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Chapter 178: The capital is in trouble

Yang Yuting did things vigorously and resolutely, and for a time officials related to this matter in Zhili, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Guanwai and other places were dismissed, and those merchants involved were also confiscated. The Zhou family was hit the hardest, the children and relatives of the family were arrested one after another, and various shops were also raided and closed, and the family property on the bright side went to the tenth**. Fortunately, they still have some foundation to support them, but in Zhili, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, their reputation is completely stinky, and they finally have to move their families west to Sichuan to avoid the limelight temporarily.

After this incident, a power vacuum has been formed in the area of Zhoujiazhai. I don't know if Yang Yuting did it on purpose, he recommended some relatives of the Zhou family to those vacant official positions, and only let Zhou Zhenglin pay a small amount of money, and then took back those land shops that originally belonged to the Zhou family. After the matter subsided, the Zhou family regained the right to be encroached upon by the Zhou family's collateral line one by one over the years, and at the same time, Zhou Zhenglin also had some contact with some local forces outside the Guanxi because of Yang Yuting's relationship, and unconsciously brought the Zhou family into the whirlpool of secular power struggle.

Chen Yuanshan helped a lot in helping Zhou Zhenglin stabilize the Zhou family, not only was he extremely proficient in Taoism, but he also had an excellent ability to deal with mundane affairs. In order to calm the panic of the people, he and Zhou Qinglan worked together to stage a big drama of catching ghosts and driving away evil spirits, and then built a temple for the dead Li woman, so that the people of Zhoujiazhai had a place where they could calm their fears.

After the matter in Zhoujiazhai subsided, Chen Yuanshan and Zhou Qinglan assisted Zhou Zhenglin and his wife to take the Shangqing Qi Pill, so that all the medicinal power could be absorbed by them, and they themselves also took the pill and went into retreat to consolidate the gains of these days. On the third day after the retreat, they left Zhoujiazhai at night, leaving a message saying that they would travel all over the world to find traces of the avenue, and then contact Zhou Zhenglin when they settled down.

After a series of accidents, the two elders of the Zhou family fell ill one after another, but fortunately, the elixir left by Xu Changqing saved their lives. After an illness, they all seemed to have come to their senses, handed over all the family rights to their juniors, and then went to Hengshan to live in seclusion with Mrs. Zhou and Zhang's family, eating fasting and chanting Buddha every day, not asking about world affairs, and living the life of a hermit. The small building of the Hanyue Garden in Zhouzhuang collapsed inexplicably the day after Mrs. Zhou left, and all the plants in the garden withered one after another, and only a bamboo forest still stood there.

In the Jingshi, the people are still living the same as before, working from day to day, resting at sunset, and everyone is busy with life. A month ago, all kinds of strange things happened to teachers and students in Beijing have gradually calmed down, and many people have forgotten about them, and all kinds of new topics have gradually replaced them, and they have become the talk of the people in Beijing after tea and dinner.

In the power struggle of the Qing court, Zaifeng, who broke free from the shackles of Xuangang Heavenly Demons, did not fully grasp the real power, and there were also the patriarchal faction with Prince Qing Yikuang as the central court, and the Beiyang faction with Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui, and Feng Guozhang rising recently. Although Zaifeng's real power is the largest among the three forces, Yi Kuang, who has always been at odds with the Beiyang faction, has joined forces with Xu Shichang for some reason, thus making Zaifeng in a weak position above the court. Fortunately, Xu Shichang and Yi Kuang did not have the intention of monopolizing power, and there was no excessive suppression and coercion of Zaifeng, and the power within the Qing court was temporarily in a state of balance, and no one wanted to break it.

At present, the biggest news in the capital is that Zhang Zhidong, the last pillar of the Qing court, is about to die. Since Zhang Zhidong fell out with Zaifeng, his heart has become depressed and his health has deteriorated, but even so, he can still move around, and the people of the capital can see him in Liulichang and Xiyuan from time to time. But this time, Zhang Zhidong seemed to be really dying, the illness came very suddenly, he was fine the night before, and he was delirious the next morning. After a week, although Zhang Zhidong was able to wake up for a while after the fever subsided, everyone knew that this was just a return to the light, and he would definitely not be able to survive this summer. In Zhang's mansion, Zhang Zhidong's wife and children began to help him prepare for the funeral according to custom, and the coffin, the mourning hall and the location of the Yin Mansion were all nervously prepared, just waiting for him to take his last breath.

That night, Zhang Zhidong's fever subsided again, and he regained some of his spirits, and drank two bowls of porridge rarely, and his daughter-in-law, who was in charge of taking care of him, went back to the house to rest after talking to him for a while. After his daughter-in-law left on the front foot, three figures fell from the sky, like feathers, fluttering down at the door of Zhang Zhidong's bedroom, and the guard at the door stood there as if he couldn't see anything, very weird.

At this time, the tall and thin figure looked down at the two short figures and said, "You two wait outside the door, don't run around, lest you run out of the avenue map and be seen." ”

"Yes, Master!" the two short figures had very immature accents, they should be two children. After answering, the taller one took the other one by the hand, walked to the side of the stone steps and sat down, then took out a meat bun from the baggage and ate it.

At this time, one of the guards of the Zhang Mansion guarding the door suddenly shrugged his nose, took a big breath, frowned and said, "Strange, why is there such a strong smell of meat buns all of a sudden?"

Another rosacea guard also took a breath, smiled, and said, "What's the smell? I think it's because you're hungry tonight." Otherwise, I'll help you with it first, and you can go to the kitchen and find something to eat. ”

"No need. The guard glanced at the courtyard, but he ignored the three people in front of him, as if nothing had appeared, shook his head, looked puzzled, and muttered to himself, "It may really be a delusion." ”

Hearing the conversation between the two guards, the tall figure turned his head to look at the apprentice on the side, and the disciple also knew that he had done something wrong, so he couldn't help but shrink his neck and stick out his tongue playfully. The tall figure sighed, shook his head, and without a word of instruction, stepped forward, pushed open the door, and entered, without the two guards at the door noticing.

After entering the house, the man walked straight to Zhang Zhidong's bed, looked down at the old man with sunken cheeks and dead air, sighed, and said, "Why are you suffering from this?"

Zhang Zhidong seemed to be able to hear the person's voice, slowly opened his eyes, and after seeing the person through the moonlight, a trace of relief flashed on his face, and said: "You are here, I didn't expect the old man to be able to see you before he died." Evergreen!"

These three figures are Xu Changqing's master and apprentice, after the three of them left Zhoujiazhai that day, they were originally going to go back to Tianjin directly, but on the way, Xu Changqing saw the news of Zhang Zhidong's critical illness published in the newspaper, and knew that Zhang Zhidong was not far from his limit. So, he decided to stop in the capital for a while to see the enlightenment teacher who taught him how to deal with the situation.

"Sir!" Xu Changqing did not call him according to his usual name to Zhang Zhidong, but changed to the name he used when he was a child.

Hearing Xu Changqing's title, Zhang Zhidong's eyes lit up slightly, his face was a little ruddy, and he smiled with satisfaction, and said, "I have no regrets about being able to hear you call me Mr. again!"

Xu Changqing took a glass of water from the side, drew a talisman, came to the head of the bed, helped Zhang Zhidong up, and fed him to drink, Zhang Zhidong's face immediately became a little better, and his spirit also recovered. Xu Changqing knew that this Dao talisman could only have a temporary effect, and it could not solve the fundamentals, Zhang Zhidong's longevity was exhausted, and it was not something that could be solved by Dao Immortal Magic.

"How did you come?" Zhang Zhidong leaned on the cushion on the bed, looked at Xu Changqing, and said.

"I heard the news that I was critically ill, so I rushed over and it was probably the last time we saw each other. The two were silent for a moment, Xu Changqing sighed again, and said, "You already know that the deadline is approaching, you should have fun in time, why bother with those mundane chores?"

"You already know!" Zhang Zhidong was slightly stunned and said with a wry smile.

"Guessed. Xu Changqing was expressionless and said: "Although Mr. you will limit it, but it will not be like this, if it is not for the disease and evil to enter the body, it will be popular." ”

"Heh!" Zhang Zhidong looked bitter, let out a long breath, as if he was about to spit out all the grievances in his heart, and finally said: "Zaifeng is a waste outside of gold and jade!" Xu Changqing didn't speak, and quietly listened to Zhang Zhidong and said: "If Zaifeng didn't want to monopolize power, listen to my words, and unite with the Beiyang faction, why would he fall into today's predicament." At present, the Beiyang faction and Yi Kuang are united, growing stronger and more consolidated, but I am afraid that it will not be long before Zaifeng will be hollowed out by them into an empty regent who exists in name only. ”

"How can the general trend of the Heavenly Dao be reversed by ordinary people!" Xu Changqing said with a faint sense of relief, "If it is not a war, Mr. has done his best! For the Manchu court, Mr. has achieved a clear conscience, and there is no need to blame himself!"

"Have a clear conscience?" Zhang Zhidong smiled bitterly, his eyes closed slightly, and his expression changed, as if he was recalling his life past. Suddenly, he opened his eyes suddenly, stared at Xu Changqing, and said, "You tell me honestly, the reason why that old devil is against the sky is because he wants to continue my Qing Dynasty fortune?"

Xu Changqing was stunned for a moment, nodded slightly, and said, "Yes! Most of the qiē he made was for the national fortune of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. ”

Zhang Zhidong looked at Xu Changqing with a complicated expression, but finally smiled and said, "You have already left the school!"

"I know!" Xu Changqing also smiled and nodded.

A trace of fatigue flashed on Zhang Zhidong's face, and he didn't let Xu Changqing support him, he stiffened his body and lay down, closed his eyes slightly, and gave Xu Changqing a silent eviction order. Xu Changqing also understood what Zhang Zhidong meant, covered him with a thin blanket, turned around and prepared to leave. When he walked to the door, Zhang Zhidong suddenly said: "Help me train the three guarantees well, don't hide your secrets, this is what you owe me." ”

Xu Changqing turned to look at Zhang Zhidong, nodded slightly, and walked out of the room, closing the door with his own hands.

Seeing Xu Changqing walking out, Huang Shan hurriedly ate the steamed bun in his hand in three or two bites, looked around, as if he was looking for a place to wipe his hands, and finally wiped it on his body, and then smiled innocently and asked, "Master, where are we going next?"

Xu Changqing smiled and touched the heads of the Huang family brothers and sisters, and said, "Go home!