The Emperor had already changed his mind, "Are you all right?" Isn't it sick? ”

When His Majesty saw the old ministers, the emperor inquired about his health, which was also a routine program. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info Nature.2

Zeng Guofan calmed down, "It's okay - I had a period of illness last winter, and when spring started, I got better slowly; I haven't had any serious illnesses this year. ”

"Well," said the emperor, "you are a man who has spring and autumn, and when it is winter, it is cold, so you must take good care of yourself." ”

"Yes, Emperor Xie's attention."

"Your eye is ill," said the Emperor, "and what is the matter now?" ”

"It's okay," Zeng Guofan said, "the glasses are very good, and after that, I can read books and read Tang newspapers by myself, and my eye disease has not worsened further." ”

After a pause, "Speaking of which, the minister should thank Prince Xie Xuan for this matter." ”

When Zeng Guofan was transferred from Liangjiang to Zhili, when he passed through Shanghai, Zhao Jingxian invited a foreign doctor named Phelps, carefully examined his eye disease, and reported the relevant data to Beijing. After Zeng Guofan arrived in the port, Guan Zhuofan personally handed him two pairs of glasses—a pair of reading glasses and a pair of myopia glasses—to him.

Guan Zhuofan smiled slightly, did not speak, and the emperor said for him: "This is what he should do - isn't it a matter of course for colleagues to help each other?" ”

Zeng Guofan didn't know what to do with this.

Obviously, the emperor said this not only as the emperor, but also as the wife of Prince Xuan - only the "own family" can say something like "this is what he should do" for the "own family".

"By the way," the Emperor continued, "what kind of lamp is being used now?" Well, I mean, are candles still used? ”

Zeng Guofan was slightly stunned, "Yes, it's still a candle." ”

"Your eyes are not good," the Emperor shook his head, "the light of the candle is not bright enough, it is time to change the kerosene lamp or gas lamp!" ”

After a pause, "When I was in the 'Hidden Mansion', the flower hall was equipped with gas lamps, and the study and bedroom were equipped with kerosene lamps, which were much brighter than candles!" In the palace, places such as the Qianqing Palace and the Yangxin Palace are also going to 'change the lights', and I think that your Yamen, the governor of Zhili, should also handle it accordingly. ”

"This ......"

Zeng Guofan hesitated, "Yes, the minister obeys the order." ”

"You are the first to do foreign affairs," said the emperor, "why bother to hide from foreign objects in your daily life?" ”

"This, ...... minister"

Zeng Guofan hesitated, thinking about how to explain to the emperor, the emperor smiled slightly, and said: "I understand your hard work, but the current situation, compared with previous years, is not very different, there are not so many people who say strange things, as long as they are useful and easy to use, they should be used, or they should be used, otherwise, what are we doing foreign affairs for?" ”

"Yes...... The Emperor Shengming. ”

This seems to be a very strange thing: Zeng Guofan was the first important minister in China to promote foreign affairs, but he did not have the slightest "foreign style" in his daily life, did not eat foreign food, did not drink foreign wine, and would not go to see a foreign doctor when he was sick.

This is very different from King Gong, Wen Xiang, Bao Jun and others.

Compared with Guan Zhuofan, it is even more different.

This is due to the "inertia" of Zeng Guofan's science masters, and secondly, it is probably due to such a strange ambivalence: I am promoting foreign affairs completely for the country, and among them, I have no selfish intentions. If I am affected by foreign winds, I will be selfless and selfish, and if I carry out foreign affairs, I will not be upright and angry.

This is what the emperor said about Zeng Guofan's "painstaking work".

This situation is a bit like the beginning of the Republic of China, there are those who advocate freedom of love, but they honestly accept arranged marriages; Another example is Freud, the founder of psychoanalytic theory, emphasizing the influence of ** on people's subconscious, but in real life, Freud follows the rules and is extremely cautious in his private morality, for fear of giving others a handle.

"You are fighting Liangjiang to adjust Zhili," the emperor said, "You are very familiar with the situation of Liangjiang and Zhili, well, I am a little curious, you say, the silk industry in Jiangnan, Zhili here, can it also be done?" ”

Zeng Guofan was stunned, he had never thought about this question.

"Back to the emperor," Zeng Guofan said very cautiously, "There is a specialization in the art industry, and the minister's knowledge of the way of silk is limited, so he does not dare to make assertions." ”

After a pause, "However, the minister thinks that the water and soil and time of the two rivers in Zhili and the two rivers are very different, and it is not easy to raise silkworms and reel silk in Zhili." ”

"Yes." The emperor nodded, "However, I remember that Zuo Zongtang once mentioned in his excerpt on the aftermath of Shaanxi and Gansu that he intended to promote sericulture in Shaanxi and Gansu. ”

Zeng Guofan was stunned again.

Zuo Zongtang wants to promote sericulture in Shaanxi and Gansu, Zeng Guofan knows about this, but he doesn't think so, and he doesn't know very well, more than a year has passed, Zuo Zongtang's whimsy, has it come true?

However, although he did not think so, as the governor of Zhili, it was not easy for him to openly criticize the administration of another governor when His Majesty saw him.

"Back to the emperor," Zeng Guofan said, "Shaanxi and Gansu are barren, no more than Zhili, not better than Liangjiang, and there are many people who steal poppies, if sericulture can really be practiced in Shaanxi and Gansu, in any case, it is a good thing." ”

His words were euphemistic, but the emperor understood: Shaanxi and Gansu implemented sericulture, even if it was successful, it would be half the effort; The quality cannot be compared with the silk in the south of the Yangtze River. However, because "Shaanxi and Gansu are barren", more than one life, "no matter what", it is always good; At the very least, there is an alternative to "poppy poaching".

The implication is very clear: he is not very impressed with Zuo Zongtang's plan to implement silkworms in Shaanxi and Gansu.

As a result, it also indirectly shows his attitude towards the silk industry in Zhili: he also disagrees.

The emperor smiled slightly, "Well, this is Lao Chengmouguo's idea. ”

Then, he stopped talking.

So, Prince Xuan, who "led the class", knelt down, Zeng Guofan knew that His Majesty had finished, so he knelt down, kowtowed without a crown, stood up, put on a big hat, followed Guan Zhuofan, and withdrew from Dongnuan Pavilion.

Out of the Ming Palace, a gust of cold wind blew, Zeng Guofan couldn't help but shiver, only then did he appear, his underwear, faintly damp - I don't know if it was because it was too warm in the East Warm Pavilion, or for other reasons, when he played it right, unconsciously, his chest and back were slightly sweaty.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Guan Zhuofan accompanied Zeng Guofan and returned to the military aircraft together, Wen Xiang, Cao Yuying, Xu Gengshen, Guo Songtao and several big military planes came forward to salute one after another. Among them, Guo Songtao and Zeng Guofan are old friends, but not counting the day of the enthronement ceremony, this time the Zeng family entered Beijing, Guo and Zeng also met for the first time, and they had a lot of tricks with each other.

Guan Zhuofan asked Zeng Guofan to "ascend to the kang", Zeng Guofan said slowly: "The cabinet is my duty, after Your Majesty sees me, I must go over to say hello first, and then I can go back to the military aircraft to receive the training of the prince." ”

"That being the case," Guan Zhuofan pondered for a moment, "after Di Weng comes out of the cabinet, there is no need to go back to the military aircraft - in the evening, Feng Qu Di Weng will come to my house in Chaonei North Street for a light meal, and when the time comes, I will ask Di Weng for advice." ”

Zeng Guofan's heart moved, but he was not surprised by Guan Zhuofan's arrangement, and replied "yes".

"Later," Guan Zhuofan said, "I'll ask someone to send the famous thorn and the post to Xianliang Temple." ”

"Don't dare to be a thorn."

Guan Zhuofan smiled slightly, turned his head to Xu Gengshen and said, "Uncle Xing, please go to the other side and say something, ask them to prepare a soft sedan chair, and send Di Weng to the cabinet." ”

On the opposite side, there is the military aircraft Zhangjing Zhilu.

"Good!"

Xu Geng answered, lifted the curtain and went out.

Zeng Guofan felt quite uneasy, "The sedan chair is even more afraid to be - it's too arrogant." ”

"Di Weng was given the 'Forbidden City to ride a horse'," Guan Zhuofan said, "what should be done, what is the trespassing?" The distance from the military aircraft department to the cabinet is not close, and in the winter, Di Weng is a person who has a spring and autumn season - so it is decided! ”