Lu Yizhong's bedroom is located in a separate courtyard of the mansion on Weifu Street. This courtyard was originally prepared for foreign guests. In addition to the main courtyard, there are two cross-courtyards, east and west. Lu Yizhong lived in Xikuoyuan. The house is tidied up very comfortably, 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 house is a small yard with some flowers and trees.
He felt a little depressed. Returning to Guangzhou is 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 a few poor scholars who lived in Guangdong and had no friends, the prisoner camp had become empty. However, Lu Yizhong never dared to write a letter asking his family to send ransom. It wasn't until his wife saw others coming back one after another that she had no news about her husband, so she sent a son of a family to Hainan Island with money to look for him.
Lu Yizhong did not dare to come back. During the interrogation, he told everything he knew about the situation in Guangdong officialdom and the army. This is nothing - because almost everyone captured has recruited everything they know. However, 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 leaks even slightly when he returns, even if the court does not punish him, he will become a "Han Jian" that is reviled by everyone among the scholars.
The governor is no longer here, and his biggest supporter in officialdom is gone. For the defeat in Qiongzhou, if the court was going to punish someone, Lu Yizhong would be an excellent scapegoat, and even the crime was ready-made. Anyway, since he has no backer, the fleeing generals can arrange him however they want. Moreover, the thief Kun 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. Even the domestic slaves sent by his wife to serve him were sent 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 didn't dare to disobey at all. He knew very well what the Australians had in their hands. Once these things were thrown out, even if the court did not pursue him, his reputation would be immediately ruined. Being ruined is very scary for someone who relies on his status as a scholar to earn a living. What's more, he has the same title as a scholar and has served as a prefect for two terms! To put it lightly, it is called "shameless", but to put it seriously, it is 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 serves as a liaison between Guangzhou Station and the government. Before leaving, the Australians told him clearly that the Guangzhou government would not investigate his matter. As long as he served honestly, neither the Australians nor the government would 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." The thief who came to talk to him said threateningly.
"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. It's just that the personal servants are all appointed by Australians. Lu Yizhong embarked on the road back to Guangzhou in fear and depression.
On the way back to Guangzhou by boat, Guo Yi was quite polite. From time to time, I would also give him some fruits. Sometimes I would invite him to have dinner and drink tea with me. Seeing the young man from overseas in front of me, he had a face of sincerity and fear in front of me last year, trying to please 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 him with a smile. Lu Yizhong was in a very depressed mood. However, with his many years of cultivation in the officialdom, this sense of loss can be easily repaired by himself. What he is most worried about is his future.
There is no need to think about career. Originally working as a staff member under Governor Wang for a few years, and then being recommended out, it was always possible to become a certain person, or at the worst, to be appointed as a prefect in the prosperous areas of Guangdong and Guangxi. If you serve a few terms, you can prepare enough money and food for the rest of your life and your descendants. But that is no longer possible.
As for going out to work as a staff member, it would be difficult given his current reputation. There are already rumors outside that this time the Wang Governor rashly sent troops, resulting in the disastrous defeat of Qiongzhou. The culprit was a group of his staff who incited the Governor to raise troops for their own fame and fortune. This statement was not made by the intelligence department: in Guangdong There are many officials who are eager to shirk responsibility. Since the governor is no longer here, his staff who have lost power are naturally the best scapegoats.
Therefore, all the staff who were originally under the governor's shogunate were dejected. Except for a few people who were recruited by other officials, most of them scattered and left Guangdong. As the former governor's confidant, Lu Yizhong also had the reputation of being "lost in the bandits' den", so no one would come to him for advice.
"The so-called starving to death is a small thing, but losing integrity is a big thing. I believe it very much!" Lu Yizhong said something painfully. Since he has lost his integrity, he has no choice but to commit suicide. If he wants to live a good life without committing suicide, he can only "sell". Thinking of this, it seemed that everything was over, and I felt a little relieved.
"Even if one day the Kun bandits are unable to support themselves in Guangzhou, it is still possible to save Qiongzhou Island. At worst, the whole family will move south and live on the island for the rest of their lives!"
Lu Yizhong has seen Lingao's current living standards and prosperity. If you have to live the rest of your life in Lingao, it's not a bad choice.
When he first arrived in Guangzhou, Guo Yi didn't arrange anything for him. I just asked him to write a letter to his family to report that he was safe. Take a rest at Weifu Street first. After that, he was not called over for several days. During the boring wait, the man who had already made up his mind to betray himself 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. 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 a new book "" published in the bookstore. "Jinshen", the official transcripts copied from the Yamen, and some memorial transcripts collected from various channels. He looked through it and copied out almost all the memorials of major officials in the province and Guangxi, and they were dated in recent months.
Lu Yizhong knew that he wanted to master the basic situation of Guangdong and the imperial court for the use of Guo Yi's advisor. It seems that the Australians still have the possibility to reuse themselves. Thinking of this, my originally depressed mood improved slightly.
The next day, Guo Yi took Lu Yizhong in two unobtrusive small sedans and headed all the way to the Lotus Jingshe on Henan Island. This is the place where Representative Li Fengjie negotiated peace with the Pearl River Detachment of the Navy. He came here to meet Li Xijue 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 secret affairs. His status was not low, but he was not very trusted. Li Fengjie asked him to handle "Macao affairs", which was like putting a hot potato into his hands. In the official circles of Guangdong, there are still a few people who can handle barbarian affairs in Hongmao, Folangji and other places, but there is no one who can handle "Australian affairs".
Li Xijue is the person officially responsible for contacting Australians, and the first thing he wants to do right now is to "refund compensation." Although he is not an official, he is still Li Fengjie's staff. Although everyone knew his identity well, it was inconvenient for him to have too much public contact 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 "Han Jian". So be especially careful. For safety reasons, the two parties agreed to meet at the 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. In the past, they were involved in secrets in the governor's shogunate, planning how to deal with the Australians, but now they are all dealing with the Australians, opening the door for the Australians to do things conveniently, and it seems that they are somehow playing tricks on people.
Embarrassing as it is, serious things still need to be done. During the talks, the two sides 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 and conflicts would be handled by the two in detail.
The two parties will temporarily use the Lotus Abode as the venue for their meetings and talks. Changes will be made when a new suitable venue becomes available. The Guangdong government guaranteed the personal and property safety of Lu Yizhong himself and his family.
After the transactional agreement, there was the issue of land purchase - acquiring land for the "Guangzhou World" project. If we follow the old times, 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! It's not just about money. Without the overt and covert support of the local government, it would be very difficult to engage in large-scale real estate development.
In addition, although the officials of the Ming Dynasty were greedy, they were not stupid after all. They can figure out what kind of medicine is sold in the big world outside Guangzhou with their feet.
"This matter is not easy to handle..." Li Xijue took a breath, "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." a.
