There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 157 Liuweiju

Huizhou, Liuweiju.

This restaurant was newly opened half a year ago. On the opening day, it spent a lot of money, offered free meals and complimentary fruits, and successfully attracted a large number of diners.

Later, they continued to innovate and launched a new dish every three days. In just two months, this small restaurant from outside the place became the famous "Liuweiju" in Huizhou. Even the prefect of Huizhou came here to eat.

Including the name of the restaurant, it was originally supposed to be called Chen's Restaurant, because diners praised it for having six flavors, which is "sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty" compared to other restaurants, and it also has the extra flavor of "fragrant".

A gossipy scholar jokingly called it Liuweiju, so Chen Lin, the owner of Chen's Restaurant, changed the name and used the sign of Liuweiju.

Let’s talk about the private room on the second floor of Liuweiju.

Several young scholars were toasting each other, and the shopkeeper, Chen Lin, had joined them. Normally, these scholars wouldn't have been able to get along with a mere merchant like Chen Lin, without any official credentials, and wouldn't have bothered to associate with him. But after all, Chen Lin was incredibly wealthy and had connections with the local tyrants, the Huizhou Merchants.

Half a year ago, Liuweiju had just arrived in Huizhou and had already taken away the business of several big restaurants.

Naturally, some people are annoyed and jealous of Liuweiju's customer flow and its exclusive recipes for dishes, where even the chefs from several famous restaurants can't taste what is added, or they feel that the price is not worth it.

These big restaurants initially planned to unite and jointly take over and divide up Liuweiju.

And then... no more.

The matter came to nothing, and several large restaurants either changed their storefronts or simply moved away from Liuweiju.

Later, the prefect of Huizhou came in person and was invited to dinner by the owner of a big business of the Huizhou merchant group.

Only scholars in Huizhou know that Liuweiju was connected with Huizhou merchants, or simply used Huizhou merchants as its white glove.

"Brother Chen, come and have another drink!"

"Haha, Brother Li, too. Let's drink together."

"Brother Chen, I'll toast you too!"

"I'm coming too!"

"..."

"Haha, everyone, eat your food! Today's dishes are all the chef's specialties!"

While drinking, Chen Lin did not forget to persuade the guests to eat.

Several scholars were chatting and eating, and they really regarded Chen Lin as a good friend. This was due to the strong background of Liuweiju, but also because the shopkeeper Chen was wealthy and respected scholars.

Every time they came to eat together, the shopkeeper Chen would take the initiative to treat them. You have to know that the food and wine at Liuweiju is not cheap, and the delicious taste means that the price is definitely not low.

Of course, after eating the noodles several times, these scholars felt that Liuweiju was worth the price. If the price was too low, it would not be worthy of such a high grade.

Even the most arrogant scholar would feel embarrassed when faced with such a generous friend who always treats guests.

After three rounds of wine, there are six dishes.

The routine highlight of today's banquet is here.

Li Heng, who was leading the toast to Chen Lin, suddenly put down his glass and said mysteriously, "Gentlemen, do you know about the recent Han thieves in Huguang?"

Xu Wenrui, a scholar who was there to flatter the audience, quickly asked, "Huguang thieves? But the White Lotus thieves who captured Jingzhou, marched south to Huguang, defeated the 100,000-strong Xiangxi imperial army, and then forced the Hunan Governor and the Huguang Admiral to death?"

"It's this person." Li Heng nodded calmly.

A scholar exclaimed, "How could there be such a ferocious rebel?"

Because he had just joined the company today, his family was not that wealthy, nor was he that well-connected. He usually never came to Liuweiju for dinner. Today, someone was treating him, and he really couldn't refuse.

Li Heng laughed and said, "Haha, Brother Lu, you don't know that this Huguang bandit is not only so fierce, but he had already forced the Hunan Provincial Governor to death and killed the General of Jingzhou. He was a Manchu, and his surname was... Aisin Gioro."

In the second half of the sentence, Li Heng deliberately lowered his voice. The Manchus said it, but the cute Xinjuelu had to be careful.

Lu Xun, who was called Brother Lu, was shocked at first, but then he became confused: "This Huguang bandit is so brutal that even the imperial army and the Hunan governor can't resist him. Where did he come from?"

Seeing another supporting actor, Li Heng remained expressionless, yet his heart was filled with immense satisfaction. He cleared his throat and, under the influence of the alcohol, said, "These Huguang bandits... outsiders often think they belong to the White Lotus Sect, but in reality, they are not. Someone in my clan once visited Huguang and has some information about the bandits. Do you know why they are called Han bandits and not the White Lotus Sect?"

"Uh..." This question stumped everyone present. As local scholars, they were all still concentrating on studying and preparing for the imperial examination.

How could I have the leisure time to pay attention to what kind of traitors are appearing outside, and what the background of these traitors is?
Seeing that no one could answer, Li Heng said, "Because the banner raised by the Han traitors is not the 'True Vacuum Homeland, Unborn Mother' inherited from the White Lotus Sect, but 'Anti-Qing, Restore Han, Expel the Tartars'."

Overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore the Han Dynasty, and expel the Tartars.

What a loud tone!
Everyone either sneered or looked indifferent, but Lu Xun was the only one who felt a bit of admiration in his heart. He admired the Huguang bandits for their grand slogans and lofty ambitions, provided they could really do it.

Li Heng continued, "The Han traitors are rebels against the Qing Dynasty and want to restore the Han Dynasty. The White Lotus Sect is the Mother of No Birth. They cannot possibly be of the same origin. Although there was once a rumor that the Han traitors came from the White Lotus Sect, in fact, it is completely false. The Han traitors are the Han traitors, and the White Lotus Sect is the White Lotus Sect."

"As for the origins of the Han thieves, the most widespread and credible rumor is that they are from the powerful Nie family of Yidu County. Enraged by the local government's excessive taxation, the Han thieves rose up in arms, captured the county seat, and subsequently defeated the Hubei governor. They then captured the capital of Jingzhou, slaughtering its inhabitants."

Lu Xun was slightly disappointed: "If that's all, this Han thief is at most fierce, nothing special about him!"

"What if the Han thieves can still win over the people's hearts?"

Li Heng said quietly, "This Han traitor first divided up the land of the gentry and landlords and gave it to the common people. He then ordered the return of all the slaves and retainers of the gentry and landlords, thus winning over the hearts of the common people. If that were all, it would be fine. But the key is that this Han traitor, having won over the hearts of the common people, now also won over the hearts of the gentry."

"Do you know the story of 'the harmonious relationship between the ruler and his subjects' that recently circulated from Yuelu Academy in Hunan?"

Li Heng specially emphasized the four words "the ruler and his subjects get along well with each other", which obviously had a specific meaning.

These scholars gathered together, obviously, did not have as much family background and influence as Li Heng. Not to mention "harmony between the monarch and his subjects", they knew little about the Han army's land administration and official system, most of which were hearsay from merchants and travelers.

Moreover, as the Han army's disturbances became more and more serious, the local Qing government had begun to issue orders, strictly prohibiting the people from discussing the incident in private, and violators would be thrown into prison.

The reason these scholars were able to chat together was simply because they were drunk, habitually chatting on keyboards, and their status was not that of ordinary people, so they even booked a private room to brag.

What about the harmonious relationship between the emperor and his ministers in Yuelu Academy? This is something that is strictly guarded by the pseudo-Qing government and must not be leaked in large quantities.

Even Li Heng, the leader, did not know the details, and there was a lot of hearsay and embellishment. It was almost turning into "Liu Bei invites Zhuge Liang - three visits to the thatched cottage".

Not to mention, the intelligence agency of the Han army responsible for promoting these things has already begun to consider these things.

After listening to Li Heng's beautified version of "harmony between the ruler and his subjects", Lu Xun and others were almost able to form an image of a wise ruler who was both capable of fighting and respectful to others.

Xu Wenrui, the supporting actor, couldn't help swallowing and said, "Such a traitor is truly terrifying! No wonder he was able to defeat a hundred thousand strong imperial troops and force a local official like the governor to death."

Li Heng waved his folding fan: "Who said it wasn't?"

Chen Lin listened for a long time and suddenly said, "Then the court has never considered taking this Han thief seriously and sending a large army to eliminate him?"

"The imperial court... hehe."

Li Heng shook his head and laughed. There were too many twists and turns in this matter. It was not something that scholars like them who had not even stepped into the officialdom could get involved in.

"However, they did send people. I heard that the Emperor Retired has issued an order, ordering Baitang A'ehui to go south and serve as the Governor-General of Huguang. He has also appointed Mingliang, the defeated general in the previous battle, as the Admiral of Huguang, in charge of suppressing the rebellion in both provinces. As for Eldengbao, who sacrificed the army and caused the court's defeat, he is being escorted to the capital to be held accountable for his crimes."

"Who is Baitang A'ehui?" Xu Wenrui asked doubtfully.

Li Heng said, "I also heard it from my father. Baitang'a is a special official title in Manchu, one level higher than the imperial guards. Moreover, E Hui is also a capable man. He once followed General Agui in the war and later fought under Marshal Fu. He must be a brave general who can fight."

After hearing what he said, everyone understood. They didn't know E Hui, but they knew the names of Agui and Fukang'an. To have worked under these two people and been sent south by the emperor, he must have some abilities.

Chen Lin listened for a while, then suddenly asked, "A friend of mine who's doing business in Guangdong and Guangxi brought back news that the Zhong Miao people are causing a rebellion in Yunnan and Guizhou, and it's already spread to three provinces. My friend is almost dying of worry about this."

Li Heng nodded, not doubting it. With the support of the Huizhou merchants, their news must be no less well-informed than that of his father, who was an official. "I've also heard about this. The court seems to have appointed Le Bao, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, as the commander-in-chief, and asked the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi to cooperate. The Zhong Miao Rebellion may seem powerful, but with the four provinces surrounding it, it shouldn't last more than a few months."

Chen Lin smiled and nodded after hearing this: "That's great, very good!"

"Speaking of which, the Han bandits in Huguang are causing quite a stir. One of my men escaped from Huguang and found a strange book about the Han bandits. I can't quite describe it, so I'd like you gentlemen to take a look at it."

Li Heng became interested. He wanted to see what this strange book that Shopkeeper Chen had praised was...

"This this……"

What was printed in front of everyone was a picture book with a colorful cover. The cover showed a girl in an extremely seductive pose, and the title was just five big characters: "The Biography of the Lustful Monk of the Qing Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)