After sending the manuscript, Xie Yuxi approached Li Yu again.
"Do you know how to rent a house?" Xie Yuxi asked. Li Yu wondered: "Isn't it comfortable to stay in the Beijing Hotel?" This is the most luxurious one. If it doesn't work, there is really no place to replace it.
Xie Yuxi said: "It's not a matter of comfort. I'm just very interested in Chinese culture and want to live in a traditional courtyard house with an expanded area to facilitate my future office use."
"It is indeed necessary," Li Yu said,
"We just happened to go to the teahouse to ask Mr. Cui Laosan where we can rent a house, and let you try some authentic Chinese tea." In the teahouse, Li Yu ordered a pot of the best Mingqian Gonglong, and then called Mr. Cui over. Three: "Are there any larger houses for rent closer to the Beijing Hotel?" Cui Laosan realized that as long as Li Yu came to visit, it would be big business, and he immediately became energetic: "Yes, of course there is! It just so happens There is an owner in Xila Hutong who wants to rent out, but the house is a bit big, and there is no courtyard." Xila Hutong is next to Wangfujing, close to Donghuang City, and not far from Dongchang Hutong where Li Yu lives. Ten minutes.
Li Yu said, "What's the price for a good place?" Cui Laosan, a Guapimao, said, "The owner just told me that he wanted to rent it, and he hasn't had time to set the price yet. Why don't you wait a moment and I'll invite the owner in person." Li Yu asked: " Okay, how long do you have to wait?" Cui Laosan tightened his clothes: "Soon, my boss is not far away. After you drink two pots of tea, I will come back with my people."
"Go back quickly." Li Yu said. After Cui Laosan left, Li Yu poured a cup of tea for Xie Yuxi.
"How about it? It's different from what you drink in the United States, isn't it?" Xie Yuxi said, "It's indeed different, and the environment is also different." How can the current capital be as prosperous as New York and Chicago?
Cui Laosan came back earlier than expected. One of the two people behind him clasped his fists when he entered the door and said, "It's really the emperor himself!" Li Yu asked, "Who is your Excellency?"
"I am Wang Chonglie, courtesy name Hanfu." He turned out to be the son of Wang Yirong, the discoverer of oracle bone inscriptions. Li Yu cupped his fists and said, "I've been admiring you for a long time!" Then he stretched out his hand and said,
"Sit down and have a cup of tea." Wang Chonglie said: "I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence. The tenant of my late father's house was the emperor's master." Li Yu said: "It turned out to be the ancestral house of brother Hanfu." Wang Chonglie sighed: "Since my father After his death, the house became unoccupied. I was so moved by the scene that I could no longer live in it." After the Gengzi national calamity in 1900 and the Dongbian Gate was breached, Wang Yirong, his wife and his widowed eldest daughter-in-law committed suicide by throwing themselves into a well at home.
Li Yu hurriedly said: "I'm sorry for arousing brother Hanfu's pain."
"Sir, there is no need to apologize," Wang Chonglie pointed to the person next to him again.
"I forgot to introduce myself when I came in. This is Liu E, nicknamed Lao Can. I heard that the emperor's master is here, and he wants to come with me to pay a visit." Well, Liu E, the author of "Lao Can's Travels".
Liu E also clasped his fists and said, "I'm so lucky to meet the emperor's master!" Li Yu said with a smile, "We're so lucky!" Wang Chonglie said, "Mr. Lao Can was a good friend of my late father, and we studied epigraphy together." Li Yu said, "Oracle bone inscriptions It is our greatest treasure, and we really need to study it in depth." After Wang Yirong died, in order to pay off his debt, Wang Chonglie sold the bronzes and other cultural relics collected by his father Wang Yirong to Weng Tonghe, the master of Emperor Guangxu, and others; then he collected and studied more than a thousand Half of the pieces of oracle bone inscriptions were sold and half given to Liu Jia to help him compile and develop the famous first oracle bone inscriptions research work "Tie Yun Hidden Turtle" to complete his father's unfinished business.
Liu E was the first person to make the oracle bone inscriptions public. Previously, the oracle bone inscriptions were only circulated among a small group of cultural relic collectors.
He was also the first to propose that Oracle was
"Yin people's knife and pen writing", and more than 40 characters were identified. Liu E heard Li Yu say
With the word "Oracle Bone Inscriptions", he asked in surprise: "Does the Imperial Master know about Oracle Bone Inscriptions?" "Tie Yun Hidden Turtle" has not yet been published, but these are common knowledge in later generations. Li Yu said with a smile: "They are our earliest writings, and their value is inestimable. ." Liu E was even more surprised: "Have the emperor studied it in depth?" Li Yu said: "I only know so much." Liu E said: "It is extraordinary to have such a prejudice. It shows that the emperor does have real talent. Practical learning, he is worthy of being praised all over the world." Li Yu said: "Mr. Lao Can is over-praised." Cui Laosan, a melon-skin hat on the side, watched them chatting for a long time, and became more and more interested. He didn't want to talk about the price at all, so he coughed. "Guys, what about renting a house?" Li Yu immediately said: "Easy to say, how much is it?" Cui Laosan said: "The boss on the way said 40 yuan." Li Yu was very cheerful and did not bargain: "That's it. "In fact, just like the house Li Yu rented in Dongchang Hutong before, because someone died a few years ago, either by suicide, the rent was very low, and it was easy to bargain.
But Wang Chonglie said: "I just found out today that it was rented by the emperor's master. I think 30 yuan is enough." Wang Chonglie actually cut 10 yuan from his knife.
Li Yu smiled and said: "How can there be such an owner? Since I accept it, this is the price." Wang Chonglie wanted to be more modest, but Li Yu insisted: "Brother Han Fu, please stop arguing!" The higher the price, Mr. Cui The higher the commission, the higher the commission. He immediately took out the contract: "It would be best if you two knew each other." After signing the contract, Liu E said: "Drinking tea here is not enough. If the emperor doesn't mind, come to my house." , how about we have a few drinks together?" Wang Chonglie on the side said: "Brother Lao Can knows a lot about food, whether it is Jiangnan cuisine or northern cuisine!" Liu E does understand life. Although his "Lao Can's Travels" has been Lu Xun named the Four Greatest Leaders in the Late Qing Dynasty
One of the "condemnations", but in addition to criticizing the officialdom, this book also contains many aspects of life in the late Qing Dynasty, and diet is mentioned in many places.
Xie Yuxi didn't know them, didn't feel like they were in the education field, and didn't want to drink, so he didn't go with them.
In addition to being a writer and epigraphy researcher, Liu E was also a businessman with a lot of money. After entering Liu E's residence in Beijing, Liu E ordered his servants: "Bring out the best wine and the best sauce meat in the house. The most distinguished guest is here today!" The house Liu E rented was very beautiful. Da, after sitting down in the hall, he met the two people who were staying at his house.
Liu E said to them: "Come together, it's rare to see the emperor himself." Then he introduced Li Yu: "This is Shen Yu, and this is Wu Shizhao." The two of them bowed their hands to Li Yu and saluted: "See you. Pass the Emperor's Master."
"No need to be polite!" Li Yu said with a smile, and then said to Liu E,
"Mr. Lao Can is like Mr. Mengchang in ancient times. He still has retainers in his family." Liu E sighed: "They are all talented but unsatisfactory people. They all joined the New Party and supported the reform movement, but the result..." Most people who participated in the reform movement are not satisfied with their current situation. No wonder this is the case.
Li Yu said: "Sooner or later there will be a day when the clouds will clear." Liu E said: "Shen Xin worked as a reporter in the Japanese newspaper "Tianjin Daily News". It was also through his suggestion that I planned to continue to publish the fragments of the book. Finished." The fragment Liu E was talking about was of course the famous "Lao Can's Travels".
It was in this year that Liu E started writing, but at first it was just to support a friend Lian Mengqing. At that time, he was struggling to make ends meet. Liu E knew that he was unwilling to accept money directly, so he planned to write a book and give it to him, and make some money after serializing it. living expenses.
However, it was not finished initially, and the subsequent serialization was in "Tianjin Daily News", signed
"Hongdu is born through a hundred refinements". The food in Liu E's family is really good. Nowadays, most of the best cooks in the north are from Shandong. There is a Shandong chef in Liu E's residence. He himself knows Shandong cuisine very well. After drinking three rounds of wine and tasting five flavors, the few of them are extremely happy. .
Shen Xun was also a reporter, so he naturally knew Li Yu's name, and praised: "The imperial master is proficient in advanced mathematical sciences that foreigners understand, and he is really the first person in science!" Li Yu corrected: "Science is not only understood by foreigners. "Shen Xin said helplessly: "The reform has been defeated. Apart from the emperor's master, I'm afraid only foreigners can really understand it." Li Yu said: "I'm definitely not so pessimistic." Shen Xin said: "I'm afraid things are worse than imagined. Be pessimistic.”
"Why do you say that?" Li Yu asked. Shen Xin took another sip of wine and said with the strength of the wine: "It doesn't hurt to tell you in advance. I have received news from reliable channels that the imperial court will continue to sign the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty" with Russia and cede the Northeast to Tsarist Russia! "Liu E and Wang Chonglie were shocked: "How could this be? Northeast is the land of Longxing, how can we hand it over to others." Shen Xin said: "Tomorrow I will publish the original manuscript of this matter in the newspapers, so that everyone in the country can take good care of it. Take a look!" A few years ago, when Li Hongzhang was passing through Russia, he secretly signed the "Treaty of Mutual Assistance against Enemies" with Tsarist Russia, also known as the "Secret Treaty between China and Russia".
Russia thus turned the three eastern provinces into its own
"sphere of influence" and took the opportunity to build a railway. After that, Tsarist Russia took advantage of the situation and directly sent troops to invade the Northeast, and forced General Zengqi of Shengjing to sign the "Provisional Charter of Relations between Fengtian and Earth", turning the three Northeastern provinces into de facto colonies.
But no matter how stupid Cixi is, she still knows that the Northeast belongs to the Manchus
"The lifeblood", refused to sign the "Provisional Charter of Fengtian and Earth", and will dismiss Zengqi from his post for questioning. Seeing that the Qing government refused to submit, Tsarist Russia signed the "Treaty on the Handover of the Three Eastern Provinces" with the Qing government, agreeing to withdraw its troops in stages.
However, after the signing of the treaty, Tsarist Russia repeatedly delayed the withdrawal process and proposed the so-called
"Seven new conditions for troop withdrawal" in an attempt to continue to occupy the three eastern provinces. Under the threat of force from Tsarist Russia, the Empress Dowager Cixi finally chose to be forced to compromise and decided to agree to all the other party's demands through a secret contract.
As for the so-called
"Together to defend against the enemy" actually means that the Qing government and Russia jointly resisted Japan. Shen Xin happened to be working in a Japanese newspaper. He got this top-secret information from a Manchu nobleman, and with the help of the son of Wang Wenshao, Minister of Government Affairs, he obtained the original text of the secret draft.
In order to stop the treasonous behavior of Empress Dowager Cixi and save the three northeastern provinces for China, Shen Xin decided to put her own life and death at risk and sent the draft of the secret agreement to the English version of Tianjin's "Xinwen Xibao", and the original text was published by the newspaper.
This is a big deal. After listening to Shen Xin's story, several people were very angry. Wang Chonglie's father died when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China. They hated the great powers and said viciously: "Damn the old Russian, you are trying to swallow up the entire Northeast!" Liu E Ye said angrily: "I'm afraid they will covet the pass after occupying the Northeast!" Li Yuze said coldly: "The evil wolf is not just Tsarist Russia." Japan will definitely not be reconciled when seeing the two neighboring countries uniting to fight against itself.
Only Wu Shizhao was eating nervously, and only agreed with a few words. Li Yu knew that the country would not be able to accommodate him if this incident came to light, and there was only a chance of escape to Japan, so he warned: "Sir, hurry up and buy a boat ticket to Japan tomorrow, so that you can keep the green hills and don't have to worry about running out of firewood." Liu E knew better about Shen Xun's identity. He had followed Tang Caichang in the uprising, and Tang Caichang and others were suppressed and executed. He escaped under an assumed name and is now wanted.
Liu E said: "After the newspaper is sent out tomorrow, you should leave quickly!" Shen Xin drank wine, but she was not afraid of anything: "Tan Sitong can die, why can't I die? If I take my humble life, I can exchange it for the Northeast." If you lose, then why not let me die a hundred times?!" Wang Chonglie said: "You have done what you should do, there is no need to risk your life. If you don't buy a ticket, I will go to Tianjin to buy it for you tomorrow!" It's a pity! It is difficult to guard against domestic thieves.
Although several people planned well, Wu Shizhao immediately slipped away after the show ended that night. As expected, the secret agreement was published in the newspapers the next day, causing an uproar across the country. The Japanese Embassy went directly to the Prime Minister's Office and asked Yi Kuang to explain what was going on.
The Russian minister on the other side also didn't believe that this matter could be revealed, and the Japanese minister almost scolded him in the face.
The Qing court found it extremely difficult, and neither side dared to offend. At this time, Wu Shizhao approached Yi Kuang and told Yi Kuang exactly what Shen Xin had said. He even added: "My lord, please do it quickly, or he will run away!" If no one reported the news, in fact, It was impossible for the Qing court to know that Shen Xin was the one who revealed the matter.
Because he worked as a reporter for a Japanese newspaper, this matter not only harmed the interests of the Qing court, but also harmed the interests of Japan, so Japan would not surrender him.
But what the Qing court did was really funny. Now under the pressure of public opinion and Japanese political pressure, the Sino-Russian secret agreement will definitely be blown away.
He didn't dare to offend Russia when he leaked secrets, so he decided to find out
The "murderer" gave Tsarist Russia a
"Account". How ridiculous and sad. Shen Xin was caught before she could escape. Even if he was beaten to death, he would not have thought that the person who betrayed him was his friend Wu Shizhao.
Even in prison, facing interrogation, Shen Xun did not mince words and deeds, confessed his patriotic behavior, and exposed the treasonous behavior of Empress Dowager Cixi in trying to cover up the "Secret Treaty between China and Russia".
Cixi's petty mind could not bear such anger, so she ordered him to be executed. Since it happened to be Guangxu's birthday, it was not appropriate to execute prisoners according to law, but Cixi didn't care. She just specifically told the Ministry of Punishment not to see blood, so the execution was executed with an extremely cruel stick.
After more than 200 blows, Shen Xun's bones were broken, but she never heard a single cry. Just when the executioner thought Shen Xin was dead, he suddenly said: "Why are you not dead? Hurry and hang me with a rope." The executioner had no choice but to strangle Shen Xin to death with a rope.
Things happened very quickly. Not long after Shen Xun was arrested, she was persecuted and died by the Qing court. What was broken was a person's bones, but it also firmly broke the Qing court's own bones.
All the muscles and veins are severed.
