Chapter 216 Yingtai Sunset (15-2)

After the emperor's funeral and before the funeral, the Zi Palace will be moved from Da Nei to the place where the dead are waiting to be buried, which is called "temporary safety". The temporary place is called "Guande Hall". ——Exit Shenwumen, pass through Beichizi and cross the bridge. There is a gate opposite to Shenwumen. It is called Beishangmen. Entering the gate is Jingshan. .The surrounding area of ​​this mountain is more than two li, and there are five peaks in total, which are shaped like a pen holder. The mountain is not high, and the middle peak is only more than eleven zhang.Behind the mountain is the Shouhuang Hall, which is shaped like an Taimiao, and is dedicated to the imperial figures of generations. The east of the hall is the Yongsi Hall, and the east is the Guande Hall.

Guande Hall can only enshrine one Catalpa Palace, but the Xinuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace and Huangji Hall of Ningshou Palace are two places where spirits stop. Which Zigong should be dedicated to Guande Palace? This matter is neither big nor small, and there are different opinions. Some people think that the mother comes first, so Empress Dowager Cixi should move to Guande Hall first;In theory, it seems that the latter is true, so more people seconded it. But the Empress Dowager advocated that the Zi Palace in the Huangji Hall should be moved to the Guande Hall first. Her reason was that the Dingdong Mausoleum had already been completed, so the Empress Dowager Daxing must have placed it first.This statement sounds good at first, but it is not true when you think about it carefully, because both the Eastern Tomb and the Western Tomb also have temporary peace halls, and the palace must be moved to the mausoleum after a hundred days in the Guande Hall. It has nothing to do with when it will be buried. relation.

It's just that the queen mother insisted that Zaifeng could not be redeemed with words, and the military plane could not invite the queen mother. Waiting for Zaifeng to explain the reasons in detail, it seemed that he could only follow the "benevolent order". Just the day before the edict was to be issued, Li Lianying went to the Palace of Compassion and Ning to see the Queen Mother.After returning from the two palaces to Luan from Xi'an, his reputation has gradually deteriorated. Now that the iceberg has fallen, he is not only inferior to Cui Yugui, but also inferior to Xiao Dezhang.But the Empress Dowager still didn't dare to underestimate him, so she sent a message immediately.

After saluting, the Empress Dowager ordered Xiao Dezhang: "Give Ada a small stool!" She learned the method of "excellent courtesy and veterans" from the Empress Dowager Cixi.Sure enough, Li Lianying was quite moved, especially since she was called "Zhu Da" just like Emperor Daxing Zairi, which made him feel that she and the late Emperor still had a relationship as husband and wife after all.The antipathy towards her has thus been reduced a lot. "The days are so fast, the twenty-seven days will be over in a blink of an eye!" The Empress Dowager said with red eyes.

"In the past twenty days, I don't know how to get here!" "Please don't be sad, master, please take care of yourself! Long live God is too young, it depends on the master's work and protection." Li Lianying immediately said: "The slave came to see the master today, and I have something to ask the master!" As he said, he got up from the small stool and went back again. kneel down. "Get up, get up! It's better to sit down and talk." Li Lianying got up, but stood with her hands down and played back: "I heard that the slave will take Lafayette's coffin and move it to Jingshan. I don't know if there is such a thing?"

The Queen Mother was thinking, when he mentioned this matter, he knelt down and begged, what was he asking for?Let's talk more vividly, so he replied: "There is no rule yet." "If there is no rule, the slave begs the master to let the Lafayette stay in Ningshou Palace temporarily." Li Lianying's voice was choked with hoarseness: "The slave has served the Lafayette for thirty-two years. The master is kind enough to let the slave go back. There are not many days left! I beg the master to let the slave be more considerate in front of Lafayette. If you move to Jingshan, the place is small, except for the slave, Lafayette usually uses people who are used to it , I have no choice but to follow, besides, Lafayette doesn't care what he wants! I'm afraid the master will feel uneasy."

The Empress Dowager heard that Li Lianying took care of several banquets in the Huangji Hall. Except for the rules of the funeral ceremony, it was exactly the same as that of the Empress Dowager Cixi when she was alive. , and put it into the jewelry box, as if the Empress Dowager Cixi would pick out what kind of hairpin to put in and what ring to wear that day.As for the breakfast and dinner, they also choose the favorite delicacies of the Empress Dowager Cixi and offer them up. When the offering is over, they shout: "Go around the bend, Lafayette!" During his lifetime, the rule of picking teeth after meals and taking a walk to digest food is the same.

At first, I thought that the person who sent the message was exaggerating, but now after listening to Li Lianying's words, I realized that he is really an "Lafayette" and still lives in Ningshou Palace.Isn't this the same as having a nerve?Considering that the Empress Dowager Cixi had favored him for decades, it is no wonder that he would be like this. Momentarily moved, but also temporarily unable to think of any reason to refuse, the Empress Dowager could only nod her head and say, "Okay! Let the emperor's coffin be moved to the Guande Hall first." "Yes!" Li Lianying continued to ask: "Should the slave immediately pass on the master's words to the fifth master?"

"Fifth Lord" refers to Zaifeng, and the Queen Mother replied: "That's right! You should pass the message to Fifth Lord." As soon as Li Lianying withdrew, Xiao Dezhang complained to the Queen Mother: "Master, why does he listen to his nonsense? What kind of filial piety does he have to the Lafayette? He is occupying the Ningshou Palace and refuses to let it out. I don't know what to worry about? Slave, look at this. Things are going to get worse!" "There's nothing we can do now." The queen mother said again: "However, I don't think he dares to mess around! You just need to send people to check."

"Of course the slave should send more people to check." From this day onwards, in the name of the Empress Dowager, Xiao De Zhang notified the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send more guards to patrol at night, not only to travel to the Empress Dowager's Zigong, but also to protect it closely, and to pay more attention to remote places to prevent accidents . When this situation reached Li Lianying's ears, he sneered and said, "Xiao Dezhang wants to take Lafayette's coffin away, so that he can dig it up? I don't want him to be happy. It is said that Lafayette's private house has 30 million yuan. Half of the silver is buried in the Changchun Palace and the other half in the Ningshou Palace. I won’t say whether it’s true or not. Let him guess and think about it. He can’t sleep at night and eat during the day. I'm only satisfied when I'm done with my life!"

※ ※ ※ On the ninth day of November, the weather is extremely cold, but princes and ministers, civil and military officials, who are qualified to wear mink fur coats or other "big hair", still wear blue cloth and old sheepskin robes, and mink hats are of course not allowed. Because the big funeral is still within 27 days. The auspicious time for ascension to the pole is "the first quarter of noon", which is a quarter past eleven in the morning.After ten o'clock, all the ministers arrived one after another, and when Fang was arranging his shift, the ceremony in the palace had already begun. Wang Momo has been coaxing for a long time: "Today is the day of the old man's great joy, don't cry!" The little emperor finally obeyed, obediently asked Wang Momo to cover him with a blue silk padded gown The white cloth shirt was then carried to the Compassionate Ning Palace and handed over to the Prince Regent. According to the Ascension Ceremony drawn up by the Ministry of Liberation as a rule, the regent would not hold the emperor in his arms, and he would perform three kneeling and nine kowtowing rituals in front of the Zi Palace of Daxing Emperor, who was moved to Guande Hall two days ago, only to accept the order.Of course, the so-called kneeling three times and knocking nine times is just for show. Next is the Empress Dowager.First change the dress in the hall, special small court clothes, top and bottom, front and back, left and right, embroidered with gold silk, there are twenty-seven dragons, plus the sun, moon and stars, algae and fire, five-color cloud heads, and eight treasures standing water.When worn on the body, it is neither smooth nor docile, and it is extremely uncomfortable. What is even more unbearable is the small court crown, which has three layers, each layer has a golden dragon holder, and an east pearl is supported on it.The little emperor wore it on his head, and he couldn't even lift his heavy head. Moreover, the brim of the black fox's hat was so warm that it couldn't be worn even more.The regent was afraid that he would cry and make trouble if he failed to fulfill his wish, so he had to take it off for him, but made a statement: "When you turn around and salute, you have to wear it." When they arrived at the Palace of Compassion and Ning, because of the care of Mother Wang, they finished the ceremony quite decently.The queen mother, regent, and mother Wang all heaved a sigh of relief. It's time to go to the outer court to receive congratulations.Still held by the regent, he left the gate of Qianqing in a sedan chair, first went to the Hall of Zhonghe, was supported by the regent, sat on the throne, and was congratulated by the ministers of the guards and others headed by Prince Gong Puwei.Who in the royal family is close to the emperor, or whom the emperor is willing to be close to, can be seen at this time. After this tossing, the little emperor was getting impatient.Immediately afterwards, he turned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and officially held the ascension ceremony. It's called Dadian, and it's really very simple.Because everyone who ascends to the throne is in the midst of a great funeral and filial piety, so although the Danbi's great music is set up but not played, although the congratulatory form of the hundred officials is provided but not read, it is just the emperor's ascension to the palace to receive the ceremony. It is said that at the beginning of the Ming Chengzu's construction, the regulations were highly respected. In terms of the terrain of the entire capital, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the tallest, and in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the throne is the tallest. From this point of view, you can see beyond the front gate. Of course, the little emperor didn't have such good eyesight.The regent put him on the throne, knelt down on one leg, and supported him with both hands on the right side.The deadly imperial crown, the little emperor pressed was heavy and hot, seeing His Majesty Dan, the black mass of human heads in front of the rank mountain made him dizzy, and suddenly the whip was whipped, which made him tremble with fright and cry But I couldn't stop anymore. "I don't want it, I don't want it!" The little emperor cried loudly on the throne, "I don't love this place, I don't love this place!" Chao Yi was so clean that he couldn't even hear the sound of coughing, so the more he felt the little emperor's crying and shouting, the momentum was astonishing.The regent was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, so he could only try his best to appease him! "Don't cry, don't cry! It'll be over in a while, it'll be over in a while!" His voice was also very loud, although he couldn't hear it outside the hall, all the princes and ministers in the hall could hear him clearly.I kept saying in my heart: I just became an emperor, why "it will be over in a while", it is a bad omen! In addition to the enthronement ceremony, there are three very important ceremonies that follow. The first is to honor the posthumous posthumous title of Emperor Daxing. , Temple name "Dezong".The mausoleum was chosen to be located in Jinlongyu, Xiling, and named "Chongling". The second item is to honor the Empress Dowager Cixi. As Zhang Zhidong advocated, the first word is "Xiaoqin", and the last four characters are "Peitian Xingsheng".Because of the word "matching", it seems to be an enemy of Wen Zong. His status is already higher than that of Wen Zong's Yuan Empress Xiaode and his successor Xiaozhen. The third item is the emblem title for the Empress Dowager, who is called "Empress Dowager Longyu".In addition, the concubines of Mu Zong and Dezong were also conferred in the Jin Dynasty. The noble concubine Mu Zongyu was honored as "Huang Kao Yu Huang Guifei"; Concubine Xiaoxuan"; Concubine Jin of Emperor Dezong was naturally honored as "Concubine Huang Kaojin". ※ ※ ※ Zaifeng's serious gaffe became the most popular talk in Beijing. Many people believed that this was a sign that Qing Zuo would not last forever, thus fueling various rumors, and Yuan Shikai was the most talked about. Almost at the same time as the mourning edict was issued, it was rumored in Beijing that the regent had secretly executed Yuan Shikai to avenge his brother. Therefore, according to Yikuang's plan, Yuan Shikai was invited to accompany the regent to attend the meeting with foreign ministers stationed in China to refute the rumors. .But the effect is not great. The theory of execution is self-defeating, but there is another saying: if Yuan Shikai can save the leader, he will be counted as lucky, and it will be a matter of time before he is dismissed and investigated. There are many people who want to overthrow Yuan.When the emperor died, the royalist party took the lead in launching the attack. Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao’s younger brothers sent telegrams at home and abroad to say that Yuan Shikai was the chief culprit of the catastrophe in the two palaces.He also pointed out that the collapse of Guangxu was caused by Yuan Shikai's poisonous hands.Kang Youwei also told others: Wang Renxie told him personally in London that Yuan Shikai had used 30,000 silver to mobilize Lijun. When asking for the emperor's pulse, he took the opportunity to poison him. This appalling attack and legend did not arouse disgust in the court, because saying that the emperor was poisoned to death was a taboo at all.However, Su Wang Shanqi, whom the royalist party relied on to overthrow Lord Yuan, was well aware of the inside story and did not think that Yuan Shikai should be responsible for the emperor's collapse, so he did not take action for a long time. In fact, Shanqi's influence is not enough to overthrow Yuan, he must contact Zai Ze, and Zai Ze's main goal is to overthrow Qing.The one who took the opportunity was Sheng Xuanhuai. He had already followed the path of Zaize, but his ambition was to become a minister of the postal department, so it was Chen Bi who was going to fall. Chen Bi relied on Liang Tuyiru, the director of the railway department, as Sheng Xuanhuai's first No. 1 is a deadly enemy, so it is necessary to reverse Chen and Liang. Due to the complexity of the situation, it is not a matter of three or five days if the plan is made and then the action is made.Therefore, Yuan Shikai would not waver for a while, and secretly calculated that as long as Tang Shaoyi's visit to the United States was successful, it would be enough for Austrian aid. The diplomatic relations between China and the United States, which had once been rifted by the American exclusion of China, have reconciled, and the United States has decided to refund part of the boxer indemnity, which will be used as funds for China to send students to the United States.In order to repay the kindness of the United States, the imperial court will send Tang Shaoyi, the governor of Fengtian, as a special envoy in June, and will be given the title of minister to visit the United States to express his gratitude.This is a superficial article. In fact, Yuan Shikai has already told the Empress Dowager Cixi that he has decided to be pro-American in diplomacy, hoping to borrow a huge amount of American money to take back the railways in the three eastern provinces, and at the same time to conclude a tripartite alliance between China, the United States and Germany.Tang Shaoyi went to the United States with these two missions. In addition, he also inspected the Minister of Finance and went to various countries to negotiate treaties free of fees and tariffs. According to Yuan Shikai's thinking, if Tang Shaoyi's two major tasks of negotiating in the United States have any hope of success, his position will be as secure as a rock, and I will be the prime minister in the future.In fact, this is true. Since the establishment of the Prime Minister's Office and the administration of Western Affairs, people and diplomacy have been inseparable. Since Yuan Shikai advocated pro-American diplomacy, as long as the United States is pro-China, Yuan Shikai will not lose power for a day.Otherwise, the imperial court will regard it as a breakdown of pro-American diplomacy and absolutely refuse to make such a move. It is a pity that Tang Shaoyi left late. When he arrived in Tokyo on September 17, the Japanese special envoy Gao Ping had already started negotiating interests in China with the US Secretary of State in Washington.When Tang Shaoyi was on his way from Tokyo to the west coast of the United States by mail, he received news that the two palaces had passed away one after another. As soon as he landed on the ship, a telegram from Beijing was waiting for him: Tang Shaoyi should be renamed Tang Shaoyi, because the word Yi offended the new emperor. Taboo. Although on the way to the United States, you must obey the etiquette and dress.There is a strict rule in the service system that one cannot shave her hair within a hundred days, and she also cannot shave her beard, so when Tang Shaoyi went ashore, her face was full of thoughts.When I transferred to the transcontinental train and arrived in Washington, the American protocol officials who came to greet me were astonished. The diplomats sent by China looked like flying capes, with green cloth and old robes. Why were they so embarrassed?Tang Shaoyi looked at herself in the mirror, and felt that she had never seen such a bad luck! Unfortunately, on the day he arrived, Japan and the United States exchanged notes, declaring that they would maintain China's independence, preserve China's territory, equal opportunities, and maintain the status quo.These last two points negate the possibility of the United States lending money to China and taking back the railways in the three eastern provinces. At the same time, because of the changes in the political situation in China, the United States is unwilling to engage in any further negotiations.However, Tang Shaoyi also met the President of the United States. Yuan Shikai believed that the hope was not lost, and there was still something to do. In Tang Shaoyi, she also felt that it would be embarrassing to return home empty-handed after a long journey, so she really wanted to catch a topic temporarily and reach an agreement, which is more or less an achievement.Therefore, some people suggested that since China and the United States have a proposal for further repairs, the status of the envoys of the two countries should not be raised, and the ministers should be upgraded to ambassadors.Tang Shaoyi thought so, and tried privately with the U.S. government, and got a good response. Tang Shaoyi immediately sent a secret message to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking for instructions. At this time, the funeral has come to an end, and the government is planning to change. A "brain trust group" has appeared around Zaifeng, headed by Zaize, and Zaifeng's younger brother Zaitao is also very happy to speak. At the gathering in the mansion, we talked casually, and slowly the results came to fruition, and we decided to do two major things. One is Zaize's claim that the financial power of the whole country should be controlled by the central government, in other words, it should be fully dispatched by the Du branch.This matter has been going on since the Sino-Japanese War, but none of the governors of the provinces is willing to support it, so the results are not obvious.Zai Ze believes that there were many resistances at the beginning because of the deep-rooted forces of Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, and Liu Kunyi. Even the Empress Dowager Cixi had to pretend to be an important minister with words. , the New Deal should be implemented, the name is justified, and no one would dare to stand up against it. This sounded reasonable, and Zaifeng agreed.However, according to Zaize's plan, to set up the financial departments of each province, we must first formulate a set of clearing methods, and the situation is different in different places, depending on the income and expenditure. A simple set of methods may not be applicable to all.In short, this is a big matter, and we must make a decision before moving, and there is no need to rush. The other was proposed by Zai Tao, and based on the suggestion of Liang Bi, who was a Japanese non-commissioned officer, to train a Imperial Guard Army as the beginning of the right to withdraw troops.Zaifeng's words scratched the itch even more, because when he went to Germany to apologize, the Kaiser told him that if the royal family wants to maintain power, it must first control military power.Zaifeng was deeply impressed by this advice, so when Zaitao mentioned it, he felt deeply in my heart. So Zaifeng told Liangbi to draw up a preliminary plan, and at the beginning of December, he issued an imperial edict: set up a Imperial Guard Army, which would be under the command and dispatch of the regent of Jianguo.He also sent Baylor Zaitao, Yulang, and Tie Liangchong, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, to train the ministers of the Imperial Guard. But as soon as he had a project, Zaifeng had an illusion, thinking that he had a strong army in his hands and was confident, so naturally his voice became louder and he made a decision quickly.On the surface, it is no longer as indecisive as before. However, summoning a military plane to handle affairs does not mean that things will go smoothly because he is more airy than before.When it comes to cleaning up the finances, Yuan Shikai talked a lot about the difficulties of the governor, and when it comes to training the imperial guards, based on his experience, he will have many disappointing words.Therefore, the words "Yuan Shikai should have been killed a long time ago" were heard from time to time in the upper room of Beifu. ※ ※ ※ Tang Shaoyi's telegram was sent to the regent. He didn't understand the difference between a minister and an ambassador, but he didn't ask the Minister of Military Aircraft. He only approved one and sent it to the Ministry of War for investigation. No one understood Zaifeng's intentions as to why he did not hand it over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but to the Ministry of War. Some people said that this meant that he trusted and valued the Ministry of War the most, not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.This is not entirely true, Zaifeng trusts and values ​​the Du branch the most. ※ ※ ※ The military training must be paid first, and the New Deal has nothing to do with money. The duty of the Du branch is even more important, and Zai Ze's power is even greater, and his arrogance is even higher! "Financial management, I have a solution! But, you have to listen to the big brother!" Zai Ze said to Zai Feng: "First, don't let Lao Qing get involved in important matters; second, don't let Zhang Xiangtao come up with random ideas. Li Shaoquan once said that he Serving as an official for decades, it’s still a scholar’s ​​opinion’, that’s right. People say that Li Shaoquan ‘leaves with eyes open’ and Zhang Xiangtao ‘walks with eyes closed’, look, I’ll ‘walk with eyes open!’” "What a big tone!" Zai Tao said with a smile, of course with a bit of sarcasm. Zai Ze looked at everything, but when he met this innocent cousin, he had no choice but to keep silent. "You talk about Zhang Xiangtao's views as a scholar. I think he is willing to tell the truth and has a long-sighted vision. Financial management is nothing more than increasing income and reducing expenditure. We, banner people, receive money and food every month, and do nothing serious all day long. Walking birds and playing Playing with antiques has become useless. So, " Zai Tao said emphatically, "I agree with Zhang Xiangtao's idea of ​​changing the flag system." "Sure enough, it is a good thing that we can find a way out for the bannermen so that the country's money and food will not be wasted." Zaifeng frowned and said, "I'm afraid it won't work!" "Why can't it work?" "We banner people will object!" "As long as the method is good, there will be no objection! This matter must be done, otherwise the Han people will not accept it. They are all the people of the Qing Dynasty, why should the banner people get something for nothing? Fifth brother, you want to be the regent of the country. , you have to show some courage." After speaking, Zai Tao got up and left. "Look, old seven!" Zaifeng smiled wryly. "You have to take care of him!" Zai Ze said with a sullen face, "Lao Qi is too ignorant! He often builds up the ambitions of others and destroys his prestige..." Before he finished speaking, Zai Tao came out and came back in. Seeing Zai Ze's sullen face and not speaking, he retorted bluntly: "You said that I have aspirations for others, that's right! We only blame ourselves for not being up to date. I'd like to ask for advice, Zhang Xiangtao's 'Conference Currency System Talk' Why did you refute him?" Zhang Zhidong had long advocated the recasting of one or two silver coins, and tried it in Hubei four years ago.In the spring of this year, a post was formally drawn up, and the judge was invited to play, advocating the casting of four silver coins of one tael, five coins, one coin, and five cents.The first two are called main coins, and the latter two are called auxiliary coins.After the discussion, the Jiaodu branch listed various reasons for the inconvenience and denied Zhang Zhidong's claim.At this time, Zai Tao brought up the old matter again, and he didn't know what his intention was, so Zai Ze stood there in a daze, unable to answer. "Big brother probably doesn't know, then, let me tell you, one tael of silver coins is minted, and one tael is one tael. There is nothing to say. If the silver coins of seven cents and two cents are still minted, the provinces will pay the capital to the Ministry." ', 'Complementary color', equivalent to two silver calculations, can make a lot of benefits. Otherwise, where does your "food silver" come from? In fact, the "food silver" is limited, and the people below you make troubles from it, and earn more money than you The income is more than ten times more. Just for my own benefit, I have to strike down a very good reform, and even send a lot of people! I refuse to accept this!" After finishing speaking, Zai Tao came out again, and Zai Ze was so angry that he sat there, unable to move for a long time. "Forget it, forget it!" Zai Feng persuaded: "Kid, ignore him." "Where is the child?" Zai Ze yelled, straightening his neck: "Speaking so aggressively, it's not enough to accomplish anything, and it's more than a failure. Let me say something here first. According to this, if you want to build a new house in Xiyuan, I don't have it." Fa'er is raising money for you!" It turns out that the court discussed the etiquette of the regent, and there have been results. There are 16 items in the general list, and they are scored: "Reporting to the temple, edicts, titles, ceremonies on behalf of ceremonies, military aircraft, classics, frequency of court meetings, seats at court meetings, signatures on seals, and styles of documents. , Acting on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, diplomacy, public service and security, expenditure of funds, mansion, restoration of government", submitted to the Empress Dowager for imperial review, and handled as discussed.The Prince Regent's residence was stipulated to be built in Jilingyuan, west of Zhonghai. In the Ming Dynasty, this place was a place where palace people raised silkworms. There is also a Yunji Temple with looms inside. It was abandoned in the Qing Dynasty for a long time.This area is very large, and it is between the forbidden garden and the folk houses. It is quite suitable to be built as the Prince Regent's Mansion. It has been renamed Jilingyuan, and the drawing has already started. The one who is most interested in building this new mansion is not the regent Fujin, but Belle Zaixun, who was also crowned the county king at the same time as Zaitao. There are two reasons for this. First, the Prince Regent moved into the new mansion, and the "Northern Mansion" naturally belonged to his younger brother, and Zai Xun was older than Zaitao, so he took priority; Zai Xun is the manager.The cost of the project is at least five or six million silver.Conventionally, only 20% of the "big workers" came to work, and the remaining 80% were profited from the princes and ministers who were estimated to oversee the work to Su La in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.If it is beneficial for Zai Xun to preside over this project, he will naturally raise a large share, and it is not surprising that he will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. For this reason, Zai Xun approached Zai Ze twice in three days and asked him to try to raise funds.Zai Ze was half in trouble, half in trouble, so far no definite answer.However, things always have to be done, so you might as well use this as a threat at this time.Zai Feng had to say a few good words to accompany him, promised to clean up the finances, all according to his idea, and promised to warn Zai Tao not to speak rashly in the future.Zai Ze finally calmed down, and promised to try his best to raise funds for the construction of the mansion. ※ ※ ※ The cost of building the Prince Regent's new residence has been estimated by a large wood factory named Xiangyuan, which has contacts with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the total is more than 5.5 million silver. "Lao Liu, I'm afraid it won't work!" Yikuang said to Zai Xun, "The amount is too large, let alone whether it can be raised. Nowadays, everything is saved, and there is Huanghuang's decree. Everything should be kept simple, but the regent Spend more than five million silver to build a new house, I'm afraid the news paper will not have good things to say. "The price is expensive, five and a half million is not too much!" Zai Xun said again: "At the beginning, it cost tens of millions to build the Summer Palace, but now it is only a few million to build a new mansion for the emperor's biological father, can it be considered too much?" "The beginning was the beginning, and the present is the present. They cannot be discussed together." Yikuang asked: "What does the branch say?" "Duzhibu" was used as Zaize's pronoun, so Zai Xun replied by using the word "he", "He said that as long as the military plane agrees, he can think of a way." Yikuang thought to himself, it was Zai Ze who was in trouble, since he had already agreed, why should he be a villain?After thinking for a while, he said quietly: "Lao Liu, let me teach you a way. To build a mansion, some people gossip about spending too much money. It doesn't matter if you spend more on the mausoleum. Why don't you come up with a trick?" Zai Xun suddenly realized, and bowed to Yi Qiang with a smile all over his face: "Uncle Qing, I'm convinced! No wonder you say Jiang is old and spicy, it's really good!" So the two cases were merged into one case, but one was clear and the other was dark. It was clear that the Chongling Mausoleum was being built, and Zai Xun, Pu Lun, Zai Ze, and Lu Chuanlin were specially sent to undertake the repair, and Prince Qing Yikuang would handle all matters together. " With this edict, Chen Bi, Minister of the Ministry of Post and Communications, felt very uncomfortable.Pu Lun and him were sent to inspect the mausoleum at the beginning, but now Pu Lun still has a role as the minister of construction of the mausoleum, but he has replaced Lu Chuanlin!The merits and demerits deserved by the points are lost for no reason, not to mention the fact that the real benefits are taken away, and it is not good-looking. Therefore, when the mausoleum minister asked for 12 million taels of money to build the Chongling Mausoleum, Chen Bi openly stated in the court room: "If I come to host it, at most seven million taels of silver, it can be repaired very well!" When these words came to Zai Xun's ears, he was very angry, and also a little anxious, because the method of using the funds from the mausoleum to build the Prince Regent's Palace was hidden from the Empress Dowager Longyu.Now let Chen Bi say this, if the Empress Dowager Longyu asks why there is such a large false account, it is very likely that the truth will be revealed, and the matter will be very troublesome. For this reason, Zai Xun and Zai Ze secretly negotiated, not to go to Chen Bi, which would cause a lot of trouble, and Chen Bi is quite close to Yuan Shikai, so he is also close to Yi Kuang.Succession cannot be relied on, Zhang Zhidong's intention is unclear, and he has nothing to do with military aircraft, so he has to find another way. So Zai Ze thought of Xiao Dezhang, and asked him to go forward behind Long Yutai, and said, "Master Ze said: Lord Long Live has suffered all his life, and now Chen Bi still treats him harshly. The Du branch has prepared money for Dagong. Just because of Chen Bi's words, everyone should avoid suspicion, and no one dares to take responsibility." Zaize is the brother-in-law of Empress Dowager Longyu, and his words have always been taken seriously.And Empress Dowager Longyu's righteousness to Emperor Daxing's husband and wife was to repay him. With such preconceived words, she naturally hated Chen Bi, and once mentioned to the regent: Chen Bi is not a good person! According to the rumors, the activities of overthrowing Yuan are quite turbulent.Su Wang Shanqi was exploited by Kang Liang, and although he often attacked Yuan, it was Shangshu of the Ministry of the Army who secretly defeated Yuan most. One was to seize military power, and the other was to join the army, so he designed a very vicious move. In fact, in order to set up the imperial guards, the regent Zaifeng often summoned Tie Liang alone.When talking about Yuan Shikai's character during Beiyang military training, Tie Liang thought that the time was ripe, and he could make a secret statement with a set of words that he had thought up in advance. "The public opinion outside mostly doesn't take Yuan Shikai seriously. There is a very bizarre rumor. I wonder if the Regent has heard it?" "What rumors?" Zaifeng asked, "There have always been many rumors about Yuan Shikai." "This rumor is about the Prince Regent! Yuan Shikai has done a lot to talk about the Prince Regent's supervision of the country, and Tie Liang can't bear to say what the Prince Regent is like with Yuan Shikai." Zaifeng's face changed suddenly: "How can there be such rumors?" He asked: "What about me and Yuan Shikai?" "The Regents don't have to ask..." "No!" Zaifeng said stubbornly, "I have to ask." "Say..." Tie Liang pretended to be helpless: "Say that Yuan Shikai persuaded him to change his title to Emperor Taishang, and he will train the government until the emperor reaches adulthood. In the future, the regent will be a prime minister in the cabinet to reward Yuan's support. achievement." "Who made the rumor!" Zaifeng turned pale with anger, "I have to investigate thoroughly." "Tie Liang was thinking that this rumor was definitely not made by Yuan Shikai, but a good-for-nothing person who thought that Yuan Shikai's deep-rooted influence in Beiyang could influence the court situation, so he created such a ridiculous rumor, claiming to be well-informed, saying It might be to use this to show off, and it is unknown. The regent may wish to investigate secretly, but from Tie Liang's point of view, I am afraid there will be no results." "how?" "No one dares to admit the rumors that are spread in secret. For example, if the regent wanted to ask about Tie Liang, he would not dare to admit it. Why? After admitting it, if you want to ask one more question, since you heard the rumor, why didn't you announce it earlier? Tie Liang has nothing to answer, so it's the easiest way to be clean." "According to what you said, let such absurd rumors spread everywhere?" "Of course there is a way." "Tell me about it." "Tie Liang can't say that! As a minister of the same court, if someone misunderstands Tie Liang and slanders the same official, Tie Liang can't bear the reputation." "It doesn't matter, you talk and I listen, no third person knows!" Tie Liang hesitated for a long time, then stood up from the low stool he was given to sit on, asked for peace and said: Tie Liang really can't say it, please forgive me.Tie Liang was thinking, the so-called "wind comes from an empty hole", if the hole in the board wall is covered with mulberry paper, will the wind not get in? " Zaifeng thought about his analogy for a while before he understood, nodded and said, "Okay! Take your time, anyway, sooner or later the hole will be patched up." ※ ※ ※ In order to clean up the financial regulations, Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai were in a bad mood.According to the original plan drawn up by the Illuminati Branch, each province will set up a clean-up finance bureau, with the feudal secretary or the newly established Duzhi Division as the general office, and two supervisors from the ministry to supervise the clean-up, and divide the budget and final accounts into three cases. It used to be an old case, it became a new case from the third year of Xuantong, and it was the current case from the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu to the second year of Xuantong.Both Zhang and Yuan agreed that new cases and current cases should be handled in accordance with the new chapter. What they objected to was such a regulation: "If the old cases of each province have not been reported to the Ministry over the years, a list will be made every year, and the case will be closed." This is to settle the old accounts of the provinces.Zhang Zhidong spent 20 years in Hubei, spending money like sand. At that time, the governor had the title of "Tu Qian", which was also called "Tu Guan" by Cen Chunxuan.Among them, withholding and embezzling public funds without authorization, I don't know how much, this old account can't be settled. As for Yuan Shikai's old account, if it is to be settled, it will be even more serious!It turns out that Beiyang's income and expenditure accounts are like the accounts of the former household department's "Northern House" operating the national income and expenditure. There is no way to liquidate them, only deep taboos.As early as Li Hongzhang took over as the direct governor and Beiyang minister and set up the Huai army's money collection and disbursement office, it was a bad debt.It is said that when Li Hongzhang handed over the money, he accumulated millions of taels of income and expenditure. After Yuan Shikai took over, he used this stock to make friends with the imperial court, court dignitaries, and celebrities.It is also said that when Tianjin was taken over, the foreigners also handed over millions of public funds, which were also squandered by Yuan Shikai.When Yang Shixiang took Yuan Shikai's hand, the public funds in the Ministry's records were short of as much as seven or eight million, and there were no records, let alone how many, how could it be cleared? For this reason, both Zhang and Yuan were opposed to clearing up the old case. Yikuang also spent a lot of Beiyang's money, so of course he was on Yuan Shikai's side.Zai Feng has no prejudices, but Zai Ze uses it as a threat. If he does not do this, he will not be able to raise 12 million mausoleum funds at present, and in the future, he will not be able to guarantee that he will have enough money to train the imperial guards. the grain rate. In desperation, Zai Feng had no choice but to order Zai Ze to discuss with the Minister of Military Aircraft. Zai Ze came here with confidence, and went straight in. In addition to bowing to Yikuang, he sat on the throne as the Lord of the Town, and said, "It is imperative to clean up the finances! The income and expenditure of each province , if it is still the same as before, it is a mess, and the New Deal and constitution are all nonsense!" Zhang Zhidong had met Prince Gongzhong and Prince Chunxian before, and he was an out-and-out prince, and he didn't have such an arrogant look, so he asked seriously: "Ze Gong, this dynasty ruled the world with martial arts, Qianlong's top ten martial arts , nothing existed in ancient times, the military affairs system at that time, Zegong naturally knew it well?" How did Zai Ze understand?I also don't know what is Zhang Zhidong's intention in asking this question?He couldn't help being a little more cautious: "Of course, you people who came from the Imperial Academy know the history of Chaozhang and the country better than anyone else," he said. "Yes!" Zhang Zhidong said: "Before Daoguang, whenever there was a big conquest, the emperor told the temple and ordered the general to leave the army. The troops and horses did not move, and the grain and grass went first. During the Yongqian period, the Minister of the Ministry of Households was often appointed to handle the grain platform, and all military supplies were dispatched. After arriving in Xianfeng, the situation was different. In addition to raising his own salary, the general had to pay the Beijing salary. Therefore, when Mu Zong came to the throne, he named it "Tongzhi" to show that the whole world is united and achieves governance together. At that time, the palace was closed, and the virtuous king was in charge of the country. He issued a special edict, entrusting Zeng Wenzheng with the task of his heart, in charge of the military affairs of the five provinces. This is the key to suppressing the chaos. " Zai Ze heard the reason, and replied calmly: "Although the imperial court is not controlled remotely, the governor must be restrained. Besides, the times are different. If there is a disturbance, the governor can of course act expediently. When the disturbance subsides, how to do things?" Can you not follow the rules?" "This is where the difficulty lies! There are turmoil, and you just want the turmoil to subside, and you can make do with everything. Once the turmoil is settled, you have to settle the old score according to the rules, so how can you do that?" Zhang Zhidong slightly raised his voice and said, " Since Hong Yang was leveled, and Wo Wenrui asked, all military expenditures since the rise of the army will be exempted from reimbursement. This is an old-fashioned scheme for the country! If this is not the case, there will be turmoil in the world, and there will be no quiet situation for many years to come." "One moment, another moment!" Zai Ze looked at Yuan Shikai and said, "Wo Genfeng is a scholar who reads books and reasoned, and I do things practically." This remark is a satire on Yuan Shikai, and it is also a provocation, because Yuan Shikai said: "Zhang Zhongtang is a scholar, and I am a businessman." But Zhang Zhidong thinks that he is "managed by eight appearances", and he is a talent in the world, and he hates what others say the most. He is a "scholar".Yuan Shikai found it easy to bear sarcasm, but difficult to provoke. Zai Ze said this in front of Zhang Zhidong, with vicious intentions, so he couldn't help but get angry, and decided to retaliate with him. "That's right! At this time, at that time!" He blurted out: "I think that in Gengzi's year, the princes of Gungun were walking with their retinues; King Qing and Li Jue were in a dangerous situation, dealing with foreigners painstakingly; Zhongtang and Liu Zhongcheng worked together to maintain the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and protect the southeast; Bucai was in Shandong, on the one hand defending against boxers, and on the other hand supporting Gyeonggi. At this time, the barbarian situation was unpredictable, and the timing was changing rapidly. I just hope someone has money to use, where Why don't you think about reporting to the Ministry first, and you want to report to the Ministry, and you don't know where the Ministry is? Now, if you want to clear up the old case, why don't you first ask the Regent to make an edict, and take the governors at that time, and all of them will be dismissed for investigation!" "This is also strange!" Zai Ze said with a downcast face, "Yuan Weiting, why are you so frustrated? Could it be that how much money you spent in Beiyang, the court can't even ask?" "Yes, it's best not to ask!" Yuan Shikai replied coldly: "Zegong also used Beiyang's money!" One sentence blocked Zai Ze's face to turn green and white for a while.When Zai Ze went abroad for inspection, he passed through Tianjin, and Yuan Shikai sent generous Cheng Yi, and the filial piety during the New Year and festivals was also in the tens of thousands. "Take others' hands softly, eat others' mouths softly", Zai Ze can't be tough anymore. "Okay, okay, why bother?" Shixu hurried out to smooth things over: "It's all for business, why should it be so, please think about it in the long run!" "Hmph!" Zai Ze sneered, "This business can't be discussed anymore!" After finishing speaking, he got up and left, even ignoring Yi Kuang. "Ze Gong, Ze Gong!" Shi Xu chased him out to persuade him, Zai Ze strode forward, and stopped when he reached the inner right door. "You tell Yuan Weiting," he said through gritted teeth, "There is him without me!"