Chapter 9: Observing Gong Discusses Silver and Turns Against Bu Zhengshi's Official Residence

  Here is the translation:

  As soon as Táo Zǐyáo received his brother-in-law's telegram, he opened it and read: "The superior does not allow the purchase of machinery. Please return the 20,000 yuan to Wáng Guānchá for collection." Táo Zǐyáo didn't even finish reading before his hands turned cold with rage, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and he sat there without a word. After a while, he said: "This is my 'nail-sealed document'!" At the time, Táo Zǐyáo was still at Lán Fēn's house having dinner with his new sister-in-law. The steward brought in the telegram, which had already been translated by the telegraph office. After reading it, Táo Zǐyáo made a scene, and everyone guessed that there must be some bad news on the telegram. Luckily, his new sister-in-law remained calm and continued eating her rice. Only after finishing her bowl of rice did she slowly ask: "What's going on?" Táo Zǐyáo didn't want to tell her but said: "It's urging me to go back." His new sister-in-law understood in her heart and didn't ask again. Then, Táo Zǐyáo asked: "Where does Wèi Piānzhēn live?" His new sister-in-law replied: "I don't know where he lives, I've never been there." Táo Zǐyáo said: "I only know him on the surface, but I've never actually been to his house." The steward chimed in: "These Shanghai swindlers are really numerous. Once they get their hands on your money, it's hard to get it back. And you don't even know him, how can you trust him with things?" Táo Zǐyáo scolded: "Fool! Shut up! What do you understand?" The steward didn't dare speak again. His new sister-in-law quickly changed the subject: "Wèi is actually a reliable person, if you entrust things to him, he'll get them done. As for returning the machinery, it's a foreigner's business, what does it have to do with us?" Táo Zǐyáo didn't respond and put on his coat, preparing to leave. His new sister-in-law asked: "Where are you going?" He said: "I'm going to the warehouse." His new sister-in-law knew that trying to stop him would be useless, so she let him go.

  Nail-sealed document: an urgent official document delivered during the Qing dynasty to decide the fate of a prisoner.

  Tao Ziyao had just returned to his inn when Wei Huanrang came to see him, saying: "The five officials have already discussed this matter with the foreigners. The foreigners strongly disagree, saying that once a contract is signed, how can they regret it? Even if they were to change the 11,000 yuan that has already been paid into a fine, they would not accept it, and they must deliver the goods. Subao, you should write a detailed memorial to the governor to avoid trouble for yourself. In the future, if there is a dispute and a lawsuit, it will be because of your actions as the Shandong governor's appointee." Tao Ziyao listened, but was at a loss for words, when suddenly his steward brought in a letter, saying that it was from Wang Daren, the acting circuit intendant of Shandong, who had sent someone to deliver it and awaited a response. Tao Ziyao heard the three words "Wang Da Ren" and was taken aback. He hastily opened the letter and saw that it was about what his brother-in-law had said in the telegram earlier - Wang Guanzhu's observation. In the letter, Wang Guanzhu stated that he had been ordered by the governor of Shandong to go to Japan to investigate educational matters. After arriving in Shanghai, he received a telegram instructing him to also investigate agricultural, industrial, and commercial affairs, and to add four more committee members and over ten students. Therefore, he asked Tao Ziyao to retrieve the 20,000 yuan from the committee members as travel expenses. It was because he had just received the telegram that day that he wrote a letter to inform him. If the money was ready, he would immediately send someone to collect it.

  Tao Ziyao didn't look at it, but when he did, he was so anxious that he couldn't say a word. In his heart, he thought: "These foreigners not only refuse to retreat but also want to push the ones behind them. And Wang Guanzhang is from the Shandong governor's office, if they come to discuss, even if the foreigners are willing to return the silver, it would be at most 11,000 taels, and the remaining 9,000 has already been used up by me for over 90%. No matter what, the total amount of 20,000 cannot be returned, how can I not feel anxious! But unfortunately, there is no hole in the ground, if there was one, I would have crawled into it long ago." He thought to himself but didn't speak. The housekeeper stood beside him waiting for a response and also dared not say anything.

  At this point, Wei Youxi was still impatient and said: "Someone asked you to respond, what should I say?" One sentence reminded Tao Ziyang, who immediately turned out the letter paper to write a reply. Suddenly remembering that Wang Guancha was his superior in the province, according to the rules, he should have written a formal reply on official stationery. He was originally from a literary background and understood these formats. However, with an uneasy mind, he picked up his pen and couldn't even write half a line without dropping or writing wrong characters. After changing five sheets of paper, he still hadn't finished three lines, making him so anxious that the sweat on his forehead was as big as soybeans. Later, it was fortunate that Wei Youxi came up with an idea: "Wang Guancha is your superior in the province, since he has arrived here, you should go pay your respects to him. Today, don't bother writing a reply, just give a card to the messenger and ask him to return and inform him that you will come over tomorrow for a face-to-face discussion." Tao Ziyang was worried about how to start writing this letter when he heard this suggestion and repeatedly said "that makes sense..." He immediately found a small official business card from his desk drawer, handed it to the butler, and instructed him to tell the messenger: "Please inform Sir that we have received his letter. I will come over tomorrow morning to pay my respects and discuss other matters." The butler took the card and went to deliver the message without further ado.

  Interleaf: refers to letters inserted between the leaves of a notebook, specifically reports from lower officials to higher officials on matters that are not suitable for inclusion in the notebook or are inconvenient to write down.

  Wei Fanren asked him, "What's the best way to handle this?" Tao Ziyao said, "Fan'gong, no matter what, we have to make it possible for them to retreat." Wei Fanren said, "Zi'gong, we are all brothers in our own family. There are some things that you haven't told me, but I know about them anyway." Tao Ziyao's face turned red as he listened to this, knowing that he couldn't hide anything from him. He thought it would be better to tell the truth and discuss it together, so he said, "I'm like a camel stuck on a bridge, with no place to go. You have to think of a way for me." Wei Fanren said, "In my opinion, it's better not to return the machine." Tao Ziyao asked, "Why do you think that?" Wei Fanren said, "The money you brought from abroad and the money you spent in Shanghai, I have an idea about both. The foreigners' money can't be returned, but it can be counted as official expenses, so your superiors won't blame you too much. But what about the money you spent yourself? As a close friend, I have to help you think of a way." Tao Ziyao said, "Thank you for your concern. My brother, I'm in a difficult situation and I've embezzled public funds. If they investigate this sum of money, what should I do?" Wei Fanren said, "I've already thought of a plan for you." Tao Ziyao quickly asked, "What plan?" Wei Fanren said, "Now the machine is absolutely not to be returned! If we return the machine, you'll have no way out. The foreigners will only listen to the five officials' words and return it if they want to. Now I'm telling you the truth, I've been holding back from returning it for your sake. Tomorrow when you see Wang Guan, just talk about the machine business and say that as soon as we arrive in Shanghai, we'll sign a contract with the foreigners and ask them to pay 40,000 taels of silver for a 22,000-tael machine. We can also tell them that the price is already paid in full and the machine will arrive soon. The foreigners absolutely won't agree to return it now. Since Shandong has sent a telegram saying they must return it, we'll have to ask a lawyer to sue them. If we lose the lawsuit against the foreigners, you won't be able to return the machine anyway, and the lawsuit fees will be at least several thousand taels, plus other expenses that you'll have to pay back. Moreover, in front of Wang Guan, you can also push the responsibility onto him and ask him not to pressure you. Is this plan good or not?" Tao Ziyao repeatedly praised it as a "wonderful plan" and said, "The telegram I sent last time already mentioned that 20,000 taels were not enough and we need to request more funds from above. This is the root of the problem."

  Wei Huan-rong said, "But one thing, you must hire a foreign lawyer." Tao Zi-yao said, "I don't have any acquaintances, where can I find one?" Wei Huan-rong said, "Don't worry, I have connections here. I'll go find one for you right now, and by tomorrow morning, we'll get everything settled. Then you can go see Wang Dao-tai. When he sees that you're taking legal action, he'll know this is serious business and won't dare to pressure you again. We'll stall for time, and then think of another plan." Tao Zi-yao said, "Alright, I'll trouble you with this then." Wei Huan-rong said, "This time, hiring a lawyer is just for show, we don't need him to put in any real effort. Since we're friends, if we can save one dollar, that's one dollar saved!" As he spoke, Wei Huan-rong counted on his fingers and said, "We'll have to go through the motions of going to court, just to keep up appearances. You give me 500 silver coins first, and I'll get a friend to take care of it for you. How's that?" Tao Zi-yao listened, then hesitated before saying, "Do we really need this much money?" Wei Huan-rong said, "I'm telling you, just for show! If we want him to put in real effort, I'm afraid 2-3 thousand wouldn't even be enough!"

  "I've calculated that there's only about 700 or 800 taels of silver left, and over 200 yuan in banknotes. Now another 500 has been taken away. If this continues, I'm afraid Shandong won't be able to send any more money. What will I do if it's all used up?" After thinking for a long time, he had no choice but to tell the truth to Wei Huanran and ask him to come up with a plan with the lawyer to pay some of it first and then pay the rest after the lawsuit is settled. Wei Huanran listened and said that there was no other way, so he asked him to pay 300 yuan first. Later, after negotiating back and forth, Tao Ziyao only agreed to pay 200 yuan first. Wei Huanran had no choice but to take it and leave. After leaving the house, he went to inform Qiu Wukuo. Qiu Wukuo said, "Huanran, you've got a little more income." Wei Huanran said, "Of course. What do we usually do on Four Horse Road?" Qiu Wukuo smiled but didn't say anything.

  Wei Huanren came out and went to a familiar money house, where he withdrew 50 taels of silver. He found a lawyer's office and met with the translator first. They were acquaintances, so they exchanged pleasantries before the translator went into the business room and told the lawyer everything in detail. The lawyer agreed to write two letters for him immediately: one to Qi Wu Ke's foreign boss, saying that he wanted to return the machine; and another to the new government office. After Tao Ziyao finished writing the draft, they would submit it together. Wei Huanren saw that things were going smoothly, so he handed over the silver and took the letter back to see Tao Ziyao. At this time, Tao Ziyao had already written a draft of the complaint, which stated that Qi Wu Ke was in charge of purchasing machines, but had inflated the prices and did not follow the original account, with the intention of embezzling funds, and requested that he be ordered to return the money. Wei Huanren said, "This is actually your idea. Coincidentally, the accounts for purchasing machines from abroad were all written by Qi Wu Ke himself. If we followed the original account, there would only be a few general names, which are not clear or detailed, and it's likely that we wouldn't be able to find any leads even if we searched the whole world. Who would have thought that Qi Wu Ke, as a friend, would become a scapegoat?" Tao Ziyao said, "I didn't want to sue him at all. I just wanted to stir up some trouble and couldn't think of anything else to say, so I had to use this excuse." Wei Huanren said, "You're actually an expert in lawsuits!" Tao Ziyao said, "When I first arrived in Shanxi, I studied law for three years. But my father always said that people who practice law are bound to commit evil deeds, so I changed careers and entered the world of officialdom." Wei Huanren said, "I didn't know that. I apologize for underestimating you." After reviewing the draft, they made a few minor changes. Tao Ziyao immediately finished writing it and submitted it together with the lawyer's letter. Only after receiving a response did they feel at ease.

  New Yamen: refers to the trial agency in the public concession area, Gongsheng Gongguan. Guan is the office of officials in ancient times.

  ② Notification: When litigating, entrust relatives or servants to act as agents in court.

  The next morning, he went to the Changchun Stack No. 21 to see Wang Daotai. He was dressed in his usual traveling attire and hired a sedan chair to take him to the entrance of the Changchun Stack. The butler went in first to announce his arrival. Wang Daotai was receiving guests at that time, and upon seeing him, he said "please" and instructed his attendants to lead him to another room to sit for a while. The attendant understood and led Tao Ziyao into the room of Zhou Lao Ye, one of Wang's subordinates. Before long, Wang Daotai finished receiving his guests and came over to meet with Tao Ziyao. Although Tao had been in Shandong for a long time, he had never met Wang before, so upon meeting him, he couldn't help but kowtow and pay his respects. Wang knew that Tao was someone who had been specially recognized by the Governor, so he didn't dare to neglect him and said many words of admiration. Tao quickly replied: "Your humble servant has always been working in the Foreign Affairs Bureau and has never served under anyone else. This time, Your Excellency came to Shanghai, but your humble servant did not receive prior notice, so I arrived late. Today, I have come especially to pay my respects and apologize." Wang said: "What are you saying?" As they spoke back and forth, the conversation gradually turned to the topic of withdrawing machines and silver funds. Wang said: "This time, I came out on a mission, but when I arrived in Shanghai, I received a telegram and learned that I would have to go to Japan as well. Therefore, when I left the province, I didn't bring much money with me. Later, I sent a telegram asking for funds to be sent from above, and upon receiving the reply, I learned that you had this sum of silver there. So yesterday, I wrote to inform you. This sum should be readily available, just waiting for your reply, and then I will send someone to collect it. Now, you have come yourself, which is really too much trouble." Tao said: "Regarding this matter, your humble servant has been having difficulties. Knowing that Your Excellency had arrived here, he should have come to pay his respects and also ask for your guidance, so as to help your humble servant make a decision. Although your humble servant did not arrive in the province, he is indeed serving on a mission from Shandong, and Your Excellency is like his direct superior, so everything depends on Your Excellency's instructions."

  The governor listened to him and was at a loss, so he just responded with a few words. Later, he asked again: "When will the silver be available?" Tao Ziyao said: "At first, 20,000 taels were allocated, and I was sent to Shanghai to purchase machinery. As soon as I arrived in Shanghai, I signed a contract with the foreign firm, and the machine would arrive within a month. Since there was not enough money, I borrowed 20,000 taels from the Zhuang family on my own account to pay for it. Unexpectedly, after everything was settled, the superior sent another telegram ordering us to return the machine and get back the silver. The rules of the foreign firm are well-known to you, sir. Once a contract is signed, how can we go back on our word? However, I had received the superior's telegram and did not dare not to comply. After discussing with the foreign firm several times without making it clear, I had no choice but to ask a lawyer to sue them. The petition was submitted yesterday evening. In the future, we will still need to ask you to help us out, sir, so that I can settle this matter." After finishing speaking, he stood up and bowed again, saying "Thank you for your guidance, sir." Governor Wang listened to his words and could not say anything, so he just made some polite remarks and sent him off with a cup of tea. The next day, he had to go out and happened to pass by Gao Sheng's place, where he left a card to thank him for his visit. As usual, he was stopped at the gate and could not enter.

  And so, Tao Ziyao was overjoyed after meeting Wang Daotai, thinking that he could now get rid of him and close the door on his requests for money. From then on, he continued to hang out at New Aunt's place every day. New Aunt had already figured out what was going on and was happy to use them both again. Later, when Tao Ziyao ran out of money, he went to consult with Wei Huanyan, asking him to borrow one or two thousand taels from the Zhuang family. At first, Wei Huanyan was unwilling, but then he thought about the situation and how it would eventually play out, and he wasn't afraid that the Shandong governor wouldn't come up with the money to bail Tao Ziyao out. So, he decided to lend him several hundred taels of silver, even though it wasn't what Tao Ziyao had wanted. Tao Ziyao was extremely grateful. On the other hand, Wei Huanyan would often go to New Aunt's place and brag about how he was lending money to Tao Ziyao, saying things like "Tao Daoren doesn't have any money, and Shandong isn't sending any over - it's all me lending it to him." He just wanted to make a good impression on New Aunt. Ever since New Aunt had gotten her hands on Tao Ziyao's money, she would sometimes ask the tailor to make him some clothes without charging him, or she would give him some fabric and have him make something for himself - all in an effort to curry favor with him. And Wei Huanyan would often "accidentally" forget his wallet or claim he was in a hurry and didn't have time to bring any money, so he would borrow 10, 20, 30, or 40 yuan from New Aunt at a time. He borrowed several times like this, eventually owing over 100 yuan, but he never paid her back a single cent. And yet, New Aunt didn't even ask him for the money. The amazing thing is that not only did Tao Ziyao have no idea what was going on, but he actually considered Wei Huanyan to be a friend - it's truly laughable.

  The idle talk will stop here. To continue, Wang Dao Tai found that the money from Tao Zi Yao's place could not be transferred, and he had to spend more money here, so he could only send a telegram to Shandong again. At that time, Fu Tai was on sick leave, and all matters were handled by the deputy governor. After receiving this telegram, he sent a reply to Tao Zi Yao, saying that he refused to return the machine and would not handle the matter properly, and scolded him severely, demanding that he must return the machine. Although Tao Zi Yao had Wei Huai'en's advice, he still couldn't disobey his superior's words, so he was in a difficult situation. At the same time, the deputy governor sent another telegram to Wang Dao Tai, asking him to pay the money to Commissioner Tao again. Wang Dao Tai had no choice but to take the document and ask him to discuss the matter again. Tao Zi Yao had a guilty conscience and could only go to see him. In the past few days, Wang Dao Tai had already investigated more than half of his affairs. It was because Wang Dao Tai's attendant, Zhou Lao Ye, was from Shanxi Taoyuan Prefecture, and the owner of the ticket number where Tao Zi Yao stored his silver was a close fellow townsman. When Zhou Lao Ye came to visit his fellow townsman, the owner of the ticket number got along well with him and knew that there was a telegram in Shandong asking Wang Dao Tai to pay silver to Tao Zi Yao, but Tao Zi Yao couldn't pay it, so he told Zhou Lao Ye all about what happened here. Zhou Lao Ye returned and informed Wang Dao Tai one by one. Wang Dao Tai had no choice but to invite him to ask questions face-to-face before making a decision.

  On this day, when they met, Wang Dao Tai took out a telegram and showed it to him. Tao Zi Yao insisted, "The silver is 40,000 taels, all of which have been paid out. What was brought was not enough, so another 20,000 taels were borrowed from the Zhuang family. Now, I really don't have a single penny left in my hands. Even if we hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit, it would require additional arrangements. Please forgive me, sir. If you receive any news from Shandong, please convey my difficulties to them on my behalf. I would be eternally grateful!" Wang Dao Tai already knew his true situation, but hearing this, he didn't want to expose him and only slightly revealed his tone, saying: "With the foreigners, brother, how clever you are! You certainly wouldn't pay them the full amount. As for what has been paid out, I won't say anything unreasonable. Whether or not to retreat will naturally be discussed after the lawsuit is over. However, I have one more thing to say: What are we doing as officials? Moreover, when you came to Shanghai, you must have had some expenses. If there's still money that hasn't been paid out, you can't not keep 2,000 taels for yourself as a reserve for official use. Here, I might pay 5,000 or 6,000 taels first. On the one hand, this will give us an explanation to report to our superiors; on the other hand, if there's still a shortage, I'll naturally send another telegram to request more from above and won't come to pressure you. What do you think of this arrangement?" Tao Zi Yao only insisted that he didn't have any money left.

  The governor said, "This note of silver is what the superior asked me to discuss with you. Since older brother doesn't have it, I must get a voucher from you so that I can report back to the superior and ask them to remit the funds." Tao Ziyao said, "I will go back and prepare a memorial to come over, sir can use my memorial to report back to the superior." The governor said, "Not only this, but when brother pays out money there is always a receipt. This receipt must be in foreign script. My side has just found a translator because of going abroad. When brother comes back, please bring this receipt and I will ask the translator to translate it for you, write a copy and send it to the superior. It's not that I don't trust brother, but asking brother for the receipt is so that there is solid evidence, the silver was actually paid to the foreigners, and when the superior sees it, they won't call me again to come and urge brother. What does brother think? The translator here is ready, no need for brother to go out and find someone, and spend money."

  Tao Ziyao, upon hearing Wang Daotai ask him to produce the receipt, knew that things were not going well and feared a stalemate. He hastily replied: "Originally, there was indeed a receipt. However, due to insufficient silver, we had to borrow from someone else, but they didn't believe us, so for now, the contract and receipt are being held as collateral at that person's house, and are not in my possession." Wang Daotai said: "It's not that I want to be stubborn, it's just that everyone wants to clear their name. Since it's being held at someone else's house, it doesn't matter, I'll have the translator follow you there, take a look at the original document, and bring back a copy. Wouldn't that be convenient?" Tao Ziyao said: "This matter still requires me to notify them first, ask them to have the documents ready, and then I'll come with the translator to retrieve them, so as not to waste any time." Wang Daotai saw that he was being evasive, didn't think it was worth pressing him further, smiled, and sent off the guest with a cup of tea.

  After two or three days, Wang Daotai didn't receive any response from him, so he sent Old Master Zhou and the interpreter to visit him and ask for his reply. If they had already discussed it with the previous official, they would have the interpreter translate it immediately and bring it back, as they were in a hurry to send the letter to Shandong and didn't want to delay any further. However, after three visits, they still hadn't met him, nor did he come to return their visit. This made Wang Daotai extremely angry, saying that he relied on someone's power and didn't even consider him. He wrote a letter in an official tone, scolding him a few times, and said: "Brother knows all about the things you're doing here, but because your sister's husband is a fellow official and colleague, I've been trying to save face for you everywhere. Now you're treating my good intentions as malicious. If you don't want to teach me, I'll just have to report the truth to our superior, and in the future, don't blame me for not showing you any courtesy!" He wrote a letter with great satisfaction and sent it to the stack. The housekeeper saw that it was an important letter from Wang Daotai and immediately went to Xiao Lufei's house, found the master, and presented him with the letter. Tao Ziyao read it and felt a bit worried, his brow furrowed in concern, and he had no appetite for tea or food. His new wife saw this and asked him what was wrong, but although he tried to brush it off, she had already guessed six or seven times that something was amiss. She said: "If there's something difficult, why not ask Old Master Wei to come and discuss it with us? He has a lot of experience and is familiar with the outside world." Her words reminded Tao Ziyao, who immediately wrote an invitation and sent someone to invite him. However, they couldn't find him at home, so his new wife sent a young girl to look for him at his mistress's house on Liu Ma Road. They finally found him there and brought him back together. Wei Fan asked what was wrong. At this time, Tao Ziyao already considered him one of his own people, so he didn't try to hide it from him anymore. He took out Wang Daotai's letter and showed it to him, asking for his advice on how to handle the situation.

  Wei Huaren said, "This matter must be discussed with the five departments. I think that apart from using foreign power to suppress him, there is no other way." After finishing speaking, he arranged for Tao Ziyao to go see Ou Wuke together and told him about Wang Daotai's situation. Ou Wuke said, "This matter requires sending a telegram to the governor of Shandong immediately, asking them to speak with the governor of Shandong on our behalf. Say: 'The machine has been ordered, but they want to cancel without reason, which will cause losses for the merchants. The committee is already suing us, and now they have sent someone named Wang Daotai from the Shandong government to collect money here. Our signboard has been damaged by them, and we cannot do business in the future. Not only must he not be allowed to cancel the order, but the governor of Shandong must also compensate us for our signboard.' Foreign governors will definitely help their own merchants if they send a telegram like this. If we do it this way, Tao Ziyao, your machine will definitely be successful. We can say clearly: after signing the contract, you can cancel, but our company cannot do business with you anymore." Tao Ziyao listened and thanked him repeatedly. Then Wei Huaren helped him come up with a plan, asking him to sign another fake contract with Ou Wuke for 40,000 silver dollars' worth of machines. They wrote two copies, signed them, and each took one copy as evidence in case they needed to sue in the future. Ou Wuke also asked Tao Ziyao to write a promissory note for borrowing 20,000 silver dollars, using the machine contract as collateral, and handed it over to Wei Huaren to keep safe.

  Abroad: originally referring to places that are not under one's jurisdiction, here it is used metaphorically for overbearing.

  At this time, Tao Ziyao regarded Wei Huaren as one of his own and thought that what he had done was absolutely right. He felt extremely at ease and didn't think much of it. After Tao Ziyao left, Qiu Wukuo told the whole story to Yang Dong, adding many false details, and asked him to send a telegram to the Consul General of their country, requesting him to inform the Governor of Shandong. The Consul General received the telegram and, unlike Chinese officials who specialize in bullying merchants, immediately sent a telegram demanding not only the return of the 40,000 machines but also compensation of 40,000. When the Governor of Shandong received this telegram, he was shocked beyond measure!

  The governor who handled the machine at that time was Hu Litu, a native of Shaanxi Province. He had been an official for many years and had served in various positions. However, he had always been afraid of dealing with foreigners and had often gotten into trouble because of this.

  When he received the telegram from Tao Ziyao asking for additional funds, he immediately became suspicious and thought that it would be better to avoid getting involved with foreigners. He quickly sent a telegram to Tao Ziyao telling him to stop working on the machine and to return the silver that had been allocated for the project.

  He also asked Wang Daotai to help retrieve the funds. However, this move ultimately led to many problems and criticisms from foreigners, not only was he unable to recover the silver, but he also received much ridicule from foreign nationals. This was all due to his ignorance of foreign affairs and his lack of understanding of diplomatic relations.

  It is worth noting that Hu Litu had previously been involved in several incidents involving foreigners, including a case where he had been accused of mishandling a situation involving the death of a foreigner, which had led to him being removed from office. He had also been involved in a case where he had been accused of discriminating against foreigners, which had led to him being demoted.

  Despite these incidents, Hu Litu had managed to regain his position and had even been promoted to serve as the governor of Shandong Province. However, his fear of dealing with foreigners continued to plague him throughout his career.

  Let's talk about something else. So, on that day, he received the seal of office and was overjoyed. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, he put on his official uniform and went to the governor's mansion to receive the imperial edict and the flag. After taking his seat, officials from various departments came to pay their respects. Although they were previously colleagues, now they had become his subordinates. The ceremony of receiving the seal was completed without a hitch. As for other matters, they followed the usual procedures and didn't need to be elaborated on. Because the governor had not yet moved out, Hu Xueyan had to take the seal back to his own office to handle affairs. Just as he returned to his office, officials from all over the city came to congratulate him with their visiting cards in hand. Hu Xueyan ordered them to come in and pay their respects, and after exchanging pleasantries, they chatted casually. Just when the conversation was getting lively, a police officer suddenly brought in a telegram from abroad, which turned out to be from Gaozhou. As soon as Hu Xueyan heard it, he felt a sudden shock in his heart and hastily ordered someone to translate it. It turned out that the telegram was about not allowing Tao Ziyu to withdraw his machinery and demanding that the Shandong government pay an additional 40,000 taels of silver. After reading it, Hu Xueyan's face turned as white as paper. He paused for a moment before saying, "I never thought my luck would be so bad! Wherever I go, foreigners follow me! Fortunately, during my six months as the salt controller in Yangzhou and eight months as the provincial treasurer in Hubei, I didn't have any dealings with them, which saved me from a lot of trouble. Even when I was serving as the governor, they still followed me! Coincidentally, on the day I received the seal, they also came to stir up trouble for me, making it impossible for me to have a peaceful day! Truly, I don't know who my enemy is in this life or the next! If being an official means having to deal with such things, then I'd rather not be one at all!" As he spoke, he sighed and lamented without stopping.

  Mandarin flag: The Qing government granted the blue flag and round sign with the word "Ling" to the governors, viceroys, and other high-ranking officials, representing the imperial order, which could immediately execute prisoners.

  Dū sī: refers to Dū chá sī, in charge of criminal cases.

  "Mr. Tao's machine business has also been going on for a long time." At that moment, the old chief of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, who was also Mr. Tao's brother-in-law, was present, and Shi Fan Tai said: "Sir, Mr. Tao is your relative, why don't you send him a telegram to tell him to settle things quickly and come back, so as not to worry the adults?" Mr. Tao's brother-in-law said: "I knew from the beginning that he couldn't do it, and indeed it didn't go well. At first, it was his own proposal, but suddenly the former emperor took a liking to him and assigned him this task. It's really true that young people can't do things!" Governor Hu said: "You don't have to blame him, this is all my brother's fate. Since my brother became a county magistrate, until now, because of foreigners, I don't know how much money he has spent in vain and how many wrong roads he has walked, how much suffering he has endured! Wherever I go, he follows, it's really my fate. It seems that this chair will not be mine for long!" Just as he was speaking sadly, the police officer came again with a telegram, saying it was from the Foreign Ministry, and Governor Hu was even more shocked! To know what happens next, please listen to the next episode.

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