Li Hongzhang was busy going to the living room to meet other guests, Li Guolou and Sheng Huaixuan sat in the study, one writing Chen Tiao, and the other reading books.

Sheng Huaixuan picked up the writing article and showed it to Li Guolou, and asked, "Xiaolou, take a look for Brother Yu, what do you want to change!" ”

Li Guolou said sourly: "Brother Xingsun, do you still need the younger brother to mention something, the ready-made rice is brought to you, don't you know how to eat it!" ”

Sheng Huaixuan laughed three times and said: "Xiaolou, don't be stingy, this kind of thankless work, you won't do it, the foolish brother will accept your affection, and you will definitely repay it another day!" ”

"Hmmm······" Li Guolou took the manuscript, watched it, frowned and said: "Hey, Brother Xingsun, after the trouble, you can still solve a large number of people's livelihoods for the country, you can think of it!" ”

Sheng Huaixuan sighed: "Isn't it written like this, Xiaolou should consider things carefully, how can you just talk about money and money, and the people who sit in the hall still have to use full people, so that Prince Gong can see it comfortably, and the emperor can explain there, and the queen mother of the two palaces can also cover the jade seal, so that the policy can be implemented, which is called a great joy!" ”

Li Guolou said: "Brother Xingsun, this industry can solve the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people, and squeeze the foreigner telegraph bureau out of our country. ”

Sheng Huaixuan asked: "Xiaolou, you said secrets, in addition to information and public opinion, is there a ·······?"

Li Guolou bowed slightly, silent, mutiny or uprising, can control the overall situation through the telegraph office, members of the Western-style faction control public opinion through the post and telecommunications bureau, exchange news, and even grasp the actions of other factions, those conservatives, the Qing faction's every move, will be monitored by the Western-style faction, the telegraph bureau is actually a secret organization, the future will play a huge role, all this must be in the hands of Li Hongzhang, even Prince Gong Yixun is only for the above Buddha, the mystery can not be seen by the above.

Li Hongzhang is the mainstay of the Qing Dynasty and a person who is loyal to the country, but he is a person who is good at power, and he will never be left in power, and his subordinates must also find their own positioning.

Sheng Huaixuan sighed: "Xiaolou, you have a seven-trick exquisite heart, and there are so many dirty things hidden in your brain, be careful that you won't live long!" ”

Li Guolou's cheeks twitched, touched his beating cheeks, squinted and said, "Brother Xingsun, don't worry, the enemy is not dead, my brother and I will not die!" ”

"Oh, who are your brothers' enemies?" Sheng Huaixuan guessed seven or eight points in his heart, but he didn't show it.

"President of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, aren't you very familiar with him?" Li Guolou glanced at it, the business circle in Shanghai is so big, how could Sheng Huaixuan not know that his eldest brother Li Guoyun was miserable by Hu Xueyan's trick to draw salary, and since then he has withdrawn from the silk industry, if it were not for the support of the Li family, his family would have been sleeping on the street long ago.

Sheng Huaixuan said with a smile: "Oh, old-timer, don't look at him jumping happily now, pull a list for him in the coming year, the foolish brother knows who is a friend, your enemy is my enemy, that person knows when he hears it!" ”

"What can he hear, it's not to invite names, to say that he has found ancient recipes, panacea, and make up stories for him "Hu Qingyutang", or to spend money to have fun, and play with eleven or twelve-year-old chicks." Li Guolou pursed his lips and did not smell Hu Xueyan's lace.

"Hey, hey, hey." Sheng Huaixuan said with a smile: "People have a big reputation, begging for a concubine, you will be so unbearable, where can you get your own good, a hundred steps to laugh ninety-nine steps, laugh generously!" ”

Li Guolou smiled embarrassedly and said, "Brother Xingsun, you owe me a favor to repay, and you have to calculate the interest, you first calculate how much it is worth!" ”

"Okay, okay, foolish brother knows, when your family's "Please Come to the Bank" opens in Shanghai, I will shout for you for free, with my officialdom to accumulate some contacts, one million taels of silver, help you save it first!"

Li Guolou's mood immediately improved a lot, and he said with a smile: "It's about the same, don't let me see you in the future." After speaking, Li Guolou lowered his head and continued to watch Sheng Huaixuan's article, the format of the front was Chen Tiao, and the format of the central idea was Baguwen, and he shook his head in a nondescript form.

Li Guolou couldn't hold back and said: "Brother Xingsun, in the past, you only wrote it to your father-in-law, and it doesn't matter if the format is messy, but now you are writing it to Prince Gong, and the eight-strand essay will be kept for the show when he was admitted to the Jinshi, and those princes in the court don't understand the eight-strand text, just list the things one by one, as for summarizing what you write, the words are all written for you, don't talk anymore!" ”

Sheng Huaixuan said suddenly: "Oh······ That's right, I forgot who it was written for, just thinking that my father-in-law likes to read Baguwen, Xiaolou, can you see if there is anything to revise! ”

Li Guolou shook his head and said: "How can I see it, later you ask your father-in-law, what does he want, let me read it again, I'm going to be so angry that I vomit blood, you are embarrassed to let me see it!" ”

"Hey, hey, hey, the seven-rank official, the red-topped merchant of the Qing Dynasty, Hu Xueyan will kneel and talk when he sees me in the future." Sheng Huaixuan stroked his belly and laughed, this is a real official hat, with high power and great power, the state and county yamen can enter and exit casually.

Li Guolou couldn't hold back when he looked at Sheng Huaixuan's arrogant and ugly appearance, Xiucai was not a person of the same grade as him, and showed off: "Brother Xingsun, don't be scared, little brother, I will go to the scientific examination the day after tomorrow, and I will be the protégé of the Son of Heaven in the future, don't forget to scold me in the future!" ”

"Ah······h Sheng Huaixuan looked up and down at Li Guolou, who was drinking tea, and the day after tomorrow, the person who was going to take the scientific examination was going to chat outside, and meet the elder Li Hongzhang, when is it not possible to meet his relatives, I have never seen such a determined candidate.

"Xiaolou, you're smoking, you don't study hard, why did you run out!"

Li Guolou grinned and said: "Brother Xingsun, the emperor is not in a hurry, anxious eunuch, I have a million male soldiers in my chest, and I have long been confident, why do I need to hold Buddha's feet temporarily, now I am working on the manuscript and writing a flowery article to show Emperor Tongzhi, and other things are no longer in my consideration." After speaking, Li Guolou cocked Erlang's legs and trembled.

"Oh······" Sheng Huaixuan's eyes widened, and he almost recognized people, thinking that Li Guolou was just absorbing more Western culture, and his vision was just a step higher than him, and it turned out that the master was like this.

Sheng Huaixuan stood up, bowed down and bowed: "Xiaolou, don't blame the foolish brother who was rude just now, our teacher is out of the same door, we will be brothers in the future, how close we will be in the future!" ”

Li Guolou was so angry that his eyes were full of stars, and after the trouble, he was still forced under Sheng Huaixuan, and he could never turn over.

"Count you ruthless, I will go to Shanghai to eat you in the future." Li Guolou branded a cruel sentence, reluctantly accepted the reality, and formed a friendship with the same door, and talked nonsense from all over the world.

Li Guolou couldn't see clearly what surprises this friend who was as good at drilling as he could bring him in the future, and what changes Sheng Huaixuan could bring to the Qing Empire.

In the dining room of the dinner, Li Hongzhang's relatives and relatives all came out of the backyard to eat, Li Hongzhang likes food, eats and drinks very particularly, the table is full of gluttonous food, Li Guolou is a member of the Li family, Sheng Huaixuan is also a relative, men and women are at the same table, and the dinner table is casual and funny, Li Hongzhang is naughty with a pair of daughters, twittering and talking, not like everyone at all.

Li Guolou originally thought that his uncle Li Hongzhang invited him to have dinner with Sheng Huaixuan, there must be wine to drink, and after chatting about business, he said some personal friendship, and let him go home.

Looking at Li Hongzhang's tired appearance, Li Guolou was a little moved in his heart, those who can work hard, they are in high positions, they have no time to rest, and there are so many people who come to the door at home, busy receiving guests, but on the other hand, Li Hongzhang deliberately left time to stay at home, how many bribes do he have to accept in a day, Sheng Huaixuan must be down to blood in order to get a seven-grade official hat, I am afraid that it will be more than 100,000 taels of silver for filial piety, otherwise there is no reason to give Sheng Huaixuan a chance to revive his officialdom.

Thinking about this joint, Li Guolou summed it up, he will also learn to rest in the future, and if he can't finish talking about business, he can put it in the house to continue talking, "Jiang Taigong fishes, and those who wish to take the bait." He understood this move, Li Guolou has the motivation to climb up, a seven-grade official hat with real power, which is in his pocket, his goal is the five-grade official hat, the official hat is inserted with a flower feather, the neck is hung with a pearl, and he holds a handbook in his hand, among the hundreds of high-ranking officials in the class, standing on the court, looking up at the Tongzhi Emperor at close range, and listening to the teachings of the saint.

Li Guolou glanced at the person sitting next to him and was slightly blessed with Huaixuan, less than thirty years old, articulate, speaking soft Wu language, sweet mouth, sycophants one after another, he could say a few good words to everyone, it was a pistachio on the dinner table, he would also be able to do this kind of small way, after a while, there was a burst of laughter at the dinner table, and the atmosphere of happiness and harmony had a family banquet atmosphere.

After dinner, Li Guolou and Sheng Huaixuan still returned to the study, rested for half an hour, Li Guolou's hands were itchy, and he took out a treasure knife hanging on the wall, but saw that the handle was inlaid with several rubies, and gently stroked the blade.

"Good knife, named: Longquan Treasure Knife, this is a treasure rewarded by the emperor." Sheng Huaixuan relied on the old and sold the old, and told Li Guolou that it was a holy relic in his hand.

"Oh." Li Guolou turned his wrist and danced a few knife flowers, and the bright and dangling knife shadow frightened Sheng Huaixuan to hide back.

"Xiaolou, be careful, this is a priceless treasure, a relic of Emperor Kangxi, be careful of being scolded to death by your uncle." Sheng Huaixuan screamed, if the Longquan Treasure Knife was broken by Li Guolou, he would also be reprimanded by Li Hongzhang.

Li Guolou hurriedly returned the Longquan treasure knife to its original position, this kind of treasure is served, after a period of time, it must be oiled and wiped off, otherwise the blade will change color, and there will be a layer of rust after it, collecting antiques is a troublesome thing, and he has to serve antiques, he is still young and does not want to waste time on dead things.

"Brother Xingsun, just take a look, and the emperor will reward me with a treasure knife in the future." Li Guolou was unwilling to look at the five swords and swords on the wall, and he also wanted to have this glory.

"Snort." Sheng Huaixuan shook his head and said: "Xiaolou, I chatted with you for a long time, I found that you are a person, putting gold on your face, the merchant was fooled by you and couldn't find the north, the woman was deceived by you like this, even the big guy Du got on your thief ship like this, you and your brother are exactly two sides of the silver coin, one is fake and serious, and the other is not right!" ”

Li Guolou said with a smile: "Brother Xingsun, seeing that you are my fellow disciple, I will tell you a shocking secret, the eldest daughter of the big guy Du, she likes me, and the family matter has been decided!" ”

Sheng Huaixuan sat down dejectedly, hung his head and said: "Hey, the sea of learning is endless, a mountain is higher than a mountain, I have met a great god today, I have been an official for many years, I have never seen an official like you, jumping up and down at a young age, just now I said bad things about Hu Xueyan, now I am revealing the old bottom, it is worse than others!" ”

Li Guolou touched his nose and said to himself: "Brother Xingsun, enemies are used to ugliness, friends are romantic characters, can't you even tell the difference!" ”

Sheng Huaixuan took a deep look at Li Guolou, and said: "Well, you are much better than your brother, you dare to say anything, your brother will pretend to be high, thinking that the backstage is harder than me, don't take me seriously, look at you, I don't care about him!" ”

Li Guolou squinted at Sheng Huaixuan and didn't say anything, he didn't say anything, everyone knew in their hearts that relatives are relatives, what is a righteous son, Li Hongzhang is not without a biological son, his brother Li Guoyun is doing business in Shanghai and Tianjin, who dares not to give his brother face.

After the rich man finishes eating, he has to serve good tea, the servant serves a pot of Biluochun, pours it into the cup, a tea fragrance comes to the nose, the fragrance is refreshing, Li Guolou and Sheng Huaixuan drink tea, digest the stomach, speak like a big businessman, the way of the official, for the two of them, it is to make money, get rich, the same principle of doing things, have the same concept, the two talked very speculatively, sighed ill-fated, hated to see each other late, met bosom friends in a foreign land,