Chapter 42 1. The foreign devils scared the emperor and queen mother of the Qing Dynasty into running around (1)

The foreign devils broke into the capital, and Li Lianying fled in panic, protecting Cixi and the emperor's relatives. He threw away his armor and armor on the road, and the chickens and dogs barked... The luxurious and extravagant style of the emperor's tour in the past no longer exists... A dilapidated temple outside Juyongguan, the walls are exposed to the wind, the main hall is about to collapse, and the whole temple is empty; behind the main hall is a row of low houses for monks, due to the chaos of war, all the monks fled, making the temple look lifeless, At night, it is even more eerie.But tonight it seemed to be different from the past, as a voice came from the room.From a larger room in the middle, there were intermittent sobs, sighs, and strange voices of comfort; from another room on the east side, there were bursts of sweet snoring...

Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu led their "hunting tour". The people from the "West Bank" left the capital, passed through Guanshi, Nankou, and Guangou, still in shock;Seeing that it was getting late, there were several gunshots from the Buddha in the distance, but the tired people hadn't found a place to eat or spend the night. Life, Empress Dowager Cixi was very uncomfortable.Seeing that Cixi was unhappy, Li Lianying tried every means to make her happy, but for more than a day, people hardly ate anything. The stomach is empty, everyone is panicking with hunger, and wants to be happy, how can there be such emotions?

At this time, people reported that Qin Kuiliang, the magistrate of Yanqing Prefecture, came to pick him up.Cixi rushed to meet him, praised him a few words, got food and a place to live, and finally calmed down a little. That night, the tired fugitives rested with their mules and horses at the fork road (place name) outside Juyongguan.Because the place was originally desolate, and it was recently robbed repeatedly by the Boxers and the fleeing soldiers from the west, so that ten rooms were empty, and a few private houses had collapsed. More than a thousand people had to stay in the abandoned temple for one night.

Li Lianying was slightly injured when he fled. At this moment, enduring the pain, he settled down with the Empress Dowager Cixi, and then left the temple to inspect it.He told the Qing soldiers on duty at night.Dragging his injured body, he groaned and walked towards the temple, preparing to go back to sleep and get up early tomorrow.At this moment, the sound of horseshoes came from the distant mountain road, which was even more crisp at night.Li Lian turned around and turned back again. The experience of just over a day made him timid. He hurriedly asked several Qing soldiers to block the road, but he retreated again and again.But Li Lianying is Li Lianying after all, and while backing away, he shouted loudly at the flying rider in the distance: "Where is the madman, dare to rush here?" In his voice, he couldn't hear it. A little timid.

"Men, are you the master who follows the emperor in the inner court?" Two horses running from a distance approached from time to time, and the man on horseback dismounted and asked. Li Lianying could hear the respectful tone in the other party's tone, she immediately became full of arrogance, and said: "What's the matter, my lord is the eunuch accompanying you, the holy car is here, who are you, since you know that the holy car is here, you startled me in the middle of the night, How many brains do you have?" "Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Gansu Province, led his troops to welcome him. Send the younger ones to report. Since the gentlemen are accompanying eunuchs, please hurry up and play the empress dowager and the emperor, and the younger ones can go back to see you."

The other party hastily replied. Li Lianying was overjoyed when she heard the words, and hurriedly asked, "How many troops did Cen Chunxuan bring?" "There are five battalions of cavalry and infantry, with more than two thousand men." "Okay, you go back and ask Cen Chunxuan to come here to protect Sheng Jia." "yes." After dismissing Cen Chunxuan's people, Li Lianying hurried back to the ruined temple to report to Cixi regardless of her pain.This is the first time Li Lianying has been asked to do something without asking for a bribe since Li Lianying became the chief eunuch.

After the Empress Dowager Cixi escaped from the capital, she was exhausted and hungry for more than a day. When she reached the side road, she finally had food and lodging.Although I lived in a ruined temple, it was far away from the capital after all.In addition, Qin Kuiliang enshrined the bedding, although it couldn't be simpler, but it was much better than having nowhere to live.Although the food is only boiled millet with cabbage, it is already a delicacy for people who are hungry.So after swallowing the cabbage and boiled millet, the Empress Dowager Cixi fell asleep on the quilt donated by Qin Zhizhou.Seeing her master sleeping so soundly, Li Lianying couldn't bear to wake her up, but in this situation, it's okay not to wake her up?This empathetic, winking old lackey is really embarrassed.But he still called out softly: "Lafayette, Lafayette..."

Cixi was woken up in a dream, with a slightly displeased expression on her face.Li Lianying saw that she was awake.Putting his mouth to her ear, he said, "Lafayette, congratulations to you, old man!" "We girls are so lonely in this kind of field, why do you like it?" He gave Li Lianying a look, no Feeling lost the majesty of the past, tears dripped down. Li Lianying quickly persuaded: "Lafayette, don't be sad, old man, I entrust you with great blessings, Cen Chunxuan, the chief of the Gansu feudal clan, will come to pick you up, and wait for the old Buddha to summon you."

When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard this, she was silent for a while, and asked, "Is this the first time for Cen Chunxuan to be stationed in Zhangjiakou?" "Exactly." "He's a loyal minister, he's thoughtful. Lianying, go wake up the emperor and summon Cen Chunxuan." "Follow the order." Emperor Guangxu has been out of Beijing for a day, and he has been silent. He only misses his concubine Zhen in his heart, but just stares in a daze; It's not small, so it's even more in a trance.Tonight, because of the taste of boiled millet with cabbage, he filled his stomach and fell asleep. Now he was woken up by the eunuch. I don't know what happened. Run away!"

Li Lianying hurriedly fell to her knees and said, "I would like to report to the Lord Long Live, Cen Chunxuan, the Governor of Gansu Province, led the crowd to welcome him. Lafayette asked the Lord Long Live to go and summon Cen Chunxuan." Emperor Guangxu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he recovered his indifferent expression in an instant, and then He didn't know whether he was happy because of the arrival of the savior, or because he was proud of seeing Concubine Zhen in his dream, so he raised his head and laughed twice, and went straight out to see Cixi. When Cen Chunxuan saw Cixi and Guangxu, he knelt on the ground with a "plop", only called "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty", and burst into tears.This brought out Cixi's tears again.Empress Dowager Cixi comforted him a few words, praised him a few words, said that fortunately he can still think of the emperor and is a loyal minister, and ordered him to carefully escort him all the way. Once the country is restored in the future, it will definitely benefit him.

After tossing and turning a few times throughout the night, I didn't sleep for a long time, and it was dawn.Cen Chunxuan led the army to protect the holy driver, and led the wounded Li Lianying forward, and arrived at Yulin Fort in half a day.It is very close to Huailai County, the hub of North Road. Due to the important location in Huailai, there were originally two post stations and post horses, and there were plenty of utensils and food. The soldiers are scattered and brave.The county magistrate of Huailai was exhausted by these boxers, and he had no choice but to live in fear.On the night when the emperor stayed in the abandoned temple in the fork road, that is, the night before he drove to Huailai, due to depression, Wu Yong, the magistrate of Wu county, relieved his worries with wine, drank a few more glasses, and passed out in a coma. Fell asleep.Sleeping soundly, being woken up by the old family, County Magistrate Wu was very angry and scolded: "I am not dead, the Boxers don't want me to be safe, and your old man doesn't want me to sleep for a while, disturbing your grandpa's dreams in the middle of the night , It really should be hit." County magistrate Wu was a well-educated and reasonable person, so he didn't want to be so troubled. "Master, master, look at this." As he spoke, the old family handed over a small note.Wu Yong didn't read this note, but when he saw it, he was stunned and swallowed back the accusations against his old family. I saw that the note said: "The empress dowager and the emperor led all the people to drive to the fork road, and they will come to Huai in a short time. I hope to see what you can do to meet them." Wu Yong recognized that the handwriting was written by Qin Kuiliang, and the news he just received was no less than a thunderstorm on a sunny day, which made Wu county magistrate dumbfounded.At this time, his sister-in-law was passing by the door of his room. Seeing this scene, Wu Yong cried out several times before waking up like a dream. It turned out that Wu Yong's hometown was originally in Hunan. He lost his parents since he was a child and was brought up by his widowed sister-in-law.In the thirteenth year of Guangxu's reign in Jinjing, recommended by Guo Songtao, he met Zeng Jize, Yiyong Hou, the servant of the household department, and was appreciated by Zeng Jiyi.Zeng Nv knew Wu Yong very well, and she respected his sister-in-law very much after getting married.Unexpectedly, the good times didn't last long. After three years of marriage, Ms. Zeng died of illness at home.When she was dying, Ms. Zeng asked her husband to treat his elder sister-in-law kindly.So Wu Yong took his eldest sister-in-law into his arms and respected her like a mother.Today, his sister-in-law saw him in a daze in the room, for some reason, she hurriedly called him.Wu Yong woke up and wanted to cover it up with lies, but after thinking about it, it was useless to conceal it at this time, so he said it straight.After hearing this, his sister-in-law was surprised at first, and then said hastily: "The holy driver is coming soon. As an official of food and salary, why don't you hurry up and prepare your things and meet him as soon as possible, why are you so dazed here?" This sentence reminded Magistrate Wu, and Magistrate Wu hurriedly summoned his staff and followers to discuss countermeasures.This group of aides have nothing to do on weekdays, they only recite poems and discuss Taoism together, but when they really need their advice, all of them are "gentlemen who keep their mouths shut", and no one makes a sound.The county magistrate was so anxious that he opened his mouth and cursed: "You idiots, when you eat, you will say that the food is not good, and when you are used, you will all be dumb." Still no one spoke, and Magistrate Wu scolded them one by one.At this time, I heard a voice saying: "Master, this old slave has an idea, I don't know whether to say it or not." Wu Yong followed the sound and saw that the old family members knelt on the ground, lowered their heads, and waited for his instructions.Wu Yong said: "If you have any ideas, just say it, don't kneel down, stand up and say it." The old family stood up and said, "My lord, Shengjia will arrive at our place tomorrow, and there must be no delay in getting ready to pick him up. The empress dowager and the emperor are traveling all the way, and there are only two things we need to prepare for." "Which two?" Wu Yong and his staff asked in unison. "One is to eat, and the other is to live." "No one knows about this, old man, don't be fooled, tell me quickly." "My lord, according to the usual practice, if you have a big business trip, you must go to Yulin Castle to welcome you. Now that the empress dowager and the emperor are here, you should send people to Yulin castle as soon as possible to prepare the palace and meals for the empress dowager and the emperor. Although We are often harassed here, but we are not so poor and destitute. Thinking about the emperor and the others fleeing all the way here, they must have been exhausted from the journey and slept in the open. They didn't even eat a full meal, and they didn't even have a peaceful sleep. , It can be said that people are tired and horses are exhausted. Now we only need to do our best to settle their food and lodging, that is to say, we have done our best as a courtier.In times of distress, the empress dowager and the emperor will not be too particular.Sir, what do you mean? " "Okay, that makes sense, so tell me what we should do specifically?" Wu Yong said in an appreciative tone. "There are only four or five well-known chefs in Huailai County. The master can send them with cooking utensils, and then order soldiers to escort all kinds of food to Yulinbao. All these have to be done overnight, and tomorrow will be too late. Although Huailai is poor I think pork can still be found. Secondly, the master can send people to Yulin Fort overnight to find a few mules and horse shops, tidy them up, and make them a palace. If these things can be done tonight, the master will go to Yulin Fort tomorrow morning Greeting the emperor, welcoming the emperor well, can be regarded as sharing weal and woe with the imperial court, and you are also a hero and loyal minister of the imperial court." "That's great! Li Fugui, you have been following me for so many years. It's really worthless. You've become more and more successful. It's rare to be so thoughtful, and you're even more eloquent when you talk about it. When Shengjia leaves, I will definitely I will reward you greatly." "It's all thanks to the master's teachings in the past, and these are all learned from the master, and these ideas are not all thought up by the villain, most of them are thought up by the eldest wife. From the perspective of the villain, the master has to do it now." Act now, because Yulin Fort has been looted by Boxer bandits and is almost an empty fortress, and all the items needed for the meeting must be transported from our county town, this task is not light, and there must be no delay." Hearing these words, Wu Yong felt admiration for his sister-in-law so much when he thought of his sister-in-law caring so much for him.He sighed in a low voice: "It's hard for my sister-in-law." Then the tense arrangements began. In this way, the official roads from Huailai County to Yulin Fort and between the two places are busy. The next day, Shengjia set off from the fork and headed for Yulin Fort.The weather was not beautiful, and it began to drizzle again, and it rained very densely, overwhelmingly falling down.At this time, on the official road from Huailai City to Yulin Fort, a man dressed as an official in a purple cloak was carried on a black horse, braving the wind and rain, and walked towards Yulin Fort with difficulty.The official on the horse seemed very excited and eager, holding the saddle tightly with one hand, and waving the whip with the other hand to lash the horse's buttocks from time to time.At this time, far ahead, a pack sedan chair loomed, and it was so difficult to walk in the rain. Slowly, the palanquin arrived in front of him, and a thin man with the appearance of a eunuch looked at Wu Yong on the palanquin shaft, and then asked, "Is this the magistrate of Huailai?" "Exactly." Wu Yong nodded to the eunuch, then cupped his hands again. At this time, the people in the sedan chair probably heard their conversation, raised the curtain of the sedan chair, and asked, "But Mr. Wu, the magistrate of Huailai County?" "It's the villain, Mr. Zhao has been driving hard all the way!" He was about to get off his horse and salute, but the Minister of Military Aircraft Zhao Shuqiao hurriedly stopped him and said, "Magistrate Huailai, let me ask you, Shengjia will arrive at Yulin Castle soon, Are the palace and meals ready?" "Returning to my lord, the place has been harassed and plundered by boxers many times, and it is very poor. The villain only knew that the holy car was coming last night, so I made hasty preparations. If there is anything I can't do, I hope Lord Zhao will take care of you. As for the palace and meals The official has ordered someone to deal with it quickly!" Wu Yong replied timidly, bowing his body. "The empress dowager and the emperor left Beijing for two days. They had no accommodation and no meals on the way. They had to worship at will, but it was so far away from the royal meals in the palace. It was really miserable to come all the way. People like the empress dowager and the emperor The golden body, how can I bear it. Now that I have finally come to Huailai, I hope Master Wu will welcome you wholeheartedly. It doesn't matter if the food and housing are simple, as long as the Holy Majesty can have a good peace meal and rest quietly, That's it." Then he said: "Oh, yes, Shengjia is right behind, hurry up and pick him up!" Wu Yong said "yes", resigned from Zhao Junji, rode his horse and galloped forward, arriving at Yulin Fort in no time.The rain didn't know when it stopped, but the sky was still gloomy as if it was about to fall. Due to the chaos of war and banditry, all the residents of Yulin Fort escaped, only the people who came from Huailai last night to pick them up.They didn't rest from last night until dawn, and at dawn, they were almost ready. As soon as Wu Yong arrived in Yulin Fort, he checked around to see how his subordinates were doing with the work he had arranged.He was very satisfied with the work of the chefs; as for the palace, there used to be several mule and horse shops in Yulinbao, but all the people fled, and there were not many utensils left in the shops, and most of them were mutilated people.Among these stores, Jixiang store has the best condition, not only spacious, but also elegant.The county magistrate Wu asked Bingyong to look for tables, chairs and benches in other stores. After a sigh of relief, I hung up and felt a lot more at ease in my heart.Just when he was about to stop, he heard someone shouting from the street outside: "Here, here, the emperor is here." Huailai county magistrate stepped out of the shop door, looked towards the end of the street, and saw a rider coming towards the center of the street.In the distance, there seems to be a mighty team in action.County Magistrate Wu felt an indescribable tension and excitement in his heart. That person rode up in front of him.Wu Yongcai recognized that the person on the horse was his old acquaintance in Beijing and China, Mr. Su Wu, and he knelt down after calling out "Master Wu".The fifth master got off his horse, helped him up, and asked, "Yuchuan (Wu Yongzi), Zhao Junji went to the front to visit, have you met him?" "Go back to the prince, I have seen Zhao Junji in the past." "Well, how is the palace prepared and where is it?" "Time is short, so we can only temporarily use this store as a residence. The inside has been cleaned up." Wu Yong said with a bow. "Very good. The driver will be there soon. The Empress Dowager is sitting in the four-carried sedan chair sent by Tingqingzhou, walking in front; behind are four pack sedan chairs; in the first ride, there are Long Live God and Lun Beizi; in the second ride, there are It's the queen; the third one is the elder brother; the fourth one is the chief executive Li Lianying, he's injured. Go pick him up quickly." "According to Fifth Master's care." "Remember, I will pick you up later, and you can stand up when the empress dowager's sedan chair and the emperor's car enter the shop." Fifth Lord Su whispered. "Yes, yes!" Wu Yong replied hastily. A long line came over, and in front were dozens of imperial guards, galloping forward on horses.When they arrived at the door of the auspicious store, the guards headed by them looked at Wu Yong and shouted: "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, come here—" Wu Yong involuntarily flicked his court clothes and straightened his clothes.Immediately he waved his hands bravely to his soldiers, and those soldiers ran to the back of the ranks of the imperial guards bravely and sensiblely, standing in a row. There were crisp footsteps at the end of the street, and there was no other sound on the street. Everyone on the street was waiting nervously and patiently. The queen mother's sedan chair finally arrived, and Wu Yong knelt down very solemnly and courteously. "Chen Huailai County Magistrate Wu Yong, kneel down to receive the empress dowager!" This loud shout lifted the spirits of all the people present. Then Emperor Guangxu's palanquin came in front of Wu Yong again.Wu Yong hurriedly lowered his head, and shouted loudly: "Chen Huailai, Wu Yong, the magistrate of the county, kneel down to welcome the emperor!" Emperor Guangxu's sedan chair did not stop, and passed by in a blink of an eye.Wu Yong watched the emperor's sedan chair pass by, and hurriedly dodged to the side, letting the sedan chair behind him pass by one by one, and entered the auspicious shop.Seeing the sedans entering the store one by one, he let out a long sigh and sat on the stone bench in front of the store. There were about ten mule carts that came with them, some with double sets and some with single sets. One by one, they stopped at the entrance of the auspicious store. All of a sudden, they rushed into the store.Immediately afterwards, a group of eunuchs walked into the shop carelessly.A group of ministers from the DPRK and China crowded the street, blocking the way of the people behind.Wu Yong hastily stepped forward to invite them to go to the other two mules and horse shops to rest, while he was still waiting in front of the Jixiang shop, waiting for the summons from inside. "Where is the magistrate? Where is the magistrate?" A man dressed as an official came out of the shop and looked around. "It's a humble job." Wu Yong hastily greeted him. "We were starving the whole way, don't you know? Find something to feed us." Before Wu Yong could answer, he heard a piercing voice behind him: "Who is the county magistrate of Huailai?" Before Wu Yong could answer, the soldiers on the street pointed at Wu Yong and said, "Second Chief, he is." The one who is called the second chief is obviously the second chief eunuch Cui Yugui.Wu Yong bowed his head and said, "Sir, it's a humble job." "The higher ups are calling you!" Cui Yugui said aggressively. Wu Yong obediently followed Cui Yugui inside.Walking into the hallway, Cui Yugui said to Wu Yong: "Wait here, Director Li will be here soon." After speaking, he looked at Wu Yong and smiled.Wu Yong laughed so hard that he felt embarrassed. After Li Lianying was injured, she still served in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi as always. The Empress Dowager Cixi often asked him to rest when he saw that his injury was not serious and he was unable to move. But in order to please his master, he would rather suffer a little bit of fatigue than give this opportunity to others.But after all, there are still injuries, and the legs and feet are not very flexible after all.So Cixi couldn't bear to order him, so she asked Cui Yugui to do it.As soon as they arrived at Yulin Fort, Cixi was settled first, and Cui Yugui was asked to come out to find Huailai county magistrate.He returned a few words with Empress Dowager Cixi in the room, and then came out to see Wu Yong. Wu Yong had seen Li Lianying in Beijing before, and now he saw Li Lianying limping out. He wanted to step forward to help him, but felt it was wrong, so he had to watch him walk over. When Li Lianying arrived, she yelled at Cui Yugui, "You man, why haven't you even found the magistrate of Huailai after a long time?" "Isn't that what it is?" Cui Yugui retorted him. Li Lianying sized Wu Yong up with his sharp eyes and said, "Is this the man?" "Wu Yong, the humble officer, greets the chief manager." Wu Yong was about to kneel down when he said that, but Li Lianying grabbed him. "Master County, how can I accept such a big gift from you. There is no need to be strict with the ceremony, I will never dare to be it." "The manager is considered to be a member of Yue Zhang's generation, so he deserves to be greeted." "He is the second son-in-law of Yiyonghou Zeng Jize." Cui Yugui rushed to explain for him. "I know! In the past, I often went to Zeng Shilang's house. Miss Zeng Er also met him, so she must be at Master Wu's residence together." "Return to the manager, my humble wife has passed away." "Did you pass away?" Li Lianying felt a little surprised, "Master Wu is really miserable! Yugui, Lafayette is urging you, take him quickly. I have to do some chores." He staggered as he spoke walked out of the hall. "Is Manager Li injured?" Seeing his posture, Wu Yong asked timidly. "That's right, Director Li was seriously injured in order to save Lafayette. Mrs. Wu County, in your arms, I will find a doctor who can pinch bones to treat the injury of Director Li." Cui Yugui said. "Definitely." Wu Yong agreed, said goodbye to Li Lianying, and followed Cui Yugui to see the Empress Dowager Cixi. Shengjia was placed in a country house that was bright and dark. There was a dilapidated square table in the middle of the room, and a grand master's chair was placed on the left and right sides of the table.Her Majesty sat in the chair on the right. Cui Yugui took Wu Yong outside the house and announced, "The magistrate of Huailai County is here!" Then he raised the door curtain and waved to Wu Yong, signaling to let him in. Wu Yong stepped into the door, knelt down on the ground, reported his resume, took off his hat, and kowtowed. "Are you a bannerman or a Han Chinese?" Cixi asked. "Han people." "Which province is it from?" "Zhejiang." "Which word is your name?" "Yong of Yongkang in Changle." "Oh, is it the word 'Yong' with a little bit on top of the word 'Shui'?" "yes." "How long have you been here?" "Three years." "How far is the county seat from here?" Cixi asked. "Twenty-five miles." "Everything is supplied, are you ready?" "Already prepared, but only believed last night. The time is short, and it is not comprehensive enough, so I am terrified." "It's good to be prepared." The Empress Dowager Cixi burst into tears.Weeping and saying: "I have traveled hundreds of miles with the emperor, and almost no one paid attention to it. Now that we have arrived in Huailai County, you are welcome in your clothes. You are really a loyal minister." "Lafayette, what's the matter? Who made you sad again? It must be the county magistrate of Huailai." Li Lianying, who did not know when she appeared, said. "Lianying, don't wrong him, who dares to make me sad? It's me who thinks of the bitterness of this journey, and I can't help but want to cry." Li Lianying said: "The county magistrate of Huailai is quite conscientious. After walking all the way, he met his loyal minister who picked him up here." Cixi said to Wu Yong: "It's easier for you to kneel up and talk." Then he said: "When I came out of the capital with the emperor, few of the people were seen, and even the officials were nowhere to be seen." "Lafayette, take a rest and send him down." Li Lianying said. "Wu Yong, you can prove your loyalty to the imperial court if you can meet him, and you can be regarded as my loyal minister!" Cixi said. "The emperor's kindness is mighty, and I dare not not swear allegiance to the death." In order to change the subject and not make Empress Dowager Cixi sad, Li Lianying asked Wu Yong: "Master Wu, Lafayette and Long Live have suffered a lot along the way, and have been hungry for two days and two nights. Have you got your food ready? " "The table is ready." "You don't need to be so particular, as long as you have something to satisfy your hunger." Cixi interjected without waiting for Wu Yong to finish speaking. "I also cooked three pots of millet porridge for the followers." Wu Yong continued. After hearing this, Empress Dowager Cixi showed a few smiles on her face after two days of sorrow. I also didn't care about the image, and said excitedly: "Hurry up and take it in, hurry up and take it in, the journey is frustrating. Let's go." After receiving the order to leave, Wu Yong stood up.Due to kneeling for too long, Wu Yonggang was a little unsteady when he stood up.He endured the numbness and retreated to the door. "Don't rush away, you should go to see the emperor first." Empress Dowager Cixi stopped Wu Yong, and then said to Director Li: "Lianying, lead him to see the emperor." Wu Yong followed Cixi's will and stood waiting for him to take him to the emperor.After waiting for a long time, there was no movement, so he looked at Mr. Li with a questioning look. "Why don't you kowtow to the emperor, why isn't he standing in front of you?" Only then did Wu Yong realize that when he entered the room, the thin and haggard young man standing next to the grand master's chair on the left was the Emperor Guangxu.So he immediately followed the audience ceremony and kowtowed to Emperor Guangxu for a while. Emperor Guangxu only glanced at Wu Yong, didn't say a word, just waved to him.Li Lianying understood, pulled him and knelt back in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi.Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Go down and rest." Wu Yong then withdrew. Li Lianying followed him out and ordered: "Bring in the meal quickly, people are almost starving to death." Wu Yong arrived at the door of the auspicious store, sent soldiers to pick up the meal that had been prepared earlier, and personally accompanied it to the empress dowager and the empress dowager. Outside the gate of the emperor's palace, Cui Yugui sent him into the room.Wu Yong didn't dare to leave, for fear of any instructions from above. Wu Yong was waiting silently.Li Lianying came out, raised her thumbs up and said: "Very well, Lafayette is very happy. If you serve him attentively, it will benefit you sooner or later." "Depending on the steward's care." "Lafayette said she wanted to smoke hookah, and asked you to find some paper matchsticks for hookah smoking." Wu Yong thought for a while, groped in his pocket, and took out a stack of toilet paper. "What's the use of this thing?" Li Lianying said impatiently. "Boss, don't worry, it's useful, just sit here and wait for a while." Wu Yong cut straw paper into long strips, and then rolled them into paper sticks, that is, paper media. "You're really good." Mr. Li praised and went into the house with a paper matchmaker. Wu Yong was at a loss in the yard, Xiang Yu was in a daze, Li Lianying patted him on the shoulder, which startled Wu Yong, he suddenly came back to his senses, bowed his head and waited for orders. "You are so blessed that Lafayette passed you on again." After Li Lianying finished speaking, she turned her head and walked into the house, Wu Yong followed. The Empress Dowager Cixi was still sitting on a chair on the right, holding a paper matchmaker in one hand and a hookah in the other, smoking leisurely. "They said just now that you've done a good job and done a good job." "Lafayette's praise, these are all matters of the minister's duty, and it should be so." "I've been out for two days, and I don't know what's going on in the capital. Have you heard any news, tell me." "It's definitely not a big deal." Li Lianying rushed to speak, while making faces at Wu Yongzhi, signaling him not to talk nonsense. "Lianying, let him talk, don't interrupt." Cixi was a little unhappy, she turned her head and said to Wu Yong: "Just talk, don't talk to him." "There are two pieces of good news. One is that Jiang Shangjun, the commander-in-chief of Henan Province, arrived in Gyeonggi and stopped the foreigners' pursuit. The other is that Guangdong Province sent people to set up a detour to drive here." "That's good news. Have you heard any bad news?" "Li Hongzhang has not arrived in Beijing yet." When Cixi heard this, she didn't say a word, as if she was thinking.Li Lianying was afraid that she would feel sad again, so she said to her: "Lafayette, let him go! He hasn't rested for a moment today." The Empress Dowager Cixi ignored it and asked Wu Yong again: "What do you need for driving?" Are you all ready?" "It's already ready." "It's still up to you, and you have to do things properly. Get up early tomorrow morning and drive, you can rest and go." A peaceful night passed like this.In the early morning of the next day, people who had rested all night regained their energy, and all kinds of sedan chairs, pack sedan chairs, and mule carts also seemed to have vitality. Li Lianying appeared at the entrance of Jixiang Store. He raised his head and looked around for a while, then climbed onto the stone bench in front of the store and shouted loudly: "Let's drive!" Following this shout, the crowd became chaotic, and everyone looked for their proper positions, or their horses and mounts.After the chaos stopped, Cixi transferred to Wu Yong's sedan chair and was carried out.Li Lianying is holding a horse with her left hand, and holding the sedan chair with her right hand. Last night, the county magistrate of Huailai found a well-known local bone maker to treat Li Lianying's injuries.Today, he no longer needs to sit in a palanquin, but has to ride a horse by himself to serve the Empress Dowager Cixi. "Wu Yonggong, the magistrate of Huailai County, sent the emperor to drive!" Cixi nodded to him in the sedan chair and passed.The second sedan chair belonged to Yanqing Prefecture, and Emperor Guangxu sat in it. "Huailai is Wu Yonggong, the prefect of the county, sending the emperor to ride!" Emperor Guangxu sat in the sedan chair, listening but not hearing, dumbfounded.As soon as the sedan chair left the store, Wu Yong hurriedly got up from the ground, allowing the people, horses and vehicles inside to squeeze out the door. Luanjia is far away, still so sad and chaotic.County Magistrate Wu let out a long breath... Li Lianying accompanied Empress Dowager Cixi and protected Emperor Guangxu, and drove away from her arms. He arrived in Xuanhua, Hebei on July 27 (lunar calendar) in the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu.Shengjia stayed in Xuanhua for four days, started Luan on the first day of August, crossed the Dayang River, crossed Zhi'er Ridge, arrived in Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province on the sixth day of August, and then drove into Shanxi. The county magistrate of Tianzhen heard that Shengjia had arrived in Xuanhua.Ask the countrymen to prepare various items for pick-up.However, because the emperor stayed in Xuanhua for more than five days, all the prepared food had rotted, and it was too late for the emperor to finish it. In the name of supervising the handling, Cen Chunxuan blamed the county magistrate, saying, "Look how many heads you have grown. "The county magistrate of Tianzhen was so frightened that he committed suicide by taking poison.It can be seen that wherever Sheng Jia goes, what he brings to the local area is not happiness, but disaster. Since the news of Shengjia's westward move spread quickly, and because the county magistrate of Tianzhen had "self-determinated in fear of crime" because he had not been serving the empress dowager and the emperor for a long time, after Shengjia entered Shanxi, all the villages and towns he went to were squires. Celebrities welcome filial piety, not so much respect to the empress dowager as fear of them.On the seventh day of the lunar new year, Huang Li arrived at Yanggao County, and on the ninth day of the lunar new year, he arrived at Datong Mansion.All the officers and soldiers below the commander-in-chief in Datong Mansion all went out of the city for fifty miles, and lined up to meet them.Although Mr. Li was injured, thanks to Wu Yong, the magistrate of Huailai County, he took good care of him.It's all right now.As the living and transportation conditions got better and better, the Empress Dowager Xi gradually showed a smile on her face, and she began to put on the airs of the empress dowager, forgetting the suffering capital.Director Li, known as "the shadow of the Empress Dowager Cixi", danced more and more happily, and the director's airs became bigger and bigger. Entering Datong City, the two palaces lived in the government office, and every meal was full of fish and meat, and the offerings were extremely rich.Empress Dowager Cixi's face, which had been gloomy for many days, finally broke into a smile.It was very difficult for Li Lianying to escort her with injuries. Empress Dowager Cixi saw it in her eyes and felt pain in her heart. When she arrived in Datong, she first ordered the general army of Datong to find the best doctor to heal Li Lianying's injuries.After oral administration and external application, Mr. Li's injury has basically healed.Li Lianying was grateful to the Empress Dowager, and served her well before and after her.The Empress Dowager Cixi was afraid that he would be injured and tired, so she would not allow him to accompany her.But he said: "Serving Lafayette is the bounden duty of a slave. If I don't serve you for a moment, I feel uncomfortable in my heart and my hands are itchy." Cixi felt very uncomfortable after hearing this.On the 2nd day of staying in Datong, on the 11th, the Luanjia brigade set off from Datong Mansion to the south. On the next day, they crossed the Sanggan River, and on the 13th, they passed Yanmen Pass and came directly to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province. Since Datong's enlightenment, Cen Chunxuan has shown great concern for the empress dowager and the emperor, and has the intention of competing with Li Lianying for favor.The Empress Dowager Cixi also appreciates it very much, but it is just an extra helper in times of distress.It can be said that Li Lianying's position beside Cixi is impossible for anyone to replace. August 15th, Mid-Autumn Festival.Drive to Xinzhou.The palace is located in the Gongyuan, where the furnishings are magnificent.The magistrate of Xinzhou offered all kinds of fresh fruits, moon cakes, etc., and the moonlight was very beautiful, creating a festive atmosphere in the palace.The empress dowager was radiant, looking at the moon and talking and laughing, feeling very uncomfortable.The accompanying people were all happy, but there was only one person who ignored these things and just stared at the moon and thought deeply.This man was Emperor Guangxu, the son of heaven.The next day, to Yangqu County.Xu Handu of Taiyuan Prefecture and Bai Chang of Yangqu Ling are here to welcome them.The brigade stopped for a while, then came to Taiyuan.As they were marching, two soldiers escorted an eunuch to see Cen Chunxuan. "My lord, this eunuch snatched a commoner's horse and was seen by a villain. I hope your lord will deal with it." "Whose father-in-law are you, why do you steal people's horses?" "My lord, the little one is in the elder brother's room. Because the little man's horse was exhausted from running around, and died of illness the day before yesterday, and the little one had no horse to ride, so he asked a resident of the city for his horse in Yangqu. Yun, so grab it." "Well, take him down first." Cen Chunxuan said bravely to the two soldiers. It turned out that since leaving the capital, the team that came with them was of all kinds, miscellaneous and chaotic, so accidents often occurred.Although there is a unified official, due to loose control, it is almost impossible to form an army.After Cen Chunxuan forked the road to greet him, Empress Dowager Cixi handed over all the troops to him.Cen Chunxuan was well aware of the importance of the army at this time, so he strictly enforced discipline and beheaded all violators, which made him famous.But it was the first time I saw the eunuch robbing the horse, and it was the eunuch in the elder brother's room. Cen Chunxuan really found it difficult to handle.So he urged his horse to go to Li Lianying. "李总管，大阿哥房里的小太监在阳曲县城里抢人的马匹，被兵勇发现，现已擒住。您看该怎样处理？我觉得他年纪还小，而且抢马也不是什么大不了的事，又是初犯，就饶了他算啦。"岑春暄找到了李莲英，小声对他说。 "不成，这些小家伙这一段时间太猖狂了，得刹刹他们的气焰。小小年纪就敢恃势做恶，等大了还不得来抢我们大阿哥的皇位。留着麻烦，和别的犯法的一样，砍了得了。这可是你岑大人定的规矩。"李莲英说完，回也不回一下头，打马直往前面追慈禧的轿子去了。 岑春暄自己思量，这太监是大阿哥房里的，无论如何也杀不得，但不杀又不能服众。岑春暄眉头一皱，计上心头。到了行刑之前，他把刀斧手叫到近前，吩咐道："这个太监是大阿哥房里的太监，随驾千里，挺不容易的。只因抢人之马被处死，也太可怜了。在行刑时，手下留情，免他一死。懂得我的意思吗？" "懂得。" 执刑的刀斧手先杀了几名违犯军纪的国法的旗兵，到杀大阿哥房中的小太监时，只轻轻一刀，未伤脖颈。那太监当然未死，他起身便跑。被旗兵抓住，要求处死他。岑春暄没有办法，只得下令杀了他，葬于道边。 八月十七日，车驾到达太原。山西省巡抚毓贤率蕃司以下的文武官员，在太原城外十里地齐集迎驾。慈禧太后听说毓贤来接驾，就对李莲英说："莲英，叫毓贤到我轿前来。" "毓大人，老佛爷唤您轿前回话。" 毓贤，曾在八国联军入侵中国时，力倡以义和团反抗外敌人侵，受到庄亲王载勋、端郡王载漪、辅国公载澜、刑部尚书赵舒翘、英年等大臣的支持。当时毓贤曾极言义和团神威，慈禧才决心用义和团抗击八国联军。现在八国联军已攻占了京师，提出了议和条件，第一件就是要求清政府惩办拳匪头目，所以西太后想见见毓贤。 "山西省巡抚臣毓贤叩见皇太后。" "毓贤，去年你请训出京时，力言义和团如何厉害，如何可靠，可惜事实证明你错了。现在京师已被洋人攻破。我和皇上一路蒙尘，来到了这里。看看山西境内，确实没有洋人踪迹，这也算你奉旨行事，有功于朝廷了。但洋人一旦报仇，必索祸首，我将不得不把你革职。但你不必因此伤心。这种做法只不过是掩外国人的耳目，为国家长久计议不得不如此。 你要知道我的用意才好。 " "微臣捉拿洋人，好似网中取鱼，瓮中捉鳖，即使小孩子和小洋狗，也不会逃脱的。老佛爷为国家计，臣能理解，而且臣已做好了革职受罚的准备。义和团的失败，是由于他们纪律不严，且扰乱治安，滥杀无辜。"毓贤振振有词地回答着慈禧太后，但心中却惴惴不安，有一种不祥的感觉。不几日，山西巡抚即被革职。回完了话，毓贤把圣驾迎入太原，并以巡抚衙门为行宫。巡抚衙门堂皇壮丽，有点像宫廷。其中最难得的是行宫中的帘帷被褥和一切陈设器件。这些东西难得就难得在都是嘉庆年间皇帝巡幸五台山时制办的，预备行宫御用。后来御驾未至，所以就全部收起来，置于太原藩库之中。历任藩司，都不敢擅自取出，只在门上加换封条。自嘉庆至光绪，已历数斡，门上封条已还数十层。现今皇驾即至，要制办官中器物时，才想起了这些沉睡了许多年的古董，于是打开库门，查看了一番，竟丝毫没有破损且皆灿烂如新制。 遂轻松拿来，把个巡抚衙门装点得四壁生辉、雍容典雅。慈禧太后住进行宫，有一种到家的感觉。李莲英忙里忙外，侍候主子，好不殷勤。 太原可算是一个大站了，慈禧太后打算在这里暂住下来，看着全国的局势，看着洋人的攻势，何去何从再作定夺。于是在太原慈禧太后开始正而八经地摆起了皇太后的架子。当日到达太原，沐浴更衣，梳妆打扮，好不惬意。李莲英一边给她梳头，一边和她聊天，真是其乐融融。 太原府准备的行宫，慈禧住得舒服，高兴；太原府供奉的膳食，慈禧吃着可口，更高兴。光绪皇帝仍是什么事都不过问，好像这个国家压根儿就不是他的。他似乎已经忘记了自己还姓爱新觉罗，是努尔哈赤的后代。在路上行走时还好一些，他看到逃难的人民，就想到自己是国君，应该向黎民负责，可自己现在也在逃难，百姓的生活一定更苦。想到这里，他就想逃离这支队伍，离开皇帝的位子，但他天生懦弱，又没有那么大的勇气。所以自己在不停地同自己的思想做斗争。一见到慈禧，他的思维就乱了，不知道干什么，也不知道说什么，只是一味地沉默。