Chapter 199 Yingtai Sunset (7-1)

Before the feast was half over, Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang resigned after hearing only two plays.In order to respect Zai Zhen's identity, Yuan Shikai ordered in advance that the governor's actions and movements, such as "stand on duty" and "fire the cannon" are not used.Arriving in front of De Zaizhen, he bent down and said a few polite words in a low voice, then quietly backed away.Zaizhen turned against the guest, and sent it straight to the dripping eaves. After Yuan Shikai thanked him repeatedly, he turned around and returned to his seat. The timing was very accurate. After Yuan Shikai left, Sun Juxian's "Going to the Rooftop" came to an end, followed by Yang Cuixi's "Three Books of Hongni Pass". When flirting with Wang Bodang, his eyes were always looking after the nobleman who was seated first in the audience, watching Zai Zhen until he stopped drinking, his eyes were straightened.

Seeing this, Duan Zhigui and Wang Xiying, who was "accompanying the last seat", smiled knowingly, and then made a gesture to the valet, and brought a basket of brand-new Longyang, fifty pieces each, a total of forty seal up. As soon as the play was over, Zai Zhen applauded and applauded, and Duan Zhigui announced loudly: "Zhen Beizi will be rewarded!" As soon as the voice fell, four servants in blue coats and red tasseled hats carried the baskets to the front of the stage like flying, and immediately opened Long Yang's cover and sprinkled them on the stage. The sound of the platform, "哗啦, 哗啦" went on for a while before it stopped.

In fact, although the sound was lively, only ten envelopes were opened, and Duan Zhigui said loudly again: "Zhen Beizi ordered, reward Yang Cuixi another five hundred taels!" Then the noise started again.The roles and civil and military scenes of this play have been lined up. When the rewards are over, they will pay their respects on the stage. The drummer shouted loudly: "Thank you!" When the table was cleared and a thousand silver coins were picked up, Yang Cuixi had already unloaded, accompanied by Wang Xiying, she came to thank Zaizhen alone. "Thank you, Master Zhen!" Yang Cuixi bowed gracefully and said, "You have rewarded me too much!"

"Not much, not much!" Zai Zhen laughed and said, "You sing really well!" "Thank you, Mr. Zhen, for your compliment." Yang Cuixi stood up, walked to Zai Zhen's side, and filled the pot with wine for him. "You have a glass of respect to Master Zhen!" Duan Zhigui said. "Yes!" Yang Cuixi picked up the wine in front of Zai Zhen, drank it down in one gulp, then filled it up again, before saying: "Master Zhen please." On the rim of the fine porcelain wine glass, there were thick and colorful scars, Zai Zhen swallowed the wine and Yang Cuixi's blubber together into his throat without hesitation.

At this time, a footman had already brought a square stool, and Yang Cuixi sat behind Zai Zhen under the hint of Wang Xiying's gesture, and asked in a low voice, "Did Master Zhen arrive that day?" "I just arrived today." Zai Zhen answered her with a half-turned body, and at the same time began to look at her carefully. In Zai Zhen's eyes, Yang Cuixi has three words: black, white, and alive.The black is the eyebrow hair, the white is the skin, and the living is the eyes.Thinking of her figure in "Little Cowherd", with her graceful waist and extraordinary flexibility, she couldn't help but feel countless thoughts, and her heart beat and she was a little out of breath.

Duan Zhigui, who was old in the flowers, could see his heart through his eyes, and said immediately: "I'm afraid Beizi is a little tired. There is another resting place here, which is very secret." The last four words were spoken lightly, but clearly, Zai Zhen understood and was pleased. "I'm a little tired." He said, "It's best to lie down for a while." "Yes! I'll lead the way." So Duan Zhigui led Zai Zhen to leave the table, Yang Cuixi got up and watched, "I'm going to look at you", in Zai Zhen's heart, it seemed that she was saying: "Master, please, I will come right away."

※ ※ ※ This is a specially arranged temporary hiding place, a small courtyard facing north and south, each with three bungalows.The south room was pitch black, but the north room was brightly lit. When the cotton curtain was lifted, the heat was blowing on the face, and the room was like spring. Immediately, I felt that the leather robe could not be worn anymore. "It's so warm!" Zai Zhen looked around and felt that there was something missing in the house. After thinking about it, he remembered that there is no one in the north that does not have a stove. As long as you enter the house, you can see it. This house is not the case, so he asked strangely: "Where is the stove?"

"There's no stove." Duan Zhigui said, "It's a foreigner's method. He installed a heating pipe. It's cleaner than a stove, and there's no heat." "Oh!" Zai Zhen asked, "Where does the heating come from?" "Outside, boilers are used to heat water, and pipes are used to bring in the hot air." "That's good!" Zai Zhen said without hesitation: "The mansion also has to pretend. Xiangyan, I'll leave this to you." "Yes! I'll do it right away. Beizi please sit in the back room." As Duan Zhigui said, he lifted the curtain of the west room, a girl with long braids, about eighteen or nineteen years old, greeted the door, and shouted with a smile:

"Master Zhen!" Zaizhen's feeling was different immediately, as if he was in the first-class Huayin small class in Bada Hutong.Stepping in and taking a look, there is a big copper bed on the inside, complete with quilt pillows, a dressing table in front of the bed, and a screen hanging on the opposite wall. .A table is placed by the window, but instead of vases, incense burners and other furnishings, there are dried and wet fruits and various foreign wines.In addition, there is a one-legged round table in the middle of the room called "Bailing Terrace". Although the tabletop is made of red sandalwood marble, it feels as moist as jade to the touch, which is naturally due to the heating pipes.

"Her name is Jin'er." Duan Zhigui pointed to the girl and said to Zai Zhen, "Let her greet you! I won't bother you." "Take care, worry!" Zai Zhen said, "I'll go out after a short rest." "Please take a break, Beizi. I will make arrangements outside. Just say that Beizi has already returned to the hotel. I will also greet the guards and attendants well, so there is no need to make them wait. When the time comes, I will personally send Beizi back." "That can't be better!" Zai Zhen once again cupped his hands and thanked him: "I appreciate all the troubles."

"Don't dare to do it, don't dare to do it!" Duan Zhigui asked An to return the gift, then took two steps back and said to Jin'er: "You can greet him well." "Yes!" Jin'er agreed, turned around and said, "Uncle Zhen, take off your clothes!" "That's right!" Zai Zhen said, "You ask someone to bring my clothes and bag." When high-ranking officials go out, as usual, there are personal servants who carry clothes and bags so that they can change into plain clothes when they have banquets. If they stay for a long time, or in the weather of "March and September, dress indiscriminately", they carry more than one set of plain clothes.As for Zai Zhen’s number one trousers, if you’re a guest for half a day, you need to bring a coat bag, because you don’t know what to play. Wen quietly drinks and chats, and when the time comes, he has to change into clothes of the same material. The colors and patterns are the same at first glance, but they are different when you look closely. .This is also "putting on a show", but it is more transparent when placed in the dark than in the open. Duan Zhigui had a complete set of arrangements for this trip, Zai Zhen's bag had already been brought, and Jin'er waited for him to remove the sable "Crouching Dragon Bag" fox-inlaid fur robe for him, and put on a pair of jacket trousers and a jacket Very thin silk gown.After changing clothes, full of briskness, Zai Zhen walked to the table, poured half a glass of brandy into the open crystal wine glass, held it in both hands, shook it, and drank slowly, but his eyes only followed the brocade. The figure of the child is turning. "how old are you?" "It's a round number once Chinese New Year comes!" Jin'er replied, turning around at the same time.The momentum was too fierce, and the long braid flicked, almost hitting Zai Zhen's eyes. "So, this year is nineteen." Zai Zhen asked, "Do you have a husband's family?" "I don't know." Jin'er's voice was low and quick, and she turned around to do her work again, cleaning the Bailing Terrace and setting up the cups and chopsticks, two sets in total. "What?" Zai Zhen asked with a smile, "Jin'er, are you going to drink with me?" "Jin'er is so lucky." "I think you look very decent, and you look very lucky. May I be a matchmaker for you?" Said, Zai Zhen pulled her over with one hand, put down the wine glass with the other, and touched her face.Jin'er struggled, but only protected her hair with her hands, for fear of touching the hair. "Be good, let me smell one." Zai Zhen grabbed her weak point and threatened: "Otherwise, I'll mess up your hair!" Jin'er had no choice but to close her eyes, pursed her lips, let him kiss her, then jumped up and dodged far away. Zai Zhen laughed loudly, took out a coin from his purse, and said, "Come on! for you. " Jin'er hesitated for a while, and finally came over. Zai Zhen took her hand and stuffed the money into her palm, without further wording. "It's gold, isn't it?" "You can't even tell gold?" "It's not that I can't tell the difference." Jin'er said, "I've never seen this kind of money before." "Let's not say it's you, even the wives and young ladies of the senior official's family have not been seen by many people. This is used by Lafayette in the palace to reward people. " "It turned out to be rewarded by Lafayette!" Jin'er was both surprised and delighted, "Lafayette rewarded Master Zhen, and Master Zhen, you rewarded me again, didn't you?" "You can say that too!" "Then, I really have lost face!" Jin'er clasped the coin tightly in her palms, and said with a smile, "I have to take it home and let my mother offer it in the Buddhist hall." Hearing this, Zai Zhen was going to give her another one. Just as he was about to reach out for his purse, he heard footsteps outside, and then someone said softly, "Go in by yourself! It's in your interest to serve her well." Before the words were finished, Jin'er had rushed to break the curtain, Zai Zhen watched intently, but felt a dazzling light, which made it hard to look at.Yang Cuixi entered the room and thanked Jin Er first: "Thank you." Jin'er smiled and didn't answer, just pushed her body, so Yang Cuixi turned to Zai Zhen.Before speaking, she pursed her lips and smiled, two deep dimples appeared on her cheeks. "You must know how to drink. Come!" Zai Zhen pointed to the case and said, "You can choose which one you like to drink." "Where can I choose? I don't know how to drink, and I will give up my life to accompany the gentleman. If there is something that has a lighter taste, Mr. Lao Zhen, please bring me a small cup." "The lightest is wine, red and white, which one do you like?" "I can't tell." Yang Cuixi looked at the foreign wines and said, "Red, green, yellow, and white, all of them dazzle me." "Why don't you have a glass of mint wine." Zai Zhen poured a glass of emerald green mint wine from a gourd-shaped wine bottle and handed it to Yang Cuixi.Jin'er had already moved the fruit plate to the Bailing Terrace: "Miss Yang, come here to drink with Mr. Zhen!" She said, "I have some hot dishes, I'll go and bring them." After finishing speaking, with a flick of her long braid, Jin'er turned away.Yang Cuixi put out all her strengths and served Zai Zhen to drink.After the four were hot fried, a white fish and purple crab hot pot was served, and Jin'er had something to say again. "Miss Yang, feel free to drink slowly with Uncle Zhen, I'm in the opposite room." She pointed to a silk rope in the corner and said, "Just ring the bell to greet me." So with a flick of her long braid, the doors closed tightly, and Jin'er disappeared lightly.Yang Cuixi put the latch on the door, and when she turned around, she was startled by Zai Zhen who hugged her face. "My uncle!" She reproached, "If you touch it, my heart almost jumps out." "You're so timid." Zai Zhen touched her chest disrespectfully, like a magnet, and that hand stuck to her chest. "Isn't it, your heart is beating very hard?" Yang Cuixi bowed her back, supported her hands, and got out of his embrace, "Master, don't you want to drink? Please sit here." "Wine is meant to be drunk, and there must be a way to drink it. I will only drink it according to my method!" "Is there a way to drink?" "Of course!" Zai Zhen salivated and said, "How about giving me a leather cup?" Yang Cuixi shook her head and said, "I won't!" "It's very easy, I'll teach you!" As he spoke, he took a sip of the mint wine, brought his lips closer, and wanted to feed it into her mouth.If Yang Cuixi didn't want to, Zaizhen used force.The two wrestled back and forth and onto the bed until he finally let him drink a leather cup for her. "You should know this, right?" Zai Zhen said with a smile, "Just now I counted you as a respect, now you should pay back." "I won't come!" Yang Cuixi pretended to be wronged, "It's better not to have you teach me. I'm at a disadvantage!" "Two are the best!" Zai Zhen threw off the slippers on his feet, flew up with his kick, and kicked the tent hook with a sound, and then half of the tent door was unloaded. ※ ※ ※ After listening to Duan Zhigui's words, Yuan Shikai pondered for a while, before he began to speak: "Zhen Beizi wants you to be his entourage, there is nothing wrong with it, and it is not difficult to guarantee you to fill in the real vacancies. As for the governor of a province, I think you are not only It was too much to expect, and it was almost a dream." "As for the commander in chief, it depends on man's effort. As long as the commander in chief is willing to train me, I will be successful." "How can I cultivate you?" Yuan Shikai said, "I can't make trouble for you. You know, I can't hit the wall anymore. " "Of course I don't dare to let the commander-in-chief make fun of it and run into trouble. What I mean is: first, please let the commander-in-chief let me try; second, if King Qing asks the commander-in-chief, please say something nice to the commander-in-chief. " "If you ask me, of course I will say good things for you." Yuan Shikai replied: "If you are willing to try, I don't have to stop you. But I think you are wasting your efforts in vain." Hearing this, Duan Zhigui smiled and asked Ann, "As long as the commander allows me to try it, it will be fine." After resigning from Beiyang Yamen, Duan Zhigui immediately went to visit Wang Xiying.There is also a Wang Xianbin present here, whose name is Zhulin. He is basically an alternate road. He distributes it in Henan. He also followed Duan Zhigui's footsteps.All the expenses of the Beiyang Yamen that cannot be paid out of the public account are allocated by Wang Xianbin to the merchants, and he can be regarded as a wealthy owner of Duan Zhigui. "The commander-in-chief has already nodded." Duan Zhigui said excitedly: "It depends on how the two old men praise me!" "I'm responsible for Cuixi's affairs." Wang Xiying replied, "I've already told her adoptive mother that the lion wants 30,000 silver, so take your time!" "It can't be too slow..." "Please don't worry!" Wang Xiying rushed to say, "I'm sure, anyway, when Zhen Beizi came back from outside the pass, the matter must have been finished." "One more thing," Duan Zhigui added, "Zhen Beizi also likes Jin'er, so it's best to do it together." "I'm afraid it's a bit difficult, but there's always a way to think about it, and it's a big deal to spend a few more dollars." "By the way! Please worry about it." Duan Zhigui turned his face and asked, "Zhulin, how are you doing?" "This number is a little too big." Wang Xianbin said emotionally, "Xiang Gong, can it be less?" "Less is never less! If it's less, it won't work, it's like throwing it in the water." Duan Zhigui thought for a while and said, "I also know that the amount is a bit too big, so how about I borrow half of it temporarily?" "As long as there is, how can you not be dedicated to Mr. Xiang's affairs? Money is really tight and the interest is heavy. It is very difficult to borrow." "When it comes to interest, it's easy. I'm sure I'll borrow half of it! Come, come, I'll write an IOU, and Yisun will be a witness." "Yisun" is Wang Xiying's alias, of course he helped Duan Zhigui, and said without hesitation: "Okay! I will bear witness." After saying that, he opened the ink cartridge himself, and waited for Duan Zhigui to come and write the IOU. "Yisun," Duan Zhigui said, "you write it for me, and I will sign it with my own hand." So Wang Xiying took a piece of flower paper and wrote down an IOU: "I borrowed 50,000 taels of Kuping for the preparation of the establishment of the province, and it will be cleared within this year." Then Duan Zhigui sat down and signed the pledge , the signed title is: "Duan Zhigui, Governor of Heilongjiang." It's almost child's play!But what is this, but a joke?Wang Xianbin has heard that the reward for buying a gun is an IOU signed by a "new imperial examiner" so-and-so. IOUs should be regarded as counterfeit.Now that Duan Zhigui followed his advice and wrote such an IOU, seeing that he wrote without any hesitation, he seemed to be sure of everything, Wang Xianbin was greatly encouraged and decided to bet a big bet. Therefore, when Duan Zhigui handed over this IOU, he held back his hands and said, "Mr. Xiang is simply scolding! Mr. Cheng Xiang praised me. I have to make up that number no matter what." He deliberately thought for a while and said: "My mother has 30,000 taels of silver in her hand, and she intends to donate it to a royal title in the future. I will discuss it with my mother, and we will move it to make up the amount first." "I can't thank you enough." Duan Zhigui said, "Please tell the Lingtang that the first-rank seal will be granted, and I will guarantee her the old man's wish. Zhulin, to tell you the truth, if there is no province in the three eastern provinces, it will be fine. If there is a province, I will be the governor. , at that time, you and Yisun, whatever job you want, it's up to you to choose." As soon as this wish was made, Wang Xianbin became even more energetic. He collected a hundred thousand silver to return to his command.Duan Zhigui did things properly, so he still asked Wang Zibin to keep it, because this huge sum of money was a birthday present for Yikuang.February 28 next year will be his seventieth birthday, which is too early.Of course, it also depends on the situation. In case the restructuring of the three eastern provinces is not easy to achieve, this large sum of money may as well be saved. ※ ※ ※ Not long after Xu Shichang and Zai Zhen left the customs, Wang Xiying negotiated with Yang Cuixi's adoptive mother, who was worth twelve thousand taels of silver.In addition, making jewelry, making clothes, buying a house, and buying furniture together cost a total of 20,000 silver to build a golden house for Zaizhen in Tianjin. All this was deliberately kept from Zai Zhen, so when he returned to Tianjin, he was not surprised when he ate Yuan Shikai's dust-cleaning wine at the Beiyang Governor's Yamen and delivered it to the hotel.Because the tables, chairs and bed curtains are all new in style, and the colors are very vulgar, bright red and green, it seems that this kind of arrangement can only be found in the bridal chamber. "What is this place?" "Why can't Master Zhen even recognize his own small mansion?" Wang Xiying said with a smile. Zai Zhen was blinded for a moment, and when he was chewing on his words, he saw a shadow flashing behind the screen, the face was not seen, and the tail of the braid was raised first, and now he suddenly realized. "So it's Jin'er!" "Master is back!" Jin'er said hello, walked over to take the hat from Zai Zhen's hand, took a special look and said, "Mr. is dark and thin, you know you have worked hard." Zai Zhen wanted to reach out to touch her face, but he withdrew his hand because he was concerned about the presence of guests.Seeing this, Duan Zhigui exchanged glances with Wang Xiying and reached a tacit understanding. "Zhen Beizi, please rest!" Duan Zhigui said, "I'll come back tomorrow to say hello." "Wait! Xiangyan," Zai Zhen pulled him and said, "Whose idea is this?" "I came up with the idea, but he managed it all by himself." Duan Zhigui pointed to Wang Xiying and said. "Inefficient service!" Wang Xiying smiled and bowed and said, "Please forgive me, sir." Zai Zhen's emotion was completely displayed on his face, he hesitated for a moment, cupped his hands and said: "Take care, everything is tacit." When the guests left, Jin'er opened the curtain of the bedroom, and saw a pair of brightly lit anthurium candles on the mahogany dressing table, and Yang Cuixi in full dress was sitting on the edge of the bed. Seeing Zai Zhen, she stood up slowly, bowed her head, and bowed her head. Said loudly: "Bring the red felt!" Although his voice was low, Zai Zhen heard it clearly, and knew that he was speaking to Jin'er, so he brought the red felt as a gift, so he felt that it was unnecessary. "Forget it! Forget it!" He said: "I will enter Beijing tomorrow, just kowtow to the prince and Fujin." "In front of the prince and Fujin, it is natural to kowtow, but..." Yang Cuixi's voice was very low, and she said the word "but", without further words.Zai Zhen thought he didn't hear clearly, so he asked, "But what?" "Let's talk about it later!" Yang Cuixi looked around and said, "Jin'er, you'd better bring the red felt." "No, no!" "Grandpa, don't be too polite. For the first time, let's accept the head of my aunt!" One resignation and one concession, thanks to Jin'er's teasing, the scene was not too awkward, and after the hasty salute, Jin'er spoke again. "Master, you can't take this head for nothing, can you?" "Yes!" Zai Zhen touched his forehead and asked blankly, "What should I do?" Seeing his silly look, Yang Cuixi and Jin'er couldn't help laughing, which made Zai Zhen even more confused. "Master," Jin'er finally said clearly, "Give me a meeting gift!" "Oh! Oh!" Zai Zhen was reminded, "I didn't know in advance, what should I do if I didn't prepare?" "That's what it means. You don't care what you give, as long as there is such a thing!" There are quite a few small odds and ends hanging on Zai Zhen's body, but gold watches and the like are not suitable for women to wear, or they are a little less polite.After thinking for a while, he took off a diamond ring bought abroad from his little finger, took Yang Cuixi's left hand, and personally put it on her ring finger. Yang Cuixi was overjoyed, the diamond on the ring was as big as a soybean, and it had been cut and polished by a famous craftsman, it was very good at "turning the head", as long as she stretched out her hand, no one would not be dazzling.Yang Cuixi thought about it more than once, if she is alive, if she can wear such a big diamond ring one day, it would be a waste of time. Dreams come true, but it's hard to believe. She looked at the diamond ring, then at Zai Zhen, and asked unconsciously, "Master, am I dreaming?" "What is this?" As soon as Zai Zhen said the words, he remembered that his tone was almost contemptuous. He was afraid of hurting the beauty's heart, so he held her hand tightly and said, "This ring is only a little over seven carats. When will I buy it for you again?" A big one." "I don't even know what it's like to be older?" She turned a hand that was so white and bullying Saixue twice, looked at the diamond ring shining with crystal light and said, "Just this 'turning head', even a blind man will Open your eyes and see." Just as Zai Zhen was about to answer, he felt a shadow flickering in front of his eyes. Then he realized that Jin'er was there, and hurriedly called to her, "Jin'er, don't go, I have something to reward you." "Yes!" Jin'er stood still, with a smile on his face. Zai Zhen was in a dilemma, he couldn't think of anything that could be used as a reward for a while, so he asked with a slightly embarrassed smile: "What do you want?" "I don't want anything, as long as the uncle gives me a piece of paper." "A piece of paper!" Zai Zhen was stunned, "What kind of paper?" "Deed paper." "It's her contract of prostitution." Yang Cuixi knew that Zai Zhen was also very attached to Jin'er, so he just used this to drive her away and sell a favor, so he said calmly, "Jin'er has a husband's family... .” It turned out that Jin'er was a girl hired by Wang Xiying's family, just to serve people well, so she was sent here to greet Zai Zhen at that time.When it came time for the two kings to make a plan to build a golden house for Zaizhen, they accepted the intention and recruited Jin'er as the help of the green leaves.Jin'er has a husband's family, so naturally she didn't want to. Wang Xiying entrusted someone to negotiate, threatened and lured her, and after a lot of effort, she was able to exchange two thousand silver for a contract of prostitution with the fingerprints of Jin'er's parents, which now exists in Yang Cuixi's hands. It can be regarded as one of her dowry. Two thousand silver is a trivial matter in Zaizhen, but a lark has been put into a cage, and it is a bit reluctant to let it fly away.Seeing this scene, Yang Cuixi deliberately said: "Master, I think so, let Jin'er match my sister!" Upon hearing this, Zai Zhen knew that others had seen through his mind, so he hastily concealed himself and said, "No, no! I don't have such great fortune." "I'm telling the truth!" Yang Cuixi deliberately nailed down another sentence. "My words are not false." "Master, if this is the case, then it is equivalent to rewarding Jin'er with two thousand silver." "It's not about two thousand silver. Don't you know where her deed is?" "I'm here." Yang Cuixi blurted out, and immediately opened the dressing table to draw a bucket, took out a piece of deed paper with still fresh ink on it, and handed it to Zai Zhen. "Okay!" Zai Zhen had no choice but to laugh at himself and said, "This can be regarded as a meritorious deed." As he said that, he burned Jin'er's deed paper with a candle. This seems to be a bit unpleasant, but the loss is only a momentary thing, because Yang Cuixi understands that he feels lost at this time, so she tries to be coquettish, frowns and smiles lightly, and has endless surplus everywhere, which makes Zai Zhen's heart hot. , I have never been so excited, lingering all night, I didn't see him show up until the afternoon of the next day. There must be some excitement that night, except for Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang, almost all the officials in Tianjin officialdom who could talk to "Zhen Beizi" were present, and Duan Zhigui even specially asked his wife to greet Yang Cuixi.Some officials and gentry who have a particularly close relationship with Zai Zhen have also been notified by Duan Zhigui separately that they might as well bring their female relatives to congratulate them.So there are five banquets in the hall, and there are two tables of guests inside. They all wear heavy makeup, but no one can compare to Yang Cuixi's color, and everyone is surrounded by pearls, but no one can compare to Yang Cuixi's seven-carat diamond ring. Dazzling.Not only did Yang Cuixi feel like a dream all the time, Zai Zhen was also so proud that he got drunk and spoke incoherently, hugging Duan Zhigui and shouting: "Second brother!" ※ ※ ※ When Zai Zhen was intoxicated in the gentle township, Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang talked in depth for days and decided on several important matters.Xu Shichang told Yuan Shikai that the wealth accumulated in Fengtian's official treasury was beyond anyone's imagination, and the total amount was no less than ten million.It's just that Shengjing's official system is special. There are six ministries and generals, and they are not under the control of each other. Although the six ministries are abolished, the power of affairs does not belong to the generals, and the official treasury is scattered. No one knows how much public funds the three northeastern provinces have.This time, Xu Shichang checked one by one and counted secretly, so as to find out the truth.He originally intended to serve as the first governor of the three eastern provinces, but since then he has become more determined, and he frankly asked Yuan Shikai to make it happen. "Of course, the three eastern provinces have so much money, which has nothing to do with my surname Xu. I just think that the three eastern provinces have huge land and resources, and they have great potential. However, capital must be invested first for development. Since there are ready-made financial resources, why not make good use of them?" Xu Shichang added: "Beiyang is closely related to the three eastern provinces. As long as the three eastern provinces have a way, first of all, there is no need to worry about Beiyang's co-payment." "I'm in Beiyang, I'm afraid it won't be long." Yuan Shikai said, "I should serve you no matter whether it's public or private. Ju people, except for Qu Zijiu's pass, which you have to figure out yourself, everything else is my responsibility." "You have this sentence, my business is a foregone conclusion." Xu Shichang paused and said, "I want to take advantage of Tang Shaochuan and protect him as the governor of Fengtian. First, Russia and Japan are eyeing each other. This diplomacy cannot be done without Tang Shaochuan; Second, Tang Shaochuan is also an expert on the Daxing Railway in the three eastern provinces in the future, so it will be easier to get things together." "Tang Shaochuan is not an expert on railways, but Liang Yansun is an expert, so let's not talk about it. Juren, I would like to ask, besides Fengtian, do you have anyone in your pocket?" "No." Xu Shichang said: "If you have no one to comfort the court, I want to leave these two vacancies to the eldest brother and Qu Zijiu." "Qu Zijiu won't recommend someone to you. Now you are not perfunctory, maybe you can't even keep the governor. If you are perfunctory, he will not recommend a governor to control your elbow. You have to recognize this point, Juren. .” Xu Shichang nodded and said, "I know. The governor of the three eastern provinces is either me or Cen San." "That's right! Let's talk about Cen San's matter later, let's talk about Ji and Hei provinces first." Yuan Shikai paused and said, "Can you leave a vacancy for Zhen Beizi?" Xu Shichang couldn't help but think about this. After playing for a while, he said: "I was thinking that when the official system was reformed in the three eastern provinces at the beginning of the year, there must be very beautiful candidates to refresh their eyes and ears and create momentum. If the characters in Zhenbeizi's pocket are too unqualified... At this point, Xu Shichang suddenly stopped, and then made a desperate expression, "Hey, forget it, I will follow orders." This is to sell love to Yuan Shikai, knowing that Duan Zhigui has won Yuan Shikai's support, so this is artificial.Seeing this situation, of course Yuan Shikai wanted to express his appreciation. "To tell you the truth, Duan Xiangyan has some unreasonable thoughts." He said, "If you do him a favor, it's considered a favor to me." "Heavy words, serious words!" Xu Shichang reminded Yuan Shikai: "I'm helping Xiangyan, I have to start with you." Then the topic turned to Cen Chunxuan, in the name of Jing Bandit, transferring him from Guangdong, Guangxi to Yunnan and Guizhou was a very ruthless move, which has been generally used by officials in power and officials in frontiers.As long as the emperor can be coerced, all the princes bow their heads and obey orders, dare to be angry but dare not speak out, except Cen Chunxuan. Of course, he still didn't dare to openly resist the order, but he just excused his illness to seek medical treatment, and stayed in Shanghai for more than two months, with no sign of taking up his post, which made Yuan Shikai more and more uneasy. "It is very clear that Cen San refuses to take office." Yuan Shikai said: "He dared to do this. He relied on his own family and Qu Zijiu backed him. Where do you want to live? Chrysanthemum, have you thought about it?" Of course Xu Shichang thought about it.Apart from Zhao Erxun, Cen Chunxuan is qualified to be the governor of the three eastern provinces. Zhao Erxun's public opinion is not in harmony, so it is difficult to choose him. Only Cen Chunxuan is a strong opponent.However, he watched with cold eyes, thinking that Cen Chunxuan's ambition was in Zhili, and the three eastern provinces were the next best thing.If he took the first step and took the three eastern provinces, it would be tantamount to cutting off Cen Chunxuan's retreat, and Yuan Shikai's situation would be even more difficult. On the other hand, if Yuan Shikai can't attack, and Cen Chunxuan can't, he will shift his target to the three eastern provinces.From this point of view, he and Yuan Shikai are closely related, and only when Cen Chunxuan is subdued can everyone feel at ease.As for the way to subdue Cen Chunxuan, he has repeatedly considered, and always believes that the only way to subdue the tiger is the best strategy. "The superiors also know that Cen San doesn't want to go to Yunnan Guizhou. If he is only urged to take up the post on a full leave, unless there is a strict order, the superiors will not agree. I was wondering, can we find another place for him?" Yuan Shikai nodded, "I think so too." He said, "This matter will have to be done as soon as you return to Beijing, and it will be bad for you if you delay it for a long time." This is a very frank statement. Once the restructuring of the three eastern provinces is delayed, the chances of Cen Chunxuan becoming the governor of the three eastern provinces are much greater than Xu Shichang. This is the so-called "disadvantage".However, the fact is that it cannot be delayed that long. "He has renewed his leave twice, which lasted for three months." Xu Shichang said: "Jiang Chen has never asked for leave for such a long time, and besides, he is in Shanghai, and there is almost no time for socializing, and it doesn't look like he is going to the doctor to recuperate. Therefore, " Xu Shichang said with emphasis: "As long as he finds a place, I'm not afraid that he won't go to the post." "I thought of a place. You go back to Beijing to discuss with the boss. If you want to find an opportunity, you'd better be as quick as a spark. If you want him to rush to the post, then you don't even need to ask for training!" "Okay!" Xu Shichang understood, "He must not be allowed to come to Beijing for training." ※ ※ ※ On the third day of the first lunar month, the kings of Baylor, relatives and relatives of close relatives, entered the palace to celebrate the new year.For family ceremonies other than formal court congratulations, only the royal family of Xuanzong had to participate in the ceremony. The feast of tea and fruit bestowed. "This year is different from previous years." Yikuang said calmly while chatting about family life: "Depending on the blessings of the empress dowager and the emperor, the overall situation has been settled. The country has turned from weakness to strength. It's just a matter of care. The slave is thinking, the emperor The Empress Dowager has worked hard for many years, and she will live a long life this year, so she should have a good time." As soon as this remark came out, Jin Wang Zaifeng first echoed: "Should, should!" Although the others did not respond, they all looked at the emperor who was sitting next to the Empress Dowager Cixi. He turned his face a little embarrassed and said, "Prince Qing and Prince Jin have played very well. My son asks for a decree. Can you issue an edict to prepare for the celebration?" "There is no such reason!" Empress Dowager Cixi said: "It's not a full birthday, and it's still early." This means that there is no objection to "having a good time", but that the upper edict will not be issued.Yikuang looked up to his will, and immediately said: "Slaves, go discuss the preparations first, and then ask Zhiming to issue an edict." "Okay, okay!" The emperor couldn't help showing a very enthusiastic look, "Go and make preparations, what should you do, please feel free to ask for an order." "It's really unnecessary." The Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Material resources are scarce, so why waste it?" "The emperor takes care of the Holy Mother with the four seas, and the empress dowager cares about the people's livelihood, and tries her best to refrain from wasting money. The ministers must obey Yi's decree." Yikuang went on to say: "In the whole world, everyone depends on the protection of the empress dowager. Ministers and workers, big and small, are eager to have This is an opportunity to serve you. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor are requested to entrust this important matter to the servants. The servants will give the Empress Dowager a dignified birthday under the two principles of keeping money from the treasury and not tiring the local area.” "If this is possible, why would I not do it?" The Empress Dowager Cixi replied with a smile, but then turned to ask, "What does the emperor think?" The emperor, who was accustomed to being silent, had cultivated himself a set of obedient skills, and knew that the most important sentence in Yikuang's high-sounding speech was: "All ministers and workers, big and small, are eager for the opportunity to repay." , the place is not tired, but instructing officials big and small to pay for their services is to use the treasury money indirectly, and the local government will be tired, and they will be rewarded for their performance, which may open the door to donations and donations.And I really want to find something to wake up Yikuang, don't use this excuse to enrich yourself, but it's difficult to speak because it hinders the Empress Dowager Cixi.Just as he was pondering, he deprived himself of the opportunity to say a word. "As long as the money in the treasury is not moved and the place is not tired, the emperor will naturally have nothing to hate. However," Empress Dowager Cixi hesitated again, "look at the situation! In short, don't force it."