Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

The Empress Dowager Cixi pondered for a while, and said, "I am too tired to travel all the way, so I will rest here for a few days. I will let you know when I will start driving. Well, you are tired." Time, only time that never returns like running water, made the omnipotent Empress Dowager Cixi feel at a loss and felt the lack of her own strength. Just as Guangxu hoped that the sickle of time would clear away the thorns on his future road for him, she also felt the ruthless harvest of the sickle of time day by day.The change in Yingtai passed quickly like a flash in the pan.However, while strengthening her control over him, she also deeply felt that one day, the positions of the two parties would be reversed again!

She was afraid, she was afraid that everything that had been regained through untold hardships would come to naught!She was afraid that after death, she would also end up with a tragic result of digging graves and abandoning the corpse! !She finally put all her eggs in one basket and led the Boxer Regiment with the fortitude of Prince Zhuang Zaixun and Minister of Military Aircraft. Yingnian and Zailan jointly handled the matter, and launched an attack on Dongjiaominxiang, the district of embassies of various countries in Beijing.She was looking forward to capturing all those bossy and dictating foreigners so that she could negotiate with them.However, it is easy to wake up from a good dream. Just when Dongjiaomin Lane could not be attacked for a long time, a pile of bad news came from Tianjin, the gateway of Gyeonggi Province.

On July 9, the allied forces attacked in three directions to the southwest of Tianjin, outflanking Nie Shicheng's army and the Boxers who were standing there.Nie Shicheng resisted to the death, but was eventually outnumbered and died in battle. On July 13th, the Japanese, British, and U.S. forces attacked the south gate of Tianjin again in three directions. Yulu, Song Qing and others fled to Yangcun in a hurry.On the same day, the Russian and German troops launched a fierce attack on the east gate of Tianjin. On July 14, Tianjin fell. On August 4, more than 20,000 coalition forces marched toward Beijing along the canal.

... It was as silent as death, and the evening wind, which was only slightly cool, slapped the palace door vigorously from time to time, making "squeaks" non-stop.The faint candlelight was unbearably cool, flickering weakly, as if telling people something, people looked at it, and couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation. The Empress Dowager Cixi sat blankly on the large and unreliable throne, her dull eyes slowly scanning everything around Zhou Za. Under the dim candlelight, she seemed to have aged a lot, and there were traces of silk on her neck and veins. wrinkle! "Lafayette," bowing and tiptoeing over, Li Lianying was extremely careful to hit Qian'er to the ground, and said softly, "I should—"

"What's the date today?" Empress Dowager Cixi half closed her eyes. "Back to Lafayette, it's August thirteenth today." The Empress Dowager Cixi let out a long breath of depression, opened her eyes and looked at the rustling clock in the corner of the room, with a sad smile on the corner of her mouth: "I remember that it was the same day when I left the capital, right? ?” Li Lianying bit her lips with fine white teeth, and said in a deep voice, “I remember it well... it seems to be the twenty-third day.” He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "Lafayette, slave... what I mean by this time ...it's time to make a decision."

"Ok?" Li Lianying flinched, stealing eyes from the Empress Dowager Cixi, her face was gloomy but showed no sign of anger, so she coughed lightly and boldly said again: "Slave, Lafayette should...leave the capital early. If a foreign boy came in, then it would be—" Empress Dowager Cixi's eyebrows trembled as if waking up in her sleep: "Where are those foreign boys now, do you have any news?" "According to the report, we have arrived in Tongzhou in ten days. The servants reported that they seem to be recharging their energy, hoping to win in one fell swoop—" Li Lianying poured a cup of tea and presented it, "Lafayette, the foreigner travels day and night, three or four You can arrive at the capital in two hours. If at this time... If you don't make a decision early, the servant may—"

The Empress Dowager Cixi didn't make a sound, she just got up and left the throne, and under Li Lianying's watchful eyes, she walked slowly and slowly with her feet heavy with lead.Her eyes were frighteningly gloomy, and when she saw the pale moonlight reflected in the corridor, Fang asked, "Is there any news from Zaiyi?" "Not yet. The embassies of various countries are connected together—" "Trash!" The Empress Dowager Cixi gritted her white teeth and said two words, her hand holding the teacup was tightly trembling.Hope, that was the only hope she could count on!However—the sound of footsteps came in after a while, and the Empress Dowager Cixi glanced coldly out of the window, "Come in!"

"The slave pleases Lafayette—" "You're not busy with business, what are you doing here?!" The muscles at the corners of the Empress Dowager Cixi's mouth twitched, and she stared at the angry Prince Zaiyi. "Slave..." Zai Yi was confused for a while, knelt down on his knees and said, "Slave begged Lafayette to punish Rong Lu for disturbing the morale of the army and the people." Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Rong Lu beside him, " At this time of crisis, Rong Lu did not think of making progress to repay the favor of Lafayette, but instead encouraged a group of ignorant people to try to instigate Lafayette to leave the capital, please be careful!" The Empress Dowager Cixi played with the teacup over and over again. : "Rong Lu, what Zaiyi said is the truth?"

"Going back to Lafayette, slaves have such thoughts." Under the eyes of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Rong Lu lowered his head, and in a split second, as if he had received some encouragement, he raised his head again and bowed, "Lafayette , the servant received a message from the prefecture in Youshi, and the Eight-Nation Allied Forces are attacking our capital in four directions—” "Is this true?!" Empress Dowager Cixi shivered with electric shock. "The slaves dare not lie to Lafayette. According to the report, the Russian army went north and headed for Dongzhimen; the Japanese army went straight to Chaoyangmen; Miles, it seems to be at Guangqumen. The other four countries' armies are backing up, and they also left Tongzhou one after another at the end of the year and the beginning of the year to follow—"

"No...don't say it." The Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't hide her inner panic, and she splashed the tea in the cup on the brick floor of Linqing with trembling hands.The deathly silence was overwhelming.However, no one said a word, they just looked at the Empress Dowager Cixi with eyes full of expectation, waiting for her final decision!Time moved forward minute by minute, and I don't know how long it had passed, the chime bell rustled, and hit ten times in a row with incomparable loudness, it was already the hour of Haizheng.The Empress Dowager Cixi's body was suddenly bitten by a snake, and she shook violently. She moved her eyes to look at the chiming clock. Said, "Come on!"

"The slave is here." "The decree was delivered quickly, and all the Yihe regiments in the capital went out of the city to cooperate with the official army to resist the coalition forces." "Hey." "Lafayette," Zaiyi's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition crept up, "Dongjiaominxiang——" "Shut up! Fortunately, you have the face to say it!" "Whoosh" turned around, his gloomy eyes were full of horrific coldness, he stared at Zaiyi with dead eyes, and said angrily, "If you weren't incompetent, how could you be in this situation today?!" "Slave..." The leaves on Zaiyi's body trembled in the autumn wind, and the chicken-pecking rice hurriedly knocked on the head of Ai Ai and said, "Damn it... Lafayette forgives the sin. Slave will pass now, at the latest... tomorrow morning at the latest, One must attack..." "Tomorrow? By then, I'm afraid I'll be a prisoner!" The flowerpot-soled shoes walked back and forth on the Linqing brick floor twice, and the Empress Dowager Cixi stopped her feet and said, "Lianying, pass on my order, the Ministry of Internal Affairs Quickly pack up and prepare to leave...the capital." "My servant begs Lafayette to spend some more time with this servant." Seeing the general situation is going to go, Zai Yi hurriedly interjected, "If this servant still can't take down the foreign hair embassy, ​​I'm willing to be punished by Lafayette." "Punish you? I'm not sure where I will be at that time!" Angrily reprimanded Ju Zaiyi, the Empress Dowager Cixi pondered for a while, and then said, "Also, order Ma Yukun to quickly select two thousand elites and wait for them in the Summer Palace; call Li Hongzhang to pick them up The decree is to go north immediately, but there will be no excuses and negligence!" "Hey!" "Cui Yugui! You go to Yingtai to invite the emperor back to the palace! Also, bring that vixen here!" "Hey!" The Empress Dowager Cixi clenched her fine white teeth tightly, her face was so pale that there was no trace of blood, her gloomy eyes flicked over everyone's faces one by one, she let out a long sigh, and said in a hoarse voice: "I never thought that I, who is about to die , but there is still such a catastrophe. How unfair God treats me! How unfair!" As he spoke, tears flickered in his eyes, "Rehe is too close to Beijing, so it's hard to be safe. Ronglu, according to you, this... this Where should we go?" "What Lafayette said is very true. You can never go to Rehe." Rong Lu sneered at the corner of his mouth and looked at Zai Yi, who was on the side of the defeated rooster and drooping his head. I took back what I was thinking, and bowed, "According to the slave, the south is rich enough to pay for the expenses of the two palaces. I will ask the Lafayette to judge." There is a scuffle, the flames of war are raging, the governors and ministers are impatient, and they are too busy to take care of themselves, how can they provide the two palaces?!" Zai Yi's tadpole eyes turned rapidly, and before Rong Lu's words fell, he interjected, "Kuang Liu Kunyi, Zhang Zhidong Although Liu did not dare to disobey the will of the Lafayette, but he has been in contact with foreigners for a long time, and he has already had ulterior motives. The honor and the sage moved south, what is he thinking?! Could it be that he wants to—” "Rong Lu's heart can only be shown by God, please be enlightened by Lafayette!" Rong Lu's face flashed a look of panic, he only glanced at the Empress Dowager Cixi, and immediately calmed down, looked at Zaiyi with a cold smile, and said , "The prince of the county said that there is a scuffle in the south, and the flames of war are raging. I don't know what to justify it?!" "According to you, the south is safe and sound?!" "Exactly!" "Fart!" Zai Yi blurted out in a hurry. "After all—" Rong Lu's brows trembled, and he wanted to open his mouth to retort, but he hesitated and swallowed. He walked up to the Empress Dowager Cixi and bowed, "Lafayette, from the southeast corner of Liu Kun, Liangjiang, Since Zhang Zhidong from Huguang and Li Hongzhang from Guangdong came forward to contact the consuls of various countries in Shanghai, and signed the "Southeast Mutual Insurance Regulations", there has been no war to speak of—" "Southeast Mutual Insurance Regulations?" Empress Dowager Cixi glanced at Rong Lu coldly. Zai Yi seemed to be holding on to a life-saving straw, his eyes sparkled, and he said: "Without the imperial court's order, he even made a charter with the barbarians privately. It seems that such people who have no king, according to the laws of my Qing Dynasty, the nine clans should be exterminated." Yes!" "Although the three governors acted a little recklessly, they were forced by the situation and acted as a last resort. Besides, their intention was to save the southeastern provinces from the devastation of war. How can we treat the Qing Dynasty with normal feelings if we think that we have preserved a little vitality?" What?!" Rong Lu sneered coldly, took out a letter from his sleeve and presented it with both hands, and said, "I copied the content of the articles of association from "Zi Lin Xi Bao", please read it by Lafayette." Cixi The Empress Dowager looked at Rong Lu from head to toe as if she didn't know him. After a long while, Fang reached out to take it: 1. The Shanghai Concession is jointly protected by all countries, and the Yangtze River and the interior of Suzhou and Hangzhou are under the protection of the governors. The two do not interfere with each other. The main purpose is to preserve the lives and industries of Chinese and foreign businessmen. 2. The charter for the common protection of the Shanghai Concession has been established separately. 3. The Yangtze River and the business, civilian and missionary industries in the inland countries of Suzhou and Hangzhou are owned by Liu, the Minister of Nanyang, and Zhang, the Governor of Hubei and Hunan.Prohibition of rumors has been issued, and the gangsters are strictly taken. ... The muscles at the corners of the Empress Dowager Cixi's mouth twitched, she stared into the distance as if she was about to penetrate the palace wall, and said indifferently: "That's right, they're all more successful than before." Rong Lu knew that she wished she could get rid of them immediately, hearing this hypocrisy He frowned as if chewing a bitter olive at the corner of his mouth, and said: "In the current situation, many people abandon the country's rise and fall, but those who want to protect their families and save their lives to save the country from danger are rare, and they are rare. .” "Wang Wenshao, what do you think?" Empress Dowager Cixi raised her hand falsely. "Slave——" Wang Wenshao's eye circles were flushed, he seemed to be very preoccupied, he stroked his smooth forehead with his right hand, and sighed, "If the world is peaceful, follow the scriptures, and if the world is in chaos, follow the power. Asking for an order and obeying an order, there must be an order. This kind of minister who follows the rules can be obtained by everyone; those who obey the power, in troubled times, weigh the interests, cut first and then play, but only care about the overall situation and care less, and benefit the people. Only those who are wise and decisive can let it go. Liu Kunyi and others made a treaty with foreigners without following the order. The crime is not minor, but the meritorious service they have made is compared with this, and the slaves think it is enough... enough to make up for it." Empress Dowager Cixi inspected Wang Wenshao with eyes as deep as ancient wells: "According to your opinion, can you go to the south?" "Although Liu Kun and the others complained a lot about the imperial decree, their hearts were always toward the imperial court and towards our Great Qing. The only thing to worry about is that since the declaration of war on the Yangtze River, there have been many warships from various countries. Whether the two palaces can survive this natural danger , slave—” "Just for this, I think that you can't go to the south." Gangyi held a Hanyu pendant in his hand and played with it tirelessly. "The area between Shanxi and Xi'an is separated by the Yellow River and mountains. I think—" "The wildness in the Northwest , why supply the expenses?" Zaiyi gritted her white teeth and wished she could step forward and kick her fortitude hard, and interrupted with a cold snort, "Lafayette, the capital is the fundamental place, and it is worth the two wins and losses. But at the time, the slave thought that he couldn’t leave easily. But—” "The prince of the county is still saying that there is a difference between winning and losing at this time, and he doesn't mind—" "Enough!" The Empress Dowager Cixi rolled her eyes at Zaiyi and Ronglu, her disheveled temple hair was shaking slightly under the lamp, her eyes wandered for a long time, her lips moved and she spoke, "Pass the decree, go to Xi'an! " "I beg Lafayette to be with the slave again—" "Do you still dare to speak?! What else do you have in your mind besides 'Tai Shang Huang'?! I will tell you clearly today, I have accepted this thought for me!" "Slave—" Like a thunderstorm on a sunny day, Zaiyi's face turned as pale as the window paper under the moonlight!Seeming to be frightened by her own words, when the Empress Dowager Cixi froze for a while, Fang glanced at everyone's faces one by one, and said with a long breath: "Wang Wenshao, go down and tell Yikuang that you will negotiate with Li Hongzhang and other countries. 1. Zhang Zhidong has a meeting." "Hey——" "Rong Lu stays here, let's all go down and get ready." The Empress Dowager Cixi weakly raised her hand, pacing back and forth in the room with her hands behind her back, standing in front of the window from time to time to look at the dark sky, as if she was in a daze. He turned his face away, stared blankly at the flickering candles on the desk, and remained silent for a long time.The sound of the wind outside gradually grew louder in the silence, blowing against the window paper, rustling, and the dull thunder sounded from time to time in the distant sky, as if it was about to change the sky.The dim and lifeless eyes glanced at Rong Lu, and her eyelids twitched. The Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Rong Lu, why are you in a daze?!" Her voice was very soft, but there was a sense of coercion! "Ah—Lafayette." Rong Lu came back, glanced at the Empress Dowager Cixi, bowed his waist and replied, "Slave... the slave is distracted, the slave is thinking about going to Xi'an, the road is difficult, Lafayette— " "Even if I die, I won't go to the south!" The bushy mustache on Rong Lu's lips trembled, he flicked his horseshoe sleeves and knelt down on the ground, kowtowed and said: "Lafayette Mingjian, the slave wants to be the master of the two palaces, and he is really deliberate." "Yes. Do you?" The Empress Dowager Cixi stared at Rong Lu with a knife-like gaze, "There is a flood of reform thoughts in the south, and there is a revolutionary party force that is about to move recently. You don't know about it?! Zaiyi is not as good as a pig and a dog, and he is only thinking about how to get a seat as soon as possible." I think you are not much better than him!" She paused, gritted her white teeth and said, "Idiot! You are a fool!" "Slave——" Rong Lu's face suddenly swelled up like a ripe persimmon, and his face was almost pressed against the Linqing brick floor, so he didn't dare to take a breath. "Without me being here, you have the glory you have today, eh?!" "How dare the slave forget the grace of the Lafayette. The slave's intention is really for the Lafayette—" "You still dare to argue?!" The Empress Dowager Cixi's voice was muffled, like thunder. "The slave knows... guilty." "The current affairs are complicated, and I only worry that I don't have a capable servant to order me around. It's good for you, don't do business, and focus on fighting for power with him. Now it's all right, my position is loose, should you be satisfied?" Seeing Li Lianying come in breathlessly, Cixi The Queen Mother closed her mouth and said, "Have you explained everything?" "Go back to Lafayette, I have explained it as you ordered." "There is no movement outside the city?" "not yet." The Empress Dowager Cixi glanced at the chiming clock in the corner of the room, her already half-grey eyebrows frowned slightly, and said: "You go to Yingtai to have a look, if the emperor doesn't want to come over, he will ask someone to 'invite' him over!" "Hey!" "Get up." The Empress Dowager Cixi walked slowly, the veins on Chad's forehead gradually faded, and said with a long sigh, "In this situation, you and my master and servant can work together to overcome this difficulty, if—— "She coughed lightly, Rong Lu's heart was clear, he let out a long breath secretly, kowtowed and said: "Lafayette is relieved. This servant will be smashed to pieces, and I will protect Lafayette, but if there is a mistake, this servant is willing to—" "Forget it, what are you doing by saying these words?" Empress Dowager Cixi raised her hand falsely, "Go out of the city now and gather all the Beiyang armies!" "Lafayette—" "Going to Xi'an, there is no guarantee that the coalition forces will not follow. After I go with the emperor, you will lead the troops to cut off the rear. This matter is unusual, you must not be careless!" "Slaves would like to obey the instructions of kindness!" "Yes." Empress Dowager Cixi nodded, "If this matter is done well, it will definitely benefit you. Go down." "Hey!" On the quiet night sky, dots of cold stars blink like the eyes of a naughty child, overlooking the vast expanse of land.Sitting alone in the empty hall, listening to the howling and whimpering sound of the autumn wind blowing through the eaves outside, the Empress Dowager Cixi felt that her heart was stuffed with rotten cotton wadding, and the price could not be removed and she couldn't get rid of it.For more than thirty years, she has always been able to do a job with ease in strong winds and waves.But this time, she was powerless, she encountered unprecedented resistance! Since the Reform Movement of 1898, she has felt that danger is approaching day by day.Capturing Nakang is not enough, but it is just a signal, and something more dangerous is at the elbow.She knew in her heart that her current status was only to teach politics, but formally, the real emperor was still Guangxu, although she had already issued an edict to the world, and made Pu Jun the prince.It's too dangerous!As long as one day, the courtiers think that she is unable to teach politics, or the western powers, such as the United Kingdom, think that there is no need for her to teach politics, then her position will be in jeopardy! In order to get rid of this crisis, there is only one way, and that is to completely abolish Guangxu and establish a "sensible" new emperor as soon as possible!She knew that she did the same, but in the end, things were still proceeding in the way she least wanted and dared not imagine!If time could be turned back, if the damn Dongjiaominxiang could be taken down as soon as possible, what would be the result?Alas──God does not bless me, God does not bless me! Just like this, I was tossing and tossing in my heart, and I didn't get confused until the clock ticked four o'clock... I seemed to be sleeping, half asleep, half awake, and suddenly Li Lianying came into the room lightly, and the Empress Dowager Cixi sat up straight with a shock : "But...but the foreign hairy boy attacked?" "Lafayette, don't worry, nothing has happened yet." Li Lianying bowed and gave a slap, "Lafayette, Long Live Lord is here." "Yes." The Empress Dowager Cixi let out a long breath and glanced at the golden bell in the corner of the room. . "Should have come back earlier," Li Lianying stretched out her hand to help Empress Dowager Cixi sit up straight, and said cautiously, "Long Yan, Long Yan, was so angry that he refused to come—" "Of course he refused to come!" Cixi The queen mother sneered coldly, "Are you ready to stop?" "It's almost there. Just now, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent someone to say that they couldn't find enough horses for a while—" "When is this, and there are so many rules? Tell them, it's okay to have mules without horses." Wuzi said, a bright flash suddenly appeared in the dark sky, and the Empress Dowager Cixi shook her body and was about to speak, as if she wanted to speak. On the top of the head, there was a loud "boom", and the dust on the roof of the hall shook uncomfortably. Immediately, the sound of guns, shouts, and screams... mixed together and faintly spread from all around! "Lianying, order Beiyu. Tell the emperor to come in!" "Hey!" Guangxu was only wearing a lake silk jacket, and no jacket over it. Except for a very conspicuous bright yellow crouching bag on his waist, which could show his supreme status, the rest were dressed as ordinary gentry.A pair of pupils on the steep and thin face were like two stars in the dark night, looking at the terrified Empress Dowager Cixi, a slightly sarcastic smile appeared on her pale face, and she bowed to greet her and said, "My son, to my father." Please be safe." "Foreign Maozi besieged the city, and the fall of the capital seems to be a matter of time. I have made an agreement with all the ministers of the military aircraft king, and I will be lucky enough to go to Xi'an for the time being. You—" "The capital is the foundation of the society, and the son is the king of a country. Wouldn't the world laugh at him if he left at this time? Please be lucky for a while, and the son is willing to live and die with the capital." "Life will be lost, how can we talk about honor and shame?!" The Empress Dowager Cixi looked out of the house uneasily, "If you hadn't insisted on going your own way, how could such a disaster befall you today?!" The muscles at the corners of Guangxu's mouth twitched. Knowing that the crime is serious, I only wish to stay in the capital to comfort the spirits of my ancestors." "It seems that you haven't been practicing in vain for a while, and you are very promising!" He said calmly, "Don't you just want to stay in Beijing and wait for the foreign men to come in, so as to take charge of the government? Tell you, it's a dream!" "My ministers only want to be worthy of the heaven above, and the earth below, and worthy of hundreds of millions of creatures in the world—" "When did your heart become so good? If you had such a heart long ago, you wouldn't end up in the situation you are today!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said, gritting her white teeth. Unable to bear the cold outside, Guangxu shrank back: "My minister has made up his mind, and he will never leave the capital for half a step!" "If you go, you have to go, if you don't go, you have to go, it's up to you." "Such a minister is willing to die!" "Death? Do you think you have the right?!" The Empress Dowager Cixi let out a piercing laugh. "My dear father thought—" Guangxu said as he made a gesture and wanted to bump into the pillars. He moved only a step, but was grabbed by two eunuchs, one on each side! "Let go of me! You bastards, let me go!" "Die! Why don't you die!?" Empress Dowager Cixi walked up to Guangxu with a frozen smile on her face, "Don't think that with the support of foreigners, I can't do anything about you. In my eyes , you are just a piece of fish to be slaughtered. If I want you to die, you don’t want to live in this world; The sleepy angry lion gritted his fine white teeth, and was so angry that he couldn't even utter a complete sentence: "You...you..." The Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Guangxu as if she didn't know her, and unconsciously took two steps back. "Lafayette," Li Lianying flew in without touching his feet, was stunned for a moment, bowed and said, "The Chengyu is ready, look—" "Order the family members to leave the palace one after another." The Empress Dowager Cixi coughed twice, As if he didn't dare to look at Guangxu's eyes full of angry flames, he glanced slightly from the corner of his eyes, "Did you bring that foxy girl here?!" "I'm waiting outside the hall to see you." When the voice fell, Empress Dowager Cixi had already left the house.Concubine Zhen was wearing a whitish indigo shirt, black market trousers that had not been washed for many days, with a lot of dirt on the bottom of the trousers, her face was as pale as window paper under the moonlight, without a trace of blood, her temples and forehead were covered with bruises. The fine and dense wrinkles, the shallow dimple at the corner of the mouth, and the slightly frown eyebrows still seem to be old-fashioned.Her footsteps were a little hesitant, she stepped forward with difficulty, and squatted down with a blessing to beat her down. Concubine Zhen said in a trembling voice: "My concubine pays my respects to Lafayette." body.Looking at the thin body that seemed to be more than ten years old, her eye sockets were moist. "I think you heard the commotion outside. The boxers are like this, and the bandits are swarming. You are still young. If you are captured and defiled along the way, your ancestors will not be honored. I will fulfill your wish, and you will be clean." "The Empress Dowager Cixi's tone was faint, as if it was coming from hell. Jingfen shuddered when she heard it, and fell to her knees on the ground with a "plop", her throat choked up and begged: "I beg Lafayette to be merciful. My concubine and sister Zhen I will definitely not lose face with my ancestors." "Lafayette, sister concubine..." Concubine Jin burst into tears, knelt down and kowtowed hurriedly, "I have been detained for so many days, and I have repented of all the things in the past, I beg Lafayette to show mercy, then—" "Ok?!" "Lafayette—" "The kindness bestowed by Lafayette, my concubine will never forget it." At this time, Concubine Zhen raised her pale cheeks, "I just ask Lafayette—" "You can understand my difficulties, that would be the best. " Before her words fell to the ground, Empress Dowager Cixi had already spoken, "Cui Yugui, send your master on his way!" "Hey——" "Don't...don't...kiss father, son..." "Don't you say it won't happen?!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said coldly while she was on her waist, "You want her to live, but I want her to die! I also ask you to look at it, as long as it makes me unhappy , how will it end?!" After finishing speaking, he ordered loudly, "get up!" "Lafayette is driving!" "Lafayette is driving!" ... As if it wasn't "lively" enough, a few crows startled up, fluttering and dancing in the night sky with whistling sounds, and there was a cooing sound like a strange laugh in the middle, which looked extraordinarily creepy.Far away, the Forbidden City; far away, the Summer Palace; far away... All that remains is the sound of rumbling guns and miserable howls echoing over the capital for a long time. The fine silk-like rain and fog swayed in the air, covering the sky, the ground, houses and pedestrians indistinctly.The stagnant water on the road is blown by the slightly cool autumn wind, sparkling fine waves.Then the military aircraft department rolled the order, Yuxian didn't sleep well all night, got up early and only ate a few snacks in a hurry, then led Taiyuan civil and military officials with full guard of honor to welcome them ten miles away to wait for the two palaces. "Report to Futai, the two palaces will arrive immediately!" Yu Xian was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said, "Fire the cannons and play the music!" In an instant, the drums and music began.Amidst the music, the apricot-yellow soft sedan chair and the green woolen official sedan chair meanderingly surrounded by dozens of guards and soldiers at the corner of the post road not far ahead.Yu Xian hurried forward a few steps, bowed and hit the ground with a bow: "Slave Yuxian, lead the officials of each department in Shanxi to respectfully invite Lafayette and the emperor to be safe!" "Slave Gansu Inspector Cen Chunxuan respectfully greets Lafayette and the Emperor!" "Free of courtesy, free of courtesy." The apricot-yellow soft sedan landed slowly to the sound of music.The Empress Dowager Cixi stepped out of the sedan chair with a blue jacket and long gown with a missing jacket, a faint smile appeared on her haggard face, she raised her hand and said, "Okay, let's all get up." "Slave thank you Lord Ron!" The Empress Dowager Cixi looked at the dark crowd of courtiers in front of her, and took a long breath: "How far is the provincial capital?" "About ten miles away." "Have all the supplies been prepared?" "I have prepared it carefully." Yu Xian swallowed, and said cautiously, "Only yesterday did I get the order from the military plane. If I am not careful, I will feel panic." After walking for hundreds of miles, I didn’t see a single commoner, and even none of the officials. Now that you’re in Taiyuan, you can still come here in official uniform, and you can be considered a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty.” "This is the duty of a slave, how dare you be an old Buddha—" The Empress Dowager Cixi raised her hand and said lightly, "Aren't those servants all due duties? This person is different from others!" As she spoke, she glanced gloomily at Cen Chunxuan who was beside Yuxian: "Why did you get here?" Cen Chunxuan's face was wrinkled and his eyebrows were drawn. He stole a glance at Guangxu who was staggering. But it's unkempt and emaciated!Hearing the sound, he quickly regained his composure and returned, bowing and replying: "The slave is under the order of the king of Qin. He traveled both starry and night, only Ganshan was cloudy and rainy, and the road was muddy. He arrived in Yuci yesterday. Qi Futai telegraphed the Lafayette to Taiyuan, so Turn around. The servant is slow, begging Lafayette to punish him." Empress Dowager Cixi glanced at Guangxu from the corner of her eyes, coughed twice and said: "The journey is difficult and dangerous, and I can't blame you. If the governors of all provinces are like you, I will There is no need to leave." She looked at Yu Xian, "Tell these servants to do their own thing, you and Cen Chunxuan stay with me to rest and then go into the city—by the way, I need to bring some food over here first." "The people in the city are waiting to pay homage to Lafayette and the emperor's holy face. According to the wishes of the slaves, they should go back to the city—" "Does this attire look like an adult?" Empress Dowager Cixi snorted coldly. "The slave is stupid, Lafayette forgives the sin." Yu Xian suddenly realized, "I command all officials to return to the city first, and wait for my official's message!" "Hey!" All the way to the west in a panic, there are boundless, open and vast loess everywhere. Even the water to wash your face and scald your feet is difficult to supply.After freshening up and leaving the house, the Empress Dowager Cixi felt unspeakably comfortable. Looking at the table, in addition to chicken, duck and fish, there were actually many seasonal vegetables such as chives, cucumbers, and green celery. Feeling that, he smiled and told everyone to sit down, and the table full of feasts was messed up in a puff of smoke like wind and clouds.Zi Yuxian took a towel from his hand and wiped his mouth. Seeing that Wang Wenshao seemed to be preoccupied, he put down the chopsticks after eating a few mouthfuls. Looking out of the window with dull eyes, the Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Wang Wenshao, what are you thinking about? It's so good." Why don't you eat the dishes?" "Slave... I don't feel hungry..." Wang Wenshao shook his body and bowed his head. "Fake!" The Empress Dowager Cixi took a long breath to vent her depression, got up and took two steps leisurely, looked up at the gray sky, and asked, "Yuxian, is there any discussion below?" Looking at Wang Wenshao with searching eyes, he saw that he only lowered his head and muttered, biting his lip with fine white teeth and said: "Returning to Lafayette, other slaves have not heard of anything except the war." A smile flickered across the corner of Empress Dowager Cixi's mouth, and she raised her hand to look back at Yu Xian: "What are you discussing below, boldly say it, I won't blame you." "Hey." Yu Xian swallowed bitterly Drooling again, "I dare not lie to Lafayette, my servant is quite... quite critical of the court's original decision." "Cen Chunxuan, where's Gansu?" "It's... the same situation as here, they all talked about the fact that Boxers shouldn't be reused, let alone declare war on the great powers." Cen Chunxuan frowned, bowed and said cautiously, "Lafayette, the country is in dire straits. The slaves secretly thought that if the people's hearts could be regained, our Qing Dynasty still had hope of rejuvenation. If the people's hearts were lost, and foreign troubles and internal troubles would continue, it is really... I dare not think about it." "Who wants to fight this battle again? I really have to do it Yes." The Empress Dowager Cixi seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion, "You can't just let people bully you? This tree needs its skin and people's face, so it's hard to—" The words were not finished, but she didn't say any more, she turned around and looked out the window with a long sigh .After a while, Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Cen Chunxuan." "The slave is here." "Shaanxi's terrain is solid, and Xiongguan is naturally dangerous. Minister Wang gathered in Xi'an for the time being, and returned to Luan after the peace agreement was concluded. There is only war and chaos. Although there are no external troubles in Shaanxi, internal worries must be taken care of. I intend to take you as the governor of Shaanxi, and go first. Xi'an, what do you think about preparing the palace?" "Slave dare not obey." Cen Chunxuan "slapped" his horseshoe sleeves and knelt down on the ground, kowtowed, "I just don't know when Lafayette and the emperor will drive, so I can prepare for this time." "Well—" Cixi The queen mother pondered for a while, and said, "I've been exhausted all this way, and my body is really too much to bear. I will rest here for a few days. I will let you know when I will start driving. Well, you are tired." "Slave Rong Lu respectfully greets the Lafayette and the Emperor!" The voice fell to the ground, and Rong Lu entered the room at the sound of footsteps. "What's the situation in Beijing?" Empress Dowager Cixi grabbed a straw as if she was drowning, and said urgently, "Say it!" Rong Lu's thick braid hanging down to his waist outside his oil coat, slowly swaying He said, dripping water: "Back to Lafayette, although the capital is occupied by armies from various countries, it is much quieter than when the Boxers were in Beijing. The imperial confinement is under the protection of the Japanese soldiers, and all the concubines and concubines are safe. Only the scholar Xu Tong hanged himself. Former Heilongjiang generals Yanmao, Guozijian offered sacrifices to wine Yirong and Xiyuan, attended Baofeng and Chongshou, and the Hanlin Academy Shu Jishi Shoufu were all martyred." "That's good, that's good." Empress Dowager Cixi eloquently After taking a breath, a little relief appeared on the gloomy Ma's face. As if he couldn't bear it, Rong Lu bit his lips and looked at the Empress Dowager Cixi who was pacing leisurely. After a long while, he said in a low voice: "Only... only the coalition forces of various countries occupied Shanhaiguan and Beitang Fort; went west to attack Baoding and killed Zhili The chief envoy, Ting Yong, also mobilized... mobilized troops, and went straight to the mountains and Shaanxi—" As if suddenly swallowed by a snake, the Empress Dowager Cixi trembled violently, and Ai Ai said: "Why... why... Could it be that they Really want to... want to..." "Prince Qing and Li Hongzhang want the servants to report to the Lafayette. If the funds raised by various countries are not accepted, I'm afraid-" Looking down at the Empress Dowager Cixi, Rong Lu swallowed, "To report to the Lafayette, the foreigner also asks... ...and demanded..." "how?!" "Abolish... abolish big brother." It seemed that he had exhausted all his strength, and the dense sweat on Ronglu's green forehead was shining brightly.用一种不可名状的目光审视着荣禄，盏茶工夫，慈禧太后干咳两声开了口：“要奕劻、李鸿章切实交涉，真不……不能讨回一二，便应允了吧。至于废不废大阿哥……”她说着瞟了一眼石铸人儿价呆坐一旁的光绪，“以后再说吧。” “老佛爷，倘不予应允，恐——” “我知道！”慈禧太后声音闷闷的，“你这便回去，但要洋毛子过了山西，我唯你是问！” "Hey." 哨风中雨声又渐渐大了起来，远声近音乱成一片。在众人目光注视下，慈禧太后不停地踱着步，晃动的身影幽灵一样不时掠过堂前的窗户。不知过了多久，不知哪间屋中自鸣钟沙沙一阵响连撞了十二下，慈禧太后眉棱骨不易察觉地抖落了下，似乎下了很大的决心，细碎白牙咬着嘴唇，半晌，开口唤道：“王文韶。” "The slave is here." 慈禧太后边索毛巾揩着尚噙着泪花的眼角，边有气无力地说道：“你写。已革端郡王载漪子溥俊，前经降旨，立为大阿哥，承继穆宗皇帝为嗣，宣谕中外。概自上年拳匪之变，肇衅列邦，以致庙社震惊，乘舆播越。推究变端，载漪实为首祸，得罪列祖列宗，既经严谴，其子岂宜膺储位之重？溥俊着撤去大阿哥名号，并即出宫。”接杯略呷一口放下，慈禧太后喑哑着嗓子接着道，“溥俊加恩赏给八分公衔俸，毋庸当差。至承嗣一节，关系匪浅，应候选择元良，再降懿旨。”慈禧太后说着，王文韶已在打腹稿，待她话音落地，略一沉吟走笔疾如风雨，顷刻便成。 “就这样。”慈禧太后长吁了口气，“倘京里没有讨价还价的余地——”她犹豫了下，改口道，“算了，这便明发了下去吧。” "Hey!"