Chapter 131 Second History of the Palace Outside the Qing Dynasty (4-1)

Sure enough, the next day Empress Dowager Cixi summoned King Chun and ordered the railway to be closed.King Chun also subtly said, begging for kindness on his behalf to preserve the face of the veteran.The Empress Dowager Cixi intended to show favor to Li Hongzhang, so she was naturally willing to do so. Therefore, even though some people praised the empress dowager's sageness and ordered King Chun to suspend the railway, Li Hongzhang denied the statement because of the military plane, so he prepared the picture as usual and sent it to the military plane to submit to the imperial court.Then a court letter was sent, saying that Li Hongzhang suggested that "the railway from Acheng to Linqing should be used as the hub of the North-South Avenue, and two places in Linqing, Acheng, should be built in several warehouses to store rice and wait for transportation. For the sake of transporting grain, there is nothing to be exploited." Based on Sun Yuwen's opinion, whether the railway near the Yellow River will be washed away by floods must be planned in advance, and Song Jun, Chen Shijie, and Cheng Fu, the governor of the river, must be ordered. Send people to investigate in detail and repeat it according to the facts.Finally, a special warning: "The construction of warehouse health and transshipment should be done in accordance with the stated sections, carefully discussed, properly discussed, and reported quickly."

Li Hongzhang was quite satisfied with this edict.How the replay will naturally affect success or failure, and although Chen Shijie is not harmonious, he is interested in Songjun who has the key. Before he was transferred to Caodu, he was the governor of Zhili. Li Hongzhang is confident that Song Jun will definitely agree with his proposal and strongly praise his success. ※ ※ ※ On the same day, there was another urgent decree, which was to set up a naval office. As planned in advance, the Prime Minister of Naval Affairs, King Chun, was appointed, "All coastal naval forces should be dispatched in moderation."

Under Prime Minister Jin Wang, there are two sessions and two assistants, half of which are Manchu and half Han.The coordinators are Yikuang and Li Hongzhang, and the assistants are Dutong Shanqing of the Zhengxing Banner Han Army, and Zeng Jize, the right servant of the Ministry of War who is still in London and has not yet handed over his post as envoy minister.In Yi's decree, he also specially declared: "There is a Beiyang refined navy, and Li Hongzhang is in charge of it." Please tell me that the first thing Li Hongzhang does is to present the thank-you note, and at the same time prepare for the summons.It is necessary to meet with King Chun first, to estimate what the Empress Dowager Cixi may ask, and discuss how to answer it.Unexpectedly, before he arrived at Shiyuan, King Jin sent a letter, saying that this morning, the Empress Dowager Cixi summoned the military aircraft, and mentioned that someone from the embassy in Germany had a letter accusing Li Fengbao of the malpractice of booking the ship. Letters sent to the military aircraft for presentation.At the same time, he also faced Yi's decree:

The next day I summoned Li Hongzhang. Upon receiving this information, Li Hongzhang was secretly startled.I don't want a private letter from the head of the small criminal department to be heard by Datian. If it causes a storm and capsizes in the gutter, it will be a shameful joke. Fortunately, Zhang Yinhuan has found a copy of Wang Yongni's original letter, and after finding out it for detailed reference, there are still things that can be justified, so he is more at ease.But in order to show that you have a clear conscience, you have to act calmly. Instead, it is inconvenient to go to King Chun's place, lest he suspect that he is trying to find out about this matter.Therefore, he only wrote a reply letter, mentioning the matter of Li Fengbao, saying that he was also very surprised. If there were any malpractices, Li Fengbao was Gu En's dereliction of duty and should be dealt with severely.

※ ※ ※ When I arrived at the palace, I realized that the Neizhuo Office had passed on Yi's decree: Li Hongzhang and King Chun summoned him together.The two met in a hurry, and within a few words, they had already "called". When entering the hall, first look at the face of Empress Dowager Cixi. Under the cover of the yellow gauze screen, it is not very clear. You can only hear Empress Dowager Cixi coughing slightly, with a hoarse and low voice. Li Hongzhang listened intently, not even daring to breathe. A sense of trepidation. "Running a navy is a big deal." The Empress Dowager Cixi started leisurely: "The 'building ship' mentioned in the history books, how can it be compared with the current iron-clad ships? .”

"Yes!" King Chun replied, "As soon as the ship arrives, I will go and see it with Li Hongzhang." "It doesn't have to be busy for a while, you have to practice proficiently before you can see it. Who will take care of these three ironclad ships? " Now it's time for Li Hongzhang to answer: "The former deputy general Liu Buchan and more than 20 people were sent to Germany to take care of the shipbuilding project and learn to drive and repair them at the same time. This time, he helped the German soldiers and drove them back to China. When they arrived at Dagukou , I want to investigate in detail, and then report to Prince Chun, and ask for a decree to appoint a supervisor."

"The German soldiers sailed to the ship, so they will naturally return home. Our own people, can we take over, or not?" "Of course I can't take it for a while. The minister and Prince Chun have already discussed to stay in the German soldiers for three or two years, learn their skills, and then send them back to the country." "Yes." The Empress Dowager Cixi picked up a letter from the imperial case, and raised it: "Some people say that the construction materials of Zhenyuan are not as good as Dingyuan, and the cost is actually more expensive. What do you mean?"

"The iron armor in Zhenyuan is thick and thin, and all the layouts are the same as those in Dingyuan. The difference is that under the waterline in Dingyuan, there are steel armors. Under the waterline in Zhenyuan, iron armor is used. This is because the price of foreign steel suddenly dropped. There was a big increase, so it had to be handled flexibly. There was a case at the time.” "Where's Jiyuan?" Empress Dowager Cixi moved the letter out, "This letter from Wang Yongni, please take a look!" So King Jin read it first, and after reading it without making a sound, he handed the letter to Li Hongzhang. He pretended to read it again, and respectfully submitted the original letter to the court, before he calmly argued.

"Wang Yongni witnessed it with her own eyes. I haven't seen Jiyuan yet, so I don't know what Wang Yongni said. Is it correct? However, he said that Jiyuan could not return to the country with Dingyuan and Zhenyuan. Zhenyuan came east together." "I also think his words are too much, but there are some reasons." "Yes!" Li Hongzhang replied: "Jiyuan is a fast boat. At that time, it was custom-made to imitate the new style of the United Kingdom. Because it was the first time, some places were not suitable. I have already written to Zeng Jize and asked him to follow the boat. Xu Jingcheng discussed and tried his best to modify the design of the two newly ordered ships. In short, the good parts must be kept, and the bad parts must be changed."

"It should be so. However, since there are so many problems now, I'm afraid it won't be able to be corrected by minor changes. Seventh Master, look, should I send them a telegram to slow down the two new ships first. Let’s talk about it after the matter is cleared up?” "Here," Chun Wang turned his face and asked in a low voice, "What do you think of Shaoquan?" Li Hongzhang wanted to say: "The two new ships have already signed a construction contract with them and paid Dingyang. If the construction is delayed, it is too uneconomical to compensate for their losses." , refused to export.

"The empress dowager is wise, and she should follow the order." "Then let's do it like this." King Chun replied, "I will generate electricity when I turn back." "Li Fengbao," Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Li Hongzhang and asked, "What is his background?" "He is a student from Chongming, Jiangsu..." Li Hongzhang reported Li Fengbao's resume: this person is good at calendar, calculation, surveying and mapping. He was appreciated by Ding Richang, the former governor of Jiangsu Province. He donated a priest for him and sent him to work in the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau.He once hosted the Wusong Fort, drew a complete map of the earth, and translated many books on sound, light, chemistry and electricity, and has made great achievements in Westernization. In the first year of Guangxu, Ding Richang was the governor of Fujian and concurrently the minister of shipping administration. He specially transferred Li Fengbao to be the chief examiner of the shipping administration bureau.In the future, the navy students will be sent to study abroad, and Li Fengbao will act as the supervisor and lead them abroad. In the fourth year of Guangxu, Liu Xihong succeeded Liu Xihong as the envoy to Germany, and has been up to now. "Li Fengbao is an expert in shipbuilding, and he has been abroad for many years, so he understands the nature of foreigners. However, I have no relationship with him. I only think that he is very capable and his integrity is trustworthy. Besides, he is an envoy of the imperial court stationed in Germany. Since I ordered an ironclad ship from Germany for a few years, I naturally entrusted him to manage it.” This is Li Hongzhang's excuse for himself.The Empress Dowager Cixi understood what he meant, nodded and said: "So it has nothing to do with you. When the ship arrives in the future, if there are any sexual abuses like what Wang Yongni said, of course you have to check it out. You don't have to defend him." That last sentence carries weight.Li Hongzhang replied with trepidation: "I dare not!" "Seven Lords!" The Empress Dowager Cixi immediately ordered: "You can send a message to the military plane to draft an order! You are one, and Li Hongzhang is one." She thought for a while and then said: "Send Yikuang again. It is the three of you who will investigate together. " So far, there is a solution to this serious case.Although it doesn't look very good-looking, it is still a blessing in misfortune, because both Chun Wang and Yi Kuang can make sense.If it is handed over to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Ministry of War, or even the Ministry of Punishment for investigation, it will not be easy to make major incidents into minor ones. "Li Hongzhang!" Empress Dowager Cixi talked about a matter that was deeply in her heart. "The Catholic Church in Canchikou is so high! The movement of Xiyuan is in the eyes of foreigners. It's really not appropriate. In June, Shenji Camp I found an Englishman, and he filed a notice saying that there is a way for them to move out. No one else can do this, so you have to worry about it." Li Hongzhang had heard about this matter in Tianjin, and knew that he was bound to do so, and had thought about how to deal with it, so he naturally agreed without hesitation: "Empress Dowager, please don't worry! I will try my best to do it until it is done. " This answer was simple and pleasant, and the Empress Dowager Cixi was very satisfied, she turned to King Chun and said, "Just give that statement to Li Hongzhang!" ※ ※ ※ When Li Hongzhang returned to Xianliang Temple, the Prime Minister's Yamen had sent Tiao Chen to him.The Englishman in the previous article was called Dun John. Ten years ago, he was introduced by the British Minister Wade, and met Li Hongzhang once.In his impression, this person is cautious, capable and quite trustworthy.Therefore, Li Hongzhang attached great importance to his statement and was eager to read it. It was originally in English, but it was translated into Chinese overnight by Wu Tingfang, a member of the Western Affairs Committee of Beiyang Yamen.Then John Dun was invited to discuss face to face. "I've seen the report you wrote for Beitang. I'm going to ask you for advice today." After Wu Tingfang translated Li Hongzhang's words, Dun John replied: "There is a Taoist surnamed En in Shenji Camp, who is my friend. He came to tell me: it is not suitable to build the Beitang in the inner city, near the palace. Can this church be demolished? I told him that demolition of a church is a taboo for blasphemy and must not be reckless. He asked me to think of a way, and I thought about it for a long time. I thought there was only one way that could be done. That is, in the capital, find another place of comparable size and build a new church according to the original size of the North Church in exchange. Priest End asked me to write a written document and took it away.” "So that's how it is!" Li Hongzhang asked, "Who is in charge of Beitang now?" "It's an Italian named Deliapo, whom I also know." "Which church do you belong to?" "Belonging to the Church of France." "About the demolition of the Beitang, can you negotiate with De Liab?" "No, no!" Dun John waved his hands again and again: "The previous host was called Dole Bliss, he was peaceful in nature, courageous and resourceful, if you discuss with him, you may succeed. The current Delia is from last year's Dole Bliss. After Bliss passed away, he was transferred from the Xuanhua Mansion. This person is timid and has no opinion. Discussing with him must be a big fuss, and it will be a waste of time." "Then," Li Hongzhang asked, "shall we discuss with the French envoy?" "It's even more impossible. France will definitely interfere with it, and it won't help." Dun John said, "If this matter is to be successful, we can only send someone to Paris to discuss with the president of the church to which the North Church belongs. After obtaining his permission, the French envoy will There will be no further hindrance." In the report, John Dunn once volunteered, so Li Hongzhang asked him: "If you are invited, you are British, how can it work?" "Although I am British, I believe in Catholicism. As a Catholic, I represent China in negotiations." "If I ask you to do it on your behalf, what is your plan for this negotiation?" "First," Dun John said, "I want to ask the Chinese government to give me a letter of appointment as a proof; second, when I arrive in Paris, I first need to contact several prestigious people and ask for their assistance; third, I have met President of the French Catholic Church, I am going to say this...." John Dunn's argument is: Catholicism has always received preferential treatment and protection when it preaches in China.For example, in the previous year, there was a rift between China and France, and they fought each other. However, the French priests were protected by the Chinese government and preached as usual, and they were not expelled from the country.This extra sympathetic favor should not be forgotten. The system of Beitang is too high, and according to Chinese custom, it is intolerable to look down at the court.Now the Chinese government is willing to allocate another base to another party and bear the cost of building a new church. This is an act of reason and reason.If the Chinese government's request is accepted, the Chinese government can also issue a special decree: All foreigners who preach in China, as long as they keep their own place and do not break the law, the governors of all provinces will protect them and are not allowed to bully them. "I think," said John Dun-John, "that on the whole it should be possible to obtain consent. Then I shall go to Rome to see the Pope, and everything will be done. My only concern now is that the President of the French Catholic Church, although I sympathize with China's request, but I am afraid that he will not dare to make decisions, so I have to report to the French government. That would be troublesome." "Yes! If so, how can you deal with it?" "Or you can ask the British Minister to France to mediate, or ask De Trilin to assist, and he will preside over Beitang, and the French Minister will go to talk. This can only be done by ear. At that time, I will directly talk to De Trilin from Paris. Secret telegram negotiation." De Trilin is a German, and now she is a guest minister in China, serving as the tax department of Tianjin Customs.Li Hongzhang knew that John Dun had a deep friendship with him, so he thought the method was quite practical and decided to accept it. "Mr. John Duncan," Li Hongzhang asked, "If I ask you to do it on my behalf, how long will it usually take?" "Five or six months." "What about the cost?" "The travel expenses are estimated to be five thousand silver dollars." Li Hongzhang nodded in agreement.With an idea, he asked again: "When I encounter Catholic missionary cases in China, I have always negotiated with France. If you can see the Pope and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Holy See, then if there are missionary cases in the future, you will directly deal with the Holy See without going through France. Yes or no?" "Why not? If China really has such an intention, the Holy See must welcome it very much." John Dun said, "Recently, I have heard from Catholic priests from all over the world that China treats priests very kindly. However, missionary cases, once negotiated by the French Minister and Prime Minister's Office, often become complicated. , inserted into other incidents, and blackmailed many parties, so that the Chinese government misunderstood that Catholics are difficult to get along with. This is by no means the original intention of the Holy See. If China can send a minister to the Holy See, the Holy See will also send a representative to China. There is no need for France to discuss things directly. Handle it on your behalf." "I'm afraid the French government will be unhappy with this approach." Li Hongzhang asked, "What do you think?" John Dun also said that the Chinese people who believe in Catholicism rely on France to protect them because the Chinese government regards them as aliens.If the imperial court has a strict edict not to discriminate against the Christians, then it is only natural for the Chinese people to be protected by the Chinese government. Why would France come forward to advocate for their interests?As for the teaching plan, there are representatives of the Holy See who can negotiate, and France cannot intervene unreasonably.Therefore, as long as China has a legitimate attitude and appropriate measures, there is really no need to worry about the likes and dislikes of the French government. Hearing these words, Li Hongzhang couldn't help secretly screaming "ashamed", and at the same time made a decision to take this opportunity to entrust Dun John to contact the Holy See for the establishment of diplomatic relations. "You can transfer the five thousand silver dollars from Panchuan that you want. However, the letter to the Pope can only cover the general idea, so it is inconvenient to explain too clearly." Li Hongzhang solemnly urged: "This time, I entrust you to handle this matter." The matter must be kept secret, and must not be publicized. Please be careful at all times, act according to the camera, and do not disappoint the appointment. If the matter is successful, of course we will be rewarded." "Yes! I will try my best to do it." John Dun said, "After I leave China, I will report all the situation during the journey by secret telegram at any time. Sir, please appoint a contact person." Li Hongzhang thought for a moment and asked, "How is De Cuilin?" "Very well!" replied John Duncan cheerfully. "I think he is the most suitable man." Li Hongzhang was very happy.The beginning of the matter was very smooth, as far as the present is concerned, it is enough to explain to the Empress Dowager Cixi. ※ ※ ※ When I was packing my luggage, there was a happy event. A telegram came from Anhui. Li Hongzhang's second son said that he had passed the provincial examination and was a high scorer.Li Jingfang, Li Hongzhang's eldest son, was originally his nephew, and Jing Shu was his own, so he ranked second, and he should actually be counted as the eldest son, which is very fortunate. However, Li Hongzhang did not want to show off, so he blocked all congratulators, saying that he was not convinced and did not admit that there was such a happy event.Even if the township list is a fluke, and the cloud road is still far away, I dare not be favored. It’s just that this reminded him that there are still a few people who must visit. One is Pan Zuyin, the other is Weng Tonghe, the other is Zuodu Yushi Kuirun, and the other is Tonghua, the right servant of the Ministry of Rites. They all passed the Beiwei provincial examination this year. Examiner, enter the arena from the sixth day of August, and only then leave the room at this moment. According to the distance of these four people's residences, they finally arrived at Weng Tonghe's place.The guest congratulates the host, the host congratulates the guest, and the guest congratulates the host.Because this subject was released in the Beiwei Township Examination, it was highly praised, and many celebrities were proud of it, including the so-called "Northern Liu Nanzhang".Nan Zhang is Zhang Jian from Nantong, and Bei Liu is Liu Ruozeng from Yanshan, Hebei. "How is the situation in Weizhong?" Li Hongzhang said eagerly, "You can measure your talent with a jade ruler, I'm afraid you will have no points in this life." Weng Tonghe said with a smile: "It's a great pity that you talk about Zhongtang as a Marquis and Prime Minister, but you never got a job test! This can't help our younger generations to boast about it." "That's right! I'm in vain for the Imperial Academy, and I haven't even passed the room test." Li Hongzhang suddenly asked, "Is He Lubin familiar?" He Lubin is an Englishman named Hurd. His multi-character name is "Robo", and he thought it was indecent, so he took a homophonic name called Lubin.Weng Tonghe had met him before, but he was not familiar with him. "He Lubin asked me something, but I couldn't answer. Shuping, I want to ask you for advice today." "I don't dare to take it." Weng Tonghe quickly declined, "I don't know anything about Western affairs, so I can't praise my brilliance." "It's not Westernization, it's not Westernization." Li Hongzhang shook his hands again and again, and then laughed dumbfoundedly. "It's a bit unbelievable to say that He Lubin wants to donate a supervisor for his son to take the Beiwei Township Examination. Do you think it's okay?" "This is really unbelievable!" Weng Tonghe thought for a while and asked: "How to take the test? Could it be that his son still does stereotyped writing? " "Of course! Otherwise, what will happen?" "It's getting more and more strange!" Weng Tonghe thought for a while and said, "Based on this, it is natural that he has hired a teacher for a long time to teach him crafts, and he intends to let his son follow our 'right path'?" "This is also the sincerity of his admiration. Although He Lubin is a guest, in my opinion, he is more loyal to China than to their own country!" What's the matter?Weng Tonghe said in his heart.But even though he didn't say anything, Li Hongzhang felt a little uncomfortable with that "laughing and smiling" demeanor. "Actually, it's not surprising. Although he is British, he has been in China for more than 30 years, and his career has been cultivated by my Qing Dynasty..." Then, Li Hongzhang told Weng Tonghe about Hurd's experience. Hurd first came to China when he was the consul in Ningbo for four years in Xianfeng.Soon, he was transferred to Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and served as the Deputy Taxation Department of Guangdong Customs in the ninth year of Xianfeng, and was officially included in China's "Jin Gentleman Record".During the Xinyou coup, King Gong took over the country, and his policy was to put down the rebellion by relying on Britain and France. During this period, Hurd offered good offices and contributed a lot, so he was reused. He acted as the Chief Taxation Department on behalf of Li Taitai.He personally went to various ports on the Yangtze River to set up new customs, which is quite capable.In the second year of Tongzhi, Li Taitai officially resigned, and Hurd was removed and moved to Shanghai.Since then, China's customs affairs have been presided over by Hurd alone.Western affairs, especially in foreign affairs, often ask Hurd to participate in secret affairs and run secretly.Especially after Li Hongzhang became the Minister of Beiyang, China's diplomacy can be said to be in the hands of the two of them. However, Li Hongzhang denies this aspect, and only talks about Hurd's deep gratitude, "He has long been given the title of chief minister, and this year he has also awarded Hua Ling and Shuanglong Baoxing. Therefore, the United Kingdom sent him as ambassador to China and South Korea." My lord, he insisted on resigning. This is tantamount to renunciation from the British, but I consider myself a Chinese, and now I plan to order my son to take the exam, and I can see that I want to live in the middle of the world. I think, in view of this loyalty, the imperial court does not seem to allow him to take the exam The reason. Shuping, your belly is wide, think about it, is there any example of a foreigner taking the exam in the previous dynasty?" "This is not surprising in the Tang Dynasty. Li Yansheng, a Jinshi in the Xuanzong Dynasty, was a Persian. The so-called 'brilliant in his heart but not indifferent to his land' is exactly similar to He Lubin's situation. However, Xie There is a certainty, if Xiaohe takes the exam, should he be regarded as a "South dish", "Zhong dish", or a "North dish"? And regardless of the north, south and middle, it always takes up one of our own quotas, I am afraid that the exam will not agree .” Weng Tonghe said jokingly: "Unless another 'foreign dish' is compiled." The number of places admitted in the township examination is called "jiequan", while the examination papers of supervisory students are compiled into "dishes", which are classified according to their native places. Fengtian, Zhili, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi are "beidang"; , Zhejiang, Huguang, and Guangdong are "South Pan"; Sichuan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou are also compiled as "Zhong Pan".Xiaohe's native place is not in the province, and even that province is not willing to let him take the quota.That's why Weng Tonghe joked about compiling the name "Yangdish". Li Hongzhang specifically talked about this matter with Weng Tonghe, originally to test his tone, because he manages the Guozijian, and donates the prison students for Xiaohe, first of all he has to go through his pass.Listening to what he said now, not only the township examinations have released quotas, but there are no "barbarians" who can accommodate "Hua Xin", and I am afraid that the donation to prison will be rejected. "Zhongtang," Weng Tonghe changed his serious expression again, "You might as well persuade He to dismiss this discussion. During the Sino-French war last year, the trend of Qiu Yang revived, even if the imperial court was gentle and far away, Xiao He was allowed to take the exam. I'm afraid that seeing this blond-haired and blue-eyed girl in Weizhong will beat the drums and attack!" "This is a due concern. It is a great feeling to teach, to teach." Li Hongzhang stood up, "Unfortunately, I came to you in the chamber, so you can't talk freely. When you leave the chamber, I will return to my post again. .” "Which day will Zhongtang leave Beijing?" "It's always within five days. I won't come to say goodbye at that time." "I'll see you off." "Don't dare to be, dare not be!" Li Hongzhang said, "Next year at the turn of spring and summer, I will always go to Beijing. At that time, I will appreciate your collection!" He said, imitating the method of presenting gifts to King Gong, from He took out a small antique paper envelope containing 2,000 taels of silver bills from the boot page and handed it over, "If you want to come to your Liulichang account, it should be quite a lot. I'm not shy, please give me a face." Weng Tonghe also accepted red envelopes, but he had a choice. People like Li Hongzhang naturally didn't need to be polite. ※ ※ ※ Li Hongzhang returned to his post, the Navy Yamen was also established, and Li Hongzhang was responsible for the demolition of the Beitang. The expansion of Sanhai can be a big move. For this big project, there are three most important people, one is Li Lianying, one is Li Shan, and the other is Lei Tingchang. Although Lei Tingchang has the title of Yuanwailang, few people know about it, but when it comes to "shape thunder" or "style thunder", there are many people who know it, even if it is not like thunder. "Zizi Lei" has been in the capital for seven generations, and his family is regarded as aboriginal. In fact, Lei's family is from Jiangxi, and their ancestry is in Jianchang County, Nankang Prefecture.It is said that his family's lineage is ranked by the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhouyi, Qianyuan and Zhou, and the Yuan Dynasty has experienced hundreds of generations.Thirty years is one life, so the Lei family has a long history and is comparable to the Confucius family in Qufu.Of course, this is something that is difficult to test. What is really reliable is the situation after the Lei family moved to Jinling.Lei Yucheng, a carpenter, moved to Jinling Shicheng with his two sons, Zhensheng and Zhenzhou, to avoid the rogue rebellion in the late Ming Dynasty.The Qing soldiers entered the customs and rebuilt the palace that was burned by Li Zicheng. Lei Zhensheng's son, Lei Fafa, issued a declaration with his cousin to apply for admission to Beijing. This is the beginning of "Zang Lei". In the middle of Kangxi, the three halls of Taihe, Zhonghe, and Baohe were rebuilt. The main beam of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was used by the nanmu beams and columns that were demolished from the Xiangtang of the Ming Mausoleum.On the day when the beam was put up, the holy ancestor came to salute in person, but he didn't know that the tenon and tenon did not match when the main beam was hoisted up.Two pieces of wood are inlaid, the protruding one is called tenon, commonly known as tenon head; the concave one is called tenon, commonly known as orifice.Making mortise and tenon is the highest skill among carpenters. Obviously, this carpenter's craftsmanship is not good enough, and the dimensions do not match, so that they are out of place. The three main halls are the emperor's main government office, and raising the beam is a very solemn matter. How can such a mistake happen?Therefore, the officials of the Ministry of Industry were shocked. In the end, there was an officer who was quick-witted and knew that Lei Fada was very skilled, so he found a set of official uniforms from the ninth rank and asked him to wear it. With an ax and a chisel tucked around his waist, he went up. Hold the beam with one hand, and open another hole with a manual chisel.Under the gaze of the emperor and all the officials looking up, he finished the work calmly and quickly, then put away the chisel, took out the axe, aimed at the position, hit hard, and the hands fell together, and the officials of the Ministry of Industry took a breath. Shengzu is a virtuous gentleman who is extremely understanding and humane. He has seen the whole process before and after, and knows that the mortise and tenon do not fit. He cannot blame the officials of the Ministry of Works, because it is inevitable that the old wood will not match.The combination of mortise and tenon is entirely Lei Fafa's ability. Longyan Dayue issued an order face to face, and awarded Lei Fafa the captain of the camp of the Ministry of Industry.At that time, there were four ballads, specifically remembering the event: "There is Lu Ban on the top, and Chang Ban on the bottom. Ziwei obeys orders, and the Golden Palace is appointed as an official." Lei Fa didn't die until he was seventy years old, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Jin Yu.Lei Jinyu later voted to serve as the coating flag of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and was in charge of the nanmu style room in the Old Summer Palace.With the merits of building the inner court, he was granted a seventh-rank official position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He did not die until the seventh year of Yongzheng, and he was already in his seventies when he died. Three days before Lei Jinyu died, he gave birth to another son.Lei Jinyu had married six wives, and the last son born to this young wife Zhang was named Sheng Li, the fifth eldest.Shengcheng's four elder brothers probably couldn't inherit their father's business, so they decided to return to the south, but Zhang refused to accompany him, and took his son to live in Beijing. Although it is a hereditary position to be in charge of the case in the style of the Old Summer Palace, it is only in its infancy, so it was usurped by Lei Jinyu's assistants.So Zhang's son complained to the Ministry of Industry, and it was not until Lei Shengcheng became an adult that he could inherit it. When Lei Shengcheng came of age, it was the time when Qianlong started building construction projects, so Lei Shengcheng and his three sons were all reused.The eldest son, Jiawei, was sent to investigate the palaces of other provinces. Emperor Gaozong made six tours to the south, and Jiawei never failed. In addition to surveying the construction of the palace, the Old Summer Palace was modeled on various places of interest. It fell on Lei Jiawei's shoulders, so he spent fewer days in Beijing and more days outside.In addition, he also investigated and dealt with extra missions such as dike construction, supervisory affairs, and private opening of official land, and he has become the eyes and ears of Gaozong's cronies. Lei Shengcheng's second son was named Jiaxi, who was deeply favored in the last years of Qianlong's reign. He undertook most of the garden projects of the palaces of Longevity Hill, Yuquan Hill, and Fragrant Hills. fireworks.Qianlong's 800,000-year-old, point-of-view tower, competing for beauty and beauty, was very popular for a while, and it was also written by Lei Jiaxi. Lei Shengchen's youngest son, Jiarui, took over the style house after his father and brother in the Jiaqing Dynasty.During the Qian and Jia dynasties, the three brothers of Lei's family worked together, and the family fortune was prosperous. "Zang Lei" laid an indomitable foundation. The fifth generation of "Zang Lei" is named Lei Jingxiu, the third son of Lei Jiaxi of Erfang. At the age of 16, he followed his father to learn "hereditary errands" in Shishifang. He is hardworking and cautious.In the fifth year of Daoguang, Lei Jiaxi died of illness, and Lei Jiarui was already old. Because Lei Jingxiu had a lot of work and was afraid of making mistakes, he asked his assistant Guo Jiu to take charge of the case in the name of being in charge of the case, and he would rather be under him.This is a wise way to protect oneself, because Xuanzong is famous for his frugality. In the name of being in charge of the case, there are not many benefits, but endless disasters.So when Xuanzong died, Lei Jingxiu came out to fight for the case again. Of course it is not easy to fight.It is a fact that this errand is hereditary to Lei's family, but it was tantamount to giving up when Guo Jiu was asked to undertake it in the first place.Therefore, on the one hand, they have to fight, on the other hand, they refuse to give in, and they are stalemate. The deadlock was resolved because Guo Jiuyi died of illness at this time, so it was logical to "return things to their original owners".However, when Lei Jingxiu fought to get back the style house, it was just when Hong Yang was going eastward to build a country in Jinling.Lei Jingxiu is industrious by nature, so he took advantage of these few years when he was not busy to collect ancestral construction French drawings and large and small "hot samples" - palace models made of hard paper, plus instructions, and compiled them into catalogs. It takes three rooms to accommodate it. In August of the tenth year of Xianfeng, the Old Summer Palace was burned.At that time, besides Wen Zong, the most distressed person was probably Lei Jingxiu!The painstaking efforts of the Lei family for several generations have been wiped out. From Kangxi to Qianjia, the first famous garden in China that has worked hard for a hundred years has suffered such a catastrophe. Estimated the country's financial and material resources, there is no hope of repeating the old view.Therefore, Lei Jingxiu moved his family from Haidian, where he lived for a long time, to the East Guanyin Temple in Xizhimen.At that time, all the sons had grown up, and the most capable was the youngest, Lei Siqi, who presided over the construction of Wenzong's Dingling Mausoleum. In the thirteenth year of Tongzhi's reign, the Old Summer Palace was rebuilt, causing great disturbances. In fact, Mu Zong suffered half of it for his mother.Under the personal intervention of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Lei Siqi and his son Tingchang were summoned five times, and Lei Jingxiu's collection of artwork "hot sample" was put to good use at this time, and the reputation of "Looking Lei" Spread the entry again.But with the death of Mu Zong, who was "the son of heaven with smallpox", everything seemed to come to naught, and Lei Siqi also passed away depressed.