Tao Enpei's thoughts were interrupted by the gradually noisy voices, and he opened the curtain of the carriage and looked out, but he was already outside the city of Suzhou. Tao Enpei was a little surprised by the Suzhou in front of him, this Suzhou seems to be the Suzhou of the past, since ancient times, "there is heaven above, and there is Suzhou and Hangzhou below", but it seems that it is not the Suzhou he has seen before.

Tao Enpei saw Suzhou as before, is the famous Jiangnan water town, the city is staggered, the streets are vertical and horizontal, the late Tang Dynasty poet Du Xunhe has a poem: "When you go to Gusu to see, everyone sleeps on the river." There is little idle land in the ancient palace, and there are many small bridges in the water lanes. ”

Walking in the many streets and alleys of Suzhou, Shantang Street, this street is known as "the first street in Gusu". Shantang Street starts from Changmen Monk Bridge in the east to Wangshan Bridge in the west of Huqiu Mountain, a famous spot in Suzhou, which is about seven miles long.

As before, it is surrounded by shops, including various shops, tea shops, restaurants, theaters, inns, etc., but it seems that there are some smoke houses and flower houses.

The small blue ashlar pavement is still generally smooth, and the plane trees planted on both sides can be connected by the tree arms across the road, and it is very shady to walk in summer. Various stalls are set up under the trees on the side of the road, connecting from the street to the end of the street. On the stalls, there are robes, skirts, hair flower jewelry, shoes, hats, scarves and socks, fruit loose food, bonsai art, glassware, etc., and even foreign goods and miscellaneous hardware.

"It's just more prosperous than before, what's wrong?" Tao Enpei secretly thought in his heart, always felt that although the Suzhou he saw was more prosperous than before, there seemed to be something more different that gave this ancient city another taste.

Suddenly, a melodious singing voice came, Tao Enpei raised his eyes, and saw several young women wearing red scarves holding oil-paper umbrellas coming, and the tactful commentary from the theater on the side came, accompanied by the woman walking in the slight spring rain. The whispered singing of Yiyi Yaya reflects the charm of this ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River.

Looking at the crowd around him, Tao Enpei suddenly realized, "It turns out that people are different." ”

In the bustling crowd of people coming and going, few zaijian people with long braids and horsehoe sleeves and waistcoats, the women on the street seem to be Tianzu, walking more confidently and uninhibited, the men's robes and short coats are sandwiched with sassy red scarves, and the passers-by are bowing their hands when they meet, and they don't see the humble slave color of beating a thousand waists, and it seems that their chests can be more erect. Look around. The current crowd does not have the shaved forehead of the crowd of the past, but instead has a bright red, a warm and inspiring red!

Tao Enpei slowly understood that the men with long hair and the women who got rid of the foot binding made the ancient city of Suzhou more confident. A hearty feeling that has broken free from the shackles and shackles shines in this ancient city, which is different from the lifeless depression of Hengyang. Tao Enpei felt that the smiles on people's faces were heartfelt.

With a million feelings. Tao Enpei came to the outside of the West Palace, and more than 100 guards from the West Hall were patrolling here, but no one greeted him here. Tao Enpei was slightly disappointed in his heart, but he thought that he was a person who had lost Hengyang, and he didn't have the face to ask someone to pick up the sedan chair.

Song Feng and Su Ji stepped forward and handed over the official photo to the official officer at the door, and the staff of the West Palace entered the West Palace. Tao Enpei got out of the carriage. He waited outside the house.

Before he got out of the carriage, several horses galloped in, and the people on them wore the official uniforms of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and wore red hoods. The wind and dust got off the horse, and the West Temple had already gone to lead the horse. But the man didn't need the West Temple to protect the report, and went straight into the West Palace, and there was no protection to stop him.

Tao Enpei was very curious and asked Su Ji beside him, "Who is this person?" You don't need to be allowed to enter? ”

Su Ji tightened his robe and said: "This adult is Lord Wang Tao of the Public Opinion Department, and he presided over the publication of "Sunan Times". ”

Tao Enpei sighed, he also borrowed it from Su Ji on the way to read the newspaper, the content of which runs through ancient and modern, covering China and the West, there are many discussions about current affairs, and the words of the Manchu Qing Dynasty are sharp and heartbreaking, Rao is Tao Enpei feels that he is already a rebel, but the remarks in the newspaper are word for word.

"It turns out that he is Wang Tao, and he is really dignified." Tao Enpei stroked his beard under his chin and sighed softly.

"Mr. Tao, with your literary talent, you can also contribute to that newspaper, as long as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper has reviewed it, it can also be published in the newspaper and circulated among the people." Su Ji said with a faint smile.

Tao Enpei snorted, as if he was a little moved, but before he could answer, he saw a Western carriage coming. This Western carriage is different from the Chinese carriage, the carport is square black, and there are transparent glass windows on it, Tao Enpei has seen this kind of carriage many times along the road, but I always feel that this carriage is not as meaningful as the canopy roof of our middle school carriage.

The carriage stopped at the gate of the Xiwang Mansion, and two people came down, one Chinese and one Western, the Chinese wore the official uniform of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and also wore a red hood, but the Westerner was wearing a tuxedo, a high top hat and a civilized staff in his hand, and a head of golden hair, allowing Tao Enpei to see a foreigner up close for the first time.

After the two got out of the carriage, what Tao Enpei didn't expect was that the official of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was talking to the foreigner in a foreign language, and when the two passed by Tao Enpei and the others, they just bowed their heads slightly to say hello, and then the two of them had a sad face, and they also entered the Xiwang Mansion all the way.

Tao Enpei looked curious again, and before he could open his mouth this time, Su Ji said, "Old Tao, do you want to ask who these two people are?" That lord is Xu Shou, the secretary of the Ministry of Engineering of our Xiwangfu, who has studied at Mohai Academy in Shanghai for several years, and has followed Mr. Li Shanlan to translate Chinese and foreign classics, and the foreign language is spoken very neatly. I don't know the foreigners, since the construction of the railway from Shanghai to Suzhou, there are a lot of foreigners between Suzhou and Shanghai. ”

Tao Enpei sighed, and Song Feng on the side smiled evilly and said: "What is the foreigner's name Wilbur, when he arrived in Shanghai, I participated in the escort team to greet him, this foreigner has a big temper, but his wife and daughter are good, and the skin is snowflake white, snowflake white......

Su Ji secretly sighed that this person was not saved, and before he finished three sentences, he said that the woman had gone up. Tao Enpei frowned and said: "Captain Song, as the saying goes, a knife on the head of the color character, and a female color is best stopped in moderation......"

Song Feng snorted and interrupted him: "Old Tao, you are good at everything, but you are too wordy." With that, he turned to the side.

At this moment, more than ten people came out of the house, but the first one was Hong Xuanjiao, the mother of the West Wang, Song Feng and Su Ji hurriedly stepped forward to salute, but Tao Enpei had never seen Hong Xuanjiao, and others introduced him before he stepped forward to salute.

Naxi Wang Niang was dressed in a yellow robe and horse coat, wearing a yellow style on her head, and she was extremely beautiful, so that Tao Enpei did not dare to look directly, only to hear Naxi Wang Niang say softly: "Mr. Tao has suffered, and the little woman has taken the people of Hengyang to thank the old man in the West Palace." Then he bowed down.

Wang Niang's soft voice poked Tao Enpei's grievances, he couldn't help but shed tears, and hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "I don't dare to take the big gift of Princess Xi, I lost Hengyang in old age, and I am ashamed of my trust in King Xi." ”

Xi Wang Niang helped Tao Enpei up and said: "Old gentleman, don't say that, Xi Wang's arrangement for Hengyang has always been obsessed, and when he was forced to leave due to the situation, he felt that he couldn't live with Mr. ”

Hearing this, Tao Enpei was relieved, and even more tears, after the West Wangniang persuaded once, she ordered someone to take Tao Enpei into the house to rest first, and told Tao Enpei that the West King took the West Temple to the eastern suburbs of the grange to help the farmer, and she went to find him back, so that Tao Enpei could rest in the house first. At that moment, Tao Enpei followed the West Hall into the palace, and the West Queen brought someone to go.

When he arrived in the mansion, Tao Enpei seemed to have entered a strange place, a royal mansion, but like a huge yamen. You can see people hurrying by everywhere, everyone is holding a thick copy in their hands, everyone is in a hurry, and everyone is busy with their own things.

On the wall of the front yard, there were big words written "efficiency, integrity, dedication, and dedication", which made Tao Enpei stop and look at it for a while.

When I came to a row of rooms in the backyard, in the first room, I saw that Xu Shou with a few Taiping Heavenly Kingdom officials and a few foreigners pointing to a map arguing with each other, Chinese and foreign languages were mixed up, and Tao Enpei didn't know what they were arguing about. But seeing a few foreigners raising their eyes angrily and looking menacing, Tao Enpei praised the West Hall beside him with some worry: "Will they fight like this?" Do you want to change your own soldiers? ”

Na Yinzan smiled and said: "No need, Mr. Tao doesn't know, these foreigners don't know our etiquette, and they have always been so loud." King Xi and Queen Xi have to argue with these foreigners every time, His Royal Highness King Xi said, these foreigners recognize reason or not, as long as your reason is right, you can convince them, no matter how loud they are. ”

Tao Enpei sighed and said to himself: "Recognize reason and don't recognize people, recognize reason and don't recognize people." ”

I came to a side room again, only to hear the crackling sound of the abacus inside, only to see that there were more than ten tables lined up inside, and more than ten tellers buried their heads in the abacus and calculated the accounts.

Tao Enpeiqi said: "Are there so many bookkeepers in the Xiwang Mansion?" ”

Na Yinzan shook his head and smiled: "No, their class is planning the cost of relocating the railway, and the Shanghai Railway is going to be repaired, and there will be a lot of people's land and houses along the way, and they are planning the cost of relocating the border and reassuring the people." I heard that the railway surveyed by the foreigners will occupy too much land and houses, and the line surveyed by Lord Xu Shou can avoid a lot of land and houses, but it will make the railway cost more construction, so the two sides are still arguing. Both sides are waiting for this side to figure out whether the relocation cost is less or the construction cost is less. Tao Enpei sighed, but he understood.

More than ten wing rooms are office spaces, and Tao Enpei realized that this West Palace's Mansion is the central yamen of the West Palace.

When he arrived at the last room, the Yin Zan instructed several West Temple guards to take care of Tao Enpei, only saying that the West Palace's house was now tight, so Tao Enpei could only be temporarily wronged here, and the West King would naturally settle down after seeing Tao Enpei. (To be continued......)