Chapter 25 Prequel to Empress Dowager Cixi (10-3)

As soon as he stood up, the two of them changed positions. Shi Jinzhong went up to pass on the decree, and Prince Gong knelt down to listen.This time, the mansion went up and down, rushing to tell each other, high-ranking officials and housekeepers of the palace gathered in the upper room one after another, to inquire about the details, and to congratulate Prince Gong and Fujin. Prince Gong Fujin came from different backgrounds, when he encountered this kind of thing, he was very calm, knowing that it was absolutely true, but he said he didn't know, and wanted to "wait for the prince to come in and ask to understand".

Prince Gong rewarded Shi Jinzhong, went back to the upper room, everyone greeted him, and greeted him in front of the court on the porch. When he stood up, he found that Prince Gong was not happy, not only not happy, but also deeply unhappy.This expression was strange, but no one dared to ask, just for their own sake, they all quietly retreated. "What do people from the palace say?" As soon as the girl opened the door curtain, Prince Gong Fujin stood up and asked. "There is only an oral decree, saying that she is called a princess. And it was given by 'Dong Bian' face to face." Prince Gong shook his head and said, "Anyway, the big girl is not ours anymore."

"Ah!" Prince Gong Fujin was seven points sad and three points happy, he didn't know how he felt in his heart. The couple faced each other silently, both thinking, what impact and changes would it bring to the mansion if a princess came out?At this moment, someone outside the Chuihua Gate called "Liu Ye, Liu Ye" all the way in, and the voice was Bao Yun. Bao Yun and Prince Gong have a very close friendship, so thick that they talk about everything, and so thick that they don't avoid their relatives.So when he arrived at the upper room, Prince Gong and his wife came out to welcome him, and seeing his expression, they knew that they had received the news.

"Don't say a word that is annoying!" Prince Gong stopped him before he could speak, "Otherwise, you won't want to eat my whitebait hotpot tonight." Bao Yun was stunned, "Grandma Six," he turned to ask, "What's the matter?" "You are also a person with children, can't you guess Liu Ye's mood?" "So I can't bear to miss the big girl. Ah!" Bao Jun quickly corrected himself, "From now on, it's not allowed to call you that. This..." He straightened his face again, and said in a low voice: "No matter what, I always It's a great joy. No matter how wronged or reluctant I am, I can't ignore the face of my superiors. There will be congratulators coming in a while, so I can't just put a smile on my face."

"Peiheng's words are very true." Prince Gong Fujin also said, "Sixth Master, you have to listen to him." His beloved wife and friends all advised him in this way, Prince Gong finally restrained himself and put on a smiling face.Sure enough, within a short time, the door was filled with congratulatory guests, some were assassinated, some were listed in the door book, some could be seen by the door guest, and some had to be seen in person. According to the ritual system of the palace and the depth of friendship, the status of the visitor was different. processing.Among the congratulatory guests received by Prince Gong himself, some people said that they wanted to invite Da Gege to come out and accept the congratulations as a princess. Go up", which made Prince Gong very displeased.

"Forget it!" He replied coldly, "There is no etiquette for foreign officials to meet concubines and princesses in this dynasty. This time, the person who hit the wall naturally had an ugly face, and others also felt that life was boring, and they were all wondering, why did Prince Gong have such an attitude when he was so honored and favored? He was reminded that that unhappiness was only willing to reveal in front of the closest people.That night, he left Bao Jun, Wen Xiang, Zhu Xueqin and the others to eat whitebait hot pot. When he got drunk, he vented his complaints and said mockingly: "Mother is more valuable than son, and I am father than daughter. This is not a joke." ?"

"Mothers are more valuable than their sons" naturally refers to the Empress Dowager Cixi, and "fathers are more important than their daughters" refers to himself, but why is this so? Seeing everyone's puzzled looks, Prince Gong explained: "Originally I was the head of the family, but now another head appears out of thin air. I don't understand. What's going on with me and Da Niu? In the future, she Come back from the palace, but I still have to open the middle door to welcome him?" This question stumped everyone, and led to another question, "According to the rules, our princess should be different from the eldest princess born to Concubine Ligui, right?" Bao Jun looked at Zhu Xueqin and asked , "Huber, don't you think so?"

Zhu Xueqin thought for a while and replied: "In the original custom, the one who came out of the middle palace was named Princess Gulun, and the one who came out of the concubine, and the one who was raised by the prince's daughter, was named Princess Heshuo. But it was different in the Yongzheng period." "Why is it different?" Bao Jun asked anxiously, "I will illustrate it with an example!" "The fifth son of the ancestors is also titled Prince Gong. His grand master was bred in the palace. He was named Princess Heshuo Chunxi for the first time. In the first year of Yongzheng, he was named Princess Gulun Chunxi. This is a precedent."

"It will be easy if there is a precedent!" Bao Yun said confidently. Wen Xiang nodded, but Prince Gong remained silent.He is also a competitive person. Since Da Gege is going to be named a princess, he should be a Gulun princess. So under Bao Yun's arrangement, and after Gong Gong's modest speech, the decree was issued: "Minister of Military Aircraft issued an edict from Empress Dowager Ci'an and Empress Dowager Cixi: The daughter of Prince Gong, who is extremely intelligent, is the favorite of Emperor Wen Zongxian. He raised his body to the Sacred Heart, used Peiten, and was promoted to the title of Princess Gulun to show his favor."

On this day, Da Gege was welcomed into the palace and raised by Empress Dowager Cixi herself. Such a simple addition of a princess is a big deal in the palace, but it is not of much concern to the outside world. At this time, what everyone is paying attention to is the great transfer of the governors of the provinces.First of all, there are three censors from Jiangxi who jointly impeached Yuke, governor of Jiangxi, for trusting Mending's book office.The original music was handed over to Jiangxi Xuezheng for review, and it was roughly true, so Yuke, like Wang Mengling, was demoted internally.The missing person was promoted by Shen Baozhen, the governor of Jiangxi Province. He is the son-in-law of Lin Zexu. He was released from the Hanlin to the prefect of Ji'an, Jiangxi Province. role.

Another Weng Tongshu, the son of a father, escaped from Shouzhou with his life, but the day after he arrived in Beijing, he was handed over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice for punishment, and the governor of Anhui was transferred from the governor of Hubei, Li Jiyi.Because of the discord between Yan Shusen, governor of Hunan, and Mao Changxi, minister of military training, he was transferred to Hubei as governor, and the governor of Henan was promoted by Deng Yuanshan, a military veteran.Similarly, Han Chao, the grain governor of Guizhou, was promoted to governor because of his military exploits. The deployment had just been decided, and after receiving a report from Jiangsu governor Xue Huan, Hangzhou fell.This famous city in the southeast has been besieged for a long time. There is a shortage of food in the city, and more than 30,000 people starved to death.Governor Wang Youling originally asked Li Yuandu of the Hunan Army to recruit 8,000 people to rescue him in Hunan, but he was blocked by Hong Jun from Jiangxi to eastern Zhejiang in Longyou.When Shaoxing and Ningbo were lost, the situation became more and more critical, and we struggled to hold on until the end of November.The only supporting army, the admiral Zhang Yuliang who had made great achievements, fought under the city of Hangzhou and was killed in battle, so the morale of the army became more and more lax.Finally, at the end of November, Li Xiucheng used a ladder to go to the city and broke through a gap. The officers and troops collapsed immediately, and the admiral Rao Tingxuan died in a street fight. Due to the precedent of He Guiqing, governor of Liangjiang, the civil and military officials in Zhejiang did not dare to steal their lives. The governor Wang Youling survived poisoning and hanged himself in the warm pavilion in the lobby. , Du Liang Dao Siam Fu, and Wu Baofeng, the magistrate of Renhe County, also went to righteousness.In order to avoid being humiliated by Hong Jun, there were countless people who hanged themselves and jumped into wells in the family of the gentry. At this time, Mancheng, which was built by the West Lake, had not yet fallen, and most of the banner soldiers stationed there had been casualties, and General Ruichang became ill with worry and anger.Li Xiucheng entered the city and sent people to persuade him to surrender, but Ruichang refused, so he gathered the generals of the Eight Banners and vowed to repay the imperial court to the death. Every family prepared gunpowder. More than 4,000 bannermen, men, women, and children died, including Guan Fu, the vice governor of the capital, and Hethena, the governor of Jiangsu Liangdao. As soon as the news reached the capital, it shocked the ruling and opposition parties.Wang Youling was a person whom He Guiqing knew, and his official reputation was not good on weekdays. The Beijing officials from Zhejiang didn't like him very much.But seeing Wei was ordered, it will be different once he dies. The Beijing officials in Zhejiang, especially those Zhejiang people like Zhang Jing Zhu Xueqin and Xu Gengshen in the military plane, helped him extraordinarily. In Kaifu, the posthumous title "Zhuangmin" was enshrined in the Xianliang Temple of the capital. After Hangzhou was recovered, a special temple was built. He is from Fujian, so he was allowed to build a temple in his original place. Ruichang's shirt code is even more generous, and he was given to the prince Taibao, the first-class captain of light vehicles, and the posthumous title of "Zhongzhuang".This is because Ruichang not only saved face for the bannerman, but also because his surname is Niu Hulu, who belongs to the Yellow Banner, and is considered to be of the same clan as the Empress Dowager Ci'an, so a special pension was added.A few days later, details of the fall of Hangzhou spread to the capital through public and private channels. It is said that an aunt in Ruichang brought her two young sons with her among the refugees when the city was destroyed. I don't know where to go.The Empress Dowager Cixi found out about this, and specially ordered Prince Gong to try to find the two youngest sons of Ruichang named Xu Cheng and Xu En, so that they could inherit the position of the first-class captain of light vehicles. In addition, King Gong also asked the queen mothers of the two palaces to issue an order to exempt the three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui from money and grain for next year.In just over two months, the imperial court's actions seemed to be clear about rewards and punishments, and used both grace and power. Therefore, the fall of Hangzhou, 600,000 lives were lost, and the government and the opposition were replaced by a new atmosphere of self-motivation.Although there are only two isolated cities left in Zhejiang Province, Huzhou and Quzhou, everyone believes that the new Zhejiang governor Zuo Zongtang, who "has no body and worries about the world", can drive Li Xiucheng out of Hangzhou. Under such an atmosphere, it is quite unfavorable for the Weng family.For the sake of Weng Tongshu's being handed over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice, Weng Xincun, who has just recovered and is exhausted, is anxious and sick. Weng Tonghe is famous for his filial piety, so he naturally wants to do his best for his brother.But the father and son of the Weng family pay attention to honesty and encouragement, and pride themselves on integrity. Encountering this kind of family difficulty is the time to test self-cultivation. Come and deal with it with equanimity" attitude.Like Weng Tongshu himself, when dealing with Miao Peilin's rebellion, he only had one sentence: "The difficulties are beyond the imagination of outsiders." This made Weng Tonghe very embarrassed. Fortunately, there is Zhu Xueqin.Although Weng Tonghe only exchanged posts with him for half a year, they are brothers after all, and they can talk about everything.Zhu Xueqin first copied out the original melody of Zeng Guofan's impeachment of Weng Tongshu, and he knew it was tricky at first glance!San Weng Tongshu's mishandling of Miao Peilin can be argued for. Shen He lost Anhui twice, and as a governor, he could not be martyred. "How can you punish people and you will die!" Weng Tonghe said worriedly, "Although local officials say that they are responsible for guarding the land, but scholars are different from military officials after all!" "That's a good word," Zhu Xueqin said, and refused to say any more.The generals of the Hunan Army, nineteenth are scholars, all follow this view, so there is no need to fight desperately. "You have to rely on your strength and think of a way to turn around." "There's no rush!" Zhu Xueqin said with a deep smile, "It's unlucky to catch up with the time. The court is encouraging loyalty, but it happens to be charged with this crime! You have to wait until He Genyun's case is over before you can be caught off guard." He Genyun is He Guiqing. There is an order to arrest Zeng Guofan and send him to Beijing. He has been arrested in Shanghai and is on his way to Beijing. "He Genyun's matter is very troublesome," Zhu Xueqin said again, "Mr. Zhao Rong's attitude is worrying." Zhao Ronggong refers to Zhao Guang, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. Weng Tonghe knew the teacher's temper, and asked anxiously, "How is Rong Gong?" "He already had something to say, 'If you don't kill He Guiqing, why thank millions of people in Jiangnan!'" Hearing this, Weng Tonghe was so anxious that his hands and feet became cold.If He Guiqing beheaded, the life of his third brother Weng Tongshu would be lost. Brotherly love is deep, and at this juncture of life and death, Weng Tonghe lost his usual graceful and elegant Fengshen, and his face turned green and pale with anxiety, and it took a long time before he said: "In any case, we must think of a way out for him." "That's natural." Zhu Xueqin said while stroking his shoulder, "Things can be smoothed out if things are slowed down, there is always a way." For the moment, of course, the Ministry of Punishment should be the first to start, but Weng Tongshu was originally a high official in the frontier, and if he was convicted, he would send ministers to discuss and punish him as usual.Such cases are managed by the Autumn Trial Office of the Ministry of Criminal Justice. There are a total of eight officers there, who are specially selected officers from the Ministry of Criminal Justice's clean-up department. It seems that it is not easy to talk about the so-called "Eight Great Sages".Therefore, it is useless to try to clear it from the Ministry of Punishment at present. Weng Tonghe changed his mind to this, and became more and more anxious. Zhu Xueqin couldn't bear it, so he patted his chest to comfort him and said: "Shu Ping, don't worry, this matter is on my shoulders, and there is no capital punishment!" "Why?" Seeing a turning point, Weng Tonghe hastily asked, "Why are you so sure? You see, what crime will be convicted in the future?What about He Genyun?What about him? " This series of questions made Zhu Xueqin unable to answer, so he made up his mind and said: "You have to calm down first. To be honest, the meeting will convict you and handle it according to the law, so you will definitely be executed. However, He Genyun cannot escape death, brother Ling will definitely If there is a way to preserve it, there will be grace from above.” So he revealed the news that the emperor had to send more teachers to go to school. Prince Gong and the queen mothers of the two palaces had discussed this important matter several times. Three people have been appointed for the study by a minister with a square character. Apart from Wo Ren, who has heard about it for a long time, the other two are Qi Yuzao and Weng Xincun.In this way, the higher-ups will naturally look at the master's affection, and Jia En pardons Weng Tongshu's death penalty. Weng Tonghe heard the whole story clearly, he was both happy and worried, he was happy that his elder brother had a way out, but worried that his father was old and sick, and being a master had to work every day, he was unbearably tired, and he was afraid that his illness would make him sicker. Sure enough, soon Ming issued an edict that the emperor decided to enroll on February 12th in the first year of Tongzhi, specially opened Hongde Hall as a study room, and sent Qi Yuzao, Weng Xincun, Woren, and Li Hongzao as masters.Weng Xincun has long been a master in the study, and the "Old Fifth Grand Master" Prince Hui, Prince Gong, and Prince Zhong have all studied with him. Now that he is weak, it is difficult to take on the important task of enlightening Wo Shengcong. , but for the life of his son, he had to sell his life. Regarding the emperor's schooling, the empress dowagers of the two palaces and close relatives all paid attention to it.Huang Zuo of the Qing Dynasty has reached the point of being passed down in a single line.At present, although the curtains of the two palaces are drawn and the prince is in charge of the government, the overall situation can be supported. However, as an adult, he is in charge of the government alone, and the rise and fall of the dynasty all fall on the seven-year-old little emperor in front of him. Great Ren, it means that the ancestors have spirits and the subjects are blessed, otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.For this reason, the empress dowagers of the two palaces specially summoned relatives and nobles, and jointly agreed that Prince Hui would be sent to take care of the Hongde Palace, and Prince Hui's youngest son, Yixiang, would accompany the reading. The place where the prince goes to school is called the "study room". Brothers, uncles and nephews are all classmates. The little emperor studies classics, and there is a special hall, "accompanying reading" is a rare honor.But this Rong Dian is really suffering, named classmate, different status, cumbersome etiquette, extremely strict restraint, not to mention it, the most wronged thing is to be punished on behalf of the little emperor.For example, if the little emperor forgot the honor of Wan Cheng, he developed a childlike innocence, laughed and mischievous, or refused to work hard, couldn't recognize characters, and couldn't recite books. If the master couldn't reprimand the emperor, he would criticize Huai Sang and use his companion to read as a teacher. Take the example of singing and singing, so there are often disasters without reason.Now Prince Hui is taking care of Hongde Hall, supervising the emperor's schoolwork, using Yixiang to accompany the reading, the father can scold his son without any scruples, which makes the little emperor more vigilant.Of course, this is a sacrifice for Yixiang, and this sacrifice is beneficial. In the future, the emperor will be in charge, and thinking of the elegance of his classmates back then, Yixiang will definitely be treated extra favorably. In addition, 15 rules for the emperor's schooling were established, and Prince Hui presented them to the empress dowagers in person. The first rule stipulated that the emperor would go to the study room every day, "First draw the bow, then learn Mongolian, read Qing books, and then read Han Book", Empress Dowager Ci'an frowned when she heard that, "I'm only six years old." She asked, "Is the homework too heavy?" "The rules of going to the study room have been the same for hundreds of years." When it comes to traditional rules, it is inconvenient for her to oppose it openly. At the same time, although she disagrees in her heart, she is clumsy in words and doesn't know how to express it, so she doesn't make a sound. "This is still half the homework." "Prince Hui's face was solemn, and he raised his voice slightly, "I have ordered Chang Chuan to take care of the Hongde Hall, and the responsibility is very heavy. I am walking on thin ice. I beg the two queen mothers to strictly supervise the emperor. Live up to the expectations of the ancestors and the first emperor in heaven. " "Uncle Wu is right!" Empress Dowager Cixi replied, "'If jade is not polished, it cannot be made into a weapon', and Uncle Wu will have to worry about it in the future." "I will do my best." Prince Hui paused for a while, and then said: "I heard that the little eunuchs around the emperor don't behave very solemnly, please restrain them!" The empress dowagers of the two palaces looked at each other in surprise, and then Empress Dowager Cixi nodded: "I see. I will do it!" So I found Zhang Wenliang that day and asked him what happened.The teenage eunuch was playing with the emperor, and it was the first lunar month, so he couldn't help but indulge.Zhang Wenliang admitted it honestly, but the Empress Dowager Cixi forgave him, and only ordered: "The emperor should calm down and go to school, and those little eunuchs are not allowed to coax the emperor to be naughty!" With this decree, everyone should be extra careful.The little eunuchs were even more frightened and did not dare to walk around. This made the palace even more lonely. On the contrary, it was not as good as the folk New Year, the reunion of the old and the young, and the reunion of relatives and friends. It was a lively and joyful scene. In the palace with "red walls, green tiles and black gutters", the system is dignified and the actions are prudent, and they are often close to each other and never return.The concubines in the palaces have the opportunity to meet frequently, but as the empress dowager, she is high above the others, so they naturally live in isolation. Therefore, every time she goes to the palace gate to lay the key, the empress dowager Cixi worries about how to spend the long night? Ever since Prince Gong's Da Gege entered the palace, she finally had a daughter under Cheng Huan's knee.But soon after dark, the "Jingqi Mother" had to take her away. At this time, the Empress Dowager Cixi could only pass the time by borrowing thirty-two dental cards under the lamp, passing the endless "five levels" and asking endless questions. The "magic number"! In the stillness of the night, in the sound of the crisp dental cards colliding with the mahogany tabletop, her thoughts raced, and she felt the loneliness and desolation in the sound of the cards again.More than ten years ago, the Yangtze River was moored at night, and the smoke and water were vast. I couldn't see what the future of this family was like?In the middle of the night, the lonely lamp asked the "magic number of tooth cards" over and over again. During the "Shang Shang" class, how could it be pointed out that today you are the queen mother who is raised by the world?Realizing this, he became less interested in those thirty-two precious jade tablets inlaid with red and green jade. But what about the queen mother?She pushed the tooth plate away and thought, is there a queen mother who is not a widow in the world?After much deliberation, there is only one situation, the world is not inherited from the father, but created by himself. At that time, the mother was revered as the queen mother.Father..., still wrong!The son conquered the world. If the father is still alive, he will naturally let the father be the emperor first, just like Tang Taizong.There is no queen mother who is not a widow, but why is everyone always envious of the dignity of the queen mother, and no one thinks of the suffering of the widow, especially a thirty-year-old queen mother? A young widow who is widowed and caresses her husband, and when she reaches the age of sixty or seventy, a magistrate honors her and orders her to build a chastity memorial archway.But for a young empress dowager, even if she stays for sixty or seventy years, her grandson will become emperor, and she herself will become empress dowager, no one will say: It is not easy to keep the chastity for decades! What queen!She hated this title of number one in the world.So she envied her younger sister, and even more envious of Prince Gong Fujin. Marrying such a heroic, wealthy husband is really a blessing from the previous life. Thinking of this, her heart was burning hot, and she was very uncomfortable in a mess, and she was eager to find something to distract her.As soon as she turned her head around, she found it immediately. The memorial in the yellow box was enough to make her forget everything. Except for the urgent military reports submitted at any time, there will not be any more important chapters in the yellow box for the New Year, and most of them are the New Year's greetings written by the governors and imperial envoys of various provinces.Anyway, it was all right, so she passed on Xiao Anzi, who was sitting on the watch, and turned on the lamp. She wrote the pen herself, and wrote the word "An", except for Zeng Guofan's notebook, in addition to the word "An", two more characters were added: install".This has been a practice that has been passed down for many years. For the ministers who lean on the pillars, the emperor should add these two words in the letter of greeting. Empress Dowager Cixi has long learned this method of win over ministers. There is also an invitation booklet with a "clip" attached, but it took her a lot of consideration. The zhezi was given by Zhaoxiang, the third class Cheng'en Gong, who is the younger brother of Empress Dowager Cixi.Huizheng, who died early, was posthumously named "Marquis of Chengen" as a concubine and father. Since Concubine Yi became the Empress Dowager Cixi, Huizheng was promoted to the "third-class Cheng'en Gong" as usual. His eldest son Zhaoxiang, originally Xihou, this time he was also promoted to the rank of noble.At the same time, he also got an idle job and was awarded the title of "Minister of Sanzhi".In the clip, he Chen Zou hoped that the Empress Dowager Cixi would be lucky enough to visit his mother's house, and at the same time stated that this was what his mother meant, as well as the Empress Dowager Cixi's mother. Since returning to Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi met her mother once, and she was brought to the palace to meet her.The Empress Dowager Cixi was reluctant to return to her natal home, at least not for the moment, because her natal home was not some grand mansion. Empress Dowager Cixi's natal family lived in the homestead inside Chaoyangmen, which was owned by her great-grandfather.Ever since she gave birth to a son and was canonized as a concubine, and her younger sister was accused of being married to Prince Chun Fujin, the two sisters flew up on the branches and became phoenixes, and the lintel of the gate was brightened, but the appearance changed slightly, and the inside remained largely the same.The times are not good, and with Su Shun's restraint, even the monthly payment is often discounted, so naturally I can't take care of my mother's family.Even though King Chun divided the mansion, he didn't get many rewards, and even if he had subsidies for the Yue family, it was limited, so Fangjiayuan's old house could not be renovated or rebuilt.The face-saving Empress Dowager Cixi did not want to visit her mother's house. But this is not to say that she is not filial to her mother and does not take care of her younger brother. On the contrary, she values ​​family affection the most. At the same time, the eldest daughter of a Banner family has greater authority and responsibility for handling housework, which is also a tradition.Ever since she became the Empress Dowager and conspired to overthrow Sushun in Rehe, she felt that it was of great importance whether she had someone to help her, so she made plans more than once to promote her two younger brothers, Zhaoxiang and Guixiang. .Helplessly, these two brothers have poor qualifications, and lost their father when they were young, their family is in decline, and they have never studied well. It is really difficult for them to take on such a heavy responsibility. Because of this, she is even more reluctant to go back to her mother's house, lest she will get angry when seeing these two younger brothers. So, she thought for a while and shouted, "Little Anzi!" "The servant is here." Xiao Anzi quickly moved to her side, bowing and agreeing. "Tomorrow, you go to Fangjiayuan." "Yes" Xiao Anzi made an admiring and respectful expression, "I am also thinking about the 'Old Lady Huang', and I want to pay her a New Year's greeting." Banner people call grandma his wife, and "Old Lady Huang" is everyone's greeting. A special title given by the mother of Empress Dowager Cixi. She ignored his words, and just instructed herself: "Tell Mrs. Huang that I will pick her up in the palace in a few days when the weather is warmer." "Yes!" Xiao Anzi seemed to be discussing with himself, "I have to bring something delicious to honor the old lady Huang." "You took the box of ginseng that General Jilin brought in." He agreed, and looked at her, as if he didn't have enough intentions and wanted to ask for something. Empress Dowager Cixi naturally did not stop at giving a box of ginseng.She stood up slowly, walked into the suite, asked the two maids to open a box, and picked out some of the treasures that were left behind when the Daxing Emperor's memorial was presented, and used a box for Qinanxiang's bracelets. The tin box was packed, and some satin material was taken, and the one hundred taels of gold leaves that Xiao Anzi bought from the House of Internal Affairs with his own monthly money were tied together into a package and Xiao Anzi sent back to Fangjiayuan tomorrow. "Ask the master for an order," Xiao Anzi asked again: "I have seen Mr. Zhao, what can I say?" Hearing this sentence, the Empress Dowager Cixi's face became very majestic: "Tell him, tell him what I said, and tell him to work hard. The Minister of Sanzhi also has a shift. When it's his turn, go to the palace early, don't keep hiding in the house." Smoking here!" "Yes." So early the next morning, Xiao Anzi went to the respect room to return to Mingyuan, took the sign, took the package out of Donghua Gate, and arrived at the Zhaogong Mansion of Fangjiayuan. He is the most popular guest of Zhaoxiang's family, because every time he comes, he will never come empty-handed. Therefore, everyone's eyes were on the package in his hand, especially Gui Xiang, who wished he could take the package, but Xiao Anzi refused to let it go easily. When it is in his hands, hide part of it first, because it will not be counted in the future, and the Empress Dowager Cixi will suspect that she swallowed it up, which is an indefensible injustice. It wasn't until he saw the "Old Madam Huang" and said hello and New Year's greetings that he unwrapped the package in front of everyone and handed everything over clearly.This time the gift was richer than usual, when Zhaoxiang got the news, he quickly put down his opium pipe and came to his mother, waiting for a good share, but on the surface he only said that he was asking about the "clip" he put on, See how the Empress Dowager Cixi gave her instructions? "The empress dowager said that she has been very busy recently, and she has no time to come back. The empress dowager also misses the old lady Huang a lot. After a while, the weather will be warmer. Let me pick up the old lady Huang to play in the palace." Anzi said emphatically. "Her stomach is much better, right?" Mrs. Huang asked. "It's much better," Xiao Anzi said. "It used to be called Su Shunqi. Now it's all right, who dares to offend the Queen Mother? Dare to lose your head!" Both Zhaoxiang and Guixiang were awed by this statement, and they were extremely concerned.They all have a question that they must get to the bottom of the question to find the exact answer. They suffer from no one to ask for advice, and now they have it! So Zhaoxiang asked, "Little Anzi, I want to ask you something." "Yes! According to the father-in-law, please tell me." Seeing that there were no outsiders in the room, Zhaoxiang said without hesitation, "Who is in power now? The Queen Mother or Prince Gong?" "Of course it's the queen mother." Xiao Anzi replied without hesitation: "It's our queen mother who makes decisions on matters big and small. Every day when we are summoned by the Hall of Mental Cultivation, what does our queen mother say and what does Prince Gong do? But, Gong The king is a person who has made great achievements, and his superiors think highly of him, and the queen mother always listens to what he says." Brother Zhaoxiang was both surprised and delighted. He looked at each other with a smile on his face, and was speechless for a long time. In order to prove that his words are correct, Xiao Anzi gave another example: "Don't talk about others, just say that Mr. Wu was originally a Daoist, and just because of our queen mother's words, he became the governor of Jiangsu Fantai, the governor of water transport, and the local official. Let him sponsor you. Think about it, how much power does our empress dowager have?" This remark aroused the sentimentality of the old lady Huang, her heart was sweet and sour, she couldn't help sighing and said: "I can't think of it!" This is to say that it is really unexpected that such a day will come!Xiao Anzi also knew a little bit that this family had received Wu Tang's great kindness back then, but he didn't know the details, and it was impossible to inquire about it in the palace.But he didn't dare, because the Empress Dowager Cixi's temper, she hates people mentioning her shameless things, just out of curiosity, causing disasters, but some of them can't do it, so she swallowed the words again. At this time, Gui Xiang, who had a special feeling in his heart, couldn't help it anymore, he waved his hand quietly and said, "Little Anzi, come to my place, I have a little thing for you to see!" Xiao Anzi believed it was true, and excitedly followed him, and walked outside the Chuihua Gate, where there was no one around, Gui Xiang stood still and gave him a big bow. "What's the matter? Second Master Gui!" Xiao Anzi hurriedly took his hand and asked. "I have a lot of grievances, so I have to tell you." Hearing this, Xiao Anzi was taken aback. Could it be that their brothers are messing around with housework and need others to resolve it or judge right from wrong?This is a huge trouble, and with Empress Dowager Cixi on top, you must not interfere!Otherwise, I am afraid that even my life will be lost. So he stepped back hastily, shaking his hands wildly. "Second Master Gui!" He said with a dignified expression, "Let's keep our words in mind, as long as I can help, come in the soup, go in the fire, according to Er Master Gui, Xiao Anzi is unambiguous, if I can't control it , something that shouldn't be bothered, then..." He shook his head vigorously: "I'm afraid! I still have my head to eat!" "Hey!" Gui Xiang couldn't help but laugh, "Where did you think? How could I make you lose your head?" "Then, Second Master Gui, what are your orders?" "I entrust you to say a word in front of the Queen Mother." "Who are you talking about, Mr. Zhao?" "No! What did I say he was doing? I can't take care of myself." At this moment, Xiao Anzi understood that it was Gui Xiang who asked for something, "It's easy!" He nodded, "Say it!" In order to ask for Xiao Anzi, Gui Xiang changed his title, "Good brother," he said, "You don't know my grievances, my uncle, who was promoted to a noble, also got a minister with a loose rank. I, Nothing." "I understand. Second Master Gui, you want to ask the Queen Mother for a favor." "It's not bad at all." Gui Xiang had a resentful expression on his face, and there was also a complaint in his mouth, "You see, our queen mother even took care of Wu Tang, but she didn't take care of her brothers and kept saying that I was incompetent. Yes, I also know that I don't Ability, but, may I ask, what ability does our Seventh Prince have? He stuttered and couldn't even speak a whole sentence. In charge of the Shenji Battalion, there are a lot of missions, what is the basis for this?" Of course it is because of his status as a prince!Xiao Anzi didn't want to refute Guixiang, but he didn't dare to say it according to his mouth, fearing that it would be inconvenient if it was heard by King Chun, so he just smiled and didn't answer. "Furthermore, Prince Gong's son, Zai Li, who is not yet ten years old, was rewarded with three-eyed feathers on the second day of the lunar new year. What is the basis for this? Isn't it due to the grace from above? Good brother," Gui Xiang said, stroking Xiao Anzi's shoulder. , "Comparing people to others, it's so annoying! Tell me, am I wronged or not?" "Yeah, yum!" Xiao Anzi persuaded him, "Second Master Gui, you don't have to complain, you offend people for nothing, why bother? Just say it, what kind of job do you want?" "I can't do the big ones, I won't do the small ones, just like my old man did before his death, let's come to the stage!" "Okay, I'll tell the Queen Mother." "Wait! I mean give me the Guangdong Customs Road." At this point, Gui Xiang bowed his head again: "My good brother, it all depends on what you say!" Xiao Anzi hurriedly avoided.Guixiang's request is too extravagant, I don't know if he can get it?So I replied like this: "Second Master Gui, as for the words, I will definitely bring them to you. Whether it will be successful or not depends entirely on the Queen Mother's wishes. It is best if it is successful. As soon as there is news, I will come to congratulate you immediately. If it is not successful , don't blame me." "Of course, of course. I'll beg you!" Xiao Anzi really lived up to his trust, and when he returned to the palace, when Empress Dowager Cixi was happy, he tactfully stated Gui Xiang's request. The Empress Dowager Cixi just listened and did not express anything. Xiao Anzi waited for a while, but when there was no movement, he whispered again: "Second Master Gui asked me to have a word with the master..." Before she finished speaking, she spit on Xiao Anzi's face: "He is dreaming, and you haven't woken up yet?" Little Anzi never expected to touch such a big nail.He didn't dare to wipe his face after being spit on, so he slapped himself and said, "Damn the slave!" "You don't care about such nosy things in the future." "Yes, the slave will never dare again." A few days later, the weather was fine, and the Empress Dowager Cixi sent Xiao Anzi to pick up her mother into the palace. When he arrived at Fangjiayuan, Gui Xiang hurriedly dragged him aside to ask for news.Xiao Anzi didn't want to say what he had been reprimanded, and at the same time, he wanted to vent his resentment, so he thought of playing tricks on Gui Xiang. "It's good to teach Second Lord Gui to rest assured!" He pretended to be extremely serious, "When I told you what you said, the queen mother nodded, although it was nothing, it meant that I was willing to do it! , there is a shortage, if you don’t give it to your own brother, who will you give it to? I see, an old lady enters the palace today, and she will mention it to the queen mother, and the queen mother will tell Prince Gong tomorrow and issue an order immediately. Second Lord Gui , you just wait to be summoned!" After eating this hollow glutinous rice ball, Gui Xiang was overjoyed. He thanked him again and again, so he wanted to tell his mother.Xiao Anzi grabbed him again. "Second Master Gui!" He said, "You know the queen mother's temper. No matter how big or small the affairs of the palace are, she doesn't want people to talk about them outside. Keep it in my stomach, even the old lady has to hide it. Otherwise, when the queen mother gets angry, it would be a trivial matter for me to be scolded. Maybe your matter will change, and the cooked duck will fly away. What a shame !" "That's right, that's right, don't worry!" Gui Xiang was deeply educated, "You and I know about this matter. I will thank you very much when the decree comes down." So the old lady Huang entered the palace that day. When the mother and daughter met and talked about family affairs, she raised Guixiang's wish again. When dealing with her mother, the Empress Dowager Cixi would naturally tell the reason why Gui Xiang could not be allowed, "Oh!" She sighed, "Why is the second child so ignorant? Half of the salary for the long-haired soldiers comes from the Guangdong Customs. That's not a good job." Dang! Even if I am willing to send him, Prince Gong will not agree." When the old lady Huang heard this, she was stunned, and it took a long time before she said: "Didn't you say that you are the one who makes decisions about big and small things? Dare you, the authority is not in your hands?" "That's not the way to say it. I have my problems." "If you can make up your own mind about everything, there is nothing difficult!" This sentence brought great excitement to Empress Dowager Cixi, but it was also a kind of vigilance and enlightenment.When she encounters such power struggles about personal gains and losses, she can often show a very calm attitude, and close the door by herself, thinking about it for a long time. As the saying goes, "One emperor and one courtier".In the past three months, a lot of officials, big and small, inside and outside, have been mobilized. Except for Wu Tang, she has to ask herself, who are they actually sent by her?If there is a gap, it must first be given to the generals who are fighting in the front. Those who have already "registered" their names will be filled when they encounter a gap, and there is no room for flexibility. Secondly, we must reward those who have made meritorious service in this coup.Next, in order to stabilize the political situation and reconcile all parties, some important people had to be placed. For these three types of people, the Empress Dowager Cixi felt that the list of vacancies opened by the Military Aircraft Office was correct.But there are also some people, only because of Prince Gong's support, Gui Liang joined the military plane because he was his father-in-law, although it is an obvious fact, in the end the qualifications are enough.Wen Xiang belongs to Prince Gong's faction, but he is upright and capable, which makes sense. Xiang Baojun, who was hated by the late emperor and was demoted from a minister of internal affairs to a fifth-rank top-ranked person, to see how the future works, has now not only resumed all punishments, but also Into the direct military aircraft, this is not Prince Gong's favoritism?Even Lin Kui became a co-organizer because he was Bao Yun's cousin.Looking at it this way, comparing yourself with Prince Gong, who has the power?Even a three-year-old can understand. Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Cixi felt very uncomfortable, and at the same time, she was also faintly afraid. Sushun's memory was still fresh, and King Gong should not be made the second of Sushun!Sure enough, one day, the situation can never be compared with Sushun's. Prince Jinzhi has a different status, and the Manchu court is in a different situation. Sushun has some weaknesses, but King Gong does not, and what about myself?In the past, Prince Gong could be used to defeat Sushun, but who can be used to restrain Prince Gong in the future? How is the old seven?she asked herself.Think about it carefully, King Jin is cowardly and has a different relationship. If he is cultivated, he will be grateful and loyal to himself, but he can only be used to restrain Prince Gong. Not an opponent. It seems to depend on oneself.The situation of the curtain is barely established, but the word "ancestral family law" is a hidden worry. Once it breaks out, Prince Gong has this big hat to use, so he has to guard against it. This is overthinking!She thought, it would not be easy to overthrow what has been done, but Prince Gong can make it appear that he is listening to politics behind a curtain.Empress Dowager Cixi remembered the scene when Sushun decided to "put the car away" when she was in Rehe, and she still has lingering fears.The decree must go through the military aircraft department, which is the same reason as it had to be promulgated by the Minister of Gu Ming at that time. If King Gong is domineering and disobedient, imitating Su Shun's method at that time and implementing a blockade, then there is no other way but to submit can go. There must never be such a day!she said to herself.However, according to the current situation, the power will all belong to Prince Gong, with the support of the Manchu and Han ministers inside, and the support of Governor Jiezhen outside. The idea of ​​being an emperor will naturally come up. She didn't want to think this way, but she couldn't help it.This made her very painful. Playing with the stamp of "Tongdaotang", she felt infinite emotion in her heart. When we are in trouble, there are still "Tongdao", and we must fight for power if we share happiness. Prince Gong should be such a person, because she knows that she is such a person.Authority cannot be divided equally, and it cannot be equally divided. There is always one person who has more and one person who has less.Now, it's Prince Gong who has more, but it doesn't matter, fortunately, I found it early, and I will work hard from now on, step by step, and one day I will be able to reverse this disadvantage. "The government of the imperial court is controlled from the top, and it is not obtained by the ministers. The division of the monarch and the ministers in our court is extremely strict, especially not comparable to the previous court." She silently read Shengbao's memorial, and said to herself: "It's rare to have the same way, but it's hard to rule the same way!"