Chapter 16 7. Assassins outside Cixi's bedroom

Yuehei kills people, Fenggao sets fire.Outside Cixi's bedroom, where there is a post at three steps and a sentry at five steps, an assassin in black appears... In the third month of Yangchun, the God of Flowers used its unique means to cut silk and decorate the imperial garden of the Forbidden City in bright red and soft green, which is better than a palace in the sky.The garden is full of pink willows and green flowers, especially the small crabapple flowers. Under the warm sunshine, from a distance, the white ones look whiter, the pink ones look pinker, and the red ones look like clusters of green flowers. The burning flames reflect each other and are dazzling.

Behind the rocky rockery, there was a faint chatter and laughter... "Lianying, thanks to you this time, otherwise I wouldn't know how to be angry." "Whatever you say, Queen Mother, this is what slaves should do." "I wanted to promote you to the head of the inner court, but the situation is complicated now, so I will discuss it later, lest Prince Gong and the others dictate again. From tomorrow onwards, you will wear a second-grade flower plume." Li Lianying couldn't help but feel elated.The Qing Dynasty stipulated that eunuchs should not exceed the fourth rank, and even An Dehai was only the fourth rank when he was the most favored, but Li Lianying is now the second rank. This is an unprecedented thing in the Qing Dynasty, can you not be happy?Quickly knelt down to thank.

"Get up, and serve with all your heart in the future." "Queen Mother, there is a lot of discussion outside about the cause of death over there, which is very unfavorable. Look..." Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help being taken aback, and hurriedly asked: "Do you know who leaked the news?" "That's not very clear. The slaves think that they are probably the slaves over there. It's better to let them..." "how?" "My servant thinks, it's better to let them go with their master." Li Lianying said viciously. Empress Dowager Cixi pondered for a moment, then said: "Okay, you can take someone to do it in the afternoon. But... But don't kill Eunuch Nayou, bring him back."

Do you think the Empress Dowager Cixi has shown kindness at this moment?It turned out that Empress Dowager Cixi fell in love with You Yi, who was clever and wise, and always wanted him to serve her since she met the simple and honest You Yi that day. ?When Li Lianying mentioned this matter now, it made her think of it. Although it is still March, but at noon, the sun is scorching like fire, as if it has arrived in midsummer.Just after lunch, Li Lianying came straight to Zhongcui Palace with Li Sanshun and other disciples. After entering the palace, Li Lianying called the eunuchs and maids together, and said, "Who is Eunuch You?" As soon as the words fell, two people walked out: You Zhong and Brother You Yi.Li Lianying asked carefully, both of them were surnamed You, and they were still brothers.He didn't know which one the Empress Dowager Cixi wanted, so he simply asked Li Sanshun to take both out first.

As soon as You Zhong and You Yi were taken away, Li Lianying and the others rushed away, tied up all the eunuchs and maids in the Zhongcui Palace, blocked their ears, nose, and mouth, sprayed them with white cotton paper, and pasted them On his face, layer by layer, until he died of suffocation.If the person survives for a while, it can be sprayed with rice wine and burned to death.The cruelty of the method terrifies the gods and ghosts!Poor those eunuchs and maids, before they figured out what happened, they were sent to hell one by one. Back in the palace, Li Lianying reported to Empress Dowager Cixi, and Li Lianying passed on the two brothers You Yi.Seeing Empress Dowager Cixi lying on the bed, swallowing clouds and driving fog, and thinking about her usual domineering, You Yi couldn't help but shudder.

"What's your name? Where are you from?" The Empress Dowager Cixi asked. "The servant's name is You Yi, from Zhuozhou." "Well, that's a good name, with love and righteousness! You Yi, you can stay here to serve me from now on. You don't need to go back there. Your brother stays here to watch the gate. Lianying, You Yi will follow you from now on, be careful Headshot." With the words of Empress Dowager Cixi, would Li Lianying dare not take care of her?Having said that, Li Lianying also likes You Yi from the bottom of her heart, and the more she looks at her, the more she looks like herself back then.So he told You Yi about Cixi's habits and hair combing skills with all his heart... In his spare time, he also taught him how to play the piano and flute, practice painting, read the four books, and visit the "four families".This You Yi is smart and eager to learn, motivated and eager to learn, in less than a year, he has mastered the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, especially he can play the flute well.Empress Dowager Cixi often sat on the Yudai Bridge and listened to You Yi playing the flute.The sound of the curling flute, melodious and melodious, sometimes like a clear spring bleeding lungs, sometimes like weeping, often makes the Empress Dowager Cixi mesmerized.

Later, Empress Dowager Cixi asked You Yi to manage the accounts of the Empress Dowager Palace.For eunuchs, this is a lucrative job.After working for a few years, you can become rich.Many eunuchs are jealous of You Yi, but You Yi is not moved by it at all, the management accounts are in perfect order and exact.Li Lianying persuaded him more than once to "don't get involved in white things, even if the Queen Mother knows about it, she won't blame her", but You Yi still went her own way.The Empress Dowager Cixi checked the account book once, and saw that the handwriting was neat and there was no modification at all, so she couldn't help asking You Yi some questions, and You Yi answered fluently and accurately, which made the Empress Dowager Cixi so happy that she immediately rewarded You Yi. The seventh-rank Dingdai only worn by the chief eunuch.

The Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Lianying cultivated it with great care, and You Yi should have been moved by it, but who knows that they planted willows unintentionally to make a shade, and planted flowers intentionally.You Yi just doesn't go along with them, and even dares to criticize them face to face.Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to fight, but she couldn't bear it; Li Lianying wanted to fight, but she didn't dare. It was hot summer in June, the sun was scorching like fire, and the weather in Beijing was stuffy and hot, making it suffocating.At this moment, Empress Dowager Cixi, who had just returned from the imperial court, was sitting on the bed, eating oily fried cakes, while listening to You Yi playing the flute to herself.This oil-based fried cake is made of oil and noodles, filled with sugar, sesame seeds, hawthorn, and some butter, and is shaped like a biscuit.After wrapping, put it into the oil pan and fry it crispy. It tastes crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sweet and delicious.

Listening to the melodious sound of the flute, Empress Dowager Cixi's vision blurred, and her thoughts suddenly returned to more than 20 years ago... "Among the concubines in the six palaces, you are the only one with youthful vigor, which cheers me up." Emperor Xianfeng said while holding Empress Dowager Cixi's face. "why?" "You are like a cute little swallow, I just love your lively and cheerful appearance." "The emperor lied to me. The emperor loves my swallow, and every year new swallows come, the emperor will like the swallow that flies higher."

"No, I love you, the sky can testify!" "Then I am a collection of three thousand pets?" The sound of the flute stopped, and the Empress Dowager Cixi realized that she was in a dream.So he asked, "Yi'er, why don't you blow it?" "The song is over, and the slave didn't know what more you wanted to hear, so he stopped." "Oh, the song is over. Forget it, stop playing, I'm going to feel uncomfortable, come up and give me a massage." Upon hearing this, You Yi quickly replied: "I don't dare. If the master is not feeling well, I will call a maid for you."

"No, just you!" Empress Dowager Cixi said with a blushing face. Seeing this scene, Youyi couldn't help thinking of Empress Dowager Ci'an, so he knelt down and replied: "The slave will not dare to die, please respect yourself, Queen Mother!" "Bold! You dare to say this! Do you dare to be so presumptuous just because I dote on you?" Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but angrily said. You Yi knelt on the ground but didn't answer.The Empress Dowager Cixi looked at it, and couldn't bear it, and said, "Get up, and Sanshun pick some flowers for me, and put them in the room. Remember, if you dare to be so presumptuous in the future, I will never forgive you lightly." Hundreds of flowers are blooming in the imperial garden.Li Sanshun was already the Chief Eunuch of Changchun Palace at this time.As a result, he was in a particularly good mood. While picking lace, he said to You Yi: "Why is the scenery here so beautiful? I have been here before, but I just don't feel this way." Just waiting for You Yi to say a few words, but there was no sound for a long time, Li Sanshun endured He couldn't help turning his face away, only to see You Yi's face was frosty, and his feelings were like fresh water, so he asked: "Hey, what are you doing stupidly, did the queen mother teach you a lesson?" You Yi still didn't say a word, he was still thinking about what happened just now, he couldn't figure out why the Empress Dowager Cixi didn't know how to respect herself so much, why was she so respectful to the world? Seeing that You Yi didn't speak, Li Sanshun went on to say: "You, you should be content. If I do something wrong, the queen mother will beat me hard. Besides, if it wasn't such a coincidence, you would have died long ago!" Upon hearing this, You Yi asked in surprise, "How do you say that?" "Of course you don't know!" Li Sanshun looked around and said proudly, "Do you know what we did when we went to your place?" "What to do? Don't you just pass me on?" Li Sanshun smiled secretly, and said in a low voice: "We followed the Queen Mother's order and went to your side to silence you." "What's the matter? Are they all... all dead?" "Keep your voice down, you are afraid that others will not hear you! You must know that if you leak the news, you will lose your life." When Li Sanshun saw that You Yi's chatterbox was open, he couldn't help but talk about how the Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Lianying designed to poison the Empress Dowager Ci'an; Brainstormed to say it. "Then...then how does the queen mother know that our master has a will?" You Yi asked in a trembling voice. Li Sanshun said triumphantly: "This is my credit. When I passed by your palace that time, I heard two people say that your master has a will, which is not good for the Queen Mother." Got it, got it all!After listening to Li Sanshun's words, You Yi seemed to have been struck by lightning, staggered, almost fell to the ground, and scattered the flowers in his hand all over the floor. He never thought that the Empress Dowager Cixi was so sinister and vicious; he never thought that it was his own momentary carelessness that caused the death of the Empress Dowager Ci'an.He really wanted to shout: Queen Mother, my slave is sorry for you! Seeing You Yi like this, Li Sanshun couldn't help but tremble with fear. He regretted that he had slipped his tongue. What should I do? If he told the Queen Mother, wouldn't I die?So he hurriedly said: "You must keep your mouth shut, if this matter is known to others, you and I will die." You Yi said angrily, "I know what to do!" Back in the Empress Dowager Cixi's room, You Yi was still in tears. When the Empress Dowager Cixi saw her, she quickly asked what was the matter, but You Yi put down the flowers and went out without saying a word.Li Lianying at the side looked at it, and couldn't help but said: "Queen Mother, this slave is becoming more and more disrespectful now, he should be taught a lesson, so that he also knows that his eyebrows are high and his eyes are low." "Stop talking! He is in a bad mood, you should be more considerate as a master." After hearing what Empress Dowager Cixi said, Li Lianying was dumbfounded. What's going on?The Queen Mother was not like this before! It was another night with a bright moon and few stars, and the clear moonlight covered the sleeping palace Kuo Lu with a thin layer of silver makeup.At the head of the Yushi Bridge in the North Garden, under a thick weeping willow, You Yi and his elder brother were sitting on a stone bench.Looking at the crooked moon in the lake, You Yi's blood boiled with excitement and his heart fluttered.He is preparing to do something, something that ordinary people dare not even think about.He hoped that he would succeed, but he also made up his mind to die.Seeing his younger brother's silence for a long time, You Zhong couldn't help asking: "Brother, what's the matter? Tell me quickly, don't make brother worry!" "Brother, I'm sorry for our master, I'm going to go with her." You Yi finally spoke. Hearing his younger brother say such words, You Zhong hurriedly asked, "Say it quickly! Why?" "Brother, do you know how the matter of our master's will was leaked? Do you know how our master died? Do you know where all the eunuchs and maids in our palace have gone? It's all because of me. Ah! The master treats me like his own son, but I do such a thing, how can I show her kindness to the old man?" Under You Zhong's repeated urging, You Yi will tell Li Sanshun what he heard.is this real?You Zhong couldn't believe his ears, how could she be so cruel! "Brother, what are you going to do?" "I want to avenge my master! I want to repay him in the same way!" You Yi said bitterly. When You Zhong heard this, he hurriedly stopped him and said, "Your brother can't!" "Brother, the master's kindness to you and my brother is more important than Mount Tai, but we have done such a sorry thing to her old man, what is the point of living?" "Brother, I didn't mean that, you misunderstood! We should avenge our master, but don't go, brother, I will go." Looking at his brother, You Yi couldn't help but threw himself into his arms, choked up and said, "Forgive me, brother. I'll leave this matter to you, you...you have no chance! I just hope that my brother can go out of the palace in the next few days, so as not to be troubled." "After speaking, You Yi turned and ran back to the palace. Just entered the room, but saw Li Lianying sitting there.It turned out that Li Lianying was afraid that he would not be able to take the blame if something happened to him, so she waited here all the time.Seeing You Yi coming in, he breathed a sigh of relief, and said in the tone of a charitable elder: "What? I went to complain to my brother again. The queen mother is good enough for you, and she values ​​you so much. If you work hard, the future glory Wealth is determined above the master. Listen to the master, and serve the queen mother wholeheartedly in the future, don't make him angry..." After watching You Yi get into bed, Li Lianying left with a sigh.He really didn't understand, what was this disciple planning to do in the palace? A storm finally came.This morning, before the Empress Dowager Cixi woke up, You Yi walked in with her favorite barley porridge and said, "My servant greets the Empress Dowager. Did the Empress Dowager sleep well last night?" Did the sun come out from the west today?The Empress Dowager Cixi was surprised, and immediately said happily: "Okay, okay! Yier, it's rare for you to have such filial piety, can I be okay?" Suddenly seeing You Yi's face was haggard, and his big eyes had lost their former luster. asked: "Yi'er, why did you become like this? Did you not sleep well last night?" "Thank you for your concern, the queen mother. The servant slept well last night. Queen mother, the porridge is getting cold, so drink it quickly." You Yi said coldly. "Okay, I'll drink it after I get dressed, you can put it on the coffee table." As she spoke, Empress Dowager Cixi pointed to the coffee table beside the bed. The porridge was placed on the coffee table, and the Empress Dowager Cixi put on her clothes with a smile on her face.Stretching out his hand and flicking his clothes, he happened to brush the porridge on the coffee table to the ground. "This...", You Yi couldn't help feeling sorry when he saw it, it seemed that all his hard work was in vain. When the Empress Dowager Cixi saw her, she hurriedly said, "Oh, it's all because of my carelessness. Don't feel bad. I'll take your wish." That's good, but at this moment, Empress Dowager Cixi's pet dog "Otter" ran in and rushed to eat.You Yi's heart suddenly sank, he knew everything was over!I saw that the dog had just eaten two mouthfuls, and then died of bleeding from the mouth and nose. Looking at the dead dog, the Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but tremble all over. While stepping back, she pointed at You Yi and shouted tremblingly, "You, how dare you... Lianying! Lianying! Come on!" The Empress Dowager Cixi, who has always been cruel and ruthless, was also afraid sometimes. You Yi couldn't help laughing when he saw it. He seemed to see the hypocritical heart of the Empress Dowager Cixi trembling. When Li Lianying heard the Empress Dowager Cixi's voice, she hurried over without getting dressed.Seeing Li Lianying coming, the Empress Dowager Cixi calmed down a little and said, "This slave dares to poison my food, tie me up quickly." Righteousness has a big tie. After binding You Yi, the Empress Dowager Cixi felt safe, so she became more majestic again, pointed at You Yi and shouted angrily: "You slave is really ungrateful, tell me, how did I treat you badly, and you are so ungrateful? !" "My queen, you are really kind to the slave personally." "Then what are you going to do?" You Yi proudly raised his head, looking straight at Cixi with deep eyes: "This servant wants to kill you! To tell the truth to the Empress Dowager, the slave already knew how our master died, but I didn't expect that the Empress Dowager has such a vicious heart!I want to avenge our master!Although today is a failure, I will not let you go even if I turn into a ghost! " "Shut up!" Empress Dowager Cixi turned pale with anger, and said sternly, "You bold slave, I want you to die! Lianying, prepare to torture!" Before Li Lianying could make a move, Na Youyi shouted: "Master, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm here with you!" and bumped his head against the pillar.The blood flowed down the pillar to the ground, and flowed to the Empress Dowager Cixi's feet. She was terrified when she saw it, and her legs straight backed up.Seeing this, Li Lianying hurried forward to help her, and said: "Queen, it's all right. You stay calm." "I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it! He is so loyal! Alas, I wasted all my hard work. Lianying, drag him out and bury him properly." Li Lianying agreed, called Li San and dragged You Yi out by the way.Li Sanshun's face was as white as a sheet of fright at the moment, he wasn't afraid of this kind of scene, but he was afraid that You Yi would reveal himself before he died!Seeing You Yi crashed to death on the pillar, the hanging heart finally let go, and he couldn't help secretly rejoicing. Not much effort, the bedroom has been cleaned up.The Empress Dowager Cixi was lying on the bed again, smoking that refreshing hookah, and couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief. It's really dangerous, if I didn't accidentally knock over the bowl, wouldn't my soul return to Yaochi?Li Lianying knelt on the bed, carefully massaging the Empress Dowager Cixi. He personally tried the Empress Dowager Cixi's diet every time, but who would have thought that a moment of negligence this time almost killed her, so his heart was filled with fifteen buckets to fetch water—ups and downs, I'm afraid that Empress Dowager Cixi will blame him, then he can't afford it!Suddenly something came to mind again, and he hurriedly said: "Queen Mother, this Youyi has another..." "What else does he have?" "He also has an older brother, in case..." Hearing this, Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but feel tight again.Yes, he has a brother here.His younger brother died, how could he just let it go?If he gives himself another shot, then it will be...Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager Cixi sat up immediately, and hurriedly said: "Hurry up, go! Arrest this slave, and don't let him escape!" Hearing this, Li Lianying hurriedly jumped out of bed, rushed out the door, called Li Sanshun and his disciples, then went straight to You Zhong's room, opened the door and saw that there was no one there. "This..." Li Lianying became anxious when she saw it, and hurriedly led people to search the palace again.Four or five hours passed, and the whole palace was almost turned upside down, but You Zhong was nowhere to be seen.I had no choice but to bow my head again to see the Empress Dowager Cixi. "Queen Mother, the slaves have searched all over the palace, but there is no sign of You Zhong." Li Lianying said helplessly. "Have you looked for the emperor?" "I've looked for it, but I can't find it." When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard that she couldn't find it, she looked at Li Lianying like an ant on a hot pot, and couldn't help scolding: "A bunch of trash! So many people can't find it, what are they doing?" Li Lianying knelt on the ground in fright, He didn't say a word, and only thought that he was going to die with loyalty and hatred.Seeing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi knew that it was useless to be anxious, and her own life was the most important thing, so she had to say: "If you don't find anyone, don't rest! Stand outside and watch for me at night. If there is another mistake, Watch your heads!" Li Lianyingnuonuo withdrew and quickly assigned staff.Immediately, the Changchun Palace was heavily guarded, as if a great enemy had invaded, which made everyone panic and panic. Where did You Zhong go?As soon as I got up in the morning, I heard movement in the Empress Dowager Cixi's room. After careful inquiry, I found out that my brother was dead.He knew that the Empress Dowager Cixi would never let him go, so he hurriedly packed his luggage and wanted to find a place to take refuge for a while.Where can I go?Desperate for wit, let him think of a place, where?Li Lianying's house!So hastily and secretly got in.Who knows that the old saying is true: the most dangerous place is often the safest place.Li Lianying led a group of people to search every corner of the palace, but never thought that You Zhong was actually hiding in his room. Since You Zhong was not found, the Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't let go of her heart, lest You Zhong would plot against her, so she was inseparable from Li Lianying every day.That's good, it found a safe haven for You Zhong. Time passed day by day, although it was safe and sound, but You Zhong was anxious in his heart, there was no way to go on like this.Thinking of the unjust death of the Empress Dowager Ci'an; thinking of his younger brother's sacrifice for the Lord, You Zhong's heart was cut like a knife.No, it can't go on like this!I want revenge!I want to avenge my dead master and younger brother!I must kill her!Thinking of this, You Zhong took out the long-preserved dagger from his arms, and walked out of the room resolutely... It's a dark night.Outside the house, Li Sanshun was pacing up and down outside the Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom, holding a lantern.I saw him yawning and talking to himself, "You Zhong, you damn thing, why didn't you die early! It made our family unable to sleep. "Suddenly a black shadow flew by, and the lights went out immediately. Li Sanshun rubbed his eyes, the surroundings were dark and silent. I couldn't help but wonder, I just saw a black shadow fly by, how can I lose my time in the blink of an eye? Could it be..., thinking of this, Li Sanshun couldn't help getting goosebumps all over his body, and then shouted: "It's not good, there is a ghost!There are ghosts! "He went straight to the Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom, and rushed in without knocking on the door. Empress Dowager Cixi is lying on the bed at the moment, eating melon seeds, listening to Li Lianying sitting beside the bed telling stories.Seeing that Li Sanshun's face was pale, his legs were trembling, and the lamp in his hand had gone out, Li Lianying couldn't help asking, "Why are you panicking? Do you still understand the rules?" Li Sanshun was still in shock, and said out of breath, "Queen Mother, Chief Manager, no...it's not good, the servant just met...a ghost."As he spoke, he looked back unconsciously. When Li Lianying heard that there was a ghost, the hairs all over her body exploded, and she hurriedly asked: "Quickly tell me, what is going on?" "The slave was patrolling outside just now, when suddenly a black shadow flew over. It disappeared in a blink of an eye, and the lamp in the slave's hand suddenly went out." Li Sanshun lifted the lamp in his hand and shook it. Empress Dowager Cixi asked doubtfully: "Could it be that the wind blew out the lamp?" "Absolutely not! It's dark outside, but there's no wind at all." Listening to Li Sanshun's vivid description, Li Lianying's heart also trembled, and she asked tremblingly, "Can you see what he looks like without him?" "She is completely black, with long hair hanging loose, and the servants didn't see her clearly when it was dark. They only saw her with white teeth and white eyes. She must be a female ghost." Li Sanshun said. "Queen, do you think there really are ghosts in this world?" Although the Empress Dowager Cixi had always been ruthless and murderous, she couldn't help being frightened when she heard Li Sanshun's description, but she had to pretend to be majestic and self-respecting in front of her slaves.She comforted Li Lianying and said, "You, where is your usual cleverness? You're really smart and confused for a while. There's no such thing as a ghost in this world. If you see a person walking by and suddenly disappears, This is the work of fox fairies. It’s nothing to make a fuss about. They often turn into people. But as long as you don’t hurt them, they will never hurt you. Look at how stupid you two are. Forget it. Stay with me tonight Bar." Li Lianying did things with a bad heart, and he was responsible for dozens of lives in the Zhongcui Palace, so after hearing the illusory explanation of the Empress Dowager Cixi, she was still skeptical, so she said again: "Could it be that kid You Zhong?" Play tricks." The Empress Dowager Cixi was taken aback when she heard that, yes, this damn servant has not been caught yet, it is impossible to say that he sneaked out of the palace, he must still be hiding somewhere, thinking of this moment, He hastily ordered Li Sanshun to deliver the decree and transfer the imperial guards into the palace, only then did he feel a little relieved. In fact, the Empress Dowager Cixi did not believe her explanation of the haunting, so she took Li Lianying and others to the shrine next to the bedroom early the next morning.There is a pagoda inside, about six feet in height, carved from sandalwood and plated with gold, shining golden in the morning light.Nine arhats are placed on both sides of the room, which are lifelike in various shapes.Behind the pagoda stands a huge statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, which is more than eight feet high.I saw Empress Dowager Cixi personally burning incense, then knelt on the ground, closed her eyes, pursed her mouth, and muttered something in her mouth, and it took about a quarter of an hour to give up. Seeing Empress Dowager Cixi's pious worship, Li Lianying couldn't help but feel moved. People say that Avalokitesvara's magical power is boundless, why don't I also go to eliminate disasters?Therefore, after serving the Empress Dowager Cixi, she took the opportunity to sneak out of the palace and went straight to Baiyun Temple.Seeing Gao Yunxi, Li Lianying sighed, and then told all about the haunting in the palace with lingering fear. Gao Yunxi smiled faintly after hearing this.Although he set up incense and set fires and made a lot of incense money these years, he never believed in ghosts and gods, so he said: "Boss, you are so confused! There are no ghosts or gods, they are all lies. I think you must be too tired, and you are prone to hallucinations due to deficiency of yin. As long as the dantian is strong and strong, and the energy is not lost, you will naturally have no worries." As he spoke, he ordered his apprentice to fetch a large pack of Ningxia specialty wolfberries. But no matter what he said, he couldn't solve Li Lianying's suspicion of being afraid of ghosts.So Li Lianying said: "What you said is also reasonable, but I am always a little uneasy. In order to avoid disasters, our family will donate 40,000 taels of silver to you for repairs, and someone will send it tomorrow. I just ask you to be in front of the Bodhisattva." Give me some good words." After speaking, he hurried back to the palace with the bag of wolfberries in his arms.Sure enough, someone sent 40,000 taels of silver the next day, but Gao Yunxi was very happy. In fact, Li Lianying really told him that it was You Zhong who Li Sanshun bumped into last night.Na You Zhong wanted to assassinate the Empress Dowager Cixi in the dark, but when he saw a light in front of him, he thought it was the sleeping palace, but he saw it was a person, and it was too late to escape, so he had an idea and blew out the lamp in Li Sanshun's hand .Just as Li Sanshun was still in shock, he quickly turned around the corner and disappeared into the vast night.I wanted to hide for a while before taking action, but who knew that Li Sanshun made a fuss, Empress Dowager Cixi dispatched the imperial guards, seeing that they couldn't do anything, so they had to go back to the room. Besides, when You Zhong returned to Li Lianying's room, the more he thought about it, the more angry he became. It seemed that he was about to enter the Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom, but who knew that his success would fall short.This is good, but a large number of guards came.How can this be revenge?After thinking hard, he finally came up with a solution: burn them to death, burn them all inside! Another day passed, and that night, You Zhong wrapped his head in a black cloth and wore black clothes. He sneaked out of Li Lianying's room again and groped towards the Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom.Seeing outside the dormitory, the imperial guards sent out every three steps, and sentry every five steps, You Zhong couldn't help feeling a lot colder in his heart.He peeped for a long time, but he couldn't make a move. Seeing that it was almost the fourth watch, he couldn't help feeling anxious.Fortunately, the imperial guards gradually relaxed when they saw that it was almost dawn.He walked lightly to the west corner gate, and lit the kerosene lamp on the eaves post with cotton dipped in kerosene and a large lamp.Suddenly, the West Corner Gate burst into flames, and thick smoke billowed... "Fire! Fire!" Although it will be bright soon, the Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Lianying have just fallen asleep at this moment. Hearing the panic noise outside, they don't know what happened. They are so frightened that they quickly put on their clothes and ran under the eaves, not caring about the royal family anymore. majestic. Seeing that the fire was about to spread, the Empress Dowager Cixi was so anxious that she shouted: "Hurry up, put out the fire!" Suddenly, Li Lianying tremblingly said: "Queen Mother, it is...it is him!" Empress Dowager Cixi was taken aback, and asked, "What is he?" "You Zhong!" Li Lianying said while showing Empress Dowager Cixi with trembling fingers, "Look, he set the fire!" Looking along Li Lianying's hand, I saw You Zhong kneeling facing north in the fire. Although his whole body was surrounded by fire, he still shouted: "I hate, I hate that you sinister and vicious guys were not burned to death! Master, brother, wait for me, I will come with you!" Looking at You Zhong's resolute face in the fire, Empress Dowager Cixi's heart trembled. She seemed to see Empress Dowager Ci'an, Empress Xiaozhe, Xiaofeng, You Yi... walking towards her one by one, shouting: "Give me back!" Give me my life! Give me my life!" "Queen Mother, Queen Mother! What's the matter with you?" Li Lianying, who was standing aside, asked anxiously. "Oh," the Empress Dowager Cixi regained her composure, "it's nothing, it's nothing, just help me back to my room." "Queen Mother, the fire hasn't been extinguished yet, so it's not safe to go back. Where do you think we're going?" Li Lianying asked cautiously. "Let's rest in your room first." A fire in Ouchi is no joke!Back in the room, Li Lianying served the Empress Dowager Cixi lying on the bed, and asked, "Empress Dowager, how do you tell the outside about this?" "Find a reliable person to handle it. Just keep an eye on it." Empress Dowager Cixi said listlessly. Soon, Li Lianying's reposting, as the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, resolutely published a booklet: "Guard Toyama and Shuang Kuiyin are old and weak, so they are specially taken care of in the duty rooms on both sides of the west corner gate to guard the lock and seal at night. At the quarter of west time, when the lanterns are in hand, the second guard will hang on the nanmu eaves pillars as usual. The iron oil lamps were lit. Because the wooden pillars had been weathered and scorched for a long time, the wind blew up and ignited the eaves pillars, causing the fire to spread everywhere..." The Empress Dowager Cixi read it, and immediately announced it, and the cause of the fire was thus determined.I only feel sorry for those who stand guard: Shuangkui and Fushan were executed, the striker leader Enquan was demoted and fined, and some other related personnel were dismissed from their posts, some were fined, and some were exiled to the frontier. Brothers You Zhong and You Yi died, and the atmosphere in the palace returned to the past.But the Empress Dowager Cixi was still restless. As soon as she was lying on the bed, she dreamed that someone wanted her life. Finally, at Li Lianying's suggestion, she simply moved to Chuxiu Palace.