I want to ruin the country

Putting aside his greed, this guy Li Hongzhang can still do something!

Yining immediately sent someone to deliver the order.

"Tseng Chun-fan and Li Hong-zhang are here to see me!"

There is also Zhang Zhidong. After calculating his age, he is only fourteen years old, and that is his age in lunar calendar. He is definitely a little friend!

Little friend, I can’t let you sit idle either, so I’ll bring you over to me and let you play with me!

"Teacher, issue another decree, ordering the prefect of Xingyi Prefecture, Guizhou, Zhang Ying, to bring his son, Zhang Zhidong, to the capital for an audience!"

Du Shoutian knew that it was only a matter of time before Lin Zexu was appointed as the emperor had already had this intention and was beginning to form his own team.

Lin Zexu is one, his own son Du Han is one, and Su Shun was also promoted from the third-rank Shuaiyuanqing to the second-rank Zongrenfu Zongren. I just don’t know how the emperor will use him in the future!

Zeng Zhenfan and Li Hongzhang both count. Zeng Zhenfan is fine, but what's so surprising about Li Hongzhang?

What is even more puzzling is You Zongtang. Who is he? How did the emperor know him?

Also, who are the father and son of Zhang Ying? How come a teenager caught the emperor's eye?

Could it be that it was also Emperor Kangxi who told the Emperor?

No matter what, it is better for me to leave early, so as not to be an eyesore to the emperor like Zhang Tingyu, which would ruin my reputation!

After things were arranged, Yining felt less stressed, and he felt happy that quitting smoking didn't seem so painful after all!

As soon as the decree was issued, it immediately caused quite a stir in the officialdom!

People of all kinds had different reactions. Some officials couldn't sit still and asked why Lin Zexu should be appointed? Why did the emperor give him such great favor?

Wherever he goes, local officials have to send troops to protect him. If he fails to provide protection, he will lose his head. Bah, who is he?

Moreover, he was asked to offer sacrifices to Guan Tianpei and was given 5,000 taels of silver. What did that mean?

One was the imperial commissioner in charge of quitting smoking, and the other was a war hero who fought against the British. Putting the two things together, some people figured out that the emperor seemed to be taking big action on opium!

Regardless of whether these people held high or low positions, whether they did it intentionally or unintentionally, whether they were jealous or envious, whether they were well-intentioned or malicious, they all submitted memorials to the emperor.

Those who understand naturally support the emperor and believe that quitting smoking is something that must be done.

Those who are afraid of trouble, like falling leaves that would hit their heads, naturally do not support it. They describe their strength in memorials and earnestly ask the emperor not to provoke foreigners. We cannot defeat them, and if we are defeated again, we will have to cede land and pay compensation!

When Yining saw this, he was like, damn it, it was as if it was not the British’s fault that the Chinese were harmed by opium, but it was Yining’s fault.

Among them are memorials from Zaiquan, He Ruolin and Ji Zhichang!

Good, now you are acting like a regent. He was so angry that he tore up these memorials and threw them into the trash can. Let's wait and see!

This has caused great trouble for the Iraqi defense team, as these memorials have to be sealed and kept in archives.

Your Majesty, it’s easy for you to tear it into pieces in just a few strokes. We have to piece it together and glue it together piece by piece!

The ministers who submitted the memorials did not expect that these memorials would disappear into the sea like a drop of water after entering the palace. They were unwilling to accept this, so they continued writing and submitted the memorials again.

It's really disgusting, like a toad jumping on your feet, biting but not biting back!

Yining gritted his teeth and ignored them, thinking to himself, there is a line in the Pingju Opera "Flower as Matchmaker" by Li Maolin: "If my tree roots don't move, your treetops will shake in vain!"

Yining also issued an oral instruction to the cabinet ministers.

"I am trying my best to quit smoking. Do not disturb me unless it is a matter of military importance that will destroy the country and the family. For other matters, you elders can handle them on your own!"

This decree can be regarded as a leave of absence. I have quit smoking, and you still want to trouble me with some trivial matters. Aren’t you too tactless!

Such an edict can save Yining from a lot of trouble. Those who want to see and know will naturally get nothing. Those who don’t want to see and know will naturally see nothing!

Besides, damn it, I have given you so much power and you still don’t know what’s good for you!

If you keep chattering in front of me again, don't blame me for falling out with you!

The young eunuch came to report that Zeng Zhenfan and Li Hongzhang had arrived.

"Let them in!"

Yining looked at the two of them carefully. Zeng Zhenfan was forty years old and in the prime of his life. He had triangular eyes, a beard, a thin face, deep bags under his eyes, and looked a bit fierce.

This is a half-sage recognized by Confucianism. Yining still has great respect for him. He never thought that one day he would be able to talk to him condescendingly. How lucky he is!

Although Zeng Zhenfan tried his best to appear submissive in front of the emperor, he could not hide his stubborn nature.

If Yining didn't know his background, someone would definitely believe that this guy was a robber and bandit!

Yining knew that he had once written a letter to criticize the emperor for suppressing bandits and was almost beheaded. He had restrained himself a lot since then.

Li Hongzhang is 27 years old and not short, probably about meters tall.

He was handsome and imposing, and in today's words, a little handsome.

However, seeing that he was very reserved in his every move, it was no wonder. As an editor in the Hanlin Academy, it would be strange if he was not nervous when he was summoned by the emperor.

Zeng Zhenfan was also wondering why the emperor summoned him for no reason?

He even had to bring Li Hongzhang along, because no matter how much he guessed, he still couldn't figure it out!

Yining did not let them sit down, he wanted to consider these two people.

After the greetings between the monarch and his ministers, Yining got straight to the point.

"What do you think of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Guizhou, Mr. Zeng?"

Zeng Zhenfan was even more puzzled. The emperor summoned him just to ask this. He was not an official from Guangxi, and his hometown was not Guangxi. Why did he ask him?

However, he has been concerned about the God Worshipping Society in Guangxi for a long time and is extremely disgusted with it. The common people should just farm the land well. Believing in all kinds of messy religions is useless. It only makes the majority serve as stepping stones for the minority!

He followed Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, and he did not follow it blindly, but had his own ideas!

He has always been disgusted with foreign religions, let alone the God Worshipping Society, which developed from Christianity. In his heart, he has long classified the God Worshipping Society as a cult!

It’s just that no one listens to what he says now!

Now that the emperor had asked about this, it was exactly what he wanted. Zeng Zhenfan bowed and said,

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has seriously affected the normal lives of the local people, and its momentum is intensifying. This is truly not a blessing for the court!"

Yining asked,

"What do you think we should do?"

Zeng Zhenfan's mind worked quickly, and he had already planned to submit a petition to the court to ban the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!

It was only because he was insignificant and his words carried little weight, and the fact that the old emperor had passed away and the new emperor had ascended the throne made it not a good time to speak, so he had not made up his mind yet.