King of Beiyang

The Governor-General of Zhili ranks first among the eight current Governors-General, while the Governor-General of Huguang ranks fourth.

The position of Governor-General of the Northeast had not yet been established at this time.

Therefore, the Qing Dynasty currently only has eight governors-general.

Both Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong were undoubtedly powerful regional officials.

If the two were to marry, one can imagine the enormous impact it would have on the current political order.

The rulers of the Qing Dynasty, in particular, were extremely wary of Li Hongzhang.

Countless people wished they could kill Li Hongzhang.

"Third brother, if you have no objections, then I'll have to arrange for someone to propose marriage!" Li Hongzhang asked.

As the saying goes, marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers.

However, Li Hongzhang fully respected Li Jingyuan's opinions on personal matters.

"Father, I have no objection."

I'll have to get married sooner or later anyway, it's unavoidable.

Therefore, Li Jingyuan did not object.

Even if marital discord arises, it doesn't matter.

In this era, it was permissible to have concubines.

At worst, I can just take a few more beautiful concubines.

Men are always easily satisfied in this area.

Li Hongzhang nodded and then began making arrangements.

The next day, Li Hongzhang summoned Sheng Xuanhuai and asked him to go to Wuchang to propose marriage to Zhang Zhidong on behalf of the Li family.

Sheng Xuanhuai gladly accepted the order.

As an important advisor to Li Hongzhang, Sheng Xuanhuai also knew how much help Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong would provide to the Beiyang Army if they became in-laws.

  

Of course, whether Zhang Zhidong would agree and what choice he would make is unknown.

Sheng Xuanhuai departed from Tianjin, boarded a passenger ship of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, and traveled south to China Shipping.

Then, entering the Yangtze River from here and traveling upstream, it only took a week to reach Wuchang.

So much so that when Sheng Xuanhuai visited Zhang Zhidong at the Governor-General's Office of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong was greatly surprised.

"Your Excellency, I have come to pay my respects on the orders of Lord Li. I also bring you a letter written by Lord Li himself." Sheng Xuanhuai presented Li Hongzhang's letter.

Zhang Zhidong took the letter and read it carefully.

Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong can both be considered leaders of the Westernization Movement.

However, the two men had significant differences on political views, interests, and the direction of the Self-Strengthening Movement. Therefore, they maintained a state of "both rivalry and cooperation, struggle without complete breakdown" for a long time; they were neither mortal enemies nor close friends. At the same time, there was both conflict and cooperation between them.

In his letter, Li Hongzhang proposed that his third son, Li Jingyuan, marry Zhang Renzhun, the second daughter of Zhang Zhidong.

This was undoubtedly beyond Zhang Zhidong's expectations.

Zhang Zhidong was undoubtedly unwilling to marry Li Hongzhang.

On the one hand, Zhang Renzhun was still young, not yet turning sixteen at the end of the year. On the other hand, Zhang Zhidong had always disagreed with Li Hongzhang's development path in Westernization.

But to refuse directly would be disrespectful to Li Hongzhang.

"Xingsun! My daughter is still young. It's too early to talk about marriage at this time. We can discuss it when she's older."

Zhang Zhidong's meaning is undoubtedly quite clear.

"Your Excellency, the Second Miss is indeed not very old. But getting married at this age is still a very common thing. Our Third Young Master was focused on the imperial examinations in his early years, but after passing them, he abandoned his literary pursuits and went to study in the German Empire."

By the time he returned after completing his studies, he was already twenty-two years old.

Lord Li was deeply worried about this and hoped to resolve the Third Young Master's important life matter as soon as possible.

Lord Li and the Governor-General are definitely a perfect match.

Furthermore, the Third Young Master is a man of exceptional talent and has already assumed the position of Vice Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet. In the future, he will be the heir to my Beiyang Group. Moreover, during his studies in the German Empire, the Third Young Master built a substantial empire from scratch.

The third prince had close ties with the German imperial family and high-ranking military and political officials.

The second young lady will certainly not be disgraced by marrying the third young master.

Sheng Xuanhuai advised.

This made Zhang Zhidong quite interested in Li Jingyuan.

Zhang Zhidong was aware that Li Hongzhang had arranged for Li Jingyuan to become the Vice Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet.

Although Li Hongzhang played a very important role in this.

However, in Zhang Zhidong's view, if Li Jingyuan himself was incompetent, even with Li Hongzhang's help, he would not be able to secure the position of Vice Admiral of the Navy.

Besides, it's obvious that Li Hongzhang was grooming Li Jingyuan as his successor.

Li Hongzhang's eldest son, Li Jingfang, is an adopted son who mainly works in diplomacy and currently serves as the Minister to the Eastern Empire. Naturally, he cannot inherit the Li family and the Beiyang Group.

Although the second son, Li Jingshu, was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, he made no achievements in the imperial examinations or in other areas.

Although Li Jingyuan was a son born to a concubine, he received great support and cultivation from Li Hongzhang.

As a father, Zhang Zhidong naturally hoped that his daughter could find a good home.

Especially for a high-ranking official like Zhang Zhidong, a capable and promising young man like Li Jingyuan was undoubtedly a good choice for a son-in-law.

"Well then, Xingsun, I'll think about it some more. Whether it works out or not, I'll write back to Lord Li!" Zhang Zhidong said.

Sheng Xuanhuai nodded, knowing that Zhang Zhidong wanted to find out the situation privately.

For example, is Li Jingyuan truly talented or just a spoiled brat supported by Li Hongzhang?

As a father, Zhang Zhidong obviously did not want to push his daughter into a pit of fire.

After Sheng Xuanhuai left, Zhang Zhidong quickly sent people to find out the relevant situation.

Given Zhang Zhidong's current status and connections, it wouldn't be difficult for him to learn about these things.

Although it's relatively difficult to understand the situation abroad, it's quite easy to understand the situation domestically.

After getting to know Li Jingyuan, Zhang Zhidong was generally quite satisfied with him.

Not only did he hold a high position at a young age, but he also possessed genuine talent and ability, and his reputation was not undeserved.

In particular, Li Jingyuan has achieved considerable success in the field of industry.

This made Zhang Zhidong very satisfied.

Therefore, after consulting with his daughter Zhang Renzhun, Zhang Zhidong decided to agree to the marriage.

Even though Zhang Renzhun was still young, girls in this era were mostly precocious.

Especially for someone of Zhang Renzhun's age, it's a time when she's full of fantasies about her future husband.

After Zhang Zhidong showed the information he had collected to Zhang Renzhun, Zhang Renzhun did not object.

Subsequently, Zhang Zhidong replied to Li Hongzhang, agreeing to the marriage.

Next, both parties began to discuss the relevant procedures.

After all, given the status of both families, this marriage could not be simple; it had to be a grand affair. The proper pomp and ceremony were indispensable.

This caused quite a stir throughout the entire Qing Empire, especially among the imperial leadership.