The United States is an "ally", not a "vassal", this is a matter that the imperial court has repeatedly emphasized, so how could the "American delegation to China" be placed in the Huitong Four Translation Pavilion?

Zhou Fu was also stunned for a moment, thought about it for a while, and then understood why Li Hongzhang said so, and hurriedly said: "It's that I didn't make it clear - it's not the Huisi Translation Hall of Yuhe Bridge!" It is the old building of the Huitong Four Translation Museum in Zhanyunfang, Xuanwumen-because it has been idle for a long time and is uninhabited, when Jiaqing was five years old, it was handed back to the Internal Affairs Office, and the Huitong Four Translation Pavilion...... Actually, it doesn't matter anymore. ”

Li Hongzhang nodded and said, "I see." ”

"This kind of old building of the Four Translation Pavilion, there is another one on Nanheng Street outside Zhengyang Gate, and later, because it was uninhabited, it was left idle for too long, and it was generally returned to the Internal Affairs Office."

After a pause, Zhou Fu said again: "This house in Xuanwumen Inner Zhan Yunfang, hundreds of rooms, has been used for decades, and it has not been of any serious use, and it has to spend a lot of money to maintain. After the itinerary of the 'American delegation to China' was decided, the 'advisory committee' took a fancy to this place and asked for it to come over, repair and renovate it, and change it into a 'foreign affairs hotel'. ”

"'Foreign Affairs Hotel'?" Li Hongzhang raised his head, his brows furrowed slightly, but there was a faint smile on his face, "It's another new word!" ”

"The words are fresh," Zhou Fu said, "and the inside is fresher!" ”

"It is said that inside the 'Foreign Affairs Hotel', it is cold again. There is no need for a stove - they are all equipped with Western heating. I haven't seen it with my own eyes. I don't know what this 'heating' looks like. I heard that a kind of copper pipe is roughly laid in the house, and the hot water vapor is poured into the copper pipe, and the whole house is warm, and there is no trace of fire! ”

"This 'heating', even the Shochu Hutong's Mansion is still not available."

Li Hongzhang smiled. said: "In this way, clothing, food, housing, and transportation, if you just talk about living, the hundreds and dozens of people below are more comfortable than the ten people above?" ”

Zhou Fu also smiled and said, "If it's cold, it's really like this." However, at the moment, it is spring in March, unless it encounters a particularly sharp spring cold. Otherwise, there should be no need for 'heating'. ”

Li Hongzhang sighed softly: "Yushan." I'm going to sigh again. ”

Zhou Fu thought, what did the marshal sigh about? Is it because of the feeling of "heating", sighing at the long skills?

No.

"You just said," Li Hongzhang said, "In the past, in addition to the Yuhe Bridge, there were also ...... in the Four Translation Pavilions Xuanwu Gate inside Zhan Yun Fang, Zhengyang Gate outside Nanheng Street two buildings, later, Xuanwu Gate and Zhengyang Gate, are useless, now, only Yuhe Bridge is left a building - Yushan, you say, what is this for? ”

Zhou Fu knew what Li Hongzhang was feeling.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Naturally, it is because the number of vassals who pay tribute and the number of tributes are getting smaller and smaller. ”

"yes!" Li Hongzhang sighed, "Take Siam as an example, Xianfeng sent a tribute envoy in the second year, but he just ran into a troublesome long hair, and the road was blocked, and the tribute envoy couldn't arrive." Long hair was tied in the second year of Tongzhi, and it has been almost three years now, and Siam's tribute, but it has still not been restored! Hehe, I don't know if it's because of the gap between the two or the other people who are just pretending to be stupid? ”

"And in Vietnam, the number of visits is getting less and less! No way - the French have choked their necks! ”

After a pause, Li Hongzhang said: "Siam and Vietnam are both things in recent years - Yushan, I have always had an illusion before, I always feel that the vassals and the Celestial Empire are estranged, because the national fortune has been poor in recent years, we have been deflated by foreigners, and the long hair is pulling flags and firing cannons, and it is a mess, and people can't have a little idea - in fact, it is not true!" ”

"What you just said, the building of Zhanyunfang in the Xuanwu Gate of the Fourth Translation Pavilion was withdrawn in the fifth year of Jiaqing - before that time, the vassal and the Celestial Empire had already begun to fall apart!"

Zhou Fu's heart was shocked, and his brain was running rapidly.

"Why?" Li Hongzhang's tone was heavy, "Before that time, our national fortunes had already begun to 'fail'!" ”

"Jackdaw water, cold and warm self-knowledge - we are a big piece of 'water', the domain is 'jackdaw', the seasons have changed, at the beginning, 'water' I don't know, people's 'jackdaw', but 'cold and warm self-know'!"

Zhou Fu exhaled lightly, his face was solemn, and he nodded and said, "Lord Xiang is wise!" ”

"The Celestial Empire, the vassals," Li Hongzhang sneered slightly, "It sounds good to say, in fact, the vassals look down on the Celestial Empire, and they are the most snobbish in the world!" If you have a good place here, you will naturally be willing to run to you; You have less benefits here, or even no benefits to take, and if you run thousands of miles to you, people will naturally be reluctant! ”

"That's really the case." Zhou Fu said, "When I entered Beijing this time, I learned a lot more about the situation of the Huitong Fourth Translation Museum because of the 'Foreign Affairs Hotel'. The Great Qing Dynasty Huidian contains, 'The tribute envoys of various countries are loaded with square goods, and they are brought to the capital by their own strength, and after the rewards are awarded, the market will be opened in the Huitong Pavilion for three or five days, except for Korea and the Ryukyus. The goods brought by the tribute ships shall be taxed accordingly. ’”

Speaking of this, Zhou Fu smiled and said: "The matter of tribute, for the vassals, is the best business in the world - not only does it not collect taxes, but if the goods brought with it cannot be sold, the imperial court will buy it for them!" I will never ask them to leave their seats empty and go back full of rewards and other good things in China. ”

"Isn't it?" Li Hongzhang said, "The smaller the country, the more it depends on 'tribute' to live!" Like Ryukyu, almost the whole country lives on it! Hehe, when we are full of flowers and cooking oil, we don't care about losing a few small dollars, we can naturally take care of your goods, how much you ship, how much I buy, the price, you can drive! ”

"However," Li Hongzhang continued, "since the end of Qianlong, we in China, not to mention whether the appearance is glamorous or not, the inside is already empty, and it will be more and more difficult to support this kind of scene and do this kind of loss-making business!" As a result, I am not willing to go to the bottom and make a round, and I have to bargain on the price, and the rewards are not as much as before - the income from the 'tribute' is getting smaller and smaller, and the vassals will naturally be estranged from you! ”

Zhou Fu nodded deeply: "Jue Xiang has a deep insight!" ”

Li Hongzhang said leisurely: "Yushan, my emotion is more than that. What I feel is that the vassals are reluctant to come to the door, but the foreigners have sharpened their heads, while holding guns and sticks, and talking sweetly, they want to drill into our arms! - The world is really different! ”

"Lord," Zhou Fu said, "that's what you said!" Take the incident of the 'US delegation visiting China' entering the Hajj as an example: when I saw that the Americans were admitted to the Hajj, and when I left Beijing, the ministers of Britain, France, Russia, and the Netherlands had already clamored to follow the example of the United States and meet the emperor and present the 'letter of state'. ”

Li Hongzhang was stunned, and his face became extremely solemn: "This is a big excitement!" ”

*(To be continued......) R1292