Chapter 22 11. Empress Dowager Cixi celebrates Li Lianying's birthday

The great eunuch Li Lianying celebrates his birthday, and Cixi, who loves him and loves him, actually delivered a decree: All civil and military officials, eunuchs, and maids in the palace who are lower than Li Lianying in rank in the palace should kneel down and worship to celebrate... On the birthday celebration, Li Lianying stole the limelight... … People in the Dafan Palace generally know that since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the two animals have been respected the most.One is farm cattle, and no beef is allowed in the palace.But in the past, most of the eunuchs and maids did not obey orders, and secretly ate beef, and the emperor was also greedy for beef, so they had no choice but to be sloppy.Since the Empress Dowager Cixi listened to the government behind the curtain, in order to show that she abides by the ancestral system and is considerate of public opinion, she has stipulated that anyone who is found to be stealing beef will be killed immediately.Another one is the dog.It is said that it was because their ancestor, the regent Dorgon, was ambushed by the enemy once during the process of unifying the country. Who would have thought that the thatch was set on fire by the enemy soldiers, and because the enemy soldiers had not withdrawn, he dared not come out, and was about to be burned to death inside, one of his pet dogs ran to the river, its fur was fluffed, and it was covered in water , ran back to the haystack to shake off the water on his body.Running back and forth many times in this way, Dorgon finally escaped from death and survived, but the dog was exhausted to death.From then on, the palace officials respected dogs as gods and forbade them to kill them.

Because of this reason, the Empress Dowager Cixi also had a passion for dogs, and kept a lot of them in the palace.Most of the dogs belong to the Peking breed, and occasionally some belong to the Schwarzhound breed.Among them, there are two ends, which are the favorite of the Empress Dowager Cixi.A breed of hound belonging to Si Keai, named "Little Black Monkey".When the Empress Dowager Cixi ordered her to die, she pretended to be a feigned death, lying on the ground, and had to be ordered by the Empress Dowager Cixi. Although others teased and insulted her in every possible way, she would not move at all; With bright eyes, he wagged his tail and begged for mercy when he saw the Empress Dowager Cixi, and murmured incessantly. Because his intelligence was far inferior to the hounds before, he was called "Stay".

The kennels in the palace are as big as a pavilion, with white stone as the floor, and the construction is very particular. Dog clothes and quilts are all made of silk.There are several officials and supervisors who are dedicated to the service of dog slaves. Every day, they lead the dogs to go outdoors for a week to exercise the dog's body, and bathe them once a day to prevent them from getting sick.The week of care is really rare in the world, but who would have thought that it would be so, something went wrong.A few days ago, Empress Dowager Cixi's beloved "little black monkey" suddenly didn't think about eating or drinking.This made the Empress Dowager Cixi as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. In desperation, she called the imperial doctor urgently.The imperial doctor can only treat people, how can he treat dogs?But he didn't dare to say more, so he had to prescribe some tonics.Yesterday morning, the dog died.

This made the Empress Dowager Cixi so sad that she was so angry that she severely punished those dog slaves and the imperial doctor. The anger was relieved a lot, but the dog couldn't come back to life, so it was always depressed.Even Li Lianying, who has always been loved, has to be more cautious, lest it will cause harm to herself. At noon that day, Li Lianying carefully served the Empress Dowager Cixi and took a rest, then returned to her room dejectedly, lay on the bed, and smoked longevity cream (opium).Just when he was in high spirits, the door opened with a "snap", and Li Sanshun rushed in.

Although the Empress Dowager Cixi occasionally took a few sips of longevity ointment on weekdays, she had very strict requirements on the eunuchs in the palace.Li Lianying, who was in high spirits, heard the door open, thought it was the Empress Dowager Cixi who came again, hurriedly stuffed the smoking set into the quilt, turned around and was about to get out of bed to say hello, but found that it was Li Sanshun, she couldn't help feeling angry, He opened his mouth and scolded: "You kid is a dead mother, do you still understand the rules?" "Master, dog, dog..." Li Sanshun couldn't care less, panting.

Li Lianying was already very annoyed, but when she heard Li Sanshun call "Master Dog", she couldn't help being furious, and gave you a straw and you used it as a crutch!He stepped forward in a hurry, stretched out his hand and slapped Li Sanshun four times, immediately his face was swollen like a peach, and the corners of his mouth were bleeding profusely. "Are you impatient, boy? How dare you scold me!" "Master, I'm too brave to scold you old man! I mean I saw a dog." Li Sanshun said aggrievedly, covering his face with his hands. "What's the matter with a dog? It's worth your fuss?" Li Lianying finally calmed down a little.

"Tu'er saw a dog just now. It looks very clever. Isn't Lafayette's little black monkey dead? I think it's better to..." Li Lianying finally understood now, and before Li Sanshun finished speaking, she said impatiently: "San Shun, master just missed in a hurry, don't take it to heart. I'll go get two hundred taels of silver later, take care of it, and tell me how the dog is doing." ?" Four slaps in exchange for two hundred taels of silver, worth it!Li Sanshun didn't feel the pain in his face, and hurriedly replied: "Master, that's a pug. It's not only good-looking, but also very human. I heard that Master Wei lost his money bag yesterday, and that dog brought it back."

"Which one belongs to Master Wei? Why haven't I heard of it?" "It's Wei Baohua!" "What? It's him, this..." Hearing that it was Wei Baohua, Li Lianying frowned. "Master, don't make things difficult, why don't you just go there?" "Okay, go and try, but don't tell me!" This Wei Baohua, also known as Wei De, is from Daxiang Village, Dacheng County. He is from the same village as Li Lianying and Li Sanshun.He entered the palace a few years earlier than Li Lianying, but the two of them had never been in close contact. He has a straightforward personality, a bad temper, and is not good at flattery. He was promoted to the fourth-rank Hualingding only because he had been running around in the palace for decades and was diligent and cautious. Dai, became the chief eunuch.

People often say that "when a fellow countryman sees a fellow countryman, his eyes are full of tears." Why does Li Lianying make trouble when she hears about Wei Baohua?It was still in the early years of Guangxu, there was a flood in Dacheng County, and the grains were not harvested.Wei Baohua had a nephew from the same family who fled from Dacheng to Beijing to join him and wanted to become a eunuch. Asking for love and giving gifts, finally got his wish.This child has good facial features, is smart, and has no name, so everyone calls him Bao'er.Because of the short time in the palace, without training, I don't know the rules and etiquette in the palace.

Not long after entering the palace, Bao'er suffered from dysentery, diarrhea and high fever.Wei Baohua was just a eunuch at the gate at the time, and he had so much money to treat his nephew's illness, so he had no choice but to go to Le Shoutang to find Li Lianying, hoping to ask him to find someone to treat him.When Bao'er entered the palace, Wei Baohua wanted to find Li Lianying, but he couldn't afford the gift, so he didn't look for him.I don't think Li Lianying is so stupid, so he is brooding about it.I thought to myself why didn't you ask me to give you a gift?Isn't this looking down on me!Seeing Wei Baohua come to beg him at this time, he was very upset, but he still pretended to go and have a look, and it turned out that Bao'er was seriously ill.I thought to myself that since you don’t know how to honor me, I won’t make you feel good either!

Back at Le Shoutang, Li Lianying said to the Empress Dowager Cixi: "There is a eunuch named Bao'er in the Xinshi Palace who is lazy and greedy. He pretends to be sick all day long, so he is eating for nothing." The Empress Dowager Cixi was furious when she heard that, So they ordered two eunuchs to bring Bao'er and punish him with eighty sticks. How could a child in his teens bear this?As a result, after a messy meal with sticks, the seven orifices bleed and died tragically. Wei Baohua was in great pain when he heard the news, so he immediately went to find Li Lianying.Li Lianying refused to admit it, and put all the responsibility on the Empress Dowager Cixi.Wei Baohua is a little eunuch, what can he do?I can only swallow bitterness in my stomach.Afterwards, I found out that Li Lianying was responsible for it, but her words were unfounded and she didn't grasp the clues. How could Li Lianying admit it? Wei Baohua was a gatekeeper, and he had nothing to do on weekdays. After becoming the chief eunuch, he was even more bored, so a kind friend gave him a pug dog.The dog is brownish-yellow in color, with soft fur, a pair of aura-filled eyes set right above the snow-white mouth, and its four vigorous legs look well-proportioned and powerful; what's more rare is that this dog is very human, with a vigilant disposition, and every time Staying close to Wei Baohua every day, spared him a lot of lonely and boring time, and became his darling. Yesterday, Wei Baohua drank some wine, staggered to the toilet, dropped the purse into the latrine without knowing it, and fell asleep when he returned to the room.After waking up in the middle of the night, the alcohol had passed, and suddenly found that his sweetheart was missing, so he hurriedly got up and looked around, and finally found the puppy guarding the latrine in the toilet, and couldn't help feeling puzzled. As soon as the dog saw Wei Baohua coming, it wagged its tail and ran forward, bit his trousers and pulled it towards the latrine.Wei Baohua took a closer look, it turned out that his purse was dropped there, he couldn't help but burst into tears, it was his savings for more than a year, and immediately hugged the dog and kissed again and again.The next day, the news spread. How could Wei Baohua give away such a sweetheart so easily?In order to ask for credit, Li Sanshun recommended himself, and when he came to Wei Baohua, he was trying to solicit friendship and say good things, and Wei Baohua only had two words: no.In desperation, Li Sanshun simply moved out Li Lianying's signboard, thinking that if you don't give me face, you should give the manager's face.When Wei Baohua heard the word Li Lianying, he couldn't help but think of his nephew Bao'er, and he made up his mind that if you give me gold and silver, I just won't give it to you! In desperation, Li Sanshun had no choice but to leave in despair. "Master, apprentice..." Seeing him like that, Li Lianying knew he didn't get it, but she still asked, "Why? He won't give it?" "Well, Tuer said Master, you want it, but he won't give it." "What? Say I want it? How did your brain grow, didn't I tell you not to mention my name!" "The apprentice wants to..." "Think, think, what a fart you think! Have you forgotten that incident back then." Curse to blame, but the fact that the dog didn't get it was a fact. After thinking hard for a long time, Li Lianying finally decided to go there in person, thinking that with her current power, he, Wei Baohua, should give him some face.Immediately, he took out Duiyu Ruyi and went to find Wei Baohua.Entering the room, Li Lianying's eyes lit up, such a beautiful dog!If it is dedicated to Lafayette, then... "Brother Wei, my younger brother serves Lafayette all day long. I wanted to see you a long time ago, but I just can't find the time. Don't be offended, brother!" Wei Baohua hugged his darling in one hand, pointed to the stool next to him with the other, and said calmly: "Please sit down. You are a busy person now, why do you have time to come to our house today? I wonder what's the matter?" ?" "It's okay, it's okay! I haven't seen my elder brother for a long time, and I miss you very much, so I came to visit you today." Li Lianying sat down and said with a smile. Who doesn't know Sima Zhao's heart?Wei Baohua snorted and said, "Why did the sun come out from the west today? It's rare, it's really rare!" "Brother, please don't misunderstand me. I really came to visit my brother on purpose today. Please be considerate of Bao'er. I am really not that kind of person! You also know Lafayette's temper. At that time, my brother also I once spoke for Bao'er, but I really can't do anything." As she spoke, Li Lianying's eyes turned a little red. "Everyone knew about Bao'er back then, so the manager didn't need to say anything more." Wei Baohua said coldly. "Okay, I don't want to mention it, brother." Li Lianying laughed dryly, and immediately turned to the main topic, "Oh, look at my eyes, I didn't see that my brother has such a cute dog, it's really a sin , sin! I don’t know where the elder brother got it, why the younger brother doesn’t know at all?” The fox finally showed its tail!Wei Baohua glanced at Li Lianying coldly, and said: "The manager is full of opportunities every day, how can he pay attention to such a trivial matter! A friend gave it to him, why, maybe the manager wants it?" "No, no! Brother, how dare younger brother take it away from what he loves? My younger brother just thinks it looks so cute, so..." "Since this is the case, our family can rest assured. Manager, now our family has to go out to do some errands. I'm really sorry, you..." "Brother, don't worry!" Li Lianying said hastily upon hearing this, "Brother's favorite thing, my younger brother would not dare to take it. It's just... after the death of the little black monkey of Lafayette, Lafayette didn't think about food. You see Can you give it to my younger brother and forward it to Lafayette..." "Don't talk about it! If Lafayette wants it, our family will offer it." You offer it, what about me?Li Lianying then said cheekily: "Brother, I'm a fellow in the village, you can give it to my younger brother to save face, oh... no, no, how about selling it to my younger brother?" Li Lianying took it out of his sleeve The pair of jade Ruyi. Wei Baohua didn't even look at the jade ruyi, he opened his mouth and said: "Since everyone is from the same village, why do you want it, don't you also know that it is our family's sweetheart?" "Brother, Lafayette spends his days working on state affairs, so he should also have fun, so you..." Before he finished speaking, Wei Baohua had already opened his mouth: "Sir, stop talking! Our family has said that if Lafayette wants it, we will deliver it immediately, so don't bother the manager. I'm sorry, our family still has something to do, so please take care of me." Sit down first." After speaking, Wei Baohua hugged his pug and walked away. Li Lianying didn't expect Wei Baohua to do such a trick to herself without telling the dog, and the more she thought about it, the more angry she became.The princes and ministers all nodded and bowed when they saw our family. How dare you, a little chief eunuch, be so presumptuous?Since you don't want the face, don't blame our family for being rude! "Master, my apprentice thinks it's better for us to tell Lafayette, then how dare Wei Baohua not give it?" Li Sanshun suggested. "Nonsense! Can't I think of this? If he dedicated it to Lafayette himself, how can we benefit from you and me?" Standing there blankly for a long time, Li Lianying suddenly slapped her head and burst out laughing... "Master, is there a way?" Li Sanshun asked hastily. Li Lianying shook her head and said: "Well, let's give him a way to divert the tiger away from the mountain and go straight to Huanglong!" In the early morning of the next day, Wei Baohua finished washing his clothes and was about to take his pug out for a walk, when suddenly a little eunuch came and ordered him to deliver some silk and satin to Prince Jin Fujin.Upon hearing this, Wei Baohua immediately became wary.Li Lianying has always sent his close disciples to do this kind of fat job, so why is it my turn this time?Could it be that this kid is playing tricks?That's right, yesterday he asked for a dog but didn't give it to him. Could it be that he wanted to divert the tiger away from the mountain?What can I do?I can't take it to Prince Chun's Mansion!After thinking for a long time, Wei Baohua had no choice but to reluctantly hand over his pet dog to the young eunuch, his confidant, and repeatedly told him to be extra careful, before leaving the palace anxiously. At noon, Wei Baohua hurried back to the palace after finishing his errands.As soon as he entered the room, he saw that the little eunuch's eyes were red and swollen from crying, and there was still some blood in his mouth. He knew that something was wrong, so he hurriedly asked, "Quickly tell me, what's going on?" "Master, not long after you left, Director Li brought someone here, saying that Lafayette wanted a dog. My disciple asked him to wait for the master to come back, but he refused to say so, and instead beat him up and robbed him of the dog." The dog left." The little eunuch couldn't help crying again. This Wei Baohua usually has a very violent temper. Hearing that Li Lianying led someone to rob him of his sweetheart, he couldn't control himself anymore, turned around and left the house.When he came to the Meridian Gate, he began to curse loudly: "Li Lianying, you son of a bitch, our family has nothing to do with you!" Later, the more he cursed, the more angry he became, and the more he cursed, the more ugly he sounded.The guards guarding the Meridian Gate had had enough of Li Lianying's bullying and did not stop them.Immediately, a large group of eunuchs and maidservants surrounded the Meridian Gate. Although people said they were frightened by Li Lianying's power and did not dare to applaud, they all showed joy.Seeing this, Wei Baohua simply stomped his feet and said, "Go for it!" and strode towards the deep palace, swearing repeatedly.This is not bad!At that moment, several kind-hearted eunuchs rushed forward to hold Wei Baohua, and tried to persuade him again and again: "Master Wei, please bear with it! Mr. Li, you are not afraid, but what about Lafayette? If things get serious and Lafayette turns his face, Do you still have your head?" Wei Baohua gradually calmed down, thinking the same thing, under the low eaves, how dare you not bow your head?Had to give up.But in my heart I hated Li Lianying to death. Besides, Li Lianying sent Wei Baohua away under the banner of Empress Dowager Cixi, and hurriedly took Li Sanshun and others to snatch the dog over, and immediately went to see Empress Dowager Cixi.The Empress Dowager Cixi was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, when she heard Li Lianying come in, she asked: "Lianying, what's the matter?" "Lafayette, my servant brought you a dog." As soon as she heard that a dog was brought, the Empress Dowager Cixi immediately opened her eyes and shouted repeatedly: "Quick, hug me and let me take a closer look." "Ah! It's so beautiful! Lianying, does it have a name?" Empress Dowager Cixi praised it after seeing it. "No, just wait for Lafayette to give him a name!" The Empress Dowager Cixi thought for a while, and said, "Well, I think it's called the Yellow Fairy, what do you think?" "Wonderful, wonderful! Only Lafayette can think of such a beautiful name!" Li Lianying hurriedly flattered her. "Oh, by the way, where did you get it?" "This is just given to me by a friend of the servant. The servant is sad to see that Lafayette doesn't think about eating and drinking, so..." When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard this, she was very moved, and said, "You are so thoughtful. By the way, didn't the North Korean country send tributes a while ago? Go and pick out some that you like and use them." Such favor, I am afraid that no one in the imperial court, princes and nobles has ever received it!Who would have thought that Li Lianying would say after hearing this: "Thank you, Lafayette, for your reward. It's just that these small things are what a slave should do. How dare a slave be rewarded for nothing? But..." After hearing this, Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help being taken aback, what's wrong with this slave today, so polite?So he asked: "Lianying, remember you were not like this before! Tell me, what's the matter?" No matter how thick Li Lianying's face was, she couldn't help but blush at this moment.He said in a low voice, "Lafayette, the seventeenth servant will be forty this month, and my nephews want to have a good time. Therefore, I would like to ask Lafayette for a few words." "I thought it was a big deal." Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help laughing after hearing this, "Isn't it just a few words, take paper and ink." Empress Dowager Cixi's education level is not high, which can be seen from the series of typos in her own written edict to depose Yixin.However, she has a very high understanding and a strong memory.Years of self-study have enabled her not only to fully understand classical Chinese excerpts full of Zheye, but also to write good handwriting. In order to write good calligraphy, Empress Dowager Cixi specially ordered Jiangnan Manufacturing to select a married woman who is good at painting and calligraphy to enter the palace.At that time, there was a woman named Miao Xihui, named Suyun, from Kunming, who was good at flower and bird crafts, calligraphy, and playing the piano. After entering the palace, she was very appreciated by the Empress Dowager Cixi. Empress Dowager Cixi exempted him from kneeling and worshiping, and learned calligraphy from him.Over time, Empress Dowager Cixi's handwriting really improved a lot.In her spare time, she writes a few pictures.The words "Fu" and "Shou" are often written. The six-foot paper, eight-foot paper, and the Empress Dowager Cixi, who is more than four feet tall, made it in one go. Even the masters of the South Study Room praised it sincerely. When the Empress Dowager Cixi wrote calligraphy, the ink was prepared by Maoqin Palace, all of which were tributes from Huizhou.After being transported, it is first ground into a very thick ink with a large inkstone pool in the dog days. After the juice is passed through a basket, it is stored in a porcelain vat, and borneol is added to preserve it. When it is used, it is gradually added with water and finely ground until suitable.Both silk and paper were also tributes of the Southern Song Dynasty.When writing and practicing for the first time, all the missing grids were made by the craftsmen of Maoqin Palace. After writing and practicing for a long time, there is no need to leave the grids.At that time, it was a great honor to get the character of Cixi. Only officials above the second rank could get the character "Fu", and people over the age of fifty could get the character "Shou". When Li Lianying got the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, she saw the Empress Dowager Cixi holding the citron-like pen and dipping it in a large inkstone. Seeing that the ink color was moderately thick, she swung the pen and wrote quickly.The rabbit rises and the falcon falls, and there is a great deal of skill in responding to it.The entire "Fu" character is four feet long, and the brushwork is so powerful that it is really everyone's handwriting. Immediately afterwards, another "Shou" character was written, stamped with a seal, and given to Li Lianying. "It's amazing! Lafayette's calligraphy is really better than Wang Xizhi's and Zhang Xu's!" Li Lianying took the words and said repeatedly with joy. After hearing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi was really a little flustered. She smiled and said: "It's rare that you still know that there are such two people, not bad! Alas, time flies, and you will be forty in a blink of an eye. You have served me for so many years, this time you should have a good time." At that moment, Li Lianying gave Li Lianying a jade cat , a crimson purple python robe, and two thousand taels of silver, and personally passed down an order to celebrate Li Lianying's "fortieth birthday." As the news spreads, it is effective.From the emperor, down to the princes and nobles, the ministers of the inner court, and the governors of other provinces, they all sent rich gifts to congratulate.For a time, Li's house was bustling with traffic, and received countless birthday gifts.There are rare antiques, gold and silver utensils, silk and satin, calligraphy and paintings of celebrities, and Nanmu furniture. On the day of the 17th, the Hougongku Li Mansion was even more lively.Dozens of red lanterns are hung high in front of the gate, with the golden word "Shou" written on it, shining under the sunlight. Relatives and friends in the courtyard are full of congratulatory guests.The Li Mansion, which covers an area of ​​seven and a half acres, looks much narrower now.There is a tall archway in front of the hall, decorated with flowers of various colors, which is fragrant and very beautiful.On both sides of the front of the archway, there are four little eunuchs standing on each side, all wearing red robes, holding a lantern in their hands. , and on the right is "Shoubi Nanshan".In the middle, a group of palace guards hold up the two tails of silk dragon lanterns, dancing in a meandering way, with a bright pearl rolling around the mouth, and the two dragons look like they are about to swallow.Everyone's eyes were dazzled when they saw it, and they all applauded. In the hall, the words "Fu" and "Shou" written by Empress Dowager Cixi are hung in the middle.There is a table under it, on which there is a birthday gift from the Empress Dowager Cixi and a thousand-year-old ginseng set in a glass frame.This adult ginseng is more than two feet long and looks like a small person.In front of it is a sandalwood grand master's chair, covered with red silk and satin.Next to the chair, there are three pairs of silver candle plates, each with a yellow birthday candle of Panlong.Such a display is almost the same as the birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi.At this moment, Li Lianying, Gang Yi, Sun Yuwen and others are talking loudly... "Boss, such a scene is even worse than last time. My little brother is really jealous after seeing it." Gang Yi said enviously. Before Li Lianying could speak, Sun Yuwen took over the conversation: "Master Gang, why are you so jealous? How can you compare with the manager?" "That's natural, that's natural! My brother sincerely admires the manager's ability." "What's the matter?" Listening to the conversation between the two, Li Lianying couldn't help saying triumphantly, "Our family hasn't taken the tribute that Lafayette gave us from Korea! Are you entertaining in the alley?" Gang Yi was stunned by the first part of Li Lianying's sentence, but when he heard the second part, he couldn't help but blushed, and hurriedly said: "What did you say, my brother has long since left that place." "Why, when did Mr. Gang become so peaceful?" Prince Li couldn't help but also said something at this time. Sun Yuwen took the opportunity to say: "My lord, is it because my sister-in-law is so strict that I dare not go?" When everyone heard this, they couldn't help laughing.Immediately, the resolute blushed with embarrassment, and hurriedly defended: "That's not the case, it's really not the case! The adults are joking, I'm just weak for a while, so..." Before she finished speaking, Li Lianying said with a smile: "Since this is the case, well, our family will get you some medicine some other day, so that you will be satisfied!" "It's a good relationship. My lord just got the dragon-horse spirit, and then I can..." Grand Scholar Gui Liang continued. After hearing Gui Liang's words, everyone couldn't help laughing again, making the resolute man fidgety in embarrassment, not knowing how to deal with it.Unexpectedly, at this moment, a sentence came from outside: "Master Li, I'm here to celebrate your birthday!" Then a man in a black silk robe and a melon cap came in.Everyone didn't care about joking with Gang Yi any more, and turned to look at him one after another.Who do you know?It turned out to be the rich man Deng who sent his daughter to Li Lianying. Since the rich man Deng handed over his daughter to Li Lianying, a few years have passed in a blink of an eye, and there has been no news.Rich Mr. Deng was only thinking of sending his daughter to the palace, so that he could be a relative of the emperor, how could he bear this loneliness?I have been to the capital four or five times, wanting to see how my daughter is doing and whether she has entered the Queen Mother's Palace.But Li Lianying stayed in the palace all day, how could he see people?This time when I came to Beijing, I heard that Li Lianying was celebrating her birthday at home, so I hurriedly bought some things and came here. When everyone saw his sharp-mouthed monkey cheeks, they all found it funny.Sun Yuwen couldn't help asking Li Lianying: "Director, I don't know if this is..." Before he finished speaking, the rich man Deng had already said, "Oh, you mean me? I'm a fellow of Master Li. My daughter is in the palace!" What?With such a face, your daughter can still stay in the palace?But because of Li Lianying's face, everyone couldn't say anything.Only Gangyi became excited and asked, "Old man, who is the noble daughter?" Hearing this, Li Lianying became anxious.Who, who?It's not the one who sent you!Fearing that the rich man Deng would become more and more outrageous, he hurriedly said: "Oh, it's that Deng Xue'er, can't you forget it? It was thanks to you!" After speaking, Li Lianying gave Gang Yi a hard look. What?It turned out to be her!Only then did Gang Yi understand, and quickly shut up. Li Lianying has believed in a "truth" since she was a child, that is, no poison and no husband.Back then when his family's land was occupied, he determined to avenge his revenge. Now that he has power, how can he let go of the rich man Deng?He brought rich man Deng's daughter into the capital, and played with it as a newly caught little wild bird for a day, and then gave that Xue'er to his brother Gangyi in exchange for posts. Resolutely looked at Deng Xueer's appearance: plump beard, white teeth and bright eyes, slender figure, clear skin, like a spring moon willow, twinkling like a lotus in water, couldn't help but be elated, and hid Deng Xueer in the mansion behind Fujin's back, named As a maid, in fact, she has sex every day for pleasure.Deng Xueer wanted to shout but didn't dare, and she couldn't run even if she wanted to, so she had to be wronged. There is no impenetrable wall in the world.As time passed, Da Fujin became suspicious. One day, Gang Yi and Deng Xueer were in the room like paint and glue, when the clouds were misty, Da Fujin broke in upon hearing the news, couldn't help being furious, and cursed Gang Yi and Deng Xueer.Under the pressure of his wife, Gang Yi had no choice but to part with her, and sold Deng Xueer to the "Eight Great Alley".But he was reluctant to give up, so he went to private meetings every now and then.Deng Xue'er thought that she was wronged and asked for perfection, so it was fine, but who would have thought that she would be sold to Fengyue, the more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she was, and she hanged herself to death not long after. Rich Lord Deng didn't know that his daughter was no longer alive, and when he heard that Gangyi had helped him, he hurried forward to thank him.After all, he was guilty of being a thief, and his fortitude, which had always been cunning and resourceful, stood there in a daze, not knowing how to answer.Seeing this scene, everyone knew that there was a ghost in it, so they didn't say much.Only the rich man Deng is still dreaming of his dream. Due to Rich Lord Deng's arrival, Li Lianying's interest suddenly dropped, fearing that the matter would leak out, although he didn't dare to do anything to Li Lianying, but it was always bad in front of so many princes and ministers.Therefore, taking advantage of the opportunity for everyone to watch the play, Li Lianying pulled Mr. Deng and retreated quietly. When he came into the room, rich man Deng asked in bewilderment: "Master Li, the play is so beautiful, why do you..." "What are you here for?" Li Lianying said with a sinister smile, "I'm telling you, thanks to our family talking to your Xue'er in front of Lafayette, she has been selected as a show girl. If you become a show girl, you won't have to worry about it." When you become a nobleman, you can be promoted to a concubine, and even become a queen! You are about to show your face!" Hearing Li Lianying's words, rich man Deng felt as if he had already sat on the seat of the old emperor. He straightened up in an instant and thought, "Hey, my daughter has become a queen. I will get all your land and house first." Come here, let you know how powerful I am..." Seeing rich man Deng's triumphant look, Li Lianying said with a smile: "Brother, you will be the emperor of our Qing Dynasty soon, don't forget about our family when the time comes!" "That's natural, that's natural! Master Li, your great kindness and virtue will always be remembered in your heart." The rich man Deng was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth from ear to ear. Hmph, I don't even look at your virtue, but you still want to be the emperor, so go ahead and dream about it!Li Lianying smiled and said, "Brother, you and Xue'er haven't seen each other for several years. Let's see it this way. Our family will send someone to take you to see her first. What do you think? You take this thing. "As he spoke, Li Lianying took out a crystal clear jade bead and handed it to rich man Deng. Rich Lord Deng has quite a lot of money, but he has never seen such a thing before, he hurriedly put it in his arms, and said repeatedly: "Thank you, Master Li, for the reward!" Then, Li Lianying called Li Sanshun in: "Sanshun, you accompany Brother Deng to the palace to see his daughter. Remember, you must take good care of me, don't neglect!" Li Lianying winked again as she spoke. , gesturing again.Can Li Sanshun not understand this little trick?He smiled secretly at the moment, and nodded in agreement.So he took rich man Deng into the "palace" to see his daughter. Mr. Deng was illiterate. He always wanted to make a fortune and buy land. He also wanted to be an official so that he could buy more land, but he was reluctant to donate money, because a magistrate of the seventh rank in the Gyeonggi area would have to spend at least ten thousand and eight thousand silver.Now that he doesn't spend a penny, with his flower-like daughter, he can be the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, how can he not make him happy!Immediately, humming the old tune of bangzi, he and Li Sanshun left the gate of Li's mansion. Without much effort, Li Sanshun led rich man Deng to the Yamen of Shuntian Mansion.A plaque of Shuntian Mansion with yellow characters on a black background was hung high above the gate, but the wealthy Deng Douda could not read a single word. Seeing the magnificent architecture of this place, there were many yamen servants in front of the gate, thinking that he was in the palace, he dragged Li Sanshun into it.When the yamen servants heard that Li Lianying had sent them, they naturally did not dare to stop them, and hurried inside to report. When he came to the lobby, rich man Deng felt something was wrong. Why is there a guillotine in the palace?Look at Li Sanshun again, whispering to the prefect of Nashuntian Prefecture.At this moment, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture spoke up: "Master Deng, do you want to be the emperor?" "Boss Li said, my daughter..." Before he finished speaking, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture had already said sharply: "Come here, lock up this old emperor!" In an instant, two yamen servants came up and added three woods to the rich man Deng.Seeing this situation, rich man Deng couldn't help becoming anxious, and shouted: "You are so brave, how dare you treat me like this! My daughter is a beautiful girl in the palace, do you know? Soon she will be a nobleman, a A concubine, a queen, I will be the old emperor! You treat me like this, don't be afraid..." "Bah!" the magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture spat out, "Skinny donkey shit! What a yellow tent and black tent, I think you are an old bastard! Manager Li treats you well, you don't want to reciprocate, but steal his birthday gift .How dare you be guilty!" What?I stole his birthday gift, how could it be a problem?Rich Mr. Deng was dumbfounded, and hurriedly explained: "There is no such thing, there is really no such thing! It is really wronged!" "Injustice? What are you carrying in your arms?" "Yuzhu!" rich man Deng hurriedly replied, "but it was given to me by Master Li!" "Send it to you, you don't even look at your virtue! Shameless troublemaker, there are all evidences of people and materials, and you still want to deny it! Come, put me in the prison!" The magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture said sternly. The rich man Deng had a sweet dream of being an emperor, but he didn't expect his daughter to be thrown into prison instead of seeing her. Then he realized that he had been fooled by Li Lianying, and he stomped his feet and scolded the street: "Damn Li, you bastard... ...my daughter...Xue'er, I'm sorry for you..."Unfortunately, it's too late. It's really a dream come to nothing. I lost my wife and lost my army! There are thousands of flowers blooming, each showing one branch.After dismissing rich man Deng, Li Lianying sat comfortably on a chair, and couldn't help secretly rejoicing at her trick.Humph, don't piss to take care of your own virtues, and want to be the emperor, remember, this is called a small amount of non-gentleman, non-toxic and not a husband!Thinking of this, Li Lianying couldn't help laughing out loud. "Boss, why are you so happy, staying alone in the room." Gang Yi said with a smile on his face. "Happy with your head! You're the only one who speaks fast, and no one else has said anything, so why are you yelling nonsense?" Gangyi understood that Li Lianying was talking about Rich Lord Deng, so he quickly nodded and bowed his head and said, "Brother Manager calm down, it's all my fault, so please forgive me a little bit. The auspicious time has come, look at it, brother..." "Remember in the future, you go out first, and our family will come later." After a little effort, I saw Li Lianying wearing a red crown with flower feathers on her head, a python robe embroidered with cranes on the front and back, a yellow dragon mandarin jacket on top, a string of golden cloud-backed beads hanging from her neck, and a pair of blue satin gowns on her feet. He walked out of the room with a smile on his face. "Please invite the birthday man to sit down!" Seeing this, Sun Yuwen shouted hastily. Li Lianying went straight to the grand teacher's chair covered with red silk and satin in the hall, and sat on it firmly. The giant coiling dragon candles on both sides of the chair had already been lit, and it was still so dazzling even though it was daytime!With the sound of "birthday begins", first Prince Li stepped forward to congratulate, and then Sun Yuwen, Gang Yi and other civil and military officials stepped forward to congratulate.Li Lianying, illuminated by the red candlelight, is really radiant and full of ambition at the moment.He has been completely intoxicated in this joyous atmosphere... "Empress Dowager Cixi's order has arrived! Li Lianying, the head of the inner court, has received the order!" With a loud shout, two young eunuchs walked in.After hearing this, everyone hurriedly knelt down to accept the order.What do you mean?It turns out that the Empress Dowager Cixi plans to personally celebrate the birthday of her favorite supervisor in the palace tomorrow!Not to mention this group of princes and ministers, even Li Lianying herself was flattered. Who among the civil and military ministers, princes and nobles of the Manchu Dynasty has received such favor from the Empress Dowager Cixi? The next morning, the sun was shining brightly, Li Lianying was fully dressed, and rushed back to the palace excitedly.The interior and exterior of Chuxiu Palace have already been decorated with a new look.Although it is already October, red roses, pink begonias, yellow chrysanthemums... are still in full bloom, and the fragrance is tangy and refreshing.The Empress Dowager Cixi is sitting leisurely on the top of the pit, drinking delicious eight-treasure lotus seed porridge. "Slave pays respects to Lafayette." Li Lianying knelt down and said when she entered the room. "哟，莲英呀，这么早就回来了。" "老佛爷召唤，奴才岂敢担搁，"李莲英假惺惺地说道，"昨儿老佛爷懿旨传出，说打算亲自为奴才……" "是的。你打小进宫，一晃也二十多年了，是该趁这个机会热闹热闹。" "老佛爷待奴才这般恩宠，奴才就是到死也难以报答老佛爷，想想奴才心里真是愧疚万分。依奴才看，不如就免了吧，省得给老佛爷您又招来麻烦。"说着，李莲英那眼眶竟有些湿润。 "行了，不要说这些了。这一切自有我作主，你不要操这份心啦！我倒要看看他谁敢说什么！"慈禧太后不无激动地说道。 用过早膳，歇息一阵。随着慈禧太后一声吩咐，刹时，储秀宫内鼓乐齐鸣。在悠扬蜿转的鼓乐声中，慈禧太后拉着李莲英的手，满面笑容的来到了大厅。大厅四周，鲜花簇拥；正中间，并排摆着两把太师椅，皆为檀木所制，款式一模一样。 唯一的区别仅是一把上铺黄色绸缎，一把上铺红色绫罗。大厅前，文武官员、大小太监、宫女黑鸦鸦跪了一大片。 待得二人入坐。只听慈禧太后吩咐道：宫中凡品阶低于李莲英的文武官员、大小太监、宫女等皆行跪拜礼庆贺。这……，太监、宫女们无所谓，但那帮文武官员心里却来了气，虽说自己品阶低，但好歹也是朝廷命官，怎能向一个太监头子跪拜呢？登时间，你看看我，我看看你，面面相觑，不知该如何是好。 "怎么？没听清楚是吗？凡品阶低于李莲英者，皆行跪拜礼祝寿！"慈禧太后又冷冷地说了一遍。 那帮文武官员，虽则对慈禧太后这等大破祖宗家法，恣意纵行，心有不满，但个个敢怒不敢言。看着慈禧太后那阴森森的脸，只得依次上前与李莲英跪拜祝寿。此等史无前例之盛举，直把个李莲英高兴得心花怒改。端坐在太师椅上，看着向自己跪拜的大臣们，他真有些飘飘然了，宛若自己已做了皇帝一般…… 慈禧太后此举不仅又一次给李莲英抬高身价，助长了他的权势，而且为李莲英公开攫取了一大批金银财宝，让他装入私囊。自此以后，李莲英专横跋扈，目空一切，较前更甚。 俗话说的好：祸兮，福之所倚；福兮，祸之所伏。就在李莲英得意非凡之时，却发生了件意想不到的事……