The Empress Dowager Cixi was waiting for Prince Qing Yikuang to jump out to refute Li Hongzhang's proposition, but she waited for Prince Qing and other conservatives, but no one jumped out to speak. This was quite different from the usual court discussions, and she felt a little bit in her heart.
Strange, why is this?
The Empress Dowager Cixi listened to the bickering between the Qing school and the Westernization school, and after several rounds she got the general idea. She couldn't help but smile and said: "Since you are all talking about Li Guolou, Li Guolou, you should step forward and speak.
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"Zha! I obey the order!" Li Guolou responded with a cry, took a step forward and knelt on the gold brick floor. He felt so wronged! Those Qing faction actually said to him in the court, "The reason for the lack of personal morality is because
The reason for returning from studying abroad!" Guangmingzheng
In the big Jinluan Palace, the people of the Qing sect are so shameless. Both sides are trying to reason and tell the facts. How can they expose his background? These things are all in his files. Isn’t it true that the Queen Mother still appointed him as the official?
It’s time to explore the beauty.
Li Guolou said loudly: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces, I have to make some rebuttals first. How can private ethics be discussed in an open and aboveboard court? Private is a secret. Can a gentleman do it in the court?"
Are you talking about your private life? Even if you have an opinion about the slave's moral character, you can report it to the court and let the emperor and the empress dowager of the two palaces make a judgment. The first thing the country chooses to select is based on the person's ability, like
Chen Ping, the founding hero of the Han Dynasty, was also recorded in history books as having personal moral shortcomings, but it still could not cover up the great achievements he had made. In the end, Chen Ping dedicated his whole life to the Han Dynasty and died in his job as prime minister. What a man worthy of admiration.
The slaves follow the example of Qu Nihou and want to make immortal contributions to the Qing Dynasty. It is my wish to be granted the title of Marquis. I will bear the humiliation and taste the gall of hardship. I will ride the wind and the blue sky will shine in the east."
Li Guolou was really quick-witted, and his speech not only made the princes and ministers look at him with admiration, but also made two admiring "um" sounds from behind the Ci bamboo curtain. Even the Empress Dowager Ci'an also had a good impression of Li Guolou.
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Li Guolou showed gratitude and continued: "I have read the books of sages and learned foreign literature. It is meaningless to talk about which one is better and which one is worse. If there is a big debate, it should be placed in the Hanlin Academy, not in the Imperial Academy.
We talked freely during the meeting in Yangxin Hall, because this principle is so profound that no matter who starts it, he can't finish it in a day. We in the Qing Dynasty do not want to educate the people with foreign culture, but we need to master some books that are not included in the teachings of our saints.
Written practical skills. As the saying goes, the master will starve his disciples to death. Therefore, the senior foreign technicians hired in our Qing Dynasty will have reservations in order to save their jobs. Everyone has selfish motives and will never
It's not because those technicians are foreigners, but because of human nature. If you want to break this pattern, you can only go out and learn all the skills of foreign technicians, and start from laying the foundation in a down-to-earth manner.
Only in this way can we build tens of thousands of tall buildings. Let smart schoolchildren learn Western usage skills from an early age. This is just like the sage doctrine we study. It takes ten years of hard work to gain something. How can a half-hearted person become a Jinshi on the second list?
The slave also submitted a brochure, and the content written in it is the slave's actual experience. Who can explain clearly the so-called "flowers in the smoke"? If you have the right to speak, the slave dares to say, "I have heard it."
Foreign students, and Li Guolou, a student who has studied Neo-Confucianism assiduously, can avoid many detours. The Qing Dynasty can also integrate foreign countries into China by relying on a group of people like Li Guolou. The ultimate goal is
Let Neo-Confucianism be carried forward and go to the whole world. In the future, the Qing Dynasty will be able to stand on top of the world, and the grand scene of congratulations from all nations will be just around the corner. I also hope that the emperor and the empress dowagers of the two palaces will fulfill this slave's wish."
Li Guolou was so thick-skinned that he boasted about himself so much that the Qing faction was unable to do anything about him for a while, because what Li Guolou said had gone back to his original source, and finally fell into the Neo-Confucianism of the sage.
"Well;;;;;;Li Guolou is a loyal and patriotic man. I appreciate your courage and confession. I am free!" Empress Dowager Ci'an, who seldom spoke, spoke up, and her words were true to her words.
The historian next to him immediately recorded it in the record. "Li Guolou is a loyal and patriotic man." This sentence was the highest praise given to Li Guolou by Empress Dowager Ci'an of Donggong, whose mother-in-law was the world, and it will be recorded in the annals of history forever.
Even the Empress Dowager Cixi was happy after hearing this. She and the Empress Dowager Ci'an nodded to each other, praising Li Guolou for being an eloquent man and worthy of being their favorite Tanhualang. His words were so resounding that even the Westernizationists and Qing Dynasties could not speak out.
The sound was heard and the flags and drums died down. The princes and ministers were all distracted by Li Guolou's words. For a while, no one could figure out the reason behind his words.
Li Lianying found the booklet about Li Guolou from the folded plate and handed it to the Empress Dowager Cixi to read. She was delighted again. Li Guolou was written in both Manchu and Chinese characters. Such a servant is considerate.
The Empress Dowager Cixi smiled happily and said: "Well! The truth is that the more you debate, the clearer it becomes. Today's court meeting has an eloquent Li Guolou who speaks very well.
The reason is that the imperial court approved Prince Gong's report "A Report on the Selection of Schoolchildren to Study Abroad". However, they were not allowed to let the failed candidates go to the Prime Minister's Office to study foreign language. Even if they failed to pass the exam, they could still become officials. Didn't Zuo Zongtang just do it in Shaanxi Province?
Governor Gan. Besides, you can still take the exam again after two years. Don’t you understand the principle of eager for quick success and quick gain, and destroying the talent?"
"I accept the edict and express my gratitude! Your Majesty, the Empress Dowagers of the two palaces are taking off!" Prince Gong glanced proudly at the group of Qing faction who had not changed from the past. The morning session ended with the victory of the Westernization faction, and those who snitched would not have a good end.
Emperor Tongzhi said nothing from the beginning to the end, and kept reading the book. There was no emotion or joy on his face. Finally he said: "Appreciate the Li Guo Tower, and you will see one flower feather at a time!"
"Slave, thank you for your grace! Long live my emperor!" Li Guolou knelt on the ground and kowtowed. The ministers next to him turned green with envy. There was a "blue feather" on the official hat of the fifth-rank official, and "
"Hua Ling" was worn by officials of the third rank. In the eyes of Emperor Tongzhi, it was equivalent to
Li Guolou was treated as a third-grade official, and there was a certain way to reach the sky in one step. Li Guolou climbed to the top, which made the princes and ministers dumbfounded. This is how "He Shen" climbed up. They all talked about him behind Li Guolou's back.
Cheng was the "Heshen" beside Emperor Tongzhi.
Li Guolou just stepped out of Yangxin Hall, and Li Hongzhang whispered: "Guolou, come with me to Tianjin tomorrow."
"Zha! I am willing to accompany you." Li Guolou babbled, but did not dare to object. He had a large number of wives and children, so he had no choice but to leave alone and work diligently on errands for the country and the people.
After attending the morning court, ministers are not allowed to whisper to each other. This is to avoid suspicion. The so-called clique means gathering together to form cliques. Therefore, no matter what the relationship between the princes and ministers is, after the morning court, they all walk with their heads down and sit directly in the sedan chair.
Those who got on the carriage got on the carriage and went home, some of them had to go to the Yamen to run errands.
Li Guolou went straight to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Yamen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was not far from Xihua Gate. He had an official title of "Wanshoushan Project Supervisor" and his office was there. He was the emperor's personal servant and ran errands for his master.
He has to go to the office several times. Minister of the Interior Ronglu is also one of his immediate superiors. In the future, he will also contribute 10% of the funds allocated to the Longevity Mountain project from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to Ronglu.
Li Guolou always had Ronglu in his mind. He looked like a gentleman and was radiant. He tried to win over him and show his goodwill to him, and a banknote of 500,000 taels was sent to him the next day.
.But to play tricks on him, he was allotted ten official slaves at once. No matter how many spies from the Ministry of Internal Affairs were among them, they actually got five pretty little girls to seduce him.
Alas! Ronglu is so rich. He is the most famous official in the capital who likes to show off his clothes. He is very particular about clothes and decorations. Every winter from November to the Lantern Festival of the following year, Ronglu wears his clothes for two and a half months.
I don’t wear the mink coat twice. I wear a new style every day. For the sake of convenience,
Wear them casually for easy identification. He numbered hundreds of mink coats and sewed them inside the clothes to avoid repeated wearing. This is how Ronglu flaunts his taste, wealth and strength. Thinking about Ronglu, what exactly is this person?
It's hard to tell whether the enemy is a friend! Li Guolou came to the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with his hands behind his back.
Next to Xishiku is the magnificent courtyard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is still a need to check the seal at the gate. Li Guolou took the seal of "Wanshoushan Project Supervision" from his personal follower Cheng Kun. After checking, he led a group of men
Enter the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
If the Ministry of Household Affairs is likened to the "Banking Department", then the Ministry of Internal Affairs is the golden mountain. The Qing Empire's normal treasury income per year is 30 to 40 million taels of silver. The Ministry of Internal Affairs needs at least 10 million taels of silver to self-finance.
, in order to allow the palace to operate normally, if the general ledger is calculated, the annual fiscal revenue is at least five
More than ten million taels, a quarter of the country's finances were spent on the emperor. In a feudal society, all the money left over by the country was eventually spent by the emperor. The manpower and material resources required to maintain a huge royal family are terrifying.
, this is a state secret, and outsiders can only rely on imagination to describe the scenes of royal life.
Ronglu did not come to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Li Guolou was directly led by two eunuchs to a courtyard. There were two brand-new signboards "Wanshoushan Project Office" and "Wanshoushan Project Preparation Office" standing on the left and right of the door.
"Hahahaha! This is really nice. It's the most luxuriously decorated office I've ever seen." Nabasi stepped into the threshold first with his teeth and claws open. He had already turned into a phoenix. In terms of benefits, Li Guolou was the first to think of him. Here
From now on it will be his territory.
"What are your names?" Li Guolou can now speak straightly to the eunuchs.
"Hey hey hey! Mr. Li, my name is Yan Mei'er, his name is Xiao Lian'er, and we are the clerks here." The eunuch Yan Mei'er entertained the new master Li Guolou and several of his followers, and the eunuch Smiley Lian'er with great affection.
Busy pouring water and tea.
Li Guolou was sitting behind a large desk, a chair or a sofa chair. It seemed that the eunuch knew that he was a fake foreigner and got him a foreign chair. Li Guolou tried the elasticity of the sofa chair and nodded in approval.
Said: "Yanmei'er, Xiaolian'er, I won't treat you two badly when you go on errands with me in the future. You have to work diligently on your errands and understand the rules. You can't do things that break the rules. If you stretch your hand out of bounds, I can't protect you. Understand.
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"I understand, understand! Mr. Li, don't worry. We have been promoted step by step. How can we break our own rules?" The eunuch handed over a stack of banknotes with a charming smile. These are the rules. The new officer
When you arrive, I will give you a brief introduction to my heart.
"Well, you have a bright future with your charming eyes and smiling face. I won't move you two from your position. From now on, listen to Mr. Caijin and you will be the first to benefit." Li Guolou said nothing.
He politely asked Na Bazi to accept it. He didn't even look at how many banknotes there were. This was just the beginning. In the future, he would be weak in accepting money.
"Thank you for your kindness, Master!" Yan Mei'er, with tears flashing on her smiling face, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Li Guolou and Na Bazi respectively. These were their first and second masters.
Yan Meier brought the account book and gave it to Li Guolou to look at. This is not a running account book, but a general income ledger. The two eunuchs have also just been promoted to the Wanshou Mountain Project Preparation Office. This is also the rule in the palace.
After working for a few years, you have to step down, and you have to have a certain amount of money to make. If you continue to make money without limit, you will attract people's hatred. If your subordinates have no hope, why don't you betray your superiors?
When Li Guolou looked at it, he also sighed deeply. The country has been at war, and the Old Summer Palace can only sustain the annual repair costs, which are slightly more than each year, but still do not exceed 600,000 taels of silver. The life of the empress dowagers of the two palaces is very hard.
Ah, this little money can only maintain the normal operation of the Old Summer Palace.
"Well;;;;;;I know it. I will deal with Mr. Rong. In the future, the money allocated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs will not be less than one million taels. As for the shortfall, I will cover it for the Queen Mother of the two palaces.
The empress shares your worries. From now on, all the funds for the Wanshou Mountain project will be deposited with you.
Go to the bank and use the interest earned to celebrate the birthdays of the two empress dowagers. This rule states that it is an iron rule for the Wanshou Mountain Project Office. After writing it down, it will be submitted to the palace for records." Li Guolou made a great move and asked for it.
Let the empress dowagers of the two palaces have a good impression of being invited to the bank.
"Tie!" Meier, with a smile on her face, was still laughing as she knelt on the ground. From now on, the Longevity Mountain Project will receive at least two million taels of silver every year. The future will be even more terrifying figures. They finally got through it.