Chapter 55 Bazuo Jigao is a real gentleman

When Zeng Guoquan and his son arrived at Shuiximen Wharf, Jiangning City was already immersed in the deafening sound of firecrackers.The major yamen, shops, and the gates of wealthy families have long been decorated with lights and festoons.From their high walls came not only the sound of firecrackers, but also all kinds of tantalizing fragrances, melodious sounds of orchestral strings, and heat that could melt the snowflakes all over the sky!The tenth year of Tongzhi is about to pass, and the old peaches on the pillars will be replaced with new talismans.People are offering sacrifices to gods, ancestors and heaven and earth, praying that in the new year, under the blessing of ancestors and gods, they will be promoted and made rich, the family will be auspicious, safe and smooth, and everything will go well.

At first glance, Jiangning City is prosperous and peaceful, especially the silk and bamboo boats on the Qinhuai River, the various jugglers in the Confucius Temple, the red men and women in Rouge Lane, and the fat horses and light furs in Gongyuan Street, all of which make this ancient capital of the Six Dynasties gentle and rich. , romantic and charming.A closer look is not the case.Needless to say, in the broken brick-burning kilns outside the city, in the low earth temples, in the small shacks built with old mats one after another beside the city wall, under the eaves and bridge piers in the city, and all kinds of In the dilapidated sheds of the village, there are countless dying hungry beggars and homeless people who are fleeing famine.Their sallow and thin faces, sunken eyes, bodies wrapped in sacks of bark, and the frozen starving corpses lying not far from them tear apart the prosperous appearance of the first city in the south of the Yangtze River. It is so pulpy that it fully exposes the myth of Tongzhi Zhongxing!

The highest-ranking yamen in Jiangning City, the Liangjiang Governor’s Office, ushered in its first New Year after it was rebuilt. It should have been celebrated with a lot of make-up and lively, but because its owner has always been frugal, it is even more difficult. Because he visited the city and outside the city a few years ago, he saw with his own eyes the scene of "the wine and meat of the Zhumen stinks, and the bones on the road are frozen to death" under his rule, and his heart was extremely heavy.He ordered his family to set off firecrackers only twice on the eve of the New Year's Eve and the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, and not to let them off on any other day.Except for hanging four red lanterns at the gate to express auspiciousness, everything is the same as in the past.

Because of the arrival of the ninth younger brother, Zeng Guofan was extremely excited, and had a long talk for two nights.Zeng Guoquan will not mention the part about being a guest on Tiger Mountain for the time being, but tell him the news about Kang Fu first. "Kang Fu is still alive?" Zeng Guofan was overjoyed, and then he muttered to himself, "That year when he was cleaning the battlefield, I never saw his body, so I had a glimmer of hope: Is it possible that Kang Fu is not dead? Sure enough, he is still alive now, what a blessing." Good man!" Zeng Guoquan briefly talked about the fact that he went to Dongliang Mountain to visit Kang Fubuyu, saw his son, and left a note, and then praised Kang Zhong a lot.

"How did you know that Kang Fu lived in seclusion in Dongliang Mountain?" Kang Fu was still alive, which comforted Zeng Guofan who was seriously ill. "I ran into the old department of Jiziying on the Digang Wharf, and I heard him talk about it." "Oh!" Zeng Guofan didn't ask any more questions. He stared at the candlelight in a daze, as if he was recalling the years he spent with Kang Fu. After a long time, he said softly, "I don't know when Kang Fu will come back from Wudang Mountain." , I really want to see him again in my lifetime, I owe him so much!"

"This is easy." Zeng Guoquan said, "Just send someone to bring him to Jiangning City after a while." Perhaps because of the excessive excitement, Zeng Guofan's old illness recurred: dizziness, numbness in his right foot, ringing in the ears, and being unable to speak for several days.On the first day of the Lunar New Year in the 11th year of Tongzhi, Zeng Guofan, with the help of his servants, reluctantly came forward to accept the congratulations from Jiang Ning Wenwu, and led everyone to look north to bow to the Queen Mother and the Emperor.As soon as the ceremony was over, he lay down on the bed again.An important topic was unavoidable during the New Year's greetings among Jiangning official circles: Gongbao Zenghou was seriously ill.Everyone sighed, saying that the barracks in the past were too difficult, and the official duties these years were so heavy that no iron man could support them.Some people also quietly commented that Lao Zhongtang's illness mainly came from the Jin case the year before last, "outside ashamed, guilt god", the pain caused by this kind of deep regret is a hundred times stronger than the harm caused by fatigue.

The governor's yamen of Liangjiang was even more clouded.Mrs. Ouyang prayed silently to the ancestral tablet every night, praying for the spirit of the ancestors in heaven to bless the master for a speedy recovery.Ouyang Zhaoxiong brought several famous doctors into the mansion every day for consultation.When Zeng Guofan was in Tianjin the year before last, he wrote to ask his son to make a coffin, but the Jize brothers couldn't bear to do it.Seeing the seriousness of the situation this time, Ji Ze quietly discussed with Uncle Jiu whether he should make the longevity utensils first, and said that there were ready-made Jianchang flower boards.Zeng Guoquan thought for a while and said: "Sooner or later, let's do it now." So in a few miscellaneous rooms on the east side of the supervisor's office, three carpenters began to beat and beat.

After the seventh day, Zeng Guofan's condition gradually improved, his dizziness stopped, and he was able to eat some porridge, so he struggled to get up and filled in the diaries from the previous few days one by one.After writing a few pages, I felt tired again, so I had to rest with my eyes closed.After resting for a while, feeling better, I took out another copy of "Confucianism" to read. "Brother, I'll give you a good thing!" Zeng Guoquan walked in with one hand behind his back, his face beaming with joy.At this moment, Zeng Guofan was reminded of the expression of his 17-year-old and 9-year-old younger brother who followed him to study in the capital thirty years ago.

"Someone sent you a letter, guess who it is?" "There are hundreds of people who write to me, how can I guess!" Seeing the happy look of the ninth brother, the eldest brother was also infected, and a slight smile appeared on his dry and wrinkled face. "You would never have guessed that it was from the Northwest by Zuo Lao San." Zeng Guoquan raised his hand behind his back, holding a large envelope between his fingers. "Is it Zuo Jigao's letter?" Zeng Guofan suddenly seemed to have a sudden force, and he stood up. "Show me quickly!"

Zeng Guofan can't be blamed for being too excited.This old friend who has made great military exploits on the Northwest battlefield has not received a letter for eight years since Jinling was conquered.Although Zeng Guofan had written to him on his own initiative to express his friendliness, although Zeng Guofan sent out every grain and every penny on time regarding the food and salaries in the Northwest, and even though at his request, Liu Songshan, a rising star of the Hunan Army, was sent to support, Zuo Zongtang always There was not a single handwritten letter to Zeng Guofan, and all the letters sent were cold official documents.Over the years, whenever I think of Zuo Zongtang’s great support at the beginning of the establishment of the Hunan Army, especially the night when Jinggang was about to commit suicide again after the defeat of Jinggang, Zuo Zongtang’s unusual scolding played a huge role, Zeng Guofan felt that he owed Zuo Zongtang, and even Zuo Zongtang called him hypocritical-this broke his heart for Zeng Guofan, who has always pretended to be sincere-he could forgive him.However, Zeng Guofan knew Zuo Zongtang's stubborn temper, and if he really wanted to go to the end of it, he couldn't pull it back.

Now, this hero Jin Liang sent a private letter all the way from thousands of miles away, and on the envelope was written "From Brother Zeng Disheng", just like in Daoguang and Xianfeng years, Zeng Guofan felt a sense of intimacy spontaneously. He picked up the scissors and carefully cut open the envelope, and Zuo Zongtang's beautiful and beautiful handwriting jumped out of it.He wiped his eyes, then shook off the paper and looked intently.Standing aside, Zeng Guoquan saw his eldest brother's face twitching slightly, and the paper in his hand trembling slightly.Zeng Guofan watched, finally closed his eyes, leaned back in the chair, let out a long breath, and sighed: "After all, Zuo Jigao is from my generation! He is a real gentleman! " While speaking, the letter paper fell from between the fingers.Zeng Guoquan picked it up and took a look. The letter read: Your Excellency Brother Di Weng Zun: Shouqing died heroically for his country, and his nephew Jintang begged his younger brother to write an epitaph for him.My younger brother, Yu Shouqing, only has the past of the envoy, but has no knowledge of the old kindness of pulling out, so it is unbearable to remember it in the tomb.But An Shouqing's loyal soul only respects the heart of his brother. Eight years without communication, there are more than thousands of people in the world talking about it!However, they all judge others by themselves, rambling.The state affairs that a gentleman contends for have nothing to do with the thickness of his personal feelings; and my younger brother Su is happy to use his emotions, which is not to blame for the world's wild guesses.Shouqing goes first, and younger brother Xuanran feels ashamed.The younger brother and the older brother are both over sixty years old, and they are getting old. How much will they have in this life and the future, and they are still acting out of children's spirits, so the younger generations should laugh at it.The past is like smoke, so why ask what is right and what is wrong; the days are short, and we can only encourage each other to cherish and love each other.A couplet of plays is presented to each other, and the friendship of more than 30 years is all in it: knowing the wisdom of others, seeking the loyalty of the country, I am ashamed to be inferior to Yuanfu; "Brother, Ji Gao apologized to you." Zeng Guoquan was also very excited. "It's not an apology, this is where Ji Gao's heart is bright." Zeng Guofan stood up slowly, holding the armrests, then left the armchair, and took two steps slowly in the room. "Knowing people's wisdom, seeking loyalty to the country, I am ashamed to be inferior to Yuanfu", he said silently in his heart, thinking of Zuo Zongtang's letter transferred by the prime minister's office during the handling of the Tianjin religious case.In that letter, with a fierce attitude and sharp words, he accused the wrong handling of the Tianjin case and praised the patriotic enthusiasm of the people of Jin, which almost didn't explicitly call him a traitor.With Zuo Zongtang's reputation and status, the pressure and pain that this letter gave Zeng Guofan at that time can be imagined.Now, the words "you are ashamed to be loyal to the country", isn't it a tactful expression of Zuo Zongtang's affirmation of Zeng Guofan's handling of the Tianjin case?The former commander of the Hunan Army, who was greatly stimulated physically and mentally by the Tianjin case, needs others' understanding of him on this matter, especially the understanding of people like Zuo Zongtang!Zeng Guofan not only dispelled the years of suspicion with Zuo Zongtang, but even expressed gratitude to his old friend.He stopped suddenly, sat on the armchair again, stroked his beard habitually with his right hand, and said to his younger brother with a smile: "Yuan Fu, let me tell you a new story about Ji Gao." "Zuo Jigao has the most stories, and he can compile a book in the future. I don't know what good stories my elder brother has heard." "Zuo Jigao was the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu in Lanzhou. At that time, some neighbors in Dongshan Baishuidong, where he lived in seclusion, wanted to visit him. Of course, they also wanted to take this opportunity to go sightseeing, so they wrote a letter and sent it to Lanzhou. Zuo Jigao replied to invite them Go, and sent three people's money, three old farmers from Baishuidong traveled together, and trekked to the northwest. Zuo Jigao was happier to see these three fellow villagers than to see the imperial envoy sent by the imperial court to comfort him. I ate with them for three days in a row, smoked with them in a copper hookah, and talked about the past farming in Dongshan.The sincerity of Zuo Jigao's neighbors when he treated Weishi made his subordinates deeply moved. "After dinner that day, Ji Gao casually chatted with three neighbors. The weather was hot, so he simply took off his coat, revealing a big belly, and lay down on the armchair. He waved his big cattail fan and asked the neighbors:' You see, is there any difference between Zuo San’s father today and Zuo San’s father in the past?” One said: “You are always the same as you were twenty years ago, and you are still so easy-going and unassuming.” The other said: “You are not old, just like before They are both healthy and strong.” The third one said: “It’s just a little different, the belly was not as big as it is now.” Ji Gao was very proud, he patted his big belly with a cattail fan, and asked: “Do you know what’s inside here?” ’ One said: ‘It’s fish, chicken, and duck.’ The other said: ‘Daddy Zuo San couldn’t eat pork and fresh fish in the Northwest. I think what’s in it is beef and mutton.’ The third said, ‘No, it’s sea cucumbers. , bird’s nest.” Ji Gao laughed and said: “You all guessed wrong, it contains a huge amount of economics.” The three neighbors were shocked. One said: “Daddy Zuo San, you take the gold Wouldn’t it be a pity to swallow the wheel you made?” Another said: “And it’s huge, how can you swallow it?” Zuo Jigao laughed so much that the cattail fan in his hand fell to the ground.” Zeng Guoquan also laughed and asked, "Who said this?" "Who else? When the three neighbors from Baishuidong returned to Xiangyin, they said to everyone they met, no wonder Zuo San's father is so talented. It turns out that he has a golden wheel that can spin in his stomach!" When Zeng Guofan said this, he couldn't help laughing. "Brother, are you safe?" Seeing him smiling happily, Zeng Guoquan asked joyfully. "Safe!" Zeng Guofan replied happily.