The flower hall is elegantly furnished and elegantly decorated. Tasting the high-grade sparrow tongue tea in the celadon cup, Gu Yongyuan couldn't help but praise: "The tea is wonderful." ”

On the other side of the table sat a middle-aged man with a square face and thick eyebrows, who was Gao Han, a character who inevitably appeared in the history books of the late Qing Dynasty.

Gu Yongyuan didn't know much about this uncle, and it was the first time he sat alone with him in the flower hall. A strange feeling rose in his heart, as if his collision with history had begun.

Indeed, the image of the alpine in the history books is quite symbolic. Now, sitting beside him, smiling and chatting, Gu Yongyuan couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.

"Wang Yuanqing, I seem to have heard of this name." When Gu Yongyuan introduced Wang Yuanqing, Gao Han interjected with a smile.

Gu Yongyuan had no choice. The Northeast crackdown is imminent, but he is getting married. Moreover, even after getting married, he may not be able to cross the Great Wall. They could only appoint Confucian Sheng and Wang Yuanqing to organize and train local militias outside the Saiwai. Now that Confucian is still in Shanghai, he has to rely on the uncle in front of him to recommend Wang Yuanqing.

"Daoguang has been a jinshi for thirty years, and he is proficient in the formation, and he can hold the formation." Gu Yongyuan had to praise Wang Yuanqing. The current Wang Yuanqing can only be described as brave, but in the next skirmish with the Saiwai Demon Sect, bravery is still very useful.

Gao Han touched his beard and smiled. Although he was from the royal family, he never took the Manchus seriously. He often said: "Most of our banner people are bastards, what do you know? The Manchus were ignorant and could not contribute to the country, they only knew how to ask for money! Among the Manchu aristocracy, he was one of the few who truly respected Han officials. He is also known by the Han-style name Jade Pavilion.

Gao Han smiled and asked, "According to what you said, will the Demon Sect and Britain and France, the two major Western powers, have to fight for another year or two?" ”

Gu Yongyuan nodded, "The military equipment of Britain and France is very strong, and their firearms and helicopter gunships are the best in the world today. The defeat of the Demon Cult is only a matter of time, and when the time comes, they will most likely change their minds. "Pay attention to the vast unclaimed territories outside Cyprus. In the East, they urgently need a seaport. ”

Gao Han frowned: "Harbor? ”

Gu Yongyuan explained: "For Western countries, this is the age of the sea, the era of naval hegemony. If the Demon Cult finds a harbor outside of our fortress, they can station warships there, so that they can directly reach neighboring countries such as South Korea and Japan, and even threaten important areas of our capital, which is the role of the harbor now. ”

Gao Han frowned, nodded slightly, and said, "I always thought that foreigners were thousands of miles away from us, but hearing you say this, it seems that we are getting closer and closer to our doorstep?" ”

Gu Yongyuan continued: "Western shipbuilding technology is becoming more and more advanced, and in a few years it may even build a grand canal in the Arab region to connect the East and the West. If a foreigner comes to our dynasty, it may only take a month. "Or."

Gao Han's face became more and more solemn. He didn't touch the tea, just stared into space.

Gu Yongyuan continued: "Foreigners can be reasonable or unreasonable, but in the final analysis, it is for trade, they want to make money from our Qing Dynasty, and if they can't make money, they will make regulations to ensure that they can make money. We can't defeat them in battle, like caught between a blade and a fish. ”

Glancing at Gao Han, Gu Yongyuan added: "The current strategy is to learn from the West and compete with the West. But that doesn't mean simply buying their guns and weapons. We also need to learn from their business experience. "And encourage private business and industry."

"You've said a lot!" Gao Han finally came to his senses, waved his hand, and reached for the teacup on the table.

Gu Yongyuan knew that if there was no reform, ideas such as Western self-improvement could not save the Qing Dynasty. But if the voice of change can be heard earlier, people will open their eyes to the world sooner, and the world itself will change sooner.

Gu Yongyuan also knew that Gao Han's idea of not severely reprimanding him was already a good result. Gao Han didn't take his proposal to heart at all, but at least he left a mark in his heart. If today's conversation can leave a lasting impact, then it has not been in vain.

...

Under the leadership of Mo Ba, Gu Yongyuan came to Miaoqing's house in the Pichai Hutong on West Fourth Street.

It was a nondescript courtyard with gray tiles and blue walls. There are two purple wisteria trees growing in the yard, and the branches and leaves are tender and green.

Mo Ba handed out the invitation in advance. Min Ling and her eldest son Jiarong came out to greet Gu Yongyuan. They didn't expect that before the big wedding, their future son-in-law would come to visit. After all, the prominent status of the Gu Yongyuan family far exceeds that of ordinary banner people. Even if Xingqing becomes a concubine, which family among the Manchu nobles can compare to the status of a concubine? Moreover, Miaoqing is about to marry into the Yongwang Mansion, which is indeed a blessing. She will soon become the orthodox concubine of the Yongwang Mansion, and this status brings great blessings. It is rumored that the young master of King Yong's Mansion has taken a fancy to their Miaoqing.

Min Ling looked at Gu Yongyuan from top to bottom. Her smile grew deeper, clearly a strong endorsement of him.

Jiarong had already heard about Gu Yongyuan. However, for a layman like himself, even if he has heard of Gu Yongyuan, he can't talk to Gu Yongyuan, let alone a member of the Yellow Belt. Seeing Gu Yongyuan now, Jiarong greeted him warmly, making Gu Yongyuan slightly stunned. After all, this family will produce a woman who has ruled China for half a century. Looking at the warm reception of the family, Gu Yongyuan almost felt that he had misread history. The Lan nobles who entered the palace from their house were not the Empress Dowager Cixi in the history books.

However, the current situation of Lan Guiren's family is indeed quite poor. Ten years ago, her grandfather was implicated in a deficit in the Ministry of Taxation. Strictly speaking, this was a matter for their ancestors, but during the Daoguang period, it was stipulated that if the deceased had debts, their descendants were responsible for repaying them. As a result, Lan Guiren's grandfather was imprisoned and sentenced to pay more than 10,000 taels of silver. They borrowed money from everywhere and scraped together a sum of money, and Lan Guiren and her father, Hye-jung, finally paid it off and released her grandfather. Since then, Hui Zheng's career has gradually improved, but last year he was dismissed from his post for bringing silver and seals in an attempt to escape the crime in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. He died in custody in Zhenjiang Prefecture.

Prince Yong's Mansion, the in-law that led to the marriage, is currently facing financial difficulties. This situation made Gu Yongyuan feel very helpless. He didn't expect the Empress Dowager Cixi to become a poor relative in his own family.

Entering the main hall, a young maidservant brought tea. Min Ling asked a few questions casually, and Gu Yongyuan answered them one by one.

Jiarong scratched his head, feeling that he couldn't find anything to say. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly had an idea. He smiled at Gu Yongyuan and said, "Cousin, do you want to take a look at the dowry given to Miaoqing?" There are many treasures in the palace, which are arranged by my sister, and she has put a lot of effort into it. "Get into this thing."

Gu Yongyuan was surprised for a moment. Min Ling immediately glared at Jiarong, clearly blaming him for not speaking carefully.

Gu Yongyuan smiled and said, "No need to see it." According to tradition, the dowry is only given and displayed at the Yongwang Mansion on the day before the big wedding to show the wealth of the bride's family.

However, Lan Guiren seems to be extremely concerned about this marriage. Perhaps, she was worried that her sister would be looked down upon and bullied after entering the Yongwang Mansion. After all, her current identity is just a noblewoman favored by the emperor. Her status is higher than that of ordinary concubines, but still lower than that of the queen. She didn't know her fate in a few years. Every day in the palace, she was cautious, for fear of offending anyone.

"Brother Jiarong, let's get closer in the future." Gu Yongyuan looked at Jiarong and said with a smile.

Jiarong has been waiting for this sentence, nodded again and again, and said: "Of course, young master, if you need Jiarong's help in the future, although you say it, Jiarong may not have other skills, but his strength must be very strong." ”

After chatting for a while, Gu Yongyuan got up with a smile and said goodbye. Mo Ba seized the opportunity and handed a small silk box to the old lady. Inside was a stack of silver tickets, totaling one thousand taels.

Looking at this small box, Jia Rong couldn't help but swallow his saliva. Although I don't know how much money my cousin brought, Prince Yong's mansion is known for its generosity. For their future in-laws, this may not be any different.

The old lady and Jiarong saw Gu Yongyuan coming out of the hall, and Gu Yongyuan was just about to step into the threshold of the door, when he suddenly turned around and grimaced.

Behind the curtain of the side door of the hall, Gu Yongyuan felt that someone was secretly looking at him. When he grimaced, sure enough, a pair of sparkling eyes quickly disappeared behind the edge of the curtain.

Gu Yongyuan held back his laughter and said goodbye to the old lady and Jiarong. No one noticed Gu Yongyuan's small movements.

In fact, Gu Yongyuan had already guessed that the person who peeked at him was the little maid. Gu Yongyuan did not have any strong feelings about the idea of this arranged marriage. He thought it was more interesting than anything else. After marriage, he naturally will not have anything to do with her. However, at the thought of officially marrying such a young girl, Gu Yongyuan felt helpless. Today, when he went to visit his future in-laws, he suddenly felt that the little maid was secretly observing him. Gu Yongyuan was amused and annoyed. How much can this little girl understand? She even imitates the movements of sneaking into other people's eyes.

That's why Gu Yongyuan suddenly made a grimace to scare her. On the way back, he couldn't help but laugh. Moba rolled her eyes, not understanding what was tickling her master.

Gu Yongyuan naturally didn't know that next to the door curtain, a cute little girl, delicate and cute, was startled by his grimace, clutching her chest and panting. She also began to worry that her fiancé didn't look very dignified.

If Gu Yongyuan knew that it was not only Lin Wanxue, but even a little maid felt that he was not serious, he was afraid that he would be very annoyed.

Actually, it's not entirely Miaoqing's fault. Miao Qing was given a strict upbringing from an early age. Although she is young, she is gentle and virtuous by nature. Her words and deeds are polite and unhurried. Who would have thought that her future husband would make a grimace and scare her? This made Miaoqing's heart beat wildly. What's more, she couldn't help but worry. Her future husband looked flirtatious, quite different from what her sister described as capable and capable.