Li Yu felt more and more that Li Hongzhang's phrase "a great change unseen in three thousand years" summed it up too well. The various ideological trends in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China were very complex, diverse, and even contradictory to each other.
In terms of culture alone, there are those who are extremely fond of foreigners and those who are extremely conservative and xenophobic.
Some people think that Li Yu is a pioneer of Western learning, and naturally some people think that he is a yellow-skinned banana man, and some even think that he is a court eagle dog.
Alas, it’s all because basic education is not in place.
If Yan Fu hadn't saved a hand and called the police today, it would have really not ended well.
To be precise, the people in the city prefer to call the newly established police department in Beijing "patrol police", which is influenced by the word "patrol" in the past. ——In fact, the police in the concession were still called patrolmen during the Republic of China.
The arrival of the patrol police quickly calmed the scene. Fortunately, the train conductor did not open the door, and the troublemaker only smashed the train window.
Li Yu sat back in the car and saw that Yan Fu and Gu Hongming also had egg liquid and rotten vegetable leaves on their bodies. He said, "The fire at the city gate has affected the fish in the pond. My lords, I'm sorry."
Yan Fu didn't take it seriously: "Brother Shucai is very brave. You can see that I am so old and passionate."
Gu Hongming said: "I observed it and it seems that they did not come spontaneously, but were premeditated and organized."
Li Yu asked: "Master Gu, are you referring to these troublemakers?"
Gu Hongming nodded: "Look at the direction they left, they did not scatter in all directions, but in the same general direction. But who organized it requires follow-up investigation."
Li Yu said: "Forget it, the conservative forces have always been strong. At this juncture when the imperial examination has just been abolished, it is even more difficult to investigate. There is no guarantee that any princes and nobles will be found. Anyway, it is not that we have nothing to rely on. Now we just need to do our best. The thing is.”
Yan Fu agreed: "Brother Shucai has seen clearly. Fighting with them will only involve energy, and may even fall into the trap set by the other party in advance."
Li Yu said: "It's all helpless. Even if they are taken advantage of by people with good intentions, the original intention of boycotting American products is still good."
Gu Hongming was surprised: "Are you not angry at all?"
"What's there to be angry about? It's just that the methods of resistance need to be broadened. Our national industry has progressed and we have a trade surplus, but we still need to worry about American goods?" Li Yu said.
Yan Fu knew something about economics and replied: "Running a surplus is not easy. We don't have that many things to offer."
Li Yu had time to start the car and said as he drove, "Master Yan, don't worry."
——
After returning home and taking a shower, Li Yu saw Lu Bicheng and Konoe Akihitsu playing with the piano shipped from Austria.
Lu Bicheng said: "It is such a delicate instrument, but I don't know where to start learning it."
Konoe Akiyuki suggested: "I heard that there is a very good piano teacher in the capital, who is from France."
Li Yu asked curiously: "Could it be that they were invited by the French Embassy in Dongjiaomin Alley? Why have I never heard of it?"
Konoe Akiyuki said: "This piano teacher is now an ordinary person and married to a Chinese."
"A French piano teacher, married to a Chinese?" Li Yu asked in confusion.
Konoe Akiyuki said: "And you may have heard of this person, because she is married to Yu Xinling, another son of Yu Geng."
Sure enough, intelligence information is more timely.
Several of Yu Geng’s children are actually famous in history.
Li Yu said: "It turns out to be the Yu family!"
"They got married four years ago, and the French lady was named Genevieve," Konoe Akiyuki said. "This cross-border marriage was a sensation at the time."
Li Yu did the math and found that they got married four years ago, which meant they were married in France, which was indeed a bit novel.
"In this way, it is still a Western-style wedding." Li Yu said.
Konoe Akiyuki nodded: "They completed their wedding in a cathedral in France, and it made the headlines of French newspapers."
In later generations, cross-border marriages were nothing unusual, but today's cultural differences are real differences, and they are vastly different.
Li Yu had a good relationship with the Yu family. After finding out the address, he took Lu Bicheng to visit.
After Yu Xinling got married to a French lady and returned to China, she lived alone in a small house.
As soon as Li Yu and Li Yu arrived at the door, they heard quarrels coming from inside.
"You can't show up as a piano teacher again!" It was Yu Xinling who spoke.
"Why! I was a piano teacher when I was in France. This is my hobby and my profession." French lady Genevieve retorted.
"But this is China, and a married woman cannot come to work as a piano teacher." Yu Xinling's voice rose a few degrees.
"Even if I can't go out to be a piano teacher, why can't I attend a cultural salon?" French lady Genevieve continued to refute.
"This is no different from showing up in public!" Yu Xinling's voice was still high.
"You are restricting my freedom!" Genevieve's voice was already crying.
"No matter what you think, you must do what I say. Taking good care of your children is your biggest duty." Yu Xinling said.
Li Yu has already heard the clues. Life after marriage seems to be different from Genevieve's fantasy when she was passionately in love.
Li Yu coughed and knocked on the door.
Yu Xinling in the room said: "Please keep your voice down. After the guests arrive, you should still follow my instructions and learn how to handle the situation first."
Genevieve said angrily: "If you want to save face, don't you care about me?"
"We will discuss this matter later!" Yu Xinling said this, then walked to the door and opened it.
The door opened, and Yu Xinling said in surprise: "It's the Imperial Master, please come in quickly."
Li Yu said: "Excuse me."
Li Yu walked in and looked around. This house was not a courtyard house in the traditional sense. There were only houses on three sides.
Yu Xinling came to the main hall and said to Genevieve: "Look at the tea!"
Genevieve was not very willing. Seeing that Yu Xinling was about to get angry, Li Yu quickly said: "No, actually we are here this time to ask your lady to be a piano teacher in my house. Of course, students She is my wife, you can understand it as communication between the ladies."
Genevieve's eyes lit up.
Genevieve had always wanted to open a piano class by herself, but Yu Xinling disagreed. It would be a good idea to exchange piano skills with the famous wife.
Yu Xinling also thought that this could alleviate the conflicts between husband and wife, so she said, "Okay, I agree."
Genevieve was so happy. She hadn't touched the piano for a long time, and she was about to go to Li Yu's house to have a look.
Before leaving, Yu Xinling said: "Be sure to get home before dark. This is a woman's rule."
Genevieve felt dizzy when she heard these words. She got into Li Yu's car and urged her to leave quickly.
Li Yu naturally doesn't have time to learn piano, but he can take this opportunity to learn French.
Genevieve was shocked when she saw the piano in Li Yu's home: "This is... Bösendorfer in Austria! Oh my god, I read that right, it's actually in Beijing!"
Li Yu said: "It was given to me by Crown Prince Ferdinand of Austria. I don't know how good it is."
“I was even worried that my fingers would desecrate this sacred work of art,” Genevieve said.
Li Yu said with a smile: "If you let it sit here quietly and no one can play it, it would be true blasphemy."
Lu Bicheng and Konoe Akiyuki are both very interested in piano and want to learn it together.
Genevieve's professionalism was acceptable, but Li Yu wasn't very interested in music theory, and it was too difficult to learn the piano. So he had better go to Liang Dunyan to research the affairs of the Tourism and American Affairs Office, which was the Tsinghua School.
Tsinghua University relies on the Boxer Reparations, so there is no need to worry about funding.
The only thing that needs to be noted is that there are now two universities in the capital. The other capital university is run by the imperial court, and its appeal must be very strong.
To establish another university in the capital, it would have to compete directly with the Capital University. Yuan Shikai's Beiyang side wanted to cultivate more of its own power, so it tried every means to at least keep pace with the Capital University.
Well, there was competition from the get-go.
When they arrived at Liang Dunyan's office, Tang Guoan was already there, along with Fan Yuanlian, the head of the academic department.
——They are all people who have made contributions to the founding of Tsinghua University.
Liang Dunyan pointed to the seat and said, "Brother Shucai, please take a seat."
Then he continued: "Guo Lu (Tang Guo'an's character) has drawn up a general plan, mainly considering how to recruit students. Brother Shucai will take a look at it first."
Li Yu took the document, flipped it through, and then said: "I don't have much opinion, but I suggest that while focusing on selecting students studying in the United States, we can consider setting up four-year secondary education and four-year higher education at the same time. Higher education Naturally, it is what a university should look like, but as you must be aware of the current student situation, it is simply not enough to support university enrollment. Therefore, it is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself, and we can definitely train ourselves at the same time."
Tang Guoan said: "Brother Shucai's suggestions are very valuable. I have inspected Japan's education over the past thirty years, and university education and primary and secondary education have been promoted at the same time. Even universities lag behind by several years. We can improve the first four to eight years. As a transitional period, operations will get better after the first batch of students return."
Liang Dunyan asked: "Is the eight-year schooling system too long?"
Li Yu said: "It doesn't take long, and with Gengzi funds, you don't have to worry about tuition at all. The most important thing is to train your students well."
"Since the supervisor and the general office agree, I have nothing to say. Let's just do it this way." Liang Dunyan then turned to Fan Yuanlian, "Jingsheng (Fan Yuanlian) drafted a recruitment notice today and distributed it to various places. We are going to Select outstanding scholars from across the country.”
Fan Yuanlian cupped his hands and said, "Jingsheng will definitely live up to his mission."
Liang Dunyan added: "Guolu, Shucai, you two are proficient in Western learning, so you have to worry a lot about the selection."
The two replied: "Don't worry, sir."
It is estimated that it will take several months for applicants to arrive from all over the country.
But Li Yu couldn't be idle and had to go to Yingtai to "make up lessons" for Guangxu.
In fact, it can’t be said to be a supplementary class, because Guangxu’s courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology were basically just for popular science, and his learning was very superficial.
After class, before Li Yu had time to leave, Li Lianying, who was under routine surveillance, called him to Cixi's office in Yiluan Hall in Xiyuan.
Waiting outside the hall was Yan Fu.
Li Yu asked, "Master Yan, what's the matter?"
Yan Fu said: "From what Mr. Zhang Baixi said, it seems to be about the examination for international students."
"Exam for foreign students?" Li Yu wondered, "Didn't we just finish it some time ago?"
Yan Fu shook his head: "It's the exam for returning overseas students."
"Returning exam?" This is the first time Li Yu heard about it.
Yan Fu said: "I am also quite confused, but I think it is because after the abolition of the imperial examination, the imperial court needed to open up new channels to recruit talents."
Li Lianying went in for a while and then came out and said, "Please, you two."
Li Yu saw Cixi in the palace talking with a Chinese man in a suit from a distance.
Yan Fu whispered to him: "That is Mr. Zhou Ziqi, the Right Counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
Li Yu knew that Zhou Ziqi was also a hero in the founding of Tsinghua University. He had been a top leader during the Beiyang government and had a great influence.
Cixi said to Zhou Ziqi: "The movie machine you donated won't break anymore, right?"
When Cixi celebrated her 70th birthday two years ago, the British minister donated a movie projector and several films to be screened in the palace to celebrate the birthday. Unexpectedly, this screening went very poorly. Just after showing three films, the generator suddenly exploded unexpectedly, almost injuring people.
Cixi was frightened and furious, so she regarded the movie as something ominous, and no more screenings were allowed in the palace.
Zhou Ziqi said: "The machine is the latest product produced in the United States. I bought it specially from New York."
Cixi still had lingering fears: "You need to find someone more professional."
At this time, Li Yu and Yan Fu had already approached, and Cixi said to them: "You know everything, right? The Ai family is going to take exams for students who have returned from Japan. In the first exam, their professional courses will be set and marked by The two of you are in charge. The second palace examination will still be held in Baohe Hall, and the emperor and the Ai family will be present in person."
Li Yu cursed secretly in his heart, wouldn't this guy still try the routine of the imperial examination?
Yan Fu also frowned, not expecting that Cixi would come up with such a bad idea.
But this time she said it without even asking, obviously she had already made a decision.
Everyone knew that Cixi was very stubborn, so the two of them had no choice but to do as they were told: "I will definitely do my job well."
Cixi seemed to be very satisfied with her decision: "In the past, overseas students could not become Jinshi and then enter officialdom after returning to China. The Ai family has opened the door for them. They must be very grateful."
On the side, Prince Qing Yikuang quickly flattered him: "Under Lafayette's great kindness, the morale of all students in the world must be high."
"Well," Cixi was very impressed by Yi Kuang's words, "it is better to summon them to be used by the imperial court than to go to Kangliang and that annoying Sun Wen in Japan and then go against the imperial court."
Yi Kuang said: "Lafayette is wise and mighty!"
Li Yu looked at Yuan Shikai, who also had a smile on his lips.
Li Yu could completely guess what he was thinking: After these people returned to China, they would return to Beiyang sooner or later.
Cixi made many foolish moves in her later years, and it can be said that she personally dug the grave of the Qing Dynasty.
Even if these students who had studied abroad entered the imperial court, they would become Yuan Shikai's people. The majority of those overseas students who did not enter the imperial court were almost all the main anti-Qing forces later.
Therefore, it is inevitable to engage in new education, and new education was the hammer that crushed the Qing Dynasty. There is no way to avoid it.
The next chapter will be released tomorrow, the morning of the 14th~~~
(End of chapter)
