Yesterday at noon, I received five boxes of newspapers, books and photos sent back by the Xin'an Semi-Colon and the Shanghai Semi-Colon through the ticket number.

Wang Naizeng and Qingxian summoned the translators of each room and continued until the third day of the day. They did not come back to rest until they translated all the foreign newspapers and read them. They planned to sleep for a while, but they were awakened by the crackling sound of firecrackers outside.

"Sihuai, what day is this? Why are you firing fire again outside?" Wang Naizeng got up and walked out to yawn and asked.

Yang Sihuai, the second son of Yang Qinghe, the shopkeeper on the open, hurriedly put down his broom and went to wash and prepare to serve Wang Naizeng to wash. He smiled and said, "Sir, the results of the palace examination will be released today. The guild halls outside are very lively. Even the shopkeeper Wen of the Chongqing guild sent someone to invite Yuan Shiwei early in the morning, Uncle Yu and Xiaoshandong to have a drink at night."

More than 20 days ago, Su Jueming sent back a news from Shanghai that Ren Yuer was visiting the British Consulate, saying that the war between Britain and France was similar to Russia, and the warring sides were preparing to negotiate peace, which was definitely not good news for the court. Therefore, Wang Naizeng was so busy these days that he only knew that Zhang Zhidong had failed and had no time to ask about other matters.

After Yang Sihuai said this, Wang Naizeng subconsciously asked: "Is the palace examination released?"

"There has been a release. I heard from people outside that the emperor personally ruled the list of the Supreme Hall of Supreme Harmony, and ordered Weng Xincun Weng Tonghe as the top scholar, Sun Yuwen from Jeju, Shandong as the second prize, Hong Changyan from Chaling, Hunan as the second prize, Weng Tonghe, Sun Yuwen and Hong Changyan as the first prize, the third prize, the second prize, Zhong Baohua and other Jinshi, and one hundred and thirteen from the third prize, Sun Yan and other Jinshi!"

Thinking that Weng Xincun is now a co-organizer of the Grand Secretary, Minister of Personnel, and Weng Tongshu, the eldest son of the Weng family, is helping with military affairs in Jiangbei, Wang Naiteng couldn't help but sigh: "The father and son have three Jinshi, and there is also a top scholar. The Weng family will definitely be crowded with people at this moment."

"This is natural. I guess I can't even stop the car at his doorstep."

"How many prefectures and counties in Chongqing Prefecture won?"

Before Yang Sihuai could speak, he heard the movement and came in from outside with hot water and said with a smile: "Mr. Wang, our Chongqing Prefecture won a name this time, Mr. Shao Hanshao from Yongchuan, who was awarded the title of Jinshi with one hundred and twelve titles from the three-level 112 people!"

"Last time I went to your mansion, I saw that there were many candidates who came to take the exam this time, so why did I win one?" Wang Naizeng asked in a low voice.

"It's not easy to win one. At that time, I heard from Mr. Ao that the literary style is the most popular, and the most Jinshi Hanlin masters are the most popular, Chengdu, Neijiang, Nanchong, Luzhou, Yibin, Suining, Langzhong, and Ba County, Changshou, Jiangjin and other counties in Chongqing Prefecture did not do well this time. So many juren came to take the exam and all failed, and none of them were Chinese."

"Well, luck exams are also very important."

Thinking of going to the guild hall to have a drink in the evening, Yu Youfu said happily: "But I heard that Director Zhang of the Provincial Pavilion, our Sichuan exam is pretty good this year. Mr. Xu Changxu from Fengdu County was awarded the title of Jinshi as the fourth place in the second place. It is very difficult to get the ranking. Mr. Tan Nenggaotan from Shifang County, although he only took the exam of the third place in the first place in the third place, he was the first Jinshi in Shifang. He had never been a Jinshi before!"

"Is that true?" Seeing Zhang Xi walking in from outside in a dirt, Wang Naizeng realized that it was inappropriate to say these things, and asked calmly: "Zhang Xi, where is your young master?"

"Report to Mr. Wang, my young master went to the provincial museum to say goodbye to his friends. He plans to... he plans to set off tomorrow and the next day to go back to his hometown, and then go back to Guizhou." Seeing that Wang Naiteng was thinking, Zhang Xi hurriedly said, "There are so many people in the provincial museum, and the young man doesn't even have a place to stand, so he told the young master that he will come back first and pack his luggage first."

"Is your young master okay?" Wang Naizeng stared at him and asked.

"It's okay, my young master said that I didn't pass the exam this time, and I will take the exam next time."

"It's fine," Wang Naizeng smiled slightly, then changed his subject: "Zhang Xi, you don't have to clean your luggage. When your young master comes back, he will say I have something to ask him for."

"How can I go back if I don't pack my luggage?" Zhang Xi asked in confusion.

"Even if you go back, you won't be in a hurry for one or two days, and you won't be able to tell you clearly. I'll have something to do later... Otherwise, Sihuai, you're here to wait for Young Master Zhang to come back and ask Young Master Zhang to go to the bookstore."

Yang Sihuai realized that Mr. Wang was planning to let Zhang Zhidong enter the Houyi Hall, and might even help Zhang Zhidong with an errand, so he hurriedly said, "Abide by the order!"

The more Zhang Xi listened, the more confused he became. He thought about which bookstore to go to and wanted to talk about the bookstore. There were many bookstores outside, but he didn't dare to ask, so he could only listen to Wang Naiteng honestly.

...

Zhang Zhidong was very disappointed after losing his reputation.

However, thinking that I was still young, even though I failed this time, I could still take the exam in three years. I was not as depressed as before. I smiled and congratulated my fellow villagers who had won the exam. I talked to the fellow villagers who had passed the exam and had not finished the exam. After the wine, I finished the fare one by one. I didn’t return to this deep courtyard in Zhiqiao Hutong until the sun was about to set.

Yu Youfu and Xiaoshandong went to Chongqing Guild Hall for a drink. Yang Sihuai was willing to be a gatekeeper. Seeing Zhang Xi also sitting in the gatekeeper waiting, Zhang Zhidong couldn't help but ask, "Sihuai, is your master in the room?"

Yang Sihuai hurriedly stood up and said, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang is waiting for you in the bookstore. I am waiting for you for the afternoon."

"Which bookstore?"

"I'm going to lead you, Zhang Xi, please help me see the door for a while."

"OK."

Zhang Zhidong was confused and couldn't ask anything when he saw it. He simply walked out of the yard with Yang Sihuai on the corner of his clothes, and walked around for a long time to a bookstore that looked familiar but had never been to.

Yang Sihuai lifted up the door curtain, turned around and smiled, "Please please, Mr. Zhang."

"good."

A very ordinary bookstore, the shopkeeper was lying on a pile of books and was drowsy. He looked up at Yang Sihuai and lay down again as if he had seen nothing.

Zhang Zhidong was about to ask where Mr. Wang was, but Yang Sihuai actually walked to the corner and knocked on the inconspicuous small door three times. After waiting for a while, the door creaked and opened from the inside. I saw that Enjun, the Qianqing Gate guard who had visited Mr. Wang a lot in the past few months, was wearing a casual suit and holding an exquisite bird cage to look at him with a smile.

"So it's Mr. Eun-jun, why are you here?"

"When you come in, Mr. Wen and Mr. Wang are waiting for you inside."

"Mr. Wen is here too?"

"hurry up."

"oh."

I don’t know if I don’t come in, but I was shocked when I came in.

This bookstore is inconspicuous from the outside, but it has a unique world inside. Not only does it have a yard, but it has been several times. The yard is not small. There are all people in the wing rooms on both sides of the east and west, and I don’t know what I’m busy with. There are even people in front of the yard gate that hold their waists and knives to guard it.

Zhang Zhidong looked around curiously and followed Enjun into the innermost hall. He suddenly found that the hall was filled with dazzling Western objects. Wen Xiang and Wang Naiteng were the same old man in his fifties and sixties, gathered around the Eight Immortals table to observe the pictures as big as a palm.

"Journey to Lord Wen at the cave."

"Brother Xiaoda, you are here just in time, let's take a look together." Wen Xiang smiled at the pictures on the table.

Zhang Zhidong didn't dare to ask too much, nor did he dare to go forward like this. He bowed to Wang Naizeng and the elder opposite him, and then walked to the table and carefully picked up a picture and started to look at it.

There is a portrait of a Confucian scholar in the picture, but it can be seen that the focus of the picture is not on the Confucian scholar, but on the iron armored gunship of a foreigner behind the Confucian scholar. A row of gun holes was opened on the hull, and there were more than a dozen. Looking at other pictures, they were either the foreign soldiers who were practicing, or the foreign warships anchored in the harbor, and many foreigners who looked very strange.

"Sir Wen, how could it look so much? Who painted it?" Zhang Zhidong couldn't help asking.

"It's not a painting, but a foreigner's camera," Wen Xiang put down the photo, and turned to a box with a shelf in the corner with a velvet cloth covering it: "It's that thing that can take pictures of the people and things you and I see, which is no different from real people and real things. It's really lifelike."

Zhang Zhidong suddenly remembered that someone mentioned taking photos and couldn't help but say: "It is said that this object captures the soul?"

"Do you believe it?"

"The cave...I don't really believe it."

"If you don't believe it, you won't be afraid. I'll send someone to take a photo for you." Wen Xiang smiled and then turned around and asked, "Qingxian, what do you think about Britain and France planning to negotiate peace with Russia, and even planning to send an expeditionary force to China?"

"The news was found by Miss Ren at the English Consulate. I don't think there should be any false." Qingxian paused and then said, "It's useless to be anxious about English affairs in my opinion. The most urgent thing is not to give France an excuse to cause trouble."

"How do you say this?"

"I just received an urgent report from the Nanhai branch in the morning, saying that the French consul sent a note to Ye Mingchen on the eighth day of last month, asking Ye Mingchen to be released from acquittal and sneak into Xilin, Guangxi from Guangdong, colluded with the government, sheltered the believer Ma Zinong, Lin Ba and others who robbed the French missionary Ma Lai who abducted the adulterers, and asked Ye Mingchen to apologize and even compensate Ma Lai and more than 20 illegal people."

"How did Ye Mingchen reply?"

"Not going back," Qingxian said helplessly: "not only did he not going back, he also seemed to be planning to punish the French missionary Mingzhengdian."

"Ming Zhengdian, he cut the French missionary's head with a knife, but isn't this causing trouble for the court?" Wen Xiang became more and more depressed as he thought about it. He threw down the photo in his hand and said, "You can't delay it anymore, you can't wait any longer. I'll write a memorial. I'll hand over the sign to beg for an audience tomorrow morning."

"Okay, I'll go and write it now."

Zhang Zhidong was secretly shocked when he heard this. Just as he was wondering what place this was, Wen Xiang turned around and said, "Xiaoda, I heard Yunqing say you are planning to go back?"

Zhang Zhidong recovered and bowed quickly and said, "Mr. Wen, Zhidong's reputation has failed. Instead of wasting his life in the capital, it is better to return to Guizhou earlier."

"You can't go back after entering this door."

Wen Xiang signaled him to sit, stared at him and said, "This is called 'Houyi Hall'. From the outside, it is a bookstore. In fact, it is a place to inquire about the military affairs department and even the emperor's consultant. The first shopkeeper was Han Xiufeng, who asked you to send me and Yunqing. It can be said that this yamen outside the system was set up by him. Even the civil and military officials who inquire about the affairs of the military affairs in Hong Kong, Xin'an, Nanhai, Macau, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai were all sent out during his tenure as the Senate of the Tongzheng Department.

Enjun and Yuan Datou and other guards were all stationed here by the emperor, and it was related to the secrets of the court. Once idle people broke in, they would be killed without any attention. If civil and military officials entered without permission, they would be taken immediately and wait for the emperor's sage. Even if it was an unintentional act, they could save their lives, but the official would definitely not be able to do it. They would either stay in the court for serving or serve in Xinjiang as a labourer."

Zhang Zhidong was stunned and said with a bitter face: "Master Wen, Zhidong doesn't know these, and Zhidong didn't think about it. The reason why Zhidong came here is...yes..."

"Xiaoda, don't worry, you were invited by me, and it was recommended by Zhixing, so you will not be investigated, and you will not be sent to Xinjiang as a chore."

"Mr. Wang, you mean Mr. Han..."

"Zhixing asked you to send me a message to Lord Wen and me, but if he could ask you to send a message to Lord Wen and me, it means that he could trust you, it means that you are not an outsider." Wang Naizeng looked back at Wen Xiang and continued, "But no matter what, you are going to Beijing to take the exam, so Lord Wen doesn't want to delay your future and has never mentioned the "Houyi Hall" to you. It's different now, and you can say that you can also invite you here."

"Mr. Wang, are you saying that Mr. Han plans to let Zhidong come to the 'Houyi Hall' to serve?"

"'Houyi Hall' is not just about inquiring and sorting out the feelings of the world, but also lacks people to serve. The reason why Zhixing recommended you to Lord Wen, Lord Wen and I invited you here is to broaden your horizons and see the world here." Wang Naizeng turned the globe at hand and looked at him solemnly and said, "I believe you will be open your horizons and will not regret entering this door."

Zhang Zhidong felt like he was dreaming and murmured, "But..."

Wen Xiang took over the conversation: "Don't do it, I know you are worried about your father, your father-in-law, and the war in Guizhou, but how much can you help when you go back? The court is in trouble. Compared to returning to Guizhou, staying here can do a great job."

"Mr. Wen, Zhidong is talented and knowledgeable, has already failed. What big cause can he do?"

"The Western Yi is ready to go to war with me, the Qing Dynasty. Compared with those bandits in Guizhou, you should know in your heart what is more important! In addition, we will not let you stay here with such a bad reputation, nor will you delay your future. If you are willing to serve the emperor, I will help you find a lack of official teaching.

At that time, you will be familiar with the church affairs and help find a few talented, honest and reliable official students to learn the language and writing of Western Yi, and study the homework in your spare time, and wait three years before taking the exam. As for your wife, you can come to the capital."
Chapter completed!