"Well, just look up and talk."

On the night of Ruyizhou, the story also began with "You raised your head and spoke".

"Empress Dowager Xie!" Guan Zhuofan collected his mind and raised his head.

On a small imperial couch in the middle, there was a six-year-old Tongzhi Emperor, dressed neatly and neatly, with a small dragon robe, which was exquisitely fitted. Although the little emperor also tried his best to sit upright, his two big black eyes were looking around flexibly, which was very interesting.

The emperor's appearance slightly diluted Guan Zhuofan's nervous mood, allowing him to take a closer look at the situation in front of him before the queen mother asked. In front of him is a wide mahogany imperial case, tied with a bright yellow soft satin table circumference, and on both sides of the Tongzhi Emperor, one east and one west set up two thrones, before the throne, hanging two bright yellow man yarns, the people behind the curtain, although they can not see very real, but the expression and demeanor, can still be seen.

This is the curtain to listen to politics, Guan Zhuofan thought to himself.

"Guan Zhuofan, are you the one with the red flag?" As usual, it was the Empress Dowager Ci'an who asked first. Her voice, Guan Zhuofan heard it for the first time.

"Yes."

"Is this your first time in the palace?"

"Yes."

"Who else is in the family?"

“…… Talking back to the queen mother, the queen mother, there are only my brother and sister-in-law. Guan Zhuofan hesitated for a moment, and his answer was ambiguous. This is also something that can't be helped, you can't say that you married your sister-in-law and locked up your brother, wouldn't that become "bullying your brother and stealing your sister-in-law"? This diorama is detachable.

"This time, you have a lot of credit."

"The Queen Mother Xiexie praised, and the ministers didn't dare to be."

Asked this, the Empress Dowager Ci'an, who was not very good at words, had no words, looked at Cixi, and motioned for her to take the words.

"The emperor has caught a cold these days, and the study has been withdrawn," Cixi took over and said idly, "Today, we specially let him see you here." ”

This is a great honor, Guan Zhuofan didn't know how to answer for a while, remembered the ancient adage of "kowtow more, talk less", kowtowed, and expressed gratitude.

"The infantry yamen is a very important place, you have to pay more attention." Cixi's words are all on point, which is much more practical than Ci'an's general question, "The errand of the imperial guard, you listen to the orders of the king of the county, and you should come." ”

"Yes, the minister does not dare to ignore it."

"You're bold, it's a good thing, it's just to be in the right place." Cixi, who was behind the gauze screen, looked at him deeply, "You want to pay for Yingdong, not for the school year." ”

Fei Yingdong and Nian Qianyao are both known for their courage and bravery. It's just that Fei Yingdong is the founder of the country, and he has been loyal all his life; Although Nian Qianyao was also a general with outstanding military achievements in the Yongzheng Dynasty, he was finally punished for his dominance. To the ears of those on the side, Cixi's words are full of encouragement and admonition, and they are a very appropriate sentence. But to Guan Zhuofan's ears, the Queen Mother's words seem to have another deep meaning.

"But in the end, it's better to be in the capital, and the guards of Ouchi are much more thorough than Rehe," Cixi suddenly sighed, "There is no need to be like Rehe, worrying all day long." ”

Guan Zhuofan finally understood! She is no longer the precarious Concubine Yi who had to "worry about her heart" all day long, but the queen mother who listens to the government and holds life and death in her hands, with supreme dignity. In the Forbidden City, the palace is strictly forbidden, and she will not allow that private affair to endanger her status and dignity - the old incident of Ruyizhou will never be repeated.

"You have made great contributions, and the court will not hesitate to reward you, and you still have to do it with your heart in the future. The righteousness of kings and ministers must have a beginning and an end. ”

Guan Zhuofan, you have repaid you for your kindness to me, from now on, let's do it again.

"Minister, obey the order." Guan Zhuofan leaned down.

Zaijian, Yi Guifei.

*

*

The twilight summer is gone, and the autumn is gradually rising.

During these days, Guan Zhuofan was extremely energetic on errands, and every day before evening, he could not be seen at home. The Bai family once ridiculed him once with half-truths, saying that counting all the officials of all sizes in the capital, he Guan must be the busiest one.

The words are true. Most of the officials of the various ministries and yamen in Beijing arrived at the yamen in the morning, took the calligraphy and paintings that should be signed and read one by one, turned around, and went back to the house without incident. Even if it is a subordinate official, he will sit in the government for half a day at most, and in the afternoon he will think about hiding at home. It is really rare for Guan Zhuofan to be away from home all day.

Guan Zhuofan is different, he either sits in the yamen of the infantry army in the morning, or as a royal guard, he goes to the inner court on an errand with King Alcohol. In the afternoon, however, he always went to the Prime Minister's National Trade Affairs Yamen and sat there for half a day.

The Prime Minister's Affairs Yamen, which has only been established for half a year, is located in the old residence of the original Saishan'a in Dongtang Hutong, and a plaque of "Chinese and Foreign Blessings" is hung on the archway, which is a euphemism for praying for Shijie peace. The Yamen is newly established, and everything is waiting to be enjoyed, which is the busiest place in the capital at present. The ministers in charge and Zhang Jing at all levels, at the end of the day, often do not stop their hands and feet, and rarely have a moment to rest. Guan Zhuofan, a second-class military attaché, in the various units and divisions inside, strung with the east and the west, and this was the case every day, so that the people in the yamen joked, saying that there were two people in the yamen of the prime minister's affairs who must arrive every morning and less than in the afternoon. One is the king of parliament, and the other is that he closes the military gate.

This yamen is led by King Gong, Gui Liang, and Wen Xiang, and it is King Gong who has put the most effort into it. In the morning, he was in charge of the government on the military plane, and in the afternoon he would go to the prime minister's affairs yamen to inspect the affairs, and Guan Zhuofan's behavior could not but attract his attention, and finally one day, Guan Zhuofan was called to his room as the "chief minister."

"Yixuan, did you think of the translation department? I'm short of people here. King Gong thought that since he liked it so much, why not ask him what he meant, "I promised you that I could ensure that you can learn to walk on the minister." Your foreign language is good, and your knowledge is also good, if you still want to come now, I will go and ask the will of the two palaces to transfer you from a military position to a civil official. ”

The Translation Office and the General Administration are both nicknames for the Prime Minister's Affairs Yamen. King Gong was not wrong, Guan Zhuofan really liked it here, but the reason was not to be transferred here as an official.

The imperial court's dealings with foreigners have always been handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Court, which is tantamount to treating all countries as "fanbangs". It was not until the establishment of the Prime Minister's Affairs Office that it began to recognize the equal status with other countries. This is the first window that the ancient empire opened to Shijie, the center of the self-improvement movement, the beginning of the Westernization movement, the place where the practice of "mastering the strengths of the people to control the country", and the "first department in the world" to manage the affairs of trade, coastal defense, customs duties, roads and mines, posts and telecommunications, military industry, Tongwenguan, and sending students in the future. Guan Zhuofan has an inexplicable sense of intimacy here, for some reason, he always feels that as long as he sits here, he can touch a trace of breath more than a hundred years later, as if he is a little closer to the era before he has traveled.

In addition to his own feelings, it is more important to figure out how this yamen does things, what kind of state the foreign affairs offices in various places are, and which people in the yamen should be friends with. As for King Gong's kindness, he only had to thank Bumin first - when he first crossed over, he relied on his English to go to the Prime Minister's Yamen to find an errand, which was his reserved move, but now, what he is trying to do is the affairs of the world, so he refuses to let himself be cramped in this corner of the place anymore.

As for the transfer to civilian officials, it will be sooner or later, but not now.

"Well, I won't force you." King Gong sighed. Talents who can do foreign affairs are already very scarce, and there is only one person who can do foreign affairs and is his confidant, about this Guan Zhuofan. "When you want to come in the future, come back to me."

"Thank you for your cultivation!"

After such a period, Prince Gong went to the Ya every afternoon as usual to inspect things, and Guan Zhuofan also went east and west as usual, but the places where he strung the most were "British stocks" and "French stocks".

What you owe me has not been returned.

*

(xiexie Fang Lan and UBAN's tips, xiexie's blurry reminder votes, xiexie everyone's recommendation votes.) ）