Chapter 12 1. On the eve of taking office, Zhang Zhidong visited Chun Wangfu late at night

Since that extraordinary summons, every move of Zhang Zhidong has been watched by Empress Dowager Cixi.When discussing Dongxiang's reversal of the case, King Chun praised Zhang Zhidong in front of Cixi for caring about the people's health, speaking up for justice, and being a talent for the country.Zhang Zhidong gained more weight in Cixi's heart.King Chun also specially told Cixi that Zhang Zhidong agreed to restore Qingyi Garden.Cixi likes being a clean stream and not against garden workers.From this she could see Zhang Zhidong's loyalty to her.The official department figured out the Queen Mother's will, and raised Zhang Zhidong's rank by one level, from the fifth rank to the fourth rank.Soon, he was formally awarded the title of Bachelor of Attendant of the Imperial Academy of the Fourth Rank.

In the Meridian Gate incident, Zhang Zhidong's memorandum only said to beware of the troubles of the eunuch temple, but did not mention her improper handling.As a seasoned politician, Cixi can feel the good intentions in this process afterwards. "Euphemism and twists and turns, loyalty is sympathetic", this is Cixi's intimate evaluation of Zhang Zhidong in the chat with Ci'an later.It can be seen from this that she really saw Zhang Zhidong's stability and maturity. In Cixi's view, these are the unique strengths of Zhang Zhidong that others in Qingliu lack.Qingliu characters are well-educated and eloquent, like to talk about state affairs, attack the incumbent for being ruthless and often hit the nail on the head, but almost all of them are sharp-edged and aggressive. It works.Cixi has always believed that Qingliu people can be officials and academic officials, but they can't do practical things, let alone take on important responsibilities, because they don't understand how big the gap is between the real world and the sages' classics, and they don't know that "it's easy to build a car behind closed doors." , it is difficult to go out and get along with each other".Strictly speaking, none of them are steady and mature practical operators.However, this Zhang Zhidong has the strengths of Qingliu but not the disadvantages of Qingliu. He is indeed a rare talent. She decided to break the rules and make a leapfrog.

Zhang Zhidong currently occupies the position of a Bachelor of Attendant with a rank of four ranks. He can be promoted to Zhan Shifu of Zhan Shifu with a rank of three ranks, or a cabinet bachelor with a rank of two ranks and a minister of the Ministry of Rites.The imperial court has always been cautious in promoting officials, and it is rare to skip the promotion of officials.Cixi remembers that in recent decades, a leapfrog promotion that has been rumored inside and outside the country was the promotion of Zeng Guofan by Lord Daoguang more than 30 years ago. In the twenty-seventh year of Daoguang, the 67-year-old Daoguang Lord promoted Zeng Guofan to the title of cabinet bachelor and minister of rites after a routine Hanzhan examination.Zeng Guofan was suddenly promoted from a fourth-rank bachelor to a cabinet bachelor with a second rank, and he was promoted to four levels in a row. There was a lot of discussion inside and outside the court for a while.

Zeng Guofan's exam results ranked second and fourth, not outstanding, and he didn't have a very eye-catching performance before the exam. Everyone didn't understand why Lord Daoguang favored Zeng Guofan so much.Later, Zeng Guofan formed the Hunan Army, fought on the battlefield, and regained Jiangnan for the imperial court. When he held a heavy military exploit in the world, he did not rebel, and became more and more loyal to the imperial court.Only then did history prove how far-sighted Master Daoguang was, how extraordinary his vision of knowing people and his courage in employing people were!

Cixi thought more deeply: The reason why Zeng Guofan became like this later may be the reward for being promoted to four levels in a row.It's an eventful time again.The emperor was young and weak, and the country needed pillars more than in the Daoguang period.Learn from your ancestors, play the story of Zeng Guofan, promote Zhang Zhidong to three levels in a row, and be directly awarded the title of cabinet bachelor and minister of rites? However, is Zhang Zhidong really the second Zeng Guofan?It is an unusual number to be promoted to three levels in a row, can Zhang Zhidong bear it? Just when Cixi was hesitating, a big change suddenly happened in the court.

On the seventh day of March in the seventh year of Guangxu, Empress Dowager Ci'an died in Zhongcui Palace.When the news came out, the ruling and opposition parties were astonished! Ci'an was only forty-five years old, and he was always in good health, unlike Cixi who often fell ill.When the word "The Empress Dowager ascended to heaven" spread outside the palace, many ministers thought it was Cixi who died.This unexpected turn of events led to many rumors at that time and later generations.One of the most widely circulated sayings, which is often enjoyed by unofficial historians and storytellers, is: when Emperor Xianfeng was seriously ill, he was quite worried about what happened after his death.Emperor Xianfeng had only one son, and the six-year-old prince was born to the noble concubine Nala.Empress Niu Hulu is soft and cowardly, but Concubine Yi is strong and pushy.Emperor Xianfeng was worried that in the future, concubine Yi and his concubine would be more expensive than their sons, interfering in the government affairs, and there would be a situation where the rooster ruled the morning.Emperor Xianfeng's favored minister Sushun suggested that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made Fuling the crown prince and killed his mother Mrs. Gouyi. This matter can be emulated.Emperor Xianfeng was soft-hearted and couldn't bear to do this, so he left a note for the queen, which said: If the noble concubine Yi interferes in the government in the future, the queen can use this to enforce the family law.The queen hid this edict.Twenty years have passed. Although the Nala family who has been promoted to Empress Dowager Cixi has been in charge of the government, they are very respectful to the Niu Hulu family who has been promoted to Empress Dowager Ci'an.Ci'an believes that it is no longer necessary to retain this imperial decree.In order to show his intentions, Ci'an told Cixi about this matter, and burned Emperor Xianfeng's ink in person.Unexpectedly, this became Cixi's heart disease instead. She always suspected that Ci'an would have other ways to restrain her, so she did it first.She personally delivered a box of pastries to Ci'an, and there was poison in the pastries.Ci'an died suddenly after eating this box of pastries.

Whether this is true or not is difficult to conclusively determine.According to common sense, this possibility is unlikely, because there is no need for Cixi.More than 20 years later, Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi died within two days.Legend has it that Cixi knew that she couldn't afford it, and she didn't want Emperor Guangxu to take revenge on her after her death, so she poisoned Emperor Guangxu first.These two rumors are exactly the same, intended to expose Cixi's cruelty.However, the existing Qing palace archives have completely preserved the records of Emperor Guangxu's illness, which proves that he is indeed terminally ill and cannot be cured.This kind of rumors may be due to the fact that Cixi had too many misdeeds in her later years, and people hated her!However, since ancient times, the secrets of the palace, the twists and turns, the outsiders at that time could not be clear, let alone today a hundred years later!Let's just leave it alone.

But Ci'an's death did clear the way for Cixi to carry out her intentions more smoothly.This is because Ci'an is superior to Cixi in name, and Ci'an is easy-going. Many princes and relatives are willing to seek Ci'an for their affairs, and Ci'an is also willing to speak for them.Prince Gong is one of them.Since the first conflict between him and Cixi in the fourth year of Tongzhi, he tended to be more emotionally inclined to Ci'an, so he later concealed Cixi's decree to kill Andehai together with Ci'an. Now that this obstacle in front of Cixi has been cleared away, she can freely arrange herself.To be precise, the Cixi era in the late Qing Dynasty really began at this time.

Not long after Ci'an's death, for more than ten days in a row, comets appeared between Sansu and Jingsu every night.The courtiers discussed it in private, and they all thought that this was an example from the heavens, and the ruler should learn from his faults and cultivate his virtues.Cixi was also disturbed by this abnormal celestial phenomenon, and issued an edict to ask for advice.There are many letters in response to the edict, but they are nothing more than a set of commonplaces such as diligent government and love for the people, lenient punishment and thin Fu, etc. Cixi has little interest in these pedantic words.On this day, she was attracted by a book.What is said in this memorial is different.

The memorial said that comets appear frequently, so we should think about disaster prevention, and the way to prevent disasters today is no greater than the frontier defense in the northwest and the coastal defense in the southeast.Northwest frontier defense, the responsibility lies with the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu.Its Governor Zeng Guoquan paid homage to his order for half a year, and in the name of recuperating from his illness, he stayed in Xiangxiang and refused to take up his post.The responsibility for the southeast frontier lies with the governor of Liangjiang.Its governor, Liu Kun, was deeply depressed and had a habit of smoking opium.It is suggested that the imperial court remove Zeng Guoquan from the post of governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and appoint another capable person.As soon as Liu Kun found out that he was summoned from within, he could use this to get Peng Yulin to act as his agent.Peng Yulin is not only a veteran of Zhongxing, but also has no arrogance and indolence.

Cixi saw the name of the sparse man, which was Zhang Zhidong.She closed Zhang Zhidong's booklet and began to think seriously. Twenty years ago, when she abolished Minister Gu Ming to take charge of the government, it was the time when Jiangnan was in flames of war. She changed Emperor Xianfeng's attitude of looking around and entrusted the overall situation in the southeast to Zeng Guofan, and at the same time quietly cultivated Li Hongzhang. The power of the Huai army made this army a force to contain Zeng Guofan's Hunan army.Soon, the Xianghuai army cooperated to pacify Jiangnan.Then, with the Huai army as the main force, the Nian army was wiped out.In the seventh year of Tongzhi, the flames of war in the mainland were basically extinguished. Just when the government and the public were cheering "Tongzhi Zhongxing", Cixi discovered that more than half of the governors of the eighteen provinces had fallen into the hands of the generals of Xianghuai.She was very worried that these people would take the credit and create a situation that could not be lost.Over the years, she has dealt with these veteran generals from Hunan and Huaihe Rivers cautiously, and adopted various political means such as win over, sanction, frequent transfer, and mutual restraint, and finally maintained the general stability of the political situation.However, it is still a major headache for Empress Dowager Cixi to keep on guard against these ministers with outstanding military achievements.It has been half a year since Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Shanxi and Gansu, was issued an edict. He is still living leisurely in his hometown in Xiangxiang, making excuses for not taking up his post.Shanxi and Gansu are located in the northwest, which is the key point of military affairs. Zeng Guoquan ignored the court so much, how could it not annoy Cixi.However, Zeng Guoquan, as the number one hero in attacking Jiangning, was inconvenient for Cixi to reprimand him publicly.Liu Kunyi is from Xinning, Hunan Province. He led a regiment to join the Hunan Army at the age of 25 and moved to Hunan and Guangxi. , I am not very old, but I have been a high-ranking official for a long time, so I can't help but feel a little bit like relying on the old to sell the old, and I have been quite indulgent recently.Cixi was also very dissatisfied with him. The "arrogance" and "twilight" spirits embodied in Zeng and Liu are exactly the common faults of those governors who have reached high positions because of their military exploits.It not only reduces the authority of the court, but also corrupts the atmosphere of official circles.Knocking these two upturned tails is also a shock to those dazed officials.Cixi accepted Zhang Zhidong's suggestion, dismissed Zeng Guoquan as governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and appointed Peng Yuphos as acting governor of Liangjiang.Because of this suggestion, Cixi no longer hesitated, and decided to follow the precedent set by Emperor Daoguang, breaking the rules and leapfrogging Zhang Zhidong! In July of the seventh year of Guangxu, a glorious decree was issued: Zhang Zhidong was awarded a cabinet bachelor and the title of minister of the Ministry of Rites.This holy order made Zhang Zhidong rise to three ranks in a blink of an eye, from a mid-level official to a second-rank minister.This is a rare exception among the three dynasties of Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu. Zhang Zhidong was really overjoyed to receive this decree.The congratulations from Qingliu's friends, the envy of his colleagues, the congratulations from his former disciples, and the joy of his family, all of these woven a web of great joy and celebration for him. In the afternoon of that day, he received a letter sent by Zhang Zhiwan from Nanpi's hometown.In addition to congratulating the cousin, the former governor who stayed at home solemnly told the cousin that he should go to Prince Chun's mansion as soon as possible to express his gratitude for the grace in front of King Chun. According to the usual practice, officials who have been promoted should give a thank you note to the court after receiving the decree, but that's all, and there is no need to express gratitude to other recommenders.That's exactly what Zhang Zhidong did. It didn't occur to him to thank anyone else.This letter from his cousin gave him a very important reminder: Yes, you don't have to go to other princes and ministers, but you must go to Prince Jin's Mansion. He thought of his cousin's silent trip to Beijing last year at the invitation of the King of Chun, of the frequent meetings with the King of Chun in the past few days, and the meeting with the King of Chun in Qingyi Garden arranged for him by his cousin.It is because of these activities that the Dongxiang unjust case was brought to light; perhaps it is also because of these activities that today's leapfrogging is possible.The queen mother, the emperor, the king, and the cousin, he seemed to have suddenly seen a network that was both obvious and vague, and realized a truth that was both simple and profound.A road with boundless prospects and risks has been paved in front of me. Zhang Zhidong didn't want people to know what special relationship he had with Prince Chun's Mansion, so he stepped into Prince Chun's Mansion alone on a dark night. "Your Highness is rich and honorable, and you have everything you need. Although I have been an official in the capital for twenty years, I still have nothing to do. I know that the promotion of my Highness has taken a lot of effort, but I can't give you a decent one. A gift. I brought nothing tonight, only my loyalty to the court: I will do my best for the empress dowager, the emperor, and the country in this life." Zhang Zhidong's solemn and sincere words moved King Chun's face.In terms of nature, King Chun is not a greedy person, he doesn't really want others to give him gifts.His son is now the emperor, and being loyal to his son, wouldn't it be the best gift for him? King Jin smiled and said: "It is my job to recommend talents for the country. As long as I will be loyal to the queen mother and assist the emperor from now on, I will be satisfied." Zhang Zhidong hurriedly said: "My lord's words, I will remember them all my life, be loyal to the queen mother and the emperor, and do things for the country sincerely." "That's good, that's good." Chun Wang picked up a light yellow agate snuff bottle from the coffee table, and moved it back and forth under the nostrils twice. Chun Wang doesn't like gifts, but this snuff bottle is a gift, and it was given by Pan Zuyin.Pan Zuyin is a well-known connoisseur of antiques and collectors. He especially loves to appreciate and collect snuff bottles. There are no less than a thousand snuff bottles in his home.Pan Zuyin often said that he had no utilitarian purpose in giving snuff bottles to others. In fact, the process is also very complicated. If you want to investigate carefully, most of them are utilitarian.Take this smoking pot as an example.Experts say that this snuff bottle is made of the most valuable material, and this piece of agate has been buried underground for an unknown number of years, and there is no second one in Beijing.Li Hongzao once asked him for it, but he was reluctant. Less than a month after Emperor Guangxu ascended the throne, he brought this snuff bottle into Prince Chun's Mansion and gave it to the emperor's own father who loved snuff.This kind of discreet and elegant gift is exactly what Chun Wang, who has been away from all errands, wanted. After taking snuff for a while, Chun Wang's spirit was greatly lifted.The celebrity in front of him who is about to take on a big responsibility, after all, he still needs to know the truth from him, so that he will not recognize his master clearly in the future. "Last year, Mr. Ziqing came to Beijing for a meeting. He praised his moral articles like the ancients, so I invited him to come down to Qingyi Garden to have a look. I also read three excerpts about my grievances for the people of Dongxiang, Sichuan. I am very grateful to Mr. Ziqing. I am convinced of the praise, and I have recommended my step in front of the Queen Mother many times. After the Meridian Gate incident, the Queen Mother also talked about the story of my step. I told the Queen Mother that such a loyal and stable person has been Shi Huang for twenty years. If he is not promoted, he will not only make himself feel cold, but the court will also lose a great talent. The Empress Dowager nodded immediately, which is indeed a rare move. I congratulate you." Zhang Zhidong understood the intention of King Chun's words, hurriedly left his seat and cupped his hands: "Your Majesty is so kind and virtuous, I will never forget it!" "Sit down, sit down!" King Chun was very satisfied with this, and after Zhang Zhidong sat down again, he said with a smile on his face, "Yesterday morning, the queen mother called me into the palace and asked me about two things: one is Wang Henian, the right servant of the Ministry of Industry, has been vacant for more than ten days. Who should make up for it. First, there have been many troubles in Shanxi in recent years. Zeng Guoquan has not managed it well. After Wei Rongguang took over, it was even more chaotic. Ask me if I have a suitable person in my mind. Your Majesty came today just in time, and I would like to ask, if the Empress Dowager wants to go down to do some practical things now, would you like to stay in the capital as a servant, or would you like to go to other provinces to be a governor?" When King Chun said these words, Zhang Zhidong had already thought a lot in his mind.The first thing he thought of was that King Jin was by no means the kind of person he advertised as not caring about state affairs. As the elder brother said, he cared a lot about state affairs.Then Zhang Zhidong thought, it seems that Chun Wang had an influence on the queen mother that cannot be underestimated in the decision-making process of the queen mother.At the same time, he thought, what about Prince Gong?What position is Prince Gong in?Perhaps, the Empress Dowager also discussed with Prince Gong about the filling of the vacancy of the right servant of the Ministry of Industry and the change of governor of Shanxi.Undoubtedly, the Queen Mother is relying on King Chun as her arm; of course, King Gong is still the Queen Mother's most important helper. Zhang Zhidong said without hesitation: "I am deeply grateful for the love of the prince. If the queen mother is really willing to give me a practical matter, I will choose the post of governor. Don't say that Shanxi is not a very barren land. Even Yunnan, Guizhou, Gansu and other provinces are impoverished and remote, and I am willing to go there. It is not that I do not know that the position of servant is honorable and comfortable, because I want to have a party with real power and a province of land, which I can fully expand by myself." "Okay, my ambition is commendable. I should tell the queen mother about my ambition. If the queen mother fulfills it, I should do it wholeheartedly and share the labor for the queen mother and the court; it is also a good thing to stay in the capital as a servant, and take care of my job." In addition to business, you can also pick up and make up for the imperial court from time to time." "Thank you, my lord!" Zhang Zhidong got up and bowed deeply to King Chun, "I will take my leave now." "Okay, I'll take two steps." Chun Wang also got up. "Don't dare. If the prince is like this, the humble minister can't afford it." Zhang Zhidong hurriedly bowed again. King Jin smiled and said, "I also want to walk around to move my body. Besides, I have to ask a question." "What does the lord want to ask?" Zhang Zhidong stopped in his footsteps. "Let's talk as we go!" Zhang Zhidong had no choice but to follow Chun Wang out of the small living room. King Jin said: "When Mr. Ziqing came to Beijing last time, there was a man beside him. I saw that he was very handsome. I asked Mr. Ziqing, and he said that he was an old friend of his. He lived in Gubeikou. In order to come to the capital to meet him. He also said that this person is good at painting, and his painting skills are higher than him. I wonder if I have any contact with this person?" Obviously, the person Chun Wang was talking about was Sang Zhiping.Zhang Zhidong replied: "I planned to visit him this spring, and he happened to be on a trip to Fengtian. So after that breakup, I haven't met him again." King Jin said: "Old Mr. Ziqing said that this man has some economic talents. It would be a pity if he was abandoned in the mountains and rivers and lakes. You can persuade him to come out and do something for the country. I want him to draw me a picture." I don’t know if he would like to paint the section of the Great Wall at Gubeikou.” Zhang Zhidong said: "The prince thinks highly of him so much, he must be very grateful. He is naturally very happy to paint for the prince." Talking and asking, the two came to the courtyard of the palace, and Zhang Zhidong asked the prince to stop again.King Chun said: "Okay, I won't give it away, just wait for the good news!" Ten days later, Zhang Zhidong received an imperial edict: to make up for the governor of Shanxi.There is really a piece of land that he manages and manages with his own hands. It is time to implement his life ambitions for more than 20 years, and Zhang Zhidong is filled with joy.He was busy explaining official duties, receiving friends from all parties, arranging internal affairs, and packing his luggage so that he could leave for his post as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, when Zhang's family was full of joy, a very unfortunate thing happened suddenly.