Chapter 177 Mother and Son Monarch and Minister (16-1)

In doing business, it is still the same as the regulations in Beijing. The Empress Dowager Cixi still summoned the military aircraft early in the morning.Seeing Wang Wenshao, the Empress Dowager Cixi was sad, comforted, and sympathetic, and talked about the hardships on the way to the north. Wang Wenshao left Beijing at dawn on July 22. Although he was only one day late, he brought a lot of important news. Of course, Empress Dowager Cixi was most concerned about the empress dowager. "Ouchi is guarded by Japanese soldiers. I heard that because Japan is also an imperial country, it respects the Chinese imperial palace and did not go in to harass it."

"Is this reliable?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked in surprise. "I heard a lot of people say that. I think it's true." "That's rare." The Empress Dowager Cixi was deeply comforted and aroused hope, feeling that the situation was still promising, she thought for a while and asked, "Where is Rong Lu? Are you in Beijing?" "I heard that they went to Liangxiang." Wang Wenshao replied, "Probably went to Baoding." "Where's Li Hongzhang? Is there any news?" "Still in Shanghai." "Now it is natural to make peace! Since peace is made, the sooner the better." Empress Dowager Cixi asked: "You see, how should we proceed?"

"Responding to the Empress Dowager's words," Gang Yi replied, "What I mean by this slave is that besides urging Li Hongzhang to go to Beijing quickly, you might as well instruct Rong Lu and Xu Tong..." "Xu Tong is dead!" Wang Wenshao interjected. This interrupted the resolute words, and the Empress Dowager Cixi hurriedly asked, "How did Xu Tong die?" Wang Wenshao had always been tactful and didn't like the shortcomings of Taoists, but at this time he couldn't help it anymore, "Xu Tong committed suicide by hanging himself! He finally died for the country." He said, "However, Xu Chengyu, Xu Tong's son, is really a coward. I listen to people It is said that Xu Tong originally ordered Xu Chengyu to hang himself together, and his father and son died together, but Xu Chengyu sent his father into a trap, removed the stool from the foot, and then slipped away quietly by himself. Didn't know that the sky net was restored, and Xu Chengyu landed in Japan In the hands of the soldiers, it is now locked in the Yamen of Shuntian Mansion."

The Empress Dowager Cixi sighed and was speechless, while Fortitude and Zhao Shuqiao were not without a sense of grief.The monarchs and ministers were silent for a while, but it was still the Empress Dowager Cixi who rallied, discussed state affairs, continued the unfinished topic, and decided to order Li Hongzhang to immediately discuss ways to turn things around with other countries, and at the same time ordered Ronglu to directly discuss with the British minister on how to make peace. Negotiations for peace, of course, require conditions.Since leaving Beijing, although the Empress Dowager Cixi has been in exile, she still has never forgotten this matter, and she has discussed it with her heart and made plans several times.Compensation for military expenses is of course unavoidable. If you need to cede land, you must fight hard. If you can't fight, you have to bear the pain.The most embarrassing thing for her is to punish the murderer.The culprits are Zai Yi, Zai Xun, Xu Tong, Gang Yi, Zhao Shuqiao, Li Bingheng, Yu Xian and others. It has become a public opinion, but she asked herself, how can she shirk her responsibility?If you punish the culprit yourself, you will be held accountable. In the end, the situation of "political training" will be lost. If you don't do it, foreigners will think that they have no regrets, and it will be even more difficult to make peace.Only Rong Lu can understand the twists and turns of the relationship, and only Wang Wenshao can talk about it in front of him.

Therefore, at noon that day, Wang Wenshao was called alone to join the pair. In order to give courtesy to the veteran, and even more so that the hard-of-hearing veteran could hear her clearly, he specially ordered to play back while standing. "Wang Wenshao," the Empress Dowager Cixi raised her voice and said, "You are a veteran of the three dynasties. When the country is at this point, you should know everything and say everything." Wang Wenshao tilted his better hearing left ear and listened to Empress Dowager Cixi's words with bated breath. He couldn't figure out her intentions for a moment, so he could only answer: "Yes! The minister has rushed here, and he is here to share weal and woe with the empress dowager and the emperor."

"That's right!" Empress Dowager Cixi said happily, "You must have such a heart to save the situation." She paused and asked, "When did you first join the General Administration?" Wang Wenshao thought for a while and replied, "It was in August of the fourth year of Guangxu." "Twenty-two years!" Empress Dowager Cixi said, "I remember that this time I returned to the General Administration in June of the year before last." "yes!" "You are also very familiar with Westernization. Let's see what it means when the ministers of various countries talk to each other?"

"Ministers from various countries are fine." Wang Wenshao said: "The last time the empress dowager kindly ordered melons, fruits and food to be given to ministers from various countries. People are not grass and trees, and they also know about it." Hearing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi was overjoyed, "Yes! I also left room for it." She said: "I have also seen for a long time that the Boxers are no longer enough, but those people seem to have taken the wrong medicine." , squinting my neck and staring all day long, I can’t even recognize me. Inside, I don’t know my difficulties from the outside, but you are walking in the inner court, so you should be able to see it.”

"Yes, I have seen it." "What worries me is that the countries don't understand my situation in China, and they only think that I am in charge of everything. In fact, I always consult with everyone when there are major issues. This time I declared war, didn't I call it "big start" three times in a row? ?” "Yes!" Wang Wenshao already understood what she meant. Don't let foreigners blame "innocent". After thinking for a while, he replied: "It's not appropriate for the imperial court to express what I mean." "The overall situation is so bad," the emperor suddenly interjected, "There must be an explanation to the common people!"

As soon as this remark came out, Empress Dowager Cixi's complexion changed!But Wang Wenshao never understood it, because the emperor's voice was low and he stood far away.But judging from his expression, one could guess that the emperor had said something unpleasant. "The meaning of the emperor," the Empress Dowager Cixi relayed the "unpleasant" words for him: "The overall situation has become like this, the capital has fallen, and it is said that there must be an explanation to the people. Wang Wenshao, tell me, how should I explain it?" It's not difficult to answer this question: "It's nothing more than a crime against oneself!" Wang Wenshao answered in response.

The words that were not pleasant to listen to immediately became pleasant to listen to. Empress Dowager Cixi felt relieved, but it was inconvenient to express her opinion, so she just asked, "Emperor, have you heard what Wang Wenshao said?" "Yes!" The emperor gritted his teeth and said resolutely, "It's always my son's fault." This time, it was even more inconvenient for Empress Dowager Cixi to say anything, and she only discussed with Wang Wenshao: "The emperor also thinks that such an edict should be issued. Look, how should it be worded?"

Wang Wenshao thought for a while and replied: "It is always necessary to euphemistically state the difficulties that we have to do. As for the details, I have no way of answering them at this time, so I have to go back and ponder over them carefully." "That's right! I'm afraid you will have to write this manuscript yourself." "Yes! As soon as I go back, I will do it immediately." "Okay! You need to put more thought into it." The Empress Dowager Cixi pondered for a while and then said: "Frozen three feet, it is not a day's cold. The overall situation is so bad, and it is not the fault of one or two people. Strength, if you never forget the imperial court, you won’t have today’s difficulties.” "Yes!" Wang Wenshao replied: "The empress dowager's instruction, I must go into it." Empress Dowager Cixi nodded, then turned to ask, "What does the emperor want to tell Wang Wenshao?" The emperor thought for a while and said, "Liu Kunyi...." "Wang Wenshao," the Empress Dowager Cixi interrupted him, "Stand over there and listen to the emperor explain to you." When Wang Wenshao came to his side, the emperor slightly raised his voice and said, "Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong once said that the coasts and rivers should protect foreigners according to commercial agreements. The local officials should protect the people in every province." "Yes!" Wang Wenshao paused for a while, seeing that the two palaces had nothing else to say, he immediately said: "I heard that the empress dowager and the emperor plan to visit Taiyuan, which seems inappropriate." "Oh," the Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "what's the matter?" "Yuxian was in Shanxi. He killed foreigners and religious people with vicious methods. He was afraid that the foreign army would not spare him, so he would send troops to Shanxi, which shocked Chengyu." Wang Wenshao replied, "Not only did Taiyuan suffer catastrophe, but also Datong, In the counties of Shuozhou, Wutai, Yuci, Fenzhou, Pingding, and Xugou, many foreigners and religious people died. According to my estimates, the coalition forces of various countries may enter Shanxi." The Empress Dowager Cixi was in a daze, and asked after a long while, "If you don't get to Taiyuan, where are you going?" This question stopped Wang Wenshao, but he is tactful by nature, and he never pushes a cart into a wall. After thinking for a while, he calmly replied: "For now, Taiyuan is the best place for Chengyu to stay. If or The peace talks went smoothly, and it was convenient for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to return to Luan. What needs to be planned now is how to prevent foreigners from coming to Shanxi." "That's right! You have to think about this path, and it's the right thing to do." The Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Jingxing is the main road from Shanxi to the capital, so we must send more people to guard it." "Yes!" Wang Wenshao replied, "That's for sure. In addition, I think it's a good idea to issue an edict, saying to stay in Taiyuan temporarily, so that when you are in a hurry, you can move to another place so that you won't disturb people's hearts." "That's a good idea!" Empress Dowager Cixi said frankly: "Leave a setback in advance, lest it seems that foreigners have nowhere to go, and it will look better." "But," the emperor cut in and asked, "besides Taiyuan, where else can I go?" "Xi'an!" Empress Dowager Cixi replied without hesitation: "Guanzhong has been the capital of emperors since ancient times. Tongguan is a natural danger. We are not afraid of foreigners coming here. As long as the court can operate as usual and not be afraid of threats from foreigners, it will be much easier to make peace. " "Yes! The Empress Dowager is far-sighted and sees clearly. However, foreigners may not be able to let Yu Xian go." "Yuxian is not the only one who can't be let go?" Empress Dowager Cixi lowered her voice slightly: "Wang Wenshao, you think, when is this? I haven't stood firm yet, can I talk about Ji Gang?" "Yes, yes!" Wang Wenshao repeatedly agreed, and couldn't help but think, no wonder the Empress Dowager Cixi has been in power for decades, and there are indeed hills and valleys in her chest. "Wang Wenshao, when the country is in crisis, it all depends on old age. Therefore, I must have you rush here. It is really a last resort to let you suffer this hard trip. Now Ronglu doesn't know where he is. Let him stay in Beijing to handle business. You have to pay more attention to the military plane!" "I will do my best and never dare to shirk." "It's not that you shirk, but I want you to make up your mind." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "I heard that when you were in Beijing, you gave in when things happened. You don't have to be as humble as before! You remember my words and put them in I feel better!" The implication of the last sentence is very obvious. It will be a matter of time before Gang Yi and Zhao Shuqiao are convicted. Let yourself take the lead. Realizing this, the feeling of overwhelming fear is more than the joy of Lianju Youlong.Wang Wenshao said in his heart: "An old life, I'm afraid it will be sent to Taiyuan or Xi'an." ※ ※ ※ On the third day, Wu Yong was very anxious.The supply of the two palaces and princes and ministers was difficult, and more and more soldiers were scattered everywhere. Thanks to Ma Yukun's support, military discipline can still be maintained, but food is already scarce.Over the past two days, people from the countryside have come to the city to sell grain, vegetables, and other things, one after another, and the gates of the city are crowded. On this day, the number has been greatly reduced. Obviously, the stock has been cleared and there is nothing to sell. sold. Seeing that the supply was difficult, but the Empress Dowager Cixi had no intention of asking, Wu Yong was so anxious that he had to go to the military plane to complain.Wang Wenshao was quite deep, and his voice was calm; Zhao Shuqiao had already seen the clues, as the saying goes, "A mud bodhisattva crosses the river, and he cannot protect himself", so he didn't dare to make any suggestions for Wu Yong; but he was resolute and responsible, and said generously: "I will play for you later" . In the afternoon, with good news, the two palaces decided to drive the next day.Then, a notice came from the Military Aircraft Department: "Today, I will send you an order: Wu Yong will manage the grain platform for the road ahead." When I first accepted En's order, I couldn't help being surprised, but after calming down and thinking about it, I realized that this errand was dry. no! So Wu Yong rushed to the military plane, first saluted Wang, Gang, and Zhao respectfully, and then began to speak: "Three lords, it is not that Wu Yong intends to shirk. precedent for..." "Yuchuan!" The resolute person who recommended Wu Yong as an envoy interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said, "There is no precedent for the court mail from the military aircraft department to be sent directly to the county magistrate. When is this? As long as the matter is settled, What rituals are you talking about!" "It's because things can't be done." Wu Yong replied: "First, the road here is desolate, and boxers are harassed. I'm afraid the magistrates have already avoided it. You can find it. The market is depressed and the gentry are scattered. There is no food, no money, and I can’t afford the responsibility of the food platform on the road ahead. Second, if I drive with a big driver, if I follow along, the local people will take care of the aftermath, and no one will be responsible. How can Siminmu be worthy of the people in Huailai?" "You don't have to worry about that!" Wang Wenshao said, "Discuss with Ma Yukun and let him keep a battalion of people here to suppress it, won't it be all right?" "By the way!" Gang Yi said, "As for the establishment of the Qianlu Liangtai, it is really necessary to be as smart as you are. The times are difficult, and the superiors know it. If there is a slight lack, there will be no blame. Yu Chuan , do what you can!" Everyone said one word, comfort and encouragement, but Wu Yong had no choice but to bite the bullet and provoke this heavy burden.On the same day, I took care of all the matters related to Qiqi, and also dealt with the county administration and housework. I hustle and bustle all night. After I kneel to the two palaces at dawn, I immediately get on my horse and fight in front of the station. The first stop is the Tumu Fort where Ming Yingzong was dusty. This place, like Yulin Fort, was originally a post station. At this time, not only did the post horses remain, but the Post Cheng escaped without a trace, and the people in the fort were cut off. The two palaces came here at noon. At the top of the tip, there is no place for tea. When he was in a hurry, fortunately Xuanhua Mansion sent someone to pick him up with food, Wu Yong was relieved, after a hasty confession, he rushed to Shacheng twenty miles away to prepare for the two palaces to stay. Shacheng is still under the jurisdiction of Huailai County, and there are inspections stationed there. Wu Yong sent someone to notify the day before that an ancient temple commonly known as "Dongda Temple" was selected as the palace.The deployment has been roughly determined, and the big drive has arrived.After being sent to Dongdai Temple, Wu Yong, who had been exhausted for days and had little rest, was almost paralyzed, and he didn't even have the strength to mount a horse. "Master," his attendant Wu Hou persuaded, "No matter what, let's take a rest first. Falling ill is a serious matter." These words made Wu Yong startled.If one really fell ill, not only would there be no doctor or medicine, but one would have to do one's best work, even if one's life could be saved, one would not be able to do one's job well.Instead of this, it is better to be blamed desperately, find a place to raise it for a while, at least wait for the spirit to recover a little before making sense. So they found a ruined temple, Wu Hou unloaded the horse mattress, laid it out in a sheltered place in the temple, and let Wu Yong half sit and half lie down to rest.Unexpectedly, a horse outside the door leaked its whereabouts, and after a while, all kinds of people who followed came to look for Wu Yong, asking for this and that, making endless noise. At this time, another group of soldiers came, the leader was Zidao Wuwei Zuojun, and asked Wu Yong for horse supplies in addition to food and salary. "As you can see, the civil fortress is empty, where are the food and materials?" "You are Liangtai, what do you do?" The leader said with a frown, "Quickly think of a way! It's useless to talk empty words." "Quickly think of a way! Quickly, quickly!" Someone else was urging, and raised the knife in his hand, which was very intimidating. Wu Yongben was full of resentment and resentment. After being aroused by this, his pulse was tense. He straightened his chest and said sharply: "You are all raised by the country every year with a lot of money. You raise soldiers for thousands of days and spend them in one dynasty. Knowing that when the foreigners arrived, they were so frightened that they collapsed without a fight, so that the holy car was covered with dust, it was unspeakable! You don’t want to think about your sins. Even today, you still have the attitude of the common people! I have only one day to handle food, I just rushed here, and I didn’t arrange anything, where did the food come from? There is one life, and it’s up to you to deal with it!” Speaking of this, the anger, grievances, and all kinds of shameful and painful experiences that I have suffered in the past few days came to my heart together, and I didn't feel the sadness coming from it, so I burst into tears. After crying, my body became weak, and I fell to the ground. I only felt that the louder I cried, the more comfortable my heart became. Tears flowed like a fountain, and I wondered how a person could accumulate such tears.Weeping hoarsely, gradually becoming sobbing, only to hear Wu Hou shouting: "Master, master! Don't be too sad! " Wu Yong closed his tears and opened his eyes, and there was a cool feeling in his eyes. A large group of eunuchs, palace guards, soldiers, Beijing officials, etc. all left. "Where are people?" "I made the master cry and scared away." This is unexpected.Wu Yong was at a loss for a while, and gradually he was able to concentrate on his thoughts. He was thinking in his heart, although he cried out to save the siege at this moment, the coming day will be catastrophic, and he has no money, no soldiers, what is the plan? Think about it and think about a person.Cen Chunxuan has 50,000 salary in his hand, if he is willing to lend it out, he can temporarily save his emergency, and he also has infantry and cavalry, which is more than enough to suppress the stragglers.Seeing that although this person has an anxious temperament, he is always a character who is always happy and a hero, so he must be able to negotiate. If Wu Yong's calculation is to be realized in reality, he must be approved in person.After these two days of experience, I have a good understanding of the rules of the palace gate, and I know that if I want to see the Empress Dowager Cixi at this time, I have to go through the imperial minister first.So he went straight to Dongda Temple, found Zaixun, Prince Zhuang, and asked him to lead the Queen Mother if he had something to do. Zaixun didn't ask him what he was going to play?Just say: "Can't tomorrow?" "Yes! It's urgent." Zai Xun didn't ask any more questions, and sent someone in to report. After a while, Li Lianying came out from the corner gate, and asked in a low voice in surprise, "Do you still want to invite me at this time?" "Here, it's him!" Zai Xun pointed to Wu Yong and said, "I have something urgent, I want to play it face to face." "Since we must see each other, I'll go up and come back." Not long after they left, another eunuch came to "wake up". Zai Xun led Wu Yong into the corner gate, and saw the Empress Dowager Cixi standing on the main corridor of the Daxiong Hall, holding a hookah, waiting.So he rushed to the top, Zai Xun asked Ann and said, "Wu Yong has something to do." Then he stood up, turned around and said, "Say it!" Wu Yong saluted first, and then Chen Zou: "The minister Meng En sent as the food platform for the front road, and he should do his best. However, the minister is a county magistrate, and his grade is too low. It is very inconvenient in the system to write to the provincial vassals. There are also many difficulties in distributing rations and salaries to officers and soldiers, and publishing announcements. Now Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Gansu, leads the battalions on horseback and drives northward. It's easy to word. Can you ask for an edict to send Cen Chunxuan to supervise the management of the grain table. Please change it to be a meeting, so that I can concentrate on serving all the affairs of the palace, so as not to delay the urgent errands." The Empress Dowager Cixi spoke immediately, and pondered for a while while smoking the hookah before she spoke: "Your idea is very good! There will be a decree tomorrow morning." Then she said: "Zai Xun, you go down first." "Yes!" Zai Xun knelt down and walked away. "Wu Yong," the Empress Dowager Cixi said very kindly, "this mission is really hard for you, and it's done very well. You are very loyal, and I will have grace in a few days. I know the situation outside, and the emperor didn't What kind of temper. The job is so embarrassing, it is absolutely impossible to be picky. Just don't worry, don't worry. " These warm words of comfort and consideration are different from the usual.Wu Yong thought of the princes and ministers, down to the servants, and no one had ever said such a word of affection. In comparison, he felt that the Empress Dowager Cixi treated her kindly, and couldn't help but burst into tears. There were a few clicks on the flagstone floor. "Your chef, Zhou Fu, is very skilled. The ramen you ate just now is very good, and the fried shredded pork is also very tasty. I want to take him all the way. I wonder if you will let him go?" This is also a way of winning over by the Empress Dowager Cixi, of course Wu Yong's face is full of gold, and he is very proud.However, there was one thing that made Wu Yong unavoidable. Zhou Fu was rewarded with a sixth-rank Ding Dai and worked as an errand in the imperial dining room, while Wu Yong, the county magistrate, was only a seventh-rank official. Let's come together!One more thing not only disappointed Wu Yong, but also deeply regretted that he had done too recklessly. This reckless thing is to sponsor Cen Chunxuan to supervise the grain platform.First of all, Cen Chunxuan himself "revenges kindness and revenge". When he met Wu Yong at the gate of Dongda Temple Mountain, he complained angrily: "Thank you for your kindness. Put such a broken casserole on my head! It made me suffer for no reason." After finishing speaking, he straddled the horse and left, leaving a stunned Wu Yong in a daze. "Brother Yuchuan, the edict has come down, I need to ask you for more advice in the future." Wu Yong turned around and saw that it was Yu Qiyuan, a new friend he had made.This person is the son of Hunan governor Yu Lianzhi, and Yu Lianzhi is a protégé of Gangyi, and because of this origin, Yu Qiyuan, who was originally an officer in Beijing, has been following Gangyi since he left the customs.Listening to his words at this moment, I don't know what he means?Wu Yong only arched his hands, and replied vaguely: "It's easy to say! It's easy to say!" "Brother Yuchuan!" Yu Qiyuan handed over a piece of paper: "I'm afraid you haven't read the Shangyu yet!" I took a look and saw that the Shangyu wrote: "Send Cen Chunxuan to supervise the Qianlu Liangtai, Wu Yong and Yu Qiyuan will both manage the Qianlu Liangtai." Wu Yong suddenly realized.Yu Qiyuan's meeting must have been guaranteed by his fortitude, and he became colleagues with each other, so he had the words of "advice more".Immediately he replied: "Great, great! In the future, I will ask my brother for more guidance. To be honest, I have very little experience in official career, and I am just being sincere to people." "Brother's character and talent, I admire. However, since I have become a colleague, and this job is very difficult, and we are closely related to each other, I am very presumptuous. I have a word of advice: 'It's okay to only talk about three minutes when you meet people. Throw all your heart into it.'" Wu Yong's heart moved, "Teach me, teach me!" He then asked: "Brother's words, must you say it out of feeling?" "Yes!" Yu Qiyuan looked around, lowered his voice and said, "I heard that Cen Yunjie lost his temper with you. Do you really think that you made a broken casserole for him? No! I just think he It's a feudal official, you are a magistrate, I'm ashamed to be recommended by you, and even more afraid that you think that the supervision is your protection, and I have an idea of ​​despising him in my heart, and I don't accept the order, so I beat him up and let him down!" "So that's it!" Wu Yong lost his voice and said, "Isn't this meeting the 'Zhongshan Wolf'?" "Anyway, just be careful when things happen." Wu Yong was so regretful that he went on the road disgruntled.When they arrived at the Jiming Station in Xuanhua Mansion, Wang Wenshao sent someone to invite him. As soon as they met, he darkened his face and reprimanded loudly: "You Bao Cen Yunjie is the supervisor, and you have to discuss and discuss with us in advance, so you actually went to the palace to play up! Do you think military aircraft are redundant? " When Wu Yong heard this, he was terrified, and hurriedly argued: "Wu Yong is wrong! But I dare not be so arrogant that I don't even respect military aircraft." "I'm not going to talk about it. I'll just tell you that this person's saplings have not completely receded, how can he do such a serious thing? I don't know how many jokes will be made in the future! You are troubled yourself, and you are the one who led the ghosts in. In the future What trouble, don't come to me, I will never ask!" Wang Wenshao was smooth and peaceful, but at this moment he was furious like this, which is enough to imagine the deep hatred for Cen Chunxuan.It was only after Wu Yong thought about it that he truly realized that he had done something that was not only absurd but also useless, offending the ruling government for no reason, and Cen Chunxuan, who was recommended, continued to speak ill of him. However, Youlong, the family member of Lianhua, was just in the ascendant. As soon as he arrived at Xuanhua Mansion, he was given an edict: "Wu Yongzhi left the magistrate as a candidate in the province, and changed his head first." , Finally, I can get some remuneration for the days of suffering. ※ ※ ※ The first person in Jingli to mediate the overall situation was Zhang Jingshuwen, the general manager of the Prime Minister’s Office. Two days later, there was contact.Hurd told him that the envoys of various countries are looking for King Qing, hoping that he will come forward to negotiate a peace. King Qing has left with the two palaces.There was no way to get any information out of the mouth, so I didn't know how to find him, so I found him. If King Qing didn't give the order, how dare he go back to Beijing to negotiate peace with foreigners?All of these are obstacles that cannot be broken for a while. However, in any case, Shu Wen's actions are free, and his house in Jiutiao Hutong, Dongsi Pailou, has been protected by Japanese soldiers. De and Natong, the servant, all defected to Shuzhai.Finally, I found Chen Kuilong, the former Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, and discussed together. First, I found out that King Qing was staying in his arms due to illness. "It's inappropriate to say this." Chen Kuilong pointed out: "Ministers from all over the world named King Qing as their negotiating opponent. If the two palaces don't forgive, King Qing will be in a place of suspicion, so it's inconvenient to make an invitation on his own. Isn't it a big mistake?" So how to word it?Chen Kuilong thought it would be better to invite the imperial court to send trusted ministers to come to Beijing to discuss with King Qing according to the situation.Everyone listened to his idea, and promoted his main manuscript. At the same time, many ministers were sought for joint titles. It turned out that Kun Gang, a scholar of the Dongge University, led the order, followed by Shangshu Chongli, Yude, Jingxin, Zongshi Boshan, and Akdan. , Natong, and the only Han minister Chen Kuilong at the back of the palace. The memorial was ready, and Pu Shou, a doctor from the Ministry of Officials, made a special trip to Huailai to deliver it.Due to the close relationship between Chen Kuilong and King Qing, he attached a letter explaining the reason and suggesting how to deal with it. Please send a special envoy from King Qing to send Yuan Zhe and wait for the reply. At this time, the two palaces had already arrived in Datong, and Qiluan was about to stay in Taiyuan. After receiving the memorial of the eight ministers, the Empress Dowager Cixi was very pleased, summoned the military aircraft, and immediately made three decisions: First, send Qing Wang Yikui to return home on the same day In the capital, it is cheap to do things, so there is no need to go there again; second, the court sent the general taxation department to Hurd, with an encyclical for Li Hongzhang to go to Beijing to discuss peace, ordering Hurd to invite foreign soldiers to send to Shanghai; third, Ronglu has already made a memorial, and he withdrew from Baoding, and then tried to restore it. He was reassigned to Kungang, and eight people including Chen Kuilong were ministers staying in Beijing.At the same time, he ordered Zai Lan to be sent to send him back to King Qing's edict. When the court post was completed, the Empress Dowager Cixi found Zai Lan, and she had something to say: "Tell Yikuang that there is nothing he can do if he has to suffer all this hard work! His two girls are very close to me. Well, he doesn't have to worry about it, Beijing is still in chaos, so you can bring Zai Zhen here so that he won't worry about it!" "Yes!" Zai Lan replied, "The servant must have brought Zai Zhen here." Zai Zhen is the eldest son of King Qing.The Empress Dowager Cixi's move was to show sympathy for King Qing on the surface, but in fact it was to prevent him from betraying her, so she took Zai Zhen with her as a hostage. Of course, King Qing understood the role of it, and said with a sneer, "Hmph! This old lady is still playing tricks on me like this! Why bother?" "That's not what you said, Uncle Qing!" Zai Lan's expression was extremely solemn: "If foreigners have something to punish, you must not let go!" "Don't worry! When I go to Beijing, I will just maintain the market and negotiate peace. We will talk about it when Li Shaoquan arrives in Beijing." Therefore, as soon as King Qing entered Beijing, he met with the eight ministers staying in Beijing at Guanghua Temple in Beicheng, and said clearly: "Talk about peace and wait for Minister Li with full power to come. For now, let's talk about stabilizing people's hearts." "Yes!" Hurd, who spoke excellent Chinese, replied: "Anything that can serve the people, Lu Bin will definitely try to do it." Lu Bin is Hurd's own nickname. "Xiao Shi," King Qing turned to Chen Kuilong and said, "Tell me about the things you have discussed." It was agreed in advance that there were two requests to the coalition forces: open the city gates so that food and vegetables from the four townships could enter the city as usual;Hurd agreed, but also raised a caveat. "In the city of Beijing, there are troops from various countries stationed, and the law and order are safe. However, in the prefectures and counties of Kinki, I heard that there are still Boxers colluding with bandits, routs, and doing mischief. All countries are worried about this situation. I hope that the Chinese local officials will If you can be responsible, otherwise foreign troops will be sent to wipe out everything, and everything will be destroyed, and I will not be able to help you." "I got it!" King Qing said responsibly, "I have informed all subordinates in Shuntian Mansion to set up defenses." Then he talked about what he had seen and heard after the catastrophe, and Hurd left.King Qing immediately ordered Chen Kuilong to report the situation of the meeting that day. "There is one thing, I think I can add a supplementary film." Kun Gang said: "Xu Yinxuan died for the country with his own body, and he died calmly, so he should accompany it to ask for mercy!" "It can't be done!" King Qing suddenly changed his face, patted the table, and replied to Kun Gang as if he was arguing: "It's a pity that Xu Tong died too late! He would have died a few days earlier, why is there such a thing as Xu Xiaoyun talking about beheading?" Then, King Qing explained in detail how he and Ronglu invited Xu Tong and Chongqi to save Xu Yongyi, and how Chongqi had agreed but Xu Tongjun refused. "Xu Xiaoyun's life was really given to this person. If Xiaoyun didn't die, wouldn't he be an extra hand in negotiating with foreigners today?" King Qing once again slapped the table to express his determination: "Xu Tong deserves to die, I can't Play a petition on his behalf!" Kun Gang didn't expect to touch such a big nail. Although he felt embarrassed and had no excuses, fortunately, after this catastrophe, his clothes were disheveled and his face became thicker. ※ ※ ※ From the tenth day of the eighth lunar month, King Qing became the emperor, and he decided everything, big or small, inside and out.Of course, the top priority is to repair peace with other countries, so I have called on the ministers of various countries for several days, one is to express condolences and apologize, to connect with each other, and the other is to inquire about the attitudes of various countries towards peace talks. The first person to visit was the British Minister Donale.Thanks to Hurd's mediation, Britain's attitude was relatively peaceful, and it made a very good suggestion, saying that although Spain did not send troops, but the Spanish Minister Geluogan was the leader of the diplomatic corps stationed in China, it might as well make more efforts.King Qing readily accepted, and sent a note to Ge Luoqian on the same day, asking for cooperation in maintaining order on the ground in Beijing. Next, he called on the Japanese Minister Nishi Tokujiro.This time the allied forces attacked, the Japanese army was the most vigorous and ruthless, but after breaking the capital, the military discipline was the first. Not only did it protect the Forbidden City, but it also defended in sections, and the residents in the Japanese defense area were less harassed.Therefore, when King Qing met with Xide Erlang, he first expressed his thanks, and then expressed the hope that Japan would cooperate extraordinarily when negotiating peace. Nishitoku Jiro put forward two suggestions. He believed that the Chinese government could order the eradication of the boxers in Kinki by itself, and at the same time punish the culprits, showing sincerity of repentance, and the terms of the peace talks would be easier to negotiate. Punishment of the culprit is almost the unanimous requirement of all countries, especially Germany is the most insistent, categorically stated that the culprit must be punished first before any discussion can begin.That kind of unyielding attitude, with no room for bargaining, made King Qing very uneasy. He returned to the mansion and immediately convened a staff meeting. "This time, because the German Minister Klind was killed, all countries urged Germany to send generals to take command. The Kaiser sent the old commander Waldsee, who is now on his way to the east." Shu Wen warned: "The capital has been broken, and The commander-in-chief of the coalition forces has not yet arrived. Once he arrives, it is difficult to say whether there will be another battle plan. Therefore, Germany's attitude is very important. It can take advantage of Waldsee's absence and make a move first to ease the tension. The overall situation has a lot to do with it. In my opinion, the prince should tell the truth." As soon as this proposal came out, everyone agreed.But King Qing was still hesitating, and the result was a discussion without a decision.After Shu Wen and the others resigned, he left Chen Kuilong alone to discuss in secret. "Xiaoshi, there is one thing, you can probably imagine that the higher-ups are very suspicious of me, if you make a wrong step, you will lose your fortune. You see, if I punish the culprit, can I say it or not?" Of course not.Having said that, even if the Empress Dowager Cixi forgives her, Brother Zaiyi, Zaixun and others will hate her bitterly and try to fall.However, not talking about it is detrimental to the overall situation.Chen Kuilong thought about it for a while, and then he got hesitant. "Punishing the culprit is a matter of course. Anyone can say it, and there is no need for the prince to play it." "It's a good thing to say. But there must always be someone who is willing to say it, especially if it is clearly stated. This is the general will of all countries."