World of Scattered Endings - Taking Chopped Bits from the Late Qing History

Author: Tan Boniu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Not really. If anyone were to say how great a Hanlin scholar is or how great the Hanlin Academy is, Gong Zizhen would show disdain and proudly declare: What's so great about a Hanlin scholar? What's so great about the Hanlin Academy? Every woman in my family is a Hanlin scholar, and my home is a Hanlin Academy! Hanlin? Hanlin Academy? What nonsense, hum! Listening to jokes from important figures has always been a tough job. The usual procedure is: After an important figure finishes telling a joke, they burst into laughter themselves, then look around and the onlookers understand and burst into laughter. From this exchange with Li Hongzhang, we can see that Zeng Guofan was unconventional and was clearly a master of humor. The fiery Peng Yulin didn't hesitate and "immediately used his fists." Yulin was short, less than 5'7", how could Li Hongzhang, who was over 5'9", be afraid of him? "He also used dirty tricks." As a result, the Chief of Staff and the Navy Commander "tumbled to the ground," losing all their dignity. As for who won the fight, there is no historical record to prove it. According to my analysis: Hongzhang had the advantage in physique, while Yulin was skilled in combat techniques. At the beginning of the fight, it would likely be a tie, and others would surely rush in to break it up. In the end, it should be considered a draw. According to Qing-era notes, outside the Forbidden City and in Beijing, the "current emperor" Tongzhi appeared at least three times in public. He once sang loudly in a tavern, earning loud cheers from the crowd; he went to the Liulichang paper wholesale market and had the shop assistant follow him to the Meridian Gate to collect money. The shop assistant dared not enter the Meridian Gate, so he had an eunuch return the money; he even pretended to be a Jiangxi scholar and got close to the scholars traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations. Of course, the place where he appeared most often was still brothels.
[Editor's Recommendations] If anyone were to say how great a Hanlin scholar is or how great the Hanlin Academy is, Gong Zizhen would show disdain and proudly declare: What's so great about a Hanlin scholar? What's so great about the Hanlin Academy? Every woman in my family is a Hanlin scholar, and my home is a Hanlin Academy! Hanlin? Hanlin Academy? What nonsense, hum!