Chapter 56 Section fifty-six

What the Empress Dowager Cixi expected, really happened.On the road of speech, there were one after another. Tu Renshou, the supervisory censor of Shanxi Road, and Hong Liangpin, the official of Huke, all gave extremely straightforward remonstrances.In addition, the masters of Hanlin and Shangshuyuan also talked, and apart from the Jintong Railway, they also vaguely mentioned the inadequacy of building the Summer Palace as a lesson.These excerpts were first read by the emperor, who read one and praised one, but in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, he remained silent and dared not say anything.

Empress Dowager Cixi also knew that public anger was hard to offend.Fortunately, she had already made plans in her heart, summoned the military aircraft, and issued two decrees one after another. One was to announce the disaster of the Taihe family. Outside the province, "ministers and workers, big and small, work hard and with one heart." Another decree is to decide the scope of the Summer Palace project according to Li Shan's post, and to reduce the scope, except for the main road and the Buddhist hall, all the rest of the work will be suspended.Of course, the scope of the two main parts of the main road and the Buddha Hall has not been clearly stated.

These two edicts are for Empress Dowager Cixi to stabilize her footsteps, but they cannot make up for Qing Yi's dissatisfaction with King Chun and Li Hongzhang. It's just fighting against Zhang Zhang, and there is still a sense of proportion, but it seems that it is not right for people, but in fact it is both for things and people, so King Chun's spirit is broken again. The emperor also felt that the construction of the Tianjin-Tonghe Railway could not just be handed over to the original proposal, which would be delayed, so he quietly asked Weng Tonghe for advice. "Master," he said, "what the people like and what the people hate, there should be a decision now, and of course it is the general will. But where is the general will? Where do you listen to the words of the common people? "

"The sufferings of the people are not easy to hear about." Weng Tonghe replied, "I just heard about it." "What did you hear?" "It is rumored that the common people in Jintong have sued the Tongyongdao yamen for no less than two or three hundred cases, and the yamen should ignore them. They appealed to the governor's yamen, because it was a case that was decided to be handled, and they refused to sue according to the circumstances. It is said that the people all included Go away in tears." "That's unreasonable! I'm afraid Li Hongzhang doesn't know about the situation, and the people under him are hiding it from him. Otherwise, Li Hongzhang can't just ignore it."

The emperor was so naive that he actually regarded Li Hongzhang as a good governor of Tang Bin and Yu Chenglong.It was inconvenient for Weng Tonghe to speak out, but he could not agree, so he could only keep silent. "What?" the emperor came to his senses, "Did Li Hongzhang know about it?" "Li Hongzhang is not a person who is lazy in managing politics." This sentence was kept silent, the emperor shook his head sadly, and then asked: "Do you know what is said in the people's complaint?" "It's nothing more than huts and tombs, and it's difficult to move. How can children and grandchildren not feel sad when they see their grandfather's rotten bones? Even if the government pays the price, they will not be reconciled." Weng Tonghe said: "Someone quoted the emperor's edict... .”

As soon as Kangxi was mentioned, the emperor got up quickly, and Weng Tonghe naturally stood up faster, "What did the Shangyu say at that time?" the emperor asked. "Rong Chen inspected and submitted for review." I picked up a copy of the "Ten Dynasty Sacred Edicts" and opened the Kangxi Dynasty's edicts on river construction. One of them read: "Most of the poles set up are on the graves. , and even destroy the graves of the people. I am afraid that one man will not get what he wants, and I always have the heart of starvation and drowning. How can I bear to send out so many dead bones?"

"The holy ancestor is holy, and the benevolent emperor is benevolent. This is how we know it!" Weng Tonghe was suddenly excited, "In a blink of an eye, the ceremony of returning to power is coming. The emperor's resignation begins, and there are many rumors in the court, and there are complaints in the suburbs." I'm really afraid that I'm tired of the saint's virtue, and even more afraid of burying the painstaking efforts of the empress dowager for so many years, it's really inappropriate." "Master," the emperor said immediately, "why don't you make a note too?"

Only now did Weng Tonghe realize that "too much talk is bound to fail", which caused trouble.But at this time and here, he is not allowed to back down, so he can only agree: "Yes! I want to go with Yuqing Palace, and all the ministers will play together." "Okay! You can do it quickly." Weng Tonghe went out of the study and immediately drafted the manuscript.With his knowledge and literary talent, a memorial like this could have been completed in one go, but it took an afternoon to finish the manuscript, because he had too many worries and had to carefully scrutinize it.

On the same day, they invited two other ministers who were walking in Yuqing Palace, one was Minister of War, Sun Jianai who was also a number one scholar; Qingwen", the status in Yuqing Palace is not good, it is just the so-called "expert".Masters have always had any public praises, and masters are not included in the title. Weng Tonghe included him in order to strengthen his reputation. They invited each other with a folded card and sent a special car. As soon as Sun and Song arrived, Weng Tonghe took out the folded card and "asked for advice".Look at what is written on it: "The law of Chataixi, the wire and the railway are the exterior and the interior. If the wire is used, the railway will certainly be able to be carried out. However, this method is tried in the border area, but not in the hinterland. The border area has the advantage of prosperity. , without disturbing the people. In the hinterland, the fields and huts and tombs are destroyed, and the people are in an uproar.

If you don't reap the benefits, you will see the harm first. It is reported today that a railway is planned to be built from Tianjin to Tongzhou.Zha Tianjin is more than 200 miles away from Tongzhou, among them, the huts face each other, the mulberry and hemp are wild, the waterway has tens of thousands of boats, the land road has hundreds of generations of drivers, and the people who live in villages, hotels, and peddlers are even more uncommon. Several? As soon as the railway is opened, the industry will be lost, and if it does not flow, it will be stolen! In recent discussions outside, this matter has always been regarded as a matter of concern.The ministers waited for the Empress Dowager Fusi and the emperor to be diligent and compassionate to the people, and they were meticulous.Occasionally, when floods and droughts occur in all directions, sending out money to help, lest a husband will lose his home, how could he be willing to make the poor people poor without telling them?Kuang Mingchun celebrated the grand ceremony of returning to power, the emperor began to act, and there were many rumors in Yingting, and there were complaints and complaints in the suburbs.

Fu Ji suspects divination, public opinion is the first, and government is based on the people's will.It is advisable to suspend the construction of the Jintong Railway, until the outskirts pass through, and the people are familiar with it, and then consider the situation, and Xu discusses this, so that the common affairs are orderly and there will be no troubles. " Song Ji read it first, and handed it to Sun Jianai after he had finished reading it, before asking for advice: "How?" "Compared to the Gongzhe of the Lords of Shangzhai, it is much more relaxed." "Not only is the tone moderate, but the arguments are also fair and accessible. I would like to attach myself to the end." After Song Yu finished speaking, he picked up a pen and signed his name on the back, and Sun Jianai did the same.This is a great comfort to Weng Tonghe, and he is also a little proud, thinking that the painstaking efforts in scrutiny were not in vain after all. After dealing with my own affairs, I have to ask the attitude of others, "How do you explain the public records of the Lords of Shangzhai?" he asked. "Shangzhai" is the abbreviation of Shangshufang.Walking in the upper study room is also called "Master", but because the Pope's son is not the emperor, his status and favor are not as good as the emperor's "Master".However, there were many people who went to the study room, and in addition, Encheng, the co-organizer of the university, and Xu Tong, the secretary of the Ministry of officials, were the "chief masters". Zhongming attacked Li Hongzhang and secretly blamed King Chun.Although Encheng and Xu Tong were inconvenient to be listed because of the disparity in status and Hanlin, they wrote letters to King Chun in their personal capacity.Of course, the submissive tone of the words and the intense discussion made King Chun very displeased. Weng Tonghe is someone highly valued by King Chun, and he is usually treated with great courtesy, just like the scholarly family of the Han Dynasty respects Xishi.Therefore, he naturally felt sad, and at the same time felt a lot of emotion and regret for King Chun's encounter with such an unacceptable rebellion during his illness. "Jian Mansion is completely for others." Weng Tonghe still had a lot to say, but he stopped at the throat, and he just let out a long sigh. Sun Jianai understood what he meant, but refused to talk about it. Song Yu's temper was relatively straightforward, and he immediately said: "It depends on whether it is worth it for others? It is not worth it for Li Hongzhang, but it is worth it for the Empress Dowager." The construction of the Three Seas, the Summer Palace, the installation of small steamers in Kunming Lake, the installation of electric lights, and the construction of a railway by the Ziguang Pavilion, all these tricks that Qing Yi hated and hated, were all blamed on King Chun in the end.It's not that he's "evil against the king", but it's based on the intention of the sages in the Spring and Autumn Period, thinking that he can't justify and remonstrate, which is too weak. On this point, King Gong and his virtuous and foolish are very clear, which is almost It has been assessed. However, Weng Tonghe was more sympathetic to King Jin's difficulties, "Jun's residence is in a very difficult situation." He said, "To avoid being suspected of being an expert, one has to follow orders. There are thousands of mistakes..., alas!" He said He refused to speak any more. "Thousands of mistakes, the fault is not willing to be lonely." Song Yu said very bluntly, "If he hadn't been so quiet and thoughtful, there wouldn't have been a big political trend where Prince Gong was expelled and the entire squad of military planes were withdrawn. To this day, Anfu is honored and honored, and the years are leisurely, so why are you so troubled? " The words went too deep, and both Weng Tonghe and Sun Jianai refused to talk any further.As the host's wine collector, he took out the treasured calligraphy, paintings and inscriptions to display and comment on, but Matsuoka was not very interested in this, so he talked and talked about current affairs. After a few cups of good wine, Song Yu took advantage of the wine and became more and more unscrupulous, "I am afraid that the blessings of today are not as good as Mu Zong." In addition, there was a "vigorous" intervention in the palace, which led to a catastrophic disaster. However, between Mu Zong and Empress Jiashun, respecting each other as guests and being in tune with each other is at least a blessing. Today, the queen of Fangjiayuan has never entered the palace, so I am afraid that she is doomed to be a resentful spouse... " "Shouquan!" Weng Tonghe called him by his alias, interrupted him and said, "There's too much wine." "I'm not talking drunk, I'm telling the truth. Some people outside say that the queen's blessings are probably limited. Look, there is a strange disaster in the Taihe sect not long after the book was established. This is not a good omen, just like a folk bride interfering with her husband's family. " "There is no need to drill down on accidental things. Shouquan, come, come, please! The white fish in the Songhua River is hard-won, don't disappoint your luck." Sun Jianai babbled with other words, but Song Ji spoke more and more vigorously: "Today, he is really the most miserable person in the world. Among the five relationships, only one is left. Do you think it is pitiful?" "There is only one Lun left!" Weng Tonghe couldn't help asking, "Which Lun is it?" "As for that relationship, it depends on the future." Matsutsuki said, "The 'father and son' relationship is the most difficult for the emperor, it goes without saying; although there are 'brothers', there is no sibling relationship, although this relationship has Seems like nothing; an emperor has no 'friends', let alone a 'husband and wife' relationship, which seems to be in name only." The words are a bit exaggerated, but they are roughly the same as the truth, especially the relationship between father and son, which is a hidden pain for the emperor.So Weng and Sun stayed silent and listened to Satsuki before talking. "Today, there is only one ethic between the monarch and his ministers. The five ethic of the monarch and his ministers are not for the emperor to set up arguments, but for the sage to teach, the emphasis is on encouraging those who serve the emperor to keep the ministers' way. Those who are people and ministers can gain the authority of the emperor and obey what they say. For example, between Emperor Zhaolie and Marquis Wu, the so-called fish in water is also a rare encounter in life. Even if the other four ethics are deficient, "you can make up for it a little bit. "Song Yu paused for a moment and said: "I'm thinking, today, it is true that the emperor is also a minister, and the Empress Dowager Cixi is a mother and a father, and mother and son are the same as the monarch and minister.After returning to power, and the Empress Dowager Cixi can really let go completely, entertain herself with the scenery of Longevity Mountain and the scenery of Kunming Lake, and enjoy the leisure and care, regardless of government affairs, then the relationship between the monarch and his ministers today is finally occupied.However, today, it is too early to say. " This passage is so profound that both Weng Tonghe and Sun Jianai admired it in their hearts, but on the surface they couldn't admit the reason he analyzed.And Weng Tonghe has a further but opposite view. "The king is the king, and the ministers are the ministers. Even as it is said, we can abide by the way of ministers and do our best to assist the emperor so that the emperor can carry out his ambitions. This is the whole of the monarch and his ministers." "That's right!" Song Qi looked at Sun Jianai and said: This is the only way for us to comfort the Sacred Heart. "