When Cixi fled to the west, she borrowed money from the Cao family compound with only a golden locomotive clock as collateral. Why did the Cao family still think it was worth it?
In today's Taigu County, Shanxi Province, there is a very famous museum called Sanduotang Museum. It covers a total area of 10,638 square meters and a construction area of 6,348 square meters. It preserves the architectural complex of the Ming, Qing and Republic of China dynasties and displays countless treasures. It is a very famous Shanxi merchant cultural tourist attraction. ?
Sanduotang means many children, many blessings, and many lives. It was originally a longevity-shaped house belonging to the Cao family of Shanxi merchants. It has a majestic appearance and looks like a castle. The founder of the Cao family, Cao Bangyan, was a native of Huata Village, Jinci, Taiyuan. He made a living by selling casseroles. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, his family moved to Beihuang Village, Taigu. By the time of the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, the Cao family was already one of the most well-known wealthy people in the country. , with assets as high as 12 million silver.
It is said that wherever sparrows fly over, there is a business name of the Cao family, which shows how wealthy their family is. By the time Cixi came to power, although the Cao family had declined, they were still the richest people in Shanxi second only to the Qiao family. The Cao family's Sanduotang was also second only to the Qiao family's compound.
In the anti-Japanese drama "Bright Sword", the headquarters of Chu Yunfei's 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was located in this "Sanduotang". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Sanduotang was transformed by the government into a museum of Shanxi merchants. In this museum there is a treasure called the golden locomotive clock, a national treasure of the Qing Palace, which was given as collateral to the Cao family by the Empress Dowager Cixi.
This was in 1900, when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing. In a panic, Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled toward Rehe in a hurry the next day after the city was broken. Because he fled in a hurry, he did not bring enough followers, money and food. So it didn't take long for Cixi and his party to be cash-strapped and miserable. The daily food and drink expenses are really incomparable to those in the palace. ?
This situation continued until Cixi arrived in Huailai County. At that time, Wu Yongzai, the magistrate of Huailai County, had been waiting outside the city gate for a long time. Wu Yong prepared four sedans, so that Cixi, Guangxu, the Queen, and the eldest brother each had one sedan. At the same time, Wu Yong also provided Cixi with a lot of food, so that Cixi's life was not so bad after all.
As a result, Cixi immediately promoted Wu Yong to the post of prefect. Later, after Cixi returned to Beijing, he promoted Wu Yong to the post of Guangdong Daotai, and Wu Yong was considered a big winner.
Later, Gansu Chief Envoy Cen Chunxuan led his troops to escort Cixi. Cixi was in a much better mood, and then fled for almost a month. Cixi and her party arrived in Shanxi. At that time, Shanxi merchants gathered in Shanxi and were the richest in the world. Shanxi's Qiao family, Cao family, and Wang family were all well-known wealthy businessmen in the country. These wealthy businessmen usually fawned over Lafayette, but when they heard that Ci Xifeng had arrived in Shanxi, they all asked their disciples to find a way to come to see him.
As the richest man in Shanxi, the Qiao family, their head Qiao Zhiyong, had already prepared one hundred thousand taels of silver for Cixi. Of course, Cixi couldn't take other people's money for nothing, so she asked Qiao Zhiyong what kind of reward he wanted. Qiao Zhiyong just kowtowed and said: "It is my blessing to contribute a little money to the Qing Dynasty. I don't need anything in return!" I just heard that Lafayette's calligraphy is excellent, and I wonder if I can reward him with calligraphy. ?
Cixi naturally agreed happily. Writing an inscription was a trivial matter for Cixi, so she happily wrote four words to Qiao Zhiyong: "Blessed Planting Langhuan". Qiao Zhiyong immediately had it framed. The plaque hangs at the door of Qiao's courtyard. Now when we visit the Qiao Family Courtyard, we can still see this plaque.
Since the Qiao family contributed money, the Cao family, as the second richest man in Shanxi, could not lag behind. They directly presented Cixi with 300,000 taels of silver and 1,000 bags of grain. Cixi was so moved that she almost cried. She even called him "Yi Shang" and immediately said that this amount of money was considered a loan and he would definitely repay it in full when he returned to Beijing in the future.
Hearing what the Queen Mother said, the Cao family’s father fell to the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, saying “I don’t dare”. Cixi was particularly moved to see the Cao family being so loyal and patriotic. For her, since the Qiao family received their own calligraphy treasures in return for their generous donation, the Cao family gave more than three times as much money and food as the Qiao family. She could not be left empty-handed, otherwise It really doesn’t make sense.
So, Cixi sent someone to send an object to the Cao family as collateral. The Cao family did not pay attention at the time, thinking that it might be an ordinary small object for coping. But when the object was taken out, the Cao family couldn't help but break out in a sweat. Because this object is not an ordinary object, but a French tribute golden locomotive clock.
This treasure was originally a precious object from France. It is shaped like a small train and is made of three kinds of gold: gold, black gold and platinum. It weighs 84.5 kilograms. There is a platinum bell on the roof that automatically tells the time, and a barometer in the middle that automatically predicts weather changes. The front of the car will move back and forth regularly on the black gold rails, like a pendulum. When the hour comes, the white bell on the roof will sound. It will ring by itself, exactly what time it is.
During the Qianlong period, it was presented to Qianlong as a tribute by an envoy from France. The original intention was to trade with the Qing Dynasty, but Qianlong rejected it. Later, this treasure was kept in the palace, and it was also one of Cixi's favorite rare treasures. It is no exaggeration to say that this object is a national treasure and its value is immeasurable. Therefore, when the Cao family saw this treasure, they could not conceal their inner excitement and tremblingly said two words: "It's worth it."
Later, after Cixi returned to Beijing, due to the signing of the "Xinchou Treaty", the Qing government needed to pay 980 million taels of silver principal and interest to foreigners, so it was unable to repay the Cao family's debts, so this treasure It ended up in the Cao family compound, but for the Cao family, this transaction was not a loss. Not only was it worth it, it was even a huge profit.
Later, this treasure was regarded as a family heirloom by the Cao family and preserved for generations. But after the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), the clock of the Golden Locomotive Clock was damaged and could no longer keep time. Now this treasure is placed in Shanxi Sanduotang Museum. It is the treasure of the museum. If you have the opportunity to go to Shanxi, you can see this legendary treasure.