Chapter 68 5. When Wang Zhichun showed the salt government accounts, Li Hanzhang, who was about to do a big job, immediately softened

Sang Zhiping will arrive soon.He walked into the living room in the backyard, saw Zhang Zhidong's sick face at a glance, and asked in surprise, "What's the matter, are you sick?" Zhang Zhidong smiled bitterly and said: "I lay on the bed for a whole day yesterday, my chest seemed to be blocked by cotton wool, my hands and feet were weak, I took two doses of medicine prescribed by Dr. Sun last night, and today I feel much better." Sang Zhiping asked: "Okay, why are you sick, what's wrong?" Zhang Zhidong said in a low voice: "Actually, I am not sick, I am sick from anger."

Sang Zhiping felt strange: "Who still has the ability to be so angry that the governor is sick?" "Look at this letter first." Zhang Zhidong handed Yuan Chang's letter to Sang Zhiping, and said, "Jie'an and Shuqiao will come later, so don't talk about my illness yesterday. They The two are students, don't let them laugh at me for being too courageous." Sang Zhiping took Yuan Chang's letter and said with a smile, "A person can stand without anger. You should still be angry when you should be angry. It's normal to get sick from anger. You can't say you don't have the guts."

Zhang Zhidong said: "Don't say it in front of young people, give me some face." Sang Zhiping fell silent, and focused on the secret letter from Wannan Road.It's no wonder that Zaotai, who has always been as vigorous as a cow, fell ill. What an abominable offer!How could there be such a villain in the imperial court who couldn't tolerate other people's ability?The emperor's edict is also absurd. While Sang Zhiping was muttering in his mind like this, Liang Dingfen and Yang Rui walked into the living room one after the other.After they sat down, Zhang Zhidong said: "Xu Zhixiang, Minister of Dali Temple, has sued me. The emperor wants Liu Kun from Liangjiang to come and investigate me."

Liang and Yang were shocked when they heard these words. "After reading the letter in Mr. Sang's hand, you will naturally understand. I invite you to come here to hear your opinions." Sang Zhiping handed over the letter, Liang Dingfen took it, and Yang Rui leaned over, impatiently looking at it with the head of the Lianghu Academy. "How unreasonable!" Thirty-five-year-old Yang Rui was still young and energetic, and he couldn't help crying before he had finished reading all the letters. Thirty-one-year-old Liang Dingfen has a calmer personality than Yang Rui. He adjusted the black-rimmed myopia glasses on the bridge of his nose and said, "I met Yuan Chang once in the capital. I don't know if he is Xiangshuai's protégé, if he is a protégé or a private one?"

Zhang Zhidong replied indifferently: "He was selected in the Zhejiang Provincial Examination in the sixth year of Tongzhi." "Oh." The three said almost simultaneously. Sang Zhiping said: "This person is rare!" Yang Rui still said angrily: "Jiang Ning sent someone to investigate, let him come. We are not afraid of shadows and our feet are not afraid of crooked shoes." Liang Dingfen thought for a while and said: "Xiang Shuai is dedicated to the country, and everyone knows that Xu Zhixiang's participation in such an event is simply insane. Wang Fantai is also a rare talent, and it is unreasonable to call him amassing. However, I am in Guangya At that time, I also heard people say that Wang Fantai was too shrewd, and it was inevitable that people would complain. Some people also gossip about Zhao Zongwen's case, saying that he has a bit of financial involvement with Boss Peng, who gambled with Baowei. , can't underestimate Xu Zhixiang's book."

Zhang Zhidong didn't like what Liang Dingfen said, so he said with a sullen face, "Don't listen to the rumors, I understand Wang Zhichun and Zhao Maochang, there's nothing wrong with them." Liang Dingfen was startled, and wanted to go on, but quickly stopped. Zhang Zhidong turned around and asked Sang Zhiping who had been silent all this time: "Tell me, how should we deal with this matter?" After thinking for a while, Sang Zhiping said: "I agree with Jie'an's statement. Don't take Xu Zhixiang's ginseng too lightly. Xu Zhixiang is indeed a villain who is jealous of talents, but he lives in the capital and talks about things in Guangdong and Hubei. , I think someone must be instigating and instigating Xu Zhixiang to come forward. This is one. Secondly, Xu Zhixiang's participation can be so valued by the emperor, there must be someone behind him, and the people who support him are very important."

Zhang Zhidong stared at Sang Zhiping, his face was tense, and he didn't make a sound.Yang Rui and Liang Dingfen also listened attentively to Sang Zhiping's analysis. "The instigators and supporters, we will slowly investigate in the future. The most important thing right now is to find countermeasures. I think Liu Kunyi will be easy to talk to. Since he is talking to Yuan Chang, and Yuan Chang is taking risks Let us know that Yuan Chang will try his best to play down the matter in front of Liu Kunyi. Liu Xianshuai is not particular about details, he is not the kind of insidious and harmful person, so it is expected that he will not be too hard on him. There is another person who wants to arouse our special feelings. Notice."

"Another person?" Zhang Zhidong repeated this sentence softly.My mind was searching for this person quickly.Yang Rui was also thinking hard.A person suddenly appeared in Liang Dingfen's mind, could it be him?But the matter is very important, and he was reprimanded just now, so he dare not speak rashly. "Xu Zhixiang's papers mostly talk about things in Guangdong. Since the edict asked Liu Kunyi to come to Wuchang for a secret visit, in my opinion, Li Hanzhang, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, will definitely be called to visit in Guangzhou. Li Hanzhang must be taken seriously."

Liang Dingfen was overjoyed: I guessed it right! Zhang Zhidong nodded and said: "Brother Zhong Zi's analysis is very reasonable, and Xu Zhixiang's copy will also be sent to Guangzhou. Although Li Hanzhang has no direct quarrel with me, Li Hongzhang has disagreed with me for many years in political views. As an older brother, he will definitely turn to his younger brother. , if some right and wrong come out for no reason, it will be a troublesome thing." Sang Zhiping hurriedly took up the conversation: "Exactly. Su Dongpo's famous saying: When viewed horizontally, it looks like mountains and peaks, with different heights. Seen from below, it is different. Almost everything in the world is like this, and different results can be seen from different angles. For example, the opening of the forbidden room in Guangdong to gamble can be understood as raising money for the army. As a last resort, those who don’t understand will say that it’s unseemly to gamble with the national talent ceremony. If you encounter someone who wants to embarrass you, he will say that this is blasphemy and insulting. Therefore, the description of one thing However, the narrator's own mind has a lot to do with it!"

Zhang Zhidong understood the meaning of Sang Zhiping's words.It seems that Guangdong must have received a similar letter from Jiang Ning.Guangdong Province cannot be ignored even more. How to deal with the brother who is the target of the Qingliu Party?Seeing Sang Zhiping looking at him, the corner of his mouth moved twice but no sound came out.He understood that the hermit from Gubeikou might have something secret to say, but it was inconvenient for Yang Rui and Liang Dingfen to speak because of the presence of Yang Rui and Liang Dingfen.At this moment, Zhao Maochang opened the door and came in, and said to Zhang Zhidong: "My lord, Mr. Xu Jianyin, the director of the Iron Political Bureau, wrote in a letter saying that many people in the Maanshan Coal Mine are digging small coal mines, which greatly interferes with the coal mine. Discuss the matter with Tan Futai and ask the governor's yamen to greet Jiangxia County and ask Jiangxia County to issue a ban to prohibit the nearby people from digging coal without authorization."

Zhang Zhidong took this opportunity to say to Yang Rui: "Uncle Qiao, you go back to the copy room, first write a letter to Xu Huiban on my behalf, saying that you will discuss this matter with Tan Futai immediately, and we must stop the random digging of small coal mines." .” Yang Rui promised to get up immediately.Zhang Zhidong said to Liang Dingfen again: "Jie'an should go back to the academy first, you should think about it carefully, and come to talk to me tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." After everyone left the small living room in the backyard, Zhang Zhidong asked Sang Zhiping: "They are all gone, so you can say whatever you want!" Sang Zhiping smiled and said, "How do you know that I have something to say behind their backs?" Zhang Zhidong said with a smile, "I've observed the situation and know that you have a good idea that can only be told to me." "Jie'an said just now about Wang Zhichun and Zhao Maochang's gossip. To tell you the truth, I heard about it when I was in Guangdong. Of course, Wang Zhichun is a capable person, and he is trustworthy in most respects. However, if someone from Guangdong If you can't get along with him, two or three of the indiscretions are piled up together, and it's very annoying." "You mean, neither Wang Zhichun nor Zhao Maochang can stand the investigation?" Zhang Zhidong's relaxed face tensed up again. "Yes." Sang Zhi nodded sternly. "What should we do? If there is an order, Li Hanzhang will definitely do it. He is different from Liu Xianshuai." Zhang Zhidong became worried. "There is a way." An idea formed in Sang Zhiping's mind. "Let's go head-to-head." "What's the right way?" "Leave this matter to Wang Zhichun." Sang Zhiping pointed to Yuan Chang's secret letter and said, "Wang Juetang is also mentioned here, let him see it. After reading it, he promises to be restless and very anxious." .” "Should Wang Juetang go to Shangshu to defend himself?" Zhang Zhidong's mind was full of doubts. "No, what's the use of arguing in person!" Sang Zhiping lowered his voice, "You don't come forward at all about this matter, let me tell Wang Juetang, and ask him to check Li Hanzhang's old account when he was in charge of Hubei. From the seventh year of Tongzhi to the eighth year of Guangxu, Li Hanzhang served as governor of Hubei Province in Wuchang for 15 years. Could it be that he was as clear as water during the 15 years and nothing happened? I heard him talk about Hubei in person at Ziqing Zhongtang that year. The government’s salt policy has serious drawbacks, and official smuggling is an open secret. Official salt smuggling in Hubei would never have been possible without the consent of Li Hanzhang. I think Wang Juetang will investigate the 15-year salt policy in detail. There was a big problem. At that time, I asked him to go to Guangdong secretly, meet Li Hanzhang face to face, and tell him about it. Say you sent him here, and ask him how to settle the matter." Zhang Zhidong slapped his thigh happily, and stood up abruptly: "Brother Zhongzi, this is a good idea! People say that the wealth accumulated by the Li family can be compared with that of He Kun in the Qianlong Dynasty. Li Hanzhang served as governor of Hubei for fifteen years, which is really true." I don't know how much money he has paid for it. Besides, it is appropriate for Wang Juetang to handle this matter. However, if he is asked to keep it a secret, Tan Jingfu cannot be allowed to know about it." "I know that. Tan Jingfu can't handle anything." Sang Zhiping paused for a while and then said, "Have you ever thought about it, if the queen mother is in power, will this matter happen?" Zhang Zhidong thought for a moment and said, "At least the Empress Dowager will not ask anyone to come to Wuchang for a secret investigation, but will ask me directly." "The emperor has no prejudice against you, it seems that someone is influencing the emperor." "You mean Weng Tonghe?" "It's very possible." Sang Zhiping said concentratingly, "He interfered with the opening of the forbidden room for gambling that year. Since he took charge of the household department, he has been in a dilemma everywhere. He intentionally suppressed the money from the iron factory for more than half a year before approving it. These years He has interfered with your actions a lot. I guess it is very likely that he is doing the trick again." "If Weng Tongsu intends to oppose me, I really can't do anything about him." Zhang Zhidong sighed with a sad face, "Since ancient times, there has been no one who has made meritorious service among powerful officials. Unfortunately, this kind of thing happened to me. gone." "There's no need to be so pessimistic." Sang Zhiping comforted him, "I used to be born as a soldier outside the country. Are there not enough people around the emperor and queen mother to hinder him? Although he often sighs like this, after all, he has made great achievements outside." Zhang Zhidong said: "I have read Zeng Disheng's family letter and family precepts many times, and his sad and trembling mood is vivid on the paper. I just hope that I will not offend my boss, but a ZTE's first minister actually hugged him." This kind of mentality is pitiful. Zeng Disheng practiced Huang Lao's art in his later years, blindly begging for perfection, which I can't do. I can't cultivate myself, and my temper is impatient, I'm afraid it's rare to be like him." "I don't think it's advisable for Zeng Disheng to suppress himself like that. Do your best and obey the destiny, don't worry so much, take whatever step you can do, and just have a clear conscience." Zhang Zhidong said: "I have exactly the attitude you mentioned. I try my best to do it. If he wants to interfere, I will let him interfere. I will not curry favor with him, but beg him. In the worst case, I will read and write essays." Recite poems. Come naked, go naked, walk in the world as you like, this is a real man!" "Brilliant!" Sang Zhiping couldn't help admiring from the bottom of his heart, "But then again, there is no need to curry favor and beg, but it would be even better if you can restrain the powerful minister and prevent him from succeeding. I think we have to find a way to let him The Empress Dowager knows that nothing will happen until the Empress Dowager stops it later. Otherwise, even though Liu Xianzhuang and Li Xiaoquan don't say anything bad, if Weng Tonghe intends to rectify, he will still come up with other ideas." "How do we let the queen mother know? Lord Chun is not here anymore." Speaking of King Chun, Zhang Zhidong felt very uncomfortable for a while.No matter how many difficult things, he was able to complete them all. The kindness is truly as heavy as a mountain!It's a pity that he didn't even have the chance to offer sacrifices to his spirit when he died. "You can't go to Brother Ziqing either. He's old and weak, so it's not easy for him to go to the garden to see the Queen Mother over this matter." "Yes, how can we get this matter to the Queen Mother's ears, just let her come forward and say a few words." Sang Zhiping said to himself, he couldn't think of a good way for a while. Both of them held their cheeks in thought.Suddenly, a light flashed in Sang Zhiping's mind: "Last month, there was an edict to ask the provinces for good doctors and wonderful prescriptions for the treatment of the Empress Dowager. You discussed it with me at that time, and I advise you not to pay attention to it. It is a risky thing for the Queen Mother to donate medicine. If it is cured, I will give you a few hundred taels of silver, but these hundreds of taels of silver are useless to you; .” Zhang Zhidong said: "Yes, I have the same opinion as you. Are you bringing up this matter again because you want to use the opportunity of recommending a doctor to send a message to the Queen Mother?" "Yes, I think so." Sang Zhiping looked at Zhang Zhidong and said, "Do you have a suitable doctor?" "There are good doctors." Zhang Zhidong thought of someone. "However, even if it is a good doctor I highly recommend, it is very difficult to get the approval of the Imperial Hospital to meet the Empress Dowager. Besides, even if he met the Empress Dowager, how could he tell the Empress Dowager about it? Refund 10,000 yuan If he can say it, the Queen Mother is willing to listen, what will he use as proof? You can't show Yuan Chang's letter to the Queen Mother!" Yes, what Zhang Zhidong said made sense, it was not easy to meet the Empress Dowager, and when they met, they could only see illnesses and not talk about state affairs.It seems that this road does not work!Sang Zhiping thought in his heart, is there another way to go? Let Xu Zhixiang's references appear in the mansion newspaper!Sang Zhiping suddenly thought of this method.The queen mother will definitely read the mansion newspaper, and she will know about it after reading the mansion newspaper, but this is also inappropriate.Because once it is reported to the residence, it will be reported to all provinces in the country. Will Zhang Xiangtao agree to lose face?What's more, if everyone discusses it, the words of influence will become true, which is not beautiful! Is there any other way to think about, any other way to go?Sang Zhiping, who has always had a lot of ideas, is stuck in a dilemma.Zhang Zhidong is also trying his best to search for the staff and friends of the old capital, hoping to find someone who can deliver a message.One by one, the names of people came out, and one by one was denied.Suddenly, Sang Zhiping thought of someone. "If Li Lianying can pass the news to the Queen Mother, that would be a good way." Zhang Zhidong shook his head and said: "This way is not good either. Don't say that I don't want to convey this matter through him. Even if I do, how can you get close to Li Lianying? I have been in the capital for more than ten years, and I have never Friends on this path." Zhang Zhidong's categorical refusal made Sang Zhiping respect Zhang Zhidong in disappointment: after all, he was worthy of being from Qingliu, and he didn't want to be degraded to the chief eunuch of Afu. Higher class.But what to do about it? Zhang Zhidong said: "Go and talk to Wang Juetang about dealing with Li Xiaoquan first. It seems that there is no suitable person for the Empress Dowager right now, so we have to wait for the opportunity." God helped Zhang Zhidong.After two days, an excellent opportunity came to him.This morning, he received a letter from Xi'an: his brother-in-law, Lu Chuanlin, the governor of Shaanxi, is scheduled to leave for the capital to meet the emperor on the seventh day of next month. After Zhang Zhidong read the letter, he was overjoyed.Tell your brother-in-law what happened, and ask him to go to the Summer Palace to greet the Empress Dowager after seeing the Emperor. This opportunity is more reliable and convenient than any other way.After thinking hard for a few days, a difficult problem was finally solved by a chance.This incident gave Zhang Zhidong a great inspiration: After ten years of release, the officialdom in the capital is becoming more and more isolated.If things go on like this, foreign officials can't do well. There must be a very trusted person in a key department of the court in order to detect some inside stories in the court that are not known to outsiders.Who will do this?Renquan has lived in Beijing for a long time and has some understanding of the situation inside and outside the court, but he is not suitable for doing such a thing.One is because he is his own son, so he is easy to attract people's attention, and second, he is restrained, so this kind of thing can't be done well.Just as he was thinking about asking, Yang Rui opened the door and came in, and whispered to Zhang Zhidong: "I have helped Wang Fantai investigate the salt administration of Li Xiaoquan'e acting in charge these days, and found out a lot of things, at least three million taels of silver. The whereabouts are unknown, and it is estimated that they all flowed into his pocket. After two days to verify, I will accompany Wang Fantai to Guangzhou to show off Li Xiaoquan. With this trick, forgive him for not being able to deal with Xu Zhixiang Difficult with us." Zhang Zhidong nodded with a smile, and suddenly thought, let Yang Rui play this role, he must be competent. "Uncle Qiao, you don't want to accompany Wang Fantai to Guangzhou. I've given you a new mission. You go to the capital, and you will live there for a long time, and you won't come back." "What's going on?" Yang Rui stared at Zhang Zhidong with wide eyes.He felt that the teacher's decision was too abrupt and too puzzling: What is the purpose of staying in the capital for a long time? "Sit down, I'll tell you slowly." Seeing Yang Rui's youthful expression despite being standing up for a long time, Zhang Zhidong told his proud disciple his idea of ​​inviting Lu Chuanlin to meet the Queen Mother, and then He said to Yang Rui with a serious expression: "I have a very important plan, which is to arrange one or two completely reliable people to work in the capital, so as to get more news from the inside of the court and keep in touch with me at any time. You are the most The right person, I invite you to fill this role." Seeing that Yang Rui was still full of doubts, Zhang Zhidong smiled happily and said, "Uncle Qiao, don't be nervous, and don't have any uneasiness. I have been blessed by the Tongzhi and Guangxu dynasties, and I am the governor who was especially promoted by the Queen Mother. To the court, Loyal to the Empress Dowager, I have no other aspirations. I let you stay in the capital. I definitely don’t want you to be a spy, nor will I ask you to do things that violate the court’s laws. The people in the capital learned more about the situation. If Liu Xianzhuang hadn’t happened to ask Yuan Chang to discuss this time, we would still be kept in the dark. If there was a broad-minded person in the court, we wouldn’t be so passive.” Yang Rui understood what the teacher meant, and he said in embarrassment: "The year before last, I listened to my teacher's persuasion and went back to Sichuan for the provincial examination. I finally won a Juren, but I was not admitted as a Jinshi. I have no official or job right now. It's so insignificant, what can I do for you?" Zhang Zhidong said: "I have thought of all these. After you go to the capital, you will stay in Renquan's place, and then go to visit Ziqing, the old Xiangguo. I have a letter for you to bring to him, and he will arrange for you to enter the cabinet and be a Zhongshusheren. Although the official position of Zhongshusheren is not high, it is an important position. You can get in touch with senior scholars, governors and generals of various provinces, and small officials in the yamen of the capital. You can get many things that others can't easily get. Things. You do a good job in Zhongshu Sheren, and then I will find a way to promote you through other people's hands." Hearing this, Yang Rui was very excited.While Yang Rui was working as a copywriter in the shogunate of the Huguang Governor's Office, he was also working hard to prepare for the examination.He failed the exam the year before last, but Yang Shenxiu won the Jinshi as the head of Jinyang Academy and was assigned to the official department.This made Yang Rui both envious and blamed himself, and secretly vowed that he must pass the exam.Once you enter the cabinet as a member of Zhongshushe, and you are in the officialdom of the capital, you have many advantages to participate in the examination.If there is no Chinese style, it is also an excellent treatment to have this status with one move.Zhongshusheren have both Jinshi and Juren backgrounds, which does not hinder promotion.This is really a good place to dream of.It’s just that Yang Rui still has concerns about the burden on his shoulders: “Teacher, entering the cabinet to be a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is a position that students dream of. It’s just that the students are blunt and have limited abilities. Zhang Zhidong said comfortingly: "I have taught many students in my life, and I have also experienced many officials and scholars. A person I know well, I know how much talent he has and how much he can do. You If it wasn’t for this material, I wouldn’t let you go. If you don’t believe in yourself, you have to believe in me. Don’t worry. Lu Futai departs from Xi’an on Chuqi. He has many followers and walks slowly. You are alone. , riding alone on a horse and walking fast without any attachments. It is estimated that he will arrive at Zhangde Mansion on the 28th or 28th. Today is the tenth day of the lunar month. You spend half a month trying to get there around the 27th or 8th. Zhangde Mansion, meet him. If you miss it in Zhangde Mansion, you can continue to meet him in Shunde Mansion and Zhengding Mansion. If you take ten thousand steps back, you can meet him in Baoding Mansion. All right, just meet him before entering the capital." Yang Rui said: "Please don't worry about this, teacher. I will pack it up tomorrow and set off the day after tomorrow. I will definitely arrive at Zhangde Mansion on the 25th and 6th. I will wait there for the riders from Lufutai." On the twelfth, Yang Rui left Wuchang and headed north with Zhang Zhidong's letter.On the 15th, Wang Zhichun also left Wuchang and went south with two followers.When Li Hanzhang went to Guangzhou to serve as governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Wang Zhichun was still serving as a feudal official in Guangdong, so they knew each other very well.On the second day of Wang Zhichun's arrival in Guangzhou, he easily walked into the gate of the Superintendent's Office and was received by Li Hanzhang. Li Hanzhang is sixty-nine years old this year, but he doesn't look too old. His facial features and face shape are quite similar to those of his second brother, but he is two or three inches shorter.Li Hanzhang didn't read well, and his fame was just a tribute.His father Li Wen'an was the same year as Zeng Guofan, and his second brother was Zeng Guofan's only personal disciple. Because of these backgrounds, he gained Zeng Guofan's trust.When Zeng Guofan founded the Hunan Army, it was at the time of employing people.The Zeng family valued blood relationship, teachers and students, and fellow villagers most in employing people.Zeng Guofan personally asked the court to distribute him to Hunan.In the fourth year of Xianfeng, Li Hanzhang came to Hunan to act as the county magistrate of Yongzhou, and Zeng Guofan asked him to handle food and payment in the Eastern Expedition Bureau.Li Hanzhang was diligent in his work and contributed a lot to the supply of food and salaries for the Hunan Army's Eastern Expeditionary Forces. He was highly regarded by Zeng Guofan and was soon promoted to Gannan Road in Jiangxi, and then moved to Governor Liang Road in Guangdong.Li Hanzhang's official fortune was excellent, and he was prosperous all the way. He was promoted from a Taoist priest to an inspector, and then to a chief executive.In the fourth year of Tongzhi, Li Hanzhang, who had been an official for eleven years, was promoted to governor of Hunan, and in the seventh year of Tongzhi, he was promoted to governor of Huguang.From then until the eighth year of Guangxu, Li Hanzhang stayed in the post of Lake Governor for fifteen years.During this period, he left Wuchang temporarily to serve in other places four times, and his second brother Li Hongzhang replaced him as governor of Lianghu.At that time, Er Li's mother was still alive.For fifteen years, she stayed in the Wuchang Governor's Office without leaving, because both the predecessor and the successor were her sons.No other parent in the world can find another honor like Mrs. Li enjoys.In the era when mothers are more expensive than children, for a woman to do this, she can be said to be extremely beautiful, and there is no other way to add it. In terms of fame, Li Hanzhang didn't even win a second class, and in terms of military merit, he didn't even go to the battlefield, but in a short period of 13 or 14 years, he completed his career from a small county magistrate of the seventh rank to a governor of the second rank. official career.In the peaceful era, this was something that many Jinshi Hanlin could not do in their lifetime. In that war era, it was also beyond the reach of literati without military merit.But Li Hanzhang did it.Zeng Guofan's support and Li Hongzhang's illustrious achievements are of course important reasons for his success, but Li Hanzhang's own ability must not be ignored. Li Hanzhang's ability is just four words: to be an official carefully.All his life, his thoughts were not on how to do things, but on how to be an official.The set of officialdom has been thoroughly studied by him, and he has perfected his operation.In his life, there was hardly any proud virtue to speak of, but his life was smooth and prosperous, he rose steadily, and almost did not encounter any setbacks and ups and downs.It can be said that he is a lucky man in the officialdom, or a mediocre in the officialdom. He is indeed an outstanding representative in the feudal officialdom of China. Ten days ago, Li Hanzhang received a letter from the cabinet that was almost identical to Liu Kunyi's: an edict, and a copy of Xu Zhixiang's participation.The words in the Shangyu are slightly different: "investigate on the spot" instead of "go to Wuchang for a close investigation". Out of disgust for Qingliu and jealousy for Zhang Zhidong, Li Hanzhang secretly rejoiced after receiving this letter from the cabinet.He immediately sent someone to investigate and deal with it according to the order.After hearing the news, several Taoist officials who had been reprimanded by Zhang Zhidong took the initiative to come to the supervisory office to accuse Zhang Zhidong of being rude to them, and many veteran scholars who had failed the provincial examination many times were filled with righteous indignation when they brought up the ban on gambling. Swearing at Zhang Zhidong was the culprit in this matter.The results of the investigation were also unfavorable to Wang Zhichun.When he was the commander of the Hunan Army's battalion under Peng Yulin, and when he was Lei Qiongdao, some people suspected that he was not innocent in the accounts.It was also revealed that he owned 500 mu of fertile land in his hometown in Qingquan and had seven or eight shops in Hengzhou Mansion.As for Zhao Maochang, the gambling boss Wang surnamed Wei who lived in Macau revealed that he had received 20,000 taels of silver privately, and the Xinhui businessman Liang Mou revealed that he had extorted a string of amber rosary beads from his family, worth 8,000 taels of silver.Li Hanzhang was going to write these into a solid memorial, and he would severely punish Zhang Zhidong, expressing the suffocation that their brothers had suppressed in their chests for many years. , When Wang Zhichun presented a detailed account of Hubei's salt affairs from the seventh year of Tongzhi to the eighth year of Guangxu in front of him, his awe-inspiring righteousness of fighting against criminals disappeared immediately.In the eyes of Zhang Zhidong, governor of Huguang, he himself is an out-and-out criminal.After wiping off the perspiration on his forehead, Li Hanzhang also handed over to Wang Zhichun the imperial decree, Xu Zhixiang's references, and the factual record of his investigation.Wang Zhichun couldn't help but admire Zhang Zhidong and Sang Zhiping's brilliance from the bottom of his heart.He told Li Hanzhang without changing his face that this was all framed by villains.He also lamented that it is not easy to do things for the imperial court. If it is wide, it will be dereliction of duty, and if it is serious, it will cause resentment. Mr. Zhang and himself are well aware of this hardship, so when they found these doubts in the salt affairs accounts, they were not in a hurry to report them to the Ministry of Accounts. , but specially came to Guangzhou to consult Mr. Li.Li Hanzhang expressed his deep gratitude to Mr. Zhang for his kindness. There is a truth in officialdom all over the world, and there are villains everywhere.Therefore, the two tacitly made up for each other's rifts.In the end, Li Hanzhang said that it was not easy to explain if there was nothing found in the investigation according to the order, and Zhao Maochang's poor performance was well-documented, so it was inconvenient to shirk it.Wang Zhichun also agreed to throw out Zhao Maochang, accepting the decision to throw away his pawn and save the car. One month later, Liu Kunyi, the governor of Liangjiang, and Li Hanzhang, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, successively reported to the court. The two documents were almost made out of the same mold: Zhang Zhidong was a diligent official, Wang Zhichun was good at handling things, and Xu Zhixiang's influence was not true. Remarks, there is no factual evidence after investigation.Zhao Maochang, chief copywriter of the supervisory office, is inconsistent with public opinion, there are many material discussions, and the bribery case is serious, so he should be dismissed and investigated. At the same time, Lu Chuanlin also arrived in Beijing.After your Majesty's meeting, he was summoned by Empress Dowager Cixi in the Summer Palace.Cixi knew about the relationship between Lu Chuanlin and Zhang Zhidong's uncle, so she couldn't help asking about Zhang Zhidong during the conversation.Taking advantage of this time, Lu Chuanlin reported to Cixi about Xu Zhixiang's performance.Cixi smiled and said to Lu Chuanlin that officials like to hear rumors and stories. Zhang Zhidong has been a speaker for many years, so he should understand and don't take it to heart.A few days later, Guangxu came into the garden to pay his respects, and Cixi casually told him that he had heard that Xu Zhixiang was involved in the impeachment of Zhang Zhidong, so don't take it too seriously.Guangxu was taken aback when he heard this, he didn't expect that the empress dowager who lived deep in the Summer Palace already knew about this, and her attitude was clearly on Zhang Zhidong's side.He told Weng Tonghe after returning to the palace.Weng Tonghe originally wanted to take this opportunity to kill Zhang Zhidong's sharp-edged arrogance and self-satisfaction, but after seeing Liu Kunyi and Li Hanzhang's memorials, especially after finding out what the Queen Mother meant, he had no choice but to give up this idea and ordered the cabinet to draft a plan. A decree was issued: Zhao Maochang, the chief copywriter of the Governor's Yamen in Wuchang, Huguang, violated the law and dereliction of duty. He has been found out for extortion and bribery. The incident called "Xu Zhixiang's big participation in the case" by historians ended anticlimactically like this.This was a near-miss turmoil in Zhang Zhidong's official career, and it was a very typical case in the history of modern Chinese officialdom.