Lu Yizhong's bedroom is located in a separate small courtyard of the mansion on Huifu Street. This courtyard was originally prepared for foreign guests. In addition to the main courtyard, there are two east and west courtyards. Lu Yizhong lives in the west courtyard. The house is tidied up
It's very comfortable, and there are people around to take care of me, but I can't go out and am under house arrest in this small world. Looking out from the window of the main room is a small yard with some flowers and trees.
He was in a somewhat depressed mood. Returning to Guangzhou was great news for Lu Yizhong, who had already despaired of returning to the mainland. Most of the staff captured in the Chengmai Battle were ransomed after the peace was reached, except for
Except for a few poor scholars who lived in Guangdong and had no friends, the prison camp had become empty. However, Lu Yizhong never dared to write a letter asking his family to send ransom. Until his wife saw others coming back one after another, and her husband was a little bit
There was no news, so I sent a son of a family to Hainan Island with money to look for him, and then I got the news about him.
Lu Yizhong did not dare to come back. During the interrogation, he told all the situations in Guangdong officialdom and the army that he knew. This was not a big deal - because almost everyone who was captured had recruited what they knew.
Everything. But because he was greedy for life and afraid of death, in order to cater to the thieves, he not only wrote a letter to the governor suggesting peace, but also said some things that should not be said during the interrogation. As long as the news is leaked back, even if the court does not convict him, he
He will also become a "traitor" that is reviled by everyone in the scholar community.
The governor is no longer here, and his biggest supporter in the officialdom is gone. For the defeat of Qiongzhou, if the court is going to punish someone, Lu Yizhong is an excellent scapegoat, and even the crime is ready-made. Anyway, he has no supporter, then
The generals who escaped with him could arrange him however they wanted.
Moreover, the thieves had no intention of letting him go. Although they allowed his family to send him money, items and other things, they never mentioned letting him go back. They even sent away the domestic slaves sent by his wife to serve him.
gone back.
This time the Australian elders "talked" to him and asked him to return to Guangzhou with Guo Yi and his party and serve the Australians from then on. Lu Yizhong did not dare to disobey. He knew very well what the Australians had in their hands. Once these things were thrown out
Go, even if the court doesn't pursue him, he will be ruined immediately. Being ruined is very scary for a person who relies on his status as a scholar to earn a living, not to mention that he has the same title as a Jinshi and has served as a prefect for two terms.
!To put it lightly, it’s called “shameless”; to put it seriously, it’s called “unfaithful”.
Therefore, he could only follow Guo Yi obediently and quietly return to Guangzhou, preparing to serve as Guo Yi's staff. To be precise, he would act as a liaison between Guangzhou Station and the government. The Australians told him clearly before departure
, the Guangzhou government will not investigate his matter. As long as he serves him honestly, neither the Australians nor the government will do anything to him.
"...But if you have any other thoughts, it goes without saying that we won't tolerate you. Even the governor may not be very happy to see you." Kun Thief, who came to talk to him, threatened openly.
"Yes, yes, I understand!" Lu Yizhong nodded repeatedly, "I have no second thoughts! You can learn from heaven and earth!"
The Australians bought him clothes and luggage, and returned the money and objects sent by his wife to him for use. However, all the servants were appointed by the Australians. Lu Yizhong set out on the road back to Guangzhou in fear and depression.
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On the way back to Guangzhou by boat, Guo Yi was quite polite. He even gave him some fruits from time to time. Sometimes he even invited him to have dinner and drink tea with him. Seeing this young man from overseas in front of him, he looked frightened in front of him last year.
He pleases himself with a flattering smile and a lot of gifts, just to get a few words or a few random words from him. Now he has become his "dongweng", and he wants to accompany his smiling face. Lu Yizhong's mood
He was very depressed. However, with his many years of cultivation in the officialdom, this sense of loss could be easily repaired. What he was most worried about was his future.
There is no need to think about the official career. Originally, I worked as a staff member under Governor Wang for a few years, and then I was recommended to go out.
I have prepared enough money and food for the rest of my life and my descendants. But it is no longer possible now.
As for going out to work as an aide again, it would be very difficult given his current reputation. There are already rumors outside that this time the King Governor rashly sent troops, causing a disastrous defeat in Qiongzhou.
The governor-general is planning to raise troops - this statement is not made by the intelligence department: there are many officials in Guangdong who are eager to shirk responsibility. Since the governor-general is no longer around, his staff who have lost power are naturally the best scapegoats.
.
Therefore, all the staff who were originally under the governor's shogunate were in despair. Except for a few people who were recruited by other officials, most of them scattered and left Guangdong. As the confidant of the former governor, Lu Yizhong also had the reputation of "lost bandits' nest".
No one will come to ask for advice.
"It is said that starving to death is a small thing, but losing integrity is a big thing. I believe it very much!" Lu Yizhong said a sentence sadly. Since he has lost his integrity, he has no choice but to commit suicide. If he wants to live well without committing suicide, he can only "sell".
Thinking of this, it seemed that everything was going to burn out, so I felt a little relieved.
"Even if one day the bandits are unable to support themselves in Guangzhou, it is still possible to preserve Qiongzhou Island. At worst, the whole family will move south and live on the island to spend the rest of their lives!"
Lu Yizhong has seen the current living standards and prosperity of Lingao. If he has to live the rest of his life in Lingao, it is not a bad choice.
When he first arrived in Guangzhou, Guo Yi didn't arrange anything for him. He just asked him to write a letter to his family to report that he was safe. He first had a rest on Weifu Street. After that, he didn't ask him to come over for several days. He was waiting in boredom.
, who had already made up his mind to sell himself and seek refuge, became suspicious again, fearing that the Australians were not prepared to reuse him, which made him feel very depressed.
When I was bored, a call came from the door:
"master!"
The person who came was the manservant sent by the Australians to serve him. Lu Yizhong knew that he was probably an informant sent by the Australians. He asked, "What's the matter?"
"This is what Dongzhu Guo sent to me. He said: Please take a look at it in the next two days. In addition, I will ask you to go out to visit us tomorrow. Please prepare it in advance."
What the servant sent was the newly published "Jin Shen" in the bookstore, the official transcripts copied from the Yamen, and some memorial transcripts collected from various channels. He flipped through and found that almost all the memorials of the major officials in the province and Guangxi were
I copied them all out, and the dates are from the last few months.
Lu Yizhong knew that he wanted to master the basic situation of Guangdong and the imperial court so that he could be used by Guo Yi as an advisor. It seemed that the Australians still had the possibility of reusing him. Thinking of this, his originally depressed mood improved slightly.
The next day, Guo Yi and Lu Yizhong took two unobtrusive small sedans and headed all the way to the Lotus Jingshe on Henan Island. This was the place where Representative Li Fengjie had negotiated peace with the Navy's Pearl River Detachment. He was arriving
Meet Li Xijue here to discuss the aftermath.
Li Xijue was originally a member of the governor's shogunate. Although he was quite talented, he was recommended to the governor's shogunate to participate in confidential affairs. His status was not low, but he was not very trusted. Li Fengjie asked him to handle "Macao affairs", which was tantamount to replacing a person.
A hot potato was thrust into his hands. In the official circles of Guangdong, there were a few people who could handle barbarian affairs in Hongmao, Folangji and other places, but there was no one who could handle "Australian affairs".
Li Xijue is the person in charge of contacting the Australians officially, and the first thing he needs to do right now is to "refund compensation." Although he is not an official, he is still Li Fengjie's staff. Although everyone knows his identity well, they also
It is inconvenient to have too many public contacts with Guangzhou Station.
Li Xijue was not completely clear about what agreement Dong Weng had reached with the Australians, but the little he knew was enough to be called a "traitor". So he had to be particularly careful. For safety reasons, both parties kept the date of the agreed meeting.
The place is set at Lotus Jingshe on Henan Island, which is not far from the city and relatively secluded.
Li Xijue and Lu Yizhong met again at this place. Both of them were a little embarrassed. They used to participate in secrets in the governor's shogunate and planned how to deal with the Australians, but now they are dealing with the Australians and making things easier for the Australians.
The door seems to be somewhat like a trick of fate.
The embarrassment was embarrassing, but serious things still had to be done. During the talks, the two parties formally agreed that Lu Yizhong would be the liaison person for the Australians, and Li Xijue would be the liaison person for the government. All negotiations would be handled by the two.
The two parties will temporarily use the Lotus Abode as the venue for their meetings and talks. Changes will be made after a new suitable venue is found.
The Guangdong government guarantees the personal and property safety of Lu Yizhong himself and his family.
After the transactional agreement, there is the issue of land purchase - acquiring land for the "Guangzhou World" project. According to the old time and space, it means approving a piece of land for commercial real estate development.
Even in the Ming Dynasty, purchasing land on such a large scale for commercial development was a sensitive matter, let alone outside Guangzhou! This is not just a matter of money. Without the overt and covert support of the local government, if you want to engage in large-scale
Real estate development is very difficult.
In addition, although the officials of the Ming Dynasty were greedy, they were not stupid after all. They could figure out with their feet what kind of medicines were sold in the big world outside Guangzhou.
"This matter is not easy to handle..." Li Xijue took a breath of air, "Although you are allowed to purchase land freely in Guangdong, but if you have to buy so much land in Guangzhou City, I'm afraid, I'm afraid..." he thought.
Without any specific reason, it was best to just say, "It's difficult to handle."