Chapter 29 Jade Seat Bead Curtain (2-2)

"Lu Shengkui and Liu Gansan are both coming out together today." Chong Lun replied, "After "The Empty City", let's play a small play first, so as to free up time for Lu Shengkui to undress and play the next play. This pad It is also the first play in the capital." Chong Lun intentionally brought some "spoofing" meaning, so that the Empress Dowager Bo smiled, and sure enough, even the Empress Dowager Ci'an was amused: "Why are they all the first ones?" She couldn't help but ask. "It's not the first one, I dare not serve the two empress dowagers and the emperor." Chong Lun said energetically: "This play is called "The Robber of the Time".

"Isn't that Kun Opera?" "Yes. The one who sang this "Rooting the Armor" is a 'Su Chou' named Yang Mingyu. He has a lot of unique skills. This "Rooting the Armor" is specially prepared for the emperor. The next step is the big axis." , "The Meeting of Heroes"! Cheng Changgeng's Lu Su, Lu Shengkui's Zhuge Liang, Xu Xiaoxiang's Zhou Yu, Liu Gansan's Jiang Gan." "Cheng Changgeng!" Empress Dowager Ci'an asked in a slightly surprised voice, "Is he still in Beijing?" "He's still in Beijing, and he's still in charge of the 'Sanqinghui' troupe." Chong Lun praised another play excerpt: "There's still plenty of time left for the two empress dowagers to order plays."

"That's great!" Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Let's start the show with Chuanshan!" So, on the one hand, the eunuchs passed each other, set up the dining table, carried the food boxes, and served meals according to the rules of the jade food above. Buddha's way of immortality is just lively.The empress dowagers of the two palaces and the emperor were tired of watching these dramas, but the rules had to be like this, so they had to go. "Eat more while you're at it!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said to the eldest princess who was at the same table with her: "It's a good show when you're full—didn't you say that you don't like to listen to Kunqu opera, but Pihuang?"

"Yes!" The eldest princess agreed meekly, and moved a plate of honey sauce to the Empress Dowager Cixi. This is one of her favorite foods. In order to repay the eldest princess' "filial piety", she tasted a piece of ham first, then turned to An Dehai who was standing beside her and said, "Give this to the sixth master. No need to thank you!" That is to say, there is no need to remove this dish from the imperial case. As usual, there are two portions of each imperial meal, one for the imperial use, one for the reward, and one for the reward, and send it outside the yellow mantle. Prince Gong heard that there is no need to thank you , and accepted it frankly.

When An Dehai returned to Cixi's side, the regular play had already been sung, and a piece of yellow paper was pasted on the stage, with a big letter: "Follow Yi's order to perform "Si Lang Visits His Mother"".Then two officials from the House of Internal Affairs came out from the upper and lower gates of "Outgoing General" and "Incoming Prime Minister", and stood facing each other in front of the pillars. "Hate!" Empress Dowager Cixi grunted softly. Only the eldest princess heard these two words. It was really annoying to have these two officials standing there, creating an incompatible scene.The eldest princess understood what she meant, so she waved and called An Dehai to her, and gave her instructions.

"This is not a palace, there is no need to 'play'. Let them go away!" The eldest princess ordered decisively. "Yes." Anderhai replied, "I'll tell them right away." He didn't need to look at his face to know that what the eldest princess said must be the meaning of Empress Dowager Cixi.In the palace, he would bully even the emperor, but he was only afraid of the eldest princess.She speaks loudly, no matter where she is, let alone whether he wins or loses face, if she gets annoyed, she will rely on her status to take advantage of the reason, and a reprimand will make it impossible to defend.Of course, it was because of the favor of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and according to An Dehai's thinking, the eldest princess was favored because Prince Gong was in power. If the father collapsed, the daughter would not be as proud.

He walked all the way, thinking like this all the way, found Chonglun, and when word came, the two officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the stage quietly retreated, leaving Yang Silang and Princess Tie Jing to calmly "guess their minds" . "That's great!" The Empress Dowager Cixi became more and more happy, and after watching the play with concentration, she turned around and said, "Thank you!" An Dehai brought silver and rewarded him with fifty taels of "official treasure", so Yu Sansheng and Hu Xilu came to the stage to thank him for the reward.Then came Liu Gansan's "Visiting Relatives and Scolding", Lu Shengkui and Bannerman Qingsi's "Empty City Strategies", and the two empress dowagers, all of which were rewarded.In the fourth play "Shiqian Robber", Yang Mingyu's martial arts of tossing and falling, landing silently, made the little emperor almost unable to sit still on the throne, so he also gave a reward.

When the big axis entered the stage, it was getting dark, and countless red candles as thick as a child's arm and palace lanterns with bright corners were lit brightly.Cheng Changgeng's Lu Su and Lu Shengkui's Kong Ming are both good at winning games, but it is Xu Xiaoxiang's Zhou Yu who is rewarded by Empress Dowager Cixi. , when he opened his mouth, he was so pure and unconventional, and when he turned his eyes and danced his feathers, he actually vividly painted the Gong Jin who looked down on him all the time.The Empress Dowager Cixi was fascinated, "What is a Confucian general? This is it!" She told the eldest princess like this, without asking her if she understood the word "Confucian general".

What the Empress Dowager Ci'an admired was Cheng Changgeng, who was also called "the outstanding person in central Anhui" with Li Hongzhang. In fact, this part was also out of nostalgia. ", so when "The Meeting of Heroes" was finished and the rewards were released, I specially ordered Cheng Changgeng to be summoned. Cheng Changgeng was once awarded the "Sixth Grade Dingdai" and was given a copy of the imperial crown.He is careful about the general appearance of a person, and he would never dare to wear it to show off on weekdays, but he expected to thank you for seeing him this day, so he naturally wanted to dress up, so he also brought that "outfit" in his suitcase.At the moment, he is dressed neatly, "being this official and performing this ceremony", because he is used to pretending to be a prince and minister, and he has seen the world in the palace, so he tends to bow down, with a graceful manner, which is better than being promoted to the second and third ranks by military merit. The general of the Hunan Army who is a member is more like an official.

Of course, the so-called "summoning" is nothing more than kneeling closer and expressing some words of gratitude to God. The Empress Dowager Ci'an is clumsy with words, and on such an occasion, there is really nothing to say to others.So in response to the occasion, Chonglun took him down. It's time to drive back to the palace.At the moment when the empress dowagers of the two palaces were about to leave their seats, An Dehai walked over and quietly reported: "Let's talk about the two masters, the fifth master has something to do and wants to talk face-to-face."

"Okay, okay!" Empress Dowager Ci'an was the most polite to these uncles, "Please come here!" King Dun had already heard it in front of the hall, and walked up by himself without waiting for the call.At this time, the queen mothers of the two palaces had got up and left their seats. King Dun asked for peace and said, "I ask the two queen mothers to show you some face." The empress dowagers of the two palaces all knew that this little uncle had a rough nature, could not read well, and often spoke without thinking, so the empress dowager Ci'an asked, "What's the matter?" She still didn't dare to agree casually. , "Say it out and let's discuss it." "There is nothing else. I want to be like Lao Qi today. I invite the two queen mothers to play with me for a day." I see!The empress dowagers of the two palaces smiled at each other, but their expressions were different.Although the Empress Dowager Ci'an smiled, she frowned slightly, showing a little embarrassment.According to the rules of previous dynasties, if the empress dowager's own son is sealed off from the royal palace, he can often welcome the empress dowager to visit her, to express the love between mother and child, otherwise, unless there is a big event, the empress dowager will easily misfortune the palace.This day can be regarded as an occasional one, and it has the function of "blind date", so it can still be said, but if you come to Prince Xingdun's mansion again to play and have fun, it will be the same as the last year's edict, which said that although the mourning clothes are full, However, Emperor Wen Zongxian had not yet been buried. "Looking at the remnant palace in the distance, I feel deep admiration; if the celebration is to be held, everything will be held as usual, and I really can't bear it." Later, if he "waited for the edict to be followed", it would be a big violation, and he was afraid that it would arouse the discussion of the censor. The Empress Dowager Cixi never thought of this edict at all. She smiled because she was laughing at King Dun's shallow eyelids. Seeing King Chun's glory, she couldn't help but want to imitate it.This is also good, someone respects, and there is a good show to watch, why not do it?So he looked at the Empress Dowager Ci'an and said, "We have to give Fifth Master this face, right?" After hearing this, if the Empress Dowager Ci'an refused, she would not give Prince Dun face, so she had no choice but to nod. "Then," King Dun said immediately, "please the two queen mothers come down to enjoy the day, and I will be ready." This time, the Empress Dowager Ci'an rushed to the front and said: "Not busy, not busy! There are many things to do next year, let's take your time." King Dun thought to himself, according to this tone, even if it doesn't work within the year, once the year passes, it will surely come true.In the first lunar month of the new year, it would be more honorable to welcome the two empress dowagers to the mansion, so I happily replied: "Yes! I have another invitation." ※ ※ ※ So the empress dowagers of the two palaces took the emperor and the two princesses and drove back to the palace by the same road, with lanterns and torches shining like daylight along the way.It is very rare for the police to come in and out during the day, so there are quite a few people talking about it the next day.As soon as it was introduced into the palace, An Dehai would naturally show his hospitality to the Empress Dowager Cixi. Of course she was not happy in her heart, and asked with a cold face: "Who are talking about it?" As soon as he asked about this, An Dehai came up with a plan and mentioned the names of several censors and Hanlin.Empress Dowager Cixi knew about these people, and she usually stood on Prince Gong's side. "It's just those few people." An Dehai said again, "Others are not as confused as those people. They all say that the queen mothers of the two palaces are working hard on state affairs and educating the emperor, working harder than anyone else! Seventh Master and Fifth Master, please The Empress Dowager came to the mansion just to listen to an opera, if this is considered too much, what should I say if there are wines or operas in the palace every three days?" "Oh!" The Empress Dowager Cixi asked very attentively, "Does that palace often put on wine and sing operas?" "That palace is the same." Empress Dowager Cixi had a sentence that circled and circled in her heart, and finally asked: "Where is the sixth master?" An Dehai had been waiting for her to ask this question, and then replied in a casual tone: "The sixth master is not playing in the mansion." "Where?" "Master, haven't you heard of it?" An Dehai asked in surprise, "Sixth Master has a garden." "Is it 'Jianyuan'?" "It's Jianyuan. It's big. It's in Houhu, in Xiangfeng Hutong. There is a treasure in Jianyuan. The palace even counts the Rehe Palace, and it's all in comparison." "Oh!" Empress Dowager Cixi paid more and more attention, "What kind of treasure is it?" "A big, big crystal mirror is placed upstairs. The boats, people, and water in the mirror are so clear. It's like moving the back lake into Liu Ye's garden." Imagining the scene in the mirror, Empress Dowager Cixi felt an indescribable sour feeling in her heart. At the same time, a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth, and her pair of phoenix eyes seemed to be elongated toward her temples. "It's the palace and the garden. I don't understand when I give him a 'double salary' but he refuses to take it. How can he make enough money?" "The Sixth Lord wants the 'Prince's Double Salary', but it's not enough for the expenses!" An Dehai said slowly, "Then it's better not to, and get a name." There was something in the words, and the details were not detailed. Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but think about whether to ask him or let him speak for himself. Naturally let him speak for himself!But there has to be a way to manage it.After thinking about it for a while, she said, "Don't listen to those people's rumors." A small aggressive strategy squeezed out An Dehai's words.He described the open secret of Prince Gong's mansion "to fill the mansion with the door" in a very eloquent way.There are things, the King Gong of the country has a lot of unexpected expenses, especially the rewards that come every three days, even if it is the four snacks in the imperial dining room, the eunuch awarded them to the mansion by order, it is considered as a gift. Great grace must reward the envoy generously.Therefore, King Gong often suffers from insufficient money.His old father-in-law, Gui Liang, came up with an idea, rewarding the officials who came to see Prince Gong with the "door bag" on the door of the palace, and put forward a percentage to pay the account to subsidize the expenses of the palace.As a result, the "door bag" has naturally increased, and it has become a disguised form of bribery. Empress Dowager Cixi had heard about this before, but now that she knew the details, she couldn't help sneering.It's almost Chinese New Year, she thought in her heart, let's put it on, take it slowly, one day Prince Gong will know the pros and cons. Naturally, this year has been particularly exciting.There used to be many lively and fun programs during the palace's New Year's Eve. In previous years, the mourning clothes were not full, and the catastrophe was not over, and they were all avoided. This year, they have to spend a lot of money. Of course, An Dehai wanted to seize this opportunity, and in the name of adding new things to replace old ones during the Chinese New Year, he opened a long list and went to the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ask for things. When he opened the list and looked at it, the official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was taken aback. "My Second Master An," he said with a bitter face, "how can we do this job?" "What? Is it too much?" He said easily, "It's easy to handle. You draw a red line with a pen. I'll take the list back and hand over the errands to the two empress dowagers. Isn't it all right?" This is obviously using a "big hat" to suppress people. The secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dare not answer, so he can only swallow his anger and grind with him slowly.However, a lengthy negotiation resulted in almost no results. An Dehai kept saying that "the Queen Mother explained it", and the concessions he made were very limited. The officer in charge had no choice but to flatter An Dehai first with tea and cigarettes, and then took the list to see the court official—Minister of Internal Affairs Ming Shan. Mingshan also felt embarrassed, but he was more capable than a secretary. He instructed a purpose, as long as the treasury is ready-made and does not need to be purchased, it can be allocated as much as possible.So he had to check the treasury account first, and when he was pulling out a large pile of account books and checking the number of items listed on the list, a Sura came to report to Ming Shan that King Gong had come. Prince Gong is also in charge of the mission of "managing the treasury of the Ministry of Internal Affairs", which is actually the number one power figure in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.When Mingshan got up to greet him, before he left the house, he had already walked up the steps. He saw a large number of account books through the window, and instead of going back to his own room, he stepped in without asking about the account books. Said: "I saw Xiao Anzi sitting outside with a big face. What is he doing here?" Ming Shan didn't dare to hide anything, and replied truthfully: "He came here to ask for New Year's items according to Yi's decree. We've been discussing for a long time, and the negotiation failed." "Why can't we discuss it?" Prince Gong was already a little angry, "What does he want? Show me the list!" The tone was grim and severe, and Mingshan was quite regretful.He didn't want to offend An Dehai, but the words had already been spoken, and if he wanted to defend him, it would be a cover-up, not only ineffective, but also might arouse Prince Gong's suspicion. It would be unwise to implicate himself. So he sent the list up, Prince Gong took it in his hand and looked at it, his face became more and more tense, although he was not angry, it was more terrifying than making angry noises. "Bring 'Regulations'!" he said. Each yamen has its "regulations", which record in detail the responsibilities and procedures of the yamen.In the regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are the supplies that the queen mother, emperor, queen, concubine, prince, and princess should receive on a daily, monthly, and annual basis.Prince Gong and others brought the regulations, looked at the list and asked them item by item, drawing a circle for what should be given, and for what should not be given, to be honest, take a pen and write it off.After dealing with it personally in this way, he tossed the pen and told Mingshan: "Give it according to this amount! If there are rules, there will be no reduction, and there will be no exceptions. You tell Xiao Anzi, if he wants to make trouble again, be careful of his head!" Ming Shan and his subordinates did not dare to tell An Dehai what Prince Gong had said, instead they paid for a lot of good things.At the same time, seeing that there were surplus things in the treasury, some were added quietly, but Prince Gong's drastic cuts were too much, and small additions were of no avail. Although An Dehai felt a little remorseful in his heart, he shouldn't have stretched the Shunfeng flag too far to make such a boring scene, but the trace of remorse disappeared as soon as it appeared, and the next thing he felt was anger, hatred, and anxiety. What is anxious is that firstly, he can’t make a job in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and he doesn’t seem to be able to do things if he wants something; secondly, he has already boasted in the palace, saying that as long as he goes to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he is not afraid that they will not give it.And now?It's still just a rule that anyone can get, it's a shame to lose face! This urgency is no small matter!And because Prince Gong was still in the House of Internal Affairs, he didn't dare to complain or speak angrily, but with a livid face, sneered again and again, took the list that Prince Gong personally checked, and left. As soon as he walked out of the gate, he heard someone shouting: "Second Master An, Second Master An!" While shouting, he already came up and grabbed An Dehai's clothes. Looking back, he saw that it was a handyman from the Ministry of Internal Affairs named Delu, who was also an acquaintance; An Dehai frowned and asked, "Why?" "I know you're not happy today," Delu said with a smile, "I want to treat Mr. An to drink for a minute." "Is there time to drink with you?" "I know. Not at this moment." Delu lowered his voice and said, "It's almost the end of the year. If you don't make money, how can you live this year?" This sentence reached his heart, and he thought for a while and asked, "What's the matter? It took a lot of effort, and I can't get a few taels of silver, so I don't want to do it." "Of course it's not a hundred and eighty. It doesn't take much effort, as long as Er Ye An arrives, there will be this number!" He said, stretching out a finger. "one hundred?" Delu shook his head vigorously, and smiled reservedly, as if he felt that what he saw was too small. "One hang?" "correct!" "One hang" is one thousand, and you can earn one thousand taels of silver as soon as you arrive. Is there such a good thing in the world?An Dehai couldn't help shaking his head. "Second Master An, don't you believe it? It doesn't matter. Let's meet in the 'old place' tonight. I'll tell you the details while drinking wine. Always a lot of fun." Hearing his tone and looking at his expression, it was that kind of calm and sure, An Dehai thought to himself: What about him?Let's bother him for a while, and listen to what he has to say before making sense. So he nodded and said: "Okay, tonight, the old place. If you want to wrong me, you see, I can spare you!" Delu smiled and didn't answer, An Dehai let himself go.Because I had this unexpected opportunity and interrupted for a while at the same time, I felt much better in my heart.Back at the Changchun Palace, I didn't go to the Empress Dowager Cixi's place first, and found a little eunuch in the room where the Empress Dowager Cixi sat up and rested. First, I asked what the Empress Dowager Cixi was doing. "Master has gone to the 'east side'. I'm afraid I won't be back until evening." "What's the matter?" "Huh!" The little eunuch asked in surprise, "Why, Second Master, don't you know? The old lady from the 'East' family is gone today. " "Ah! I really don't know yet." As he spoke, he stood up, "I'll go to the 'East' to have a look." "Second Master!" The little eunuch stopped him and said, "I'll tell you, the fifth old master is about the same. The rumors from outside are just procrastination, and procrastination is a matter of the year anyway. The master sighed." :'It's been a good year, and it's all called funerals!' It seems that I am very unhappy, so be careful when you go up! " It was obviously a good intention, but An Dehai felt that the last two words were not pleasant, as if he had been insulted, he spit on his face and cursed: "Fuck you, be careful!" The little eunuch was scolded, but he didn't know where his anger came from?Looking at his back, he gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice: "You don't know what's good or bad! Just wait and see, one day, the emperor will want your head!" But An Dehai swaggered away.Arriving at the "East Side", as soon as he stepped into the Suilu Hall, he heard crying. The eunuchs and maids outside the hall looked sad. He was also reminded, so he quickly stretched his face and approached Dongnuan Pavilion quietly.Looking in from the window, I saw Empress Dowager Ci'an covering her face and crying loudly, Empress Dowager Cixi holding a handkerchief and crying with her, the two princesses were also tearful, but kept comforting Empress Dowager Ci'an.Only the little emperor didn't shed tears. He stood aside and stared blankly, as if he still couldn't figure out what had happened. At this time, Ming Shan, Minister of Internal Affairs, also got the news and came to take care of him.The Empress Dowager's bedroom is not allowed to enter without permission, and she only waits outside the door for the eunuch in charge to go in and report. So Empress Dowager Cixi came out and gave orders on the corridor to summon Mingshan. Seeing this, An Dehai rushed forward, beckoning An and said, "Your servant has been serving here for a long time." "Yes." Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "Have you been to the House of Internal Affairs?" "yes!" "how is everything?" It was inconvenient for An Dehai to say more at this time, and he knew that she didn't have the heart to listen to him at this time, so he replied: "I will wait for the servant to play carefully." At this time, Ming Shan had been summoned, and he knelt in the yard to listen to the Empress Dowager Cixi asking, "Mrs. Rong Jing has passed away. What should I do?" Empress Dowager Ci'an's father, who used to be Mu Yang'a of Youjiang Road in Guangxi, was posthumously named "Third Class Cheng En Gong" and posthumously "Rong Jing", so Empress Dowager Cixi called Empress Dowager Ci'an's mother "Mrs. Rong Jing Gong" .The empress dowager and the empress's parents passed away, what kind of rites should there be? Ming Shan had already looked up the old rules, and immediately told her about the old rules of the previous dynasty. There was nothing else but two thousand taels of funeral money, which the Empress Dowager Cixi thought was too little, "Can I give more?" she asked. Mingshan didn't dare to say no, and he didn't dare to say yes, for fear that when everything was frugal, Prince Gong would reprimand him for being generous.So I thought for a while and replied: "It all depends on the emperor's filial piety!" "Let's do this," Empress Dowager Cixi thought for a while and said, "It's better to give three thousand taels. Guangke has never been on any rich mission, and the situation is not very good." "Yes!" Mingshan agreed.Seeing that there were no other instructions, he knelt down and retreated.After returning to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he immediately notified the "Guang Chu Department", issued a bank note of three thousand taels of silver, and personally sent it to the elder brother of the Empress Dowager Ci'an, who succeeded Cheng Engong's Guang Ke. Empress Dowager Cixi, who was in Suili Hall, suddenly remembered that the emperor should have an edict when the empress dowager's relatives died of illness.So he beckoned An Dehai to tell him: "Go to the military plane to see, who is there?" "Yes!" An Dehai asked: "Where is the master 'calling', is it the Hall of Mental Cultivation or here?" "Just here." An Dehai rushed to the military plane again. There was no military minister, but there was a military plane on duty. He wanted to pass on the Empress Dowager Cixi's words, but changed his mind, why not take this opportunity to find some trouble for Prince Gong first! Having made up his mind, he turned around and left, and returned to Suili Hall to report to Empress Dowager Cixi: "No one!" "It's strange! Knowing that this is considered a 'big event', there must be a purpose, why don't you see anyone? Could it be that you don't know the news?" "Sixth Master will know." An Dehai said with great confidence. "how?" "Sixth Master." An Dehai said, "The slave came to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so I can see it with my own eyes." This is not right, the Empress Dowager Cixi is a little bit unfair, no matter what, the Empress Dowager is his sister-in-law, even if it is a folk, if the sister-in-law's natal parents die, the in-laws and juniors should also come to express their condolences and see if there is anything they can do for them?It's almost unreasonable to ignore it like this! He was already deeply dissatisfied with Prince Gong, and heard An Dehai's report that night, saying that the list of items sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs was deleted for the sake of Prince Gong mercilessly.At this moment, the resentment accumulated in my heart for so many days turned into raging anger. Although the anger in my heart never came out, I was so angry that I couldn't sleep well all night. When I got up the next day, I was naturally depressed, and my anger rose, which caused migraines, and my temper became worse, and I vented my anger on the eunuchs and maids.The stove was not hot and the tea was not hot. They were all punished. There was even an eunuch who had not changed his local accent. When asked about the weather, he said, "It's cold and cold today." Listen, I also received a board.As a result, the eunuchs and maids in the Changchun Palace were all anxious. Where did this sudden temper come from?An Dehai knew it in his heart, and he was secretly happy, but he was afraid that it would happen at this time, and it would turn into a panic attack, which would be harmful and harmful, so he had to try to suppress it first. So when passing on the breakfast, he personally served a bowl of lotus seed porridge, held it in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and said softly: "Master, there is no need to be angry with him. Just watch it. Didn't you show it like it was three years ago? " "Three years ago?" Empress Dowager Cixi looked at him and asked. "Yes!" An Dehai's voice was very soft, but quite clear: "Three years ago, in Jehol." This is very clear!Empress Dowager Cixi put down the double gold inlaid chopsticks, picked her teeth and thought carefully, thinking about the process of sanctioning Sushun back then.In about three and a half years, the thought of Su getting angry by the way has long since disappeared. At this moment, it is as calm as thinking about other people's affairs, and I can see very clearly that the attitude of frequent conflicts and open dissatisfaction at the beginning, It's too dangerous!If it wasn't for God's punishment of Sushun, making him arrogant and arrogant, and never seriously thinking about the effect of her being connected with Prince Gong, I'm afraid something unexpected will happen. So she knew what to do.Still holding up the chopsticks, when he calmly finished a bowl of lotus seed porridge, his face not only became gentle, but also looked very happy. "Go to the east to have a look!" She said to An Dehai, "Just say what I said, if you are not in good spirits today, you don't need to come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Fortunately, there is nothing important today." Sure enough, nothing important.The Empress Dowager Cixi summoned Prince Gong and the Minister of Military Affairs alone, but talked for a long time about the funeral of the Empress Dowager Ci'an's natal family, and talked about the origin of her stepfather's title of "third-class Cheng'en Gong".King Gong understood this allusion: It was during Yongzheng's reign that his father conferred the title of "Cheng'en Gong". , is not the same as the duke who has weathered the wind and rain, who was born and died, and who was obtained through military exploits. While talking about this allusion, Prince Gong incidentally mentioned the story of the dynasty’s special vigilance against the disaster of foreign relatives and eunuchs, and the story of Gaozong’s suppression of descendants in many ways. Although these stories were told vaguely and without revealing traces, Empress Dowager Cixi was naturally annoyed when she heard them, but she didn't reveal anything on the surface.Not only did he not show it, but he also seemed more cordial than usual, asking about the condition of the old fifth grandfather, the emperor's homework in the study, and even about the situation and expenses of the New Year at each family's home. Prince Gong only thought that she wanted a reward, so he hurriedly stopped her, but he didn't say anything clearly, only saying that it was financially difficult.Finding an opportunity to talk about military affairs, he raised his voice and said: "At present, there are two places in Xinjiang and Gansu. As long as the food and payment continue, the military affairs will definitely improve. Shanxi has the heaviest burden on Gansu's cooperative salary, and the salt class of 'Xiechi' is more than forty. Ten thousand, all of them go to the Qingyang Liangtai, and there are also the co-payments of the provinces. The co-payments of the provinces are not all in Gansu. .” He sighed unconsciously, "Ai! It's really rare." He said it was difficult because of the difficulty of raising wages, but the Empress Dowager Cixi deliberately pretended to be puzzled, thinking that it was difficult to mobilize troops, so she asked: "Isn't there an agreement to send Bao Chao's 'Tingzi Battalion' out?" close?" "Yes." King Gong replied, "Bao Chao's troops originally had more than 8,000 people. They transferred another 4,000 soldiers from Sichuan, and then recruited infantry and cavalry. The total cost is 20,000. The salary is more than 100,000 a month." The minister wants the provinces to determine the amount on their own and allocate it on a monthly basis." He didn't say "please handle it" at all, so the Empress Dowager Cixi nodded vaguely without comment. "There are also projects in Dingling, Shengjing Taimiao and Fuling, asking for money everywhere! The provinces are also in a dilemma. They can only save every penny they can save. " Talking about what the Empress Dowager Cixi doesn't like to hear!But this day was different from usual. She felt that keeping silent if she didn't like to hear it was not a good idea. At least she should ask about the situation in each province, and she knew who was good and who was bad. So she said: "The governors of various provinces have different official voices. How many of them are doing things honestly?" There was a big discrepancy between these words, and Prince Gong thought for a while before answering: "Shanxi is naturally the most powerful." "Hmm! I heard that Shen Guifen is very clean and honest. But," said the Empress Dowager Cixi, "Shanxi is also a good place. There have been no military disasters, so of course we should do more. What else?" He was asking what other good governors there are, but Prince Gong suddenly thought of Mao Hongbin, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Guo Songtao, Governor of Guangdong, and he still couldn't help feeling angry.Mao Hongbin and Guo Songtao once donated their salaries, and declared at the same time that they did not dare to accept any rewards. The work was done beautifully, and the words were even more beautiful. Therefore, the result of the discussion between King Gong and the Minister of Military Affairs was still "favorable discussion by the Ministry of Communications". The money donated by the former Xuezheng Wang was transferred to his children as an encouragement. Let me tell you, Mao Hongbin and Guo Songtao please follow Wang's example, and the "excellence" they get will also be awarded to their children.This time, not only did it appear that their beautiful words before were insincere, but they were donating officials for their children in disguise.Prince Gong lost his temper for a while, and slapped the table and cursed: "Who cares about their stinky money, return it to them!" " and "I don't know the general" reasons, "the Ministry of Communications." The Ministry of Officials has agreed, but has not reported yet. King Gong suddenly remembered that he made a face-to-face presentation at this time. The punishment proposed by the Ministry of Officials is to follow the rules that "should not be serious about private crimes, be demoted to three levels, and there is no need to investigate and discuss."This means that there are usually "level up" and "record" rewards, which can be offset but not allowed. When King Gong made this proposal, Empress Dowager Cixi thought that if she was downgraded to three levels, the Governor of Guangdong, Guangxi and Governor of Guangdong would both have vacancies. Maybe someone in Prince Gong's pocket was trying to plan for these two lucrative vacancies, so they excluded them with excuses.I just want to teach him that he can't get what he wants! So she said: "I know Guo Songtao. Although he has contacts with Sushun, he is not part of Sushun's party. In the past two years, he has rectified the salt affairs in Lianghuai. , thanks to his willingness to fight." Having said that, she looked at Prince Gong and said nothing.It is obvious that this disapproves of the attitude of disposing of Guo Songtao in this way.Prince Gong also admired Guo Songtao as a talent for Westernization, so he backed down and replied, "Yes!" "How about Mao Hongbin?" "This man's talent is not very good." Prince Gong replied, "I heard that he is in Guangdong, and his official reputation is not good." "What is his origin?" "Hanlin in the eighteenth year of Daoguang." "Isn't that the same year as Baojun?" The Empress Dowager Cixi interrupted him and asked Baojun directly, "Your year is the same year, how is the official?" Bao Yun had to go back to play. Mao Hongbin was from Shandong. He started his career by relying on the elders of the Hunan Army. It was the same year, and we hadn’t had much contact with each other. Zeng Guofan was also born in Zhengke, the eighteenth year of Daoguang’s 1898, and Mao Hongbin had worshiped him as a leader, and they were often together.” "Those who are with Zeng Guofan probably can't go wrong there." Empress Dowager Cixi easily denied Prince Gong's original intention, "But of course there should be punishment. I think it should be dismissed instead and stay in office!" "Dismissal and stay in post" only needs to meet opportunities, or national celebrations, great blessings, or personal achievements, discuss and discuss as usual, and the punishment can be eliminated with an edict without any harm.If it is downgraded to three levels, from the governor of the first rank, the external use will be reduced to the standard division in charge of the justice of a province, and the internal transfer will be the "third rank Jingtang". Don't worry, it will take a lot of effort to climb to the original seat at that time, so the degree of entry and exit has a great relationship.However, the words "dismissed" are also considered "severe condemnation". Prince Gong has no reason to insist on lowering the tone, so he has to follow the order. After retiring from the court, Empress Dowager Cixi recalled the past and was very proud.At the same time, I also had a deep understanding that the words should be spoken first so as not to be controlled by others. With the position of the queen mother, even if it is a little too much, the ministers must reluctantly obey. If someone objects, they must say it before they speak out Then try to eliminate.This method is to use A to control B, and B to control C, just like how Bao Yun was used today.Everyone has likes and dislikes. You can use what others hate to attack what you hate, or you can use what others love to make you like. As long as you observe carefully and use it wisely, you will be able to have both ways and no disadvantages. Only at this moment did she really understand the meaning of the phrase "Politics is up to you"!What is "political handle"?It is the power of advance and retreat, punishment and reward.It is true that money is in the hands of others, and it is not easy to get it, but as long as the power of employing people is in your own hands, it will be fine!If you want to use someone who has no claim and obeys orders, what will you get, not just money? If Prince Gong is not obedient, let him withdraw from the military plane and find someone who is obedient.He will never be more difficult to deal with than Sushun.She was thinking like this.