Chapter 5 Section five

Empress Dowager Cixi celebrates her 30th birthday this year, and An Dehai has already started talking about it in various places in the palace, saying that she is busy with state affairs and put an end to chaos, the emperor rewards her meritorious deeds, she should show her filial piety, and the world is peaceful, so it should be lively one time.The Empress Dowager Cixi herself was also moved by the talk, and deliberately extravagant.But for this kind of thing, no one from the ministers asked, so it was inconvenient for him to speak.Of course, there are people with "filial piety", but Prince Gong keeps saying that he wants to be frugal, so no one dares to suggest it rashly.

Therefore, although the national uniform was removed, Wenzong's mountain mausoleum was not enshrined, and the national celebrations were still kept simple.On the tenth day of October, like last year, the emperor, accompanied by the imperial ministers, came to the Changchun Palace to pay his respects and serve breakfast.Then at exactly the right hour of the day, the emperor came to the Imperial Palace of Compassion, and the emperor led the princes and ministers to bow three times and knock nine times outside the Gate of Compassion.The ceremony of congratulating Shengshou is considered a success.

Of course, there is a small-scale celebration program in the palace. In Cuifangzhai, Fujin’s wife is kowtowed, and then the play starts, and the emperor personally serves lunch.This meal was eaten in front of the stage for three and a half hours, from ten o'clock in the morning to five o'clock in the afternoon. Fujin ordered his wife to kowtow to resign, and the empress dowagers of the two palaces ordered her to return to the palace.Autumn is deep and the days are short, and it is time to light the lanterns. The Empress Dowager Cixi was tired all day and wanted to rest earlier, but when the voices of the people quieted down, her heart could not calm down.

In Cuifangzhai, it is a phoenix with a hundred birds facing each other, and when it returns to the palace, it is a lonely Luan who is self-pitying.At this moment, it is the time when she regards the title of "Queen Dowager" as worthless!It has been a habit she has developed over the past three years. Whenever she encounters such a state of mind, she must find something to do—anything is fine, as long as she can divert her state of mind.There is the simplest method, pick a eunuch or court lady who is not pleasing to the eyes, say something wrong casually, scold them for a while, or beat them with a "passing stick", and use other people's wailing to express your own grievances. The most effective.

But this day is not good, a great day, not for others, but also for yourself.I was hesitating, I didn't know what to do for entertainment, when I glanced out, I suddenly felt happy. Here comes the princess!She is eleven years old this year, but she is growing fast, graceful and graceful, she is about to shed her childishness, and she speaks and behaves much less like an eleven-year-old girl.The Empress Dowager Cixi dotes on her very much, not only dotes on her, but even fears her a little, because sometimes what she says is irrefutable and irrefutable, and there is no other way to get rid of her.

So Empress Dowager Cixi welcomed her out.When the eldest princess saw it, she stood still calmly, squatted down gracefully, invited a very beautiful Ann, and then moved away, letting a "savvy" eunuch and two "exquisite mothers" kneel down. install. The eunuch Zhang Fuyou, who was "familiar with knowledge", was holding a large vermillion lacquer box wrapped in a brocade burden in his hand, and the Empress Dowager Cixi immediately asked, "What is that?" "My grandma," this refers to her biological mother, Prince Gong Fujin, the eldest princess said, "I entered the palace today to pay my respects to my birthday, and brought me something, and I will show it to the empress."

"Okay, let me see!" Entering the room, I opened the lacquer box. There were so many patterns inside that I couldn’t see them clearly at first glance. I just felt that they were all Western toys. The Empress Dowager Cixi picked up a telescope wrapped in pink sheepskin and looked out the window. A glass bottle, looking at the Chinese characters on it, asked: "What kind of stuff is this?" "Perfume!" The princess replied, "It's from the wife of the French envoy." "To whom?" "Give it to my grandma." "Oh!" Empress Dowager Cixi asked again: "Is it a lot?"

"Just one bottle." Hearing that this bottle was the only one, she felt different in her heart.If this is the only one in the capital, who should it belong to? She was thinking like this in her heart, and the eldest princess had already spoken: "My grandma said that I dare not use this bottle of perfume, and told me to keep it for fun, don't open it." "Why?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked in amazement. "It's not dignified to say it. People smell the perfume, and they say they use devil's stuff, for fear that the empress will scold them."

"Little thing!" Empress Dowager Cixi laughed and said, "If you can't bear it, then you can't. Why do you use a trick?" "I'm willing, and I won't use any tricks to show the Queen Mother these things, just to honor the Queen Mother." Hearing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi was very happy, she put the lacquer box aside, and took her hand to chat with her. "Can you understand today's play?" "Look, why don't you understand?" Before the tone was finished, the Empress Dowager Cixi asked again: "Today's play is not good?"

"I don't know if it's good or not? Anyway, I don't like to hear it." This is amazing!Since the filial obedience was full in October last year, I often acted in Shufangzhai on the first and fifteenth day of the new year. After listening to it for so many days, I said, "I don't like to listen to it anyway." Listening, as if listening to it very vigorously, what's going on!" "That's the rule!" The eldest princess raised her face, looking more and more like an adult. By the way, the rules, how can you still be lazy and show disinterest in listening to the opera in front of the queen mother?When she said this, Empress Dowager Cixi felt that she was asking a ridiculous question.

"According to this, you don't like listening to opera at all?" "No." The eldest princess said, "I don't like to listen to Kunqiang—Kunqiang is not as good as Pihuang." "Tell me, why does Pi Huang sound good?" Naturally, the Empress Dowager Cixi had never heard of Pihuang, but for more than ten years in the palace, all she had heard was the Kunqu opera performed by the eunuchs of the Shengping Department, and there were not many Pihuang plays occasionally.In recent years, there have been two classes of "Sanqing" and "Sixi". Famous actresses have emerged one after another. Every time there is a festive hall in the prince's mansion, these two classes must be passed on as errands.Named as an errand, the rewards are extremely generous, and the performances are naturally very hard-working. Famous actors and secret books, which are usually not easy to reveal, often perform in these halls.The eldest princess followed Prince Gong Fujin to visit relatives and friends' homes to socialize since she was a child, and her grandfather Gui Liang, father and son, both served as governors for a long time, lived in luxury, and whenever there was a small celebration, she had to act, so the eldest princess' experience in this regard, Much wider than the Empress Dowager Cixi. She has a high comprehension ability, a good memory, and is articulate. She talked about Liu Gansan's ugly woman and Lu Shengkui's Zhuge Liang, which fascinated the Empress Dowager Cixi, and she was still thinking about it until she went to bed. How can I listen to those plays!The Empress Dowager Cixi only had a second thought in her mind, and wanted to introduce the troupe from outside, of course not. Hearing that there was a hall party in the prince's mansion, it was even more inconceivable that she had a sudden visit and feasted her ears.It seems that being in the palace is really boring! Abandoning this matter, she thought of the eldest princess again. Looking back at that moment, she seemed to be different from her usual impression.After careful consideration, I realized that she was indeed different from other eleven-year-old girls.The princess born to Concubine Li is only one year younger than her, but when compared together, the difference is at least three or four years old.You can no longer treat the eldest princess as a child! I don't know what kind of family to promise in the future?With this thought, the Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly became excited. There was a very interesting thing waiting for her to do: finger marriage! According to the rules of the Qing Dynasty, the marriage of the sons and daughters of the prince's family is not free, and the queen mother or the emperor chooses it on his behalf, which is called "finger marriage".Proposing marriage for the eldest princess is tantamount to choosing a son-in-law for yourself, and it is even more legitimate, so you might as well choose as early as possible. There was always such a thought in my heart, and the next day when I was chatting with Empress Dowager Ci'an, I couldn't help bringing it up, "Sister," she asked, "Do you know that there are outstanding children in that family?" The Empress Dowager Ci'an was stunned for a moment when she heard her nonsensical words, "Why do you ask this?" She asked, "Who is it?" "Shouldn't our big girl find her husband's family?" I see!Empress Dowager Ci'an smiled: "You are really willing to worry about your children." "Liu Ye and his wife, they gave us their child, so we can't feel wronged. I have to pick for her early. " "After all, you can't go back to school..." The Empress Dowager Ci'an paused and said, "You really don't look like an eleven-year-old." "That's the story. In the early years, when I was only 13 or 14 years old, I had weddings." Empress Dowager Cixi said to herself, "It's good to hold a grandson early!" "Thinking so far!" Empress Dowager Ci'an smiled, and said, "What about our own?" "That one" refers to the princess that Concubine Li gave birth to. Empress Dowager Cixi's smile slowly subsided: "This one, of course, I have to take care of her." "Hey!" Empress Dowager Ci'an nodded: "It's not busy after all, so take your time and pay attention!" This gossip was shelved after it was said.Unexpectedly, the eunuchs and maids who heard it next to him regarded it as a very interesting thing and talked about it in private.When the news spread outside the palace, the Eight Banners nobles with unmarried children over ten years old all paid attention, but they had different ideas in their hearts. Some people thought that "Shangzhu" was a trouble rather than an honor, while others were so excited that they really wanted to climb the door. marriage. Naturally, most people want to climb high, and one of them is Dutong, who is especially keen.He was thinking, the eldest princess is not only loved by the empress dowagers of the two palaces, but also the daughter of Prince Gong, which is more noble than the real princess. Once this marriage is concluded, she will become the in-laws of Prince Gong's sons and daughters, and she will be released as a "general" , The promotion of the governor is just a matter of care.Don't miss out on this opportunity! Of course, he had this idea because there was a way there.This is all inlaid with a yellow flag, named Tuo Yunbao, who did a lot of hard work in capturing Sushun in Miyun, so he was appreciated by King Chun.He entrusted Yunbao's family to practice martial arts, and King Jin wanted to "integrate the army and practice martial arts" to see himself, so he often talked to him about military affairs and swordsmanship, and gradually cultivated a strong friendship.Tuo Yunbao thought to himself, Jin Wang Fujin is the sister of Empress Dowager Cixi, and he will enter the palace in a few days. The relationship between sisters is extraordinary, and this path will definitely work. So he tidied up his clothes and went to Prince Chun's Mansion in Taiping Lake in Xuanwu Gate - a familiar visitor, Prince Chun only received him in plainclothes, and before he could say a few words, he asked Yunbao to stand up and greet him, saying: "Seventh Master Cultivation! " King Chun hurriedly supported him, and asked in surprise, "What do you mean?" "I heard that the Queen Mother is going to appoint the eldest princess. Master Qi always heard about it?" "Yeah! I heard. How is it?" "My child," Tuo Yunbao greeted again, "Qi Ye has seen it before, and it's all thanks to Qi Ye." Alcohol King is dumb.I was thinking in my heart that although Tuo Yunbao belonged to the "Shang San Banner", his family background was ordinary.His only son, Akdan, was not bad in character, and was born majestic, like a blessed man, but he was born stuttering and could not speak clearly. Jin Tianyan, what else can I hope for? "Qiye!" Tuo Yunbao said again: "I know that Qiye's family is very rich, and it's a big deal, just rely on Qiye's words. As long as Qiye is willing to nod, my kid will be great." King Chun asked Tuo Yunbao to buckle the tall hat that was full of feet plus two, and he was in a daze, as if he also felt that this matter was not difficult, so he readily agreed. When Tuo Yunbao said goodbye with gratitude and left, he thought about it alone for a while, and he came up with a set of words to teach his wife, and the next day Chun Wang Fujin went to the palace to be a lobbyist. Chatting about the daily life in Changchun Palace for a while, because there are maids around, it is inconvenient to talk in depth.The Empress Dowager Cixi's ability to detect words and discriminate colors is almost innate. When she saw her sister's disinterested look, she knew that she had something private to say, so she gave her a chance: "Let's go! Let's go for a stroll." Go for a walk!" The two sisters came out of the hall one after the other, and a large group of court ladies, of course, followed behind with sundries such as spittoons and water bottles. The Empress Dowager Cixi waved: "You don't have to follow!" The maids obeyed the order, and the Empress Dowager Cixi slowed down after walking far away, and looked back at Prince Jin Fujin. "I heard that the Empress Dowager wants to marry the Eldest Princess?" "How do you know? Who did you hear from?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked with great interest. "It's spread all over the outside world." Chun Wang Fujin said again: "Qiye has a few words, let me tell the Queen Mother face to face." "What's the matter? He wants to be a matchmaker?" "Yes!" Chun Wang Fujin replied with a smile, and then described Tuo Yunbao and his son, naturally how to put it in a pleasant way. "I know Tuo Yunbao. But..." "Does the Queen Mother think that his family background is ordinary?" "Isn't it?" Empress Dowager Cixi said: "There are so many sons of princes and ministers, how could it be their turn to get his family. Then what is Akdan doing now?" "It's a third-class 'shrimp'." "But again, I didn't even curry favor with Lan Ling's guards! Not to mention wronging the child, how can I explain to the old six couple?" "The sixth master and the sixth sister-in-law can't say anything about the grace from above!" Chun Wang Fujin thought for a while and said, "Back then, Lord Yongzheng pointed out the daughter of the Baoyi family to the 'Iron Hat King' Where is Fujin!" "How could Lord Yongzheng do such a thing?" The Empress Dowager Cixi often read historical records and daily life notes recently, and corrected her mistakes with a smile, "That is Lord Kangxi, who pointed out the daughter of weaving Cao Yin to King Pingjun Fujin. This kind of thing is rare and should not be an exception!" This sentence sealed her mouth, and she still had some words in her stomach, but she couldn't continue because she couldn't fit them, she just stood there in a daze. Empress Dowager Cixi saw it again, and opened the way for her: "What else did Qi Ye say?" "Qiye is planning for the Queen Mother." Chun Wang Fujin quickly replied: "He said: The Queen Mother has given people a lot of grace, but those who have received the grace are not very grateful, as if it is their duty. This is all Because those people are already pretty good, and they don’t think so much about the grace from above. If someone like Tuo Yunbao can climb up to the top, the heart of gratitude and repayment is very different.” Empress Dowager Cixi was silent.When encountering her demeanor like this, one either disapproves or deeply agrees.The sisters have been together for so many years, and Chun Wang Fujin naturally knew what she meant. After taking a peek, he knew that he had done a poor job of paying back to her husband when she went home. "Let's talk about it later!" The Empress Dowager Cixi looked at the eloquent white parrot in the cage for a while, and finally made such an expression. Chun Wang Fujin knew her sister's character, and she always said less and gave more to her natal family.So it was very good to be able to have such an expression, and she said goodbye happily, and went home and told her husband: "It's probably okay!" There is nothing wrong with this view, and the Empress Dowager Cixi has eight percent consent in her heart.A few days later, I found a space to mention this matter to the Empress Dowager Ci'an again. "Tuo Yunbao, oh, I know this person." The Empress Dowager Ci'an's natal family shared the same banner as Tuo Yunbao, so she knew, "His family's ancestors were picked from Jilin's 'picking heroes'." "That's great" After saying this, the Empress Dowager Ci'an stopped her from being happy: "No! In my opinion, we must be cautious. You are not a hero, and you are not an outstanding talent. Maybe the big girl is not willing. It is better to ask her first. Or There is sixth master and sixth grandma!" Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't hear these words, but she couldn't be unreasonable when discussing family affairs, saying that referring to marriage was originally the empress dowager's prerogative, and she could do whatever she wanted. Seeing that she was silent, the Empress Dowager Ci'an knew that she was uncomfortable, and she was afraid that what she had said was too much, but she felt that the boss was sorry, so she smiled and turned around. "Let's find that child first and have a look before we talk about it!" "Yes." Empress Dowager Cixi also made concessions in her tone, "Let's find it first and have a look before we talk." However, this sentence is not easy to achieve.Akdan was a third-class bodyguard, he was not on duty in Qianqing Palace, but in Qianning Palace, his rank was very low, he couldn't easily get to the imperial court, now he suddenly said that he wanted to summon him, it would cause many unnecessary speculations.If the talent is really outstanding, he can be selected at the first sight, but that's all, if things don't work out, leaving someone to make fun of behind his back is a very inappropriate thing for anyone. This time, the Empress Dowager Cixi's group was overjoyed, greatly discounted, and put the matter aside, and it has been a long time since I mentioned it.Tuo Yunbao "waiting for good news" was like an ant on a hot pot. After waiting for half a month, there was no movement, and he came to see Prince Jin's mansion again to inquire about the news. He also knew how to speak, so he refused to speak easily.It's just that King Chun is young and has a good face, and he can't hold back his anger. Knowing his intentions, he has a lump in his heart, but he said first, and he will speak for him in a day or two. Chun Wang Fujin came back from the palace again, and only then did he know what the Empress Dowager Cixi was thinking.King Jin paced back and forth thinking for a while, and suddenly said happily: "Yes, yes! Let's invite the queen mother to play for a day, find Akdan, and meet the queen mother here, or not Yet?" Not a bad idea!The Empress Dowager Cixi readily accepted it, and pointed out very frankly that Lu Shengkui and Liu Kansan had to be sent to attend the opera on the lucky day. So Prince Chun's mansion became very busy. While patting the house, passing on the opera troupe, and preparing banquets; In the early morning of this day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Shuntian Mansion, and the Infantry Command Yamen dispatched officers and soldiers to clean the roads in Xuanwu Gate, drive away idlers, and set up guards, waiting for the arrival of the Empress Dowagers and the Emperor. On this day, the Empress Dowager Cixi sent An Dehai to the Hongde Hall to convey the edict, and the emperor's homework was halved, and he returned to the palace around nine o'clock.The empress dowagers of the two palaces summoned the military aircraft early in the morning, and only asked about the most important government affairs, and hurriedly retreated, changed their clothes and groomed themselves, and made preparations. When the emperor arrived, she immediately ordered to drive. The ministers leading the bodyguards, the imperial ministers, Luan Yiwei and officials from the House of Internal Affairs were waiting early in the morning.Even if there was an order in advance, Yi Cong Tejian still set up a long street with three bright yellow sedan chairs in total. The Empress Dowager Ci'an took the princess on the first ride, the Empress Dowager Cixi took the eldest princess on the second ride, and the emperor took the last ride. take.Exit the palace from Xihua Gate, and go west along Chang'an Street until you reach Taiping Lake in the southwest corner of the inner city. The former ministers and guards came to Jin Wang's mansion one by one and dismounted. When the sedan chair just entered the street, the kings Baylor were already waiting on duty. They were all the emperor's uncles and first cousins, led by King Dun. Then there are King Gong, King Chun, King Zhong, and King Fu, and then the eldest son Zaizhi of Xuanzong, Zaiyi the eldest son of King Dun, Zaicheng the eldest son of King Gong, and Zaiying the second son.The first two people took the big sedan chair, and the next time they arrived at the door, everyone knelt down on the red felt strips. This was the car to pick up the queen mother. As soon as the queen mother's big sedan chair passed by, the five brothers of King Dun immediately got up, supported the sedan chair, and went straight into the door. The little brothers of the "Zai" generation still knelt, and when they received the emperor's car, the three big sedan chairs all stopped in the second hall, and this is where the kings Fujin took the car. The throne has already been set up in the hall, but the empress dowagers of the two palaces ordered that only "family rituals" be performed, and after a brief description of the family routine, Empress Dowager Ci'an said to Empress Dowager Cixi: "Hurry up and do things! Let's play when you come. " This was agreed in advance, and the thing to do was to summon Akdan.In order not to make public, only the Empress Dowager Cixi summoned her.King Chun had already made preparations in accordance with Yi's decree, and set up a throne in the West Flower Hall. When the imperial guards brought a powder-based green-headed lottery on a silver plate, she took it in her hand, and wrote Ake on it. Dan took a look at his resume and said, "Call it up!" Tuo Yunbao had been waiting with his son for a long time, but he himself was not included in the summons. When Boyan Namohu, the former imperial minister who "brought the introduction", came, he greeted him with a smile before he opened his mouth. He invited Ann and said, "My lord! You cultivate more." Then he asked Akdan to salute. Boyan Namohu was kind and modest. He quickly returned his bow, looked at Akdan up and down, and praised with a smile: "My nephew is a man of talent. Great, great!" Upon hearing this, Tuo Yunbao beamed with joy, and kept taking care of Akdan: "It's alright, don't be afraid, don't be afraid!" The more he told him to "don't be afraid", the more afraid Akdan became. He followed Boyan Mohu, feeling sweaty in his hands and dry in his throat.When I arrived at the West Flower Hall, I saw it was quiet and silent, and when the guards opened the curtain, I saw a group of princes on the top of the gemstones, serving an elegant and luxurious lady with bright eyes. young!Akdan seemed a little unbelievable, and his movements became slow. "Salute!" Boyan Mohu reminded him. Seeing the Empress Dowager's ceremonial note, I have practiced it countless times at home, but I don't know where I forgot at this time?Akdan walked all the way in front of the queen mother, and then knelt down with a plop. According to the rules, one should kneel to greet Shengan as soon as one enters the door, and then walk a few steps to kneel at an appropriate place to perform the right act. It is already considered a disrespect for him to do so.When I opened my mouth to report my resume, I said the word "Chen", and the word "A" in "Akdan" below is an accent. It is very difficult to switch to the word "Ke", so: "Chen, Ah, Ah... ..." The more anxious he became, the more he stammered, even Boyan Mohu became anxious for him. The ministers standing there looked at each other, extremely embarrassed, but the Empress Dowager Cixi was determined to see Akdan make a fool of herself, and she waited quietly with no expression on her face.It wasn't until Akdan blushed with anxiety and was almost out of breath that she softly said, "Tell him to go down!" So Boyan Mohu stretched out his hand and pressed his head, and said at the same time: "Kneel down for the Queen Mother!" This time Akdan seemed to be amnesty, took off his warm hat, kowtowed, and when he raised his face, he only saw the back of Empress Dowager Cixi. "Alas!" Boyan Mohu sighed and said, "It's full!" He sighed outside, and the Empress Dowager Cixi sneered inside. Although he didn't mean to blame the king, the king felt very useless.And because the eldest princess is right next to her, it's inconvenient to say more.Therefore, a scene that should have been very lively and happy suddenly became cold. The little emperor didn't know about this, and after playing with his cousins ​​for a while, he suddenly asked, "Why isn't the show starting yet?" Zhang Wenliang told An Dehai to invite Yizhi to start the show, and An Dehai went to ask for instructions. The Empress Dowager Ci'an said repeatedly: "Open, open!" Only now did the unhappiness come to an end.King Chun led the empress dowagers of the two palaces and the emperor to the theater - the stage faced north, and the theater faced south. In the open hall with five bays, all the fans had been dismantled. "Horizontal" fills in the height, and there are two royal cases in the east and west, which belong to the empress dowagers of the two palaces.The two sides are separated by yellow curtains, which are the seats of the kings, Baylor, Beizi, duke and ministers. Before the play started, King Chun played first, and Zao Bao and Chong Lun promoted the play for this day.Both of these two people were from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and now they are both servants of the household department. They are well-known and wealthy in the capital, so it was passed that these two people came up and knelt side by side, and Chonglun performed the opera. "To serve the two Empress Dowagers, and the Emperor has five plays." He opened a white booklet in his hand, read it, and said, "The first play is "Shiro Visits His Mother". Hu Xilu's princess. The capital will come first." Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi completely dissipated the anger she provoked from Akdan, because everyone knows that she loves to listen to "Siro Visits His Mother" the most, and it is the play that premiered today. , and it can be seen that she is more respected than the Empress Dowager Ci'an. "The second one is a joke, Liu Gansan's "Visiting Relatives and Cursing", which is also the first one." Chong Lun paused and said: "The third one is Lu Taizi's "Empty City Strategies", Qingsi gave it to him With Sima Yi. This is the first one." "How many 'firsts' do you have?" The Empress Dowager Cixi said this, and then asked: "Who is Lu Taizi?" "Oh. Taizi Lu is Lu Shengkui." "It turns out that Taizi Lu is Lu Shengkui." Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "Anything else?" "Lu Shengkui and Liu Gansan are both coming out together today." Chong Lun replied, "After "The Empty City", let's play a small play first, so as to free up time for Lu Shengkui to undress and play the next play. This pad It is also the first play in the capital." Chong Lun intentionally brought some "spoofing" meaning, so that the Empress Dowager Bo smiled, and sure enough, even the Empress Dowager Ci'an was amused: "Why are they all the first ones?" She couldn't help but ask. "It's not the first one, I dare not serve the two empress dowagers and the emperor." Chong Lun said energetically: "This play is called "The Robber of the Time". "Isn't that Kun Opera?" "Yes. The one who sang this "Rooting the Armor" is a 'Su Chou' named Yang Mingyu. He has a lot of unique skills. This "Rooting the Armor" is specially prepared for the emperor. The next step is the big axis." , "The Meeting of Heroes"! Cheng Changgeng's Lu Su, Lu Shengkui's Zhuge Liang, Xu Xiaoxiang's Zhou Yu, Liu Gansan's Jiang Gan." "Cheng Changgeng!" Empress Dowager Ci'an asked in a slightly surprised voice, "Is he still in Beijing?" "He's still in Beijing, and he's still in charge of the 'Sanqinghui' troupe." Chong Lun praised another play excerpt: "There's still plenty of time left for the two empress dowagers to order plays." "That's great!" Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Let's start the show with Chuanshan!" So, on the one hand, the eunuchs passed each other, set up the dining table, carried the food boxes, and served meals according to the rules of the jade food above. Buddha's way of immortality is just lively.The empress dowagers of the two palaces and the emperor were tired of watching these dramas, but the rules had to be like this, so they had to go. "Eat more while you're at it!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said to the eldest princess who was at the same table with her: "It's a good show when you're full—didn't you say that you don't like to listen to Kunqu opera, but Pihuang?" "Yes!" The eldest princess agreed meekly, and moved a plate of honey sauce to the Empress Dowager Cixi. This is one of her favorite foods. In order to repay the eldest princess' "filial piety", she tasted a piece of ham first, then turned to An Dehai who was standing beside her and said, "Give this to the sixth master. No need to thank you!" That is to say, there is no need to remove this dish from the imperial case. As usual, there are two portions of each imperial meal, one for the imperial use, one for the reward, and one for the reward, and send it outside the yellow mantle. Prince Gong heard that there is no need to thank you , and accepted it frankly. When An Dehai returned to Cixi's side, the regular play had already been sung, and a piece of yellow paper was pasted on the stage, with a big letter: "Follow Yi's order to perform "Si Lang Visits His Mother"".Then two officials from the House of Internal Affairs came out from the upper and lower gates of "Outgoing General" and "Incoming Prime Minister", and stood facing each other in front of the pillars. "Hate!" Empress Dowager Cixi grunted softly. Only the eldest princess heard these two words. It was really annoying to have these two officials standing there, creating an incompatible scene.The eldest princess understood what she meant, so she waved and called An Dehai to her, and gave her instructions. "This is not a palace, there is no need to 'play'. Let them go away!" The eldest princess ordered decisively. "Yes." Anderhai replied, "I'll tell them right away." He didn't need to look at his face to know that what the eldest princess said must be the meaning of Empress Dowager Cixi.In the palace, he would bully even the emperor, but he was only afraid of the eldest princess.She speaks loudly, no matter where she is, let alone whether he wins or loses face, if she gets annoyed, she will rely on her status to take advantage of the reason, and a reprimand will make it impossible to defend.Of course, it was because of the favor of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and according to An Dehai's thinking, the eldest princess was favored because Prince Gong was in power. If the father collapsed, the daughter would not be as proud. He walked all the way, thinking like this all the way, found Chonglun, and when word came, the two officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the stage quietly retreated, leaving Yang Silang and Princess Tie Jing to calmly "guess their minds" . "That's great!" The Empress Dowager Cixi became more and more happy, and after watching the play with concentration, she turned around and said, "Thank you!" An Dehai brought silver and rewarded him with fifty taels of "official treasure", so Yu Sansheng and Hu Xilu came to the stage to thank him for the reward.Then came Liu Gansan's "Visiting Relatives and Scolding", Lu Shengkui and Bannerman Qingsi's "Empty City Strategies", and the two empress dowagers, all of which were rewarded.In the fourth play "Shiqian Robber", Yang Mingyu's martial arts of tossing and falling, landing silently, made the little emperor almost unable to sit still on the throne, so he also gave a reward. When the big axis entered the stage, it was getting dark, and countless red candles as thick as a child's arm and palace lanterns with bright corners were lit brightly.Cheng Changgeng's Lu Su and Lu Shengkui's Kong Ming are both good at winning games, but it is Xu Xiaoxiang's Zhou Yu who is rewarded by Empress Dowager Cixi. , when he opened his mouth, he was so pure and unconventional, and when he turned his eyes and danced his feathers, he actually vividly painted the Gong Jin who looked down on him all the time.The Empress Dowager Cixi was fascinated, "What is a Confucian general? This is it!" She told the eldest princess like this, without asking her if she understood the word "Confucian general". What the Empress Dowager Ci'an admired was Cheng Changgeng, who was also called "the outstanding person in central Anhui" with Li Hongzhang. In fact, this part was also out of nostalgia. ", so when "The Meeting of Heroes" was finished and the rewards were released, I specially ordered Cheng Changgeng to be summoned. Cheng Changgeng was once awarded the "Sixth Grade Dingdai" and was given a copy of the imperial crown.He is careful about the general appearance of a person, and he would never dare to wear it to show off on weekdays, but he expected to thank you for seeing him this day, so he naturally wanted to dress up, so he also brought that "outfit" in his suitcase.At the moment, he is dressed neatly, "being this official and performing this ceremony", because he is used to pretending to be a prince and minister, and he has seen the world in the palace, so he tends to bow down, with a graceful manner, which is better than being promoted to the second and third ranks by military merit. The general of the Hunan Army who is a member is more like an official. Of course, the so-called "summoning" is nothing more than kneeling closer and expressing some words of gratitude to God. The Empress Dowager Ci'an is clumsy with words, and on such an occasion, there is really nothing to say to others.So in response to the occasion, Chonglun took him down. It's time to drive back to the palace.At the moment when the empress dowagers of the two palaces were about to leave their seats, An Dehai walked over and quietly reported: "Let's talk about the two masters, the fifth master has something to do and wants to talk face-to-face." "Okay, okay!" Empress Dowager Ci'an was the most polite to these uncles, "Please come here!" King Dun had already heard it in front of the hall, and walked up by himself without waiting for the call.At this time, the queen mothers of the two palaces had got up and left their seats. King Dun asked for peace and said, "I ask the two queen mothers to show you some face." The empress dowagers of the two palaces all knew that this little uncle had a rough nature, could not read well, and often spoke without thinking, so the empress dowager Ci'an asked, "What's the matter?" She still didn't dare to agree casually. , "Say it out and let's discuss it." "There is nothing else. I want to be like Lao Qi today. I invite the two queen mothers to play with me for a day." I see!The empress dowagers of the two palaces smiled at each other, but their expressions were different.Although the Empress Dowager Ci'an smiled, she frowned slightly, showing a little embarrassment.According to the rules of previous dynasties, if the empress dowager's own son is sealed off from the royal palace, he can often welcome the empress dowager to visit her, to express the love between mother and child, otherwise, unless there is a big event, the empress dowager will easily misfortune the palace.This day can be regarded as an occasional one, and it has the function of "blind date", so it can still be said, but if you come to Prince Xingdun's mansion again to play and have fun, it will be the same as the last year's edict, which said that although the mourning clothes are full, However, Emperor Wen Zongxian had not yet been buried. "Looking at the remnant palace in the distance, I feel deep admiration; if the celebration is to be held, everything will be held as usual, and I really can't bear it." Later, if he "waited for the edict to be followed", it would be a big violation, and he was afraid that it would arouse the discussion of the censor. The Empress Dowager Cixi never thought of this edict at all. She smiled because she was laughing at King Dun's shallow eyelids. Seeing King Chun's glory, she couldn't help but want to imitate it.This is also good, someone respects, and there is a good show to watch, why not do it?So he looked at the Empress Dowager Ci'an and said, "We have to give Fifth Master this face, right?" After hearing this, if the Empress Dowager Ci'an refused, she would not give Prince Dun face, so she had no choice but to nod. "Then," King Dun said immediately, "please the two queen mothers come down to enjoy the day, and I will be ready." This time, the Empress Dowager Ci'an rushed to the front and said: "Not busy, not busy! There are many things to do next year, let's take your time." King Dun thought to himself, according to this tone, even if it doesn't work within the year, once the year passes, it will surely come true.In the first lunar month of the new year, it would be more honorable to welcome the two empress dowagers to the mansion, so I happily replied: "Yes! I have another invitation."