Chapter 66 Section sixty-fifth

"Xin Ru," Duan Fang asked after hearing Rui Cheng's statement, "Do you want to give him a big limelight?" Ruicheng didn't know the meaning of his words, so he just replied with a smile: "If you can be in the limelight, why don't you want to?" "Okay! You listen to my method, and you will be in the limelight. Not only will you be in the limelight, but the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River will definitely praise you. You, a Jiangsu feudal official, will be safe!" If this is the case, it will be more in line with what he wants, but he doesn't understand how to make "scholars in the south of the Yangtze River praise each other"?So he responded with a confused look on his face.Duan Fang could see it naturally, so he immediately asked: "Uncle Yang Xin participated in Wen Daoxi back then, do you remember?"

"Hmm, um!" Rui Cheng replied, "I remember, but the inside story is not very clear." "Let me tell you!" It turned out that Wen Tingshi ranked second in the rankings in the 16th year of Guangxu, and was famous as a public official. Li Hongzhang's career was prosperous at that time, but Sangyu was in a difficult situation, and he felt that there was no successor. He had placed his hopes on Zhang Peilun earlier. , all in vain.Nowadays, Wen Tingshi is a talented man, and he has the support of the imperial concubine inside and the appreciation of "Master Weng" outside. No matter from which point of view, he will stand out, so he deliberately wins over Wen Tingshi and asks for leave to return to his hometown. When passing through Tianjin , I regard him as Beiyang's honored guest, the courtesy is high, and the gift is even thicker. I hope to accept him as a helper. In the future, I will see the situation and pass on the mantle.

In the spring of Guangxu's 20th year, Wen Tingshi returned to Beijing on vacation, just in time for the big exam, and because of Concubine Zhen's advice, the emperor personally decided that Wen Tingshi was the number one.Han Zhan's big exam and the department's Jingcha, three years in one fell swoop, won the first place and must be promoted immediately. Wen Tingshi was promoted from editor to bachelor's degree, which is a rare promotion.The official system of the Hanlin Academy is different. From the review of the seventh rank, the editing of the seventh rank is followed by the revision of the sixth rank, but there has never been an example of editorial inspection, promotion and revision, because this is the full-time of the champion.On the top are the lectures and readings from the fifth rank, the bachelors from the fourth rank, and the bachelors from the fourth rank.The editorial inspection can neither be promoted to write, nor can it be promoted to be a lecturer or a lecturer of the fifth grade. Therefore, when the salary is full and promoted, if it is not released or changed to a minister, but still works in the clear shift, it will be the official of the East Palace. Go to Zhan Shifu, which belongs to it, and its name is "Kaifang".

"Fang" is the left and right Chunfang of Zhan Shifu. There are three official positions under him, all of which are divided into left and right.There is also an official position in charge of books, classics and records, called "Xing Ma of the Bureau of Economics and Economics", which is notoriously difficult to be promoted. Someone once laughed at himself with Du's poems, calling it "a wash of all horses and eternal emptiness". Since Daoguang, Shu Jishi left the museum and stayed in the museum. There were more and more appointments and editors, and there was a shortage of people. Therefore, it was common for them to fail to open workshops for more than ten years.After opening a workshop, if you want to jump out of the workshop and be promoted to the capital, it is not enough for ten years, so there is a saying of "Nine Turns of Dancheng".Now that Wen Tingshi has been editing for four years, half of the time is spent roaming around the provinces, taking the double title of second place and celebrity, as the governor's guest, and returning from a leisurely escape, "Dancheng" overnight, but because of the citation of the palace, Naturally, it makes people envy, envy and hate!

Among them, Yang Chongyi is the most gnashing of teeth in Wen Ting style.He is the Imperial Academy of Gengchen in the sixth year of Guangxu, and he has never opened a workshop until now. The younger generation who was ten years late suddenly became the upper official of this yamen, and he couldn't swallow his breath.In the next year, Yang Chongyi became the censor, and felt that it was time to vent his anger. Although the state affairs at that time were only a year apart, great vicissitudes had already been experienced. Li Hongzhang was particularly responsible for the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War.

When the negotiations between China and Japan were serious, Weng Tonghe didn't know that Beiyang was just an empty shell with a lot of corruption inside. He only wanted to run a large navy and spent huge sums of money every year. There would always be some achievements, so he insisted on the main battle.And the senior brother of the door, the group seconded, and Wen Tingshi once specially impeached Li Hongzhang, accusing him of being afraid of embarrassment and self-respect.At the death of his master in Huanghai, Li Hongzhang was defeated. Li Hongzhang was pulled out of the three-eyed feather and handed over the seal of the direct governor, almost ruining his reputation.After learning from the painful experience, he believed that his life was ruined by Weng Tonghe. First, with the qualification of Minister of the Household Department, after he became the emperor, the court ruled that Beiyang was not allowed to increase troops and pay.In a word, it was intentional to make things difficult for him.

Of course, he not only hated Weng Tonghe, but also vented his anger on Weng's children, and he was especially dissatisfied with Wen Tingshi.So Yang Chongyi, under his instruction, took advantage of the opportunity that the concubine Zhen had fallen out of favor, and played Yan Yu, "Wen Tingshi, a bachelor of the Imperial Academy, often gathers similar people in Songyun Nunnery and flaunts each other. , Discuss current affairs, enter into a joint play, and have a brotherly relationship with the eunuch Wen surname, please depose immediately." As a result, Wen Tingshi lost his official position and was expelled, never to be used.In Yang Chongyi's case, he naturally let out a bad breath in his chest, but he has since despised Shilin.

After listening to Duanfang's detailed talk about the past, Ruicheng realized that his intention was to curry favor with the literati in the south of the Yangtze River, but he didn't know that Duanfang also used this to take revenge on the Li family. regarded as enemies. That was two years ago.Duan Fang went abroad with Zai Ze to investigate the constitutional government, and Li Jingmai was on a mission to Austria. At the banquet, Duan Fang expressed his dissatisfaction that Austria's supply was insufficient.The implication is that it seems to blame Li Jingmai for not getting in touch properly, so that the Austrian country will slow down the guests.

Li Jingmai was born as a noble son, so he naturally didn't accept his words, and retorted, saying that his official was "ambassador-level", but his mission was not. It can't be blamed for Austria's lack of courtesy, and there was a quarrel on the spot. Afterwards, Li Jingmai was quite vigilant, knowing that Duanfang was narrow-minded, and he might "sue an imperial court" after returning to China, so he first explained the situation and explained it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Sure enough, he soon received a reply letter from Na Tong, the minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was Duan Fang who had mentioned this matter.It is conceivable that the enemy formed.

In the second year, Li Jingmai returned to China and was transferred to Jiangsu Province. At this time, Duanfang was the governor of Liangjiang. Li Jingmai was afraid that he would still have old grievances, so he specially wrote a very respectful letter to pay his respects first.Who knows that Duan Fang ignored it!Seeing this situation, Li Jingmai, the standard secretary in Jiangsu, couldn't do it. When he summoned him, he detailed the history of his grievances with Duanfang, and asked the Empress Dowager Cixi to make the decision. "Dare he?" Empress Dowager Cixi said.However, an arrangement was made the next day, and Li Jingmai was transferred to Henan Standard Division.

It's strange to say that after I sent an edict, I immediately received a congratulatory message from Duan Fang, and the words of love were very sincere.After a few days, Li Jingmai realized the truth of his arrogance and respect. It turned out that Duanfang's younger brother, Duanjin, was an alternate magistrate of Zhili Prefecture in Henan Province, and now serves as the general office of the Shanzhou Yanli Bureau.Henan does not produce salt, and supplies it to Lianghuai, Changlu, and Hedong, especially Luyan in Hedong. With Henan as the main source of salt, Shanzhou is the first to enter the country, and the tax revenue is extremely high.Therefore, this mission of Duanjin is known as "the first mission in the whole province". However, his good job is about to fail!Duan Jin's heir mother died, Ding You went to the errand as usual, Duan Jin was reluctant to let go, so he asked his brother to help.The Han army could have followed the rules of the banner people, only wearing filial piety for a hundred days, and did not have to observe three years of mourning.What's more, the Han army is still Han after all, and they can't do everything according to the rules of the banner people. They are the officials of the frontier. How can they openly write to the governor and vassal of Henan, asking for this brother who is greedy for money and forgets relatives? At this time, Li Jingmai changed his transfer to Henan, and Duanfang thought it was a good opportunity.Because first, I feel that Li Jingmai has done something wrong to him, so I should be able to use this to make up the report; secondly, if the new supervisory officer in the province speaks for Duanjin, the governor and the feudal secretary are always embarrassed to lose face for the first time.So immediately after the congratulatory message, he wrote a very sincere letter and entrusted Li Jingmai to mediate on his behalf, so that Duan Jin could "take his love" and stay in office.The letter also said: He spent a lot of money in Liangjiang, so he relied on Duanjin's job to support his family, with an annual income of 8,000 taels of silver.These words seem to be frank, but they are actually hypocritical. If he said that he would be the governor of Liangjiang, and his brothers should support his family, that would be something no one would believe. What can Li Jingmai do for "defeat" indecent assault?As a result, Duan Fang's grievance with him deepened.Now that the anger has been transferred to the close relatives of the Li family, Yang Chongyi has become more and more "sinful"! "Xin Ru!" Duan Fang took out a piece of paper from the drawer, "Your Shen Xiang's manuscript, it's true that the facts are laid out in the front, but the understatement in the back makes it top-heavy, which is very inappropriate. Take a look at this manuscript!" Duanfang has asked Muyou to re-write the detailed article for him: "This inspector, Yang Shen Chongyi, as a Taoist priest, is also in charge of guarding the system. He is a prostitute in the hall, intervening, and dared to provoke twice. Provoking trouble with a gun is really lawless and has no regard for reputation. And in the provincial capital, he dared to do such evil. It is because he was originally from Changshu, and when things happened, the villagers looked sideways, and his words were credible. Although Wu Shen Shaosheng is old and timid, and he is unwilling to ask deeply. Our investigation has been done in detail, and we dare not hide the tricks. Please refer to the case for details." It is a bit harsh to say, but since the governor is in charge, it doesn't matter if Rui Cheng feels that he offends Yang Chongyi.At that time, he nodded and said, "Very good, very good!" "Then, based on your original details, I will play a performance with Chen Zhongcheng. I invite you to write the manuscript." That night, Duanfang invited Ruicheng to dinner, and during the banquet, he handed over the manuscript.After narrating the original text, it was written immediately: "It is a bad habit for the ministers to rob women. It is said that Yang Chongyi has a bad reputation. This time, he is no different from a local hooligan. When resisting hastily, even if Being beaten and injured is also a matter of one's own fault, and there is nothing to cherish. According to the Secretary's details, I also heard that Wang Asong had promised to send two thousand taels, and entrusted him to take care of the affair. If it is true, it would be particularly shameless! Not only will it harm the village, but also embarrass the court. If he is not punished, he will become more and more tyrannical and do all kinds of evil. Correspondingly, Ding You, who is a registered member, and Yang Chongyi, a former Zhejiang alternate Taoist priest, will be dismissed immediately. , and intervene in all local affairs, that is, according to the bad deeds committed, we will be dealt with strictly to punish the fierce and maintain law and order. All the reasons for participating in the impeachment of the Taoists who are registered in the country, I would like to explain the reasons for the empress dowager and the emperor." After reading it, Ruicheng stuck out her tongue, thinking that the method of Duan Fang is so spicy!It's nothing to do with me, so I don't need to worry about it, so I folded the manuscript without saying anything, and put it in my pocket. "Xin Ru," Duan Fang solemnly urged, "keep your mouth shut and keep your secrets in your heart, especially don't let the newsprint interviewer know! If you see the newspaper, things will go bad." Ruicheng can't do things well, but he is very proficient in the tricks of being an official. He thinks in his heart and has many tricks. But you can't help but guard against it. So he thought for a while and said: "Marshal, I will never leak it in my hands, but it will be handed over to Chen Zhongcheng, and the draft will be sent back to Liangjiang for worship. There will be several hands in between. If something goes wrong , the responsibility will be unclear. How about the commander-in-chief telegraph this manuscript to Suzhou, inform Chen Zhongcheng, and send it to Chen Zhongcheng immediately, which is both cautious and fast. What does the commander-in-chief think, is this method useless?" "Yes, yes! I will follow your way." So Ruicheng handed in the manuscript again.Duanfang immediately handed it over to the telegraph room and sent it with a password. When he received the telegram at noon the next day, Chen Qitai asked to add a sentence: "This memorial is written by Liang Jiang." It was difficult for Yang Chongyi, so he did as he said.It was repaired and sealed, and the cannon was fired to pay homage, and he arrived in Beijing in early September. This is an encore, and it will not be released until the Empress Dowager Cixi reads it.When Yikuang saw it, he was startled and amazed, and couldn't help shouting: "Look and see, gentlemen! There is such a strange thing!" So except for the fake Zhang Zhidong, all the military ministers gathered around, Yikuang put on his reading glasses, and read the original book aloud.Everyone had different expressions after listening, some frowned, some shook their heads, some remained calm, and Lu Chuanlin always despised Yang Chongyi, so he sneered repeatedly. "How do you approve it?" Shi Xu asked. "No approval." If there is no approval, the military aircraft must formulate measures and ask for orders in person.Lu Chuanlin usually listens hard, but he heard these three words clearly, and said loudly: "'Nursing the village, embarrassing the court', these two sentences are true, and the request is natural and accurate. "Although he spoke passionately, no one seconded him. King Qing looked around and asked, "How is it?" "Yang Xinxin's troubles are a little outrageous, but Tao Zhai's words cannot be trusted." Shixu said: "What is the inside story, you might as well ask first." "Comfort," Yikuang asked by name, "What do you think?" "I have no objection." Yuan Shikai replied, but quickly winked. Yikuang understood, nodded and said, "It's always good to inquire more. If the superior asks what's going on, it's good to have an explanation." "I agree with Uncle Qing's words." Jin Wang Zaifeng said, "It's very convenient to inquire. If you go to Nanzhai and invite Lu Fengshi to ask, you will know everything." Lu Fengshi is Lu Runxiang. Although he is a minister, he still walks in the South Study Room.At that moment, Sura was sent to invite him, but he refused to enter the house. Because there was a special order from Yongzheng in the Military Aircraft Department: "The military aircraft is important, and you are not allowed to enter without permission." In the past, when Zhang Zhidong went to Beijing to discuss the education system, every time he went to the Military Aircraft Office, the Minister of Military Aircraft would accompany him to talk in the courtyard. Naturally, he also abides by the norms of his predecessors. So Yu Shixu went out to welcome him, and invited him to the "South House", where the military plane Zhang Jing was in charge of affairs, for an interview, and asked him if he had ever received a letter from Suzhou about the dispute between Yang and Wu? "I've talked about it, but it's not detailed." Lu Runxiang replied, "Why don't Zhongtang ask Wu Weiruo?" Wu Shaosheng's older brother, Yu Sheng, whose name is Wei Ruo, is currently a cabinet bachelor, and Shi Xu knows about it, but there is only Lu Runxiang to ask. "It's too late!" He said, "We have to ask Feng Weng first, who do you think is right?" "Of course Yang Xinbo is too domineering!" "Where's Wei Ruo's younger brother? Nothing wrong at all?" "I dare not say that!" Lu Runxiang was suddenly alert, "Have you heard about it from Jiangsu?" "It's not just about playing and hearing? Duan Taozhai and Chen Boping will refer to Yang Xinbo's copy, and the wording does not leave room for it, it is very fierce!" "Oh," Lu Runxiang couldn't help being concerned: "What kind of cruel method?" Shixu also became vigilant, and it is not appropriate to disclose the punishment that has not been determined by the order, so he replied with a smile: "There is no room for wording! Go and think about it." "Resignation?" "I don't know yet. It depends on the meaning of the superior!" Shixu stood up and said, "Excuse me, please!" After finishing speaking, he cupped his hands and chased away the guest very politely. Lu Runxiang didn't let him go.He grabbed him and said, "Zhongtang, should this case be handed over to the Ministry?" Only then did Shixu realize that Lu Runxiang was the Minister of the Ministry of Officials.Officials should be punished for dereliction of duty by the Ministry of Officials. The two parties involved in this case are his fellow villagers, and they may be related to each other. They have different origins. If he decides to punish them, it will be a huge problem that public and private cannot be balanced. , so there will be such a concerned expression. His difficulty is that he understands it, but he can do nothing about it. "I think it must be handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!" Shi Xu replied: "Anyway, what to do with the case of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are clear regulations in the Code, and there is no way to go wrong." Seeing that his tone was tight, Lu Runxiang couldn't ask further questions.However, due to Lu Runxiang's attitude, Shixu came to understand that it is better not to hand over the case to the Ministry, because according to Lu Runxiang's situation, it may be difficult to deal with it fairly. However, this is what he thinks in his heart, and he doesn't want to say it out loud. He just thinks that this book should be suppressed, or that the truth of the dispute should be thoroughly clarified, and then it should be dealt with face to face. "Alright!" Yikuang accepted his opinion: "I think it's better to trouble you, and talk to Wu Weiruo in detail, and we can discuss it tomorrow morning." So on this day, when I went to see him, on the grounds that a thorough investigation was still needed, I played to the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Ming Dynasty and did not deal with it for the time being.When retiring, Yikuang asked Yuan Shikai to have a drink in the evening, and then had a private talk with Yang Chongyi. "I really don't understand. Tao Zhai seems to have a deep grudge with Yang Xinbo. Why?" "There is no need to have personal grievances. Tao Zhai likes to make friends with famous people, and famous people think that Yang Xinbo should be killed!" Yuan Shikai said: "That's enough!" "It would be too much to say that this tricky thing is done to please celebrities." Yikuang thought that Yang Chongyi had a close relationship with Yuan Shikai during the 1898 coup, and he might be willing to save him, so he asked, "I think it's better to be the Ministry of Communications." ?” "The Ministry of Communications is naturally expected to relieve Luo?" This is inevitable.It is clearly stated in the Notes that there are three grades of disciplinary action, the lightest is probation, the second is deliberation, and the most serious is severe deliberation.If the original senator requests a deliberation, the deliberation will be treated lightly, and the strict deliberation will be aggravated.Now, please ask Yang Chongyi to be dismissed from his post, never to be employed again, and sent back to his hometown to be strictly controlled by the local officials.Otherwise, it is possible to criticize Zhu directly, why bother to hand it over to the Ministry? "Yes!" Yikuang simply explained, selling him a friendship: "I just want to ask you what you mean first. Uncle Yang Xin, you also have friendship." "Thank you, my lord!" Yuan Shikai replied, "However, I don't have a deep friendship with Yang Xinbo. I was afraid that the superiors might have other opinions. " This refers to Yang Chongyi's meritorious service in asking for political training, and the Empress Dowager Cixi may have a sense of pity, so Yikuang nodded deeply and said: "Then ask Zhu to criticize it face-to-face!" "Yes! Look at his own creation!" "Having said that, if you ask the question, you can't answer without saying anything." Yikuang asked: "Look, don't we need to discuss it first?" "In my opinion, it's best to be consistent with what the prince and I said, and don't worry about other people." "Okay! What do you think should be said?" "The circumstances of this case are different, and it is not uncommon to discuss whether the involvement is too harsh." Yikuang nodded.It seems that Yuan Shikai still prefers Yang Chongyi, he knows it well.