Chapter 5 RBI up and down

"So, from now on, the Empress Dowager Xi will be in charge?" Hu Xueyan asked, "Xiao Weng, do you think things are more difficult or easier than before?" "I think it's more difficult than before." Xu Yongyi replied, "East Empress Dowager's virtue is better than talent, and military aircraft can do whatever she wants, while West Empress Dowager's talent is better than virtue. If she is a little sloppy, she will catch the problem and ask no one. There is something to say." "That's a good point. But in the future, as long as one person is perfunctory, things won't be too difficult."

"Uh," Xu Yongyi couldn't help being surprised, "Mr. Hu Da, who do you think you're going to be perfunctory with?" "Li Lianying." Hu Xueyan said, "He has made such a great contribution, of course he will be favored." "Hmm, um!" Xu Yongyi said, "I haven't thought of it yet." "I didn't think of it either." Gu Yingchun interjected, "I think, if you want to go this way, you have to go early." Xu Yongyi remained silent, meaning of course, "You guys are going to follow the path of an eunuch, please be wise." Hu Xueyan understood his state of mind, and gave Gu Yingchun a wink—implying that he didn't need to talk about Li Lianying anymore.

However, Baojun still wants to talk.Gu Yingchun planned to give Hu Xueyan 50,000 silver, but he thought that 10,000 silver should be reserved for expenses, and asked Xu Yongyi what he thought. "You don't need to give so much to Baozhongtang. If there is too much, he will become suspicious, thinking that there are many benefits in this loan. The money must be spent on knife edge, and one penny is worth ten pennies, and it is considered a skill." "Then, Xiao Weng!" Hu Xueyan laughed, "Tell me, what do you need to spend on a knife?" "I also know it, but I don't know why. In short, since Mr. Zuo intends to act arbitrarily now, there is no need to give such a heavy gift to Baozhongtang. Otherwise, it will become a 'block dog hole'."

"I've done a lot of things about 'plugging the dog'." Hu Xueyan said, "Since Xiao Weng doesn't agree, let's think of a way that is less polite and more meaningful." "It's not a good idea." Gu Yingchun asked, "Should I talk to Zhu Tiekou?" "It's useless. He doesn't understand the market in this area." The three of them were silent for a while, then Hu Xueyan suddenly said, "Xiao Weng, talk about it, what kind of person is Bao Zhongtang?" "People are very nostalgic-" Because of nostalgia and love, Bao Jun suffered a lot.Among them, everyone in Zhejiang knows that the case of Yang Naiwu and Xiaobaicai, which caused a sensation in the country six or seven years ago, falsely accused Xiaobaicai of murdering her husband, Ge Pinlian, as Wu Dalang. , and compared Yang Naiwu to Ximen Qing, the "Miemen County Magistrate" Liu Xitong who instigated Xiaobaicai to poison him, was Bao Yun's hometown list in the same year.

"Bao Zhongtang did not protect Liu Xitong, but Liu Xitong always thought that Bao Zhongtang was always nostalgic. With the backing of such a big military aircraft, if he made a mistake, he did it wrong. It's not a big deal. The result is harming himself and others, and even Bao Zhongtang has heard a lot of gossip .” "Where is this Liu Xitong?" Hu Xueyan said, "Where is the army?" "He died a long time ago." Xu Yongyi said, "You think that a person in his seventies will still be exiled to the army. Don't say that the ice and snow outside the pass can't bear it. Think about it for yourself. I'm sorry for my ancestors, I'm sorry for myself. How can there be any taste of living?"

"That's right! You have to have a good taste in life, and you have to live vigorously." Hu Xueyan asked again, "Where is he from?" "Salt Mountain near Cangzhou." "Who else is in the family?" "Not sure." Xu Yongyi said, "He has a son who was also involved in Yang Naiwu's case. Later, when things got serious, Liu Xitong asked him to go back to Yanshan, but he was on the lucky star wheel. " The sinking of the Fuxing ship was the first major shipwreck incident in China's waters, so Xu Yongyi knew that Liu Xitong's son had suffered a disaster without saying anything.

"Where is there any lucky star along the way?" Gu Yingchun said, "There is no way for misfortune and good fortune, only people call for themselves. Liu Xitong has evil intentions, so he will suffer misfortune. But the retribution is too miserable." "Inquire about it." Hu Xueyan said, "Liu Xitong has finally served as a parent officer in our Hangzhou. If the children and grandchildren have no food to eat, they should do a good deed." Xu Yongyi thought to himself, Hu Xueyan did not serve Liu Xitong as the magistrate of Yuhang County, but for Baojun's sake, he did a small act of sending charcoal in a timely manner, hoping to see him better.But he must also have such a high-sounding statement, so as not to leave traces, otherwise he will be ridiculed.After all, he knows the ways of the world.

Thinking about it like this, I couldn't help thinking of another person, "Bao Zhongtang has a younger brother named Bao Sen," he asked, "Does Mr. Hu Da know?" "I don't know. How is this man?" "This person asked Yanlu to participate in a book last year. It wasn't him who participated, but Bao Zhongtang, who participated in Bao Zhongtang to protect relatives. However, it must be Bao Sen who is unlucky, and the situation is very embarrassing now." "Uh, Xiao Weng, why don't you talk about the ins and outs of his misfortune."

It turned out that Baosen, Baojun's younger brother, was originally an alternate magistrate of Zhili.Relying on his elder brother's face, he was always sent on errands, sometimes when there were vacancies in the state and county, he was sent to act as an agent, sitting in court to ask questions, full of jokes, Shangguan could only be extra tolerant for Baojun's sake. Later, Zeng Guofan was transferred to Zhili by the governor of Liangjiang. He paid attention to the administration of officials. Seeing that Baosen was really useless, he felt powerless to take care of him.Baosen approached Baojun several times and asked him to write eight-line script to ask Zeng Guofan for a job, but Baojun was afraid of running into trouble, so he refused to send the letter.When he got there, he couldn't be bothered anymore, Bao Jun said: "You go to Sichuan!" He added donations, changed from an alternate county to an alternate road, and interceded with the Ministry of Officials, and was able to distribute Sichuan.

The name of the governor of Sichuan is Wu Tang. Before the Empress Dowager Cixi entered the palace, he had the great kindness to help her when she was in dire straits.Cixi's father, Huizheng, lived in Chitaiguang Road, Anhui Province. He was a local official responsible for guarding the soil. and died.As the saying goes, "When the wife dies, the streets are crushed, and when the master dies, no one lifts him up."Therefore, Cixi, as the eldest daughter, brought one younger sister and two younger brothers, and when she returned to the banner with her mother, she was blinded all the way. That kind of situation can be said to be bleak.

One day when the boat was moored in Taoyuan County, Huai'an Prefecture, Jiangsu Province, someone suddenly delivered a funeral ceremony, which was quite generous, with as much as two hundred taels of silver.Cixi looked at the name post again and the title was Wu Tang, the magistrate of Taoyuan County, and she couldn't help but wonder, Huizheng had never had such a friend. If it was said that it was a usual entertainment, the officials from other provinces had no connection, at best, they would give eight taels of silver to lay the ceremony. It's the best of benevolence.One gift of two hundred taels, which is surprisingly rich, Cixi judged that it must have been sent by mistake, and put it there intact in case someone came to claim it back. Her judgment was not wrong, and she really sent the wrong one.Wu Tang was furious when he saw the reply sent by the servant. Fortunately, he had an acquaintance who understood the ways of the world, so he advised him: "If you send the wrong gift, there is no reason to ask for it back. Just ask for it, and people are not willing to return it. Listen. It is said that the two ladies from Huidaotai are well-groomed, and they are literate, and they are ladies from the Banner family, and their future is limitless. Dong Weng might as well make a mistake and simply send a whole favor to hang himself." Wu Tang thought to himself, this is the plan of "lost the eastern corner, and harvested the mulberry elm", so he immediately removed his clothes, prepared sacrifices, passed the sedan chair to the canal wharf, and put a post on the boat to sacrifice to the spirit.After the sacrifice, Cixi's two younger brothers, Huixiang and Zhaoxiang, were still young and could only accompany the ceremony, but could not accompany the guests. It was Cixi who talked to Wu Tang through the white cloth spiritual veil, and thanked Wu Tang repeatedly. This is enough to prove that Wu Tang's funeral ceremony was not wrong, and he can use it with confidence.Cixi was grateful, put Wu Tang's name card in the hair comb box, and swore to her sister: "If God is sorry to see you, our sisters will also have a proud day, but don't forget Mr. Wu, the great benefactor who gave charcoal in the snow. " Sure enough, "the emperor pays off those who work hard", the sisters became sisters-in-law, but after ten years, the elder sister "raised with the world", and the younger sister is also the Fujin of the king of alcohol. The Xinyou coup, the two palaces listened to the government behind the curtains, and Cixi's first happy thing was to repay her kindness. At this time, Wu Tang, who had been promoted to the magistrate, was promoted all the way. None of the papers on the impeachment of Wu Tang are allowed.But in five or six years, Luo Bingzhang became the governor of Sichuan. In Chengdu, he entrusted his subordinates with official duties. He held banquets and performed plays every day, ate shark fin, chicken and duck, and raised himself to become a big fat man. It was nicknamed "Yipinrou". Bao Yun's plan for being the younger brother is that as long as he works at "Yipinrou", he doesn't have to worry about his talent.Sure enough, Wu Tang saw that Bao Jun was a military aircraft, and sent a "lijin" mission as soon as he arrived. In the end, Wu Tang took the post. Soon, Wu Tang died in office, and the governor of Sichuan was succeeded by Shandong governor Ding Baozhen who killed An Dehai.An Dehai was called "Little Anzi" by the Empress Dowagers of the Two Palaces. He was the favorite eunuch of Empress Dowager Cixi.Relying on the power of the Empress Dowager Cixi, recruiting power and accepting bribes, arrogance and lawlessness, one summer, under the banner of the Empress Dowager, she went out of Beijing without authorization, and even the governor of Zhili, Zeng Guofan, could only look sideways and dare not touch him.But Ding Baozhen didn't buy it. As soon as he entered Shandong, he sent people to closely monitor him. When he proved that he didn't have the order to go to the south of the Yangtze River, he unceremoniously ordered his arrest. Interrogation, and Fa-rectification on the spot", he was immediately taken to prison and executed in Jinan. Since An Dehai was favored by Cixi, if Ding Baozhen killed him, he would probably offend Cixi.Unexpectedly, it turned out to be the opposite. Not only did Cixi not hate him, but she was also very grateful to Ding Baozhen, because after An Dehai was beheaded, Ding Baozhen ordered his corpse to be raped for three days.As a result, the rumor that An Dehai was Cixi's face has been circulating all the time, and it will be self-defeating.Cixi felt deeply that Ding Baozhen had cleansed her virtue, so Wu Tang was vacant and promoted him from Dongfu to governor of Sichuan.Of course, there is also the expectation that Ding Baozhen is upright and upright, and that he will be used to rectify the Sichuan officials who have been ruined by Wu Tang. Sure enough, as soon as Ding Baozhen entered Sichuan, he made great efforts to rectify it. The poor officials who were greedy and weak were recruited and transferred, and the officialdom had a new look.People like Bao Sen are of course also included in the list of elimination, but considering that he is Bao Jun's younger brother, he inevitably has the apprehension of throwing a mouse, so the treatment is different. In a situation like this, there is a way to politely send them out. For example, if the governor and the two divisions—the feudal division and the standard division are at odds, and they want to transfer them away, but they are afraid of hurting their peace and disputes, they will do so at the end of the year. When "secret examination", add the test language of "eligible for appointment".Since he is enough to be responsible for the job, the imperial court will of course call this person to Beijing to have a face-to-face inspection.Over time, it became a practice. When the Military Aircraft Office saw what the governor said to the two divisions, it knew that it was asking the imperial court to transfer the two divisions away. Baosen is just an alternate way, which is not applicable to this example, but there is also a workaround, that is, to recommend a special talent, and please send it to the Ministry for introduction, which means that the court should consider it, and this person can be filled. That was at the end of the fourth year of Guangxu.At that time, the road of speech was very powerful. In addition to the officials of Yushi and Geshizhong, the Hanlin also served as the "announcement officer of daily lectures". Four people, known as "Hanlin Four Admonitions".In the "Four Remonstrances", Zhang Peilun's pen is the most powerful. He thought that Baosen had no talent, but because of Baoyun's relationship, he was recommended by a local official as a talent. In the Shangyu, Zhang Peilun was commended for "what he has never looked forward to, and he dares to speak out."As for Ding Baozhen's special recommendation of Baosen, what are his outstanding performances?The original play also said that Baosen had no talent, "I wrote Li Hongzhang to find out what Baosen's official performance was when he was in Zhili, and played it in detail." At that time, Baosen had already arrived in Beijing, and excitedly thought that Ding Baozhen was friendly enough to help him, and he was fully planning to use his brother's relationship to distribute it to a wealthy province after the introduction, so that he could find a Taoist priest who was really in short supply, and live a good life. Once you have passed the official addiction—the demeanor of a Zhengyin official is different from that of an alternate Taoist. Unexpectedly, when he met Bao Jun, he said in one sentence: "Sick me!" "why?" "Here, see for yourself." After reading Zhang Peilun's impeachment memorial with great difficulty, Baosen gasped, and then realized that Ding Baozhen had ulterior motives, and the replay must be a perfunctory empty talk, which may not be useful. "Now the way of speaking is very arrogant. If you hit a wall, I can't help you. Don't ask for glory and shame. You should complain first. After a while, I will find a way for you." Two years have passed, Bao Sen is very quiet, and often quarrels with Bao Jun, and the brothers have turned against each other.Bao Yun often looks away from the shadows and suffers from headaches. "Brothers are so emotional, there is only one way to separate them." Hu Xueyan said, "If you can't see each other, you can't quarrel, and others can persuade you, and you can listen to what you say." "Mr. Hu Da, your words are good, but how do you separate them?" "That's not easy. Invite that second master Bao to live there for a few months, and the anger will gradually dissipate. After all, brothers are brothers, and they will eventually reconcile as before." "That's a way, but it's a pity that no one invited him." "I invite!" Hu Xueyan blurted out, "If Second Master Bao is willing, I will invite him to visit Shanghai and Hangzhou for a year or so. All the expenses are mine." Xu Yongyi thought to himself, now that Bao Yun can get his ears clean, he will definitely appreciate Hu Xueyan's love.Immediately he agreed, and Gu Yingchun also believed that this was a fresh way of dealing with Bao Yun, and it was very feasible. As for Hu Xueyan and Baosen who have never met, it seems that there is no reason to get through the song, but it is actually very easy. Wen Yu, who has a deep friendship with Hu Xueyan, is a ready-made way. This day Wenyu entertains guests.Originally, he was very rich in eunuchs, lived luxuriously, and lived in a beautiful garden with flowers, trees and gardens. Every time he held a banquet, there would be miscellaneous strings and bamboos. After being corrected by the officials, I only made an appointment with a few close friends, just chatting and having a drink. The host and guest is Hu Xueyan, followed by Baosen.After being introduced by the master, Baosen admired him a lot, and Hu Xueyan made every effort to deal with him, so they hit it off right away, and the conversation was quite speculative.During the meeting, Hu Xueyan and Gu Yingchun talked about the situation on the "Yichang" in Shanghai, exaggerating, making Baosen look forward to it. Seeing that it's time, Gu Yingchun immediately asked, "Second Master Sen hasn't been to Shanghai for a few years?" "It sounds shabby." Baosen said shyly, "I haven't been there yet!" "That's really unexpected." Gu Yingchun looked at Hu Xueyan and said, "If there is such an interesting person as Mr. Mori in the flower wine, it will be more lively." Baosen is the so-called "uncle under the flag", he is good at eating, drinking, playing and playing. In the past two years in Beijing, he has relied on his love and sensuality to dispel his frustrations. Since the Empress Dowager Ci'an collapsed, singing stage and dance pavilions are not heard, and he is feeling lonely. Boring, but hearing Gu Yingchun's words, he was naturally tempted. "Now it's a national funeral, and I can go to the hall—" Bao Sen suddenly shrank his mouth, as if he had said something wrong. It turns out that what Shanghainese call "tangzi" is called "yaozi" in the north.The "Tangzi" in the banner population is the place where the royal family worships their ancestors. It is profane to use it as another name for the kiln, so it feels awkward. "Now that the country is mourning, can we still eat flower wine?" He changed the phrase. "Why not?" Gu Yingchun replied, "One is that the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and the barbarian field is 'Huawai', neither Shanghai Road nor Songjiang Mansion, even the Governor of Liangjiang, Jiangsu Province, etc. The governor is helpless." "Really?" Baosen didn't believe it. "I'll just talk about one thing." Gu Yingchun asked, "I heard that Mr. Sen Erye is a big expert in ticket opera. Have you seen 'Zhang Wenxiang's Stabbing Horse'?" "I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it." "That is the unique sight and ear blessing of Shanghai people. This play can only be sung in Shanghai, and it is forbidden elsewhere." The reason for the ban was that the play was not true at all.The governor of Liangjiang, Ma Xinyi, had already died tragically under Zhang Wenxiang's sword, but he said that he took someone's wife and had a way to kill him. He was framed and wronged after death. Those who knew the truth and had a little blood were filled with anger .The great officials in the south of the Yangtze River tried to ban the performance, but because their power could not reach the barbarians, they had no choice. This example illustrates why the rules of national mourning can be disobeyed in Shanghai when the octaves are suppressed in Beijing.Baosen really wanted to take a good look around, but he couldn't say anything. Hu Xueyan, who saw his mood, immediately said: "In fact, don't talk about those flowers and plants, Mr. Sen should also go to Shanghai to see and see. Nowadays everyone talks about Westernization. If you don't come to Shanghai, you don't know how to talk about Westernization. Bao Zhongtang It was because of his identity and status that he was held back, and he didn’t have the chance to go to Shanghai, so he might as well take a look instead of Bao Zhongtang.” This gave him an upright reason, and Baosen was very excited, "I am not for him, but for myself." He said, "It is always good to have more knowledge. When I come to Shanghai in the future, I still want to invite Hu Brother, take me with you." "It's serious." Hu Xueyan asked, "When is Second Master Mori planning to go?" "It can't be decided yet. I have to ask Ben Qi for leave first." Bannermen in Beijing were not allowed to leave Beijing casually. This rule was extremely strict during the Yong and Qian years, and it was gradually relaxed later.However, Baosen didn't dare to do anything wrong because his brother had repeatedly warned him to be cautious in everything. At this moment, Wen Yu, who had not spoken all this time, said, "Second brother, I will allow you to lie." It turned out that Wen Yu was the governor of his Zhengbaiqi. "Ah, ah, that's right." Baosen slapped himself on the forehead, "Look at my brain! I forgot that the chief of this banner is right in front of me." "Lord Wen," Hu Xueyan asked, "how many days are you allowed to take?" "Then ask him himself." "I think," replied Bausam, "about a month." "Not enough, not enough. You can't even talk about it for a month, at least three months." "Three months is three months." Wen Yu said to Baosen, "You have to find a reason, you just write a letter, saying that you will go to Shanghai for medical treatment." Bao Sen was still hesitating, but Hu Xueyan rushed to say: "Okay! Mr. Wen will be on leave for three months, Mr. Sen, I will take care of these three months. You don't have to worry about anything. I still have five or six days of delay, please You do the cooking, let's go together." When we meet for the first time, even if we feel like old friends at first sight, to be invited to such a luxurious place and stay for three months without paying a penny is really a rare adventure.Because of this, it made people feel unacceptable. Baosen just rubbed his hands and smiled reservedly, not knowing what to say. "Second brother," Wen Yu knew his mood, and couldn't help but say, "You have been in Sichuan for a long time, and you are not familiar with Xueyan. Xueyan is famous for his boldness. As long as you are lucky, I invite you to play a few times in the south like this. Yue, it’s nothing. I think you’re bored in Beijing, why don’t you go to Shanghai to relax. It’s a long time to make friends, so you don’t have to feel embarrassed.” "I'm really a little embarrassed." Baosen took the opportunity to say, "It's better to obey than to be respectful. Let me thank Brother Hu first." "It's a shame to say that." Hu Xueyan turned to Gu Yingchun and said, "Ask Weixian to send someone to Mr. Sen's mansion tomorrow to greet him. You don't need to bring extra luggage, and it's very convenient to prepare anything you need in Shanghai." In the afternoon of the next day, Wang Weixian went to visit Baosen in person. He was very courteous, so it goes without saying. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the conversation got to the point. First, he asked, "How many people will Mr. Sen intend to bring?" Bao Sen was embarrassed, thought for a while and replied, "I only take one." "How can one be enough?" Wang Weixian said, flexing his fingers, "One who smokes, one who does odd jobs, and one who goes out as a servant, at least three people are needed." "I'll just bring a smoker." Baosen said a little embarrassedly, "I have a hobby, so there's nothing I can do about it." "This is Fushou cream." Wang Weixian picked up a long cloth bag at hand, took off the cloth cover, and it was a polished rectangular red sandalwood box, and passed it over and said, "Master Sen Er, take a look, this way How are things?" Bao Sen picked it up and saw that there was a line of official script engraved on the box cover: "Blowing the flute to attract the phoenix", so he knew it was a smoking gun.Although I have smoked opium for 30 years and have seen many good smoking sets, this thirteen-section Xiangfei bamboo bong and the green jade cigarette holder inlaid are indeed expensive, but the beauty lies in the bamboo tube, which is made of olive pits stuck to the end. , the core is opened, the outside is cool and the inside is hot, and it is very enjoyable to smoke. "Good stuff." Baosen couldn't bear to let it go, "It must be two hundred taels of silver, right?" "Master Sen Er likes it, so there is no need to ask for the price. Please keep it!" Wang Weixian didn't allow him to say anything modestly, and then said, "I tell you, Master Sen Er doesn't need to bring a cigarette tray, it's too cumbersome, and we will prepare it." Speaking of such things, it becomes hypocritical to be polite.Bao Sen cupped his hands and said: "Mr. Hu Da is so kind, I really can't thank you enough. But man, I will definitely only bring one, and it will be a burden to bring too many." "Yes, yes. We have people there, so it doesn't matter if Master Mori doesn't wear it. Also, it's a national mourning, and the dress is simple. Master Mori doesn't need to bring silk clothes. When the filial piety period expires, it will be ready in Shanghai." What does he say, Bao Sen should do.As soon as Wang Weixian left, thinking about it, I would be complacent. I had enough fun with the newly acquired bong. Seeing that the time had passed, Bao Jun had already gone to court. Brother Chengxing, I planned to talk about this proud matter. . At the door of Bao Yun's house, when he saw the "Second Master" coming, he immediately became nervous, and quickly reported to the upper room. Bao Yun just wanted to take care of him, saying that I had a headache and was already asleep.Seeing that Baosen had already rushed in, he expected to be unable to stop it, so he could only sigh, waved his hand, and retreated from the gate of life. "Let's talk about your matter in a while." Bao Jun spoke first when he saw his younger brother, "At the moment everyone is busy with the funeral of the Empress Dowager Dong, so I am too embarrassed to mention it. " "Which one?" Baosen asked his brother for too many favors, so he didn't know which one he was referring to, so he asked this question. "Didn't you win a lawsuit to help people fight for property?" "Oh, that one," said Bausam. "I don't have time to mind people's business these days." It turned out that Baosen was entrusted by someone, and there was a lawsuit in which the son of a concubine asked his elder brother to divide the family. Baojun was required to intercede with the governor of Shuntian, and the case of the son of a concubine was dismissed.Since the case of Yang Naiwu, he was tired by Liu Xitong, and after he was criticized by Qing Yi, he didn't want to deal with any such cases involving criminal names, but Baosen kept pestering him again and again, so he could only pretend to be perfunctory, thinking of different reasons every time. It was a pain to procrastinate, so when I heard Baosen's words at this moment, I felt a lightness on my shoulders, and I felt at ease. "I came here specifically to tell my elder brother that I'm going to Shanghai for a while, and I won't be able to come back until two or three months later." "Oh," Bao Jun asked, "what are you going to do in Shanghai?" "Someone invited me to play for two or three months. I have food and housing, takeaway and delivery. There are four tubes in total, and I don't need to spend a penny." "Good guy. Just go to Shanghai for two or three months, don't pay a penny, who is so rich?" "Hu Xueyan." "So you handed in the 'God of Wealth'!" Bao Yun immediately darkened, "Don't make any random promises to others, and cause trouble for me." Bao Sen was stunned, "Someone will ask me for something?" He asked, "What could it be?" "Who knows? This person's tricks are incomparably great. This trip is to plan to borrow foreign debts for Zuo Jigao, and maybe he will entrust you to talk to me." "Hmph!" Baosen sneered slightly, "There is Haiyue Mountain House over there, so when will I come to chat with you?" Bao Yun pretended not to hear, took a few puffs of hookah, and asked, "When are you leaving?" "Just these few days." Bao Jun nodded, and shouted, "Come on!" The servant Bao Fu summoned him and ordered, "Pay two hundred silver to the account room and send it to the second master." "Thank you, brother!" Baosen greeted him, said some gossip, and left happily. As soon as his back disappeared, Baofu came quietly, walked up to Baojun and said, "Zhu Tiekou has come, and sent a gift for Mr. Hu." "Which Master Hu?" "There is a notebook here." Seeing that the name on the notebook was "Hu Guangyong", he couldn't help being concerned, "What did you get?" he asked. "A vase from a Chenghua kiln." "Big or small?" "big." The bigger one is twenty thousand denarii.Bao Yun thought to himself, since Hu Xueyan gave 20,000 silver, there is no need to be a favor to Bao Sen, but actually did it, and this favor is not light, and he seems to be a very kind person.At the same time, he thought that after Baosen left, his ears would be clean, and he would have a better impression of Hu Xueyan. "Has Zhu Tiekou left?" "not yet." Bao Yun then summoned Zhu Tiekou to the upper room and asked, "Then what did Lord Hu say?" "Master Hu said he wanted to give Zhongtang a gift, and asked me what suitable gift I had? I asked him how much the gift was going to be? He said 20,000 silver. I asked him to buy a vase. He even asked me to give it to me. Come, and the money has been handed over to the accounting room." "Is there anything I would like to convey to you?" "No. I also asked him, and he said that he only admired Zhongtang for his hard work for the country. He wanted to come to ask for his greetings, but he was afraid that Zhongtang was too busy recently because of the funeral, so he didn't dare to take the liberty." Bao Yun's worries dissipated.The 20,000 silver can be accepted with peace of mind, but it would be inconvenient to help if there is an accompanying request, if the 20,000 silver is reluctant to return, you will inevitably feel guilty in your conscience. After Zhu Tiekou was sent away, Bao Jun was still thinking about the heavy gift from Hu Xueyan. If he didn't help him, he still felt guilty in his conscience. Hurry up, foreign money is not in a hurry", suddenly enthusiastically agreed with Zuo Zongtang's foreign debt, contradicting what he promised, arousing suspicion.How to plan a way to achieve the best of both worlds has become a thing on his mind today. Early the next morning, in the sedan chair, he suddenly remembered the story that Baosen told him about Ding Baozhen. Ling, who came to seek refuge after untold hardships, did not have so many idle errands to socialize, entertain board and lodging, and send him back to his hometown to pay for his friendship. , even if we live within our means, there are always times when we are not able to meet our needs.According to the general governor's practice, it is very convenient. Write a note and withdraw a certain amount of money from the treasury, and the embarrassment can be solved immediately. The county thought of a way for him.But then, there will be no talk of rectifying officials. Therefore, the dignified "Master of Taiwan" inevitably asked the pawnshop for help.However, what else could he have worth tens of thousands of silver?After much deliberation, there is only one way to save face, take a suitcase, fill it with some old clothes and lock it, then take two seals, stamp the big seal of "Sichuan Governor's Department Hall", mark the date, Cross on the leather case, full of pulp and solid paste.Then send Goshha to carry it to the pawn shop. Chao Feng was taken aback, he had never heard that the governor would be a Dang, so he politely asked, "How much money do you want?" "Five thousand silver." Chao Feng was startled again, five thousand silver is not a small amount, he wanted to ask: "What is it valuable, can you take a look at it?" "You can't see it. Who dares to break the seal that the adults pasted with their own hands?" "So--" "You don't have to worry about it." Ghoshha rushed to say, "You can only rely on the seal. When you redeem the pawn in the future, you only need to see that the seal is intact, that is, it is intact. Do you understand?" Chaofeng naturally understood and took it as he said.Ding Baozhen is a good customer. Next month, the treasury will deliver the money for Yang Lian, and he will redeem it immediately.Since then, Ding Baozhen has become a rule, only relying on the seal and not asking about other things. Bao Yun thought to himself, if Zuo Zongtang borrowed foreign debts, wouldn't it be troublesome if he followed Ding Baozhen's method?And now is an opportunity.So after thinking about it silently for a while, when they arrived at the military plane, they immediately sent Su La to the "South Room" to invite Xu Yongyi, and invited him to a secluded place to talk quietly. "Is the Zuo Shuai's borrowing of foreign money settled?" "The joint is ready. The conditions this time are indeed better than before. This is also the reason why Hu Xueyan tried his best to cover up the past." Xu Yongyi said again, "I had already thought about playing, because of the important event of the Eastern Queen Mother, I had to stop. Take a moment." "There is no need to delay any longer. Please tell Prime Minister Zuo that if the court approves his borrowing, he must submit to the Ministry of Accounts for discussion, and then it will be settled." Bao Yun suddenly asked, "Ding Zhihuang Dangdang's story, you have heard of it. No?" Xu Yongyi didn't know why he suddenly asked this question, so she replied with an apologetic smile: "It's a famous joke, and many people know it." "It's not a joke." Bao Yun said solemnly, "If I were a court official, I would look at a few tattered clothes and let him take five thousand silver, how could I be worthy of my boss? There must be gossip outside, I don't know how much I have benefited from him. He can only be tough Take a bet, don't let me reveal his hole cards, I can't do anything about him. The same is true for Zuo Xiang's borrowing, raw rice is cooked, the court sees his old face, and doesn't care about him. Do you understand what I mean?" How could Xu Yongyi not understand?But he was also very tactful, he didn't give a direct answer, he just said: "I believe Lord Zuo can understand Zhongtang's kindness." "Okay. But," Bao Jun said with a sullen face, "Ding Zhihuang is very good, almost every month, the left side borrows foreign debts, but it's just this one time, it's not an example. Please make it clear." "yes." It is another matter to say yes or no to say yes.After Xu Yongyi retired, she went to visit Hu Xueyan first, told him Baojun's words, and discussed the last sentence, do you want to say it? "Of course it doesn't need to be said." Hu Xueyan replied, "The matter is obvious. The Western Expedition was successful, and we will never borrow foreign money in the future. As for the coastal defense, it is not the business of Mr. Zuo and me. In this case, Why do you have to say this again to make Mr. Zuo unhappy?" Xu Yongyi followed his advice, went to Xianliang Temple, and conveyed Bao Yun's opinion.Zuo Zongtang originally wanted to do this, but he didn't expect Bao Yun to be so "generous". After being relieved, Cheng Xing personally wrote the draft. The first paragraph, of course, states the importance of border affairs, as well as the difficulty that the provincial co-pays cannot be paid in time, and the arrears are being delayed year after year, accumulating more and more difficulties.Next, I will describe the origin of the borrowing of foreign funds. It is said that "the German businessman Fokker heard about it at the Lanzhou Weaving Bureau, claiming that the country has a huge amount of money to borrow, and the interest rate is light, and the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu can issue tickets." , because it was played on the third day of the twelfth lunar month last year, and received a reply from the Ministry of Household Affairs. Although the amount of the loan was stated to be 4 million, the term, interest, and source of repayment should be supplemented. But at that time, Zuo Zongtang had been ordered to Jinjing, and he was no longer in his position. It seemed that he should no longer seek his own government, so here is an explanation: "When the minister unloaded his seal script and went north, he talked with Liu Jintang and Yang Changjun. To take over, it was difficult to raise salary, and the subordinates borrowed chopsticks on their behalf. Although the minister was about to leave the post, he did not want to burden others, so he hurriedly dealt with Hu Guangyong, a Taoist member of the Shanghai Mining and Transportation Bureau, and quickly negotiated a loan of four million yuan from foreign countries to meet emergency needs. After arriving in the capital, I connected with Yang Changjun and Liu Xitang's letters, saying that the salary source has dried up, and it is difficult to continue at the turn of spring and summer, so I sincerely report it according to the situation, and the love words are extremely urgent." The following is the issuing method according to what "Hu Guangyong, together with Focke, a partner of Taylor, Germany, and Cameron, a partner of HSBC, UK" said: Amount of loan: Kuping Zuse Baoyin 4 million taels. Term: six years to pay off. Interest rate: annual interest of 9% 75 cents. Interest payment method: one payment every six months, a total of twelve installments in six years. Method of principal repayment: No repayment of principal in the first and second two years, and repayment of one million taels per year from the third year onwards.Interest is reduced. Guarantee method: Please ask the Ministry of Households to urge the provincial customs to hand over the new and old co-payments to the Shanghai Bureau of Mining and Transportation, and pay the principal back with interest.If the co-payment is not paid, the Shanghai Mining and Transportation Bureau has no money to allocate, and foreign merchants should be allowed to redeem it from the Ministry of Households on schedule based on the stamp issued by the Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. Compared with the past, these conditions have three advantages: first, there is no need for the customs and the governors of the relevant provinces to issue invoices, which can avoid setbacks; It was not repaying the principal for the first two years, so that the provinces could clear up the old debts. Heaven’s grace issued an order to the Prime Minister’s Yamen, ordering Daoist Hu Guangyong and the British envoys to transfer to HSBC Bank, and all to comply, so that Shaanxi and Gansu can issue tickets and withdraw money.” The date of the performance was the first day of April, and the official reply was received on the same day: "The government office knows about it." That is to say, the filing was approved, and "the government office" refers to the Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs.This yamen and the Military Aircraft Office are the exterior and interior of each other. The officer in charge, also known as Zhang Jing, has a generous salary, which is also the same as the Military Aircraft Zhangjing. The things they do are the same, but Governor Zhang Jing has his own department. The case is under the control of "UK Stock" and "German Stock", and Xu Yongyi is on his behalf. The procedure for the embassy to approve the loan from HSBC was also very smooth, but within three days, everything was ready. But the endowment is yet to come.There are many reasons. The first is that Nangui decided to take a steamship, and the schedule is fixed, and the "big meal room" on the latest boat has been reserved. Hu Xueyan believes that everything is "best" when entertaining Baosen. I would rather wait for another class, which will be ten days later. 第二是胡雪岩要定制一批膏药带回去。从经管西征粮台，在上海设转运局开始，胡雪岩无事不顺手，常是一夕之间，获利巨万，财是怎么发的，连他自己都不甚清楚。但精神却渐渐差了，饮食渐减，夜卧不安，人一天比一天瘦了下来，急得胡老太太以下，全家女眷都是到处烧香许愿，大做好事，祈求上苍保佑，然而没有什么用处。 有一次在应酬场中，遇见一个在湖北候补，而到上海来出差的捐班知县，名叫周理堂，善于看相，遍相座客，谈言微中，看到胡雪岩，说他往后十年大运，犹胜于今，将来会有“财神”之号。 “不瞒理翁说，我的精神很坏，事情要有精神来做的，没有精神只会交墓库运，哪里会有什么大运。” “这是因为雪翁想不开的缘故，一想开了，包你精神百倍。” 听得这话，胡雪岩先就精神一振，“理翁，倒要请教，我是怎么想不开。”他问，“要怎么样才想得开？” “此中之理，非仓促之间能谈得透彻的。雪翁公馆在哪里，等我勾当了公事，稍微闲一闲，登门拜访，从容呈教。” 胡雪岩心想，官场上专有那种读了一本《麻衣相法》，信口开河，目的是为了奉承上司，讨得欢心，企求谋得一缺半差的候补州县班子。而看周理堂的谈吐，不像是那一流人物，当即答说：“不敢请理翁劳步。”接着又说，“恕我冒昧，理翁这趟是啥公事？” “今年皇上大婚，我奉抚宪之命，到上海来采办贡品，东西都看好了，无奈湖北应该汇来的款子数目弄错了，连日为此事奔走，总还要四五天首尾才会清楚。” “喔！理翁是说公款不够？” "yes." "How much difference?" “一万三千多两。” “喔，喔，”胡雪岩问说，“总快到了吧？” "yes." "Well." 第二天上午，胡雪岩到周理堂所住的祥和客栈去拜访，只听得有人在他屋子里大办交涉，声音很熟，想不起来是什么人，及至偶然一照面，认出来了，是方九霞银楼的档手老萧。 “胡大先生，”老萧丢开周理堂奔了出来，笑嘻嘻地打了个千问，“你老怎么也来了？” “你这话问得奇怪！”胡雪岩因为看刚才那番光景，老萧对周理堂不甚礼貌，所以有意板着脸说，“就许你来，不许我来？” “不是这话，不是这话！”老萧急忙辩解，“我是有生意来跟周大老爷接头。” “接头生意？莫非你不晓得和气生财？哗喇，哗喇啥事体？” 训斥完了，转身与周理堂叙礼，客气而亲热，将个老萧干搁在一旁，置之不理。 倒是周理堂有点过意不去，“雪翁，你请稍坐。”他说，“我跟这萧掌柜先打个交道。” "Please." 有胡雪岩在座，那老萧不似刚才那样嚣张了，但话仍说得很硬。原来周理堂在方九霞定了一柄玉镶金如意，工料总计九千银子，只付了两千定金。如意制就，来催交货，周理堂无以为应。就在这时候，广西巡抚亦派人来采办贡品，因为时间迫促，颇为焦急，老萧打听到这件事，上门兜揽生意，说湖北巡抚订的玉镶金如意，愿照原价转让。如意上所錾的“天保九如”字样，以及上款都可不动，下款只改动省名、姓名便能合用，毫不费事。 广西的差官办事很干脆，也很精明，估价九千银子不贵，愿意照价收买，但必须能够证明，湖北的差官确是放弃了才能成交。 为此，老萧便来逼周理堂，限期取件，否则没收定金，作为补偿损失。周理堂手头不硬，口头上就不能不软，正在磨得心烦意乱之时，胡雪岩来了。 弄清楚了是怎么回事，胡雪岩便开口了，“老萧，”他问，“你打算怎么样？” 胡雪岩一出头，老萧便知如意算盘落空了，“胡大先生晓得的，这两天金价又涨了。”他说，“打周大老爷的这柄如意，说实话已经亏本了，而且吃本很重，再拖下去，利息上又是损失，我对我们东家不好交代。” “那么怎么样呢？” “我想，再等三天。” “不必。”胡雪岩转脸对周理堂说，“理翁，这是笔小数，你为啥早不跟我讲，宁愿来受他们的气！”说着，从马褂口袋里掏出一个信封，递了过去。 抽出来一看，是一万四千两的一张银票，心里又甜又酸，几乎掉泪。 胡雪岩怕他说出什么过于谦卑的话，当着老萧面连自己也失面子，所以很快地说道：“老萧，你快回去，把金如意送来，周大老爷验收不错，自然分文不少你的。” “是，是！”老萧诺诺连声，“马上送来，马上送来。” “慢慢！”胡雪岩将老萧唤住，转脸说道，“理翁，我想送了来也不好，一则要担风险，再则也怕招摇。不如我陪理翁到方九霞验货，果然不错，就把余款付清了它，叫方九霞出张寄存金如意的条子，动身的时候直接送上船，岂不省事。” “说的是。不过不敢劳雪翁相陪，我派人去办这件事就是。” 当下将他随带的一名司事找了来，拿胡雪岩的银票交了给他，一一交代清楚。等司事跟老萧一走，方始开口道谢。 “小事，小事！”胡雪岩问道，“理翁还有什么未了？” “多谢，多谢。没有了。”周理堂紧接着问，“这笔款子，如何归还？” “悉听尊便。”胡雪岩紧接着说，“倘或理翁没有急事要办，我想请理翁指点指点迷津，我是怎么想不开？我自己倒不觉得有什么事老挂在心里。” “以雪翁的智慧，自己觉得，就不至于想不开了。正因为那个念头隐而不显，所以居恒郁郁。”周理堂又说，“看相这件事，本无足奇，不过在脸上看到心里，也要有些阅历。雪翁心中有贼，此贼不除，精神就好不起来。” “喔！”胡雪岩也听说过“去山中贼易，去心中贼难”这句成语，当即问说，“我心中之贼是指啥？” “钱。一个钱字。”周理堂问，“雪翁是不是常常想到它？” “我是开钱庄的。”胡雪岩笑道，“我们这一行，称之为'铜钱眼里翻筋斗'，不想到钱，想什么？” “是不是？我说雪翁心中有贼！雪翁是大英雄，何以亦为孔方兄所困，跳不出来？” 听得这话，胡雪岩不免惭愧，想了好一会说：“理翁的话，我听出点味道来了。就不知道怎么才能跳得出来。要我不想到钱这一个字，只怕不容易，从小学生意就是学的这个，根深蒂固，跟本性一样了，怎么能不去想它。” “想也可以。只要不是想赚钱，而是想花钱，就跳出来了。” “这话，还要请理翁明示。” “道理很简单。”周理堂说，“譬如雪翁想造一座花园，这是花钱，可是所想的是如何起造楼台，如何罗致花木，如何引泉入园，如何请人品题。这些东西想起来是很有趣的，自然而然把个'钱'字忘掉了。当然，这也不是人人办得到的，力量不够，要为钱犯愁，反而是自寻烦恼，雪翁根本不必愁钱，当然也就不会有烦恼。” 这使得胡雪岩想起了一个人的话，此人姓雷，江西人，他家从康熙年间开始，世世代代在内务府当差，凡有宫殿营造之事，都先找他家设计，然后按照尺寸，用硬纸版烫出样子来，出了名的“样子雷”，真姓名反而不为人所知了。 有一年胡雪岩进京，在应酬场中认识了“样子雷”，听他谈先世的掌故，说他家全盛时代是在乾隆十六年以后，主要的职司是扩建一座圆明园，建成了请皇帝来看，某处不妥，立即拆掉改建，改得不满意，复又拆去，这样建了拆，拆了建，不知多少遍，总之终乾隆六十年，圆明园无一日不在大兴土木之中。 乾隆年间，国库充盈，皇帝只要觉得什么事能够怡情悦性，尽可以放手去做，不必愁钱，这也许就是他能够克享天年的道理。听周理堂的话，印证乾隆皇帝的作为，胡雪岩的行事大改常度，虽仍然不忘如何赚钱，但想得更多的是，如何花钱？大起园林，纵情声色，以前眠食不安，郁郁寡欢的毛病倒是消失了，却另添了一样病：肾亏。 好的是开设着一家海内第一的大药铺，连带也认识了无数名医，秘方珍药，固本培元，差能弥补。补药中最为胡雪岩所重视的是一种膏药，名称很难听，叫做“狗皮膏”，但效用神妙，有了它，胡雪岩多娶几房姬妾也不要紧了。 这狗皮膏，只有在北京一家祖传的药铺才有。胡雪岩曾不惜重金，想聘请这家药铺的主人南下，到胡庆余堂去专制狗皮膏，却未能如愿，想买他的秘方，便更是妄想了。因此，胡雪岩每逢春天，就得派专人去北京来采办狗皮膏，这年自己进京，就不必再派人了。一到就关照汪惟贤订购三百帖狗皮膏，只以一样重要药材缺货，尚未制就，而胡雪岩坚持要随身携药南归，这一来就不能不等了。 及至等到了药，却因徐用仪带来的一个消息，胡雪岩决定再在京里住一阵，要看一个人的神通到底大到如何程度。 “你带着洋人陪森二爷先走。我倒要看看他这一关过得了过不了。”胡雪岩说，“他的这套把戏，只有我顶清楚，说不定左大人会问我，也说不定另外还会有机会。” 另外会有什么机会呢？古应春明白，如果“他”倒了，不独胡雪岩去了一个商场上的劲敌，而且也可能接办招商局。