Chapter 50 Section 49

Baimixie Street is outside Di'anmen, Shicha Hainan.Zhang Zhidong didn't know where it came from, so he called it "Shizhahai", but even his family's servants still kept the name, pronouncing the word "shi" as "knot". When the sedan chair arrived at the door, Zhang's servant came out to block the drive, saying that his master had gone to Huixian Hall.Huixiantang is a restaurant opened by Zhang Zhidong's cook, just north of Shichahai.The large and small restaurants in Beijing that are worthy of the name all have one or two special dishes. Huixian Hall is conveniently located, and serves guests with river fresh produce from the adjacent lotus pond. It is called "ice bowl", so the business in summer is very good.With the autumn wind, the natural door is left cold, but this year is different.

It used to be that relatives and nobles used things, the official system was greatly reformed, and the established rules of following capital for many years have been virtually lost.For the sake of luck, Jin and others, the wind of budding and trembling is blazing.Since Huixian Hall is the shopkeeper of the Zhang family, Zhang Zhidong's Wenjiuhui will naturally be seated here. However, looking up at the color of "Nanpi Xiangguo" and wanting to take the opportunity to get closer, or to inquire about the market situation of the officialdom, Huixian Hall is a convenient place. the door.

Yuan Shikai thought to himself, since he came here, he would not take a little detour to visit the nearby Huixian Hall and go to Zhang Zhidong for a while.In front of Huixian Hall, there are many cars and horses, and its gates are like a market.But as soon as Yuan Shikai's big sedan chair arrived, the sedan chair drivers who chatted and gambled together naturally all disappeared. When the news came in, Zhang Zhidong rarely left his seat to greet him.After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the host introduced a group of staff he had brought from Wuchang. Yuan Shikai only knew Yi Shunding, who was known as the "Longyang Talent".

At that time, Zhang Zhidong had already finished his meal, and he was gathering guests for tea, and he was about to leave. He only made a special trip for Yuan Shikai's visit, so he had to keep his tired eyes open to talk with him.Seeing this situation, Yuan Shikai felt that some words were inconvenient to speak out, let alone discuss in depth, so he just said: "King Qing expresses his gratitude, please Zhongtang must take over the matter tomorrow. There are many important matters, whether they can be decided depends on Zhongtang." In fact, Yikuang didn't ask him to send a message, and there was nothing that Zhang Zhidong could not decide on at the military plane. He came here just to persuade Zhang Zhidong not to lose his temper, so he urged him in this way.

Zhang Zhidong is also a person who loves to be respected. Hearing Yuan Shikai say this, he felt relaxed and relieved. He cupped his hands and said, "Yes! Tomorrow I will take over the post in the cabinet, and I will be in the pivot immediately." "Waiting for you!" Yuan Shikai stood up and asked again: "Is there anything I can do for Zhongtang?" "Heavy words, serious words!" Zhang Zhidong said: "The future will be long, and there are many things to rely on, so there is no need to trouble the old man." On the third day after Zhang Zhidong entered the hub, he received a confidential telegram from Duan Fang, governor of Liangjiang, saying that Chen Qitai, the acting governor of Jiangsu, "has a deep hobby and cannot bear the heavy responsibility of enforcing Xinjiang." Liang Dingfen, the standard secretary, was transferred to make up the feudal secretary.

"Wuqiao advocates, I have no objection, please discuss with the public!" Zhang Zhidong sent Duanfang's telegram to his colleagues. Yikuang didn't show up for work that day, so Zaifeng started the tour.He didn't have a word with Lu Chuanlin, and when it was passed to Yuan Shikai, he knew the ins and outs of the matter at a glance. It turned out that Chen Kuilong, the governor of Jiangsu, was transferred to the governor of Sichuan, and Zhang Zengyang, the governor of Zhejiang, was originally transferred to Jiangsu by the imperial order.However, Zhang Zengyang's handling of the case of "Jianhu Heroine" Qiu Jin was too harsh, and the gentry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces were very dissatisfied, so they expressed their opposition to his new appointment.The Jiangsu gentry even openly rejected his appointment.

At that time, Chen Kuilong had already been granted leave of absence for three months to go back to his hometown to sweep the tomb, and the more important thing was to arrive in Beijing before the tenth day of October, before Empress Dowager Cixi's longevity.Now that Zhang Zengyang can't take office, he can't give up. Wouldn't he miss his schedule?Therefore, please call Chen Qitai, the governor of Jiangsu feudal clan, as the acting governor, so that he can make an appointment in time and go to Beijing to wish shrimp. This is something that will definitely be approved, and it is also something that Chen Kuilong can decide in his own right.Jiangsu had always had two vassals, the Jiangning vassal was subordinate to the governor, and the Jiangsu vassal was under the jurisdiction of the governor. However, Duan Fang believed that Chen Kuilong should first obtain his consent before making this decision.

It is deeply displeased to play without notice.But seeing that he couldn't get in the way with Chen Kuilong, he turned his anger on Chen Qitai. Yuan Shikai had heard about these situations, and now that he saw Duan Fang's telegram, he immediately knew his intentions.It's just to embarrass Chen Qitai, not to recommend talents.Li Minchen is Zhang Zhidong's former subordinate, and Liang Dingfen is a celebrity in Wuchang Baobingtang. If he caters so well, he will naturally get Zhang Zhidong's support and borrow Li to chase Chen. Yuan Shikai had always looked down upon him as a brother-in-law, and he was thinking in his heart: Duan Laosi has made another mistake now!Just to avenge his gratuitous grievances and boost other people's ambitions for no reason, the governor of Jiangsu fell into the hands of Zhang Zhidong's old department. This increased his prestige, and relatively decreased his own prestige.How can I not see this.

Therefore, Yuan Shikai smiled and said, "Whether Boping is smoking opium is still in doubt. As for Shaodong's serious illness, I saw it with my own eyes in Tianjin. Could it be that Wuqiao didn't know?" After saying this, Zhang Zhidong could no longer support Li Minchen, he just asked: "Wei Ting, how do you answer him?" "The imperial court has sent a decree to allow Boping to act as Su Fu. It cannot be withdrawn casually. As for who Su Fu should send, you might as well wait for Xiao Shi to arrive in Beijing and ask him face to face, what is Boping's spirit? Can he be competent? ? Please handle it again.”

"Okay! That's it."