Chapter 17 2. Since ancient times, in order to achieve great things in China, it is impossible to rely on words without a sword

The next morning, Tan Sitong, Liang Qichao, and Yang Du arrived at the gate of Xu's Mansion in Dopot Hutong in the west of the city.Tan Sitong handed over the name badge, explaining his purpose of coming, and let them in after being notified by the concierge. This is a very spacious courtyard.A flat and clean wide lawn is built with blue-gray bricks and stones of the same color. Two tall grape trellises are erected on the east and west sides of the grassland. Hanging from the top of the wooden frame, it looks like small beads carved out of jasper, very cute.Beside the grape trellis are large and small asparagus bamboos, orchids, and bonsai made of ancient rocks, overlapping up and down in a well-arranged pattern.There are also eight huge water tanks in the shape of a blue animal drum with a white background. In the water tanks, there are big bubble-eyed goldfish and black crucian carp that are as black as charcoal.Yang Du praised: "What an elegant and refined courtyard!"

The concierge took them to the west wing.On the mahogany pillars on both sides of the wing room, there is a pair of couplets painted in stone green color: Ke Gong is in the morning and evening, and I am ashamed of the past and the present.The concierge opened the bamboo curtain, and everyone saw an old man with white beard and hair sitting beside the desk in the room.When the old man saw that the guests had come to the door, he stood up and said in a Beijing dialect with a Wu accent, "Please come in." The three of them filed into the study room and sat down on a row of Ming-style mahogany straight-back carved chairs by the north wall.When the concierge was pouring tea, Yang Du took a good look at the old man, and saw that the Hanlin scholar was about seventy years old, with a ruddy complexion, a strong waist, and a stubborn look between his eyebrows and eyes.

Xueshi Xu asked with a smile: "Which one is Mr. Tan Fusheng?" Tan Sitong stood up and agreed, and handed over Xu Renzhu's letter.Xu Xueshi took the letter, put it aside and didn't read it quickly, first looked Tan Sitong up and down, and said, "You are Tan Shixiong, and I have admired him for a long time. I have long heard that Jingfu Zhongcheng has an extraordinary son. I met you today. , as expected.” Tan Sitong said: "Senior praised you." "Is your father respecting Kangtai?" "My father is in good health, but he is old and has some health problems. He is not as strong as yours." Tan Sitong was born in Beijing and did not return to his hometown in Liuyang to study until he was twelve years old. His Beijing accent is still very pure.

Xueshi Xu laughed twice and said, "Sit down, sit down and talk, introduce these two." "This is Liang Qichao, a member of Guangdong Xinhui." Tan Sitong pointed to Liang Qichao. "Oh!" Xu Xueshi was obviously a little surprised. He leaned forward towards Liang Qichao and said with a little respect, "Mr. Liang Zhuoru, your name is like the ears of an old man. You have made such a big achievement at such a young age." With such a great reputation, this old man is a little ashamed in front of you." Xu Xueshi's words from the heart moved the three young people present, especially Liang Qichao.He got up and replied: "The old man is knowledgeable about Yuan Yi, and he is highly respected. We have admired him for a long time."

Xu Zhijing is worthy of people's admiration.Not only is he knowledgeable, but he is also upright and upright. He has always taken it as his duty to promote talents and encourage young students. Although he is over seventy years old, he is still ambitious and courageous.The old man is particularly respectable. He manages the family well and teaches his children well. Both sons were awarded Jinshi when they were in their twenties and entered Hanyuan. good talk. Tan Sitong went on to introduce: "This is Yang Du, a native of Xiangtan, Hunan." "Oh." Xu Zhijing nodded, "Okay, okay, are you here for the test?"

"Yes." Yang Du replied respectfully.Seeing the old gentleman's unusual enthusiasm towards Tan and Liang, Yang Du suddenly felt left out.Soon, he calmed down.You can't blame the old man for having different hot and cold, because you can't compare with Tan Sitong and Liang Qichao.The young Juren, who is obsessed with learning about emperors, is full of confidence in his future. He believes that his future fame and status will definitely arouse the admiration of people in the capital. "Okay, sit down for a while and drink some tea, I'll read the letter." Xu Zhijing took out the letter paper, put on reading glasses and looked carefully.At this time, Liang Qichao picked up a stack of "Beijing News" on the coffee table, flipped through a few pages, and suddenly saw a row of thick and black characters in the middle of the first page: Xu Zhijing, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, invited Ming Ding Guoshi .He gently greeted Tan and Yang to gather and watch together: Fu Wen, the emperor is worried about work during the night, and he is familiar with the reasons of China and foreign countries. Striving for self-improvement, the world created by our ancestors for more than 200 years is not in danger.However, since the incident, the New Deal has not taken any action, and the school and special affairs have not been held. If there is nothing, the world is suspicious that the emperor still thinks it is right to keep the old.If you keep the old, you can clearly order the internal and external ministers and workers to abide by the old rules; if you change the law, please also issue a special edict, and all new policies will be implemented immediately.In a word, I ask the emperor to clarify the state of the country quickly, so that the subjects of the world can understand what the holy intention is, and they can follow suit.

After Liang Qichao looked at it, he respected the old man in front of him spontaneously.This memorial is too timely, and it is precisely this matter that he was talking about with his teacher a few days ago.Kang Youwei was very anxious not to see the emperor's clear attitude, and Liang Qichao also felt that the prospect of the reform was not very bright.Now, Xu Xueshi's memorials are prominently placed in the "Beijing News", which may be a prelude to the emperor's determination to clarify the country's affairs. "Mr. Tan, my son's letter only said to recommend a few capable talents to assist the emperor in reforming the law, but he didn't mention who they are. Has he told you?" After reading the letter, the old man asked while taking off his glasses. Tan Sitong.

Tan Sitong replied: "Before leaving Changsha, Xu Xuetai and I discussed this matter repeatedly. Xu Xuetai wrote a few names on the other paper, saying that they are only for adults' reference. The adults will decide which ones to recommend in the end." After finishing speaking, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.Xu Zhijing put on his glasses again, and whispered: "Okay, he coincides with me." Xu Zhijing folded the paper, took off his presbyopic glasses again, and said slowly, "Since the book was written on the bus three years ago, there have been a lot of empty words about the reformation, and it has achieved great results." But there are not many, and the capital can say that everything remains the same. The eighteen provinces, except Hunan, the other seventeen provinces have not changed much. The key reason for this is that there are many opponents within the imperial court, and they are very powerful. But the big If the Qing Dynasty is to be strong, it must be reformed. On this point, the old man agrees with you young people. A few days ago, I sent a memorial to the emperor, the purpose of which is to urge the emperor to make up his mind as soon as possible."

Liang Qichao raised the "Beijing News" and said: "We have the honor to read your memorial just now, it is really a timely rain for the reform." Xu Zhijing smiled slightly and said: "The emperor is too tightly surrounded by old-fashioned ministers. He still wants to change his ways, but he has no capable people around him. Renzhu's consideration is right. But you are all young and your status is too high. It is not high, and lacks prestige, and there will be many difficulties in handling affairs in the court in the future." Speaking of this, Xu Zhijing thought of the complicated entanglements among the ruling ministers, and the long-term discord between the empress dowager and the emperor, and his mood suddenly became gloomy.I wanted to reveal a thing or two to these passionate young people, but these words should not be said casually, and they should not be poured cold water on them, so I swallowed the words again.He stared at Tan Sitong and Liang Qichao with restrained expression, and said solemnly: "To tell you the truth, I am probably not a good job to be the emperor's personal adviser at this time."

Tan Sitong replied: "The later students know that they are young and ignorant, and their talents are shallow, so they dare not seek high-quality and important responsibilities, let alone use it to seek a high position for themselves. It is really out of sincerity for the country and the people. Just reminded by the boss It is very important. Wansheng knows that among the people who presided over the reform in the past dynasties, there are very few people who are famous and prosperous, and many who are famous and defeated. If he failed, not only would he die without a place to bury him, but he would also harm his father and his children. However, Wansheng still hopes to use the power of an adult to be entrusted with the important task of the emperor, assist the government, and implement the new law. The people of Li are in dire straits. When Wan Sheng was in Changsha, he had already told Master Xuetai that Sitong would never take credit for the success of the Restoration. If the Restoration failed, Sitong would be willing to die with his own body.”

"Excellent, heroic words!" Xu Zhijing stood up abruptly, "Based on what you said, Mr. Tan, I will put my family's life at risk, recommend talents for the country, and promote talents for the people. I will write a letter to the emperor tomorrow." Liang Qichao also stood up excitedly, and said with emotion: "The success or failure of the Great Reformation and the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty are entirely entrusted to you, old man. The Mongolian and Tibetan compatriots will also be grateful to the old man!" "Everyone sit down!" After Xu Zhijing called everyone to sit down, he sat down himself and said with emotion, "There is no need to mention the word gratitude. This old man's move is purely out of loyalty. Over the years, foreign troubles have continued frequently, and state affairs have been troubled. , but those princes and relatives who are deeply favored by the emperor are not awake, and they are still chasing their own interests and enjoyment in the drunkenness. Children's play. Every time the old man thinks about this, he sighs and tears. However, people are unconscious and have no real power. They have no choice but to sigh. Yi Weinian has personally seen the emotions of patriotism and concern for the people of the testers, and read their deafening words In the speech, the old man suddenly realized that the way out of the Qing Dynasty lies in the restoration, and the hope of the Qing Dynasty lies in the young people. Liu Yuxi said it well: Thousands of sails pass by the side of a sinking boat, and ten thousand trees spring ahead of a diseased tree. The rotten ones will inevitably be eliminated , The emerging life is unstoppable. From then on, the old man disregarded the persuasion and ridicule of others, willingly put his white hair among the black hair, and did his best for the emperor and the country." Speaking of this, the old man's dignified expression just now became cheerful, and he smiled and said to Tan and Yang: "There is a famous man in Hunan named Wang Kaiyun, who was stern and vigorous when he was young. I have a carefree attitude. I admire his academic articles, but his poem "Thirty years look at flowers is still too old" is unavoidably too decadent. I don't agree with it. I prefer Su Dongpo's words Lyrics: "Who knows that there is no less life, and the water flowing in front of the door can still go west, and stop singing yellow chickens with white hair."" When Yang Du saw Xu Zhijing talking about state affairs, he inadvertently mentioned his teacher, and found it very interesting.He knew that the old man had misunderstood the teacher, and of course there was no need to explain on this occasion, so he just listened quietly.But Tan Sitong couldn't help interjecting: "Mr. Renqiu is Yang Du's teacher." "Oh, you are his student!" Xu Zhijing said in surprise, "The old man made a slip of the tongue just now, please don't mind." Yang Du hurriedly said: "You are right. The poem 'Thirty years look at flowers is still too old' is a bit decadent. For this poem, Wan Sheng also consulted Master Xiangqi face to face. He said that this is to encourage young people to cherish When you are a teenager, life is a rare youth, so don't let your youth go to waste." "It's a student after all, but it's different when it comes to teachers." Xu Zhijing laughed heartily. Liang Qichao said: "Yang Xizi is a student of Mr. Renqiu, a well-known talent. He was the leader of the Hunan bus when he wrote the letter to Yi Weinian. He will take the exam in this subject, and he must be in high school." Xu Zhijing said with a smile: "It seems that Hanyuan needs another Sanxiang talent." This sentence fit Yang Du's mind, he got up and thanked: "Thank you for your kindness, senior. If you can have the opportunity to be taught by the senior in the future, it will be a blessing for the late." Tan Sitong also stood up and said, "I've been bothering you for a long time, and we're leaving now." "Okay." Xu Zhijing stood up, "I'll see you off." Yang Du said: "The old man is so polite, how can we bear it?" Xu Zhijing said: "You are the hope of the country, and the old man should personally send you out of the gate." After being humble, the three of them followed Xu Zhijing out of the study and came to the courtyard.Yang Du pointed to the large water tanks and asked: "These fish tanks are very elegant, were they fired in the Ming Dynasty?" "Mr. Xizi has good taste." Xu Zhijing replied, "It was fired in the official kiln of the factory during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty." Yang Du said: "There are not many survivors of such a large and unique factory kiln vat." Xu Zhijing touched the edge of the water tank and said: "It is said that the palace specially ordered 100 such water tanks back then. To be on the safe side, a total of 300 water tanks were fired in the official kiln of the factory, and 120 of them were selected and sent to the palace. The palace. One hundred pieces were selected from the palace, and the remaining twenty were sold to a porcelain shop for two hundred taels of silver. The boss put up the signboard of "remaining in the palace" and sold them to Kaiping for two thousand taels of silver. The descendants of Wang Changyuchun will make ten times more profit when they change hands." Everyone clicked their tongues. "Although this boss has made ten times the profit, he is selling genuine products, and he is still earning money without conscience. The most hateful thing is selling fake antiques. Let me tell you a recent short story." Everyone's eyes shifted from the water tank to Xu Zhijing. "Last month, Zhang Xiangtao, governor of Huguang, went to Beijing to report his duties. He happened to visit Haiwang Village and saw an antique shop with very elegant decoration. He went into the shop to browse. He saw a large jar in the courtyard of the shop, which was made of pottery. The shape is weird, and the color is simple. Zhang Xiangtao is a famous connoisseur of antiquities. He thought to himself that he had never seen such a jar before. When he got closer, he was even more attracted. It turned out that the jar was surrounded by tadpole-shaped seals. Zhang Wen. Zhang Xiangtao stared at it for a long time, but couldn’t recognize a few characters. He was very surprised. Asked the owner of the shop, and he replied that it was an old artifact of a certain eunuch. The staff who came to Beijing talked about this matter, and the staff said that it might be pottery utensils from the third generation. The next day, Xiangshuai and the staff went to the antique shop again. The staff is also a person who is good at antiques, and the two carefully appreciated a Fan, agreed that it must be the antiquities of the three generations. Xiangshuai stroked it repeatedly, and couldn't bear to leave. The staff knew that he wanted to buy it, so they forced the boss to find the owner, and bought it for three thousand taels of silver. "Xiang Shuai was overjoyed. He ordered someone to carry it back to his apartment. He admired it repeatedly and tried his best to identify the words on the jar. At the same time, he asked a master craftsman to print hundreds of copies and gave them to his friends. Everyone said that this jar has a history of at least 3,000 years. Xiangshuai ordered the jar to be filled with water, and a few goldfishes were stocked, wandering around the jar every day, enjoying himself. One night, there was a thunderstorm, and when Xiangshuai came to visit the jar the next morning, he was stunned. All the tadpole characters in seal script have disappeared, and what appears in front of you is a very ordinary earthen jar." Everyone was puzzled and asked, "Why is this?" "Zhang Xiangtao took a closer look and found that the previous ancient characters were all written on paper with wax, covered with color, and pasted on a pottery altar made by today's people. Zhang Xiangtao lost three thousand taels of silver in vain. It also attracted a laughing stock passed down to future generations." Xu Zhijing couldn't help laughing when he said this, and everyone laughed too. When he was about to reach the gate, Xu Zhijing suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly pulled Tan Sitong back, saying: "The old man has been in a coma for many years, and he always remembers the past but not the future when doing things. Just now I suddenly thought of this matter of recommending talents. There is an important person To recommend." "Which one is the boss talking about?" Tan Sitong stopped and asked, Liang Qichao and Yang Du also stood still and looked at Xu Zhijing. "Come." Xu Zhijing pointed to a room behind the grape trellis to the west and said, "Everyone, please sit here for a while." The three followed Xu Zhijing into the house.This is where Xu Zhijing usually meets guests.The room is spacious and bright, with several calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls around.Yang Du glanced casually, and saw inscriptions by Weng Tonghe, Pan Zuyin and others, and a sketch of orchids by Jinnong, one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou.This picture seems to be drawn especially for today's collectors. "A few days ago, Xu Ju came to the capital from Tianjin to do business. He sat in the humble house all morning, talking about how effective Yuan Weiting's military training at the small station was, and how courageous he was in handling affairs. He also said that Yuan Weiting had been overseas for many years and had seen a lot. , Qiju Hongtong, he deeply agrees with the Reformation, and wants to worship under my sect. Xu Juren said, if you don’t dislike it, you can accept this apprentice ceremony. He took out a scroll. The old man opened it, It turned out to be Mr. Dong Xin's orchid sketch. After carefully examining the paper, ink color and seal, I can conclude that this is not a fake. I bought it in Seoul. I wonder why Mr. Dong Xin’s painting was lost to Seoul? The Juren told about its origin. When Yuan Weiting was in Seoul, he occasionally met a Chinese in an antique shop in Chinatown. The man was holding a bundle of calligraphy and paintings and was bargaining with the boss. Wei Ting went over and saw that they were all the calligraphy and paintings of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou back then. It is worth 5,000 taels. It is estimated that the reason why this person came to Seoul to sell it was because he did not dare to sell it in China. When the person was in a stalemate with the boss, Wei Ting said you come with me, and I will buy it. The person then followed Wei Ting walked, walked to a building heavily guarded with swords and guns, Wei Ting said to go in! The man's face suddenly became uncomfortable, and quickly said that he would not sell it. Wei Ting said don't be afraid, I will not rob you. The man went in bravely. After sitting down, he said kindly, "I know your calligraphy and paintings are stolen, and I dare not sell them in China, so I came to Seoul to ask for a big price. You think overseas is rich, In fact, it was wrong. People in Seoul are very poor, and you can’t sell these calligraphy and paintings for five hundred taels of silver. Why don’t you sell them to me, and I’ll give you one thousand taels of silver? I thought of coming to Seoul to ask for a big price, but I have been in Seoul for a month, and there has been no suitable buyer. Seeing that the money is about to run out, I am very anxious. I thought I would be blackmailed this time, but I didn’t expect this person to be so generous. I would like to offer one thousand taels I bought it with silver. Although it was a lot lower than my asking price, it was a rare opportunity. The man was so moved that he took a thousand taels of silver and kowtowed three times. out." When Xu Zhijing said this, Tan, Liang, and Yang all laughed happily.Liang Qichao said: "Yuan Weiting not only picked up a big bargain, but also made a big thank you. This person is really shrewd." Yang Du couldn't help pointing to the blue sketch on the wall and said, "Is this the one that Yuan Weiting sent you?" "Exactly!" Xu Zhijing nodded and said, "I have no relationship with Yuan Su, so I didn't want to accept this gift from him, and I didn't want to accept him as a disciple. After thinking about it, Yuan has military power and agrees with the reform, which is very good for the cause of reform. Help. You are all literati and don’t hold knives, but since ancient times in China, if you want to accomplish great things, you can’t do it with your mouth without a knife. Thinking of this, I accepted this painting and I also accepted it. This disciple." Liang Qichao said: "Yuan Weiting's approval of the reform should be from the heart. We held a meeting in Songyun Nunnery that year, and he donated five hundred taels of silver." Tan Sitong said: "It is said that Yuan Shikai did a good job in Xiaozhan, but I have never seen it with my own eyes." Xu Zhijing said: "What the old man means is, which one of you should go to Tianjin to see, meet him, talk to him, and see how this man is. I think he wants Xu Ju to come here to express his intentions, just to see The old man likes to recommend people, if he is really a passionate person, how can the old man save a piece of paper." Tan Sitong said: "My lord is right, but I have already hired a mule cart, and I will leave the capital for Taiyuan early tomorrow morning." Yang Du recalled a past event three years ago, and said, "I just want to meet him. I'll go to Tianjin tomorrow!" Both Tan and Liang said, "It's best for Xizi to go!" Xu Zhijing said: "I have accepted Yuan Weiting as a student. When you go to Tianjin tomorrow, in the name of sending a policy theory, limit him to give me a policy theory within half a month." "This is the best." Yang Du said, and then asked, "What about the title?" Xu Zhijing thought for a while and said: "Let's make a theory of 'Shang Yang's Reform and Qin's Annihilation of the Six Kingdoms'!" Everyone clapped their hands and said: "This policy topic can't be better!"