Chapter 64 Reunion

  Tan Yanxin clasped his hands and said: "The middle hall is a great man, with a broad mind that others can't match, and it's admirable. However, after this time, Weng Tonghe may not have the opportunity to stay in the officialdom either. It's just that Changshu has many students under the imperial teacher, and if this continues, it will ultimately be unfavorable to the middle hall. Therefore, I hope that the middle hall can speak a few words for Weng Tonghe at critical times, so as not to make Weng Tonghe's old age too desolate. This can also make his students not too difficult for the middle hall."

  Weng Tonghe is also a celebrity in history, although he is a bit unsavory, but after all, he is a positive figure. Tan Yankai did not want to see Weng Tonghe being pursued and beaten by Li Hongzhang after his downfall, but instead wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate the rift between them - if anything, it's because Old Weng was originally a scholar who got mixed up in the treacherous officialdom, although he didn't get a good result, but being able to exit calmly and keep his life safe is not a bad outcome.

  Tan Yanqing saw Li Hongzhang agree to his request, and was about to leave. Just as he reached the door, he heard Li Hongzhang say: "Wait a minute!"

  "The old man has already instructed Wu Shan to buy a house for you near the Governor's Office. It's not convenient to always live at Ji Meng's place, it's better to move here and be close. Your father-in-law has sent a telegram, your wife is about to come north to look for her husband..." Li Hongzhang said with a smile.

  "Master Zhong, please don't tease me, I'm busy with many things at the moment, where do I have time to care about personal relationships between men and women?" Tan Yanqin said with a red face. He hadn't expected his wife to actually come to Tianjin, this was really hard to get rid of now. It was probably the old man's idea, afraid that he would cause trouble if he stayed outside for too long.

  "It's also my fault, Guan has just gotten married and had to come out to take care of things, and after entering the government office, he can't return home in a timely manner... I've already spoken with Wu Shan, our Beiyang will not treat you unfairly, this afternoon you should go with Wu Shan to the mansion to take a look, if there's anything lacking, fill it up as soon as possible. I heard from Ji Meng that next year Guan is going to take the imperial examination, having a stable place to study is also a good thing, although the affairs of the general office are busy, we can't delay Guan's future..."

  "Prime Minister is being serious, to be honest, I should thank Prime Minister instead. Being able to serve the country isn't always available at any time. My father often says: 'Young people can only grow up quickly by participating in major events more.' I also deeply feel this way, and being able to assist under Prime Minister's command is a rare opportunity for me!"

  After bidding farewell to Li Hongzhang, Tang Shaoyi returned to his own office to handle some documents. There were not many tasks at hand, and Li Jingfang was above him to take charge. Although it was not explicitly stated, he still quickly found his position in the Beiyang system - assisting Li Jingfang in secretly seeking mediation from various countries' envoys to China to explore the possibility of ending the war. Of course, the Beiyang government had already set its main tone, leaning towards Russia to test Britain's attitude.

  Perhaps it was Tan Yanqing who gave Li Jingfang the opportunity to show off his abilities, so he had a very good attitude towards Tan Yanqing. Although the work has not started yet, he is still idle. However, Tan Yanqing is not a person who can stay idle, apart from dealing with Li Jingfang, he is also willing to move around in the Beiyang government office, and Yu Shimu also assigned him some tasks to handle documents. These things are what Tan Yanqing often did under his father's command, handling each task neatly and earning Yu Shimu's appreciation.

  After obtaining Li Hongzhang's consent, Tang Yanqi concocted an "exclusive interview" and planned to publish it in the Strong Learning Digest in a few days to create momentum for Li Hongzhang. This was Tang Yanqi's idea - to use newspapers and other media tools to showcase Li Hongzhang's attitude towards the Sino-Japanese War, taking a high-profile stance to advocate for a tough stance against Japan, thereby changing Li Hongzhang's image as a "traitor" who had avoided war and sought peace for decades.

  Weng Tonghe was not aware of these "showy" tactics, which would allow Li Hongzhang to occupy the moral high ground and continue to fight against Weng. Moreover, there was another trap waiting for Weng - a petition drafted by Zhou Fu that would soon be presented to the imperial court in Beijing. This was a hot potato handed to Weng, forcing him to raise funds for the Beiyang Fleet everywhere. If Weng did not take the bait, it would be published in various newspapers, and given Weng's character of being a "straight minister" who loved to save face, he would even risk his life to raise funds for the continued military procurement of the Beiyang Fleet.

  Just as Weng Tonghe, who had just entered the military aircraft department and was called the Minister of Military Aircraft, had not yet warmed up his buttocks, his troubles came quickly. This was not Li Hongzhang coming to pressure him, that memorial was still unfinished in Zhou Fu's hands. As the saying goes, "Evil people have evil people to grind", Weng Tonghe's biggest headache was not Li Hongzhang or Zhang Zhidong, but rather the Imperial Household Department, which saw Weng Tonghe as a fat piece of meat in their eyes, unlike Yan Jingming who had previously held the position of Minister of Revenue.

  Yan Jingming was not only arrogant and stubborn, but also had a long history of service and a strong network of connections within the Xiang Army. As a result, the Imperial Household Department found it impossible to deal with him, and couldn't even get him to hand over half a tael of silver. Although Empress Dowager Cixi was infuriated by Yan Jingming's obstruction of her grand birthday celebrations, she also had to admit that his seniority made him a formidable opponent. In the end, she was forced to remove him from the Ministry of Revenue, replacing him with Weng Tonghe, who had good relations with high-ranking Manchu officials. Yan Jingming had carefully managed the Ministry of Revenue and accumulated 8 million taels of silver during his tenure. When he left, he repeatedly warned Weng Tonghe to be careful with the funds and use them only for necessary purposes. Initially, Weng Tonghe maintained a resistant attitude towards the Imperial Household Department, but later, considering the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, he followed in the footsteps of Prince Gong and compromised with the Imperial Household Department. Over time, this led to the Ministry of Revenue becoming a mere cash machine for the Imperial Household Department, a situation that has continued to this day.

  What is the Imperial Household Department? Since Tan Yankai entered Beijing on the first day, he saw the bustling scene in front of the Imperial Household Department gate and roughly understood - it is said that the Qing dynasty's government offices are places where silver is swallowed, and this Imperial Household Department is ranked first among them. The Imperial Household Department is in charge of internal court affairs, and all matters such as eating, dressing, building, and celebrating weddings and funerals within the palace are under its control. With Empress Dowager Cixi's birthday celebrations, the Imperial Household Department was known as the largest corrupt government office in the late Qing dynasty, with corruption, embezzlement, extortion, and all sorts of shameful acts being committed without fear. Under the protection of the old Buddha's red umbrella, even if someone suffered a loss at the hands of the Imperial Household Department, no one dared to speak out, and the department became even more arrogant and lawless.

  The Imperial Household Department has many ways to make money, but the most quick and profitable one is construction. Therefore, they love to hear about the imperial family's large-scale construction projects, which will make their purses much fatter. The Navy Ministry was established nine years ago, and in order to promote the formation of the Beiyang Fleet, each province assisted with naval affairs with 4 million taels of silver per year. Over the past nine years, even if this amount did not increase, there should be at least over 35 million taels of silver. However, after the Beiyang Fleet was formed, not a single new warship has been added. Where did these tens of millions of taels of silver go?

  Yesterday, the Imperial Household Department sent someone to request that Jiangning Weaving and Dyeing Bureau Director take care of the ceremonial guard's spring court attire expenses of 130,000 taels. As soon as Old Comrade expressed "the expenditure is too extravagant", the masters from the Imperial Household Department used "imperially designated items" to coerce, insisting on taking it away immediately.

  Li Hongzhang beheaded an official from the Imperial Household Department with a single swing of his sword, not only did he get away with it but also received praise from Empress Dowager Cixi. Weng Tonghe didn't have such skills. Although he was furious in his heart, he still delivered 130,000 taels of silver to the Imperial Household Department - the celebration of the Emperor's birthday was a matter of sentiment between mother and son, ruler and subject. Weng Tonghe did not want to displease Empress Dowager Cixi with this matter, everyone knew that he was the teacher of Emperor Guangxu, his every move was linked to the emperor's attitude, if he opposed the celebration, it would be equivalent to the emperor opposing the celebration, which made Weng Tonghe hesitant.

  Weng Tonghe has his own troubles, and now Tan Yanqing's days as a cassowary in the Zhili Governor's yamen are also coming to an end - today he will welcome his wife Fang Congqian at the dock. At first, Tan Yanqing left home for the north on the second day after getting married, mostly to escape this marriage, but within just one day, Fang Congqian's behavior and demeanor had already left a deep impression on him as a husband. Originally, he thought he would return to Guangzhou in a month or two, but unexpectedly, the First Sino-Japanese War started so soon, and he ended up entering Li Hongzhang's staff. If nothing unexpected happens, at least before next year's imperial examination, he will not be able to return to Guangzhou.

  Tan Zhonglin indeed instructed Fang Wengui to go north to "find her husband". He couldn't bear the thought of his most beloved son leaving home on the second day after marriage. Even if he failed the exam, it would take at least a year and a half. What kind of marriage would that be? How could he explain it to his old friend Fang Ruyu? He might face criticism from the Fang family, and the relationship between the two families might deteriorate. Tan Zhonglin couldn't take such a risk, so he sent someone to escort Fang Wengui all the way to Tianjin. Afraid of scaring away his son, he directly asked Li Hongzhang to take care of him instead.

  As the passenger ship slowly approached the dock, Tan Yanqin, standing at the edge of the dock, had a rather complicated mood. For this "heaven-sent" wife of his, he was still quite conflicted in his heart - having such a beautiful woman as his own wife would be considered a blessing in later generations, but unfortunately, the two people had no emotional foundation to begin with, which couldn't help but make him feel regretful. At the same time, there was another obstacle in his mind - Fang Rongying was really too young, only seventeen years old this year, which made him feel a bit strange, however, he himself wasn't yet "nineteen" either, and the strange feeling in his heart made him even more peculiar.

  No matter what, the arrival will still come. After the passenger ship docked, after waiting for almost all the passengers to disembark, ten governor's guards wearing military uniforms designed by Tang Yanqi walked down the gangway, carrying 93-style rifles on their shoulders. Behind them were two maids surrounding a beauty as white as snow - this was Fang Runkui. Behind Fang Runkui, Tang Yanqi also saw an old acquaintance, who turned out to be Zhao Hengjun, whom he had not seen since Changsha. There were also ten governor's guards behind him.

  This group of people was very eye-catching, and the twenty spirited guards were already enough to attract attention. There was also a beautiful girl who could be seen at a glance as the young lady or madam of an official family on an outing. This kind of grandeur was rarely seen in this era. However, Fang Rong's Western-style dress attracted Tan Yanqing's full attention, and it was the first time he had seen such a formal female Western-style dress. The white traditional 19th-century Western lady's attire made Tan Yanqing feel as if his spirit was dazed.

  "If this outfit were to be worn on the streets in later generations, it would definitely cause a traffic jam, and a 300% head-turning rate would not be a problem!" Tan Yanqin thought to himself with a wry smile. Just then, he also saw a blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreign woman in her thirties or forties following behind Fang Congqian's group.

  But what surprised Tan Yanqing even more was yet to come. Fang Yuzhen walked up to Tan Yanqing, who was still in a daze, and asked him in English, "How have you been these days?"

  Tan Yankai was taken aback and didn't react for a moment, his mechanical instincts responding in English: "Not bad, ma'am!" Then he thought about it and realized something was off: "How do you know English?!"

  With a faint smile on her lovely face, she said, "A few days ago, Yu Sheng went to Hong Kong to receive a batch of goods from Europe. Grandfather entrusted him to find a reliable British female teacher, and that's how we got Mrs. Catherine. She's the one who taught me English, I'm not very familiar with it yet since I just started learning, but I'll get better later..."

  "How did the old man suddenly think of inviting a British teacher for you?" Tan Yanqin asked with puzzlement in her heart, without realizing that she was being extremely rude by addressing Tan Zhonglin as "old man".

  "After hearing this, Fang Ercun slightly furrowed her brow, but she was also amused by Tan Yankai's words and said: 'In Guangzhou, many famous families hire private foreign tutors. Your father is worried that after you leave, I will feel suffocated, so he has asked Yu Sheng to arrange for a tutor... He also said that you are proficient in foreign languages, and in the future, when dealing with foreigners, it would be helpful if I could learn some English and Western etiquette from a good British teacher, so that I can assist you in some way.'"

  Tan Yanqian was heartened by this, but Tan Zhonglin's actions were really beyond his expectations. After all, the Tan family had always followed Chinese traditional etiquette and rules to manage their household. The old man's willingness to hire an English teacher for Fang Ruhao was a significant concession, and the benefits of doing so were obvious.

  Tan Yanqing greeted Fang Keqin's private tutor in English, and Mrs. Catherine also responded with great courtesy. Although he understood foreign languages, he was completely ignorant of etiquette, and the social etiquette now is completely different from that of a hundred years ago. His set of things has become too "outdated".

  No matter what, people have accepted it, although some of them are unexpected to Tan Yanqin. However, in this era, Fang Rongqing is also considered "progressive". This kind of openness in thinking is exactly what Tan Yanqin would like to see. The girls of the younger generation have open minds, but they have lost the classical charm. They all regard "wildness" as the idol of femininity, which makes him wonder if he is too conservative or if this era is too open-minded. In Fang Rongqing, he saw that kind of classical beauty, and she didn't lose her liveliness as a girl. However, just having these qualities is not enough. The biggest problem between the two people is not the age difference, but the difference in thinking. Fang Rongqing's transformation is exactly what he expected.

  This time, the old man was not at ease letting Fang Congqian walk such a long distance alone. In one breath, he dispatched twenty fully armed guards from the Governor's Mansion. If it weren't for the governor's identity and prior arrangements with Li Hongzhang, this group of people wouldn't have been able to board the ship. It must be said that Li Hongzhang was quite skilled at winning people over - when Fang Congqian was in Guangzhou, Li Hongzhang had already contacted the boss of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, Sheng Xuanhuai, and asked him to personally arrange Fang's itinerary. Sheng immediately arranged for a VIP cabin, not just for Fang alone, but for all twenty-plus people in his entourage, which was quite a face-saving gesture.

  "Master Zhao, it's been a long time. How have you been lately?" Tan Yanqin shifted his gaze from the stunning Fang Rong to the person standing beside him, Zhao Hengjun. He had wanted to "win over" this martial arts master for a long time, and he was surprised to see him standing next to Fang Rong.

  "This is a bodyguard my father hired for me. He wasn't at ease with me traveling so far, so he asked Uncle Zhao to be my escort."

  "Can it be like this?!" Tan Yanqian thought with some depression in his heart. He had made an effort to keep Zhao Hengjun, but in the end he couldn't keep him. He didn't expect that his father-in-law would have such great ability and easily recruit someone as talented as Zhao Hengjun. Thinking of his father-in-law's appearance, Tan Yanqian couldn't help but exclaim: "You can't judge a person by their looks!"

  "Good sir Tan!" Zhao Hengjun stepped forward and clasped his fists in greeting.

  Tan Yanqin also shook his head in dismay and smiled at Zhao Hengjun, saying: "It's really hard work for Master Zhao!"

  However, thinking about it, since Zhao Hengjun has been "recruited" by Fang Xiuqing, there is no difference between him and being incorporated into his own account. As long as this person is still within his line of sight, there will always be a day when he can be persuaded by himself. Thinking of Zhao Hengjun, Tan Yanqing also thought about whether he should find a few more talents in various aspects.