Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Yingtai Weeping Blood

Yinhong blood flowed out from the corner of his mouth, Wang Fuqiang squeezed out a smile and looked at Guangxu: "The silver needle is not poisonous after I tried it, I am afraid... I may make a mistake, so... I don't want to but I really... really..." The drizzle was continuous, falling evenly and finely, and there was no sunny day.In this season of autumn wind, autumn rain and sorrow, a shocking news spread quietly: the emperor's dragon is not in good health, and he is seriously ill! While people waited anxiously like sitting on pins and needles, there was no news in the Forbidden City for two consecutive days.Even Sun Jianai, an important minister, was turned away when he handed over the sign several times to meet with him, saying that the saint had violated the agreement and could not come to the court.As for what disease?What is the condition?But there is no way to know, which makes people feel uneasy like being caught by a monkey.Finally, in the evening of the third day, gossip finally spread in the Forbidden City: Pu Jun, the son of Zaiyi, the king of Duoluo County, succeeded Emperor Mu Zongyi as heir and canonized as prince.For a while, people were like frying pans!

Tossing and turning on the big kang for most of the night, just thinking about it in a daze, a voice came from outside: "Master, there is a message from the palace that Lafayette is coming to the Qianqing Palace today." Sun Jianai shivered, Sitting up straight with a "swish", he was served by someone, put on court clothes, hung court beads, and after snacks were useless, he took a sedan chair and went straight to Donghua Gate. Heh, when I got out of the sedan chair, the rain was getting weaker and weaker. Looking up at the sky, it seemed that it was about to stop.He took out his pocket watch from his pocket and looked at it. The hour hand was still a quarter to Mao, and he breathed in the clear air, and it seemed that most of the night's depression had disappeared.Entering the Great Nei, and passing the You'anmen, you can hear the buzzing sound from the Qianqingmen Square from a distance, and hurried to go there, but you can see that the vast and vast square is full of ministries rushing to the court meeting. official.

"Morning, everyone." After searching for a long time in the distance, he found that everyone was waiting in front of the Qianqing Palace. Sun Jianai hurried over and said, "I don't know if there is any news in there—" "There is a lot of news." With a smile on the corner of Gang Yi's mouth, he interjected, "I just wonder what Brother Sun wants to hear?" "The dragon body of the emperor—" "I'm afraid... I'm afraid it's... alas!" Looking at his hypocritical expression, Sun Jianai felt a sense of boredom in his heart, but the existing panic and uneasiness became a little more, when his deep eyes stared at the resolute face, he lightly coughed twice Many inquiring eyes turned to Wang Wenshao.Whether he didn't know or didn't want to say it, Wang Wenshao raised his eyebrows and looked up at the sky.In the boundless sky, a flock of wild geese screamed and flew southward in a hurry, passing by the clouds, adding a bit of uneasiness and desolation to the gloomy autumn colors.

"Lafayette is driving!" The eunuchs delivered the calls one after another, and there was no silence in the square, and no phlegm was heard.Sun Jianai let out a deep breath, and "slapped" his horseshoe sleeves and knelt down on the wet Linqing brick floor.Not long after, Zaiyi, Prince of Duanjun, and Yikuang, Prince Qing came out from the left gate. Surrounded by the guards and eunuchs like stars holding the moon, Zai Yi walked up to Dan Chi with a happy face. Zaiyi puffed out her chest, glanced at the crowd, stroked her neatly trimmed mustache, and said loudly: Yi decree, all officials kneel down to receive it!"

"The servant respectfully listens to the edict!" "Lafayette has already set off." Zaiyi's long words resounded through the Qianqingmen Square, "Let the six departments and nine ministers each lead their officers to enter the court meeting of the Qianqing Palace!" "Hey!" After entering the main hall, about the time it took to touch a bag of cigarettes, the door of the west pavilion opened with a "squeak", and everyone hurriedly stopped their voices and knelt down on the ground.After a while, the Empress Dowager Cixi came out from the West Pavilion Gate supported by Li Lianying and Cui Yugui, and walked slowly towards the throne in the center of the hall.There was a smile that seemed to freeze on her face. She stood in the center of the hall for a while, as if thinking about something, then stepped up to the dragon and phoenix throne under the "Upright and Bright" plaque.Li Lianying and Cui Yugui stepped aside and knelt down.The Empress Dowager Cixi leisurely picked up the tea bowl on the table, took a sip of the floating tea with the lid of the bowl, and glanced around from the corner of her eyes. The huge Qianqing Palace was so silent that a needle could be heard falling.

"All the military planes are sitting on one side, and the others are standing up and obedient." The Empress Dowager Cixi's voice was not high, but it was unusually loud in the hall, as if she hadn't slept well, she reached out and rubbed her temples, and continued, "Four Seas Shengping, Taiyunchang, this is what everyone wants. If you don’t want to, then I am a traitor and traitor of the Qing Dynasty!" Her voice echoed in the hall, "The emperor is determined to implement the new policy, and his mind is following the path of the ancestors and Renzong. The martial arts are strong, and the great virtues of our ancestors in the Qing Dynasty have been magnified. It is not a bad thing to revive decades of decadence and create a generation of prosperity. Therefore, we agree to the New Deal in order to strengthen the country and enrich the people." Said Here, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Duanfen felt a prickly pain in his heart, his brows were frowned, and he glanced gloomyly at Empress Dowager Cixi.The corners of her mouth hung slightly, she turned the tea bowl repeatedly with both hands and stared at the audience, unable to tell whether it was anger or joy.After a long time, he suddenly changed his tone and said: "However, the emperor was bewitched by Kang and Liang's rebellious party, and his actions were completely different from the original intention! The government office was abolished, important officials were dismissed, and the Maoqin Palace was discussed to seize the authority of the military aircraft. Kang and Liang's rebellious party did not say anything. Instigated Yuan Shikai to send troops to the capital, trying to surround the Summer Palace in a vain attempt to harm me!"

Like a heavy blow to the head, everyone couldn't help shivering. "For such an unfaithful, unrighteous, benevolent and unfilial person, even ten deaths cannot atone for one or two of his sins!" Having said that, she slowly got up, pacing back and forth on the smooth golden brick floor, "then Fingers connected to my heart, if I really want to punish him, I can't bear it in my heart—" She turned her face up and let out a long sigh. "Lafayette has a compassionate heart, but the emperor is ungrateful and merciless. If he is not punished, hundreds of millions of living beings in the world—"

Sun Jianai held the handle of the chair tightly with both hands, his heart was in a turmoil and he couldn't calm down, he was thinking wildly, listening to the resolute words, he hurriedly got up and hit the ground with a bow, and interjected: "To Lafayette, the emperor has done such a thing, It is true that there is a sense of mercy, but the emperor has a kind heart, and he was foolish enough to listen to the villain's slander for a while, so he asked Lafayette to think that his usual behavior was quite satisfactory, so he lightly forgives the emperor—" "Your Majesty is so confused, how can he be so confused?!" Gang Yi said, glancing at Empress Dowager Cixi.

Sun Jianai wrung the liver and squeezed the juice, and said: "I have heard rumors from the outside world that the emperor mistakenly took Kang Youwei's Gu medicine, causing his mind to become confused. If this is true, it is not impossible, please learn from Lafayette." "The emperor's daily diet is recorded—" Empress Dowager Cixi raised her hand to stop her fortitude, looked at Sun Jianai with an incomprehensible gaze, and said: "Sun Jianai has taught the emperor for a long time, and the emperor knows much more about his temperament than you." She looked around All the courtiers in front of them said, "People are not sages, and no one can do anything wrong. No matter what, I will never do anything to deal with the emperor. If I really do this, if I don't say anything else, it will be difficult to explain to my sister in the future." While speaking, she raised her hand and wiped the corners of her eyes, "However, the palace is noisy. In order for the emperor to calm down and cultivate himself, and reflect on himself, it is necessary to change the place. Yingtai is quiet, I thought about it, and the emperor will live in it in the future. there."

Xu Zhijing seemed to be sick, his face was pale, and he looked taller and thinner. At this time, his white teeth bit his lips, coughed dryly and bowed: "My slave, Xu Zhijing, has something to say." "Say!" "Although Yingtai is quiet and quiet, only... the weather is getting colder day by day, and the emperor's dragon is not in good health. Living here is afraid—" "This is the place chosen by the emperor himself. Do you think it's inappropriate?!" The muscles on the cheeks of the Empress Dowager Cixi twitched, "Stand back, I will explain to you later!" A bone-chilling pressure hit.At this moment, the main hall is so deadly silent that a needle can be heard, only the golden chiming bell at the corner of the hall is rustling.Seeing the terrified expressions on everyone's faces, a sneer flashed across the corner of the Empress Dowager Cixi's mouth, "The reason why the emperor was able to do such rebellious things is rooted in the New Deal. The New Deal has been implemented for so long, and the effect is not in your mind." There are also counts. The emperor is also bright in his heart. To govern the country and the world, Confucianism and Taoism must be followed. I discussed with the emperor yesterday, this is the new policy-" She paused, and jumped through the gaps between her teeth Said, "stop here! Lianying, read the emperor's decree and listen to it." "Hey!" Li Lianying coughed twice, cleared her throat, and read aloud before accepting the order from the Empress Dowager Cixi, and read aloud, "By God, the emperor's edict said: The imperial court revitalizes business and prepares for all new policies." , It was originally because of the current situation, hoping to make the country prosperous and strong, and to make a living for our people, not for reform, to abandon the old as it is..." With one sound, one sentence, all sharp arrows are shot into the hearts of everyone!After a full bag of cigarettes, the Empress Dowager Cixi coughed lightly and raised her voice: "In the past few years, Kang and Liang have been demagogic. Officials from Beijing and abroad have participated in the strengthening of the society, the protection of the National Assembly, and the so-called reform activities. What's more, the imperial court Enyu is completely forgotten, and only Kang and Liang Bixie act! Such shameless people, let alone say that the law of the country is not forgiving, just want to be tolerant, but there is still human nature?!" The civil and military officials, who were already anxious when they heard it, couldn't help but tremble again.The Empress Dowager Cixi stared at all the ministers: "Kang Youwei's younger brother Kang Guangren, the head of the Ministry of Industry, Yang Shenxiu, the supervisory censor, Zhang Jing Tan Sitong, Lin Xu, Yang Rui, and Liu Guangdi have been arrested and are in prison. Zhang Yinhuan, Minister of the Household Department, was dismissed and sent to Xinjiang Military Station; Xu Zhijing, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, was dismissed and imprisoned!" She smiled coldly and glanced at Xu Zhijing. "Governor Chen Baozhen of Hunan, Governor Tan Jixun of Hubei, Jiang Biao of Hunan Xuezheng, Minister of Rites Wang Xifan, Supervisor Song Bolu, Chief of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs Zhang Yuanji, Former Hanlin Academy scholar Xiong Xiling, Xu Zhijing's son Xu Renzhu, and Chen Baozhen's son Chen Sanli were all dismissed. Shuyong; Wang Zhao, head of the Ministry of Rites, dismissed him strictly." After finishing speaking, she raised her face and shouted, "Come on!" "The servant is here!" As if she had been prepared for a long time, as soon as the Empress Dowager Cixi's words fell, a group of more than 20 guards of the Qianqing Palace stood in front of her as if they had emerged from the ground. "Pick off these minions' top-wearing feathers!" "Hey!" For a while, there was a commotion in the solemn Qianqing Palace.Seeing such a scene, everyone felt as if they were pumping water from fifteen buckets. "According to the past behavior, many of you and others will not be pardoned! In order to avoid turmoil in the court due to excessive involvement, we will not be held accountable today." Empress Dowager Cixi said with a smirk on her lips as she looked at the somewhat turbulent venue. , "Write an apology and submit it later." "Hey——" "Kang and Liang rebels have not succeeded in their evil intentions, so they will definitely not stop here. Afterwards, they should cleanse their hearts and cleanse their livers. But there are stubborn people who do not want to repent, and they will surely be punished!" Standing up on the throne After walking back and forth for two steps, Empress Dowager Cixi's piercing voice resounded through the hall again, "There is one more thing. People in the country often say that the order of successors is out of order. Because I have been established as the emperor, I have been raised since I was a child until today. In the past few days, I have Some ministers reported this matter, saying that the sage violated the peace, and set up the prince early in case of danger. After thinking about it for the past few days, I think it is true." She swallowed, "Prince Duanjun Zaiyi is loyal and loyal. It is well known to you and others. His son, Pu Jun, is also intelligent. If he is established as the prince, he will have no worries. After discussing with the kings and ministers, he wrote Pu Jun as the prince and succeeded Emperor Mu Zongyi as heir. This will happen next year It will be held on New Year’s Day in the first lunar month, and each department will go down and make preparations early, but we will never forgive you for wronging the country’s important code!” "Hey!" "Zaiyi!" "The slave is here." "You can come to the palace often in the future and supervise Pu Jun's studies." "Slave obeys the decree!" Although it had long been a matter of default, Zaiyi felt very comfortable from head to toe when he only preached it in front of so many people, and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed a few times. "Lafayette, I have something to say!" At this moment, someone from His Highness suddenly said loudly.It seemed that no one would dare to speak out at such a time. The Empress Dowager Cixi was stunned for a moment, and when she came back to her senses, she searched the hall with gloomy eyes, and said, "Who wants to do something?!" "Yes—" Sun Jianai paused, swallowed his saliva and bowed, "It's the slave Sun Jianai." "Sun Jianai." The Empress Dowager Cixi gritted her teeth and said, "You kneel in front and play!" Under the eyes of everyone, Sun Jianai walked sideways through Yikuang, Zaiyi, and Ronglu in front of the court, and kowtowed: "Although Pujun Baylor is intelligent, he only has the humble opinion of a slave. Please slow down the matter when he is appointed as a prince." Lord Buddha, think twice." As soon as he fired the first cannon, the people in the hall immediately whispered to each other and whispered endlessly.Although Zaiyi's heart was full of anger, he had never encountered this kind of scene before, so he couldn't help feeling panic.He looked at the calm Yikuang beside him, knowing that the prince who was increasingly dissatisfied with himself was also thinking about it, and his whole body felt more uncomfortable like a monkey's claws. He hesitated to take a step forward, and said in a low voice: "Lafayette—— " The muscles on the side of the Empress Dowager Cixi's cheeks twitched rapidly, the corner of her eyes swept over the ripples, her lips moved as if she wanted to reprimand, she swallowed the words when she reached her mouth, and scanned every corner of the hall with her stern eyes.Under the deterrence of her gaze, the hall regained its original tranquility for a while: "Why?!" "The current situation is difficult. As Lafayette said, we should strive for stability and avoid turmoil. Although the emperor has no heirs, he is in his prime of life. If he moves quickly, the people's hearts will be disturbed. Once foreign ministers are attracted to interfere, it will be even more troublesome. matter." Sun Jianai let out a long breath and coughed twice. "But if there is a real change, it only shows that the people's heart is cunning, and there is no use for it. As for the barbarians, how can they point fingers at our internal affairs in the Qing Dynasty?!" The Empress Dowager Cixi bit her lower lip with her fine white teeth, full of coldness Looking directly at Sun Jianai, "I see what you mean, I'm afraid it's not about slowing down, but that you don't want to be a prince at all, right?!" Sun Jianai's already half-grey eyebrows trembled, and he knocked his head three times in a row, "Dong Dong Dong" and said: "Lafayette's decree, this servant dare not—" "This is not what I mean! It is the common meaning of the princes and ministers!" "This servant made a slip of the tongue, please forgive me, Lafayette." Sun Jianai laid his head on the ground, although he couldn't see the expression on his face clearly, but his voice was still so calm, "I have no objection to the appointment of the prince. I just want to avoid fighting." , and... I also beg the old Buddha to think twice. As for the emperor's violation of the Holy Spirit and his inability to govern, the old Buddha can temporarily hang the curtain and act on his behalf. The loyalty of a slave can only be shown by the sky, please learn from the old Buddha." "Please Lafayette to listen to politics behind the curtain!" Without waiting for the Empress Dowager Cixi to respond, four out of ten officials in the hall threw their horseshoe sleeves and knelt on the ground.Unexpectedly, there would be so many civil and military ministers agreeing. The Empress Dowager Cixi's face turned blood red, her white teeth were clenched tightly, and she snorted out of her dantian. Just touched the paper with the pen and put it down, wandering around the seat with the back of the hand.Rong Lu knew that she was thinking about finding faults to deal with these thorns, because she didn't want to make Pu Jun the prince, and wanted to use the hands of everyone to stir things up, so she lowered her head and pretended not to see it. The Empress Dowager Cixi stopped her faster and faster pace, her spirit seemed to be a little confused, her gloomy eyes looked at the crowd, the old and high veins on her forehead gradually faded away, her face also calmed down, with a long He took a deep breath and said slowly: "At this moment, it cannot be said that it is not feasible to listen to the government behind the curtain. But have you ever thought about how the world will look at me in this way? And how can those people who are as ready to move as Kang and Liang not not like me?" Stirring up troubles? Does this seek stability or turmoil?" As if she wanted to see far away, she stared out of the window for a long time with her deep eyes, "Besides, at my age, can I manage it? But I missed the state affairs , in the end, who will bear this eternal infamy? Please let me, this old woman, rest in peace for a while." Her voice was actually a little hoarse! "But tell the world about the behavior of the emperor, and the common people will definitely not allow Lafayette to listen to the government behind the curtain. As for—" "In this way, where do you put the emperor? I rule the world with filial piety, like the emperor is so retrograde, how can I feel at peace if I don't punish the common people?" Empress Dowager Cixi continued, "The emperor is not benevolent, but I can't be unrighteous, mother and son Lian Xin, how can I bear to see him being wronged after I brought him up? Well, the emperor has already agreed to this matter, so you don't need to say any more." "emperor--" "Sun Jianai, what else do you want?!" The Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't restrain her anger, she shouted angrily, and said, "I love Xinjueluo's family affairs, and I tell you about it, but I just care about your dignity. Let me know in your heart!" Sun Jianai's thin body flinched, gritted his teeth and pondered for a moment, then swallowed and replied: "Forgive me for your boldness, it is not a private matter of the family, it is actually related to the fate of our Qing Dynasty." "Shut up! The fate of the Qing Dynasty, don't worry about it!" "Slave—" "Kneel down!" "Slave——hmm." Seeing Sun Jianai wandering out of the main hall, the group of people were stunned and dumbfounded. Some timid ones knelt on the ground with their feet limp, knocking their heads repeatedly like pounding garlic: "Slave... the slave is guilty, A slave is... sinful..." "There is no crime at all in the temple's deliberations. It's just a matter that has been decided, and you must not stand on the temple!" Said, the Empress Dowager Cixi glanced at the crowd coldly, and raised her voice, "You can wait! Is there anything else to say?!" "The slave obeys the order." "If you are guilty, you must be punished, but if you have meritorious service, you must be rewarded." A smirk flashed across the corner of the Empress Dowager Cixi's mouth, and she snorted coldly, and said, "The former Minister of Rites, Manshu Huaitabu, wrote Zuodu Censor and Minister of Internal Affairs. The governor of Hubei was once He acted as an agent, and the governor of Jiangsu taught him with virtue and longevity. Also, the General Administration is short of people, so Xu Jingcheng, Yuan Chang, Guichun, Zhao Shuqiao, and Qixiu will go straight to work immediately." As soon as the words fell to the ground, Cui Yugui did not touch the door of the West Pavilion. He walked in, bowed to Qian'er and said in a low voice: "Lafayette, there is news from the prime minister's office." "Hmm." The Empress Dowager Cixi's eyebrows trembled imperceptibly, "Minister Military Aircraft King stays, and the rest retire first. Remember, but if there are people who discuss the country's political affairs privately, don't blame me for killing them!" After finishing speaking, he returned Sitting on the throne, he took a sip of tea from a cup and put it in his mouth, staring at the outside of the hall.Gang Yi saw that everyone was looking at each other, and was about to speak when Zaiyi said loudly: "What? Still not backing down?!" "Hey." The civil and military officials responded unevenly, and retreated with chaotic footsteps.Empress Dowager Cixi swallowed the tea and said, "Tell me, what news?" "The Russian envoy Cassini sent someone to reply. The matter I mentioned at the court was... because the parliament refused to allow it, so it was difficult to obey." "What? He—" As if being shocked by electricity, the Empress Dowager Cixi sat up straight, "Where is the Russian Emperor?" "Back to Lafayette, Russia is different from our Qing Dynasty, but the Emperor of Russia can't do anything about the disapproval of the parliament." The Empress Dowager Cixi bit her lower lip: "I don't care what his council thinks, since he agreed, he has to do it! Yikuang, you tell Nakassini, but he can't give me a satisfactory answer on this matter, his little life I can't guarantee that nothing will go wrong!" "Lafayette, the news is that Nakasini has... left the capital yesterday and returned—" Cui Yugui glanced at the Empress Dowager Cixi and whispered. "Damn it!" The Empress Dowager Cixi raised the teacup in her hand, smashed it to the ground, and gritted her teeth with a sound.In the huge hall, coughing and phlegm were not heard for a moment, but the movement of eunuchs walking on tiptoe outside the hall could be heard. "Lafayette, calm down." Rong Lu's mouth twitched imperceptibly, staring at the Empress Dowager Cixi, he stepped forward and bowed, "Although Cassini is hateful, even if it is in Beijing at this time, it will not help. The reason why Russia first If you agree and then regret it, you are really afraid of the power of Britain and France." "Lafayette," Yi Kuang hesitated and Ai Ai opened his mouth, "British Minister Donale also handed over a note." "Say!" "It is said that neighboring countries have no right to interfere with the matter of establishing a reserve. However, when there is a negotiation, the British only... only recognize the word 'Guangxu', which he does not know. The other governor of the two rivers, Liu Kun, once replied, saying that the division of monarchs and ministers will be determined for a long time. , Chinese and foreign mouths should be guarded against." "Damn! Beast!! Damn!!!" The sun passed through the thin, slowly moving clouds feebly, and the bleak light sprinkled down, shining on the bright yellow glazed tiles, shining brightly.A pair of eyes silently looked at the flushed Empress Dowager Cixi, as if to see something, after a while, Rong Lu opened his mouth cautiously: "Lafayette, the British and American powers are ready to take advantage of the Boxer Rebellion, and the situation is extremely unfavorable to me. If—the slave is afraid that a fight will be inevitable." "So what?!" "Slave, why don't you wait a little longer—" "You're going to get it wrong!" Empress Dowager Cixi's eyes gleamed fiercely, "The Beiyang armies were reorganized into the front, rear, left, middle, and right armies. The former army guarded the Beiyang gate and stationed in the Beitang and Dagu areas. That is to say, it was organized by the Wuyi Army under the command of Nie Shicheng; the later army was stationed in Jizhou, taking care of Tongzhou, that is, it was organized by the Gan Army under the command of Dong Fuxiang; Build an army, garrison a small station, strangle the main roads in the southwest of Jin County, and think of it as the right army. Ronglu recruits another 10,000 soldiers, as the central army, stationed in Nanyuan, defending the capital! Zaiyi!" "The slave is here!" "Tell those boxers that they kill foreigners when they see them, and do it for me! But whoever kills a male barbarian will be rewarded fifty taels of silver; whoever kills a female barbarian will be rewarded forty taels of silver; whoever kills a child will be rewarded two Twelve!" "Hey!" "Lafayette think twice, my country is empty—" "You don't need to say that!" Empress Dowager Cixi sternly stopped Yikuang. "Re-draft the decree. The governors and generals of all provinces are required to make every effort to rectify tariffs, lijin, and salt taxes. All the money paid by merchants and people must be fully disclosed and must not be hidden!" "The Shipping Merchants Bureau, the Telegraph Bureau, and the Kaiping Mining Bureau received the order to escort the capital to the capital as a normal expense for military training!" "Lafayette—" "Yikuang, you are going to ask the emperor to use the seal. Kneel down!" The Empress Dowager Cixi waved her hand, turned around and stared at the golden, purple and emerald dragon and phoenix seat, and said nothing. "Hey——" "Lafayette." "Well——" Empress Dowager Cixi seemed to be confused for a while, before turning around. "Lafayette," Cui Yugui bowed to the ground, "There is one more thing, the master is asking to see you outside." "Tell her I don't have time." "Lafayette, the mistress said... that she thought about Yingtai later..." "Huh?!" Empress Dowager Cixi stared at Cui Yugui coldly. "Slave... I don't hold back my mouth, Lafayette forgives my sin." Cui Yugui's face was so pale that there was no trace of blood, and he raised his hand to his mouth and twitched violently, trembling. "The servant is now returning to the master's empress." Then, he turned around and walked quickly outside the hall, only before he stepped over the threshold, the voice of Empress Dowager Cixi came from behind: "Come back!" "Lafayette—" "They are husband and wife after all, let's go and have a look. You go to the imperial dining room and order Haosheng to cook a table with the emperor, and ask your master to bring it with you. Tell the emperor that your body is important, don't hurt yourself! "Her voice was very low, faintly as if coming from a distance, it was clear and gloomy, "Do you understand the meaning?!" Cui Yugui was stunned for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, his heart was jumping in panic, two words His calf was also trembling slightly with spasms. "What?! Didn't hear clearly?!" "No, no, the slave heard it clearly... heard it clearly..." "The matter was leaked—" "The slave dare not, and the slave dare not dare." "Go!" "Hey." The news of the change in the imperial court spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital, and spread to the land of Shenzhou, like a deafening thunderstorm, and a thousand layers of huge waves were raised.There was only one person who didn't hear it, and that was Emperor Guangxu. At this moment, he was playing with the clock! During the four days, except for taking a nap for a few hours every day, he was lying in front of the desk, playing with the chime bells and music boxes that could make various sounds and perform various gestures.On this isolated island in the lonely lake, it seemed that only its sound could make him feel the existence of life. Gone, reform, imperial power... everything has left him.He is still the emperor, but only an empty title is left, and the world that was once subdued at his feet no longer recognizes his master. The crisp rustling sound finally sounded, and he smiled knowingly, as if he had completed a masterpiece that could shock the world.A gust of wind swept across the quiet lake and hit his face through the window, he couldn't help shivering. "Long Live Lord." Gently draping a half-worn blue Ning cotton jacket on his body, Wang Fu said in an extremely soft voice, as if he was afraid of waking up a sleeping baby, "You ...You should rest for a while." "I'm not sleepy." Guangxu's eyes slowly moved away from the ringing clock, he looked up at the gray sky covered by clouds and fog, stretched his arms, his eye circles were so dark, His face was pale with a little grayish blue, "Is there no news from Sange yet?" "Not yet... not yet." As if he couldn't bear to look at Guangxu's gloomy face, Wang Fu looked down at the uneven Linqing bricks on the ground, and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, Long live Lord, three strokes of kung fu, There will never be mistakes." "I know, only two fists are no match for four hands, I—" Guangxu sighed, "I shouldn't let him go." "Long live Lord is thinking about the worst again, it's not certain He will be back in a while." Wang Fu forced a smile from the corner of his mouth to look at Guangxu, and Wang Fu changed the subject, "The slave caught a fish in the lake yesterday, why don't Long Live Lord try the slave's handiwork?" "Forget it, I have no appetite." "Even though the situation is like this, I can't say that there is no hope at all. Just for the future, Long Live Lord won't... You shouldn't trample your body like this, you—" "This is my only hope, you know?" Yes, time is advancing silently.For an emperor who had no hope as long as the Empress Dowager Cixi lived, this was his only hope.He can only hope that the law of nature and the scythe of time can smooth the way for his future! "Slave Yikuang respectfully welcomes the emperor's peace!" Following the sound of dull and dragging footsteps, Yikuang's muffled voice came in.Guangxu was stunned for a moment, shook his hands slightly, and dropped the chiming clock to the ground. With a crisp sound, his body shrank.Looking at the hunched Yikuang in front of the window with gloomy eyes, he took a long breath before saying, "Come in." "Hey." Yikuang came in swaying as if stepping on a pile of cotton, one up and one down, "Slave Yiku——" "I can't stand your great gift!" "Slave—" "Speak if you have something to say, and leave if you have nothing to say." Guangxu said slowly with no expression on his face, without looking at Yikuang, "This is not the place for you to stay." Yikuang's lips were trembling and he didn't know what to say for a moment Well, after a long while, he knelt down on the ground with a "plop", swallowed helplessly, kowtowed and said, "It is the will of the old Buddha to register... Pu Jun as the prince." Guangxu's brow ridges trembled, and when Wang Fu presented an edict with both hands, he raised his hand and said, "That's all?" "What's more, none of the barbarians will agree to this matter. Lafayette wants to use the power of the boxers to force—" "I see." Guangxu turned his face coldly and glanced at Yikuang, his heart felt cold, warm, relieved, and sad... the torment was unbearable.Walking back and forth in the room in small steps, it took a full cup of tea, Guangxu took a long breath from the depths of his heart, and jumped through his teeth, "Wang Fu, use the seal." "Hey." As if he couldn't believe his ears, Yikuang looked at Guangxu blankly.Zhi Wang Fu handed over the edict, as if in a dream, there was no reaction at all. "Can you go?" Guangxu smiled lightly. "Slave——" recovering from the shock, Yiqiang knocked his head three times on the brick floor of Linqing, "Slave has tried his best, but——" Guangxu snorted coldly, turned to Pushing the window open in front of the window: "Did I say anything to you?" In the distance, ripples appeared on the calm lake, and a few unknown birds were circling in mid-air in surprise, ups and downs.Who is here again?Could it be— "Yes—the slave knows that he has committed a lot of crimes, and he is ashamed of the spirits of his ancestors—" "Really? This is really rare." The blurry figure in the distance was clearly identifiable, Guangxu Fang heaved a sigh of relief, with a sneer at the corner of his mouth, he glanced at Yiqiang, and snorted, "But this has nothing to do with me. What does it matter?! Let me tell you, I don’t need anyone’s mercy!” The surroundings were as silent as an ancient temple that had been abandoned for a long time, and the air became more oppressive and gloomy.Yikuang's gray braids dragged straight to the ground, his head almost touching the ground, and he said in a hoarse voice: "This slave has failed Sheng Endo—" "All that should be said has been said, and you have already done what should be done. Go." Yikuang raised his eyes to look at Guangxu, kowtowed and said in a weeping voice: "The emperor... the emperor treasures it." He got up and walked back out, suddenly seeing the queen standing under the dripping eaves, Yikuang was stunned for a while, and was about to pay respects. But was stopped: "No need, you go." "Hey." Watching his trembling body descending the steps onto the bridge, Jingfen sighed thoughtfully before walking into the house.Guangxu half-lyed on the chair, staring at the candle tears in the palace lantern dripping on the water-polished blue bricks: "But Lafayette asked you to come?" "Yes." Jingfen nodded, raised her hand and waved away the accompanying eunuch, The maid placed the meal on the table with her own hands, and said, "It was the concubine who insisted, and Lafayette agreed. The emperor—" "That's all." Guangxu interjected with a half-smile, "Tell me what you have to say, this is not the place for you." Jingfen shook her hand holding the plate, feeling a chill soaking into her skin, her heart They all huddled into a ball, and a pair of pupils on his pale face stared gloomily at Guangxu, as if wanting to see something from his face, after a long while, Fang comforted him: "The concubine is fine, just...just Come and see the emperor." After a pause, she bit her lip with fine white teeth and continued, "I just heard that—" "I know." "Your Majesty, don't be discouraged. Those barbarians will not approve of this. Although Lafayette intends to reuse those boxers for this, how can they be the opponents of the barbarians?" "If this is the case, I'm afraid that Daqing will be in great trouble again." Guangxu shook his head lightly, "Rather than this, I would rather spend the rest of my life on this island." "No, no..." Jingfen His body trembled, and his voice trembled like leaves in the autumn wind, "I don't want my concubine... I don't want my majesty..." "It's not up to you, and it's not up to me. The world is nothing more than a puff of air, a wisp of smoke, a flash of tan, and it's all that if you think about it." Looking at her trembling body, Guangxu sighed and closed his mouth. "How is Concubine Zhen? Do you know?" "Listening to the arguments of the slaves, it's... still reasonable." "Plausible? She's afraid—" Guangxu stood up as if being shocked by an electric shock while speaking, "Wang Fu, you...what's wrong with you?" He twitched a few times and fell on the cold ground, his voice was weak but very clear: "Long Live Lord, there is... poison in the meal..." "This——" Jingfen staggered back two steps as if bitten by a poisonous snake, her face turned green and dark like incense ash, she was so startled that her hand holding the chair trembled, she murmured, "It's impossible...impossible..." "Why?" As if afraid of Wang Fu's sudden disappearance in front of him, Guangxu held his thin arms tightly with both hands, "Why don't you use silver needles?" Yinhong blood flowed out from the corner of his mouth, Wang Fuqiang squeezed out a smile and looked at Guangxu: "The silver needle is not poisonous after I tried it, I am afraid... I may make a mistake, so... I don't want to but I really... Really..." His face was contorted, and his tone became weaker and weaker. "Don't talk, I'll call the imperial physician here." With tears streaming from his eyes, Guangxu raised his face and shouted loudly, "Emperor physician! Imperial physician!" There was no answer, only the unhurried rustling of the chime bell. "The doctor—" "Long live Lord, don't shout... shout..." Wang Fu exerted all his strength, his hands and feet were twitching and trembling, and said with difficulty, "No one should... answer. This slave is favored by Long Live God ...But I don't think that Long Live God can solve the problem... I feel really guilty... I feel so guilty, I can exchange this poor and humble life for the peace of Long Live God...Peace, the slave is already satisfied..." A smile appeared on his face , much like embers in a burnt charcoal basin, the reddish color flickers. "No...no, I must save you, I..." "Long live Lord," Wang Fu clasped Guangxu's hand tightly with both hands, as if gathering the last strength, and his voice suddenly became dignified and powerful, "It seems that Lafayette has murderous intentions for Long live Lord. Master, be careful...be careful..." His hand slowly drooped. "no no--" The sky was pitch black, with no moon or stars, and they might have been bluffed by the heart-piercing wails of the real Dragon Emperor.As if being stabbed sharply with a needle, Jingfen regained her senses from her ignorance, her feet softened and she knelt on the ground: "The concubine deserves death, please the emperor give the concubine the death penalty." As she spoke, tears flowed down the line It dripped down like a child. Holding Wang Fu's increasingly stiff arm tightly, Guangxu remained motionless for a long time like a man cast in stone. "Emperor... Your Majesty..." A gloomy cold wind came in through the window, and in a flash of candlelight, Guangxu let out a deep sigh, shaking his head again and again: "It's not...it's not true...it's not..." "The concubine is sorry for the emperor...the emperor, but the concubine really didn't expect it to be...it was like this..." Jingfen's face became paler and her thin body trembled, as if a gust of wind could blow it away ，“臣妾以为老佛爷——”光绪冷冷地笑着：“你以为她心肠真的那般好？”他冷哼了声，轻轻将王福放了地上，举步悠然踱了两步，凄然一笑接着道，“朕日后怕也和他一样结果的。” “不，不。”静芬膝行向前，“臣妾这就回宫说与老佛爷——” “说什么？”光绪深深吸了口气，“求她放过朕？不，她不会的。” “老佛爷也是人，她将皇上——” “她不是人！”光绪回首望眼静芬，坚定的语气不容丝毫置疑，“她是机器！权力的机器！为了能拥有权力，她亲生儿子可以不要，祖宗社稷可以不顾，朕又算得什么？！在她眼中，朕只不过是她权力棋盘上的一粒棋子，一粒可以随意摆弄的棋子，只要她觉着它已没了利用的价值，她便会毫不怜悯地将它抛掉！” “那……那皇上……” “生死天注定，一切随它去吧。”光绪说着仰脸长长透了口气，“朕命里该有此劫，躲也躲不过的。好了，你回去吧。” “皇上……天气渐渐冷了，皇上您多注意身子骨。臣妾与您做了几身衣服，早晚记着……” “嗯。”光绪身子抖动了下，“去吧——” “皇上珍重，臣妾去……去了……”静芬深深蹲了个万福，移脚时，身子却已似瑟风中抖动的嫩枝一般。 她走了，带着浓浓的眷恋，依依不舍地走了。借着屋外摇曳不定的烛光，看着她上了乘舆，看着她过了那幽幽的木桥，他终于哭出了声。泪水，帝王的泪水，真龙天子的泪水，然而，也如庶民一样，只能是一种发泄！ Late at night.万物都在这寒冷的夜中冻僵了，凝固了。壶漏将涸，灯焰已昏，烛台上血红的烛泪堆得老高，只有远处更声凄凉地在四下里回响着。不知过了多久，“吱——”的一声响，一个黑影倏地闪了进来。几乎在同时，光绪睁开了微闭的双眸。黑影站在门口，没有动，似乎在适应着屋内的光线。 “朕在这里！”光绪自喉咙间冷冷哼了声，径至案前点燃了风熄的红烛，略带阴冷的眸子盯着来人，似笑非笑地淡淡道，“还愣着做甚？不是想要朕性命吗？拿去领赏吧。” “草民王五给皇上请安。皇上万岁、万岁、万万岁！” “你是——”光绪愣怔了下。 “草民是谭嗣同义兄。”王五眼圈红红的，似乎刚哭过，叩首起身说道，“请皇上速速打点行李，草民这便护送皇上离开此地。”说话间自怀中摸了块玉佩双手呈上，“此玉佩乃皇上之物，复生托我交还皇上。”光绪身子针刺价哆嗦了下，凝视着手中晶莹透亮的玉佩足有移时，移眸望着王五：“谭嗣同他——”“老佛爷已然降旨，明日午时三刻在菜市口处斩谭嗣同、杨深秀、杨锐、林旭、康广仁与刘光第六人。”喉头抽动着，泪水禁不住涌了眼眶，只强忍着没有掉下来，“草民夜闯刑部大牢，欲以相救，只他说……说……” "what did he say?" “不有行者，无以图将来；不有死者，无以酬圣主。各国变法，无不经流血方能成事，今日之所以国不能昌，民不能富，只在未有因变法而流血的……”压抑沉闷的气氛中，屋外传来橐橐脚步声响：“师傅，三爷传信，大队官兵正往这赶呢，要您快着些！”王五扫眼墙上自鸣钟：“请皇上速速与草民——” “都走了，朕便离开，又有何用？”光绪凄然一笑，“你快些去吧。” “听闻南方变法维新思想已然深得民意，皇上但离开此地，登高一呼，何愁无人响应？又何愁大清没有指望？皇上，复生一片赤诚，您难道忍心要他含恨九泉吗？” “朕——” 这时间，外边喊杀声、枪响声隐隐传了进来。王五心里直火烧了一般：“皇上莫要犹豫，再迟恐就没得机会了。”眼见光绪依然是泥胎般动也不动，王五迟疑了下，伸手往光绪腰眼上点了下去，“皇上，请恕草民无礼了。” “大胆王五，还不快快放了皇上，束手就擒！”出门来，但见四下里已是白昼一般光亮。步兵统领崇礼端坐马上，周匝二三百名侍卫拱卫着，大声喝道。 “想要王五投降，你做梦！” “天堂有路你不走，地狱无门你偏来闯。今日遇着本官，你算走到头了。”崇礼细碎白牙咬着，“睁开你的狗眼看看，这是什么！”说着，他抬手轻轻挥了下。张三、纪正、顺义等人浑身血葫芦般被十多名侍卫拖上桥头，扔在了冰冷的桥面上。 “师傅，三爷他们——”扁担李豆大的泪珠淌着。 “你背着皇上，咱们闯！” “放朕下来。” "emperor--" “放朕下来！”光绪黑漆漆的眸子望着桥对岸，似乎在聆听着什么，长吁口气淡淡说道，“这等局面，便你们亦难保能全身而退，带着朕更一丝希望亦无！” “草民便粉身碎骨——” “以有用之身为有用之事，便死，亦重于泰山。”光绪轻轻摇摇头，“此时为朕去死，殊属不智。莫说朕压根便不想离开，即使想，外边也没有朕容身之地的。”见王五嘴唇翕动着欲言语，光绪虚抬了下手，“好了，甚也别说了。你二人此时离开，朕或许还有条生路，不然，朕只有死路一条的！”光绪酥软的身子这时间稍稍有了些气力，眉棱骨抖落着深深吸口气徐徐吐将出来，“此为我大清、为我苍生唯一可走的路。谭嗣同泉下有知，亦会应允的。” "emperor--" “好了，莫要再言语了。但他们候着老佛爷旨意，甚也来不及了。”光绪说着抬脚向对岸缓缓走了过去，“你们跟在朕身后，伺机脱身吧。” 湖水拍岸的哗哗声和着橐橐的脚步声在四下里回响着，他们能平安脱困吗？他不知道，但他清楚地知道，自己以后的日子将会更加的艰难……