The young man ignored the thin monkey, turned around and respectfully greeted an elegant young man who came in at the door: "Young master, why did you come in?" These boorish villagers have defiled your eyes, why don't you wait? "Shall I send them away?"

The young man fanned the wind with a folding fan, seemingly unaffected by the noise in the courtyard. Unhurriedly, he walked over to the little girl, crouched down, and picked up the fallen sugar gourd. Then he frowned: "It's dirty." He smiled at the little girl and said, "Little sister, don't cry, my brother will buy you a new one in a while, a lot of it, how about it?" ”

Ling'er grabbed her father's arm and continued to sob. Zhao's second son hadn't gasped yet, and his stomach still hurt badly. He was puzzled by the sight in the yard. Who is this newcomer?

"Asking for trouble!" Unable to stand the young man's careless attitude, Gao Jie was furious, raised his fist and hit the young man in the face. He was determined to knock out a few of the guy's teeth.

However, before Gao Jie's fist fell, there was a sudden pain in his wrist. When he turned around, he saw a burly man looking at him coldly. The man's big hand was like an iron tong, firmly clasping his wrist.

"Hit him, hit me!" Mo Ba saw that these villagers were acting recklessly and wanted to harm the young master. He stamped his feet and began to scream.

The courtyard was suddenly in chaos, with figures flickering and quarrels one after another.

At the same time, Gu Yongyuan smiled and said to Zhao's second son: "Let's go in, don't scare the child." ”

Zhao's second son was stunned. With a loud "bang", a person who was sawing trees was hit on the head from behind, staggered back a few steps, and fell at the feet of Zhao's second son. He came back to his senses abruptly and hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, you come with me." ”

Entering a side room, Zhao's second son peeked at the movement outside through the carved window lattice. Gu Yongyuan asked Ling'er's name and age, and soon mingled with the little girl.

Gu Yongyuan couldn't help but sigh lightly when he saw that Ling'er resembled the Zhao family's concubine. Although he knew that Little Feet had a unique allure, the grotesque nature of Little Feet was often exaggerated by pictures circulating on the Internet in his past life. If those images are truly representative, are the men who have adored such women in the past centuries unhinged?

However, Gu Yongyuan naturally prefers not to bind his feet. He was well aware of the great pain that foot binding caused to women. Fortunately, Wanxue and Miaoqing were from different backgrounds and were not affected by this practice.

However, Gu Yongyuan does not know when he will be able to advocate "no foot binding". This outlook will depend on timing, circumstances and acceptance.

"Uncle, what are you frowning about? You don't look handsome! Ling'er was as bold as ever, and reached out to smooth the wrinkles on Gu Yongyuan's forehead, causing him to laugh.

Gu Yongyuan and Ling'er chatted happily, but Zhao Ergongzi was engrossed in observing the movements outside. He didn't have time to reprimand his daughter for not knowing etiquette.

Just when Gu Yongyuan and Ling'er were talking and laughing, Mo Ba opened the door curtain and walked into the room. He bowed slightly and said, "Young Master, a total of seven robbers have been captured, and I will release one to pass the word." ”

Gu Yongyuan just smiled and said, "Okay, let the Shi family see our strength today and see how arrogant they are!" ”

"Sir!" Mo Ba got up and slowly exited the room.

Zhao Erzi was taken aback by Mo Ba's appearance. This existence is indeed extraordinary. He glanced at Gu Yongyuan and asked cautiously, "Sir, where are you from?" Do you know about the Shi family? ”

Gu Yongyuan smiled: "You don't have to worry about this, as long as you know, it won't make you suffer." Is it high? I'm a little thirsty! I came on horseback and my body was okay. "Don't take too many pushes."

"Oh! Oh, yes! It's stupid, stupid! You wait a minute, I'm going to boil water, it's a mess at home these days, and no one can boil water. Zhao's second son hurriedly went to boil water. At the same time, the young men in the yard held their heads high like little tigers and were full of confidence, which sent chills down the spine of Zhao Ergongzi. He could only avoid them in a big circle.

...

Gu Yongyuan drank tea and chatted with Zhao Ergongzi, and there was another commotion in the courtyard. Zhao's second son was already anxious, but now he was so frightened that he almost jumped up.

Gu Yongyuan shook the folding fan and said with a smile: "Don't worry." Before he could finish speaking, a loud bang rang out in the courtyard, followed by screams of pain.

Zhao's second son was nervous and didn't know what to do. Mo Ba came in and reported: "Young master, twenty-three of the Shi family's guards were arrested, and four were wounded by gunshot wounds, so I released another person, with the information that the Shi family can save people's lives." "Two hundred taels of silver per man."

Gu Yongyuan smiled and nodded. Zhao Ergongzi's legs were weak, and he peeked at Gu Yongyuan, still not knowing the identity of this young master.

Gu Yongyuan instructed Mo Badao again: "Go buy some rock sugar gourd, I heard that Tianjin's rock sugar gourd and twist flowers are very famous, let's eat something." ”

Moba agreed and exited the room.

After Mo Ba took the rock sugar gourd back, Gu Yongyuan and Ling'er ate it and laughed. Outside, there was another commotion. Mo Ba hurriedly went out, and not long after he came back to report: "Young Master, the officials of Jinghai County have been blocked by Qi Busong Ao and showed his identity card. ”

Gu Yongyuan smiled, "Okay! It seems that the connections are good, why did the officials over there in Jinghai take so long to act? They not only have to handle cases, but also have to spread the word to the family! ”

Mo Ba smiled awkwardly, not daring to say more.

Qi Bu Songao is the third-level guard of the Yongwang Mansion and a fifth-grade officer. Even if the officials of Jinghai County came, they didn't dare to offend him. Not to mention those petty officials in the yamen.

Strictly speaking, if Gu Yongyuan was promoted to the prince during the last assessment, according to the regulations, he could be assigned to four first-level guards, four second-level guards, and eight third-level guards. In terms of rank, the rank of the first-class guard of the palace is the third rank, and the rank of the second-level guard is the fourth rank. This means that although he is young, he can be accompanied by a group of third- and fourth-level officers in Beijing.

Now, he can only rely on the prince's guards to intimidate others. But he resolutely did not reveal his identity, it is one thing to be suspected, and it is another thing to openly show off his identity.

Feeling a little depressed in the capital, Gu Yongyuan came to Tianjin to relax.

This mansion with green walls and blue tiles has two majestic stone lions squatting at the entrance. Under the steps of the black lacquer gate, the air seemed to be filled with the aura of power of the Yang Liu Qing Shi family.

In the courtyard of the Shi family, in the study of the east wing, there were two people sitting opposite. Facing west was a majestic old man in his seventies. He wore a gray moire silk robe with a dark silk horse coat over it. Every button is meticulously buttoned, and there is an air of authority all over the body.

On the other side of the coffee table sat a slightly younger man. He was dressed in a relatively simple manner, wearing a blue robe and cloth shoes. His eyes sparkled, and from time to time, his eyes as sharp as knives were inadvertently revealed, making people dare not meet his gaze.

The elder sitting in the east wing room is Lord Shi, the head of the Shi family's mansion, known as a talented man. He is the richest man in Tianjin and a well-known figure in the area. Even the governor of Tianjin called him "Yingye".

Opposite him is his younger brother Shi Zeyu, whose font size is true. He held the highest positions in the army, such as the governor and the secretary of the military department, and was considered the first person in the Guiliang battalion. He provided invaluable advice to Gui Liang and contributed immensely to his successful career. Gui Liang also recommended a well-paid position to Shi Zeyu, but he refused, which made him deeply grateful and respected by Gui Liang. Gui Liang often referred to him as "Mr. Zhengzhen" and even compared him to the ancient military strategist Kong Ming.

These two people are comparable to the mountains and the sea, looking down on everything. If they gather in the study to discuss things, it is undoubtedly an extremely complicated and troublesome matter. Gu Yongyuan, the second son of the family, broke into Tianjin and did not hesitate to smash the Shi family with a symbolic iron rod.

"Pay the money!" Shi Zhengzhen's eyes were half-closed, and he said slowly word by word.

"But......" Ying Ye was a little distressed. More than 30 people were captured, and 6,000 taels of silver. That's a considerable amount of money. Moreover, succumbing to pressure and releasing them will frustrate their carefully prepared plans for a new home.

"Hardship and profit, King Yong's younger brother, what's wrong with giving him a little sweetness?" Shi Zhengzhen's eyes flickered, revealing a sinister meaning.

Ying Ye sighed and nodded slowly, "Okay, just follow your way." Mingyuan, are you sure that the person who came here is Prince Zheng's younger brother? Isn't it forbidden for members of the royal family to leave Beijing? ”

"There are always troublemakers among the masses." Shi Zhengzhen chuckled, picked up the teacup, and seemed to be lost in thought.

Ying Ye frowned slightly, and said, "Is there any way to ask the governor to deal with him?" The emperor is wise, can't he stop him? ”

Shi Zhengzhen shook his head slowly and said with a smile: "I have my own way to deal with him!" I will guarantee that he will lose the favor of the emperor for some reason, so why bother the governor? ”

Ying Ye was greatly relieved. Naturally, he understood the meaning of what he said. This silly boy from Beijing may have a hard time in the future.

...

In the reception room of the east wing of the Zhao family's mansion, Gu Yongyuan drank tea and leisurely flipped through the letters in his hands. At the same time, Mo Ba stood beside him, counting the silver tickets sent by the Shi family.

Second Brother Zhao is now playing the role of a servant. As soon as he went to the courtyard to serve tea to the VIPs, he hurried back to the reception room to take care of Gu Yongyuan.

Gu Yongyuan looked at the letter and could only sneer. Before coming to Tianjin, he naturally collected enough information about the Shi family. He knew more about Shi Zhengzhen, who wrote the letter, than Shi Zhengzhen knew about him.

Even if it's a second generation of nobles, you shouldn't easily offend others, right?

Shi Zhengzhen's letter called him "Wang Ye" at the beginning. This was followed by a lengthy and sincere apology expressing his intention to accept criticism, but not due to Koo's prestige and inability to make reckless decisions. The second half of the letter is full of exhortations, urging the "prince" to cultivate morality and inner virtue. The words are eloquent, almost touching, and it seems that he genuinely cares about the "prince".

It's a pity that Gu Yongyuan is definitely not a fool. Although he is not a hooligan, his wit and intelligence are far beyond Mr. Masajin's imagination. Looking at the letter, Gu Yongyuan's face was still cold. The sincerity in your words is undeniable, but can you really fool me? Your words sound sincere, but if someone extorts a huge amount of money from your family, can you still be so calm? If you really want to please me, why do you only give me six thousand taels of silver? Your fame is on the rise, but maybe you don't know how many people are trying to woo this second-generation nobleman. Haven't I come across all sorts of tactics? However, none of them relied solely on sweet words. Whether you mean it or not, it seems that your understanding of me is still very far away.

Putting the letter aside, Gu Yongyuan glanced at Second Brother Zhao, who was smirking at him. He said to Mo Ba again: "Give Second Brother Zhao a thousand taels of silver, and divide the rest among the others, they have worked hard this time." ”

Second Brother Zhao was stunned for a moment, quickly knelt down, and said, "Thank you for the reward." ”

Gu Yongyuan waved his hand and said, "This is not just your business, you can show it to the old lady and let her decide for herself." ”

"Yes, yes!" Second Brother Zhao thought about it, hit his head twice on the green brick floor, and gritted his teeth secretly in pain.

"Young Master, are you from the Prince's Mansion?" Second Brother Zhao was in and out of the room serving the strong man, and when he heard some whispered discussions about the arrest of the Shi family, he asked.

Gu Yongyuan smiled and nodded.

"Ah, so you, you know ......" Second Brother Zhao naturally wanted to ask Gu Yongyuan if he knew his sister. Gu Yongyuan waved his hand and said, "You'll know when the time comes!" ”

"Yes, yes, yes." Second Brother Zhao agreed again and again.

At this time, Mo Ba came to Gu Yongyuan's side and whispered: "Old man, I'm afraid I can't accept giving away so much money at once." ”

Gu Yongyuan smiled, looked at him seriously, and said, "You just accept it, everyone has worked hard this year, so it can be regarded as an advance payment for your own efforts." ”

"Yes, yes, it is a great blessing for the slave to be grateful to her master for his thoughtfulness."

Gu Yongyuan was used to Mo Ba's flattery, so he just smiled and didn't take it seriously.

...

Danxin Garden is the princess's dormitory, brightly lit, colorful, luxurious and rich.

The prince and the princess both looked at Miao Qing with a smile. Miao Qing's dignified and virtuous demeanor made them very satisfied. Seeing Rong'er, the princess couldn't help but think of her youth, and the love in her eyes was beyond words. When he arrived at the prince's mansion, only Gu Yongyuan could enjoy such treatment. Now, in addition to him, there is also Miao Qing.

However, the princess never expected that the talented and virtuous Miaoqing was gradually being led away from the original path by Gu Yongyuan. She also doesn't know that her beloved child's only mischievous idea of the bride is to turn her into a naughty child.

"In two days, you're going to move to Mochizuki-do, right?" The princess asked kindly.

"Yes, mother." Miao Qing sat as straight as a plank and replied in a childish voice. She was afraid of angering the prince and princess.

Gu Yongyuan and Miaoqing have been married for almost a month. According to Manchu customs, Miaoqing should go back to her parents' house for the "closed moon".

The prince seemed to be absent-minded, absent-minded. Seeing this, Gu Yongyuan was a little curious in his heart, and asked, "Father, you came back from the palace yesterday and had a lot of worries, did something difficult happen?" ”

The prince smiled bitterly: "It seems that nothing can escape your attention, well, sooner or later you will know." Yesterday, Gui Liang recommended you to the emperor and proposed that you go to Guangzhou to deal with foreign affairs. ”

Gu Yongyuan was taken aback. Gui Liang, the governor of Zhili, why did he suddenly think of me?

Gu Yongyuan knew that due to the delay in foreign businessmen entering Guangzhou, and the repeated unsuccessful requests to the imperial court by Zhu Feiang, the governor of Liangguang, Britain, France and other Western countries had begun to pay attention to this matter. Shanghai and negotiated with the Governor of Liangjiang. Rumor has it that they intend to send large warships directly to Beijing. The imperial court was also prepared for this and sent Gui Liang, the governor of Zhili, to deal with these foreign-related affairs.

It is likely that foreign gunboats will be anchored in Zigu (Tianjin), and Gui Liang estimates that he will soon go there to prepare.

Gu Yongyuan suddenly thought that a few days ago in Tianjin, Shi Zhengzhen was also present. Probably has something to do with it, right?

The prince sighed again and said, "The emperor seems to be very interested, and yesterday he asked me that he is considering appointing you as one of the five ministers in charge of foreign trade affairs. ”

Gu Yongyuan nodded slightly.

At present, the Qing Dynasty did not have a dedicated diplomatic department. The Governor of Liangguang is also the Minister of Foreign Trade, mainly responsible for foreign affairs with other countries. This meant that the Qing Dynasty's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was based in Guangzhou, and the foreign minister was none other than Zhu Feiang, the governor of Liangguang, who was known for his strange behavior towards Western countries.

In fact, when the British and French troops entered Guangdong, they asked Zhu Feiang to negotiate within ten days. As before, Zhu Feiang completely ignored them, neither organized resistance nor surrendered. Later, when the British and French forces approached the city gate of Guangzhou, they gave Zhu Feiang an ultimatum of surrender within 48 hours. Zhu Feiang didn't react again. He did not resist, did not negotiate, and did not run away. Eventually, the Anglo-French forces conquered Canton and captured him.

He was ridiculed as the "six nos": "No fighting, no discussion, no defense, no death, no surrender, no flight." The scale of loyal ministers and the ambition of border monarchs are unique in history and rare today. ”

Gu Yongyuan felt that it was a very unusual experience to be able to work with such a peculiar official and perform his duties under him.

Just as he was thinking about it, a bolt of lightning crossed Gu Yongyuan's mind. Gui Liang, the governor of Zhili, recommended me? Needless to say, this must have been Shi Zhengzhen's idea.

What a cunning move! Shi Zhengzhen's insight is very accurate. At present, dealing with foreign affairs is the most difficult thing to do. After the First Opium War, almost all officials who dealt with Westerners and signed treaties were eventually dismissed. However, many officials were held accountable years later, some accused of crimes unrelated to diplomacy, and the root of the problem was a treaty they had signed under Emperor Daoguang. Although Emperor Xianfeng did not like these treaties, it was a matter of Emperor Daoguang's time. They can't openly ask old questions. Therefore, Emperor Xianfeng had to find another reason to deal with these officials. This is clearly recorded in the historical books of later generations, and it is clearly revealed. However, in this day and age, it is impressive to have such a deep understanding of these issues and to know that diplomacy is a one-way street. Shi Zhengzhen's insight is indeed keen.

However, Gu Yongyuan felt a little funny. Shi Zhengzhen thought that he was digging a grave for him, but he didn't know that he had been deeply troubled these days and worried about how to leave the capital. And Shi Zhengzhen's poisonous plan gave him a lot of help. Gu Yongyuan felt that he should give a valuable gift to show his gratitude.

Gu Yongyuan also had a trace of helplessness and innocence in his heart. Why is his luck always so good?

If Shi Zhengzhen knew Gu Yongyuan's thoughts at this time, he might be so angry that he vomited blood.