Chapter 19 Lighting Tower (2-1)

Zuo Zongtang only slept for two hours, and when he had just delivered his son, he was woken up by his old servant Zuo Gui; he told him: "Master Xu has an urgent letter from the military aircraft." As he said, he helped Zuo Zongtang up; another servant held a candlestick and looked at the letter according to him; the envelope was written in thick ink: "Flying to Zuo Jue for a blind date Junqi"; he took out the letterhead, and there were only eight letters on it. The words: "Honored guests of the Eastern Dynasty, please enter the palace quickly." It turned out that the military plane Zhang Jing changed shifts this day, and Xu Yongyi was on duty at night, so the news came quickly.Zuo Zongtang was the most calm when encountering such an unexpected change; when he got out of bed and saw the red candle, he pointed to it and said, "Do you have to change it to white tomorrow?"

"Master", Zuo Gui has served Zuo Zongtang for many years, and the title has not been changed; he was afraid that he had heard wrong, so he asked with an ear, "Change to white wax?" "By the way, don't ask too many questions! Pass the sedan chair, and I will enter the palace right away." When they entered the palace, they were ugly and upright, and the gate of Qianqing was not opened, so they all gathered in the court room of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Zuo Zongtang saw that the close relatives were Prince Yu, Prince Chun, and Prince Hui; Yi Kuangli; military ministers include Bao Junjin, Li Hongzao, and Wang Wenshao; in addition, there are six ministers, the master of "Walking in Yuqing Palace", and Nanshufang Hanlin.

For major national affairs, the military aircraft has the power; if Prince Gong, the foreman of the military aircraft, is not around, Zuo Zongtang should be the leader.Only now did he realize that his place was special; it was his first time as an official in the capital, and he was at a loss for allusions from the court.And when he encountered such an unexpected situation, although he was good at responding, he was also at a loss and extremely embarrassed. Just as he was about to ask, Xu Yongyi hurried forward, taking the opportunity of his support, he said close to him, "Listen to Bao Zhongtang."

Zuo Zongtang, who was so strong in his struggle to win, had to back down a step here; after greeting the three kings briefly, he bowed his hands to Baojun and said: "It's the first time for me to meet a big funeral. Please ask Pei Weng to preside over everything in military affairs." "It's a matter of duty." Before finishing a word, someone came to report, and the gate of Qianqing was opened.So the king took the lead, and went to the "Neizuo Office" first when entering the Qianqing Gate - Zhang Zuo's cashier, all passed through here; watch.There are five prescriptions in total, and the last one is marked with "You Ke", which was prescribed by Zuo Zongtang after he left the palace, saying that "the six channels will be taken off, and the medicine cannot be given." "When is Bintian?"  Wang is asking.

"Xu time." Xu time is eight o'clock in the evening.Zuo Zongtang was thinking in his heart that it was eleven o'clock when he received Xu Yongyi's letter; he calculated that he would get the news no earlier than ten o'clock, two hours apart; What situation? "My lord!" Xu Yongyi took his sleeve and said, "Please go to the South Study Room." It is customary in the palace that whenever there is a big funeral, the South Study Room on the west side of the Qianqing Gate is used as the "funeral office".Once there, the first thing to do is to take off the crown and the red tassel on the official hat; then each finds a suitable seat to sit down according to the size of the rank of the title.

"It's really unexpected!" King Chun asked Bao Junjin, "We must quickly chase Master Liu back." "Liu Ye" refers to Prince Gong, "I have already sent someone there." Bao Junjin replied, "I will probably be back tomorrow afternoon." "It's better to find someone to ask about it." King Xi said, "For example, do you have any last words?" "There won't be any." Hui Wang said: "Fang Zi at noon has already said 'senseless'; from now on I can't open my teeth, how can I speak?" Wang Moran, the audience was silent; but everyone had a question in their hearts: What is the disease?

"I want to ask what kind of illness is there, but there is really no illness." Xu Yongyi looked around, all the servants were on the corridor, and there was no one else in the living room except Hu Xueyan's personal attendant, Fang Shi whispered, "It was poisoned." As soon as these words came out, Hu Xueyan and Gu Yingchun looked at each other.It turned out that because Hu Xueyan founded the Huqingyutang medicine name, he was naturally not very good at medicine and medicine; after reading the five prescriptions copied from the internal affairs office, and asking about the situation of the Empress Dowager Ci'an's imperial court the day before, she asked Gu Ying Chun said that the only possible cause of death was poisoning.At this moment, it is confirmed, but I just don't know how to be poisoned.

"The poison is put in the heart of the dessert." Xu Yongyi said: The Queen Mother has the habit of taking a nap; after waking up, she often eats desserts.On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, when I woke up from a nap, the Western Empress Dowager sent Li Lianying, the eunuch who combed her hair, to bring in a plate of honey cake with pine nuts and mincemeat. It was freshly steamed and was delicious and sweet. The Eastern Empress Dowager ate three pieces in a row; within half an hour, the illness broke out up. " Hu Xueyan was shocked: "Is it the Queen Mother's poison?" He asked, "Why?" "This is a long story—"

The Empress Dowager Cixi has always been brooding about something she can't explain to herself, which is why she should be inferior to the Empress Dowager Ci'an; He was congratulated by the officials outside the palace gate.The imperial concubine who is the first class under the empress not only has this honor, but even her surname is not known to the officials. The east and west palaces - Ci'an and Cixi are entered by "draft girls", and their family backgrounds are the same. The father of Ci'an is Youjiang Road in Guangxi;Although the identities were the same at the beginning, when Wen Zong Yuan's empress collapsed and became the second empress, Ci'an was chosen, which made Cixi, who was titled "Yi Guifei" at that time, very angry, because Ci'an had no children and she had a son. , and the only prince; if it wasn't for her stomach to win, the imperial line of the Qing Dynasty would die from Xianfeng.It can be seen from this that she is a person who has made great contributions to the clan society; how can she swallow this tone of derogation for a person who has made great contributions?

But Wen Zong had another idea, just because she gave birth to a prince, she ruined her hope of being made a queen.It turns out that Cixi's shrewd and capable character, striving for power, Wenzong has seen very clearly; he knows that he will not live long, and once he dies, the young master will succeed, and the empress will become the empress dowager. Even so, there are still hidden worries, because mothers are more valuable than children, and they will still become queen mothers in the future, and the two palaces will be respected together, while Ci'an is loyal and loyal, and will definitely be bullied.Occasionally, he confides this important matter with his favorite minister Sushun; Su also persuades Wen Zong to follow the story of "Mrs. Gouyi".

"Madame Gouyi" is the concubine of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.When he was sixty-three years old, Mrs. Gouyi gave birth to a son for him, named Fuling, he was strong and smart, and he was very fond of him.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was sick in his later years, and his older sons seemed to be too weak. After several considerations, he decided to pass on the throne to Young Fuling; The situation in the early years of Qin Shihuang should be used as a lesson.Therefore, Mrs. Gouyi was cruelly executed to avoid future troubles. Wenzong also felt that Sushun's suggestion was good, but he lacked the hard heart of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.When he became ill and became blind, and he was about to lose weight, he specially wrote a secret letter with a red pen and handed it over to Ci'an, to the effect that "the West Palace aids the mother and respects the son as the empress dowager, but she is by no means Those who can be trusted, even if there is nothing wrong, you should make a decision. If he is safe and innocent, he should always be full of grace. If his failure is obvious, you can call a group of ministers to declare my words and give him death immediately. , so as to prevent future troubles." Not only Zhu Yu, but also verbal instructions, if it is necessary to use this secret decree, how to call a group of officials, how to announce it; how can someone plead for Xi Gong, and you must not make a slight move, you must make a decisive decision , Cut the weeds and eradicate the roots.Ci'an listened to it with tears in his eyes, and kept Zhu Yu's treasure secret, but never thought in his heart that one day he would get it usefully. Twenty years later, Empress Dowager Cixi was already forty-six years old. At the beginning of February in the sixth year of Guangxu, she suddenly became seriously ill. The cause of the disease was vaguely described in the pulse record, and the prescription prescribed was for prenatal and postpartum treatment. All the ministers were puzzled by the "Siwu Decoction" for various diseases.According to imperial doctors Zhuang Shouhe and Li Deli, it was said to be "blood collapse", but the medicine used for blood collapse was not right for the symptoms. So he issued an order to seek medical treatment.The governor of Zhili recommended Xue Fuchen, Taiwu, Lindao, Wuxi, Shandong; the governor of Shanxi, Zeng Guoquan, recommended Hangzhou Shouzheng, the magistrate of Yangqu County, Taiyuan Prefecture. They all know the root of the disease; they all said that the Empress Dowager Cixi was suffering from "bone steaming", which was actually "labor labor", and she lost too much postpartum blood, which became the so-called "dried blood tuberculosis" as the saying goes, which is used to supplement Ganping According to the law, the disease is getting better day by day.By the end of the year, there is no danger, just waiting for recuperation. The benevolent Empress Dowager Ci'an is naturally grateful for it.One day—just a few days ago, in the Zhongcui Palace where she lived, she invited Cixi to have a meal and drank wine; According to the news from the court lady who was peeping in private, it is said that Ci'an was really moved. First of all, he recounted all the sufferings of Wenzong's escape to Rehe; Work together to wipe each other's tears; punish Xu Quanchen and turn the crisis into safety.Then he talked about the turbulent winds and waves experienced during the thirteen years of Tongzhi, all kinds of joys and sorrows, and when it came to sadness, the "sisters" were relatively tearful.It seems that Cixi is also emotional. So Ci'an said with emotion: "Our sisters are also old, and the day when we will serve the late emperor again will not be too far away. We have been together for more than 20 years, and we have never had any serious disputes. Of course, we will live peacefully in the future. There is a thing left by the late emperor, I always thought that I would never need it; but I am afraid that after my death, if someone picks up such a thing, they will suspect that our sisters are reconciled on the surface. I will feel that it is a great hatred, and the late emperor will regret it too much. Such a thing, why not end it today!" After speaking, he took out an envelope from his bosom and handed it to Cixi. When he opened it, Cixi's face changed greatly; it turned out that it was the secret edict written by Wenzong himself with a red pen. "Since it's useless, burn it!" Ci'an retrieved the original document, lit it on a candle and burned it.Cixi made an expression of weeping with great emotion, and Ci'an had to comfort her in many ways before she could stop her tears. But from then on, as soon as Cixi saw Ci'an, she felt like a thorn in her back, and she was careful everywhere, as if she was afraid that she would not be able to please Ci'an.On this day—three days ago, on the ninth day of March, the Empress Dowager Ci'an finally died on a plate of honey cake with pine nuts and mincemeat. Xiao Weng, do you think things are more difficult or easier than before? I think it is more difficult than before." Xu Yongyi replied: "The Eastern Empress Dowager is better than talent, and the military aircraft can do whatever it says; the Western Empress Dowager is better than talent." De, if you think about it a little bit, she will catch the problem and ask people to have nothing to say." "That's a good point. But in the future, as long as one person is perfunctory, things won't be too difficult." "Uh," Xu Yongyi couldn't help being surprised, "Mr. Hu Da, who do you think you're going to be perfunctory with?" "Li Lianying." Hu Xueyan said, "He has made such a great contribution, of course he will be favored." "En, um!" Xu Yongyi said: "I haven't thought of it yet." "I haven't thought of it either." Gu Yingchun said, "I think if you want to go this way, you have to go early." Xu Yongyi remained silent, meaning, of course, "You guys are going to follow the path of eunuchs, please ask Gao Ming."Hu Xueyan understood his state of mind, so he gave Gu Yingchun a wink—implying that he doesn't need to talk about Li Lianying anymore. However, Bao Junjin still needs to be discussed.Gu Yingchun planned to give Hu Xueyan 50,000 silver, but he thought that 10,000 silver should be reserved for expenses, and asked Xu Yongyi what opinion? "You don't need to give so much to Baozhongtang. If there is too much, he will become suspicious, thinking that there are many benefits in this loan. The money must be spent on knife edge, and one penny is worth ten pennies, and it is considered a skill." "Then, Xiao Weng!" Hu Xueyan said with a smile: "Tell me, what do you need to spend on the edge of the knife?" "I also know it, but I don't know why. In short, since Mr. Zuo is going to act arbitrarily now, there is no need to give such a heavy gift to Baozhongtang. Otherwise, it will become a 'snap dog hole'." "I have done a lot of things about 'plugging the dog'." Hu Xueyan said: "Since Xiao Weng disagrees, let's think of a way that is less polite and more meaningful." "This way is not easy to think about." Gu Yingchun Asked: "Would you like to talk to Zhu Tiekou?" "It's useless. He doesn't understand the market in this area." The three of them were silent for a while, then Hu Xueyan suddenly said, "Xiao Weng, talk about it, what kind of person is Bao Zhongtang?" "People are very nostalgic-" Because of nostalgia and love, Bao Junjin suffered a lot.Among them, everyone in Zhejiang knows about it; the case of Yang Naiwu and Xiaobaicai, which caused a sensation in China six or seven years ago, identified Xiaobaicai's husband, Ge Pinlian, who died of a sudden illness, as Wu Dalang; Husband also compared Yang Naiwu to Ximen Qing, the "Miemen county magistrate" Liu Xitong who instigated Xiaobaicai to poison, was Bao Junjin's Xiangbang in the same year. "Bao Zhongtang did not protect Liu Xitong; but Liu Xitong always thought that Bao Zhongtang was always nostalgic, and with the backing of such a big military aircraft, if he made a mistake, he did it wrong. It was nothing special. The result was that he harmed himself and others, and even Bao Zhongtang heard a lot of gossip .” "Where is this Liu Xitong?" Hu Xueyan said, "Where is the army?" , I’m sorry for myself, where is there, where is the taste of living?" "Yes! You have to have a sense of being a person, and you can live with strength." Hu Xueyan asked again: "Where is he from?" "Salt Mountain near Cangzhou." "Who else is in the family?" "Not sure." Xu Yongyi said, "He has a son who was originally involved in Yang Naiwu's case. Later, when things got serious, Liu Xitong asked him to go back to Yanshan, but he was sitting on the lucky star wheel. " The sinking of the Fuxing ship was the first major shipwreck incident in China's waters; so Xu Yongyi knew that Liu Xitong's son had suffered a disaster without saying anything. "Where is there any lucky star along the way?" Gu Yingchun said: "There is no way to misfortune and fortune, but people call for themselves. Liu Xitong will suffer misfortune because of his hateful intentions. But the retribution is too miserable." "Inquire, inquire." Hu Xueyan said: "Qi Xitong finally served as a parent officer in our Hangzhou. If the children and grandchildren have nothing to eat, they should do a good deed." Xu Yongyi thought to himself, how did Hu Xueyan serve as the magistrate of Yuhang County for Liu Xitong's incense?But he must also have such a high-sounding statement, so as not to leave traces, otherwise he will be ridiculed.After all, he knows the ways of the world.Thinking about it like this, I couldn't help thinking of another person, "Bao Zhongtang has a younger brother named Bao Sen," he asked, "Does Mr. Hu Da know?" "I don't know. How is this man?" "This person asked Yanlu to participate in a book last year. In fact, it was not him who participated, but Bao Zhongtang, who participated in Bao Zhongtang to protect his relatives. However, the unlucky one must be Bao Sen, and the situation is very embarrassing now." "Uh, Xiao Weng, you can talk about the ins and outs of his misfortune." It turned out that Baosen, Baojunjin's younger brother, was originally an alternate magistrate of Zhili. He hadn't read much, and he didn't have much talent, and his reasoning was not very clear.Relying on his brother's face, he is always sent on errands; sometimes there are vacancies in states and counties, and he is sent to act as an agent, sit in court and ask questions, full of jokes. Later, Zeng Guofan was transferred to Zhili by the governor of Liangjiang. He paid attention to the administration of officials. Seeing that Baosen was really useless, he felt powerless to take care of him.Baosen approached Bao Junjin several times and asked him to ask Zeng Guofan for an errand in eight-line script, but Bao Junjin was afraid of running into trouble and refused to send the letter.When he got there, Bao Junjin said, "Go to Sichuan!" He added donations, changed from an alternate county to an alternate road, and interceded with the Ministry of Officials, and was able to distribute Sichuan. The name of the governor of Sichuan is Wu Tang. Before the Empress Dowager Cixi entered the palace, he had the great kindness to help her when she was in dire straits.Cixi's father, Huizheng, lived in Chitaiguang Road, Anhui Province. He was a local official responsible for guarding the soil. and died.Yuyu said: "When the wife is dead, the street is broken, and the master is not lifted when he is dead." Therefore, as the eldest daughter, Cixi brought one younger sister and two younger brothers, and when she returned to the banner with her mother, she was blinded all the way. That kind of situation is really desolate. One day when the boat was moored in Taoyuan County, Huai'an Prefecture, Jiangsu Province, someone suddenly delivered a funeral ceremony, which was quite generous, with as much as two hundred taels of silver.Cixi looked at the name post again and saw that the title was Wu Tang, the county magistrate of Taoyuan County, and she couldn't help but wonder; Huizheng had never had such a friend, and if it was said that it was a usual entertainment, officials from other provinces had no connection, and at best they would give eight taels of silver as a funeral ceremony , has been benevolent to the utmost.One gift of two hundred taels is surprisingly rich; Cixi judged that it must have been sent by mistake, and she kept it there intact in case someone came to claim it back. Her judgment was not wrong, and she really sent the wrong one.When Wu Tang saw the receipt sent by the servant, he was furious; fortunately, he had an acquaintance, who understood the ways of the world, and persuaded him: "There is no reason to ask for the wrong gift; if you ask for it, people are not willing to return it. I heard that the two young ladies from Huidao Terrace are well-groomed and literate; the ladies from the Banner family have limitless futures, Dong Weng might as well make mistakes, and simply send a whole favor and hang himself." Wu Tang thought to himself, this is the plan of "losing the east corner and harvesting the mulberry elm", so he immediately removed his clothes, prepared sacrifices, passed the sedan chair to the canal wharf, and put a post on the boat to sacrifice to the spirit.After the sacrifice, I condoled the family members; Cixi's two younger brothers, Huixiang and Zhaoxiang, were still young and could only accompany the ceremony, but could not accompany the guests; it was both Cixi who answered Wu Tang through the white cloth spiritual veil, and thanked Wu Tang again and again. This is enough to prove that Wu Tang's funeral ceremony was not wrong, and he can spend it with confidence.Cixi was so grateful that she put Wu Tang's famous post in the hair comb box; she swore to her sister: "If God is sorry to see you, our sisters will also have a proud day; but don't forget the great benefactor Wu Tang who gave charcoal in a timely manner. "Sure enough, "the emperor lives up to his painstaking efforts", the sister became a sister-in-law, but after ten years, the elder sister "raised with the world", and the younger sister is also the Fujin of the king of alcohol. In the Xinyou coup, the two palaces listened to the government behind the curtains, and Cixi's first happy thing was to repay her kindness; at this time, Wu Tang, who had been promoted to the magistrate, was promoted all the way. None of the papers on the impeachment of Wu Tang are allowed.In just five or six years, he succeeded Luo Bingzhang as the governor of Sichuan. In Chengdu, he was entrusted with official duties by his subordinates. He held banquets and performed plays every day, ate shark fin, chicken and duck, and raised himself to become a bloated fat man. It was nicknamed "Yipinrou".Bao Junjin's plan as the younger brother is that as long as he works at "Yipinrou", he doesn't have to worry about his lack of talent.Sure enough, Wu Tang saw that Bao Junjin was a great military aircraft, and sent a "lijin" mission as soon as he arrived; in the end of Wu Tang's appointment, Baosen's tax gap was never broken, and he was one of the red members of Sichuan official circles. Soon, Wu Tang died in office, and the governor of Sichuan was succeeded by Shandong governor Ding Baozhen who killed An Dehai.An Dehai was called "Little Anzi" by the Empress Dowagers of the Two Palaces; he was the favorite eunuch of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and he made contributions in the "Xinyou Coup" and was promoted to the chief of Changchun Palace.Relying on the power of the Empress Dowager Cixi, he recruited power and accepted bribes, arrogance and lawlessness; one summer, under the banner of the Empress Dowager, he went out of Beijing without authorization, and even Guofan, the governor of Zhili, could only look sideways and dare not touch him.But Ding Baozhen didn't buy it. As soon as he entered Shandong, he sent people to closely monitor him. When he proved that he didn't have the intention to go to the south of the Yangtze River to buy goods, he ordered his arrest unceremoniously. There is no need for interrogation, and the law will be rectified on the spot"; then he was taken to prison and executed in Jinan. Since An Dehai was favored by Cixi, if Ding Baozhen killed him, he would probably offend Cixi.Unexpectedly, the opposite happened. Not only did Cixi not hate him, but she was also very grateful to Ding Baozhen, because after An Dehai was beheaded, Ding Baozhen ordered his corpse to be raped for three days.As a result, the rumor that An Dehai was Cixi's face has been circulating all the time, and it will be self-defeating.Cixi felt deeply that Ding Baozhen had washed her virtues, so Wu Tang was vacant and promoted him from Dongfu to governor of Sichuan.Of course, there is also the expectation that Ding Baozhen is upright and upright, and that he will be used to rectify the Sichuan officials who have been ruined by Wu Tang. Sure enough, as soon as Ding Baozhen entered Sichuan, he made great efforts to rectify it. The poor officials who were greedy and weak were recruited and transferred, and the officialdom had a new look.People like Baosen are of course also included in the list of elimination, but considering that he is Bao Junjin's younger brother, he can't help but worry about throwing a mouse, so the treatment is different. In a situation like this, there is a way to send them out politely. For example, if the governor and the two divisions—the feudal division and the Fu division are at odds, and want to transfer them away, but are afraid of hurting the peace and disputes, they will call them at the end of the year. When "secret examination", add the test language of "eligible for appointment".Since he is enough to be responsible for the job, the imperial court will of course call this person to Beijing to have a face-to-face inspection.Over time, it became a practice. When the Military Aircraft Department saw what the governor said to the two divisions, it knew that it was asking the imperial court to transfer the two divisions away, and it must do so; because the human rights of the officials in the frontier must be respected. Baosen is just an alternate way, which does not apply to this example, but there is also a way to pass it, that is, to recommend a talent, and please send it to the Ministry for introduction; it means that the court should consider whether this person can be filled. That was at the end of the fourth year of Guangxu.At that time, the road of speech was very powerful. In addition to the officials of Yushi and Geshizhong, the Hanlin also served as "announcement officials for daily lectures". Four people, known as "Hanlin Four Admonitions".Among the "Four Remonstrances", Zhang Peilun's pen is the most powerful. He thought that Baosen had no talent, and he was recommended by a local official based on Bao Junjin's relationship. . In the Shangyu, Zhang Peilun was commended for "what he has never looked forward to, and he dares to speak out."As for Ding Baozhen's special recommendation of Baosen, what are his outstanding performances?The original play also said that Baosen had no talent, "I wrote Li Hongzhang to find out what Baosen's official voice and political achievements were when he was in Zhili, and played it in detail." At that time, Baosen had already arrived in Beijing, and excitedly thought that Ding Baozhen was friendly enough to help him, and he fully planned that after the introduction, relying on his brother's relationship, he would distribute it to wealthy provinces, find a really lacking Taoist priest, and do a good job. Get over the addiction of being an official—after all, the demeanor of a Zhengyin official is different from that of an alternate Taoist. Unexpectedly, when he met Bao Junjin, he said in one sentence: "You are sick!" "Why?" "Here, see for yourself." After reading Zhang Peilun's impeachment memorial with great difficulty, Baosen gasped, and then realized that Ding Baozhen had ulterior motives, and the replay must be a perfunctory empty talk, which may not be useful. "Now the way of speaking is very arrogant. If you run into a wall, I can't help you. Don't ask for glory instead of humiliation. You should complain first; after a while, I will find a way for you." Two days passed For many years, Baosen was very quiet and thought about moving, and often quarreled with Bao Junjin, and the brothers had turned against each other.Bao Junjin often looks away from the shadows and suffers from endless headaches. "Brothers are so emotional, there is only one way to separate them." Hu Xueyan said, "If you can't see each other, you can't quarrel; others are persuading you, and you can listen to what you say." "Mr. Hu Da, your words are good, but how can I separate them?" Brother, we will eventually reconcile as before." "This is a way, but it's a pity that no one invited him." "I invite!" Hu Xueyan blurted out, "If Second Master Bao is willing, I will invite him to Shanghai and Hangzhou for a year or so. All the expenses will be mine." Jin was able to clean his ears, so he would definitely understand Hu Xueyan's feelings, and immediately expressed his approval to Gu Yingchun, who also believed that this was a unique way to pay Baojun Jin, and it was very feasible. As for Hu Xueyan and Baosen who have never met, it seems that there is no reason to get through the song, but it is actually very easy. Wen Yu, who has a deep friendship with Hu Xueyan, is a ready-made way. This day Wenyu entertains guests.Originally, he was very rich in eunuch money, lived in luxury, and lived in a beautiful garden with flowers, trees and gardens. Every time he held a banquet, there must be a variety of silk and bamboo; After being corrected by the officials, I only made an appointment with a few close friends, just chatting and having a drink. The host and guest is Hu Xueyan, followed by Baosen.After being introduced by the host, Bao Sen admired him quite a lot; Hu Xueyan even deliberately played around, so they hit it off right away, and the conversation was quite speculative.During the meeting, Hu Xueyan and Gu Yingchun talked about the situation on the "Yichang" in Shanghai, exaggerating, making Baosen look forward to it. Seeing that it's time, Gu Yingchun immediately asked, "Second Master Sen hasn't been to Shanghai for a few years?" "It sounds shabby." Baosen said embarrassedly: "I haven't been there yet!" "That's really unexpected." Gu Yingchun looked at Hu Xueyan and said: "If there is such an interesting person as Erye Sen when eating flower wine , but it's even more lively." Baosen is the so-called "uncle under the flag", he is good at eating, drinking, playing and playing; in the past two years in Beijing, he has relied on his love and sensuality to dispel his frustrations. Since the Empress Dowager Ci'an died suddenly, singing and dancing, the strings are not heard, and he is feeling lonely and bored When I heard Gu Yingchun's words, I was naturally tempted. "Now it's a national funeral, and I can go to the hall—" Bao Sen suddenly stopped talking, as if he had said something wrong. It turns out that what Shanghainese call "tangzi" is called "yaozi" in the north.The "tangzi" in the banner population is the place where the royal family worships ancestors; it is profane to use it as another name for the kiln, so it feels awkward. "Now that the country is mourning, can we still eat flower wine?" He changed the phrase. "Why not?" Gu Yingchun replied, "One is that the sky is high and the emperor is far away; the barbarian field is 'Huawai', neither Shanghai Road nor Songjiang Mansion can be controlled; even the Governor of Liangjiang, Jiangsu Governor Mo Naihe." "Really?" Baosen didn't believe it. "I'll just talk about one thing." Gu Yingchun asked: "I heard that Mr. Mori is a big expert in ticket opera. Have you seen the 'Zhang Wenxiang's Stabbing Horse'?" "I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it." "That is the unique sight and ear blessing of Shanghai people. This play can only be sung in Shanghai, and it is forbidden elsewhere." The reason for the ban was that the play was not true at all.The governor of Liangjiang, Ma Xinyi, had already died tragically under the sword of Zhang Wenxiang, but he said that he took someone's wife and had a way to kill him.The great officials in the south of the Yangtze River tried to ban the performance, but because their power could not reach the barbarian field, they were blamed. This example illustrates why the rules of national mourning can be disobeyed in Shanghai when the octaves are suppressed in Beijing.Baosen really wanted to take a good look around, but he couldn't say anything.Hu Xueyan, who saw his mood, immediately said: "In fact, don't talk about those flowers and plants, Mr. Sen should also go to Shanghai to see and see. Nowadays everyone talks about Westernization. If you don't come to Shanghai, you don't know how to talk about Westernization? Bao Zhongtang was held back by his identity and status, and he didn’t have the chance to go to Shanghai, so Second Master Sen might as well take a look instead of Bao Zhongtang.” This gave him an upright reason, Bao Sen was very excited, "I am not for him, but for myself." He said: "It is always good to have more knowledge. When I come to Shanghai in the future, I still want to invite Hu Brother, take me with you." "It's serious." Hu Xueyan asked, "When is Second Master Mori planning to go?" "It's still undecided. I have to ask Ben Qi for leave first." Bannermen in Beijing were not allowed to leave Beijing casually. This rule was extremely strict during the Yong and Qian years, and it was gradually relaxed later.However, Baosen didn't dare to do anything wrong because his brother had repeatedly warned him to be cautious in everything. At this moment, Wen Yu, who had not spoken all this time, said, "Second brother, I will allow you to lie." It turned out that Wen Yu was the governor of his Zhengbaiqi. "Ah, ah, that's right." Baosen "patted" the ground, hitting himself on the forehead, 'Look at my brain!I forgot that the chief of the banner is right in front of me. " "Lord Wen," Hu Xueyan asked, "How many days off are you allowed?" "That's up to him." "I think," Baosen replied, "one month is about the same." "Not enough, not enough. One month is not enough to talk about it, at least three months." "Three months is three months." Wen Yu said to Baosen: "You have to find a reason, you just write a letter, saying that you will go to Shanghai for medical treatment." Bao Sen was still hesitating, but Hu Xueyan rushed to say: "Okay! Mr. Wen will be on leave for three months; Mr. Sen, I will take care of these three months. You don't have to worry about anything. I still have five or six days of delay, please You do the cooking, let’s go together.” When you meet for the first time, even if you feel like old friends at first sight, to be invited to a place of luxury and luxury, to linger for three months without paying a penny, is really a rare adventure.Because of this, it felt unacceptable; Baosen just rubbed his hands and smiled reservedly, not knowing what to say. "Second brother," Wen Yu knew his mood, and couldn't help but said, "You have been in Sichuan for a long time, and you are not familiar with Xueyan; Xueyan is famous for his boldness, as long as you are lucky, I invite you to play a few times in the south like this." Yue, it’s nothing. I think you’re bored in Beijing, why don’t you go to Shanghai to relax. It’s a long time to make friends, so you don’t have to feel embarrassed.” "I'm really a little embarrassed." Baosen took the opportunity to say: "It's better to obey than to be respectful. Let me thank Brother Hu first." "If you say that, you'll be offended." Hu Xueyan turned to Gu Yingchun, "Tell Weixian to send someone to Mr. Sen's mansion tomorrow to greet him; you don't need to bring extra luggage, and it's very convenient to prepare anything you need in Shanghai." In the afternoon of the next day, Wang Weixian went to visit Baosen in person, and he was very respectful, so it goes without saying; after a few pleasantries, before getting to the point, he first asked, "How many people will Mr. Sen intend to bring?" Embarrassed, Baosen thought for a while and replied, "I only take one." "How is one enough?" Wang Weixian said, flexing his fingers, "One for the smoker, one for the handyman, and one for the servant, at least three people are needed. " "I'll just bring a smoker." Baosen said a little embarrassedly, "I have a hobby, so there's nothing I can do about it." "This is Fushou cream." Wang Weixian picked up a long cloth bag at hand, took off the cloth cover, and it was a rectangular box of red sandalwood that was polished to a bright spot. How are things?" Baosen picked it up and saw that there was a line of official script filled with color engraved on the cover: "Blowing the flute to attract the phoenix", so he knew it was a pipe;Although I have smoked opium for 30 years and have seen many good smoking sets, this thirteen-section Xiangfei bamboo bong and the green jade cigarette holder inlaid are certainly expensive, but the beauty is that the bamboo tube is made of olive pits pierced to the bottom. The middle is opened, the outside is cool and the inside is hot, and it is very enjoyable to smoke. "It's a good thing." Bao Sen couldn't bear to say it, "It must be two hundred taels of silver, right?" "Master Sen Er likes it, so there is no need to ask for the price. Please keep it for use!" Wang Weixian did not allow him to resign, and then said: "My Dong explained, Master Mori doesn't need to bring a cigarette tray, it's too cumbersome, we will prepare it." Speaking of such things, it becomes hypocritical to be polite.Bao Sen cupped his hands and said: "Mr. Hu Da is so kind, I really can't thank you enough. But man, I will definitely only bring one, and it will be a burden to bring too many." "Yes, yes. We have people there, and it doesn't matter if Master Mori wears less. Also, it's a national mourning, and the dress is plain. Master Mori doesn't need to bring silk clothes until the filial piety expires. It's ready in Shanghai." What does he say, Bao Sen should do.As soon as Wang Weixian leaves, I will be complacent when I think about it. I am satisfied with the newly acquired bong. Seeing that the time has passed, Bao Junjin has already gone to court. Brother Chengxing, I plan to talk about this complacent affair. thing. On the door of Bao Junjin's house, when he saw the "Second Master" coming, he immediately became nervous, and quickly reported to the upper room.Seeing that Baosen had already rushed in, he expected to be unable to stop it, so he could only sigh, waved his hand, and retreated from the gate of life. "I'll talk about your matter in a while." Bao Junjin opened his mouth as soon as he saw his younger brother, "At the moment, everyone is busy with the funeral of the Empress Dowager Dong; I am too embarrassed to mention it to others. .” "Which one?" Baosen asked his brother for too many favors, so he didn't know which one he was referring to, so he asked this question. "Didn't you win a lawsuit to help people fight for property?" "Oh, that one," said Baosen, "I don't have time to mind other people's business these days." It turned out that Baosen was entrusted by someone, and there was a lawsuit involving the son of a concubine who asked his eldest brother to divide the family. He asked Bao Junjin to intercede with the governor of Shuntian Fu, and dismissed the pleading of the son of a concubine.Since the case of Yang Naiwu, he was tired by Liu Xitong, and after he was criticized by Qing Yi, he didn't want to deal with any such cases involving criminal names, but Baosen kept pestering him again and again, so he could only pretend to be perfunctory; he thought of different reasons every time. It was a pain to procrastinate, so when I heard Baosen's words at this moment, I felt a lightness on my shoulders, and I felt at ease. "I came here specifically to tell my elder brother that I'm going to Shanghai for a while, and I won't be able to come back until two or three months later." "Oh," Bao Junjin asked, "what are you going to do in Shanghai?" "Someone invited me to play for two or three months. I was in charge of food and housing, and take-out and delivery. There were four in total; I didn't have to spend a dime myself. "Good guy. Just go to Shanghai for two or three months, don't pay a penny, who is so rich?" "Hu Xueyan." "So you turned in to the 'God of Wealth'!" Bao Junjin immediately darkened, "Don't make random promises to others and cause me trouble." 宝森愕然，“人家会有事托我？”他问：“会是什么事呢？”“谁知道？此人的花样，其大无比；这一趟是来替左季高筹划借洋债，说不定就会托你来跟我噜苏。” “哼！”宝森微微冷笑，“有海岳山房在那里，哪轮得到我来跟你噜苏。” 宝均金装作不曾听见，呼噜噜地抽了几口水烟，开口问道：“你哪一天走？” “就在这几天。” 宝均金点点头，喊一声：“来啊！”将听差宝福唤来吩咐：“到帐房里支二百银子，给二老爷送了去。” “谢谢大哥！”宝森请个安，又说了些闲话，高高兴兴地走了。 等他的背影刚刚消失，宝福悄然而至，走到宝均金面前说道：“朱铁口来过了，替胡大人送了一份礼来。”“哪个胡大人？” “有手本在这里。” 一看手本上的名字是“胡光墉”；不由得就关切了，“送的什么？”他问。 “一个成化窑的花瓶。” “大的还是小的？” “大的。” 大的便是两万银子。宝均金心想，胡雪岩既然送了两万银子，就大可必再在宝森身上作人情，而居然作了，并且这个人情还不轻，看起来是个很厚道的人。同时又想到宝森一走，耳根清净，便对胡雪岩越有好感了。 “朱铁口走了没有？” “还没有。” 宝均金便将朱铁口传唤到上房问道：“那胡大人是怎么说的？” “胡大人说想送中堂一份礼，问我有什么合适的东西？我问他打算送多重的礼？他说两万银子。我就让他买花瓶。他还托我代送；花瓶送来了，银子也交到帐房里了。”“有什么话托你转达的没有？” “没有。我倒也问过他；他说只不过佩服中堂为国贤劳，本想上门来求见请安，又怕中堂最近因为大丧太忙，不敢冒昧。” 宝均金的顾虑消释了。这两万银可以安心笑纳；倘或附带有有一句什么请托的话，反倒不便帮忙，两万银子如果舍不得退回，良心上就不免要自责。 遣走朱铁口以后，宝均金仍在考虑胡雪岩送的这笔重礼，不帮他的忙，良心上仍不免要自责；要帮他的忙呢，又觉得自己一向主张“西饷可缓、洋款不急”，忽然很热心地赞成左宗棠借这笔洋债，出尔反尔，启人疑窦。如何得以筹划出一个两全之道，成了他这天念兹在兹的一桩心事。 第二天一早上朝，在轿子里忽然想起宝森告诉他的，丁宝桢当年的故事。丁宝桢以清廉知名，但身为总督，开府西南，朝廷的体制不能不顾，家乡贵州的亲友，翻山越岭，千辛万苦来投靠，没有那么多闲差使可应酬，招待食宿，致送回乡盘缠的情谊不能不尽，这些都在他每个月一万两左右的“养廉银子”中支付，尽管量入为出，总也有青黄不接的时候，照一般督抚惯例，方便得很，写张纸条，向藩库提银若干，因窘即时可解至于亏空如何弥补，不必费心，有藩司，有榷税的候补道，甚至首府、首县为他想办法。但那一来，就谈不到整饬吏治了。 于是，堂堂“制台大人”也不免要向当铺求援了。可是，他又有什么东西能当到上千上万银子？想来想去只有一个当身分、当面子的办法；取一只皮箱，随便找些旧衣服塞满上锁，再取两张封条，盖上“四川总督部堂”的大印，标明日期，在皮箱上十字交叉，满浆实贴。然后派戈什哈抬到当铺里去当。 朝奉吓一跳，从来没有听说总督也会当当的；便很客气地请问：“要当多少银子？” “五千银子。” 朝奉又吓一跳，五千银子不是小数目要问一问“是什么贵重东西，能不能看一看？” “不能看。大人亲手贴的封条，谁敢揭开来？”“那末——” “你不必多管。”戈什哈抢着说道：“你只凭封条好了。将来赎当的时候，只看封条完整，就是原封不动。你明白了没有？” 朝奉自然明白了，如数照当。丁宝桢倒是好主顾，下个月藩库将养廉银子送到，立刻赎当。从此丁宝桢当当，成了规矩，只凭封条不问其他。 宝均金心想，左宗棠借洋债，如果照丁宝桢的办法，岂不省事？而且目前也正是一个机会。于是默默盘算了一阵，到得军机处，立刻派苏拉到“南屋”去请了徐用仪来，邀到僻处，悄悄相语。 “左帅借洋款的事，接头好了没有？” “接头好了。这一回的条件，确是比以前来得好。这也是胡雪岩力盖前愆的缘故。”徐用仪又说：“本来早就想出奏了，为有东太后的大事，不能不暂缓一缓。” “也不必再缓。请你转告左帅，要朝廷批准他借，必得交户部议奏，那就要算老帐了。”宝均金突然问道：“丁稚璜当当的故事，你听说过没有？”