This year just passed, Han Xiufeng lived an extremely "comfortable" life.

The Taipu Temple Yamen, the provincial halls, and the government halls are all participants. In the first lunar month, I was busy visiting relatives and friends. On the eighth day of the lunar month, I even had six tables on the palace hall, and invited fellow villagers, colleagues and old friends in Beijing.

The day before the banquet, Han Xiufeng asked Datou to invite Wen Xiang, but Wen Xiang, who served as the Minister of Justice of the Ministry of Justice, was unable to attend the banquet until the ninth day of the second month. It was not until the ninth day of the second month that Wen Xiang had time to come to the familiar and somewhat unfamiliar "Houyi Hall".

After the seal was opened, Han Xiufeng did not go to the Taipu Temple Yamen to click Mao, so he would not always stay in the bookstore, but went to Nanyuan every few days. Because of this, Wenxiang finally came but was idle. But he thought he would be busier in the future and had important things to discuss with Han Xiufeng. He waited for an afternoon in the bookstore until Han Xiufeng and Datou rode back from Nanyuan on horseback.

"Brother Bochuan, how could you come here today? You are a rare guest!"

"Don't smile, I, Wenxiang, are so busy that I am too busy. Isn't it thanks to you, Han Zhixing!"

"What are you saying? No one dares to call you, Lord Han Xiufeng."

"Okay OK, okay, can you sit down and say a few words?"

"Okay, okay, but I have to let me wash my face first. The wind and sand outside are too strong. Look, even my neck is covered with dust."

"Go, hurry up."

...

Han Xiufeng knew very well that Wen Xiang was here to seek revenge, so he went inside to wash his face, changed into clean clothes, and returned to Tingyuxuan again.

As expected, before he could speak, Wen Xiang stared at him and asked angrily: "Zhixing, why did you let Wang Naizeng, Yun Qijun and others be controlled by Huang Zonghan in the future, and why did you let the four semicolons of Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo and Shanghai listen to Xue Huan?"

"Mr. Huang is an imperial envoy who handles the barbarian affairs. He cannot know nothing about barbarians. If he is like before, he will report to us first, and report to the emperor. When the emperor issues an order, the daylily will be cold!" Han Xiufeng smiled and continued: "As for the sub-colonies such as Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai, it is better to let them listen to Su Song Taidao Xue Huan, than to let them listen to He Guiqing, the governor of Liangjiang."

"you……"

"Don't be anxious, listen to me." Han Xiufeng paused and said lightly: "Although the Tianjin branch council is controlled by Chonghou, it is actually controlled by the governor of Zhili. If each branch council finds the urgent situation of 100,000 yuan in the future, he must report to the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Liangjiang and Zhili. This is all approved by the emperor. After all, the court is in trouble and cannot delay military operations any more."

"Put down all the things you should push, Zhixing, Zhixing, you are really competent!" Wen Xiang stared at him and said gritting his teeth.

"Brother Bochuan, you can't say that. This is called one time and another. Although I, Han Xiufeng, have become the boss of the hand, I am definitely not shirking the responsibility, but putting the overall situation first!"

"What you said is better than the singing, you are shirking the responsibility!" Wen Xiang became more and more angry as he thought about it. He pointed at Han Xiufeng and said hatefully: "You pushed everything completely, and this hand-off manager did it happily, but have you ever thought about whom you pushed those things to in the end?"

Han Xiufeng asked knowingly: "Who did you push it to?"

"Don't pretend to be confused when you understand!"

"Brother Bochuan, can you tell me that the emperor ordered you to think about these things?"

"What do you think?" Wen Xiang asked back and sighed, "There are no need to report to you anymore in each section, but there are more comments on the barbarian affairs in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang and Liangjiang than before. The emperor may think that I have been the shopkeeper of the "Houyi Hall" for several years. As long as there is a barbarian, I will call me to see you, and sometimes I will order me to draft an order."

"So, are you just busy with these things these days?"

"Oh... I'm just living my life like a year."

"Don't sigh, this is called the greater the official position, the greater the responsibility! What's more, not everyone can share the worries of the emperor. Others don't have the chance to worry about this."

"You're talking lightly."

"What did I say?" Han Xiufeng asked with a smile.

Wen Xiang knew very well that Han Xiufeng would be too stupid to take it back, so he simply changed his subject: "Yi Xing, what you are most worried about may happen soon. Huang Zonghan, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, reported that the two barbarians of Britain and Buddhism are preparing for the north, and nearly 100 gunboats and warships of all sizes will set sail at the latest at the end of the month."

Although he was mentally prepared, Han Xiufeng couldn't laugh and asked solemnly: "What did the emperor say?"

"The emperor has secretly issued a letter to Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Liangjiang, Shandong and Zhili to be careful."

"Well, you have to be careful."

"you……"

"Brother Bochuan, what's wrong with me?"

"Do you think Huang Zonghan, He Guiqing and others can be wary of it?"

"It's useless to tell me," Han Xiufeng didn't want to fight again, and said bluntly: "At this point, I can only make the worst plan."

Wen Xiang didn't want to go around the circle anymore, and said bluntly: "Zhixing, I know that you are not shirking everything in the church, but being disheartened. He also knows that you are loyal to the court and the emperor. Now that things have come to this point, can you think about it and make plans to do worse."

"It's even worse? Brother Bochuan, what do you mean?"

"It is easy to be in the main station, but it is difficult to be in the main peace. If one day the troops are at the city, you cannot leave the city and talk to the Western barbarians."

"I want to go, but if I really get to that point, let alone my mere Taipu Temple Shaoqing, even if Brother Bochuan, you, the Minister of Justice, go, the foreigners will not talk to you."

"I know, I mean there must be an intermediary."

"Didn't the Russian envoy look for He Guiqing? Isn't he willing to help with mediation?"

"Everyone knows the ambition of the Russian and Yi, naturally, cannot be believed." Wen Xiang paused and said coldly: "Miyi is not a good thing. They claim to help mediate, but they must have hoped that the two British and Buddhists will fight us and beat us up. Then they will be able to make a alliance under the city and gain equal benefits."

"Does the emperor think so?"

"If you are not my race, your heart will be different. How could the emperor believe their lies!"

"It's good that the emperor knows it." Han Xiufeng was silent for a moment, and he looked up and said, "There is one candidate who will help to talk about peace, and he will come to the capital soon, but this person can only help spread the message. Whether the negotiation can be completed at that time depends on the emperor's intention in the end."

"Who?" Wen Xiang asked anxiously.

"Boer, an English missionary, was not only proficient in the astronomy, geography and geometry of the Western Yi, but also learned Chinese language and writing from Shemei. Shemei also learned fluent English language from him. He always wanted to come to the capital to open his eyes, but he never had a chance. He heard that Shemei was going to Beijing and insisted on following him."

"Ms. Ren is going to Beijing?"

"Well, I've already set off, I'll probably arrive in another three or five days." Looking at Wen Xiang's thoughtful look, Han Xiufeng explained: "Training foreigners to Beijing is not a trivial matter. At first, the sister did not dare to agree. Later, she thought that Wang Naizeng said more than once that Lin Qingyuan and other translators who became monks could only translate foreign newspapers, but could not translate foreign books such as astronomy, geography, and geometry, so she agreed to Baoer and made three rules with Baoer. After arriving in the capital, she could only stay in the bookstore, not go out easily, and was not allowed to preach in the capital."

"Can Baoer speak to the Yimai?"

"This is natural. He not only recognized the British minister and consul, but also said that his personal relationship with France and the American ministers was also good."

"Since he can speak to the Yimai, let him come. Don't worry, the emperor, I will report to the emperor." Wen Xiang thought for a while and said, "This is just the worst plan. It is impossible for the court to negotiate peace with the Western Italians unless it is absolutely necessary, so I would like to ask how sure Senggelinqin is in the matter of intercepting the Western Italians."

Speaking of this, Han Xiufeng couldn't help but smile bitterly: "The monk king is confident, and the monk king believes that 'foreign soldiers are not conducive to land battles'. If the foreign soldiers really attack, they can just 'surround the cavalry and chase' just like dealing with Changmao."

Wen Xiang felt a little cold when he heard this, and couldn't help asking: "Why don't you remind him?"

"I have reminded me, and I have reminded me more than once, but not only did I not believe it, I even asked a group of friends to read the classics and found that their ancestors rode on horseback and killed foreigners. I felt that foreigners rely on only strong ships and cannons, and it was not easy to deal with at sea, but as long as foreign soldiers dared to go ashore, they would not be able to capture it."

"Their ancestors...when did that happen!" Wen Xiang was amused and crying.

"I want to refute a few words, but if I really refute it, it will not only make people unhappy, but I can't speak out if I have anything to say in the future. I can only remind indirectly that the current foreigners are no longer the foreigners of the past."

"It's hard for you."

"I'm fine. Brother, it's really hard to do this job now. The Qing Dynasty depends entirely on you, and I, Han Xiufeng, will also rely entirely on your care in the future."

"Here I'm here again, and I said this again. If it weren't for your recommendation back then, how could I, Wen Xiang, have been today?"

"I just made a favorable favor back then, and even if I don't recommend it, you will still make a big splash," Han Xiufeng bowed and continued, "Actually, I am satisfied that I can be the Shaoqing of Taipu Temple in the present. Now I dare not have him anymore, I just hope to help the emperor get through this level."

Wen Xiang would most likely not believe others say this.

But Han Xiufeng is not someone else. Wen Xiang knew very well that he was discouraged and really didn't want to be an official anymore. He was silent for a while before looking up and said, "Zhixing, I almost forgot to tell you something."

"What's the matter?"

"You and I were both young ministers of Taipu Temple, but the emperor first promoted me to the Secretary of the Zhanshi Mansion, and then ordered me to be appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. In the eyes of others, I, Wenxiang, was very loyal to you. You, Han Xiufeng, are no longer loyal to you. In fact, the emperor did not forget you, but... it was just that there was no shortage for you for a while." Looking at Han Xiufeng's skeptical look, Wenxiang said again: "When you came back from patrolling the coastal defense, the emperor ordered the Military Affairs Office to discuss the discussion."

Any official who has accepted grain can be promoted. Han Xiufeng is not surprised by this and subconsciously asked: "Have you discussed anything?"

"I'll give you a third-rank top belt and let you go to Tianjin to take over Chonghou as the Changlu Salt Transportation Commissioner, so that you can take charge of the coastal defense. Think about it carefully, Peng Zhongtang and Bai Zhongtang's plan is a successful national plan. After all, you are familiar with both the barbarians and Tianjin, and have led troops, fought battles, but Sushun felt that it was inappropriate and felt that you could not leave the capital."

Su Shun objected, and Han Xiufeng was not surprised, otherwise he would have gone to Guangdong with Huang Zonghan a few years ago. After thinking about it, he asked curiously: "What happened later?"

"Later, the emperor approved Sushun's guaranteed memorial and asked the Military Affairs Office to draft an order to reward the third-rank top belt, and ordered you to sign Fengchen Yuanqing."

"That's a third-rank official!"

"What's wrong with the third-rank noble position? This is what you deserve," Wen Xiang put down the teacup and said meaningfully: "But what the emperor means, after you become an agent, don't expect to be the official of Fengchenyuan like others, but plan to let you station in Nanyuan and help Senggelinqin train troops."

Fengchenyuan is the yamen in which the Ministry of Internal Affairs manages the royal courtyard and the river channel.

Fengchen Yuanqing was in charge of the ban on the gardens and the emperor was in charge of repairing the emperor's greetings. The officials below the doctor were in charge of the gardens and rivers, and the palace was in charge of the decoration of the rice field; the rice field factory was in charge of the inner courtyard and the land tax was also in charge of the land tax; the officials of the Nanyuan Yuan were in charge of the land tax, and the garden affairs were in charge of the gardens and gardens.

Thinking about the fact that he was running towards Nanyuan every few days, Han Xiufeng couldn't help but smile bitterly: "This errand is really suitable for me. It seems that whether it is the emperor or Sushun, he is not very relieved about the monk king."
Chapter completed!