Chapter 2 going out

On the seventh day of March in the seventh year of Guangxu, Hu Xueyan finally arrived in Beijing as promised.There are two foreigners in the same company, one is the manager of Tailai Matheson Co., Ltd., German Fokker, who has been doing business in China for many years; the other is Cameron, the representative of the British HSBC Bank. Because the weather was extremely cold this year and Haikou, Tianjin had not yet thawed, Hu Xueyan came by land with more than a dozen vehicles. As soon as he entered You'anmen, he went straight to Fukang Bank in Caochang Shitiao Alley outside Qianmen.In order to receive the owner, "everyone" Wang Weixian made preparations ten days ago. As soon as the convoy arrived, Hu Xueyan and his guests, as well as Gu Yingchun and Master Yang, who was in charge of writing and ink, were brought into the living room. The clever apprentice was busy pouring the wash water and tea.Hu Xueyan was taken care of by Wang Weixian himself, serving him while asking about the travel situation.

After a while of confusion, after sitting down, Bao Fu, one of Hu Xueyan's close servants, came to fill Hu Xueyan's cigarettes with a golden water pipe, and at the same time whispered: "Aunt Zhang has sent a girl to urge you." "Where is the time now?" Aunt Zhang seemed to be ignorant in the words. Baofu remained silent, but looked at a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl behind the screen and waved her hands, indicating that Hu Xueyan could not go in yet—from south to north, in all the major cities in the capital, where there is Fukang Bank, there is Hu Xueyan. Most of the "residence halls" have hostesses. Aunt Zhang who lives in Fukang is not very favored, so Hu Xueyan has this kind of tone.

"Mr. Big," Wang Weixian came to ask for instructions, "Do you use Chinese dishes or big dishes?" Then he said, "I'm afraid the two foreign guests can't eat Chinese dishes, so I borrowed a cook who cooks big dishes from Mr. Wen. It's all ready." The so-called "Master Wen" refers to Wen Yu, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment. He is a Manchurian from Zhenglan Banner and served as General of Fuzhou in the seventh year of Tongzhi.When the Qing soldiers entered the customs, they had garrisoned generals in important places. Among them, General Fuzhou was famous for being in charge of the Fujian Customs. Son, exists in Fukang.Wang Weixian knew that Hu Xueyan and him were old acquaintances in Fuzhou, and they had a very close friendship, so he didn't mind taking the liberty of borrowing the cook he brought from Fuzhou, who could cook big dishes—western food, to receive Fogg and Camilon.

Now that it's ready, it's natural to eat big dishes.Hu Xueyan originally wanted to ask Wang Weixian something, but because he was also the host, according to Western rules, he and Wang Weixian sat at the two ends of the long dining table, so it was inconvenient to talk.It wasn't until dinner was over that the two foreigners were accompanied by an English-speaking man from Fukang Middle School to visit Dashilan before Hu Xueyan could talk to Wang Weixian about serious matters. The most important thing in the business was the task of his trip - to negotiate a loan of three to four million taels with Zuo Zongtang.What Hu Xueyan is eager to know is Zuo Zongtang's situation after entering the court, whether the "curtain family" is still as prosperous as before, the relationship with the two kings—Prince Gong who is in charge of the Shushu, and Prince Chun, the biological father of Emperor Guangxu, as well as the situation in the military plane. He must have a clear understanding of his status in the middle school and so on, so that he can decide what to say and what not to talk about.

"I don't think Mr. Zuo will stay in Beijing for a long time." Wang Weixian is also from Hangzhou. He talked with his host, "not long" and called it "not long", which surprised Hu Xueyan. "Why isn't there a long pause?" "It's not that his old temper of 'not rotten, not cooked' has flared up again." "It's not rotten, it's not cooked" is also a slang term in Hangzhou, which means self-willed.Then, Wang Weixian cited Zuo Zongtang's discussion of the Russian treaty and "coastal defense" at the military aircraft department to support his views.

It turned out that there was a rebellion in Xinjiang, and Russia, in the name of protecting the overseas Chinese, sent troops to occupy Ili and threatened to take over temporarily. After the rebellion was settled, it would be handed over to China. When Zuo Zongtang went west, he conquered Urumqi, Turpan and other important towns successively. Ping Jing began to discuss the return of Ili, demanding that Russia fulfill its promise, but Russia's original intention of pushing back and forth and not returning after a long vacation was gradually exposed.So Zuo Zongtang used his troops to fight, and they were at loggerheads. In the autumn of the fourth year of Guangxu, the court decided to follow formal diplomatic channels to settle the matter, and appointed Zuodu Yushi Chonghou as the imperial envoy to Russia, and also awarded the title of internal minister, in order to cooperate with Russia. The plenipotentiary minister who negotiated the agreement allowed him to act cheaply.

In the twelfth lunar month of this year, Chonghou arrived in St. Petersburg, the Russian capital, via France and Germany, and immediately started negotiations with Minister of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gerth.It took half a year to reach an agreement, and Chonghou signed the "Sino-Russian Return of Ili Treaty" in Lavadia near the Black Sea with the qualification of "Minister Plenipotentiary" who "acted cheaply". Russia; opened many trading ports; allowed Russians to trade in Xi'an, Hanzhong, Hankou, and free trade from the Songhua River to Bodune.

When the news spread back to the country, public opinion was uproarious, blaming Chonghou for losing power and humiliating the country.Chonghou dared to conclude this treaty because there were two powerful people behind him. One was Minister of Military Aircraft Shen Guifen. The trust of the Queen Mother.One is Li Hongzhang, Governor of Zhili and Beiyang Minister, who flaunted his successor to Zeng Guofan's mantle, and his power in military affairs and Western affairs has been deeply entrenched and difficult to shake.During the six months of negotiating the agreement, Chonghou wrote to the merchants at any time, and only after obtaining the consent of Shen and Li did he dare to sign the contract with confidence.

Although Shen Guifen and Li Hongzhang both agreed with the Yili Treaty, they had different motives.Shen Guifen was because the stalemate continued, the imperial court had to send heavy troops to defend, and Zuo Zongtang had to borrow foreign debts. If things went on like this, the huge military expenditure would exhaust the people's wealth. Li Hongzhang is different. He has more or less selfish intentions. First, if China and Russia break up due to hostility, once war breaks out, Russia will dispatch its navy and will attack Tianjin. Zuo Zongtang continued to borrow foreign debts to expand his power, which was not what Li Hongzhang liked. Once the Yili incident was over and Zuo Zongtang's troops returned to the court, it would be tantamount to disarming and returning to the land.

But Chonghou's negotiation was really not very clever, the two palaces were furious, Shihlin slandered, even the ministers in the General Administration of the Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs presided over by King Gong and Shen Guifen felt too wronged and needed to change the discussion . So the court ordered the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chonghou, to go to Russia without waiting for the decree, and set off to return to China without authorization, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was severely punished.The discussed Russian treaty will be handed over to the six departments of Jiuqing and Han Zhanke for proper discussion and performance.This is the so-called "Ting Yi" in the Ming Dynasty.

As a result of the court discussion, the treaty signed by Chonghou was not allowed, so the two palaces held an "imperial meeting". Attacking Chonghou, and infringing on Li Hongzhang and King Gong, this way, Chonghou will inevitably be dismissed and questioned, and handed over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice for deliberation. In the midst of this, one can imagine how life feels like years. This move violated the "Public Law of the World". The ministers of various countries protested in groups, but the imperial court was unmoved. On the one hand, it sent an imperial envoy who was envoys to Britain and France, Zeng Jize, the eldest son of Zeng Guofan, and Russia, seeking to change the contract; He was charged with "beheading the prison".However, the imperial court did not give up its desire for a peaceful settlement. In addition to preparing for war, Li Hongzhang instigated the ministers of Britain, France, and Germany to mediate. Chonghou was spared the death penalty, but he was still imprisoned. From London to Russia. It is conceivable that the negotiation will not go smoothly at the beginning.Fortunately, Zeng Jize is worthy of his father's son. Using his knowledge of the "Public Law of the Nations", his experience and relationship as an envoy, he urged the assistance of the British and French envoys in Russia. The manuscript was contracted, Yili withdrew it, Jiayu was opened for business, and it was not clear where it could be connected, and the navigation of the Songhua River was cancelled. The only compensation was an increase of 4 million rubles in military expenses, totaling 9 million. When Sino-Russian relations were tense, Li Hongzhang put forward the idea of ​​"coastal defense theory", which was in direct opposition to Zuo Zongtang's "land defense theory".When Zuo Zongtang went to Beijing to enter the military plane, he first discussed the Russian treaty. Since Zeng Jize had recovered a lot of rights and interests, which exceeded the expectations of the government and the opposition, Zuo Zongtang also expressed his satisfaction and there was no dispute. He then discussed Li Hongzhang's "coastal defense" plan, and he talked more. Now, from coastal defense to land defense, it turned to the situation in the western frontier, and he talked endlessly about his use of troops in Xinjiang. Prince Gong, who is a hundred bureaucrats, sat silently for an hour or two, unable to get in a word. "Mr. Da, think about it," Wang Weixian said, "Don't talk about Prince Gong, anyone can't stand him. Prince Gong endured and endured, until the end, he simply asked Junji Zhangjing to put the original book away, so let's not talk about it." "No discussion?" Hu Xueyan was surprised, "Li Hefei's coastal defense is very large! If you want to open the Beiyang Fleet and the Telegraph Bureau, how many people are waiting to eat this big piece of fat, so why don't you talk about it? " "Here," Wang Weixian lowered his voice and said, "That's the problem. It's okay not to discuss it. If you want to discuss it, you are afraid that our Master Zuo will talk empty words. Then we can only talk about it after leaving the mountain." Hearing this, Hu Xueyan's heart became half cold.I thought that with a backer like Zuo Zongtang as a great military opportunity, he must be in charge of borrowing foreign debts in the future, and the financial resources will be endless.Now it seems that I am afraid that I will let it out again, and my thoughts will come to nothing.Moreover, Prince Gong seemed to dislike Zuo Zongtang a little bit, this matter was quite bad, but he didn't know how King Chun treated him. "King Chun treats him well. Mr. Da knows that King Chun is a gang of warriors. Lord Zuo has such military exploits. He regards him as a hero. The so-called sympathy means that they often have contacts and get close. King Chun wants to invite him to the Shenji Camp to watch the exercises!" "What did you say?" Hu Xueyan asked, "King Chun invited Mr. Zuo to come to Shenji Camp to watch the exercises?" "yes." "Who did you hear that from?" There was a sense of disbelief in these words, and it was obvious that Hu Xueyan attached great importance to this matter, but Wang Weixian was a little confused, so he had to answer truthfully. "I heard from Mr. Xu, Xiaojun Ji." Wang Weixian added, "Master Zuo came to Beijing at the end of the first lunar month, and Prince Chun invited him to dinner at the beginning of February, and visited the newly repaired garden at Taiping Lake, and invited him again in the first ten days of February, in person. I asked him to watch the exercises, Mr. Zuo agreed, and he will definitely go, but the date has not been fixed. Mr. Big will probably have a date when he comes." Hu Xueyan was more and more puzzled, but he didn't ask questions immediately, he thought about it for a while, why Prince Chun asked Zuo Zongtang to watch the exercise, first he couldn't fix the date, and wait for him to come, then he can fix the date? After figuring it out, he asked, "Who did you hear that from, Mr. Xu?" "It's not him, who else?" Hu Xueyan thought to himself, "Master Xu of the Little Military Machine"—Military Zhang Jing Xu Yongyi, has always had a close relationship with Zuo Zongtang. Zuo Zongtang has always entrusted him to deal with Beijing officials. It is reliable. Then I changed my mind, one guest doesn't bother the two masters, why don't I entrust Xu Yongyi with many things I have?So I immediately asked Mr. Yang to write a post, asking Xu Yongyi to "have a drink", and specially marked "Looking forward to life, so I can learn from you". In addition, I picked up four famous Hangzhou products, two Fang Yuhe hams, and ten Shulian The sandalwood fan I remember, the pickles from Sitan Jingguan, and Hu Qingyutang's "original products" Piwendan, tiger bone and wood claw burnt, etc., were packed in a net basket, accompanied by invitations, and sent to Xu Mansion. At sunset, Xu Yongyi came, still wearing an official uniform. His background was the head of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and Hu Xueyan's top hat was a coral crown. His rank was quite different, so he used the etiquette of a subordinate to refer to an officer. "When did your lord arrive in Beijing?" Seeing Hu Xueyan, Xu Yongyi hurriedly paced up and down, picking up the hem of his robe while talking, intending to greet him. Xu Yongyi's name is Xiaoyun. Hu Xueyan met him once and called him "Xiao Weng". At this time, he hurriedly supported him with both hands, and said in a complaining tone: "Xiao Weng, Xiao Weng, you are scolding people like this. Hurry up!" Please change your clothes before talking." Xu Yongyi's attendant had already been waiting on the bed with his bag under his arm. Hearing this, he came in to wait for his master to change his plain clothes.Sapphire blue silk jacket, rose purple tribute satin waistcoat with pipa lapel—this is the natural and special clothing that Zhang Jing of the military aircraft has become accustomed to, and it is very popular in the entertainment field. They bowed to each other, went to the kang and sat down, Xu Yongyi changed his address: "When did Mr. Hu Da arrive?" "Just arrived. My first guest is Xiao Weng." Xu Yongyi seemed a little overwhelmed, holding his fists in his arms and said in a polite manner: "I have never let go of the humiliation, and I have been favored so precious, I am really ashamed." "Small meaning, small meaning, what's the point!" Hu Xueyan asked, "Xiao Weng and Master Zuo often?" "We meet every day, it's my class, we have to meet twice a day, in the morning at the military aircraft office, and in the afternoon at Xianliang Temple, Mr. Zuo's mansion." "Is he still in good spirits?" "It's okay, it's okay. But..." Xu Yongyi frowned slightly and said, "It's a bit too good, but it's not very good." "Probably because the old man talks a lot?" "Not only did he talk a lot, but he also had a lot of energy. He talked loudly in the north room, and we in the south room could hear him." Hu Xueyan nodded, leaving Zuo Zongtang aside for the time being, "Xiao Weng," he said, "I'm in Beijing, my eyes are dark, and I have to rely on you to take care of me." Xu Yongyi knew that this was a polite word, Hu Xueyan took the silver as a lantern, his eyes were bright, and immediately replied: "I dare not do it, I dare not do it. If there is anything I can do for you, don't be polite, please tell me." "It's too serious." Hu Xueyan said, "I really want to ask Xiao Weng, I want to ask Xiao Weng to open a list, where do you want to socialize, where do you have to go by yourself, what is the way to socialize? Please ask Xiao Weng for advice. And This is an unfeeling request, Xiao Weng will open this list right now." This is a heavy responsibility.Xu Yongyi naturally complied, thought for a while and said: "The first is the high-ranking officials from the same village, especially those on the road of speech, we should send more." "Yes. Xiaoweng please give instructions. As much as you say." Xu Yongyi couldn't help but feel repaying his confidant because of the superficial friendship. "I would like to take the liberty of asking Mr. Hu Da," he asked, "Is this trip to Beijing to talk about borrowing foreign money?" "yes." "anything else?" "Also, I want to inquire about the foreign method of silk reeling, what is the purpose of Beijing?" "It's easy, I knew it, let's discuss it in detail later." Xu Yongyi continued, "If it's about borrowing foreign debts, Zhang Jing of the Prime Minister's Office and the secretary of the Ministry of Households have to meet with each other. I will open a list and come out. " So she brought out a pen and inkstone, and Xu Yongyi drew out a list on the coffee table, after much deliberation, wrote the number under the name, ranging from one hundred to five hundred - naturally the number of bank notes. "There is a person who needs to study carefully how to deliver the law." Xu Yongyi put down his pen and said, "Now Baozhongtang is in charge of the household department, and he is the prime minister." In the Qing Dynasty, there was a system of "academic scholars managing the Ministry". Zuo Zongtang, who had outstanding achievements, was ordered to "join the cabinet to handle affairs" as a scholar of the Dongge University. Naturally, he was in charge of the Ministry of Military Affairs. In charge of the household department, the real power is in charge.Hu Xueyan also knew about Zuo Zongtang's foreign debts with heavy interest rates. Now that Xu Yongyi mentioned Bao Jun and was talking about his heart, he couldn't help leaning over and lowering his voice. "I haven't dealt with Bao Zhongtang before. Ask Xiao Weng, is there any way?" "There is a way, I've heard of it too, but you can try it." "What way?" "Is such that--" "The law is not passed on to the six ears", Xu Yongyi said that only Hu Xueyan could hear it.So, when he was entertaining Xu Yongyi with snacks, he took a moment to find Gu Yingchun, and he had something to say. "You are an expert in antique calligraphy, I want to ask you to take a trip to Liulichang." Gu Yingchun couldn't help being surprised, when Hu Xueyan came to Beijing, he didn't finish a single business, but suddenly had leisure time to look for antique calligraphy and paintings, what's the reason? Seeing the doubt in his heart, Hu Xueyan said again: "I want to buy two things as gifts." It turned out to be a gift, "Which one to give?" Gu Yingchun asked. Hu Xueyan took his hand, wrote the word "Bao" on his palm, and said, "Understood?" "clear." "Okay." Hu Xueyan said, "There is a 'Haiyue Shanfang' in Liulichang, Shanghai's Hai, and Master Yue's Yue. You go in and find a guy named Zhu, who is from Shaoxing, and you ask him, what does so-and-so like? He said calligraphy and painting, you want calligraphy and painting, he said antiques, you want antiques. And you need to take care of them, the things must be good, no matter the price.” Gu Yingchun thought over what he said, nodded deeply, and expressed his understanding: "I'll go right away." When he came back, the host and guest had already taken their seats, Hu Xueyan introduced Xu Yongyi to Gu Yingchun, and then said: "Come, come, Have a few more drinks with Xiao Weng." Then he asked, "How is it?" "Watch something tomorrow." Hu Xueyan knew that he was on the line, so he didn't ask any more questions, turned to look at Xu Yongyi and said, "Xiao Weng just said that there are four shortcuts to become an official now, which four are they?" "People with four identities, 'the emperor's teacher, Wang Zuo, ghosts and gods'. Like Li Lansun and Weng Shuping, they all started their careers because they were the emperor's masters, so they are called 'emperor teachers'. Bao Zhongtang is the best friend of King Gong, and Wen Zhongtang used to be too. , this is 'Wang Zuo'." "Lord Wen?" Hu Xueyan was not surprised, "I have entered the cabinet to pay homage to the prime minister." Xu Yongyi was taken aback for a moment, then realized immediately.He was referring to the deceased Tirenge University scholar Wen Xiang, but Hu Xueyan thought that Wen Yu had been promoted to a co-organizer.Immediately replied: "As usual, the Shangshu will be transferred to the Ministry of Officials before he will be promoted to co-organizer. He is now the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, and it is still early." "Oh, oh," Hu Xueyan also thought, "Xiao Weng is referring to the former Wen Wenzhong." Wen Zhong is Wen Xiang's posthumous title. "good." "Xiao Weng," Gu Yingchun interjected, "'ghost envoys', as the name suggests, are envoys to foreign countries to deal with foreign devils. It is difficult to understand what is meant by 'spiritual envoys'." "It's easy to understand when you explain it." Xu Yongyi pointed to Hu Xueyan and said, "Mr. Hu Da and I were talking about the Shenji Camp just now. It is a special recommendation. But the Han people have no role, only occasionally, and they are also generals, and there are no civil servants working in the Shenji camp." "Ying Chun," Hu Xueyan said, "I was talking with Xiao Weng just now. King Chun wants to invite Mr. Zuo to go to Shenji Camp to watch the exercises. Mr. Zuo wants me to come and fix a date. Why do you think? It's to watch the exercises. As a reward, Mr. Zuo will wait for me to prepare for him. You can come up with a regulation instead." Gu Yingchun thought to himself, rewarding the soldiers is nothing more than having the Fukang Bank here, and Zuo Zongtang wants to pay the money, just send someone to say it.If there is no such picture, it is natural to think that it is not appropriate to reward cash, so we have to think of another way. "We don't know what people like." Gu Yingchun suggested, "I think it's better to ask Mr. Rong to go to King Chun to ask honestly how to reward him, and follow King Chun's orders to prepare." "Rong Zhonghua has long been out of King Chun's door." Rong Zhonghua is Rong Lu. Everyone knows that he was promoted by King Chun, but he is not accepted by the "Juzhu". Isn't it strange?Even Hu Xueyan was curious to find out. "It's a long story. It also involves a secret that no one will believe when you talk about it." Xu Yongyi asked in a low voice, "Have you ever heard in the south, what's wrong with the Queen Mother?" "I heard it's dry blood tuberculosis." Hu Xueyan replied, "How did you get this problem?" "Yes——" Xu Yongyi suddenly stopped, "It's better not to say this, and it's better for you two not to listen to it. If you accidentally spread it out, you will cause disaster, and then I will harm you two. Let's talk about it." Do something else." When it comes to the important point, Xu Yongyi suddenly sells Guan Zi, and Hu Xueyan is unavoidably displeased.But then I think that Xu Yongyi is so cautious, which is trustworthy.In this flash of thought, the unhappiness in my heart was relieved. So they chatted over the cup for a while, Xu Yongyi refused to drink more because it was the first time to sit at the same table, so she ordered a bowl of porridge and finished it, ready to leave. "Weixian!" Hu Xueyan asked, "Are you ready?" "Ready." Wang Weixian personally brought a tray with more than a dozen red envelopes on it, and another list, which was a "Philippine Respect" to be presented by Xu Yongyi. "Please, please!" Hu Xueyan cupped his hands and said, "I will do the rest according to Xiao Weng's wishes, or I will visit in person, or I will send someone to deliver, and I will finish it in one day." "Good! Good!" Xu Yongyi asked, "Mr. Hu Da, when will you go to see Mr. Zuo tomorrow?" "Wait for him early in the morning." "Then let's meet at Xianliang Temple tomorrow, and we'll talk about it when we have something to say." "Yes, yes!" Hu Xueyan said, stretched out his hand to Wang Weixian, took a red envelope, took out the silver note inside, and looked at it. According to his intention, the four hundred taels was correct, and then quietly stuffed it into Xu Yongyi's hand. Take advantage of the situation and hold it, not letting him refuse. "No, no! That doesn't make sense." "It's a trivial matter. If Xiao Weng doesn't accept me, it means he doesn't take me, Mr. Hu, as a friend." "It's well deserved. Thank you, thank you." After the guests had left, Hu Xueyan asked about the condition of the Haiyue mountain house. Gu Yingchun told him that he met a guy surnamed Zhu, and asked Bao Jun what he liked, and the guy surnamed Zhu said he liked them all.Gu Yingchun then explained according to Hu Xueyan's words, it doesn't matter if the price is expensive, as long as the goods are good, they agreed to see the goods in the next morning. "Go early. I've seen it, and I'll accompany the foreigners to Xianliang Temple right away." Hu Xueyan said again, "Master Zuo rewarded Shenji Camp. I've thought of a way. I don't know if it will work or not. I'll wait until tomorrow Let's talk in the afternoon!" After finishing speaking, he yawned. Mr. Zhu from Haiyue Shanfang is nicknamed "Zhu Tiekou", so the origin of this nickname, which seems to be the stage name of an astrologer, is that he is very good at identifying antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and editions. Must be false.Therefore, even though he is a hired man, the shopkeepers of the antique shop in Liulichang and the Nanhai shop respectfully address him as "Mr. Zhu" to his face. Gu Yingchun is very meticulous in his work, knowing Zhu Tiekou's ability, intends to make friends, wronged his status as a customer, and also called him "Mr. Just call me Lao Zhu." "Being respectful is worse than obeying orders." Gu Yingchun said, "Old Zhu, what do you have for me to show?" That "Mr. Zhu" changed Zhu Tiekou's usual way of receiving customers, "There are a lot of things." He picked up a piece of inkstone and said, "Look, old man." Gu Yingchun saw that the inkstone pool was seven inches long, five inches wide, and three inches high. "So it was used by Yue Wumu." "Not only Yue Wumu used it, Ming Taizu also used it!" Zhu Tiekou said with a smile. Gu Yingchun took a closer look, and there was also a four-line regular script engraved on the right side of the inkstone pool, "Yue Shaobao's inkstone was offered to the emperor, and now it is given to the minister. The ancient loyal minister also treasured the inkstone. How can the minister be worthy? This inkstone. On the first day of the first lunar month in the second year of Hongwu, my minister Xu Da will remember it." "Xu Da is the first founding father of the Ming Dynasty, and he is also the son and daughter of the Ming Taizu. This Fang Yan has such a history, and it must be recorded in the notes of the people of the Ming Dynasty. Old Zhu, don't you think so?" Zhu Tiekou smiled, "After listening to the old master, you know that you are an expert. You don't tell lies in front of real people, and you don't need to talk about whether it was collected by Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan." He put the inkstone back to its original place and said, "Master, please come and sit inside." The so-called "inside" is a small room behind the account cabinet. Once the door is closed, light comes in from the skylight on the roof.Zhu Tiekou waited for Gu Yingchun to sit down on the opposite side, then Fang Shi leaned forward and spoke in a low voice, his expression immediately mysterious and solemn. "Old Master, who introduced you?" "It was my boss who asked me to come here, but no one introduced me." "Who is your boss?" Gu Yingchun was a little hesitant, wondering if he could reveal Hu Xueyan's name, so he didn't answer for a long time. "Old Master," Zhu Tiekou said, "How does your master take care of you?" "Just tell me to come to you, Old Zhu, and ask Bao Zhongtang what he likes. If the thing is good, the price doesn't matter." "Then it's no wonder you refused to tell the truth. Your master didn't explain clearly." Zhu Tiekou said, "It's certainly useful for your master to buy antique calligraphy and paintings as gifts to Bao Zhongtang. What is it for? How much is it worth?" ?Old Master, tell me the truth, I will do the calculation for you, and I will guarantee that you will not waste any money in the void, and use it for the knife." Gu Yingchun heard that there were many twists and turns in the words, and seeing Zhu Tiekou's sincerity, he replied honestly: "It is indeed as you said, my boss did not explain it clearly. Old Zhu, can you tell me the secret first, I'll see if I can make the decision for my boss." "Why not?" Zhu Tiekou said, "We have contacts with various palaces and several palaces here, to put it bluntly—" To put it bluntly, it is inconvenient to openly accept bribes if you overpay, so someone needs to be intervened to cover your tracks. "Suppose, your old master wants to let an examiner go, or the young master's rural examination is about to end, and he is afraid of 'no papers in the field'. If he wants to buy a 'joint', he has to go to the grinding factory to ask someone from Jinxi, Jiangxi. They will negotiate the price with you at the bookstore of 'Weimo'. If you want to find a job, you have to come to us, we will ask for you and tell you, what you want to give away, naturally buy it from us—— —” "Slowly!" Gu Yingchun interrupted him and asked, "You mean you must buy it from you?" "yes." "You set the price?" "certainly." "Can you make a counter-offer?" "If you can bargain, why can't you?" Zhu Tiekou said, "Old man, you think highly of me. I can't bear to take your ignorant money, so please tell me what kind of job your boss is planning to find, so that I can tell you the truth. market." "En, um." Gu Yingchun thought about it for a while, and there was still something he didn't quite understand, then he said, "Please give me an example to listen to." "For example, you always want to put it on Haidao. I went to ask to tell you that it is enough to give Bao Zhongtang a copy of "Jade Pillow Orchid Pavilion". This post costs 120,000 silver. You buy this post and send it in." , Bao Zhongtang knows that he has got it, and he will do what you want. In fact, the market in Shanghai Road is 100,000 silver. We add 20% of the hat and deduct 20% of the rebate, and earn 40,000 in one transaction. If the customer is smart, Grind and bargain, at most wear off the extra 20% of the hat, as for friendship, like you, I will tell you honestly, one hundred thousand silver is not less." "Oh, so that's how it is." Gu Yingchun asked again, "If you don't know your avenue here, how about asking someone else to do the activity?" "They will also tell you to send a copy of "Jade Pillow Orchid Pavilion" and tell you where to buy it." Zhu Tiekou added, "This method was invented by Heshen during the Qianlong period. It’s his own collection, and when we went to ask the price, we brought it back by the way.” "Thank you, thank you! I learned a secret. However, there is one more thing I want to ask. For example, I don't want to bargain, but I just want to give someone a lot. What should I do?" "We also have rules. Let me ask who you are sending to. For King Gong, there is something for King Gong. For Bao Zhongtang, there is something for Bao Zhongtang. For example, if you say send it to King Gong, I will tell you, well, this way Yue Shaobao's inkstone, two thousand, that 'Ge Tie' three thousand, and one song version of Du Poems five thousand, if you want to give ten thousand silver, it's just the right amount." "Is there a hat in there?" "The real deal, no hats on." Zhu Tiekou explained that this situation is different from that of a seller and a shortage. For example, Shanghai Daoyi is worth 100,000 silver. If someone wanted to give away 80,000 denarii, but the reserve price was only 70,000 denarii, wouldn't it be embezzlement of the money due to the "seller"?Once the credit is lost, find another place to pay, such a good deal cannot be done, it is really unwise to be greedy for small things and lose big things. "Old Zhu, you have explained everything, and I can't lie to you a little bit. My boss is not looking for a job, but has other reasons. I don't know how much I want to give away, but I guess it's not a matter of thirty or fifty thousand silver. When I go back and ask for clarification, we will discuss further." Gu Yingchun said with a more emphatic tone, "Old Zhu, please rest assured. Unless you don't want to send it back, if you want to send it back, you must handle it. Even if my boss wants to find another house, I will I won't agree either." Seeing his sincerity, and seeing his appearance and clothing, Zhu Tiekou knew that he had met a rich customer. If the matter was successful, the shopkeeper would give him at least a few thousand silver, so he could start his own business. Thinking of this, my heart was full of elation, "I am very grateful for the cultivation of the old man." Zhu Tiekou stood up and invited Ann and said, "The old man wants to collect a lot, and I don't know what he likes to play with. Let's see if I can help you?" Gu Yingchun thought to himself, since he wanted to make friends, he couldn't return empty-handed, but he couldn't think of what he wanted for a moment, so he asked casually, "Is there anything new?" "Yes. Why not? Old Master, please come outside and have a look." Zhu Tiekou searched and searched, and found four antiques. The long one was round and square and flat. The long one was like a flute made of topaz. Xu Hui's ancestor Mengyu gave him an iron coupon to save him from death. The flat one was a "gourd vessel" made in the reign of Emperor Kangxi, which was an inkpad box. "Grandpa, do you think about it, which one is the most valuable?" "It should be this jade flute." "Yuxiao? Take a closer look, is it jade?" Gu Yingchun picked up the flute, flicked it twice with his fingers, the sound was sonorous, "What is it if it's not jade?" He asked. "Look again." Look at the inscription on it again, "No luster on the outside, no dryness on the inside, full of qi, its sound is neither suffocating nor floating, and its quality is above the best bamboo." The words are ink.How can jade be inked?This is strange. "It's a paper flute, made in Fujian." Zhu Tiekou said, "It's something from the Ming Dynasty, and the method of making it has been lost." Gu Yingchun was greatly surprised, he put his hand aside casually, expressed his interest in buying it, and then asked: "Old Zhu, which item do you think is the most rare?" Rare things are precious, and the rarest ones are naturally valuable. Zhu Tiekou carefully picked up the cricket jar, tapped it lightly with his fingers, Yuanyuan made a sound of gold and stone, and said with satisfaction: "It's true, the cricket jar five hundred years ago thing." Seeing this scene, Gu Yingchun became curious, took the pot and took a closer look. Figures were carved on the sides of the pot, and in the middle of the bottom of the pot was engraved "Made in the Xuande Year of the Ming Dynasty", and there was another line of small characters, "Made by Zou Daxiu, Lu Tomb of Suzhou. "Although the production is quite exquisite, it is only a cricket jar after all. After four or five hundred years, it cannot be regarded as a valuable antique. He was embarrassed to express his feelings directly, so he had to ask: "Old Zhu, what do you think is good about it?" "The good thing is that it's old, it's earthy, and the anger is gone, so it won't hurt the insects. Old man, have you always fought against crickets?" Crickets are called "crickets" in the north, and they are also called by this name in the south. Although Gu Yingchun is not good at this, he knows that there is a huge difference between winning and losing in cricket fighting. "After a cricket fight, the silver is worth tens of thousands. To put it bluntly, a good cricket is really treated as its ancestor. What is a Xuande basin worth a hundred taels of silver?" Gu Yingchun was speechless secretly, "A crock pot, worth a hundred taels of silver?" He asked. "Yes. But if the old man wants it, of course he is very self-restraining." Zhu Tiekou said, "For the four items, let's count two hundred taels of silver in total." This shouldn't be considered expensive, Gu Yingchun didn't say a word, took out a foreign-style wallet from his body, took out a stack of banknotes, made up the amount of two hundred taels, and put away the wallet. Zhu Tiekou saw clearly from the side that all the banknotes were issued by Fukang. He had an idea and said pleasantly: "It turns out that the noble owner of the old man is the 'God of Wealth Hu'." Hu Xueyan has been called "Hu God of Wealth" for several years.It was inconvenient for Gu Yingchun to deny it, so he just said in a low voice: "Old Zhu, it's good that you know it. Put it in your stomach! If you spread it out, this deal won't be done." "I know, I know. How can this kind of thing be so public?" Gu Yingchun nodded, told Lao Zhu to send the four antiques to Fukang, and hurried into the city by himself in a car, and rushed to Xianliang Temple in Bingzhan Hutong to be an interpreter.