Tang Shaoyi has been idle at home for several months, and Premier Yamen has not heard anything about the consul stationed in North Korea.

Every morning, Tang Shaoyi would always stand high in the courtyard and look at the door, looking forward to the door coming to knock.

Today, as usual, Tang Shaoyi looked at the door for a while, and when she saw that there had been no movement, she couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, secretly saying that she didn't know how to spend this day.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly heard someone knock on the door, "Is Shaochuan at home?" ”

Tang Shaoyi was very familiar with the voice, and quickly ran over to open the door to take a look, but saw that it was his friend Zhan Tianyou.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to say hello."

Zhan Tianyou sniffed his nose, smelled the smell of rice, and immediately entered the door by himself, and went directly to the dining table in the living room like he entered his own house.

"Hey, what's your joy?"

"I'm hungry!"

Tang Shaoyi suddenly rolled her eyes, smiled helplessly, and then chased after her.

Both of them are children studying in the United States, Zhan Tianyou went to two years earlier than Tang Shaoyi, although the two did not go to the same school, but after many years of studying abroad, their thoughts did not match the domestic bureaucracy, so the students who studied abroad formed a small circle of their own, took care of each other, and became friends.

At the dining table, Zhan Tianyou ate heavily, looking very hungry. Tang Shaoyi sat on the side and watched, his eating method Tang Shaoyi was full just by looking at it.

"Didn't you go to build a railroad? Why did you run me here? ”

"Uh~~" Zhan Tianyou burped loudly, looked full, leaned comfortably on the chair, and said with some enjoyment: "It's still comfortable at home, stay on the construction site every day, and live like a savage." ”

Tang Shaoyi smiled: "Do you know that it is bitter? When you were asked to stay in the Huangpu Sailor School to teach, you didn't do it, so you had to ask for hardship to build the railway? Ask for your own hardships. Now that you know it's hard, then don't do that job, it's too hard. ”

Zhan Tianyou said with a smile: "I studied railway engineering, and you asked me to go back to teach the sailor to drive a boat, didn't that let Zhang Fei embroider?" ”

Tang Shaoyi said helplessly: "I know your ambition, but I see that you worked hard to build the Jintang Railway, but in the end the credit was received by the British, I am not worth it for you!" ”

Zhan Tianyou said: "That was before, but now it's different, we have met a nobleman!" ”

Tang Shaoyi said curiously: "What noble person can you meet if you have no power or power?" ”

Zhan Tianyou didn't care, and said, "Wang Chenhao, Lord Wang, do you know each other?" ”

Tang Shaoyi said: "Is it the young posterior who was in the limelight in the First Sino-Japanese War?" ”

Zhan Tianyou nodded.

Tang Shaoyi shook his head and said: "This posterior really has some doorways, climbing up to Li Hongzhang, a high branch, has a prosperous official fortune, and the new army of Zhili has recently trained him well, and it is rare to have such a fact at a young age." ”

But he retorted: "Don't be born after you, like how old you are?" Tell you, don't speak ill of him! It is true that he has the ability, but he does not rely on climbing high branches, Lord Wang's wife is just a maid in the Li Mansion, people know each other first, Li Hongzhang accepted this maid as a righteous daughter, it is Li Hongzhang who envelops Lord Wang, but it is not Lord Wang who climbs the dragon and attaches the phoenix! ”

Tang Shaoyi looked at Zhan Tianyou in surprise and said, "Zhan Fatty, I haven't seen you grow in temper for a year?" So what benefits did Wang Chenhao give you? How could you say such good things about him? ”

Zhan Tianyou clasped his fists and saluted to the north, and at the same time said proudly: "Thanks to Lord Wang, the post of the general office of the railway from Tianjin to Shanhaiguan is handed over to the subordinates. ”

Tang Shaoyi couldn't help but look Zhan Tianyou up and down in surprise, and said with a smile: "Didn't you see it?" Zhan Fatty, you are now growing in the market! ”

Zhan Tianyou smiled and said, "Thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi, we can be considered lucky." We didn't give a gift to Lord Wang, we didn't give him a sycophant, and there was no one we knew to dredge up with him, Lord Wang is a meritocracy, and if he doesn't have anything to do with us, he will help us recommend it in front of Lord Li Zhongtang, and he insisted on giving us this position, and we have to remember this kindness. ”

Tang Shaoyi was happy that Zhan Tianyou was able to come out, but this guy came over to show his faction when he was idle at home, which made him feel a little unhappy, and said: "You are a dead fat man, come here and come to the old man, right?" What are we? Doesn't it have anything to do with Lao Tzu? ”

Zhan Tianyou saw that Tang Shaoyi was furious, and knew that the joke should be stopped, and it was time to get down to business, so he took out a gilded dragon pattern Guan Fang from his sleeve, and said with a smile: "Since Shaochuan said that it has nothing to do with you, then we have to send it back to Lord Wang, hey, it's just a pity that this minister plenipotentiary to the United States!" ”

When Tang Shaoyi saw the dragon pattern guard, he thought that Zhan Tianyou had taken out his own to show his faction, but he was about to go crazy when he heard that it was actually the minister plenipotentiary in the United States, which must have nothing to do with Zhan Tianyou! Thinking of Zhan Tianyou's sudden visit, he also said that he was happy, isn't this defense for himself?

Thinking of this, Tang Shaoyi took it over and opened it to see that there were several lines of gilded characters in Manchu Chinese and English written on it by the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Qing Empire in the United States and Consul General of New York, and the three words Tang Shaoyi were written under the jade seal.

Seeing this, Tang Shaoyi could not hide her joy and excitement, looking at Zhan Tianyou for a while and Guan Fang for a while, she was speechless for a long time.

Zhan Tianyou was just joking with Tang Shaoyi on purpose before, but at this moment, he couldn't help but show a happy expression for his friend, and said with a smile: "Congratulations to Shaochuan for becoming the youngest plenipotentiary minister of my Great Qing Kingdom to the United States!" You're much more majestic than Lao Tzu now! ”

Zhan Tianyou thought of Tang Shaoyi's mouthful of a Zhan fat man and a dead fat man just now, and at this moment he also said Lao Tzu as revenge.

Tang Shaoyi was happy for a while, and suddenly thought that this big pie that fell from the sky was a little sudden. Tang Shaoyi had questions, so he asked Zhan Tianyou: "Chengcheng, what's going on?" ”

Zhan Tianyou glanced at him and said, "What did you say to me just now?" You're so smart that you don't even see it? ”

Tang Shaoyi suddenly asked in surprise, "Could it be him?" Lord Wang Chenhao? ”

Zhan Tianyou nodded.

Tang Shaoyi said suspiciously: "But I don't know him, why do you want to help me like this?" This minister plenipotentiary to the United States is a senior official of the third grade, so didn't he let me be promoted to three levels in a row? ”

The Qing Dynasty's envoys to foreign countries were generally from the third grade to the fourth grade, the hand-picked one was from the first grade to the second grade, and the important place was from the second grade to the third grade, and the minister to the United States should have been a third-grade official to serve, but Tang Shaoyi was just from the fourth grade at the moment, and the work of leading the third grade from the fourth grade was also unprecedented.

Zhan Tianyou smiled: "I've been promoted four levels in a row!" As for why Lord Wang values us so much, it may be that we have the ability to do things! ”

"You really don't blush?" Tang Shaoyi couldn't help but hit Zhan Tianyou, but it was undeniable that he also thought the same way in his heart, and there was no other reason to explain it except that he had the ability.

Zhan Tianyou looked at the time, so he said: "I ran back from the construction site, just to remind you, those of us who stayed abroad and came back, those of us who have no power and power are the same as those raised by our stepmother, it is too difficult to come out." How can Lord Wang also be a hero, so he can afford to use us so much, we have to carry it around our face. ”

That is, if you make deep friends, you can say it so straightforwardly, how can Tang Shaoyi not understand? So he smiled: "Got it!" I'll be going to Tianjin before I take office! ”

Zhan Tianyou saw that his goal was achieved, and he didn't stay long, and after explaining again, he said goodbye to Tang Shaoyi and immediately rushed back to Shanhaiguan.