As the world's largest financial and trading centre in the 18th and 19th centuries, London had a population of over 2 million in 1900. Among the two million people, the sudden increase of several hundred Chinese is no less than a drop of water in the sea and a hair of a cow, and basically no one will pay attention. However, "basically nothing" does not mean "nothing", because there is a special agency in London that spies the movements of the Chinese in the city day and night - the Qing Legation in Britain.

The legation did a sensational event by trapping Sun Yat-sen in October 1895 and imprisoning him in a hut on the third floor of the legation for 12 days. The reason why history will remember this incident is not because of the vileness of the Legation's method of entrapment, but because the method of handling the matter is so clumsy that it is truly breathtaking:

First of all, there were several British employees in the legation. If these employees don't have access to confidential content, that's not a big deal. However, two of the employees had access to Sun Yat-sen, who was being imprisoned. Of course, it would be fine if these two employees could stand firm and keep the Legation secret. The key is that these two employees also persuaded Sun Yat-sen and helped him deliver a message to the outside for help

Second, within five or six days after Sun Yat-sen's friends came to beg for help, the legation actually adopted the principle of not stopping, communicating, and not letting people go, and allowed the situation to develop until the "Earth Daily" poked out the matter, which attracted the attention of the British government and the public, and forced the British government to make representations to the legation.

Third, a few hours after the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary sent a note to the Legation demanding that the Legation immediately release Sun Yat-sen in accordance with international law and practice, the Legation actually released Sun Yat-sen, who had been imprisoned for 12 days, with great efficiency. The day after Sun Yat-sen's release, the legation received a notice from the Qing government in Beijing requesting that Sun Yat-sen be escorted back to China at all costs.

Soon after his release, with the aftermath of the news incident, Sun Yat-sen wrote the book "The Martyrdom of London" in English and published it in the United Kingdom, which made Sun Yat-sen not only uninjured after his captivity, but became famous and became a hero and pioneer of resistance in the eyes of the Western people, laying a solid foundation for his prestige to become a leader in the future.

In December 1907, the Qing envoy to Britain was Li Jingfang, the eldest son of Li Hongzhang. In March and April of this year, he had just taken over such an important task from his predecessor, Minister Wang Daxie, when he heard that there were suddenly numerous Chinese students in the city of London, and he did not dare to be careless, so he hurriedly sent someone out to investigate.

The matter of convening the conference was not intended to be kept secret, not to mention that this group of international students was unorganized and undisciplined, and they couldn't keep secrets in their mouths at all? It was only half a morning before the inquirer returned, still holding a hand-copied telegram:

"Sincerely: In order to carry out academic exchanges, strengthen research collaboration, promote the development of disciplines, and promote scientific and technological innovation, Mr. Sun Baixi instructed that the Chinese Society for Science and Technology was established in London this year. Hereby. ”

Li Jingfang looked at the telegram signed "China Science and Technology Conference" and pondered for a moment: "They said that they were the establishment of the China Society for Science and Technology, will there be anything in the middle?" ”

"Back to the master, the little ones don't know." The messenger replied cautiously, and then added: "But judging from the few people I have inquired about, they have indeed come to participate in the scientific and technological society, and have no other intentions. It's just that when the time comes to hold a meeting, whether there is any violation of the content, the small ones don't dare to say anything."

Li Jingfang touched the beard on his lips and asked, "The Mr. Sun Baixi mentioned in this telegram should be the Hubei envoy who arrived in Britain a few days ago, right?" ”

"Yes," the messenger nodded affirmatively.

"Speaking of which, the old man and he are still relatives, and now that he has arrived in England, the old man should naturally do his best to be a landlord." Li Jingfang said, "Then I'll write a post, and you send it to Sun Baixi for me and ask him to come to the legation." ”

Li Jingfang said that he and Sun Yuanqi are related, which is not nonsense. He féi Li Wenan has six sons, including the eldest Li Hanzhang, the second Li Hongzhang, and the sixth Li Zhaoqing. In the first year of Tongzhi, Li Hongzhang was forty years old and had no children under his knees, so he succeeded the son of the sixth Li Zhaoqing, who was Li Jingfang.

Sun Chongzu of Shouzhou had five sons, including the second grandson and the fifth grandson. Sun Jiaduo's son, Sun Chuanyue, married Li Hanzhang's daughter and gave birth to Sun Duoxin and Sun Duosen. According to reason, Duoxin and Duosen have to call their mother's cousin Li Jingfang "uncle", right? Sun Yuanqi admitted that he and these two brothers are cousins, since people call them uncles, they have to follow suit, right? In this way, it is not a relative

In fact, in the late Qing Dynasty, it was through such marriages, the same year and other relationships that an impenetrable network of people was built to resist all kinds of unpredictable risks and disasters.

That night, when Sun Yuanqi returned from the British Physical Society, he saw a messenger standing at the door of his room. Before he could ask, the man had already made a thousand calls: "Please be an invitation to the master, and I will send you an invitation on the order of the minister." As he spoke, he handed over a plain post.

Sun Yuanqi hurriedly took it, opened it and looked at it, it was written very simply: "From nephew Baixi to meeting: I was surprised to hear that you went to England and won the Copley Medal." According to the British, this is the supreme honor of scholars, and it is not easy to get one of them, but what more? All our people have honor. When you have it, you can go to the legation to talk about it. Foolish from the uncle's script. ”

What kind of relative is "Uncle Cong"? Sun Yuanqi thought about it for a long time, but he didn't understand it too much. I had to say to the messenger, "I'll be free tomorrow afternoon,... I went to the legation in half an hour, and I hope to convey it to the minister. ”

"The little one understands, and he must convey it." The messenger called another thousand, and then he took his leave.

Sun Yuanqi naturally did not know the in-law relationship between the Sun and Li families, and with doubts, he went to the Qing Legation in Britain on time the afternoon of the next day to pay a visit.

Li Jingfang heard that his nephew had arrived at the door, and hurriedly went downstairs to see him: "Haha, it's Baixi here, right?" ”

Sun Yuanqi hurriedly looked up: the person who came was in his fifties, wearing a cotton robe, and his expression was quite dignified. The most striking thing is the two thick beards on his mouth, which seem to be the most German legacy passed on to him by his father, who has the reputation of "Bismarck of the East".

He was in a hurry to go downstairs, and he spoke with affection, but when he walked in, he deliberately slowed down. Sun Yuanqi understood that people were waiting for him to come forward and kowtow to say hello. Although he was reluctant, after all, he was his "uncle", so he had to kneel on the ground and said awkwardly: "Please ...... uncle for peace"

"Ah, Baixi, please hurry up and invite this here to be England, our uncle and nephew don't have to be formalized here." Li Jingfang saw Sun Yuanqi kowtow, so he hurriedly stepped forward to help him up.

Sun Yuanqi couldn't help but feel a little indignant in his heart: This old man is not kind, why should he say "also"?

Li Jingfang didn't know Sun Yuanqi's slander, and enthusiastically pulled Sun Yuanqi towards the tea room: "Now this hour, it is the time for English people to have afternoon tea. Come on, let's follow the local customs, sit down to drink tea and chat together. ”

After sitting down, she has her own shì woman to make tea. Li Jingfang took the time to ask, "Before you came, had you seen Shouzhou Zhongtang?" Is he in good health? ”

"Uncle Lao asked, the nephew met his uncle and grandfather in June and July this year, and he was very strong in old age," Sun Yuanqi replied respectfully.

Li Jingfang nodded: "Shouzhou Zhongtang is the champion of Xianfeng, Tongzhi Xuezheng, Guangxu Emperor, the history of the three dynasties, the character of the people, the sea admires the country now, although there are punishments, there can be no old chéng people." Shouzhou Zhongtang, as the country's senior residence, must be good at self-cherishing"

"Well, when the younger generation sees his uncle and grandfather, he must convey his uncle's meaning."

Li Jingfang immediately said: "Baixi, how old are you this year?" ”

"One in thirty."

"Oh, look at it, but it's not like it, I guess you are twenty-four or five, and people believe it." Li Jingfang took a sip of tea, and then said, "At the age of thirty-one, he was promoted from the second grade, which really made me embarrassed to be an uncle. Now compared to you, the old man is really embarrassed."

Sun Yuanqi hurriedly thanked him: "Uncle praised it falsely, my nephew is easy to come to this official, but he can't count it as an accurate ......."

"When I was in Shanghai before, I was chatting with your uncle Chuanyue, and he was talking about you. It is said that the Shouzhou Sun family has exhausted all the blessings accumulated by the family for hundreds of years in the previous generation, and the next two or three generations can only rely on Zuyin to be a petty official or run a business. I didn't think that Baixi you suddenly became a soldier, and you did it before you were thirty years old. Now he is a Hubei envoy, you must know that this official position was also done in Shouzhou Zhongtang forty years ago. In this way, the Sun family is still lucky," Li Jingfang said.

In fact, the Shouzhou Sun family declined very quickly after Sun Jianai, and only Sun Chuanyue and Sun Chuanqian entered the career development in the second generation. Sun Chuanyue once served as the general office of Jiangsu Famous Dao and Nanjing Foreign Affairs Bureau; As the son-in-law of the boss, Sun Chuanqian only made up for Langzhong and Sipin Jingguan of the War Department. As a huge family, only the fourth-grade officials came out to support the façade, which is really shabby and decent. It was not until the third generation that Sun Duoyu, the deputy director of the Ministry of Communications, came out, so that the Sun family's huge industry in Shanghai could be preserved.

When Sun Yuanqi heard this, he bowed down and replied, "How can our Sun family compare with my uncle's Li family?" ”

"Hehe, Baixi, don't be presumptuous, since the death of our first uncle Qin Kegong and First Kao Wenzhonggong, the Li family is also in decline, and we can only rely on serving as a minister at the diplomatic mouth to eat." While speaking, Li Jingfang was overwhelmed with melancholy.

After gossiping for a while, Li Jingfang asked, "Baixi, I heard that you are going to convene a meeting of Chinese students from various European countries in London recently?" ”