The summer in July is scorching like a fire. In the alleys of the capital, people enjoying the cool air sit on chairs with backrests, holding cattail leaf fans in their hands and chewing watermelon slices in their mouths. They are as carefree as gods. Li Guolou has been traveling back and forth between the capital and Tianjin these days. , to handle the affairs of the "New Wutang". Weng Tonghe's mansion no longer needs notification. Li Guolou said hello to the concierge and entered Weng Tonghe's study. Weng Tonghe likes to let his subordinates do things, but Li Guolou likes to do everything himself. , taking all the trivial matters on his shoulders, riding back and forth on horseback.
Weng Tonghe was ignored by Emperor Tongzhi because of an imperial edict regarding the renovation of the Old Summer Palace. It is difficult to say that he knew the deeper meaning of this "imperial edict in the name of his son's filial piety." Since this matter has passed, Emperor Tongzhi did not Investigating the responsibilities of Imperial Master Weng Tonghe only made him shut up and think about it for two months.
Li Guolou reported to Weng Tonghe on the progress of the work of the "New Wutang" as usual, and expressed his reaction to Li Hongzhang's involvement in the religious disciples who entered the New Wutang. The New Wutang is located in Tianjin, which is the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Zhili.
Li Guolou was a protégé of the Emperor who traveled among the various factions in the court. He was one of the first batch of officials to become powerful after Emperor Tongzhi came to power. He had a big sign in his hand that said "Please come to the bank", and even the emperor and the empress dowagers of the two palaces also I want to see how much wealth a private bank can bring to the country by making it bigger? So during this period, Li Guolou often visited the Forbidden City, and even went to the Old Summer Palace to pay respects to the two empresses. In addition to the bachelor of Wuyingdian in the court, Li Hongzhang belongs to Li Guolou and has prospered.
Weng Tonghe originally had a lot of complaints against Li Guolou, thinking that Li Guolou was colluding with Li Hongzhang to covet his position as the principal of the new martial arts hall, or that he wanted to sideline him. But after an in-depth discussion with Li Guolou, Weng Tonghe knew that Li Guolou was Guolou has already had a lot of dissatisfaction with Li Hongzhang. Li Hongzhang tampered with the essence of the New Wutang and turned the New Wutang into a small part of the military system. The original military vision has long been in vain.
Weng Tonghe is in good spirits and has a thick skin. After a while, when he stands in the court and admits his mistake to Emperor Tongzhi in person, Li Hongzao will also say a few good words for him, convinced that the lost power will still come back. He looks at the watermelon with big mouthfuls. Li Guolou said with a smile: "Guolou, don't worry. As the saying goes, an arm can't twist a thigh. No one can match Li Hongzhang's power. We can't just touch the stone with our eggs. You have to bear the responsibility first. Don't let Li Hongzhang smell your dissatisfaction with him. The new martial arts hall is the emperor's hard work, and we must not let Li Hongzhang do whatever he wants. Now that Li Hongzhang's plan has been passed, we can only do the next best thing, first train the troops and reorganize the army. Then focus on building up your own royal guards. I will ask the emperor for permission to prevent the Huai generals from getting involved. You will personally take charge of the plan and don't give Li Hongzhang another chance to take advantage of it."
Li Guolou picked up the towel in the washbasin, washed his face, wiped it clean, and sighed: "Principal Weng, this disciple is feeling aggrieved. The new martial arts hall is obviously the new military chemistry hall we came up with, but it was Li Hongzhang directly used doctrine and tampered with it beyond recognition. Now everything has become his. Now he is still restrained and behaves like a chaste woman. He has set up a primary military school and two middle school military schools to train Zhili and Liangjiang areas. Military reserve personnel will definitely stretch their hands across the border in the future. The so-called emperor's disciples will eventually become Li Hongzhang's. Who are we? We can only be the gatekeepers of Gyeonggi... Don't you think so, Principal Weng?"
Weng Tonghe stroked his beard, looked at Li Guolou, and said with a smile: "Guolou, don't be in such a hurry, cultivate talents for the country first, the governor of Zhili is not a lifelong one, after that! Wait for Li Hongzhang When we take up posts at local level, no matter how hard we think about it, sooner or later what we lose will still be ours. Li Hongzhang can upgrade our new martial arts hall, and we will upgrade it again in the future. Who can say that it is not the case. Weihaiwei Naval Training Base will also be controlled in the future At hand, the preparations for the Beiyang Navy must not be left to Li Hongzhang alone. I will give advice to the emperor. Hey..."
Li Guolou looked at Weng Tonghe's sad face and said: "Principal Weng, don't look for trouble. You are completely different from Xu Tong. That person is a person who refuses to change. He holds a copy of the Tao Te Ching and memorizes it backwards, thinking that he can bring peace to the world. It's worse than Zhao Kuo. The emperor has forgiven you a long time ago, and he was talking about you this morning, calling him teacher and saying that he wanted to have a deep talk with you."
Weng Tonghe wiped his tears and choked up and said: "It's my fault for being an unkind person and boarding Xu Tong's pirate ship. But I really do it for the emperor. Otherwise, why would I hand over the Xin Wu Tang's book? I would have to fight with Xu Tong." Is Tong falling out?"
Li Guolou comforted Weng Tonghe. He came directly to Weng Tonghe's residence after attending the morning court. In fact, Emperor Tongzhi asked him to come and visit the emperor's master Weng Tonghe. If Weng Tonghe has anything to say that is not convenient to say in the paper, just let him Li Guolou sent a message. Li Guolou was traveling from Beijing to Tianjin and was exhausted. In order to make money, he did the errands of several people.
After having lunch at Weng Tonghe's house, Li Guolou left and returned to his mansion on Jiadao Street with a lot of worries. Now he bought Miao Robin's mansion next door and the whole family moved here. In addition to Chen Xiangfang, Xie Xiuzhu and even her daughter Li Lingling also went to Tianjin to play. Xie Xiuzhu was in charge of the affairs of the house. Chen Xiangfang was recuperating at home. Because Chen Xiangfang needed to rest for her illness, the inner house was empty except for the chirping of cicadas, which was disturbing. Pure.
In the corridor, Chen Xiangfang was sitting on a rattan chair, with an old woman fanning behind her. The slight cool breeze made her feel comfortable. The white marble table next to her was filled with fresh fruits, which made people salivate.
When Li Guolou came home, he took off his official robe and put on a short-sleeved undershirt, which was no different from the people on the street. Although he was in a bad mood, when he came to Chen Xiangfang, he immediately stretched his eyebrows and greeted her with a smile: " Grandma, you really know how to enjoy yourself. Are you feeling better today?" As he spoke, Li Guolou picked up a piece of cantaloupe on the counter and gnawed on it, sitting on the stone bench next to him without any scruples.
"Okay! It's okay to see you. Are you going out this afternoon?" Chen Xiangfang looked at Li Guolou with a happy smile on her face.
"Well, I will accompany you today and go to the Prime Minister's Office tomorrow. There will never be any errands to be done. I don't want to die early." Li Guolou looked at Chen Xiangfang lovingly, and the two sides exchanged glances. He was very lucky to marry a generous man. Wife, there was no fire in the backyard, and the family lived in harmony. However, Chen Xiangfang's illness worried him that he would pass out. The doctor said it was a cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, so he could only rest more and stop doing housework. From now on, Chen Xiangfang can only stay at home. Gardening flowers and grass, no more housework.
"Hey, luckily I'm with Xiaolou. I don't have to worry about the food, rice, oil and salt at home. I woke up this time. If I can't wake up next time, what will happen to my daughter?" Chen Xiangfang mentioned her daughter intentionally or unintentionally, but she didn't give it to Li Guo. I am worried about my future status when I am having children.
Li Guolou quickly comforted him: "Grandma, don't look for trouble. You are in good health. If you don't raise children in the future, I will love you too. Lingling will have all the inheritance rights that your son will have in the future, and I will not wrong Lingling."
"Yeah!" That's what Chen Xiangfang wanted. The doctor said it would be better for her not to have a baby, for fear of risking her life.
"When you are well, I will let you meet the Queen Mother of the two palaces. They are both kind people. Next time the Queen Mother celebrates her birthday, the female relatives of the princes and ministers will go to pay their respects. You and Grandma Qi will go to eat a bowl of longevity noodles and ask for some Jin Dou is back." Li Guolou has already started preparing the birthday gifts for Empress Dowager Ci'an, which is quite annoying. If the two empress dowagers give different gifts, they must be of similar value. This is also a test for the princes and nobles. Buy different gifts every year to show your filial piety.
Chen Xiangfang smiled and waved her hand, saying: "Forget it, Xiaolou, let the second grandma accompany the seventh grandma. I am a Manchu and can't imitate. If something happens, it will be over. I won't hurt you."
Li Guolou smiled and held Chen Xiangfang's hand. In the warm afternoon, they got rid of the worries caused by trivial matters and enjoyed the scenery of the courtyard brought by nature. It was rare for Li Guolou to be lazy and not think about the intrigues in the court.
The night was getting dark, and the summer dusk was quite long. Xie Xiuzhu didn't get home until after six o'clock, and she felt hungry as soon as she got home. Li Guolou quickly stopped practicing boxing, took a well water bath, and went in to eat. There were no servants in his family, except for the ten official slaves sent by the Ministry of Rites. Those ten official slaves were sent to work in the outer house, and there were still a few old faces in the inner house.
The main building is a Western-style bungalow with large and bright windows. When the windows are opened, a little cool breeze blows into the dining room. Li Guolou, Chen Xiangfang, and Xie Xiuzhu chatted and tried not to mention business matters, enjoying a sumptuous dinner.
Drinking tea and coffee after meals is Li Guolou's family's preference. Li Guolou brewed a pot of Tieguanyin and prepared to write a book in the evening.
Xie Xiuzhu had changed her habit. She drank Blue Mountain coffee and asked with a smile: "Xiaolou, do you still use Manchu when writing excerpts now?"
Li Guolou said: "Yes, as long as the article is not very long, try to write it once in Manchu. Although the emperor has taken over the government, the military power is still in the hands of the two queen mothers."
"How could this happen?" Xie Xiuzhu, as Li Guolou's gunman, also knew a little about what happened in the court.
"The emperor has just taken charge, nothing can be touched. Not a single military aircraft has been touched. Wen Xiang is clinging to power and won't let go. Who dares to say no? Prince Gong...Hey..." Li Guolou said If you don't go on, people will live on their merits. Prince Gong Yixin has also begun to relax. One is to reassure the emperor and give up the power in his hand, and the other is to avoid disaster. Imperial power is not allowed to be coveted. Prince Gong left. The emperor's throne was too close, and he began to imitate the "self-defilation" of good ministers in ancient times. What could he say? His wise and self-protective behavior suddenly left the Westernization faction without a backbone.
"Did the job go well?" Xie Xiuzhu was most worried that Li Guolou was under too much pressure. He had to earn ten million taels of silver in a year to settle all the relationships. The terrifying figures caused all the factions in the court to temporarily cease their activities. Want a piece of the pie.
Li Guolou laughed and said: "Second Grandma, who dares to check such a big stall carefully? As long as we don't be extravagant and corrupt, live like the empress dowager of the two palaces, maintain a life of adequate food and clothing, and support ourselves, we will all be happy next year. It can be done. Now I can earn one hundred thousand taels of silver just by handing over an approval document, and I don’t even have the urge to laugh."
"Then where did you see me?" Xie Xiuzhu, full of warmth and lust, looked at Li Guolou with a springy look on her face.
"Yes!" Li Guolou replied in the affirmative, kissed Xie Xiuzhu's little mouth with the bitter taste of coffee, and said with a smile: "Second Grandma, grind it for me and let me write the book. The emperor cannot be fooled. Yes! Hey hey hey!"
Xie Xiuzhu twisted her waist and said with a smile: "Xiaolou likes to fool people. Have you ever gone to the Xianggong Hall with those Manchu nobles?"
Li Guolou had goosebumps all over his body and said anxiously: "Have you seen me go out at night? The so-called friends' dinners, at noon, I will go as long as I am free. In the evening, I will not even go to Prince Gong's invitation. It is too dirty It's so dirty that I can't even speak of it. There are also blond foreigners and even eunuchs. It's so obscene. They even performed it for you on the spot. I..." Li Guolou blushed with shame. He was tall and burly. , was often harassed. Children of Manchu nobles and even princes had this habit. The authorities in a country often organized such activities. And he was also invited. Fortunately, he was a police officer. What kind of activities were held in the capital? , knowing everything clearly, that’s why I didn’t get on this pirate ship.
"Huh! You're not much better, you're already nine." Chen Xiangfang suddenly became energetic, stood up and hugged Li Guolou. She didn't look like a patient. She was almost in good health and wanted to sleep in the same bed with Li Guolou. .
"It's good that my wife is still old!" Li Guolou said smugly, hugging him from left to right, and walked to the study next to him. He combined work and entertainment, and his career has been on track with the help of nine grandmothers, which made him still energetic and full of fighting spirit.