A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 636 The Last Dusk
Li Yu and others ate quickly, and when they were about to leave, they happened to meet Xu Shichang who came out to get some fresh air.

"Mr. Academician," Xu Shichang said.

Li Yu also greeted him: "Your Excellency, President."

Xu Shichang said: "Because I have taken office as the president, I can no longer teach the emperor. Just now, Master Shixu mentioned that he would find an imperial teacher to enter the Yuqing Palace to teach the emperor, and he requires students to learn Chinese and foreign languages. I think..."

Li Yu immediately said: "I have a good candidate named Johnston."

"Chinese?" Xu Shichang asked.

"He is an Englishman," Li Yu paused, "it would be best to add Scotland."

Xu Shichang said: "How about learning?"

Li Yu said: "Yes, the key point is that he speaks Chinese very well. At least the accent is much purer than that of the current Pu...Xuantong Emperor's two emperors."

Puyi's imperial master Chen Baochen was from Fujian, and he had a somewhat accented accent in the era when Mandarin was not popularized.

Xu Shichang asked: "What can he teach?"

Li Yu said: "It depends on what the emperor wants to learn and to what extent."

Xu Shichang glanced at the room, and then his voice became softer: "It only needs to reach the level of European middle schools."

"It's no problem for Mr. Zhuang," Li Yu said with certainty, "He is now an official of Weihaiwei and he admires our country's culture extremely. As long as the Forbidden City writes a letter of appointment, Mr. Zhuang will agree without hesitation."

"Extraordinary admiration for our culture?" Xu Shichang was obviously most satisfied with this point. He immediately stopped asking more questions and called over Shixu, "Master Shixu, Academician Li Yu recommended a very excellent candidate for the Imperial Master to me. An Englishman."

Shixu asked: "British?"

Xu Shichang said: "Yes, he is very fluent in Chinese, and he does not have the annoying arrogance of the British. Instead, he admires our culture extremely."

Shixu obviously also attaches great importance to this: "The British who admire our culture are very good! I hope Mr. Academician will write a letter and inform him in advance to ask if it is convenient for the British teacher, and then we can write a letter of appointment."

Li Yu thought to himself, as expected, the current small court is quite shameless. He is afraid that he will be rejected by the other party after writing a letter of appointment, so he has to ask others to say hello first.

"Okay," since Li Yu took the initiative to mention Johnston, he could only take on this job, as long as he was not allowed to go to the Forbidden City. "Mr. Zhuang respects the royal family very much. He must be very happy to know that the Forbidden City wants to hire him as the imperial master." ”

Shixu said: "Sure enough, the British are still like gentlemen. The reason why they are so elegant is because they have a king."

Several other former Qing princes nodded in agreement.

Li Yu smiled coldly, unwilling to talk, and there was no need to argue with these old people.

Xu Shichang asked: "Mr. Academician, let's have a drink together?"

Li Yu immediately refused: "Principal Cai, I and several professors are leaving together. Say goodbye."

-

Walking out of the Huixiantang restaurant, Hu Shi said: "If the Forbidden City invites a teacher, we might as well invite an American professor. I had corresponded with Professor Dewey before, and he made it clear that he was willing to come to China."

Cai Yuanpei said: "It's very good. Nowadays, the student movement is surging and they are very enthusiastic about Western culture. It is beneficial to hire an American professor. I have heard about Professor Dewey. He happens to be engaged in philosophy and education, and is also the teacher of many students studying in the United States. I am very welcome."

Li Yu also felt that Dewey was more suitable. At this time, the effect of inviting Millikan, Planck and others was really not as good as someone who specialized in education and philosophy. After all, domestic scientific education had not yet reached a high level.

Compared with quantum mechanics and relativity, it is easier for the public to understand his words.

Moreover, Dewey knew China very well, and people who engage in philosophy like to criticize. Anyway, philosophy students are good at debating and quarreling. Students are now gaining momentum. Before the May Fourth Movement, engaging in philosophy was more effective.

Hu Shi was afraid that he did not have enough prestige, so he said: "Principal Cai, Mr. Academician, let's sign a joint name together?"

Li Yu said easily: "Okay."

"I don't have any objections," Cai Yuanpei said, and then extended an invitation to Li Yu, "I have established a virtue promotion association at Peking University. Are you interested in joining?"

"Jindehui?" Li Yu asked.

Cai Yuanpei said: "This is a membership-based organization that emphasizes virtue. I have divided it into three types of members. Type A members must not engage in prostitution, gambling, or taking concubines; Type B members must not do any other things in addition to the first three precepts. If you are not an official, you can fully qualify as a member."

Li Yu asked casually: "What is the third type of member?"

Cai Yuanpei said: "Category C members will add three precepts of not smoking, not drinking, and not eating meat in addition to the first five."

Li Yu was stunned: "It's just right for Bajie!"

Cai Yuanpei said: "There are not many people who can do Bajie."

For modern people like Li Yu, Cai Yuanpei's Eight Precepts are difficult to imagine, because Cai Yuanpei's Eight Precepts basically focus on private morality, while the era before Li Yu's time travel placed more emphasis on public morality, and rarely focused on personal private morality in society. Mentioned in person, except by public figures.

But then I thought about it, I am a public figure at this moment.

Li Yu said: "Except for the last two items, I don't drink alcohol or eat meat. I can accept the rest."

"It doesn't matter, I know that Shu is the person with the best temperament," Cai Yuanpei said without forcing it, "How many people can do the first thing?"

Li Yu asked curiously: "Who has joined now?"

Cai Yuanpei said: "Hu Shi and Qian Xuantong, as well as Li Dazhao, Chen Zhongfu, Liu Bannong, Shen Yinmo, Zhou Zuoren, Ma Yinchu, Zhang Shizhao and so on."

They are all celebrities in the cultural world.

Li Yu smiled and said: "Fortunately, I have good personal ethics, otherwise I wouldn't be able to join the association."

This is also a characteristic of China's traditional culture, which has always attached great importance to a person's private morality, while the West places more emphasis on public morality.

-

Cai Yuanpei and others returned to Peking University first, while Li Yu went home and sent a telegram to Johnston of Weihaiwei.

Johnston was naturally willing, but since he was an official of the British Colonial Office, he still needed to obtain transfer orders from the British Embassy.

Johnston himself could not wait to come to the capital to visit Li Yu. The reason why he came to Li Yu was firstly because Li Yu sent him a telegram, and secondly because Li Yu had also served as an imperial master before, and he was a rare imperial master of Western learning.

After the pleasantries, Johnston immediately asked: "I have never been a teacher to an emperor. Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

"I think the Ministry of Internal Affairs is also asking the same question now." Li Yu said.

Johnston: "This..." "Sir, don't worry, after all, the emperor is not very old, he is just a teenager." Li Yu said.

Johnston said: "It's just because I am a child that I feel a little difficult. Although I have never been to the palace, I can imagine that it must be full of exaggeration and falsehood, and full of sycophants. A person grows up in such a palace. In the environment, it would have been fine if it was the previous dynasty, but now the outside world has changed, and the Qing Dynasty is no longer there. It is still the same, and the emperor will only become a lone bird in a cage, not even as good as an ordinary person. "

Unexpectedly, Johnston was so concerned about this student before he met Puyi.

Li Yu said: "To be honest, your concern is very accurate. The palace is basically full of incompetent people. Incompetence is just that, but the key is ignorance. The few imperial teachers can only accompany the young emperor during class. But they are all old people from the previous dynasty, and they follow the same ideas of the previous dynasty. They have not seen the changes in the world at all, and they can only see the emperor during class. They behave too respectfully and dare not teach those little ones anything that is really useful. The eunuchs are all disabled physically and mentally. In short, the palace is a morally corrupt place."

Johnston sighed: "Can the emperor move to the Summer Palace to stay away from those people?"

Li Yu spread his hands: "You asked something impossible. The royal family will not leave the palace on their own. After entering the Forbidden City, if you are lucky enough to visit other palaces, you will know how many good things there are in the Chinese palaces. , the Louvre and the British Museum are not comparable. Although the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered the Forbidden City, they were only in the three main halls. The three main halls were just places for ceremonies and there were not many treasures. "

"This is going to be difficult," Johnston said.

"And I guess there will be eunuchs watching you during class." Li Yu said.

"How is that possible!" Johnston couldn't accept being monitored, "This is a violation of privacy!"

"Haha," Li Yu said with a smile, "There is no so-called privacy in the palace. Everyone can only secretly hide their secrets in dark corners."

Johnston was a little speechless, but in his opinion, the royal family had some bad habits, which he could accept. After all, the royal families in the West also had many bad habits.

"How many eunuchs are there in the palace?" Johnston asked.

Li Yu thought for a while: "I don't know the specific number. Before Xinhai, there were at least three thousand, but now there may be about one thousand. Most of the others have left the palace, either back to their hometowns, or to work as monks in Shijing Mountain and Putuo Mountain. , or do some small business.”

"So the ones left behind are all completely incompetent." Johnston felt that the Forbidden City was really a place with only the setting sun.

Li Yu said: "Mr. Ding Haoliang, the former chief professor of the Capital University, said that no country respects teachers as much as China. When you arrive in the palace, your status is second only to the emperor and the concubine, and they will not make things difficult for you."

Johnston asked another more concerned question: "What is the attitude of the other imperial masters towards Western civilization?"

"It can only be said that it is very conservative," Li Yu said. "The Forbidden City is the most conservative place in China now, so Mr. Zhuang went to the most conservative place to teach modernization courses. I suggest you keep a distance from the other imperial teachers. You It’s not a collegial relationship.”

"We should always understand and communicate with each other about the emperor's study situation." Johnston said.

"It's difficult," Li Yu denied, "Let's put it this way, one of the imperial masters said this to the emperor. The emperor should exercise as little as possible because human energy is limited, and the human body can only store so much energy, and It is non-renewable; once people exercise frequently and strenuously when they are young, their energy will be exhausted, resulting in premature aging and death.”

Johnston was quite astonished: "How can such misleading words come from the mouth of a teacher, and the student is also the emperor."

Li Yu laughed and said: "It's so unbelievable, Mr. Zhuang will get used to it in the future."

"No matter what, I still hope to enter the palace as soon as possible." Johnston said.

Li Yu knew that the more he talked about it, the more curious he became. "Mr. Zhuang can live with me during this period. There is no shortage of houses. There is also the former president's residence next to it. The location is good."

Johnston was happy to accept it.

A few days later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Presidential Palace and the British Embassy completed the procedures, and an official from the Imperial Palace came to report to Johnston the date of entering the palace.

"The 8th and 28th of next month are the auspicious days we have selected. Master Zhuang, which day is suitable for you?" asked the official of Qintian Prison.

Li Yu reminded: "They are talking about the lunar calendar."

"No. 8, No. 28?" Johnston was confused, it was so far apart.

Johnston asked: "Can it be sooner?"

The Qintian Supervisor official said: "No, such an important event must be chosen on an auspicious day."

Johnston asked Li Yu: "Mr. Academician, you are also good at astronomy. Tell them that breakfast is also an auspicious day."

Li Yu said: "The astronomy I studied is not the same as their astronomy. The people in Qin Tianjian are more like your astrologers."

Johnston had no choice but to choose the closer No. 8.

The Qin Tian Jian official handed a yellow scroll to Johnston: "Congratulations, Master Zhuang, you will be the Imperial Master from now on."

Johnston couldn't hide his excitement and reached out to take the scroll, while the little eunuch on the side stretched out his hand to him.

Johnston didn't know why: "What else is there?"

The young eunuch laughed and said, "According to custom, the newly appointed imperial master will give us a reward."

"How much?" Johnston asked.

The little eunuch said: "There are thirteen eunuchs in total, each of them pays 20 yuan."

Johnston didn't like the eunuchs in the palace and looked a little unhappy. Li Yu whispered a few words in his ear. Johnston was overjoyed and turned to the young eunuch and said: "You can reward me, but you have to provide a formal receipt." I."

"Receipt?" The little eunuch was dumbfounded, "Why do you need a receipt for a reward?"

Johnston asked back, "Without a receipt, how do you know I gave you a reward?"

The young eunuch said: "But we have never left any written documents, let alone signed or stamped them."

Johnston said somewhat helplessly: "Then there's nothing we can do."

The little eunuch could only give up, turn around and leave, complaining bitterly: "Foreigners are really stingy!"

After they left, Johnston said happily: "Mr. Academician's method is really useful."

Li Yu smiled and said: "Mr. Zhuang, there is no need to be too polite to them."

After entering the palace, Johnston still had a great influence on Puyi.

Johnston was an Englishman, and people in the palace did not dare to give him too much advice, so he could teach Puyi some real things.

Because of Johnston, Puyi began to worship the West extremely, and cut off his braids a year after Johnston entered the palace. By the way, thousands of eunuchs and several princes also had their braids cut off.

This incident was very explosive for the old and young, and the concubine in the palace even burst into tears, because the braid is their spiritual totem.

However, Johnston could not change the people around Puyi, nor could he change the inherent rules in the palace that had been passed down for hundreds of years. He could only open Puyi's eyes. The last dusk in the Forbidden City is finally coming to an end.

(End of this chapter)