Chapter 43 1. The foreign devils scared the emperor and queen mother of the Qing Dynasty into running around (2)

Along the way, in a hurry and exhausted, Li Lianying had very few opportunities to show her talents.Now that he was going to live in Taiyuan for a while, Li Lianying resumed his old career, using his best skills to please the Empress Dowager Cixi.Empress Dowager Cixi attaches the most importance to her own hair, and likes all kinds of new hairstyles the most.In the palace back then, if Li Lianying hadn't combed her hair well, how could she have been appreciated by Cixi so easily.In order to win favor, Li Lianying worked hard. Whenever he had time, he went outside the palace gate to observe the bustling crowd. He didn't look at anything else but the style of the woman's hair bun. He kept it in his heart. Its essentials, and then updated, to comb the hairstyle that satisfies the Empress Dowager Cixi.This is how Li Lianying got favor, and he never forgot even while fleeing for his life.

"Lafayette, today I will give you a new comb. This is what a servant saw outside yesterday." Li Lianying said to Cixi with a smile while combing her hair. "Lianying, it's hard for you to remember my preferences!" "As long as you are happy, you are a slave's blessing." "Oh, I don't know how the emperor's spirit is. Has it improved?" Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly changed the subject. "Don't worry, Lafayette. The emperor is just tired all the way. He has no other illnesses. He will recover after rest. ——Okay, okay, it will be fine soon. Lafayette, what do you think of this style?"

"Well, you are the only one who knows how to play tricks." The Empress Dowager Cixi said, like a young girl in love, with a slight blush on her face. "Lafayette, Rong Zhongtang is here for the memorial." Li Lianying said, handing over Rong Lu's memorial. When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard that there was Ronglu's memorial, her eyes lit up and she took it.The play said: The morning of July 21st.Servants enter the palace.It was only known that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had already made a tour, and they met with the Minister of the Household Department, Chongqi, and planned to follow the car. At that time, the gates of the northeast city were closed, so it was just a detour.The slave thinks about the most important task at this time, the first is to collect the army, but after meeting Song Qing and Dong Fuxiang several times, he knows that our soldiers have been defeated repeatedly and suffered heavy losses. crash.The slave came from Tong Chongqi to Baoding.Located in Jianhua Academy, the final court discusses the rescue strategy.Chongqi was so sad that she hanged herself from the beam the next morning. There was a note beside her, a letter to the slave, and several poems about death. The slave would like to present the note to the imperial court.Chongqi died for the country with her own life, and should be deeply sympathized by my empress dowager. She is always upright and honest, and she hates herself for being unable to save the country's destiny.In this critical situation, the servant lost this good friend, and his heart ached deeply.The slave is in charge of the Beiyang army, and he is still alive, so he can only do his best and bear the heavy responsibility.Now he is taking care of the affairs behind Chongqi.

I would like to describe the circumstances of his martyrdom in detail, thinking that the empress dowager and the emperor will give him a gift of sympathy to comfort the loyal soul after reading it.The slave then rushed to the Taiyuan Palace immediately, and tried his best, and asked for the crime of inability to mediate. After watching, Empress Dowager Cixi remained silent for a long time, and then sighed a long time: "Oh, what a pity for Chongqi's loyal minister." Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke. "Lafayette, you should be happy to have such a loyal minister. People cannot be resurrected after death, so it is important for Lafayette to take care of his health!"

"Lianying, without you on this journey, I don't think I would be able to live today." Such a strong woman, in this situation, actually uttered such weak words. "What did you say, the old man, Lafayette is blessed with great blessings, and his life is boundless." "You're the only one who can talk." The Empress Dowager Cixi was more than half irritated by his teasing. After entering Taiyuan, Empress Dowager Cixi resumed her old habit in the palace. Every day, officials from all over the country are called to meet and discuss the current situation.Every time Chen Zuo was summoned to finish his official business, he would speak softly and make the officials speak freely.Sometimes when asked about the sufferings of the people, the pros and cons of local areas, we must get to the bottom of it, and we will never tire of it.One day, she was talking to Xu Handu, the magistrate of Taiyuan, when Li Lianying hurried in and whispered something in her ear.She was silent for a while, and said to Xu Handu: "You go down now, so that you can serve the emperor, and you will benefit from it in the future."

Xu Handu went out thankfully. "Where is Ronglu?" Cixi asked Li Lianying. "Rong Zhongtang has arrived outside Taiyuan City." "He's in the city, let him come to me." "Follow the order." Li Lianying responded and walked out. Rong Lu hurried to Taiyuan after finishing the funeral of Shangshu Chongqi.On the way, his wife suddenly became seriously ill and died at the border between Hebei and Jin.Bumpy all the way, finally came to the emperor's palace.Li Lianying was ordered by the Queen Mother to wait for Rong Lu on the top of the city. Seeing that Rong Lu was approaching, she went out of the city to meet him.

"Rong Zhongtang has worked hard all the way." Li Lianying said, bowing his hands to Rong Lu. "Boss Li escorted you hard. Are the empress dowager and the emperor safe?" Rong Lu also bowed his hands to Li Lianying as a return gift. "Lafayette, Long Live Lord is well. It's just that Lafayette misses his loyal ministers, so he wants Zhongtang to go directly to the palace to answer. The family members will be settled by themselves." "Let the manager worry about it." After Rong Lu finished speaking, he and Li Lianying got on the horse and galloped towards the governor's office.

"Rongzhong Hall is here!" Li Lianying shouted loudly when they arrived at Cixi's residence.At the same time, he raised the door curtain and signaled Rong Lu to enter. "Chen Ronglu kowtowed to the empress dowager and the emperor." At some point, there was an extra emperor in the house. "Rong Lu, you are still a loyal minister, and you have come from such a long distance." After speaking, the Empress Dowager Cixi sobbed softly again. "For the sake of the country's safety, Rong Lu is devastated and will not hesitate to do so. I beg Lafayette to take care of himself." Rong Lu replied neither humble nor overbearing.

"Foreigners invaded, the country has become like this, and the capital has been occupied by foreigners. How do you see our life?" Empress Dowager Cixi showed a pitiful expression on her face. Rong Lu has always been straightforward, and said bluntly: "In my opinion, there is only one way to go. That is to kill Duanjun Wang and other princes and ministers who help Yihequan, and then I have to go back to Beijing and always hang around outside. It's not a problem, you must have a long-term residence." Empress Dowager Cixi didn't say anything for a long time, Rong Lu knelt on the ground and waited silently.Li Lianying hurriedly leaned into Cixi's ear and said, "Lafayette, Rong Zhongtang has had a tough journey, let him go back to rest! You should rest too, old man!"

Cixi regained her composure and said, "Go down and rest!" Rong Lu kowtowed and retreated. One question that has been troubling Empress Dowager Cixi these days is where to go now.Should he go back to Beijing as Rong Lu said, or not go back, and if he doesn't go back, where should he go?Should we just stay in Taiyuan, or, as Zhang Zhidong said in his memorial, "move the capital to Dangyang, Hubei", or go to Xi'an Prefecture? Empress Dowager Cixi summoned so many ministers and convened several military meetings, only this issue was discussed.Moreover, there are different opinions, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. It is really difficult to draw a consistent conclusion.

Just when the Empress Dowager Cixi was thinking about it, and it was difficult to make a decision, the Eight-Power Allied Forces helped her.That day the Empress Dowager was meditating, when Li Lian suddenly sang outside the door: "Rong Zhongtang is here!" breaking Cixi's contemplation. Rong Lu entered the door, after saluting, he said in a heavy tone: "To Lafayette, I just heard the news from Shijiazhuang that the German and French allied forces marched westward and have now entered Guguan Town in the east of Shanxi; Attacking Xuanhua from the northwest, the situation in Taiyuan is critical." This sudden news shocked the Empress Dowager Cixi with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape. At this time, Guangxu suddenly broke in from outside the house and shouted at the Empress Dowager Cixi: "Dear father, let's run away, the foreign soldiers are coming again." I don't know where he got the news from.After Guangxu finished speaking, he fell at Cixi's feet. Cixi looked at Emperor Guangxu's pitiful appearance, sneered, and asked, "Rong Lu, what do you think?" Only then did Emperor Guangxu realize that Rong Lu was beside him, bowed his head and knelt down, turned around and pulled Rong Lu's sleeve, and said, "Rong Zhongtang save me! Rong Zhongtang save me!" "Emperor..." The Empress Dowager Cixi only shouted "Emperor" and was speechless. "Your Majesty, don't worry, it is the duty of a humble official to protect the holy car. Even if the minister is dead, he must also keep the holy car safe." Rong Lu replied with his head down. Emperor Guangxu seemed to understand Rong Lu's words and smiled at him.Li Lianying helped him to a chair next to the Empress Dowager Cixi.Emperor Guangxu sat down in relief, innocently like a child. Empress Dowager Cixi didn't even look at the emperor, she just stared at Rong Lu, waiting for his answer. "In my humble opinion, Taiyuan is in a tight spot right now, and returning to the capital is indeed dangerous. It is better to go to Shaanxi for a while and patrol Xi'an. After the agreement is reached, the barbarians in the capital retreat and return to Luan. I wonder what Lafayette thinks?" "That's the only way to go." Therefore, the Empress Dowager Cixi issued an edict, saying: I respectfully invite you to stay in Taiyuan for nearly 20 days. The province is in a famine year. There are thousands of rides and thousands of horses. If it doesn't work, the necessary requirements for travel outside Beijing will be delayed every time.As a last resort, I chose to move westward to Chang'an on the eighth day of the eighth day of the leap month. After intense preparations, Shengjia is about to set off again.Everything is ready, there is only one thing that Empress Dowager Cixi is worried about, and that is the negotiations with the capital.I don’t know what Yikuang and Li Hongzhang did, they have been unable to reach an agreement with foreigners; I don’t know what these foreigners did, occupying other people’s capitals, killing people of other countries, plundering other countries’ property, why they are so tough on peace negotiations, Not giving in at all. This made Empress Dowager Cixi very anxious.Seeing that her master was upset, Li Lianying knew what was on her mind, so she joined her. "Lafayette, old man, don't worry. You have to negotiate a peace slowly. That's not a matter of urgency. I see, the foreigners messed around in our Qing Dynasty for nothing but our land. Grab our money. Lafayette, what are you afraid of? No matter who you starve, you will not be hungry. Foreigners want our land, give him some, want our gold and silver, give him some, anyway In our Qing Dynasty, there are so many of these things, why bother with those red-haired ghosts?" Empress Dowager Cixi thought about it and said, "There is no other way. Lianying, your name is Rong Lulai." After a while, Rong Lu came.Cixi discussed with Rong Lu again, and then asked Rong Lu to call Li Hongzhang of the capital to explain what he meant. On the eighth day of August in the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu, the Empress Dowager Cixi took her Li Lianying, her emperor, and her entourages away.She left behind the will of "measuring the material power of China and forming a bond with the country" and fled to Xi'an. After staying in Taiyuan for more than a month, the two palaces have been heading south from here.This time, the number of accompanying troops has greatly increased. In addition to the Eight Banners troops, there are also escorts from Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan and other places. The momentum is much longer than before.The brigade of people shouted and hugged, opened roads in the mountains, and built bridges in the water. It was so smooth to move. Yu Jia was even more ostentatious. The face of the Empress Dowager Cixi was no longer the same as when she left the capital, she was always drawn with a heavy smile, but with a pleasant complexion, and when she was teased by Li Lianying, she could show one or two bright smiles.The entourage also did not have the panicked appearance of a month ago, and all of them seemed to be out for a visit, laughing and joking along the way.Wherever you go, you will be greeted and seen off, so you don't have to worry about having no food, no water to drink, or nowhere to rest.The whole team does not look like a fleeing army, but it seems to be reliving Qin Shihuang's old dream of traveling the world.It's so enviable.Now Li Lianying doesn't have to worry about anything else, she just concentrates on serving the Empress Dowager, and if there is a chance, she can get some money to fill her own pocket. These can be said to be the two most important tasks of Manager Li.When he walked during the day, he rode a horse to follow the Empress Dowager's sedan chair, and served the Empress Dowager in her daily life at night. Due to the escort of multiple troops, Luanjia traveled very fast.Travel at least seventy or eighty miles every day.Departing from Taiyuan, traveling southward not far, arriving at Houma Town, Gang Yi Gang Zhongtang died of illness due to his old age and exhausted pommel horse.The Empress Dowager Cixi was very sad and sighed because of the loss of this loyal minister.It was not easy to be persuaded by Li Lianying.The brigade continued to head south, and arrived at Fenglingdu on the bank of the Yellow River more than ten days later. Fenglingdu is a famous Yellow River ferry since ancient times.After walking for so many days, we finally saw the Yellow River. Everyone was happy.Empress Dowager Cixi also saw the Yellow River for the first time, and suddenly she had the idea of ​​offering sacrifices to the river.He raised the sedan chair curtain and said to Li Lianying, "Lianying, prepare incense candles for me. I want to worship the Yellow River." Li Lianying responded and went to prepare.Cixi made people pull up the sedan chair curtain and stepped out of the sedan chair.All the civil and military officials present, Prince Baylor, concubines, maidservants and other armies saw the Queen Mother get out of the sedan chair, they got off their horses and left the sedan chair one after another, knelt together on the spot, and shouted "Long live, long live, long live".Although Cixi was often worshiped by people in the palace, she had never seen such a grand occasion, so this scene made her at a loss for a while, but she was not an ordinary person after all, so she immediately reacted and signaled everyone to get up.The grand scene just disappeared in a flash, and the team returned to calm for a while. Li Lianying stood next to the Empress Dowager Cixi holding incense candles and other things. The Empress Dowager Cixi looked back at him and said, "Lianying, let's go!" Li Lianying followed the Empress Dowager Cixi.A group of ministers finally understood the Queen Mother's intentions, and they all followed the Queen Mother, walking silently, and all the people followed the Queen Mother to the east.Another grand scene was formed. The Empress Dowager Cixi noticed that everyone was following her, stopped, smiled at everyone, and waved her hand to signal everyone not to follow.The whole team stopped like this, but everyone's posture did not change. They all stood facing east, watching Li Lianying walking towards the east with the Queen Mother. The Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Lianying left the group and headed eastward until they climbed up to a Gaoshi Bao, overlooking the Yellow River in the east, seeming to be full of passion. "Just here!" Empress Dowager Cixi said.Li Lianying hurriedly set up an incense table.When everything was ready, Cixi and Li Lianying both knelt down.Of course, Li Lianying was not kneeling side by side with Cixi, but behind Cixi.The group of people in the distance saw two figures kneeling down on the high ground in the distance, and they all knelt down too. The Empress Dowager Cixi's eyes were closed tightly, and she muttered: "May God bless my great Qing Dynasty forever, and may my daughters have a safe journey." Li Lianying also murmured: "May the Lafayette live forever." The crowd in the distance saw the Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Lianying standing up, so they kowtowed three times to the east and stood up.Empress Dowager Cixi finished offering sacrifices to the river god, and with the support of Li Lianying, she walked slowly towards the procession. Due to successive years of severe drought, the water flow of the Yellow River is not wide. In addition, it flows through the Loess Plateau, so its water is all yellow mud.The entire Yellow River is like a huge yellow dragon, galloping eastward.A group of concubines in the palace had never seen the Yellow River before, but they saw it today, pointing and laughing. He had received the news of Sheng Jia's arrival a long time ago, a large number of ferries gathered at Fengling Ferry, and most of them were very large ferries.Because there were too many people and horses, it took several times to cross the river, so the whole team was divided into several parts, and they crossed the Yellow River one by one. After crossing the Yellow River, the brigade headed west, drove straight in, and entered Shaanxi from Tongguan.Along the way, all roads are paved with loess, sprinkled with clean water, greeted and sent off by local officials, the hospitality is very rich, and the guests are courteous.On this day, the brigade will enter the boundary of Huayin County. This Huayin County is located in the lower reaches of the Weihe River, not far from Tongguan to the west, and the famous Huashan Mountain is in the south of the county.The south of the mountain is Yang, and the north of the mountain is Yin, so it is called Rihuayin.In the past three years, there has been a severe drought in Qin. This Huayin County has suffered the most disasters. In the past five years, there has been almost no harvest.Liu Youshi, the county magistrate, was very good at scraping land and collecting money. The county people gave him a nickname——Liu Qianchuan.Within a few years after taking office, he has become a rich man with tens of thousands of furniture. The local people are suffering and suffering, and they are really suffering three points more than Coptis chinensis. On this day, the brigade entered Huayin County.Baifeng Mausoleum rolls to the west, and the local officials along the way greet and see them off, and they all do their best, so the scenery is different everywhere, with different characteristics; now that we have arrived at Huayin County, what is presented to everyone is a different scenery.The Empress Dowager Cixi had nothing to do on this journey, she liked to watch the scenery outside the sedan chair, and she seemed to have a taste for sightseeing. When she arrived in Huayin County, the Empress Dowager Cixi looked at the scenery in front of her, and she felt a little strange, and she couldn't help but get angry. "Lianying, who is the county magistrate of Huayin County? Why is there no preparation? Why is the road so cold and desolate?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked Li Lianying angrily. Li Lianying's natural slavish appearance, the most versatile method is flattery. He also saw the disrespectful behavior of Huayin County and was angry in his heart, so he added fuel to the flames and echoed Empress Dowager Cixi: "No, I don't know what this Huayin county magistrate is. As an official of the court, he despises the court so much. When Lafayette arrived, he didn't even repair the road. Look, isn't it Huayin over there? In the county seat, why haven’t people from the county come to welcome you? This Huayin county magistrate, it’s really no pity to cut him into pieces.” Li Lianying seemed to be getting angrier as she talked, and she must have killed this bastard herself to relieve her hatred. trend. "Lianying, go ahead and have a look, and bring me this damn thing." "Observe the order." Li Lianying only promised, and took a few guards, and went aggressively. Li Lianying crossed her arms, pouted her lips, entered the county town with several guards, and went straight to the county government office.There were two guards at the gate of the county government office. They saw these people dressed in official clothes rushing over arrogantly, and they didn't even dare to ask, let alone stop them.Li Lianying went straight to the lobby and kicked open the door, but he didn't move forward because the scene in the lobby made him stunned.I saw a person tied up in the lobby with disheveled hair.This person is about 30 years old. On the table next to him, there are top hats and big seals.It looked both heroic and somewhat comical. Li Lianying turned around and asked the yamen servant standing next to him: "Hey, where is your county magistrate? Who is that tied up in the lobby?" "The one tied up in the hall is our master." Li Lianying was very surprised, rushed into the lobby, grabbed Liu Zhixian's hair, and cursed in a strange way: "What a bold bastard, as an official of the imperial court, the Queen Mother Luan is here, you don't go to greet her, but bind yourself here Above the lobby, what kind of tricks are you playing?" Liu Youshi bowed his head and did not answer. Li Lianying asked angrily: "Don't you know what crime is to belittle the court?" Only then did Liu Youshi raise his head, and replied: "The lower official has a saying, I don't know if I should say it or not?" "If you fart, let it go, don't give me too much trouble, pretend to be pitiful! This manager wants to see how many heads you have grown on your dog official today!" When Liu Youshi heard the word "general manager", hope flashed in his eyes, and he kowtowed to Li Lianying again and again, begging for mercy. It turned out that according to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, when officials transited the border, regardless of the official price, the local magistrates had to prepare board and lodging according to regulations.When the royal driver comes in person, he must do his best to worship.Food offerings are judged according to the official price.Princes and ministers each have a "Shangbaba" table, with eight bowls and eight dishes of seafood, chicken, duck and tea, which are called "Shangbaba".Middle and lower-level officials each have a "Zhong Ba Ba" table, including eight dishes and eight bowls of chicken, duck, etc., which are of a slightly lower grade than those served by princes and ministers, so they are called "Zhong Ba Ba".To enshrine followers and guards, "Xia Liuliu" is used. There are six plates and six bowls of meat and vegetables among them, which are called "Xia Liuliu".If it is purchased according to this specification, there will often be as many as hundreds or hundreds of tables every time there is a business trip.The Empress Dowager and her party had at least two or three thousand people. Every time they passed through a prefecture or county, the temporary kitchen would take up more than half of the street, and the cost was beyond calculation. Therefore, wherever they went, the magistrates greeted them with smiles. No matter how poor you are, you have to stand up in front of the Empress Dowager. You can't let other officials scold you for being incompetent, let alone give Empress Dowager Cixi a miserly or disloyal impression.Starting from Datong Mansion, all places have enshrined the holy car according to this scale of items.Therefore, not only the Empress Dowager Cixi, but even the accompanying army lived very comfortably; but people everywhere were exploited and apportioned everywhere, turning their blood and tears into delicacies on the table of the Empress Dowager Cixi.In the richer counties, with a little effort, this kind of banquet can barely be afforded. In the poorer counties, the people have no food to eat, so where can they find delicious food to welcome Sheng Jia. Huayin County is located on the west bank of the Sanggan River. In the past few years, it has been hit by disasters every year, and the people's life is extremely difficult.Liu Youshi, the county magistrate, is also a land scraper. He only knows how to go in but doesn't know how to go out. He collects taxes every year. There is no harvest in the fields. What do farmers have to pay taxes?With nowhere to go, many people fled to other places.This time when the emperor came, Liu Youshi also wanted to worship Cixi wholeheartedly and please him, but he loves money by nature, and he is really reluctant to use the money he has earned through hard work over the years to honor Cixi, a group of high-ranking fugitives. Recently, I have no choice but to go to the countryside to apportion, but the people are really poor, and it is impossible for them to pay a penny.Liu Youshi looked back and did the math. These hundreds of banquets cost at least more than one hundred thousand taels of silver. Where would such a large amount of money be spent?There is really no way, but after thinking about it, it would be better to break the pot, not prepare for anything, don’t care about anything, just do what you want, if you are prepared, you will die, because there is nothing to prepare, and if you are not prepared, you will be dead. Just don't prepare seats, don't practice Taoism, and don't pick up the driver.He also knew that he would not have much hope of surviving by doing so, so he simply took off his hat and tied himself to the hall of the county government office, waiting for the empress dowager and the emperor.They're here, if you want to kill them, you don't need to tie them up, you just need to send two people to pull them out and chop them off. When Liu Youshi heard that Li Lianying claimed to be the "manager", he thought that he must be able to take care of major affairs, and maybe he could talk nicely to him, get close to him, and save his own life, so he complained to Li Lianying: "My lord, Hua! Yin County is a small place, with barren land and poor people. There has been a severe drought for three consecutive years. The farms have little harvest. The life of the people is very hard. I am deeply ashamed that I cannot save the people from the fire and water. How can I know the greatness of the emperor's grace, but the lower officials feel that they should be more aware of the people's sentiments. Our county has suffered a three-year drought. There are countless bankrupts. The Empress Dowager and the emperor came to visit. I wanted to do my best to worship, but the silver taels needed were dozens of times the amount of the county's royal grain. Such a huge amount of expenses, if apportioned on a household basis, the county is already full of thieves Four times, this is not the government forcing the people to rebel? In case Lafayette or the emperor makes a mistake, the responsibility is heavy, how can the villain take it? Once you die, but if you have something to ask for, if the general manager is willing to help, the subordinate official will have no regrets even if he dies." "If you have any request, just tell me." Li Lianying said. "Xiaguan was originally from Xiguan, Dacheng County, Zhili. His surname is Liu, his first name is Lin Li, his style name is Youshi, and his nickname is Liu Jiushao. I have been an official for five years, I have left my hometown, and my family has a loving mother, so I can't see her again. After my death, I begged the general manager to see that I have served the court for so many years, and allow me to transport my bones back to the villain's hometown, Zhili Dacheng. The villain died. No complaints." After saying that, he kowtowed to Li Lianying. It is also the fact that this small county magistrate should not be exempted, but Li Lianying's hometown is also the big city of Zhili.It was really a fellow villager, with tears in her eyes. Li Lianying met a fellow villager in such a remote place, felt very cordial, and felt pity for this poor fellow villager.He thought to himself: "As the saying goes, rabbits don't eat grass by the side of their nests. It's not easy for this fellow to work in such a poor place. Let’s not talk about fellow countrymen. Besides, saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda, who has no difficulties, maybe this kid will have a future in the future, how can he forget me as a great benefactor?” Thinking of this , he decided to try to rescue Liu Youshi.If you don't try your best to deal with it, Liu Youshi's head will move, which is not a soft word from the Empress Dowager Cixi. "So, you are from Dacheng, Zhili?" Li Lianying raised her head and asked Liu Youshi. "Yeah." Liu Youshi blurted out his hometown dialect. "Hmm, I know you are from Dacheng." Li Lianying replied with a smile. Hearing this, Liu Youshi thought in his heart, the chief executive must be from Dacheng, otherwise, how could he know the accent of Dacheng.Hearing this person's voice again, it was obviously an eunuch. Liu Youshi secretly raised his eyes, glanced at Li Lianying's face, and found that he had no beard under his cheeks, and his heart suddenly lit up. In this way, the person in front of him who called himself "the chief" is Li Lianying is gone.It's true that "you can't find a place if you walk through the iron shoes, and it doesn't take much effort to get here." In the past, I searched to curry favor with him, but I couldn't even find a way, but today he sent it to my door.So, he boldly asked: "Is the master Li, the general manager?" Li Lianying smiled and nodded. Liu Youshi received an affirmative answer, and the person in front of him was Li Lianying, Chief Manager Li, who he had been thinking about day and night, and dreamed of seeing each other in his dreams.Such a Liu Youshi, just like a child who saw his mother again after a long absence, threw himself on his knees at Li Lianying's feet, wept bitterly, and said: "Please help me, sir, for the sake of my fellow countrymen, it's up to my hometown to kiss you or not." Man, you old man, please hold your hands high, and save the life of the villain!" After speaking, he kowtowed to Li Lianying twice. "It's not up to me to let you die or not. If Lafayette wants to kill you in a fit of anger, can I keep you?" Although Li Lianying's attitude could be eased a lot, she still didn't agree with Liu Youshi. letter. Liu Youshi kowtowed, and said: "My lord saved the villain's life, and the villain will repay his kindness in the future. I am willing to do my best for my lord." Li Lianying got the answer she wanted, and hurriedly helped him up and called the yamen guard next to the door to come over and untie Liu Youshi.At this moment, a large group of people broke into the gate and rushed straight to the lobby.The leading official opened his mouth and called: "Mr. Li, why have you been here for so long and still haven't gone back? Lafayette can't wait and is getting angry. He sent an official to see you." Cen Chunxuan. It turned out that when Empress Dowager Cixi entered Huayin County, she was very angry and sent Li Lianying to punish the magistrate of Huayin County.Li Lianying's work has always been thunderbolt, Empress Dowager Cixi thought, asking him to do this matter is not easy and effortless.Unexpectedly, Li Lianying had been gone for a long time, and the sun was setting, and he hadn't come back yet.She had an ominous premonition in her heart, these years are full of chaos, and she was afraid that something would happen to Li Lianying.Because she had experienced the pain of losing An Dehai, and now at this age, losing Li Lianying...she couldn't think about it anymore, and hurriedly sent Cen Chunxuan to check, just in time for Li Lianying to untie Liu Youshi. "Lord Cen, Lafayette couldn't wait, right? I'm reprimanding the magistrate of Huayin here!" "Is this the dog county magistrate here? You dog county, as an official of the court, you don't want to be loyal to the court, you really deserve to be killed." He drew out his sword and rushed towards Liu Youshi. "Lord Cen, calm down, this county magistrate also has his difficulties, go back and tell Lafayette that I will bring Huayin county magistrate back soon, and let her not be too angry." Li Lianying said between Cen Chunxuan and Liu Youshi. "Director Li, you protect such a disloyal minister so much. What's your intention? Let's see how you explain it to Lafayette." After speaking, he left the yamen with his entourage and walked away. As soon as Cen Chunxuan left, Liu Youshi knelt down at Li Lianying's feet again, and begged, "I know my crimes are unforgivable, but I hope that the general manager will speak well in front of Lafayette, and I just hope that I can save a dog's life." Seeing how pitiful he was, Li Lianying helped him stand up, untied him himself, and let him sit down.Liu Youshi didn't dare to sit down calmly. After Li Lianying sat down, he stood in front of Li Lianying.Li Lianying motioned him to sit down again.He just turned sideways, his hips lightly resting on a corner of the chair.With his head down, he listened to Li Lianying's reprimand. Li Lianying looked at Liu Youshi and said, "Hey, you must know a thing or two about Lafayette's temper! Anyone who goes against her old man will definitely have no good fruit to eat. If she becomes angry, it will be useless for anyone to speak up. You will do it today What is this called? I'm really impatient to live, and I'm looking for death for myself. But now there is still a glimmer of hope, it depends on whether you try your best or not." "Sir, if you have any clever plans, just say it, and Wan Sheng will do it." Liu Youshi replied hastily. "Look, it's getting dark soon. The empress dowager and the emperor must be staying with you tonight. This is your chance to make up for it. If you lose it, there will be no hope of living. So, You have to find ways to get something to eat, and do your best. As long as you can feed the empress dowager and the emperor well, I will say a few good words for you in front of his old man. Fortunately, Lafayette can forgive you don't die." Hearing what Li Lianying said, Liu Youshi finally had an idea in his mind, and hurriedly said: "The lower official knew that the holy car was coming, and he had made some preparations, but he really couldn't prepare a banquet for so many people. He felt that if the service was not good, Lafayette would still have to die if he was not happy. Death like that is also death, no Making preparations is also death, so I just sit here and wait for death. According to the command of the chief manager, the next official will send someone to prepare meals, and just prepare to pick him up." Li Lianying left Huayin County to meet the Empress Dowager Cixi and her entourage.When he arrived at the Empress Dowager Cixi, he got off his horse and knelt down beside the sedan chair, saying: "Sign up to Lafayette, the county magistrate of Huayin is busy preparing a palace and meals for you, please come to the city to rest." "I thought you were enjoying your life in the city, and you forgot about me, my old lady?" Empress Dowager Cixi said angrily. "How could it be possible? This slave is willing to burn his brains for Lafayette. Please go to the city to rest, Lafayette. It's getting late and the weather is cold at night. Lafayette, please pay attention to your bones." As a result, the brigade, mixed with insults to Huayin County, walked into the unsightly gate of Huayin County.The Empress Dowager Cixi, the emperor, the empress and other concubines and officials in the court all lived in the highest-grade mule-horse shop in Huayin County—another mule-horse shop.Other mid-level and lower-level officials, if they are lucky, they will have a place to live. If they are unlucky, they will sleep in the open air with Bingyong, using the ground as their bed and the sky as their quilt, so romantic. After a period of turmoil, the residences of the Empress Dowager Cixi, the emperor, and the queen were settled, and Li Lianying interrogated the Huayin county magistrate. In fact, he discussed the countermeasures with the Huayin county magistrate. Li Lianying came to see Empress Dowager Cixi. "Lafayette, the slave has now found out that Huayin County has been suffering from severe drought for three consecutive years, coupled with bandits and bandits, people's livelihood is difficult, and nine out of ten people have lost their homes. It is really difficult, and we cannot worship Lafayette Ruyi!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said angrily: "Whether there is a disaster or not, Huayin County is so cold to me. Foreigners see me as orphans and widows, and they gang up to humiliate me, break into my imperial capital, and occupy my palace; Little Huayin county magistrate, seeing me in trouble, being contemptuous on purpose, not paying attention to Wang Fa at all, why do you leave such a bastard with a dog's head! Why don't you quickly pull him out and chop off his head, let's see if he dares to Leave me alone!" "Lafayette calm down, the servant has now found out that the Huayin county magistrate did not mean to belittle you, old man..." "Lianying," Li Lianying didn't finish, and was stopped by Cixi, "Did this dog-headed county magistrate do you any favors? Why do you keep talking to him? No wonder Cen Chunxuan came back and said that you have a close relationship with that county magistrate. Untie him in the hall of the county government office!" "The slave has been wronged, I beg the Lafayette to see clearly. This Huayin County is indeed suffering from famine year after year. The slaves have inquired among the people, this Liu Zhixian is very understanding of the people's sentiments, caressing the people.The holy driver came to their county, because he didn't have anything good to honor the Lafayette, and felt ashamed to see the holy driver, so he tied himself to the lobby. Lord Qi Cen barged in, and when he saw the servant, he uttered bad words, which was very disrespectful.Please tell Lafayette!Ask the old Buddha to be the master of the slaves. Li Lianying obviously said this, but she couldn't stop scolding Cen Chunxuan in her heart. She said silently in her heart: "Well, your surname is Cen, let's read the libretto while riding a donkey—we'll see." " The Empress Dowager was still angry and said, "Do you still want to plead with this bastard?" Li Lianying said: "Lafayette Lafayette is very discerning. According to the servants, this Huayin county magistrate can't be beheaded, but should be promoted!" " When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard this, she thought it was funny, and asked patiently, "How do you say that?" Li Lianying said: "Lafayette, as the saying goes, loyal ministers come out of a difficult country, and filial sons come out of a poor family. As an official of the imperial court, the magistrate of Huayin County eats the salary of the country. He should do his best to welcome the holy driver, but Huayin County is really suffering. Seriously, the people are in dire straits, the county magistrate is throwing a big feast, and the county government doesn’t grow gold or white flour, so they can only extort money from the countryside. For the blessing of Lafayette, how many families will go bankrupt with such a big deal. Lafayette, you think, if the bitter officials force the people to rebel, hurt the face of the court, and also hinder the dignity of the Holy Mother, the gain is not worth the loss. From the perspective of the slaves, although Huayin County did not prepare a banquet, it was done out of loyalty. This slave is just a little opinion, please Lafayette see clearly." "Furthermore," Li Lianying walked up to the Empress Dowager Cixi and whispered, "Luanjia just entered Shaanxi, and killing a small county magistrate is a trivial matter.难得的父母官，杀了他恐怕当地黎民不服，说老佛爷不能明察秋毫，这样的话，您老人家就既失去了民心，又失去了一位为朝廷着想，为民着想的忠臣，可谓损失极大，请老佛爷三思。依奴才之见，取悦民心要紧。" 慈禧太后听了李莲英这一席长谈，听他说得头头是道，句句入理，气已消了大半，说道："照你这么说，这华阴县令冷落皇上，不但无罪，反而有功？" 李莲英又解释道："回老佛爷话，华阴县令并非冷遇圣驾，其实他也准备了食物，只是所备供奉膳食，不是山珍海味，怕老佛爷，皇上怪罪，故不敢来见，而且自缚大堂请罪！" 不提膳食还则罢了，提起了膳食，慈太后才觉得腹中空空，饥饿难耐。忙问道："既已有所准备，为何到现在还不见供奉，不知道大家都饿了一路了？" "因膳食粗俗，没有圣母皇太后懿旨，华阴县令不敢贸然上呈！"李莲英连忙解释。 "好话全让你说完了，这一路上来，什么粗俗的饭食我没有吃过，有吃的总比没有吃的强，快，令华阴县令传膳进来。" "老佛爷，应先赦其无罪。" "好！好！就赦他无罪，行了吧！？" "老佛爷圣明。"李莲英出去下传进膳。 这顿晚餐只给西太后、光绪皇帝、皇后和李莲英等宫中要人上了几桌相当于"下六六"的酒席。酒席间唯一使慈禧太后高兴的就是陕西名酒——西凤酒，这西凤酒产自陕西风翔，相传从周代就开始生产，酒性极柔，入口甘醇。尤其是陈年佳酿，真是"开坛香十里"。慈禧太后脱口而出"这酒真香"。李莲英忙为她把盏，道："既然香，老佛爷无妨多喝两盅。" 光绪帝在慈禧太后旁边侍膳。他的精神比以前好了许多，但有时还是有点恍惚。今天直到天黑才有饭吃，早饿得不行了，所以他边吃边喊"好吃！"便不顾他人，只一味的狼吞虎咽。慈禧太后看不惯他的吃相，便叫了一声："皇帝！" 光绪帝叫了声："亲爸爸！"说："好饿。吃呀，您怎么不吃呀？不饿吗？"说着睁大眼睛看了一眼慈禧。李莲英给光绪皇帝呈上一杯茶，笑了笑，说："万岁爷，您慢点吃？" 好不容易吃完了这顿晚餐。慈禧太后和皇上等人吃的是酒席；王公大臣和随从们，没有这么高的口福，只用小米于饭充了充饥，也算是吃了顿晚餐。就这么一来，不知给刘知县省下了多少两银子，又落了个忠臣的好名声，真可谓名利两收。这都多亏了李莲英在其中斡旋，刘友石对李莲英自然是千恩万谢，言听计从，从此成了李莲英的忠实走狗。 吃完了晚饭，慈禧太后坐在屋里，无所事事，闭目养神。 李莲英低声问她："老佛爷，这里民间流传的一种剧种，叫上党梆子。您老人家想不想听？刘知县已经找好了戏班子，就等您老人家一句话呢！" 慈禧可是戏剧方面的行家，过去在京师，凡京师所能有的剧种她都熟悉，什么京剧、评剧、二人转、河北梆子，全不在话下。她业余爱好中，听戏占很大一部分，在怆惶西逃的途中，仍然乐此不疲，沿途各地的地方戏曲，她几乎全都听过。现在李莲英为他又叫来了上党梆子，她用赞许的目光看了看李莲英，说："还是你对我好，传他们进来吧！" 于是，一帮民间老艺人，带着各自的乐器家什，被带了进来。片刻，锣鼓家伙就在当院响开了。先唱了一出《孙猴盗扇》，一个长髯老者唱罗刹女，唱得字正腔圆，也不知道这么老的老头，如何能发出那样圆润细腻的声音来。第二出是《五家坡》，那个老汉又唱五宝钏的角，唱得更是叫绝。把个慈禧太后听得入迷，沉浸在他的唱腔之中。唱完了两出，时间已经不早了，戏班子收了摊，慈禧太后总还觉得意犹未尽，但时候不早，明日还要赶路，只好做罢。 可是，由于听戏，太兴奋了，慈禧太后没有一点倦意，就对李莲英说；"莲英，你去把华阴县令给我叫来！" "老佛爷，您歇着吧，有什么事明天再说。"李莲英劝道。 "我这会儿不困，你去把叫来，我要看看这个忠臣是什么样子。" 李莲英无奈，只得来找刘友石。这个刘友石也知道慢待了圣驾，要不是今天碰到李莲英，自己准没命了。所以虽然天已不早了，晚已深了，他还站在行宫之外侍候着。所以李莲英不费吹灰之力便找到了他，说明了太后传他。刘友石听后吓得四肢乱颤。 "不用怕，老佛爷这会儿高兴，她问什么你答什么，不会要你命的。"说着，拉着他就往里面走。到了太后房中，她正在悠闲地吸着水烟袋。刘友石进得门来，就地跪倒，颤声说道："华阴县知县臣刘林立给圣母皇太后磕头。" "你是旗人，还是汉人？"慈禧问。 "回太后，微臣是汉人。" "老家是哪个省？" "微臣祖籍河北大城。" "哦，那不是和李莲英是同乡？"慈禧太后问着，向李莲英看了一眼。似乎在说："难怪你说他东好西好，原来你们俩是同乡。" 李莲英忙说："老佛爷，奴才不知道他竟是我的同乡。"说着给刘友石使了个眼色。 "是吗？"慈禧转而问刘友石。 "是。"刘友石又颤颤地答道。 "刘林立，我来问你，你冷落圣驾，轻视朝廷。你知罪吗？" "臣罪该万死。"刘友石的心都提到了嗓子眼上。 "算了吧！听说你能体恤民情，予民生息。这年头，兵荒马乱的，能做到这些，真难为你了。" "身为民之父母官，应当处处为民着想，使之安居乐业。 这是臣的职责所在。 " "圣驾幸临，为何不出城相迎？"慈禧提起这件事就来气。 "启禀太后，华阴全境连续三年遭灾，黎民生活苦不堪言，向民间征敛，无异于置民于死地，故迎送之物极简。臣思皇恩浩荡，今日圣驾有幸至此，以此等简陋之物迎驾，枉为人臣，故不敢面见天颜。" "你倒也算个忠臣！" "既为朝廷命官，就须效忠朝廷。" "你下去吧！" 刘友石如释重任，也顾不上跪麻木了的脚和腿，匆匆地退了出来，出了宫门，才站定了身子，掏出了手帕，擦了擦两肋的汗珠。总算把这条小命保住了。 次日清晨，慈禧太后及其随从们吃了顿再简单不过的早饭，准备启程。 李莲英天未亮就起床，忙里忙外，总算一切都停当了，只剩下启驾了。他找了个借口，出来找刘友石说话。两人来到僻静之处，刘友石"扑通"一声跪倒在地，说："多亏总管大人鼎力相救，如果没有您老人家，晚生的小命早就没了。" 李莲英忙拉起他，说："起来，起来，别让别人看见。都是故乡人，这点小忙，还是能帮的。别说那些感谢我的话，说到底要算你小子命大。" 刘友石站了起来，哈腰说道："晚生这条命是总管给的，以后有用得着晚生的时候，只需招呼一声，晚生随呼随到。" 说着他从怀里摸一方砚台。看此砚通体透明，外观精致，做工独具匠心。乍一看，与普遍砚台差不多，但细细看来，那差异可就大了。李莲英在宫中这么多年，什么稀世珍品没有见过，但像这样的砚台却从未见过。 原来，这刘知县原籍安徽端州。这端州是出砚台的地方，所出之砚，皆为御品。一般的读书人如果能得到一方端砚，那一定会感到十分荣耀。北宋末年，宋徽宗喜好书法，其"瘦金体"可以说是自成一家。书法都有猎奇的癖好，这宋徽宗尤好收藏各地的宝砚。当年，刘友石的祖上是端州一带遐迩闻名的工匠。一日在宋石场得到了一块剔透无瑕的玉石，他打算将这块玉打制成砚，进献天子，于是精琢细磨，然再雕以各种图案，为了取悦皇帝，他就在砚台之上刻上了宋太祖赵匡胤南征北战统一天下的图案，以赞扬大宋的美好河山。辛辛苦苦整花了一年心血，才制成此砚，但恰在此时，北方的金国南犯，攻破了东京汴梁，天下大乱，于是，这方宝砚就留了下来。全家人视为命根，珍藏在家中。后来，举家迁居河北，这砚台也就到了河北。等刘友石长大成人，中了举，做了官，这方宝砚就由他保存着。由于过于珍惜，自己从未用过。这次李莲英救了他一命，他知道应该知恩图报，而且他明白这李莲英也不是省油的灯，好对付的主，所以就把这家底给拿了出来。 "这方宝砚是晚生的传家之宝，小的都从未舍得用过，总管大人救了小的一条狗命，小的无以为谢，以此权作报答，不成敬意，您老人家笑纳。" 李莲英都看呆了，抓住宝砚，爱不释手，赞不绝口："好砚！好砚！……既然你诚心相赠，我就恭敬不如从命啦！"说着笑咪咪地拿起那砚台，就往怀里揣。然后，又笑了笑，对刘友石说："县太爷，我找你是要告诉你一个好消息。昨儿晚上我听得老佛爷很高兴，说你会办事，又说你是个忠臣，说你是个爱民如子，体察民情的父母官，为了奖励你，要免你县三年的皇粮呢！" 刘友石闻听此言，真是感动，正欲再次跪倒，被李莲英一把拉住了。"别，别这样。亲不亲故乡人呢！——我跟你说，马上就要起驾啦，你得好生侍候着，圣驾出门，你得在门口跪送圣驾。第一乘出来的是老佛爷的轿子，第二乘是万岁爷的轿子，你可记住了。前两乘轿子一出门，你就可以站起来了。这就再没有你的事啦。" "多谢总管大人指点！" 重复了不知多少遍的起驾程序，又匆匆忙忙地重复了一遍。在这次起驾的过程中，刘县令的表现不错，不仅跪姿端庄，而且声音洪亮，使慈禧太后非常满意。銮驾远去了，刘友石心中的一块石总算落地了，他心中暗自庆幸，多亏遇到了李莲英，要不他哪里还有命呀，好险啊！转念一想，真好笑，这堂堂慈禧太后，举国之尊，竟让他给耍了一把，好笑。 事后慈禧太后果然降下旨来，许华阴县免缴三年皇粮。 "君子爱财，取之有道"，虽然慈禧太后免了华阴三年皇粮，但这刘钱串刘老爷却没有免百姓的租税。他分文不爽，把全县的租税收起来，装进了自己的腰包。人民虽怒，哪里敢言。 "吃水不忘挖井人"，刘友石能有今天，全凭慈禧身边的李莲英。所以他就用搜刮来的民脂民膏去孝敬李莲英。李莲英当然少不得在慈禧太后面前给他说好话，使他的官越坐越稳，越坐越大。 刘友石冒了次险，他因祸得福；而华阴县的老百姓却生活苦了又苦，难了又难。这到底是福呢？还是祸呢？