Chapter 355 The Hall of Supreme Harmony is a blockbuster
Amidst the chaotic buzzing, the courtiers and the new scholars bowed out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, leaving Prince Gong Yixin, Li Hongzao and Li Guolou alone. Li Guolou changed into a brand-new five-piece suit in the side hall next to him. Trying on his official robe, he saw a blue feather on his official hat and a court bead hanging around his neck. He was about to go to the Yangxin Hall to meet the emperor and the empress dowagers of the two palaces. He looked at the floor-length mirror with great satisfaction and took care of himself. Brand new look.
The great eunuch Liu Deyin watched Li Guolou change his clothes. He smiled and said: "Congratulations, Mr. Tanhua."
Li Guolou quickly took out a two-hundred-tael silver note from his wallet and handed it to Liu Deyin. He said in a low voice: "We are all happy. Please come to Baozhifang for a wedding drink, Mr. Liu."
The eunuch Liu Deyin, who was over forty years old, took the bank note and said with a casual smile: "Tanhua Lang is really a good person. I am optimistic about Tanhua Lang's future. Oh... Tanhua Lang. This dress The official robe is a high-quality item bought by the father-in-law of the library. According to the rules, you can give me four hundred taels."
Li Guolou glanced at Liu Deyin and felt a little dissatisfied. According to the rules, a set of official robes can be purchased for two to three hundred taels of silver. Sometimes it is better to let the officials buy it themselves. It is even cheaper. It is custom-made in the world. It adds up. There is no need for a hundred taels of silver. If you go to him, it will become 400 taels of silver. A set of "official robes" that should be regarded as a reward from the emperor. Let the eunuchs directly share the stolen 400 taels of silver.
Liu Deyin left the side palace with six hundred taels of silver notes in his arms. He went to the minister's house to deliver the imperial edict and was rewarded with two silver ingots. Li Guolou was very generous and a friend worth making. It seemed that the territory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was The matter of opening several "Please Come In Banks" should be implemented as soon as possible. Next time, I will invite some "brothers" from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to have a wedding drink together at Baozhifang.
Li Guolou came to the Yangxin Hall. He was beating a little drum in his heart. The Queen Mother of the two palaces sat behind the bamboo curtain to listen to his performance. Sure enough, the emperor began to ask about his resume: "Li Guolou. Now tell me. I would like to know more about your experience of studying abroad and your experience of working as an errand in the Ministry of Justice."
Li Guolou looked at Prince Gong Yixin who was sitting in the Jinluan Hall. Seeing that he looked calm and motionless, as peaceful as an old monk in trance. He knew that this time only good things would happen, so he used his eloquent skills to nourish his heart. The palace was used as a place for storytelling. First, he described London, England as useless. The squalor of the smoggy city made people breathless. But in such a difficult environment, he barely had a thorn in his buttocks. He was still able to strive for self-improvement and learn a lot. I returned home. Then I started to say all the good things to the Minister of Punishment, Bao Yi. Anyway, he was very loyal. He obeyed the orders of his superiors and charged forward. And he never forgot the ideal of serving the motherland. He studied the "Four Books and Five Classics" well, no matter where he went. They would tirelessly "learn and practice". Finally, they stood out in this scientific examination and won the third place in Yidingjia.
Li Guolou spoke affectionately. There were many sad vignettes interspersed in it. He remembered his dead colleagues. Sometimes he sobbed and his eye circles turned red unconsciously. When he talked about the joy of success, he sometimes smiled at Emperor Tongzhi. .Let people see that he is a promising young man with a true temperament.
Time flew by quickly. Li Guolou grasped the scale and saw that the emperor on the dragon throne did not appear impatient. The two good ladies behind the curtain did not say a word. He continued to talk, ready to pull the reins of the horse at any time. If he was not careful, he would be killed. After talking for an hour, I felt strange. Why did no one interrupt him?
Li Guolou's mouth was dry as he spoke. He couldn't go on. He finished his concluding remarks. His stomach growled with hunger, and he felt annoyed. Just when he was changing clothes and waiting, both Prince Gong Yixin and Li Hongzao had eaten pineapple. It's so bad. And he has been hungry since Wu Gu time. He will know later that when he comes to the palace, he must hide two biscuits in his sleeves.
Emperor Tongzhi was not satisfied with the story. He hasn’t talked about Li Guolou’s love affair yet. Well... I’ll write about it next time. When I thought of this idea, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter and said, “Well, Li Aiqing has been talking about it for so long. Your voice is still so loud and full of energy. Both Prince Gong and Li Taibao have praised you. I will also praise you once. I have an errand for you to do." After saying that, Emperor Tongzhi turned to Prince Gong and continued: " Prince Gong. Last time we talked about opening a school for recruits in the Zhili area. I decided to let Li Aiqing run it. Among the errands of Li Guolou's Hanlin Academy doctor is the chief secretary of "Xinwutang". As for the post of principal, I will let Weng Weng. Let’s take on both roles together.”
How could Emperor Tongzhi let Prince Gong intervene? He wanted to take the military power of training the new army into his own hands. Although it was just a battalion at the beginning, everything from now on would be handled by Weng Tonghe and Li Guolou. How many will there be? Xinjun. At this time, he didn't feel confident.
Prince Gong Yixin was overjoyed. With Emperor Tongzhi as his signature, the two queen mothers would not think about disarmament. The Hunan Army trained by Zeng Guofan was disbanded. The Huai Army trained by Li Hongzhang could not escape the fate of being disbanded. The Han army, capable of conquering and fighting, was corrupted by the ancestral rules set by the Manchus. The Eight Banners Battalion, which hated iron and failed to become steel, wasted its pay and silver. The arrogant soldiers only served as a facade to stand guard. Today, the "New Wutang" is wearing the emperor's personal guards. title. This army has a great future. A channel for establishing a new army has been revealed at this time. This is a sign of heaven's will.
Prince Gong Yixin pretended to be unwilling, and slowly accepted the order to express his gratitude, so that the empress dowagers of the two palaces could see how sad he was about losing his power. But he could only swallow his anger and carry out the emperor's imperial edict. .
Although Li Guolou received the order to express his gratitude, he was beyond words to express his gratitude. But standing in the Yangxin Hall, he was surprised and happy. He had been given so much need. How could he be so busy? What on earth was going on? Superiors The leaders of the "Westernization faction", "Qing faction" and even "conservatives" have also taken a fancy to him. How to deal with so many Bodhisattvas who need to pay tribute and burn incense. Behind them are a bunch of greedy "dog slaves" (eunuchs). These days How should he live? It seems that the feat of handing over "ten million silver" for the cause of national defense has attracted all the factions in the court to focus on him. Even the "conservatives" want a piece of the pie.
Although Li Guolou made a promise on his lips, he was terrified in his heart as to what the situation would be like in the future. Originally, in his plan, no one else came to take a share of the pie. The greedy Manchus rushed to let him pay for it first. Emperor Lianzhi was also thinking about this idea.
Emperor Tongzhi said: "Li Guolou, since you are confident to complete the task, I will give you another official position. Supervisor of the Longevity Mountain Project. This job belongs to you."
"Thank you Lord for your kindness. I will definitely handle this job well." Li Guolou didn't understand. He couldn't help but look at Prince Gong. Where is the "Longevity Mountain"? He had never heard of it.
The faces of the eunuchs standing in the Yangxin Hall changed. They never expected that Li Guolou had become the confidant of the Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces. The most fat man in the palace was actually taken by Li Guolou. The Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces only thought of ten thousand things. The Shoushan Mountain project requires millions of taels of silver every year. This position is thankless. A master of making money is needed to take the position and complete the Wanshou Mountain project as soon as possible for them. This will also allow them to live in the Old Summer Palace and enjoy the splendor. Who knew that the throne of "Wanshoushan Project Supervisor" was worth a million dollars and was more desirable than the throne of the General Manager of the Two Palaces?
The eunuchs looked at Li Guolou with more kind eyes. We will be our own people from now on. Being kind brings wealth.
Prince Gong Yixin suppressed his laughter and refused to look at Li Guolou's probing eyes. The silly boy was so lucky. In the future, 900,000 taels of silver would be allocated from the Beiyang Navy to the Longevity Mountain Project. The Wanshou Mountain project earned a 10% commission, which is at least 200,000 taels of silver.
Prince Gong stood up, bowed and said, "I would like to report to your Majesty. I believe that the Li Guo Tower is a material that can be built. It is appropriate to raise the flag."
After the Qing Dynasty established the capital as the capital, the main force of the Manchu Eight Banners was stationed in and outside Beijing according to the flag. It was called the "Forbidden Eight Banners". Except for Zhengyang Gate, Eight Banners soldiers were stationed at the eight city gates of Beijing. At that time, the Qing Dynasty ruled Scholars believe that the biggest threat to Beijing comes from the north. Therefore, Deshengmen and Andingmen in the north are the top priorities for defense. They are garrisoned by Zhenghuang and Xianghuang flags commanded by the emperor himself. The remaining city gates are guarded by the remaining The Six Flags soldiers were guarded separately according to their respective positions. In the early Qing Dynasty, the inner city of the capital was all Manchus. The Han people could only settle in Nancheng. At this time, Manchus and Han people already lived together. Many people had Manchu and Han ancestry. Pure Manchus There are fewer and fewer people. Coupled with the flag-raising system, the Manchus have no idea what a Manchu is based on their flag status. They don't care whether the person is a pure Manchu or not.
Raising the flag is to let Li Guolou join the Manchus. He will no longer be Han Chinese. All the rules in the family must be formulated according to the practices of the Manchu nobles. This is also a system of rewards for slaves. Han ministers cannot raise the flag. Therefore, Prince Gong proposed to let Li Guolou carry the flag. He meant that Li Guolou should not be treated as a Han minister, but as a personal slave.
Of course Li Guolou understood the truth. But at this time, he was no longer shameless. He thought silently in his heart, "Great unity of the whole nation. Great integration of the whole nation." He looked at Emperor Tongzhi with an eager look in his eyes. After all, he regarded him as a Han. It doesn’t matter whether he is trained by the ministers or used as a Manchu slave. From now on, the Manchu ministers on the left will be on the court list. It’s not a bad idea. You just have to learn Manchu and write Manchu. Otherwise, you will be punished by the two queen mothers. . He can speak some Manchu, but his Manchu is much worse. He can speak many Manchu languages but cannot write them.
Emperor Tongzhi looked at the empress dowagers of the two palaces beside him. From the direction of the dragon chair where he was sitting, he could see Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an whispering.
Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an listened to Li Guolou's speech for an hour. They immediately thought he was superior. He could speak sonorously and splendidly. It was comfortable for the eyes and enjoyable for the ears. The emperor put the important task of training the new army in "Xinwutang" 》The chief academic officer was also handed over to Li Guolou. This important position should be held by a Manchu nobleman alone. Han people are worried about it. In addition, Li Guolou is now a blank slate. He is not with the ministers. It has been used in court. It can be used as a personal servant.
After some discussion, Empress Dowager Ci'an whispered: "Sister, I think Li Guolou is upright. His eyes are clear. You see, he has not wavered since he stood. He stands like a soldier. I think After that, he didn't move at all for more than an hour."
"Hmm..." Cixi couldn't help but nodded slightly, and showed an expression of approval. If she didn't promote the man she personally appointed as the crown prince, why should she promote Han people? A sweet voice came from behind the bamboo curtain. : "Yes. Prince Gong's heart is exactly what I want. I'm ready to play. Li Guolou is allowed to carry it under the yellow flag. His family members are also allowed to carry it under the blue flag."
The Yellow Banner belongs to the upper three banners. It belongs to the emperor himself. There is no governor. There is only the assistant leader. Empress Dowager Ci'an is also a person who wears the Yellow Banner. The Blue Banner is the Lower Five Banners. And Cixi was originally the one who raised the Blue Banner. Concubine Yi raised the flag to join the Xianghuang Banner. She raised Li Guolou to join the Xianghuang Banner. She raised him as a Manchu noble.
Li Guolou turned over and paid his respects. He kowtowed: "I would like to thank you, the Queen Mother. I will definitely run errands for my master in the future."
Li Guolou seemed to be in the Qionglou Immortal Pavilion. Everything in front of him seemed to be an illusory fairyland. How he walked out of the Yangxin Hall was forgotten. He stood blankly on the stone steps of the hall, in a daze. He looked up and looked at Yangxin. The plaque on the Heart Palace. There is a question mark in my heart. Is this true? The dream-like experience of the Forbidden City lingers in my heart. I can’t get rid of it.