Chapter 81 Chapter 81: Burying Mother

Zhang Peilun was born in Fengrun, Zhili, and was a Jinshi in Tongzhi.When Li Hongzhang first served as the governor of Zhili, Zhang Peilun entered Li Mu as a reviewer of the Imperial Academy, and helped Li Hongzhang transcribe the manuscript and take care of the copywriting.After entering Beijing, he still served as a reviewer in the Imperial Academy.In the first year of Guangxu, he was promoted to be a five-rank servant and lecturer, and he was an official commentator on daily life. Zhang Peilun has a quick mind and extraordinary conversation.During the period when Li Hongzhang entered the scene, Li Hongzhang often praised him in front of people for his "excellent eloquence and literary music", which made his reputation gradually spread far and wide, and he soon squeezed into the ranks of celebrities.

Zhang Peilun is good at wine, no matter whether it is winter or summer, he always keeps his goose-feather fan in his hand, he has the demeanor of a great sage in ancient times.When people saw him, they didn't dare to call him by his real name, but they all called him "Master Zhang".Perron is quite popular with this term. Back then, Ding Richang, Xue Fucheng, Li Shuchang and others saw that Li Hongzhang loved Zhang Peilun, but Zhang Peilun had no family, so they wanted to be a matchmaker. They wanted Li Hongzhang to recruit Zhang Peilun as his wife and marry Li's eldest daughter to Zhang Peilun.

However, Li Hongzhang smiled and said to several people: "The name of Qiazhai is too good. My daughter is married to this man. I am afraid that he will be burdened by him and not enjoy the blessings. Let's wait and see." However, after Li Hongzhang read Zhang Peilun's "Please talk about Wu Yijing's obedience", he still followed the order and talked about his views one by one very seriously.Li Hongzhang agrees with some of Zhang Peilun's performances, and some disagrees with them.Regarding the first point, Li Hongzhang disagreed with Zhang Peilun's point of view, thinking that North Korea might not be willing to listen to or appreciate North Korea's sending someone to preside over the plan.Regarding the second article, Li Hongzhang thinks it can be done, and is doing it.This undoubtedly means that Zhang Peilun's argument is based on hindsight.Regarding the third article, Li Hongzhang disagreed with stationing troops in North Korea all the year round.Regarding the fourth article, Li Hongzhang believes that two ships have been ordered, and they can be used if North Korea has something to do.Regarding Article 5, Li Hongzhang believed that Zhang Peilun was talking nonsense about the large-scale training of land soldiers in Shengjing to support North Korea.Because North Korea faces water on three sides, it is conducive to advancing troops on water.The sixth article discussed by Zhang Peilun is also unfeasible.

After reading Li Hongzhang's folded manuscript, the Empress Dowager Cixi called Prince Chun into the palace, and sighed: "Zhang Peilun's performance seems to be all right. Now after reading Li Hongzhang's words, I know that this piece of Peilun's governance is still the same. It’s worse than Li Hongzhang’s. Let’s do what Li Hongzhang said. Everything needs to be done slowly, not in a hurry.” Yizhen plopped down on his knees and said, "The empress dowager is sage, what the empress dowager said is exactly what this slave thinks these days. After I go down, I will go to Prince Gong to deal with this matter."

The Empress Dowager Cixi sighed and said: "I said a few words to Prince Gong a few days ago, but he took leave the next day and hid in the mansion. He is quarreling with me! You don't need to discuss it with him." , just do whatever you need to do. Some people are just shameless. I want to see what he thinks? I just don’t believe it. Without him, the sky of the Qing Dynasty will collapse! You go down." When Yizhen heard this, he knew that the conflict between the Queen Mother and Prince Gong was getting deeper and deeper. As the emperor himself, he probably would really have a day when he would become the king of politics.He suppressed the joy in his heart, knocked his head against the Queen Mother, and then scrambled out.

Prince Gong Yixin is the sixth son of Emperor Daoguang and the half-brother of Emperor Xianfeng.Prince Chun Yizhen is the seventh son of Emperor Daoguang, and he is the same mother and brother as Yixin. Emperor Xianfeng first granted Yizhen the title of Prince Chun, and eight years later he was ordered to walk in the inner court.In the eleventh year of Xianfeng (1861 A.D.), he participated in the Qixiang coup and was named Prince Chun.Although Yizhen and Yixin were both princes, they were not as talented as Yixin, so they followed him all the time. Sometimes even the Empress Dowager Cixi said that he was "a product that can't be lifted with tofu on a ponytail".But his desire for power is greater than that of any prince or minister in the court, and he wished he could replace Sixth Brother immediately and get addicted to discussing politics.

At the end of the year, Li Hanzhang, who was keeping watch for his mother in his native place, wrote to Tianjin to discuss with Li Hongzhang about burying his mother. Li Hongzhang did not dare to be negligent, and at the beginning of the first month of the ninth year of Guangxu (1883 A.D.), he begged for a fake burial mother.While waiting for the edict, Li Hongzhang summoned Zhang Shusheng, the governor of the department, to Tianjin to discuss various matters of coastal defense, and at the same time secretly arranged for people to pack up, and set off for Anhui as soon as the imperial edict arrived.

On the 26th of the first month, the imperial decree arrived in Tianjin.The decree said: "Philan's performances are sincere and compassionate. The holiday should be granted as requested. However, the Beiyang affairs are important, and Li Hongzhang handled them properly. , in the second month of the coming year, another decree will be issued. Hereby." Before the edict was announced, Li Hongzhang cursed in his heart: "Which bastard came up with such a bad idea? My mother has been in the ancestral hall for a long time, and the cave has been prepared. Everything can wait and wait. I haven't heard of the funeral of my mother." Things have to wait! Is this how the court treats veterans?"

Li Hongzhang was so angry that he swiped his life that night and published a section of "Rewarding the False Burial Mother": "Since the spring, I have been waiting for the decree, and I dare not repeat the blasphemy with grief and urgency. , the river has been cleared, and it is only a month or so before the opening of the coffin. And the journey from Tianjin to Anhui is far away. Although the steamship is convenient, it will take more than ten days to arrive in Chenxiang. And all the needs of attaching the coffin do not need to be abandoned in advance. Blocking, adding checks one by one, that is, the etiquette is rough, and the second assisting event is made, and I finally feel uncomfortable. The record says: A filial son will sacrifice, and he can't hesitate to worry about things. A sacrifice should be prepared calmly, which is more important than the ancestors' physique Hidden, but do you have any simple and careless thoughts? This minister has spent more than a month in memory of the pine and catalpa, God Shuang Feiyue, Xin Xi led, in order to hope that the grace will come to the end...Dare to apply again, pray for God's grace, and reward After a few months, I have to return to my hometown quickly, and I have a little bit of selfishness in the land, and I am grateful for it, there is no limit."

Finally, Li Hongzhang suggested that Zhang Shusheng, the direct supervisor of the Department, should also be in charge of the Beiyang Minister of Commerce.At that time, from the courtiers down to the civilians, they attached great importance to the burial of fathers and mothers, and their regulations and etiquette were almost rigid.Li Hongzhang is not only a man of poetry and books, but also an important minister of the court, and he dare not be negligent, otherwise he will be ridiculed by others;Ding You's shou system has been rejected by the court. If the time to bury his mother is not up, does Li Hongzhang still want to hold his head high in front of the people in his hometown?This is why Li Hongzhang repeatedly begged for holiday rewards, and it was really a last resort.

On February 16th of the following year, the imperial decree came to Tianjin again to reward Li Hongzhang with a two-month holiday, and allowed him to leave Tianjin to return to Anhui to bury his mother. The direct governor Zhang Shusheng temporarily acted as the Minister of Beiyang Commerce. Li Hongzhang quickly explained to Zhang Shusheng about trade and coastal defense affairs, and within a few days he left Tianjin by boat and returned home to take care of his mother's funeral. Li Hongzhang did not arrive at Hefei Mansion Gate until 15 days into his journey.I rested at home for one night, and the next morning, accompanied by my brother, I went to the cemetery to look at the cave, and I asked many geographers to look at it, and then I chose a date for burial.Seeing his mother buried in the ground, Li Hongzhang began to feel at ease; looking at the days, the holiday was only one month away, so he lived in peace, chatted with his brother day and night, and spent a few days of leisure.