Perhaps because Shang Yuan finally understood that he was "stupid beyond cure," all the pressure on his spirit was released instead. Shang Yuan used to be a picky person, seeing everyone as not conforming to morality and propriety. Now that he had put away this mindset, Shang Yuan had never felt as relaxed and comfortable as he did now. The whole world seemed to have changed into a brand new look; those shameless and despicable things, if looked at from the perspective of personal interest, also became "fresh and cute." For example, the many bizarre speeches of the councilors could even trigger a light chuckle from Shang Yuan.

Yan Fu and Feng Xu didn't know at all what good fortune Shang Yuan had encountered, but the two always maintained their dignity and refused to get to the bottom of such matters. In addition, they knew much more about the ministers in the Manchu Qing court than Shang Yuan did. The two had clearly seen that the situation had reached the edge of the dagger being revealed when the map was unrolled (the moment of confrontation).

The Viceroys and Governors of various provinces had made up their minds to absolutely oppose the "one person, one vote" voting mode for councilors. If Yuan Shikai didn't agree, they would rather pack up and go home now. The Viceroys' and Governors' idea was simple: "Anyway, you, Yuan Shikai, dare not touch us now. If you refuse to agree to our request, we will drag it out with you. If you dare to touch our official positions, then it is you, Yuan Shikai, who is treacherous."

It had to be said that this method of making full use of the rules really had the style of councilors.

Diplomatic corps of various countries had been paying attention to this stormy change in China. The magic of China made the diplomatic corps feel quite tricky. Generally speaking, rebel armies in various countries would try hard to obtain foreign support. This is a very easy thing to understand. But the People's Party, this rebel army, was exactly the opposite. Not only did they not try to obtain foreign support, but in a sense, they were still trying hard to defend China's interests. If the rebel army was willing to spend great effort to sell some things, although the foreign diplomatic corps certainly wouldn't really support them immediately, at least they would use the rebel army issue to blackmail Yuan Shikai who came to power in a hurry.

But the rebel army stuck to the bottom line, and Yuan Shikai didn't really show any movement of wanting to fight a decisive battle with the rebel army. In this seemingly profound contradiction, there was unexpectedly no room for foreigners to intervene. This really made the diplomatic corps feel very surprised.

It wasn't until more intelligence about the People's Party reached the foreign diplomatic corps that they suddenly realized that whether it was the Beiyang on stage or the People's Party off stage, they were actually all of Li Hongzhang's Beiyang lineage. The diplomatic corps quickly reached a common view: "The vigorous Chinese Civil War is just an internal struggle between the radicals and conservatives within Beiyang. In terms of dealing with foreigners, the two factions are consistent."

The foreign devils didn't understand China deeply enough, but they had sufficient understanding of various treacherous treaties. Europe had been playing this for over a hundred years. They were already certain that there must be some secret agreement between Beiyang and the People's Party. The difference between the two sides was that the People's Party resolutely demanded the Manchu Qing step down, while the Yuan Shikai Beiyang Group hoped to make final use of the Manchu Qing.

Having recognized this extent, the once relatively consistent foreign diplomatic corps immediately split. The Yuan Shikai Beiyang Group was the group foreigners trusted most in China. Supporting Yuan Shikai to come to power did not violate the interests of the powers. But the powers didn't mind adding some chaos to Yuan Shikai fiercely at this critical moment, making Yuan Shikai spit out a bit more. in the eyes of the powers, since they couldn't provoke the relationship between the "cousins" Beiyang and the People's Party, there was a lot to be done in other provinces.

The British maintained their dignity; they believed that as long as Yuan Shikai wanted to seize power, he had to satisfy the British. France had long plotted for Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. These Frenchmen, who thought themselves extremely clever, actually started to contact the representatives of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Liangguang in a high-profile manner.

Yuan Shikai was very clear about these little tricks. Actually, Japanese representatives also started to contact Yuan Shikai frequently. Using the "Anglo-Japanese Alliance" as a reason, they tried to use the tiger skin of Britain to threaten Yuan Shikai, asking Yuan Shikai to loosen his bite on interests in the Northeast. He let the Constitutional Conference "continue to discuss" and gave it the cold shoulder for a few days. He himself could also have a good rest for a few days.

Yang Du was still a bit shallow in shrewdness. Only on the second day, Yang Du ran to find Yuan Shikai in a burning hurry.

"Lord Yuan, Japan's demands absolutely cannot be agreed to." Yang Du expressed his attitude firmly.

"Why does Huchan say this?" Yuan Shikai asked with a smile.

"Lord Yuan, recently the Japanese ambassador has been visiting cabinet ministers everywhere. Even a nobody like me, they didn't let go," Yang Du said.

Yuan Shikai had no intention of looking deeply into this "black brick" (snitch/attack) from Yang Du. He laughed: "We can't close the Japanese embassy either. We can't help it if they run around. Let them run."

"Then Lord Yuan's meaning is..." Yang Du already understood that Yuan Shikai had his own plans. He asked tentatively.

Yuan Shikai sneered, "What the Imperial Court is criticized for most is forfeiting sovereignty and humiliating the country. I, Yuan Shikai, was not afraid of death back then to protect Korea. Now that I have become this Vice Prime Minister of the Cabinet, have I become afraid of death instead?"

"Then is there anything Lord Yuan wants me to do?" Yang Du hurriedly asked for orders.

"You watch those sealed documents for me! How come I heard someone wants to target those things? I will also explain clearly at the cabinet meeting tomorrow. Whoever dares to target those things, no matter who he is, I will absolutely not let them off." Mentioning those messy matters, Yuan Shikai was furious. Originally, Yuan Shikai just wanted to earn a good reputation and also give Chen Ke an explanation, so he spent great effort protecting cultural relics and books.

But the harvest brought by this matter greatly exceeded Yuan Shikai's expectations. After raiding the princes' homes, Yuan Shikai followed what Chen Ke said and announced in major newspapers across the country the establishment of the "National Archives," "National Grand Library," and "Grand Museum of China." Literati everywhere immediately rose to support Yuan Shikai. Although there were some sour remarks mixed in like "Yuan Shikai openly wants to build museums, but actually wants to enrich his private pockets," the positive evaluation accounted for the vast majority.

Quite a few literati who had never had any contact with Yuan Shikai, or even opposed Yuan Shikai, published articles publicly praising Yuan Shikai's magnificent feat of "valuing culture and revitalizing Chinese civilization." Many celebrities had already publicly or privately requested to contribute to this cultural cause.

Chen Ke had long told Yuan Shikai that the positions of the directors of the "National Archives," "National Grand Library," and "Grand Museum of China" were important jobs that could greatly win over literati. Yuan Shikai felt what Chen Ke said made sense, but really getting the support of cultural celebrities throughout the country for the first time, the excitement in Yuan Shikai's heart still greatly exceeded his own imagination.

Yang Du was also a literati and had contributed greatly to the protection of cultural relics and classics. Hearing this, he nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry, Lord Yuan, I will definitely handle this matter well."

Yuan Shikai harrumphed, "Huchan, you are a literati; you still don't understand that bunch of people down there. I will speak first tomorrow; those who should be killed must be killed. You then find a few who have gone too far, get the things back for me, and chop off the people. It won't do without killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. If you watch these things well for me, it will be a great merit. Remember?"

Sending away Yang Du, Yuan Shikai still sat straight on the sofa. He thought again of Chen Ke, who had given him many good ideas. In these few days, the British side told Yuan Shikai that Chen Ke had already started doing big business with foreigners. Yuan Shikai was not surprised at all. Chen Ke himself was a returned student, and Yan Fu was even more of a Westernization Faction member. Not doing Westernization, not spending money to buy machinery and equipment, could that still be called the Westernization Faction? If the British hadn't mentioned Chen Ke doing business, Yuan Shikai would have been worried instead. Hearing that the People's Party indeed hooked up with the British, Yuan Shikai was certain that it was even more impossible for the People's Party to cause trouble behind his back. Among all the people Yuan Shikai had met, Chen Ke possessed unparalleled ambition. More importantly, Chen Ke had the ability to put ambition into practice step by step. Yuan Shikai knew very well that Chen Ke would absolutely not put himself in the position of a chess piece. A person unwilling to be a chess piece would absolutely not play petty tricks. It wasn't that this kind of person didn't understand, but the return on petty tricks like stealing chickens and dogs was too low. Anyone who really took themselves seriously would absolutely not do this unless they were driven to a dead end.

Moreover, the British's purpose in saying this was to make Yuan Shikai feel suspicious so he would have to make concessions to the British in many places. This foreign devil thought quite well. Yuan Shikai cursed in his heart.

Determining that Chen Ke wouldn't cause trouble behind his back, Yuan Shikai's train of thought turned to other foreign devils.

Regarding France's activities, Yuan Shikai hoped these French devils would jump around even more joyfully. Beiyang didn't look up to France much. Although the Anglo-French Allied Forces invaded China twice, and France was also part of the Eight-Nation Alliance. But when really fighting, the Victory of Zhennanguan revealed the French's true form at once. If not for the British exerting strong pressure, the French definitely couldn't have taken Annam away. The Russian Hairy Bears always liked to stab in the back; if really let to take the lead alone, the Russian Hairy Bears would never stick their heads out. As for the Germans, their relationship with Beiyang had always been good. They had no intention of wading into muddy waters this time.

Since the powers wouldn't fall out, Yuan Shikai felt the pressure in his heart reduce greatly. At this time, he actually hoped to use the opportunity of the foreign devils jumping around blindly to properly tidy up that bunch of people colluding with the foreign devils.

American reporter John Fleming, who was looking for news everywhere in Beijing, received secret intelligence that French embassy personnel frequently contacted Chinese parliamentary representatives. This was absolutely big news. Reporter Fleming gritted his teeth, spent a large price to buy the intelligence, and immediately lay in ambush at the secret meeting place of the two parties. After ambush observation, this was indeed the secret meeting place of the French and the Chinese parliamentary representatives. However, the two sides never went in at the same time. Although many photos were taken secretly, there was no way to link the two sides together.

Reporter Fleming had a tougher personality than the paparazzi of later generations; he waited patiently for the opportunity. Heaven pays off the determined. One night a few days later, when the French representatives came out, Chinese councilors actually sent them out. Taking advantage of the moment the two sides were talking, Reporter Fleming rushed up with the speed of a wild dog and took a photo. The strong light of the flash blinded this group of people in secret talks for a moment. Fleming took another one. Immediately running away wildly, when he rushed into the American embassy panting, because his speed was too fast, he almost triggered gunfire from the American embassy security personnel.

The next day, several Chinese and foreign newspapers spent money to buy the news and photos from Fleming.

The one caught on camera talking privately with the French was a councilor from Guangxi named Shen Jiyao. The entire parliament was immediately in an uproar. Yuan Shikai didn't make things difficult for Shen Jiyao either, just ordering him to come on stage to give an explanation. Shen Jiyao was also clever; he immediately implicated many people, saying that delegations from several provinces had contact with the French delegation. Shen Jiyao claimed he just went to hear what exactly the French wanted to do and absolutely did nothing to sell out China's interests. Moreover, Shen Jiyao also claimed that he demanded the French government cancel unequal treaties with China and withdraw troops stationed in China completely. Since he spoke with certainty and implicated many people, everyone couldn't really do anything to Shen Jiyao. It wasn't possible to drag the French embassy personnel out to interrogate them.

But after such publicity by the outside newspapers, the public raised strong doubts about what exactly the Viceroys and Governors everywhere wanted to do. "Is it Chinese people establishing a constitution themselves, or foreigners controlling China's constitutionalism?" Such doubts exploded in major cities.

This Constitutional Conference had originally attracted nationwide attention. Many people were clear about the Yuan Shikai Cabinet's intention to gain dominance. But this wasn't the problem; the key was how exactly Yuan Shikai would dominate the situation. At this critical moment, news about foreign intervention suddenly appeared, which further stimulated the nerves of those waiting. Telegrams from the south flew into Beijing like snowflakes, all demanding the parliament come up with a constitutional outline as soon as possible. Some people even clamored, "If the representatives are unwilling to discuss state affairs this time and are only willing to meet with foreigners, then why not re-elect representatives to discuss again."

Yuan Shikai naturally wasn't anxious. The Beiyang Group had strict discipline after all; no one dared to do anything out of line. The pressure on representatives from various places, especially the Guangxi delegation, was particularly huge. Viceroy of Liangguang Zhang Renjun, seeing such a situation, had to burn his boats. The old man stood up aggressively and made the wrangling public. He demanded that voting be conducted with each provincial delegation as one voting party, rather than the mode of one person, one vote for councilors.

Because he was "plotted against" by Yuan Shikai, the old man was full of resentment. "United Provincial Autonomy, the emphasis is on United Provinces. If the opinions of the provinces are not unified, what is the use of uniting provinces?" His high-pitched voice echoed in the venue. After saying this, the old man went down the stage angrily without even looking at Yuan Shikai sitting in the center of the first row.

Yuan Shikai stood up and went on stage expressionlessly. "We have been arguing here for almost half a month and haven't argued out anything. Since you gentlemen are willing to vote by province, I think it's not impossible. Then let's set this regulation. But I'll say this upfront: if you gentlemen don't recognize the rules you set yourselves later, then don't blame me, Yuan Shikai, for being impolite!"

After saying this, Yuan Shikai also went down the stage angrily. Leaving a group of dumbfounded councilors in their seats. After such a long time of pestering, Yuan Shikai finally yielded. Everyone fantasized about such a day, but didn't expect the fruit of victory to come so quickly. Hunan Governor Cen Chunming immediately stood up and demanded an immediate vote. Representatives from provinces outside Beiyang went on stage beaming with joy one by one to speak, expressing support for voting by province. The Beiyang representatives were obviously enraged; after they went on stage, they just casually said a word of agreement and went down.

After the speaker's gavel struck the gong, Yuan Shikai suddenly stood up and went on stage, demanding the first vote. "Change the collective voting of each province to voting by councilors in the manner of minority obeying majority."

Zhang Renjun was only surprised for a moment, then his face changed drastically. He had already figured out what was going on. It turned out he had been played by Yuan Shikai.

Sure enough, the representative of the Guizhou representatives, Guizhou Governor Li Jingxi, was the first to go on stage to express agreement. The general situation was set immediately. Yuan Shikai actually only needed this one vote; one vote was enough. Everything done before was preparation for this one vote.

Various sounds exploded in the parliament. The Beiyang councilors who were dispirited just now couldn't help laughing loudly. Some even bent over laughing and almost rolled on the ground. While the councilors from other provinces who were high-spirited not long ago stood up one after another and cursed Li Jingxi for being a person who played both sides, saying the oaths made to other delegations were all bullshit. There were also councilors shouting to protest by withdrawing from the meeting.

Amidst the noise, several large doors of the parliament hall suddenly opened wide. Several squads of Beiyang soldiers rushed in along the walls and completely surrounded the parliament. How could the councilors have imagined such a thing would happen? The councilors who stood up to make noise were all stunned in place. The parliament hall, which was like a vegetable market, suddenly became as quiet as a graveyard.

"Thump... Thump..." Yuan Shikai's military boots created deep echoes on the wooden podium. He walked slowly to the speaking position. "You people say Governor Li doesn't follow the rules. Then were the words you said not long ago all bullshit? Stand out and tell me, where exactly did Governor Li not follow the rules?"

"Lord Yuan! What is your intention in sending troops?" Zhang Renjun stood up and shouted. He keenly directed the spearhead of the counterattack at the place where Yuan Shikai seemed to be in the wrong.

"What is the intention of sending troops? Because some people don't understand rules, trying to tear down the stage and treating national affairs as child's play! If you gentlemen value national affairs in your hearts, then sit down honestly and continue the election. I, Yuan, am not a person who doesn't understand rules and will absolutely not use these soldiers to threaten everyone. What is my intention in sending troops? Sending troops is not to drag some people out. On the contrary, I send troops to prevent those who want to run out and tear down the stage from getting out, not giving them the chance to run out and spread rumors to cause trouble." Yuan Shikai's voice was loud and clear, his content tit-for-tat with Zhang Renjun.

Quite a few councilors really harbored the intention of starting to fabricate stories after running out. Seeing Yuan Shikai had prepared long ago, they had to temporarily stop this thought.

Order was restored with difficulty. Yuan Shikai let the Beiyang troops withdraw first. Then voting began to determine the basic constitution.

"All provinces maintain the status quo within two years, but within two years, all provinces shall organize their own provincial assemblies according to their own ideas. Two years later, the first formal National Assembly will be convened based on the ratio of current assembly personnel."

"Provinces may not declare independence."

"Provinces possess authority over local official appointment and removal, finance, etc."

"Provinces possess authority over local taxation."

"Taxation of provincial ports and customs shall be managed by the Central Government."

"Provinces may not conclude any political and military treaties with foreign countries."

"Provinces may organize paramilitary institutions such as police."

"Provinces must pay a certain amount of tax to the Central Government according to a unified ratio. The quota shall be agreed upon by more than 3/4 of the representatives in the parliament."

...

Resolutions were taken out for election one by one. Although some people were determined to oppose Yuan Shikai's parliament and wanted to vote against it no matter what. But in all fairness, these contents were not excessive at all.

There was quite a lot of content to vote on, plus some councilors dawdled to stall time, so not much content was passed.

Yuan Shikai immediately ordered people to spread the latest news. Actually, he didn't care about other content; as long as the first article "Provinces organize assemblies themselves" could pass, Yuan Shikai believed he could get the support of the majority. The roots of Viceroys and Governors in the localities were not deep; local gentry would definitely rise up and try to control the assembly. Although he hated parliaments extremely, and the hooligan-like performance of this group of councilors today also made Yuan Shikai lose his appetite, Yuan Shikai only had this method now to break up the opposition forces in various places.

Sure enough, just as the prediction Chen Ke offered to Yuan Shikai, the next day a portion of the councilors claimed illness and couldn't get up, stating they couldn't participate in the voting. Yuan Shikai didn't care at all. The passing of the first article was a great victory. He actually appreciated Chen Ke's method of "sending troops to suppress councilors who want to create chaos." And Yuan Shikai didn't know that when Chen Ke wrote this suggestion, he was also overjoyed. In "history," when Yuan Shikai was annoyed to death by that group of foolish councilors, he did exactly this. Rather than saying this was a serious suggestion, it was more like a prank Chen Ke came up with out of childlike excitement.

Shang Yuan discovered his own changes in these few days. Shang Yuan had always been a "very serious and respectable" person. He himself had long forgotten what laughing out loud felt like. But since realizing that he was "stupid beyond cure" and "his desire for false fame was somewhat pathological," Shang Yuan, who truly accepted these facts, found his once suppressed sense of humor seemed to revive suddenly. Even a small thing could make Shang Yuan laugh out loud truly. And the things happening in the parliament made Shang Yuan overjoyed and burst into laughter whenever he thought of them.

Seeing the living drama in the parliament, Yan Fu and Feng Xu couldn't help but feel it was both funny and helpless. How could they withstand the stimulation from Shang Yuan lying on the bed next to them? The two could hold back slightly at first, but soon they couldn't help but hold their bellies and laugh loudly together. The laughter penetrated the window, crossed the wall, and was heard clearly by the spies monitoring and eavesdropping outside.

Could it be that the representatives of the People's Party have all gone mad? With suspicious expressions triggered by this guess, the spies looked at the high wall and began to look at each other.

A large number of councilors refused to participate in the voting. Yuan Shikai, who always hated "popular opinion" (Qingyi), made full use of popular opinion this time. What happened in the parliament was spread out, and the reason for the councilors "claiming illness" was also implicitly pointed out. After the local gentry learned the news that they could finally organize assemblies, public sentiment was aroused. This time it wasn't just telegrams; some local celebrities, spontaneously or instigated by others, came to Beijing one after another to persuade their local representatives.

Yuan Shikai didn't pay attention to this group of people either. Since Yuan Shikai had already stated his position, it was better if the councilors refused to meet. The situation dragging on was only beneficial to Beiyang.

Since it was in a state of recess, Shang Yuan naturally had more time to visit his teacher. He discovered for the first time that his teacher was actually a person with a great sense of humor. Although he didn't see the ugly state of the councilors, after listening to Shang Yuan's description, the old man's one or two understated comments were like the finishing touch, describing the councilors' appearance vividly. Often making Shang Yuan laugh forward and backward. The two talked about recent events, and Shang Yuan asked his teacher for advice on learning. With a truly humble heart, Shang Yuan found that his previous views on the pre-Qin philosophers were completely wrong.

Regarding this new tendency of Shang Yuan, Teacher Li Hongqi advised, "Wangshan, the benevolent see benevolence and the wise see wisdom; you shouldn't be too delusional either. Who knows what people thousands of years ago thought? Wenqing said in his letter that all history is contemporary history. This is extremely well said. Learning is for application; if not used, it can only be used to show off. Isn't Kong Yiji just like this?"

Previously, every time he was criticized, Shang Yuan would feel a strong sense of shame. But now this feeling had become quite faint; instead, the words spoken by his teacher were deeply imprinted in his mind. Shang Yuan had already discovered this change in himself. He really admired what his teacher said about "shamelessness turning into humility." Previously, if he saw someone who had no sense of shame about the mistakes they made, Shang Yuan would think that person was shameless. Now looking at it, his view at that time was inevitably too subjective.

Yan Fu and Feng Xu were not idle either. Learning that Yuan Shikai had collected a large number of ancient books from the princes' homes, they applied to take a look. Yuan Shikai naturally had to give this face. Yang Du had already publicly recruited a batch of cultural celebrities. This group of celebrities began to organize books and make catalogs under the surveillance of a group of soldiers. The two had the opportunity to see many ancient books whose names they had heard but whose contents they had never seen. They were both learned people and naturally had a hobby of reading books. With the parliament not opening, the two instead had a good time in this pile of ancient books.

However, seeing Shang Yuan visiting his teacher every day, the two felt they had to go and take a look together no matter what. Mr. Li Hongqi received the two very ordinarily when seeing these two celebrities visiting. When meeting, they exchanged a few pleasantries. Mentioning Shang Yuan, Teacher Li Hongqi laughed, "This child is young and doesn't understand rules. You two are both highly respected celebrities; when it's time to remind him, please be sure to remind him."

If it were before, being "belittled" by his teacher like this, Shang Yuan would not have been truly convinced. But this time he heard the subtlety in his teacher's words. He didn't say Shang Yuan couldn't do things, only said he was "young and didn't understand rules." This was inevitably too true.

Yan Fu and Feng Xu's answer made Shang Yuan even more dumbfounded. "Mr. Li, we joined the revolution even later than Comrade Shang Yuan. Comrade Shang Yuan should tell us more about many things."

The words of several seniors went back and forth; what should be said was said, and what could be determined was determined. Yet it sounded gentle and cultivated, neither humble nor arrogant, neither hasty nor impatient. Yan Fu was not good at officialdom matters, so he didn't speak much. Sitting there, he naturally had the calmness of a soldier and teacher. Feng Xu had the unique refinement of a Jiangnan person, speaking calmly, neither hasty nor impatient. Everyone talked about their respective lives and those famous events, not boasting, not being humble, and even less shirking responsibility. After listening for a while, Shang Yuan found that his teacher could actually accurately guide the guests' conversation, giving a real feeling of a happy detailed discussion.

After talking for a while, the old gentleman saw that the topics were exhausted, so he stood up to see the guests off.

Shang Yuan sent Yan Fu and Feng Xu out, and only then returned. He told his teacher his feelings.

Mr. Li Hongqi harrumphed, "You are making the mistake of delusion again. Wangshan, I said you don't understand rules, and you really don't understand. If I said you understood, and people believed it and really handed a matter to you, and you messed it up, your own disgrace would be a small matter. If you ruined other people's affairs, they would want your life. I am letting you learn to save your little life. So-called speaking is communication. The first priority is to listen to whether others need you, and the second is to tell the other party whether you can do it. So speaking is certainly important, but knowing how to listen is even more important."

Shang Yuan was dumbfounded after hearing this. He never expected his teacher to be cautious in doing things to such an extent.

Li Hongqi continued, "Wangshan, Xunzi said, words invite disgrace, actions invite disaster. Because whatever you say, you actually can't do it. Look at Wenqing; he wants you comrades of the People's Party to only do things. After finishing, tell the facts to the common people, and then reason. This is correct. If someone still doesn't admit it in the face of facts, then they are bringing disgrace upon themselves. You don't need to pay attention to such people."

These words solved a major worry in Shang Yuan's heart. While nodding slightly, he asked, "Teacher, then what about actions inviting disaster?"

"If you do others' things badly, then someone will definitely trouble you. If you do your own things right, I'm afraid there might be even more people troubling you. In this world, you don't compare with others, but others may not necessarily not compare with you. If you get benefits and put them in your own pocket, someone definitely wants to get them out from you and put them in their pocket. So whether you do right or wrong, there will be disasters."

"Then how should this be dealt with?" Shang Yuan asked urgently.

Teacher Li Hongqi frowned and looked at Shang Yuan. "Didn't Wenqing go to make revolution? Didn't you follow Wenqing to make revolution? Isn't this your response?"

Shang Yuan's face blushed immediately. He heard Mr. Li Hongqi's voice continue resolutely and powerfully, "In this world, foreigners come to China to rob. After foreigners rob, the court robs. After the court robs, corrupt officials rob. After corrupt officials rob, local tyrants and evil gentry rob. Doesn't your People's Party say you want to develop productive forces and eliminate the exploitation system? You dare to do such a revolution, what disaster are you still afraid of? If you aren't prepared to die for the revolution, then might as well tell Wenqing directly that you can't do it, and find a living to feed yourself like me."

The room fell into silence. Shang Yuan found that he had never truly understood his teacher. Even if Teacher Li Hongqi admitted he didn't have the courage to make a revolution, there was no cowardice in this frankness. Just when he didn't know what to say, he heard someone pushing the door outside, and a man in his thirties, about the same age as Shang Yuan, came in. It was Mr. Li Hongqi's son, Li Yujian.

After entering the door, Li Yujian glanced at Shang Yuan, but turned his head to say to Li Hongqi, "Dad, I heard people say you have been hanging out with revolutionary party representatives these days. I didn't expect it to be Shang Yuan. Dad, the People's Party looks arrogant for a while, but that's their business. Why do you bring disaster upon yourself?"

Teacher Li Hongqi just gave a cold snort to his son's accusation but didn't answer at all.

Li Yujian turned his head to say to Shang Yuan, "Senior Brother Shang, when you went to rebel, didn't you think about what kind of suffering your teacher would suffer? Count yourself as having a conscience, not using your name. But these days we have been very fearful. You hold great power far away in Anhui; we small people can't climb up to you. Senior Brother Shang, I beg you, don't come anymore."

"It's not your turn to speak when driving people away." Mr. Li Hongqi interrupted his son's questioning of Shang Yuan. He got up and held Shang Yuan, "Wangshan, I've said almost everything I should say. I have always liked you, child. You must take care of yourself."

Shang Yuan knew that once he left, unless the whole country was liberated, he couldn't come back again. Although there was a thousand reluctances in his heart, hoping to learn more things here at his teacher's place. But he also knew he couldn't say anything more.

"Teacher, you also take care." After saying this, Shang Yuan respectfully knelt down to his teacher and performed the grand ceremony of kowtowing.

After getting up, Shang Yuan said goodbye to Li Yujian. Disregarding Li Yujian's arrogance of turning his face away and not returning the greeting at all. Shang Yuan left his teacher's home without looking back.