Chapter 010: The Wang Family of Wuxi

At this moment, Li Guoyong's mischievous nature emerged. He knew that if he did not show his skills today, not only would his future brother-in-law look down on him, but even the plans he hoped to gain support for from Wang Guanrong, and the beautiful wife he had yet to marry, would all turn to dust. He smiled slightly and said, "It turns out that, for this matter, I dare to ask, do you understand national affairs, brother?"

Indeed, his father-in-law has appeared. Thinking about what his future wife might look like, Li Guoyong felt a shiver run down his spine. He steeled himself and, facing his approaching father-in-law Wang Guanrong, performed a formal greeting, saying: "Grandson Li Guoyong pays his respects to you, Grandfather"

Li Guoyong's face was ashen, his body slightly trembling, as he forcibly restrained his emotions

Seated, Wang Junhui lifted his teacup and took a sip, disdainfully saying: "I heard from my friends in Beijing that today there are two notorious thieves in the world: the informant Yuan Shikai, the great thief, and Li Guoyong, the little thief, who captures reformists. I wonder if they are referring to the governor." His words were indeed extremely bold, showing no regard for the governor at all

"Ming Yi, the situation is not optimistic," Yang Du said with concern

Who could have guessed the sordid thoughts of Lord Li? Each person took it seriously, and the disdainful glances that once existed have now all transformed into respect

At this moment, Li Guoyong instead relaxed his mood, thinking, what is there to fear? At worst, he could revert to being a rogue, treating all of this as merely a dream. He said, "Xi Zi, let us go to Wuxi immediately"

This statement can be considered as giving Wang Guanrong sufficient face, as a dignified governor refers to a mere commoner as "grandfather"; such a thing could only be accomplished by the rogue Li Guoyong.

He sat down in the hall, and Wang Guanrong instructed someone to serve tea. Then he called out a man and a woman from the inner room. The man was under thirty, and his complexion appeared somewhat pale, possibly due to excessive indulgence in wine and pleasure. However, the girl was truly striking. At the age of sixteen or seventeen, with bright eyes and white teeth, a slender waist and elegant hair, she stood there vivaciously, making the beauty of the Six Dynasties seem dull in comparison

Li Guoyong's mood had deteriorated to the utmost extent

Yang Du listened, his brows furrowing together. My lord, can't you be a bit more tactful? This is hardly borrowing; it is almost akin to robbery.

Fortunately, Wang Guanrong spoke up to help him out of his predicament: "Junhui, Lord Li is deep and thoughtful; how could you possibly fathom his intentions? Hurry and apologize."

Adjusting his mindset, Li Guoyong said lightly: "It seems that Wang Shixiong has a deep misunderstanding of Li Guoyong."

Indeed, Wang Guanrong was taken aback for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh, saying, "Mingyi is truly too polite, please come in quickly"

Wang Junhui sneered and said: "I dare not, I dare not. To think that Lord Li personally captured Tan Sitong and others, what an impressive display of authority! The gentry of Jiangsu hold him in great esteem, how could there be any misunderstanding?"

Li Guoyong stated bluntly: "I have run out of money, I need to borrow some!"

Is it really destined for oneself to be nothing more than a petty hoodlum, a small rogue

In an instant, Li Guoyong's heart raced, his eyes gleamed with excitement, and he felt as if he had stumbled upon a treasure. His gratitude towards Li Hongzhang was beyond words.

Li Guoyong thought: Old man, https://m.hetushu.com, it's not that I need you to make money for me, do I really need to waste my breath on this?

After this statement, not only Wang Guanrong and Wang Junhui, but even Yang Du fell into contemplation over these words, and even in Qing Yan's eyes, a peculiar brilliance flashed.

Who knows that Wang Guanrong greatly appreciates his son-in-law's straightforwardness, as this is what it means to be a family: "No need to mention borrowing; just take the money as you wish, whether it's 100,000 or 80,000, I will have someone bring it to you immediately"

Not long after, a hearty laughter echoed within the palace: "It turns out that Governor Li from Jiangsu has arrived. Wang Guanrong has failed to welcome him properly, my apologies, my apologies"

The worldly-wise Wang Guanrong scolded his grandson, saying: "Junhui, what madness is this again? You are provoking the adults for no reason."

Yang Du, Zheng Biao, Gu Dashan, and Liu Hanying looked at each other, their eyes revealing anger, but they ultimately refrained from erupting on the spot out of respect for Wang Guanrong

Observing the ever-changing expression of Wang Junhui, Li Guoyong seemed to be speaking both to him and to Wang Guanrong: "Everyone says that I, Li Guoyong, am the sinner who hinders China's progress, but who knows the pain in my heart? Emperor Guangxu is a sage ruler, and I, Li Guoyong, truly admire him from the bottom of my heart. However, our emperor is born in an unfortunate time! Can Emperor Guangxu compete with the Empress Dowager? Since he cannot win, why not sacrifice figures like Tan Sitong and other reformists? Emperor Guangxu is a sage ruler, and I, Li Guoyong, truly admire him from the bottom of my heart. However, our emperor is born in an unfortunate time! Can Emperor Guangxu compete with the Empress Dowager? Since he cannot win, why not sacrifice figures like Tan Sitong and other reformists? Why not help our emperor gain ten or twenty years to restore the vitality of our China? If we can secure that time, even if I, Li Guoyong, am pointed at by a thousand people, what regret would I have?"

Wang Junhui was momentarily taken aback; he sympathized with the reformists more than with the traditionalists. However, he only knew about the events occurring in the world today through rumors among the gentry. As for the deeper realities, it was beyond the understanding of a mere grandson of a wealthy merchant.

Wang Junhui hurriedly borrowed a donkey from the slope: "My lord, Junhui is young and impetuous. I have just offended you, and I hope you can forgive me and not take it to heart."

Li Guoyong shook his head vigorously: "This amount is insufficient; I want five million!"

At this moment, Wang Junhui's expression changed; he did not expect that the governor had such lofty ambitions. He truly felt he had misjudged him, as the rumors circulating among the people were indeed unreliable

Li Guoyong further stated: "I have also been thinking about reform, about making our China strong enough to no longer be bullied by foreigners, allowing every citizen to live a good life; but at that time, I was merely a small attendant in the court, what could I do, what could I resist? If I do not arrest the reformists, will I have the opportunity to be appointed as the Governor of Jiangsu? Now, it is good, this opportunity has arrived. The matters that the Emperor and Tan Sitong did not complete will start with me in Jiangsu. Give me a few years, and once we have sorted out the affairs in Jiangsu, then I will be able to stand tall and protect our Emperor's grand undertaking of the second reform!"

Wang Guanrong's expression became much more amiable and kind, and the more he looked at his future grandson-in-law, the more he found him pleasing: "Mingyi, to be honest, I initially looked down on what you do to some extent. If it weren't for the old Prime Minister, I wouldn't have agreed to this marriage proposal. However, now I understand the circumstances and your mindset. This marriage proposal, even if you do not agree, cannot be turned down, haha"

Li Guoyong smiled wryly and said, "I am going to pay a visit to my future father-in-law, his father!"

Indeed, the government finances are tight, but the merchants in Jiangsu have plenty of money. Although the merchants from Huizhou and Shanxi were renowned during the late Qing Dynasty, the merchants from Suzhou are by no means inferior to them. Having realized this, Li Guoyong slightly adjusted his mood and dismissed the officials below him.

Li Guoyong secretly cursed in his heart, thinking that the old man was getting too arrogant, calling out "Mingyi" even before he had officially entered the door. Although he thought this way, he did not dare to show any hint of it on his face, and instead entered the hall with a polite demeanor.

Li Guoyong stood up to greet them, but the expressions of the two people opposite him were quite different. Wang Junhui seemed to be very dissatisfied with the governor, merely returning the greeting with a casual clasp of his hands before unceremoniously taking a seat; Li Guoyong's future wife, Qingyan, performed a half-bow, said nothing, and her face turned red with embarrassment

However, Li Guoyong somewhat understood why Li Hongzhang made it his first task after taking office to pay a visit to his future father-in-law, Wang Guanrong. It seems that this old fox had already been aware of the dire financial situation in Jiangsu.

This time, Li Guoyong did not resort to any tricks of "understanding the people's sentiments"; instead, he continuously urged the coachman to hurry up. The governor's residence of Jiangsu during the Qing Dynasty was located in Suzhou, which is quite close to Wuxi, and the carriage could reach there in less than an hour and a half. Upon arriving in Wuxi, Li Guoyong immediately rushed to the Wang Mansion located in Wangxiang (now known as Rongxiang) in Wuxi, presenting his name card. The doorman, upon seeing the name card, was astonished to find it belonged to the future son-in-law of Sun and the current governor of Jiangsu, Lord Sun. He was taken aback and did not dare to be negligent, hurriedly going inside to report.

Wuxi

"Speak, Mingyi, what brings you to me this time? As long as it is within my capability, I will not refuse any request," Wang Guanrong said, getting to the point.

Wang Guanrong smiled and said: "Mingyi, do not be angry. Junhui has been spoiled by my son since childhood, and he speaks without regard for propriety. Please do not take it to heart, Mingyi."

Li Guoyong let out a long sigh, dear ancestors, weaving such a lie is truly exhausting. Fortunately, he managed to fool them and clasped his hands together, saying: "You are too kind, my brother."

Wang Guanrong then said to his grandchildren: "This is the newly appointed Governor of Jiangsu, Lord Li Guoyong."

Which of the following does not require a large amount of silver: rectifying local areas, establishing factories, or organizing a new army

This statement can be considered quite righteous. Li Guoyong vividly portrayed the disgraceful act of capturing Tan Sitong and others for the sake of self-preservation as his own act of enduring humiliation and bearing burdens, thus transforming himself from a "petty thief" into a great hero.

Wang Junhui casually remarked: "Junhui is merely curious about the rumors; if there are any indiscretions, I hope you will forgive me, my lord"

Wang Guanrong introduced: "The old man's son is doing business in Shanghai, so I can only help him with the introductions. These two are the old man's grandson, Wang Junhui; and that one is the old man's granddaughter, Qingyan, who is the fiancée arranged for you by the Grand Minister."

In his imagination, Jiangsu should not be like this. In his vision, Jiangsu is a land of fish and rice, abundant with silver that he does not even know how to spend. But what is the reality? Three hundred and fifty thousand taels! It is even less than the amount of silver notes he brought personally