Chapter 43 third quarter

When they arrived in the palace, Prince Gong Fujin invited Empress Dowager Cixi to ascend her seat to have a formal audience with her.She ordered to be exempted from this important etiquette, and then gave a table and tea, hugged Da Gege by her side, and told her to give her the "good" candy to eat. "Big girl, let me ask you," the Empress Dowager Cixi said half-truthfully, "you won't go back today and live in the palace, okay?" Hearing this, Prince Gong Fujin was very nervous, but Da Gege replied relaxedly: "I dare not!" "Why don't you dare?"

"I'm afraid that if I don't know the rules, I will make the Queen Mother angry." This sentence made the Empress Dowager Cixi very happy, and said to Prince Gong Fujin with a smile: "You girl, you are really amazing! You are so sensible!" Of course Prince Gong Fujin was extremely proud, but he was also afraid of spoiling the child, so he replied, "The Queen Mother praised her too much, and I beg the Queen Mother to teach her a lesson." "Don't worry, you can't go wrong with me." "yes." The Empress Dowager Cixi looked a little noncommittal when she saw that she had nothing to say, so she didn't dare to make mistakes.She didn't know much about Prince Gong Fujin's temper, but she only heard that because of her rich family background, her father and grandfather were all officials in the frontier - "a monk in Beijing and an official who came out of Beijing". The Beijing officials couldn't keep up, so Prince Gong Fujin had the temper of Miss Kuo.If he said that he wanted to keep Da Gege in the palace, and hit her as a soft nail, how could he get down as the Queen Mother?

As she thought about it like this, Prince Gong Fujin seized the opportunity of this moment of silence, stood up, stepped on the bottom of the flower pot, walked a few steps like a willow in the wind, squatted down very lightly, and invited someone Ann said, "I'll ask the Queen Mother for leave first." The Empress Dowager Cixi was taken aback for a moment, and then she realized that she should also go to the "east side" for a while, so she nodded and asked, "Are you going to Zhongcui Palace? I'll send someone to see you off, go back quickly, I'm waiting for you to pass the meal."

"Yes." Prince Gong Fujin greeted him again, "Thank you, Queen Mother." So the Empress Dowager Cixi ordered to pass on a soft sedan chair, and sent Xiao Anzi to send Prince Gong Fujin and Da Gege there.Zhongcui Palace is one of the "East Six Palaces", and it takes a long way to go, so the soft sedan chair is specially passed on as a show of kindness. After the mother and daughter left, the Empress Dowager Cixi drank tea alone, quietly thinking about her thoughts, recalling what had happened in the past month, and she couldn't help being surprised.How many turbulent waves were easily dealt with at the time, but looking back now, I feel terrible!She didn't know how she coped with it?In the midst of confusion, it is also unavoidable to be proud.In a month's work, the situation of the whole court was turned upside down, and the world of the Qing Dynasty was held in his hands, but only three people were killed, and everything was safe inside and out.

Like this, I am afraid that there are not many people in ancient times who can do it. From this point of pride, self-encouragement, more and more confidence, I believe that as long as everything is done, there will be achievements.So she calmed down again, made a comprehensive and general survey of the internal and external situation, and felt that there were only two people to deal with now, one was Prince Gong, and the other was Empress Dowager Ci'an.It seems that Ci'an is easier to deal with than Prince Gong, but it is not!When dealing with Prince Gong, I can be the master of most, and I have Ci'an as a helper, but when dealing with Ci'an, I cannot ask Prince Gong to be my assistant. At the same time, she also has self-knowledge. In the eyes of eunuchs and maids, she is not as good as Ci'an is so popular.There is another thing that makes people most uncomfortable to think about, even if the two palaces are respected side by side, they are always in front of the east and back in the west, unless...

Thinking of this, she shivered!Can't think about it any further.Gather up, throw away the idea that she felt too much at this moment, and think of Da Gege's appearance. That appearance seems to be very kind, but Da Gege doesn't have a sweet face like the big princess, people can't help but want to kiss her when they see her, but what is the reason for being so kind to Da Gege? After thinking for a long time in a daze, her thoughts were vague, and she traced back to the ages, and finally she understood!Da Gege's appearance is just like his own when he was a child. He is sensible, calm, and pays attention to everything. He doesn't like to cry or laugh. He doesn't speak and act like a seven- or eight-year-old child.

So the Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly thought that Da Gege was her perfect helper. She felt extremely joyful about this idea, and remembered two poems that had been read by Emperor Daxing and had been inadvertently memorized in her heart: "Walking to the mountain In a poor place, sit and watch the clouds rise", isn't it just a metaphor for this good idea that I came up with? She pondered this idea over and over in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more complacent she became. Judging from Da Gege's temperament, she will definitely be a shrewd and capable person in the future, and after her own training, she will definitely be able to take on major tasks.She can go through the house and enter the house, to be her own eyes and ears, to stand in front of her, to say what she does not want to say, and even to be a confidant who talks about everything and discusses in secret, just like Shuangxi in front of the Empress Dowager Ci'an. .Although she is not a princess, she can be rewarded with the title of princess, and even the title of "Princess Gu Lun", which only the prostitutes from the middle palace can get.As a result, the eldest princess is only "Princess Heshuo", and she is also one year younger, and even less talented. No matter in which respect, she is inferior to Da Gege.What's more, this kind of grace also has the effect of winning over Prince Gong!

The more Empress Dowager Cixi thought about it, the more complacent she became, and there was no way to change her decision.However, she also knew that she couldn't be in a hurry to do these important things, her status was not at the point where she could do whatever she wanted, she had to be patient and wait for the best opportunity. After thinking about it, he heard the five chime bells in the hall with different styles ringing almost at the same time, ringing four times, it was time to say dinner, why didn't Prince Gong Fujin and his daughter come back? "Where's Xiao Anzi?" she asked a court lady.

"Didn't the master ask him to send Liu Fujin to Zhongcui Palace?" "It's been more than an hour, why haven't you come back?" Empress Dowager Cixi said impatiently, "Go and have a look." "yes!" "Come back!" She waited for the maid to stand still, and then said, "You just go and have a look, don't need to say anything more! Come back right away." The maid agreed to go.The reply came very quickly, saying that Zhongcui Palace was very lively, the emperor and the eldest princess were there, and they played tooth cards with Da Gege to "beat the cow", and when they lost, they played palms, playing very vigorously.Prince Gong Fujin was chatting with the Empress Dowager Ci'an, and he was in a good mood, and he was afraid that it would not end for a while.

This report brought unspeakable jealousy to the Empress Dowager Cixi, but it also gave her a revelation, and she felt that Da Gege was more useful.With Da Gege here, the excitement of Zhongcui Palace can definitely be moved here. "Where's Anzi? But where?" "There." The maid replied, "I asked him why he didn't come back? He said that he had to try to urge Liu Fujin, and he will be back soon." Empress Dowager Cixi had no choice but to wait patiently.Fortunately, after a short wait, Prince Gong Fujin finally returned to Chuxiu Palace with Da Gege. She had a frightened expression on her face, and greeted Ann as soon as she entered the door, and hurriedly explained that the little emperor would not let Da Gege go, and the Empress Dowager Ci'an stayed behind again. She was still talking, and had to be rewarded with food. Because she had already spoken on this side, she "did not dare to accept the grace on that side".

"Actually, it's the same." The Empress Dowager Cixi was unhappy, but said it generously on the surface, and asked Da Gege: "You are fighting against the emperor, did you lose or win?" "I lost a lot." "That's going to hurt the palm of your hand." Empress Dowager Cixi said with a smile: "You three, have you quarreled?" "No." Da Gege replied: "The emperor only quarrels with the eldest princess." "Why didn't I quarrel with you?" "I don't quarrel with him. The emperor is younger than me!" "Huh!" Prince Gong Fujin scolded with a smile, "There are no rules in speaking! How can the emperor be younger than you?" "Isn't the emperor six years old?" Da Gege said plausibly. "That's right!" The Empress Dowager Cixi loved her more and more, "You are two years older, so let him be a little more, that's what a big sister looks like." To praise Da Gege in such a tone, Prince Gong Fujin could tell that the Empress Dowager Cixi really liked him, and he couldn't help but be moved. At that time, he decided that if she revealed her intention to keep Da Gege in the palace, he would obey her. But the attitude of Empress Dowager Cixi is different from before she went to Zhongcui Palace. Da Gege is a must, but there is no need to stay today. She thought it was necessary to discuss this matter with the Empress Dowager Ci'an, and when it was finished, she would tell Prince Gong directly, which was simpler and more solemn. Therefore, at this time, she never said anything about raising Da Gege in the palace, but she was very sympathetic to their mother and daughter's kindness. A perfect meal for two. After the meal, it was getting dark, and the key was under the palace gate, so it was inconvenient to enter and exit, so I kowtowed and said goodbye.The Empress Dowager Cixi had already prepared a reward, and Prince Gong Fujin thanked him for accepting it. At the same time, he also gave the reward he had prepared, a red envelope of two hundred taels of silver, to the maid in charge in front of Cixi. When he returned to the mansion, Prince Gong asked about the situation of entering the palace.Both the couple couldn't figure out what the Empress Dowager Cixi meant, but for Da Gege's sensible and obedient, he didn't appear to be stage fright at all in front of the Empress Dowagers of the Two Palaces, so the parents were naturally very pleased.Also because of this, there is a faint wish in my heart, it is best that Empress Dowager Cixi never mention this matter. For several days, there was no movement, Prince Gong thought that the matter was over.In fact, it was because Cixi hadn't had time to deal with this matter yet. Ever since King Gong Fujin entered the palace, she has been "meeting relatives" one after another. King Chun's Fujin, the first-class wife of Chengen Hou Zhaoxiang, her younger sister and younger brother-in-law were all brought into the palace to talk about the family life in detail.In addition, the Empress Dowager Ci'an is also meeting with each other, because the two palaces are respected together, and she has to come to pay her respects, people come and go, it's not lonely. It wouldn't take her much time if it was just to talk about family gifts and trivial matters.Just because they were talking about the past with Jin Wang Fujin, and mentioned the kindness they received from Wu Tang back then, the two sisters were so grateful that they leaned on their father's coffin and swore to themselves that as long as there was a day when they were in their prime, they would first repay this generous person benefactor.Now that you are the empress dowager "raised by the world", and you are in charge of the power, if you don't repay your favor at this time, when will you wait? This was originally a major matter on her mind. For the past month, in order to deal with Sushun with all her strength and to realize the wish of the curtain, she could not think of it for a while. Now that the overall situation has been settled and the villain has been eliminated, it is just time to do this happy thing Things.So after being reminded by Jin Wang Fujin, what Empress Dowager Cixi thought about on her pillow every night was how to repay Wu Tang's kindness.According to her wish, it is best to give Wu Tang a governor, but this is impossible.A Taoist platform, even the supervisor has not yet flattered him, how can he be promoted to a senior official? Don't say that Prince Gong and the military ministers would not agree, even if she agreed, she would not dare to disregard the law and harm the public because of selfishness. But although there is no good solution for the moment, she still believes that the opportunity will come soon.The imperial court has successively issued imperial edicts to recommend talents from China and foreign countries, to know that all provinces inspect and recommend good people, and to visit people who have both learning and practice.In addition to seeking talents, he also issued an edict to spread the word, and recently there are many words in the history of the censor. As long as someone recommends Wu Tang, he can be listed as a talented person. When I stopped thinking like this, I paid special attention to the recommendation of the current officials. There was a censor, Zhong Peixian, who wrote "Please commend the merits of doing good deeds so that people can benefit from them." People are originally unknown, and they are only recommended by people's knowledge. In just a few years, they have made great achievements.Among the more than a dozen names, there is no word "Wu Tang", but the Empress Dowager Cixi has learned the tricks of Beifu Shengfa through these four months. She intends to use this booklet to ask Prince Gong. If there is a slight connection, Wu Tang can be involved, and the article will be easy to write. She was planning by herself under the lamp, when she suddenly heard a voice outside, as if someone knocked on the palace door, and someone came out to meet her, she couldn't help being surprised.After a while, the voice quieted down, and An Dehai was heard asking the eunuch sitting on watch: "Has the master rested?" When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard this question, she knew that there was something very important, so she asked loudly inside, "What's the matter?" "Respond to the master, there is an urgent military report for six hundred miles." "Uh!" Empress Dowager Cixi replied, feeling a little dazed. This was the first time she received an emergency military report at night, and she didn't know how to deal with it.Think about it carefully, and remember that when the first emperor encountered such a situation, he must first look at it. Some of them appear to be urgent, but they are actually irrelevant; some need to be considered first, so you might as well wait until the next day There are also some who need to instruct the strategy immediately, so they must immediately call the Minister of Military Aircraft to discuss, or even find Zhang Jing, the military aircraft on duty, to dictate the decree, and rush to the army that night. So she ordered the lady-in-waiting to open the door, and received the yellow box from the internal affairs office, and at the same time sent a message to tell An Dehai to stand by outside. There are two memorials in the box, both from Zhejiang. One is Wang Luqian, the former left deputy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The gunboats attacked Xiaoshan from Linpu, fell into Zhuji, and then attacked Shaoxing with all their strength.The other is Wang Youling, the governor of Zhejiang, and Ruichang, the general of Hangzhou, who will play consecutive titles. They said that the provincial capital of Hangzhou is Hong Jun's "Loyal King" Li Xiucheng and "Servant King" Li Shixian. They are heavily surrounded and the situation is critical. Empress Dowager Cixi was not very clear about Zhejiang's topography and military situation, but she knew that Hangzhou was the provincial capital of Zhejiang, and Shaoxing was a famous city in eastern Zhejiang.And because it was the urgent military report at Liubaili, he felt that the matter was urgent and could not be delayed. After thinking about it in his mind, he shouted: "Little Anzi!" "The servant is here." An Dehai promised outside the window: "Do you know, is there anyone in the Military Aircraft Department right now?" "Why not? There is a military aircraft on duty at night, Zhang Jing, who lives in the Fanglue Pavilion." "By the way, I forgot! Hurry up and send these two brochures, and ask him to send them to the sixth master immediately." Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "This is an important military matter, so don't delay it." So An Dehai took the yellow box, went to the respect room to ask for the key, opened the palace gate, and told the guards of the Qianqing Gate to send the two memorials to the Fanglue Hall. The Fanglue Hall is located in the north of the Hall of Martial Arts. Xu Geng, Zhang Jing of the Han Army who was on duty at night, was ordered to compile the archives of the Military Aircraft Department for nearly ten years, and was buried in the pile of old papers.After receiving the yellow box from the guards of the Qianqing Gate and the oral order of the Empress Dowager Cixi, he dared not neglect it, opened the yellow box, picked up the memorial and looked at it, and suddenly the five schools were like boiling.Xu Geng is a native of Hangzhou. His old house was passed down from the Ming Dynasty. There are many people in his clan. Now he is in danger, so of course he is very worried. However, business matters were urgent, so I had to put aside my worries for the time being, entrusted Zhang Jing, a Manchu military aircraft on duty at night, to take care of him, hurriedly bypassed the House of Internal Affairs, took a car out of Xihuamen, and headed north to Jianyuan in Xiangfeng Hutong.King Gong's banquet had just ended, and when he heard that the military aircraft Zhang Jing had sent a memorial, he invited him to meet in the study. After saluting and presenting the memorial, Prince Gong only read a few lines before ordering: "Uncle Xing, walk slowly!" This is of course because Xu Geng is a native of Hangzhou, and has always been in charge of military affairs, so he was specially kept here for consultation. Therefore, when Prince Gong was looking at the discount, he sat by himself, thinking silently, and prepared to do something. suggestion. "Uncle Xing," Prince Gong asked worriedly, "If Shaoxing falls, will Hangzhou be able to hold on?" "Difficult, difficult!" Xu Geng shook his head vigorously, "If Shaoxing is lost, Ningbo will not be protected. The two prefectures of Ning and Shao are very rich, and they are paid by the army of Zhejiang. Therefore, if Ning Shao is lost, the source of salary will be cut off. This is one of them. Shaoxing and Shaoxing Once Hangzhou is separated, if Ningshao is lost, the bandit army will cross the river and attack the provincial capital, Hangzhou has become a lonely place, and it will be difficult to hold on to it. I am afraid that at this moment, 600,000 people in the Manchu and Han Dynasties will suffer catastrophe!" Xu Geng's body and speech were low, his face was pale, and under Yeye's candlelight, there were traces of tears.King Gong knew that he missed his hometown, and remembered that Hangzhou was also an area where bannermen were stationed. Although it was full of cities, how could it protect itself in such a tiny place?After Hangzhou was broken, what happened to the Bannermen must have been worse than that of the Han people, so I felt sympathetic and depressed. "If the prince has no other orders, I will take my leave." "You don't have to be sad!" Prince Gong became emotional, "We need to help each other in the same boat! Regardless of Manchu and Han, there must always be chaos in order to have a good life. Fortunately, the overall situation in the court has been decided, and we can concentrate on military affairs as much as possible. Above. Tomorrow I have to have a good presentation with the two palaces, you prepare a map of Jiangnan and Zhejiang, I am afraid that the queen mother will not be able to figure out the place names." Xu Geng agreed, and went back to the strategy hall, found the map and "Jiaqing Unification Chronicle", examined it carefully, and made a map of the current situation of the two Zhejiang provinces, indicating the deployment of troops, which is extremely concise and practical. The map was spread out on the imperial case the next morning, and the Empress Dowager Cixi exclaimed when she saw it: "Oh! Hangzhou has become an isolated city!" "Yes!" Prince Gong pointed to the situation in the south of the Yangtze River and said, "It's like a siege, pushing and pushing, driving the bandit army to a corner." The empress dowagers of the two palaces all knew the method of siege and hunting in Rehe, which is to drive wild animals to the predetermined place in all directions, and then shoot with bows to achieve great results, so they can fully understand this analogy of Prince Gong. "Looking at it this way, the crisis in Hangzhou was expected." "The Empress Dowager is wise." Prince Gong replied happily, "I have been thinking about it for a long time. The military in the south of the Yangtze River must be coordinated and carried out step by step. It does not depend on the gains or losses of one city or one place." "That being said, we must save if we can!" The Empress Dowager Ci'an asked with concern, "Sixth Master, do you think Hangzhou can hold it?" So Prince Gong repeated the two points analyzed by Xu Gengshen, but added: "The original purpose of saving Zhejiang was to let Zeng Guofan take care of it. But he is also very embarrassed." "According to this, do you just watch Hangzhou fall?" asked the Empress Dowager Ci'an. Prince Gong was at a loss for an answer. For the first time, he realized that this loyal queen mother was sometimes aggressive. "That's something that can't be helped." The Empress Dowager Cixi helped him invisibly, "Hangzhou is probably lost, let's find a way to regain it!" This sentence just caused Prince Gong to think about the big plan all night: "Show the two empress dowagers." Supporting it is like making alchemy, and the time to complete the alchemy after nine turns is almost at the end of the day." Hearing his words and looking at his expression, the empress dowagers of the two palaces suddenly felt refreshed. Both pairs of gleaming eyes were looking directly at Prince Gong, with a slight smile on the corners of their mouths. Meaning, very obvious. So Prince Gong once again pointed out the map to show the general trend. Although the progress of the Hunan Army was slow, they were down-to-earth and approaching step by step.The crisis in Hangzhou is a battle between the trapped beasts of the Hong army. Its function is to reduce the pressure on Jinling from the officers and soldiers. The attempt was in vain. "What I mean is that Zeng Guofan still needs to be reused." Prince Gong waved his hand and strengthened his tone, "Zeng Guofan is solely responsible for protecting Zuo Zongtang in Zhejiang's military affairs. Naturally, his recommendation must be allowed, but Zeng Guofan still has to control it." "Isn't there a decree here?" Empress Dowager Cixi interrupted, "Military affairs in the four southeastern provinces are all controlled by Zeng Guofan." "Zhejiang is under the jurisdiction of the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and it is not within the scope of Liangjiang." Prince Gong replied, "Maybe Zeng Guofan is afraid of attracting grievances, and wants to avoid the name of power, and wants to draw Zhejiang out. This is not allowed for him." "Yes!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said again, "How about Wang Youling? If not, then let Zuo Zongtang be the governor of Zhejiang." "Then we have to be recommended by Zeng Guofan. A few days ago, the court sent him to inspect Governor Xue Huan of Jiangsu and Governor Wang Youling of Zhejiang. He is incompetent? Wait for him to come back and ask for an order to handle it." "Hangzhou is so tight, Wang Youling doesn't know what's going on?" The Empress Dowager Ci'an frowned slightly and said, "There is also Ruichang, and..." She thought of the bannerman stationed, sighed, and couldn't say anything Gotta go down.