Chapter 3 third quarter

Since Jinling's victory report arrived in Beijing, people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs saw that the world was peaceful and good times had arrived.After more than ten years of fighting, keeping things simple, everyone suffered terribly. Now that the chaos has been settled, shouldn't the empress dowagers of the two palaces enjoy the blessings?Out of this "filial piety", I thought of an excellent topic. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has always used tricks to make money, the most important thing is to find a topic. If you have a good topic, you just need to nod your head and you don't have to worry about not having a good article.Now that you're done, serving the Empress Dowager, this topic is too high-sounding!The content of the next good article is to rebuild the Old Summer Palace.

Since the tenth year of Xianfeng, the British and French coalition forces set fire to the Old Summer Palace, almost as soon as the "Fuju" came to an agreement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs began to make its own plans.After waiting for three years, I finally got an opportunity. The reconstruction project will benefit everyone in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the benefits are not small. Therefore, we have been talking about it for a while. Of course, it is not without difficulties, in fact there is only one difficulty.The Ministry of Internal Affairs is poor, and the Ministry of Household Affairs is also poor. If this gardener moves, he will have to pay at least several million taels of silver. Where will he grow his hair?

There was a coat manager who was in charge of the warehouse, and he thought of a way. After talking with his colleagues, everyone thought it was very good.So I drew up a "statement" and submitted it layer by layer. When I arrived at the "Tang Langzhong" who was in charge of the seal and was in charge of daily affairs, I made some corrections, copied it in regular script, and put it in my arms excitedly. Go see Minister of Internal Affairs Ming Shan. Ming Shan had already received Prince Gong's warning from Bao Jun, and when he heard that it was suggested to rebuild the Old Summer Palace, he shook his hand and flatly refused without even looking at the report.

Without this ingenious plan, he couldn't even get out of the gate of the House of Internal Affairs.There is a system for playing things, and if the hall officials refuse to hand them over, they can't leapfrog to play, but they are unwilling to give up.After talking together for a long time, a master suggested to find a "Master Du" to deliver it, and at the same time, it is best to "make a decision" in front of the queen mother. The task of "making the bottom line" naturally fell on An Dehai's shoulders.On this day, he took advantage of the moment when the Empress Dowager Cixi had finished her dinner and lightly swayed the round fan in the corridor to "wind around" to digest, followed behind and whispered: "The slave has two things to play with the master."

"Yes." Empress Dowager Cixi responded, "Speak!" "The first one...." An Dehai paused pretendingly, "I don't want to talk about it, I'm afraid I will make the master angry. It's not suitable after dinner, so let's go back to the second one first. That's the filial piety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Only by relying on the master can the chaos be quelled, after so many years of worrying, the emperor should also be filial and filial to the empress dowager." Empress Dowager Cixi thought the words were very pleasant, although she didn't speak, she nodded unconsciously.

With this expression, An Dehai became more daring: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs is thinking about it every day. It has to think of a way to repair the Old Summer Palace without moving the treasury bank, so that the two empress dowagers can have a rest and relieve themselves. A place to unwind." "This...." The Empress Dowager Cixi stood still, "Is there such a good thing? Can you build the Old Summer Palace without moving Kuyin? How do you do it?" "Of course it is repaired as it is." An Dehai puffed up his chest, and said in a more emphatic tone, "I want to show my breath to the 'devils' who burned the Old Summer Palace! Aren't you trying to be brave? Now the cultivation is even better than before. !"

Just these two wild words fit the Empress Dowager Cixi's competitive personality, and the Forty Scenes of the Old Summer Palace, a paradise of heaven and earth, are really desirable, so I happily ordered: "Ask them to send that report up tomorrow to have a look!" "Yes." An Dehai agreed, thinking in his heart, should he say what Ming Shan refused to act on behalf of? At this time, the Empress Dowager Cixi was walking forward again, and An Dehai hurriedly followed.Back in the hall, she asked again: "What kind of statement is it?" "Then..." An Dehai didn't want to say it right now, because he was afraid that it would be unsightly if he said it unclearly, "I can't say it for a while, anyway, I don't have to worry about the palace and don't move the treasury money. Very good, very good way.”

"Oh?" The Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to disbelieve, but she refused to disbelieve, "There are actually quite capable people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs! You tell them, as long as they are willing to fawn on their errands and do things with sincerity, they will definitely be gracious." An Dehai smiled and agreed as if he had received a compliment, and greeted him. "I remember seeing a picture of the Old Summer Palace. You go to the respect room and ask them, and ask them to bring me to look at it." An Dehai saw that her heart was so hot, that a great event could be accomplished, and he was extremely excited, so he hurried to the respect room to deliver the decree, "Ode to the Old Summer Palace" made by Emperor Qianlong and the general map of the three gardens of Yuanming, Changchun and Wanchun, They all found out.Wipe it clean, bring it back to the palace, spread it out on a large rosewood desk, and take a Western magnifying glass, arrange everything properly, and then go to reply the decree, and ask the Empress Dowager Cixi to look at it.

This look straight into the night.Leaving aside the memories of being favored in the "Tiandi Family Spring" in the Yuanmingyuan, imitating the future restoration, the scene of blooming flowers, with a burning heart, as if there is no place to settle down, and I can't wait to pass the decree immediately and start work soon. This night, my soul haunted my dreams, all in the Old Summer Palace.Because she didn't sleep well, she woke up the next day with a drowsy headache, but she didn't want to let the Empress Dowager Ci'an go to court alone, so she forced herself to join the Palace of Mental Cultivation.

After Prince Gong finished his work, the eunuch brought a tea table and put it down facing the royal case.Li Tangjie unfolded a copy of "Zhiping Baojian", pressed it with a silver ruler, kowtowed first, and then continued to talk. "Today, I'm going to talk about 'Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty is a thousand-mile horse'. Please turn to page thirty-fifth, the two empress dowagers." In front of the empress dowagers of the two palaces, there is a copy of "Zhiping Baojian" with a yellow silk cover, copied by Gong Kai and circled in red pen.After turning to page thirty-five, the Empress Dowager Ci'an first asked, "Which generation of emperors is Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty?"

"He can be regarded as the fifth generation emperor of the Han Dynasty, actually the second generation. He is the son of Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty." So Li Tangjie first talked about the chaotic politics of Empress Lu, and introduced the history of Zhu Liu, Zhu Lu and Emperor Wen's succession to the throne. He said that he was the best emperor since ancient times, and the "rule of Wen Jing" was a real peaceful and prosperous age. . After speaking in one breath, she had to take a breath, and in this gap, Empress Dowager Ci'an asked again: "How is Emperor Wenwen of Han compared to Emperor Taizong of Tang?" "These two holy masters are two-way people. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty was benevolent, and Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty was wise. However," Li Tangjie said emphatically, "Jiang Na's loyal words, frugal use and precious things, these places are the same, so the rule of Wenjing and The rule of Zhenguan is a beautiful story." The story of Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty but Chollima happened to continue.He repeatedly stated that the owner should not have hobbies: He said that the emperor is rich in the world, and he serves the imperial wares. ", which will inevitably lead to an extravagant atmosphere.Song Huizong just loved exotic flowers and rocks, but the "Flower and Stone Gang" caused turmoil throughout the country, and finally caused foreign disasters.This is because once the owner has obvious hobbies, he will influence the villain, and for the sake of Xi Rong's solid favor, he will definitely take the opportunity to cater to him. A small useless thing can cause a catastrophe that hinders the national economy and the people's livelihood.This is definitely not the owner's original intention, but once something is wrong, it is often difficult to deal with it. Even if you kill the villain, it will not help the reality, so it is better to be cautious at the beginning, so that the villain has no chance to take advantage of it. The way of the king. To the Empress Dowager Ci'an, these words sound logical, but the Empress Dowager Cixi is vigilant, knowing that the proposal to repair the garden is impossible. "I also heard from the first emperor." Empress Dowager Ci'an said, "Emperor Wen Wen of Han was just like Lord Daoguang, he was very frugal." "Yes." Li Tangjie replied, "Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty wore Yiti clothes, and loved Mrs. Ji Shen. His clothes did not drag the floor, and the curtains were not beautiful. But he is extremely wide, and he only saves himself." "I have to say it again," Prince Gong, who had listened for a long time, suddenly said, "If you do what you do, you will do what you do. As a courtier, if you are grateful to the Holy Lord, you naturally dare not and can't bear to spend too much! This is the principle of the king and his ministers making a warning." "Yes!" Empress Dowager Ci'an nodded and said, "It is best to persuade each other in everything." As she spoke, she turned her head and glanced at the person beside her. This may have been an unintentional action, but Empress Dowager Cixi had a heart, thinking that Empress Dowager Ci'an and Prince Gong were talking about her together, she didn't want to listen any more, so she changed the subject. So he asked casually, "How long has Emperor Hanwen reigned?" "Reigned for twenty-three years, and died at the age of forty-six." Li Tangjie replied. "Only forty-six years old? What a pity!" "However, his crown prince has been well-bred," Prince Gong said again, "the so-called 'Government of Wen and Jing', Jing is Emperor Jing." "It can be seen that the emperor's study is very important." The Empress Dowager Cixi asked again, "Sixth Master, do you often visit the Hongde Hall these days?" Prince Gong has always been ordered to take care of the Hongde Hall and supervise the emperor's schooling. Now that this level is his responsibility, he will report in detail what he has seen recently.Whether the emperor studies hard or not depends on the time. Generally speaking, he goes to school in the second and sixteenth grades, and his spirit is always not very good. The Empress Dowager Cixi immediately understood, but the Empress Dowager Ci'an was ignorant and asked, "What's the truth?" Before the words were finished, the Empress Dowager Cixi teased her quietly, which was to signal her not to ask more questions, but the words had already been spoken, and it was too late. Prince Gong replied without delay, and after a short pause, he calmly replied: "The two empress dowagers are wise, please discipline the Pope more." When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard these words, it meant that she blamed the emperor's refusal to study hard on her head, so she immediately "returned" in the past: "You belong to the respected relatives, what is the emperor's unruly behavior? The two of us can't see it, so you can say him. Besides, you have a mission to 'inspect the Hongde Palace'." "Yes!" Prince Gong replied, but confessed: "I was ordered to 'inspect the Hongde Palace', not the person Chang Chuan took care of. And there are many things, it is inevitable that the inspection is not thorough, and Prince Jiahui is sick, so he does not need to go to the straight line frequently, so I ask the two empress dowagers to pass on the decree to Prince Dun and let him take care of things.In addition, two empress dowagers are always invited, which is extra worrying. " After talking for a long time, Empress Dowager Cixi still felt very uncomfortable, but she still put the responsibility on others, but Empress Dowager Ci'an didn't seem to notice their secret tit-for-tat arguments—this made Empress Dowager Cixi have such an idea: Work hard in front of her to let her know what is wrong with Prince Gong, and only in critical situations in the future can she get her help. After the Hall of Mental Cultivation finished listening to the political affairs, the empress dowagers of the two palaces passed meals to rest in Shufangzhai as usual.The weather at the end of July, after dinner, will be dusk, which is the best time of the day.The emperor took the little eunuch to the imperial garden to pick crickets, but there was an eleven-year-old princess—Prince Gong's Da Gege and a ten-year-old princess, two smart and smart girls, at Cheng Huan's knees.The Empress Dowager Cixi always reads the memorial at this time, and if it is irrelevant, she pinches the finger marks to deal with it, and if there is any discrepancy, she will tell the Empress Dowager Ci'an by the way, and if it is particularly important, she should read the memorial to her and discuss with each other . This day, because I wanted to deal with the Empress Dowager Ci'an, we discussed everything, no matter how big or small.Unfortunately, there are many memorials. The first one is that this year is the year of Jiazi, and the Ministry of Criminal Justice asked to stop the autumn trial. When the Empress Dowager Ci'an heard the case, she said, "This is a good thing!" "Of course it's a good thing! Didn't Li Tangjie say today that Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty issued an order to reduce the punishment as soon as he ascended the throne? Let's learn from him!" The Empress Dowager Ci'an didn't hear the irony in her words, she just kept nodding her head, so the Empress Dowager Cixi stretched out a slender finger, and with her extremely long nails, carved a pinch on the original fold, which meant "as requested" . The second thing is Prince Gong's note, please reschedule the court meeting.As the "Prince of Discussion", he has always been at the top of the princes and ministers, and now he invites himself to rank next to Prince Dun. "What does Sixth Lord mean?" Empress Dowager Ci'an asked in surprise. "It's nothing!" Empress Dowager Cixi said deliberately, "It should be done in order of seniority." "However." The Empress Dowager Ci'an murmured, she had something in her heart, she always felt that Prince Gong should be different, but she was not eloquent, so she couldn't express this meaning. "Allow him!" "Look, look!" The Empress Dowager Ci'an thought for a while and said, "I think it's a good deal." "Otherwise." Empress Dowager Cixi shook her head, "It was originally a trivial matter, but when it was discussed, it turned into a big fuss. It seems that they are at odds with each other and are fighting openly and secretly. How inappropriate!" "Ah, ah!" Empress Dowager Ci'an immediately changed her mind: "You are right." After convincing this honest "sister", the Empress Dowager Cixi felt a small pleasure of revenge.In the past few years, she has deeply understood that an official may not be very concerned about the national economy and the people's livelihood, but is very sensitive to the gains and losses of the rich and powerful.Prince Gong's "sacred family" has always been very prosperous. Whenever there is grace, he naturally always takes "modesty as his heart", resigns from the prince's hereditary inheritance, and inherits the prince's double salary. No matter what the final result is, he is always "excellent" An imperial edict to praise and answer".Therefore, if the memorial to King Dun who invited him to retire from the court meeting, if he still gave him face, he should at least "discuss", implying that he did not think that the status of "Fifth Lord" should be higher than that of "Sixth Lord".But now that it is accepted as soon as the request is made, there will inevitably be people who suspect that Prince Gong's family is not as good as before! Let them guess like that!Empress Dowager Cixi smiled.Picking up the third copy, it was from Zeng Guofan, who received the decree from the Marquis of Xifeng, and dedicated it as a thank-you note. Send it to the military plane. After she finished reading the scripture, she sneered disdainfully, marked it as read, and put it aside casually, preparing to hand it over to the Military Aircraft Department for processing, but Empress Dowager Ci'an had something to say. "This is a bit strange." She said, "The last time Zeng Guofan reported that there was nothing in the 'Heavenly King's Mansion', and another note said that Li Xiucheng was carrying a lot of gold, isn't that just saying The 'Heavenly King's Mansion' has nothing, did they let those 'kings' take it away?" "By the way, that means what was burned was burned, and what was taken away was taken away!" "No!" The Empress Dowager Ci'an shook her head and said, "The jade seal and gold seal are so important, and they are not cumbersome, so why didn't you take them away?" The Empress Dowager Cixi laughed, "Sister," she said, "Even such a loyal person as you can see the faults of the Zeng family brothers—no, Zeng Guoquan! No wonder there are rumors outside that the Hunan Army is scolding Zeng Guoquan. To be honest, he is afraid of beheading the long-haired jade seal and gold seal, so he dare not take it back to Xiangxiang, otherwise, he wouldn’t even leave a handful of gold for these two pieces of jade.” Empress Dowager Ci'an felt that her views were too harsh.But it is inconvenient to defend Zeng Guoquan again.Because his knighthood was originally her idea, and defending others seemed to be defending herself, so there was no need for that, as long as she had a clear conscience. "Also, what happened to that child of the Hong family?" Empress Dowager Cixi said worriedly, "We must find out the whereabouts! Otherwise, it will always be a disaster!"