Chapter 45 Second, Xi'an is a good place! (2)

Cen Chunxuan went to the Yijian Office and said to Zhao Shuqiao: "Zhao Junji, here is the order to kill yourself. I ask you to return at 5:00 p.m. and ask you to make your own decision as soon as possible!" Zhao Shuqiao was kneeling on the ground to listen to the order, but when he heard this, he collapsed to the ground and asked, "Is there no other will from the Empress Dowager?" "No." "There must be. On weekdays, I am loyal to the imperial court, and Lafayette is also very kind to me..."" "There's no hope! We're going to die, let's die together!" Before Zhao Junji could finish speaking, Mrs. Zhao who was standing aside interrupted him.She took the poison and handed it to her husband.Zhao Junji only took a little and swallowed it, but it was useless because it was too little.Zhao Junji showed no abnormal behavior and was in good spirits as usual. He explained to his family what happened behind him and discussed how to handle his funeral.Zhao Junji said: "Old mother Gaotang, it is the greatest regret in this life that I can't take care of her and see her die!"

At this time, Zhao Shuqiao's relatives and friends got the news and came to visit.He said to everyone: "I am where I am today, because of my fortitude!" Cen Chunxuan heard that his voice was majestic and clear, and he didn't look like a dying person at all, so he ordered his men to give him opium.After taking it, there is still no major reaction.Cen Chunxuan had no choice but to give him arsenic again.After taking it, Zhao Junji rolled into a ball on the ground, groaning and beating his chest with both hands.But because he has a good physique and a firm mind, it is too infatuated to hope that the Queen Mother can issue a decree to pardon him at this time.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Zhao Junji was still alive.When Cen Chunxuan was in a hurry, Li Lianying came.Empress Dowager Cixi was waiting for news in the palace, and she couldn't wait, so she asked Li Lianying to come and see.Li Lianying looked down on Cen Chunxuan very much. When she saw him, she asked angrily, "Why are you so slow? Lafayette can't wait." Cen Chunxuan had to tell Li Lianying about Zhao Junji's unwillingness to die.Li Lianying said angrily again: "What if he doesn't want to die? You still want to let him go? If you let him go, can Lafayette let you go? Can the foreign devils let you go?" After finishing speaking, he left angrily.

Cen Chunxuan was very anxious, so he had to ask his subordinates: "I am going to return at five o'clock, but this man refuses to die, what do you think should I do?" A boy with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks said: "The villain has a way. Soak the paper in shochu and take it out to block his throat and suffocate him to death." Cen Chunxuan could only ask someone to do the same, and after changing four or five pieces of wine paper, Zhao Junji died. Zhuang's relative, Wu Zaixun, rewarded the killing of foreigners in Beijing at that time. After the failure of the Boxers, he knew that he had committed a serious crime and was afraid of being killed, so he went to Shaanxi to seek protection from the Queen Mother. After all, he was a relative of the emperor.However, before arriving in Shaanxi, he was blocked by the queen mother in Puzhou, Shanxi.Live in an official office, waiting for Lafayette's decree.On this day, the imperial envoy Ge Baohua was ordered to come here, and the local officials in Puzhou fired cannons to welcome the imperial envoy.As soon as Prince Zhuang heard the sound of the cannon, he knew that the danger was ominous, and he felt uneasy.Asked his entourage: "The year is over, what kind of guns are you shooting?"

"I heard that there is an imperial envoy, let's set off cannons to greet him!" the servant replied. "Is this imperial envoy here for me?" Prince Zhuang felt guilty. "No way! I heard that he was here and went to work elsewhere!" After a while, Ge Baohua came in.After meeting each other, Zhuang Wu asked him about the situation of the court, and Ge Baohua answered them one by one.After talking for a while, Ge Baohua withdrew again and inspected Prince Zhuang's residence. There was an ancient temple behind the house, so he chose an empty room in it as the place where Prince Zhuang committed suicide, and placed it on the beam, A silk rope was tied.When everything was ready, he ordered the prefectures and counties to lead troops to surround the ancient temple.Then, he came in to meet Prince Zhuang and said, "The Queen Mother is here to deliver the order, please kneel down to receive it!"

"Do you want my head?" Ge Baohua kept silent.Prince Zhuang knelt on the ground.After listening to the edict, Lord Zhuang said angrily: "Give me suicide. I knew earlier that they (referring to the foreign devils) would not let me die, and they would not let it go... I am afraid that our Lafayette will not grow up." After finishing speaking, he asked the imperial envoy to allow him to say goodbye to his family members. Ge Baohua agreed to him. At this time, his wife and son knew what had happened and rushed into the room.Prince Zhuang was very calm and calm, and said to his son: "You must remember. You are a subject of the Qing Dynasty, and you must do your best to contribute to the court. It is your duty to serve the country. Don't forget it!" No matter what, as long as it is beneficial to the country, we must do it even if we go through fire and water. We must not let the foreign devils take over the beautiful rivers and mountains left by our ancestors!"

His son burst into tears when he heard his words.His wife was terrified and passed out.Prince Zhuang didn't care, and asked Ge Baohua, "Where did you die?" "If you don't mind, please come to the empty room at the back!" Zhuang Wang followed the imperial envoy to the empty room, saw a rope hanging from the beam, turned around and said to Ge Baohua, "The imperial envoy is really well prepared. Admired!" After speaking, he climbed up the stool, put the rope around his neck, kicked the stool down, and died a few minutes later. Shanxi governor Yuxian.When he was ordered to deliver the oral order of his Dharma, he had already set off for the place of full power.Walking with illness is very difficult.After hearing the order to execute him, his face was ashen, which was quite different from the ferocious appearance of the governor of Shanxi in the past.On the day before the execution, his illness improved slightly.When going to the execution ground, he was supported by two people.A gentleman from Lanzhou planned to host a table and banquet for his grand occasion, but Yuxian declined his resignation and gave him a couplet in return as a token of his aspiration.Moved by his loyalty, the Lanzhou gentleman hung a red silk on the execution ground to show his admiration for him.In the afternoon, the people of Lanzhou jointly interceded, asking for the pardon of Yuxian's death crime, but Yuxian knew that he was useless.

He wrote a letter by himself, describing his actions, saying that death is the most honorable thing, that he died for loyalty, and advised the people not to interfere.I also kissed the two axes, thinking of it as a posthumous writing.One said: People and ministers die for the country, wives and concubines die for their husbands, who says that it is improper to behave like this!Sadly, the old mother is ninety years old, and the young girl is just seven years old, and there is no one to support her.As a son of man, where can he be ashamed? What the emperor ordered, the ministers should obey. If I killed someone before, if I am killed now, what will my husband say.

Those who are guilty, I went to Fengjiang, experienced three provinces, did not make any contribution to the country, did not help the slightest, and owed the imperial court's kindness. Another paper said: The minister should be punished for the crime, and I have no other thoughts at this time, only thinking that death is enough to be honored, and I sincerely wish to die quickly and avoid the crime of imprisonment.The empress dowager's kindness is so great that the son has nothing to repay, but I sincerely hope that the courtiers will try to save the country's fortune and relieve the empress dowager's worries. "

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Yuxian's head was in a different place, and all the spectators sighed.Known for his honesty and integrity, his family was poor when he was alive, but he could make ends meet.After death, he was so poor that he couldn't even afford new clothes for the corpse!Shanxi people built a shrine to commemorate the parents who protected Shanxi from foreigners.Later, it was destroyed for fear of foreigners making things difficult for the Qing government. Zuodu Yushi Yingnian is cautious and very timid.At first, when I heard the decree of imprisonment, I bid farewell to my family and wept bitterly.That night, he cried bitterly all night and scolded King Qing for not trying to save him.At this time, King Qing is already a mud bodhisattva crossing the river, and he can't save himself, so how can he save others?The next day is New Year's Day, everyone has something to do, so they don't pay attention to take care of it, and Yingnian cries all day long, until midnight.At dawn, the servants saw him lying on the ground, his face covered with mud, and he was dying.If you look closely, you will know that he swallowed the soil, choked his throat and closed his breath and died.At that time, the will to commit suicide had not yet come down.So they didn't say anything, and when the edict came, Cen Chunxuan reported Yingnian's death to Cixi.

Xu Yongyu, the son of Qixiu, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Xu Tong, the left servant of the Ministry of Punishment, was beheaded at Caishikou in Beijing on the eighth day of the first lunar month in the twenty-seventh year of Daoguang.When Qixiu heard the news of killing him, he only asked, "Whose order?" "Here is the edict, it's from Xi'an." The supervisor said. "As long as it is the Queen Mother's order, not a foreigner's order, I will die without complaint!" Therefore, he was executed at the same time as Xu Yongyu. The officials of the main combat faction, except Zai Yi and Zai Lan, were all punished, some were executed, some committed suicide, and some were dismissed. The situation in the national officialdom changed drastically for a while.However, the Queen Mother at this time is only waiting for Yikuang and Li Hongzhang to sign treaties with the eleven western countries. Zaiyi and Zailan were exiled, Zhao Shuqiao, Zaixun, Yingnian, Yuxian, Qixiu, etc. were killed, and all the things that should be dealt with were dealt with, the anger of foreigners disappeared, and Lafayette's heart was relieved up. After a period of psychological tension, you should relax and relax.Some time ago, Lafayette was quite nervous, and now she has finished what she should do. It can be said that "everything is ready, except for signing the contract". It depends on whether the foreigner is interested enough.Are Yikuang and Li Hongzhang capable? Anyway, it's time for Lafayette to enjoy it. Now Li Lianying, as well as Cui Yugui and the second manager Cui, have to spend all day in the imperial dining room getting delicious food for Lafayette, in the theater garden for Lafayette, and on the street for Lafayette It's fun, and at the same time, I have to help receive the steady stream of tributes from the southern provinces, and... I'm so busy. Li Lianying's mood changed with Lafayette's mood. Lafayette was happy, so he was naturally happy too.Now that the situation has stabilized, Li Lianying became active following Lafayette's joy after being dull for a while.On the one hand, he tried his best to flatter Cixi by flattering and patting; on the other hand, he sold officials and nobles, accepted bribes, plundered and plundered for personal gain.When local officials from various provinces came to Xi'an to pay tribute, they had to be managed by Li Lianying, so they not only had to pay tribute to Lafayette, but more importantly, they had to bribe Chief Li.Anyone who wants to have a smooth meeting must first clear the checkpoints set by Li Lianying. Sometimes the bribes used are much more than the tributes paid to Lafayette.Princes and ministers, even Emperor Guangxu, saw this situation and were angry in their hearts, but they dared not speak out.Even the little eunuchs under Li Lianying followed the example of the chief executive and tried every means to make money and make extra money. In worry and panic, a winter passed.Nature presents the most beautiful season of the year—spring—to people.Spring makes the ancient city of Xi'an change its appearance and become green.Everything that has slept for a winter.Started to recover again.The Empress Dowager Cixi also melted her heart into the spring, and sometimes she had a spring-like smile on her face.It seems to be a few years younger all of a sudden.The spring in the ancient city of Xi'an made her intoxicated. Accompanying the Queen Mother, Li Lianying traveled all over the pagodas and ancient temples in the ancient city, enjoyed the sights and historic sites, went to Baqiao to see the weeping willows that had just sprouted, went to Bailuyuan to feel the warmth of spring, and went to Hongqing Palace to watch the peach blossoms that just bloomed , go to the forest of steles to appreciate the calligraphy left by the celebrities of the past dynasties... The relics of Buddhism and Taoism and the daily distant bells cannot arouse their love for the people, the beautiful rivers and mountains, and the excellent culture cannot arouse their patriotism .At first, this gentle spring, the slow spring, could make Lafayette happy, but she got tired of putting her in the same environment every day. It doesn't matter if this is boring, it reminds her of spring in Beijing, the imperial palace, Beihai, and her Summer Palace.When she thought of the Summer Palace, her heart ached. While cursing the foreign devils, she wondered how the Summer Palace had been spoiled.She wondered if the jewels she hid underground were still intact when she fled, and recalled her luxurious life in the Summer Palace in the past... Whenever this happened, Li Lianying sensibly hid aside, so as not to offend the old man again. Buddha is not happy, asking for trouble. The warm spring in Guanzhong makes people feel drowsy.People like this kind of life, and this kind of life makes people live unconsciously. When they suddenly wake up from a dream one day, they realize the loss of time.Lafayette also spent the spring happily in this comfortable environment.Sometimes she plays games, sometimes listens to politics, and sometimes watches operas... Unknowingly, she sent away the spring. The shadow of spring has not completely disappeared, and summer has broken into people's lives.Just after the Dragon Boat Festival, it was so hot that people couldn't wear jackets.After "June 6th" and "July 7th", midsummer is here.It was too hot to be overwhelmed.The cicadas on the tree are screaming endlessly, which is really annoying.The temperature was getting higher and higher day by day, and Lafayette's internal fire was also rising day by day. She felt hot and bored, so she got angry at every turn, and Li Lianying had nothing to do. Looking at the scorching red sun, Lafayette sighed with emotion about her days in Beijing, and thought of the spacious and cool Summer Palace, Foxiang Pavilion, Paiyun Temple, and reminisced about Beijing's ice cream and iced plum soup.But now that I am in Xi'an, I can only look at Beijing and sigh.In the past, in Beijing, the Empress Dowager Cixi had a set of methods to drive away the summer heat, but in Xi'an, there was no even the most basic ice cubes, which is really bad.It turns out that in the Beijing Imperial Palace, every winter, ice is stored in blocks and stored in an ice kiln. When summer comes, the ice blocks that have been stored for more than half a year are moved out to cool off the heat.Lafayette alone does not know how many ice cubes will be consumed in one summer, let alone how much manpower and material resources it will take to preserve these ice cubes from winter to summer.Shaanxi is a small place, and people don't live it carefully. When Lafayette fled to Xi'an, he didn't expect to spend the summer here, and he didn't order Shaanxi Province to store some ice in advance. So now, how can there be ice? ? The whole city of Xi'an was hot like a big steamer, how could Lafayette's body of gold and jade bear it.There was no other way, so I had to call Cen Chunxuan, governor of Shaanxi, and ordered him to mobilize the masses to search for some long-lost ice cubes.In order to make Lafayette happy, Cen Futai ran around and searched everywhere, but got only one answer - no. He could only say to Lafayette, "The humble minister is incompetent", but this kind of answer not only failed to win Cixi's sympathy, but only got the empress dowager's contempt and disdain.Li Lianying had always had a rift with Cen Futai, now that the Queen Mother was angry with him, she took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire and speak ill of Cen Chunxuan. "Lafayette, don't be angry. Cen Chunxuan is a village warrior. What great things can he do? With his little ability, he is worthy of being the governor of Shaanxi?" Bian said in his heart, "The surname Cen, let the old man do it today." I found an opportunity, and I see that you are still competing with your grandfather." It turned out that this Cen Chunxuan took him off the road, was appreciated by Empress Dowager Cixi, and entrusted with a heavy responsibility, so he got carried away with pride and felt confident.When he first received the holy driver, he had a special respect for Li Lianying and almost obeyed.Gradually, he felt that Lafayette trusted him and valued him very much, so he changed his attitude towards Li Lianying, and sometimes he simply ignored him.Li Lianying held a grudge against him.A group of trusted eunuchs under Li Lianying, relying on the support of the manager, behaved indiscriminately all the way, and were often punished by Cen Chunxuan, which greatly hurt Li Lianying's face. What's even more hateful is that he was a fellow villager in Huayin County, and he actually sued Cen Chunxuan to the queen mother Li Lianying was so angry that he really wanted to kill him.On the other hand, when Li Lianying was favored by the Empress Dowager Cixi, who would have thought that Cen Chunxuan would come out halfway and insist on competing with him for favor. Do you think it is annoying?If Mr. Li doesn't punish you, who else can he punish?After arriving in Xi'an, Li Lianying had repeatedly told Cen Chunxuan that he was ambitious and deceived the emperor.The search for Bing this time created an opportunity for Li Lianying. He was determined to get Cen Chunxuan away from Lafayette, or better get rid of him. Since Li Lianying decided to get rid of Cen Chunxuan, on the one hand, he had to surpass him in ability to find Bing in Shaanxi, and on the other hand, he had to provoke his relationship with Lafayette.Having made up his mind, he sent his cronies out to inquire and investigate. In addition, he found Shaanxi local chronicles, books on mountains and rivers, and looked them up. "Kung fu pays off," he finally found where Bing was.Just when Cen Chunxuan couldn't find Bing, was anxious, and didn't dare to return to his life, Li Lianying deliberately asked the Empress Dowager Cixi to play when there were many people, and said: "Lafayette, my servant thought that although it was midsummer in this huge Guanzhong, it was full of treasures. It is by no means nowhere to be found. I think Governor Cen, as the master of Shaanxi, must be familiar with the local mountains, rivers, landforms, customs and customs, but Mr. Cen did not find the ice used by Lafayette. I don’t know if he didn’t look carefully, or Really can't find it?" The Empress Dowager Xi did not say anything, she just glanced at Cen Chunxuan with a look of reproach on her face.Cen Chunxuan quickly knelt down on the ground and defended himself: "The Empress Dowager Mingjian, I have not been in Shaanxi for a long time, and I am busy with military affairs. I am really not familiar with the local customs, products and geography. It is not because I am a minister that I do not try my best to serve Lafayette!" Perhaps because of the hot weather, Cen Chunxuan's sweat fell to the ground drop by drop. Cixi became impatient and said: "Now is not the time to argue. If you can fight for ice, then you fight! Lianying, from your tone, it seems that you can find ice? Why don't you tell me quickly? ?” As he spoke, he looked at Li Lianying with admiration.My heart said, "This Li Lianying, what the hell is he doing?" Li Lianying said complacently: "It is said in ancient books that the snow in Taibai is in June. As far as I know, this snow in Taibai is one of the eight scenic spots in Chang'an. I heard that the name of Mount Taibai is related to the accumulation of snow on the top of the mountain. The snow has something to do with it! Taibai Mountain is only a hundred miles away from Chang’an City, and there is a cave in the mountain, which is deep, shady and cool, and the air is blowing, and there is ice that has not melted for a thousand years. How can you say that there is no ice to be found in Guanzhong, and no ice to be harvested?” said She looked back at Cen Chunxuan who was kneeling on the ground, and made a face at him. Cen Chunxuan lowered his head, not daring to look at Cixi, and said, "It's a crime for me to ask the Queen Mother to rule my ministers. I'm the master of one side. I don't know the local products and customs, and it's my crime." Empress Dowager Cixi admired Li Lianying's erudition and knowledge, and felt uncomfortable looking at Cen Chunxuan, and said, "Since you know where there is ice, why don't you send someone to pick it?" Cen Chunxuan repeatedly said yes, and was about to go out to organize troops, but was blocked by Li Lianying. "Don't worry, Lafayette, there are not only thousands of years of unmelted ice on Taibai Mountain, but also a natural spring." The Empress Dowager Cixi was very surprised and asked, "What is a divine spring?" "To Lafayette, at the northern foot of Taibai Mountain, there is a place called Tangyukou. In the crevices of the rocks, spring water flows all year round. The water temperature is boiling hot. It is a hot spring bath made in heaven. It is a rare good place in the world!" "Lianying, I really didn't realize that you know a lot!" she said, smiling slightly at Lianying. "Thank you Lafayette for your compliment." At this time, Cen Chunxuan felt the worst feeling in his heart, angry, hated, and afraid.I am so angry that I am worthless, why I am not even as good as a eunuch, and I don’t even know there is ice on Taibai Mountain; I hate Li Lianying, if I find it, I will find it, why do I embarrass myself in front of Lafayette, and make myself ashamed; How will you punish yourself?God knows.After listening to Li Lianying's words, Cen Chunxuan hurriedly led his troops to Taibai Mountain. Taibai Mountain is located between the Han River and the Wei River. It is one of the main peaks of the Qinling Mountains and the highest mountain in Guanzhong. The top of the mountain is mostly pure white stones and ice and snow that do not melt all the year round. Looking from a distance, the top of the mountain is white, so it is called Taibai Mountain. Too white out.On the same day, Cen Chunxuan led his troops to Taibai Mountain, and he found that the mountain was high and the air was cold, and there was ice that would not melt all year round on the shadowy side of the mountain.Turn to the north foot again, and check at Tangyukou, where there are boiling hot springs.I had to obey Li Lianying.Since then, Cen Chunxuan sent a battalion of people to cross mountains and rivers every day to transport ice from Taibai Mountain to the ancient city of Xi'an. Now, Lafayette is happy, and he wants to eat iced plum soup, which may make him paralyzed and satisfy his hunger.Of course, Li Lianying contributed a lot, without him, there would be no ice. Cixi was really proud of having such a lackey, but who would have thought of those ice transporters who left early and returned late, with the scorching sun on their heads! Shipping ice is tiring work.The soldiers under Cen Futai got a battalion every day and were sent to transport ice.They were called up before four o'clock every day, got into the carriage, formed a long ice transport team, and headed for Taibai Mountain.When the carriage left the city and it was dawn, it stopped, lit a fire, boiled some water, made some porridge, and made do with it.After eating, I went on my way to the top of Taibai Mountain. It was already noon, and then I cut off the ice and carried it down the mountain piece by piece.When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we were already half dead from exhaustion, and couldn't rest, so we hurried back again.At this time, although people were tired and horses were exhausted, they were afraid of being delayed on the road. The ice cubes melted too much on the road, so they did not dare to rest for a moment. Only when they arrived in Xi'an could they rest and eat.However, this is Lafayette's will, Cen Futai's order, who would dare to disobey it?These soldiers can only be helpless, but everyone has a common wish, that is, hope that the weather will cool down soon and autumn will come earlier. Perhaps it was the prayers of the ice-carrying soldiers that moved the heavens, or their hard work moved the heavens to pity them. For several days in a row, there was heavy rain in the area of ​​Xi'an, and the sky suddenly became cooler than the previous few days.It was getting colder, and Lafayette's anger had dropped a lot, but no matter how cold it was, it was still summer, and the ice still had to be transported, and the rain brought more difficulties to ice transport.Several soldiers slipped down the cliff while carrying ice cubes down the mountain.God's kindness, the nectar bestowed on people, is worse for the ice transporter. The ice cubes exchanged for the lives of the soldiers brought Lafayette a good mood.When she was in a good mood, she couldn't help feeling the old man's leisurely mood, and remembered the theater troupe she had just joined in Xi'an.So Li Lianying first searched for the opera troupes that the Queen Mother had admired very much in the city of Xi'an.After Shengjia arrived in Xi'an, these opera troupes were called into the palace because of the favor of the queen mother, and then they were kept in the palace for imperial use.But because the foreigners wanted to kill the first fist, Cixi was upset, and these teams were disbanded.Now that she is called into the palace again, it can be said that she is familiar with the road, but Lafayette has a problem of liking the new and disliking the old. These old tunes no longer excite her as before, but rather bore her.Li Lianying had no choice but to mobilize the masses and send a large number of people to various places in Shaanxi to hunt for novelties.This curious team is not only looking for troupes, but as long as it is "odd", no matter what it is, it will hunt for it.Bangzi from East Road, storytellers from northern Shaanxi, Luantan from Xifu, and even jugglers from Henan.It made Lafayette happy and triumphant.Cixi's enjoyment made other concubines shine, and they were all full of fun.And Emperor Guangxu, thinking about the dead concubine Zhen, looking at the arrogant Cixi, dared to be angry but did not dare to speak, and did not dare to express grievances.Looking at the broken mountains and rivers again, the incompetent Guangxu just wept silently and smoked hookah without saying a word. Li Lianying has been favored in front of Cixi for a long time.But Cen Chunxuan tried his best to squeeze out Li Lianying.However, no matter how much advantage he has in terms of climate and location, he is far behind Li Lianying in terms of harmony. Therefore, in the process of the two competing for power and favor in front of the queen mother, he is doomed to fail.But he still didn't give up. On the surface, he obeyed Li Lianying's words and promised, but secretly, he sent people to monitor Li Lianying's gang of eunuchs who were doing anything wrong, looking for opportunities for revenge. On this day, Governor Cen was having lunch when his close attendant Chang Chunde ran in, knelt down on one leg, clasped his fists in both hands, and said, "Report to Mr. Cen, last night I led people to intercept a group of commercial criminals. Opium was found among the goods. Three of these vendors were eunuchs under Li Lianying." He seemed to be very disdainful of Li Lianying. "Okay! Good boy! Li Lianying's subordinates were caught by you." Then he said viciously: "Okay Li Lianying, old eunuch, let me see how I punish you!" After saying that, he smiled coldly.Then he said: "Bring me those three little eunuchs to the lobby, I'll be there right away." "Obey!" Chang Chunde followed the order and left. In the lobby, Cen Chunxuan was sitting majestically behind the table, and three young eunuchs were brought up, looked at Cen Chunxuan, and only snorted from their nostrils, not even wanting to kneel. "Where is the lunatic, why did he stand instead of kneeling in my governor's hall?" Cen Chunxuan asked angrily.Before the three young eunuchs could speak, Chang Chunde had kicked the head eunuch so that he knelt on the ground, and the other two did not dare to hold back any more, and knelt down dejectedly, "Where are you from? Why did you smuggle opium?" ?” None of the three eunuchs said anything. "If you don't say it, you will suffer a lot!" This sentence really worked, the three eunuchs glanced around and saw the torture sticks in the hands of the yamen servants.The eunuch in charge said: "Just say what you say, what else can you do after you say it? I am waiting for Li Lianying and Li Dazong to handle the affairs. A few days ago, Li Lianying sent us to Shanxi to buy monkey heads for the palace. On the way I brought back a little opium, which is useful for Mr. Li. What can you do if you ask me, let me go back earlier, if you delay the monkey head used in the palace, can you bear it?" "Crazy boy, you smuggled opium, and you were captured by me. You didn't know the seriousness of the crime, but you uttered such wild words! Come on! Hit me! Hit me hard!" Cracking, crackling, and a burst of whipping, the three little eunuchs lay on the ground, unable to get up again, and their mouths were no longer stiff, and they just kept yelling "Ouch" and screaming in pain.Cen Chunxuan looked at their pitiful faces, stopped the yamen servant, and said, "I see that you haven't taken the truth! Tell me, what's your name? Why do you want to smuggle opium?" "The young one is called Fan Ping, and he works under Mr. Li. The day before yesterday, Mr. Li said that there were not many monkey heads in the palace, so he sent the three of us to Shanxi to buy them. When we arrived in Shanxi, the younger ones saw poppies everywhere. And the price is very low, so I wanted to bring some back to exchange for some silver taels. Who knows... who knows, I was caught by the master's subordinates!" The little eunuch softened a lot. "How many times have you done this kind of thing?" Cen Chunxuan continued to ask. "This is the first time for the little ones, and they were caught...the little ones will never dare again." "Tell me not to tell the truth! Come on, call me again!" "Don't, don't! The small trick is the trick, the trick is the trick!" "Say it!" "Since Shengjia came to Xi'an, the younger ones often went out to purchase various items. Seeing that opium was very profitable, they brought some back and sold it for silver. Most of them paid tribute to Mr. Li, and the younger ones only got a little..." The little eunuch In order to avoid the pain of flesh and blood, they also ignored Manager Li. After getting the confession he asked for, Cen Chunxuan ordered Chang Chunde to detain the three young eunuchs, took the three confessions, and went straight to the palace to meet the Queen Mother.In the palace, the Empress Dowager Cixi, accompanied by the empress, concubines and Li Lianying, was listening to the Xifu's Ge Yang accent with great interest.Suddenly, a young eunuch hurriedly approached Li Lianying and said, "Director, Governor Cen wants to see Lafayette!" Li Lianying felt awkward when she heard Cen Chunxuan's name, and asked angrily, "What's the big deal for him? I can't wait until tomorrow, so I have to go to see the Lafayette!" Lafayette came to disturb you while listening to the opera?" The little eunuch replied: "I don't know." Li Lianying had no choice but to curse, "This bastard!" She still came to look for Empress Dowager Cixi with a smile on her face. "Lafayette, Master Cen, please see me!" "What's important for him, please see him at this time?" Cixi was very reluctant, but she still knew what was more important.Said: "Stop the magic troupe, pass him in!" Cen Chunxuan came in and kowtowed to the Lafayette, and when he saw Li Lianying standing beside him, he felt that the opportunity for revenge had come, and said without hesitation: "To the Lafayette, my minister's subordinates have arrested a group of businessmen who secretly smuggled tobacco." , They claimed that they were dispatched by General Manager Li, and the headquarters did not dare to deal with it without authorization, so they asked Lafayette to judge." After speaking, he turned his head and glanced at Li Lianying, with a smug expression on his face. Li Lianying is also well aware of the actions of his gang of eunuchs on weekdays, but these eunuchs don't forget the chief executive after gaining profits, and try to bribe him, so Li Lianying turns a blind eye and sometimes even cooperates with them to do some illegal activities. deeds.Therefore, upon hearing what Cen Chunxuan said, Li Lianying's heart began to beat. He thought to himself, wouldn't this be a big deal, the imperial court had already issued a ban on smoking, smuggling tobacco and soil is a dead end, if these boys recruited him, what would they do? He cursed in his heart: "Cen Chunxuan, you are so hard on me, if God protects me from this disaster, I will definitely put you to death!" It turned out that Li Lianying's confidant eunuchs stayed in the palace for a long time and felt that there was nothing to fish for, so they followed Li Lianying's buttocks all day long, begging a foreigner to go out for a walk so they could get some money.Just in time for the Queen Mother to eat monkey heads, and there was a shortage in the palace, Director Li sent Fan Ping and three people to Shanxi to make monkey heads for Lafayette.The three of them summed up that Shanxi is an opium-producing area. Although the ban on opium was issued in Daoguang years, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, and there are still people who plant them privately. If they can transport more opium back, they will make a lot of money.I told Li Lianying this idea, and Li Lianying also thought it would be profitable, but he was a natural cunning, and he just smiled at them and didn't say anything, but how could his subordinates not know the boss's temper? Well, I know the manager has acquiesced.But they didn't know that Cen Chunxuan had hated Li Lianying for a long time. As soon as they left Xi'an, Cen Chunxuan's subordinates followed them.Followed them all the way, and when they came back, they were stopped before they entered Xi'an City. When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard that the criminals who sold cigarettes were sent by Li Lianying, she said angrily: "Bring me those evils!" In fact, Cixi was only stern on the surface, but in her heart she just wanted to see if the criminal was really Li Lianying's subordinate, and hoped that it would be best not to be. Cen Chunxuan had already made preparations. As soon as the Empress Dowager Cixi spoke, he just waved his hands outside, and several burly men pushed the three eunuchs to the Empress Dowager.The three eunuchs knelt in front of Cixi with their heads lowered, not daring to breathe.Because they all lowered their heads, Cixi couldn't see who they were. "Look up your heads!" she shouted.The three eunuchs had no choice but to bite the bullet and raise their heads. "Ah! Xiao Fanzi, Xiao Guizi, Xiao Dezi!" Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but gasped.Aren't these three boys all Li Lianying's confidantes?What can I do? Li Lianying has been by her side since she was more than ten years old. For decades, she has always been loyal to her duties and worked hard. She stopped the car to save the driver on the way west, and waited on her carefully after arriving in Xi'an.Moreover, Li Lianying got along very well with her, she could please her, make her happy, and asked her to deal with him, how could she be willing?But after thinking about it, Cen Chunxuan has made great contributions in escorting the driver all the way. After becoming the governor of Shaanxi, he worked harder to worship. Besides, Cen Chunxuan and Li Lianying did not have a good relationship because of their rivalry. Not only is Cen Chunxuan dissatisfied, but it is also difficult to convince the public, and it will make those little eunuchs who pretend to be powerful even more rampant.Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager Cixi pulled her face down and said angrily to Li Lianying: "Li Lianying, are you guilty?" "Lafayette, listen to what the servant said. These three boys are indeed subordinates of the servant, and the servant sent them to Shanxi, but the servant asked them to buy monkey heads for the meal of the Lafayette. They didn't even know that they were smuggling tobacco. about it." Li Lianying knelt down and said. "Really don't know?" Cixi's face stretched even longer. "The slaves serve the Lafayette all day long and stay with the Lafayette. They go out to do things. As the saying goes, they will not be obeyed by the emperor outside. What they want to do is really up to the slaves." Li Lianying tried her best to defend herself. Seeing that he refused to plead guilty, Cixi said, "Li Lianying, let me ask you, are you the chief executive of the palace?" "This..." Li Lianying was speechless. "Let me ask you again, are these violators of the king's law your subordinates? They smuggle opium, whether you know it or not, you don't control them strictly on weekdays, and this kind of thing happened, don't you Can you get out of the way?" Li Lianying hurriedly said: "I'm guilty of this slave! It's because I didn't discipline them strictly and treated them too indulgently, that's why this kind of thing happened. ——Master Cen, I really should thank you for catching them." What a Li Lianying, he is such a formidable character, if he wants to prevaricate it. Cen Chunxuan saw that Li Lianying was playing tricks again and wanted to get away with it, so he presented the confession in the hall to the Empress Dowager Cixi, and said: "Lafayette, I have a confession of three criminals here, and their feelings are quite different from what the manager said. Please Lafayette took a look." The Empress Dowager took the confession and read it again, she couldn't help being shocked.Looking at Li Lianying again, his face was already pale, he never dreamed that Cen Chunxuan would make such a bad move.I thought, this game is over, if Lafayette still thinks about his past love, he may still be able to save his life, if Lafayette opens his eyes and refuses to recognize anyone, it will be completely finished.At this time, the Empress Dowager Cixi was also very conflicted in her heart, not knowing how to deal with it, she just stared at the statement in a daze.The room was surprisingly silent, and even a needle could be heard clearly when it fell to the ground. "Rong Zhongtang is here!" A shout broke the silence in the room.This cry will change the situation in the room, and of course Li Lianying is the happiest, because only the two of them know about the relationship between Rong Lu and themselves, and it will definitely benefit them when Rong Lu comes.So, Li Lianying glared at Cen Chunxuan, and cursed secretly: "Bastard, now I have something good for you!" When Cixi heard that Rong Lu had arrived, she felt relieved, and said to Cen Chunxuan: "I will not discuss this matter for now, and we will talk about it later. Rong Zhongtang has come back from a long way, and there must be news from Jingzhong. Let him in quickly!" Li Lianying hurriedly welcomed Rong Lu in, gave him a wink, and ordered his three confidantes to be escorted out.At the beginning of the year, Rong Lu drafted an edict for the Empress Dowager Cixi to punish the fist head, and was sent by Cixi to the capital to inquire about the news in the capital. lawsuit. 荣禄进了屋，下了跪，见了礼，没有开口，慈禧便问道： "京里的情况怎么样？""禀老佛爷，自老佛爷斩杀惩处了拳首之后，洋人之气渐平，谈判气氛也较前缓和了好多，但洋人极其狡猾，实在不好对付，亏得庆亲王和李中堂尽力斡旋，目下大局已定，我方接受《议和大纲》与西方十一国订立和约。洋人即从京师撤出，且大部已经撤出京师了。" 慈禧听到洋人撤兵了，心宽了很多，接又问："宫里的情形怎么样？" "宫中有的殿堂被洋人毁坏，但大部皆完好无损，被毁的殿堂，李中堂正着人赶修呢！" 这下慈禧太后放心了，北京的局势稳定了，皇宫也正在修复，属于自己的那一片天马上就又和以前一样蔚蓝了。只要洋兵一撤离北京，条约一订，她就可以堂而皇立地以国太的身份回京师了。 其实，奕劻和李鸿章与洋人谈判，真是漫长而艰苦。从光绪二十六年八月开始，时断时续，时紧时松。洋人打到北京，目的很明确，就是要瓜分中国，从中国掠夺资源，从而灭亡中国。他们打进了北京，占领了皇宫，就等着清政府派人和他们谈判。清政府即派庆亲王奕劻和李鸿章作为全权议和大臣，与西方十一国谈判。 起初，奕劻和李鸿章对洋人的态度较强硬，但他们意识到如果不处置主战派的大臣，洋人绝不会善罢甘休，就把这情况报告给慈禧太后，慈禧就逐渐改变了对载漪、载勋、刚毅等人的态度。十月初，西班牙、英、法、美、日、意等国使臣提出《议和大纲》，条件极其苛刻，奕劻，李鸿章不敢自作主张，于是把《议和大纲》和洋人列出的要求处罚的中国官员的名单，转呈慈禧。慈禧百思不得巧法，只得在年末下谕，次年初即处死所谓"拳首"。 这样，才给谈判铺平了道路，西方列强同意与清政府和解。得到了和解的准信，荣禄便急急地从京师赶回西安，向老佛爷报喜。谁知老佛爷却被贩运鸦片之事，弄得闷闷不乐。 听了荣禄的平安喜信，慈禧才稍稍平息了怒气。慈禧知道荣禄与李莲英关系甚笃，这个案子，交给荣禄处理，再合适不过了。他一定能从中周旋，解救李莲英的。便当着岑春暄的面，对荣禄说："大内的几个小太监，不听管教，竟借到山西采买猴头之机，私贩烟土，被岑巡抚抓获了。我心里事多，很烦，你去处理吧！"就这样，把生杀予夺的权力交给了荣禄。 这正是李莲英求之不得的。 "遵旨。"荣禄已领会了其中的意思，更清楚自己刚进门时李莲英那个眼神的意思，很痛快地答应了。 "你大老远地回来，先回去歇息歇息吧！" "谢太后关怀！" "岑巡抚，亏你对我大清如此忠心，我一定要奖赏你！你先回去吧！"慈禧转过脸来对岑春暄说。 岑春暄没有办法，无可奈何地应了一声，和荣禄一起出了行宫。看看他们都走了，慈禧太后叫住了李莲英："莲英，你过来！"李莲英垂着头，走过来，跪到了慈禧面前。 "莲英，你老实告诉我，这私贩鸦片的事，你到底知道不知道？" "这……，老佛爷，奴才该死。" "你跟我这么多年，我怎么忍心叫你死呢？只是这案子我已完全交给荣禄去办了，就看他想不想让你死了。"慈禧太后弦外有音，语中有语。李莲英是何等角色，难道还不明白？他赶快向慈禧太后叩头不止，道："多谢老佛爷！多谢老佛爷！ ……" "行啦，你起来吧！我也困了，想自个儿呆一会儿，你去办你的事吧！"慈禧太后已闭上了眼睛。 李莲英感谢不尽，再叩了个头，爬起来，退了出去。李莲英知道该怎么办，就匆匆地准备去了。 当天夜里，在荣禄寓所的摆设讲究的客厅里，灯火通明。 客厅显然是刚收拾过，窗明几净，桌椅油漆铮亮，酒具茶具焕然一新，好像要迎接什么贵宾。荣禄捻着胡须，眯缝着眼睛，悠闲地品着茶。院外，响起了敲门声，荣禄便站了起来，迎了出去。来者正是李莲英。 "李总管，哈哈，我就知道你今晚要来，把一切都准备好了。来，快进屋！" 李莲英进了屋，分宾主落了座，荣禄便说："卑职从京里回来，顺便捎来几瓶好酒，大总管难得到寒舍一次，今儿可得痛痛快快地喝上几盅。"李莲英只是笑笑，没吭声。 不多时，酒菜上齐，荣禄频频让酒："来，来，大总管，咱俩快一年没一起喝过酒了。今天多喝点。"李莲英知道荣禄的脾气，闷声不响，只一个劲地和荣禄对饮。多喝了几杯，荣禄的脸也红了起来，话也多了起来。他停了酒，操起了旱烟袋抽烟，解闷。李莲英看了看他，嘻笑道："堂堂大清中堂大人，竟用如此破旧的旱烟袋。"荣禄的烟袋确实是又破又旧，可是几十年了，用惯了，不舍得换。听李莲英这么说，他回了一句："敝帚自珍嘛，我就看我这个好！"说完朝李莲英笑笑。 李莲英伸手从后腰上把别在腰带上的那杆旱烟袋抽了出来，往荣禄面前一递，说："这才是你用的烟袋，你看这嘴子，你看……" 荣禄接过李莲英递过的旱烟袋，端详了许久，才迸出一句："好！好东西！我抽了这么多年烟，这么好的烟袋还是头一回见。你看这绿玛瑙嘴子，再看这精致的烟锅……"真是爱不释手。 "这是别人送我的，我烟瘾不大，这么好的东西，也舍不得用，既然中堂喜欢，就送给中堂了！"李莲英显得非常慷慨。 "如此就多谢大总管了。"荣禄也知道不拿白不拿。 "荣中堂，我好倒霉呀！"李莲英把话转入了正题，"那三个小子私贩鸦片，给岑春暄这个王八蛋抓住了。岑春暄由于上次给老佛爷找冰没找着，倒让我找着了。就一直记恨我。这次可给他创造了一个复仇的机会，对那三个小子严刑拷打，逼他们招出我来，好置我于死地。现在老佛爷把这个案子交给中堂大人处置，我李莲英的性命全在中堂大人掌握之中，还望中堂大人多多照应。"说着，端酒杯，一饮而尽。 "大总管放心，岑春暄这小子我也早就看不惯他了，对老佛爷那么好！黄鼠狼给鸡拜年——没安好心！我荣禄不给大总管出口气，不整整这个王八蛋，那才怪呢！哈哈……" "多谢中堂！"李莲英起身告辞，被荣禄拦住了，说："大总管难得到寒舍一叙，多坐会儿无妨！" "回去晚了老佛爷要怪罪的！"荣禄再没有拦，李莲英道了声"打扰"，便出门回行宫去了。 过了几天，荣禄重新审问抓获的三名太监。欺骗他们如果不供出李莲英，就保证免其一死，所以范平等写出了贩运烟土与李莲英毫无关系的供词。荣禄把供词交给慈禧，慈禧下令斩杀了三名太监，李莲英当然逍遥法外。 岑春暄听到此事之后，非常气愤，来找慈禧评理。他一见到慈禧，便说："老佛爷，微臣以为，贩运烟土之事，李总管亦有责任，亦应受到一定的处罚！" 慈禧太后淡淡地说："这是荣中堂审问所得的供词，系三名罪犯亲笔所书，你自己拿去看吧！"说着，把那供词扔到地上。 "可是微臣前日所得供词……" "岑春暄，李莲英是我身边的人，我对他的言行一概尽知，你身为陕西巡抚，竟不知何处有冰，让李莲英给找到了，你是不是嫉妒他了？" "……为臣不敢！微臣只求老佛爷能秉公处置此案！" "大胆，敢在我面前顶嘴！念你昔日护驾有功，在此间又尽心供奉，不治你罪。今调你为广西巡抚，即日起程，赶赴广西。"慈禧太后没有惩处李莲英，却把岑春暄给调走了。 岑春暄听得此言，如坠云端，但是，太后成命既出，他只有谢恩的份！岑春暄含恨收拾行装，前往广西就任，临行之前，暗暗发誓："李莲英，你等着，有朝一日，你岑大爷一定要杀了你！" 光绪二十七年七月二十五日，是中华民族耻薄的日子。这天，清政府全权代表奕劻和李鸿章代表清政府，与德、奥、比、西、美、法、英、意、日、荷、俄十一国公使，在最后议定书上签了字，《辛丑各国和约》签订了。这个条约，可以说是空前屈辱的奴役性条约，洋鬼子们向清政府勒索了巨额的赔款，中国要向列强赔偿海关银四亿五千万两，要求分三十九年还清，年息四厘，本息合计九亿八千多万两。为了保护外国使臣的安全，要求划东交民巷为使馆区，规定华人不能居住在内。岂有此理，中国的地方，竟不许中国人住！更有甚者，要求清政府许其在山海关到北京的铁路沿线驻兵，禁止武器弹药运入中国。可恨的洋人，要求清政府保证中国民众不再敌视洋人，剿杀洋人，并要求清政府派人到德国和日本去道歉。同时，洋鬼子又在外交、通商等事情上，宰割中国。 这样一来，我们的沿海全都让洋人给占了，大部分的铁路让洋鬼子占了，做生意的自由让洋鬼子给剥夺了……我们的民族在呻吟，我们的国土在分崩，我们的祖国在默默的流泪…… …一条东方巨龙，一头沉睡的雄狮，你何时才能惊醒，何时才能腾飞？现在竟遭人如此欺辱，却不动声色，这种不动声色可不是有涵养的表现啊！ 慈禧派出的载沣向德皇道过歉了，那桐也给日皇道过歉了，大清帝国仁至义尽了，《辛丑条约》也签订了。洋人虽然夺取了我们的许多权力，他们可以在中国恣意横行了，但毕竟洋人的大部队撤走了，我们在失去了很多的前提下，获得了暂时的太平。光绪二十七年八月，八国联军陆续撤出了北京。这个消息，不胫而走，很快就传遍了千家万户。老佛爷在得到这个消息后，喜出望外，因为，这下她就不用恐惧了，她又会成为皇宫里的主人，所以，自从得到这个消息，她老人家就归心似箭，要收拾东西回銮了。