Li Lianying said: "If you are kind to discuss with each other, just say that we will use this land to build the garden, and find a suitable vacant land with them, and all the relocation costs will be paid by us. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info"

After listening to Li Lianying's words, the Empress Dowager Cixi felt that there was some reason, but after thinking about it, she felt that it was inappropriate, the money that Li Hongzhang promised has not yet been settled, if she proposed to repair the garden at this time, wouldn't she not admit herself, so she said:

"What you say is not unreasonable, but I can't talk about repairing the garden yet. And where does the relocation cost come from? ”

"Master, you are too worried, according to the slave, as long as you let Li Zhongtang handle this matter, you will be sure to succeed."

"Li Hongzhang? How do you say that? Empress Dowager Cixi asked puzzled.

Looking at Li Lianying at this moment, her eyebrows were smiling and she was complacent. I just heard him say:

"Let Li Zhongtang do this, according to the slave's view, there are three benefits: first, he already knows about Lafayette's cultivation of the garden, and he is not afraid of leaking; second, he has a lot of dealings with foreigners, and he must be familiar with the negotiation process; Third, isn't the relocation cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and isn't it a drop in the bucket to let the Beiyang Yamen out? ”

Three birds with one stone, it's just wonderful! Listening to Li Lianying's words, the Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly frowned, and couldn't help but let out two smug laughs, and immediately issued an order to summon Li Hongzhang to Beijing to see the driver!

The North Hall, located in the west of Xiyuan Jinao Yushu Bridge, the south of Xi'an Avenue Road, so it is also known as the Silkworm Chikou Church, built in the 42nd year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1703).

In the forty-second year of Kangxi, Emperor Shengzuren Kangxi occasionally felt typhoid fever, and then turned to malaria. Although famous doctors all over the world have been recruited, and many drugs have been taken, all of them have been ineffective.

At this time, two French Catholic priests presented a white medicinal powder, which was sent from their own country, called "Golden Chicken Na", which was designed to treat malaria and had the effect of strengthening the body.

Emperor Kangxi was greatly pleased, and immediately took a dose, and sure enough, the effect was extraordinary, and the medicine was cured. So Emperor Kangxi decided to reward the first area of the medicine priest's house in the imperial city as a reward.

Cidi was selected by Emperor Kangxi personally to review the map of the imperial city, which is at the mouth of the silkworm pond in the south of Xi'an Street. There is a workshop where officials of the Ming Dynasty weave brocade - Yunji Temple.

At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, most of them were abandoned, but there were many of the ministers who were close to the ministers, so Emperor Kangxi picked the best first house, rebuilt it into a Catholic church style, and rewarded it to the French priests, named "Mercy Hall", expressing his gratitude for the benevolence of the Holy Ancestor.

In the second year, the French priest decided to build a church because there was a vacant lot on the west side of the Church of Mercy, so he played the Kangxi Emperor to "appreciate the house and be very grateful, but there is no great Catholic Church to worship the regulations." The current house is already good; And the hall is a god-like basis, especially magnificent and solemn. With the courage to ask for gifts again, I can afford to build a lobby. ”

After Emperor Kangxi received this recital, he immediately rewarded half of the vacant land to the priest, built teaching, and the church was built.

The hall is 25 meters long, 11 meters wide and 10 meters high.

Later, Pope Gremen XI interfered with the naming of churches on the basis of "liturgical issues", so Emperor Kangxi decreed in 59 years: "In the future, there is no need for Westerners to preach in China, and it is forbidden to avoid many troubles." ”

The North Church was abolished. During the Yong, Qian, and Jia periods, the Qing government followed this policy of banning Christianity, so most of the Catholic churches in Beijing were closed and banned for a long time.

After the Second Opium War, the Qing court was forced to conclude a series of unequal treaties with Britain and France, including a clause that "the Catholic churches, schools, graves, land, and houses confiscated when the former murder of Catholics were restored".

As a result, the North Church fell back into the hands of the French missionaries.

Because the mouth of the silkworm pond is close to the palace, and the bell tower built in the north hall is too high, it can overlook the inner city, so as early as the 11th year of Xianfeng, the prime minister Yamen had raised this issue to the French minister.

Who would have thought that the French missionaries not only ignored this, but re-heightened and expanded the north church in the fourth year of Tongzhi.

As a result, this problem became prominent in the court of the Great Qing Dynasty.

In August of the thirteenth year of Tongzhi, Emperor Tongzhi issued a frequent edict to build the "Three Seas" project. Prime Minister Yamen once again sent a letter to the French Bishop Jean-Claude Tenles: "As for the relocation and construction costs, China must also have a place to raise funds on behalf of them", intending to pay for the relocation of the legal person. But Tenles refused to make this decision on the grounds that he had no right to make it.

On the ninth day of the thirteenth year of Tongzhi, Emperor Tongzhi died, and the construction of the "Three Seas" project was also stopped due to the strong opposition of the ministers. Therefore, the matter of the relocation of the Silkworm Chikou Church was not resolved.

Why did the Empress Dowager Cixi mention this matter again? It turned out that in view of the fact that Emperor Guangxu was about to become an adult, she planned to take the opportunity of rebuilding Qingyi Garden to repair the "Three Seas" by the way, thinking that she would be a "place of recuperation" in the future.

Besides, when Li Hongzhang received Yi's order, his heart was really fifteen buckets of water - seven up and eight down. The last time Li Lianying was at a military parade in Tianjin, she proposed to borrow money, but she bought a warship and dragged it all the time.

This will be summoned by the Empress Dowager Cixi, can you not be in a hurry? When the wind and dust came to the capital, Li Hongzhang was not in a hurry to see the Empress Dowager Cixi, but first looked for Li Lianying to inquire about the news.

"The last time the manager went to Tianjin, there were many inadequate hospitality, and I asked the manager to bear with me. This little meaning, please take care of it. With that, Li Hongzhang took out a silver ticket from his arms and handed it to Li Lianying.

Ten thousand taels! Li Lianying's heart suddenly bloomed, and she hurriedly ordered the tea, and then said with a smile: "Zhongtang is really polite, our family is really a little ashamed."

I don't know if the excerpt of the middle hall is handed over? ”

"Not yet!" Li Hongzhang said with a sad face, "This time, due to the purchase of ships, I am short of money. The things that the Queen Mother ordered last time have not been done, and I am worried about ......"

"It doesn't matter. We'll stop this for you first, but you have to hurry! Zhongtang, the master called you from Tianjin this time, and there is something important for you to do. ”

"This ......" Li Hongzhang heard that something was wrong, and his face became even more ugly, "I don't know what the Queen Mother commanded?" ”

Looking at Li Hongzhang's expression, Li Lianying couldn't help laughing twice, and said: "Zhongtang doesn't have to be like this, it may be difficult for others to do this, but if you do it in Zhongtang, it will definitely be a success."

Do you also know that the emperor is not young, and Lafayette plans to return to the government, is this the place to recuperate......". Speaking of this, Li Lianying paused deliberately.

"Isn't the Queen Mother planning to repair Qingyi Garden?"

"Qingyi Garden is to be repaired, but what does the master mean?" , Li Lianying looked at Li Hongzhang, and then said: "I want to repair Sanhai by the way, but the matter of this Beitang is a bit tricky, so I want to ask Zhongtang you to negotiate it." (To be continued.) )