Chapter 9 Section IX

Tan Sitong arrived at the Japanese Legation before the inner city was closed, and of course he was a respected and welcomed guest.However, he frankly stated that the person he visited was not Yasuya Uchida, the acting minister of Japan in China, let alone Hirobumi Ito and his entourage Quansuke Hayashi, but Liang Qichao, who was a guest at the Japanese legation. Seeing each other, Liang Qichao was more sad than Tan Sitong, but he was also overjoyed as if he had passed away.Talking about the changes of this day and night, on the contrary, Liang Qichao knew much more than Tan Sitong, because he had news from the Japanese embassy.

"Rong Lu has already rushed back to Tianjin, and he probably still doesn't feel at ease with Yuan Shikai." Liang Qichao suddenly said excitedly, "Mr. Nanhai may be able to escape! He originally wanted to take the China Merchants Haiyan Ferry, but he has already boarded the ship, because Without a pre-booked ticket, you are not allowed to live in the "big dining room" and change to the official cabin. This is the evening of the fifth day of the previous day. Mr. Nanhai decided to go ashore because the official cabin was noisy and the ship did not leave until 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Take another ship. Now it is the Chongqing ship of Taikoo Company, which left at eleven o'clock last night, and it should pass Yantai by now."

"This is a blessing in misfortune. If you take the ship of China Merchants, you will fall into the trap as soon as you arrive in Shanghai! Swire is owned by the British, so it doesn't matter if you think about it! It's just," Tan Sitong frowned and asked, "How is Xiaobo?" "Mr. Nanhai" refers to Kang Youwei, and Xiaobo is Kang Guangren's alias.What happened to the two brothers was fortunate or unfortunate. Liang Qichao replied sadly: "It seems that the end is inevitable! I heard that they are still detained in the yamen of the infantry commander. This is not a good thing."

"You Bo is not a person who can do justice generously. Under the three trees, why not ask for it? I am very worried that he will say something that should not be said! I will not mention him here. What is your plan?" "I don't know! I have to wait and see the situation." "You should go to Japan! If you don't have walkers, you can't plan for the future; if you don't have dead, you can't reward the Lord." Tan Sitong said solemnly, "Chujiu, Cheng Ying, I will share the responsibility with you!" It was the story of "Zhao's Orphan". Tan Sitong claimed to be Gongsun Chujiu, while Liang Qichao, who was regarded as Cheng Ying, thought that the situation was different. Tan Sitong did not have to sacrifice, and then persuaded: "Resurrection, you don't have to use glue pillars... .”

"No!" Tan Sitong didn't allow him to continue, "I'm not here to seek shelter from others, but to serve something. I've devoted my whole life to this, and I respect you." As he spoke, he opened the package he carried with him. Inside was a stack of manuscripts. The first book was called "Ren Xue"; the second book was called "Liao Tian Yi Ge Anthology"; "; the other is miscellaneous, some talk about swords, some talk about gold and stone, and some talk about arithmetic.In addition, there is a worship box, which stores all his family letters.

Liang Qichao took it very solemnly, and asked first: "How should I deal with it?" "A few letters from home, please send them back to the dormitory." Tan Sitong pointed to the manuscript and said: "These are finally sent with hard work, and there may be a few words in them, please delete them. As for whether they will Disastrous pears and jujubes are beyond my control!" This is the meaning of wanting to publish the posthumous collection. Liang Qichao naturally understood and accepted the commission wholeheartedly.I just hoped that Tan Sitong could get away with it by chance, and I didn't want to mention any posthumous names, so I just replied solemnly: "It is certain that the famous mountain in Tibet will be respected and passed on to future generations. I dare not take the word 'delete', We will discuss it in the future. As for the engraving and printing, I am still doing it, and I should help. In short, please rest assured, if you are lucky enough to escape the snare, I will manage it for you."

"This," Tan Sitong bowed happily, "I can really rest assured." After saying goodbye, the gate of the city was closed, which provided them with an opportunity to talk about their lives when they were parting from life and death. It was not until the steward Wang knocked on the door that their long conversation was cut off. Tan Sitong was greatly surprised to learn that Wang Wu was visiting. Liang Qichao had long admired him and wanted to see him.But Wang Guanshi was responsible, and urged Liang Qichao not to be too busy. If he leaked his possessions, if he wanted to escape from Beijing, he might cause a lot of resistance and he would not be able to do so.

"You just listen to my advice!" Tan Sitong said, "If he can enter the city, I can leave the city, so farewell!" This time it was a real breakup.Tan Sitong clasped his hands and walked out without looking back. He was led by Guanshi Wang and went to see Wang Wu. "Fifth brother, your supernatural powers are really great! How did you come into the city?" "It's a long story." Wang Wu bowed his head to Steward Wang: "Brother Zong, I'll accuse you first, can you let me follow you?" Uncle Tan say a few words?" Manager Wang couldn't agree more.Although he knew about Wang Wu's reputation, he was alienated from everything in the Xialin. He had only heard many stories of grievances and grievances. He was afraid that Wang Wu might come to assassinate him, so he was a little worried.

What kind of person is Wang Wu? "Bachelor eyes, Sai Jiajian", immediately saw his heart from his face, pulled out a pair of scabs from the boot leaf, held the tip of the knife in his hand, and passed it backwards, At the same time, he said: "You should be relieved! If you are still worried, please search me." This time, Tan Sitong also figured out what was going on.He hurriedly said to Guanshi Wang: "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter! Brother Wang Wu is my close friend." "Yes, yes!" Steward Wang was a little apprehensive, stepped back two steps and said, "Fifth Wang, don't get me wrong! You talk, you talk." As he spoke, he backed out.

"Young Master," Wang Wu got to the point, "What did the Japanese envoy say? Will you give me a convenience?" "Hey! Fifth brother, you misunderstood me. I didn't come here to ask for asylum. I just have a few articles and poems that I don't want to throw away. I entrust a friend to keep them." Tan Sitong immediately said: "Fifth brother , let's go! If you can come in, you can go out, I'll go out with you out of the city, or go to the place where we are dating to talk in detail. " "I'm afraid it won't work! I was entrusted by someone to go to Xila Alley to inquire about something."

Then, Wang Wujiang accidentally met Qin Zhifen and was entrusted by him to investigate Zhang Yinhuan's safety, so he got this unexpected opportunity and told him about it.After Tan Sitong listened quietly, he sighed and said, "What's the use of reading? We should be ashamed!" "Stop complaining! What to do now, you have to make a rule, so I can do it." "Fifth brother, you have been entrusted by someone. For matters of loyalty, you should go to Xila Hutong first to handle errands. When you go out of the city, you should wait for me in Tangfang Hutong. I think the purpose of shutting down the city must be to catch Mr. Kang. If you know Mr. Kang is out of danger, and the city gate will open immediately. I will go directly to Tangfang Hutong from here to find you." "That's right! It's a deal." Wang Wu got up and said, "As soon as the city gate opens, I will send someone to wait at Xuanwu Gate." After saying goodbye, we left Dongjiaomin Lane, headed north from Wangfujing Street, and crossed Dong'anmen Street, which is Bamiancao. Not far away, there is a long alley on the west side of the street that leads directly to the north lane outside Dong'anmen, which is Xila Hutong. Wang Wu didn't know that the house was Zhang Yinhuan's residence, but he walked through an alley from east to west and found nothing unusual.For example, Zhang Yinhuan was arrested, this kind of "Qin case" investigated by special order, there must be soldiers patrolling and guarding.Judging from the current situation, Zhang Yinhuan is safe and sound. Having said that, I have to ask someone to clarify, and I can only explain it when I go back.At this time, there was a sound of "gurgling" in my stomach. I only drank a bowl of soybean juice from early morning to 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and I was really hungry. As soon as my thoughts changed, suddenly I had an idea, why not just inquire about Zhang Yinhuan in the restaurant?He settled down to think carefully, there are two famous restaurants here, one is called Yuhuatai, the shopkeeper is from Huai'an, it used to be the place where officials from the three yamen of supervision, river engineering and water transportation gathered, and the fine food and drink are famous all over the world.This Yuhuatai restaurant just opened recently, but it has become famous in Nine cities. The thin-skinned steamed stuffed buns are known as a must, but if you don’t know how to eat them, you will make a joke. There are two layers of skin for a bag of soup. First, you can’t hold them with chopsticks. Hold it and it will break; don't be impatient at the second entrance, or the oily soup will burn your tongue.Those who know how to eat gently pinch the buns with three fingers, take a small bite to suck up the soup, and then eat the buns to absorb the essence. Yuhua Terrace is in Xila Hutong, so I wanted to inquire about Zhang's family's convenient location, but Wang Wu was not familiar with this restaurant, but Dongxing Building on Dong'anmen Street, which was not far away. Dongxing Building is not only the first famous restaurant in the inner city, but also the most resounding golden signboard in the entire capital.The shopkeeper is a native of Dengzhou Prefecture, Shandong, and it is said that the real owner is Li Lianying.Thinking of this, Wang Wu no longer hesitated, and decided that he would be able to find out something by going to Dongxing Building. The shopkeeper and accountant of Dongxing Building are familiar with Wang Wu.When I asked at the door, the shopkeeper was not there, and the account manager was named Wang Sanxi. He stood up to greet him, and asked in surprise, "Fifth Lord, when did you enter the city?" "I lived in the city yesterday and wanted to leave the city, but the city gate was closed. This is a rare event in a hundred years." "Yes!" Wang Sanxi frowned, "Once the city gate is closed, those who have reserved seats will not be able to come! The dishes have to be prepared as usual, what if they come? It is difficult to do business these days." .” 'No wonder it's so leisurely!How about it, it's rare that you have time, and I can't leave the city, so I invite you to drink for a minute. " "What are you talking about? Isn't that scolding for asking Fifth Master to favor the account here? Of course I invited it, and I didn't invite it. I will act as the host for the shopkeeper. Fifth Lord is a busy person, please can't invite him!" So I found a single room and sat down one after another.Famous dishes unique to Dongxing Building, such as mullet eggs, stewed duck waist, etc., in addition to reservations, on normal days, they are ordered on the spur of the moment, and may not be guaranteed. On this day, because most of the reserved seats are in the future, they will be served on the table one after another, which is unusual. plump.Wang Wuben is good at drinking and eating, but this day's will is not here. Faced with delicacies, he can eat a lot of pasta, which can fill his stomach. My stomach is full, and my mind is made up.There is no need to use words around the corner, because it will not only appear to be dishonest, but also afraid that Wang Sanxi will avoid it, so he will not say more.As long as the friendship is enough, you may as well tell the truth. "Third brother, I will tell you the truth. I was entrusted by someone to inquire about something with you. If you find it difficult to talk about this matter, third brother, tell me honestly. I will never blame you, nor will I It will hinder the friendship between our buddies." "Fifth Master, if I say this to you, I'll shake my pocket." Wang Sanxi replied with emotion, "Just tell me what's going on!" "Master Zhang in the alley ahead, presumably he is your regular customer?" "You always talk about Mr. Zhang from the Zongli Yamen? Then he is not only a regular customer, but also the number one regular customer. He doesn't come often, and always sends his servants to ask for food." Wang Sanxi paused and said with emotion : "Master Zhang used to be very popular, but now it's different!" "That's what I'm asking about." Wang Wu asked bluntly, "I heard that something happened yesterday. Yes or no? " "Nothing happened yesterday. Let me first say that there was a man surnamed Kang who was ordered to commit crimes. He hid in Mr. Zhang's house. The admiral of the Nine Gates sent troops to arrest him. It was only later that he was arrested. It was Mr. District from the Ministry of Criminal Justice. It's okay to let it go. But," Wang Sanxi lowered his voice very low, "Master Zhang will have an accident sooner or later!" "Oh, third brother, tell me, what's going on?" "He offended the skinny plum! If you offend the skinny plum, you will offend Lafayette. The incident happened last year, when Mr. Zhang came back from overseas... " Zhang Yinhuan was appointed as the special envoy to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne in February of last year. Before leaving the country, a minister of the interior instructed: When returning home, there must be foreign novelty treasures and present them to the Queen Mother.Of course Zhang Yinhuan kept it in mind.On the way home, passing through Paris, at the auction of Napoleon's relics, Zhang Yinhuan bought an emerald hat flower with a lot of money.Emeralds are all called emeralds, and the best one is called emerald. When it enters the water, it will emit a green light like the wings of a dragonfly, so it is also called water-helping green.And because the whole body is crystal clear and looks like glass, it is commonly known as glass emerald, which is the best gemstone.In addition, it was paired with a pair of diamond bracelets. This tribute was really precious. Dedicating only to the Empress Dowager, not to the Emperor, felt that it was a loss of courtesy, so Zhang Yinhuan bought another pair of diamond bracelets and a ruby ​​hat flower, and returned to Beijing to return to his order, and presented them one by one.When offering it to Ningshou Palace, someone reminded Zhu Yinhuan, "We should also prepare a gift for Director Li." There was no way to deal with it in a hurry, so he had to ask someone to show it, and then make it up. This is also common.Anyway, no one dared to make promises to Li Lianying lightly, and no one dared to have little faith in him, so as long as he made a wish, it was tantamount to accepting it for him.Therefore, Zhang Yinhuan's precious contribution was sent to Ningshou Palace without delay.The emerald hat flower is indeed a rare treasure, and the Empress Dowager Cixi appreciates it very much. But Zhang Yinhuan forgot the ritual that should be made up.Li Lianying waited for a long time, but did not see any more, and Zhang Yinhuan was always arrogant and arrogant to the eunuchs and people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. New and old grudges accumulated, Li Lianying couldn't swallow this breath, and decided to wait for an opportunity to retaliate. There are many opportunities, but the grievances are already deep. Li Lianying wanted to find an opportunity to slander her fatally, so she had to wait for an opportunity, which was when the Empress Dowager Cixi was playing with the emerald. "There are many things that pass by my eyes, but I have never seen such a transparent green glass emerald. It's so good!" Just as the Empress Dowager Cixi was full of praise, Li Lianying sneered slightly and said, "It's really hard for him to think of it! Don't we deserve to wear red?" As soon as this remark came out, Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly changed color.Li Lianying's words directly pierced the pain that the old lady had hidden in her heart for fifty years!Although the Empress Dowager Cixi was born in the Yehenala family, one of the "Four Clans of the Western Seas", she is an out-and-out Manchurian, but all her ideas are no different from those of the Han people.The rules of the Han people are that the main room wears red, and the concubine wears green. The regret of the Empress Dowager Cixi in her life is that she has never been in the middle palace.At that time, Mu Zong was critically ill, and Empress Jiashun quietly visited him. The whispers between the couple when they were parting were just heard by Empress Dowager Cixi. The slaves were brought in from the Great Qing Gate!" The Empress Dowager Cixi's fury was like adding fuel to the fire.According to the legend of the palace ban, Mu Zong's severe smallpox disease had already improved, but he was frightened by this, and the disease became "pox inset". Now that Li Lianying was far-fetched and stabbed her heart with one word, Zhang Yinhuan fell out of favor in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi.On the contrary, because of the reform and reform, the emperor relied more on Zhang Yinhuan, who was well versed in Western affairs.Therefore, there was another rumor: the discord between the mother and son in the two palaces was all due to Zhang Yinhuan's instigating dissension.Of course, these rumors were spread by Li Lianying's eunuchs, otherwise, Wang Sanxi would not have had the opportunity to hear them. The harvest was quite rich, and Wang Wu felt that he had enough to explain to Qin Zhifen, but Tan Sitong hadn't started the important matter solemnly entrusted to him, so he couldn't help feeling anxious.So regardless of Wang Sanxi's eagerness to persuade him to drink, after thanking him, he left Dongxing Tower and hurried south. As soon as we arrived at Chongwenmen, just as the ban on closing the city was lifted, horses and chariots from the outer city swarmed in, fighting with each other, blocking the city gate and stalemate, shouting and shouting, making a lot of noise.Wang Wu was caught in the car formation, in a dilemma.According to his skill, he can climb the roof of the car and jump over to get away, but that would be surprising and cause even more confusion, so Wang Wu could only search for gaps to pass by, and it took a lot of effort. Work hard to get out of the city.When we arrived at Tangfang Hutong, the sun was setting, and it was time for the big wine vat to go on sale. Taverns in the capital are divided into three classes: upper, middle and lower. The "big wine vat" is the lowest. The huge wine vat is half buried in the mud and covered with a wooden cover. It is the wine table. .As usual, bring your own food and wine. Fortunately, near the big wine tank, there must be many food stalls popping up as the times require. If you are rich in your wallet, you can buy a package of "box dishes", which are called bowls of soup. , take out twenty pot stickers, it is considered the number one rich customer on the big wine tank.If you don't have a lot of money, buy a bag "half empty" to drink, and get a big bowl of noodles with sesame sauce to satisfy your hunger, and no one will laugh at him for being shabby, just as happy as he is.Sometimes when the wine is hot, I talk about something proud and revealing, and I make a startling remark, and listen to the four people, all of whom will look at me with admiration or admiration. The kind of comfort that tickles my heart is really enjoyable. Therefore, although the big wine vat is a place where traffickers and pawns gather to drink, it is a place where dragons and tigers are hidden.Half of Wang Wu's apprentices are in this business because they want to make friends like this easily.Therefore, when it comes to the big wine vat at the entrance of Tangfang Hutong in Jingli, it is also well-known in the world. Naturally, none of the regular customers there did not know Wang Wu. When they saw him, some gave up their seats, and some greeted him very affectionately. Wang Wu loved his friends and greeted him for a while. narrative. His apprentice is called Zhang Dianchen. His skills are not very good, but he is extremely capable, loyal and meticulous. He is Wang Wuyi's confidant right and left hand.Behind the locker room, there is a special secret room, and if there are important matters, they are all discussed here. "Wujiu sent someone to pass the message, from before noon to now, I haven't dared to leave. However, Young Master Tan did not come. " "He's at the Japanese embassy, ​​he's coming soon!" "Then we have to send someone to guard, and open the back door to bring in Master Tan." Zhang Dianchen said, "There are many people talking about the affairs in the palace, and everyone arrested by the Nanhai Guild Hall can be named. Tan It's not appropriate for the young master to show up here." "Anyone know him?" "Have!" After Zhang Dianchen finished speaking, he immediately got up to make arrangements.After a while, he went back and brought a tray of food and wine to accompany the master for a drink. "There is something very difficult, but it must be done." Wang Wu asked, "Do you have any acquaintances in Xiyuan?" Zhang Dianchen thought for a while and replied: "There is one, Su La from the tea dining room. The other one is the pen post style of the guard camp. His battalion was originally guarding the Xiyuan, but I heard that it was transferred to Shenwumen a while ago." went." "That's still useful. Anyway, I've stayed in Xiyuan and know the situation there..." Before finishing a sentence, the bell rang, which was a signal that someone was coming in.Wang Wu raised his eyes to look out, and Zhang Dianchen got up to lift the curtain, it was Tan Sitong who came! "Master!" "Fifth brother," Tan Sitong said, grabbing Wang Wu's words, "Under today, you must never use this title again! You called me back to life." Wang Wu was still hesitating, but Zhang Dianchen interjected: "Master, it is better to obey orders than to be respectful. You should always obey Uncle Tan's words!" "Okay, okay!" Tan Sitong clapped his hands and praised, "I can't doubt that the courtier is my uncle." This means that he is willing to become a queen with Wang Wu.Although there is no need to say it explicitly, and there is no need to make any alliance, as long as there is such an expression, it is enough to move people.So Wang Wu said with great emotion: "I'm going to be bold and presumptuous! Resurrection, please sit down." "Master, please accompany Uncle Tan first, I'll go and see if there's anything more delicious to eat?" "That's very good!" Tan Sitong pulled him and said, "Don't go, my minister, I have something to say." So Zhang Dianchen poured a glass of wine for Tan Sitong, sat down and listened quietly.But Wang Wu couldn't wait to apologize, "Resurrection," he said, "Today was wasted, and there was no clue about what you told me yesterday. It's not that there was no clue, it wasn't done at all." "That's because of the sudden closure of the city. We have to make a decision before moving, and discuss it first. After beating you and leaving, the people from the Japanese embassy told me a lot of news."