Chapter 183 Mother and Son Monarch and Minister (19-1)

Arriving in Zhengding, the first thing is to see the floats.The first two times I went to see it, it was somewhat of an observation. To the Taoists of the Railway Bureau, it was as if they were receiving officials from other provinces.Although he followed the rules and kept saying: "Yes! Commander." But when he spoke, he had to have a tone of asking for advice.However, it was different this time. The inspector was ordered to inspect and acted in the manner of an imperial envoy. Originally, five floats were prepared, one each for the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, Eldest Brother, and Concubine Jin. The eldest elder brother was expelled from the palace, and one more float was brought in. Naturally, it was moved to the Empress Dowager Cixi as a sleeping car.

Yuan Shikai looked at the car first.The front door is a glass screen, turn around and open the door on the right, and pass through a corridor, inside is a half-carriage into a large room, with a throne in the middle, long tables near the windows on both sides, chair cushions and table surrounds with yellow satin embroidered dragons, The floor is covered with five-color foreign carpets.The wall is covered with yellow velvet, which is soft to the touch, because there is a thick layer of Russian blankets under it. Behind the throne, there are two doors on the left and right leading to the sleeping car, which is being processed and renovated at this time, and the most striking thing is that an extremely wide western-style iron bed is placed horizontally by the window, Yuan Shikai slightly turned his face and asked: "Is this suitable? "

The official who accompanied him was Tao Lanquan, who was sent from Shanghai by Shengxuan White. He came from a foreign company and was very expert in all daily clothes. It took a lot of thought to decide how to install this iron bed.It turned out that the Empress Dowager Cixi was in Xi'an. Because of worrying about state affairs, living discomfort, and pain in the liver, Li Lianying got more and more serious, so Li Lianying bought a pair of very exquisite smoking sets, which could be boiled in a good "big soil", and persuaded her to "fragrance". Two mouthfuls" play.Try it once in a while, and it really doesn't hurt the liver qi.At first, I started to smoke when I was sick, and gradually became addicted, and there was a trend of "I can't live without this king for a day".

To smoke opium, you have to lie on a big bed, otherwise it will be inconvenient to get up and down, and there is no place to put the cigarette tray.However, it was embarrassing and inconvenient to carry a large mahogany bed on the train.Tao Lanquan thought to himself, since Changsantangzi in Shanghai switched to iron beds, because the mattresses named "Simmons" are very thick and soft, they are very popular, why not follow suit?It's just that the western iron bed is designed according to the body of foreigners, and the feet of the bed are a little higher, making it difficult to get up and down, but this is not a problem, as long as it is sawn short.

Now hearing Yuan Shikai's question, Tao Lanquan is inconvenient to tell the truth, it is for the convenience of the Empress Dowager Cixi to smoke opium, and he can't tell it clearly. The big bed is inconvenient to carry, so I have no choice but to do so. If the commander-in-chief thinks it is inappropriate, please tell me how to change it." The purpose of Yuan Shikai's putting on airs and playing bureaucracy is to let people know that no matter which government officials sent to Zhili, they must obey his orders. Now that Tao Lanquan treats him like his immediate boss, he naturally does not take it too seriously.What's more, it has not been a year since Sheng Xuanhuai's traffic ban was banned. Perhaps the installation of this iron bed was Li Lianying's order. If Tao Lanquan was asked to replace it on his own initiative, then he would be in a hornet's nest by mistake and cause very little trouble.

Thinking this way, his heart moved, and he said immediately: "The outer court has no way of knowing the living habits of the two palaces. I will make sense after I ask the Minister of Internal Affairs." He was trying to test Tao Lanquan, and he expected that if he was instructed by Li Lianying, he might answer like this: It seems that there is no need to ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs, because Director Li has already been asked.But Tao Lanquan was very deep, and answered in agreement: "Yes." Yuan Shikai still couldn't understand, did the imperial couch ask Li Lianying?

※ ※ ※ On the day when the two palaces arrived at Zhengding, the answer to the mystery was revealed. Li Lianying was not asked, but she was quite appreciative, saying that Empress Dowager Cixi would definitely like it.This is the person sent by Yuan Shikai. When he accompanied Li Lianying to see the float, he heard what he said. Then, I heard people say that the Empress Dowager Cixi summoned Tao Lanquan and spent three quarters of an hour. In addition to asking in detail about the railway company headed by Sheng Xuanhuai and the situation of the southern section of the Lu-Han Railway under construction, He also asked Sheng Xuanhuai about his symptoms.

The combination of these two incidents made Yuan Shikai's heart turbulent.Sheng Xuanhuai has always been a strong enemy in his mind, but one runs ships, telegraphs, and railways, and the other trains and leads troops. There is no direct conflict of interest between the two, so you may as well be polite.But since he took over Li Hongzhang's vacancy, the situation is completely different. Sheng Xuanhuai started from Beiyang, and it was due to Li Hongzhang's single-handed promotion, but ships, telegraphs, and railways were founded by Beiyang and have always been under Beiyang's control.Xiao Gui Cao Sui, the example cannot be discarded, but Sheng Xuanhuai has not said anything yet, as if the China Merchants Bureau, the Telegraph Bureau, and the Railway Corporation have nothing to do with Beiyang Fengma Niu.I thought that I hadn't taken over much, and Sheng Xuanhuai was ill again, and it was too late to pass the song, but at this moment, I saw that the situation was not good.Obviously, with such a strong backing, he would naturally take this opportunity to leave Beiyang and establish himself.Sure enough, his wish came true. The title of governor and minister of Beiyang is nothing more than a vain beauty.

Yuan Shikai always acted immediately without any hesitation. He had already seen clearly that if he wanted to maintain the situation in Beiyang and make plans, he had to subdue Sheng Xuanhuai first.And the opportunity to control the enemy is the first, and it should be done now. So, he found Yang Shixiang, a think tank who had recently been recruited, and decided to join the Austrian aid in addition to Ronglu. Judging from various conditions and signs, Qu Hongji's power is in the ascendant.If you don't want to tie it up, you're done. If you want to tie it up, you must first work hard on Qu Hongji.

This is why you have to wrong yourself!If you want to get close, the most effective way is to "worship the door".In fact, it is not wronged to think about it carefully. Qu Hongji was a Hanlin in Tongzhi for ten years. At that time, he was only thirteen years old. He was studying in Nanjing with his uncle. Although the title of governor of Zhili and minister of Beiyang is prestigious, after all, it took two or three years to curry favor with Hongdingzi, and Qu Hongji had already let go of Xuezheng. Why can't the governor worship him as a teacher? However, having said that, it also needs to be consensual.It is expected that Qu Hongji will not exclude the protégé of the governor from the door, but he is afraid that he will be flattered, and his words will be too modest, which will lead to a deadlock.Therefore, after careful discussion, it is still the main thing to do first.

"You might as well write a letter first to reveal your intentions." Yang Shixiang said, "Of course, the meaning must be sincere." Yuan Shikai nodded and said, "What if you hit a snag?" "Nails can't be touched. Maybe Qu Dajunji doesn't want to be called a disciple. He's about Kunji, and that's the same." Actually it is different.Although Baimen is relatively close, he is a bit shorter. If he can exchange a blue book and become a brother, it is enough to bluff people by saying that the brother is a big military machine. This is the calculation in Yuan Shikai's heart, so it is inconvenient to explain it.I only asked the secretary's friends to write four or six letters. First, he praised Qu Hongji's moral articles, and then expressed his admiration for a long time. One sound, and the student post will be delivered immediately. This letter was received on the eve of the official opening of the two palaces. Yuan Shikai was busy with the command office. At the time when Geshha sent a letter, it was written by Zhang Jing of the military aircraft, saying that Qu Hongji I hope to meet him, if you are free, please drive me. If he didn't write a reply by himself, but Zhang Jing, the military aircraft, came forward, the matter would be settled.In Yuan Shikai's mind, this was Qu Hongji's promise, but it was inconvenient to address him as junior and junior. The address in the letter was very embarrassing, so he entrusted Zhang Jing to make the appointment.At that time, he took a piece of Zhijing of one thousand taels of silver that he had prepared earlier, and went to Qu Hongji's mansion to pay a visit. After meeting for a while, I saw Qu Hongji holding his letter high in both hands, arching repeatedly: "Weng Wei, Weng Wei, you really know how to joke!" My door? How can I be so arrogant? Wei Weng, I can’t even reply to the letter, I can only invite you in person, first thank you, and then apologize. Please take the big letter back!” This was a complete setback, which made Yuan Shikai speechless for a long time, and he could only say: "Shikai is sincere..." and Qu Hongji interrupted. "Weng Wei, please don't say any more. Don't dare to do it, it's absolutely unreasonable!" After bumping into a wall and coming back, Yuan Shikai was naturally very sad. He had never done such a useless thing in his life!However, he is good at deception and has the ability to hide his emotions and anger, so no one knows the embarrassment he encountered during this trip. ※ ※ ※ On November 24th, the Empress Dowager Cixi and the emperor arrived in Baoding by train from Zhengding Mansion. They ordered to stay for four days and return to Beijing on the 28th.This day was carefully selected by Qin Tianjian, and it was an auspicious day for returning to the palace. On the afternoon of this day, King Qing arrived in Baoding from Beijing.As soon as the train came into the station, the sound of foreign drums and foreign horns was heard, and King Qing looked out of the glass window, and saw a group of newly-built troops of uniform stature, holding foreign guns high, standing squarely, and the leading officer , pointing slantingly with the sword, and in front of him is Yuan Shikai in full military uniform, leading many civil and military officials with red crowns to welcome him.When the train came to a stop, the door was right next to the red carpet on the platform, but Yuan Shikai hurriedly got on the train from beside the carpet, stood at attention at the door, and performed a military salute. This surprised King Qing, before he could speak, he asked, "Wei Ting, why did you change your military uniform today?" The governor is dressed in first-class clothes, so even if he brings a team to meet him, he might as well change into a battle robe and mandarin jacket. Although Yuan Shikai still wears a warm hat with a red crest and feathers on his head, he is wearing a new-style military uniform with yellow woolen cloth and a belt. In King Qing's eyes, he could not help degrading himself. But Yuan Shikai explained otherwise, "Returning to the lord," he said, "Shikai dare not deliberately violate the order, but only with the intention of carrying the crossbow forward." This meaning was something King Qing never thought of, but when he figured it out, he was deeply moved.The forerunner of the negative crossbow was the ceremony for the local officials of the Han Dynasty to welcome the emperor. Yuan Shikai's imitation was not only to show respect to relatives and nobles, but also to show himself that he was nothing more than a low-ranking junior like the head of the pavilion in front of King Qing. Officials only.The governor of Zhili, who is the leader of the border ministers, is willing to respect each other like this, which is a very comforting and proud thing for King Qing, so he immediately looked at him differently. "Wei Ting, you are serious! I dare not take it seriously." King Qing held his hand and said, "Let's get out of the car together." The door of the car was a bit narrow, and it was difficult for the two of them to walk side by side, so Yuan Shikai leaned sideways to help King Qing down the steps and onto the carpet.But the team saluting with their guns changed their formation again and formed a column along the carpet. When the team officer gave a command, they all fell to their knees.On the other side of the carpet, the civil and military officials headed by Zhou Fu, bowed their hands and stood in line to welcome them.King Qing was not at a loss after going through many scenes of being welcomed and sent off, but this time, he found it very enjoyable.He couldn't help but smile all over his face, and waved his hands again and again, looking very humble. When they arrived at the De Xing Mansion, it was very carefully decorated, and the prince had to use golden yellow as usual, so the table surrounds and chairs were all made of golden satin, embroidered with patterns of five blessings holding birthdays, which made him feel magnificent and extravagant.King Qing was thinking, it's hard for him to bother so much, maybe even though he is not as good as the two palaces, he is better than Li Lianying. At this time, Yuan Shikai had changed into a full set of governor's attire, and led his subordinates to see him. He knelt twice and kowtowed six times before exchanging greetings as usual. "Shikai wanted to go to Beijing to pick him up in person, but the news came too late." This is wrong.The two palaces entered the country, and the governor was in a hurry. How could he go to Beijing to pick up the prince without authorization?However, Yuan Shikai's expression was very sincere, so King Qing didn't think he was lying, it was just that he had been in Fengjiang for a short time and he didn't understand these etiquettes. So, he said: "In this way, I already feel very kind, how dare I bother you?" He asked again: "When did the two palaces arrive?" "Two o'clock in the afternoon." Yuan Shikai replied: "The empress dowager once mentioned the prince, saying that she couldn't bear to tire the prince for another trip, but the situation in Beijing must be asked of the prince." "The empress dowager is only worried about foreigners, and she is afraid that they will make rude demands. In fact, it is unfounded worry." "Of course you can rest assured that the prince presides over everything in Beijing. However, from the empress dowager's tone, it seems that she is very concerned about the palace." "Oh!" King Qing paid attention, "What are you talking about?" Because there were other officials present, Yuan Shikai had some scruples, so he answered irrelevantly: "My lord must be tired! Please change your clothes and rest first, Shi Kai will come over to serve you soon." "Good! Good!" King Qing agreed, "Let's talk later." When Yuan Shikai resigned, it was almost dusk, and then a table of swallow dishes was delivered to the residence.King Qing ordered the guards to invite Rong Lu, Wang Wenshao, and Yuan Shikai to sit together, but then changed his mind and invited Yuan Shikai alone. This is for the convenience of speaking. What King Qing wants to ask is why does Empress Dowager Cixi care about the palace ban?So Yuan Shikai whispered a piece of news from the legend to King Qing. It is said that after Empress Dowager Cixi set off from Kaifeng, she often slept restlessly at night, woke up several times from nightmares, and could not close her eyes all night.At first, the palace was quite taboo about this matter, no one dared to mention a word, but in the past few days someone gradually leaked it, saying that Empress Dowager Cixi often dreamed of Concubine Zhen. Dreaming about the concubine Zhen causes nightmares, of course it is because the concubine Zhen in the dream has a terrifying image.Thinking day by day, dreaming at night, because the Forbidden City is getting closer and memory is getting deeper, so the Empress Dowager Cixi dreamed of Concubine Zhen, and dreaming again and again, it was nothing more than deep apology and extremely disturbed heart.King Qing was thinking, the only way to eliminate anxiety is to make amends. The ministers who were killed in the fist disaster have all been brought to light and have been reinstated, so why not give the concubine Zhen a special gift?Isn't comforting the dead the way the living comfort themselves? Thinking of stopping, he said: "If the Queen Mother asks, I will reply with my own words. Wei Ting, have you heard anything else? " "Also, I heard that the Empress Dowager only brought Concubine Jin with her and no other concubines, so I feel apologetic. I am afraid that someone will gossip this time when I return to the palace. It seems that the prince should have some words of comfort." Yuan Shikai pressed Then he said: "The affairs of the palace should not be discussed by foreign ministers, and it is in front of the prince. I just love and love, so I don't care about taboos!" "Wei Ting, you don't have to argue, I understand your deep love. You mentioned that you only bring Concubine Jin..." When King Qing Yikuang said this, he suddenly stopped.He originally wanted to tell Yuan Shikai that Empress Dowager Cixi brought Concubine Jin with her, not out of love for Concubine Jin, on the contrary, it was out of suspicion that she had to put it under her elbow.Just like his two daughters, the Empress Dowager Cixi was with her as a hostage. Wouldn't it be a big mistake if she thought that she would take special care of her? However, this is all a thing of the past. As far as the present is concerned, why bother to bring up the unpleasant past when the curtain is restored.This is the reason why he swallowed his words again. Seeing this situation, Yuan Shikai naturally would not say any more.He still has a lot to say, so let me mention one very important thing at this moment, "My lord," he said, "From the time Prince Gong came down to this world, all the relatives and nobles depended on the lord's eloquence in front of the old lady. How many benefits will the country and the people benefit. This time, when I return to Luan to supervise the government affairs, many new policies have been launched, and the prince is busy, Shikai is a little worried for the prince!" The previous paragraph was very pleasant, but the last sentence puzzled King Qing. "Oh," he asked bluntly, "Wei Ting, what are you worried about for me?" "There are a lot of people and entertainment. Don't talk about anything else, just say that the queen mother and the emperor have rewards every three days. The expense of rewarding eunuchs is not small." This remark hit King Qing's pain point, so he couldn't help but took a deep sip of wine, put down his glass, and said vigorously: "If you don't mention this, I won't say it. Since you understand my difficulty, I will I'll just talk to you a little more about my difficulties. I've been in charge of the General Administration for the past few years, but I've really finished posting all my old books! It's true that the Prime Minister's Office is so rich, but it's not me who are rich, but Li Shaoquan and Zhang Qiaoye It's not that they have all passed away, but I still have to reveal their old accounts. There are indeed some situations that outsiders can't imagine. The benefits of the Prime Minister's Office are nothing more than kickbacks for borrowing foreign debts and buying arms and equipment. Li Shaoquan and Zhang Qiaoye are standing in front, do you think it will be my turn to benefit?" With the dignity of a prince, if he said such a thing, if he was a gentleman, he would definitely laugh at him, but Yuan Shikai was happy to comfort him.Because this not only means that King Qing has regarded him as "one of his own", so he has no scruples about what he says, but also that King Qing's greedy nature is utterly violent, and he only resorts to tricks, fearing that he will not be subdued. But on the surface, he frowned slightly, with a depressed and aggrieved expression on behalf of King Qing, "No wonder Prince Gong couldn't help but use the door bag to fill the mansion!" He said, "However, Prince Gong's method is really impossible. It's clever, outsiders don't say that Prince Gong is helpless, they only say that he exploits his servants. The current situation of the prince is very similar to that of Prince Gong, wait for Shi Kai to come and plan a way for the prince." "That's a lot of gratitude." Having said that, Yuan Shikai didn't continue. This was to make King Qing go over this matter several times in his mind, so that he could realize again and again how important this matter was to him. Sure enough, every time King Qing thought about it, his heart became hot, and he couldn't wait to ask, how is he going to plan for himself?Yuan Shikai saw that it was time, and began to speak out the precocious method. "Naturally, Beiyang's funds are vastly different from those in the hands of Mr. Li Wenzhong, but it cannot be said that there is no room for maneuver. The current situation in Beiyang is like a declining family. It is true that the outside is strong and the middle is doing. However, there is a saying in Jiangnan that 'poor is poor, but the family is poor. There are still three loads of copper, don’t say anything else, just talk about the Beiyang Public Office, in Beijing, in Tianjin, there are not many empty houses, if you can make more efforts to rectify, the extra expenses that cannot be paid off will be settled!” Yuan Shikai paused for a moment, and said in a calm but clear voice: "From now on, Beiyang will pay for the expenses of the prince's residence, from the upper room to the kitchen." "What?" King Qing asked, "Say it again, Wei Ting." "From now on, all the expenses of the prince's mansion, no matter the expenses of the upper house or the work and food of the servants, will be paid by Beiyang, and will be sent to the mansion on a monthly basis." Is there such a thing?Isn't that like being a Beiyang minister?The matter was so unexpected that King Qing didn't know what to answer for a while. "If the prince rewards his face, the matter will be settled like this." "Yes, yes! Thank you, thank you! No, no!" King Qing said incoherently, "It's not just a matter of saying thank you! In short, Wei Ting, if there is me, there will be you!" Of course, if he wanted to enjoy the supply of "Bao Yuaner", he had to support him as the Governor of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang. This is the most simple truth, and King Qing naturally understood.In order to show that he kept his word, Yuan Shikai acted immediately. While standing up to express his thanks, he took out a red envelope that had been prepared earlier. On the cover was written "10,000 taels of footprint" openly, and held it with both hands. He said in his mouth: "My lord, please keep it as a reward!" It has become a common practice to say "reward" for all donations to relatives and nobles, but it is really rare to spend a lot of money.King Qing took the red envelope in his hand, hesitated for a while and said, "'You are disrespectful, you are ashamed to accept it'. I don't need to say anything more!" ※ ※ ※ The next day, Empress Dowager Cixi summoned King Qing twice.The first time the emperor was present, it was inconvenient to ask some questions, but the second time I was "alone", only Li Lianying was waiting outside the palace, so we might as well talk about the situation in the palace in detail.In fact, Empress Dowager Cixi already knew a lot.Although there are two old concubines of Wen Zong in the palace, the most honorable one is the noble concubine of Emperor Rongqing of Mu Zong, who was the daughter of Fengxiu, the Minister of Punishment favored by Empress Dowager Cixi when Tongzhi was established. But it was Concubine Yu. Concubine Yu is also the concubine of Mu Zong.In the eleventh year of Tongzhi's wedding, concubines were selected first, and concubines were conferred second, Concubine Yu was one of them.Ever since Mu Zong passed away due to "smallpox", Empress Dowager Cixi hated Empress Arut, loved Concubine Dunyi, who was first named Concubine Hui, and concubine Yu, who was now promoted to Concubine Concubine.Because she is knowledgeable in books and etiquette, knows the rules very well, and is indifferent by nature, and has no disputes with others.Who knows that in addition to virtue, talent is extraordinary.When the two palaces fled in a hurry, people in the palace were panicked, and many people shed their faces with tears day and night. Fortunately, Concubine Yu was calm and stepped forward, commanding the eunuchs to guard the palace gates in different areas, and comforting the palace family members everywhere, trying to be quiet.After the allied forces entered Beijing, the Imperial Palace was under the jurisdiction of the Japanese army, and all negotiations were presided over by Concubine Yu, and the Minister of Internal Affairs followed orders and handled them in an orderly manner.Concubine Yu's contribution to avoiding military disasters in the palace and maintaining the dignity of the royal family is really not insignificant. Therefore, Empress Dowager Cixi not only valued her more, but also felt fearful. When she summoned King Qing, she first asked about her intention and attitude. "Everyone saw the situation at that time with their own eyes. The foreigners entered the city, and the palace didn't know about it. The military plane was summoned the night before, and only Wang Wenshao and Zhao Shuqiao were left. They wanted cars but no cars, important people but no one, and they were empty-handed. How can I take everyone away? But, speaking of it, I am always the head of the family and leave everyone alone. In fact, others don’t know the hardships our mother and son have suffered, but you know it. It's better in the palace." Empress Dowager Cixi paused for a moment and then said: "I think, if others don't understand, Concubine Yu should understand, right?" "Yes!" King Qing replied, "Concubine Yu has summoned the servant twice, and each time she spoke through the door. Bring it? Imperial Concubine Yu ordered: "You only play Lafayette face-to-face. I have specially sent someone to guard the back yard of the bedroom, and it has not moved at all!"" Others can't understand this, but the Empress Dowager Cixi can explain it deeply, and she is quite pleased.It turns out that in the backyard of Changchun Palace and Le Shoutang, Empress Dowager Cixi buried millions of cash in cash. Concubine Yu said this, which means that there is no shortage of this batch of silver. It can be seen from this that Concubine Yu's whole heart is towards the Queen Mother, which is even more commendable.Empress Dowager Cixi thought, after returning to the palace, naturally no one would dare to complain face to face, but whispering in private should also be suppressed.This has to be guided by Concubine Yu. "Go back and tell Concubine Yu, just tell me what I said. We have been together for more than 20 years. Only this time, I realized that she is actually a virtuous person. I really buried her before. Thanks to her in the palace, I know it, I hope she will continue to do her best as before, and the palace must be quiet." The voice of the last sentence raised slightly.King Qing understood, and immediately replied: "Yes, the servant must pass the decree truthfully. I hope that Imperial Concubine Yu will continue to do her best. The palace must be quiet and there must be no gossip." "That's exactly what you said." Empress Dowager Cixi paused, and asked in a casual chattering tone: "Over the past year, has anyone mentioned the master of Jingren Palace?" King Qing was puzzled for a while, but after thinking about it, he realized that Concubine Zhen lived in the Jingren Palace in the Sixth East Palace before she died, so she immediately replied: "I haven't heard of it." "Someone always mentioned it?" "The servant can't remember." "Think about it again!" Empress Dowager Cixi emphasized, "Someone must have mentioned it." Of course, there will be people talking about such a sad palace matter, but it is inconvenient to play it, because all the discussions think that the Empress Dowager Cixi has done too much, and it is unnecessary. Did the emperor dare to resist the queen mother and take back his power? However, if the Empress Dowager Cixi pressed her to ask this question, if she insisted that she had never heard anyone talk about this matter, she would appear disingenuous, and even more suspicious, thinking that there was something rebellious and immoral, which must not be heard.Therefore, King Qing had to find a way to prevaricate. So, he deliberately tilted his head and thought, thinking of a few poems he had read, which could be used to excuse him. "I really don't know who mentioned this matter, I just seem to remember that someone has made a few poems, saying it refers to this matter. However, I have never seen these words." Empress Dowager Cixi was even more concerned about the fact that it was written in words, "Who made the words? She asked, "Say what?" "The ones who write poems and lyrics are always those from the Imperial Academy anyway." King Qing replied, "I haven't read the original text of what is said in the lyrics, so I don't dare to talk nonsense." Empress Dowager Cixi thought for a while, and said decisively: "If you find those words, I'd like to see them. How do you say them?" "Yes! The servant will look for it right away. But..." "We must find it!" The Empress Dowager Cixi did not allow him to finish, so she interrupted: "The sooner the better." So he withdrew from the palace, and King Qing immediately sent someone to visit him. Zhang Jing and Bao Xinzeng copied a poem and twelve poems.The ci is a poem by Zhu Xiaozang, a famous contemporary writer, and he sent it to "Slow Voice", indicating that it was written on Xin Chou's November 19th, which was only ten days ago.King Qing was considered to have drunk ink among his relatives, but he seldom dabbled in one piece of poetry, so he had to find a book of words, and search for sentences according to the spectrum, so that he could read it: "Singing twigs and building, blowing butterflies and empty branches, fluttering and sympathizing with each other. A piece of soul, the setting sun shakes dreams into smoke; the old title of Xianggou is red, and the forbidden flowers are haggard year after year! The cold letter is urgent, and the palace is sad. , to pay for mourning cicadas. In ancient times, the nest luan has no division, and it is flying into the golden well of frost, throwing away the lingering. Only when it dances back to the wind, can we know that there is no reason for grievances. Ask the cuckoo!" Reading means reading a broken sentence, but with too many allusions, what is the sustenance?Not much more.However, apart from the eye-catching two sentences "Feishuang Jinjing, throw away the lingering", there are no rebellious and taboo sentences, so you may as well submit them.Next look at poetry. The poem is twelve poems with seven rhythms, the title is "Gengzi Luoye Ci", and the word "Chongbo" is underlined.King Qing knew this name. The grandson of Zeng Guofan and the son of Zeng Jihong, Zeng Guangjun, called Chongbo, was the Imperial Academy in the fifteenth year of Guangxu. There are as many as twelve poems under one topic in Qilu, so it is natural that there are too many allusions to fill the space. However, some of the literal allusions made King Qing frown, and he added a pen as a mark. The cold food in Qingming is reminiscing every year, and the people in the city are not doing well"; the third song is "Gu E is crying bitter bamboo, and Zigui is calling Cangwu every night"; "; in the fifth song, "the law of the Han family is difficult to ask, but the civilization of the enemy country is unknown to the Buddha"; , so close to Huang Gu's painting screen"; the eleventh song "Three springs dry up and mourn Ningsai, five victories empty into hatred but not ashes".These sentences describe the life and death relationship between the emperor and the concubine Zhen. In the eyes of the Empress Dowager Cixi, they will naturally not be comfortable, and they may cause trouble for the emperor. The most daring one is the couplet "Gu'e cries bitter bamboo, Zigui calls Cangwu every night".King Qing clearly remembered the notes in Su Dongpo's poems, saying that "Gu'e" was the name of a water bird. According to the custom, a woman was abused by her mother-in-law and turned into a water bird after death. Its song sounded like "Gu'e". word, hence the name.Isn't the Empress Dowager Cixi and Concubine Zhen the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law?Such a blunt accusation is a crime of disrespect. If Yi ordered Zeng Guangjun to "understand the answer", I am afraid that dismissal would not be enough. Therefore, King Qing decided to keep these twelve poems, but only one poem by Zhu Xiaozang was presented, which seems to be perfunctory and quite inappropriate.After much deliberation, I had no choice but to send someone to visit Bao Xinzeng again, saying that at least I would find another song or two. Bao Xinzeng actually copied two words and one poem.The lyric card is called "Jinming Pond" and it chants lotus flowers. One is written by Zhu Xiaozang, and the other is named "Duck Weng", but who is it? I have inquired all over the place, but I don't know who this old man is?I had to ask Bao Xinzeng again.At this time of turmoil, Yuan Shikai came to visit again, please come in and meet each other. King Qing briefly told about the process of the Empress Dowager Cixi's two summons that day, and at the same time told about the troubles he encountered. "My lord didn't tell me." Yuan Shikai smiled and replied, "There are as many poems as you want." "That's great!" King Qing said happily, "Please copy a few more songs, I'll be good at it." "Yes! Deliver it early tomorrow morning." Yuan Shikai thought for a while and said, "Not only are the twelve poems by Zeng Chongbo unusable, but the words in Zhu Jiangcun's poems, such as 'Feishuang Jinjing' and 'Unreasonable Enmity', are worded. It is also very inappropriate, please don't submit it to the lord, so as not to cause more disputes." "Yes! As long as there are other more appropriate words that can be perfunctory, of course this word can be used." "It's guaranteed." It is a "responsive" work that is based on the Empress Dowager Cixi's psychology, and a temporary friend who is good at poetry and writing. Naturally, it will not be inappropriate. Not only does it have the meaning of "Gu Evil", but even the words "Jinjing" are also tried hard. avoid.Fortunately, the son of heaven is passionate, and the fate of beauties is thin. You can find countless poetic materials in these eight characters alone, and the matter is comparable to that of the Ming emperor entering Shu. Turn it over and make it into a sentence, which is very convenient. Among them is a long song in the style of Xiangshan Yuefu, but it took a lot of effort. Its function is to please the Empress Dowager Cixi, so it plays a different tune, mainly to condemn the concubine Zhen for taking power. But the last paragraph made waves, and suddenly praised Concubine Zhen, saying that when the coalition forces entered Beijing, she was not as good as her followers, and she threw herself into a well to die for her country.Being a god after death, he will definitely take care of the two palaces in the dark. For this knot, King Qing was very satisfied and admired, and even more happy, because in front of Empress Dowager Cixi, it was enough to do business. Sure enough, when it was sent up the next morning, the Empress Dowager Cixi praised it quite a bit, her words were different from the previous day, and she thought that her concern could be forgiven by others, which was something worthy of comfort.So King Qing took the opportunity to suggest that, in order to comfort the soul of Zhen, he specially asked Yi to posthumously present Concubine Zhen as a noble concubine. "I also have the same meaning." Empress Dowager Cixi agreed, "Just pass the decree to the military plane to draw up the decree." The military aircraft naturally complied.However, I think it is appropriate to issue the decree after returning to the palace.Empress Dowager Cixi also agreed.As for the edict of compassion for the people after returning to Beijing, as well as the expression of reform with the people, it should be issued before Qi Qi, so in two days, seven edicts were issued. One is to write ink from a big place, and to state it in the name of "observing Yi's decree", saying: "The change of the capital last year, the internal strife among the thieves, caused a major event, shocked the Nine Temples, and the country was in danger. The emperor entrusted Xishou, The first thought is not as good as this; the wound is huge and the pain is deep, and Gai always blames himself." It is equal to the Empress Dowager Cixi's "Guilty Edict".Of course, the emphasis is on learning from the past and avoiding the future, "I only hope that fear and self-discipline, and a few grams of the former martyrs, to respect the gastrodia elata. If you are lucky enough to survive, feast in peace and comfort, will there be a day of prosperity for the country?" And the most practical passage It is: "At this time when the country is empty and fundraising is urgent, He Yifei is the fat of the Wan family. He will never bear to collect money and exploit vitality. He should be less than himself. Everything should be thrifty. Except for altars and temples, you must pay attention to it. The work has been verified and estimated, and the rest that can be saved and should be cut should be eliminated.” This is tantamount to clearly declaring that major projects such as the construction of the Summer Palace will never be built again. The second is Yizhi, who comforted the foreigners, and said in an extremely friendly tone, "Now that you are returning to the capital of Luan, the ministers of various countries stationed in Beijing should urgently go to see you as soon as possible, so as to make diplomatic relations and pay more attention to envoys. The emperor will be accepted in Qianqing Palace in the future." After the meeting with the ministers of various countries, the wives of the ministers of various countries have visited the inner court before, and they are very special. I am very grateful. Now I plan to meet the ministers' wives in the Ningshou Palace in another period to show friendship. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will immediately select a date. Together with the recording, the photo will be processed.” The third way is to return to Beijing on November 28th. On that day, the emperor will pay respects to Feng Xiandian and Shouhuang Hall to salute, and the next day to offer sacrifices in Taimiao and Dagao Hall.As for Yuanqiu, Sheji Altar and other places, choose a day to sacrifice. The fourth edict is to announce that the Empress Dowager Cixi will visit the mausoleum next spring.The imperial mission back to Luan has not yet been completed, and it seems unreasonable to need a huge supply immediately.Therefore, this edict took a lot of effort from Qu Hongji: "Luanyu was spread over a period of time, and disasters and chaos took place at that time, and luck was in a hurry. It has changed very much, and it is still practical and painful. Every time the sect is in danger, the mountain mausoleum is shaken. Horror, when you pay homage to the old age, if you don’t repair what is missing, if you follow the province, you will easily overcome the guilt! I am fortunate to arrive at the capital safely, follow the old things, and it is appropriate to extend the sacrifices piously. In the altar hall, the emperor has made regular sacrifices; the Eastern Tomb and the Western Tomb should be paid respects in person, for Zhao Tuoyou, and Daming Yu, who was written in the spring of the next year, respects Suji, and I will lead the emperor to visit the Eastern Tomb only. From Beijing Qiluan and Yudao Palace, both of them are emphatic and simplified. Princes and officials, except for the daily duty and accompanying personnel, the rest are not required to follow. I went to the Mausoleum Grand Ceremony, such as parade encirclement, reading Wu, as well as inspecting various provinces and visiting the rivers and seawalls, all the saints took advantage of the times and always worked hard. This is exactly the same as the meaning of the ancient emperors visiting the provinces and watching the people to teach. The current situation is difficult , You should not be afraid of hard work, look at thousands of places, and use knowledge of common affairs; after that, you should strictly abide by the family law, and diligently conduct inspections, but you must lighten public opinion and reduce obedience, so as not to waste people and money, so as to say that the original purpose of the court is to seek truth from facts. If this is the case, There are still so many horses and chariots, and the donation of billions is also huge, so how should we consider and adapt it, break the rules, and make it easy for the ministers in front of the imperial court and the ministers of military aircraft to discuss it carefully and follow the imperial order." Immediately following the fifth passage, according to the request of Lu Haihuan, the censor of Zuodu, he issued a decree of sympathy for the people because of the heavy donations: "Since last year, Jifu has been devastated, and there have been many floods and droughts in various provinces. The people are suffering and displaced, and the imperial court is deeply sympathetic to it. It has issued a decree before, and it will never bear the heavy taxation and exploitation of vitality. According to the verses played by the censor of the Zuo capital, each governor and governor should carefully observe the local situation. The law of how to raise donations is clearly stated. It is strictly forbidden for the gentry, officials and officials to be fooled and fed, and to ask for excuses, and to get rid of obstructions, so as to understand the feelings of the upper and lower. A little bit of harshness, disturbing Lu Yan, and I want to treat the people as if they hurt me." 第六道亦是由于吕海寰所奏，为了筹措赔款，新增的两项捐税，就屋、就地而征的房捐、亩捐，过于繁苛，降旨督抚，各就地方情形，悉心体察，将筹捐办法，明白晓示，并严禁蒙混、中饱、勒索。 第七道上谕最耐人寻味：“原任户部尚书立山、兵部尚书徐用仪、吏部侍郎许景澄、内阁学士联元、太常寺卿袁昶，该故员子嗣几人，有无官职，着礼部迅即咨行内务府镶红旗满洲浙江巡抚查明申复。” 自从联军入京，指斥朝贵的舆论，已不能再加压制，所以七月间冤死菜市口的五大臣，被称“五忠”，徐用仪、许景澄、袁昶都是浙江人，合称为“浙江三忠”。昭雪五忠，早在上年十二月间，即有明诏，但亦仅止于开复原官而已。 原官既已开复，则大臣身死，照例应有恤典，可是上谕很难措词，当初是“明正典刑”，此时便不得谓之为“慷慨捐躯”。但如无恩恤，士论不平，迫不得已只好出以这种暗示将加恩五大臣的子孙，以慰忠魂的方式。 就这样打点得面面俱到，慈禧太后方于十一月二十八进入回銮的最后一程。从保定到京城，坐火车不过三个多钟头的途程，所以这启跸极其从容，上午八点钟上车，午刻便已到达北京永定门外马家堡车站。 车站已临时搭了一个极大的席篷，即是巡幸途中供御驾稍憩的所谓“黄幄”，不过张灯结彩，踵事增华。里面尤其讲究，陈设由古玩铺承包，佳瓷名画，只摆一天的工夫，便须花上好几万银子，当然商人到手，最多三成而已。 这一列车，共计挂了三十多个车厢，除了太后、皇帝、皇后、妃嫔、随扈大臣的座车以外，大部分车厢装的是慈禧太后的行李，亦就是各省进贡的珍异方物。花车进站停住，迎驾的百官，早已沿着两旁跪好，也有许多洋人，含笑在看热闹。早就到了马家堡在照料的内务府大臣继禄便大喊一声： “洋人脱帽！” 一面喊，一面做手势，洋人尽皆会意，纷纷照办。只见首先下车的是李莲英，仿佛没有看到跪接的百官，径自掉身往后，去照料行李。接着是皇帝下车，亦不理百官，匆匆上轿，为的是先要赶到宫门口去跪接慈驾。 然后，慈禧太后由崔玉贵搀扶着下车，此时车头已经解卸远驶，站中肃静无声，只听崔玉贵扯开雌鸡嗓子不断在吆喝“老佛爷，慢慢，慢慢！” 踩着“花盆底”的慈禧太后，只有在下火车踏板的那两步，稍显艰难，一踩到地上，步履便很自如了。摇曳生姿地走了几步，站定一望，用略带惊喜的声音说：“这里好多外国人！”说着，稍微扬一扬手，有点对脱帽肃立的洋人答礼的意思。 这时居首跪接的庆王站起身来，趋跄而前，复又下跪，口中说道：“奴才奕劻恭请皇太后圣安！” “起来！”慈禧太后很谦和地说：“起来说话。” “是！”庆王起身又说：“请皇太后上轿。” “不用忙！”她回身向随扈的荣禄、王文韶等人说道：“咱们总算又到了地头了！离京一年三个月了。” “是一年四个月。”崔玉贵插了句嘴。 慈禧太后没有理他，游目四顾，脸色怡然，于是袁世凯以地主的身分，上前说道：“请皇太后入黄幄暂息一息，以便进茶。” “好！”慈禧太后刚一移步，发见李莲英走了来，便站着等候。 “请老佛爷过目。”李莲英将一张随带箱笼的清单，用双手呈上。 “这不用看了！皇后、格格她们，你好好照料。” 交代完了，复又前行，一入黄幄，如到寝宫，王公大臣们，便都留在外面了。 坐下刚喝了半碗茶，奏事太监来奏：“直隶总督请谒。” 慈禧太后点点头，准袁世凯进见，原来他亦只是跟那执事太监一样，充当传宣的任务。芦汉铁路的工程总司事傑多第，受铁路总公司督办盛宣怀的委托，主持两宫回銮，乘坐火车到京的一切事宜，从向比国订购花车开始，一直到此刻抵达马家堡，功德圆满，可以交差了。能有这么一番经历，在傑多第看，自是平生的殊荣，盼望能够面谒慈禧太后致敬。而袁世凯为了笼络傑多第，特意亲自为他奏请召见。 及至一起进谒，袁世凯才发觉为洋人“带班”的滋味，很不好受。面对玉座，一个站，一个跪，他在洋人身旁，凭空矮了半截。另一面还跪着一个当翻译的外务部司官，成了个“山”字形，而傑多第躯干特伟，肃然正立，颇有一柱擎天之概，相形之下，矮胖而又跪着的袁世凯，越显得臃肿猥琐了。 通过翻译，傑多第少不得有一番效劳不周的客气话，然后很恳切地表示，请慈禧太后指出所发现的缺点，以便改进。 “我还是第一次坐火车。以前……。” 以前，慈禧太后也坐过火车。西苑紫光阁，曾铺过短短一段铁路，运进去几节小火车，一时徐桐等辈，以禁中居然有此“怪物”，都有痛心疾首之概。慈禧太后好奇曾坐过一回，但为怕出事，不准用机车拖带，只是找了些太监前挽后推，走了十来丈远便即停止。这件事此刻来说，成了笑话，所以她顿住不言，换了嘉许之词。 “这一次你办得很妥当。我虽是第一次坐火车，已经知道火车的好处了，明年谒陵，仍旧要坐火车。” “有了这一次的经验，明年会办得更好。”傑多第说：“希望下一次能够使太后更觉得满意。” “这样才好！”慈禧太后很高兴地，略停一下问袁世凯： “他是那一国人？” “傑多第是比国人。” “对了！芦汉铁路借的是比款。比国是小国，不过这个洋人倒很知道规矩，办事也很实在。”慈禧太后问道：“袁世凯，你看该怎么酬谢他？” “恩出自上，臣不敢擅拟。不过，洋人多想得赏宝星，将来回国，好在他的同胞面前炫耀。” “好！赏他一颗宝星，你传旨给外务部，看那一等的宝星，跟他的职位相当。至于铁路上还有好些华洋司事，这一次办差很出力，一起赏五千两银子，我另外拨出来，不必动部款了。” “是！”袁世凯答说：“赏傑多第宝星一节，臣遵慈谕传懿旨。赏铁路华洋司事的款项，万无请内帑之理。芦汉铁路在臣辖境之内，皇太后赏人的款项，自当由臣敬谨预备。” “你这一说，我成了慷他人之慨了。多不好意思！” 慈禧太后是笑着说的，而袁世凯却似乎很紧张，碰着头说：“直隶的一切，皆在慈恩庇护覆载之下。慈谕'他人'二字，臣万万不敢受。” “我是随便说的，你别认真。”慈禧太后含笑望了傑多第一眼，“他如果没有别的话，你就带他下去吧！” "yes!" 于是袁世凯与外务部司官，双双跪安，傑多第则深深鞠躬辞出。接着，李莲英来请驾。由于进京的日子与时辰，是经过钦天监慎重选定，这一天的未正，也就是午后两点钟进大清门，上上大吉。所以慈禧太后不敢耽搁，一请即行。