The Silent Reforms of Eldridge Chapter 29

Governor Li Xingyuan was transferred to Jiangsu, and Deng Tingzhen took over as governor of Shaanxi. After twenty years of setbacks under Daoguang (that is, what you call the Opium War), this old man has lost all his enthusiasm and energy. Coupled with his old age and weakened strength, he indulges in entertainment even more. Passers-by come and go, hang out, and those of us who are subordinates also entertain each other. There is almost no day where we don't live and drink. At the end of the year, various departments in the province pooled together hundreds of taels of silver to create a lantern show to be performed in the first month of the next year. My subordinates Cang Shu and Dou Ji from the two warehouses in the east and west heard that the governor was very interested, so they also collected money to create a lantern show and bet on each other.

Liangdao Yamen was originally the villa of Guo Ziyi, King of Fenyang in the Tang Dynasty. To the west is Guanshan Hall, where several ancient locust trees are planted. The trunks are so thick that more than a dozen people cannot hug them. The tree canopy is huge and towering, blocking out the sun. It is a real artifact from the Han and Tang Dynasties. Although the Hushan Terrace is no longer the same size as before, it is decorated with twists and turns, which makes people think of mountains and rivers. I wrote a couplet for it: "Two thousand years back, the trees and vines are the legacy of Tangyin; the fifth day is close to Weidu, and the empty pavilions and pavilions are the most suitable for the summer breeze of Sophora japonica."

Behind Guanshan Hall, there is a theater, which is a place for entertaining guests. I also wrote a couplet: "In my free time from political affairs, I borrowed the Xiaobu Liyuan to write about the scenery of Xijing; after the hairpin and train were assembled, I admired the great Luo Xianke and brought them here "Bei Que En Bo."

To the west of the courtyard is the "Guihe Pavilion", which was built by my predecessor Fei Ouyu. It has been around for a long time and is about to collapse. It is full of weeds. I spent two hundred taels of silver to renovate it, named it "Yihe", and used it as a place to test the martial arts of soldiers. The couplet on the lobby of the Yamen is: "The administration is simple and the people are honest, so that they can take advantage of leisure and accommodate the poor officials; the yang and the yin are adjusted to bring good harvests from kindness."

The plaque on the second hall is "Weibai is of the same mind", and the couplet is "If you are ashamed of the rice dumplings, you dare to say that you are talented, and Caocang is rich in learning; you are in charge of the key, you laugh at your salary, and you are clumsy in government. You are good at chanting mistakes." The third hall. The couplet is: "Ask this official what is the busiest thing. His crown and crown are far away. All the wine and music are related to politics. He laughs all the year round to get married. The fat has been exhausted. Who knows the kindness of relatives, friends, children and servants?" This couplet is the most appropriate for Shaanxi grain road. portrayal. There is a circle of bamboo planted in the small courtyard to the east of the second hall, and I named it "Jiao Cui". The plaque on the upper room is: "Residence is respectful", and the couplet is: "Start the spring, watch the millet and the valley return in the cold, chant the sun on the orchid steps; smile at the entrance, the sound of the happy phoenix chicks is loud, and the swallows are fragrant in bed."