Chapter 76 Section 75

The Ministry of Internal Affairs didn't send people to notify them separately until midnight, saying that the emperor was seriously ill and rushed to Xiyuan to take care of him.A pen post from the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent to Du Zhongjun told him in private: "The emperor is probably dying soon! There is a call from Xiyuan, prepare the 'auspicious board'." When we arrived at Xiyuan, it was four o'clock in the morning, and the guards were heavily guarded. Not only were the number of people more than usual, but also the inspection was very strict. Anyone who was a little unfamiliar would be questioned by the guards.At that time, the gate of the palace had not yet opened, and the relatives, nobles and elders of the upper court, the sedan chairs arrived one after another, they all found a stable place to "beat the pestle" under the sedan chair bars and stopped, and waited until the Xiyuan gate opened at six o'clock. into the palace.

Only four famous doctors arrived, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs notified only four. Besides Du Zhongjun, there were Zhou Jingtao, Lu Yongbin, and Shi Huan.This day, instead of waiting for an order at the office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he was taken to an empty room in the military aircraft office to rest.All four of them knew that in the House of Internal Affairs at this moment, there were many secrets leaked from the deep palace, which could not be heard by outsiders. ※※※ At nearly eleven o'clock, Qing Wang Yikuang arrived from Dongling, and as soon as he entered the city, he went to Xiyuan.Dressed in luggage and dusty, he entered Zhilu, Minister of Military Aircraft, and asked, "Have I caught up?"

No one knows what he asked?They all froze there, unable to answer. "Oh, there is no 'picking the tassels', fortunately, we have caught up." This is how everyone understands.If there is a "big event" in the palace, and it is too late to make the clothes, the red tassels of the hats will be removed first.What he said "caught up" meant rushing back to Beijing, just like Liang Gong was alive. "I've come all the way, and all the eunuchs are shaving their heads. They just think that something big has happened." Yikuang asked, "How is it now?"

"Uncle Qing," Zai Feng replied, "The Empress Dowager is waiting for you, please sit down and drink some water, let's get up!" "Okay!" Yikuang asked again: "Or should the Queen Mother read the excerpts?" "No!" Shi Xu said, "A few days ago, the public and colleagues discussed and decided to do it. This morning, I received an order from Yi: send Prince Chun to criticize it." Hearing this, Yikuang's face changed, and his eyes naturally pointed to Yuan Shikai. Obviously, according to the normal system, since Yikuang is the leader of the military aircraft, the heavy responsibility of respectfully criticizing and criticizing should fall on his shoulders. Why did Zaifeng be sent?

So he asked: "Is it your order to call me back to Beijing?" On the telegram urging him to come back, the words "Feng Yizhi" began at the beginning. Could it be that Yikuang couldn't remember it, or was he pretending to be confused?But no matter what, what he meant was very clear. If the Empress Dowager Cixi knew that he was about to return to Beijing and sent Zaifeng to approve the memorial, it would show disrespect for his authority.Even so, what kind of protest will Yikuang have, and can it be redeemed?Naturally, they are all huge questions, but at this moment, why bother to make him unhappy?So Shi Xu looked around and said, "You two princes, please! The empress dowager is in good spirits, so we can talk for a while."

At this time, Yikuang also remembered that he had come to Beijing under the order of Yi, but he also realized that the order for Wang Zaifeng to approve the memorial was not because the Empress Dowager Cixi did not respect his authority, but because Zaifeng's status would change. Herald.It is unknown what the Empress Dowager Cixi will announce when she arrives at the Defuchang Palace! The Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom is in the Xinuang Pavilion of Fuchang Palace. There are guards outside the hall, and the Xinuang Pavilion is guarded by Li Lianying.As soon as the Minister of Military Aircraft arrived, a young eunuch opened the door curtain, and Li Lianying opened the door halfway, as a gesture of allowing people to enter.So Qing Wang Yikui rushed in first, followed by Jin Wang Zaifeng, Shixu, Zhang Zhidong, Lu Chuanlin, and Yuan Shikai.When the queens of the hall also entered the house, Li Lianying closed the door, only to hear the sound of quarreling outside, everyone listened intently for a while, and then realized that it was Prince Gong Puwei who was going to enter the hall, and the guards said it was "accounted for by superiors" without him name, flatly refused.

At this time, Li Lianying had already rushed to the inner room, opened the door curtain by herself, followed the original order, led by Qing Wang Yikuang, and stepped in one by one.Including Yikuang, no one had ever been to the bedroom of the Empress Dowager Cixi, so they were nervous and unavoidably at a loss.Kneeling on the ground in a mess, kowtowed his head one after another, raised his body to look, and saw a huge bed with a yellow curtain hanging on one side, and a huge pile of brocade quilts and embroidered pillows stacked on the west. , the Empress Dowager Cixi's aurora combed hair leaned there, but she was as thin as a stick, and her eyes appeared extraordinarily large.

"Is King Qing back yet?" Empress Dowager Cixi's voice was hoarse, but she could hear it clearly. "The minister is here!" Yikuang replied, "I rushed back from Dongling overnight. The Putuo Valley is a land of ten thousand years. The project is solid and well repaired. The Buddha statue presented by the Dalai Lama is enshrined in the underground palace with respect and respect. Inside, benevolent light protects the Empress Dowager from medicine as soon as possible, so that her health will remain strong forever." "It's impossible to act as if you didn't get sick!" The Empress Dowager Cixi turned sharply and said: "The emperor is in danger, so ask the empress to come and tell me that the important matter of establishing an heir for Mu Zong should be settled early so that he can feel at ease. I've made a plan, but I need to hear what you guys think first!"

Of course Yikuang spoke first.He knew very well that although Zai Zhen had absolutely no possibility of becoming a ruler, and that "National Lai Changjun" was empty talk, he might as well sell an empty favor, which was also a way to win over, so he replied: "Your minister will raise his son Pu Lun, or Prince Gong Puwei. Pu Lun is Xuanzong's great-great-grandson, so it is more appropriate in terms of reunification." "Zaifeng, what about you?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "How do you say it?" "Chen," Zaifeng stammered a bit: "Chen and Qing Wang mean the same thing!"

"Shixu!" "The empress dowager is wise! Since she has made a decision, she must meet the expectations of the people of the world." "Yes!" Empress Dowager Cixi replied, expressing her satisfaction, "Where's Zhang Zhidong?" "The minister is here!" "Zhang Zhidong, you are old enough to seek the country. I have never treated you as an outsider. Establishing an heir for Mu Zong is a family affair, but it is also a state affair. What do you think?" "The ministers dare not speak rashly about the appointment and acceptance of the great position. The minister prepares the prime minister, and the most important thing is the order. When he succeeded to the throne today, he was given a Ming edict. The prince who will succeed in the future will also be Mu Zong. Now he is the heir of Mu Zong. Please ask the emperor The Empress Dowager made it clear that if the Emperor has something to say, he should do so."

The Empress Dowager Cixi didn't answer immediately, and after pondering for a moment, she said: "Your words are very fair. It can be done. " Now it's time for Lu Chuanlin to speak. I don't know if the Empress Dowager Cixi thinks he is hard of hearing, and the conversation is laborious, or did she accidentally omit it?Anyway, I jumped directly to Yuan Shikai. "I mean the same thing as Shixu. The empress dowager must be good!" These two sentences are very flattering, which just makes the Empress Dowager Cixi take up the conversation logically: "Since you all trust my idea, I will tell you! I know the talents of Pu Lun and Pu Wei very well. Not good enough!" She said, "I choose Pu Yi, the eldest son of Prince Chen, to be my grandson!" This was expected, but she was not surprised when she chose Puyi to be his grandson. She chose Puyi to be his grandson, purely in the tone of a grandmother. Thirty-four years ago, his father, Chunxian Wang Yikuang, also had such a strange situation, he suddenly became the emperor's father, he was so startled that he passed out and woke up crying loudly.Zaifeng didn't have his father's tears, he just wanted to say a few humble words, but he stuttered, no one could understand what he said? The Empress Dowager Cixi was a little impatient: "You don't have to refuse, you can bring her into the palace today and hand it over to the queen to be raised." "Yes!" Zaifeng could only agree. "Prince Jin's status is naturally different." Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "Let's seek truth from facts and do whatever we want! From today onwards, Zaifeng will be the regent." This is so surprising, what else Zaifeng wanted to say, Shixu pulled his long sleeves and reminded him: "Thank you!" "Minister," Zaifeng kowtowed, "thanks to the Empress Dowager for her kindness." "That's all!" The Empress Dowager Cixi leaned back, looking very tired: "That's it, I will read two edicts." So King Qing Yikuang led the way, knelt down and withdrew, and when they arrived at the palace, they saw Cui Yugui staggering towards Zaifeng. As a result, other eunuchs also came forward one after another, kowtowed to congratulate, Qing Wang Yikuang felt very uncomfortable, and said to Zhang Zhidong: "The matter is settled! Let's go back and discuss how to draft the edict and how to please the prince." He said. Just start walking. Except for Zaifeng who was surrounded, the rest of the people followed to Zhilu. It was still Zhang Zhidong who wrote the edict himself. There were two in total. in front?" As usual, there are two blank spaces for the royal name, and yellow paper is pasted on it. When it is officially written, the royal name is written on the yellow paper, which is called "sticking yellow", which means to welcome the prince into the palace.Lu Chuanlin has done a lot of research on these festivals, and immediately said: "It seems inappropriate if the king is appointed as the regent and the emperor is the first, so that the father is more expensive than the son." "What you said is very true!" Zhang Zhidong nodded repeatedly: "Naturally, the Regent should be named first." He handed the draft to Yikuang casually. It reads: "I congratulate Empress Dowager Chongxi on the decree of Empress Dowager Chongxi from Cixi Duanyou Kangyi Zhaoyu Zhuang Chengshou: Prince Chun Zaifeng is appointed as Regent." The beginning of the second line is the same, after a series of emblems of the empress dowager, it is written: "Tie Huang, the son of Prince Chun Zaifeng, was educated in the palace and studied in the upper study." "That's it, send it up!" Yikuang said again: "Go to Beifu to pick up..." He stopped suddenly, and then asked in confusion: "Who are you going to pick up? There is no reserve in this dynasty, so it can't be said to be picking up..." Prince, the word 'big elder brother' is ominous, and you can't directly call him by name, how should you call him? Could it be that 'Prince Chun Zaifeng's eldest son' is too pretentious!" "Temporarily called the Prince Regent's son." Zhang Zhidong asked, "How?" "That's good! Anyway, it's just a temporary name." Yikuang asked, "Are you asking for a special envoy? Or should we go together? " "Sending an envoy to ask for an order will waste time." Shixu said, "It's better to go together!" "Are you going to the cabinet?" Zhang Zhidong asked. This refers to Sun Jianai, a scholar of the university, and Rongqing, the co-organizer of the university. Shi Xu replied: "No need! We follow Yi's order face to face, and the name is justified. It seems that there is no need for extra complications." "We welcome all the military aircraft, but we have to bring someone else to take care of it." Yuan Shikai said, "I think the Ministry of Internal Affairs should send someone, and there must be eunuchs in charge of the Queen's Palace." "That's not bad. Let's wait for the regent to come to discuss." Yikuang suddenly remembered, and asked blankly: "How is the result of the pulse?" No one answered him.Presumably he didn't know that the Empress was serving illnesses in Yinghe, and she never called a doctor, so she didn't ask for pulse. It's inconvenient for me to tell you clearly, but you might as well send someone to the Office of Internal Affairs to ask. The ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are all waiting for "big things to happen". Tang Langzhong and several more popular officials are also with the hall officials, discussing or exchanging news and opinions in a low voice from time to time. The great problem is, if the two palaces collapse at the same time, how can the two major events be separated? It wasn't until the military plane sent someone to ask for the pulse that I remembered that there were still four doctors on standby.So Jilu, who was the most tactful, was recommended to deal with this matter.When he got to the resting place of the fourth doctor, he first asked Su La: "Have you eaten your meal?" "Used." "Okay!" Ji Lu then turned his face and said, "Masters have been waiting for a long time! I will go to the internal affairs office for you to find out the news and see when it is time to ask for pulse." As he spoke, he walked away without waiting for an answer.Not long after, the wobbler walked back again. "The internal affairs office said: Your Majesty has nothing to say today, you adults are in charge. How can I be in charge? You gentlemen, please sit down." After finishing speaking, he left. "I don't know what to do here, and I don't know what to do to leave." Lu Yongbin shook his head, disapproving. Du Zhongjun was about to answer when he saw the eunuch rushing in, and as soon as he entered the door, he said: "The empress is passing on the emperor's pulse." So the four doctors stood up at the same time, and Du Zhongjun sat near the door and walked first; followed the eunuch meanderingly to Zaoyun Building in Yingtai.In the past, the pulse was always taken outside, but this time he went straight to the bed. When Du Zhongjun saw it, his nose became sore and tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly lowered his head and wiped it off with the back of his hand. It turned out that the emperor was lying upright on a plank bed without an outer cover. The so-called "imperial couch" was no different from the "plank" of the tent.There was an old felt blanket under it, and a blue silk quilt on the body, which was old and dirty. There was a square stool in front of the bed, with three medical books on it, and an uncovered tureen with half a bowl of tea juice in it.This is the bedroom of the emperor who is rich all over the world?Du Zhongjun thought to himself, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it! Although the emperor was lying there stiffly, Du Zhongjun still finished the salute according to the rules, and Fang Shi stepped forward to ask for his pulse. Just as he put three fingers on his wrist, the emperor, who seemed to be dying in peace, suddenly withdrew his hands and woke up, his eyes, nose, and lips moved in unison. .Du Zhongjun was taken aback!This is a sign of liver wind, if the eyes are closed and passed away, and there is no time to wake up, it is said that the emperor died at his hands, how can this crime be borne?So quickly quit. After Zhou Jingtao, Shi Huan, and Lu Yongbin had their pulse checked for the second time, and returned to the Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was still Du Zhongjun who said first: "I will definitely have a hard time tonight! There is no need to prescribe the prescription." "Where are you three?" Zengchong asked, "How do you say it?" "It's just a delay!" Shi Huan replied, "Even the gods can't save him!" "So," Zhou Jingtao said, "There is no need to prescribe any more prescriptions." "The prescription must be opened. It doesn't matter how you write it." Zeng Chong looked at Kui Jun and Ji Lu: "Really?" "Yes! The prescription must be prescribed." The two replied in unison. Du Zhongjun stopped arguing, and wrote eight big characters: "The imminent danger, the imaginary pulse is scattered." "What kind of medicine is Shengmaisan?" "The imperial pharmacy naturally knows." Zhou Jingtao replied: "Ginseng, Ophiopogon japonicus, and Schisandra are fried, and they can be used as tea." Zengchong waited to ask again, when he found an eunuch coming out of the window, he rushed out to greet him, because this eunuch came from Fuchang Palace. Sure enough, Shi Huan and Lu Yongbin were called by name to ask for the pulse of Empress Dowager Cixi. When Zengchong took Shi and Lu away, Kui Jun said: "Since you two said that the emperor can't live through tonight, you can't live without a doctor. I'm afraid I'm going to rest here today!" Du Zhongjun and Zhou Jingtao were dejected and speechless, they couldn't help feeling worried, wondering what punishment would be given to the emperor when he died?