In Beijing, Biyun Temple in Xiangshan, in the Zen Room that was sunny after the heavy rain in summer, the most famous generals of the Qingliu Party, the Qingliu leader, the current Qing Dynasty prince Shaobao, co-organized the Grand Secretary and Minister of Military Affairs, watched a sketch of the calligraphy and painting written by Weng Tonghe, the left censor of the Censorate.

"Cook tea after the rain, listen to bamboo outside the wind, clean the windows, draw a zither with one scroll, and incense and a calligraphy. "Pan Zuyin, who has been the emperor's teacher with Weng Tonghe, and is the current Prince Shaobao and the Minister of Justice, read the inscription of this sketch with a slight, then nodded slightly, praising, "Not only did Shuping's words and paintings be said, "The realm of this word is also a gentleman's elegance!"

On the side, Zhang Zhidong, who was the Zuochunfang of the Zhan Mansion, struggled to cushion his feet. After taking a closer look, he also gently stroked the beautiful beard that had already been under his jaw, and smiled, "I often heard that Mr. Weng transferred to Yan style and also studied Su Shi and Mi Fu in middle age. I saw him today. As expected, the lyrics are like Su Shi, and the words are like Mi Fu, which are new and innovative!"

Zhang Peilun, Chen Baochen and Baoting, who are also a strong general of the Northern School of Qingliu, also praised Weng Tonghe's calligraphy, paintings and lyrics. The Qingliu and the North and South schools in the Qing Dynasty were in the Zen room of Biyun Temple for a while.

After writing the upper paragraph on the upper right of the sketch, "Please Mr. Shi Sun to teach the certificate" and the lower paragraph on the lower left, Weng Tonghe smiled at Pan Zuyin, who was a village party, a close friend, or a leader of the Southern School Qingliu, "Bo Yin, don't make fun of me, take out your good gold and stone seal and write a inscription together, and it won't take Mr. Shi Sun to accompany us to the West Mountain."

Li Hongzao, who is the name Shisun, smiled and said, "What's the point of doing? You can have an excuse to come to the West to escape the summer heat in the hot summer, and you can also get a calligraphy and painting by Shuping, and Bo Yin's inscription on gold and stone. In addition to being satisfied, this is even more unexpected surprise!"

After a exchange of calligraphy, painting, gold and stone, and poetry, several people came to the inner room of the Zen room, and the incense mats in the inner room were arranged early. Inviting everyone to come to Biyun Temple to taste the incense was the proposal of Lord Weng, the Zuodu Censor. The person who was responsible for burning incense after the incense case was naturally Lord Weng.

On the incense table, to Weng Tonghe's right hand, there is a set of silver seal incense seven-piece set, including incense chopsticks, incense pressure, incense broom, incense spoon, incense shovel, side flat press and silver leaf clip. On the front is a incense plate carved from pineapple wood, with yellow leaves-shaped incense plate.

On the left hand side, Lord Weng gently took out a Hetian jade-like incense box, incense burner, sachet, sachet and smoke ball in a row, and placed it in front of him. Then he took out a thread incense from an exquisite tin can, lit it, and inserted it into the incense. A smell of agarwood echoed gently in the Zen room.

This style of Lord Weng is called the smoked field in the incense path. The emphasis is on opening the scene with a light and fragrant agarwood. When the agarwood line in the smoked field is 2/3, Lord Weng then uses an incense box, incense burner and a bedroom to ignite three different agarwood, including balls, blocks, and plates, so that everyone in the Zen room can carefully taste the wonders of the changes in the fragrance of these three different agarwood combinations.

After the three different agarwood burned out, Lord Weng smoked another sandalwood and put it in a smoke ball. After the sandalwood diluted the lingering fragrance of the agarwood, Lord Weng took out three agarwood casually and lit them one by one, pointing to the agarwood in the incense box and said, "This agarwood comes from Sing Chau, Nanyang (Singapore), and the fragrance is as quiet as water."

Then he pointed to the incense burner and said, "This incense pill comes from Laos (Laos). It emphasizes a sultry fragrance, which is very exotic. The incense in this bedroom comes from Ambon (Ambon Island, Indonesia). Its freshness and elegance are its characteristics."

Emperor Guangxu's daily talk, Chen Baochen, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and shook his head and exclaimed, "Sing Chew is quiet, the foreign land of Laos, and Ambon is fresh, these three agarwoods are good! Good! Good!"

Zhang Peilun, the youngest among the people, who is also a daily negotiator, looked at Aisin Gioro-Baoting, who was shaking his right hand and writing, and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhupo, after smelling the fragrance, do you have to feel it?"

Aisin Gioro Baoting, who was born in the Qing Dynasty's Inlaid Blue Banner and the eighth-generation grandson of Jirhalang, Prince Heshuo Zhengxian, nodded when he heard this, "After hearing what Mr. Songchan said, we realized that these three agarwoods were all from the former vassal state of our Qing Dynasty. I couldn't help but feel moved!"

Weng Tonghe raised his head and said seriously, "Shaoxi, why not sing a poem to relieve the meaning in his heart?"

After looking around, Baoting laughed, shouted "Come on the pen!", and then wrote a seven-character poem at will.

"Men have their own blood, and they don't spill the border and the Beijing cemetery. They have no ability to repay their kindness with their bare hands. They have a soft and three-inch tongue... Humen says it's really natural danger. Lugang hears heavy troops. I try to go to Fengtao Pavilion to see the distance, and Nagasaki is close to Japan."

Chen Baochen read it and slapped, "Shaoxi wrote well. Our censors, loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, should use a pen and a three-inch tongue to criticize current ills. The Westernizationists always said that we Hanlin, scholars, and Taoist censors stood and spoke without a back pain. Even though they had ten thousand words in their mouths, they had no plan in their hearts. No one could match their discussions and talked at the last minute. There was no plan in their enemies."

"But I don't know that the censor just stands and speaks, while the government officials just lower their bodies to do things!"

Zhang Zhidong slapped his thigh and praised Chen Baochen, "What Bo Qian said is very true. Our censors are in sarcasm, using the right position to mock the king, advise and refute, and report the imperial edicts. They are the personal ethics of prosecutors and all officials to crack down on corrupt and abuse the law. If the censors cannot say anything, how can the Qing Dynasty be clear in the officialdom? Do you just let those officials and cruel officials harm the people and the court?!"

Zhang Peilun, who was standing aside, was calm and carefully pondered Baoting's poems, and asked, "Mr. Zhupo's last few words seemed to be referring to the Japanese incident that was causing a lot of controversy?"

"That's right!" Baoting nodded and said loudly, "Water dares to deceive people so much against our Qing Dynasty. It is all because the Zongli Yamen is incompetent and the Beiyang ministers are useless!"

After saying that, after looking around for a week, Baoting, who was a royal nobleman in the royal family, spoke boldly, "A mere Japanese country dares to annex Ryukyu so unscrupulously under the eyes of my Qing Dynasty, and regards me as the Qing Dynasty as nothing, all because of his Yixin's mistaken country! Because of his cowardice of Li Hongzhang!"

"If you want me to say that the Zongli Yamen asks all countries to judge the justice is a wrong way! It would be better to let Beiyang send troops directly to Kyoto of Japan, tie the emperor of Japan to Beijing, and apologize to His Majesty and the Empress Dowagers of the Two Palaces. Isn't that a feud!"

"Everyone, look at the current axiom judgment and what is done. The Zongli Yamen asked the head of the Western Ministerial Group to preside over the axiom. The German is really honest. He is talking and talking to the Qing Dynasty. Although the court has no effect, this German is traveling around Beijing, Tianjin and Japan, and at least he has a hard work to do!

"But what is the president of Citiland that Li Hongzhang invited? He spent a lot of Pingkuyin, but he actually invited not the current president of Citiland, but just a resigned person! Li Hongzhang didn't know how to invite the Emperor of Citiland to come forward to preside over such a major event?!"

"Bang!" The paper fan in Zhang Zhidong's hand fell to the ground. Zhang Zhidong saw everyone looking at him, hurriedly clasped his fists and said seriously, "What Brother Shaoxi said is deafening. We are a role model, a role model!" After that, he quickly lowered his body to pick up the fan.

Zhang Peilun smashed his mouth and showed a embarrassed look on his face, thinking, "It turns out that he has a jade plate, and the school is divided into heaven, and he dares to speak anything and fire any cannon. Prince Gong's name is just called directly, because your surname is Aisin Gioro. However, now I need to think of a way to protect Lord Li Yi and Er."

Chen Baochen and Baoting have always had a good relationship. As the backbone of the Northern School Qingliu, they are both famous Qingliu’s four admonitions, and they have always spoken out loudly. "Shaoxi is a big mistake! There is only a president in the United States and no emperor, so how can the American emperor ask the American emperor to preside over the theory of justice!"

"What, no emperor? How can a country without a king or father be accomplished? Such countries are even more inviting. If you want to invite a country with a king or father to uphold justice. Although Japan is not worth it, it is like my Qing Dynasty. It is a country with a king or father. It is a big mistake to let Citi, a country with a king or father be presided over the axioms between the king or father be taken over the axioms of the king or father! He, Li Hongzhang, misleading the country!" Baoting slapped the table in front of him and said angrily, "When I go back to Beijing to study his Li Hongzhang!"

"Shaoxi, listen to me!" The person who interrupted Baotingbiao was Pan Zuyin. Although Lord Pan was only a second-rank official, he served as the Nanshufang for a long time and was the person in charge of the compilation of "Zhiping Baojian" (this book was hailed by the Qing Dynasty court as an imperial technique as the same as Zizhi Tongjian).

Because of this, only the most prestigious Qingliu in the city of Beijing, the current crown prince Shaobao and the Minister of Justice Pan Zuyin, can persuade this Qingliu general who is the only Han family who is not from a Han family.

"Shaoxi, a few days ago, I received a letter from Lord Li of Beiyang. The one who sent the letter was a close confidant of Prince Gong Yixin. The Prime Minister's Affairs Office of various countries, Mao Changxi, and Lord Mao." Pan Zuyin signaled Baoting to be calm and looked at Li Hongzao, the Minister of Military Affairs, who was known as Qingniu (homniverse of Qingliu). After getting Li Hongzao's resentment, he said loudly.

"In the letter sent by Mr. Mao, Lord Li of Zhili said that the Qing Dynasty and the Japanese auspicious judgment have already come to light. The German ambassador Barland said that this time, the Qing Dynasty will be the winner of the justice judgment!"

After a pause, he continued to say, "In addition, Lord Barland obtained the visiting German royal grandson Prince Henry. If the Japanese still shirked their responsibilities and refused to hand over Ryukyu after the axiom judgment was over. Germany was willing to use the German Royal Navy fleet stationed in Hong Kong to force the Japanese to hand over Ryukyu!"

"Take it seriously!" Zhang Zhidong, Baoting and Chen Baochen asked in unison with joy. Zhang Peilun also looked surprised, but said in his heart, "It seems that he has finally convinced the Germans, but I don't know what price the Lord Zhongtang has paid to the Germans."

"Take it seriously!" The left-level censor Weng Tonghe spoke, "The memorials of Prince Gong and Li Hefei have been sent to the imperial court, saying that they were made together with the Zongli Yamen and Beiyang after the German royal grandson arrived in Beijing, and the "Clerk of Friendship Declaration" was announced together."

"Don't you use the power of foreigners to regain the Ryukyu vassal states to regain your vassal states? Should I write to him?!" Chen Baochen asked Li Hongzao, Pan Zuyin, Weng Tong and the three Qingliu bosses.

"Using barbarians to control barbarians, the Germans are willing to help me punish the Japanese in the Qing Dynasty. This is a good thing, and this matter cannot be discussed!" Zhang Zhidong interrupted, "My lords, Bo Qian, if this matter is accomplished, wouldn't it be a true reflection of the prosperity of our Qing Dynasty, and there will be God's help in the dark!"

"Well, Brother Xiaoda said very well. I think my Qing Dynasty dragon is rising outside the pass, and I can get the world by heaven. Now I have Germany helping me to help the Qing Dynasty regain the Ryukyu vassal state. It is a blessing for heaven." Zhang Peilun nodded and agreed.

Baoting, who was sitting beside him, blinked and thought for a while, turned his head and asked Chen Baochen, "Boqian, Germany seems to have a German emperor, is that?"

"The grandson of Emperor De came to see His Majesty. Do you think there is Emperor De? You have too many poems and lyrics in your mind!" Chen Baochen complained to his old friend with a smile.

"Wow, I just said, only if there is a king and a father, can there be such a righteous person!" Baoting slapped his thigh and said.

"There are emperors in the English country, and they are still queens, but they are not benevolent and righteous to me, Qing Dynasty!" Chen Baochen said angrily.

"The hen is in charge of the morning, and it is only the family's rope..." Baotinggang spit out this word.

"Shut up!" Li Hongzao angrily scolded.

"Bold!" Pan Zuyin slapped the chair and shouted.

"Be careful!" Weng Tonghe shook his hand and stopped him.

And Zhang Zhidong, Chen Baochen and Zhang Peilun either bow their heads, look up at the sky, or think about the folding fan in their hands, looking at them without caring about them and being out of the matter.

The two empress dowagers who control the Qing Dynasty today are the two empresses, similar to the British queen. In the eyes of the orthodox Qing Dynasty, they can also be called the real hen Sichen. When Baoting, who was honest by nature, opened his mouth, he knew that his words were taboo. He quickly slapped himself twice and blamed himself, "Damn it, damn it!"

Li Hongzao waved his hand and said earnestly, "Zhupo, you are talented and dare to speak out. In addition, you are from a royal family, these are all advantages, but only when it comes to wildness and advising, you must be very cautious!"

Baoting stood up, bowed deeply to Li Hongzao, and said respectfully, "Sir, Zhupo has been taught!"

"Zhupo is also inspiring, without any intention, no example, no example!" Weng Tonghe smiled and smoothed the scene, and then asked the four Qingliu advisers present, "Western people are naturally seeking profit, and this German is not immune to the customs. Before sending troops to help me to regain the Ryukyu vassal state, they also talked about profit. Mr. Shi Sun, Mr. Bo Yin and me are about to ask you what you think about this matter."

After hearing this, Zhang Zhidong bowed his hand and asked the three bigwigs, "Sir, I don't know what benefits this German wants to make from my Qing Dynasty?"

"As long as you don't cede land or pay compensation, according to my opinion, everything can be agreed to!" Baoting interrupted.

"Cough!" After glaring at Baoting fiercely, Pan Zuyin said dissatisfiedly, "It's not that he had lost a war with the Germans, how could he ceded land and compensated?!"

"The terms proposed by the Germans are basically the same as what they said before, requiring the Qing Dynasty to open up the mine rights, requiring the establishment of a factory in the Qing Dynasty, requiring the Qing Dynasty to purchase German arms, and calling on the name of the Qing Dynasty to purchase German warships, and adding an additional one is added. If the Qing Dynasty wants the German warships to send troops to Japan, the German fleet will also need to pay the additional cost of the German fleet."

"Do you want me to change the national system of the Qing Dynasty?" Zhang Zhidong asked nervously without waiting for Pan Zuyin to finish speaking.

"No!" Pan Zuyin shook his head, "What the Germans say is only profit-oriented, not anything else."

"Hu..." Zhang Zhidong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "In this regard, it is different from the British and legal persons. The most hateful thing about the British and legal persons is that they always forget to change the Qing Dynasty's system! I don't expect that Germany is so sensible. If the Qing Dynasty's theory of common reputation and education is the original method of Germany's prosperity and strength, it would be a good thing to cooperate with Qing Dynasty!"

"But the Germans want the right to mine, which is tantamount to cutting land and giving up land. It is contrary to the Qing Dynasty's ancestor system. I want to participate in it!" Baoting shook his head, completely disagreeing with what Zhang Zhidong said, "A gentleman values ​​virtue but not strength, and Westerners have learned many strange and lewd skills. If such things are spreading in the Qing Dynasty, I am afraid that my ancestors will educate them..."

"Brother Shaoxi, if you can master the Western method to gain the skills of self-improvement and understand the knowledge of Sinology as a resource for understanding reason, it is the use of Western method for our Qing Dynasty and the use of Sinology by Song Dynasty. Wouldn't it be a pleasure or a cheap matter?" Zhang Zhidong interrupted Baoting's words with a knock on the folding fan in his hand and retorted dissatisfiedly.

"I think Xiaoda's words are quite reasonable. If I want to enrich the country and strengthen the army, then training troops, mining and shipbuilding are indispensable. These three things require Western learning. If we can follow what Xiaoda said, it is a good way to take middle school as the body and Western learning as the application. Besides, the Qing Dynasty is seeking independence. The Germans are working with me to build mines and roads. If we apply this book, I may not be in line with the two empress dowagers." Pan Zuyin touched the short moustache on his lips and nodded in agreement.

Weng Tonghe blinked, looked at the other people in the house who were thinking and silent, and said, "I also feel that Xiaoda's words are innovative. The Qing Dynasty wants to innovate, but the Westernization Affairs should also be based on the court. Therefore, I think the matter of military training, mining and shipbuilding should be controlled by the court, rather than letting the officials of the border handle it. What do you mean?"

"Sir, my Western Affairs of the Qing Dynasty was presided over by Prince Gong during the Xianfeng period. The General Affairs Office has always been in Beijing and in the hands of the court, and Beiyang is just a Xiang office." Zhang Peilun said with a faint expression, "Besides, Lord Li from Zhili is also a practical person. Since the pacification of Changmao, the Huai Army has been dealing with foreigners in Shanghai. Mr. Zeng Wenzheng praised Lord Li by name, he was a rare talent for the Western Affairs of the Qing Dynasty."

"It is true that Li Hefei is a talented person. Back then, he pacified Changmao and Niband. He was invincible in the battle! And now, his Beiyang not only has elite troops in the Huai Army, but also a navy. His life is in full swing. Do you dare not fight even if you get old and become rich?" Zhang Zhidong asked coldly.

"Warning war is about knowing oneself and enemy, and only by winning every battle. But now, who can know what Japan is now? I, the Qing Dynasty? I don't know how to talk about victory? If you lose, is it Mr. Li, or the court?" Zhang Peilun glanced down and glanced at Zhang Zhidong.

"I have to win the enemy and defeat by planning, but before planning, it is a question of whether I dare to fight. It is related to courage! Civil officials must have intellectual courage, and military officials must also have military courage. If military officials love money and fear death, they will not even dare to think about the idea of ​​fighting. Such a person who leads the army will wait for me, Zhang Xiaoda, to participate in his book!" Zhang Zhidong raised his head and looked at Zhang Peilun and said without showing any weakness.

"Weapons are the major affairs of the country, the place of life and death, and the way of survival. We must observe. The battle with Japan must be a national war. Just having courage and no plans is a reckless man!" Zhang Peilun brushed his sleeves and said coldly, "The army will be lost at a low level, and the country will be lost at a serious level!"

"Whoever wins when two armies meet. If the generals do not have courage, the soldiers will not be brave. If the army does not have courage, what is the purpose of it?!" Zhang Zhidong responded with an angry look on his face.

"If you build a 100,000 army and go to a thousand miles, the people's expenses and the public's service will cost thousands of dollars a day. Brother Xiaoda, if you don't plan in advance, where will the military pay be?" Zhang Peilun asked back, and then said loudly, "Mr. Bo Yin said that my Qing Dynasty's Western Affairs Office should do three things: training troops, mining, and building ships. In my opinion, I have to add one more to raise funds!"

"As the saying goes, before the troops move, food and grass go first, how can there be military supplies without military pay, how can there be food and food and grass come? My Qing Dynasty and Japan are across the sea, where can the ship come from?!" Zhang Peilun asked with his hands spread out.

"These things were planned by him, Li Hefei. As a censor, I, Zhang Xiaoda, only see if he is brave enough to promote the prestige of the Qing Dynasty. If civil officials are afraid of death and military officials love money, I, Zhang Xiaoda, will participate in him!"

Zhang Zhidong and Zhang Peilun were called Qingniu (Qingliu) double horns by the Beijing officialdom. However, they were the first-class talent in the Qing Dynasty. Weng Tonghe’s original intention of asking questions was to hear how these two generals were preparing to criticize local power and to find a reason to capture the power that had already been lost from the court.

Lord Weng chose the topic because he wanted to instigate someone to study Li Zhongtang's book, but he didn't want Qingniu's horns to fight on his own. In this scene, Weng Tonghe was a little at a loss.

"Two, two, I heard a news from the palace." Pan Zuyin interrupted the dispute between Zhang Zhidong and Zhang Peilun with a smile, and said, "Mr. Li from Zhili submitted a memorial to apologize, saying that he had some plans on the matter of Ryukyu and had not submitted a report in advance to the court and wanted to ask for punishment."

The news that Li Hongzhang asked for punishment successfully calmed down the dispute between Zhang Zhidong and Zhang Peilun. Even Li Hongzao, who is the Minister of Military Affairs, has never heard of this secret news. Only Pan Zuyin, who is walking in the Nanshufang, has such a secret channel.

Looking at the look of everyone's expectation, Pan Zuyin didn't care and directly told him what he heard.

Li Hongzhang clearly stated in his self-punishment report that in fact, as early as April this year, Lord Li asked for the imperial edict to ask the court to agree to let the head of the Beijing ministerial regiment, Minister Balander, presided over the axiom judgment between the Qing and Japan, the Beiyang leaders led by Lord Li had already made preparations to solve the Ryukyu problem with one literature and one martial arts. The German minister Balander was to let the German minister Balander presided over the axiom judgment, and the martial arts were to wait for the German warships to come to the Qing Dynasty to endorse the Beiyang's military regain Ryukyu.

As for asking US President Grant to mediate between Qing and Japan, it was just that under the extraordinary planning of Lord Li, US President Grant had made US President Grant a trick, deliberately confusing the Japanese government, so as to buy time for the arrival of the German fleet, etc.

Of course, Prince Gong Yixin should remember the merits in this matter. Without the great power of Prince Gong, the German royal family that had admired me for a long time would never agree to this matter, nor would it apologize to us on behalf of foreigners to the Qing Dynasty, etc.

Lord Li promised that when the German fleet headed north to Dagukou, it was the day when the Beiyang Huai Army ascended 6th Ryukyu. Lord Li decided to use me for the Qing Dynasty, and I would win, etc.

As soon as Pan Zuyin said Li Hongzhang's apology, Weng Tonghe knew that the incident of participating in Beiyang was gone. Zhang Zhidong was a bachelor and praised him, "I don't want Lord Li to be so wise and brave at this age. I, Zhang Xiaoda, have been out of my mind! When I return to the city today, I will write to the court and ask the court to vigorously commend Prince Gong and Lord Li!"

With Zhang Zhidong taking the lead, for a moment, praise for Prince Gong and Lord Li came everywhere.

As for what the Qingliu was really thinking, it was nothing more than Li Hongzhang. He became more and more cunning as he got older. He was the only one who had to talk about whether he was fighting or being a friend. By the way, he also pulled Prince Gong, who was now powerful, and everyone was carrying the flower sedan chair. Anyone who wanted to impeach him, must first consider whether he could deal with Prince Gong's power.

"Everyone, there are many things to discuss today, and there is another thing that I think compared with the Qing Dynasty and the National War, it is necessary to regain three points." Weng Tonghe touched his long beard and said with a smile, "It is the etiquette of Emperor De Emperor to meet His Majesty. How should we advise me?"

Confucianism is also often called etiquette. Since it is etiquette, the core of this religion is "the great affairs of the country are worshiping and fighting, serving the heavens, and serving the lands, serving the ancestors, and favoring the king and the teacher are the three books." Therefore, when Weng Tonghe talked about the word "ritual", he asked all the Confucian scholars here to join in the grand discussion of the etiquette of Prince Heinrich's audience.
To be continued...