On the way back, the small steamer anchored in Fuzhou again, and Shen Baozhen brought a letter from the capital, saying that Zuo Zongtang had returned from Dihua and had been appointed Minister of Military Aircraft of the Ministry of War, and let Hu Xueyan go to Beijing. Therefore, Deng Zixuan decided that Hu Xueyan would take a small steamer directly to Tianjin, while he himself took the opportunity to go ashore in Fuzhou and return to Shanghai by land, just to watch the construction of the railway line along the way.

"Husband, it seems that the Fuzhou Railway Station has become bigger, and the station outside the city happens to be used." Wan'er couldn't help but sigh when she looked at the beautiful train station. At the beginning, Deng Zixuan personally made the decision to build the railway station from Mawei to Fuzhou outside the city of Fuzhou, which happened to be used, and now it has become the starting station from Fuzhou to Shanghai. Seeing the steel rails extending forward, Deng Zixuan was surging with new trends.

"Husband, I've always wanted to ask you?" "If you have any questions, don't you be afraid to ask? I have nothing to hide from you right now. "You're trying to make a lot of money, you're spending a lot of money. I found out that the education school in Shanghai is actually a military school, and the school in Huangpu is also a military school, and now I understand, in fact, you were ready to rebel from the beginning? ”

Deng Zixuan said calmly and solemnly: "Madam! You are right, I am preparing every moment to overthrow this reactionary, mediocre dynasty. I don't hide it from you now, my wings are already full, just waiting for an opportunity! "But I don't understand, if you want to overthrow this dynasty, Weishenme still has to fight with the government, and Weishenme has to build a railway for the imperial court. Not to mention whether your rebellion can succeed or not, everything in front of you will be destroyed once the war ignites, and it will be the people of Li who will suffer in the end. What about the balance of heaven back then, how beautiful the shouting was, and what was the result? It's all a deceptive ploy. Wan'er boldly said what she thought in her heart.

During this trip to Guangzhou, Wan'er really understood that her husband was by no means joking, and he really wanted to rebel. I have been married for several years, and my husband is very frugal and has never spent extravagantly. I thought that my husband was kind and charitable, but in fact, it was not like that. "Wan'er, I want to save the people of the world anyway, but I don't want them to live a miserable life. Of course, when the war begins, the people of Li will inevitably be affected, but the long-term pain is better than the short-term pain, and if a decadent and declining dynasty is not smashed, a temporary new country cannot be established. ”

Deng Zixuan said excitedly: "Wan'er, this temporary new country is equal and free, there is no tyranny, no nine clans, no mediocre tyrants, everyone lives in happiness." I want to build such a country. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, although it was forced to rebel. I do not deny how beautiful and alluring their ideals and slogans were at the beginning. But in the end, what is the difference between Hong Xiuquan zuihou and the Manchu Emperor, he is not even as good as the Manchu Emperor. In his eyes, there is no life in the world, which means failure, and it is inevitable that a group of rabble will be abandoned by the Li people. ”

"Don't you rebel and don't want to be emperor?" Wan'er was confused. "In the new kingdom in the future, there will be no emperor and no succession to the throne, and the major affairs of the country will depend on the people of Limin. Ever heard of the United States of America? "I've heard of it!" "There is no emperor in any country, and the supreme head of their country is called the president, and a new president is elected every four years by the people." "Are you going to build a country like that?" "Yes, once the Manchu dynasty is overthrown, I will establish a republican state." Wan'er looked at her husband's resolute face, and said with a wave in her heart: "Husband, I will follow you, and I will accompany you on the guillotine." ”

The couple hired a covered carriage out of Fuzhou City and traveled north along the railway line. The construction of the road along the railway line has been completed, and the scene of laying the rails is in full swing, and the small stations along the way appear in the field of vision from time to time. In May, Jiangnan enters the rainy season, the sky is often cloudy, and after a storm the sun shows a smiling face, the temperature rises suddenly.

As a result of the laying of the railway, a post road appeared on one side of the railway line, on which you can often see caravans and convoys of supplies loaded with railway construction. Not far from Hangzhou, a small station appeared in front, and a pair of soldiers appeared on the post road outside the small station, blocking the caravans. Deng Zixuan and his wife came to the temporary pass to inquire, and one of the soldiers arrogantly said that the grand man was inspecting the station, and the merchants could not pass for the time being. Deng Zixuan knew that Sheng Huaixuan was coming, but he didn't expect to put such a big place.

"Sheng Huaixuan is enough to put on music, isn't he Li Hongzhang's celebrity, what's the big deal!" Deng Zixuan shouted loudly. "Dare to disrupt the people, dare to insult Master Sheng, come and take it down for me immediately!" A small leader with a waist knife shouted loudly, and suddenly two soldiers came up and grabbed Deng Zixuan's arm. "In broad daylight, what crime should you be guilty of daring to insult the imperial court?"

Deng Zixuan saw the little leader's fierce face and smiled: "This official, do you have the courage to let me see Sheng Huaixuan?" Do you believe it or not? I dare to scold him in front of Sheng Huaixuan! "Hugh is talking nonsense. I think you look like an assassin? "Joke, I'm waiting for Sheng Huaixuan to entertain me, this young master has never done anything to kill people!" This kung fu Wan'er also got out of the car, and the little leader looked at Wan'er's stunning appearance and graceful and luxurious demeanor, and then carefully took a lot of Deng Zixuan's calm demeanor, and muttered a little in his heart. In the midst of the danger, a soldier underestimated a few words in his ear.

"Take this bold Diao people away!" The soldiers hugged Deng Zixuan and his wife to the station platform. At this time, Sheng Huaixuan, dressed in official uniform, was listening to a subordinate report on the project. "Sheng Huaixuan! Hello big puwa! Hearing the familiar shout, Sheng Huaixuan turned his head and was taken aback, and hurriedly trotted over. Brother Zixuan, brother and sister, why are you here? "Brother Sheng! It's a long story, but right now your subordinates are sure to come to see you! Suspect I'm an Assassin? The little leader of this kung fu was frightened, and he knelt on the ground and said, "My lord! If you don't know about it, please forgive me. Please forgive the little disrespect! ”

"Bastard thing, this is my brother how many heads you have!" Yes, yes, yes! Little confession! "That's it! Don't be prestigious, there is nothing wrong with your subordinates being conscientious, but your general display is too big, is it that you don't know what your surname is now when your status is raised. Sheng Huaixuan was embarrassed and drove the little leader away: "Brother, I don't know what is wrong for my brother?" "Isn't it just to check the station, it is necessary to close the road as if the enemy is facing it, you see how many people are blocked on the post road?" Are you afraid that someone will assassinate you? ”

Sheng Huaxuan hurriedly dragged Deng Zixuan and Wan'er into the station lounge, and his subordinates brought tea. Sheng Huaixuan explained: "Brother! You don't know, it's not me who plays the score, and there are often people who come to shout injustice, how annoying you say. "You can figure it out with your feet, it must be that the government is using it aggressively when expropriating land, and it is possible to use land acquisition to occupy more land to fill your pockets, otherwise how can there be petitions." Let me tell you, if the grievances are too deep and cause a civil uprising, it will affect your railway, and even if your railway is built, I am afraid it will not be able to open to traffic. ”

"Is it that serious?" "You have to think carefully about everything, and you must nip this unfavorable factor in the bud, otherwise something really happens, and you won't be able to eat and walk around. Once a popular uprising is provoked, the imperial court may order your railway line to be strangled. Sheng Huaxuan realized that the problem was serious and said: "Brother, these are all so-called by the local government, I don't want to ask?" "The railway line is undertaken by you, and if there is greed for ink in land acquisition, even if it appears on the local government, you have an unshirkable responsibility, maybe the court thinks you are greedy for ink."

"I'll send someone to investigate immediately, brother, I have a temporary mansion in Hangzhou, let's leave for Hangzhou City immediately. But my brother didn't tell me, you and your brother and sister Weishenme appeared here? "Brother Sheng! I traveled to Guangzhou and checked out my buying and selling. The journey back is worried about your railway line, so I go ashore in Fuzhou. Along the railway line all the way north, I didn't expect you to be in Hangzhou Yujian. "I see, you scared me!"

When he returned to the temporary residence of Sheng Huaixuan in Hangzhou, he quickly arranged for someone to investigate the land acquisition. Deng Zixuan has never been to Hangzhou, and Wan'er has never been to Hangzhou, so the husband and wife naturally want to visit Hangzhou City. Sheng Huaxuan may have been "frightened" by Deng Zixuan, he had already patted his chest in front of Li Hongzhang and promised that by the end of the year, the railway from Fuzhou to Shanghai would definitely be opened to traffic. Li Hongzhang once said that the conservatives of the imperial court had mentioned several times that land expropriation would harm the interests of the people, and instructed Sheng Huaixuan not to make any mistakes.

Standing on the edge of the West Lake, Deng Zixuan said: "The city of Hangzhou was once glorious, and Lin'an in the Southern Song Dynasty was so rich, he represented the highest level of urban development in ancient dynasties. But if you look at the current Hangzhou, the glory of the past can only appear in historical records. "Husband, I feel that Hangzhou still retains many historical sites and Fengtu people, and the scenery here is very beautiful. The West Lake in front of you is reminiscent of the poignant story of the White Snake Fairy, as well as the disappearing Leifeng Pagoda! ”

"The moving aiqing story of the White Lady and Xu Xian has fascinated many infatuated men and women. If Madame hadn't mentioned this beautiful legend, I wouldn't have remembered it. "Do you suspect that the White Lady is a fake?" Wan'er's eyes widened. "Of course it's fake, it's just a kind of yearning for a better life." "Then what weishenme said has a nose and eyes, and is vivid?" "Wan'er, no one has ever seen a snake turn into a human, and there are no ghosts on Shijie. In fact, when the human body disappears, it turns into dust, and the so-called soul is all artificially fabricated. ”

"When I was a child, I actually saw ghost fires in the tomb, and my mother said it was ghosts wandering!" Wan'er said worriedly. "I'm telling you, it's a firefly, a flying insect that glows, and it's not a ghost fire at all. With the progress of science, many things will be revealed, and you will understand when you know a lot of scientific knowledge! The two of them walked on the shore of the West Lake, and the white lady talked about ghosts, and the knowledge was very extensive. Wan'er is like a loyal listener, deeply attracted by Deng Zixuan's eloquent talk.

The husband and wife were talking, and suddenly Sheng Huaxuan's subordinates came in a hurry and informed Sheng Huaixuan that he was invited. Deng Zixuan guessed that it must have discovered that the government had committed major acts of embezzlement in land acquisition. As he grew older, he understood the darkness in the officialdom more thoroughly, and through Sheng Huaixuan's harassment of the people, he keenly thought of the possible problems, and then linked to the construction of the railway line.

Sure enough, as soon as they met Sheng Huaxuan, he said urgently: "Brother Zixuan, your analysis is correct. After two days of investigation, the prefect of Hangzhou filled his own pocket in the process of land acquisition, and this guy expropriated an additional 1,000 acres of fertile land in the name of the railway company and put it into his pocket. If I want to, I can report to Lord Ding and bring the prefect of Hangzhou to justice. "Brother Sheng! It's too early to be late. It takes time to report to Lord Ding, and it takes time to send someone to investigate, if there is a civil unrest during this period, how do you end it. It is the prefect of Hangzhou who has been brought to justice, and how to recover the impact caused by it. "Brother Zixuan, how is this good, I recently heard that the prefect of Hangzhou has arrested a lot of troublemakers, no wonder I came to inspect and there are people constantly harassing me, I see!"

"We must make a decision to nip the danger in the cradle!" "Brother Zixuan, do you have any ideas?" "Brother Sheng, your official rank is above the prefect, although you have no right to dispose of him, but the evidence is ironclad, you first dismissed him from his official position with greedy ink, and then repaired a letter to escort him to Nanjing to be dealt with by Lord Ding. The dismissal of the prefect of Hangzhou will encourage the people, and the land he greedy for ink will be returned to the hands of the people immediately, which will play a role in appeasing the people's hearts. ”

The next day, Sheng Huaixuan led troops to surround the yamen of the prefect of Hangzhou, and then took off the prefect's top flower. Then Sheng Huaixuan announced his crime in public, and swaggered through the city to escort Nanjing. This move caused a sensation in the city of Hangzhou, and at the same time, Sheng Huai announced that all the expropriated land would be returned, and all expropriated land would be remeasured to ensure the interests of those who lost their land in the future.

Half a month later, Sheng Huaixuan accompanied Deng Zixuan and his wife back to Shanghai, and Sheng Huaixuan was full of energy on the way. "Brother Zixuan, I have good news for you, the prefect was exiled, and Lord Ding wrote to inform me that he was instructed to deal with the prefect of Hangzhou, so I can rest assured." "Brother Sheng, I heard that the prefect of Hangzhou is Lord Ding's person, he won't sue you!" "Lord Ding said it clearly in the letter, and he blamed himself, I don't think he would do it."

"I said Brother Sheng, you are too naïve, now you are red and purple, it is inevitable that he is not jealous, according to my observation, Ding Richang is not a person with an open heart, and I also know that this person is more greedy. I think you should go to Tientsin immediately to meet Master Li, and tell you the truth, especially emphasizing the evil consequences that would arise if a riot really broke out, and the factors that would be unfavorable to Lord Zhongtang. In addition, you have to tell Mr. Li that the railway from Fuzhou to Shanghai will be opened to traffic smoothly before the end of the year, and the next step is to build a railway from Shanghai to Nanjing. I can reveal one piece of information, Hu Xueyan has gone to Beijing. ”

"Zuo Zongtang was appointed Minister of Military Aircraft of the Ministry of War, Hu Xueyan is not surprised to go to Beijing, what does this have to do with the construction of the railway!" Sheng Huaixuan disagreed. "I guess that Zuo Zongtang summoned Hu Xueyan to Beijing, which must be related to the laying of railways!" "How so?" Sheng Huaixuan was surprised. "Think about it, Lord Zuo is now the Minister of Military Aircraft of the Ministry of War, and from a military point of view, he will also focus on the railway. Zuo Daman's major in railways will not give Master Li a problem, and the two important ministers are both majoring in railways, what do you think Cixi should do? ”

"Brother! It's really yours, you want Lord Zuo and Lord Li to resolve the conflict and form a joint force. "The contradiction may not be resolved, but in the construction of the railway, the two people will definitely reach an agreement, so it is logical for you to build the railway from Shanghai to Nanjing." Your road construction company can't stop. In the next step, on the basis of the joint-stock system, you can use the profits of the Fuzhou-Shanghai railway line to support the later construction of roads, and it should be said that there is no problem! "Brother Zixuan, is your head a mortal? I really want to knock it open and see what's inside? After speaking, the two of them couldn't help but daxiao.