Beiyang Dream

Chapter 24 If the Empress Dowager knew this, wouldn't she promote him on the spot?

September 12, 1889, early morning, Berlin.

Chang Desheng was still fast asleep, wrapped in his blanket. In his dream, he was drawing something—the client was standing behind him, poking at the screen with his finger, saying, "This version isn't good, revise it again." He gripped the mouse, his anger flaring up instantly, and he was about to curse when suddenly there was a loud banging on the door.

And Guo Shigui's authentic Tianjin dialect:

"Zhenbang! Zhenbang! Wake up! The Minister wants to question you!"

Chang Desheng groggily turned over, buried his face in the pillow, and mumbled something:

"Understood... I'll fix it right away..."

Guo Shigui outside was taken aback: "Change what? Get up! If you don't get up, Lord Hong will get angry!"

Chang Desheng opened his eyes. Above him wasn't the yellowish ceiling of his rented old, run-down room, but the pristine white ceiling of the embassy's guest room. He stared blankly for a full three seconds before remembering—oh, he was in Berlin. He'd just met with a troublemaker named Wilhelm II yesterday, and had been making up stories until the wee hours of the morning.

"Not the client." He breathed a sigh of relief and shouted towards the door, "Tell Lord Hong to wait a moment! I'll be right there!"

Outside, Guo Shigui stamped his foot, making the wooden floor creak: "Hurry up! Lord Hong has been waiting for ages!"

Chang Desheng remained unhurried. He got out of bed, slowly washed his face and rinsed his mouth, then opened the wardrobe, took out the uniform from the Prussian War Academy, and put it on.

Then he looked in the mirror, straightened his collar, and tucked his annoying braid behind his head before opening the door.

Guo Shigui was already sweating profusely waiting outside the door. Seeing Chang Desheng's attire, his brow furrowed deeply. He took half a step forward, lowered his voice, and reminded him in Tianjin dialect:

"Zhenbang, Lord Hong... can't stand his subordinates wearing Western clothes. He'll be unhappy if he sees you dressed like this."

Chang Desheng waved his hand and strode towards the stairwell: "It's alright. I guarantee Lord Hong will be pleased after I see him."

He added in his mind: If I really wore his Cantonese-style "Taiping Hanfu", that Scholar Hong would probably be scared to death.

Guo Shigui paused for a moment, then quickly followed, muttering to himself, "What's this kid up to?"

......

The main building of the embassy, ​​Hong Jun's signing room.

Scholar Hong got up very early this morning. He hadn't been feeling well last night and had gone to bed early. An old man like him, having taken that little vixen Sai Jinhua as a concubine, was really struggling to keep up! He only recovered this morning, and the first thing he did was send someone to wake Chang Desheng.

He needs to find out exactly what the Kaiser said.

Chang Desheng hadn't arrived yet, and Hong Jun was sipping his tea from a covered bowl, taking sips here and there.

The curtain was lifted, and Chang Desheng entered.

Hong Jun looked up and frowned.

This kid was wearing a Western-style suit! A military uniform, no less, with an embroidered patch in English on his left arm. He still had his braid—but this outfit was just too conspicuous.

Hong Jun put down his teacup, about to say, "You've only been abroad for a few days, and you've already forgotten all about your ancestors' traditions," when Chang Desheng interrupted him, cupping his hands in a respectful bow and beaming with smiles:

"Congratulations, Lord Hong! Congratulations, Lord Hong!"

Hong Jun swallowed the words he was about to say. He paused for a moment before asking, "What...is there to make me happy?"

"Of course it came from the students!" Chang Desheng took half a step forward, his smile beaming.

Hong Jun's lips twitched; the words "slick-tongued" were already on the tip of his tongue. Guo Shigui, standing beside him, was also getting a little anxious. Why was Chang Zhenbang all smiles and grins from the start? Lord Hong was not one for that!

But before he could even try to smooth things over, Chang Desheng said something else:

"My lord, are you aware that I was summoned privately by the German Emperor yesterday? For over an hour!"

Hong Jun was taken aback.

He sought out Chang Desheng early this morning to inquire about this matter. Last night, he had only heard that Chang Desheng had been kept behind by the Emperor alone, but he knew nothing about the duration or content of the conversation. Now, hearing Chang Desheng say "more than an hour," his suspicions began to swell. In diplomatic audiences, three to five minutes is normal, ten minutes or so is considered significant, but more than an hour… this must be a secret meeting.

Guo Shigui nodded vigorously beside him, testifying for Chang Desheng: "Yes, yes, yes, I waited outside the palace for more than an hour, and my legs went numb."

Hong Jun hummed in agreement, his tone softening slightly: "What did you say?"

Chang Desheng cleared his throat and began his performance.

"My lord, the German Emperor knows that our Qing Emperor has just assumed power this year. He said that he and Emperor Guangxu are both young and should be closer. He said that young people should unite and not be swayed by those old guys..." Chang Desheng paused deliberately, glanced at Hong Jun, and chuckled, "These words were spoken by the German Emperor, not by your student."

Hong Jun stroked his beard, his eyes suddenly brightening slightly.

The Emperor is praising the Emperor, or rather, the foreign Emperor is praising our Emperor. If this were written into a report and sent to Emperor Guangxu… the Emperor would have gained face. As the ambassador to Germany, he would have done a good deed in front of the Emperor.

Hong Jun nodded, then asked, "That's all we talked about in over an hour?"

"Of course not!" Chang Desheng shrugged, thinking to himself: I spent half the night making this up, how could it be just this little bit?

He continued, "The German emperor even asked his students, 'Who was in power before our Qing emperor assumed personal rule?'"

Hong Jun said "Oh" and leaned forward slightly.

"The students said," Chang Desheng puffed out his chest, "that before the Emperor assumed personal rule, it was the Empress Dowager who ruled from behind the curtain."

"Hmm." Hong Jun nodded. "Then... what did the Emperor say?"

Chang Desheng took a deep breath and began a long speech.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty the German Emperor was very impressed after hearing this. He said that our Empress Dowager is a great woman of the East... He even compared her to Queen Victoria. Your Majesty, do you know who Queen Victoria is? She was the German Emperor's own maternal grandmother! The monarch of the British Empire! The German Emperor said that the British Empire under his grandmother's rule was the most powerful country in the world, and the Qing Dynasty under the Empress Dowager's rule was also thriving. He also said that it was not easy for a woman to support such a large country, and he greatly admired her..."

He paused, took a sip of saliva, and seeing Hong Jun's eyes growing brighter, he continued to increase the stakes.

"The Emperor also said that the young emperor is full of vigor and the international situation is so complicated. It is a blessing for the Qing Dynasty to have an experienced person like the Empress Dowager by his side to assist him."

Hong Jun stopped stroking his beard.

The signing room was quiet for about three seconds.

Then Hongjun picked up the teacup and took a sip. When he put the teacup down, he couldn't suppress his joy.

What do these words mean? How could Hong Jun, that old fox, not understand?

First, the German Emperor praised the Empress Dowager—this was a gesture of respect for the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was currently in a sensitive period; although she had supposedly relinquished power, everyone knew that she still held the reins of the court. This report pleased the Empress Dowager, and the ambassador to Germany had performed a great service.

Secondly, the German Emperor used the comparison of "Queen Victoria," which was quite a show of respect. If the people in the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry) knew about this, who would dare say that Hong Jun (Emperor Hongwu) was ignorant of Western affairs and incapable of handling diplomacy?

Third, the German Emperor seems to support the Empress Dowager continuing to assist in governing! This hits the most sensitive nerve in the current court. Whether the Empress Dowager should completely relinquish power after the abdication of the throne is a question that carries more weight coming from a foreigner than a hundred pronouncements from court officials.

Now he was truly in a position of power, someone the Empress Dowager valued. Once this wretched envoy finished his term and returned home, he'd at least be promoted to Vice Minister, then Minister, and then Grand Councilor...

Hong Jun's gaze towards Chang Desheng had completely changed.

Just a moment ago I thought this kid's Western-style suit was an eyesore, but now I find him quite pleasing to the eye. Even the Western-style armband on his left arm exudes a spirit of "bringing glory to the country."

"Zhenbang," Hong Jun said gently, "did the Emperor himself say all these things?"

"Of course it's true!" Chang Desheng said without changing his expression. "This student's brain may not be good at much else, but it has an excellent memory. He remembers everything the German Emperor said word for word. Besides that, the German Emperor also praised our Qing Navy's Dingyuan and Zhenyuan as excellent ships, saying that Krupp's cannons paired with our Qing soldiers are invincible..."

"Ahem." Guo Shigui coughed from the side.

Chang Desheng quickly stopped himself. Good heavens, he was talking too smoothly and almost revealed the ship purchase as well.

Hong Jun didn't care; he was already pondering how to write a memorial to the Empress Dowager. After thinking for a while, he looked up at Chang Desheng and said, "Zhenbang, I will report back exactly what you said today. Don't worry, you won't lose a single bit of your credit... Hahaha, now you don't even need my recommendation. If the Empress Dowager is pleased with this memorial, you'll definitely get a fifth-rank official title!"

Chang Desheng quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "It's all thanks to your guidance, sir!"

Guo Shigui, standing in the corner, had his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.

He witnessed the entire conversation, and his mind was in turmoil.

This Chang Desheng... he really dares to brag! He even compared the German Emperor to Queen Victoria... This must have been something Chang Desheng made up last night.

Others may not know, but he does!

Isn't Chang Desheng afraid of leaking soup?

Just as Guo Shigui thought of this, he gave himself another answer: No, this can't be leaked. Who would dare leak this boast? Who would dare tell the Empress Dowager, "The foreigners didn't praise you; Chang Desheng made it up"? Wouldn't that be displeasing the Empress Dowager? It would be a capital offense!

Chang Desheng... Wow! Absolutely amazing!

Guo Shigui's gaze towards Chang Desheng had shifted from indifference to admiration. He had initially thought this young man was just a top student who excelled at exams, but he hadn't expected him to be so adept at flattery, even more so than Guo Shigui himself, a seasoned veteran of over a decade in the officialdom.

This future is limitless!

......

When Chang Desheng came out of the signing room, his steps were as light as if he had just settled the project payment.

Hong Jun had already begun drafting a memorial to the Emperor and Empress Dowager. The old scholar was writing while stroking his beard, unable to suppress the smile on his lips. Chang Desheng, seeing his expression, knew that this basket of lies about "Emperor De praising the Empress Dowager" was a sure thing.

That's pretty much how things are in officialdom. Everyone knows there's some exaggeration in what they say, but as long as it makes the people who should be happy happy, no one will expose it.

Chang Desheng's mental ledger was flipped open again.

My first pot of gold is in hand.

Although we haven't seen any cash yet, Hong Jun said "a fifth-rank official hat"! He should be a civil official... That's a rank that can be used to become a prefect, which is equivalent to the mayor of a county-level city, right?

Although this fifth-rank official hat was just an official title and not a real post, Li Hongzhang would definitely make arrangements for it, because the story of the Emperor praising the Empress Dowager came from him, which was quite remarkable!

What is political capital? This is political capital! With this political capital, plus the things he negotiated with the German Emperor that were reported to Li Hongzhang, wouldn't he readily grant him a position?

Haha, political capital gained for free is much better than what you buy with money.

And so, humming a Tianjin-style fast-paced ballad, he and Guo Shigui boarded the old horse-drawn four-wheeled carriage and headed towards the telegraph office.

Inside the carriage, Chang Desheng leaned against the window, glancing back every now and then. He would look for a while, then turn back; after a while, he would look back again.

Seeing his expression, Guo Shigui couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhenbang, what are you looking at?"

"Lord Guo, I'm looking for the Japanese," Chang Desheng said in a low voice. "Fukushima Yasumasa must have someone watching us, right? Where's that short Japanese guy?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Shigui chuckled. He took his pipe out of his mouth, tapped the ash on the car window sill, and said unhurriedly, "Brother Zhenbang, Fukushima isn't stupid. With those short-legged men of his, who wouldn't recognize them in Berlin?"

Chang Desheng said "Oh," and turned to look at Guo Shigui: "So what did he do?"

Guo Shigui was taken aback—this chubby, dark-skinned man rarely seemed to be unaware of something Chang Desheng didn't know. He put his pipe back in his mouth, took a slow puff, and then said, "Of course, we hired Germans."

Chang Desheng paused for a moment, then nodded. That's true. Fukushima's few Japanese underlings would be easy targets in Berlin. Hiring a few local Germans—retired soldiers, private detectives, street thugs—to squat outside the embassy or stand next to the telegraph office would make them easy targets; who would recognize them?

"The Germans..." Chang Desheng muttered, then glanced back out the rear window of the carriage. "Where are they?"

The streets were bustling with white foreigners: gentlemen in top hats, laborers in overalls, and newsboys pushing carts. Which were the spies Fukushima had hired? Which were just passing by?

Guo Shigui exhaled two puffs of smoke from his nostrils and said slowly, "There must be one. But with so many white people on the streets, who knows which one it is?"

Chang Desheng never looked back.

His hand unconsciously reached into his pocket and touched the draft of the fake telegram he had prepared the night before. He had been busy until the wee hours of the morning, not just to curry favor with Empress Dowager Cixi from afar, but also to come up with ways to mislead the common people.

This fake telegram draft was prepared for them!

The carriage clattered and swayed along the cobblestone streets of Berlin in the early morning.

The telegraph office is not far away.