Chapter 75 Jade Seat Bead Curtain (25-2)

Among the ministers of military aircraft, all were gracious, except for the emperor Li Hongzao, but the emperor also rewarded Li Hongzao's biological mother, Mrs. Yao Tai, with a plaque with the words "Xi Lei Yan Ling" in the imperial pen.The meaning of this is very clear, the emperor was quite dissatisfied with Li Hongzao, rewarding that plaque was nothing more than "face-saving", and at the same time it was a sneer: his own filial piety cannot prevent the emperor from doing his filial piety.All those who dissuaded the garden workers, the emperor and the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs thought it was a blow to the emperor's filial piety.

For this reason, Li Hongzao had to be extra cautious in his words and deeds.Although this is a prudent way to protect oneself, it is actually for the sake of the overall situation.Now, among the close ministers, there is only one master who enlightened him, who can make a serious statement to the emperor so that the emperor is helpless and has to be a little jealous.If it is too hasty, the junior and younger brothers will lose face, and it will be even more difficult to speak. Of course, Li Hongzao refused to say it, but some people were willing to say it. Before long, it was no longer a secret that Zhang and Wang learned about the origin of the emperor's "special knowledge" and spread it among the people.Some people who knew Zhang Yinglin and Wang Qingqi honestly asked, Zhang Yinglin felt quite embarrassed, but Wang Qingqi didn't care, just smiled and didn't answer.

Because the two had different ideas, Zhang Yinglin felt uncomfortable when he arrived at the Hongde Hall, especially when he saw Xu Tong's dignified appearance and always glanced at him and Wang Qingqi, it was like a thorn in his back. Take sick leave. On the other hand, Wang Qingqi worked very hard on his errands. To Li Hongzao and Xu Tong, he frankly carried out the gift of the younger generation, but when he met the servants, he did his part.He replaced some of Weng Tonghe's duties, teaching poetry and essays for the emperor, and every time he entered the value, he would always have some digressions, and his demeanor was quite intimate, which made Xu Tong jealous and envious, and even more embarrassing for Wang Qingqi to read.

"The Department of Barnyard Officials, even though it's a small way, it's worth seeing!" The emperor said to Wang Qingqi one day, "It's also a good idea to browse through customs. I don't know if there is anything good about it?" "Yes!" Wang Qingqi replied, "Rong Chen went to Liulichang to investigate and play." "Okay!" The emperor urged again: "I will reply tomorrow, if you have something to say, you can talk to them." They were referring to Xiao Li, Zhang Dexi, the chief eunuch of Qianqing Palace, and others.

Wang Qingqi was named "Master", but he had actually become a courtier, so he could no longer maintain the Qing Dynasty in the Hanlin, and often had contacts with the eunuchs around the emperor.At that time, I understood the meaning of the emperor, to find a few novels about love affairs and hand them over to the eunuchs.So I went to Liulichang for another slip, and bought a copy of "Scars of Flowers and Moon" and a copy of "Treasure of Flowers", and brought them in when Xiao Li came to ask for an answer. If the emperor found a treasure, he would not let it go until late at night.The next day, I got up late and missed the "study room", so I simply looked at it again, and only saw the memorial at seven o'clock. The first one was Wen Xiang's leave to ask Sheng'an. When we met, he had some unpleasant things to say.

While in a daze, Xiao Li brought in a "green-headed lottery" on a silver tray, and it was Ming Shan, Minister of Internal Affairs, who asked to see him.The emperor asked, "What's the matter with him?" "I heard it's a project for Shuanghezhai." The Shuanghe Zhai was repaired within one month. It was an edict issued by the emperor ten days ago. Mingshan had something to say about it, so he couldn't see it. He nodded and said, "Call him to come!" This summoning made the emperor very unhappy.Mingshan paid a total of 148,000 taels of money for garden workers inside and outside Beijing, and Shuang'e Zhai needed 200,000 taels of silver even though it was a minor repair.Because of the deadline for repairs, I asked the Ministry of Accounting for a loan, but the Ministry of Accounting refused, and there were "difficulties", so I came to ask for an order.

"How did you get here at the beginning?" The emperor asked sharply, "Now the one on the left 'has difficulties', and the one on the right has 'difficulties', what should I do?" "It's not that the slave dares to shirk, it's because everyone is unwilling to work together. The slave discusses a few times, and things will go smoothly only if the emperor has a practical decree." Mingshan said: "As for the Shuanghezhai project, the slave is afraid If you lose your family and property, you have to report it to Hong En, and fix it before the emperor's longevity."

Because of the words of loyalty and allegiance in the latter paragraph, the emperor calmed down a little, thought for a while and said, "You go down first! Let me see and talk about it." When Mingshan retreated, it was time for the Imperial Palace of Mental Cultivation to receive the military aircraft.Naturally, there was some sympathy for Wen Xiang. Wen Xiang was sick and weak for a long time, unable to speak, he just said: "I have a note, please the emperor." His memorial was handed in that afternoon, in Wen Xiang's own handwriting: "In October last year, the servant was reading the imperial edict of 'repairing the Old Summer Palace' in Fengtian. I looked up to my emperor to support the two empress dowagers. I thought about my filial piety and cared for every detail. Although the servant knew that the project was huge and difficult to achieve, but The decree issued by the Ming Dynasty cannot be suspended immediately. The Chinese and foreign subjects all believe that the current situation is not suitable for this huge project, and there has been an uproar of public opinion, which has not subsided to this day. Fucha Censor Shi Detai once asked for an inscription to repair the Old Summer Palace project. After the meeting between Prince Gong and servants and the ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they summoned the Empress Dowager Shengming of the two palaces of the time and the Mongolian palace. The decree is not different from claiming to praise it. At the beginning of the emperor's personal administration, there was a sudden repair of the Old Summer Palace. Not only Chinese and foreign public opinion thought it was completely inconsistent with the decree of the year, but even the slaves thought that this matter would never be accomplished! Gai has used troops for many years. The money is in short supply, and now it is divided by the military province. The aftermath and the huge salary on the West Road are all taken from the donation. ?Even if you try to donate and lose, you will get very little, and it will be useless if you harm the country."

After reading this, what are the following two sentences, you don't need to read it to know.The emperor sighed, threw away Wen Xiang's memorial, stood up, and walked outside. The palace was high and open, but in his feeling, it was so dull that it was almost impossible to live for a while. The moonlight melted in the backyard, flowing from the pear blossoms and magnolias to the ground, reflecting thick and faint shadows. The flavor of the spring night was like wine. The emperor quietly tasted it, and suddenly thought of Yuyu.Just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard the big bell of Jiaotai Palace ringing, the gentle and magnanimous bells sounded nine times in total, the palace gate had already been unlocked, and the summoning of the concubine Yu had to ask for the queen's seal, it was too troublesome to go through many twists and turns , couldn't help feeling complacent, sighed and returned to Dongnuange.

"Long Live Lord, rest!" Xiao Li persuaded.Naturally, he could clearly see the emperor's boredom, and felt very sad, but he couldn't think of a way to relieve the emperor's worries. The emperor still spent the night reading novels.Wenxiang's memorial was not approved, and Mingshan's face-to-face memorial was naturally not followed.After waiting like this for two days, the eunuch said that it is absolutely impossible for the emperor to give an order to the military plane, or to order that the Ministry of Households should try to allocate funds to build the Old Summer Palace, because the emperor already knew it very well, and it was impossible to say anything. It's useless, it's nothing more than provoking idleness!

This is frustrating news for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the situation is not hopeless. If it doesn't work in Beijing, there are still ways to think about outside Beijing.Mingshan and the others originally planned that all wealthy provinces would have to repay it. It was only the second step and had to be used in advance. So Mingshan still entered the palace to play face-to-face, requesting the emperor to authorize the Ministry of Internal Affairs to write articles in Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang provinces to purchase 3,000 pieces of large pieces of wood such as nanmu, cypress, and Chen Huangsong. "Positive expenses", and report the date of departure within one month for urgent use. It certainly works.When Mingshan returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he immediately processed the consultation papers, opened the Qing Dynasty, went to the Ministry of War to get the fire card, and delivered it by special post.The one-month deadline was approaching, and Zhejiang Governor Yang Changjun first issued a reply, but he did not report the date of departure, but said, "Zhejiang Province has no way to purchase, please ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to find another way." He said: "Zhejiang Province has no big trees, no exception If there is a big tree in Zhejiang that can be done, "I dare not pretend to shirk it. It is better to be limited to geographical advantages and poor in products. It is beyond the power of manpower." The beams and columns used in the construction of the "Temple of the Sea" were foreign wood purchased in Shanghai. If the large wood was produced in Zhejiang, why look for it outside?He also said: "Inside and outside the city of Hangzhou Province, Xiangduokuan temples are the lucky places for the saints to visit in the south. After the army rose, they were all scorched earth. So far, no one has been built for more than ten years. , and the difficulty of purchasing materials can also be seen in general." The lingering sound behind the words strongly implies that it is not suitable to build gardens at this time. Then came the memorial of Wu Tang, governor of Sichuan.He said that in the early years of Daoguang, he was ordered to purchase more than 400 cypresses, and he opened a factory and felled them in an "old forest" in Dajianlu, dozens of stations away from the provincial capital. , overcoming obstacles and opening up the path of luck, it took several years of work to move it out of the mountain.The quantity needed this time is several times more than the previous time, and in the deep mountains, because of the fire, burning, and chopping, it is extremely rare to become a huge tree.It is necessary to send more officers to the places where the barbarians live together, and take the woodcutters as guides to go deep into the old forest to search. If there is suitable wood, we must also survey the road. Do not give up.Even if it can be transported out of the mountains, the waterway must also be considered. Above Jiading and Yazhou, there are mountain streams and small rivers, and boats are impassable. The big trees must be floated one by one to the Jiading River before they can be rafted eastward. The emperor looked left and right for these two papers, and couldn't find anything to refute, so he had to approve "as requested".When the people in Yuwufu heard the news, they jumped up in a hurry. After such a memorial, they lightly lifted a huge burden. What can the Old Summer Palace use to repair it?In particular, Wu Tang, governor of Sichuan, received the great kindness of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs forgave him to repay what he said wholeheartedly.The so-called "please extend the deadline" was originally a tentative sentence. If it is strictly enforced, Wu Tang will buy large timber out of his own pocket, and he will not hesitate. Now "according to the request", this "extension limit" is far away. Indefinitely, don't count on it. After all, the emperor was young and not experienced enough in dealing with things. Mingshan and the others were worried, and found that this matter was done recklessly, and it was very difficult to continue, but it was already hard to get off!So several hall officials summoned capable officials to gather quietly and plan ways to deal with it. "The matter has come to an end. It's not worth it, so I have to stand up!" Gui Bao, the chief gardener supervisor, had a desperate idea in his heart, hoping to make the gardener big, and when it came to an end, he could make the Empress Dowager Cixi Move out, preside over the big plan, so this is strongly advocated.He said: "I got married the year before last. At the beginning, there were many difficulties. Some people cried poorly, and others refused to give money. When the time comes, it's still going on with great vigor and excitement!" Chong Lun was more stable, shaking his head and said: "A big wedding is a big wedding, and there are Liu Ye and Bao Zhongtang presiding there, and the governors of all provinces have to save face. Now, these two masters," he made a 6. A gesture of seven, which means King Gong and King Chun, "We are all waiting to see the fun, let's not make it bad!" "Second uncle!" Gui Bao is like that spoiled nephew, speaking freely, "Your words are too far! There are two empress dowagers on top of you when you are ordered to do things, do you mean everyone really doesn't care at all? If we retreat from our own place, can we still expect others to work hard?" "Efforts also depend on the location, what's the use of blind effort?" Chong Lun said again, "Let's see first, which places are reliable for money and wood? We should live within our means and work steadily." "It's very difficult to keep it steady." Mingshan said, "Guangdong Ruizhongtang is reliable, and Guangdong Customs is also reliable, but it's just such a bowl of water. If you drink it now, it will disappear when you look back!" Guangdong Customs The income is allocated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so Mingshan said so. "Let's talk about it later." Chunyou came up with an idea, "I don't think there is a need to do everything, let's repair one or two places first, make a shape, and have ready-made things there, it will be easier to talk .” This suggestion, everyone here agrees.It was decided to concentrate all efforts to build two places, one is Shuanghe Zhai, which the emperor rushed to repair within a time limit, and the other is Anyou Palace, which enshrines the imperial appearance of generations. "How about that Li Guangzhao? I think he's a little unreliable?" Chong Lun asked. "Whether it's reliable or not, it's always good to have such a person go out and make arrangements for us." Guibao has finished talking, Chonglun is silent.So the scope of the project was rearranged on the same day.At the beginning of March, the Shuanghe Zhai and Anyou Palace were almost ready, and the emperor was reported, and Xiao Li sent an order: on March 12th, they will go to Anyou Palace to salute.Of course, this is an excuse. On that day, the emperor ordered to drive out of the palace, and brought a group of young relatives who "walked in front of the imperial court", officials from the House of Internal Affairs, Xiao Li and others, to inspect the Yuanmingyuan carefully. Summoned Chonglun, Chunyou, Mingshan, Guibao for inquiries. When making inspections, it is all the words of the emperor. The decoration here must be ingenious and exquisite, and the stairs there must be hidden and not exposed.But when it came time to summon, it was all the words of the four people kneeling in front of the emperor. After all, it is still money, and the total donation is less than 300,000 yuan. The hard decorations are carved with rosewood or red sandalwood. The second, and the remaining one-third of the small pieces, will be undertaken by merchants in Beijing.In addition, except for Wu Tang, the governor of Sichuan, who made a promise of "extending the deadline" with lip service, all the other provinces gave reasons, saying that "if you dare to pretend to evade, it is really difficult to do it."It is estimated that it will cost millions of silver for materials, where will it come from? The more the emperor listened, the more upset he became, and in the end he could only give this order: "You just see, that sum of money can be used, as long as you can talk to Gegai Yamen, I will definitely agree." This is equivalent to not saying anything, if it makes sense for everyone to go to the Yamen, why bother Chen Zhong?After the three ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs returned to the city, they hurriedly convened another meeting to carefully estimate the funds for routine repairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Industry every year, and listed all that could be used, which was only two hundred thousand taels , The mere number is of no avail, and we can only use it as much as possible in the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring" that the Empress Dowager Cixi often inquires about the progress of. ※ ※ ※ After Emperor Wanshou, Guibao heard that Cheng Lin had returned to Beijing, and just about to send someone to look for it, Cheng Lin himself reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and brought a piece of Lusong Yangmu, saying that Li Guangzhao had already ordered it in Hong Kong Thirty-two thousand feet of foreign wood.This is of course good news. Thirty-two thousand square feet of foreign wood is much worse than what is actually needed, but there is such a businessman who is eager to do justice and righteousness, and can repay tens of thousands of silver, which is enough for Du Saiyouyou to claim. He set an example and persuaded people to donate, so Guibao was very excited. After entering the room, Cheng Lin greeted him with a safe journey. Before he got to the point, he first asked Gui Bao to avoid him. At the same time, his expression was gloomy. "Master Gui," Cheng Lin's first words were: "We have been fooled by that Li!" Because he was psychologically prepared, Gui Bao would not be surprised, and asked calmly, "What's the matter? Take your time." "If the surname is Li, only one out of ten sentences can be heard. It is simply ridiculous!" Cheng Lin said with a mournful face, "Your Majesty, I am really in trouble! In the future, the rope and poison will die on that thing." Gui Bao couldn't help being surprised by this, "Why is this?" He forced himself to be calm, "Tell me, what kind of person is that surnamed Li?" Li Guangzhao is a Hakka from Guangdong. He lived in Haikou for many years. He knew quite a few foreigners, but he specialized in deception. Two years ago, Li Guangzhao made a deal with a foreigner, selling a piece of wasteland at the outlet of the Xiang River to the foreigner.Half of the money Li Guangzhao cheated was paid off and half was squandered.So I discussed with foreigners and said that a dike could be built to keep the low-lying wasteland free from floods, and I also brought foreigners to investigate on the spot. As long as the dikes can be built, this wasteland can indeed become a useful land. After he put on a show and hired a few earthworkers to lay the wires and erect the piles, someone immediately intervened. This man was a local gentleman named Wu Chuanhao. Wu Chuanhao was entrusted by the local government to make representations to Li Guangzhao.That piece of wasteland by the water is the area where the Xiangshui River drains. There is no one responsible for grain management. It is tantamount to a land without an owner. If a embankment is built, when the Xiangshui River rises, there will be no way out, and it will flood. Hanyang Wouldn't the people in the three towns suffer greatly from it? Li Guangzhao didn't understand this truth, but in order to explain to the foreigners, he raised his face and yelled at him in an official voice, insisting on building embankments.Of course, Wu Chuanhao would not understand Li Guangzhao's almost bitter schemes. In the "Three Constitutions" of the Secretary and the Standard Secretary, there are all posted brilliant notices, strictly prohibiting the construction of dikes to protect people's livelihood. "We have national laws in the Qing Dynasty," Li Guangzhao said to the foreigners. "The court is reasonable, and the local officials must be perfunctory to the local gentry. It doesn't matter. I will go to Beijing to sue, and I will win the case." In this way, Li Guangzhao used the name of "Jingkong" to get rid of the provocations of foreigners, which is also the ins and outs of how he came to the capital.When Guibao heard this, he gasped, but the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs always care about the past and disregard the future when doing things, so Guibao thought about it, this Li Guangzhao has some skills, let's listen to the next part. "Li Guangzhao had inquired about it a long time ago, and he dared to return to Hankou only when he knew that the foreigners had admitted their bad luck and returned to the country." Cheng Lin added, "On the way, he printed a title note: 'Designed to pick and transport the Yuanmingyuan tree plant Li ’, made two more flags and wanted to hang them on the boat. I think something will happen like this, and I can only stop him by talking about the fact that Xiao Anzi had Ding Gongbao cut off his head. This man has so many tricks, You are really brave, and you are very familiar with foreigners, maybe you can make a name for yourself." There were many things and long stories, and Cheng Lin's speech was not very coherent, so Gui Bao was a bit at a loss for a while, but the last sentence was very clear, and Cheng Lin's confidence in Li Guangzhao was not lost from what he had seen and heard.But why did he say that he was so unbearable?Contrasting before and after, what does Cheng Lin mean, I have to ask him. "When I went to Hankou to inquire, if the wood plants are cut down now, it will take three years to get out of the mountains." Before Guibao opened his mouth, Cheng Lin told the reason for his return to Beijing: "Li Guangzhao told me that it is better to go to Hong Kong to buy foreign wood. When we arrive In Hong Kong, I negotiated with a foreigner for 32,000 feet of foreign wood, which is what I brought back. Li Guangzhao paid the foreigner and said that he would raise the money twice, so I rushed back to Beijing to raise funds. Mr. Gui, "honestly Cheng Lin said with a very ugly and strange expression, "In order to make up for the vacancy, I don't care about it. I can buy as much foreign wood as I can, as my repayment. At that time, it is up to you to decide, don't bury my Painful. If Li Guangzhao cheated me, I will also ask your uncle to avenge me." When Guibao heard this, he felt sorry for him, so he comforted him and said, "It won't happen like that! Your superiors know all about your hard work, so go about it carefully!" After receiving these two words of slight praise, Cheng Lin's courage was summoned up again.So I wrote a post and invited a few close relatives and friends to have a drink at the Longyuan Building by the West River, and I was going to ask everyone for help, and I would lend him a whole sum of money to serve Mu Zhi, so as to make up for the lack of a pen post. The appointment was at five o'clock in the afternoon. When I got there, I found that the situation was different. Two or three strong men in plain clothes were standing by the counter at the door, with burning eyes, just paying attention to the diners coming in and out.Then Cheng Baylor arrived and went directly upstairs, a strong man stopped Cheng Lin, not allowing him to step on the stairs, Cheng Lin became more and more confused. In the same way, the waiter upstairs who waited on the east seat was also puzzled. He recognized Chengbei Le, but he didn't know who the other handsome boy was?Seeing Cheng Baylor bending over and whispering, it seems that this person has a lot of background. Looking around vigorously, the handsome servant accompanying the honored guest turned his face and found the waiter, immediately stared at him, and ran over menacingly. "Do you understand the rules?" He pushed the waiter out and asked in a low voice. It is a big taboo in the restaurant for the waiter to spy on the customers. That person knew he was wronged, so he quickly apologized with a smile and bowed his head: "Second Master, don't be angry! I saw the old man who came in just now familiar..." "What looks familiar!" He rushed to say, "If you plan to get this customer here, don't worry about it. Get the bill!" The waiter agreed to go to the cabinet to settle the account, and wrote a silver amount on a small piece of paper. When he returned upstairs, he saw the handsome servant still waiting, so he asked the "master" for his name so that he could settle the account.The handsome servant shook his head and paid the cash.The waiter kept saying good things and refused to accept them.That's the custom in Beijing, it has to be done in this way to attract customers, even though customers pay in cash, they just look down on that restaurant and disdain to deal with it.So the waiter was very anxious, thinking that it was because of his misconduct just now that he offended the distinguished guests. At the moment when one wanted to give money and the other refused to accept it, I saw that Chengbei Le had accompanied the young man in fine clothes out of the private seat, and the servant Jun immediately followed behind, leading and following, and went downstairs.In front of the gate of Longyuan Building was an extremely gorgeous rear-end car, and when the young man in Chinese clothes got into the car, Cbeile stepped across the shaft in person, whipped his whip, and drove away in a hurry, causing all passers-by to stare. Only at this time did those strong men walk away, and Cheng Lin had to go upstairs, he was just suspicious, he couldn't figure out who the handsome young man was?He forgot all his business. He came a little too early, and despite the delay, none of the guests had arrived. When the waiter made tea, Cheng Lin chatted with him and asked about the young man in fine clothes.Since he was a regular customer, the waiter opened the curtain to see that no one was eavesdropping, so he came to his side and said in a very low voice: "I'll tell you, you must always keep it in your stomach. That eighteen or nineteen-year-old, extremely handsome young master is the current emperor. Cheng Lin was startled, "Don't talk nonsense!"Was there an emperor who went to eat at a restaurant? "That being said, he didn't firmly believe it, because he thought that Chengbei Le had already been awarded the title of county king, and he would cross the gate for that person, so his status would be noble, at least he was a prince. How can there be such a prince now? "It's not false at all." The waiter said again: "It was said by Li Wuye of Honglu Temple. Li Wuye is still in the private seat at the west end. He often works in the palace. I don't know how many times he has met the emperor. It is wrong No!" Cheng Lin breathed a sigh of relief, and was very curious in his heart. It seemed to be true, but it was always unthinkable for the emperor to sneak out of the palace and act privately. Seeing that he still didn't believe it, the waiter gave evidence again: "Should your boss know about the news about Xuande Building?" "What's the news about Xuande Building?" Cheng Lin asked, "I left Beijing last year and just came back these two days, so I don't know anything about it." "That's no wonder!" said the waiter, "Master Zhang and Master Wang of the Hanlin Academy met the emperor there, and the emperor even asked Master Wang to sing a section of Baimenlou, and praised him as a match like Lu Bu. promoted." The more he said it, the more strange it became, and the more Cheng Lin couldn't believe it, but he couldn't ask any more questions, because the guests he invited had already come to the appointment one after another. These guests, including Cheng Lin's cousin Bayanhe, heard Cheng Lin's invitation, and when he and Li Guangzhao went out of Beijing, they had accomplished a great feat and had a banquet to celebrate, so they all congratulated upon meeting.The more flattering the compliment, the sadder Cheng Lin felt and the more anxious he became, because it was harder to borrow money. After some difficulty, Cheng Lin brought the conversation to the point, saying that he also planned to buy a batch of foreign wood for service, and hoped that everyone would chip in a sum of money first. "Third," Bayanhe asked impatiently without waiting for him to finish his speech, "Didn't Prefect Li say that he can scrape together hundreds of thousands of silver to buy foreign wood?" "That's right!" Cheng Lin quickly said, "But he's his, and I'm mine." "That's wrong!" Bayan and doubts arose, "That's what I said at the beginning, we went out to Beijing to set up wood planting together, he paid for it, you contributed, and in the future, the security case for the harvest will go up, everyone will have a share, as long as He made up for the real lack of magistrate, you can at least make up for a nine-pin pen post style, why should you pay for it?" These words made Cheng Lin speechless, revealing his true colors.So someone said perfunctorily: "Brother Cheng San can't afford to spend this money. Even if you really want to repay him, when the wood plants from Zhifu Li's mansion arrive, how much will be paid, will be in your name, and how much should be paid, we will find a way to pay him back. " Cheng Lin knew in his heart that this was a way of saying that people cared about his face. If he didn't understand the meaning, if he continued, he would have to interrogate Li Guangzhao's details, which would be embarrassing.So pretending to be very grateful, he cupped his hands and said, "This is also very good. If I really want to do that, I will ask everyone for help." The meal was uninspiring for the guests, but the host "lost his wife and lost his army". Not only did he wake up from his dream of being an official, but he also had to deal with Bayanhe's debt claims: He handled the five hundred taels of silver borrowed on behalf of Li Guangzhao. The plan here has come to naught, but Li Guangzhao is still looking forward to it in Guangzhou.Seeing that the resources are not going on, the road ahead is boundless, one does not do anything, and the other does not stop. He quietly bought things for use in Guangzhou, and brought his very exquisite follower named Li Gui to Hong Kong. As soon as I arrived, I lived in the largest Deli Inn in Hong Kong. I booked two rooms, one for the bedroom and the other for sitting. There was a long plum red note on the door of the room, and the big book "Qin Yuanmingyuan Project Supervisor Li Yu", He ordered Li Gui to be called "imperial envoy" when talking about him with others.I got a few more large leather suitcases, I don't know what they contained in them, and on the outside they put the title "Purchasing Yuanmingyuan trees and plums by order" on the outside.At the same time, he hired a big green woolen sedan chair, put on his official uniform every day, and wore a pair of big dark crystal glasses, ostentatiously passing through the market. Immediately, people came to sell business, because the Guangdong Governor's Yamen and the Guangdong Customs had a "reported incident" of workers in the Old Summer Palace, which was known to Hong Kong shopping malls, so they did not suspect that Li Guangzhao was a counterfeit.As usual, when discussing business, we first pay a visit, and then invite a banquet. After this entertainment, we can get to the point. Li Guangzhao boasted about the emperor from afar. Deal with each other to avoid exploitation in the middle.Others didn't know that he was used to deceiving foreign businessmen, and they all thought he was smart and capable, so they really found ways for foreign businessmen for him. In the end, I found a Frenchman named An Qi, and after talking with him, they were very compatible.When Li Guangzhao decided to buy 30,000 square feet of foreign wood, negotiated a good price, and wanted to pay a deposit, Li Guangzhao sneered repeatedly, saying that in a business like this, only the buyer should respect the dealer first, so how can he ask for a deposit first?When the emperor of the Qing Dynasty bought foreign wood, was he afraid of losing his price?When the wood plants are transported to Tianjin, the samples will be verified, and the payment will be made according to the price. This is always the case with the regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. So I signed the contract.Naturally, An Qi had plans for An Qi. An Qi has been in China for many years, but he was unlucky and encountered many risks in doing business. He owed a lot of debts in Guangzhou and Hong Kong.As for Li Guangzhao's origin, although he also doubts it, he thinks that he will not suffer any losses, because he is extremely familiar with Chinese officialdom. , secretly willing to suffer no matter how bad it is.Now the contract signed by Li Guangzhao has the words "Supervisor Li of the Old Summer Palace made the contract on behalf of the Qing emperor". He insisted that the Qing emperor regretted the agreement.He knew very well that Li Hongzhang, Governor of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang, was the best at being an official, and he would not want to cause a dispute about the Qing emperor's repentance for a hundred thousand silver, which would make the countries laugh and lose face. In Li Guangzhao, there is also a wishful thinking.When he was in Guangzhou, he already knew that the Yuanmingyuan project could not be stopped, and the most difficult thing was the lack of wood. The Empress Dowager Cixi's longevity was approaching, and the demand was very urgent. As long as a ship of foreign wood arrived in Tianjin, he was not afraid that the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs would not listen to him.He was going to say this: the total value of the foreign wood is 300,000, and he promised to repay 100,000 silver. Besides the deduction, he should find 200,000 taels.After paying An Qi's price, at least one hundred thousand silver can be added.Use this money to donate a "big flower rafter" to the Ministry of Officials, and make the candidate magistrates without "ministerial photos" into real ones. ", in the event of a shortage, it is a good idea to make up first, and then walk the child to specify the distribution to Hubei, then feel proud. The two had their own plans and made do with each other and signed a contract in English.An Qi believes that according to the practice of the mall, if the deposit is not paid, the contract is invalid, and he insists on "meaning, meaning", even a dollar is fine.Li Guangzhao was also generous, paying ten silver shiny Mexican eagles. The contract is very simple, verbally negotiated in detail.An Qi said that he had someone in Little Luzon to handle the goods for him. He sent a telegram from Hong Kong to Calcutta, and then transferred from London to Little Luzon. It took at most half a month for the goods to be shipped to Hong Kong, and then they went to Tianjin together with the ship. Delivery quote. As soon as this deal was done, Li Guangzhao became a well-known figure in the Hong Kong shopping malls. Some people wanted to do business with the Ministry of Internal Affairs;Li Guangzhao never refused anyone who came, and he patted his chest to promise that he would help.So someone helped him with the inn's account, and someone gave him "Cheng Yi". Unexpectedly, extreme joy begets sorrow, and just the day before Yangmu was about to arrive in Hong Kong, An Qi got drunk and fell into the sea on the ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong. A boat of foreign wood. Li Guangzhao was shocked when he got the news, and rushed to An Qi's foreign company to inquire about it. He learned how everyone had distributed the foreign wood to repay the debt, and wanted to save it. He persuaded An Qi's creditors to still transport the foreign wood to Tianjin, It is more cost-effective to act on the promise and guarantee the cash you get than to divide the timber at this moment.However, one party to the contract has died, and the contractual responsibilities will naturally be eliminated. If there is a dispute, if An Qi cannot be brought to the case in the lawsuit, he will undoubtedly lose.So when Ren Ling Li Guangzhao spoke, everyone just shook their heads in disapproval. This action caused Li Guangzhao to be in a dilemma, and he was in a great embarrassment.After wandering around the room all night, it finally dawned on him, "An Qi is dead, and there are others. Foreign businessmen have never died, so why not do it again!" He happily said to himself, "Yes! That's how it is done." This time I also found a French businessman named Boweili, whose foreign firm was located in Fuzhou, so after the negotiation was settled, I went to Fuzhou to sign the contract. Bowery specializes in timber, and entrusted Fuzhou Meishang Qichang Matheson Co., Ltd. to act as an agent for its business in China. Therefore, this contract was also signed by Qichang Matheson Co., Ltd., and Bowery Li was jointly responsible for signing it.The contract stated that three foreign wooden ships were ordered, with a total of 35,000 feet. Including freight, the silver dollar was one yuan and five cents per foot, totaling 54,250 yuan. They were shipped to Tianjin within 30 days, and they were inspected and accepted immediately. The price will be 50 yuan per boat for every day of delay.As for the deposit, according to An Qi's practice, he only paid ten yuan. After completing the formalities, Li Guangzhao took the English contract and wooden samples and took the sea ship to the north. When he arrived in Tianjin, he first reported to Li Hongzhang, Governor of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that "I personally sailed and transported the big wood, which will arrive in Dagu, Tianjin, please send someone to collect it", and attached the wood sample.As for the quantity and price of wood plants, Li Guangzhao simply reported indiscriminately because the officials in Beijing and China did not know the size of the feet and the price of foreign wood, saying that the first shipment of foreign wood had a total of more than 55,500 foreign feet, with a total value of 300,000 taels. . Coincidentally, Ruilin, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, also sent a batch of foreign wood samples and put them in the House of Internal Affairs to see if they can be used. If they are suitable, "buy and transport them immediately." The wooden samples were put together for inspection, and they were considered to be all applicable, and they were submitted to the emperor for "request". The disposal of Guangdong is relatively simple, just to explain the situation, please order the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the governor of Guangdong to quickly purchase and transport them to Beijing.Regarding the part of Li Guangzhao, I have some doubts, because someone who understands the foreign wood market said that the foreign ruler is smaller than the Chinese "three yuan ruler", and the wood planting of more than 55,000 foreign feet does not need 300,000 yuan. silver.Therefore, the minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs decided to ask for an order to "order the direct supervisor, and send personnel nearby to check and accept the number and size of the root pieces reported by Li Guangzhao and send them to the minister's office. Afterwards, the officials and others will check to see if it is consistent with the reported value, verify the estimated value, make a request for an order, give extra favors, and use Zhao as an incentive.” This approach has other meanings. First of all, it is a freight fee that falls on Li Hongzhang. No matter how he reimburses it in the future, the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not need to spend money.Furthermore, leaving a foreshadowing on Li Guangzhao, just relying on the words "verify the estimated value" has many advantages. The emperor naturally "obeyed".So the Ministry of Internal Affairs transcribed the original performance and Li Guangzhao's original submission, and asked Zhili Governor's Yamen to do so.After all these twists and turns, a month has passed, and the first ship of foreign wood that Bowery transported to Tianjin has been moored at the pier for 20 days, and a dispute has already arisen between the foreign merchant and Bowery. In Fuzhou, Li Guangzhao was able to make a lot of hype. As soon as he arrived in Tianjin, he saw no officials on the wharf, who came to take care of the foreign merchants who were escorted by the Qing emperor's representative to take care of the wood.Urging Li Guangzhao to accept the goods and give a price, Li Guangzhao just faltered and perfunctory. After a few days, he was nowhere to be seen, so he appealed to the U.S. Consulate Office in Tianjin and made representations. Just at this time, there was a disturbance in the Shenwumen. The emperor was traveling in vain, and when he came back at dusk, the horse pulling the cart was frightened for some reason, and rushed into the palace from the Shenwumen. Guards stopped.This incident was spread as news, and the emperor's absurd behavior spread to the population.Li Hongzao couldn't bear it anymore and decided to remonstrate directly with Yan Yan and make a secret statement. Because the system was at stake, he couldn't speak freely after all, so he personally wrote a secret document and handed it to the emperor face to face. Li Hongzao and the emperor are a teacher-student friendship, in the past thirteen years, except for the three years when the mother's funeral was observed, they have not seen each other almost every day.Therefore, only he knows the emperor's temperament best.Harmonious on the outside but strong on the inside, good-faced, empathetic, temperamental and extremely alert, the only way to advise and persuade is to speak with a camera, or sing with a harp, and make metaphors in secret.This year's test, Li Hongzao entered the exam as the deputy chief. The third essay was titled: "Mencius said: 'There is no benevolence in the king, and there is no injustice in the king'", and the poem posted on the test, "There is no easy picture in the poem, and the five words are diligent. The title "Eight Rhymes of Words" was drawn up by him, and it is intended to be satirical and persuasive.At this moment, the wording of the secret book is still simple and subtle.First of all, the emperor was in charge of the government last year, and the empress dowagers of the two palaces summoned the relatives and noble ministers in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and gave them face-to-face instructions to assist the emperor. "It's been more than a year since Emperor Fusi came to power! The most important tasks that must be urgently pursued are still studying and diligent government. Dare to respect Chen Zhi for my emperor: A few years ago, the emperor studied in the Hongde Palace in Japan. , single-minded, very familiar with the recitation of historical records, reading and reading, diligently discussing, and discussing poetry and regular script, and improving day by day; recently, the time is intermittent, the study is only a few times a month, and the time is in a hurry, it is even more difficult to benefit , there is not much in the name of reading, but there is no reality of reading? Husband's knowledge and political affairs are the exterior and interior of each other. If you pay more attention to learning, you will have more insight into political affairs. The two cannot be neglected. May my majesty In accordance with the order of the Empress Dowager, after doing things every day, he still went to the study room to discuss the facts. He took the books he had read and talked about in the past, and reviewed them day by day to think about their principles; , Poetic theory must be proficient, calligraphy and painting must be neat. Calm down, cultivate holiness, and over time, you will benefit endlessly. At the beginning of the emperor's personal administration, anyone who looked up to the right was called natural, intelligent, and thoughtful. , the admiration is the same, the atmosphere is invigorated. Recently, the ministers on duty in various ministries have not been summoned, and the hearts of the people have gradually become lax! During the Xianfeng period, Emperor Wen Zongxian summoned as many as eight or nine times a day. Sincerely, the advantages and disadvantages of China and foreign countries are very important It is impossible to get the details by collecting advice from others. If you only see one or two people, and each person asks a few words, how can you know whether the talents are good or not, and the gains and losses of political affairs? The trend of the husband and minister depends on The imperial court is shifting. If the emperor does things early, the officials will dare not to be early; Follow the rules of the ancestors, distinguish the color and look at the dynasty, listen to the words with an open mind, and seek truth from facts; when reading the chapters, you must seek to understand why it is so, and then everything is connected. And diligently seek the legal system, avoiding useless observations; The times are difficult, save the nameless work." Throughout the article, the most important thing is the last two sentences, but after hundreds of speeches, reading and diligence, the words are not powerful enough.After reading it, the emperor didn't think it was disobedient, but he didn't take it to heart. Li Hongzao was hoping with all his heart that the emperor would humbly listen, or summon him, or take action, showing signs of repentance, but in the end there was nothing!Naturally disappointed.What he heard were many rumors, the most bizarre of which was that the emperor had appeared in Shaanxi Lane and Hanjiatan area, where the famous "Eight Great Alleys" were, just like Pingkangfang in Chang'an in Tang Dynasty, "Su Bang" " The area where the "Qingyin Small Class" is concentrated, is it a place where the Emperor Wancheng can stay?Therefore, Li Hongzao couldn't believe anything he said.However, he couldn't explain it, so he had to ask someone for advice. This person is Rong Lu, who is a close friend of Li Hongzao. He was transferred from the minister of the Ministry of Industry to the left minister of the household department, and also in charge of the "three warehouses". "There is such a thing." Rong Lu said bluntly to Li Hongzao without any scruples, "Not only did we go to the Bada Hutong, but there are also places where the three are indiscriminate." Li Hongzao turned pale with shock, he couldn't speak clearly: "Then, what is that place?" Rong Lu, who gave it with words, hesitated to answer, because Li Hongzao didn't know those places and couldn't explain it clearly, and he really couldn't bear to say anything!After thinking about it, he replied: "Fourth Brother, don't ask me any more!" Li Hongzao was heartbroken, and sat there, silent for a while, under the turmoil of his thoughts, he squeezed out a sentence: "Why did you go to those places?" "You can't keep visiting the Bada Hutongs!" Rong Lu replied, "Qingyin's small class is dominated by the nobles in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Most of them have worked as servants in the inner court. They all recognize them. What should I do if I bump into them?" "Have you ever met?" "No." Rong Lu replied: "I don't dare either! Fourth brother, think about it, what should I do if we really meet each other? I can only protect secretly and dare not show any traces." "Alas!" Li Hongzao let out a long sigh, and unknowingly rolled two tears. "The garden workers must stop!" Rong Lu said solemnly, "The Japanese have ulterior motives. If a war is unavoidable, the military expenditure will be very embarrassing. How can we survive the large-scale construction?"