The Seventh Chapter: A Banquet for the Foreign Official, Yang Gongzhong; The Ceremony of Presenting a Machine; Sima's Comparison with a Bandit; An Account of the Current State of Officialdom; The Library of Heaven

  But after the governor's inspection, as the eastern half of Shandong Province had gradually fallen under foreign influence, there were frequent diplomatic incidents. Although Sino-foreign relations were harmonious and all matters could be handled peacefully, when the governor arrived, the foreign consul-general specially dispatched a troop to welcome him, which was considered a great honor. Therefore, as soon as the governor entered his camp, he ordered the interpreter to write a letter in English to arrange a meeting after the inspection.

  On this day, the Governor had breakfast and then brought a foreign affairs officer, who was a Tongzhi candidate, named Liang Shichang, from Guangdong Province; and an interpreter, who was a county magistrate, named Lin Lixiang, from Fujian Province. The Governor's sedan chair went first, followed by the two smaller sedan chairs of the officers, to the residence of the General. They handed in their visiting cards and were told to enter. The General received them with great respect, immediately removing his hat and bowing low to welcome them. After they sat down, they exchanged some polite conversation, which was nothing but trivial talk through an interpreter, not worth detailing. The General then brought out several kinds of foreign wine and snacks to entertain the guests. After a while, the Governor took his leave and departed. Immediately afterwards, the foreign General came to return the visit. The Governor received him with equal politeness. After the General left, the Governor summoned the county magistrate to come up and discuss with him the preparations for inviting the foreigners to dinner the next day. Magistrate San Hebao listened to the Governor's instructions and thought to himself that his superior's orders were easy to carry out, but this matter of inviting foreigners to dinner was something he had never handled before. It was obvious that foreigners would not eat Chinese food. In the past, when he had traveled to Shanghai several times, he had been embarrassed by the big restaurants there. Even with a chef, it was still difficult to prepare suitable dishes. But what were the proper etiquette and customs for inviting foreigners? He must consider these carefully in advance to avoid making a fool of himself in front of them. So he invited Ding Zijian, a secretary, to come and discuss the matter with him. Ding thought for a moment and said, "This matter should be discussed with the interpreter who came with the Governor, Lin Laoye. They have been dealing with foreigners since they were young, so they must know the proper etiquette." San Hebao listened to this advice and immediately sent someone to invite Lin Laoye to come. After they met, they exchanged some polite conversation, and then San Hebao explained his purpose. Lin Laoye jumped up onto his high horse and said, "This is a very easy matter!" Although he said it was easy, he did not want to tell others how to do it. San Hebao asked him again, but he just pointed here and there, evading the question. He also said, "I'll take care of it myself at the time." And also said, "Even I don't understand what's going on." San Hebao had no choice but to leave, and then discuss with Ding Laoye again. Fortunately, Ding Laoye had a wide circle of friends and was able to find another friend who was born in a foreign country and worked as an interpreter for the foreign officials. They told him all about the rules and customs: what was the first seat, what was the second seat, what was the main position, which wine to serve first, and so on.

  Here is the translation:

  San Hebao was overjoyed when he heard the news from Master Ding. That night, he invited the translator to stay for dinner and discuss the matter with him. He also asked the translator to write a menu, which included over ten dishes and five or six types of wine. When San Hebao took a look at the menu, he saw that it included: Clear Broth with Beef, Roasted Fish, Ice Cream with Ants, Steamed Mutton, Hamburg Steak, Beefsteak, Frozen Pig's Feet, Orange Ice Cream, Australian Green Pea Chicken, Tofu and Bamboo Shoots, Raw Vegetable Salad with Ham, Curry Rice with Eggs, White Pudding, Biscuits, Pork Chop Ice Cream, Grapes, Bananas, and Coffee. The wines included Brandy, Whiskey, Red Wine, Burgundy, Champagne, as well as sweet water and salty water. San Hebao looked at the menu and said repeatedly, "You've gone to a lot of trouble!..." He was worried that Governor Fu was a vegetarian and suggested changing the first dish to Swan's Nest with Pigeon Eggs, which would be a very expensive and impressive dish in their region, and would also cater to the governor's preferences. The translator agreed and suggested changing the beefsteak to pork chop. San Hebao said, "Foreigners don't eat beef either. When we serve it, let's make a few more pork chops, so those who don't eat beef can have pork instead." The translator repeatedly said, "That's a good way to handle it..." San Hebao then asked the translator to give the menu to Master Shi, who would write out ten or more copies in formal script.

  On the second day, Sanhe Bao got up early, wearing a brand new python robe and a supplementary jacket, walked to the Fu Yuan side to personally supervise, adjust the tables and chairs, and place the knives and forks. A total of three foreign officials, four foreign businessmen, and two translators brought by foreign officials were invited. There was one from the Fu Xian, one from the Hong Da Ren of the Yingwu Agency, one from the Liang Lao Ye of the Yangwu Agency, and one from the Lin Lao Ye of the Fu Yuan translation agency, along with Sanhe Bao, a total of five Chinese officials: in all, fourteen people. He called Shu Ben Shi Ye to write on red paper the names of certain gentlemen and elders. Sanhe Bao asked the translator to help him check again: who should sit where, who should sit in the first seat, who should sit in the second seat. Once the assignments were settled, he placed the red signs in front of each person's seat. If it was a foreigner, he would ask the translator to write a line of foreign characters on top so that the foreigners could recognize them.

  At this time, the decorations on the table, such as glass bottles and fresh flowers, were all ready. Everything in the kitchen was also in order. San Hebao asked again: "Has the foreign wine been delivered?" The housekeepers replied: "They have all been delivered." San Hebao ordered that all the wine bottles be opened, including several bottles of Dutch water, to avoid last-minute rush. The translator said: "Wine and water will go flat if opened too early, so it's better to open them when needed." San Hebao said again: "Today's banquet is naturally hosted by the master of the house, but my brother also has a share in it. All etiquette must be learned beforehand." The translator said: "When foreigners host important guests, they usually divide the dishes themselves and then have the servants bring them to the guests." San Hebao listened to his words and immediately wanted to learn this custom, so he ordered the kitchen to take out several extra dishes that had been prepared, and he personally divided them up, ordering the housekeepers to wear brand new large robes and pretend to be servants, ready to run around.

  Xì zǎi: Male servant.

  It was already past six o'clock when everything was ready. Foreigners are punctual, and it's not good to rush them. Today's invitation was for twelve o'clock. When eleven o'clock struck, the governor and several others, including Mr. Hong, Mr. Liang, and Mr. Lin, all dressed in formal attire, arrived to pay their respects. Sanhe invited Ding Shiren to join him and the interpreter in the study to have lunch and discuss arrangements. After a short while, the foreigners began to arrive one after another. The governor greeted them, shook hands, tipped his hat, and led them to their seats. They exchanged pleasantries through the interpreter. When all the guests had arrived, the governor invited them to take their seats. Everyone looked at the place cards and took their designated seats without hesitation. First, a soup was served, which everyone ate. The governor then raised his cup and gave a toast, saying something about the friendship between the two countries, which the interpreter translated. The chief foreign official responded with a few words, also translated by the interpreter. The governor thanked him again and took a sip of wine. As they chatted and ate, they had already finished eight or nine dishes without realizing it. Later, Sanhe helped to serve the food, dividing it among the guests. Somehow, one of them accidentally dropped a piece of meat on his new dark green coat, staining it with a big oil spot. He was so flustered that he knocked over a glass of champagne with his sleeve. Fortunately, the tablecloth was white and absorbed the spill, preventing it from spreading to other areas. Also fortunate was that the large dining table was long and wide, with the governor sitting at one end as host and Sanhe at the other end assisting, so they were quite far apart and didn't notice the commotion. The poor man's ears had turned bright red with embarrassment. After about half an hour, all the dishes had been served. The servants brought in water for washing hands, served in glass bowls. Mr. Hong, who was from a military background, didn't know the etiquette of formal dining and thought it was some kind of Dutch liquor, so he picked up the bowl and took a sip. "The Dutch liquor we had earlier was sweet and salty," he said, "but this one is bland and not as good as the other two." When he drank the water, everyone else didn't pay attention, but the foreigners were smiling at him. Later, when they heard what he said, they realized that he had drunk the water meant for washing hands. The interpreter, Mr. Lin, pulled on his sleeve and whispered to him, "This is water for washing your mouth, it's not for drinking." But Mr. Hong didn't believe him, saying, "If it's not for drinking, why would they serve it in such a nice bowl?" Everyone knew he had a bit of a temper, so they didn't argue with him. Later, when they were eating fruit, he saw everyone else peeling their own fruit and decided to do the same. Halfway through, he accidentally cut off a piece of skin from his finger, causing blood to spurt everywhere. Panicked, he quickly washed his hand in the water bowl, turning it bright red. Everyone was shocked and asked him what happened, but he refused to say. Instead, he scolded the servants for not peeling the fruit properly before serving it. The servants didn't dare respond. Sanhe looked very embarrassed. After a while, they finished their coffee, and the guests began to leave. One of the servants, who had been standing by the door, said to another servant, "You see, Mr. Hong was saying that the governor didn't rehearse beforehand, but I heard from our boss that he actually did rehearse last night with Lin Laoye. They practiced until four in the morning before taking a nap." The other servant wanted to continue talking, but Ding Shiren urged them to hurry up and clear the table. Later, the foreign officials and merchants invited the governor and his entourage to another banquet, which lasted for two or three days before it was finally over.

  These days, Fu Yin got to know several foreigners and talked about the way of prosperity. The foreigners all advised him to do business. Fu Yin also thought so in his heart, so he asked them for advice. After returning to the province, there were several candidates who could recite the Heart Sutra, each presenting a memorial on commerce. Fu Yin accepted them all. Among them was a candidate named Tao Hua, whose sister's husband was the head of the Foreign Affairs Bureau. He relied on his brother-in-law's face and had good writing skills, so he sometimes wrote formal letters that were passable. His brother-in-law asked Fu Yin to appoint him as a document officer in the Foreign Affairs Bureau. When he saw his brother-in-law return from the court, he repeatedly mentioned that Fu Yin was really seeking commerce and that all memorials presented were reviewed by himself; two or three candidates benefited from this. He thought to himself: "Like me being a document officer here, earning 24 taels of silver as salary every month, even if I do it for a lifetime, I won't be able to make a name for myself. Now that there is this opportunity, why not learn from them and present a memorial? Maybe something good will come out of it." He made up his mind and opened his book box, taking out some "Commercial Strategies" and "Discussions on Current Affairs" that he had bought during the imperial examination last year. He looked at the table of contents for half a day, saw what was useful, copied a few articles, and didn't bother to think about it. Coincidentally, there was an article from the Academy's curriculum, titled "Commercial Reorganization Strategy". When he saw this title, he quickly looked up the original text, which had over 5,000 words, with twelve articles in total, making him extremely happy. After roughly reading through it, he understood some parts and not others. At the top, there were several foreign names that he didn't recognize. He thought to himself: "If I copy it verbatim, what if Fu Yin asks about the origin of these people? Won't I be exposed?" He also thought about removing those foreign names, "but then it won't show my extensive knowledge." After thinking back and forth, "since Fu Yin is also an outsider, why not deceive him a bit. If he asks, I'll just say it's from England or France, and he won't be able to investigate further." He made up his mind. As a clever person who knew all the official styles, he changed a few words at the beginning and end, added two lines, and wrote a draft, saying that he had come up with it himself. He explained the situation to his brother-in-law and asked for his guidance.

  Four-six letter: a letter written in parallel prose, with four characters and six characters alternating as sentences, called pinyin si liu.

  His brother-in-law, who was supposed to be a foreign affairs officer, had limited knowledge of literature. When his uncle told him that he wanted to submit a memorial to the emperor, he put on his old glasses and carefully examined his uncle from head to toe before saying: "You don't seem like someone with great talent! But this grand secretary is extremely meticulous, and any memorial submitted must be reviewed by the various officials. If you say something wrong, they will surely reject it. Therefore, submitting a memorial is an extremely difficult task, and only someone with exceptional abilities would dare to take the risk. If you make a mistake, it's better to keep a low profile." He said this because he looked down on his uncle. Tao Ziyu then said: "I don't know if it's good or not, so I'll let my brother-in-law review it." His brother-in-law ignored him and began reading the memorial one line at a time. When he came across some characters he didn't recognize, he would roll his tongue in his mouth and gloss over them. After finishing the memorial, he found that he didn't understand more than half of it. Seeing his uncle still sitting there, he couldn't help but criticize him: "Brother, you are indeed very knowledgeable, but the emperor wants practical results. Your writing is good, but there's too much empty talk; I'm afraid the emperor won't be pleased when he reads it. Although I'm not as skilled in literature as you, brother, I have more experience in official circles."

  Tao Ziyao hastily explained, "The allusions cited in this memorial are foreign affairs and not empty words." His brother-in-law said, "Yes. Foreigners have never been to our China, how would they know the situation in our country?" Tao Ziyao said, "It's not that foreigners understand the situation in our country, but rather that we cite their effective methods as evidence, and ask you to follow their example." His brother-in-law said, "I don't have time to argue with you. In short, this memorial is not a trivial matter. If you insist on submitting it, you should carefully consider it. I know all the old masters in the court, after you've finished writing, let me take it in and ask for their opinions first. If they say it's fine, then submit it, to avoid being rejected." Tao Ziyao felt uncomfortable listening to this. He took the draft, made a few perfunctory remarks, and excused himself to leave. After returning to his study, he thought to himself, "Discussing this with him and asking him to submit it on my behalf will never succeed. I'd better write it well myself and submit it early tomorrow morning. 'A turtle crawling over the threshold is a matter of one stumble', and it has nothing to do with him anyway."

  The decision was made, and that night, he carefully wrote a memorial. The next morning, before his brother-in-law had come down from the yamen, he put on his official robes, took his memorial, and without using a sedan chair or bringing anyone with him, hurried to the yamen. He knew that this was the new rule of the governor: whoever wanted to present a memorial would first register at the police station, where a special policeman would be in charge of receiving them, and if they were satisfactory, he would immediately be summoned for an audience. Therefore, all those who came to present memorials had to go through this policeman. Just then, Tao Ziyu arrived, and the policeman asked him his business. Because the governor had given orders that no one was to be delayed, he immediately let him in to have tea and smoke, and when he had a chance, took his memorial and presented it to the governor. At this time, the governor was talking with the director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, and after reading the memorial, was very pleased. Seeing that Tao Ziyu was a clerk in the Foreign Affairs Bureau, he said to his brother-in-law: "This Tao is one of your bureau's clerks. His memorial makes good sense, not like those empty and baseless ones." His brother-in-law heard that it was his nephew who had presented the memorial, and his heart was filled with anxiety, blaming him for not listening to him and doing things secretly. Later, when he heard the governor's praise, he couldn't help but change from anger to joy, and hastily changed his attitude, saying: "This Tao is a relative of mine by marriage. Thanks to your excellency's promotion, since February this year, he has been working in the bureau. His writing is still passable." The governor said: "Not only is it passable, but it's very good. In his memorial, there are several points that hit the nail on the head of the current situation, and can be carried out." Saying this, he asked the policeman: "Is this man here?" The policeman replied: "He's waiting outside." The governor then ordered him to be summoned. Before long, Tao Ziyu followed the policeman in, saw the governor, bowed his head, and greeted him. The governor asked him to sit down. He saw that his brother-in-law was also sitting there, and his face felt hot with shame, feeling embarrassed. Also, because his brother-in-law was the old chief of the bureau, he didn't dare take a seat above him, and insisted on letting his brother-in-law sit in the upper seat. His brother-in-law said: "The governor has ordered you to sit down, so just sit." Then he sat down beside him. The tea house brought in tea. At this time, the governor was praising Tao Ziyu, saying: "Old brother's memorial is really good, and more than half of it can be carried out. For example, extracting oil and making paper, the cost is not much, but the profit is stable. However, these machines must be bought from abroad. In your memorial, you mentioned several kinds of machines, in my opinion, we might as well buy one set of each kind to try them out." Tao Ziyu hastily replied: "To buy machines, we have to go to Shanghai's Ruiji Foreign Firm or Xinyi Foreign Firm. The purchasing agents of those firms are all friends of mine, and I'm on good terms with them. If we entrust them to sign a contract with foreigners, it won't take more than three to five months to get the machines." The governor said: "Very good." He then asked him some other questions, and followed his brother-in-law out, returning to the Foreign Affairs Bureau.

  At this time, his brother-in-law, seeing that the governor was going to promote him, no longer blamed him and even invited him to dinner at the government office. When they arrived at the government office, his brother-in-law had already told his sister everything from start to finish. His sister listened with joy and quickly said to her husband: "As a brother-in-law, you should help him in front of the governor and assign him the task of managing the machinery. This will benefit both of them." Her husband replied: "This is only natural for close relatives, what's the need for polite words?" After lunch, Tao Ziyao returned to the office as usual.

  The next day, his brother-in-law went to the upper house and told him that he was going to be sent to Shanghai. He indeed spoke highly of his nephew again. When he returned to the lower house, the document for the delegation had already arrived: "First allocate 20,000 silver coins from the Relief Bureau and take it with you to handle matters. If it's not enough, wait until the price is settled, then telegram to request instructions and arrange for more funds." His brother-in-law was naturally delighted when he received this document. That day, his sister's husband asked him to move his luggage into the public house to live, saying: "In a few days you'll be going on a long journey, let's live together and chat freely as relatives." The documents here were naturally handed over to someone else, no need to elaborate. The next day, Tao Ziyao went to the upper house to thank for his appointment and was treated with a warm reception by the governor, who gave him a boost of confidence. Returning to the public house to pack his bags, he then went to bid farewell to his colleagues at various government offices, and afterwards there were farewell banquets everywhere. It's hard to recall them all at once.

  It so happened that on this day, several old colleagues from the Foreign Affairs Bureau had gathered at the Pavilion of the Spring of the Flying Water to bid him farewell. They had set a table and were waiting for him to arrive at noon, but he didn't show up until after five o'clock in the afternoon. Everyone was getting anxious when they saw him arriving drunk in a sedan chair from his sister's husband's residence. As soon as he sat down, everyone offered him tea. Tao Ziyao spoke first, saying: "This afternoon, my brother-in-law invited guests, including Wang Guanzhu from the two offices and the head of the school, Hong Guanzhu from the military affairs office. He insisted that I accompany them, so we ate until now before dispersing. That's why I'm late, and I apologize for keeping you all waiting!" Everyone chimed in, saying: "It's still early."

  After a while, the dishes were served, and naturally, Tao Ziyao took the lead, with the others following. When half of the dishes had been served and three rounds of wine had been drunk, everyone came to toast him, saying that he would have great achievements after completing his mission and that in the future, he would promote them all. Tao Ziyao listened, his face flushed with pride, and said with a smirk: "Needless to say! I'm not bragging, but among those who discuss foreign affairs in Shandong Province, except for the governor, there's no one else I can talk to." A colleague across from him said: "Our boss is considered an expert here." Tao Ziyao snorted and said: "It's easy to talk about being an expert! My brother-in-law has been running this foreign affairs bureau for years, but he only knows three words of English. Ask him which countries those foreigners are from, see if he can answer! I may not have handled any diplomatic missions before, but I can still recite the names of several countries." Everyone chimed in: "When you return to Shanghai, boss, your foreign affairs bureau will probably be handed over to you." Tao Ziyao said: "We'll see about that." That night, after dinner, he returned home. The next morning, his brother-in-law helped him with various tasks, showing great enthusiasm. As Tao Ziyao was usually frugal and never used a housekeeper, his brother-in-law specially assigned one of his own servants to accompany him on the road. Tao Ziyao bid farewell to his brother-in-law and sister, took the servant, and set off towards the east, passing through three provinces to reach Weizhou, where he boarded a train to Qingdao. Coincidentally, there was a ship arriving at the port, so he bought a ticket and moved onto the ship. As the ship set sail, the wind suddenly picked up, blowing fiercely and causing the ship to rock violently. Tao Ziyao had always been prone to seasickness and lay down as soon as he boarded the ship, unable to move. His servant's name was Zhang Sheng, a northerner who had never been on a boat before and couldn't withstand the motion. The wind blew for two days and two nights without stopping, and Tao Ziyao and his servant were both exhausted and didn't get up for two days and two nights. When Tao Ziyao boarded the ship, someone helped him write a letter to ask a favor of an accountant on board named Liu Zhan'guang. As soon as they met, Liu Zhan'guang guessed that Tao Ziyao must be a prominent figure in Shandong Province and was eager to curry favor with him, addressing him as "Tao Daren" (Mr. Tao). Tao Ziyao was delighted. At first, he asked for a cabin, but the ship didn't have any available, so Liu Zhan'guang offered his own quarters to Tao Ziyao. When it came time to eat, Liu Zhan'guang brought out his own special dishes to share with him. During the storm, when Zhang Sheng was incapacitated, Liu Zhan'guang sent someone to take care of him, bringing tea and water; he also visited frequently to ask after Tao Ziyao's well-being, which made Tao Ziyao feel truly grateful.

  They arrived in Shanghai, the wind had died down, and the ship was calm. Tao Ziyao and his servant were no longer dizzy. As a government official, he chose to stay at the Gaosheng Stack on Qipan Street. The staff from the stackhouse came to greet them, called for a rickshaw, and pushed their luggage away. The master and servant hired another rickshaw and followed behind. After arriving at the stackhouse, they drank tea, washed their faces, and had dinner. Because of the tossing on the ship for two days, they hadn't slept well, so they didn't go out for the time being and took a nap in the stackhouse. When they woke up, it was already dark. They saw the teahouse send over an invitation card. Tao Ziyao took a look and saw that it read: "Please invite Mr. Tao Ziyao of Gaosheng Stack on Qipan Street to visit Yipinxiang No. 9 across from the old police station on Sima Road for a chat. Don't decline, it's fortunate! This is an invitation." At the end was the date, and below were three small characters that read "Liu Zhan Guang Yue". On the side was another line of small characters that said "Today, Shandong Yantai came to ask about the cabinet and explore the invitation". Tao Ziyao took a look and knew it was the purser from the ship. He looked at the card while wiping his hands with a handkerchief, then got up and changed into a single-layer robe, a 2.7-inch sky-blue jacket with a large sleeve, and a pair of trousers. Although it was already August, the weather was still hot, and he held a folding fan in his hand. He told his servant to take his tobacco pouch and followed behind him. When they walked out onto the street, they didn't recognize the road, so they had to call two rickshaws and ask them to pull them to Yipinxiang. The distance from Gaosheng Stack to Yipinxiang was quite far, and the rickshaw drivers were happy to make some extra money by pulling them around in a circle before finally arriving. The master and servant got off the rickshaws, paid the fare, asked for directions, and walked inside. Liu Zhan Guang immediately stood up to greet them and invited them to sit down.

  At that time, there were already seven or eight people on the table: some had short hair hanging down from their heads, but it was combed neatly; others had a big button on their chest with a fresh flower inserted; and some people didn't know what they were using to smoke, but a wave of fragrance came over. The clothes these people wore were all silk, satin, and brocade, among which there were one or two slightly old ones, but not as old-fashioned as Tao Ziyao's. When Tao Ziyao first arrived in Shanghai from Shandong, his brother-in-law had instructed him, saying: "Shanghai is not a good place, you are new to the job, don't be reckless! Losing money is a small matter, losing your reputation is a big deal!" Tao Ziyao was eager to do well as an official and remembered these words firmly. He made up his mind that when he arrived in Shanghai, he wouldn't visit brothels or drink flower wine, so as not to get cheated.

  To summon a prostitute.

  On this day, he came to Yipinxiang and after seeing the host, he also bowed to everyone. The people at the table either stood up and clasped their hands or sat still. Liu Zhan Guang told him that this was so-and-so, this was so-and-so, all of whom were either purchasing agents or translators from various places, and he introduced them one by one. Later, another person came and sat down next to Tao Zi Yao. This man had a pair of crab-like whiskers and was around 40 years old. "May I ask your honorable surname and given name?" The man replied, "My surname is Wei and my given name is Huanlian." When asked about his residence, he said that he lived in the hostel. Liu Zhan Guang also reported his name to everyone, saying: "This Mr. Tao is sent by the Shandong Provincial Government to handle machinery affairs, he is a well-known first-class official in Shandong Province, and I have always admired him."

  Everyone listened and was deeply impressed. Among them, there was a purchasing agent specializing in military uniforms, named Qiu Wukuo, who heard the words and thought of promoting his own business, so he flattered him with a few sentences to show his enthusiasm. Wei Youxiang sat with him, asking questions back and forth, and they talked endlessly. Later, when the host asked him to order dishes, he said he didn't understand. Wei Youxiang then wrote six dishes for him. Everyone wanted to call for music, and Liu Zhan Guang asked Wei Youxiang to substitute for him. Tao Zi Yao firmly refused, saying: "Everyone please go ahead, I'm not breaking my vow, so let's forget it." The crowd insisted on asking him to call, but he refused. Later, when everyone saw that he was getting anxious and his face turned red, they gave up. At this time, each person's relationship with the others continued to unfold, some sang, while others didn't. Only Wei Youxiang called for a young master, who followed the courtesan, and indeed looked elegant. As soon as she saw Wei Lao, she leaned on him, biting his ear for half a day, and everyone at the table said: "Old three is really favored by Wei Lao!" Old three glanced at them sideways, ignoring the crowd, and continued talking. At this time, Tao Zi Yao sat aside, pretending not to see anything. In an instant, the music arrived, and it was truly a beautiful scene with jade surrounding pearls, gold dazzling paper, and endless tender scenery, and charming atmosphere.

  Young master: Not yet sold herself as a prostitute.

  At this moment, Qi Wu Ke was trying to persuade him, taking advantage of the crowd's distraction, and had already instructed him to be good, hurry back and prepare a pair of tables. The host agreed, hastily packed two bags of cigarettes, and went downstairs with Mr. Qi Wu Ke immediately walked up to Liu Zhan Guang's face and asked him to invite Tao Da Ren to join them for dinner. Liu Zhan Guang immediately relayed the message. Tao Zi Yao repeatedly declined. Liu Zhan Guang said: "If you don't want to go, I won't force you, just sit for a while, have a few dishes and enjoy the atmosphere." Wei Huan Rong also helped to persuade him, saying: "Our Qi Wu Ke is very fond of friends, today he specially invited us, the wine has been ordered, you must come." He then turned to Qi Wu Ke and said: "Qi Wu Ke, why don't you go ahead and tell them to set up the tables. We'll accompany Tao Zi Yao over in a moment." Qi Wu Ke again said "thank you" before putting on his coat, bidding farewell to everyone, and leaving. The host had already prepared the dishes, after they finished their coffee, the waiter brought over the bill, the host signed it, and then invited everyone to go to Qi Wu Ke's house for dinner. Tao Zi Yao initially refused, but was eventually pulled along by Liu Zhan Guang and Wei Huan Rong. They took a carriage, heading west. Wei Huan Rong told him: "This is called Si Ma Road, the most bustling place in Shanghai." He pointed out various places to him, saying: "This is a theater, this is a teahouse..." Tao Zi Yao had spent many years abroad and had heard people talk about the scenery of Si Ma Road before. Now that he saw it with his own eyes, it was truly a place where music and singing filled the night, and lanterns shone brightly all night long. His feelings of wonder and enchantment were indescribable.

  Wei Huaren is a clever person, and it's easy to see through him. Moreover, they had already become familiar with each other on the surface earlier, so on the road, he persuaded him, saying: "Zi Weng, there's an old saying that goes like this: 'Great virtue does not exceed leisure, small virtue can be used for entry and exit.' You, Zi Weng, don't drink or call prostitutes, you're naturally very upright. However, now that we need to do things on the road of life, if we follow this approach, we'll inevitably suffer losses." Tao Ziyao listened, feeling puzzled, and asked him to explain.

  Wei Huaren said: "I'm not trying to lead you astray, but in Shanghai's business world, 90% of it is done in brothels. Look at the officials who come and go, which one doesn't drink or call prostitutes?" Tao Ziyao said: "You're talking about business, why are you also mentioning officialdom?"

  Wei Huaren said: "Don't be surprised. For example, everyone knows that you, Zi Weng, were sent by the Shandong governor's office, and you're clearly an official, but you're dealing with machines. Ask yourself, what kind of machine is this? What kind of business isn't it? To do business with machines, we need to find foreign companies. These foreigners in the companies, which one doesn't drink or call prostitutes? Not only will they invite you, but you'll also have to invite them: when they invite you, half of it is out of friendship and half is to pull your business; when you invite them, it's to ask for their help in negotiating prices with foreigners. As long as we can talk things through, I guarantee that everything will be taken care of smoothly, and we'll save money and time. Isn't this a win-win situation?"

  Tao Ziyao said: "So it seems like I have no choice but to drink and call prostitutes." Wei Huaren said: "Of course you do. Where else can you take your friends to drink?" Tao Ziyao walked on, deep in thought. Suddenly, he arrived at the entrance of a tea shop with a sign that read "Xihui Fang". Everyone said: "Let's go in here!" Tao Ziyao unknowingly followed them inside.

  As for what kind of person Wei Huaren was and whether Tao Ziyao broke his vow, we'll have to wait until next time to find out.

  Kang Baidu: Mai Ban, English transliteration.