As soon as Zhang Peilun and Zhao Jiahua left the Yuelai Inn, a carriage appeared on the side of the road.
Zhang Peilun made an invitation gesture to Zhao Jiahua. Zhao Jiahua didn't say anything, lowered his head and got into the carriage.
The two men rode in a carriage all the way to the Governor's Palace of Zhili.
Led by Zhang Peilun, the guards at the door did not stop them, so the carriage entered the Zhili Governor's Mansion directly from the side door, and then stopped in front of the second gate.
When they got here, the two got out of the car, Zhang Peilun led the way, and Zhao Jiahua followed closely behind. The two walked through the halls and alleys, and soon came to an exquisite study.
Naturally, there was a boy waiting for him at the door of the study. When he saw Zhang Peilun coming, he quickly saluted him and then said, "Uncle, I have been waiting inside for a long time."
Zhang Peilun nodded and sent the boy away, turned to Zhao Jiahua and said, "Sir, wait here for a moment. I'll go in and report back to my father-in-law."
After finishing speaking, Zhang Peilun entered the study room, and Li Hongzhang was sitting there holding a cup of tea, thinking about something. After Zhang Peilun came in, he still didn't come back to his senses.
Zhang Peilun had no choice but to step forward and say softly: "Father-in-law, I have already invited you. He is waiting outside the study."
Li Hongzhang woke up from his thoughts after hearing Zhang Peilun's words.
"You're back, have you invited someone?"
Zhang Peilun saw that Li Hongzhang was indeed a little absent-minded, so he had to repeat what he just said.
Li Hongzhang nodded after hearing this, and then said: "Then let him come in."
Zhang Peilun quickly went out and led Zhao Jiahua into the study.
This was the first time that Zhao Jiahua saw the famous Li Hongzhang from the Qing Dynasty, so he looked at the old man carefully as soon as he entered the room.
I saw this old man wearing ordinary clothes, with gray hair and beard, but sitting there, there were layers of murderous intent in front of and behind him. He looked like a military general on the battlefield, but his face was elegant, a contradictory and harmonious image.
, actually appeared in a person, making people feel the wonder of the world.
After Zhao Jiahua looked at Li Hongzhang, he kowtowed to him according to the rules. After Li Hongzhang gave him permission, did he dare to stand up? He stood aside respectfully and waited for Li Hongzhang to lecture him.
Li Hongzhang thought for a moment, then asked: "What do you want to do when you return to the capital?"
Zhao Jiahua was a little displeased when he heard this. This was Governor Liu Hai's and Liangjiang's own business. Even though you are the Governor of Zhili? I'm afraid you are not qualified to ask.
So Zhao Jiahua remained silent.
Li Hongzhang had already seen Zhao Jiahua's soft confrontation? But he was not angry. He just said with a smile: "It's not peaceful in the court now? Is your master going to the court to find a backer?"
Zhao Jiahua listened to Li Hongzhang's words? He remained silent, which was regarded as acquiescence.
Li Hongzhang looked at the other party's face. Then he said: "Now that the Qing Dynasty is suffering from internal and external troubles, it can no longer withstand the torment. I think you should let your master obey the Queen Mother's orders honestly. In this way
Can we live in peace when we come to the Qing Dynasty? We will not be taken advantage of by foreign powers."
In Li Hongzhang's mind, fighting against foreign countries is now the top priority, and these internal conflicts can be left behind.
Zhao Jiahua, however, did not take Li Hongzhang's words seriously. He refuted Li Hongzhang for the first time: "Your Excellency, you are now trusted by the Queen Mother? You are also the Governor of Zhili and you are a very human minister. The whole world will act based on your face. Naturally, we hope that the world will be peaceful. But we
Sir, it's different. How many times has he offended the Queen Mother? If he doesn't have a backer in the court anymore, I'm afraid the world will really be in turmoil."
Li Hongzhang was stunned when he heard this. He immediately realized that if the Empress Dowager Cixi continued to suppress Liu Hai, something would really happen to Liu Hai. He thought to himself: This is why Liu Hai wanted to find a backer in the court.
Block him in front.
Li Hongzhang thought for a while, then said with a smile: "You are worrying too much. The Queen Mother has been in charge of the world for so many years, and there is already a gap in her heart. How can you be so disregardful of the overall situation?"
Zhao Jiahua thought for a while silently, and then said firmly: "My lord will not place his hopes on others, so please don't ask any more questions."
After Li Hongzhang heard this, he knew that the other party was probably serious this time. From then on, there was really turmoil in the court.
In the past, Emperor Guangxu was just a mere figure and could not compete with the Empress Dowager Cixi. But with the support of Liu Hai, he had a large territory and backup. He wanted money and people, although he could not be said to be full-fledged.
But it also has a certain ability to fight back.
Li Hongzhang was really speechless when he heard this. He originally wanted to persuade Zhao Jiahua to put the overall situation first, but he didn't expect Zhao Jiahua to be so determined.
Zhao Jiahua saw Li Hongzhang's displeasure. He turned around in his heart, and then he handed over his hands again and said, "It's a good thing for Mr. Liu to be like this, Mr. Li."
Li Hongzhang was very excited when he came here, "How do you say this?"
"Sir, if you and my lord join forces, although the world may seem peaceful on the surface, the Empress Dowager will probably be even more uneasy."
Zhao Jiahua didn't say anything else, but Li Hongzhang immediately understood what he meant.
If two powerful factions are in conflict with each other, then the Empress Dowager Cixi will naturally be happy to see it. If these two powerful factions actually belong to the same camp, even though they both ostensibly rely on the Empress Dowager Cixi, I am afraid that Cixi will be frightened by this.
Li Hongzhang couldn't help but nod his head when he heard this. If he really said that, he and Liu Hai had some conflicts, and each was his own master, which would allow both of them to be safe.
Li Hongzhang said that Lian Shang finally showed a happy smile again. He raised his head and looked at Zhao Jiahua below. He did have some talent. No wonder Liu Hai recruited him into his shogunate.
"I'm sorry to bother you sir today. What you said made me suddenly enlightened."
Li Hongzhang said this, and then said to Zhang Peilun next to him: "That's it for today. You send Mr. Zhao back. Then prepare more generous gifts as my apology to Mr. Zhao."
Zhang Peilun agreed there and then invited Zhao Jiahua out.
In the evening, Zhang Peilun returned to the Liangjiang Governor's Mansion to meet with Li Hongzhang.
Li Hongzhang didn't leave the study room all afternoon. He thought about the causes and consequences there, and predicted some future trends. He was still a little frightened. He was frightened by his own predictions.
When Zhang Peilun came in, he saw Li Hongzhang's gloomy face, so he stepped forward and asked, "What is your father-in-law worried about?"
When Li Hongzhang saw that Zhang Peilun was back, he asked, "Send that Zhao Jiahua back?"
"Reporting to my father-in-law, Mr. Zhao has been sent back to the inn."
After listening, Li Hongzhang nodded, and then asked Zhang Peilun to sit next to him.
"What do you think of this Zhao Jiahua??"
"This Mr. Zhao is indeed talented and intelligent, and he will definitely not be an easy person in the future."
Li Hongzhang sighed, and then said: "Although Liu Hai knows a lot about military affairs, he has many loopholes in civil affairs. This time, with Zhao Jiahua's assistance, he has made up for his last shortcomings. In the future, the Qing Dynasty will definitely
I’m so disturbed by these bangs.”
Li Hongzhang was convinced by what Zhao Jiahua said just now about respecting the enemy and respecting himself. At the same time, he admired his talent and eloquence even more.
Zhang Peilun was a little surprised when he heard this, but he was also a sensitive person. After thinking for a while, he understood what Li Hongzhang meant.
"My father-in-law really believes that bangs are the biggest variable in the Qing Dynasty and may not be suppressed in the future."
Li Hongzhang nodded after hearing this, and then said a little decadently: "I am too old now, and I don't have the courage I once had. If I were 20 years younger, I might be able to compete with Liu Hai."
After Li Hongzhang said this, he cheered up and said: "When I am here, I think there will be no turmoil in the world. Although bangs are powerful, with me suppressing him, nothing will happen."
Li Hongzhang now has great trust in his newly formed Beiyang Navy. He believes that with the Beiyang Navy, it is not inferior to the Nanyang Navy.
After hearing this, Zhang Peilun could only nod. He actually admired Liu Hai very much as a young man. Although Liu Hai relied on the help of his father-in-law Zeng Guoquan when he came to power, he would not have been able to build such a big business without the ability himself.
Not to mention the conversation between the father-in-law and his son-in-law in the study, let’s talk about Zhao Jiahua from Yuelai Inn. After he returned to Yuelai Inn, he thought about the causes and consequences of meeting Li Hongzhang this time, and felt that there were no flaws, so he was relieved.
On the second day, Mr. Zhao got up early, hired a carriage to go to the capital, and then left Tianjin Wei. He didn't want to stay in Li Hongzhang's territory anymore.
After Zhao Jiahua arrived in the capital, he first stayed at an inn, and then sent someone to inquire about Weng Tonghe's residence and his preferences.
In the capital, gift-giving is also a business. Many antique shops, on the surface, sell antiques, but in fact, they are secretly connected to many ministers in the court.
Therefore, Zhao Jiahua quickly found out Weng Tonghe's preferences and bought 10 fragments of the Yongle Dian in an antique shop where Weng Tonghe was familiar with them.
When we arrived at Weng Tonghe's residence, we first signed up to see him. Weng Tonghe was already well-known for bangs. Hearing that his people were coming to see him, he naturally ordered someone to come to the living room.
Zhao Jiahua entered the living room and saw Weng Tonghe, a veteran of four dynasties and a master of two generations of emperors. He immediately stepped forward to salute, and behaved in a polite manner, looking a little embarrassed, as if he was meeting his idol.
Then Zhao Jiahua presented the gift that he had prepared long ago.
Weng Tonghe was very satisfied with Zhao Jiahua's attitude. He touched his beard and nodded, returning the gift to Zhao Jiahua. Then he asked the butler on the side to take the gift away.
After letting Zhao Jiahua sit aside, Weng Tonghe asked: "Why does your master want you to come here this time?"
Zhao Jiahua quickly replied: "I have been to the court several times to thank you for your good offices. My lord is deeply touched, so I sent a young man to express my gratitude to you."
Weng Tonghe had been in the court for so many years. When he heard Zhao Jiahua's words, he understood his intentions and the smile on his face became even brighter.
"It's such a small thing, but it's so polite that your family is thinking about it and traveling all the way to the capital to give me a gift."