingzhong, the king of Jingnan. When the emperor asked about it, naturally it was because of the charge of "rebellion" that the incident came to light.
Gao Shiqi had long heard that Xu Hongbi, a remnant of Geng Jingzhong's faction, had sued Chen Menglei, who had served as a "bachelor" of Geng Jingzhong's faction, in order to escape guilt. The Ministry of Punishment was investigating the case, and there were rumors of corruption in Kyoto. Gao Shiqi understood very well that no one could tell clearly about the rebellion. As long as his parents, wife, and members of the clan were all in his hometown in Fujian, they happened to belong to Geng Jingzhong's territory. He was detained by the rebellion's army, and it was difficult to escape alive without bowing his head and submitting. We are all ordinary scholars who cannot lift their shoulders or lift their hands. If you think about it for a while, you can understand that only the reputation of being loyal to the emperor may be at a disadvantage.
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Gao Shiqi left the Forbidden Palace and returned to his residence. After changing into casual clothes, he prepared a name card and went to visit Xu Qianxue, the Minister of Punishment. In fact, people who are officials in the same dynasty can always talk to each other, not to mention that the two of them are considered to be Jinshi in the same discipline and are personal friends as classmates, which is different from others. As soon as Xu Qianxue heard Gao Shiqi's intention, he immediately held his arm and invited him into the study for a secret discussion. No one in the room complained in private:
"Danren, what Li Jinqing did in this matter was very dishonest. At that time, both of them were stranded under Geng Niuxu. If it weren't for Chen Youzhen and Geng Nixu, and no one to help them, why would all the relatives of the Li family have died? Not a hairHurt? Kuang Chen Youzhen is young and smart, and is a Jinshi in the same discipline as us. I don't expect him to be blind to the situation, so how can he be obsessed with thieves? "
Gao Shiqi remained silent. He also felt that this matter was strange, but he could not say anything without evidence.
Xu Qianxue sighed, took out a secret letter and handed it to Gao Shiqi to read. It turned out to be a private letter written by Chen Menglei to Xu Qianxue. The letter said: Brother Jian'an is informed that in the thirteenth year of Kangxi's reign, Geng Ni rebelled. Because Geng Jingzhong put Chen's father under house arrest and forced Chen Menglei to submit, Chen had no choice but to do so, which was not his true intention. What's more, Li Guangdi was also invited at that time. Famous celebrities in Fujian either had their family members threatened or were detained themselves.
Chen Menglei and Li Guangdi had secret talks in Fuzhou: Chen Menglei was responsible for breaking up the rebels and gathering information; while Li Guangdi contacted the outside world to instigate rebellion, and jointly invited Qing troops to suppress the rebels from the front of the Mountain Road Communication Army; Chen Menglei also planned to recruit troops. The two of them signed the manuscript together and submitted it to the court to show their loyalty.
Later, Li Guangdi used the excuse of "father's illness" to escape and hid in the mountains to provide support. Chen Menglei stayed under Geng Jingzhong to spy on military aircraft, deliver news about the enemy camp, and was responsible for protecting the safety of Li Guangdi's family. Unexpectedly, the draft of the call for troops that the two of them had agreed to jointly sign was actually tampered with by Li Guangdi privately, sealed in a wax pill, and sent his trusted aide to exclusively sign and publish the draft before submitting it to the court. Regardless of the amount of fame, wealth and merit, this matter is about one's wealth and life. How can one just cross out someone else's name and forget it?
At first, Chen Menglei thought that the police knew everything about him being an undercover agent. Later, when Geng Jingzhong was defeated and arrested, the court suddenly became angry and wanted to hold a group of rebels accountable. Chen Menglei's name was clearly listed on the list of traitorous accomplices. I was so angry that I almost vomited blood. Infernal Affairs was made too realistic, and the officer who had a single line of contact "fell to death". The background of the undercover agent did not have any credit, but instead became a criminal record. It was really terrible. Chen Menglei had no choice but to sit still and wait for death. He immediately wrote to Xu Qianxue, an old classmate who served as a senior officer in the National Police Agency, asking Brother Jian'an to help verify whether he was an undercover agent.
After Gao Shiqi read the letter, he also had a sad look on his face, very sympathetic to Chen Menglei's situation at this time. It is rare for anyone to have a calm and calm attitude when faced with the dangerous situation of having a knife to his neck or having his biological father held hostage. There were probably more people in the Han and Song Dynasties who were able to serve their country with their lives, to be loyal to the emperor, and to die generously. However, by the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they had withered away. The status of the three vassals of Hong Chengchou, King Pingxi, King Jingnan, and King Dingnan were all obtained by defecting before the battle. The lessons learned from the past are clearly visible. If we continue to talk about high moral integrity, I am afraid that all the people of the Qing Dynasty will commit suicide. Ordinary people's lives are like ants surviving in the world, living in peace and contentment. No matter how the dynasty changes, they have to pay taxes, rent, and eat to survive. Who cares who is the emperor?
Chen Menglei has no one to blame for this matter. Careless friendships and misguided beliefs can also kill people. What's more, when it comes to things like undercover, it's too late to clear up the relationship. Who dares to blatantly admit to communicating with the enemy's staff and liaising with military intelligence? When Li Guangdi sent the wax pills, he was checked over and over again by the police station several times. The cronies who helped Li Guangdi deliver the wax pills were also detained in jail for many days as a spy. This kind of situation cannot be explained clearly by two people. .
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After Gao Shiqi went back, he thought about it for most of the night. Kangxi personally asked him to participate in the investigation of the originally unresolved case. If he did not come to a conclusion, he was slacking off in his work. Gao Shiqi simply wrote a memorial and submitted it to the emperor. Gao Shiqi could not comment on who was right or wrong, but only stated a few facts that were clearly stated.
1. Chen Menglei and Li Guangdi have a close relationship as fellow townsmen and classmates.
2. At the end of the twelfth year of Kangxi, Chen Menglei and Li Guangdi asked for leave at the same time in the name of begging for hometown visits and relatives, and left the capital to return to their hometown in Fujian.
3. In March of the thirteenth year of Kangxi, Geng Jingzhong, king of Jingnan, rebelled against Fuzhou. There were many celebrities in Fujian, they were given official positions by force, and they were coerced into rebelling.
4. In June of the 14th year of Kangxi, the imperial court received the "Secret Chen Ji Yi Shu" submitted by Li Guangdi's close confidant Xia Ze. At that time, officials in the capital thought that Xia Ze "came from among thieves and feared that there would be other changes, so he did not dare to hear about it."
5. Fu Hongji, a cabinet scholar from Quanzhou, pledged his whole family as guarantor, and Li Guangdi gave the emperor a wax pill on his behalf.
6. In September of the 15th year of Kangxi, Prince Kang's letter came from Quzhou to conquer Xiaguan, rebuild Ning and Yanping, and move to Fuzhou. In October of that year, Geng Jingzhong asked to surrender.
7. Chen Menglei claimed that he had a secret agreement with Li Guangdi in Fuzhou, and Chen Menglei attached himself to Geng Ni to break up the rebel party, find out the truth, and report it to Li Guangdi to inform the Qing court. Chen Menglei drafted a draft of the call for troops from Master Chen, and should have signed it together with Li Guangdi.
8. However, Li Guangdi only admitted that he had two secret appointments with Chen Menglei and had detailed information on the general situation of the enemy. As for the secret record of offering wax pills, there is no mention of Chen Menglei¡¯s name.
The detailed process of the incident and the situation are as mentioned above. I respectfully ask for my emperor¡¯s enlightenment.
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Kangxi couldn¡¯t help but laugh after reading this memorial. Lao Gao was really shrewd and knew that he couldn¡¯t tell the difference.The dispute over infringement of intellectual property rights came to the emperor. Among them, there was a Chen Yongren-type figure who was lurking undercover in the underworld, spying on the enemy, and making false claims that turned out to be true. Unfortunately, his surname was also Chen
Kangxi remembered a lyric from Infernal Affairs, who understands that survival is often crueler than fate, but no one is willing to admit defeat. Regardless of whether Chen Menglei actually went undercover or not, Kangxi even sympathized with his plight. Anyone who enters the Infernal Path has no hope of liberation. If you don't have this kind of thought, I'm afraid you will just admit your guilt. Chen Menglei thought that he was a righteous undercover agent, but he was hacked. It is difficult to judge this matter. "There is no time" and he will not be punished all the time. "Empty", suffering from head to toe.