This night, Hu Chuyuan did not sleep.

And he kept watch till dawn.

As the sky dawned, Li Cunyi sent the latest telegram over...... After all, Cixi was forcibly sent to the Summer Palace, and decided to close the door with "her" and no longer enter or leave.

Really under house arrest.

Because the whole thing happened in the fifteenth year of Guangxu and the year of Jichou, it is called the "Jichou Coup", and because Cixi was placed under house arrest in the Summer Palace, it can also be called the "Summer Palace Coup".

In short, the power has finally returned to Guangxu's hands, and he can officially appoint Prince Gong as the minister of military aircraft.

The second holy decree after he really came into power was not how to celebrate, appoint and reuse which ministers to start the new rule, but to invite Hu Chuyuan to meet him.

Hu Chuyuan never showed up from beginning to end, but what he did inside, how much money he made, and how much strength, Prince Gong, Prince Alcohol and Guangxu knew in their hearts.

Without Hu Chuyuan, even if the two princes join forces, they may not succeed, but they will be poisoned, they dared to join forces, why didn't Hu Chuyuan agree to contribute money and efforts!

Before the decree came, the telegram had arrived.

Hu Chuyuan cleaned up, set off from the waterway, took a diesel engine ship with a displacement of 30 tons, and four ships escorted him before and after, all the way to Beijing.

It's a pity, to this day, no one dares to propose such a thing as the Beijing-Tianjin railway.

It is still faster to ride a boat than to ride a horse, and it is not guilty.

On April 10, 1889, at noon, after two days of turbulence, Hu Chuyuan finally arrived outside Yanjing City, entered from Zhengyang Gate, continued to ride in the carriage, and drove in all the way.

Because it's a hurry, I'm waiting to see someone at any time.

Hu Chuyuan didn't have time to live in the capital first, so he went to Prince Su's mansion first, took a bath here, changed into the official uniform of the Jiangnan Shipping Supervisor and Minister of International Trade, and held the official hat with a flower feather and a ruby topped by a flower, and then was accompanied by Prince Su to the Forbidden City to meet him.

This is not the first time Hu Chuyuan has entered the Forbidden City, let alone the first time he has met Emperor Guangxu.

However, the first two times were when Guangxu was not yet in power.

It is said to be seeing the emperor, but it is better to see Cixi to receive the reward.

Cixi was finally placed under house arrest, and the Summer Palace did not need to continue to be repaired, but he saved a small amount of money, but in order to let those powerful figures of the Manchu clan not intervene, he also promised Prince Alcohol to take out at least 10 million Qingyuan every year to subsidize everyone.

After all, he has to pay an extra four million yuan a year.

It doesn't matter, it's all small money, he doesn't care.

Hearing that Hu Chuyuan had arrived at the palace, Guangxu Aixin Jueluo-Zaiyan was very happy, and immediately summoned Hu Chuyuan in the Qianqing Palace.

Accompanied by Prince Su and two rows of ceremonial eunuchs, Hu Chuyuan cautiously walked through the jade road, entered the main gate of the Qianqing Palace, and saw that Guangxu was coming out of the east study, and immediately knelt down with Prince Su and others.

Alas, there is no way.

Therefore, Hu Chuyuan doesn't want to be an official, he can't do it!

Glory and wealth are not given to him by others, but he gives them to others.

At this time, Guangxu was like Hu Chuyuan ten years ago, eighteen years old, took over all the power, both happy and apprehensive, anxious to seek all kinds of support, thinking of doing something great, but did not want to offend the authority and interests of the old courtiers.

Countless uncertainties, as well as unsure of himself, made Zai Yan particularly approachable, and when he saw Hu Chuyuan and Prince Su, he smiled and said, "Get up, both of you are my humerus ministers." ”

Hu Chuyuan smiled silently, thinking, this is really similar to himself ten years ago.

He got up, and did not look up to take a closer look.

He just glanced at it when he came in, Emperor Guangxu Zaiyan looked a little thin, quiet and delicate like a girl, with a slender melon seed face, some baby fat, delicate and slender eyes, very clear, and very immature.

Emperor Guangxu looked at Hu Chuyuan very curiously, and he was also thinking in his heart, this person is really powerful, he can actually do this kind of thing!

He thought for a moment and ordered, "Come on, give you two a seat." Prince Su was sincerely frightened, and hurriedly knelt down and said: "How dare the slave, please take back your life!" ”

Bored......!

Hu Chuyuan secretly scolded, and bowed down again as if he was faster, and said, "Please don't kill Weichen." ”

Emperor Guangxu said: "Let you sit, you can sit, Prince Su, you should be stained with the light of Hu Duwei." Hu Duwei, don't be polite to me, with your merits, it is really difficult for me to get the reward, and you don't have to continue to be so polite when you come to the Qianqing Palace in the future, I let you sit, you sit. ”

Hu Chuyuan was also polite, and said: "Thank you for the holy reward, everything that Wechen does is Wechen's duty, and it is what Wechen should do." If you really want to talk about the merits, the Minister of Military Aircraft Bao Jun and the two great talents of Erle and Bu are indispensable. ”

Emperor Guangxu snorted and said, "These two are indeed hard workers, but they are still not as good as you." I'm anxious to come to you, but I actually want to reuse you well. Two days ago, I asked Uncle Yi what should I do if I want the Qing Dynasty to be as strong as a foreign power, but Uncle Huang couldn't answer, but said that it is only possible to reuse you. In fact, I also know that only you can tell you how to do this. If you knew, you might as well talk to me, wouldn't you? ”

"...... this?"

Hu Chuyuan hesitated a little, thinking, this kid is not as good as me, I also wanted to do big things at the beginning, but I have a spectrum in my heart, and I am not in a hurry to Zhang Luo, and I will not start to do things until I really grasp the power in the family business and have enough prestige.

He thought for a while, and then said: "Back to the emperor, if you want to make my Qing Dynasty as strong as a foreign power, it is nothing more than three words, six words, benefiting the people, enriching the country, and strengthening the army." The truth of this is very thorough in the "Theory of Practice", and there is no need for Weichen to elaborate on it. ”

Emperor Guangxu nodded slightly, and said, "Lord Weng once dedicated this book to me, and I have also studied it carefully, it is indeed the way to govern the world. It's just, in your opinion, is this really possible? ”

Hu Chuyuan shook his head slightly, and said: "There is no problem with benefiting the people, a rich country can be half rich, and a strong army only has a role of thirty percent." During the time of Gaozong in this dynasty, we were competing with ourselves, as long as the agricultural taxes were abundant, the country could be rich and strong. Not at the moment, the strength of the European powers is increasing rapidly at a rate of 7% to 10% every year, and if we do not advance, we will retreat, and they will force us to trade with them, and we must use real money to buy goods from each other. In this way, no matter how we increase the agricultural tax, if we buy more and more things, real money can only flow out one after another. Without silver and gold, the taxes levied by the imperial court were all copper coins and paper money, which in fact became a poor and weak country. ”

After a pause, he added: "But if it is the other way around, we don't have to buy what they want to sell, but they have to keep buying our things, and a lot of real money flows into the country, and we become rich countries." This is the real way to get rich, we have money, we can build ships if we want, we can build guns if we want to build artillery, and we have 100,000 Hunan troops, 100,000 Huai troops, and hundreds of 10,000-ton ironclad ships, can they help us? ”

Emperor Guangxu snorted quite approvingly, and said: "Then you mean that our Great Qing Kingdom does business with foreigners, and we also want to earn their real money, so that we can become richer?" ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded and said, "Yes." In the final analysis, it is gold and silver, and the European powers and we all need these things, and only with these things can we build ships and raise our armies. Externally, we must continue to absorb foreign gold and silver; Internally, we must continue to vigorously exploit our country's gold and silver mines, increase investment, overhaul railways, and build new cities, so that the people can have something to do and make money; The former allows the amount of silver in the country to continue to increase, and on this basis, the latter can effectively increase taxes. Third, money should not be used where it should not be used, money should be used where it should be used, money should be used in the province, and money should be spent in the province, and preparations should be made to build a naval and land army that can only compete with the countries of Europe and the United States. If these three points are achieved, the rich and powerful countries will be half completed. ”

Emperor Guangxu continued to ask: "What about the other half?" ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "Teach the people, so that the people can read and write, know how to farm better, how to make a better living and make money, and how to better serve the country." Of course, we don't want all the people to be literate, and not everyone has to refer to the imperial examination, so all kinds of schools have to be opened, some are dedicated to training businessmen, some are dedicated to training technicians, and the basic schools and private schools only teach Chinese studies and mathematics, and the rest of the schools are only merit-based admissions. ”

Emperor Guangxu nodded silently and said, "Yes, your method is really good." If you can do a good job as a churchman, will you be as strong as foreign powers? ”

Hu Chuyuan continued: "It's hard to say. ”

Prince Su only listened to the words "It's not easy to say", his face turned pale with fright, and he thought, my living ancestor, aren't you teasing the emperor?

Emperor Guangxu was even more curious, and asked, "Why can't you yet?" ”

Hu Chuyuan thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, Weichen is a person who speaks the truth, he doesn't dare to bully the king, do a good job of benefiting the people, enriching the country, strengthening the army, and teaching the people. What's more, there is no absolute thing in things, and the near things should be planned, completed in five years, ten years, and ten years later, it is advisable to walk and watch, look and count, and calculate. ”

After hearing what he said, Emperor Guangxu laughed out loud and said, "Hu Tongshang, your words are really interesting, but you are also a real courtier. You are a well-informed person, half of the time every year running abroad, these years, everyone said that Guangxu Zhongxing, some people said that it was the credit of the Queen Mother, some people said that it was my credit, but I knew in my heart that all this is the credit of you and those practical masters, and you should be the first to take the credit. As for me, let me ask you, if I let you join the military plane and assist Uncle Yihuang in handling state affairs, can you do all the four steps you said? ”

Hu Chuyuan couldn't help but hesitate.

He doesn't want to join the military plane, he sees Guangxu every day, isn't that to kneel every day.

How much trouble this is.

Besides, how big of a family business he has to manage, where can he take care of these small things in the country.

He thought about it for a while, and immediately said: "Back to the emperor, Weichen is really not sure about the military aircraft, but there is another big thing, Weichen's grasp is nine out of ten, and it is even more important." ”

Prince Su was anxious again, and hurriedly gave Hu Chuyuan a look, and said secretly: God of Wealth, you are from the emperor, the emperor wants you to check and balance Prince Gong and gradually let you grasp the power.

Emperor Guangxu Zaiyan became more and more curious, and asked Hu Chuyuan: "Hu Aiqing, you make me puzzled, what is heavier than the military aircraft, more important than the great cause of the society?" ”

Hu Chuyuan replied in a serious way: "When I return to the emperor, it is more important to earn money from foreigners, and it is more important to ensure the income of the imperial court." Weichen is not very sure about other things, making money from foreigners, that is a stable earning. Wechen implored the emperor to set up another prime minister's senior affairs yamen, so that Wechen could be in charge of all affairs of the national industrial and commercial and foreign affairs department, assist the provinces in handling silk, tea, cotton and linen, open mines and build railways, rectify ports, trade well with foreigners, and make their money fiercely. Weichen dared to use a head guarantee that within five years, the imperial court's annual income could be doubled. ”

Prince Su sighed in his heart, and said secretly: I'll rely on, God of Wealth, aren't you sharing my power, it's my business to manage foreign affairs!

Emperor Guangxu obviously thought of it, and couldn't help but glance at Prince Su Longqin.

Prince Su Longqin could only stubbornly sponsor: "Back to the saint, the servants are brave, and the master Hu can take on this position, and he can set up another post of Jiangnan Minister in the Prime Minister's National Affairs Yamen to oversee industrial and commercial affairs in Shanghai." ”

Hu Chuyuan sought truth and did not seek hypocrisy, and immediately said: "What Prince Su said is very true. ”

Emperor Guangxu Zaiyan weighed it in his heart, he actually wanted to keep Hu Chuyuan by his side, not only could he use Hu Chuyuan to do things, he could often ask for countermeasures if he had any questions, and he could also watch his movements carefully.

He thought for a while and said: "If the name is not right, it is not good, the prime minister's senior affairs yamen still has to be set up, in charge of the country's industrial and commercial affairs, and assist in the handling of practical affairs in various provinces, and it can be placed in Beijing, or it can be placed in Tianjin." ”

Embarrassment!

Prince Su and Hu Chuyuan were very embarrassed.

If Hu Chuyuan is to set up the Prime Minister's Senior Affairs Yamen in Tianjin, what else does Prince Su do, he originally relied on Hu Chuyuan to support his waist, isn't he completely hollowed out?

Hu Chuyuan was also embarrassed.

His territory is in Shanghai, in the land south of the Yangtze River, he responds to every call, even if he offends the Manchu Qing Dynasty, he can run away as soon as he scatters a girl, and the Ningbo Navy Division and the Yangtze River Navy Division will not really pursue at all.

If this is in Tianjin, it will be difficult to say, Li Hongzhang may be able to personally lead the troops to arrest him.

After a little thought, Hu Chuyuan said: "The Prime Minister's Senior Minister's Yamen and the Prime Minister's Yamen themselves overlap in terms of functions and powers, and if they are both in Beijing, most of them are not conducive to the implementation of government decrees, even in Tianjin, it may not be beneficial." It would be more appropriate to place the Prime Minister's Senior Minister's Yamen in Shanghai and set it as the Prime Minister's Senior Minister's Jiangnan Yamen, and it can also echo each other with the Prime Minister's National Affairs Yamen in the south and in the north. ”

Prince Su hurriedly said: "Holy Lord, this is a desirable strategy!" ”

Emperor Guangxu couldn't help but be a little helpless, and said: "It's okay, then do it, Prince Su, you hand over this matter to the Military Aircraft Department to discuss and set up." Hu Aiqing, don't be in a hurry to leave for the time being, continue to come over at this time tomorrow, I still have a lot of questions. ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded yes.

When he comes back tomorrow, he will come alone, and some words and some truths can be explained clearly at that time.

(To be continued)