The Empress Dowager Ci'an in the East Palace and the Empress Dowager Cixi in the West Palace listened to the government behind curtains. The bamboo curtains they used were all selected by craftsmen from the finest bamboo from the south. They were carefully woven through more than a dozen processes. These bamboo curtains will be replaced after they wear out. Because
The old curtains were used by the royal family. They could not be sold to ordinary people for use. They could only be stored in a place. So there was a curtain warehouse. The alley where the curtain warehouse is located became the curtain warehouse alley.
This is the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is under the jurisdiction of the eunuchs. Many of the people living next to it are maids formed by eunuchs and maids. The marriage of these maids is allowed by the palace. They can register with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But there is one condition. They are maids.
You can only register for marriage after you have left the palace and no longer work as a maid.
They were all Manchu girls who worked as maids in the palace. They were sent to the palace from childhood to learn to serve their masters. They were only sent out of the palace when they were in their twenties and became grown-ups. Of course, there were also old girls in their thirties who left the palace.
In addition to giving a sum of money to these maids who were dismissed from the palace, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also had to find their husbands' families for them. She was not allowed to
They live on the streets. People get attached after being together for a long time. This is the case for maids and eunuchs who stay in the palace. Many maids marry eunuchs as soon as they leave the palace. For the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they like to do this kind of adult beauty the most.
Many eunuchs and maids get married. The eunuchs and maids with status in the palace will come out to have wedding banquets.
At noon, Li Guolou came to Liangziku Hutong to drink the wedding banquet of a pair of eunuchs and a maid. He didn't know the pair of eunuchs and maids, but Li Lianying asked him to come. They were going to meet at the wedding banquet.
Eunuchs usually get married at noon, which is different from common people's weddings. They say it's because the yang energy is strong at noon. In fact, it's because the Forbidden City is closed at night. Those eunuchs and maids with status ask for leave and go back to the Forbidden City at night. Only
Noon is the best time to have a wedding reception.
Eunuchs and maids all have money. Especially high-ranking people, in addition to monthly silver, they also have gray income.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs spent 40,000 taels of silver a day, 70% of which was embezzled by eunuchs, maids and their masters at all levels.
(At the end of the Qing Dynasty, due to inflation, the palace expenses reached 60,000 taels of silver a day. It looked like a lot, but it was not much. Because the Ministry of Internal Affairs was very good at making money. Most of the expenses were handled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs itself. For the national finance.
There is no burden. Many times, when the treasury has no money, it will borrow money from the emperor.)
Li Guolou and Wei Xiaoliu came to a restaurant decorated with lights and colorful decorations. A wedding reception for a pair of eunuchs and maids was being held inside. The shops here are all opened by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and are royal assets. There is no need to pay taxes when doing business.
Everything here is good and cheap. The shops are doing a booming business.
Li Guolou raised his head and glanced at the restaurant's sign "Phoenix Tower". He asked: "Xiao Liuzi, how much wedding money should we give."
Wei Xiaoliu scratched his head and said awkwardly: "Father, I forgot to ask. But I think you are on the same level as Manager Li. You can give as much as he gives. I will go in and ask first. You wait."
After finishing Wei Xiaoliu, he walked into the restaurant lobby first.
Li Guolou didn't have a beard. He was dressed the same as the eunuchs around him. Some eunuchs passed by Li Guolou and asked, "Xiao De Zhang, why are you standing at the door? Let's go in together."
Li Guolou could only reply awkwardly: "Friend, you have recognized the wrong person. I am not Xiao De Zhang. I am his elder brother. I am waiting for someone here. Go in immediately."
"Oh...it's quite similar. The two brothers were carved from the same mold. Giggling." There was a sinister smile. The eunuch patted Li Guolou. He didn't forget the eunuch's favorite thing to do. Touch Li Guolou. Lou. It gave Li Guolou a layer of goosebumps all over his body.
Li Guolou touched his nose and looked at the eunuch who took advantage of him with a wry smile. Those big-footed girls were all Manchu girls. He chatted and laughed with the eunuch without shying away from suspicion. They entered the "Phoenix Tower" together. Standing here, you can see the world. There are all kinds of mysterious eunuchs and maids, all dressed up brightly and with proud smiles on their faces.
They are all rich people. Although their status is humble and they are shamed by the world, as long as they can cross this threshold, it means that they have become human beings and will never be poor in their lives. Li Guolou looked at the shops around him and thought to himself. .Is it possible to open a "Please Come In Bank" here to make it easier for eunuchs and maids to save money?
The money hidden in these eunuchs and maids is comparable to a mountain of gold. The wealth accumulated by tens of thousands of eunuchs and maids cannot be underestimated.
Li Guolou was chatting with some unknown eunuchs. Wei Xiaoliu walked out of the restaurant and said with a smile: "Father, I say hello. Two silver ingots. Good luck."
"Oh, please, Eunuch Cui, Eunuch Liu. It's a great honor to meet you. Please take care of me in the future." Li Guolou bowed and let Cui Yugui and Liu Deyin walk in front.
"Giggle, giggle. I have heard from Xiao De Zhang that you are a big brother who is really interesting and fun. I will remember you." The eunuch Cui Yugui picked up his front clothes and walked into the lobby. The restaurant was decorated with lights and colorful lights. There was a lot of laughter and laughter. .
Eunuchs are very particular about rules. There is an orderly and clear distinction between superiority and inferiority. Even eunuchs have specific rules for getting married. The congratulations given by eunuchs at each level are different.
Eunuchs gave money to each other when they got married. Li Guolou didn't have any money with him. He took out his banknote and gave it to Shiliu Liang. The two small ingots were exactly sixteen Liang.
Eunuchs are very thick-skinned. One eunuch who received the banknote took the banknote given by Li Guolou and looked at it, touched it, and even exposed it to the sun. He was afraid that what Li Guolou gave him was a fake.
In the corridor upstairs, Xiao Dezhang shouted: "Xiao Mengzi, stop taking the photo. My elder brother gave it to me. You ask my brother to come up."
Li Guolou waved upward. Hearing Xiao De's open tone, he knew that Xiao De Zhang had gotten in now. His hard work had not been in vain.
The positions of eunuchs are divided into eighteen levels. They are exactly the same as those in the court. They want to move up. In addition to being destined to be liked by their masters, they sit on the throne. Li Lianying was able to sit in a high position because of his good skills in bunting, which made the Empress Dowager Cixi like her. The other way is to spend money to buy an "official". This is no different from being an official in the court. For example, a sixteenth-level eunuch has an annual salary of fifty taels of silver. He has to spend at least five times the price to buy it. As for how much this position is actually worth. It's not worth two hundred and fifty taels. There is no regret medicine in the world. If you sell it to a high level, you still need to have a real shortage. This is the same as in the court.
"Congratulations, congratulations." Li Guolou saluted the bridegroom and the bride with clasped fists. He took two packs of wedding candies and a bag of wedding cakes, and went upstairs with Wei Xiaoliu.
Come to the private room. Sitting there are the powerful eunuchs in the palace. There are Li Lianying and Cui Yugui who just talked to Li Guolou. As for Xiao Dezhang, although he is seated at this time, his power cannot be compared with these three. He belongs to Li Lianying's younger brother. At that time, the palace was divided into three factions. One faction was the people of the Empress Dowager Cixi, the other was the people of the Empress Dowager Ci'an, and the other was the people of Emperor Tongzhi. Among them, the people who belonged to the Empress Dowager Cixi were the most powerful and held the most powerful positions in the palace. Let them occupy it. The people sitting next to Li Guolou all belong to the Empress Dowager Cixi. The distinct factions are located in different private rooms. Everyone is polite on the surface and has their own sphere of influence.
The banquet began. They drank wine and drank three rounds of wine with each other. This is what we call brothers. There was constant shouting.
After the groom and the bride came in to toast, Li Lianying asked: "Xiaolou, what do you want from me?"
Li Guolou smiled and said: "Oh, that's what happened. I have just finished the scientific examination. I am very confident that I will pass the Jinshi. I am not about to enter the palace to meet the saints and sit in the Qianqing Palace to write articles. I want to ask my eldest brother Find me a good seat so that the emperor can see me."
"Oh... then congratulations first. You are a Jinshi. Come and have another drink." Li Lianying showed a proud smile on her face. Although the Qianqing Palace belonged to the sphere of influence of the eunuchs under Emperor Tongzhi, there was no relationship between the eunuchs. Collusion with each other. No one will make money if they have money.
"Brother, give me a real price. Don't be as vain as Mr. An. I can't stand it." Li Guolou drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and said carelessly.
Li Lianying whispered a few words to Xiao De Zhang next to her. "Go find Eunuch Liu." Xiao De Zhang immediately walked out and went to find the eunuch Liu Deyin.
After a while, Xiaode Zhang Fu'er said a few words to Li Lianying and told Li Lianying the price.
Li Lianying knocked on the table, thought for a while, and said: "Xiaolou, for the sake of our friends, I will help you again. I will mention a few words about you in front of the Queen Mother. Some people will also mention it in front of the emperor. Let me speak for you. You will give me 4,000 taels of silver first. If you really get into the first grade, you will give me 8,000 taels of silver. Are you satisfied with this price?"
Li Guolou stood up, raised his wine glass high, and said proudly: "Brother, I will never forget your help in the future. As long as I get rich, I will send you a filial piety every year. It will not be less than one hundred thousand taels. I also hope that you, my friends, will do the same." help me."
Cui Yugui was the oldest. He had long been accustomed to the filial piety of high-ranking officials. He usually made a thousand taels throughout the year. This high-ranking official was considered generous. Like Li Hongzhang, who won the battle to eliminate Dongniu, entered the palace to meet the saint, and met the two queen mothers. Just give Li Lianying two thousand taels of silver. This is not normal. The chance of giving it again is very slim. Usually it is dozens of taels of silver notes, or even a few taels of silver notes. One hundred thousand taels of silver is given to their eunuchs. Fen. This has never happened before. I was stunned when I heard it. After I regained my composure, I hurriedly asked: "Xiaolou, what kind of business do you want to do? Let us help each other."
Li Guolou put down his wine glass and said seriously: "To be honest with you friends, my family has opened a bank. It is called "Please Come In Bank". It is registered in the British Concession in Tianjin. It is a joint-stock bank. My uncle is helping out. Zhili and Liangjiang areas have smooth travel. In the future, there will be hundreds of stores. I also want to open a few in the territory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. As long as you are willing to deposit your money with me, I will give you 50% of the money you earn. Just now I said The 100,000 taels I mentioned is a guarantee. I don’t dare to tell you if it’s too big. I’m afraid you’ll say I’m a big talker.”
Cui Yugui frowned and said: "Xiaolou, you are too naive. Who dares to touch the money of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? You don't want our heads."
Li Guolou glanced at him and said: "Eunuch Cui, you are such a shrewd person. How dare I let you do such a bad thing? I asked you to deposit your money in my bank. There are so many father-in-laws in this palace. Maid, this amount of money is at least more than one million taels. By then, even ladies will deposit the money into the bank I opened. I’m not asking you to do anything illegal. I’m just opening an opening to steal the business of other bank accounts. Already."
"Oh..." Several big eunuchs suddenly realized that this was a big fish eating a small fish. It was a commercial competition. All they had to do was take care of Li Guolou's business.
Li Lianying said slowly: "Xiaolou, although the idea is good, it must be done secretly. Those ticket numbers are backed by the prince. We can only provide you with a chance to compete fairly. As for business competition, it is your own business. We Don't interfere."
Liu Deyin had come over for a drink a long time ago. He said suspiciously: "Xiaolou, you are confident that you can compete with Wanjia Bank. You won't close down."
Li Guolou smiled and said: "Eunuch Liu, this is your first time dealing with me. You don't understand me yet. There are talents behind me who dare to open a bank. The road of government and business is smooth. Who can compete with me? Those princes are just collecting money." I want to show my filial piety. Is it possible for me to do something like this? The bank makes money from water charges. I am reaching out everywhere. I have the ability to make money by myself. Don’t worry about lending the money out and not getting it back. As long as you trust me. I’ve rented the bungalow where all my friends are staying for their retirement.”
Several senior eunuchs smiled broadly and frequently toasted to Li Guolou. Nowadays, wealthy eunuchs are buying land and building bungalows in the Tianjin Concession. This trend has become a trend.
Xiao Dezhang jumped up and shouted: "Brother, I fully support you. Come on, let me toast you first."
Li Lianying smiled casually and said: "Xiaolou, you always give me a surprise every time I see you. Next time I get married, please come again."
"Oh..." Li Guolou and several eunuchs nearby made a fuss, asking Li Lianying to tell him about the time when the maid he was dating became good friends.
Eunuchs are men too. They also have normal human feelings. As for corruption, it is their job. Although Li Guolou is a brother-in-law with the eunuch sitting here, money is an indispensable matter. When eunuchs make friends, they talk about money first. Only money will give you motivation. Nowadays, the eunuchs are arm-in-arm with Li Guolou, singing songs and making trouble for the bride and groom.
Li Guolou enjoyed Xiao De Zhang's singing. His voice was pleasant and pleasant. This young man has a bright future. Ladies will definitely like Xiao De's skill in opening his mouth.