Chapter 21 Section 21

However, rumors that the emperor was seriously ill became more and more popular, so that the French minister reiterated his previous request and recommended a doctor again. This time, it was King Qing and the two new prime ministers, Yuan Chang and Xu Jingcheng, who met with French Minister Lu Ban.King Qing is tactful, Yuan Chang is agile, and Xu Jingcheng is familiar with international etiquette.The three of them worked together to deal with it, and nothing leaked. Lu Ban had no choice but to tell the truth. "Recommending a doctor is not to take medicine for a cure, it's really a bizarre move of your country!" Lu Ban took out a bundle of newspapers and handed it to King Qing, "There are detailed records on the newsprint in Shanghai, the emperor of your country is as healthy as ever, It is unheard of for such a situation to be announced frequently, and it has aroused suspicion. Now all countries have discussed and decided to examine the emperor's illness. As expected, he is ill, and his doubts will be relieved. I have received a telegram from my country, and I must see it!"

The last sentence was very impolite, but King Qing, Yuan and Xu did not dare to protest because they knew the serious consequences.For the sake of Dong Fuxiang's Gan army, they beat up the staff of the British and American embassies in August. Britain, Russia, and Germany all sent troops to Beijing under the pretext of protecting the embassies, and they are negotiating for their withdrawal.If the French minister must not be allowed to inspect the emperor's illness, not only will the negotiation of withdrawal of troops be more difficult, but also the countries may use the excuse that China will have a huge civil strife and must take effective self-protection measures to send more troops to Beijing.

"Actually, it doesn't hurt to look at it!" said Xu Jingcheng, who was in the same year as Hong Jun, and who followed Hong Jun to France, Germany, and Russia. His face is yellow and pale, and to foreigners, he is considered sick!" "That's a good statement!" King Qing made up his mind, "I'll discuss it with Rong Zhonghua and report the truth." "What?" Before King Qing could finish speaking, Empress Dowager Cixi's expression changed, "Our Chinese emperor is sick, so what does it have to do with his France? He wants to meddle in his own business again and again! What do you mean?"

"Ministers from various countries are allowed to come and see the rules and regulations." King Qing answered this sentence vaguely, and then said: "It is true that the emperor is sick, and I am not afraid of foreigners watching." As he spoke, King Qing stretched out his hand and made a move backwards, motioning for Rong Lu to speak. "Prince Qing's Chen Zuo is very good!" Rong Lu chimed in: "Since the emperor is really sick, it would be bad if he didn't teach foreigners. At present, not only foreigners don't understand the inside story, but there are many gossips. Those in the south don't know the situation in Beijing. There are also rumors that the emperor is not sick. If you ask a French doctor to see a doctor, and when it is published in the newspaper, everyone will say: the emperor is really sick, and they have invited foreign doctors to come to the palace to see him! It is a way to dispel the rumors." He paused, took out a letter from his pocket, and held it in both hands. "Slave, here is a letter from Liu Kunyi, governor of Liangjiang, please read it."

When Cixi received the letter and looked at it, she saw that it said: "It is well known in the world that the saint bowed to recovery, and the medical records were passed on to the outside world as usual, causing doubts. Shanghai's foreign newspapers rely on amulets, and they are especially free to write. , I can’t stop it. Can you please stop this medical case and issue an edict stating that the disease has been cured and the spirit has not yet recovered. When the current situation is difficult, I still ask the Queen Mother to teach the government. The kindness of the empress dowager and the filial piety of the emperor have remained the same for more than 20 years, and they have always changed. The spirit of keeping the ancestors in heaven is also the power of the public and relatives to protect them."

After reading it, Empress Dowager Cixi threw it on the ground and said with a sneer, "Liu Kunyi actually said that too!" "Even Liu Kunyi said that, others can imagine!" Rong Lu replied: "It is beneficial and harmless for quasi-foreigners to take a look at the emperor." Rong Lu picked up the returned letter calmly.At the same time, King Qing also said: "What Ronglu played is the real situation. I hope the Empress Dowager will learn from it." He then said, "As for the foreign doctors entering the palace to treat the emperor, how should they be arranged? The servant will follow Ronglu and the head of the house. The ministers of the government will discuss how to do it, and always focus on appropriateness."

"Can you guarantee that it will be proper?" Empress Dowager Cixi thought to herself that King Qing was in charge of Western Affairs, so of course he had to be with him. In addition, he should find someone who could monitor King Qing.If Prince Qing accommodated foreigners, he would certainly object if he was resolute on the military plane, but his status was different, so he would not dare to speak up.Therefore, it is necessary to find someone who is similar in status to King Qing and who dares to speak up, so that he can be monitored. Turning my mind like this, I immediately thought of a person.This person is jealous of foreigners, and has no good feelings for those who do foreign affairs.His status was slightly lower than King Qing's, but that didn't bother him.As long as he dares to speak, this person is King Duan.

"Yes!" After the Empress Dowager Cixi sent these two more relatives, Rong Lu repeated it again: "Prince Qing and Prince Duan, together with the Minister of Military Aircraft, took care of the foreign doctor into the palace to ask the emperor's pulse." The change of "surveillance" to "care" is not a wrong statement, but a high-sounding statement.Empress Dowager Cixi nodded: "Take good care of yourself!"