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

Chapter 701 Drinking Anything Will Get You Poisoned
Li Yu had quite a few antiques in his hands, so he set up a building in the Salt Bank as a personal museum. Many of them were items that the young emperor Puyi wanted to sell or give to the Japanese before he left the palace, but Li Yu used money to intercept them.

Many of them were still packed in large boxes with seals on them. Now that the small imperial court had been expelled from the Forbidden City, it was impossible to redeem them with money.

As for the more valuable ones, such as Chen Rong's "Six Dragons" and Zhao Mengfu's "Washing the Horse", they were placed in a secret room, which also contains some paintings by Van Gogh and Zhu Da.

Li Yu now understands why rich people like to spend money on art. On the one hand, this thing has great potential for appreciation; on the other hand, it is because they really have money but nowhere to spend it! By the way, this simplest way can also improve the taste of art, killing two birds with one stone.

During his stay in the United States, Li Yu took time to attend several auctions and bought back a number of cultural relics that had been lost overseas. In order to "get rid of his hatred", he also bought a number of famous European paintings, such as "Haystacks" by Monet, the master of Impressionism.

This painting was sold at Sotheby's in New York in 2019 for a record-breaking $1.107 million, the highest auction price for Monet's works and the highest auction price for Impressionist paintings.

Even people who don’t understand art will feel that Impressionist paintings are very beautiful and comfortable. For people like Li Yu who lack artistic germs, they can only crudely think that it is “better looking”, and have no idea what the later Surrealism is.

Li Yu brought these things to his personal museum and saw Zhang Boju admiring several Qing Dynasty antiques on the first floor.

"Mr. Academician!" Zhang Boju said respectfully when he saw Li Yu.

"How is it working at the Salt Bank?" Li Yu asked casually.

"It's quite easy." said Zhang Boju.

Li Yu is a major shareholder of the Salt Bank, but he does not interfere in too many business matters. Usually, it is managed by Zhang Boju's father Zhang Zhenfang.

Zhang Boju’s ability to become a super collector had a lot to do with his family background and his circle of friends.

"Father said that there are many rare treasures in the academician's secret room. Can I take a look at them?" Zhang Boju asked tentatively.

"Easy to say, come with me."

Li Yu took out the key and opened the secret room. After walking in, Zhang Boju was fascinated by the famous works inside.

"Mr. Academician's collection is almost worth a prince's palace!"

Li Yu smiled and said, "The Qing Dynasty has been in decline for so many years, and they still have a lot of good things in their hands."

"These are too valuable. Just looking at them is enough to comfort me," Zhang Boju said after admiring them for most of the day. "Just now I saw an inkstone outside, placed in an inconspicuous corner. Can I buy it from you? I really like it."

"What inkstone?" Li Yu asked.

Zhang Boju took him to the first floor. There was a small red sandalwood box in a box. Zhang Boju picked it up, opened it and said, "I saw it by accident. After careful inspection, I found that it was collected by Qian Qianyi. I also have a 'Rushi inkstone' of Liu Rushi in my hand. I want to combine the two together. I hope you can help me."

"No problem." Li Yu said readily.

Zhang Boju was very excited: "I will send the money to your house tonight."

Li Yu asked curiously, "I remember that Yuan Kewen, the second son of the Yuan family, liked to collect the relics of the Eight Beauties of Jinling. It turns out that you have this hobby too."

Zhang Boju said: "Han Yun (Yuan Kewen) has more collections in this area than I do, and is more proficient in it. I collected the relics of the Eight Beauties of Jinling because of Han Yun's influence."

Li Yu thought to himself, Yuan Kewen is indeed a complete playboy...

He suddenly thought, "Boju, you are more knowledgeable about antiques. Is there anything in here that I can give to the newlyweds as a gift?"

Zhang Boju took a quick look and said, "That pair of finely hand-carved zithers are quite good. They were probably tributes from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions to the Qing emperor. Although they cannot be called antiques, they are exquisitely crafted and are top-quality."

Li Yu picked them up: "These are it."

-

The reason for picking out a gift was that Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman had specially sent invitations to Li Yu and Lu Bicheng, and they would hold their wedding at the Six Nations Hotel in Dongjiaominxiang in a few days.

In fact, the main person invited was Lu Bicheng, because they didn't know that Li Yu had just returned to China.

Xu and Lu's wedding was quite grand and involved the so-called "freedom of love", which had become a strong trend in the cultural circles of the Republic of China, so it alarmed many celebrities in the capital.

It’s just that it’s a bit difficult to evaluate Lu Xiaoman and Xu Zhimo in this regard.

At that time, Lu Xiaoman had not yet divorced her ex-husband Wang Geng, and she was in a relationship with Xu Zhimo, which was very similar to when Xu Zhimo pursued Lin Huiyin before divorcing her.

Naturally, some people felt that the two were unfaithful to their relationship, but in recent years the Republic of China strongly supported "free love", so there were quite a few people who supported Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman.

Poor Wang Geng, he was a talented man who graduated from Tsinghua University and West Point, but he couldn't even complain about being cuckolded and could only choose to divorce and let go.

Li Yu and Lu Bicheng drove to the Six Nations Hotel in Dongjiaomin Lane. After getting off the car, they saw Xu Zhimo greeting guests at the door.

"Academician, Madam, welcome!" Xu Zhimo said happily.

Li Yu said: "Congratulations."

Lu Bicheng smiled slightly: "It is an honor to be able to attend the wedding of a famous lady in Beijing."

Xu Zhimo said: "Xiaoman often said that Madam is the real heroine."

They went into the restaurant and registered the gifts with the cashier.

Interestingly, there is a high-priced gift from Lu Xiaoman’s ex-husband Wang Geng, and seven words written by Wang Geng himself: “Only after suffering can one appreciate the sweetness that comes with it.” This sentence itself is quite interesting.

Li Yu saw Xu Zhimo's father Xu Shenru, who had a sullen face, sitting motionless in his seat, and next to him was Liang Qichao, who also looked unhappy.

Xu Shenru definitely didn't like Lu Xiaoman. Until now, he only recognized Zhang Youyi as his daughter-in-law.

Liang Qichao felt that he had not disciplined Xu Zhimo well and was very disappointed. He had asked Xu Zhimo a long time ago: "Why can't you control your emotions?"

The great and sentimental poet Xu Zhimo said: "I tried, but I couldn't do it."

If this sentence is said a hundred years later, I will probably be called a scumbag 0.0
Hu Shih was in a good mood as the "matchmaker". When Xu Zhimo proposed to his parents that he wanted to marry Lu Xiaoman, Xu's father made several requests: first, it must be done according to the old rules, Liang Qichao must be the witness, and Hu Shih must be the matchmaker; second, they must pay for all the expenses of the marriage and after marriage.

That's quite decisive.

Originally, Xu Zhimo was thought to give up, but she insisted on marrying him, so Xu Shenru was naturally angry.

Soon, the wedding began.

Hu Shi first spoke a few words as an introducer, which were nothing more than words of blessing, such as "May you be like a pair of bright moons, bright and round, never fading" and so on.

What followed was Liang Qichao’s wonderful speech.

As Xu Zhimo's teacher, he didn't even bring a speech. He walked onto the stage, glanced at the guests, and said loudly:

"Xu Zhimo, you have an impetuous temperament, so you have no achievements in academic research. You are not loyal in love, which led to divorce and remarriage... Both of you are experienced people, divorced and remarried, both of you are not loyal in love. You must repent and start a new life in the future. I hope this is the last time you get married." It was simply a lecture, and all the guests except Li Yu were stunned.

Lu Xiaoman and Xu Zhimo were so ashamed and pale after hearing this.

After a long while, Xu Zhimo tried to ease the embarrassment by saying, "I have listened to your speeches many times, but this lesson is the most unforgettable for me."

Liang Qichao remained calm and said calmly: "There has never been a perfect universe in the world."

After taking their seats, Li Yu sat at the same table with Liang Qichao and Hu Shi and were considered VIP guests.

Hu Shih said, "Ren Gong, isn't it too harsh to say this on this occasion?"

Liang Qichao actually knew Xu Zhimo very well and said: "If you don't tell him now, he will never remember it!"

"It turns out that Ren Gong loves his disciples very much!" Hu Shi suddenly said, "I wonder if Zhimo and Xiaoman can understand Ren Gong's painstaking efforts."

Liang Qichao took a sip of tea and said, "It's hard to say!"

Hu Shi was a good man, so he quickly changed the subject and said to Li Yu: "Nowadays, the new generation of young people criticize us old people, but they still respect Academician Li Yu."

Li Yu said: "I don't think it's a bad thing that things are changing with each passing day."

In fact, only a few years after Hu Shi became famous, he was already regarded as out of date by many people.

Many followers of the New Culture Movement blamed Hu Shi and his generation of scholars, saying, "These old young people did not complete their early work, and they gave up before they led a group of people onto the smooth road of the new era."

This is exactly the same as what Hu Shi blamed Liang Qichao for not fulfilling his responsibility of leading the way.

The new generation, like Hu Shi, has to follow its own path without a leader. Since the leader is no longer moving forward, the new generation clearly declares: "The responsibility of the new era rests on the shoulders of us young people."

As for Li Yu, he has so many new things. He also led Tang Feifan, He Yujie, Li Siguang and others to become top academic celebrities early on. There will be more big moves in the future, and his level of respect is rising.

Liang Qichao said: "Nowadays it is not the youth who follow us, but we who follow the youth."

Li Yu smiled and said, "Ren Gong's words have a pattern."

Hu Shi said: "I originally wanted to do something, but now it seems that I really can't keep up with the team. Fortunately, Mr. Academician has almost made my dream come true. When I first came to the United States, I hoped that there would be universities in China that could rival those in Europe and the United States, but we were lagging behind in science and engineering. In recent years, with the help of Mr. Academician, we have won so many awards. In the future, under a virtuous cycle, domestic schools will surely become more and more outstanding."

"Studying abroad is originally intended to stop studying abroad," Li Yu said. "Studying abroad is a temporary solution, while revitalizing domestic education is the long-term plan."

Hu Shih was convinced by Li Yu: "That's a good point! If education is not successful, students will have to study abroad for a long time. They will always look west to learn and call themselves a country of disciples. If so, the dream of a new civilization in China will ultimately be nothing but an illusion."

Liang Qichao lamented, "The signs were very good, but I don't know if the situation will change again."

Hu Shi was somewhat worried: "The Guangdong army has already conquered the entire Hunan and Hubei. It has only been a few months, and the former ever-victorious general Wu Peifu has been defeated and stripped of his armor."

The strategy of the Northern Expedition was suggested by Soviet advisers: first attack Wu Peifu in Hubei; then from Hubei through Jiangxi, attack Sun Chuanfang in Jiangsu and Zhejiang; and finally Zhang Zuolin in the Beijing-Tianjin-Zhili area.

I guess they didn't expect it to be so smooth.

In less than two months, Wu Peifu lost the important city of Wuhan and was completely defeated. He never had the chance to become a marshal again.

At the same time, after the three battles of Nanchang, although the Northern Expedition Army suffered heavy losses, Sun Chuanfang directly exhausted 15 elite main forces here, and it was no longer possible to defend Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

The Northern Expedition Army immediately headed straight for Shanghai and Nanjing.

Liang Qichao said: "I suddenly remembered what Brother Shucai said to me when I went to Europe that the outcome of a war depends on military affairs in the short term, economy in the medium term, and ideology in the long term. The current domestic situation is almost proving this to be the case."

Li Yu said indifferently: "Since it is a long-term plan, we have to keep watching."

"What are you gentlemen talking about?" Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman came over with glasses to toast.

"We just chatted about education, studying abroad and current politics," said Hu Shi.

"You are all great scholars. I will ask you for advice more often in the future," Xu Zhimo said respectfully.

Lu Xiaoman immediately bowed and said, "Zhimo and Xiaoman would like to offer a toast to express our gratitude."

Liang Qichao just said "hmm".

Hu Shih hurriedly smoothed things over by saying, "I wish you two a long and happy marriage."

Raise your glass and drink it in one gulp.

"Thank you, Dr. Hu." Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman said.

Lu Bicheng stood up and said to Lu Xiaoman: "The spirit of pursuing free marriage is worth this glass of wine. I hope this trend can be promoted throughout society."

Although Lu Xiaoman was a famous lady in Beijing, Lu Bicheng was now a leader of talented women. She replied softly, "Thank you for your support, Madam."

Xu Zhimo knew that Li Yu had just returned from the United States, so he asked vaguely, "Is things... all right in the United States?"

"Excellent." Li Yu said.

"That's great!" Xu Zhimo replied randomly.

Li Yu drank the toast and said to him, "Good wine! It reminds me of what Tao Xingzhi said: The wine of love is sweet but bitter. If two people drink it, it is nectar; if three people drink it, it is vinegar; if anyone drinks it, they will be poisoned."

Xu Zhimo said: "Mr. Tao is worthy of educating everyone, and his students will remember him."

After the two toasted, they went to other tables.

Liang Qichao snorted at this time: "Madam, you are too polite. How can this be a good attitude?"

Lu Bicheng said softly, "Take your time."

Liang Qichao was angry: "It is clear that the two of them only know about love and don't understand marriage. Sooner or later, something bad will happen!"

Lu Bicheng naturally understood that Liang Qichao was afraid that Xu Zhimo would end up ruining this marriage, so she consoled him by saying, "Xiaoman is also a lady from a noble family, well-educated and well-mannered. Let them learn about future matters later. We should always bless the newlyweds."

Liang Qichao sighed heavily: "I can't control it, I can't control it at all!"

The next day, Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman went to Tsinghua University to visit Liang Qichao in order to resolve the misunderstanding on the wedding day.

Liang Qichao saw that the matter was done and did not make things difficult for them. However, in his letter to Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin who were studying in the United States, it can be seen that he did not really forgive Xu and Lu:

"Yesterday I did something I was extremely reluctant to do. I went to be the witness at Xu Zhimo's wedding. His new wife is Mrs. Wang Shouqing. She fell in love with Zhimo and divorced Shouqing. This is extremely immoral. I repeatedly warned Zhimo to no avail. Hu Shizhi and Zhang Pengchun tried hard to intercede for him, and in the end, they indulged Zhimo and gave in to his feelings. I gave a speech in the auditorium and gave him a great lesson. The newlyweds and the guests were all shocked. This may be a wedding ceremony never heard of in ancient and modern times in China and abroad! I am sending you the manuscript of the speech to have a look..."