Li Hongzhang hurriedly went to the living room to meet other guests. Li Guolou and Sheng Huaixuan were sitting in the study, one writing a statement and the other reading books.
Sheng Huaixuan picked up the written article and showed it to Li Guolou and asked: "Xiaolou, take a look at it for Brother Yu. Is there anything you need to change?"
Li Guolou said sourly: "Brother Xingsun, do you need me to give you something? I've brought the ready-made meal in front of you, but you still don't know how to eat it?"
Sheng Huaixuan laughed three times and said: "Xiaolou, don't be stingy. You don't know how to do such a thankless thing. Brother Yu, I appreciate your kindness and will repay you someday."
"Well..." Li Guolou took the manuscript, read it, frowned and said: "Hey! Brother Xingsun, in the end, you can help the country solve the livelihood of a lot of Manchus, you think so
Gotta come out.”
Sheng Huaixuan sighed: "Isn't it written like this? Xiaolou must consider things carefully. How can we just talk about money, money, money? The people sitting in the hall should still be Manchus. This way Prince Gong will feel comfortable, and the emperor will be able to explain it easily. The two palaces
The Queen Mother can also stamp the jade seal so that the new policy can be implemented, which makes everyone happy."
Li Guolou said: "Brother Xingsun, this new industry can solve the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people and squeeze the foreign telegraph office out of our country. I just said that the secrets hidden in the post and telecommunications office can change the pattern of the Qing Dynasty in the future.
,Brother Xingsun, you must not make any mistakes."
Sheng Huaixuan asked: "Xiaolou, besides information and public opinion, is there any secret you mentioned?"
Li Guolou nodded slightly and fell silent. A mutiny or an uprising can be controlled through the telegraph office. Members of the Westernization faction control public opinion, exchange news, and even control the actions of other factions through the post office. The conservatives and Qing faction can control every move.
,All
will be under the surveillance of the Westernization faction. The telegraph office is actually a secret organization that will play a huge role in the future. All this must be in the hands of Li Hongzhang. Even Prince Gong Yixin is just a Buddha on it. The mystery behind it
Don't let the people above see it.
Li Hongzhang was the mainstay of the Qing Dynasty and a loyal man who served the country. However, he was a man who was good at wielding power and would never let his power go to the side. His subordinates also had to find their own positions. What Li Hongzhang did not say, the people below him also had to do.
Li Guolou and Sheng Huaixuan have long been familiar with this knack of doing things, and they can solve the topic like a dragonfly.
Sheng Huaixuan sighed: "Xiaolou, you have a delicate heart with seven orifices. You hide so many dirty things in your head. Be careful not to live long."
Li Guolou's face twitched, he touched his throbbing cheek, squinted and said, "Brother Xingsun, don't worry. My enemy is not dead, but my brother and I will not die."
"Oh! Who is the enemy of you two brothers?" Sheng Huaixuan had a good guess in his mind, but he didn't show it.
"President of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, aren't you very familiar with him?" Li Guolou glanced, the Shanghai business circle is so big, how could Sheng Huaixuan not know that his eldest brother Li Guoyun was badly hurt by Hu Xueyan's move to drain his salary, and he quit now
If it weren't for the support of the Li family in the silk industry, his family would have slept on the street in a bunker.
Sheng Huaixuan said with a smile: "Oh, old man! Don't look at how happy he is now. I will make a list for him next year. Brother Yu knows who is a friend. Your enemy is my enemy. Do you know the latest news about that person?"
"What kind of news can he get? It's not asking for names, saying that he has found ancient prescriptions and panaceas, and making up stories for his "Hu Qing Yu Tang". It's just spending money to have fun and toying with an eleven or twelve-year-old child." Li Guolou curled his lips.
, not to mention Hu Xueyan’s tidbits.
"Heh heh heh heh!" Sheng Huaixuan said with a sly smile: "I have a great reputation, but you want a concubine, and you are in such a bad state, how can you get better? Ninety-nine steps of a hundred steps, it will make you laugh."
Li Guolou smiled awkwardly and said, "Brother Xingsun, you have to repay the favor you owe me, and you have to calculate the interest. How much is it worth first?"
"Okay, okay! Brother Yu knows it. When your "Come In Bank" opens in Shanghai, I will do it for you for free. With some contacts I have accumulated in the officialdom, I will save one million taels of silver for you first.
.”
Li Guolou's mood immediately improved a lot, and he said with a smile: "That's about the same. Don't let me see you after you lose one article." After saying that, Li Guolou lowered his head and continued to read the article written by Sheng Huaixuan. The format of the first part was a statement, and finally
The format of the central idea was an eight-legged essay, and the nondescript form made him shake his head.
Li Guolou couldn't hold it in anymore and said: "Brother Xingsun, in the past you only wrote for your adoptive father. It doesn't matter if the format is a little messy. Now you are writing for Prince Gong. The eight-legged essay is reserved for the Jinshi examination.
Those princes in the court who don’t understand eight-legged essay can just list everything clearly one by one. As for what you should write in summary? I’ve written all the words for you, so don’t talk anymore.”
Sheng Huaixuan suddenly said: "Oh;;;;;;Yes! I forgot who it was written for, I just thought that my adoptive father likes to read eight-legged essays. Xiaolou, can you take a look and see if there is anything you want to revise?"
Li Guolou shook his head and said: "How can I tell? Later, you ask your adoptive father what new requests he has. If I continue to read, I will be so angry that I will vomit blood. You still have the nerve to let me see it.
"
"Hey hey hey hey! Seventh-grade official! Hu Xueyan, a red-top businessman in the Qing Dynasty, will kneel down and speak when he sees me in the future." Sheng Huaixuan stroked his belly and laughed. This is a real official hat. It has a high position and great power. The state and county yamen
Come in and out at will.
Li Guolou couldn't hold it in anymore when he saw Sheng Huaixuan's arrogant and ugly appearance. He was a scholar and he was not on the same level, so he showed off: "Brother Xingsun, don't be shy. Little brother, I will take the scientific examination the day after tomorrow."
Now, you will be the Emperor’s disciple from now on, so don’t forget to please me in the future.”
"Ah;;;;;;" Sheng Huaixuan looked up and down at Li Guolou, who was drinking tea. People who were going to take the scientific examination the day after tomorrow were still chatting outside, paying homage to their elder Li Hongzhang. When is it not allowed to pay homage to one's own relatives? I have never seen such a determined person.
Candidate?
"Xiaolou, are you twitching? If you don't study hard, why are you running out?"
Li Guolou grinned widely and said: "Brother Xingsun, the emperor is not in a hurry, he is in a hurry for the eunuchs. I have millions of powerful soldiers in mind, and I have already made a plan. Why do I need to improvise? Now I am drafting a manuscript.
I want to show this colorful article to Emperor Tongzhi, and other things are no longer in my consideration." After saying this, Li Guolou crossed his legs and started shaking.
"Oh;;;;;;" Sheng Huaixuan's eyes widened, and he almost recognized the person as unkind, thinking that Li Guolou just absorbed more Western culture and had a better vision than him. It turned out that the master was like this.
Sheng Huaixuan stood up, bowed and said: "Xiaolou, don't blame Brother Yu for being rude just now. We came from the same school, and we will be brothers from now on. We will be closer to each other in the future."
Li Guolou was so angry that he was so angry that in the end he was pinned down by Sheng Huaixuan and would never be able to stand up again.
"You are cruel, I will live in poverty in Shanghai from now on." Li Guolou said a cruel word, helplessly accepted the reality, and formed a friendship with fellow students, making people from all over the world talk about it.
Li Guolou also couldn't see clearly what surprises this friend who was as good at sneaking into the camp as him could bring him in the future? What kind of changes could Sheng Huaixuan, a man with long sleeves and good at dancing, bring to the Qing Empire?
The dinner was held in the dining room, and Li Hongzhang's relatives all came out from the backyard to eat. Li Hongzhang loved food and was very particular about eating and drinking. The table was full of gourmet food. Li Guolou was a member of the Li family, and Sheng Huaixuan was also a relative. Men and women sat at the same table.
They were just joking casually. Li Hongzhang's naughty daughters were chattering away, and they didn't look like ladies at all.
Li Guolou originally thought that his uncle Li Hongzhang invited him and Sheng Huaixuan to dinner, and there must be wine. After chatting about official matters and talking about some personal friendship, he let him go home. How could he have thought that he would just give them a meal without serving wine, and said
I want to talk to him alone in the evening and ask him about the eleven statements.
Seeing Li Hongzhang's tired look, Li Guolou felt a little moved. Those who are capable work harder. People in high positions have no time to rest. Even when they stay at home, there are so many people coming to the door and busy receiving guests. But thinking about it the other way around, Li Hongzhang
deliberately
How many bribes do you have to accept in a day to stay at home? In order to get a seventh-grade official hat, Sheng Huaixuan must have spent a lot of money, which is probably more than one hundred thousand taels of silver. Otherwise, there is no reason to restore the officialdom of Sheng Huaixuan, whose reputation has been ruined.
opportunity.
After figuring out the link, Li Guolou figured out that he would also learn to take a rest in the future. If he couldn't finish talking about official matters, he could continue talking in the house. "When Jiang Taigong fishes, whoever wants to take the bait will take the bait!" He understood this trick. Li
The national building has more motivation to climb up. A seven-year-old with real power
The first-grade official hat is what he has in his pocket. His goal is the fifth-grade official hat. He puts flower feathers on the official hat, hangs beads on his neck, holds a notebook in his hand, and stands among hundreds of senior officials.
Above the court hall, look up at Emperor Tongzhi from a close distance and listen to the teachings of the Holy Emperor.
Li Guolou glanced at Sheng Huaixuan, who was sitting next to him and was slightly fatter. He was under thirty years old. He was articulate, spoke soft Wu dialect, had a sweet mouth, and flattered everyone one after another. He could say a few words to everyone.
A kind word is the pistachio at the dinner table. He knows this little trick, and after a while, there are bursts of laughter at the dinner table, and the happy atmosphere becomes like a family banquet.
After dinner, Li Guolou and Sheng Huaixuan returned to the study and rested for half an hour. Li Guolou felt itchy and took out a sword hanging on the wall. He saw that the handle was inlaid with several rubies and gently stroked the blade.
"What a great sword! It's called the Longquan Sword. It's a treasure gifted by the emperor." Sheng Huaixuan relied on his old age and told Li Guolou that what he was holding was a sacred object.
"Oh!" Li Guolou turned his wrist and danced a few blades. The shining shadow of the blade frightened Sheng Huaixuan and he hurriedly hid behind him.
"Xiaolou, be careful. This is a priceless treasure. It is a relic of Emperor Kangxi. Be careful of being scolded by your uncle." Sheng Huaixuan screamed, if the Longquan sword was broken by Li Guolou, he would also be scolded by Li Hongzhang.
Li Guolou quickly returned the Longquan sword to its original position. This kind of treasure is taken care of, and it needs to be oiled and wiped after a while, otherwise the blade will change color and eventually develop a layer of rust. Collecting antiques is a troublesome thing.
He still has to take care of antiques. He is still young and doesn't want to waste his time on dead things.
"Brother Xingsun, just be careful, the emperor will reward me with a sword in the future." Li Guolou looked at the five swords on the wall unwillingly. He also wanted to have this honor.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Sheng Huaixuan shook his head and said, "Xiaolou, after chatting with you for a long time, I found that you are a person who puts gold in your face. Businessmen are fooled by you, and women are fooled by you in this way.
Come on, even the boss Du boarded your pirate ship like this, you and your brother are just two sides of the coin, one is serious and the other is not."
Li Guolou chuckled and said: "Brother Xingsun, since you are from the same family as me, I will tell you a shocking secret. The eldest daughter of the boss Du has fallen in love with me, and the marriage has been decided."
Sheng Huaixuan sat down and said dejectedly: "Hey, there is no limit to learning and hard work, and each mountain is higher than the other. I have met a great god today. I have been an official for many years, and I have never seen an official like you at such a young age.
You are jumping up and down. Just now you were saying bad things about Hu Xueyan, but now you have revealed your true identity, and you are worse than others."
Li Guolou touched his nose and justified himself: "Brother Xingsun, enemies are used to vilify them. Friends are romantic figures. Can't you even tell the difference?"
Sheng Huaixuan took a deep look at Li Guolou, nodded and said: "Well, you are much better than your brother, and you dare to say anything. Your brother will pretend to be aloof, thinking that the backstage is tougher than me, and does not take me seriously.
, for your sake, I won’t argue with him."
Li Guolou glanced sideways at Sheng Huaixuan without saying a word. He didn't say anything, and everyone understood in their hearts. Relatives are relatives, so what is an adopted son? It's not like Li Hongzhang doesn't have a biological son. His brother Li Guoyun is doing business in Shanghai and Tianjin, who dares not to give it to him?
Brother's face?
Rich people always serve good tea after a meal. The servant brought a pot of Biluochun and poured it into the cup. The aroma of tea came to the nostrils and was refreshing. Li Guolou and Sheng Huaixuan drank tea to digest their stomachs.
Speak like a big businessman. For both of them, the way to be an official is to make money and get rich. They have the same principles and the same philosophy in dealing with people. The two of them talked about speculation. They lamented their bad fate and hated each other.
In the evening, I met a close friend in a foreign country.