Chapter 22 7. After receiving the palace flowers from Xia Shoutian, my uncle lay on the sickbed for half a month

When the little steamer passed the Xiangtan Pier, Yang Du went ashore and went back to Shitangpu to visit his mother and sister.Mrs. Li didn't care about his son's resignation from the exam, and comforted his son, the fame has a number of days, and when the time comes, he will naturally pass. When Zeng Wenzheng went to Beijing to catch the exam, he also took the exam three times before he was admitted to the Imperial Academy.The old man told his son that the dowry gift from the Wang family had arrived, and happily led his son to see the presents: a pair of gold hairpins, a pair of gold earrings, a pair of gold rings, a pair of jade bracelets, and a thousand taels of betrothal silver. , plus four pieces of colorful brocade.Mrs. Li pointed to the colorful brocade with a smile and said to her son: "This is the Shu brocade brought back from Sichuan by Mr. Wang himself. Look, it's so shiny and dazzling!"

The Wang family's dowry is so important, which shows that Master Xiangqi attaches great importance to his uncle. Yang Du was happy, and said to his mother: "Although Mr. Wang is a famous person, he has not been an official, and he supports his family for twenty years by teaching. A lot of money, and money is not abundant. He gave such a heavy dowry because he thought highly of our uncle and concubine. We can’t imitate the secular way, and the married woman just looks at the dowry with eager eyes. The son thought, accept everything else, this time The thousand taels of silver will be returned to Mr. Wang. What do you think, mother?"

Mrs. Li said: "My son is right. Mr. Wang's dowry is too heavy. You have been taught by Mr. Wang in recent years, and now your brother is worshiping under him. From now on, you brothers will rely on Mr. Wang's cultivation. miles!" Yang Du was very moved when he saw that his mother understood the righteousness so well, so he took out the one thousand taels of silver note from Yuan Shikai from his arms, and respectfully sent it to his mother with both hands: "Mr. Make up for your old age." Mrs. Li looked at the bank note in his son's hand, but did not accept it, and asked, "Where did you get so much money?"

Yang Du said: "After you pick it up, I will tell you again." Curiously, Mrs. Li took this colorful bank note from her son, not knowing what to do with it, she held it in the palm of her hand like a golden doll.Yang Du simply told his mother about the visit to the station.Unexpectedly, Mrs. Li became unhappy when she heard this, and said, "Du'er, your father often said that you should not be rewarded for meritorious deeds, and that you should not be greedy for windfall. Then Yuan Shikai, you have no deep friendship with him, and you Why did he give you one thousand taels of silver for not helping him a lot? You have to be careful, don't be fooled!"

Seeing his mother being so cautious, Yang Du laughed and said, "Then Yuan Shikai, after being a high official and a gentry, was also a military trainer in the imperial court. The military salary in his hands is tens of thousands of dollars every day, thousands of liang of silver, for him It's a small matter, but he is very different from Mr. Wang." Mrs. Li returned the banknote to Yang Du and said: "I always feel that this money is not safe, and I can't accept it. Small families in the countryside can live on simple food and drink. What do you want to do with this money, you'd better keep it for yourself!"

Yang Du knew that his mother had always been responsible, so he didn't explain further, and said, "I don't need a lot of money these days, so you can keep it for me, it's safer to keep it at home." Seeing what his son said, Mrs. Li just accepted it.At this moment, Yang Du realized that Uncle Ji was no longer around, remembering that when his mother introduced the betrothal gift, Uncle Ji's face didn't seem to be happy.Is it shyness, or is it because you are about to get married and leave your natal family, feeling uncomfortable?Yang Du excitedly walked into his sister's boudoir, and seeing his uncle sitting at the table with his back to the door, he said loudly, "Uncle Ji, I brought you a wedding gift from Wuyi!"

"Master Xia!" Uncle Ji turned her head abruptly, and asked her brother, "What did he give me?" Yang Du walked to the table, took out a small square box wrapped in oiled paper from the gray cloth bag, and said, "Wu Yite greeted me, and you have to open it yourself. I don't know what he sent." Uncle Concubine was extremely excited, and her hands trembled slightly.She carefully opened the oiled paper, revealing a black wooden box.The wooden box is quite exquisite in workmanship, with mother-of-pearl inlaid flowers, birds, insects and fish on the top, bottom, left, and right sides, and with the shiny national lacquer as the base, it looks very antique.Uncle Ji pulled out the wooden box lid, and there was a small palace flower lying inside.This palace flower has light green emeralds as the leaves, red coral as the petals, and the stamen in the middle is a crystal clear light yellow pearl.

"Ah! Wu Yi gave such an expensive gift." Yang Du sighed.He knew that this kind of palace flower was only sold in Dashilan Xiangji Jewelry Shop, and Xiangji specially made ornaments for the concubines in the palace and the female relatives in the palace.Even though it is just a small palace flower, it must be bought for no less than one hundred taels of silver.Yang Du explained its value to his sister who had never worn expensive jewelry.Uncle Ji listened obsessively without saying a word, and when her elder brother walked out of the room, the talented woman who was affectionate and focused once again took up the palace flower that was given by her former lover today and was handed by a skilled craftsman in the capital, and sat there motionless. on the edge of the bed.First, his chest fluctuated like waves and clouds, then his eyes were like the sky falling and the rain was dripping, and finally he fell down like a jade mountain and couldn't lie down.

My uncle is sick.She lay on the bed without eating or drinking, and often dreamed in a trance that she was wearing a phoenix crown on her head and a red robe, and she was worshiping the heaven and earth with Mr. Xia, who was wearing a golden flower on her head and wearing a red brocade robe, and she woke up with a sweet smile. At that time, I caught a glimpse of the pearl, emerald and coral flower next to my pillow, but I couldn't help but burst into tears.Sometimes she couldn't help shouting in her heart: "Master Xia, I miss you so much, do you know it!" Sometimes she couldn't help sighing in her heart: "God, why did you plant such an unforgettable love in the heart of a weak woman?" Kind!" She silently recited the song "Wang Ning Mei" over and over again: "If you say there is no romance, you will meet him again in this life; if you say there is a romance, why do you always lose your mind?"

Li stayed by the bed day and night, seeing the appearance of her daughter who was about to get married, her heart was broken.Yang Du was so anxious that he went to see doctors everywhere, and personally made medicine for his sister, and persuaded her to take it.In this way, Uncle Ji lay on the sickbed for half a month, until she was so sick that she looked haggard and skinny, and then she gradually recovered.Yang Du asked his mother, had my uncle ever been ill before?Mrs. Li shook her head.She has never been sick before, and she has never had a cold these days. What made her so sick?The palace flower lay flat beside my younger sister's pillow, with tears dripping on it, like a freshly picked flower with dew rolling on its petals.Seeing it, the boss of the Yang family, who was recovering from a broken relationship, seemed to understand everything.

When Uncle Concubine could get out of bed and drink porridge, Yang Du bid farewell to his mother and sister, returned to Chuanshan Academy, and reported his sister's condition to Master Xiangqi.When Dai Yi learned about it, he was so anxious that he didn't sleep well all night. Early the next morning, he asked his father for a few days off and went to Shitangpu to visit his sweetheart who hadn't been married yet. Yang Du asked Wang Kaiyun: "Sir, you always say that if I stay in the capital, I may face disaster. What's the reason?" Wang Kaiyun smiled slightly and said, "You will understand later." Seeing Mr.'s mysterious look, Yang Du felt as if he had fallen into a cloud.Since the husband refused to say it clearly, it was inconvenient for him to ask again, so he continued his previous studies.Yang Jun is studying poetry with his husband, and in his free time, he is painting with colors, and his painting skills have improved a lot compared to when he was at home.After a few days, Yang Du took out the four script essays, test post poems and policy theories of this test and asked Mr. Wang for advice.After reading it, Wang Kaiyun said: "Your test post poems are written elegantly and steadily, which fits the test format very well, but the four books and policies are not simple and vigorous. Although the discussions are eloquent and seem eloquent, they are not solid and give people the feeling of boasting. When writing articles, people from the three generations of Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin should prevail. Their articles are majestic and elegant, their true spirit is preserved inside, and the glitz is gone, but the ancient beauty is preserved, and people will never get tired of reading it. Zhuangzi's articles are especially outstanding. First. You can see that it is unrestrained and unrestrained, with ups and downs, as if it has the spirit that heaven and earth cannot be fettered, and time and space cannot be limited. Reading it makes people broad-minded and forget all worries. It is really the first-class writing in all ages. It is turbulent and cunning, and it can most inspire the thinking of composition. Zeng Wenzheng said that the thinking is broad and emerges endlessly, which is the product that must be published. The mystery of writing is to develop thinking first. Once the thinking is opened, the words under the pen will roll Come, like a spring, like a dike breaking, the magnificent and magnificent realm that ordinary people cannot have comes unexpectedly. Isn't that kind of article popular? Thirty-three articles, the inner chapter is profound, and the outer chapter is exhaustive , Miscellaneous articles, Hongbo, each article is excellent, especially the last one, which is the culmination of the articles, and it is best to read it slowly and work hard to understand it. I read it hundreds of times when I was young, and I also copied it by hand. Twenty times, the next one doesn't matter, you can take this opportunity to read more books. Wang Anshi used to study hard at his desk when he was not very useful. When his friend asked why, he said, "I am afraid that I will not have time to study in the future. '. You have to cherish the time now, and when you shoulder the big responsibility in the future, it is impossible to have the joy of studying in Dongzhou again." Wang Kaiyun's words, like the impact of lightning and stone fire, opened Yang Du's mind greatly, and after chewing carefully afterwards, he felt that the meaning was infinite.He deeply realized that the teacher really had untestable knowledge in his belly.Some advice is better than three or five years of hard work.He then concentrated his energy on the three generations of Qin and Han characters, and soon felt that his articles had entered a new level. At this time, news that the capital's New Deal was being vigorously implemented continued to come.First, the emperor appointed Tan Sitong, Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, and Lin Xu as Zhang Jing of the fourth-rank military aircraft, and then rewarded Yuan Shikai with the title of servant.Yang Du was very happy when he heard the news, knowing that it was the result of the emperor's acceptance of Xu Zhijing's recommendation.At the same time, training agriculture and commercialization, rectifying the lijin system, implementing the Baojia system, building railways, setting up schools, setting up postal services, and abolishing water transportation, a series of edicts were constantly published in the newspapers.In Yang Du's view, the capital's New Deal is in the ascendant.But the news from Changsha, the provincial capital, is not so good. Wang Xianqian, a figurehead in Hunan's academic circles, former Guozijian Jijiu, and current head of Yuelu Academy, blatantly banned students from talking about the New Deal in Yuelu Academy.Several students were expelled for violating this regulation. Xu Renzhu interceded for them, but was accused by Wang Xianqian and threatened to resign.Xu Renzhu was no match for Wang Xianqian, so he went to Yuelu Academy to persuade him to stay, and apologized to Wang Xianqian.He succumbed to Wang's pressure and was forced to close the current affairs school.Wang's student Zeng Lian openly wrote to the court, asking to kill Kang Youwei to thank the world.Ye Dehui's "Yijiao Series" is being published day and night.His disciples claimed that for several years, Kang Liang advocated the theory of equal civil rights through the reform of the pseudo-scriptures, so that everyone, regardless of their wisdom or foolishness, can claim their rights, and they can commit crimes and cause chaos.The disciples of Kangliang, the great Gu of the country, should be punished by the whole country.Huguang governor Zhang Zhidong's "Encouraging Learning" was widely printed and distributed, and Hunan Xuezheng was ordered to distribute a copy to all academies and students from Sanxiang. "Encouraging Learning" says that the theory of civil rights has no benefit but a hundred harms, so that if the theory of civil rights is advocated, the foolish people will be happy, and the disorderly people will do it.He also listed fifteen benevolent policies of the Qing Dynasty, such as thin Fu, emphasizing the people, sympathizing with merchants, and prudent punishment. Don't listen to all heresies and atrocities that are enough to start the onset of chaos. Changsha was originally the province where the New Deal was most vigorously implemented. Why is the tune being sung now so diametrically opposed to the edict issued by the capital?Zhang Zhidong was originally a knowledgeable official who actively advocated adapting Chen Fali to get rid of the accumulated evils. He once donated 5,000 taels of silver to the Jingshiqiang Institute, received Kang Youwei with a heavy gift at the Supervision Office, and praised his patriotism. Why is he so murderous now? How about treating Kang Youwei vigorously?Why didn't Chen Baozhen, Huang Zunxian, Xu Renzhu and others criticize Zhang Zhidong with the emperor's decree?Yang Du's heart became tense, worried about the future of the New Deal, and sweating about the fate of Liang Qichao and Tan Sitong. Not long after, news came from the capital that the sky was falling apart.Tan Sitong, Kang Guangren, Yang Rui, Lin Xu, Yang Shenxiu, and Liu Guangdi were killed at Caishikou.Tan Sitong died particularly heroically. Before his execution, he shouted angrily: "If you want to kill a thief, but you can't bring yourself back to heaven, you will die well, so happy!" All the onlookers sighed.All those involved in the New Deal were designated as rebels and arrested one by one.Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao escaped with the help of foreigners.Xu Zhijing was arrested and imprisoned. Chen Baozhen, Huang Zunxian, Xu Renzhu, Xiong Xiling, etc. were all dismissed and returned to their hometowns without employment.Even Weng Tonghe, who had already been dismissed from office and went home for the elderly, was punished with a higher level of crime at this time, and was handed over to the magistrate to strictly control him.Emperor Guangxu was imprisoned in Yingtai.Empress Dowager Cixi re-educated the government, and all the new policies were abolished.The New Deal, implemented for 103 days, became a flash in the pan in modern Chinese history.The New Deal in Hunan also collapsed.The former chief envoy Yu Liansan acted as governor.After he came to power, everything went back to old.Wang Xianqian and Ye Dehui celebrated each other, and those who had participated in the New Deal were either arrested or fled. The land of Sanxiang, which had just shown its vitality, returned to its previous deathly silence. The tragic upheaval plunged Yang Du into depression, and a rumor that followed surprised him even more.Those who had recently returned from the capital said that although Cixi was the culprit of the coup, the culprit who caused the coup was Yuan Shikai, who Yang Du called a rare figure in today's officialdom.In the middle of the night three days before the coup, Tan Sitong secretly visited Yuan Shikai and asked him to rescue the emperor, and Yuan fully agreed.But after Yuan returned to Tianjin, he immediately informed Ronglu, and Ronglu went to Beijing overnight to meet Cixi, and reported all the emperor's plans.So Cixi entered the palace in the early morning and took the first step, thus performing a series of tragedies. Hearing this rumor, Yang Du felt as if he had been hit hard with a sap.It was impossible for him to believe that the military trainer who was a talented and virtuous corporal turned out to be a villain who turned his back on his word and betrayed his promise!I said a lot of good things about Yuan in front of Xu Zhijing, Xu Zhijing's recommendation, Tan Sitong's late-night secret visit, is it related to this?Thinking of this, Yang Du felt very heavy.However, he had to admire Master Xiangqi. If it wasn't for the letter from Master Xiangqi asking him to return to Hunan, maybe he was still in the capital right now, and the consequences would be disastrous.However, Master Xiangqi lives on an isolated island in the Xiangjiang River, thousands of miles away from the capital, how could he have such a wise foresight?It seems that although I have been following Mr. for two or three years, I haven't got the fur of Mr.'s knowledge.With deep gratitude and respect to his husband, Yang Du came to Ming Xing Zhai on a stormy autumn night.