Lu Runxiang was more attentive and sensitive to the political situation in the court than Tan Zongjun. Hearing Tan Zongjun's bizarre remarks like "the Qing faction is going to unite with the Westernization faction." I couldn't help but take a high look at Tan Zongjun. He likes to travel in the mountains. Water people are also smart people. There are only a few people who can see this kind of changing pattern of the court.
The so-called "Qing faction" refers to those who advocate showing strength to the outside world, those who are not willing to fight, and those who are gentlemen with high nationalist sentiments.
The "Westernizationists" were those who were humble to foreigners, submissive to foreigners, did not dare to violate the opinions of foreigners, signed treasonous treaties made by foreigners, and believed that the Qing Dynasty could not defeat foreigners before the war began. What a hypocrite.
This is the "Qing school" and "Westernization school" that Lu Runxiang, who is familiar with the books of sages, recognizes. It is also the nation he deserves to follow his mentor Li Hongzao and become an upright "Qing school". He has worked hard for this all his life. Integrity, I couldn't help but humbly ask for advice: "Tan Lao Er, you see clearly. I am not as good as you as a brother. Then I ask for advice. Do you think Li Lao San belongs to the Westernization school or the Qing school?"
"Hey, Mr. Lu, you are so obsessed with studying. Li Laosan is a combination of the Westernization school and the Qing school. He relies on both sides and takes advantage of both sides. Didn't you see that he wants to bribe his mentor? This is just a meeting gift. Behind his back. Can you see this?" Tan Zongjun judged a gentleman with a villain's heart, and regarded Li Guolou as a villain who only wanted to climb up. He had no firm opinions and would move closer to where he gained power.
People like what Tan Zongjun said account for the majority of people in the court. Until the critical moment, you can't tell which side he is from. The so-called people who have both sides and a delicate heart are just this kind of people. There are He is talented and able to maneuver according to the wind. He is a thousand-year-old tumbler. No matter who is in power, he will use this kind of person.
"Yes. That makes sense. Li Laosan is just such a person. He is a smart man." Lu Runxiang can only say this. Now in the court, the Westernizers who are living an ignoble life are in power. He has only become an official and has no authority. He must do it. Like his mentor Li Hongzao, he has a high and powerful position. He will have to serve as an official for more than ten years at least. It is very likely that it will be more than twenty years later.
Tan Zongjun took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was only after two o'clock in the afternoon. He seemed to be going out after returning to Siyang Hutong. He said: "Boss Lu, please call the carriage and go directly to Jones Bakery next to Baozhifang for afternoon tea. It's there. The French bread is good. The Blue Mountain coffee tastes great. I buy some baguettes to take home every time I pass by.”
Lu Runxiang got up from his seat and asked the coachman to turn east to Jiangxiang. After sitting down, he teased: "Tan Lao Er, you are ignorant. That bakery is a French peach blossom shop in Li Lao San's family. Then The owner of my shop, the landlady used to be his servant. Now she is also the boss."
Tan Zongjun sighed: "Hey, it's not like Manchu nobles are so rich. Li Laosan is just a ninth-grade official with a false title. Where does he get the money?"
Lu Runxiang rolled his eyes and said: "Why do you care so much? You want to take advantage of others. You are an outsider. I have been living in the capital for more than two years. If you talk too much, you may be drowned in the Yongding River."
Tan Zongjun opened his mouth and said with a smile: "Boss Lu, we have been hanging out together for the past few days. You don't know me yet. You can't control your mouth. You like to tell nonsense. I just offended Li Laosan. I will say a few words to you in the future. Don't fall out. ah."
Lu Runxiang shook his head and said nothing. Tan Zongjun, who loved to taste delicacies, was born with a big mouth. He just liked to talk nonsense. Listening to Tan Zongjun chattering in his ear, Lu Runxiang still maintained a steady expression. He did not take pleasure in things or feel sorrow for himself; When the temple is high, you worry about its people; when it is far away from the rivers and lakes, you worry about its king. You are also worried when you advance, and you are also worried when you retreat; but when will you be happy? It must be said: Worry about the world first, and then be happy about the world. So happy.
At this time, the obese Li Hongzao, stroking his mustache, was admiring the jade Guanyin statue in the incense hall. His whole family believed in Buddhism. He was extremely happy and a little worried about receiving the apprenticeship ceremony from Li Guolou. He sighed involuntarily.
Next to him, his eldest son Li Kunying, who was twelve years old, was a little strange. He asked: "Dad, why are you sighing?"
"Oh. It's nothing. I just thought that this Buddha is too precious. It is not an artifact that our family can enshrine. There will be happy events in the palace next year. It is better to send it to the palace." Li Hongzao reluctantly looked at the Jade Guanyin on the tribute platform and thought to himself. Why did Li Guolou give him such an expensive gift? It was a priceless treasure. With Prince Gong Yixin and Li Hongzhang protecting him, there was no reason for Li Guolou to give him such a big gift. Li Guolou was promoted in his official career and did not need his help.
Mrs. Li knelt on the futon and had just finished kowtowing. She was unhappy when she heard this. She turned around and said: "Master, how can you take a gift given to you by others and then send it to the palace? There is no sincerity at all. This kind of disrespect You can't do anything auspicious. Lady Guanyin will be unhappy after hearing this. Don't blame Amitabha Buddha. I kowtow to you to apologize." After saying this, Mrs. Li began to kowtow to Lady Guanyin again to apologize. She is an extremely devout Buddhist.
Li Hongzao made a calculation in his mind. Li Guolou must have got a prostitute. He thought it was him who had tampered with it. Thinking of this, he immediately felt at ease. He justified himself and said: "Well, Madam, I understand the truth. Lady Guanyin will bring something to our family." Our descendants will be well and healthy. Empress Guanyin will bring blessings to our family if she stays here." After saying this, Li Hongzao couldn't help but look behind Mrs. Wang. He knelt down and kowtowed to the plump Mrs. Yu. A full house of descendants is a symbol of prosperity. He was only four years old. In his teens, he is full of energy and should be destined to have many children and grandchildren.
Mrs. Li smiled brightly and said: "Hey, if Li Guolou hadn't been the grandson of Li Hongzhang, I would have recognized him as my adopted son. Unfortunately, the generation was wrong. I almost wanted to speak just now. Fortunately, I thought of that. The words that came to my mouth were swallowed alive."
Li Hongzao stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Li Guolou will come and go often. This disciple knows the rules. My hard work is not in vain. Hahahaha."
I was thinking: Li Guolou's cheating in the scientific examination has been wiped out and will never be discovered. The country should recruit people like Li Guolou to recruit scholars. The more the better, the country can prosper.
People in the Li Mansion, from elders to juniors, took turns lining up to offer incense and kowtow to the Jade Guanyin. They had blurry memories of the other more than 200 Jinshi. They were just acquaintances. For Li Guolou, who presented a Jade Guanyin as a gift, Li Hongzao's residence Everyone remembers the gifts given by other new scholars. No one can surpass Li Guolou. At this point, Li Hongzao ranks in Li Hongzao's heart as the most favored disciple among his disciples.
There are no ancients who can refer to Li Guolou's marriage process. This is because he held a wedding that combined Chinese and Western styles. At this time, Westerners always went to the church to get married. He married three brides at one time. No bishop would bless his family. So this marriage process was all thought out by the four of them, Li Guolou, Chen Xiangfang, Xie Xiuzhu, and Yelia.
Three large sedans with eight carriages were parked at the door of Baozhi's house. Li Guolou brought the three brides to drink the wedding wine. There is no reason for the three brides to wait hungry for him to enter the bridal chamber. This is too inhumane. The three brides exited After getting off the sedan chair, Li Guolou took off the red scarf that covered his head. He wore a pearl emerald phoenix crown, a crimson wedding dress embroidered with an auspicious phoenix, and soft-soled embroidered shoes. Together they stood at the door to greet the guests and distinguished guests. .Sign and take a souvenir.
If it weren't for the fact that all the people at the wedding banquet were new scholars, Li Guolou originally wanted to wear a suit to get married. Now he is still dressed in a seventh-grade official robe. The official boots and official hat are all ready-made. There are only two goose feathers on the official hat. Others He wears a seventh-grade official robe only once in his life when he gets married. And he already owns the robe. What regrets he has is that the court beads hidden at home cannot be hung around his neck. There are some uninvited colleagues and friends who have received gifts. Everyone was persuaded to go back by Li Guolou. There was no place for them to drink. I could only say sorry and invite them to drink another day.
In addition to the more than 200 Jinshi people who were seated, Li Guolou invited four of his fellow countrymen Cao Kexing, Fan Dahui, Wei Hanyu, and Xu Lan who had not passed the Jinshi examination. Jinshi people like to write inscriptions, poems, and poems. Baozhi's room was originally filled with Many banners with paintings by famous artists are hung. Now there are many excellent works by new scholars.
The wedding ceremony was just a formality, without a lot of red tape. In the center of the lobby, Li Guolou boldly confessed to the three brides, vowed to love the three brides for life, and presented the wedding rings. Simple and direct.
"Chen Xiangfang, Xie Xiuzhu, Yelia. I, Li Guolou, will love you all my life. We will share weal and woe together through thick and thin in this life." Li Guolou confessed loudly. The people around him applauded and congratulated you on this happy marriage.
But the social atmosphere at this time is that people want to make trouble with the bride. On the wedding night, there is no scruple. You can make fun of the groom and the bride. Tonight, I met a sour scholar. There is no need to make trouble for the lack of a bridal chamber. I also watched such a simple wedding ceremony. He was very dissatisfied and clamored that he would never let Li Guolou pass.
Fan Dahui was the first to fire. He shouted: "Li Guolou, how can this be done? Let's carry the bride upstairs first. Come one by one. Are you right?" He sneered in his heart. Li Guolou, who is pretending to be a ghost, you too have this day. This is the beginning. The first program. Just wait and suffer.
"Yes...I'll carry my wife first." All the scholars shouted loudly. They were all smiling. They wanted to see Li Guolou carry the bride. The banquet had not started yet. They just wanted to make fun of Li Guolou. Who asked Li Guolou to take the exam? His status as a Jinshi is in doubt. His marriage is also random. Don’t tease Li Guolou now. Wait until later.
Chen Xiangfang was quite happy at first. So many Jinshi knew the etiquette and knew that she was the oldest. She asked Li Guolou to carry her upstairs first. She was not ashamed. She boldly lay down behind Li Guolou and whispered: "Little building. It's awkward." Naughty. Hurry up."
Li Guolou was so timid that he gritted his teeth and picked up Chen Xiangfang on his back. He was ready to pass the first hurdle and walked towards the stairs.
On both sides of the crowded stairs, dozens of hands blocked Li Guolou's way, preventing the groom and the three brides from going upstairs. They made noises and expressed their dissatisfaction. They insisted that Li Guolou perform. "Zhu Bajie carries his wife on his back."
Seeing Li Guolou carrying Chen Xiangfang on his back and preparing to go upstairs. Among the people who were making noises, Dong Xun was extremely dissatisfied. He opened his arms and blocked the way. He held two green onions in one hand. He shook his head and said: "Tanhua Lang, no, no, no. .How can this be done? This is not how Zhu Bajie carries his wife. Pigs should look like pigs. Hey, I have prepared two green onions for you. It’s an advantage for you. I won’t let you put them in your nose. Let me bite them in your mouth. .”
Li Guolou had nowhere to escape. As the groom's official tonight, he couldn't be angry. It would be even worse if he was teased in his hometown. Amid the cheers of the whole hall, Li Guolou held two green onions in his mouth and carried them on his back. Chen Xiangfang went upstairs.
The three brides were originally "thick-skinned pigs" and had long been prepared to be teased. However, amidst the booing of the crowd, they all became red-faced and hot-tempered. "Zhu Bajie is carrying his wife on his back." How did the new Jinshi come up with this idea?
"Click." "Click." Photography master Roberts Torres and his apprentices Jiang Cong and Zhou Xiaohuan took unforgettable photos from different angles. Many thick-skinned Jinshi also asked Li Guolou to carry his wife on his back like this, biting two green onions and They took a group photo and asked Li Guolou to do manual labor. He kept carrying the bride on his back and took a group photo.
Tan Zongjun chuckled and said: "Li Laosan, don't worry. The physical work will come later. We are educated people with lots of good ideas. If you want to cross the border, it's early."
Li Guolou regretted it. He shouldn't have invited an educated "hooligan" to the wedding banquet. The guests all came early and the banquet hadn't started yet. He was treated like a monkey first.
Li Guolou finally carried the three brides upstairs and took out the two green onions from his mouth. Just as Li Guolou took a breath, the door of Cuiyun Pavilion in the box was blocked by the crowd again. The groom and the three brides were not allowed to enter. .
Lu Runxiang said loudly: "Li Laosan, the rules are not made by you alone. The new era makes new rules. We also have to make the rules for getting married tonight. The auspicious time has arrived. We have to hear the banging sound. Only in this way can we have good luck. .Do you think so?"
"Bang." There was a sound. Tan Zongjun next to him was knocking each other with gongs. They wanted to tie two gongs with red silk ribbons. One gong was tied to Li Guolou's chest, and the other gong was tied to Chen Xiangfang's chest. .Let the two of them hit each other and make a "bang bang" sound to please the onlookers present.
Li Guolou was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. No one said a good word for him, and no one helped him. He was scratching his head to think of a way to get through. But the custom of making trouble with the groom and the bride has long been deeply rooted in the people. No matter how he begged, Grandpa sued grandma and wanted to have an easy show. No one agreed to change the show. The champion's idea was recognized by everyone.
"Bang." Li Guolou was pushed by the people behind him and struck Chen Xiangfang head-on. The two gongs on his chest struck loud and clear.
"Okay..." The warmest applause and cheers broke out from upstairs and downstairs in Baozhi's room.
"Go through five levels and kill six generals. Tan Hwa Lang. There are still nine difficulties."
Fatty Fan Dahui screamed more energetically than anyone else. Today is the time for him to show his face, so that the three mistresses can have a deep understanding of him. From now on, he will become the number one master in Li Guolou's ranking.