In summer, the sky is early in the morning, just after five o'clock, the sky gradually brightens, at this time, the tea houses and tea gardens of all sizes in Beijing have also opened their doors to welcome guests. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info Jingshi is the same as the south, drinking tea has become a trend, all kinds of large and small Qing teahouses, book teahouses, chess teahouses and tea sheds are all over the streets and alleys of Jingshi.

Jingshi is also popular to drink morning tea, officials and gentlemen, businessmen and ordinary people get up at dawn, the first thing after washing is to drink tea, and they also prefer to go to the teahouse to drink morning tea.

Early in the morning, as soon as the sky was brightened, Wang Kaiyun, who lived in Fayuan Temple in Xicheng Jiaozi Hutong, got up early, went out after packing up, and strolled all the way to Xuanwu Gate.

Wang Kaiyun, a native of Xiangtan, Hunan, the word Renqiu, twenty-three years old, last year's Hunan two township test is to add a supplement to the line of Renzi (Xianfeng two years) subject, he is the fifth in the person, this year full of confidence to come to Beijing to test, but unexpectedly the name fell Sun Shan, however, he was not in a hurry to return to Hunan, but stayed in Beijing.

He planned to stay in Beijing for a period of time before going to Shanghai, now the Qing Dynasty can be said to be two political centers, one is Beijing, the other is Shanghai, with his status as a mere person, Shanghai may have more opportunities, but he also wants to try his luck in Beijing, after all, he is also famous in Hunan.

He didn't have the habit of drinking morning tea, and rushed to Xuanwumen early, because he wanted to go to the Hongji Tea Garden to inquire about the news, these days the Beijing division was very lively, first Xianfeng gave death to Mu Zhang'a, the chief military minister of the two dynasties, and then, the third-class duke, the minister of Nanyang, the governor of Nanyang, and the treasurer of Yuanqi were content and openly folded, imploring the imperial court to severely punish the main culprit and accomplice of the arson case of the Marquis of Zhenhai.

Yi Zhi's excerpt caused a huge sensation in Beijing, when the Zhenhai Hou Mansion caught fire, Yi Zhi's parents and more than a dozen servants were killed in the fire, resulting in Yi Zhi's contentment to lead the troops to conquer the Nanyang at that time, which caused a series of changes, and now Yi Zhizu actually pleaded for severe punishment of the main culprit and accomplice of the arson case of the Zhenhai Hou Mansion.

That is to say, the Zhenhai Hou Mansion was indeed set on fire back then, and the main culprit and accomplice were already clear, and there was a lot of discussion when the Jingshi was in the city, all speculating about who the main culprit and accomplice that Yi Zhizu was referring to, after all, the impact of this case was too great, and the parties were Yi Zhicontent, who was known as the king of Nanyang, the king of the southeast, and the king of the northwest, who didn't care.

Hongji Tea Garden is a high-end tea house imitated from the south that was opened in the past two years, and the business is extremely prosperous.

Wang Kaiyun was not too late, after entering the door, he found that the official buildings on both sides were almost full, he was shy, and he did not go to the official building, and sat straight in the scattered seats in the lobby.

Grandpa Yi opened a vacancy and guarded the system, the officialdom was shaken, the three governors in the southeast were replaced, and someone impeached Grandpa Yi in the last chapter, which triggered a major political dispute that shook the government and the opposition, and then Shanghai workers went on strike, businessmen went on strike, and students went on strike, Guangzhou and Shanghai stock markets plummeted, and a large-scale run on Yuanqi Bank broke out.

Then a large-scale march broke out in more than 140 prefectures and counties in eight provinces to support Grandpa Yi and support Yuan Qi, which eventually led to the relationship between Yuan Qi and .......the imperial court becoming more and more estranged. ”

"Second Master Suo, this is all the old yellow calendar, and now we are more concerned about who is the main culprit in the arson case of Zhenhai Hou Mansion?"

"Isn't this knowingly asking, who else could there be? Back then, Grandpa Yi opened a vacancy and guarded the system, who danced the most happily? Who is unlucky now? ”

A few days ago, Mu Zhang'a was inexplicably given to death, and as soon as he was contacted, the answer was about to come out, and all the tea guests couldn't help but gasp, Wang Kaiyun was also secretly frightened, if the main culprit in the arson case of the Marquis of Zhenhai Mansion was Mu Zhang'a, this matter would be really small!

Everyone who saw it was shocked, and Second Master Suo enjoyed it, and said triumphantly: "The enmity of the parents is not shared, Grandpa Yi obviously disagrees with such an unclear and confused closure of the case, this matter, some of it is hilarious!" ”

There is a way to be a big bully in the shop, the scale of the Hongji tea garden is large, the decoration is exquisite, the tea is also expensive, it is three times that of the general teahouse, Wang Kaiyun came to Beijing in February, a long time, the hand is naturally not wide, ordered a pot of tea and two saucers early, while eating slowly, while listening to a group of flag people idle talk.

There was a lot of discussion in the lobby, after all, Mu Zhang'a is the chief military aircraft of the two dynasties, although he has been given death, but if the charge of instigating people to set fire to the Zhenhai Hou Mansion is confirmed, it will inevitably harm the children and grandchildren, and it will also implicate the officials of the Mu Party, this is not a trivial matter, Yi Zhizhi is not a good man and a woman, the revenge of killing his father and mother, it is strange if the world is turned upside down!

There are also many people who are not too big to see the excitement, and they are all excited to see a big excitement, and they are talking loudly about how the court will react to the excerpts on Yi Zhicontentment.

On the morning of the same day, Xianfeng issued an edict, accusing Mu Zhang'a, as the chief military aircraft, of being greedy for glory in order to protect his position, unscrupulous means, jealousy and harming the virtuous, and being ashamed of eternity. The Criminal Department also replied to the arson case of the Hou Mansion in Zhenhai as soon as possible.

The efficiency of the Criminal Department was unprecedented, and it replied in the afternoon: In the arson case of the Marquis of Zhenhai, all the relevant criminals involved in the case were killed, and there was no evidence for the death, and there was no way to find out.

As soon as the news spread, Jingshi made an uproar again, Xianfeng bluntly said that Mu Zhang'a was jealous of being virtuous, ashamed of eternity, and honest as the first sinner in this dynasty, which was equivalent to recognizing Mu Zhang'a as the main culprit in the arson case of Zhenhai Hou's Mansion in disguise, but he did not raid his home, but just cut all his sons and never used them.

And the reply of the Criminal Department is even more desperate, everyone is dead, and there is no way to find out.

Everyone is a little uneasy, Yi knows what kind of person is content, known as the king of Nanyang and the king of the southeast, with 200,000 heavy troops in his hands, and the support of Yuanqi, who has strong capital, has formed a trend of separating the southeast, for Xianfeng's attitude, the reply of the criminal department, how can he be resigned? If one is not good, the situation that Yuan Qi and the imperial court will ease easily will break down immediately.

Sure enough, Yi Zhishu quickly reacted, he did not fold it again, but directly returned the official seal of the Nanyang Minister, the official seal of the Nanyang Admiral, and the seal of the third-class Zhenhai Duke and the official robe in his hand to the imperial court.

At the same time, he also published the confession of the arson case of the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion in the newspapers of all sizes in Yuanqi under the pseudonym of Changle Jushi, and publicly stated that he had returned all official seals and seals to the imperial court.

As soon as the newspaper was issued, the government and the opposition were boiling, and Yi Zhizhi resigned, which meant that Yuan Qi completely broke with the imperial court, God knows whether he would raise troops to rebel next, and whether he would announce the separation of the southeastern provinces from the imperial court.

Xianfeng was rarely silent for two days, and then issued an order, Guiliang led the Eight Banners New Army stationed on the border of Yunnan to return to Beijing, and the monk Greenqin led the Eight Banners New Army stationed in Gurkha to return to Beijing, and mobilized troops to Xi'an and Guihua City.

Shanghai, Zhenhai Mansion, Changle Book House.

Putting down the telegram, Yi Zhishu said with a wry smile: "Today's acting skills are also a little worse, if you want to transfer the Eight Banners New Army from Yunnan and Tibet back to Beijing, you can use a secret telegram, why bother to give an order, this is not self-defeating!" ”

"It's a gesture." Wei Yuan said unhurriedly: "As long as the lord follows up and reports the news of the return of the New Army of the Eight Banners in Yunnan and Tibet to Beijing, it will not be a flaw." ”

Zhao Wenlie said: "Do you really want to withdraw the army? ”

"Since it's singing, you naturally have to sing the whole set, otherwise how can you win people? Westerners are not stupid. Yi Zhizu said slowly: "Let Seng Lingqin and Gui Liang lead the troops back to Beijing, and the imperial court will have a little more confidence, otherwise they will not dare to let Yuanqi's new army enter Jinggi in a big way." ”

After a pause, he continued: "There is no need to worry about Tibet and Yunnan, there are now two brigades of Tibetan soldiers in Gurkha, and I have sent a brigade stationed in Xining to garrison Gurkha. As for Yunnan, the Taiping army did not dare to return, and the Taiping kings knew very well that once Yuan Qi cut off the supply of ammunition, the Taiping army would be meat to be slaughtered on the chopping block! ”

Zhao Wenlie said very abruptly: "Will the Taiping Army join forces with the British?" ”

"No, it won't." Yi Zhixiang said in a firm tone: "The British cannot provide the Taiping Army with Minnie bullets that match the model, and there are slight differences between the British Army's Minnie guns and the Taiping Army's Minnie guns in terms of caliber, and there are also differences in the Minnie bullets between the two, so there is no need to worry about this." ”

Zhao Wenlie continued: "What if the British provided guns and ammunition to the Taiping army at the same time. ”

"Huifu is too worried, the British troops stationed in India are not equipped with Mini guns, will they provide them to the Taiping army?" Yi Zhizhi smiled contentedly: "This will be at least a few years away, and there is no need to worry about it now." ”

As soon as the words fell, Cao Gensheng walked in quickly and said, "Big shopkeeper, Guangzhou Emergency Electricity." ”

"Read-." Yi Zhicontent said casually.

"On the morning of 22 May, Liang Guoding, the commander of the Guangdong Navy Division, led a team to intercept a British-flagged merchant ship off the Lingding Sea, and the other side refused to allow the officers and men of the Navy Division to board the ship for inspection, and the two sides clashed, resulting in five deaths and seven injuries, two of the five dead were British."

Yi Zhishu nodded slightly, "It seems that war is inevitable. ”

"The meaning of the big shopkeeper, this is a deliberate provocation by the British." Zhao Wenlie said: "Is it to find an excuse to start a war? ”

"What other explanations could there be?" Yi Zhishu said and took out the jade cigarette holder and lit a cigarette, groaning slightly, before he said: "From today onwards, all military intelligence-related codes will be increased or decreased by twenty. ”

"Yes." Cao Gensheng hurriedly said.

"Call back to Humen, and the water division will enter the first level of combat readiness, and beware of a sudden attack by the British at any time."

Yi Zhizhi said in a deep voice, waiting for the other party to record it, he continued: "I have resigned, and the visits of diplomatic officials from various countries will all be returned, except for uncles." ”

After Yi Zhizhi signed, Wei Yuancai said: "The British will inevitably lodge a strong protest on this matter, put pressure on the officials in Guangzhou, and whether to give Ye Zhitai an explanation." ”

Yi Zhishu looked at him and said, "Sir, is it trying to delay time through diplomatic maneuvers?" ”

"One more day of delay, and the lord will have one more day to prepare." Wei Yuan pondered and said, "Besides, you can also confuse the British." ”

Yi Zhizhi smiled contentedly, and added a sentence casually - argue based on reason, not soft or hard, and delay as much as possible. Liangguang Governor's Palace.

Guangzhou, the Governor's Mansion of Guangzhou.

Ye Mingchen, the governor of Liangguang, looked at the sharp words of the British consul in Guangzhou, Pashali, with a sad face, "....... This is an open insult to Great Britain, and Her Majesty cannot tolerate the innocent murder of her people in the waters of Canton, and if your country fails to deal with it satisfactorily, we will not hesitate to resort to force to preserve the honour ...... of Great Britain with the same open snowwash. ”

This Shen Chen, from beginning to end, is full of threats of force, Ye Mingchen has been in Guangzhou for many years, and he has spent a lot of time dealing with the British, so he naturally feels the strong smell of gunpowder that permeates the lines of this Shen Chen, and he knows very well that this time the matter is very tricky.

Seeing his sad expression, staff member Fang Zhikui said softly: "Dong Weng, let's follow the old rules." ”

What are the old rules, Ye Mingchen has developed a unique diplomatic style since he became governor of Guangdong and dealt with foreigners -- he tried his best to reply to the notes of various countries as quickly as possible, rejected the requests of various countries in the most gentle tone, and refused the requests of the envoys of various countries for meetings as busy with official business. All in all, it is to treat them negatively, let them go to the Yamen of the Prime Minister of Nanyang, and find Yi Zhicontent.

Hearing this, Ye Mingchen shook his head slowly, this time the matter was too big, and the reaction of the British was also extremely fierce, according to the old rules, I was afraid that it would be a mistake, he sighed lightly, and then said: "Send a report to the Zhenhai Mansion." ”

Before the words fell, a chief bowed in and said, "Master, Shanghai Zhenhai Mansion is calling." ”

Ye Mingchen took the telegram and looked at it, and all he saw was 12 words -- arguing on the basis of reason, not soft or hard, and delaying as much as possible. At this moment, he had the backbone in his heart, and he groaned slightly, and said: "Reply to the British side, and jointly form an investigation team with the other party, first investigate the cause of the matter, and then jointly negotiate how to deal with it." ”

Fang Zhikui slowly put down the telegram and said softly: "The focus is on delaying time, Grandpa Yi is preparing to go to war?" ”

War? War with the British? Ye Mingchen's heart sank, and he pondered it carefully, it was really like that, if he didn't want to go to war, what would he do if he delayed time? Picking up the telegram and looking at it, he sighed secretly, struck a match and burned the telegram directly.

Telegrams are generally archived, especially the telegrams between the Zhenhai Mansion and the Military Aircraft Department, and they cannot be ambiguous, Ye Mingchen burned the telegram, obviously worried about leaking the news, Fang Zhikui pondered for a while, and then said: "Grandpa Yi just returned the official seal, and this file happened, which can be described as a .......disaster." ”

Ye Mingchen glanced at him and said, "Mr. doesn't think there is a way out, right?" ”

"Dong Weng can also resign."

Resigned? Ye Mingchen shook his head slowly and said, "I have confidence in Grandpa Yi. ”