To the north of the Forbidden City, on Jingshan Mountain, in the Qiwang Tower, Empress Dowager Ci'an stood in front of the window and looked at the Forbidden City, which was covered in rain and fog. The heavy red walls and yellow tiles could not hide the murderous aura of all the forces strangled together.
"What a rich and prosperous place, but it seems to be lifeless. The Ai family never wants to live back in this life. The Ai family must leave here..."
Ci'an said this for Fuqing to hear. Ever since that unexpected physical contact, the twenty-nine-year-old had felt an inexplicable emotion in her heart.
Ci'an kept reminding himself to be rational, but once the river of desire overflows, it cannot be suppressed by reason. This time Ci'an was uncharacteristically tough and changed the image of a good old man in the past, which is somewhat related to this unbalanced mentality. relation.
Third Master Qing is not a fool. He was once married. Unfortunately, his wife was frail and sick and passed away after being with him for four years. Third Master Qing had a very good relationship with his wife. After his wife died, he was always discouraged in his pursuit of becoming an official. He A major life event has been delayed like this.
Men who value friendship are very sensitive, and they can detect the strange looks a woman gives him. To be honest, he has already seen what Ci'an thinks about him.
Some people say that the palace management of the feudal dynasty is very strict, but that is actually all nonsense. The Manchus themselves have a proverb, "Dirty Tang, smelly cold, clear nose," which means that the inside of the dynasty is actually extremely dirty.
It is no longer uncommon for someone to steal a sister-in-law or a brother's wife. It is also common for concubines to be exchanged for naked parties. It is even more common for father-in-law to pick up ashes with his daughter-in-law.
Including the palace officials, Cixi had an affair with her brother-in-law and played lewd games with the eunuchs, which could not be hidden from the eyes of the Manchu people. Ci'an was already clean and self-respecting, and there really were no scandals about Ci'an in Sijiu City.
To be honest, Third Master is really a little tempted, but he is a responsible man. He knows that a woman like Ci'an who has never had any troubles will devote herself wholeheartedly to it once she is in love. A woman who is carried away by love is Irrational.
The environment that Ci'an was in was so dangerous. It could be said that there were enemies on all sides. If she was not careful, she would end up being shattered to pieces. In real history, her death was a major mystery in the late Qing Dynasty.
Qing Sanye doesn't want Ci'an to lose his mind. He wants Ci'an to be safe. But once he has a relationship with her, Ci'an will definitely be in chaos.
"Don't worry, Queen Mother. I firmly believe that Xiao Letian will win. As long as he leads troops to Beijing, they can agree to the Queen Mother's conditions even if they don't agree..." Third Master said respectfully.
"Haha, then Xiao Letian really won't rebel." Ci'an said to Fu Qing with a smile.
"No, I'm absolutely sure... I even know that Xiao Letian doesn't even want an official position in the imperial court. The Queen Mother doesn't understand this man. He always gives people the feeling of being apart from all living things..."
"How to describe it, he sees the world with his divine eyes... He seems to have seen through everything, and everyone's changes are under his control..."
"Why did he ask Zhou Mingkui to appease local officials in Tanggu instead of asking his officers to accept local administration? This shows that he never meant to separate Tanggu... If my guess is correct, Xiao Letian should be asking for help from Tanggu." Lease from the imperial court..."
Ci'an was silent for a while and asked with a little worry, "I don't know what the situation is like now. There are 18,000 banner troops plus more than 3,000 Huai troops, and there are so many war horses... Can Xiao Letian win?"
Master Qing's brows were twisted into knots, and he clenched his fists tightly. "Yes, he will definitely win. How could he fail if he can defeat the powerful Europa army?"
Just as he was talking, there was a sudden commotion under Jingshan Mountain. People didn't know what was going on. They only knew that the crying was shaking the sky and the earth. Ci'an had no intention of chatting anymore and quickly asked Zhou Daoying to go down and inquire.
After a while, Eunuch Zhou ran back, "Queen Mother...it's not good. The Queen Mother and the Emperor are here. They came up the mountain in tears, saying they wanted to apologize to you."
"What, could it be that Xiao Letian has already arrived? It shouldn't be. The outer city is very quiet without the noise of soldiers coming in and out. How could it be like this..."
At this time Er Mao spoke, "No need to guess. I guess Cixi now knows what the New Army is doing in Europe. She has completely given up now... There is no need to bargain this time. Cixi must agree to all your conditions."
Ermao was right. When Cixi led Emperor Tongzhi to Ci'an on foot, she and her son had cried so hard that their faces were stained and their eyes were as swollen as peaches.
The Empress Dowager of the West and the young emperor knelt down in front of Ci'an. "Good luck to the Empress Dowager. My sister apologizes to the Empress Dowager..." Then the little emperor also cried and kowtowed. "The Empress Dowager has apologized to the Empress Dowager. Please calm down..."
Behind Cixi, Andehai and countless eunuchs kowtowed, their foreheads bleeding, "The Queen Mother, please calm down, please calm down..."
Cixi really put her money where her mouth was, and performed this torture trick really well. She knelt on the bluestone in the heavy rain and let the heavy rain pour her down until she was soaked without getting up.
"My sister has been instigated by traitors and falsely slandered. Please calm down... My sister is willing to go to the cold palace. I only ask her to have mercy on our children... The Qing Dynasty cannot be in chaos."
Everyone in Qiwang Tower let out a long sigh in their hearts, "It's a moral kidnapping, and it's bullying the Empress Dowager Ci'an into being soft-hearted. She always uses the overall situation of the court to pressure Ci'an to give in. Honest people are being bullied these days."
"Zhou Daoying...invite the emperor in. If there are any big things that are going to collapse, it will be up to the adults. It's none of the children's business. Don't let the heavy rain make you sick..."
As soon as Ci'an's strange voice reached Cixi's ears, the woman knew that something was wrong. This was not Ci'an's usual style. This palace change had completely changed this sister.
It's no wonder that Ci'an has changed. Anyone who has experienced such a huge change will have some feelings. Ci'an is a good old person, but it doesn't mean that she is a fool.
Although the young emperor Tongzhi was a bit rebellious, he still had to turn to his mother at the critical moment. He stood up and walked into the house. Cixi pinched his back the moment he stood up, which was to remind Tongzhi to say good things quickly.
The young emperor Tongzhi is a very special one among the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. First of all, he is the only son of Xianfeng. With a clean inheritance, no one can fault him. In addition, Tongzhi is very young. He is only ten years old this year, which is a cute age. Well, Ci'an liked him from the bottom of her heart.
"Come on, come on, wipe it clean for the emperor... You are the hope of the Qing Dynasty. How can you get caught in the rain? You are not in charge yet. If the sky falls, it will be us who bear it..."
Tongzhi knelt on the ground and let the eunuch pull him. He couldn't get up. "Empress Dowager, I know that my mother-in-law did something wrong. I only ask the Queen Mother to spare my mother's life. The emperor is willing to share the blame for my mother... The two palaces of the Qing Dynasty Being in power is the legacy left by my father. Why am I called Tongzhi? Doesn’t it mean that the two queen mothers jointly support and govern the government."
The little emperor was heartbroken, "Queen Mother, I know that my mother had the wrong idea, used the wrong brain, and had the idea of fighting for power, but who in the court did not have this idea, but my mother did it more clearly... Some people say "There are only eternal interests, no eternal enemies." After this incident, my mother will never have the intention to compete with the Queen Mother for power..."
"I beg the Queen Mother, for the sake of your son, please give my mother a chance... The Qing court wants peace." After saying this, he kowtowed.
Ci'an was stunned. "Oh, the little emperor is really old. What you said makes sense. I don't know who taught you that. Don't tell me. I guess it was Xiao Letian who said it." .”
Ci'an turned to look at Er Mao, "You told the emperor, right? I don't believe that those Confucian scholars can teach such straightforward principles..."
"Get up. What can the Aijia do? In fact, what the Aijia wants has been told to her a long time ago. Who makes her refuse to let go..."
When Cixi outside the palace heard this, she quickly said, "Sister is really kind and righteous. How dare I refute my sister's words? You are the Queen Mother of the East Palace. Naturally, everything is respected by you. Whatever you say will be whatever it is. I can use it now."
At this time, another group of people came to the foot of Jingshan Mountain. The leader was none other than Prince Gong Yi? He also knew the latest news. When he heard that Xiao Letian had actually won several big victories in Europa, he was frightened. All soft.
It has become a common problem in the late Qing Dynasty that the imperial court was afraid of foreigners. Once I heard that Xiao Letian's new army could defeat even foreigners, and then think about those Eight Banners soldiers who smoked big cigarettes, what chance did they have of winning?
Recalling the information Mailer brought back, Yi?'s intestines turned green with regret. How could such a powerful enemy start a war so hastily? Cixi was really harmful.
"Empress Dowager, my brother is guilty... Please forgive me, Empress Dowager." Yi Xuan knelt down next to Ci Xi, and then began to kowtow, "Queen Mother, Yi Xuan has led people out of the city, and he wants to stop the soldiers who are going out. He went to negotiate with Xiao Letian, our court cannot fight this war blindly..."
Ci'an sneered and said, "Since uncle has a clever idea, let's tell him. The Ai family is all ears."
Yi? Regardless of the Empress Dowager's cynicism, he kowtowed and replied, "Empress Dowager, I estimate that Xiao Letian still has at least two hours to arrive in Beijing. During this time, the court must reach a reconciliation. We cannot let Xiao Letian take advantage of this." "
"We have no objection to your conditions, Queen Mother. There is no problem with Fuqing's promotion, and I have already taken care of his release. As for engaging in foreign affairs, we will work with the Han ministers together. Anyway, we have to satisfy you, Queen Mother..."
"What about Xiao Letian? Hungry Wolf is already near Sijiu City. How are you going to send him away?" Ci'an asked.
"Money... let's give him money. Doesn't Xiao Letian do so much just because he wants money? Let him be tax-free in the special zone and open a semicolon in the mainland. If it doesn't work, the court can still collect 1.8 million taels of cash... He Xiao Letian is in charge of one or two thousand soldiers, and the money is enough to satisfy his appetite..."
Hiss... Ermao took a breath of air when he heard this, and thought to himself, "My godfather is the one who does big business. If you have a gun in your hand, you have nothing to fear. One million cash, give it to your godfather." That’s several ocean-going cargo ships, and then the silver trade volume will increase even more..."
"Maybe this million can be exchanged for an armored ship from Europe. Anyway, Prussia will definitely give godfather a preferential price, so let's do it. Long live godfather."
No one cared about Er Mao's excitement, and everyone present was already quarreling over how to deal with Xiao Letian.
