Chapter 150 Mother and Son Monarch and Minister (2-2)

Qin Zhifen had an acquaintance at the Chongwenmen tax customs, and sent someone to say hello, allowing Wang Wu to pass through the customs easily.The shadow of the sun was in the middle, and it was the time for him to date Tan Sitong. Since the inner city was closed for this dead date, he had no choice but to do nothing. He didn't want to have such an unexpected opportunity to get past the restriction, so Wang Wu naturally refused to let it go lightly.Once you enter Chongwenmen, go west along Dongchenggen and turn to Dongjiaomin Lane east of Qipan Street.This street in the Forbidden City is originally called Dongjiang Mixiang. It is said that Wu Sangui's former residence is here.Today, the remains of the "Pingxi Palace" are nowhere to be found, but many foreign-style buildings have been newly built, and most of the embassies of various countries are concentrated here.

Passing the otter alley east of the Zhongyuhe Bridge, I happened to look up and found a couplet on the door of a large building. The four-character idiom is a pair. Wang Wu recognized these eight characters. The idiom "Wang Yang Xing Tan" has also been heard before, but it is inexplicable to pair it with "Being Neighbors with Ghosts" as a couplet.When I got closer and looked at it, I found that the second character of the flat head happened to be embedded with the word "foreign ghost" scolding foreigners, so I suddenly realized it, and couldn't help saying to myself: "I only know that Xu Zhongtang's mansion is in Dongjiaomin Lane, so it is here!"

This "Xu Zhongtang" is Xu Tong, a scholar of Tiren Pavilion, who has hated foreigners all his life, and even hated everything brought by foreigners. Anything with the word "foreign" is not allowed to enter.Others use foreign soap to light foreign lamps, while others still use acacia to light oil lamps.When old disciples came to see him, they had to check first whether they were wearing any foreign gadgets. Otherwise, if he finds out, he will immediately sulk and serve tea to the guests. He is so jealous of foreigners, but there are two things that make him helpless.One is his eldest son, Xu Chengyu. Although, like his father, he scolded officials involved in foreign affairs as "traitors" just like his father, he liked to smoke foreign cigarettes made by factories set up by foreigners, and he loved foreign money from Mexico even more. .Knowing that my father is a bad foreigner, I dare not let him see it, but foreign money can be stored in the bank, and smoking rolls is uncommon for his father to bump into.As long as Xu Tong sees his son swallowing clouds and mists, and looking leisurely and fascinated, he will be so angry that he can't eat.

There is one more thing that is more helpless.I don't know whose idea it was. The foreigners set up embassies and opened banks, so they were concentrated in Dongjiaomin Lane, and more south of Otter Alley.Therefore, if Xu Tong visited the outer city, in order to hate the foreign-style buildings, he would rather make a detour instead of passing through the Chongwenmen. Wang Wu had heard people talking about these jokes, so he finally understood the meaning of this couplet.It's just that I didn't find it funny in my heart, so I spat hard, took a big stride, and went straight to the Japanese legation.

The Japanese Legation had their retired Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi staying there, and the access control was extremely strict. Seeing Wang Wu approaching, the soldiers with guns in the guard booth immediately took a posture of guard.Immediately a person came out of the porter's room, wearing a long robe, a mandarin jacket, a pair of sandals on his feet, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He looked like a southerner. "Who is your honor looking for?" Wang Wu was cautious and asked first, "What's your surname?" "My surname is Wang, and I'm the manager here."

"Ah! The same clan." Wang Wu took out a name card from the boot page and handed it over, "I'm the fifth." Guanshi Wang didn't know who the "Wang Zhengyi" on the name post was, but when he heard him say "Xing Wu", and then looked at his vigorous demeanor, he realized that it was the famous "Da Dao Wang Wu" of Zhenbei Road. "It turned out to be the fifth master. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you! Please sit inside." Steward Wang explained a few words in Japanese to the guarding soldiers, took Wang Wu into the living room at the entrance, and asked him why he came.

"I want to see a friend of mine." Wang Wu replied, "My friend's surname is Tan, and he originally lives in the Liuyang Guild Hall in Trouser Leg Hutong. I heard that he entered the inner city early this morning and came here." Steward Wang listened quietly, without expression, and asked after pondering for a while, "Master Fifth knows Uncle Tan?" "More than just acquaintances?" Wang Wu replied calmly, "I know you have to ask clearly, please go in and tell me, Wang Wu, who had an appointment with him at Tangfang Hutong Big Wine Vat at noon today, is here, let's see what he has to say ?”

"Yes! Yes!" Guanshi Wang has already seen that his friendship with Tan Sitong is unusual, but at this time and this place, he is inconvenient to act presumptuously, so he apologized and said: "Fifth Master, please sit down for a while, and I will personally report for you." ※ ※ ※ Tan Sitong arrived at the Japanese Legation before the inner city was closed, and of course he was a respected and welcomed guest.However, he frankly stated that the person he visited was not Yasuya Uchida, the acting minister of Japan in China, let alone Hirobumi Ito and his entourage Quansuke Hayashi, but Liang Qichao, who was a guest at the Japanese legation.

Seeing each other, Liang Qichao was more sad than Tan Sitong, but he was also overjoyed as if he had passed away.Talking about the changes of this day and night, on the contrary, Liang Qichao knew much more than Tan Sitong, because he had news from the Japanese embassy. "Rong Lu has already rushed back to Tianjin, and he probably still doesn't feel at ease with Yuan Shikai." Liang Qichao suddenly said excitedly, "Mr. Nanhai may be able to escape! He originally wanted to take the China Merchants Haiyan Ferry, but he has already boarded the ship, because Without a pre-booked ticket, you are not allowed to live in the "big dining room" and change to the official cabin. This is the evening of the fifth day of the previous day. Mr. Nanhai decided to go ashore because the official cabin was noisy and the ship did not leave until 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Take another ship. Now it is the Chongqing ship of Taikoo Company, which left at eleven o'clock last night, and it should pass Yantai by now."

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

"You Bo is not a person who can do justice generously. Under the three trees, why not ask for it? I am very worried that he will say something that should not be said! I will not mention him here. What is your plan?" "I don't know! I have to wait and see the situation." "You should go to Japan! If you don't have walkers, you can't plan for the future; if you don't have dead, you can't reward the Lord." Tan Sitong said solemnly, "Chujiu, Cheng Ying, I will share the responsibility with you!" It was the story of "Zhao's Orphan". Tan Sitong claimed to be Gongsun Chujiu, while Liang Qichao, who was regarded as Cheng Ying, thought that the situation was different. Tan Sitong did not have to sacrifice, and then persuaded: "Resurrection, you don't have to use glue pillars... .” "No!" Tan Sitong didn't allow him to continue, "I'm not here to seek shelter from others, but to serve something. I've devoted my whole life to this, and I respect you." As he spoke, he opened the package he carried with him. Inside was a stack of manuscripts. The first book was called "Ren Xue"; the second book was called "Liao Tian Yi Ge Anthology"; "; the other is miscellaneous, some talk about swords, some talk about gold and stone, and some talk about arithmetic.In addition, there is a worship box, which stores all his family letters. Liang Qichao took it very solemnly, and asked first: "How should I deal with it?" "A few letters from home, please send them back to the dormitory." Tan Sitong pointed to the manuscript and said: "These are finally sent with hard work, and there may be a few words in them, please delete them. As for whether they will Disastrous pears and jujubes are beyond my control!" This is the meaning of wanting to publish the posthumous collection. Liang Qichao naturally understood and accepted the commission wholeheartedly.I just hoped that Tan Sitong could get away with it by chance, and I didn't want to mention any posthumous names, so I just replied solemnly: "It is certain that the famous mountain in Tibet will be respected and passed on to future generations. I dare not take the word 'delete', We will discuss it in the future. As for the engraving and printing, I am still doing it, and I should help. In short, please rest assured, if you are lucky enough to escape the snare, I will manage it for you." "This," Tan Sitong bowed happily, "I can really rest assured." After saying goodbye, the gate of the city was closed, which provided them with an opportunity to talk about their lives when they were parting from life and death. It was not until the steward Wang knocked on the door that their long conversation was cut off. Tan Sitong was greatly surprised to learn that Wang Wu was visiting. Liang Qichao had long admired him and wanted to see him.But Wang Guanshi was responsible, and urged Liang Qichao not to be too busy. If he leaked his possessions, if he wanted to escape from Beijing, he might cause a lot of resistance and he would not be able to do so. "You just listen to my advice!" Tan Sitong said, "If he can enter the city, I can leave the city, so farewell!" This time it was a real breakup.Tan Sitong clasped his hands and walked out without looking back. He was led by Guanshi Wang and went to see Wang Wu. "Fifth brother, your supernatural powers are really great! How did you come into the city?" "It's a long story." Wang Wu bowed his head to Steward Wang: "Brother Zong, I'll accuse you first, can you let me follow you?" Uncle Tan say a few words?" Manager Wang couldn't agree more.Although he knew about Wang Wu's reputation, he was alienated from everything in the Xialin. He had only heard many stories of grievances and grievances. He was afraid that Wang Wu might come to assassinate him, so he was a little worried. What kind of person is Wang Wu? "Bachelor eyes, Sai Jiajian", immediately saw his heart from his face, pulled out a pair of scabs from the boot leaf, held the tip of the knife in his hand, and passed it backwards, At the same time, he said: "You should be relieved! If you are still worried, please search me." This time, Tan Sitong also figured out what was going on.He hurriedly said to Guanshi Wang: "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter! Brother Wang Wu is my close friend." "Yes, yes!" Steward Wang was a little apprehensive, stepped back two steps and said, "Fifth Wang, don't get me wrong! You talk, you talk." As he spoke, he backed out. "Young Master," Wang Wu got to the point, "What did the Japanese envoy say? Will you give me a convenience?" "Hey! Fifth brother, you misunderstood me. I didn't come here to ask for asylum. I just have a few articles and poems that I don't want to throw away. I entrust a friend to keep them." Tan Sitong immediately said: "Fifth brother , let's go! If you can come in, you can go out, I'll go out with you out of the city, or go to the place where we are dating to talk in detail. " "I'm afraid it won't work! I was entrusted by someone to go to Xila Alley to inquire about something." Then, Wang Wujiang accidentally met Qin Zhifen and was entrusted by him to investigate Zhang Yinhuan's safety, so he got this unexpected opportunity and told him about it.After Tan Sitong listened quietly, he sighed and said, "What's the use of reading? We should be ashamed!" "Stop complaining! What to do now, you have to make a rule, so I can do it." "Fifth brother, you have been entrusted by someone. For matters of loyalty, you should go to Xila Hutong first to handle errands. When you go out of the city, you should wait for me in Tangfang Hutong. I think the purpose of shutting down the city must be to catch Mr. Kang. If you know Mr. Kang is out of danger, and the city gate will open immediately. I will go directly to Tangfang Hutong from here to find you." "That's right! It's a deal." Wang Wu got up and said, "As soon as the city gate opens, I will send someone to wait at Xuanwu Gate." After saying goodbye, we left Dongjiaomin Lane, headed north from Wangfujing Street, and crossed Dong'anmen Street, which is Bamiancao. Not far away, there is a long alley on the west side of the street that leads directly to the north lane outside Dong'anmen, which is Xila Hutong. Wang Wu didn't know that the house was Zhang Yinhuan's residence, but he walked through an alley from east to west and found nothing unusual.For example, Zhang Yinhuan was arrested, this kind of "Qin case" investigated by special order, there must be soldiers patrolling and guarding.Judging from the current situation, Zhang Yinhuan is safe and sound. Having said that, I have to ask someone to clarify, and I can only explain it when I go back.At this time, there was a sound of "gurgling" in my stomach. I only drank a bowl of soybean juice from early morning to 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and I was really hungry. As soon as my thoughts changed, suddenly I had an idea, why not just inquire about Zhang Yinhuan in the restaurant?He settled down to think carefully, there are two famous restaurants here, one is called Yuhuatai, the shopkeeper is from Huai'an, it used to be the place where officials from the three yamen of supervision, river engineering and water transportation gathered, and the fine food and drink are famous all over the world.This Yuhuatai restaurant just opened recently, but it has become famous in Nine cities. The thin-skinned steamed stuffed buns are known as a must, but if you don’t know how to eat them, you will make a joke. There are two layers of skin for a bag of soup. First, you can’t hold them with chopsticks. Hold it and it will break; don't be impatient at the second entrance, or the oily soup will burn your tongue.Those who know how to eat gently pinch the buns with three fingers, take a small bite to suck up the soup, and then eat the buns to absorb the essence. Yuhua Terrace is in Xila Hutong, so I wanted to inquire about Zhang's family's convenient location, but Wang Wu was not familiar with this restaurant, but Dongxing Building on Dong'anmen Street, which was not far away. Dongxing Building is not only the first famous restaurant in the inner city, but also the most resounding golden signboard in the entire capital.The shopkeeper is a native of Dengzhou Prefecture, Shandong, and it is said that the real owner is Li Lianying.Thinking of this, Wang Wu no longer hesitated, and decided that he would be able to find out something by going to Dongxing Tower. The shopkeeper and accountant of Dongxing Building are familiar with Wang Wu.When I asked at the door, the shopkeeper was not there, and the account manager was named Wang Sanxi. He stood up to greet him, and asked in surprise, "Fifth Lord, when did you enter the city?" "I lived in the city yesterday and wanted to leave the city, but the city gate was closed. This is a rare event in a hundred years." "Yes!" Wang Sanxi frowned, "Once the city gate is closed, those who have reserved seats will not be able to come! The dishes have to be prepared as usual, what if they come? It is difficult to do business these days." .” 'No wonder it's so leisurely!How about it, it's rare that you have time, and I can't leave the city, so I invite you to drink for a minute. " "What are you talking about? Isn't that scolding for asking Fifth Master to favor the account here? Of course I invited it, and I didn't invite it. I will act as the host for the shopkeeper. Fifth Lord is a busy person, please can't invite him!" So I found a single room and sat down one after another.Famous dishes unique to Dongxing Building, such as mullet eggs, stewed duck waist, etc., in addition to reservations, on normal days, they are ordered on the spur of the moment, and may not be guaranteed. On this day, because most of the reserved seats are in the future, they will be served on the table one after another, which is unusual. plump.Wang Wuben is good at drinking and eating, but this day's will is not here. Faced with delicacies, he can eat a lot of pasta, which can fill his stomach. My stomach is full, and my mind is made up.There is no need to use words around the corner, because it will not only appear to be dishonest, but also afraid that Wang Sanxi will avoid it, so he will not say more.As long as the friendship is enough, you may as well tell the truth. "Third brother, I will tell you the truth. I was entrusted by someone to inquire about something with you. If you find it difficult to talk about this matter, third brother, tell me honestly. I will never blame you, nor will I It will hinder the friendship between our buddies." "Fifth Master, if I say this to you, I'll shake my pocket." Wang Sanxi replied with emotion, "Just tell me what's going on!" "Master Zhang in the alley ahead, presumably he is your regular customer?" "You always talk about Mr. Zhang from the Zongli Yamen? Then he is not only a regular customer, but also the number one regular customer. He doesn't come often, and always sends his servants to ask for food." Wang Sanxi paused and said with emotion : "Master Zhang used to be very popular, but now it's different!" "That's what I'm asking about." Wang Wu asked bluntly, "I heard that something happened yesterday. Yes or no? " "Nothing happened yesterday. Let me first say that there was a man surnamed Kang who was ordered to commit crimes. He hid in Mr. Zhang's house. The admiral of the Nine Gates sent troops to arrest him. It was only later that he was arrested. It was Mr. District from the Ministry of Criminal Justice. It's okay to let it go. But," Wang Sanxi lowered his voice very low, "Master Zhang will have an accident sooner or later!" "Oh, third brother, tell me, what's going on?" "He offended the skinny plum! If you offend the skinny plum, you will offend Lafayette. The incident happened last year, when Mr. Zhang came back from overseas... " Zhang Yinhuan was appointed as the special envoy to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne in February of last year. Before leaving the country, a minister of the interior instructed: When returning home, there must be foreign novelty treasures and present them to the Queen Mother.Of course Zhang Yinhuan kept it in mind.On the way home, passing through Paris, at the auction of Napoleon's relics, Zhang Yinhuan bought an emerald hat flower with a lot of money.Emeralds are all called emeralds, and the best one is called emerald. When it enters the water, it will emit a green light like the wings of a dragonfly, so it is also called water-helping green.And because the whole body is crystal clear and looks like glass, it is commonly known as glass emerald, which is the best gemstone.In addition, it was paired with a pair of diamond bracelets. This tribute was really precious. Dedicating only to the Empress Dowager, not to the Emperor, felt that it was a loss of courtesy, so Zhang Yinhuan bought another pair of diamond bracelets and a ruby ​​hat flower, and returned to Beijing to return to his order, and presented them one by one.When offering it to Ningshou Palace, someone reminded Zhu Yinhuan, "We should also prepare a gift for Director Li." There was no way to deal with it in a hurry, so he had to ask someone to show it, and then make it up. This is also common.Anyway, no one dared to make promises to Li Lianying lightly, and no one dared to have little faith in him, so as long as he made a wish, it was tantamount to accepting it for him.Therefore, Zhang Yinhuan's precious contribution was sent to Ningshou Palace without delay.The emerald hat flower is indeed a rare treasure, and the Empress Dowager Cixi appreciates it very much. But Zhang Yinhuan forgot the ritual that should be made up.Li Lianying waited for a long time, but did not see any more, and Zhang Yinhuan was always arrogant and arrogant to the eunuchs and people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. New and old grudges accumulated, Li Lianying couldn't swallow this breath, and decided to wait for an opportunity to retaliate. There are many opportunities, but the grievances are already deep. Li Lianying wanted to find an opportunity to slander her fatally, so she had to wait for an opportunity, which was when the Empress Dowager Cixi was playing with the emerald. "There are many things that pass by my eyes, but I have never seen such a transparent green glass emerald. It's so good!" Just as the Empress Dowager Cixi was full of praise, Li Lianying sneered slightly and said, "It's really hard for him to think of it! Don't we deserve to wear red?" As soon as this remark came out, Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly changed color.Li Lianying's words directly pierced the pain that the old lady had hidden in her heart for fifty years!Although the Empress Dowager Cixi was born in the Yehenala family, one of the "Four Clans of the Western Seas", she is an out-and-out Manchurian, but all her ideas are no different from those of the Han people.The rules of the Han people are that the main room wears red, and the concubine wears green. The regret of the Empress Dowager Cixi in her life is that she has never been in the middle palace.At that time, Mu Zong was critically ill, and Empress Jiashun quietly visited him. The whispers between the couple when they were parting were just heard by Empress Dowager Cixi. The slaves were brought in from the Great Qing Gate!" The Empress Dowager Cixi's fury was like adding fuel to the fire.According to the legend of the palace ban, Mu Zong's severe smallpox disease had already improved, but he was frightened by this, and the disease became "pox inset". Now that Li Lianying was far-fetched and stabbed her heart with one word, Zhang Yinhuan fell out of favor in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi.On the contrary, because of the reform and reform, the emperor relied more on Zhang Yinhuan, who was well versed in Western affairs.Therefore, there was another rumor: the discord between the mother and son in the two palaces was all due to Zhang Yinhuan's instigating dissension.Of course, these rumors were spread by Li Lianying's eunuchs, otherwise, Wang Sanxi would not have had the opportunity to hear them. The harvest was quite rich, and Wang Wu felt that he had enough to explain to Qin Zhifen, but Tan Sitong hadn't started the important matter solemnly entrusted to him, so he couldn't help feeling anxious.So regardless of Wang Sanxi's eagerness to persuade him to drink, after thanking him, he left Dongxing Tower and hurried south. As soon as we arrived at Chongwenmen, just as the ban on closing the city was lifted, horses and chariots from the outer city swarmed in, fighting with each other, blocking the city gate and stalemate, shouting and shouting, making a lot of noise.Wang Wu was caught in the car formation, in a dilemma.According to his skill, he can climb the roof of the car and jump over to get away, but that would be surprising and cause even more confusion, so Wang Wu could only search for gaps to pass by, and it took a lot of effort. Work hard to get out of the city.When we arrived at Tangfang Hutong, the sun was setting, and it was time for the big wine vat to go on sale. Taverns in the capital are divided into three classes: upper, middle and lower. The "big wine vat" is the lowest. The huge wine vat is half buried in the mud and covered with a wooden cover. It is the wine table. .As usual, bring your own food and wine. Fortunately, near the big wine tank, there must be many food stalls popping up as the times require. If you are rich in your wallet, you can buy a package of "box dishes", which are called bowls of soup. , take out twenty pot stickers, it is considered the number one rich customer on the big wine tank.If you don't have a lot of money, buy a bag "half empty" to drink, and get a big bowl of noodles with sesame sauce to satisfy your hunger, and no one will laugh at him for being shabby, just as happy as he is.Sometimes when the wine is hot, I talk about something proud and revealing, and I make a startling remark, and listen to the four people, all of whom will look at me with admiration or admiration. The kind of comfort that tickles my heart is really enjoyable. Therefore, although the big wine vat is a place where traffickers and pawns gather to drink, it is a place where dragons and tigers are hidden.Half of Wang Wu's apprentices are in this business because they want to make friends like this easily.Therefore, when it comes to the big wine vat at the entrance of Tangfang Hutong in Jingli, it is also well-known in the world. Naturally, none of the regular customers there did not know Wang Wu. When they saw him, some gave up their seats, and some greeted him very affectionately. Wang Wu loved his friends and greeted him for a while. narrative. His apprentice is called Zhang Dianchen. His skills are not very good, but he is extremely capable, loyal and meticulous. He is Wang Wuyi's confidant right and left hand.Behind the locker room, there is a special secret room, and if there are important matters, they are all discussed here. "Wujiu sent someone to pass the message, from before noon to now, I haven't dared to leave. However, Young Master Tan did not come. " "He's at the Japanese embassy, ​​he's coming soon!" "Then we have to send someone to guard, and open the back door to bring in Master Tan." Zhang Dianchen said, "There are many people talking about the affairs in the palace, and everyone arrested by the Nanhai Guild Hall can be named. Tan It's not appropriate for the young master to show up here." "Anyone know him?" "Have!" After Zhang Dianchen finished speaking, he immediately got up to make arrangements.After a while, he went back and brought a tray of food and wine to accompany the master for a drink. "There is something very difficult, but it must be done." Wang Wu asked, "Do you have any acquaintances in Xiyuan?" Zhang Dianchen thought for a while and replied: "There is one, Su La from the tea dining room. The other one is the pen post style of the guard camp. His battalion was originally guarding the Xiyuan, but I heard that it was transferred to Shenwumen a while ago." went." "That's still useful. Anyway, I've stayed in Xiyuan and know the situation there..." Before finishing a sentence, the bell rang, which was a signal that someone was coming in.Wang Wu raised his eyes to look out, and Zhang Dianchen got up to lift the curtain, it was Tan Sitong who came! "Master!" "Fifth brother," Tan Sitong said, grabbing Wang Wu's words, "Under today, you must never use this title again! You called me back to life." Wang Wu was still hesitating, but Zhang Dianchen interjected: "Master, it is better to obey orders than to be respectful. You should always obey Uncle Tan's words!" "Okay, okay!" Tan Sitong clapped his hands and praised, "I can't doubt that the courtier is my uncle." This means that he is willing to become a queen with Wang Wu.Although there is no need to say it explicitly, and there is no need to make any alliance, as long as there is such an expression, it is enough to move people.So Wang Wu said with great emotion: "I'm going to be bold and presumptuous! Resurrection, please sit down." "Master, please accompany Uncle Tan first, I'll go and see if there's anything more delicious to eat?" "That's very good!" Tan Sitong pulled him and said, "Don't go, my minister, I have something to say." So Zhang Dianchen poured a glass of wine for Tan Sitong, sat down and listened quietly.But Wang Wu couldn't wait to apologize, "Resurrection," he said, "Today was wasted, and there was no clue about what you told me yesterday. It's not that there was no clue, it wasn't done at all." "That's because of the sudden closure of the city. We have to make a decision before moving, and discuss it first. After beating you and leaving, the people from the Japanese embassy told me a lot of news." Although there are a lot of news, there are only two most important things. One is that the emperor has indeed been imprisoned in Yingtai, and what happened to Concubine Zhen is even more cruel, and she has been thrown into the cold palace.In the north of Ningshou Palace, after Jingqi Pavilion, and east of Zhenshun Gate, there is a simple hut near the maid's residence. All jewelry was confiscated by Empress Dowager Cixi, and even a slightly better dress was not allowed to be carried. Another thing is that the Empress Dowager Cixi is determined to capture Kang Youwei, and she has sent secret messages from the Military Aircraft Office to Rong Lu, the governor of Zhili in Tianjin, Liu Kunyi, the governor of Liangjiang in Jiangning, Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi in Guangzhou, as well as the governor of Jiangsu, Shanghai Road, etc. Strictly take.There is another legend: Kang Youwei was accused of murdering the king in the telegram. He was a felon of treason and injustice. "This legend is unreliable. It may be that foreigners are afraid of sheltering Mr. Kang, so they deliberately put a serious crime on them so as to resist the intervention of foreigners. However, I believe that Mr. Kang will be able to escape." Tan Sitong paused and said: "Concubine Zhen, Of course I can't take care of it anymore, the only big thing now is to rescue the emperor!" Wang Wu nodded and said nothing, Zhang Dianchen wanted to speak but didn't dare to speak, but finally because of the encouragement of his master and "Uncle Tan" winks, he uttered his words frankly with his bones stuck in his throat. "Uncle Tan, I want to interrupt. If the emperor can be rescued from Yingtai, what should we do? Is there any place where we can hide such a big man?" "That's a good question!" Tan Sitong lowered his voice very low, "If the emperor can be rescued, he must be sent out of Beijing to find a safe place, such as the concessions in Tianjin and Shanghai, or foreign embassies as a last resort. Your Majesty As long as you get rid of the control of the Queen Mother, you can still issue orders, who dares to say that what he said is not an edict?" "Isn't that another court?" "There is only one imperial court! The place where the emperor resides is called 'Xingzai'. No matter where he is, he can issue decrees. The governors of all provinces dare not disobey. As for the empress dowager's 'political training', it is a fake name, and it is simply put These are usurpers! They are puppet courts! Of course it doesn't count. " Junior brother Wang Wu didn't quite understand what he said, and the two looked at each other cautiously.I was afraid that Tan Sitong would find out, but let him find out. Of course, there must be a further explanation. "I thought about this all night yesterday." He said, "It seems unbelievable, but it is actually possible. Because all countries now agree with our new policies in China, they admire the emperor very much. As long as the emperor can restore freedom, All countries will recognize the authority of the emperor. Once it is published on the news paper, the subjects of the world will know where the emperor is, and naturally they will listen to him, not the queen mother." Wang Wu and Zhang Dianchen still don't understand these words very well. Why does the emperor of China require foreign countries to recognize him?However, Wang Wu thought that there was no need to ask any more questions. Anyway, what Tan Sitong said, he would do well. "Fusheng, let's discuss how to save the emperor!" "There are two ways to save the emperor." Tan Sitong asked: "There is a priest named Timothy Li, do you two know?" "I've heard of it." Wang Wu replied, "I'm not very sure." "This man is an Englishman . . . " Tan Sitong briefly talked about the life of Timothy Lee.This person is British, and he has been preaching in China for many years. He set up a Guangxi Society in Shanghai, with the purpose of collecting new knowledge from the world and enlightening the Chinese people.Four or five years ago, he had been to the capital, and he was extremely speculative with Kang Youwei, and was quite appreciated by Weng Tonghe. He accepted many of his new policy suggestions and planned to ask the emperor to implement them. Not long ago, he came to Beijing from Shanghai to sponsor the New Deal and contribute more.According to the scheduled plan, both he and Hirobumi Ito will be hired as "consultants" to the emperor.Tan Sitong was also very familiar with Timothy Li, and he knew that he was enthusiastic and courageous, so he planned to invite him to come forward, contact the ministers of various countries, and intervene to restore the freedom of the Chinese emperor. After listening to him, Wang Wu said: "Fusheng, I'm going to say something unpleasant! Don't be angry when you hear that. " "There, there, fifth brother, just tell the truth." "Our Chinese emperor has to rely on foreigners to save us. It's embarrassing to talk about it!" "Yes, yes!" Tan Sitong said fearfully, "It would be better if I could save the emperor myself." Zhang Dianchen's reasoning is very clear, and in just this moment, he has a great understanding of the whole situation.At first he didn't dare to refute his master, but the matter was too big and his own strength was too weak. If he didn't speak up when he knew it, he would miss a big deal and increase the blame, so he had to intervene. "Master, you old man has to listen to Uncle Tan! This matter seems to be embarrassing, but there is nothing you can do about it. It's like a big family making housework, and you have no choice but to entrust a few friends to mediate. Yes." Zhang Dianchen immediately dropped a sentence: "I think it's better to have a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, we ask Uncle Tan to talk to Timothy Li, and on the other hand, we make preparations. If Timothy Li can't handle it, he will take over immediately. You Look, is this the right thing to do?" Tan and Wang have no reason to disagree with this two-pronged compromise approach.But the next question is, how can the emperor be rescued from Yingtai?The two of them could only look at each other. In Tan Sitong's mind, only the vague imagination of "Kunlun slaves" flying over the walls in the legends of the Tang Dynasty, when it came to the situation, he realized the difficulty of the situation, looked at Zhang Dianchen and said, "You have an idea!" "No one has ever done this before!" Zhang Dianchen replied, "We have to think a little bit, a little bit, before we can figure it out." "Yes, yes!" Tan Sitong asked again: "Look, where should we start thinking?" "Of course, we need to figure out the place of Yingtai first. What kind of pattern is that; How many ways are there for entering and exiting? Are there guards around? " "I've been to Xiyuan once." Wang Wu said, "That was many years ago. I only remember that Yingtai is in the South China Sea." "Slow down! Wait for me to think." When Tan Sitong was concentrating on recalling, Zhang Dianchen had already brought a pair of brushes and inkstones, removed the cups and plates, laid out paper and rubbed ink, and waited for him to draw a map. "It's roughly like this." Tan Sitong spoke while drawing.First draw a round pool, which is the South China Sea, and a piece of land extending into the water from the north is Yingtai. The main house of Yingtai is called Hanyuan Hall. The stone steps of the water can be used to moor a boat. Behind the Hanyuan Hall, there is a tall pavilion surrounded by the left and right extension towers, named Xiangluan Pavilion, from this south to the Yingxun Pavilion, collectively named Yingtai.Xiangluan Pavilion faces the north facing main hall, which is the Hall of Qinzheng where the emperor summoned his ministers and workers when he was in Xiyuan. "That's pretty good." Wang Wu nodded and said, "Once you draw it, I almost remember it." "Uncle Tan," Zhang Dianchen asked, "I've been asking you for advice. I know the north side of Yingtai. What about the east and west sides?" "There is a wooden plank bridge in the east, leading diagonally to the Xiyuan Gate; in the west, across the water, there is probably a pavilion called Liubei Pavilion, also known as Liushuiyin. I have never been there." "What about the south?" "The south bank is called Baoyue Tower, which was specially built during the Qianlong period for Concubine Rong of the Ministry of Hui to live." "Oh, oh," Zhang Dianchen suddenly realized, "I see. From the area around West Chang'an Avenue Huihuiying, looking north, there is a tall building in the imperial city. I think it is Baoyue Tower?" "You're right! The purpose of building the Baoyue Tower at that place was to allow Concubine Rong to lean on the railing to see the scenery of returning to the camp, and to comfort her homesickness." "Yes!" Zhang Dianchen thought for a while and said, "Since Baoyue Tower is at the root of the imperial city, it is always relatively desolate. I think there may be a solution in the south." Hearing this, Wang Wu cheered up, and hurriedly asked: "Dian Chen, tell me, what do you plan to do?" "I don't dare to say it at the moment. You know the old man. I have a cousin who works in the office of the General Administration Department. He lives in the Shuangta Qingshou Temple. There can be a place to support him." Wang Wu couldn't help but be disappointed with such a vague sentence.But Tan Sitong feels that this is more or less a clue, so let's talk about it from this point. "My cousin listens to me the most. If the emperor can be rescued from Yingtai, it would be a safe place to hide with my cousin." Zhang Dianchen said, "However, it will be difficult in the future! " "It's my business in the future. As long as I can rescue my cousin Ling, I can ask the British or Japanese embassy to send a car to pick him up." "Okay!" Wang Wu first determined the scope of responsibility, "Let's just discuss the section from Yingtai to outside the wall of Baoyue Tower." Although it is only a short distance away, within the Forbidden Garden, it is as dense as Pengshan Mountain.After careful consideration, Zhang Dianchen proposed two things that must be done.The first is to contact the trusted eunuchs around the emperor; the second is to bribe the person in charge of the boat in Fengchen Garden, because the emperor wants to get out of Yingtai, so he can only sail by light boat.But if you can find an internal response in the guard camp, then everything will be convenient. Speaking of this, it was nearly midnight, and Wang Wu suddenly remembered that Qin Zhifen hadn't explained what Qin Zhifen entrusted, "It's ridiculous! I've never done such a thing!" Qin Wujiu will go there."