Yanagihara Maemitsu took the telegram and only glanced at it, and his face immediately changed.

"Sale of land in Hokkaido...... In exchange for Russian troops...... How can this be?! Yanagihara Maemitsu clenched the newspaper tightly in his hand, and the green tendons on his forehead burst out.

"It's too costly." The counselor also said with a worried face, "The other powers know about it, but I'm afraid they won't agree, right?" ”

"This is the way to get rid of chaos, and it must not be done!" Yanagihara said in a deep voice.

Yanagihara looked like this gaffe for the first time, he threw aside the proposal he had just written to borrow troops from Qianguo, grabbed a piece of paper, and quickly wrote on it.

Beijing, Prince Jing's Mansion, Ming Daozhai.

At this time, in Mingdaozhai, there was a sumptuous banquet, and the four of them were sitting together, drinking wine and talking freely.

"Mr. Wen Hude has always been very frugal since he took office as the chief tax department, and even more so since he came to Beijing," Prince Jing pointed to a table of delicacies, and said to Hurd with a smile, "Today, I set up this 'swallow wing seat', which should be a reward for Mr. Hurd's past hard work, and Mr. Hurd's kindness. ”

Hearing that Prince Jing invited him to eat a "swallow wing seat", Hurd's heart couldn't help but secretly admire.

This "swallow wing seat" Hurd had heard of originally, it is said that it came from the palace dining room, the dishes are extremely chic, the first dish is a small dish, including fried salted shi, pickled cucumber, shrimp celery heart, mustard dun, Beijing bacon, phoenix chicken, amber peach kernel, osmanthus sugar lotus, rose jujube, fried red fruit, etc.; The second dish is cooked vegetables, including braised shark fin, white grilled abalone, soft-fried fresh shellfish, live fish in sauce, roast duck and swallow vegetables in clear soup; The third course is soup and sweets. There are bird, fish, egg and chicken soup, scrambled egg custard, walnut cheese and so on.

Hurd never imagined that he would be able to eat the legendary "swallow's wing seat" in Prince Jing's mansion, and that it was Prince Jing's invitation in charge of the Prime Minister's Yamen. Prince Chun, who was in charge of the navy's yamen, and Yan Danchu, the secretary of the household department, accompanied him.

"His Royal Highness is too polite." Hurd smiled and said politely to Prince Jing.

Seeing Hurd's humble attitude, Prince Chun, who was sitting on the side, smiled uncontrollably.

Prince Jing was the first to move, and Prince Chun, Yan Danchu and Hurd were no longer polite, and began to taste all kinds of dishes one by one.

The four of them chatted while eating, very casually, chatting and chatting, and the topic shifted from idle talk to the current foreign affairs.

Hurd chatted with Prince Jing and the others. While looking at Prince Jing Yixin, the initiator, leader and protector of the Western-style self-improvement movement, he looked at his appearance.

Hurd, who was familiar with the history of the Qianguo, was limited by the limitations of his information, and had only seen two photos of Prince Jing in newspapers before. and some foreigners described the appearance of Prince Jing, and today's close contact with Prince Jing finally gave him a direct impression of Prince Jing.

A Brigadier General named Grant wrote of Prince Jing at the time of the signing of the Treaty of Beijing in his memoirs: "Prince Jing was a humble gentleman, and he was clearly controlling his nervous fears. Elgin's assistant Lodge recalled: "Prince Jing was only 28 years old at the time. But he looks much older than he really is. His appearance is wise. But he was very anxious. Actually, given his situation, this is not surprising. He hid his fears, if any. ”

In the more than 20 years since the First Anglo-Qianqian War, the British never seem to have had any positive evaluation of the senior officials of the Qianguo State. However, the young Prince Jing made them discover that in addition to a large number of unruly, ignorant, and greedy officials, there were also such high-ranking officials with such a radiant demeanor and fresh style. Browse through historical materials, whether it is the news reports of the time or the diary memories of the contemporaries. Although all aspects of the Qianguo are portrayed as extremely dark, it is difficult to find a negative evaluation of Prince Jing. This young prince seems to have become the only flower blooming behind the Iron Curtain.

Regarding Prince Jing's appearance, Ding Yunliang, an American missionary and later the first president of Peking University, who had many contacts with Prince Jing, once wrote bluntly: "Prince Jing is thin, dark-skinned, and has squinted eyes because of myopia, and he is not beautiful," and "he is not a very 'princely' person." Although some sources say that he is "handsome", that is also relative to his elder brother, Emperor Xianfeng. It is said that Emperor Xianfeng fell from a galloping horse when he was a teenager and injured his bones. What is certain from the official history is that Emperor Xianfeng was weak and sickly, while Prince Jing was in good health. Although Emperor Xianfeng had a wide harem and even left a large number of unverifiable romances among the people, he only gave birth to a son and a daughter. And the other brothers of Emperor Xianfeng, including Prince Jing and Prince Alcohol, are all flourishing and full of descendants.

According to the official history, the brothers Prince Jing and Emperor Xianfeng when they were young once practiced martial arts together, and also created 28 styles of marksmanship and 18 styles of knife skills, which made Emperor Shaoguang Longyan Dayue and named the marksmanship and knife skills respectively "Dihua Cooperation" and "Bao Yi Xuanwei". At the same time, Prince Jing was also given a white rainbow knife with a golden peach skin sheath, which also shows Prince Jing's key role in this "invention and creation". Prince Jing is good at martial arts, there are many records in the historical materials, and many poems and texts that have been recited to later generations, the literary brilliance is flying, and his literary and military all-round talents can be described as the absolute best among the princes at that time, but after all, the time is not good, and the throne is not related, and after the Xianfeng Emperor ascended the throne, he was even more suspicious.

"His eyes, nose, etc., all show that he is quite a person with substance. When he began to speak, his face shone with wisdom. He speaks quickly, and the accuracy of his words far outweighs his profundity. "He behaved in a manner that was both kind and elegant, and spoke quickly and forcefully, giving the impression of having autonomous strength."

Dr. Reni, a member of the British delegation at the time of the signing of the Treaty of Peking, who later wrote extensively about the Orient, recalled: "Prince Jing was very amiable, and his appearance was very typical of Tatars: on his right cheek were two shallow scars, joined together, which looked like the marks of a boil before. His face and hands appear small, and his fingers are very small. like a woman. Reni devoted a great deal of space to describing in detail the gentlemanly demeanor displayed by Prince Jing during the interview, and was greatly impressed by it. Call him the "Virtuous King".

And Prince Jing's graceful demeanor is more mature as he gets older. "Prince Jing is different from the princes and politicians of the East I have seen before, he is very vivid. This is an astute man, with sharp instincts and a strong will. Indian and Muslim princes, as well as our friends in Hindustan and Egypt, often sit rigidly. The whole conversation is so glazed that you think you're talking to a stone. However, Prince Jing in conversation. But the expression is rich and vivid. ”

Now Prince Jing in front of Hurd is thin and even has sunken cheeks. Its waist size does not seem to be proportional to its status at all. It is even more different from the image of the high-ranking officials of the ordinary Daqian Empire who are full of brains. Hurd knew that Prince Jing's thinness was undoubtedly not a blessing, it was mostly caused by hard work, but it was not due to congenital weakness, let alone malnutrition, perhaps because the burden of Jiangshan Sheji was too heavy for him.

As the first person to wake up in the "iron house" of the Great Qian Empire. Prince Jing couldn't shout loudly because of his special status. What can be done cannot be said, at least not more, but what can be said cannot be done, at least not really done.

Under his thin appearance, he is a "beautiful man" on the personality level, gentle and elegant, with a good demeanor, neither humble nor arrogant to the occupation forces of the great powers, and amiable to his subordinates, which has won him considerable recognition at home and abroad. At that high-level level where criticism and struggle were rife, he was the general backstage of almost all those who did practical things, and the slogan of "seeking truth from facts," which was familiar to later generations, was clearly put forward by him in those years. In the reform and opening up of the Great Qian Empire, people who were respected by later generations, such as Zeng Bohan, Zuo Jigao, Li Shaoquan and others, were actually just oarsmen of reform, and the real helmsman, Bole, and escort behind the scenes was Prince Jing.

Jing Prince's thinness is naturally related to the difficulty and cumbersomeness of taking charge of the "big ship" of Qianguo, but it may also come from the thin ice of "accompanying the king like a tiger".

The identity of the "second child" is embarrassing, you can't do things, but you can't do too many things, especially not too many things. Devoting oneself to specific and subtle government affairs and becoming a "transactionalist" may not only be due to his personality, but also to send a signal to the "boss": I will only bury my head in pulling the car, not good at looking up at the road, and will not be far-sighted, please rest assured that the "boss" will criticize and correct more. After all, a "second child" with impeccable ability and character is the biggest pain in the heart of the "boss"!

Prince Jing in front of him, although he talked and laughed with himself, there was a unique vicissitudes between his eyebrows, was it because of the burden of a huge empire, or because of the delicate status of the "second child"?

Perhaps, as a foreigner, the news of the banquet in Prince Gong's Mansion will bring him huge trouble as soon as it is spread!

Under power, even if you don't want to form a party or faction, you will naturally become a party and a faction, and this is the helplessness of the politics of the country. Prince Jing, as the "second child" closest to the highest power, although he is very "worried and fearful", he still can't help but become a big tree that covers the sky!

Hurd was thinking about what kind of changes might occur in the current situation of Qianguo, when he saw the butler of the Prince's Mansion hurriedly walk in.

Seeing the housekeeper come in, Prince Chun and Yan Danchu were both a little surprised. Now is the important time for Prince Jing to receive guests, and it is said that if there is no major event, the butler will not come to disturb him.

Prince Jing also felt very strange, and he seemed to sense something, and immediately turned around and looked at the butler.

The butler stepped forward quickly, bowed to him, and said to Prince Jing in a low voice: "Lord Wang, the chief manager of the palace is here, and I want you to enter the garden immediately to meet you." said that the queen mother summoned and had important matters to discuss. ”

After listening to the butler's report, Prince Jing's face changed slightly.

"You go over first, ask Manager Liu to wait, I changed my clothes, and I will go with him." Prince Jing said.

The butler answered and withdrew. Prince Jing turned his head to look at Prince Chun, Yan Danchu, and Hurd, his eyes full of apology.

"It's really unfortunate that the Queen Mother summoned you at this time, I'm really sorry for you......"

"Where did His Royal Highness the Prince say, the Queen Mother suddenly summoned me, I am afraid that there is something important, His Royal Highness the Prince must not delay." Hurd said immediately.

"Yes! Don't think of us, so let's enter the garden by order! From the Prince's Mansion to the train station. There's still a long way to go. Yan Danchu also said, "Don't miss the audience." ”

"I just don't know why the Queen Mother summoned her? ......" Prince Chun's heart was uneasy, and he groaned with his beard.

The Queen Mother was suddenly summoned at this time. I'm afraid something big has happened. Hurd remembered the news that "Japan had borrowed troops from foreign countries" that had come out a few days ago, and his heart sank, and he said, "I'm afraid that it will be not only His Royal Highness the Prince ......himself who will be going in a while," he said, and turned his gaze to Prince Jun.

"Then I will go back first, lest the envoy come. I can't find it. Prince Chun understood what Hurd meant, and got up and said.

Hurd and Yan Danchu then said goodbye to Prince Jing and Prince Chun, and Prince Jing pondered for a moment. Ask Hurd and Yan Danchu to stay at the table, and wait for him to change his clothes and leave with the envoy before leaving. Hurd and Yan Danchu understood what Prince Jing meant, so they did not leave immediately, but still sat down. And Prince Chun called his own servants. Walked out of the back door of Prince Gong's mansion. Go straight to your mansion.

Prince Jing came to the living room and immediately saw Liu Shengyin, who was waiting for him.

Seeing Prince Jing arrive, Liu Shengyin hurriedly stepped forward to greet Prince Jing.

"There is Mr. Lao Liu." Prince Jing quickly stepped forward and grabbed Liu Shengyin's arm, not letting him bow down, "Dare to ask Manager Liu, the Queen Mother suddenly summoned her, what happened?" Prince Jing asked as he affectionately took Liu Shengyin's hand.

"Don't hide it from the prince. It's for Japan's business. Liu Shengyin sighed and replied. When the Empress Dowager heard that the Japanese had ceded Hokkaido to Russia in exchange for Russia sending troops to quell the rebellion, she was uneasy, so she summoned the prince to discuss countermeasures. ”

Hearing Liu Shengyin's answer, Prince Jing was secretly surprised in his heart.

"Chief Manager Liu, please sit down for a while, I went to change into court clothes, and then went over with the Chief Manager." Prince Jing tried his best to calm himself down and said to Liu Shengyin.

"Lord Wang, please." Liu Shengyin nodded and let go of Prince Jing's hand.

Prince Jing glanced at the butler quickly, then turned around and walked towards the back hall, and the butler hurriedly followed after refilling Liu Shengyin's tea.

Not long after, Prince Jing took a small train to Yongqing Changchun in Qingqi Garden to meet Chunfangzhai.

Prince Jing with a court dress was introduced into Chunfangzhai, after he gave the two queen mothers Rentai Renxi a salute and was given a seat, he had the courage to peek at the two queen mothers, only to see Rentae Mo sitting and looking at the moonscape outside the window, Renxi looked down at his fingernails wearing long gold finger gloves, their demeanor was very peaceful, and there was no big thing happening.

Not long after, Prince Chun also arrived, and after giving the seat, Renxi said straight to the point: "Calling the sixth and seventh masters over so late is for the sake of Japan, and the sixth and seventh masters want to know that these days, Japan has not stopped, and our sisters don't know much about the situation in Japan, and most of the things we know are from this 'Dianshizhai Pictorial'." Renxi pointed to the thick pile of "Dianshizhai Pictorial" on the side of the table, "How much do the sixth and seventh masters know about the specific situation in Japan now?" Can you tell us a little bit about our sisters? ”

"Back to the Empress Dowager's words, this Japan since Saigo Takamori raised troops, the Japanese government is not conducive to counterinsurgency, sea and land have suffered a major defeat, Saigo has now occupied a total of 22 prefectures in the southwest half of Japan, with more than 200,000 soldiers and horses on land and sea, and Japan's three capitals Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe have all fallen. At present, the Japanese government has suffered heavy losses in the army, and the navy has almost been completely annihilated, so there is a discussion of 'borrowing from foreign countries'. Prince Jing replied, "A few days ago, the Japanese minister Yanagihara Maemitsu came to the General Administration to deliver a letter, asking for a loan of some of our Great Qianhai Army to help the Japanese Government quell the Saigo Takamori Rebellion. Previously, through the direct governor Li Shaoquan, the previous backlog of Schneider guns and ammunition was transferred from the Shanghai factory, and sold in Japan in advance to solve its urgent needs. ”

Yanagihara also went to the Maritime Affairs Department to ask for a troop ship to help his navy quell the rebellion, but the minister refused on the grounds that there were few steam warships in Middle-earth and were not enough to use them, Yanagihara said that the Japanese navy had no warships, and the rebel navy was very strong, and it was difficult for the Japanese government to protect the overseas Chinese in Haikou, so he asked to send one or two troop ships to protect the overseas Chinese, and the minister transferred the newly built 'Kaiji' and 'Jingqing' second patrol ships from the Harbour Naval Division to Osaka and Nagasaki to protect overseas Chinese, and then transferred the two speedboats 'Dengyingzhou' and 'Yuankai' stationed in Ryukyu Wyn Port to Yokohama. There are now four ships there. Prince Chun replied.

"That means that I have no more Japanese soldiers other than these four ships, right?" Empress Dowager Renxi looked at the map of Japan unfolded on the table and asked.

"Yes." Prince Jing and Prince Chun glanced at each other and replied in unison.

"I heard that Japan was a little anxious to force this Saigo Takamori, so I started the idea of borrowing troops from a foreign country." Empress Dowager Renxi thought for a while, and then asked, "What does the sixth master know about this Xixiang Longsheng?" ”

Prince Jing didn't expect that the Empress Dowager Renxi would suddenly ask about Saigo Takamori, and he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, but he quickly settled down and replied: "Back to the Empress Dowager's words, this Saigo Takamori was originally the important minister of the Japanese lord, in the past, the Japanese government was controlled by the shogunate general Tokugawa clan, the country was poor and weak, and people with lofty ideals in Japan made a move to overthrow the curtain in order to make the country strong. (To be continued......)

PS: Ask for collection! Ask for recommendations! Ask for a subscription! Click! Ask for a commuter pass!