Chapter 27 Section 27

On November 28th, it was snowing heavily. Xu Tong and Chong Qi braved the cold and snow early in the morning and went straight to the gate of the palace. The manuscript of abolition and establishment should be decided by Yizhi. "The manuscript is very good!" But the Empress Dowager Cixi still said: "You have to discuss it with Rong Lu first!" The two returned to the court room for a secret discussion, and decided to pass on Yi's decree and not discuss it.If Rong Lu refuses to listen, find someone to come out to join him, put a big hat of "defying the edict" on his head, and see if he can stand it?

After the discussion was over, they left the palace and went straight to Rongfu in Dongchang Hutong in a sedan chair.As soon as the post was handed in, Rong Lu knew that the intention was not good.But you must not get in the way, and please come in first before talking. Rong Lu is famous for his extravagant living. The flower hall for receiving guests is huge, with double curtains hanging, and two large braziers of cloud-white copper are burned, so it is as warm as spring.Although Xu Tong and Chongqi had healthy waists and feet, they were old after all, they felt their throats itchy and coughed uncontrollably due to the combination of cold and heat. Then he had to calm down and greet Rong Lu.

After three or five idle sentences, Xu Tong winked at Chongqi, and both stood up. Chongqi took out a white notebook from her pocket, "By order of the Empress Dowager, there is a manuscript for you to read!" He said, On the one hand, he handed over the manuscript. Rong Lu had to pick it up, took it over to look at the case, and sure enough, it was Zou, please abolish Li, at that time he shouted: "Oh! My stomach, how can I not forgive me!" Handed it back, and waited for Chongqi to take it back, Rong Lu said again: "Last night I had a stomachache. I was in the latrine just now, and I haven't finished my work. I heard that the two fathers arrived, so I hurriedly pulled up my pants and came out. Now It hurts, yo, yo, yo! That wretched belly!"

Before the words were finished, the person turned around, hunched over, and walked in a crooked manner.Chongqi sighed and said, "It's not a coincidence!" "Diarrhea is not a serious problem." Xu Tong replied, "Let's warm up and wait for a while." After waiting for nearly an hour, Rong Lu did not come back.It's just that the Rong's family is very hospitable, and the snacks and fruits are brought up one after another, and the bowl of tea is changed one after another.Therefore, although the two elders were full of displeasure, they could not lose their temper.

"Where's your master?" Xu Tong asked the servants of the Rong family over and over again: "Why can't you come out?" "I've been waiting in the middle hall for a long time!" The servant of the Rong family bowed his waist and replied, "I'm waiting for the doctor to come and check the pulse." Why is Rong Lu sick?He escaped with an excuse, and is planning countermeasures with a group of staff of the Wuwei Army, such as Fan Zengxiang and others.This matter has been discussed in secret for a long time, and there has been no good strategy, but at this time, it is necessary to make a decision!Repeatedly weighing the gains and losses, I always feel that I can't cover everything, so I can only make up my mind to break the boat and strive to preserve the overall situation.

So, pretending to be tired, he met the guests again, and cupped his hands as soon as he entered the door, saying "I'm sorry!" Then he sat down beside the brazier and said, "I didn't see clearly just now, what's going on?" "Please take a closer look!" Chongqi handed him the manuscript, "Zhonghua, this is Yihuo Shengye, an unworldly achievement!" Rong Lu pretended not to understand the allusions of Yiyin Fang Taijia and Huo Guang abolishing Changyi King, and read the manuscript with one hand, and picked up the brass pipe to dial charcoal with the other.After the charcoal was stirred up, and the flames melted, he quickly kneaded the manuscript into a ball, threw it into the brazier, and said something in his mouth:

"I dare not look at it!" The two elders turned pale with fright, and wanted to reach out to rescue him, but they couldn't do it anymore, a burst of flames burned Zaiyi's daydream of being the Supreme Emperor. Xu Tong trembled with anger, stood up tremblingly, pointed at Ronglu, and reprimanded sharply: "This manuscript was read by the Queen Mother, and you are ordered to read it by Yi's order, how dare you do that!" "Old Yin," Rong Lu said calmly, "I will enter the palace immediately. If it is really the empress dowager's intention, I will plead guilty alone."

"Okay, okay!" Xu Tong knew that it was useless to fight, so he hurried to report to King Duan, and said, "Slowly settle the account!" Pulling Chongqi, he turned around and left. Rong Lu didn't dare to delay, so he immediately changed his official uniform, took a car and went straight to the Zhenshun Gate in the north of Ningshou Palace, asking Li Lianying to come out and speak. "It's snowing so much, you still go to the palace!" Li Lianying asked, "What's the matter?" "It's not just what you know! Lianying, please go up and reply, I have to reply to Lafayette immediately if I have something to say!"

"Then come on!" Li Lianying led Rong Lu all the way to the Leshou Hall behind the Hall of Mental Cultivation, gestured for him to stand by outside the door, and then went into the West Nuan Pavilion to see the Empress Dowager Cixi, and reported Rong Lu's words according to the facts. "What's the matter with him?" "Rong Zhongtang didn't tell the servant, and the servant didn't dare to ask. However, with such a heavy snowfall, and it was afternoon, he specially 'invited' to enter the palace. Presumably it must be a big matter that Lafayette can't make up his mind about."

Empress Dowager Cixi thought for a while, nodded and said, "I see, let him in!" Ronglu outside the door, at this moment of waiting for the order, looking at the snowstorm in the sky, tried his best to think of some sad and tragic things, from the martyrdom of his grandfather Pei Siha in the Battle of Pingzhanger, and then thinking about the early years of Xianfeng Uncle Tianjin General Soldier Commander Rui, father Liangzhou General Soldier Changshou, and from Chongqi's father Sai Shang'a entered Pinghongyang, Guangxi, fell in Longliao Ridge, both died in battle, a lonely, helpless situation , and in the early years when he was a secretary in the Ministry of Industry, he accidentally touched the wrath of Sushun, and was arrested and imprisoned for the crime of stealing. He suffered all kinds of inhuman life.Thinking about it again, I remembered that Concubine Zhen was imprisoned behind the Jingqi Pavilion, next to the Zhenshun Gate, in the small room adjacent to the maid's residence, and the daily food was handed in from under the threshold, polluted with filth, it was really dusty. !In such a weather, there is no stove, and it is not possible to change the window paper. I wonder what it will be like to freeze?It's miserable for a young and beautiful family member of the Tian family to suffer like this!

The sadness turned into tears, and as soon as he entered the door on the cold green brick floor, "Dongdong" bumped his head twice and called out: "Lafayette!" Then he burst into tears! The Empress Dowager Cixi was shocked, she lost her usual dignified and calm demeanor under any circumstances, and shouted in a panic: "What's going on, what's going on?" "Xu Tong and Chongqi have been to the servants." Rong Lu choked up and said, "Every country is helping the emperor, and there is such a strange thing that you can't even tell the difference. If you really want to do this, Lafayette's lawsuit Lost! Lafayette has worked hard for decades, what a reputation, which one does not admire? It is absolutely worthless to take such a big risk now! If a catastrophe is caused, the death of the slave is not a pity, and it is my sage who is sad Empress Dowager!" Speaking of this, touched by the coercion, cynicism, and all kinds of grievances I have suffered in the past few months, the fake tears turned into real tears, and the springs gushed out, crying loudly. The Empress Dowager Cixi was overwhelmed!Frightened by the unpredictability of the attitude of the foreigners, and also by Ronglu's cry and remonstrance, he unconsciously said in a voice of shrinking and giving in: "Don't cry, don't cry! Let's discuss it carefully." "Yes!" Rong Lu slowly swallowed his tears, but his throat twitched and he couldn't speak a whole sentence. "Lianying!" Empress Dowager Cixi ordered, "Give Master Rong some tea." Seeing this scene, Li Lianying knew that there must be such a small grace, and she had prepared it long ago.Not only tea, but also hot towel handles.Rong Lu kowtowed his head to thank him for his kindness, wiped his tears with a towel, drank two sips of tea, and regained his breath before speaking out the plan he had agreed with Fan Zengxiang and others. "The emperor's health is not good, and it hasn't been a few years!" He said, "Song Dynasty has become a rule, we might as well follow it. Song Renzong had no prince, and he raised his nephew in the palace. Later, Yingzong will succeed him..." "Ah, ah!" The Empress Dowager Cixi remembered that there was such a story in "Zhiping Baojian", "This is also a method." "According to the slaves, this is the only way. If Pu Jun is made an elder brother, he is fifteen years old this year, and after ten years of hard teaching by Lafayette, he will be able to take everything at that time!" Empress Dowager Cixi pondered for a while and said: "This method works! There is one level. The family law of this dynasty does not have a crown prince, so it is hard to say." "According to the slaves, it's better to talk about it than abolishing Li!" These words almost contradicted each other, but Empress Dowager Cixi didn't care, she just asked, "How should I say it to be dignified?" "At the beginning, the emperor's will was established. It was originally said that if there is a prince, he will inherit it to Lord Tongzhi. Now that there is no prince, he has to inherit it separately. This is a legitimate thing." "Just say it like this. You can find someone to draft a manuscript for me to read." The Empress Dowager Cixi straightened her face and said, "It's just the two of us, so don't talk about it." "The servant dare not!" "Go down!" So Rong Lu knelt down and withdrew.Li Lianying escorted him out of the Zhenshun Gate, and the two walked side by side, talking quietly.Rong Lu told Li Lianying the method agreed upon with the Empress Dowager Cixi, and at the same time asked him to speak in camera in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi and make a firm decision. In any case, the plan could not be changed. "Don't worry! Lafayette will not change what he promised. Besides, Lafayette is really afraid of foreign interference. Now this method is very good, and he will never change his mind." Hearing this, Rong Lu became more at ease.After many days of worry and worry, once the smoke disappears, the mind will be free.Back at the mansion, gather friends, drink wine and enjoy the snow, and laugh a lot. But Xu Tong, who was in Dongjiaomin Lane, was so upset that he couldn't sleep all night.It doesn't count if he was angry with Ronglu, but he was angry with foreigners when he came back.This day is December 30, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine in the Western calendar.The embassies of various countries entertain each other at the end of the year, arrange a banquet, and it is the turn of the Belgian Minister Jarr to invite the US Navy Band to play to add to the fun.The Belgian embassy is next to Xu Tong's residence, and the foreign drums are full of ears, and Xu Tong wants to keep his ears shut.It wasn't until midnight that my ears were quiet, but my heart was restless and I still couldn't fall asleep.At the time of the fourth watch, I felt a little tired, but I had an appointment with Chongqi the day before, and I had to go to the palace to see the Queen Mother, so I had to struggle to get up.