Chapter 6 Section VI

Tan Sitong looked out the window, concentrating for a moment. His father, who was being summoned to Beijing to see the emperor, thought of the emperor who was being tortured by the Empress Dowager Cixi at this time, and quickly made a plan.He beckoned the old servant Tan Gui who was standing aside, frowning and rubbing his hands constantly, to come to him, and gave some urgent instructions. "Don't be in a hurry!" He first comforted Tan Gui, "It's useless to be in a hurry. Remember, if I am arrested, don't trust people. It may not be good for me, but it will hurt others. You only go to Wang Wu It's alright, listen to him."

"Yes!" Tan Gui asked, "Should I tell the master first, or hide it from the master?" "You can't hide it, and you don't need to report it." Tan Sitong said, "Go and inform Wang Wuye first, and ask him to listen to my letter at home. Don't come here! Anything else, I'll talk about it when you come back." As soon as Tan Gui left, Tan Sitong immediately closed the door, took out a box of letter paper bought from Shanghai Jiuhuatang Paper Shop, imitated his father's handwriting, and wrote with a pen: "I told Tonger to know..."

He is forging a letter from home.In the tone of his father, he earnestly warned, the first is to be diligent and cautious in errands; the second is not to be troublesome; the third is to respect the elders.And what I pay homage to again and again is that you must take the opportunity to remonstrate, and ask the emperor to accept the benevolent training in everything, and show the subjects to rule the world with filial piety, and the world will be ruled.He was afraid that he would bring trouble on his father, so he left room for Tan Jixun to avoid the crime of "teaching his son well".

A total of three letters like this were forged, and it was already three o'clock in the afternoon when they were written.The rules of handling affairs in the DPRK start at dawn and stop at noon, even the busiest military aircraft office, at the end of the day - one o'clock in the afternoon, all of them are on duty.Although the situation is different today, if there is a strict order, Tiqi should also come to the door. There has been no movement so far, so it probably doesn't matter. He really wanted to go out to inquire about news, but he was afraid that if he left, someone from the yamen commanding the infantry would come. Not only would he be panicked and harassed, the innocent would be affected, and he might get the reputation of fleeing crimes, which he was unwilling to bear.With such a change of mind, not only did he not go out, but he opened the door wide to express his calmness.

He lives alone in a courtyard, usually crowded with visitors, but at this time, although the door is open, no one comes.That's all right! "Steal half a day's leisure in a floating life", he chanted this poem, quietly packed up the manuscripts and documents, put them all in a leather bag, and thought about entrusting a friend who could share his sympathy to keep them. In a blink of an eye, Tan Gui also came back, and said in a low voice: "Wang Wuye is not at home, he also heard something bad, and went to ask friends from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for news. Wang Wuye said: Please come tonight Young master, don't go out, don't close the door, he will look back at Eldest Young Master."

"Well, well, good!" Tan Sitong asked, "Is there any bacon from home?" "There are many more." "Wang Wuye likes to eat our bacon, you steam a big piece there, and prepare a small jar of Nanjiu, waiting for him to drink." Tan Gui did as he said.After the second watch, it was estimated that the guests would come at any time, so all the irrelevant male servants were sent away in advance, and only himself and Xiaoshun, a book boy of Tan Sitong, quietly served tea in the corridor. The day was almost winding, with a crescent moon and a few clouds. In the dark Indus courtyard, there was only Tan Sitong's study, a lamp like a bean.Tan Gui recalled that for the past month or so, there was not a single night where the lights were brightly lit and the laughter was endless. It was always after the third watch that the visitors began to leave one after another.Unexpectedly, it would be so bleak between day and night!I couldn't help but feel the heat in my eye sockets, and my vision was blurred.

Tan Gui was startled when he vaguely found a figure. Just when he was about to ask a question, he suddenly came to his senses. He hurriedly wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, and took a closer look. It was indeed good, "Wang Wuye," He went up to meet him and asked in a low voice, "Where do you always come in from?" Wang Wu came in over the wall.This person has a name similar to that of a man in clothes, Wang Zhengyi, but on the official road from Shandong to the capital, he is only known as "Da Dao Wang Wu".He works as a bodyguard and is also a thief and a chivalrous man. He has heard many commentaries such as "Peng Gong Case" and "Shi Gong Case", and he respects honest officials, loyal ministers and righteous men most.There are many righteous deeds in his life to protect good officials, the most famous one is the story between him and An Weijun.

An Weijun was a fellow villager of Wu Kedu, who died admonishing Mu Zong's heir at the beginning of Guangxu's succession to the Great Unification. He was from Qin'an, Gansu. It is said that the court is looking sideways.After the Sino-Japanese War was defeated, An Weijun sternly visited Li Hongzhang, accusing him of "not only wronging the country, but also betraying the country", listing as many as 20 crimes.As a result, an edict was issued: "Important military affairs, follow Yi's instructions and obey them, and the world understands them all. It was An Weijun's envoy, and there were rumors that there was a saying that the empress dowager should be restrained in case of trouble." At the end of the estrangement, he will be dismissed immediately and sent to the military platform to serve."

The so-called "send to the military station to serve" means to serve in the army.Although An Weijun was severely reprimanded, his voice resounded all over the country, and there were countless people who had a farewell farewell and admiration for his name.However, when An Weijun left, who would look after his wife?How to raise the flow fee?Along the way, some people may be willing to get it, so why protect it?For these important matters, there is only one person who is silently planning for him, and that is Dao Wang Wu. Wang Wuqianli worked hard to send An Weijun safely to the Xinjiang Garrison. After returning to Beijing, his reputation became even more prosperous.The scholar-bureaucrats respected him, but they still had the air of a turban, or thought that his behavior was unusual, making friends with him would easily cause trouble, or thought that his status was not good, so they kept him at a respectful distance.Only Tan Sitong, who is unrestrained and unrestrained, treats him as his elder brother and calls him "fifth brother, fifth brother" very loudly.

Wang Wu understood the etiquette very well, so he only called Tan Sitong "Elder Young Master".He said with a worried face: "This trip has made a big mess! Young master, I have made all the arrangements, let's leave tonight!" Tan Sitong was taken aback, and then he put on an apologetic smile: "Fifth brother, I'm afraid it's not that easy." Then he told Liang Qichao the truth that "you can escape the monk, but you can't escape the temple", and then He also said to Liang Qichao what he would not say to Liang Qichao: "Fifth brother! Now the emperor's safety is still unknown, and the courtiers have gone away. How can you feel at ease? How can you bear it? Let alone the emperor and his ministers , even friends, it’s not the principle of sharing weal and woe!”

After listening to him finish speaking, Wang Wu was in a daze for a long time before he could speak: "After all, the young master is a scholar, and a random piece of reasoning is enough for me to think about it for a long time! But..." "Fifth Brother!" Tan Sitong grabbed his hand and said hurriedly, "Please stop talking. There is a person who is many times more important than me, and I am afraid that Fifth Brother will take care of him." "Who?" "emperor!" As soon as this remark came out, Wang Wu was shocked, as if flattered.It is unbelievable to him that the emperor of Jiuchong should ask a reckless minister to take care of him. "Young master," he said in a daze, "isn't this going too far?" "No! I'll tell you a little bit, and you'll understand. Fifth brother, don't you often go to the 'Eunuch Tea Shop'? Have you heard something?" The small teahouse where the eunuchs gather in their spare time, commonly known as "eunuch tea shop", can be found anywhere near the palace, such as Di'anmen, Three Bridges, etc., and has always been the place where rumors are the most prevalent. Secrets can be heard.Among them, the most famous one is in Haidian Town, which is the only way to the Summer Palace. Its name is "Heshun".Wang Wu and Heshun's treasurer were good friends, and they often rode horses to visit each other, so they also got to know some eunuchs and palace servants called "Sura" in Manchurian. "I've heard a lot of weird things. I don't know what the young master is asking about." "Have you ever heard that the queen mother is going to abolish the emperor?" "I haven't heard of this. I often hear eunuchs say: The emperor is sick inside and cannot be cured! Sometimes people say: Sooner or later, the emperor must be replaced." Wang Wu was confused, "Can the emperor still be replaced? Who can be replaced?" Woolen cloth?" "Of course there are people! There are not many people who want to be the emperor, but there are quite a few who want to be the emperor." Tan Sitong said in a low voice, "The rumors that the emperor is sick and cannot be cured are intentional rumors made by people around the empress dowager. Today, the empress dowager The power has been regained, and the emperor's situation has become even more difficult. Rumors have been circulating for a long time, and it would not be a surprise if the emperor suddenly died!" Wang Wu thought for a while, then opened his eyes wide and asked: "Young master, are you saying that the people around the queen mother will not only abolish the emperor, but also kill the emperor?" "Cut the grass without removing the roots, and the spring breeze will regenerate." "Could it be," Wang Wu asked angrily, "Could it be that there is no loyal minister in front of the emperor?" "Yes! Not many." Tan Sitong said: "In the past 24 years, the first loyal minister in front of the emperor is Master Weng, Lord Weng. At the end of April, the formidable general who was single-handedly promoted by him will avenge his revenge. I don't know what bad things he said in front of the queen mother." , sent back to my hometown in Changshu. Besides, it’s us who are precarious.” "Hey!" Wang Wu stood up abruptly, and grabbed Tan Sitong's arm, "If you keep the green hills, you don't have to worry about running out of firewood! Young master, you must go!" "Can you be considered a loyal minister once you leave?" Tan Sitong replied calmly, "Fifth Brother, I can only make further plans when the emperor is safe. Right now, I will never leave! If I can get lucky, I will try to save the emperor. " "Okay!" Wang Wu made a helpless expression, "Let's talk about saving the emperor!" With this promise, the treasure is worth more than a thousand dollars, and Tan Sitong's ambition was raised again. "It's enough to have Brother Wu!" Brother, you must inquire about the situation in front of the emperor, so that we can discuss how to proceed." "Okay!" Wang Wu thought for a while and said, "I will try my best to do it, and I will talk to you at noon tomorrow. How do you see the Fa?" One is inconvenient to come to the guild hall, and the other is inconvenient to go to the bodyguard bureau. Moreover, as long as one word of such a confidential matter is leaked, it is likely to be a catastrophe.Realizing this, Tan Sitong hesitated, since he had put his life and death out of the question anyway, making Wang Wu decapitated is something that even a ghost can't feel at ease. "Fifth Brother," he said irrelevantly, "You must be very careful!" "What is this? I can be careless! Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know." "That's it." Tan Sitong thought for a while and said, "Nowhere else is right, let's see you on your apprentice's big wine tank." "That's fine. But, young master, you should be careful yourself." "I know." "Then see you tomorrow." Wang Wu had already walked to the door, and he heard shouts behind him: "Brother Wu!" When he looked back, Tan Sitong's expression was very different, a little sad, but also a little sad and angry, with tears in his eyes, Wang Wu asked in shock, "Eldest young master, what's the matter with you?" "Fifth brother," his voice was low and hoarse, "we broke up now, maybe we will never see each other again..." "What's this called?" "Fifth brother, fifth brother, listen to me." Tan Sitong waved his hands anxiously, "This is not the time to be emotional, I just hope that fifth brother will listen to me carefully." "Okay, okay!" Wang Wu simply sat down, with his back straight and his hands on his knees, "I'm listening!" "Maybe tonight, or tomorrow morning, I will be taken away. If so, what charges may I be charged with? Fifth brother, you must remember that something happened when I didn't arrive at the big wine tank at noon. At that time You must not come to the Ministry of Criminal Justice to see me." Wang Wu thought to himself, how can that work?However, at this time, unwilling to disobey, he nodded heavily and replied: "Yes! What else?" "Other than that, it's all about you, Fifth Brother! I'll trust Fifth Brother to collect the corpse at Caishikou!" "Does it need to be said?" Wang Wu answered bluntly, and straightened his back again, but the two teardrops in his eyes did not fight for him, and rolled out all at once, and it was too late to hide it. "Fifth Brother, don't feel sorry for me..." "Where am I sorry for you? I'm sorry for myself!" "Oh, really!" Tan Sitong lowered his head sadly: "The dead are gone! What about the living?" "Eldest young master, don't waste your time, tell me if you have anything to say!" "Yes." Tan Sitong said, "my father is on his way, and when he arrives in Beijing, please take care of him." He said and kowtowed his head. "Hey, hey, young master!" Wang Wu rolled down from his chair in a hurry, and said to him kneeling, "What is this?" Because of this solemn obeisance, Wang Wuyu felt that the burden was not light.Farewell to Tan Sitong, slipped out from the side door of the Liuyang Guild Hall, looked at his watch, and pointed, thinking that the eunuchs and the staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were on duty in the inner court had already got up at this time, and had not yet entered the palace, so it was the right time to inquire about news. Concentrating and thinking, I remembered that there was a friend Yang Qi who was in charge of the account in the imperial dining room. He lived in Luomashi Street. I can ask something. After making up his mind, he took a big step and went straight to Yang Qi's apartment.Knocking on the door, Yang Qi was sitting in the main room drinking "maojiu" and greeted happily: "Rare, rare! Come, the lotus white from Haidian, drink for a minute!" "Brother Seven, I may not be able to accompany you tonight. You probably also imagined that there must be something to come to see you now." "Oh, tell me!" "That's what happened," Wang Wu said in a low voice, "There was a rich man from Shandong who wanted to donate a Taoist platform, and also wanted to spend a few pennies to find a good job. I have already made an agreement with a eunuch in front of the emperor. I don't want to say the name of this person, so please don't inquire about it, Seventh Brother. Anyway, in front of the emperor, he has a head and face, and he can talk. But I heard people say this afternoon that the old queen is in power again. My friend who is a rich man asked me to discuss it. , I want to ask, is the original way still useful?" "It's useless at all! Now it's time to find Pi Ni Li or Chief Cui to be effective." "Oh, does this mean that the emperor has no power?" "It's not only that I don't have the right, I'm afraid that the seat is not guaranteed! I can't blame others, it's the emperor himself who made troubles. Look at the imperial calendar on the 30th year, and the good times are over!" Yang Qi then said: "Hey, that's wrong! It turns out I haven't lived a good life, and I'm afraid..." He shook his head and picked up his glass to drink. "This," Wang Wu used words to trick him, "it's mother and son after all, so it won't make His Majesty reluctant to go down!" "Humph! Named mother and son, they are enemies. Think about it, before returning to the Summer Palace yesterday, I left a message not to allow the emperor to return to the palace! Isn't this too much?" It turned out that the Empress Dowager Cixi had returned to the Summer Palace. "Then," Wang Wu asked, "the emperor doesn't go back to the palace, but where does he live?" "I live in Yingtai. People are guarding the bridge." "Isn't this under house arrest?" "That's right! That's it." "Thank you, thank you!" Wang Wu said, "Brother Seven's words have saved my friend who is a rich man a lot of money. I have to treat Brother Seven well tomorrow!"