Chapter 357 Revitalizing the Honor of the National Light Industry
Li Guolou holds a famous yellow silk parcel in his hand, which contains two imperial edicts and four official seals. The two imperial edicts are two letters of appointment given by the emperor. They will be placed on the incense table for enshrinement on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. The seals are issued by the royal family. Issued to represent power, to distinguish official ranks and show rank. The official seal is larger than the private seal, strict and steady, square in shape, has a nose button, and is about the size of a fist. It can be hung on the waist with a ribbon. Officials sometimes need to carry the seal with them when working. , issued instructions, documents, and memorials all need to be stamped to be effective. The official seal is just like the official's identity certificate.
As Li Guolou walked, he was worried about how he would live in the future. Could it be that he walked with four official seals hanging on his waist? Until now, he has not used any followers. It seems that he will have a "hand seal official" by his side in the future.
Two days ago, Li Lianying had told him that he was going to start the company under Prince Qing Yikuang. This was the only title Li Guolou had prepared for in advance. He was put on the bridle of Prince Qing, the big corrupt criminal, and Li Guolou also recognized it. The Qing Dynasty founded the first university. No matter how hard it was, no matter how tiring it was, losing money, being scolded, and humbly bowing down to celebrate the prince's stinky feet, he was still willing to do so.
He was very happy to get the position of chief secretary of the Qing Dynasty, and finally had the opportunity to touch the military power. Although his immediate boss was Weng Tonghe, the leader of the Qing Dynasty, his military philosophy would conflict greatly with him. But this kind of old scholar likes to sit in class and give lectures. He likes to go deep into the military camp and interact with officers and soldiers, which gives him an opportunity to recruit middle- and lower-level officers under his wing.
What exactly does the Wanshou Mountain Project Supervisor do? Li Guolou only knows that it is an official position held by the two empress dowagers' personal servants. What does it do? He has no clue. Just after leaving the palace, the eunuch Liu Deyin said, "Congratulations! Mr. Li ." Do you want to give gifts to the dead eunuch again? He was already frightened by the eunuch's demand for bribes. Others came to his house to give gifts, and the eunuchs who came to his house all asked for money. The day before yesterday, the great eunuch Li Lianying asked for 10,000 taels. A heavy reward is said to have saved his life. Who would believe such a superstitious product as "approving eight characters"? What does Heshen have to do with him? It's a joke, and it's always a big joke.
The money went in with the left hand and came out with the right hand. He didn't dare to calculate whether it was a profit or a loss. Li Guolou walked out of the palace in a daze and didn't know where to go. He wanted to find Prince Gong Yixin to find out the reasons for everything. But just then, Prince Gong walked out of the Yangxin Palace and walked away, scorning him. How smart he was. He already knew what Prince Gong was thinking. In the future, he had to avoid suspicion. As soon as he left the palace, officials could not gather together, otherwise they would be accused by villains. What's more, he will be the emperor's personal slave in the future and will have only one master, "the emperor". But who should he ask for advice on so many things? His seventh grandmother, Zhen Yuhuan, doesn't understand the affairs of the palace either.
It was already past lunch time, and Li Guolou was so hungry that he did not come directly to pick up the carriage of his servant Battelle. Instead, he took Battelle with him and walked towards Chang'an Street, hoping to find a restaurant for dinner. Looking at the flag hanging on the restaurant in the distance.
"Master Li, do you know me?" Ronglu, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, stood beside the Li Guo Tower with a smile. He had changed into casual clothes and looked very energetic in his bluestone silk and cotton robe.
Ronglu, courtesy name Zhonghua, alias Lueyuan, Guarjia clan, was a native of the Zhengbai Banner in Manchuria. At first, Yinsheng was in charge of the Ministry of Industry. At the beginning of Tongzhi, the Shenji Camp was set up, serving as the Wing Commander and Minister of Special Operations, and then moved to the Left Wing Commander-in-Chief. As a soldier, his outstanding performance was appreciated by Yixuan, Prince of Chun County, and Wen Xiang, Minister of Military Aircraft, and he was promoted to Minister of Industry and Minister of Internal Affairs.
Ronglu is less than forty years old. He has a mustache, red eyes, and a rectangular face. He is neither fat nor thin. His height is slightly shorter than that of Li Guolou by five or six centimeters. He is very eye-catching in the court. He is a handsome man. He belongs to The centrists were both left and right, and the officials of several factions in the court all admired Ronglu. The Ministry of Industry was commonly known as the "Ministry of Metallurgical Engineering," while the Minister of Internal Affairs was in charge of the expenses in the palace. He was so fat that Ronglu held two golden rice bowls in his hands. , even if you don’t become a corrupt official.
Li Guolou finally met an official of the same type as him. Judging from his appearance, it was impossible to tell the change in Rong Lu's heart. His face was solemn and his expression was motionless. He hurriedly bowed and worshiped: "Master Rong, you are famous, I am a low-ranking official." How could I not recognize him?"
Li Guolou guessed that Ronglu was specially waiting for him. He was a strong rival of his, and he was also a talented person who had achieved success at a young age. He was already a third-grade official before the age of forty.
Ronglu said casually: "Master Li, are you going to have a meal? It just so happens that I haven't had lunch either, so let's eat together. I know there is a restaurant in front of you that has delicious food. Let's go, I will lead the way."
"Okay, I'm promoted today, so I'll treat the guests." Li Guolou and Ronglu exchanged a few words and entered a restaurant together. Their servants were eating downstairs, and Li Guolou and Ronglu ran upstairs to visit. Sit by the window.
The two toasted three glasses of wine to each other, and then ate casually. Ronglu smiled and said, "Guo Tower, do you know? Is the signboard of Juxian Tower personally written by the Holy Ancestor Kangxi?"
"Oh... is that so? I don't know about that." Li Guolou's lie seemed to be true, his eyes widened, as if he was very excited.
Ronglu said meaningfully: "You have made me your friend, and you just know it."
The two of them smirked together, squinting their eyes, and their smiles were so real. Li Guolou couldn't figure out why Ronglu was looking for him? As the saying goes, one level of officialdom kills people. He was four levels lower than Ronglu, so Ronglu couldn't find him. He got close. The person in front of him is the God of Wealth, and his current net worth is at least one million taels.
"Oh, I haven't congratulated Guo Lou yet for raising the flag. It's such a happy event. Come on, let's have another drink." The two of them chanted the wind and the moon carelessly. Li Guo Lou had just left the Forbidden City. Rong Lu already knew that Li Guo Lou had just left the Forbidden City. When the flag was raised on the Imperial Tower, the eunuchs in the palace even flattered Minister of the Interior Ronglu.
Ronglu was the most well-informed about the news in the palace. He had already seen that Li Guolou was appreciated by the two empress dowagers. He was younger, taller and more handsome than him, and had a better background than him. Li Guolou was a young man in the new department, so he was more likely to win the favor of literati. Support. And he only had the spotlight of the Manchu people, which was better than Li Guolou. However, Prince Gong suddenly made a move to "raise the flag", which directly turned Li Guolou into the emperor's personal slave. Rong Lu He had the idea of getting close to Li Guolou, so he wanted to make friends with Li Guolou as soon as possible regardless of his higher official position than Li Guolou.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Li Guolou was neither tired nor slow. When he drank chrysanthemum tea, he had countless doubts in his mind, but he would not ask Ronglu for advice. People are separated from the belly, and words will be lost if you talk too much. How do you say the taste of the dishes? He would talk endlessly and reveal the secret method of making delicious food in Juxianlou. On other matters, Li Guolou would just laugh and laugh without having an in-depth discussion with Ronglu.
Ronglu looked at it and waved the waiter next to him to leave. He smiled slightly and said: "Guo Lou is an exquisite and exquisite man. No wonder Lord Bao appreciates you, and Prince Gong also mentioned you. Needless to say about the others, Mr. Brother, I sincerely want to make friends with you." At this point, Rong Lu stopped talking and raised his eyes to look at the expression on Li Guolou's face. However, he saw that Li Guolou was still nodding calmly and did not express his opinion. He felt that he was full of praise. As a descendant of Li Hongzhang, the little fox imitated Li Hongzhang's demeanor and imitated it.
Ronglu said slowly: "To be honest, brother, I have gained some wealth just sitting in my seat, and I want to make a contribution to the country. Let the people in my family learn from Li Zhongtang's family and become national entrepreneurs. I want to The textile factory opened in Wuxi has improved the lives of the people in my hometown. I know that your production technology is the most advanced in the textile factory now. I wonder if you are willing to help me."
Li Guolou thought for a while and said sincerely: "Sir Rong, to be honest, the textile factory is a bottomless pit. The amount of silver filled in it is tens of thousands. There is a chance of becoming bigger, but the possibility of losing money is greater. Even so. Once you start making money, the market will become bigger immediately, and you will need to expand the factory and improve the machinery. You will not see the money you earn back, you will only see the silver scattered like snowflakes. Think about it carefully before telling me, I I deceived my two wives and let them buy shares in Yadong Textile Factory. Now that I think about it, I regret it. If I had put my money elsewhere, I could have paid dividends long ago."
Ronglu smiled and said: "Guo Lou, you didn't lie to me. I already knew this. But who told me to be rich? The rejuvenation of the nation starts with light industry. You said this. Right? I If you have a patriotic heart, don’t buy manor or land! Just do this kind of thankless thing.”
Li Guolou stared at Ronglu. He was really like him. He had the same thoughts as him. He was thinking about the revitalization of the nation and hoped that the Qing Dynasty would rise again. Ronglu was willing to use the money obtained from corruption to revitalize the national industry. For this reason, it is worth a deep friendship.
Li Guolou raised his wine glass, stood up, shook his head drunkenly, and said: "Okay! Mr. Rong is a good man, and I am not a villain. There is no problem in my family about running a factory, as long as Yadong Textile Factory has Technology can be introduced into the factory built for you, and skilled workers will be no problem. Regardless of patent fees, let’s work together in the future.”
"Well, in order to revitalize the nation, we should unite together. Come and have a drink!" Rong Lu took the secret message quietly. What he was thinking in his heart was actually learning from Li Hongzhang. If he has money, he can use it to run industries. Above. The combination of government and business is always beneficial. His close friendship with Li Guolou was a secret move for him to prepare to surrender to the Westernization faction. As the saying goes, he can play both sides and act according to the circumstances. Every step Ronglu took in his official career was carefully considered. When it came to national revitalization, Li Guolou was really impressed. In the scene, Li Guolou no longer pretended to be a noble scholar and poet.
Next, Li Guolou was no longer polite. He had already mastered the ability of climbing along the pole. He said without shame: "Sir Rong, you should know that my family founded the Invitation Bank. We have such a good relationship. , help me save some money."
Ronglu also asked politely: "Well, what discounts do you have there?"
During this period of the Qing Dynasty, customers were required to pay a handling fee to open an account in a bank, and the interest on deposits was very low, supervised by banks. Banks, bank accounts, and even foreign banks all over the country followed the same principle, and competition with each other could not harm other banks. The benefits. As for lending, it is much more relaxed. There are also money banks that offer loan sharking with an interest rate of three cents per month, which is equivalent to the lending of the underworld. The Qing Dynasty was a farming society, inflation had not yet occurred, and the prices of many things remained unchanged for decades.
"This..." Li Guolou met a man who was very calculating, and his friends also wanted to talk about their interests. He said helplessly: "Master Rong, the rules of the business cannot be broken. At most, I will give you a generous gift next year. Everyone understands this tacitly." .”
"Giggle, giggle, I'm just kidding. Don't take it seriously. I'll go to Tianjin to stand up for you in person. How about depositing ten thousand taels of silver first? We're friends enough." Rong Lu narrowed his eyes and looked closely.
In Li Guolou, business and money go hand in hand. An ordinary lunch made two unfamiliar courtiers become close friends.
At this time, Li Guolou let go and asked: "Sir Rong, can you tell me that I understand all the other official titles that the emperor granted me. What does the Wanshou Mountain Project Supervisor do?"
"Ah..." Rong Lu shook his hand and dropped his chopsticks to the ground. He looked at Li Guolou with surprise, and saw that Li Guolou really didn't know how there could be such a stupid person.
Does the project supervisor not know what he is doing?
After the boy changed a pair of chopsticks, Ronglu said: "Guo Lou, to tell you the truth, you got a good job in the palace. Wanshou Hill is just a courtyard of the Old Summer Palace. It is actually the reconstruction project of the Old Summer Palace. The two empress dowagers are about to remove the curtains."
, they want to live in the Old Summer Palace. They don’t usually live in the Forbidden City, so
The emperor has sole power. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has allocated special funds for the Wanshou Mountain project, and the Queen Mother will also put her own money into it. I don’t think the total annual income will be less than ten thousand taels of silver. Even if it is not rebuilt in the future, just
Minor repairs and maintenance costs will cost at least 10,000 silver a year. Do you understand now?"
"Ah..." Li Guolou shouted louder than Ronglu. There is indeed such a thing as pie in the sky. No wonder Ronglu would make friends with him. He is a blessed person. A wild goose plucking his hair.
How could he not understand the truth? The regulations on expenses in the palace
The moment is 30% true and 70% false. How many tricks are there in this? Tomorrow his house will present an unprecedented scene. Dead eunuchs will line up to come to his house to give gifts. History can be reversed, and he actually crawled
It reached the top of the eunuch's head.
Li Guolou and Ronglu said goodbye. Ronglu would visit Li Guolou tomorrow to send a congratulatory gift and congratulate him on his promotion. The two said goodbye at the door of Juxian Tower.
Li Guolou sat in the carriage and clapped his hands and laughed alone. Who should he share this joy with? Well... Prince Qing Yikuang cannot be offended. He will come to visit tonight. First, give him 50,000 taels of silver.
, I would like to ask Prince Qing for advice on the allocation of special funds for the project. How many percent will Prince Qing need to be satisfied?
Hey... If the remaining project funds are not enough in the future, he will have to find a way to raise it. Qingzhong University is the cradle of the new national culture, and he, as the chief academic administrator, will go down in history. Hey... for the sake of the nation
Revitalization can only turn Prince Qing into a great intellectual who is upright and patriotic.