The flickering candlelight illuminated Lin Wanxue and Gu Yongyuan's "festive day".

The day after Jin Feiming returned from Guo Jianye, he boarded a ship to Hong Kong with his brothers from the Heaven and Earth Society. Time was of the essence, so they didn't want to risk being exposed by the Manchu authorities.

Whether it is Gu Yongyuan's identity or his relationship with Lin Wanxue, most people are confused and have no way to delve into it.

Boss Lin also moved away a long time ago. Even if Gu Yongyuan wanted to see him, he kept it extremely secretive. Moreover, Mo Ba and the old teacher didn't know that Lin Wanxue and Lin Boss were brother and sister. So, on this "big day", Gu Yongyuan could only have a few drinks with Mo Ba, who acted as a matchmaker. Although they could not legally marry, at least they gave him a private status.

Mo Ba even guessed that with the favor of the young grandmother, maybe when this matter is completed, after returning to Beijing, she will be able to officially enter the household. She can be the owner's legal second wife. Who knew that she would become the official Mrs. Yongwang?

After drinking a few glasses of wine with Mo Ba, the auspicious words continued. By the time Gu Yongyuan stumbled to the second floor, it was probably midnight.

"Why are you drinking?" Gu Yongyuan knocked on the door. When Lin Wanxue saw him, she couldn't help frowning. It's rare to see this little crook drinking. She remembered that he had only drunk a few times, as if it had been the first time they met, and that he was only a little drunk.

But Gu Yongyuan knew it very well in his heart. He smiled: "Today is our big day, and we have a few drinks. Okay, you rest, I'll go back to my room and sleep for the night! ”

With that, he staggered around and walked towards his room. Lin Wanxue looked at him helplessly. Biting his red lip, he seems to be making a difficult decision. She watched him until he pushed open his door and nearly tripped over that she could no longer hold back her shouting, "Wait a minute, stop!" ”

Gu Yongyuan looked back blankly, not understanding what was happening.

Lin Wanxue walked over, supported him, and scolded: "You have grown up, and you are still like a child, and there is no one to take care of you here, aren't you a prince?" ”

Held by Lin Wan's snow-white and smooth hand, Gu Yongyuan felt a little weak on one side. He didn't know how he got into this room.

"You sit down first, be comfortable, and I'll make you a bowl of sobering soup." Lin Wanxue helped him to the soft couch and walked out of the room with a graceful shake.

Gu Yongyuan shook his head dizzily, feeling that his drunkenness had eased slightly.

Suddenly, there was a deafening explosion outside, and the earth shook.

Gu Yongyuan was stunned for a moment, and quickly got up. Lin Wanxue hurriedly came back and said, "It sounds like a cannon." ”

Gu Yongyuan nodded slightly, walked to the window, and opened the window. Outside there was thunder of gunfire and the cries of battle resounded through the sky. In the distance, the flames seemed to instantly stain half of the sky.

"The foreign devil can't hold it anymore!" Gu Yongyuan looked into the distance and said with a smile.

Lin Wanxue said worriedly: "I don't know how Brother Guo and them are doing?" ”

"We'll find out tomorrow morning." Gu Yongyuan hadn't experienced that kind of pain personally, and he wasn't particularly concerned about the fate of the members of the Wind Sword Society.

"May Brother Wanyun Dragon bless them!" Lin Wanxue folded her hands and prayed sincerely.

Gu Yongyuan smiled, "It's better to beg me for protection, if Brother Wanyunlong really has spiritual power, those Manchurian devils would have been finished a long time ago." ”

Lin Wanxue glanced at him angrily, knowing his disrespectful attitude towards the gods and Buddhas. However, she didn't bother to argue with him.

"On this joyous day, a good gift has arrived, go back to your room and go to sleep, the real fun has just begun." Gu Yongyuan smiled, closed the window, and looked at the matter indifferently.

...

The commotion outside continued until dawn, when it gradually quieted down. But Gu Yongyuan slept soundly and snored loudly. Early in the morning, the envoys from the Qing army camp came to see him. Gu Yongyuan overslept, and Lin Wanxue had to wake him up. After a sleepless night, seeing Gu Yongyuan opening the door in a daze, she was annoyed and amused.

In the hall, Gu Yongyuan met the envoy and listened to the envoy's account of the situation on the battlefield. As the Qing army remained vigilant against internal unrest, the initial wave of attacks by foreign merchants did not cause confusion among the factions. Instead, they violently repelled the attack of the foreign gunners, and the subsequent attempts of the merchant group also failed because the rebels of the Wind Sword Society did not make any movement in the direction of Shanghai County.

The envoy brought a letter from Feng Tianhan, the governor of Jiangsu, asking the envoy to mediate and negotiate with the foreigners.

Gu Yongyuan hurriedly wrote a letter, reassuring Feng Tianhan and Ji Erhanga that they could come to his temporary residence with peace of mind. While the Qing Dynasty did detain envoys and consuls during negotiations, and this inexplicable behavior continued even decades later, Ah Xinghan and his companions did not dare to do so. What's more, a few of them can't afford to have any more disputes in this leased land. They don't want to provoke more conflicts.

Gu Yongyuan also wrote a letter to the British consul Ah Xinghan, inviting him and the consuls of the participating countries to negotiate at the official residence. He repeatedly assured them of their personal safety. No other way; After all, our reputation in their eyes is not exactly that of a glorious civilized country.

...

Ah Xinghan and U.S. Consul Walcourt were the first to arrive. Before they could say a few words, they were startled by the noise of the bustling noise outside and the neighing of the horses, and the faces of Ah Xinghan and Walcott turned pale.

It was none other than Feng Tianhan and Ji Erhang. One was a high-ranking official in the Qing Dynasty, and the other was an important member of the Fan Zhenghui. With three or five hundred soldiers, they completely surrounded the envoy's palace. Several foreign soldiers outside the garden looked nervously at the sea of soldiers on the opposite side, and their faces showed fear.

Gu Yongyuan went out to greet him. Feng Tianhan seemed to be in a good mood. He and Gu Yongyuan walked into the courtyard hand in hand, and whispered: "My lord, I have good news, our army repelled the provocation of the foreigners, pursued and defeated the rebels of the Wind Sword Society in one fell swoop, and recovered Shanghai. "County."

Gu Yongyuan couldn't help but smile. He was well aware that the rebels of the Wind Sword Society had abandoned the city and tried to escape, but they were eventually discovered. Naturally, however, Qing officials did not ignore their military achievements. In the blink of an eye, the credit for recovering Shanghai County from these bandits was attributed to Feng Tianhan.

Entering the main hall, the British and American consuls sat on the right side, and Feng Tianhan, Ji Erhang'a, and Gu Yongyuan sat on the left side, maintaining a clear distinction.

Speaking of which, Gu Yongyuan no longer speaks English. Like Feng Tianhan and Ji Erhang'a, he would say a sentence and let the translator translate it.

Ah Xinghan first complained angrily about the plundering of the leased land by the Qing army. Feng Tianhan and Ji Erhang both looked a little embarrassed and didn't know how to answer. And, although, in last night's clashes, they were well prepared to face foreign gunners, they suffered heavy losses. Although the exact number is not yet known, two battalion commanders and dozens of soldiers in the Green Battalion Army alone were killed in the clashes the day before. Another battalion commander also disappeared without a trace.

Ji Er Hang'a was relatively calm, but Feng Tianhan was obviously a little anxious when facing foreigners.

"My lord, we will definitely investigate the matter you have reported to the end. If your claims are true, we will never tolerate soldiers who violate military discipline. However, how do you explain that the adults dared to attack the camp of our Qing army? ” ？” Gu Yongyuan's words made Feng Tianhan and Ji Erhang both nod in agreement. Feng Tianhan was an experienced official and was glad that the young envoy offered to talk. It is best for him to lead the discussion, which provides space for negotiation and makes it easier to communicate with superiors, while also minimizing the possibility of conflict.

Ah Xinghan's face was calm, and he said, "Your Excellency, you must have made a mistake. Last night it was your soldiers who broke into the leased land, and we were just defending ourselves. We captured several intruders who broke into the leased territory, one of them was an officer. ”

Gu Yongyuan was a little helpless. Negotiations at the dinner table do allow blatant lies. But how do they catch the intruders?

Feng Tianhan raised the teacup, did not raise his eyelids, and said, "This is not true, Your Excellency must have caught the wrong person." ”

When the translation was completed, Ah Xinghan was taken aback. How can they deny that they have captives? He looked at Feng Tianhan and was speechless for a while.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of mediation, Gu Yongyuan interjected: "Your Excellency, no matter what is in dispute, we have reached this point, and I hope we can stop using force and stop the conflict." He said to Feng Tianhan again: "Futai, I believe that you will definitely restrain your troops and spare no effort, won't you?" ”

Now that Shanghai County has been recovered, there is no reason to keep a large number of troops there. In addition, the conflict with the Lend-Lease territories is unlikely to happen again. Feng Tianhan smiled heartily, "Of course, don't worry, my lord." ”

Gu Yongyuan said to Ah Xinghan and Walcott: "Two gentlemen, let's discuss the customs matter tomorrow morning, do you have time?" ”

The two consuls exchanged glances and both nodded.

Just when Feng Tianhan and Ji Erhang thought that the matter had been settled, Ah Xinghan interjected again: "Regarding the safety of the leased land, I hope we can formulate regulations to ensure it. ”

Feng Tianhan and Ji Erhanga had a deep sense of frustration in their hearts. At this time, the most dangerous task is what treaty to conclude with the foreigners.

Gu Yongyuan smiled: "My lord, you also know that we have no authority to do this. ”

Ah Xinghan knew that among the three people, this messenger was quite talented and perceptive. He looked at Gu Yongyuan and said, "Don't worry, it's just some small terms about customs and port affairs, I will send these terms later, you will understand after reading it." ”

Gu Yongyuan nodded lightly. Feng Tianhan and Ji Erhang saw that they had nothing to do with him, so they relaxed their vigilance and returned to a calm demeanor.

Feng Tianhan was thinking about how to repay the victory. Although there is no need to mention the conflict with foreigners in the victory report, at best it can be downplayed in vague language. As for the casualties of the soldiers, they were to blame for the fierce battle with the Wind Sword Society. Therefore, he attributed a large part of this merit to the envoy, because he knew that the more he flattered him, the better the envoy's words would be when he returned to Beijing. In this way, he can continue to disguise himself and not be exposed.

But Gu Yongyuan had no idea how a great achievement fell into his hands. He was just thinking about how to handle the next day's discussions with the countries on customs matters.