Chapter 24 Prequel to Empress Dowager Cixi (10-2)

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. The Empress Dowager Cixi was indifferent. What she cared about was what Prince Gong said: "Zeng Guofan will still use it again." How did he reuse it?He has already become the governor, unless he is summoned to worship the prime minister, but who is in charge of the military affairs ahead?

Thinking of this, she asked Prince Gong: "Zeng Guofan can't be transferred to Beijing, what else can he do?" "You can give him a 'co-organizer' and still stay in the post of governor of Liangjiang." "That's right!" The Empress Dowager Cixi laughed at herself confused, the official document was like this, to co-organize the bachelor's degree, and stay as the governor of Huguang, Zeng Guofan happened to do the same. "But there's no need to rush." ​​Prince Gong said again, "It's not too late to do it after the new year."

Suddenly, Empress Dowager Ci'an seemed to have suddenly thought of an extremely important matter, and raised her voice and shouted: "Master Liu!" King Gong replied solemnly: "The minister is here!" "Did you know that the late emperor said something about Zeng Guofan in Japan?" Not only Prince Gong, but also Empress Dowager Cixi were puzzled by this question.Prince Gong really couldn't remember it, so he had to tell the truth: "Please tell me clearly, the Empress Dowager." "The first emperor said that whoever wiped out the bandits would not hesitate to give him a prince. Have you heard of this?"

"It turned out to be this sentence!" Prince Gong replied: "I seem to have heard someone talk about it, and I don't know if it's true or not, so I dare not take the liberty to ask the first emperor for instructions." "Yes," Empress Dowager Ci'an said, "I've heard it with my own ears. However, it was said at the most difficult time for military affairs. I don't know if I really want to do this, or if I complain." You have no jokes, even if you complain, you should take it as the truth.But since the San Francisco rebellion, different surnames are not kings. If the late emperor really intended to do so, it is a violation of the ancestral system just like the curtain.Prince Gong is very wary of the "ancestral family law" recently, and feels that this is a big matter that needs to be discussed in the long term. It is not appropriate to leak it at this time, lest it will be difficult to turn around in the future.

Turning his thoughts around, he replied: "With this sentence, it can be seen that reusing Zeng Guofan is not contrary to the original intention of the late emperor. But rewards and persuasion should not be excessive, otherwise it will be unsustainable! So this sentence I ask you two The Empress Dowager put it in her heart first, and she will consider the situation in the future." The empress dowagers of the two palaces felt that his views were very stable.Especially the Empress Dowager Cixi has a deep understanding of "excessive rewards and unsustainable", and feels that this is indeed a key to controlling talents.

"Besides," King Gong said, "judging from the current situation, Zeng Guoquan's achievements are not small. In the future, he will go to Jinling and capture the leader of the bandit. Most of the great achievements will be his. If Zeng Guofan becomes king, he must be one of them." Duke." When mentioning Zeng Guoquan, Empress Dowager Cixi paid a little more attention, and then asked, "How is this person?" "Of course, this man is far inferior to his brother, but he is young and vigorous, and he is very capable of fighting." "What about talent? Maybe it's unique?"

"Having practiced for so many years, and with Zeng Guofan's teachings, of course it will be useful in the future." "With Zeng Guofan's teachings, his conduct must be good." Prince Gong didn't dare to agree with the words of Empress Dowager Ci'an.He has heard many people say that Zeng Jiu is good at wealth, every gram is a famous city, and every time he wins a battle, he always asks for leave to return home and buy more land.The year before last in Xiangxiang, he built a big house with a gate in front and a stage in the back. It looked like a government office and a mansion, so that even his fellow villagers were very dissatisfied.Where did this money come from?Although it is not possible to deduct military pay, it is inevitable to lay down a city and take over the official treasury.But when we are employing people, there is no need to mention this.

He didn't mention it, and the empress dowagers of the two palaces didn't make a sound, but they were all sharp in their hearts.So still talking about the fall of Shaoxing, King Gong believed that Wang Luqian was the minister of regiment training, but he shirked responsibility by saying that "he had no responsibility for commanding the troops".The empress dowagers of the two palaces naturally agreed. When I got back to the military plane, I finished the court post and sent it to the Governor's Office of Liangjiang in Anqing.The news had already spread, and the people of Zhejiang in Beijing were greatly shocked. If Hangzhou fell, Hong Jun would join forces to take a peek at Shanghai, which would have a great impact on the military affairs of the entire Jiangsu province. Gather to discuss the situation ahead.

At that time, the situation ahead was quite complicated. In Jiangsu, only the area to the east of Zhenjiang, which was guarded by the navy, and several counties in Shanghai, where Huayang was scattered, were in the hands of the officers and soldiers.In Zhejiang, Hangzhou was besieged, and it would not be safe at night, and Ningbo was difficult to hold on to due to the loss of Shaoxing. It was calculated that there were only two clean lands left in Huzhou in the west of Zhejiang and Yazhou in the east of Zhejiang.In the areas of Anhui, Shandong, and Henan, there were also gangsters like Zhang Luoxing, Gong Xiazi, and Sun Kuixin, who colluded with Hong Jun's "four-eyed dog" Chen Yucheng and stalked around.In addition, in northern Anhui, there was Miao Peilin, the "President Lian" who was called the leader of the regiment, surrounded Shouzhou, openly rebelled, and formed unexpected resistance, which was also quite tricky. However, although the situation is critical, everyone's confidence has not been lost.After ten years of fighting, most of the sluggish, greedy and cowardly military officials of the Eight Banners have been eliminated. Du Xing'a, Zuo Zongtang who aided Zhejiang, etc. are all people who can be trusted. Of course, the focus is on Zeng Guofan, who controls the military affairs of the four provinces. As a result, there were many discussions among scholars. Although each person's hometown was different, there were various opinions on who should go to aid and recover first, but their expectations for Zeng Guofan were the same.Therefore, those who are qualified to write a statement, you also have an account, and I also have an account. Regarding the military affairs in the southeast, there are a lot of articles, which seem to make sense, but they are actually just talking on paper.Prince Gong held great power and had his own opinions, so he always took a perfunctory attitude towards these excerpts. Weng Xincun, a university scholar who had recently been punished and was ordered to manage the Ministry of Industry, also made a note on "Yan Nan Zhong Shi", which was written by his son Weng Tonghe.Roughly speaking, Nantong Prefecture and Taizhou area, the rich land, must be guaranteed, the Suchang area should be restored as soon as possible, and the counties in Shanghai should not be neglected.This is a cliché, so it doesn't matter if you don't say it, the important thing is to have a few words of compliment to Zeng Guofan: "Su Chang is a gentry and a citizen, unite to protect himself, and hope that Zeng Guofan will be like a loving parent, so the minister will send a person who can deal with thieves to go. Aid and suppression," there is another article in it. It turned out that Weng Tonghe's elder brother, Weng Tongshu, was the retired governor of Anhui at this time, and he was besieged in Shouzhou City for Miao Peilin. Miao Peilin's rebellion, no matter what, he could not escape responsibility. Must live and die.In the past, Xu Naizhao, the governor of Jiangsu, was dismissed because of the fall of Suzhou.He Guiqing, governor of Liangjiang, who was originally stationed in Changzhou, fled to Suzhou when his soldiers were in danger. Xu Youren, governor of Jiangsu, closed the city and fled to Shanghai.Suchang fell, Xu Youren was martyred, He Guiqing was impeached, and the city was abandoned to lose his teachers.This case has been postponed for two years, and the court has recently ordered He Guiqing to be arrested and investigated in Beijing.Weng Tongshu is also in the same situation. Anhui fell twice and cannot be martyred. Even if he can escape from Shouzhou in the future, he will be held accountable.With the prosperity of his holy scroll today, a single sentence can determine the life and death of Weng Tongshu, so the Weng family father and son took this opportunity to send some glances secretly. Because they all relied on Zeng Guofan as the Great Wall, the empress dowagers of the two palaces relied more and more on him.King Gong took advantage of the situation, and in addition to allowing Zeng Guofan to sponsor the governor, he also sent a special court letter, saying: "The atmosphere of thieves is getting hotter, and the southern service is tired, and I miss it very much. How can it coordinate the overall situation? Urgent and urgent, play all opportunities at any time to relieve the tension." Then, he sent a copy of Weng Xincun's original script to Zeng Guofan for comments, and Zeng Guoquan was also mentioned. Zeng Guoquan returned to Hunan this time, saying that he was going to recruit 6,000 Xiangyong people.That's really returning home in fine clothes, conquering Anqing, and rewarding him for his merits. He recorded his name as an inspector and rewarded him with a yellow jacket.Taking advantage of the victory to pursue and wipe out the Yu Kou, he was given the most valued title of "Batulu" by the Eight Banners, which means "Warrior" in Manchurian.When he led his troops to the east, conquered Wuwei Prefecture, broke Yuncao Town, and entered Dongguan, he was given a special headband, and he wore a red hat like his brother.According to Zeng Guofan's report, he left Anqing on the second day of Empress Dowager Cixi's Wanshou. He said a few words: "Anqing Kefu, returned to Hunan to recruit brave people, have you ever returned to the camp? Go east quickly." For recruiting and training soldiers, Zeng Guofan might as well be tasked with planning the military pay, but it cannot be solved by the senior officials alone. Like in Anhui, Yuan Jia's third battalion was short of pay, and they couldn't get it from Jiangbei Liangtai, so they had to ask the imperial court to allocate it. As a result of discussions among military ministers, it was decided that Jiangsu would subsidize Yuan Jia's third association's salary by 20,000 taels and the salt tax by 10,000 on a monthly basis. two.Please approve the decree and send it to the court. When Xue Huan, the governor of Jiangsu, and Wang Mengling, the governor of the feudal Taiwan and the governor of water transportation, came up, King Gong was very dissatisfied when he saw it. The replay said that once Su Chang was lost, sixty-seven out of ten of the source of salary went away. Now Jiangsu Province has only two prefectures and one state. More than 600,000 taels of silver are owed.Therefore, the joint payment must be paid by the north and the south, and then the remaining money can be handed over to Yuan Jiasan. The salt class in Huaibei must be paid 20,000 taels, and the rest will be handed over to Yuan Ying.These words are naturally so-called "prevarication". Even the Empress Dowager Ci'an felt that Xue Huan and Wang Mengling were too irresponsible after hearing Cixi read this memorial. So King Gong accepted Yi's decree face to face, and Cao Yuying personally drafted an extremely sharp decree, accusing Xue Huan and Wang Mengling of following the recent military camp habits, "Suppressing thieves is an excuse to fight for bills, and raising wages is arguing with the public", and It is said that they are "divided between themselves and others". If the Anhui Daying army is defeated due to lack of pay, how can Jiangsu protect itself?In the end, in addition to instructing Jiangbei Liangtai to co-pay the Anhui camp, it is also necessary to check the income and expenditure accounts of the Jiangnan camp. "This edict is very thorough." The Empress Dowager Cixi read the edict and praised it deeply. After she sealed it and handed it in, she talked about Xue Huan and Wang Mengling: "If they do things like this, no matter how good they will be , Good soldiers can’t win battles.” "Yes!" Prince Gong replied, "The governor of Jiangsu must be replaced. See who Zeng Guofan protects, and then ask for an order to handle it." And what about Wang Mengling?The Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly had an idea, and asked leisurely, "What about Yuan Jiasan?" "He used to be a censor, and he dared to speak. He is very practical and has a good official reputation in Anhui." "Is there any capable person there?" Prince Gong couldn't figure out the meaning of what she said for a while, and at the same time, he really didn't know who Yuan Jiasan had any capable people, so he could only reply like this: "Rong Chen will answer after he finds out." "Okay, check it out before you talk." Go back to the military plane, call Zhang Jing, the military plane, and write the purpose separately.After working for a while and resting for a while, Prince Gong mentioned the Empress Dowager Cixi's words and asked in a perplexed tone: "Why did 'Xi Bian' suddenly ask Yuan Jiasan who is capable? What, what is this for?" Cao Yuying was sitting at the bottom of him, turned sideways, and answered in a low voice: "My lord, if I say one person, you will understand." Bao Yun was the most impatient, he interjected and asked, "Who is it?" "Wu Tang." As soon as the name was mentioned, all the audience knew, "Ah...!" They were all expressions of great interest. "I think that official Wang Mengling is unreliable." Bao Yun said meaningfully. "This person should have been changed." Wen Xiang made a further suggestion, "Wu Tang is doing his best to promote the superintendent. It's still reasonable, so let's protect him!" "Come on, come on!" Prince Gong waved his hand and said, "Wu Tang is about to get lucky, that's good, but Yuan Jiasan's side can't be ignored. Is Wu Tang really Yuan Jiasan's person?" "Yes." Cao Yuying replied in the affirmative and then told Prince Gong that Yuan Jiasan had wanted to use Wu Tang for a long time. Yuan Jiasan was at odds with each other and obstructed by many parties, so that Wu Tang, a registered Taoist priest, could not make up for the real shortage until Fu Ji was transferred and He Chun died in battle. This happened after Prince Gong retired from the military plane, so he didn't understand it. Now that Cao Yuying said it, Fang Shi felt relieved, "That's all right!" Both public and private are good. Let’s see what the above means!” That is to say, the Minister of Military Aircraft does not offer sponsorship, and does not flatter Prince Gong. Wen Xiang felt that this attitude was very good, so he gave up his own opinion and nodded repeatedly: "The grace comes from above. Yes, it depends on what the above wants." "Where's Wang Mengling?" Prince Gong asked again. Everyone has a bad impression of Wang Mengling, and advocates internal adjustment and relegation.This way of doing things, there is another advantage, it can show that he is incompetent and downgraded, while Wu Tang is talented, and between promotion and demotion, he shows others to be impartial and selfless, covering most of the traces of Empress Dowager Cixi's intentional favor . King Gong listened to everyone's advice, but was not in a hurry to return his order. After three or four days, when Empress Dowager Cixi asked again, Fang Shi replied: "Huai Xu Yangdao Wu Tang, I have quite a lot of Yuan Jiasan's trust." "Oh, Wu Tang!" Empress Dowager Cixi turned her face, and happily said to Empress Dowager Ci'an, "So it was him!" The loyal Empress Dowager Ci'an heard her talk about her life-saving experience, and said bluntly at this time: "He should be given a good job." The words had already reached her heart, but she didn't answer, her eyes fell on Cao Yuying through the translucent yellow gauze screen, "I don't know how talented Wu Tang is?" She asked by name: "Cao Yuying, are you on the military plane?" After many years, it should be very clear, right?" Cao Yuying naturally knew Wu Tang very well, but he had to think about how to word these words. Facing him in the Forbidden Palace, he naturally couldn't allow him to think carefully. After thinking about it for a while, he decided on a purpose. He had to pretend that he didn't know that Empress Dowager Cixi had such a relationship with Wu Tang, and he couldn't brag about Wu Tang too much.So he calmly replied through the screen: "Playing with the Queen Mother, Wu Tang is from Xuyi, Anhui, from a poor family background. A Daoist named after his achievements, he made up for the lack last year. This person is capable and tactful, and he has won Yuan Jiasan's trust." Don't need too many important words, the finishing touch is in the last sentence, Empress Dowager Cixi answered logically: "It's enough to gain Yuan Jiasan's trust." The Empress Dowager Ci'an had never heard of the place name "Xuyi", so she interjected and asked, "Where is Xuyi?" "On the south bank of Hongze Lake, Qinghe County is on the north bank." "That's even better." The Empress Dowager Cixi was very proud, looked at everyone and said: "Wang Mengling only cares about his own Jiangnan, and doesn't think about Jiangbei and Jiangnan. They are originally one. Without Yuan Jiasan blocking him, wouldn't Jiangnan be more difficult to defend? Such a foolish person cannot be placed in an important place. I think Wu Tang should go!" Prince Gong answered calmly, "Yes!" "I think," the Empress Dowager Cixi was discussing with Ci'an this time, "Wu Tang is very good at handling things, I know that. He has been an official in the Qingjiangpu area for many years, and he is near his hometown. The people and the place are suitable, so ask him to take care of it." Jiangbei Liangtai must have a way to raise wages." The Empress Dowager Ci'an had no objection to these matters, and there was another reason for promoting Wu Tang, so she became more polite and replied with a smile: "You see!" "Let's do it like this!" Empress Dowager Cixi officially issued an order to Prince Gong: "Jiangning feudal commander, ask Wu Tang to go. The governor of water transportation is also the same as Wang Mengling, and Wu Tang will also be in charge. This way, it will be more convenient to handle Jiangbei Liangtai." "Yes." Prince Gong thought to himself, since this is the case, for the convenience of commanding, he had to add the icing on the cake and give Wu Tang a favor, "What I mean is that in Jiangbei, those below Wu's Tizhen Town and Wen's Daoist should also temporarily Under the control of Wu Tang, who is also in charge of Caodu, and the authority is unified, Wu Tang can be instructed to let go of things." "Not bad, not bad! Let's take a look at it!" "There is also Wang Mengling, how should I adjust it? Please handle it." This was Prince Gong's intention to test the Empress Dowager Cixi. Sure enough, she couldn't answer for a moment, she just asked: "Is there anything similar?" "There is a shortage of supervisors, but since Wang Mengling can't do it in Jiangning, it's still not enough to be transferred to other places." "That's fine. Transfer him to Beijing. You guys have a look, ask questions, and see what material he is." Hearing her words, Prince Gong was a little impressed.The internal investigation is a kind of delaying method that cannot be dealt with, but she has no teacher, and the method she said is actually very good. Difficult to make. Immediately put aside the momentary feelings, and returned to Wang Mengling, "I obey the order." Prince Gong didn't make things difficult for her anymore, and honestly made a suggestion: "Since Wang Mengling is not effective in doing things, it is better to issue an order to the five-rank Beijing." Lower the tone of the church and come to Beijing to wait for appointment." "By the way! Because of his ineffectiveness, Wu Tang was appointed as an exception." Empress Dowager Cixi was a little worried at this time, "Wu Tang must live up to the painstaking efforts of the imperial court to promote him!" "Wu Tangzhou was born in the county of Wu Tang, and he has been in the drama for a long time. He has experience and talent, but he doesn't know how to behave? I think Wu Tang is very knowledgeable, and I am grateful for God's grace. Naturally, I will repay it sincerely." Prince Gong paused for a moment, and said seriously: " In case he is arrogant and willful, the imperial court has its own discipline, and the front also has its own military law, the Holy Mother Empress Dowager may rest assured." These two sentences were spoken with righteousness and dignity, and Empress Dowager Cixi naturally nodded in agreement.After leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Prince Gong handed over the case to Cao Yuying.In the two edicts, Wu Tang's promotion came from a special decree, and the reasons could be stated or not, and there was no embarrassment.The embarrassing thing is that Wang Mengling's decree to demote officials took a lot of thought.Officials lowered their tone due to negligence, and the negligence must have a source. Wang Mengling has neither the governor's impeachment nor the official correction. , Don't be reckless and transfer him down according to the words of the ancestors.Therefore, Cao Yuying considered and considered, and felt that the only way to express the will wholeheartedly, not to mention the reason, and let people guess for themselves, is a feasible way. Sure enough, these two edicts were copied by the cabinet and published in the residence newspaper, which immediately caused a lot of gossip.Those who knew the inside story only said that Wang Mengling's official luck was not good. If he hadn't been an official in the same province as Wu Tang, he wouldn't have suffered such setbacks.Where exactly did Wu Tang go?After inquiring, some upright people expressed their dissatisfaction with Empress Dowager Cixi in private. Such was the reaction from the outside world, but the Empress Dowager Cixi calmed down and thought about it, but she was still not satisfied. She wanted to surprise and appreciate Wu Tang, and let Wu Tang know her authority. Do it well and save face for her.Therefore, when she summoned Prince Gong a few days later, she mentioned Wu Tang again, and she spoke in a very high-sounding way. She did not have any selfish intentions, but she was sure that Wu Tang was capable, and she was sure that Wu Tang was willing to do things with sincerity. Yuan Jiasan, who has a straight voice, will not appreciate him.But if you want him to do things, you must give him authority. The governor of Jiangsu can only take care of Jiangnan. When she said these words, she felt that what she was asking for was too extravagant, and she was afraid that Prince Gong would bring out a large set of court allusions to resist, so she couldn't help muttering in her heart.Unexpectedly, Prince Gong not only did not object, but also gave her more than what she originally asked for. He suggested that Wu Tang should not inform the governor of Liangjiang and the governor of Jiangsu when recommending a magistrate. suffocate.This made the Empress Dowager Cixi overjoyed, and felt that her little uncle was more amiable and lovely than her real brother. Naturally, she never thought that Prince Gong had other deep meanings.Wu Tang's promotion was out of the norm for officials' selection and selection, but it was for the Empress Dowager Cixi's own selfishness, something special happened, others should not expect to get the same odd number, this is what Prince Gong wanted to show everyone.He wanted everyone to know that Wu Tang's success was purely due to Empress Dowager Cixi taking the country's fame as her own reward. Although the Minister of Military Aircraft could not violate the order, he did not approve of her approach.If all officials, big and small, have such an impression, not only will discipline be maintained, rewards and punishments will still be clear, and the prestige of Prince Gong himself and the Military Aircraft Department will not be damaged. All the ministers admired Prince Gong's sincerity, but only a few people in Zhang Jingzhong knew about it.Cao Yuying summoned Zhu Xueqin and Xu Gengshen to draft the Tongting letter, carefully deliberating and finalizing the draft, first of all indicating the main points of the work.Since the last years of Daoguang, water transportation has been changed to sea transportation, and it has been exported from Shanghai to Tianjin. The effect is excellent, so the canal is no longer important. It can be sent to fight. The first paragraph of the work instruction is about this aspect. When it comes to the appointment of personnel, it is written in the draft: "Wu Tang is among the subordinates, choose the right ones, no matter the province, government, state, or county, and issue a concluding examination statement, please make up for the replay, there is no need to limit the qualifications, it is always necessary to be able to be competent because of the love of the people. It is not necessary to follow the rules. Together with the governor, I will ask questions quickly. If the person insured is unable to do so, I will only ask Wu Tang." This is modeled on Yongzheng's writing style for Nian Gengyao, Tian Wenjing, Li Wei, Ertai, etc., especially the short passage "If the person you protect cannot be effective, I will only ask Wu Tang", which is very strict. The special feeling of intimacy is the most similar. In the end, of course, there was some encouragement, especially expressing the words in the Empress Dowager Cixi's heart: "Wu Tang was appointed by my special knowledge, sincerely appointed, and I can show my loyalty to the public with my own ability, and I will repay the name with pictures." Only Zhang Wenliang and others around him were the only ones who knew "Teda's knowledge". They used eunuchs instead of the emperor to perform sacrificial ceremonies, and rewarded eunuchs with "superior" candies. This is an unusual number that has never been seen in the court.Therefore, it is self-evident who is calling the word "朕" above. The manuscript was sent up, and the Empress Dowager Cixi greatly appreciated it, saying repeatedly that "it is well written and thorough." Then the seal was issued. Tingji is the abbreviation of "send a letter to the imperial decree". Once it is ordered by the imperial court, it will be sent directly. It was originally the most confidential document, and even the cabinet is not allowed to hear it.But Yi Gong wanted to let everyone know that Wu Tang was "knowledgeable" by the Empress Dowager Cixi, so Zhu Xueqin and Xu Geng, among them, leaked the content in a casual manner.Soon, people like Weng Tonghe, who lived in important places in the Imperial Academy of Qing Dynasty, felt that the empress dowager Cixi's move was not only justifiable, but also worthy of praise, just like Han Xin's rewarding virtue with a daughter.However, although the scholar is still there, he can clearly recognize the right and wrong. Such a "beautiful talk" is only for the help of the talk when the wine is hot. One book must be asked under strict order. How did you know that Wu Tang mistakenly gave the funeral ceremony back then?At that time, I couldn't "understand Hui Zou", and I was about to run into a catastrophe of losing my family. It was already the twelfth lunar month, and although the national mourning had not yet passed, and the southeast was in danger, the new king took the throne, and the King Gong was in power, and he had done a lot, so people's hearts were quite excited. .In the palace, from the empress dowagers of the two palaces to the eunuchs and maids, recalling the icy and ghostly cold year when they fled to Rehe last year, they can't help being mixed with sadness and joy, and full of emotions.In order to make up for the shortcomings of last year, everyone pays special attention to the coming year.The empress dowagers of the two palaces specially asked the eunuch in charge of the respect room to ask about the routine story rituals and rituals for the New Year, as well as internal and external rewards, so they should prepare early. At the end of the year and at the beginning of the year, there are many tricks for ritual rewards, but for the emperor's funeral, although a hundred days have passed, it takes three years to feast and have fun, so those many tricks are almost completely useless.Empress Dowager Cixi naturally felt disappointed, but luckily everything went well for her recently, so she was still in good spirits, but her knees were unavoidably lonely, and she couldn't help but think of Prince Gong's daughter again. Regarding the matter of Da Gege becoming a princess, she had already decided to discuss it with the Empress Dowager Ci'an, but she didn't know how to start the discussion.If she expresses her willingness to raise Da Gege, the loyal Empress Dowager Ci'an will definitely agree to it, so there is no need to discuss it.What needs to be discussed is how to get Ci'an's consent, and make an edict under the guise of Emperor Daxing's face, so that not only is it more dignified for Prince Gong, but she can also avoid giving people the impression that she is with her. Concubine Ligui was at odds, and deliberately summoned Da Gege into the palace to fight against the princess. After much deliberation, I still have to make up my mind on Prince Gong. In order to win over Prince Gong and give Da Gege the name of a princess, I might as well have said this directly to the Empress Dowager Ci'an, but because of the recent promotion of Wu Tang, Prince Gong expressed his support. I was afraid that the Empress Dowager Ci'an would think she was reciprocating, so she had scruples. After a few trials, she got to the point, the most important sentence, she always found it hard to say, although the Empress Dowager Ci'an is honest, after all, she gets along with her day and night, and she has an understanding of her temperament. He hesitated to speak, and finally couldn't bear to ask. "Sister," she said earnestly, "do you seem to be in a dilemma?" She asked first, and the Empress Dowager Cixi made it easy for her to speak, "I was thinking," she frowned slightly, and said slowly, "Liu Ye is also very difficult to do things, we have to help him a little bit." "Yes! But how can I help him?" "It's just to let everyone know that we trust him." "This..." The Empress Dowager Ci'an was a little confused, "So she was quite trusting!" "It's better to keep showing these meanings." The Empress Dowager Cixi said sharply, "Give him a job, give him grace, and it will show the meaning of our trust." "I understand." The Empress Dowager Ci'an asked honestly, "Tell me! It's almost Chinese New Year, so what should I give him?" "I think the embarrassment is here. You can't just say that Liu Ye has merit alone. If you want to give errands and graces, you have to give them all." Speaking of this, the Empress Dowager Cixi pretended to have a good idea suddenly, "Let's Is it okay to follow Yongzheng's method?" "Tell me first, what is the solution?" "Master Yongzheng often named his nieces and daughters princesses and raised them in the palace. You saw the big princess of the sixth master the other day. She is quite sensible. Let's give her a 'Princess Gulun' as well!" "Yes." The Empress Dowager Ci'an thought for a while and replied, "It must be the princess!" This is a disapproval of using the title of "Gu Lun". Only the daughters of the middle palace can be named "Princess Gu Lun". Empress Dowager Ci'an is afraid that Concubine Ligui will be unhappy, so this is the case.Of course, the Empress Dowager Cixi understood, and she was thinking that it would be better to take it step by step, so she nodded her head to express her obedience. So Shi Jinzhong, the eunuch in charge of the respect room, was passed on, and the Empress Dowager Ci'an ordered: "The big princess in Liuye's mansion will be called the princess from now on." Everyone has heard about this for a long time, so Shi Jinzhong is not surprised, but what kind of princess is a princess? "Princess Gulun" or "Princess Heshuo"?Monthly supply is not the same, it must be asked clearly. "Yes!" Shi Jinzhong immediately asked: "How many monthly cases? Please order." "How much is the eldest princess?" "Twenty-two per month." "That's also twenty taels." The Empress Dowager Ci'an said again: "Write a monthly example every month, and write it behind the eldest princess." This confirmed Da Gege's identity.When Shi Jinzhong led the order, he sent people to inform the palaces to let everyone know that a new princess had been added, and he went to Prince Gong's mansion to announce the good news in person. Prince Gong happened to be in the mansion, and when he heard that the eunuch in charge of the respect room had come to deliver the decree, he immediately changed into his crown and went out of the hall to greet him.Shi Jinzhong first greeted him face to face, and congratulated him loudly with a smile on his face: "The sixth master is very happy! There is a favor from above."