Fusheng too, cut his braids, turned around to eat noodles, and stretched out his head to look in the mirror while eating. The owner of the shaving shop thought very thoughtfully, and hung a few small mirrors in the tent, so that the people who cut their braids could take a picture of the new appearance after cutting off their braids, so that they would not meet acquaintances and surprise each other. After eating, the three of them looked at each other in the mirror for a while, one said, "What a spirit", and the other said, "Now I feel as light as a swallow." After looking in the mirror, thanking the boss, wiping his mouth, getting out of the tent, and breaking up on the cross bridge. Xianghai and Zhao Da went home, and as soon as they walked into the courtyard, Li Shanren came to meet them, saw the light behind their heads, was surprised, and asked, "Where are your braids?" ”

Xianghai said: "Cut it!" ”

Zhao Da also said: "Cut." ”

Li Shanren said: "The lamp grass ash you eat, you speak so lightly, how do you cut this braid?" ”

Xianghai said: "Father, you don't go out to see, the world has changed!" ”

Lee Sun-in said: "Has it really changed? ”

"It's really changed." Xianghai said and took out the notice from his arms and gave it to Li Shanren, "Even the year name has been changed, and now it is no longer the Qing Kingdom, but the Republic of China." Li Shanren took a look at it, it was the "Braided Text" issued by Sun Wen, the provisional president of the Republic of China. Before Sun Wen relinquished the position of president, in order to contain Yuan Datou's excessive power, he issued many decrees, such as the implementation of the constitutional "separation of powers", the presidential election, etc., the "Braiding Order" is one of them. Li Shanren carefully read the notice from beginning to end: "Now that the Qing court has been overthrown, and the Republic of China has succeeded, all my compatriots should be allowed to remove the stains of the old stain and become the people of the new country. Xianghai waited for Li Shanren to finish reading and told him: "Everywhere I saw along the way, I was cutting braids, and cutting braids was a decree of the new government, so now I don't have to worry about cutting braids to kill my head, but I have to worry about not cutting braids and eating lawsuits." Li Shanren shook his head and said, "Cutting braids is a big thing, don't be reckless." As he spoke, he put down the notice and asked, "I only know that the emperor stepped down and was replaced by the prime minister, when will he be replaced by the president again?" Xianghai said: "The emperor abdicated and the prime minister was in charge, and it was already the old yellow calendar. Now that the prime minister has been replaced by the president, even the capital has changed places. ”

"The capital has moved? Where to move? Li Shanren asked.

Xianghai said: "It is not a move, but a new government has been established in Nanjing, and in the future, a democratically elected president will be implemented, and a republic will be established by learning from foreigners. So saying, he picked up his father and walked out of the door, asking him to cut his braids as well. Li Shanren refused. Xianghai asked puzzledly: "The Li family has gone through hardships, all thanks to the Qing court, I don't know why my father is still willing to keep the braids of the Qing court." Li Shanren said: "The world is capricious, who knows what will become in the future, a knife down, cut off not a simple braid, but two hundred years of history, do not act rashly." If you insist that I cut it, I will never cut it even if I break this arm. Zhao Da saw that Li Shanren was determined not to cut his braids, after all, this braid had been with him for fifty years, so he hurriedly dissuaded Xianghai and said: "The notice didn't say that the braids must be cut, and the master is willing to keep it, so let him keep it." Xianghai said: "The notice is clearly written, the grace period is 20 days, and after 20 days, no braids will be cut for violation, don't you know, what do foreigners think of this braid?" Saying it's a pig's tail, they see us as pigs. Li Shanren loudly rebuked Xianghai: "Presumptuous! Is that how you learned to talk to your father? Look at me if I can't kill you, unfilial rebel! Saying that he was about to copy the guy, Xianghai immediately shouted, Mrs. Li heard the news, and Xianghai slipped away.

However, it was said that Sun Wen kept his promise and abdicated the position of president to Yuan Datou, who knew that Yuan Datou was very nostalgic for the palace and was unwilling to come to Nanjing to take office, and was still the president in the Beijing palace. For him, the president is the emperor, and he can rule the world like the emperor. Unexpectedly, the decree came first, and the Legislative Yuan and the National Assembly had to share power with the president, Yuan Datou was very unhappy, since he gave up the position of president to him and wanted to take back power, then what else would he be the president? Soon after, the president of the Legislative Yuan was assassinated under a stake at the ticket office of the Shanghai North Railway Station. At that time, Sun Wen had retired from politics and was inspecting railway construction in Japan, and was shocked when he received the news. Thinking that Yuan Datou had betrayed the revolution by doing this, he hurriedly returned to China, united with the southern revolutionary faction to form an army against Yuan, raised the banner of the "Second Revolution", and marched all the way to Shanghai, and Yuan Datou's stronghold in Shanghai, the Jiangnan Arsenal, was in danger.

The braid-cutting turmoil passed quickly, and Li Shanren sent his three children to the city to resume school, stayed overnight at Boss Shen's house, and went to the arsenal early the next morning. Before going out, Boss Shen informed Li Shanren that there was a small Liansheng scene in the City God Temple tonight, and asked Li Shanren to watch a play together at night. At the beginning, Li Shanren was still in the Li family compound in Jilu, and when he traveled to and from Gusu, as long as there was a performance by the rural opera troupe, he would go to the show, and he was a hardcore theater fan, so he agreed. Boss Shen said: "In order to demolish the city wall, I have to negotiate with the Ministry of Industry Bureau, and I made an appointment with someone from the Ministry of Industry Bureau for lunch, otherwise I can drive you there." Li Shanren hurriedly declined: "Gaochang Temple is not far from here, and it is very convenient to take a rickshaw to go." After that, I went out and called a rickshaw to go to Gaochang Temple.