Chapter 22 Chapter 19 Shocking History

In the Hall of Renshou in the Summer Palace, a conversation that shocked history began.The emperor of the Qing Dynasty made an exception and summoned Kang Youwei, the reform leader... This morning, the weather was fine and the sun was shining brightly.The deacon and eunuch outside the Hall of Renshou in the Summer Palace issued an order: "Chuan Kang Youwei has an audience." Kang Youwei, who was waiting in the court room, walked towards the main hall under the guidance of the eunuch.Forty-year-old Kang Youwei was a little nervous because of his excitement. Although he was a world-famous hero, he was going to meet the current emperor and Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Empire. This was an opportunity he had dreamed of for many years.Ah, it finally came true today, how could he not be excited!

Today, he wants to take this opportunity to seize the opportunity of Prince Gong's death and persuade the emperor to make changes at a lightning speed. Kang Youwei thought again, the dismissal of Weng Tonghe by the Empress Dowager yesterday was like breaking the sky for the emperor. Weng Tonghe was demoted and punished for recommending me. Almost overwhelming day. Kang Youwei was thinking about it, when he suddenly saw a high-ranking official coming out of the palace courtyard, the deacon and eunuch hurriedly saluted: "Master Rong is auspicious." Ronglu! Kang Youwei! The two recognized almost at the same time that the last time the five ministers of the Prime Minister's Office summoned Kang Youwei on behalf of the emperor, so the two had already had a good time, but unexpectedly they met again on a narrow road.

what!The emperor summoned him, and the sky was going to be in chaos, Rong Lu was shocked. How could I run into the number one enemy of the anti-reform today? It's really unlucky, Kang Youwei cursed in his heart. Rong Lu glanced at him and then passed by with his head raised, Kang Youwei looked straight ahead and walked away without arrogance or humility, and a pair of enemies of the late Qing Dynasty reform passed by. Entering the front yard of Renshou Hall, seeing the majestic carved stone unicorn in front of the hall, it seems to say to people: the world is prosperous and everything is auspicious.Kang Youwei stopped to look at it, and was infected by its temperament, so he regained his good attitude. He saw the dragon and phoenix in front of the main hall clearly. Hinting that her power is over the world, even though the emperor is a dragon, he is nothing more than a stunner placed aside, so passionate he began to feel angry again.

When he was about to step over the threshold, another eunuch lifted a corner of the palace curtain for him, and he quickly lowered his head and stepped in. When he looked up, he saw the fragrant pavilion in front of the palace altar surrounded by smoke, four crane lanterns glowing red, a young and handsome man The emperor sat high on the Kowloon throne.He quickly kowtowed to the ground and bowed three times and nine times to worship the emperor and ministers, and sang in a very strong Cantonese accent: "Master Kang Youwei worships the emperor, long live the emperor." "Kang Aiqing is flat, free of courtesy."

Kang Youwei stood up and looked up to see the emperor beckoning him to come closer. Kang Youwei lowered his head and walked to the jade steps on the platform of the hall and stood there.Guangxu finally saw clearly the well-known Kang Youwei under the jade steps. The old people called him a madman, but the person standing in front of me was clearly a modest gentleman. Looking at his wide forehead and big eyes, bright eyebrows, high nose and straight lips, he looks good, no wonder he is so smart and capable. As usual, Guangxu belt first took a look at the profile of the person being interviewed:

Kang Youwei, born in 1858, was born in Nanhai, Guangdong.On May 2, the 24th year of Guangxu, more than a thousand juren who were taking the exam in Beijing put forward a "public letter" to boycott the "Treaty of Shimonoseki", advocating refusal of peace, moving the capital, and reform.He learned from Jiangnan famous scholars Wen Ting style to build a strong society, and ran a strong country newspaper to publicize the reform. Before the emperor could speak, Kang Youwei boldly took a look at the supreme emperor, ah!He is born with delicate features, intelligent and intelligent, but he is a little thin, and his seemingly frail demeanor gives people an intuition of softness and strength.

In the Hall of Renshou in the Summer Palace, a conversation that shocked history finally began... The emperor of the Qing Dynasty made an exception and summoned Kang Youwei, the reform leader... "Is Aiqing forty?" Emperor Guangxu asked kindly. "Your Majesty, it's over forty years." Kang Youwei replied with a bow. "It's in full swing, this is the golden age of a man. I've read all the books you wrote introducing reforms in foreign countries, and they are very well written." "The emperor has praised you." Kang Youwei immediately relaxed when he saw the emperor's kind voice and friendly smile.

"It's rare to summon you once, so today we can talk freely regardless of the monarch or minister. Wang Shang gave Mr. Kang a chair." "yes." "The emperor can't." "Don't Daozhen even have the right to sit?" Kang Youwei had to sit down after hearing this. Emperor Guangxu thought that it took a lot of setbacks to summon this reformer over many obstacles, and he must have a long talk with him today. Kang Youwei thought, I must seize the time to instill more Sifa to the emperor, so he said: "China is now facing more and more serious crises, facing the slaughter of foreigners, if we don't strive to become stronger, I am afraid that the day of subjugation will not be too long. "

"Alas, it was caused by old-fashioned people. Disastrous to the country and the people!" The emperor sighed. Kang Youwei immediately replied after hearing this: "Your majesty is wise enough to understand the root cause of the disease, but since you know that the root cause of the disease lies in conservatism, then you should get rid of it. From the perspective of China's national conditions, if the law cannot be changed and the reform cannot be self-improvement." Guangxu nodded in agreement and said, "I also think that the law must be reformed." Kang Youwei took advantage of the situation and said: "In recent years, it's not that we haven't talked about reforms, but we have only changed parts of the law without making complete changes, changing one without changing the other. This is nothing but a drop in the bucket, and the effort is useless."

Guangxu nodded again in agreement. Kang Youwei made an in-depth analysis: "Looking back at China for decades, it's not that reforms have not been discussed, but only one end has been changed slightly, and they dare not involve the whole. Moreover, real reforms must first start with institutional and legal changes before they can be counted as reforms. So now The so-called reforms can only be counted as changes, not reforms.” Start with institutional and legal changes?Emperor Guangxu's eyes lit up, and he listened attentively to what he said. "I ask the emperor to reform the law. You must first coordinate the overall change, and you must first set up a system bureau to change the law before you can change other things."

Emperor Guangxu agreed, "Yes." Kang Youwei also said: "For the reform of China, I have investigated the reasons and twists and turns of the reforms of various countries in the world, and then took the advantages of their successes and the lessons of their failures as references for China's reforms. I have compiled these foreign experiences into a book. , to provide the emperor with reference." Emperor Guang readily agreed. Kang Youwei also said: "The emperor is actually very insightful, but why the Qing government has been in decline for a long time, and it has even fallen to the point of being divided and slaughtered by foreign powers." Guangxu stared nervously at the outside of the curtain, and then sighed: "There are people who hinder me, so there is nothing I can do." Of course Kang Youwei heard that the emperor lamented that he was under the control of Empress Dowager Cixi.He felt deeply sympathetic, and comforted him: "I think that with the current power of the emperor, some changeable things can be implemented. Although we can't change everything, we can save China by changing the key points first. It's just that the current important ministers are all old and conservative. , I don’t understand foreign countries, if the emperor relies on these old rotten methods, it’s tantamount to seeking fish from a tree.” Guangxu looked outside the curtain again, and Fang said angrily: "The door doesn't pay attention to work." Seeing the emperor squinting outside the curtain frequently, Kang Youwei knew in his heart that their conversation was being monitored. In order to consider the emperor, he tried his best to soften his words, so he said: "It's not that the ministers are not trying their best, but when they are qualified to be promoted to high positions, The energy is exhausted, and I have to work concurrently, I am extremely busy, how can I have time to study and study, it is really helpless." Seeing that Kang Youwei softened his words, the emperor was relieved, and also praised his adaptability. Kang Youwei went on to say: "That's why the ministers are tired of admonishing Jin, hoping that the imperial court will run schools, do business, and send overseas students. This is to emphasize the need to update knowledge and personnel." The emperor's heart pointed sharply and said: "The emperor wants to change the law, and he can only appoint junior ministers. As for the conservative old ministers, the ministers consider the emperor's difficulties and expedient measures, so let's keep them for the time being to avoid trouble. But the emperor must issue more edicts." , to show that they are determined to reform the law, and they will have no way to object to the edict.” Emperor Guangxu said, "Yes." Kang Youwei became more and more enthusiastic: "The minister thought that the Westerners carried out reforms and ruled for three hundred years, while the Easterners carried out the reform for thirty years." Guangxu hurriedly asked: "Where is my Qing Dynasty?" Kang Youwei replied without hesitation: "It only takes three years!" "Three years?" The emperor opened his eyes wide. "Yes, with the size of our country, the wisdom of the people, and the majesty of the court, if we work together to reform the law for three years, we will build factories, open railways, buy warships, train troops, and run schools. Do you say that China will not change, and the country will not become rich and strong?" The emperor was obviously a little excited, and red marks appeared on his cheeks. "So... where does the fundraising come from?" Kang Youwei replied eloquently: "China has a vast land and rich resources, and wealth is hidden in the land. Poverty is not a problem. The people who suffer from it are not open to their ears. China's railways are full of mines, which are not available on the earth. If you raise tens of millions and build railways everywhere, Training millions of militiamen... Is there any reason not to be rich and strong, I am afraid that the reform method will not change the fundamentals." The emperor nodded in agreement, his heart suddenly opened, and he only hated seeing each other too late. Kang Youwei added: "If you have time, the emperor might as well go out and have a look, the world is very big." Guangxu nodded in agreement. "In short," Kang Youwei emphasized again: "If the emperor is determined to reform the law, he must change fundamentally and from the overall situation. Only by opening the institutional situation first and changing the old system and laws is the real thing. Otherwise, just buy a few ships and open one. Mine, doing some foreign affairs and so on, nothing more than scratching the itch of one's shoes can't make a big climate." The emperor nodded in agreement, and his eyes lit up again. Kang Youwei also made an analogy: "It is impossible not to change the system fundamentally. It is like a house that has been broken down. Instead of repairing it and making small troubles, it is better to demolish it all and build a new one. This is reform and reform." "No." The emperor agreed. Kang Youwei posed another practical question to the emperor: "After the imperial court ceded Taiwan, the hearts of the people have been separated. It is impossible to regain the hearts of the people unless they issue more mourning edicts to the emperor." Guangxu nodded again in approval. Kang Youwei further said: "Today's problem is that our people are not wise, so what's the use of having a population of 400 million! And the reason why the people are not wise is because of the harm of the stereotyped testers. Those who study stereotyped people do not read the books after the Qin and Han Dynasties. Books, not to mention the affairs of the countries of the earth, but they can be promoted to the six officials. Today, there are so many ministers, but few can do things, all because of the stereotyped promotion." Emperor Guangxu said, "Yes." "Since the emperor knows the harm of stereotyped writing, he will abolish it." "Row." "Then please ask the emperor to issue a decree to directly abolish the stereotyped testers without further discussion by the ministers." "Can." Kang Youwei breathed a sigh of relief, no matter what, seeing the emperor today finally accomplished something. The monarch and his ministers sat and talked heart-to-heart with each other like this, which lasted for two hours. Originally, it was an exception for the emperor to summon a minister in charge, but now they talked for several hours, which was unprecedented. This historic meeting opened Emperor Guangxu's horizons and strengthened his determination to reform. Emperor Guangxu summoned Kang Youwei, which is indeed a historic meeting in the history of Chinese reform. When Emperor Guangxu returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Concubine Zhen was already kneeling at the door to welcome her. Emperor Guangxu lifted her up and took her arm into the bedroom.Concubine Zhen helped him take off his court clothes and hat, and Guangxu leaned on the dragon bed and said to Concubine Zhen with a smile, "My concubine, come here, and I will tell you about Kang Youwei." "Hey." Concubine Zhen took the book written by Kang Youwei and sat on the bed. "Aifei, do you know what Kang Youwei looks like?" "Your Majesty, you have already described it to me: wide forehead, big eyes, straight nose, a very intelligent Buddha statue." Guangxu smiled and said: "Master Weng described it to me. Today I saw it in person. It really looks like a smart and blessed face." When mentioning Weng Tonghe, Emperor Guangxu became melancholy again, and sighed: "Oh, Kang Youwei, it can be said that he was traded for Weng Tonghe. So based on this, I swear to the death that I will reform." Concubine Zhen encouraged and said, "The emperor must hold on to Kang Youwei tightly and change the law as soon as possible." "Yes, I'm going to appoint him to walk in Zhangjing, the Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs, and I'm going to give him the right to act." "That's right, these appointments are all pioneering works of the emperor's determination to carry out political reform." Concubine Zhen agreed. "Oh, that's right." The emperor sat up from the bed and said, "Zhen'er, did you know that Rong Lu has also arrived at the Summer Palace today." "Ah! He must have conspired with the Queen Mother." "But he apparently made a special trip from Tianjin to report to me." Concubine Zhen smiled and said: "This is his intelligence, can he not lie to others?" "Isn't it my cleverness to summon Kang Youwei in the Summer Palace instead of the palace today? I'm hiding the Queen Mother's eyes." "The emperor is wise, the emperor is getting smarter now." "This is not the idea that Aifei gave me, how can I compare with Aifei's strategy." Wang Shang came in and said, "The emperor is ready to take a bath." "Your Majesty, hurry up, look at him dripping with sweat." Concubine Zhen touched his skirt and said. "My concubine will wash with me, let's go." "emperor……" "Let's go." Emperor Guangxu put his arms around Concubine Zhen and left. In the bathing room, the fragrance was flowing, the candles were flickering, and the silver tub was filled with warm water. The four maids in the bath held towels and stood with their heads bowed. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is here!" Come in. "You all step back, I have to wash myself today." "Yes." The four maids of the bath and the two deacons and eunuchs retreated to the outside room to wait on them. "Aifei, let's take a bath!" "yes." Under the candlelight, Concubine Zhen stood still shyly. Although she and the emperor were inseparable every day, it was the first time for the two of them to bathe in the same bathtub under the candlelight.Seeing this, Guangxu walked over and gently lifted her chin, looked at her blushing face and said, "My concubine, haven't you told me the story of the river of love? Beside the whirlpool river where the Yellow River and the Wei River meet, Fuxi and Nuwa mated on the river beach, and human beings were born..." "So, all lovers who have bathed in the river of love will never change their hearts." Concubine Zhen raised her head, blinking her beautiful eyes and said. "In the future, I will definitely take you to the Love River to take a bath. At this moment, let's just treat that silver basin as the Love River first, shall we?" "Okay, then shall we jump into the river of love?" After hearing this, the emperor picked her up and walked towards the silver basin... After returning from bathing, Emperor Guangxu lay on the dragon couch to rest while Concubine Zhen sat beside him. He was in a particularly good mood today, and told Concubine Zhen the conversation he had with Kang Youwei.Concubine Zhen said: "Kang Youwei is right. If you want to reform the law, you should coordinate the overall situation. You should first change the system and the law. Only by establishing a system bureau can you change the fundamentals." "That's right, set up a system bureau and make an exception to use small ministers." Concubine Zhen strongly agreed. Concubine Zhen opened the "Five Books of the Emperor" written by Kang Youwei and said: "Your Majesty, you see that the Japanese Restoration really only took 30 years. It is unrealistic for Kang Youwei to say that we only need three years, but it also shows that if we do well With the reform method, it will not be much longer than the thirty years of the Orientals at most." "Aifei is right, let alone three years, twenty or thirty years is fine, as long as the reform can be done well." Concubine Zhen said again: "In the past few days, after you went to court, I have read these few books written by Kang Youwei carefully. The inspiration is really great. People just dare to move people and change their fundamentals." Guangxu put his hands on his head, squinted his eyes and listened to Concubine Zhen's words, seeing her flushed handsome face just out of the bath, her bulging breasts behind her pink silk dress, and her fragrant long hair, all the more enchanting and intoxicating. He couldn't help pulling her into his arms, kissing her desperately, from forehead to cheek, to neck, and then to her hot red lips, Guangxu couldn't bear it anymore, and began to untie Aifei's clothes bring…… "Your Majesty, it's time for Wang Shang to come over for dinner." "ignore him." So on the dragon bed, the real dragon and phoenix rebellion began. Seventeen days after Emperor Guangxu summoned Kang Youwei, he summoned Liang Qichao in the palace. Liang Qichao had been waiting in the palace court room very early. The emperor summoned Kang Youwei fifteen days ago, and summoned him again today.Liang Qichao was very excited. Yes, today he will be summoned by the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. This is indeed a memorable event in his life.It is really unprecedented for a commoner to be summoned by the current emperor in the hall. Liang Qichao was pacing up and down in the court room in high spirits but a little nervously. After the imperial court, Guangxu was also very excited, and he would soon meet Liang Qichao, the number two figure in the reform.Concubine Zhen brought him some articles by Liang Qichao, and brought him tea. Guangxu excitedly said to Concubine Zhen: "Today I must have a good talk with Liang Qichao, and I will definitely promote him." Emperor Guangxu had the habit of drinking morning tea, but today he only drank two sips before summoning him. Seeing the ministers coming out, Liang Qichao knew that it was Sanzao. After a while, a eunuch came out to lead him away.Looking at the fortified palace and high walls along the way, Liang Qichao felt deeply imprisoned by the palace. He vowed to smash the shackles that imprisoned the Chinese people's minds. When he arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the eunuch asked him to wait outside the hall, and after a while, he was sent in, and the emperor summoned him in Dongnuange. After performing the royal ceremony, Emperor Guangxu gave him a seat, and Liang Qichao sat down on the wooden chair carried by the eunuch. Emperor Guangxu looked at Liang Qichao's profile: a commoner, born in Chasheng in 1873, from Xinhui, Guangdong.He was a scholar in the tenth year of Guangxu, and was elected in the 16th year of Guangxu. In the 24th year of Guangxu, he and Kang Youwei drafted a "public letter" and mobilized more than 1,300 applicants who took the exam in Beijing to sign a joint letter to protest the "Treaty of Shimonoseki". Advocating refusal of peace, moving the capital, and reform is the backbone of reform and reform.His "Reform General Discussion" is his main combat call.He once ran Shanghai "Current Affairs News" to publicize the reform and reform. After reading, Guangxu nodded with satisfaction, raised his head and looked at him.Emperor Guangxu saw his broad forehead, bright eyebrows, and extraordinary heroism in his eyes, and praised him in his heart: he is really a strong man. Liang Qichao also saw clearly the face of this emperor who ordinary people could not see: the heavenly court is full, the eyebrows are clear, and his face is slightly pale, but the corners of his mouth hide a rare rigidity. It's a blessing in the Qing Dynasty." The emperor said: "You are from Xinhui." Liang Qichao said, "Yes." The emperor said again: "I heard that you won the Juren prize at the age of sixteen." Liang Qichao replied: "Yes." The emperor asked, "Did you and Kang Youwei draft the 'Commitment to the Bus'?" "yes." The emperor said: "Both Xu Zhijing and Kang Youwei recommended you. I have read your "Reform General Discussion", which is very inspiring." Liang Qichao replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compliment." Emperor Guangxu couldn't understand his strong Cantonese, so he said again: "I also read the "Current Affairs News" you published in Shanghai, and it was also very powerful." Liang Qichao couldn't speak Beijing dialect, but he spoke Cantonese. Emperor Guangxu couldn't understand a word. Emperor Guangxu wanted to hear his views on reform and reform. Although Liang Qichao answered very well, the emperor couldn't understand a word. There was no way. , Emperor Guangxu had no choice but to understand. Guangxu picked up Liang Qichao's "General Discussion on Reform" and said: "In the article, you cited the history of the rise and fall of various countries in the world. Although India is the oldest country, it was reduced to a British vassal because of its conservativeness; All countries learned from the West, returned to reform, and finally became prosperous. Japan, during the shogunate period, was hit hard by Russia, Germany and other powers. I am also in Taiwan. I was deeply touched after reading it, and it is indeed "the former car is overturned, and the latter car is a lesson." Liang Qichao answered Emperor Guangxu's words in Cantonese. Although Emperor Guangxu could not understand, he felt invisible power from his shining eyes and sonorous voice. Guangxu said again: "I want to entrust you with a heavy responsibility." Because of the language barrier, the conversation between the emperor and Liang Qichao was not as long as that with Kang Youwei, but they were in touch with each other, and Emperor Guangxu also understood it. After the summoning, Emperor Guangxu granted Liang Qichao the sixth-rank official title to handle the affairs of the translation bureau. The official positions granted to Kang and Liang are not great, which may have something to do with the pressure on Emperor Guangxu.However, Emperor Guangxu's ability to summon a commoner was indeed "unavailable in the country's court", which was already a move that shocked the government and the public. After Emperor Guangxu frequently summoned reformist leaders in a short period of time, he conferred the titles of reformers such as Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Tan Sitong, Zhang Yuanji, Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, Yan Fu, and Lin Xu, and appointed Tan Sitong, Yang Rui, Lin Xu, and Liu Guang The fourth person walked to the military plane and directly participated in state affairs, which showed Emperor Guangxu's determination to reform and reform. After Liang Qichao withdrew, Concubine Zhen came in, and seeing Emperor Guangxu's eyes shining, she helped him take off his court robe and asked, "Your Majesty, how is Liang Qichao?" After Emperor Guangxu took off his imperial robe, he loosened his skirt and said, "Sure enough, it is as Xu Zhijing said: talents are brilliant, with pure aspirations; knowledge is unmatched, and knowledge of Zhou and foreign countries." Guangxu put his hand into the sleeve of the plain robe that Concubine Zhen asked him to change into, and said regretfully, "It's a pity, I don't understand the language, otherwise we should talk about it." Concubine Zhen said: "I don't understand the language, so I can only read his "Reforms General Discussion"." "Yes, his "General Discussion on Reform" said that the reform first changes the people, it really hits the nail on the head!" Guangxu sat on the dragon chair, and opened the "General Discussion on Reform" again to read it. Concubine Zhen brought the tea over and said, "Your Majesty, you haven't had enough morning tea yet!" "Yes, drink tea." Guangxu took the teacup, took a few sips, pointed to the article and said, "Concubine Zhen, look at Peter the Great traveling around the world, learning crafts... I am going to travel the world too, Zhener, what do you say?" ?" "Okay, of course it's good, 'returning and changing the political power, the country's power is getting worse'." Emperor Guangxu also said at the same time: "The situation of the country is getting worse." The two spoke in unison, and then burst out laughing. Emperor Guangxu said excitedly again: "I will summon them frequently, and I will also appoint Tan Sitong, Liu Guangdi, Yang Rui, and Lin Xu to go to the military plane to directly participate in political affairs." "Yes. Your Majesty, we must learn from others and change fundamentally, not just superficially." "What's the root cause?" Emperor Guangxu asked her deliberately. "system." "Yes. Therefore, I must set up a system bureau to fundamentally change the old system." "Then we have to start with the corrupt officials. This must touch the interests of the emperor's relatives and officials. Your majesty, do you dare?" "Dare, of course I dare. I will go all out. I will take the Ministry of Rites first. They dare to withhold the memorial that should be submitted. This is simply a blatant opposition to the reform." Concubine Zhen said happily: "Your Majesty, your determination to reform is really getting stronger and stronger." "That's right, the sooner the reform is implemented, the sooner the country will be rich and the people stronger!" "Your Majesty, it's time for you to take a break." Concubine Zhen said with concern. "Okay, let's go for a walk in the imperial garden." Emperor Guangxu took Concubine Zhen's arm and walked towards the Imperial Garden...