Chapter 3 Arriving in the Capital (Part 1)

  Zhongnanhai, the temporary Presidential Palace signing room, Yuan Shikai finished a document and casually placed it on his left side. Xia Shoutian, who had been waiting nearby in the Presidential Palace, helped put it into a prepared large red envelope.

  "Where has Yuan Shikai gone?" muttered Yuan Shikai, who was reading and annotating documents.

  "Reply to the President, Mr. Tuan has crossed the Yangtze River, and the telegraph office explained that he will arrive in Beijing at noon tomorrow." Xia Shoutian, who was already prepared, hastily took out a telegram and handed it over.

  Yuan Shikai glanced at the telegram and nodded: "Gengzi, since you've come to Beijing, everything must be arranged properly. Not even the attendants can be careless."

  "Please rest assured, Mr. President, I have made all the arrangements." Xia Shoutian highlighted some key points and made a detailed report on the specific arrangements for welcoming Song Jiaoren at the train station tomorrow noon.

  "Uh, I'm at ease with you handling things." Picking up the tea on the table and taking a sip, Yuan Shikai seemed very satisfied with Xia Shoutian's arrangements. However, he still carefully instructed: "The Huang Keqiang incident absolutely cannot happen again. Whether it's the train station or other places, Song Dunru's safety must be guaranteed."

  "Yes, Mr. President!"

  "Besides...". Yuan Shikai tapped his finger on the edge of the table: "Get someone to keep a close eye on Hong Shuzi, don't be careless for a moment."

  Xia Shoutao laughed and said, "Don't worry, Mr. President, I just received news from Qingdao that Hong Shuzhu is now hiding in the German concession, too afraid to show his face. You know, those party members in the south are so angry with him that they want to skin him alive, eat his flesh, and drink his blood."

  "We can't be careless!" Yuan Shikai slammed his teacup on the table, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes: "Not just Hong Shuzi, but also those who fear that the world is not chaotic enough, I will keep an eye on them one by one. Hmph! Now there are people who are trying every means to put the blame on me, haven't you seen someone from the south who has been jumping around these days, eager to get rid of me?"

  "A group of jumping clowns, after all. As the saying goes, 'the clear will be clear, and the turbid will be turbid.' The President doesn't need to get angry over these petty people. Since Mr. Tun has still gone north, it shows that Mr. Tun is still a sensible person. In this world, there are foolish people, but there are even more sensible ones." Xia Shoutian hastily comforted, quickly helping to clean up the white paper on the table that had been splashed with tea water.

  "Foolish people? Enlightened people? Hmm, I'm afraid some of them are enlightened people pretending to be foolish... Yuan Shikai was indeed a gentleman, but often gentlemen...". He stopped halfway and sighed, waving his hand: "Don't bother collecting it, go get me the list of personnel who came with Yuan Shikai this time."

  Yuan Shikai took the list from Xia Shoutian and examined it carefully with a magnifying glass, looking at each name of the entourage. He was familiar with most of these people, and some he had heard of but never met. However, when he saw that one of them was named Fang Zida, he was taken aback for a moment, unable to recall who this person was. But soon he put this matter aside.

  Song Jiaoren ultimately failed to persuade Sun Yat-sen, and the two men engaged in a heated debate for several days over whether to use armed force again. The KMT and former Tongmenghui members also quarreled endlessly over this issue, with some almost coming to blows. In the end, the two sides parted ways without reconciliation. Song Jiaoren packed his bags and continued north as planned, while Sun Yat-sen stormed off to Japan to start anew. A few days later, in Tokyo, he announced the establishment of the "Chinese Revolutionary Party" with himself as its leader, determined to continue the revolution to the end.

  Due to Huang Xing's assassination, Sun Yat-sen fled, and Song Jiaoren's entourage for this trip to the north also underwent some changes. Apart from Wu Chonghua, Liao Zhongkai, Yu Youren and others who were originally scheduled to go, Tang Shaoyi, the former Premier of the Interior, was also invited to Beijing while in Shanghai. As for Fang Zidao, before departure, at Song Jiaoren's invitation, with Liao Zhongkai as a recommender, he was personally approved by Song Jiaoren to join the party and appeared on the list as a private assistant.

  The train arrived in Beijing at 12:10 sharp, and as I followed the crowd out of the compartment, I saw that a red carpet had been laid on the platform. The military band began to play "March of the Volunteers", and among the people who came to greet us, the leader was none other than the current interim President Yuan Shikai.

  "Finally, finally! I've been waiting for the stars and moon to bring you here!" As soon as the words fell, Yuan Shikai warmly welcomed him forward, tightly grasping Song Jiaoren's hands that had just stepped off the train, gently shaking them.

  "Teach Ren what virtue and ability are? It's a great honor for the President to come in person, I'm really not worthy of it."

  "You deserve it, you deserve it! You, Song Duan, truly deserve it!" Yuan Shikai beamed with joy, holding Song Jiaoren's hand and asking about his well-being with great warmth. And behind him, Premier Zhao Bingjun also looked extremely pleased.

  "At the beginning of the escape to the north, the President himself came out on horseback, the Premier also came, two of the three heroes of Beiyang arrived, and the cabinet was almost complete. President Yuan is really good at using his mind!" A few steps away, Tang Shaoyi, who had just gotten off the carriage, scanned the crowd with a smile and muttered to himself.

  Following Fang Zidao, who got off the bus, was greatly surprised after hearing this. His eyes looked towards Song Jiaoren, and Yuan Shikai, of course, recognized him - Yuan Datou, after all, no Chinese in later generations did not know him. Standing next to him was probably Premier Zhao Bingjun, who was laughing and talking with Song Jiaoren. As for the others, he couldn't figure out who was who. However, upon closer inspection, there was a person in the crowd who looked exactly like the famous crosstalk actor Feng Gong. It should be one of the three heroes of Beiyang, Feng Guozhang.

  Song, Yuan, and Zhao were chatting and laughing when the crowd arrived. As they greeted each other, most of them weren't old friends but had some acquaintance with one another. They exchanged pleasantries and asked about each other's well-being, their laughter rising and falling in waves. Fang Zidao, however, didn't know anyone, but he didn't idle around either. He followed the crowd, wandering aimlessly among the people, wearing a smile on his face to blend in with the others for now.

  Song Jiaoren and others moved into the place arranged by Yuan Shikai, ordinary staff had some who already had a residence in Beijing, those without a residence were invited away by relatives and friends who came to greet them. As for Fang Zidao, he didn't receive such good treatment, but he was well-prepared, after the main characters left one after another, he took a rickshaw found by the station staff and went straight to Dongjiaomin Lane.

  Liuguo Restaurant, also known as Huafeng Hotel later on. Fang Zhimin had stayed here once before, but the feeling was completely different from now. The Huafeng Hotel a hundred years later is just a slightly famous three-star hotel, while the current Liuguo Restaurant is the tallest building in Beijing, with the most luxurious decorations and the greatest reputation. Countless foreign envoys, officials, nobles, and upper-class people stay, dine, and entertain here.

  Fang Zida, dressed in a well-tailored suit, got out of the rickshaw, and was helped by an attentive porter with his luggage. After completing the check-in formalities, he walked into the suite, very satisfied with the service, Fang Zida pulled out a tip and handed it to the attendant.

  "Thank you, sir. Does the gentleman need any other service?" The young waiter's eyes lit up instantly in front of him, and the one-pound note folded into a small piece in his hand made him overjoyed. Such a generous customer, even if he had been working at the Six Nations Restaurant for several years, he hadn't met many.

  "Are you from Beijing?" Listening to the other's awkward English, Fang Zida furrowed his brow and asked in Chinese.

  "Yes, yes, my surname is Zhou, Zhou Yuanliang. From my ancestors to me, we have always been from the 49 City. You can call me Zhou Saner, sir." Zhou Saner replied with a smile, having served as an attendant for so long, he had learned to observe and listen carefully. Since Fang Zidao was willing to give him such a generous tip, there must be something that needed his help.