Chapter 79 4. The comeback King Gong sighed: Even if you are an uncle, you can’t be without power

Said to be an old uncle, Yi Yi is actually not too old, he is only sixty-two years old this year.When King Chun passed away in November of the 16th year of Guangxu, he was among the emperor's biological parents.He is indeed the only surviving senior who has survived his sixtieth birthday.It is a matter of course that he is respected and relied on by the emperor.However, the emperor did not expect that his uncle could no longer bear this respect and dependence. In the study room in the west courtyard of Prince Gong's mansion, Prince Gong was half lying on a reclining leather sofa imported from Germany, covered with a thin yellow satin embroidered quilt.The early winter sunlight shines on his shriveled face through the spacious glass windows, and a pair of slightly smaller eyes are slightly closed.The eunuchs and maids of the palace thought he was asleep, so they didn't dare to come into the study, they just tiptoed back and forth outside the window, in case the prince called from time to time.

Actually, Prince Gong didn't sleep.Ever since he received the decree to go out of the mountain, he couldn't even sleep well at night, not to mention the best morning of the day! It has been a full ten years since Prince Gong Yiyi withdrew from the power center.When he first retired from politics, he felt deeply wronged, frustrated and resentful. He even felt that the experience of being in power for more than 20 years was like a dream. He wrote a poem to his former confidants and colleagues: "Yin sends A short story chasing the past, a dream is not clear.” When the night was getting darker, sometimes he would suddenly have strange thoughts: If he had not sided with the Queen Mother, but had sided with Sushun, what would have happened?With Sushun's consistent trust in Zeng Guofan and Zeng's perception of Su's kindness, there should be no doubt about the rapid clarification of the Jiangnan situation.Although Sushun is domineering and arrogant, his talent is indeed rare in the court.He can still tell the priorities.At least he will not propose a plan to restore the Summer Palace when the treasury is tight.Especially when Prince Gong thought about the great event of succeeding to the throne, he was even more distressed.If he joins forces with Sushun, after Tongzhi's death, the Ninth Five-Year Lord will definitely fall to Prince Gong's Mansion instead of being lost to Lao Qi's family.Alas, destiny is unpredictable, how can this human affairs be calculated?

After thinking about it for a few years, the aging Prince Gong gradually calmed down.He simply doesn't care about state affairs, and settles down to read and write, enjoy flowers and listen to music in the luxurious and comfortable palace, filling his soul with the beauty of art; delicacies from mountains and seas, singing and dancing, and feasting on wine and women to maximize his senses pleasure.Joy is only tonight, the palace is heaven.Prince Gong, who was devoted to pursuing power and making great achievements back then, no longer had any ambitions, and decided to make full use of the blessings of the six sons of Emperor Xuanzong to enjoy all kinds of joys and pleasures in the world in his short life!

He wrote many poems under the signature of the owner of Le Dao Hall, which are collected in the front and back chapters of "Cui Jin Yin".Feel free to choose one from the previous and the next and compare it, you can see the change of his mentality during the ten years of unemployment.For example, a poem of Qilu in the previous article: "The flames of the paper window and the lamp are still shining, and half of the inkstone is cold and cloudy. Ai Ming. The eternal right and wrong loses the dream of a butterfly, and in the end it is difficult to compete with luck." The poem reveals the grievances of the former king of political affairs for his ruthlessness in the world.Let’s look at the five laws in the second chapter again: “Beyond the world, I have been free for six years. Desires are true and righteous, and love is born in nature. Sitting in a clear environment with a clear heart, deep households cover flowers. Taste can forget illness, and I don’t know Worry and trouble.” Here is the preliminary understanding of the true meaning of life by the old man of Le Daotang today.

At this moment, the early winter sun has risen very high.Under the winter sun, the No. 1 Prince's Mansion in the capital is warm and harmonious.Prince Gong, who was reclined on the sofa in the study in the west courtyard, felt a little heat on his body.He lifted the yellow satin quilt, left the leather sofa, and walked to the desk by the window.Outside the window, the lush and prosperous red and green lilac flowers and crabapple leaves in summer have long since withered and fallen off, leaving only brown and yellow thin branches, giving people a sense of decay and oldness, while the cedar trees on both sides of the corridor are still lush and vigorous. Very, very heroic.Prince Gong stared intently at the winter scenery that he had seen every day, but now he had a strange feeling.The eunuch on duty saw that the prince had got up, brought in a cup of freshly brewed Jiangnan Longjing and put it on the desk, then quietly closed the door and exited.

Prince Gong picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, then sat down on the high-back soft chair beside the desk.Four days ago, the scene of talking with the Empress Dowager in the East Nuan Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation came to mind again. Since they spoke a few words with Cixi and Emperor Guangxu at the funeral of King Chun, it has been four years since they have not seen each other again.The eunuch on duty opened the heavy cotton curtain, and Prince Gong saw the empress dowager and the emperor sitting on the two sides of the short table on the big kang in front of the Nuan Pavilion.He bent down and walked forward, and when he was about to kneel down on the soft cushion in the middle of the kang, Guangxu hurriedly said, "Uncle Liu, don't kneel."

Cixi also said: "Master Liu, I'm calling out today. This is a family talk. According to the etiquette of the family, the emperor will still salute you! I think it's all avoided, and everyone should get rid of this politeness. Please Master Liu, just sit down on the chair opposite!" Prince Gong hadn't heard Cixi's gentle and caring words for many years.He remembered that in the early years of Tongzhi, when Jiangnan was still undecided, Cixi often talked to him in this tone.But later on, gentleness gradually turned into majesty, and caring gradually turned into estrangement. It was no longer the intimacy and harmony between uncles and sisters-in-law, but the superiority and inferiority between the monarch and his ministers.After savoring it in his heart, Prince Gong sat down on the large sandalwood armchair with carved dragons and carvings on the opposite side. Immediately, an eunuch brought a bowl of fragrant hot tea.

"It's been a few years since I've seen you. Is the sixth master still in good health?" Cixi's voice was still clear and sweet. "Thanks to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, I haven't had a serious illness in the past two years." Prince Gong replied, and then he took a careful look at his sister-in-law opposite him, and was slightly surprised: She is also a sixty-year-old old lady, why? She still has a ruddy complexion and a jet-black hair bun. How did she maintain such a well-maintained condition?Thinking of myself, who is only two years older than her, so sick and in pain, with weak blood and energy, God has favored this stubborn and willful woman too much.

"I've always been busy, and I haven't visited you these years." Cixi also picked up the tea bowl on the low table, and gently moved the lid. The three-inch pure gold guard on the little finger of her right hand was raised high, lightly After taking a sip, he covered the tea with almost no sound, put it back on the low table, then picked up the plain silk scarf embroidered with an orchid on the knee, and lightly printed it on his lips.The whole movement is calm and elegant, and reveals a bit of nobility. "After the emperor's wedding in the fifteenth year of Guangxu, I told him, you have already married a daughter-in-law, and you are an adult. The sons of ordinary people who marry a daughter-in-law will be the directors of the family, let alone the emperor who is the lord of a country! I fucked for you The heart of more than ten years is now tired and old, and it is time to rest, and two houses have been repaired in the garden, so I will move there to live. Military and national affairs, you can decide all by yourself!"

Prince Gong listened quietly.He knew that these words of Cixi had indeed been said before, and he knew even more that these words of Cixi were insincere. "Unexpectedly, the seventh master refused, saying that although the emperor was married, he was still young and his shoulders were weak, so he couldn't bear the burden. He asked me to train in politics for another two years. I said, two years ago, I wanted the emperor to be in charge. It was you Said to train the government for two more years and wait for the emperor to get married before taking charge. If you forget what you said, you are not afraid of exhausting me? Seventh Master said, for the sake of the ancestors, you have to help him two more times no matter what. I said okay, just for the sake of my ancestors, I will help again. In the future, I will take care of major national affairs and the appointment of officials above the second rank, and I will not care about other things. I live in the garden in summer and autumn. Winter and spring Live in the palace for two seasons. If you live in the palace, don’t bother me with everything, you have to experience yourself, and take up this burden early.”

Prince Gong still listened silently, nodding slightly now and then, he knew why Cixi said these words.She was expressing her painstaking efforts in front of the emperor's uncle: the emperor's personal administration in the past few years was not worthy of the name, not because she wanted to seize power, but because the emperor's biological father asked repeatedly.Prince Gong sneered inwardly. In the spring of this year, there was trouble in North Korea, which caused us no peace.After spending the spring in the city, I still went back to the garden to spend the summer. The emperor and the princes and ministers repeatedly asked me to stay in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.I think so too, the emperor has never experienced such a thing as a war, no wonder he has a guilty conscience.Qiye is gone, I couldn't bear to see him suffer, so I stayed. Prince Gong thought to himself: What's the matter with the emperor, he didn't say a word, and let the queen mother babble alone.Ten years ago, when he was in power, the three of them would often sit face to face to discuss state affairs, and the emperor would rarely say a word.At that time, Prince Gong always treated him like a child, and hoped that he would watch more, listen more and talk less, but now he is twenty-four years old, how can he still act like a child, only listening but not talking?Even his mediocre and incompetent father, who led troops to capture Sushun in Miyun in the middle of the night, was still not twenty-four miles away!It seems that the emperor is not even as good as a mediocre father. Is he a low-quality man? Prince Gong glanced at his nephew who was sitting on the other side of the short table.I haven't seen her for four years, but her appearance is not much different from that of four years ago. She is still pale and thin, with a dull look.Ordinary men, after marriage, will gradually develop into a mature and sturdy direction, but he has been married for five years, and he still looks like a child who has not grown up. Thinking of the fact that there has not been a single bit of good news from the harem in the past five years, Prince Kung is suddenly startled: Could it be him? Born not to be a real man!Alas, how could the country of the Han people, which was replaced by thousands of corpses of our ancestors, who had nearly died in all battles, fall into the hands of such a weak and incomplete person?Don't say that there are hundreds of strong descendants of the holy ancestor Gaozong, even the mansions of Prince Gong and Prince Dun have more than ten spirited men. Is it God's will to let him sit in the country?A stuffy air blocked his chest, and Prince Gong suddenly felt uncomfortable all over. "Since the war between China and Japan, the sixth master naturally knows about it. Li Hongzhang's navy is useless, and the military plane led by Shi Duo has no idea. I said to the emperor, your sixth uncle should have recovered from his illness, please. Uncle Liu, come out and help!" Prince Gong was very uncomfortable hearing this.Ten years ago, he wasn't sick at all, and the reason why he was sick was purely to cover up the eyes and ears of the world.He finally spoke: "The old minister has not recovered from his illness, so he can no longer take on important responsibilities, so as not to miss a big deal." Guangxu, who had been silent all this time, was in a hurry: "Uncle Liu, the princes and ministers of the whole dynasty hope that you will come out to save the crisis, so you should come out and help your nephew!" Cixi frowned slightly with her carefully drawn willow-leaf eyebrows, she was not satisfied with the emperor's expression.Prince Gong made a resignation, so anxious to act like this?You clearly said that I asked you to invite him out, but why did you say it was the request of the princes and ministers of the He Dynasty?You can't say "save the crisis", it's really a loss of mood.Zaitan, Zaitan, you really disappoint me. "Sixth Master," Cixi said peacefully, "the emperor has never faced any major events, and whenever there is a disturbance, he will be flustered. Let's not help him, okay?" Seeing his nephew's look of anticipation from the heart, Prince Gong was already moved, but when he thought of Cixi's repeated ignorance of the princes and ministers' requests, he felt angry again.He said coldly: "With the Empress Dowager sitting in charge, the King of Li and the ministers of the Military Plane Department are planning to deal with it, there is really no need for the old ministers to intervene, and a weak old man will not help the matter." Guangxu was afraid that the meeting would end here, and he became anxious again: "Master Li and Master Weng both said that the country is in a crisis of life and death, and the country cannot be stabilized unless the sixth uncle comes out. Sixth uncle, you have to come out of the mountain no matter what!" Really a big kid!Prince Gong was gratified by his nephew's innocence, and was also moved by his concern for the country. He felt a little pity and forgiveness for his weakness and immaturity, and it seemed a little unbearable to refuse him. "Sixth Master, don't say that if I sit here, I have no other choice." Cixi looked at Yiyi, her tone was obviously harder than before. "When the country encounters such a major event, your nephew is young and has never experienced it. No wonder he is so impatient. Naturally, I have the responsibility to help him tide over the difficulties. Sixth Master, as the son of Emperor Xuanzong and the younger brother of Emperor Wen, Uncle of the emperor, can you see your ancestors being harmed and not be moved? Can you see your nephew encounter difficulties and ignore it? Of course the emperor is sitting in this country right now. Is it irrelevant? You are the only surviving person in the emperor's father's generation, who does he not ask you to ask? If there is any mistake in the country, Liu Ye, how will you be worthy of the spirit of the ancestors in the sky in the future?" Although Cixi's words were a little blunt, they were indeed reasonable and resounding.At this time, if you still care about the grievances and grievances with her ten years ago, doesn't it seem that you are too narrow?If he insists on staying out of the mountain, not only will it be difficult to face this nephew emperor who has not lost his heart, but it will also chill the hearts of Li Hongzao, Weng Tongsu and other ministers. To be honest, he will also feel ashamed of his ancestors.Thinking of this, Prince Gong decided to abandon his past suspicions and accept orders in the face of danger. "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty." Yi Yi said in a sincere tone, "It's not that the old minister deliberately declined. It's really old and weak, and he can only live in the palace for the rest of his life. It is not suitable to go to the temple to take on important responsibilities, and the Vietnam incident has never happened in the past ten years. Forget it, I am afraid that I will miss the state affairs again. Since the Empress Dowager does not think that the old minister is old and incompetent, the old minister can only risk his life and become Feng's wife again." Seeing the bright smile on Guangxu's face, Cixi felt a bit of sourness in her heart. She turned to him and said, "You are in charge of the government affairs. Tell your sixth uncle what to ask him to do?" Guangxu straightened his back, gave a soft fake cough, and said solemnly: "I ask Liu Bo to take charge of the Military Aircraft Department, and also manage the Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs, and add the Prime Minister's Navy Affairs Office to handle military affairs together." Not only was the original post of the chief minister of the Military Aircraft Department restored, but the navy and the general office of the General Administration were also handed over to King Chun, which can be said to have entrusted all political affairs, diplomacy and military affairs.Prince Gong sensed his nephew's sincerity, and was secretly surprised at his sister-in-law's generosity: Does she really think she can't handle the situation in front of her? He stood up, bent down and said, "The old minister is in command." "Sixth Uncle, please sit down." Guangxu stretched out a hand and pressed down, "Sixth Uncle is old and sick, so he should not be on duty in the court. Everything is done in the palace. People from the General Administration and the Navy Yamen have come to the palace to ask you for instructions." Cixi smiled and said, "Master Liu, I have entrusted all the affairs of the Qing Dynasty to you." "Thank you, Empress Dowager, Your Majesty." Prince Gong said solemnly, "The veteran is just serving loyally. The affairs of the Qing Dynasty are still decided by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor." After receiving the decree, Prince Gong discussed the current battle with his sister-in-law and nephew carefully. It was not until noon that Yi Yi left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.As soon as the apricot-yellow sedan chair stopped at the gate of Prince Gong's Mansion, Shi Kuanling, the Chief of the Palace, came over and said softly, "Prince Li has been waiting in the small living room for a long time, and all the adults from the Military Aircraft Department, the General Administration, and the Navy Yamen have come here to request The prince arranges a time to meet them." Prince Gong said "Well" without saying a word, then walked out of the sedan door and stepped on the marble steps that were as clean as jade. When Yi Yi came to Shangfang, Da Fujin had already been waiting with a group of side Fujin.Da Fujin welcomed Yiyi into the room, and asked anxiously, "What did the Queen Mother say?" Yi Yi replied with a normal face: "The leader of the military plane, the General Administration and the Navy Yamen." When Da Fujin heard it, his face was full of joy, and he said happily: "Congratulations, my lord!" Then he sent a message to the back: "Bring me hot water and white fungus soup for my lord!" After a while, a maid was holding a basin of hot water, followed by a little maid holding a snow-white Western towel in both hands.Da Fujin personally soaked the towel in hot water, unscrewed it and handed it to her husband.Prince Gong took it, wiped his face and hands.Another maid came in, holding a silver cloisonné enamel bowl in both hands, and a small silver spoon was placed in the bowl.Da Fujin took the silver bowl from the maid, walked up to her husband and said softly, "I've been tired for a long time, drink this bowl of white fungus soup while it's hot!" After Prince Gong took two sips, he handed it to the maid beside him.Wufang Fujin, who is usually the most favored by Prince Gong, came over, and said to the maid who was next to him, "Go to the room and get the lord's toga, change the clothes for the lord, and let the lord lie down for a while." Prince Gong waved his hand: "Don't change clothes, I still want to see Prince Li." Da Fujin persuaded: "My lord has worked hard, take a break, don't exhaust yourself!" Prince Gong said: "Prince Li has been waiting in the mansion for a long time, it's not good to ask him to wait any longer." After finishing speaking, he said to Kuan Ling: "Please ask Li Wang to wait for me in the meeting hall of the East Court, and I will go there to meet him in a while." Then he said to Da Fujin: "You tell everyone to go out and let me be quiet for a while." Da Fujin waved to everyone, and everyone retreated out of the door, only she and Wufang Fujin stayed in the room for serving. Yiyi was indeed very tired. He didn't see anyone at first, and he lay down to rest after returning home, but now he was waiting for Prince Shiduo, who had received the military aircraft for ten years after taking over his hand, and he couldn't see him. Yi Yi closed his eyes, sat silently for a quarter of an hour, got up and left the upper room, and walked towards the meeting hall of the East Court. "My lord!" Seeing Prince Gong's figure from the window, Shi Duo hurriedly got up and came to the door of the meeting hall to wait. "Prince Li, please wait for a long time." King Gong said to Shi Duo while bowing, "Please sit down." "My lord, you can call me Shiduo!" Although Shiduo is three years older than Yiyi, he is a grandson according to his seniority. "How can that be, sit down!" The two sat down on the pear-wood inlaid shell chair under the flower window of the conference hall, and Kuan Ling personally served tea for King Li. "The prince sits upright, Shiduo congratulates the prince, congratulates the prince." Shi Duo got up and straightened his clothes. His short and fat body was about to kneel down. Yi Qi hurriedly stood up and stopped him: "King Li, what are you doing, please sit down!" Shiduo insisted on worshiping, but Yiyi refused. The two pushed and shoved politely for a long time, but Shiduo failed to make the obeisance, so he sat down again. "My lord, you came out of the mountain to comfort the hearts of the people in the world who yearn for Yunni! Shiduo, I hope for the stars and the moon, and finally this day has come." Shiduo sat upright, with his hands on his knees. "Instead of showing merit in front of the prince, Shi Duo told the queen mother twice alone to ask the prince to come back, and led the whole squad of military planes to present a memorial to the queen mother once. It was also the empress dowager's painstaking efforts to show mercy to Shi Duo and others, and finally approved the memorial." Shi Duo said that he did not show merit, but in fact he was clearly showing merit, but he did not tell lies, he had indeed asked for it many times, and Yiyi was also aware of this, saying: "I accept the wishes of King Li and all the soldiers. Yes, but I am the one who was dismissed, and I have been recuperating in the palace all these years, and I don’t know about the outside affairs, so it is really useless to the state affairs, and I have failed the high hopes of King Li and all the military planes.” "My lord, you are too humble. In the whole world, no one knows the great talent of the lord." Shi Duo's white and chubby face showed a very sincere expression. "In the year of Jiashen, the responsibility for Vietnam's affairs does not lie with the lord. It is Xu Yanxu, Tang Jiong and others who are useless. As for Shiduo, I don't even have the slightest desire to lead the army. I know I am incompetent. Please don't go on business in this lifetime, keep the iron hat passed down from your ancestors, and when you die, pass it on to your son in a safe and sound way, I will be satisfied. It was the Seventh Lord who persuaded me again and again, and I had no choice but to accept this job. I have really done nothing in the past ten years. Now that the lord is coming to be the foreman again, I am thankful to the ancestors, this burden has been put down smoothly, and from tomorrow on I can be happy at home raising birds and listening to music to amuse my grandson." After finishing speaking, he grinned laughed. Yi Yi smiled and listened to Shi Duo's words with great interest.Yi Yi is clear about this old Li Wang who is the grandson.Among the high-level yellow belts, Shi Duo is indeed a mediocrity.He doesn't like reading, riding and archery, and doesn't care much about military affairs. What he likes is raising birds and feeding dogs, playing cards and listening to operas, entertaining beauties, eating, drinking and having fun.It's just that Shiduo has an advantage, all of his actions are only carried out in his palace, and he and his several sons have not left any bad marks in the market.Moreover, Shiduo loves to make friends and is willing to help others, so he has a good reputation among the red and yellow belts.As a prince with an iron hat, Shi Duo can be regarded as a good man among princes if he acts like this.So in the year of Jiashen, when Cixi and Yilan asked him to come out to lead the military plane, no one objected.Yi Yi knew that Shi Duo's words were both sincere and false.He has no political ambitions.There is little sense of loss about handing over the power of the Military Aircraft Department; he is mediocre and incompetent, unable to cope with the current situation, and eager to get rid of it, this is the truth.But he has been the foreman of the military aircraft department for ten years, has tasted the taste of holding real power in the country for ten years, and obtained countless sweetness from it. It really makes him go home immediately to embrace his grandson. Can he be willing?Besides, he has intervened in almost every major military affairs in the past ten years, so it is not appropriate to let him go completely for a while.Still on the way back to the palace from the Forbidden City, Prince Gong sat in the sedan chair and began to think about the first major matter he faced: how to deal with Shiduo and those military ministers.One is to learn from Cixi ten years ago and depose the entire foreman of the current military aircraft department to avenge the hatred of the year and express the suffocation in his chest.As soon as he thought of this level, Yi Yi subconsciously shook his head.Isn't it obvious that doing this is revenge? 7 People in the government and the opposition, at home and abroad, won't everyone say that you are narrow-minded and narrow-minded?Especially the queen mother, she will be the first to feel uncomfortable.It was her idea to do that back then, but if you retaliate today, isn't it aimed at her?In the future, he will have to work with her, and offending her is not a good thing.Dismissing the whole class is impossible!But for the current military aircraft department, Yi Yi really couldn't accept it.Not to mention Shiduo, Zhang Zhiwan, who ranks second in the army, is more than 80 years old. He has been lying in a hospital bed for two or three years. Why let him occupy the seat? There is also Erle and Bu, who also came up during the Great Change in the Jiashen year, and are also members of Wangba.Four years ago, he had a stroke. Although he survived, he was often unconscious.What is this kind of person still doing in the military plane?The Military Aircraft Department is the highest office of the imperial court, which handles all kinds of opportunities every day.What is needed are the shrewdest and most able men.Shiduo is really confused. It is not absurd to regard a military aircraft office as a nursing home or a nursing home!These two have to get them out no matter what.But they are all veteran figures, and they didn't make big mistakes, so they can only exit in a decent way.They can be given a special honor, such as granting purple bridles, allowing them to ride horses in the Forbidden City, etc.It's just that it can't be implemented immediately, it will have to wait a few months.Sun Yuwen, ranked fourth, and Xu Yongyi, ranked fifth, were severely scolded by Qingliu this time, claiming that they would be kicked out of the Military Aircraft Division.Yi Yi also has no affection for them.Especially Sun Yuwen, who is not only domineering, but also has a low character. He only entered the military aircraft department by following the old seven's footsteps. The world called him a dog in Prince Jin's mansion, and Yi Yi hated him even more.Sun and Xu must be kicked out of the Military Aircraft Department, and the sooner the better, for the sake of prudence, let's bear with it for a while, and talk about it in two months.Why did Shi Duo rush to meet with me? In fact, he just wanted to find out about the treatment of himself and other people in the Military Aircraft Department. Didn’t the words just now make it very clear? Thinking of this, Yi Yi said with a smile: "I haven't asked about state affairs for ten years, and I don't know where to start now. You have to help me!" It was exactly what Yiyi guessed, the reason why Shiduo hurried to Prince Gong's mansion on the morning when Prince Gong was summoned, and sat patiently in the small living room for more than an hour, was entirely to find out how Prince Gong treated him. The tone of how the leading military aircraft department should deal with it.Last night, after knowing the news that the Empress Dowager had summoned Prince Gong this morning, Sun Yuwen and Xu Yongyi quietly came to Prince Li's Mansion.Sun and Xu knew that the public opinion was not good for them, and hoped to maintain their position in the military aircraft department through Shiduo.The two pooled 400,000 silver to Shiduo, and asked him to intercede in front of King Gong.Shiduo said: "If I still stay, I will tell you; if I can't stay, you have to pack your bags." Today when he came to Prince Gong's mansion, Shiduo brought the 400,000 silver bills, but he didn't want to sell it easily. If there is no hope, the 400,000 will not be thrown in vain, how can I explain to the two of them? Shi Duo didn't understand the meaning of the word "bang" for a while, but at least he didn't mean to drive him out immediately, and there was still a glimmer of hope.He wanted to explore further. "Your Majesty is serious!" Shi Duo leaned forward towards Prince Gong with a devout and humble look. "Shiduo has received the grace of the country and the favor of the queen mother, the emperor and the prince. At this critical time, it is my duty to contribute to the country and serve the prince. How dare I be called a 'gang'!" When Shi Duo said this, he deliberately stopped, looked at Yiyi's expression, and saw that he was listening with a smile, so he threw out the "bait" he had thought about last night. "In this war with Japan, both the Military Aircraft Department and Li Shaoquan believe that the key to handling it is to use the barbarians to control the barbarians. Neither Russia nor the United Kingdom is willing to allow Japan to occupy North Korea alone, so they may stand on our side. Russian Minister Baru Both Nove and British Minister Morton have good personal relationships with me. They talk to me about everything, and I have done many good things for them in China. The empress of Russia once privately entrusted Barunov to find a Big pearl. Minister Pakistan couldn’t find it, so I asked for my help, but I found one for him in Fuzhou and gave it to him as a gift. Minister Pakistan was very grateful. To resolve the war with Japan, we must rely on the Russian and British ministers .When the lord talks with them, if you need me, I will be happy to help you." Shi Duo's "bait" is too tempting. "Using barbarians to control barbarians" was originally Yiyi's diplomatic trick in the past.Ever since he learned of the possibility of a comeback, he has been thinking about how to resolve the war with the Sea of ​​Japan. After much deliberation, he has no choice but to pick up the magic weapon of "controlling barbarians with barbarians".Since Shi Duo has such a good relationship, why not let him handle this matter?It seems that Shi Duo cannot leave the Military Aircraft Department at least for this period of time. "Prince Li, don't be in a hurry to rest your shoulders. You need to do many things together. The British and Russian ministers, I will meet with them these days, and I will trouble you to clear up the matter first. How about it," Yi said. Yi patted the coffee table lightly, and made a decision: "Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I will personally play the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, so you can stay and come with me to lead the military plane!" Sure enough, he was hooked!Shiduo was overjoyed, but said in his mouth: "I am responsible for the defeat in the war. I can't do well in the job of foreman of the military aircraft department. The prince is the one that the world looks up to. I quit so that the prince can rebuild the military aircraft department. " Yi Yi had already heard the meaning of Shi Duo's words, and immediately said: "Military Aircraft Department, I will not rebuild, and I have to rely on the adults to tide over the difficulties." This sentence surprised Shiduo. It seems that Sun Yuwen and Xu Yongyi were rescued. He hurriedly said with a smile: "My colleagues in the Military Aircraft Department have asked me to congratulate the prince first. His Majesty's summons." Yi Yi said: "There is no need to come here one by one. In a few days, after I have dealt with the General Administration and the Navy Yamen, I will ask you to come to the palace and let us meet together." "Okay. I'll tell them the prince's intentions now." Shi Duo said here, and then deliberately added: "Everyone in the Military Aircraft Department is looking forward to the prince's coming out, but you can't see through your eyes!" After all, I laughed myself first. Yi Yi also smiled and said: "Thank you, my lords, for your kindness. The country is troubled, and the queen mother and the emperor are anxious. It is all up to the military planes to help the country solve the difficulties and share the worries for the queen mother and the emperor." "The lord is worried about his ministers, and the lord humiliated his ministers to death. This has always been the case since ancient times. Although the empress dowager and the emperor have given you the grace of the military planes, it is not enough to repay you." Said, Shiduo took out two silver notes from his left sleeve pocket.He said sincerely, "My lord is back, and the management inside and outside the palace has suddenly increased dramatically. These years, Prince Gong's mansion has no other income. Please accept the 400,000 taels of silver note, for the urgent need right now." Yiyi did not expect that as soon as he came back, someone of Shiduo's status would give such a heavy gift at once, whether it was flattery, bribery, or giving charcoal in the middle of nowhere, Yiyi suddenly felt a Kind of comfortable feeling.Yiyi, who was born as the elder brother of the emperor, was not a greedy person like his younger brother Yilan.Therefore, Prince Gong's Mansion does not specialize in accumulation.However, in the early years of Tongzhi, shortly after he led the Military Aircraft Department, he found that the double salaries of the princes and ministers who were discussing politics were not enough. He asked the governor of the palace strangely.Kuan Ling told him that every time he entered the palace to see the Queen Mother, the palace had to prepare five hundred taels of silver to manage the eunuchs in the palace, and Li Lianying alone got at least two hundred taels.Yi Yi said angrily: "I went to the palace to meet the Queen Mother, and it's a national event. Why do I have to deal with the eunuchs in the palace?"Chang Shi smiled wryly and said, the lord doesn't know something, the eunuch in the palace doesn't ask you for money, but if you don't give him any favors, he will try to set up obstacles for you, making you unhappy everywhere, and sometimes making things wrong.Yi Yi said, what kind of talk is this!I have to tell the Queen Mother to get rid of this bad habit.The envoy said that this bad habit has been around for a long time, and it is not unique to this dynasty, and the queen mother herself knows it.That year when Zuo Hou came back from the northwest, he wanted to enter the palace to meet the queen mother, but he didn't know the rules, so he sat in the court room for an hour.Zuo Hou had a bad temper and yelled in the court room.A servant who was also in the imperial court called Yang Changjun who accompanied Master Zuo to the imperial court, and told him quietly: Just give the eunuch on duty three hundred taels of silver notes.Sure enough, as soon as the bank note was stuffed, he called out, and Yang Changjun secretly told Master Zuo: This is the function of the three hundred taels of bank note.The boss of Zuo Hou was not happy, and he was very angry. When he saw the queen mother, he didn't say anything else, but said this first.Unexpectedly, the queen mother smiled and said that the eunuchs in the palace were poor, so they had to ask the foreign officials for some autumn wind, but they couldn't ask for so much.It's also you who are foreign officials who are spoiled. There are more than one, which has increased their appetite. Now even I can't help it.After hearing this, Zuo Hou opened his mouth and was speechless.My lord, do you think this bad habit can be broken?Yi Yi shook his head, speechless.Chang Shi also said that there are also those who come from the palace to send news, and they must also be sent, depending on the status and the content of the message: those with high status and important words should be given one hundred taels, and those with low status should be given in Mandarin At least twenty or thirty taels.In addition to the palace, there are also embassies with various countries.Those foreigners also want money and things, and this expenditure is no less than that of managing the palace. Yi Yi began to understand the importance of money. What if the salary is not enough for expenses?To embezzle?Are you going to sell an official?Yi Yi felt that it was inappropriate to do so.With this question in mind, he went to consult his father-in-law Guiliang, who had been the governor of Zhili and a bachelor.Gui Liang told him that the salaries of foreign officials are low and there are many entertainments, and the money is generally not enough, so many officials take bribes; but most officials use another method to increase their income, that is, taking money.Come to the door to ask for an interview, and hand over the money first.When I come to the house to ask for an interview, it is mostly for private matters, so I am willing to come out.Now the two divisions of governors and governors of each province, all the way to the prefectures, counties and state halls are closed. This is a well-known secret.It's just that you didn't do anything before, so not many people came to Prince Gong's mansion to beg you.Now, Prince Gong's Mansion is the most powerful yamen in the capital, and there are so many people who come to the door every day to ask for an audience, it is completely possible to set up a door package system: how much money is given to an official, and it is doubled for urgent matters.Yi Yi always felt that this bag was received in a disgraceful way. Isn't this a public bribery request?Gui Liang said sternly, since the Queen Mother allows the eunuchs in the palace to charge some fees, why can't you charge some door bags at Prince Gong's Palace?Besides, you are using this money to deal with the extortion in the palace, this is not considered bribery by you Prince Gong.It's just that a reliable person must be assigned to take care of the money, so that the concierge can't take it privately. Yiyi adopted Yue Zhang's idea and openly put away the door bag in the palace.This naturally became a pretext for criticism.However, Prince Gong did rely on this income to deal with the palace and foreigners.He didn't think of this for a while, but when Jing Shiduo mentioned it, he immediately realized that a large amount of silver was really needed at this moment, but Yiyi still subconsciously declined. Shiduo made a heart-to-heart look: "To tell you the truth, this money is not my salary and maintenance expenses, it is also the savings of the door bag in the past ten years. From now on, when the prince comes to lead the military aircraft department, I will not be required to spend a lot of expenses." It was the prince who came forward, and the money should be transferred to the prince." Seeing that Yiyi was still hesitating, Shiduo said straightforwardly: "If the prince still thinks it is inappropriate, I will lend the money to the palace, and the palace will return it to me later." Shiduo intentionally did not mention Sun and Xu, one is to get the credit for himself alone, and the other is that Sun and Xu have a bad reputation at present, and he is afraid that King Gong will be even more afraid to accept it. Seeing what Shiduo said, Yi Yi had no choice but to accept it, and said, "I asked Kuan Ling to write you an IOU." "Another day, another day!" Shi Duo hurriedly got up. "My lord has been tired for a long time, and I've been bothering you for so long. It really shouldn't be, so I'll take my leave first. If my lord wants to call me, I'll be there whenever you call." Yiyi watched the short, fat and bloated Shiduo staggering out of the palace, remembering that he had been neglected in the past ten years of unemployment, and once he came back today, there would be an endless stream of people coming to the door to give money and assassins to see him. From now on, this front door便天天轩车如流水，驷马如游龙，送银子送财货的，将会在门房口排成长队。他在心里长长地叹息一声：权力呀，你是一个多么重要的东西，哪怕是贵为皇伯，也不能没有你！ 正在窗前遐想着，宽龄进来禀道：“王爷，李中堂李鸿章已在候客室里等候。” “哦，李中堂来了！”李鸿章是他今天约的第一个客人，他转过脸对宽龄说，“你带他到西院大客厅里去吧，我换上衣服就过去。”