Chapter 66 4. Yuan Shikai asked Yang Du to tell Liang Qichao that he was not the informer of the 1898 coup

Yang Du was worrying about a letter on the table.Yesterday Xia Shoutian forwarded a letter to Yang Du, written by Liang Huankui, chairman of Huachang Antimony Refining Company, saying that Huachang Company was short of funds and unable to operate, and asked Yang Du if he could think of something in Beijing.Yang Du smiled wryly in his heart, his business has not yet progressed, and all the connections in the capital are still a mess, how can it be possible to win shares for Huachang Company? "Master Yang, someone is looking for you." The thin Shi Qiye stood outside the window, knocking on the window lattice, and shouted in a half-male, half-female voice.

"Which one are you looking for?" Yang Du asked as he walked out the door. Shi Qiye handed out a note: "This is his name badge." Yang Du took it, and the thorn read: Yuan Keding Yuntai, You Ji, Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce.I was surprised: Isn't this Yuan Shikai's eldest son?Regarding this Young Master Yuan, Yang Du had already heard a lot from Xia Shoutian.I was going to visit Yuan Shikai, but unexpectedly his personal representative came first, what a good chance! Yang Du straightened his clothes quickly, and walked out of the hall quickly, only to see a young man in luxurious clothes looking at him with a smile.Yang Du hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "It must be the eldest son of Yuntai, Yang Du is not welcome."

"Where, where!" Yuan Keding also arched his hands. "Keding was ordered by my father to come and visit Mr. Xizi." Yang Du said: "I don't dare to do it. The residence is simple and the furnishings are messy. I really dare not receive the eldest son. Since the eldest son has come, please come in and sit for a while." Yuan Keding smiled and said, "Seeing that Mr. Xizi is so polite, you can stay here, so why should I be wronged!" Yang Du thought to himself: It's really rare that a wealthy young man like Yuan Keding can say such words, and he is polite and has no dandyism.Xia Shoutian said that the young masters of the Yuan family are all absurd ghosts, which seems inaccurate.He stretched out his right hand and said, "My lord, please!"

Yuan Keding entered Yang Du's house.Yang Du was a slovenly man, and a single man, no one did housekeeping, the room was very messy: books, pens and ink were scattered on the desk, the quilt was not folded on the bed, the weather was very cold, and there was no fire in the room.Pointing to the only armchair in the room, he said to the guest, "Please sit down, please sit down." After the guests sat down, he sat on the edge of the bed by himself. "When did Mr. Xizi come to Beijing?" "I arrived on the fifth day." "Oh, it's been ten days!" Kedin said, "Forgive me, the visit is late."

Yang Du said: "A few days ago, I was going to meet Mr. Gongbao to thank him for his kindness. It's just because your house is holding a wedding these days, so I dare not make a mistake." "What a happy event!" Keding smiled coldly. "It's just a new aunt, sir, don't mind!" Yang Du thought to himself: It's really the tone of an eldest son! Yuan Keding asked again: "Which senior elders have you visited?" Yang Du said with a smile: "I'm just a Juren in Southern Province, and none of my father and grandparents has ever been a high-ranking official in the capital. How can I get along with my seniors?"

Yuan Keding said: "Mr. Xizi is modest! Who in the world doesn't know that he was the second in the first ranking of the special economic department in Guimao? I admired it in Baoding at that time." He asked again, "Have you met Zhen Guogong?" "I didn't go." Yang Du replied, "Duke Zhen Guo passed on a message that he didn't want to go, and we will meet again at the next meeting." "Oh." Keding hesitated for a moment, then asked again, "Where is Zhang Zhongtang?" "I went to Zhang Zhongtang's place once."

"Is he in good health?" Keding asked anxiously. "Zhang Zhongtang is sick, I just sit down for a while and leave." "Oh!" Keding replied slowly, glanced at the table, and asked casually, "What book have you read recently?" "I bought a copy of Zheng Guanying's "Words of a Prosperous Age" at Liulichang the day before yesterday, and I've been reading it for the past two days." "I've also read this book, and it's well written." Yuan Keding stood up, flipped through the "Words of a Prosperous Age" spread out on the table, and saw the envelope with the words "Huachang Antimony Refining Company" printed on it. "Mr. Xizi, I heard that your Huachang company in Hunan is short of funds. Is this true?"

Yang Du thought: How could this Mr. Yuan know about Huachang's situation?Since he took the initiative to ask, you might as well tell him that if he is willing to help, there is hope for Huachang's funding. "Exactly." Yang Du replied, "Huachang Antimony Smelting Company has a great future, but the company does not have enough funds and has more energy than it needs. The chairman of the company sent me a letter yesterday, asking me to help them promote it. Get some people to cooperate. Now foreign countries are in urgent need of antimony, large-scale mining and smelting can make a lot of money, and investing in the shares of Huachang is a huge profit.”

"That's a good statement." Keding said, "Not only foreign countries, but our own country also needs a lot of antimony." Seeing that the conversation was speculative, Yang Du intentionally stayed with Yuan Keding for a while, and ordered Master Shi to buy some food and drinks.Yuan Keding hurriedly got up and said: "Mr. Xizi, you are welcome. I came to pick you up to sit in the humble house at the order of my father. My father also wants to see you. Why don't you just move, how about we eat and talk when we arrive at the humble house?" " Yang Du was going to see Yuan Shikai, so he said, "That's fine, please let the eldest son lead the way."

When Keding came, he also brought an empty sedan chair, and the two of them took one each, and went to Beiyang apartment one after the other. Yang Du walked into Yuan's Mansion with the mounted "Huaipu Night Drinking Song" by Wang Kaiyun.Keding placed him in the small living room, and then went in to report to his father. Yang Du looked at the small living room: this is an elegant reception room of a scholar-bureaucrat's family, with mahogany Ming-style furniture of the same color, bonsai such as dwarf pine and cloud bamboo on the tea table, and calligraphy and paintings of celebrities hanging on the walls, including two The joint language especially caught his attention.One is Yuan Jiasan's dignified regular script: the loose shadow falls on the empty altar and the altar is quiet, and the fragrance of fine grass grows in a small cave.Title: Record Tang Xian's Poems and Present to Bao Qingxian's Nephew.The other is Zeng Guofan's vigorous running script: be kind to others, be kind to others; be happy for life, and worry for life.Title: Encouragement with Brother Wuqiao.The small living room is filled with an elegant and honest atmosphere.

"Mr. Xizi, I haven't seen you for ten years, and you have always been nice!" While Yang Du was sizing up, a loud inquiry with a strong Henan local accent came from the door.It turned out that Yuan Shikai had come. Once again, the Minister of Military Aircraft as the groom's officer, today he is wearing a dark red satin camel hair core robe, and a soap-colored mandarin jacket with hidden patterns.Perhaps during the honeymoon period, in Yang Du's opinion, Yuan Shikai's complexion is even better than ten years ago.He hurriedly stood up and bowed: "The late Yang Du will meet Mr. Gong Bao!" "This is in my house, there is no need to be formal." Yuan Shikai walked over with strong military steps, pointed to the chair with his finger, "please sit down!" Yuan Keding, who was following behind, echoed, "Mr. Xizi, please sit down." After the three sat down, a servant came in to offer tea.Yang Du saw that the servants placed in front of him and Keding two identical blue and white fine porcelain tea bowls with trays on a white background, and in front of Yuan Shikai was a large black jade square teacup without any carvings, which looked simple and thick Clumsy, but shining, it seems that the quality of jade is extraordinary. Yang Du said: "Ten years ago, Wansheng had the honor to pay homage to Your Excellency at the Tianjin Station. Ten years later, he was even more honored to be recommended by His Excellency to work in Beijing. .Today, Eldest Young Master is not too mean to invite you to the Xianzheng Hall. His Excellency came to meet him in person in the midst of his busy schedule, and Wan Sheng is very grateful." After that, he stood up and bowed again. "How can you be so polite, sit down!" Yuan Shikai smiled cheerfully, "You left a deep impression on me ten years ago. You have accumulated a lot of knowledge in Japan over the years. Talents like you are urgently needed to prepare for the establishment of the Constitution. I heard that you have returned to China, and I really want to invite you to come to Beijing. The Constitution Hall lacks capable personnel, and you just use this to make a difference. Zhang Zhongtang has an old favor with you, and I will discuss this with him He agrees, too. That's how it's done." Yuan Shikai did not have the habit of speaking politely, but spoke bluntly.The words are very sincere, but in fact they are secretly changing positions, changing the position of the truth that Zhang Zhidong is the master and he will be the leader. Yuan Shikai stroked his mustache, and asked with concern: "Is the life in Beijing still getting used to it? Have you taken over the affairs of the museum?" Yang Du replied: "For many years, Wansheng has been at home all over the world, and he can get used to it wherever he wants. It's just that he doesn't seem to have a clue about what happened in the Constitutional Government Hall. The Duke of the State said he wanted to call me and Lao Ti, but he never called. Here It’s just that I don’t know how to do it.” "Don't worry, take your time." Yuan Shikai picked up the black jade cup and said to Yang Du, "Drink tea, this is the tea from my hometown in Xiangcheng, not as good as your Hunan." Yang Du originally planned to take this opportunity to talk to Yuan Shikai about his thoughts on the implementation of constitutional government, but seeing that he didn't seem to be very interested in it, he kept silent and took a sip of his tea bowl.The taste of the tea is quite mellow. I always thought that good tea was produced in the south, but unexpectedly Henan can also produce such high-quality tea.Yang Du put down the tea bowl, and suddenly saw that what Yuan Shikai was drinking was not tea, but thick milky white, like milk.Yuan Keding neither drank tea nor made a sound, but sat in a chair and listened intently. "Mr. Xizi, have you met Liang Zhuoru in Japan?" Yuan Shikai put down his teacup and changed the subject. "Liang Zhuoru lives in Yokohama, and I live in Tokyo. The two places are very close, and we often meet." Yang Du felt strange: Why did Yuan ask Liang Lai, aren't they life and death rivals? "Liang Zhuoru is a great talent today. He is different from his teacher Kang Youwei. I respect him very much. He has a deep understanding of Chinese politics. I really hope that he can contribute to the country like you." As a good friend of Liang Qichao, Yang Du was happy to hear such words.He said: "Liang Zhuoru is willing to return to China to play, but the Queen Mother can't tolerate him." "Well." Yuan Shikai nodded slightly, and said, "Lafayette really hated him all the time, and I dare not mention it in front of her old man. One day recently, Lafayette was in a good mood and chatted with me. I said, Lafayette Lord Buddha, you listed Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and Sun Yat-sen together as people who will never be pardoned. Naturally, Kang and Sun will never be pardoned, but Liang is different from them. Lafayette asked, what is the difference between Liang and Kang and Sun. I said, Kang is stubbornly opposed to you, Sun is a revolutionary and chaotic party, and Liang is not. Liang is wholeheartedly advocating the constitution of the monarchy, which is consistent with the policy of the court. After hearing my words, Lafayette was not angry, and he seemed to accept it in his heart. If you Write to Liang Zhuoru and tell him about this matter. If he is willing to return to China, he will be able to come back soon." Yang Duwan did not expect that Yuan Shikai, whom Liang Qichao hated deeply, would intercede for him in front of Cixi.Yuan Shikai really loves talent and cherishes talent!He hurriedly said: "Master Gong Bao's kindness, I will tell Zhuo Ru as soon as possible. If the Queen Mother really doesn't pursue him, he will definitely return to China soon." Seeing that Yuan Shikai didn't stick to words, Yang Du also dropped his literati accent and started speaking in vernacular. "I know that Liang Zhuoru has always held grudges against me. Mr. Xizi, you are his good friend. I will tell you the truth today, and you can tell him that they wrongly blamed me for the events of the 1898 Years." The atmosphere in the living room suddenly became tense.After the first meeting ten years after the farewell, Yuan Shikai would actually talk about such an important past event with him, which was unexpected by Yang Du.Regarding the incident in the Year of 1898, Yang Du later heard all kinds of legends, saying that Yuan Shikai betrayed the emperor and betrayed the Reform Party.Liang Qichao himself was even more convinced of this point. When Yuan was mentioned, he gritted his teeth with hatred and called Yuan a shameless villain who stained his top son with other people's blood.Yang Du also basically believed this statement.But on the one hand, he was not a victim of the coup after all, and on the other hand, he knew that those politicians who did great things in history could not pursue their personal morality too much, so he didn't think Yuan was so bad.Now, one of the parties involved in the coup said that the world wrongly blamed him and wanted to tell the truth at that time. "Liang Zhuoru may be the same as others. He thought that I told Ronglu the emperor's secret edict. After Ronglu got my secret report, he went to Beijing to meet Lafayette overnight. Only then did the killing of Tan Sitong and the other six people appear. A great injustice." Yuan Shikai took a big sip from the black jade cup on the table, then put the cup down again, and continued: "The truth is this. I lived in Fahua Temple in the capital that year. In the middle of the night on August 4th, Tan Sitong disregarded the obstruction of the porter, He forcibly broke into my study, holding a notebook in his left hand and a foreign short gun in his right, and said to me in a stern voice that the Empress Dowager will take the emperor to Tianjin for a military parade next month, and Rong Lu will imprison the emperor at that time. Establish a new emperor. You have received the emperor's great favor, and you should be loyal to the emperor. The emperor will be in danger, what should you do? It happened so suddenly, I didn't know how to answer it for a while. So I said, the three generations of the Yuan family have received the royal favor, and the emperor has Difficult, I should naturally stand up and protect. Tan Sitong said, well, this is the emperor's secret edict. After you read it, sign your name to show that you have accepted the order. After you finish speaking, hand me the book in your left hand. I opened it and read it. : Yuan Shikai returned to Tianjin immediately, captured Rong Lu, and led troops into Beijing to encircle the Summer Palace. This order! I was stunned after reading it. After a while, I said that Rong Lu was guilty, and I could arrest him according to the order. The queen mother is the mother of the emperor. Your Majesty, I am not only disloyal, but also unfilial. I cannot obey orders. Tan Sitong raised his foreign short gun and pointed the muzzle at my forehead and said, This is an edict written by the Emperor himself. If you do not accept it, I will shoot you to death right now. Tan's voice was very loud, and the old family members standing outside the window were shocked when they heard it, and said, Mr. Tan, don't get angry, you have something to discuss. I thought to myself, this kind of holy order must never be accepted. After making up my mind , I calmed down, and I firmly said, please ask Mr. Tan to report to the emperor. Ronglu can be killed, and the Summer Palace must not be surrounded. Hearing what I said, Tan Sitong put down his pistol, put away his notebook and left. The next day the emperor summoned me again , only talked about military training, and did not mention the killing of Rong Luwei's garden. After leaving the palace, I thought that Tan Sitong's edict last night was forged, and I almost fell into his tricks. I left Beijing by train that afternoon and arrived in Tianjin at sunset. , went to see Rong Lu, and told him that the situation in the court was very critical. A group of villains formed a clique and wanted to make trouble, and the emperor was deceived by them. The emperor is filial, if anything happens, we must protect the emperor. Rong Lu said that is Nature." Having said that, the servant came in to pour tea for Yang Du and Keding.Yuan Shikai stopped talking.After the servant withdrew, he continued: "I was about to tell Rong Lu about the conspiracy of Tan Sitong and others. Ye Zugui came in, and after a while Youwen came in again, so I had to leave and agreed to talk tomorrow. Rong Lu came to visit the next day I, I told him that Tan Sitong had ordered him to be killed, and Rong Lu cried out for his innocence. I hurriedly stated that this matter has nothing to do with the emperor. If the emperor is involved, I will die by taking medicine. Rong Lu and I discussed for a long time , there is no good way. Rong Lu returned to the Superintendent’s Office, and then asked You Wen’s acquaintances. This evening, Rong Lu sent someone to invite me, saying that Yang Xinbo was also sitting. As soon as I entered the door, Rong Lu jumped from the coffee table The admiral sent me the telegram he just received, and it turns out that Lafayette returned to the palace from the Summer Palace in the early morning of this morning." Yang Du listened carefully, thinking in his mind: From this point of view, it is impossible for Rong Lu to secretly report to Cixi overnight, because he did not know about it the night before, and when he knew, the coup d'etat in the Forbidden City had already taken place.But the world said that Yuan told Rong the same afternoon when he returned to Tianjin, and Rong took the night bus to the Summer Palace.Could it be that what Yuan said was a lie, and he was trying to excuse himself?Since Yuan took the initiative to talk about this matter, why not take this opportunity to verify it. This is a major case that will be recorded in the annals of history, and it is very meaningful to find out. Yang Du said: "Just now I heard Mr. Gongbao talk about the incident ten years ago. It is different from what Wansheng heard on weekdays, and it is also different from what Liang Qichao said to Wansheng. Returning to the palace, is someone else playing a role in it?" "Mr. Xizi, let me tell you, this is what Zaiyi did." Yuan Shikai said decisively, "I didn't blame Zaiyi for breaking something. He knew that the queen mother was not satisfied with some of the emperor's actions, so he wanted the queen mother." Let his son be the big brother, so he came up with that idea." Yang Du thought that what Yuan Shikai said might not be a lie, and later Cixi really wanted to establish Zaiyi's son.If the Boxing Rebellion hadn't happened in the Year of Gengzi, Zaiyi's son might have already ascended the throne of Qing emperor. "Mr. Xizi, I ask you to tell Liang Zhuoru and ask him to think about it carefully. If I told you the secret, Tan Sitong will be the first to be arrested, because he made the Jiaozhi. Why did you only arrest Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Kang Guangren and others, the first offender, Tan Sitong, stayed in the Liuyang Guild Hall for four days, and was not arrested until the fifth day? Tan Sitong was unwilling to escape, and if he wanted to escape, he would have fled. Isn’t this a strange thing?” Yuan Shikai's words made Yang Du feel like he was waking up from a dream.Yes, the coup took place in the early morning of the sixth day of August. Within two hours, the emperor was imprisoned in Yingtai. Liang Qichao fled to the Japanese legation on the same day, and Tan Sitong was indeed arrested on the tenth day of the lunar month.This is an obvious fact, why doesn't the world think about it more?I didn't think too much about it myself, so I blindly believed everyone's guesses.For thousands of years, there has always been less independent thinking and more people echoing what others say.Sad, this is truly the tragedy of mankind! "Mr. Xizi, I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that I will never agree with Tan Sitong's idea of ​​killing Rong Lu around the Summer Palace, because Rong Lu is a rare talent and a national hero. He is innocent, why should he be killed? The Queen Mother is the country The pillar of stability, the Qing Dynasty can be maintained until today, all relying on the sageness of the Queen Mother. At the same time, I will not agree with the legend in the world to use the opportunity of the military parade in Tianjin to carry out military remonstrance. At that time, my soldiers were only 7,000 people. , Dong Fuxiang's Gan army is much stronger than mine in terms of manpower and strength, and I will not take such a risky move. On the other hand, I will not agree to capture Kang, Liang, Tan and others. Because although they are impetuous and Meng Lang, But after all, I still want to do good things for the country. I discussed with Rong Lu, but I just persuaded the emperor to get rid of them, at most, dismiss them as civilians." Yang Du found out that Yuan Shikai's big eyes were full of sincerity, and he felt that Yuan's words were from his heart.Over the years, because of the 1898 coup, the doubts about Yuan's character disappeared in all likelihood.He solemnly said: "In the past, Wansheng was almost mistaken when he heard rumors from the world. Hearing the words of Mr. Gong Bao today, the doubts of the past were swept away. I will definitely write all these to Liang Zhuoru, and especially want to express my gratitude to Mr. Gongbao." Pass on your love for talent to him." Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered that Master Xiangqi's gift hadn't been delivered yet, so he hurriedly picked up the scroll from the chair, stood up, held it in both hands, and handed it to Yuan Shikai, saying: "Mr. Your father once had a happy meeting, and we recognized each other as the same year, and we wrote poems about it. This time, when he came to Beijing, Mr. Renqiu copied an old work from thirty-six years ago, and asked me to present it to the palace. Mr. Bao. The old Mr. Renqiu also said that he met him at that party, I wonder if he still remembers it?" Hearing what Yang Du said, Yuan Shikai really became interested, and said with a smile: "Is there really such a thing? Keding, help Xizi open the scroll, let me take a look." Yuan Keding came over to join Yang Du, supporting the sky with one person and supporting the ground with the other, and hung Wang Kaiyun's words obliquely in front of Yuan Shikai.Yuan Shikai first sat and watched, and halfway through, he stood up with his hands on his hips. After reading the postscript, his hands on his hips relaxed, and he bowed respectfully, with an extremely happy smile on his face. "Mr. Xizi, the calligraphy you sent is a priceless treasure, I accept it." Turning to tell his son, "You roll it up properly, and have someone hang it in my study tomorrow." "Yes!" Yuan Keding agreed, and then he and Yang Du carefully rolled up the words. The three sat down again.Yuan Shikai said with a little sadness: "Time flies so fast, thirty-six years have passed in a flash. I still vaguely remember the scene of meeting Mr. Renqiu that day. Mr. Renqiu can still write such powerful words." Come on, Duke Duchen has passed away for thirty-four years!" There was a short period of silence in the living room, and soon Yuan Shikai returned to normal, and said to Yang Du with a smile: "Please write a letter to the old man and say that I accept the gift he gave. If the old man is interested , please come and live in the capital again, and I will cover all expenses." Yang Du said: "Your Excellency, I will definitely write to Master Xiangqi." Yuan Shikai looked at Yang Du and said with emotion: "Back then, my uncle Ruisheng Zhentai, his heir father Duchen Gong, and his late uncle Wen Chenggong all had friendship on the battlefield. Our two families are considered aristocratic families. Now I know It turns out that Duchengong and old Mr. Renqiu were in the same year, and our friendship has added another layer. The seniors are so friendly, and the younger generation should not be alienated. Although I live in the military and have a higher official position than you, you must not take this as an obstacle , come to my place often when you have free time." Yuan Shikai said these few words so earnestly, so sincerely and so warmly, that Yang Du was greatly moved, and said: "Your Excellency thinks highly of Wansheng, how can Wansheng not often come to ask for advice?" Yuan Shikai took another sip from the black jade cup, and said, "Mr. Xizi, don't call yourself a late born. Ruisheng Zhentai is friends with his late father and uncle, and Mr. Renqiu is the same year as his late father. Come on, we are of the same generation." Yang Du hurriedly stood up, and said repeatedly: "My lord, you are too polite. I dare not be a late student, I really dare not!" "Okay!" Yuan Shikai said after a little thought, "I am a lot older than you, and I can understand that you don't want to be cited as your peer. How about this, Keding is about the same level as you, so you two should recognize each other as brothers." !" Yang Du hurriedly said: "I would not even dare to be called a brother with the eldest son!" Yuan Shikai waved his hands with a smile and said, "Why don't you dare? You must have a sworn brother like you, and he's the one who's been promoted. Xizi, you report to be born Geng!" Yang Du saw that Yuan Shikai was not a fake, and he had a good impression of Yuan Keding, so he said: "The late was born on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the thirteenth year of Tongzhi." Yuan Shikai said, "You are four years older than Keding." Then he said to his son, "You bow to your elder brother." Yuan Keding cupped his fists and said to Yang Du, "Brother, please accept a gift from younger brother." He was about to bend down. Yang Du hurriedly supported him: "Young Master is too modest." Yuan Shikai laughed and said: "Okay, you are brothers now, and we are a family now." Yang Du blushed, feeling a little awkward in his heart. "Xizi, I heard from Keding that the residence in the Xianzheng Hall is not very good. I have a courtyard house in Huai'an Hutong not far from there. No one lives in it. You can move in after two days. In addition You don't have to worry about the share capital of Huachang Antimony Company. I'll tell the governors of several southern provinces and ask them to recognize the shares of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in the name of the government. In the future, if the company pays dividends, they can also Good luck. What do you think?" Yuan Shikai was so generous and eager to help others, which really flattered Yang Du. He was very grateful and thanked him again and again.