If it weren't for the fool of Devil Six who said in advance that he could pay 200,000 taels of silver, Wu Chaoyue was completely sure that he would cut this compensation to less than 100,000 taels of silver, but there was no way, Devil Six had a word first, and the foreigner who came to extort was not a fool, and insisted on paying compensation to the amount agreed before, and Devil Six was in a hurry to reply to Emperor Xianfeng after finishing the matter, so the final compensation figure was still determined to be 200,000 taels of silver that Wu Chaoyue regretted very much.

The key to the fact that foreigners can make such big concessions is not the Japanese gold mine that Wu Chaoyue said, let alone the temptation to invade and plunder Japan, but that Wu Chaoyue knows their details. After suspending the negotiations for the second time, with the consent of the devil six, Wu Chaoyue talked alone with Burbulon and others for a while, during which Wu Chaoyue said directly to the representatives of the six countries: "I know that your military action this time has not obtained your domestic consent, and I also know that your domestic may not agree to expand the war. Taking advantage of the stupid Qing court, which still doesn't know your details, take it when you see it, if the situation continues to expand, I'm afraid that what you have already obtained will also be lost again. ”

The real purpose of the Combined Fleet's northward march this time was only to build factories and trade freely in China, and to gain the right to freely enter and exit the treaty cities, and to open more ports and demand indemnities was only extortion incidentally, and it was not ready for a full-scale war with the Manchu court, and its own strength could hardly pose a further threat to the Manchu court. And now the devil six not only agreed to part of the indemnity for the Manchu court, but also agreed to open three more treaty ports south of the Yangtze River, the unexpected harvest has already made the representatives of the six countries overjoyed, and finally coupled with the huge temptation of the Japanese market and Japan's gold and silver minerals, so after discussion, the representatives of the six countries finally decided to make this concession and keep the windfall that was already destined to be in hand.

In the end, after re-negotiation with Guizi Liu, the two sides finally agreed to determine the amount of compensation to be 200,000 taels of silver, and to open three more treaty ports in Wenzhou, Tainan and Chaozhou. Although the supplementary clause canceled the article that Wu Chaoyue, a citizen of the Qing Dynasty, unconditionally informed the six European and American countries where the Japanese gold mines were located - because it was purely an international joke written in the treaty, but at the request of the representatives of the six countries, Wu Chaoyue still pointed to the location of Kagoshima, the southernmost tip of Japan, on the map, and Wu Chaoyue, who was very familiar with the Ryokari gold mine, clearly told the representatives of the six countries, "The surface minerals of this gold mine have been mined by the Japanese, and they just give up because they think the mineral source is exhausted, but if they continue to dig down, A gold mine worth more than 300 million taels of silver will appear in front of you! ”

On the afternoon of 19 June, after receiving the will of Emperor Xianfeng agreeing to sign, Guizi Liu finally signed his name on the traitorous treaty, and two days later, after 200,000 taels of silver were delivered to Dagukou, the combined fleet also returned the Dagukou Fort as promised, and returned to Shanghai to rest and prepare for the next plan of action to develop the Japanese market. When it was time to set sail, Burbulon and other representatives of the six countries also invited the ancestors of the Wu family and the combined fleet to return to Shanghai together, but Wu Jianzhang, who had to return to Beijing to hand over the order, politely declined, but Wu Chaoyue, who wanted to help the foreigners pit the devil again, readily agreed, "Okay, I'll go with you." ”

It's a pity that Wu Chaoyue finally failed to board the foreigner's warship and return to Shanghai together, first of all, the devil six will never agree - Wu Chaoyue is the translator brought by the devil six in front of the Xianfeng Emperor, and the translation ran away with the foreigner after the negotiation, how did the devil six go back to the Xianfeng Emperor and the Qing court? Wu Jianzhang even scolded his grandson for being unfilial - leaving his grandfather in his sixties to run away alone in the capital, so Wu Chaoyue had no choice but to tearfully say goodbye to his foreigner friends who actually had a common language, and followed the comprador grandfather and the devil back to the capital to hand over to Emperor Xianfeng.

Wu Jianzhang insisted on letting his baby grandson go back to the capital with him, the real reason was, of course, that Wu Jianzhang looked at Sun Chengchan and hoped that his baby grandson would take this opportunity to step into the official career, and the result was just as Wu Jianzhang wished, and the devil who was full of praise for Wu Chaoyue not only patted his chest and promised that he would definitely ask for credit for Wu Chaoyue in front of Emperor Xianfeng, but also took the initiative to reveal that he wanted to take the ancestors and grandchildren of the Wu family under his door. And the dignified prince took the initiative to extend an olive branch, and Wu Jianzhang, who had already kicked his legs in front of the mountain, of course, couldn't ask for it, and soon hooked up with Devil Liu, and before he returned to the capital, he handed over a protégé post to Devil Liu, and agreed on the number of charcoal and ice respects each year.

Wu Jianzhang wants to let his baby grandson return to the capital with him for his reasons, Wu Chaoyue is reluctant to return to the capital, of course, he also has his own reasons, and the result is not as expected by Wu Chaoyue, with the return of the devil six and others to the capital, before they have time to enter the city, Wu Chaoyue has already seen that there are people pointing at the roadside, and he has also heard the scolding of traitors and traitors. In this regard, Wu Jianzhang, an old comprador who has been a dog leg for foreigners for decades, is accustomed to it, but Wu Chaoyue, who is infamous as a white-backed comprador, is so aggrieved that he wants to shout loudly, "If it weren't for Lao Tzu trying his best to divert the target of foreigners, the Manchu court would be able to sell you more cleanly, believe it or not?" ”

Fortunately, although the result of Wu Chaoyue's negotiation between the comprador grandfather and the devil six was quite criticized by the people, the Xianfeng Emperor and the Military Aircraft Department were very satisfied with the result, so after entering the city, the ancestors and grandchildren of the Wu family immediately received the will of the next day to be led by the devil six - in this era, this is a very glorious will.

The next morning, after dressing himself up in a showy manner, Wu Chaoyue obediently accompanied the comprador grandfather to the gate of the imperial city to meet the devil, and then under the guidance of the devil six, Wu Chaoyue once again entered the Forbidden City, which was occupied by the Manchu Qing Dynasty in this era, and was directly led to the Palace of Yangxin, and once again saw the Emperor Xianfeng, who was uglier than himself, and the chief military aircraft Qi Liaozao. And just like last time, Wu Chaoyue, who was mixed in a state-owned enterprise after graduation, came as soon as he opened his mouth, "Grass people Wu Chaoyue, long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor...... huh?" Are you really the emperor? ”

This time, it was Qi Liaozao who accompanied Emperor Xianfeng to meet the ancestors and grandsons of the Wu family, and he was better for the ancestors and grandchildren of the Wu family, so after hearing Wu Chaoyue's words that could be regarded as a loss of honor in front of the king, there were no outsiders who came out to make things difficult, only Wu Jianzhang hurriedly shouted: "Transcendence, in front of the emperor, don't talk nonsense!" ”

"Grandpa, it's not that I'm talking nonsense, it's that the emperor's spirit is suddenly much better." Wu Chaoyue replied: "Grandpa, look, I haven't seen you for a few days, isn't the emperor's dragon face much more majestic?" The spirit is much better than last time? ”

Emperor Xianfeng, who was still a little puzzled just now, suddenly realized, and after seeing Wu Jianzhang nodding again and again, Emperor Xianfeng immediately laughed out loud and said: "Okay, you Wu Chaoyue, you are really a clever mouth, and flattery can play so many tricks for you!" But you're right, I've been in a much better mood these days, and I'm feeling much better than before. ”

"The emperor's dragon body is healthy, the blessing of the Qing Dynasty, and the blessing of the subjects of the Qing Dynasty."

Wu Chaoyue hurriedly said shameless words with a clear conscience, and after Emperor Xianfeng praised Wu Chaoyue with satisfaction, he suddenly asked: "Wu Chaoyue, I heard that when you and your grandfather entered Chongwenmen, they once pulled out foreign guns and coerced the tax collectors of Chongwenmen, but is there such a thing?" ”

"Back to the emperor, there is!" Wu Chaoyue admitted that this was indeed the case without even blinking his eyelids, and said: "Your Majesty, forgive the grass people for their courage to say bluntly, if you were standing in the position of the grass people's grandfather at that time, the grass people would definitely shoot immediately at that time and kill the tax collector with one shot!" ”

"Why?"

Emperor Xianfeng, who had already sent someone to find out the reason, asked knowingly, Wu Chaoyue also gave a detailed introduction to the situation to Emperor Xianfeng, and then kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty, the prince of heaven and earth is the teacher, the king of heaven and earth is the greatest, and the pro-second, the tax collector is fists and feet against the grandfather of the grass people, and the grass people are grandsons, if they don't pull out a gun to protect their grandfather, it is unfilial!" If someone tries to hurt Banzai, and the grass people don't shoot him to death immediately, then the grass people are disloyal and unfilial, and they are ashamed of the king! ”

Satisfied with Wu Chaoyue's loyalty that he was desperately showing all the time, coupled with the fact that this matter was not Wu Chaoyue's fault in the first place, Emperor Xianfeng did not continue to care, but just reprimanded: "Although the words are good, but you will pull out your gun at every turn, it will inevitably be too sharp, and if you encounter similar things in the future, you must think twice, and you must not cause trouble for your grandfather at every turn as before!" Trouble for the court and me! ”

Wu Chaoyue also honestly confessed his guilt, saying that he must keep in mind the holy precepts of the Xianfeng Emperor, reciting it day and night, and the Xianfeng Emperor also gave the Wu family's ancestors and grandsons a flat body, first praised the Wu family's ancestors and grandsons in front of the foreigners, without losing the dignity of the Qing court, and then the Xianfeng Emperor couldn't help but ask curiously: "Wu Chaoyue, is the Japanese gold mine you said to the foreigners true or false?" ”

"Back to the emperor, it's true."

Wu Chaoyue had long known that Emperor Xianfeng would definitely ask this question, and he could only follow the previous explanation in front of Devil Six and Wu Jianzhang, the ghost pulled the name of a foreigner, saying that the foreigner had discovered the big gold mine in Japan, and went to Shanghai to find someone to cooperate in the development of the gold mine. In order to lure the foreigners to make concessions during the negotiations, he shook the gold mine to the foreigners, and let the foreigners go to Japan to fight for the broken gold mine.

Although it is not certain whether the gold mine exists, since the foreigners did not ask the Qing court to guarantee that the gold mine must exist, Emperor Xianfeng was also happy to stay out of the matter, and said: "It's best that the gold mine is real, and the foreigners fight in order to grab the gold mine, and I can worry less about the affairs of the foreigners." ”

Everyone called for Emperor Mingjian, and after a little calculation, Emperor Xianfeng said: "Yixun, Wu Jianzhang, you went to negotiate with the foreigners this time, although you failed to fully meet my requirements, but it was still a little credit, and I was barely satisfied." If you have merit, you will be rewarded, Yixun, and you will receive the prince's double salary in the future. ”

Devil Six hurriedly kowtowed to thank him, and Wu Jianzhang, who was obsessed with officials, was so nervous that his forehead was sweating, and he kept praying for God's blessing so that he could improve his grade, but Emperor Xianfeng did not disappoint Wu Jianzhang, and soon said: "Wu Jianzhang is rewarded with a one-eyed flower feather, and he is promoted to the right of Jiangsu Bu to participate in politics, and he is still the superintendent of Shanghai Customs." You have made those mistakes in the past, for the sake of your meritorious atonement this time, you will be exempted, and in the future, you will be optimistic about the tax silver of the Jiang Customs, and you will not lose one or two tax silver! ”

The political envoy's participation in politics is from the third grade, although it is only promoted by half a level, but it is enough to make Wu Jianzhang, who was born in the donation class, ecstatic, coupled with the customs supervisor who also has a fart oil crotch, Wu Jianzhang of course kowtowed again and again, and said excitedly: "Weichen thank the emperor for his grace, thank the emperor for his grace!" ”

With a wave of his hand, Wu Jianzhang stood up, and Emperor Xianfeng smiled again and turned his gaze to Wu Chaoyue, Wu Chaoyue saw that it was not good, and quickly kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty, the grass people have no size merit this time, and they dare not receive the reward." ”

"Whether you have merit or not, I know in my heart." Emperor Xianfeng smiled and said: "You have both the talent of Tongyi and the harmony of foreigners, so stay in the Ministry of Rites, and I will appoint you as the main and guest director of the Ministry of Rites." ”

Wu Chaoyue, who didn't want to be a slave to the Eight Banners, was even more bitter when he heard it, and hurriedly excused himself: "The grass people thank the emperor for his grace, but the grass people don't want to be officials, and they only want to die in cloth." ”

Hearing Wu Chaoyue's words, Wu Jianzhang was of course so anxious that he wanted to suck his precious grandson to death, and Devil Six and Qi Liaozao inevitably looked at each other, and after being the emperor for more than two years, Emperor Xianfeng still encountered such a situation, and asked suspiciously: "You don't want to be an official?" Or do you think that the official who sealed you is too small? ”

"Wu Chaoyue, whether the main and guest department is the sixth product, or the actual position." Devil Liuye also interjected and said: "You have just entered the company and received the title of real job is the sixth grade, which is already an extra over-promotion, why don't you hurry up and thank you?" ”

"Your Majesty, the sixth prince, it's not that the grass people think the officials are small, it's that the grass people really don't want to be officials." Wu Chaoyue replied with a sad face.

"Why?" Emperor Xianfeng asked in surprise.

"Because I don't want to be a slave for you, and I don't want to live in Tatar Capital!" Wu Chaoyue answered the truth in his heart, but he said nonsense: "Your Majesty, the grass people don't want to be officials, there are three reasons, the first is that the grass people are too young, and their personalities are too impulsive. ”

"Second, Caomin's grandfather is over the age of sixteen and his body is gradually weakening, and Caomin's father is doing business in his hometown in Guangdong and can't go north, so Caomin wants to stay by his grandfather's side to serve in order to fulfill his filial piety."

Not to mention, Wu Chaoyue's two reasons for talking about ghosts are really like the same thing, showing both loyalty and filial piety, Emperor Xianfeng really understands a little, so Emperor Xianfeng nodded and asked, "What about the third reason?" ”

"Third ......." Wu Chaoyue secretly scolded himself in his heart why he didn't just say two reasons, and he had no choice but to continue to talk nonsense, "Your Majesty, before entering Beijing, the grass people had signed a contract with foreigners to build a joint venture factory, and they must go back to Shanghai to build a factory with foreigners, otherwise it will be a breach of contract, and foreigners will definitely not be able to spare the grass people." ”

Wu Chaoyue didn't talk about this reason, it was okay, originally the Xianfeng Emperor had already wanted to give Wu Chaoyue some other rewards, and let Wu Chaoyue go back to fulfill his filial piety, but Wu Chaoyue wanted to die or not die but mentioned the foreigners, and the Xianfeng Emperor, who hated foreigners to the bone, was a little angry, and said with the intention of deliberately not letting Wu Chaoyue get his wish: "What kind of reason is this?" Since you and the foreigner have agreed on what factory to build in partnership, then you only need to send someone to help the foreigner build the factory, why do you have to go yourself? No, since I have appointed you as the head of the main and guest department, you must take up your post in the Ministry of Rites! ”

Wu Chaoyue was even more bitter when he heard this, and when he just wanted to continue to shirk, Wu Jianzhang also ran out to make trouble, and said: "Chaoyue, thank the emperor quickly, I have me in the matter of building a factory with foreigners, and I will arrange someone to do joint venture business with foreigners for you." ”

Seeing that Emperor Xianfeng's expression was not good, Wu Chaoyue, whose buttocks had not been completely wiped clean, had no choice but to kowtow obediently and thank him, and said reluctantly: "Weichen thank the emperor for his grace, long live the emperor, long live long live." ”

In this way, when he didn't want to be an official at all, Wu Chaoyue finally had no choice but to become a promising Qing Dynasty official - the head of the Ministry of Rites and Guests of Zhengliupin. Then he didn't even receive the official uniform and the letter, and he didn't even go to the official department to report to the bureaucracy, Wu Chaoyue had already started such a calculation in his heart, "How can I resign from this broken official and return to Shanghai?" Lao Tzu doesn't want to stay in the capital to suffer hardships, he just wants to go back to Shanghai to enjoy happiness! ”