Chapter 75 5. The conspiracy between Xila Hutong and Su Wangfu is going on at the same time

The farce between uncles and sisters-in-law, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in Prince Jin's mansion spread quickly, and many princes and ministers shook their heads and sighed after hearing this.Some said that although Lafayette had monopolized power when she was alive, she still had a clear distinction between public and private affairs.The members of her natal family could only get the illustrious title of Cheng En Gong, and did not hold real positions.There is a lot of gold, silver and jewelry stored in Fangjiayuan, but she dare not interfere in the country's political affairs, and Cixi herself never discusses the state affairs with her brothers.Prince Jin has only been in charge of the country for a few days, and the country's important equipment is about to be short, and it has become a feast of chicken, duck and fish at the family banquet of the palace. What dignity is there for the court?

Both uncle and sister-in-law were unwilling to compromise on the post of navy minister, and Zaifeng couldn't mediate, so they had to put it aside temporarily. First, they announced the preparation for the establishment of the Yulin Army, and appointed Zai Tao as the minister in charge of training, with the assistance of Yulang and Tieliang. This matter immediately aroused discussion in the DPRK.In connection with the family quarrel, many ministers also saw Zaifeng's intentions clearly and were very disappointed.Especially Zhang Zhidong, he didn't discuss such a big matter with him, the old Prime Minister.Suddenly, a strong sense of loss rose in his heart.At this time, Xu Shichang brought a foot-long wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain to Xila Hutong to visit him.

Zhang Zhidong has never received gifts, but his energy is too weak right now, such a large Changbai whole ginseng is really rare, it is a good medicine for invigorating the middle and Qi.Xu Shichang was a governor who was born in the Imperial Academy. In Zhang Zhidong's eyes, he was no ordinary person. Unable to withstand Xu's sincere persuasion, Zhang made an exception and accepted him. From health care to academic articles, Xu Shichang said a lot of flattering words in a decent manner, and the seventy-two-year-old man felt very comfortable listening.The topic naturally talked about government affairs.Zhang Zhidong's tone clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Zaifeng and worry about the current situation, and the atmosphere was very consistent with Xu Shichang's request.Xu Shichang came here after making full preparations, and after receiving some news from a group of radical young people of the royal family, he sighed worriedly and said: "Old Prime Minister, there is an old saying that one must rely on old models to govern the country. Lafayette went through the three dynasties of Xian, Tong, and Guang. It was not easy to keep the country of the Qing Dynasty in the midst of great internal and external troubles. The key lies in relying on veterans. During the Tongzhi period, he relied on Zeng, Zuo and others to calm Changmao. In the Guangxu Dynasty, it was only by Li Wenzhong and you that we survived the catastrophe of the Jiawu Year and the Gengzi Year."

"Hey, don't mention it, Zeng, Zuo, and Li are all gone, and I won't be here for long, so I'd better close my eyes and be quiet." Zhang Zhidong said dejectedly. "What are you talking about! The old prime minister, the new ruler is old, and the supervisor is young. The Qing Dynasty still relies on you as a pillar!" Xu Shichang was furious. "That sounds good, you are the pillar!" Zhang Zhidong sneered. "The pillar is old, and the young ones are eager to go up!" "Yes," Xu Shichang quickly brought the conversation into track. "This time, a group of young men in their twenties are used to prepare for the establishment of the Imperial Forest Army. There is a lot of discussion inside and out!"

"Chrysanthemum, I'm old and sick, and I seldom go out on weekdays. What are the comments you hear, and tell me a few main ones." Decades are closely related to political affairs, as long as the eyes are closed Close it, Zhang Zhidong couldn't just intervene in political affairs for a day.This provided Xu Shichang with a good opportunity to speak. "I'm a foreign minister, and I don't know much about the imperial court for more than a year. I've lived in the capital for nearly half a month, and I only occasionally heard some old friends talk about it. They all said that the regent's supervisory council is different from the Lafayette’s actions, from the preparations for the establishment of the Imperial Forest Army, this action has already revealed its clues. It has two characteristics: one is to use the royal family, and the other is to use young people.”

Zhang Zhidong didn't respond, just half-closed his eyes and listened. "Old Prime Minister," Xu Shichang lowered his voice intentionally, "I heard people say that these days, the Chun Mansion, Su Mansion and Shi Mansion are very busy, and a group of relatives and young people come and go day and night. The regent, Prince Su and their attitudes are roughly the same. In agreement, Shixu Lao Zhongtang is more serious, he doesn't like the arrogance and aggressiveness of this group of frivolous youngsters." "What is this group of people going to do, have you heard anything?" Zhang Zhidong was obviously concerned about this, and his half-closed eyes suddenly opened.

"Old Xiangguo, I'm hearing this from hearsay, and I can't count it, but the situation does seem to be serious." Xu Shichang had a melancholy look on his face. "Tell me, there is anything I can't say here." Zhang Zhidong stretched his waist.He also heard some rumors these days that Tie Liang, Liang Bi and others had frequent activities, and he wanted to get confirmation from Xu Shichang. "Old Xiangguo, I heard that a group of fierce young people are emerging among the relatives and nobles of Manchuria. They are brewing a big plan, that is, to abolish the Military Aircraft Department through this opportunity of the old and new replacement, and establish a government with the royal family and the Manchus as the main body. The new cabinet will drive the Han people out of all the key areas, so as to deal with the revolutionary parties that are crowded abroad and the forces that hate Manchukuo at home."

"Arrogance!" Zhang Zhidong couldn't restrain himself and became angry. "The Qing Dynasty will be ruined in the hands of these young children." "I saw Yuan Weiting two days earlier. When talking about the current situation, he could only sigh. He said that he was ready to go back to the bank of the Yellow River in Henan and become a fisherman in coir raincoat." "Hey!" Zhang Zhidong seemed to have a lot to say, but he said "Hey", but nothing came of it.It turned out that the words "fisherman in coir raincoat" suddenly aroused in him an emotion connected with Yuan Shikai's fate.

Zhang Zhidong has always looked down on Yuan Shikai, who was born in the army.When the whole country was full of compliments on Yuan's new army and new policies, only Zhang did not have a word of praise.Zhang believed that the new policies in Hubei were far superior to those in Zhili, and that the new army in Hubei was no less than the Beiyang Army.But they were transferred to the military aircraft department at the same time.Zhang understands that he and Yuan entered the Shufu at the same time, without discussing the purpose behind it, at least on the surface it shows that the Empress Dowager Cixi agrees with the New Deal and relies on the promising Han people.Yuan made a series of courteous gestures after Zhang entered Beijing. After that, Zhang's contempt for Yuan gradually weakened. On the contrary, his heart of helping each other gradually strengthened.Today, there are all kinds of signs that those frivolous youngsters who are ignorant of the world are aggressively grabbing power, and he and Yuan Shikai, who are the representatives of the Han people, are the first to be their obstacles.On the eve of Cixi's deathbed, the scene of negotiating an heir appeared before his eyes again, and he suddenly felt that something unexpected would happen to Yuan.A desolate feeling of sorrow for the death of a rabbit and a fox flooded the heart of this decaying old man.He finally said something to Xu Shichang with endless deep meaning: "Go tell Yuan Weiting and ask him to be more careful."

Zhang Zhidong's estimation was not wrong.At the same time as the meeting with Zhang Xu in Xila Hutong, a major conspiracy had been carried out from afternoon to late night in Su Wang's mansion in Dongcheng. Shanqi, the owner of Prince Su's Mansion, is the eighth-generation grandson of Prince Wusu, the eldest son of Emperor Taizong of Qing Dynasty. He is short and fat in his early forties.In the year when the bus was written, he got acquainted with Kang Youwei. During the Reform Movement of 1898, Shanqi offended Empress Dowager Cixi. He became a prince.Shanqi knew that it was hopeless to enter politics, so he turned to work as an actor.Empress Dowager Cixi liked watching operas most, and she had to watch them almost every day in the few years before her death.Shanqi has a sonorous voice, and he sings in Beijing opera with precision. He often makes his appearance on stage to make Empress Dowager Cixi smile.Seeing that he was obsessed with the pear orchard, Cixi felt relieved, knowing that he had no ambitions.Xu Shichang transferred to the Northeast last year, and he succeeded Xu as Minister of Civil Affairs.After Cixi died and Zaifeng came to power, Shanqi realized that it was time to show off his ambitions.His status and long-repressed situation made him naturally the leader of the young faction among the royal relatives eager to seize power. Zai Xun, Zai Tao, Yu Lang, Tie Liang, Liang Bi and others implicitly regarded him as leader.In the middle of the night, the topics in the conference hall of King Su's Mansion began to focus on one person.

"It has been 50 years since Zeng Guofan's military power fell apart in the Qing Dynasty. Taking back military power is the most important item in the new government's political program." It was Tie Liang, Minister of the Ministry of War who spoke.This man was twenty-one years old, with eagle eyes and a sculpted nose, and a fierce look on his face. Although he was a son of a nobleman, he did not have the habits of a dandy.He graduated from the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer Academy with excellent homework, and what beats in his chest is a great ambition to take charge of the national army. "I have led the Army Department for a year, and I deeply feel that there is a heart of divorce from the imperial court in the new Beiyang army." "Tie Liang is right!" Liang Bi answered immediately, this young man of the royal family who was only in his twenties, was handsome, talented in literature and martial arts, and was the crown of the children of Manchu and Mongolian ministers.He pointed out sharply: "Zeng Guofan was the one who caused the divorce between the army and the court, and Yuan Shikai was the one who pushed it to the brink of danger. From the training of soldiers at Xiaozhan to the training of the six Beiyang towns in Zhili, he adopted the method of recruiting cronies. , cultivating buddies, doing personal favors, and being loyal to one person. The state spent huge sums of money, but it was Yuan Shikai who trained his army alone. His wolfish ambitions have been clearly revealed." "Everyone says that the Beiyang Army only knows Yuan Gongbao, but not the Qing Dynasty." Yu Lang added. Tie Liang said gloomyly: "Lafayette knew Yuan Shikai's intentions. Last year, he withdrew his direct supervisor and transferred him to the military aircraft department. The original purpose was to cut off his military power. Although he can't mobilize the Beiyang Army now, he has cultivated over the years. The cronies have been planted in various township battalions, and it is impossible to wash them away. The education he instilled is absolutely obedient to him, and it is difficult to get rid of those simple-minded soldiers. Yuan Shikai is indeed our Great Qing Dynasty. It’s a serious problem. In my opinion, there is only one way to completely eradicate this hidden danger.” "Kill him!" Zai Xun and Zai Tao called out almost at the same time. "Yes!" Tie Liang vigorously knocked the porcelain tea bowl in his hand on the marble table, and the thin tea bowl broke in two immediately, and the tea flowed all over the table. "Everyone spoke very well. Today's discussion has reached this point, it can be regarded as the end of the discussion." Shanqi's tone fit his status as the leader of the alliance. "I think Yuan Shikai is today's Qingfu. If Qingfu is not eliminated, the disaster will not end. Back then, he betrayed the New Deal and falsely accused the late emperor, thereby defrauding Lafayette's trust and using other people's blood to stain his top son." Speaking of this, Shanqi felt very uneasy when he remembered that he had been wronged for many years.He raised his voice and said: "But Lafayette is wise after all. In his later years, he finally saw who was a loyal minister and who was a treacherous debtor. Yuan Thief was not invited to participate in the important meeting that Si Li was attending today. This is Lafayette A serious warning to Yuan Thief. If she does not return to heaven, decisive measures will be taken against Yuan Thief today." Shanqi's words of "Yuan thief" ignited the fire of the meeting even more, making everyone understand that the Qing Dynasty and Yuan Shikai were absolutely irreconcilable. Tie Liang made another shocking statement: "Yuan Shikai is a spy secretly colluding with the Revolutionary Party." Everyone felt that this sentence came abruptly.Liangbi asked: "I've never heard of this, Brother Baochen must have a basis." "Don't you guys know mom at all?" Tie Liang glanced at everyone with his dark eyes. "Yuan Shikai and Zhang Zhidong will play a mysterious figure..." "You mean Yang Du from the Xianzheng Hall?" Shanqi interrupted him. "Exactly." Tie Liang nodded. "Lafayette was fooled by them. When I was studying in Japan, I knew the details of Yang Du very well. When he was in Japan for the first time, he advocated riots and attacked the imperial court. The second time he fled to Japan, he had a relationship with Sun Wen, Huang Xing and other revolutionary party members had close contacts. Such a person could not be used at all, but Yuan Shikai transferred to Beijing, asked his son to worship him as a brother, gave him a house, and gave him a big gift to congratulate him on asking for a concubine. Yuan Shikai did this Why? I just want to get in touch with Sun Huang’s revolutionary party members through Yang Du’s bridge, and once the time is right, he will become Sun Huang’s internal support.” "What a big moth!" Liang Bi angrily slapped the table. "Zhang Zhidong is also an old fool!" Yu Lang scolded. "Kill Yuan Shikai and order Zhang Zhidong to go home for the elderly!" Zai Tao yelled. "Everyone be quiet. This reminder from Baochen is very important." Shanqi pressed it with his hand. "Tomorrow I will have a good talk with the Prince Regent..." "Lord Su, when you talk to him tomorrow, the first thing to say is that the affairs of the Navy Department cannot be changed!" Zai Xun hurriedly interrupted Shanqi. "Shunbele, don't worry, your navy minister won't fly away." Shanqi said with a smile, "I've summed up what everyone discussed today into these few items. Let's see if there are any omissions." Everyone nodded and urged him to continue. "The first article is to withdraw the army. The second article is to establish a cabinet prime minister system. The third article is to have all the important ministers of the cabinet in our hands. The fourth article is to rehabilitate the New Deal in the Year of 1898 and to rehabilitate Tan Sitong's six People Zhaoxue." "You can't tell my fourth brother about this." Zai Tao interrupted Shanqi. "When the first emperor was around, the fourth brother often said that the emperor's imprisonment was all caused by Kang Liang and others. If there was no such disorderly government, there would be no consequence of the loss of the two palaces and the emperor's suffering. The Qing Dynasty must not do it for Kang. Liang rehabilitated." "Tao Belle is right, the Qing Dynasty cannot rehabilitate Kang Liang." Yu Lang agreed. "Okay, this one is cancelled." Seeing Zai Tao and Yu Lang's firm opposition, presumably Zai Feng would not accept it either, Shanqi no longer insisted on the fourth item. "I'll go on. Fifth, this is the most important thing. Kill Yuan Shikai!" Yulang said: "One more thing to add is to withdraw the constitutional government hall, and no more tricks like constitutional monarchy are allowed." "Okay!" Brothers Zai Xun and Zai Tao immediately agreed. "This won't work." Liang Bi said, "Constitutionalization is the general trend of the world, and it is the only way to preserve our Qing Dynasty. If even the constitutionalization is abolished, the revolutionary party will have more excuses to rebel. Besides, if there is no constitutionalization, where did it come from?" What about the prime minister system?" Liangbi's words made sense, and the two emperor uncles who knew nothing about politics and constitutional law had no choice but to blushed and remained silent. "Killing Yuan Shikai is important, but," Tie Liang said after pondering for a while, "as Yuan is an important minister of the court, if he is killed without any excuse, it may cause shocks in the government and the public. Besides, we must beware of the Beiyang Army." "Baochen is worried." Shanqi nodded in agreement. "Let's gather together to see what ideas we have." Although the mood of these relatives and nobles to seize power is very urgent, but when it comes to making plans, they have little knowledge in their stomachs.Everyone was silent, not knowing what to do for a while. Or Liangbi had an idea.After he put the idea out, everyone was satisfied.Shanqi smiled and said: "Everyone has worked hard all day, I have prepared a small dish for you to accompany the wine, and have a good supper." "What kind of food?" These young masters who have eaten all kinds of delicacies from all over the world asked together. "Steamed Songshan leopard fetus!" When Prince Su reported this recipe lightly, the eyes of all relatives and nobles were already swollen.