The three main halls of the Forbidden City are the true center of power of the empire. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Zhonghe, and the Hall of Baohe are responsible for almost 70% of the empire's major ceremonies.
As the real little master of the imperial city, Emperor Tongzhi immediately jumped up from the ground excitedly when he heard that the guests wanted to visit and started to circle around while dragging Xiao Letian.
"Over there is the Tiren Pavilion, where poetry competitions were held during the Kangxi period, and now it is where the Ministry of Internal Affairs collects satin wood... Over here is the Hongyi Pavilion, where gold, silver, jade and other tableware managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are stored Here, Ermao is a supervisor here..."
"You know, we usually don't open the door to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. We opened it once when I ascended the throne, and then once every year at the end of the year when the court meeting is held. Sometimes the war is tense and there is no meeting here for the whole year. Open the door...I don't like it here, it's very cold inside..."
"Look here, Zhonghe Hall is my favorite place. The palace is not big and in winter the room is very warm when the charcoal pot is lit... I often learn etiquette here, and Zhou Daoying is always in charge of me. It's so annoying."
"We have arrived at Baohe Hall. Do you know that Weng Tonghe and the others like this place the most? Do you know why? Haha, you can't guess it. This is the location of the palace examination. The last test of the scientific examination is here. Those who are ranked first and second in the exam How can we not love this place?"
"In the distance is the Qianqing Gate, on the left is the Military Aircraft Department inside the Longzong Gate, and behind the Jingyun Gate on the right is the Fengxian Hall... The place where I usually study government affairs is not far from the Military Aircraft Department, right over there. ... Dongnuan Pavilion, Yangxin Palace."
The little emperor was a little incoherent as this was his first time as a tour guide, but he was extremely excited. Human beings are born with the desire to show off, let alone the royal palace of the Forbidden City. If Xiao Letian were the owner here, he would probably have more show off than him.
A ten-year-old child is not too wary. In his eyes, Xiao Letian gave him some unique delicacies and performed a shocking martial arts performance for him, so he could be regarded as a friend. Got along.
Although Xiao Letian's new army defeated his own imperial army, the little emperor was only ten years old after all, and had not seen the cruel battlefield with his own eyes. He did not quite understand what separation between life and death meant, and his hostility towards Xiao Letian was not strong to begin with.
Xiao Letian listened patiently, and the little emperor said excitedly. Behind them were a group of ministers who were full of vigilance. Prince Chun had already entered the palace, and Qingliu led by Weng Tonghe had also entered the palace. Everyone was angry when they saw this incredible scene. Indignation filled with injustice.
How could the emperor be so close to his enemy? All our efforts have been in vain.
However, the new army had already taken over the security around the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Under the threat of foreign guns, none of them dared to protest. They could only follow from a distance, for fear that the little emperor would be lost.
"Your Majesty is such a good host. Let's sit here and rest for a while when the foreign ministers are tired." On the steps to the north of Baohe Hall, you can overlook the scenery of the three back halls. After the Qianqing Gate is the harem, Xiao Letian But he didn't want to give someone a handle, so he still wouldn't go to the place where the female family members lived.
The two of them sat on the cold steps and looked at the densely packed red walls and yellow tiles of the harem. In the distance, Jingshan Mountain and the White Pagoda were also faintly discernible. This scenery was something that most people could not appreciate, especially in this era.
"You don't like it here." Emperor Tongzhi was very sensitive. He found that Xiao Letian did not have the same sense of awe as when he saw the palace for the first time. You must know that many foreigners will be shocked when they enter the palace for the first time.
"No, the foreign minister likes this place very much. After all, it is the capital of two dynasties. The wealth and luxury are beyond my imagination... It's just that the foreign minister has seen more spectacular scenery than this, so he feels a little calm."
"More spectacular." The little emperor couldn't believe his ears.
Xiao Letian became interested. He leaned sideways and put one leg on the steps and said with joy, "It's spectacular. It's really spectacular that words can't describe. I remember that the first time I went to sea, I encountered a super hurricane. The foreign ship was destroyed." The turbulent waves were pushed ten stories high into the air, and then were pushed into the deep sea whirlpool. Even the whales that swallowed the boat did not dare to show their heads, and could only hide in the deep seabed..."
"The Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea are nothing to see, and the water is not clear at all. When the fleet enters the Pacific and South China Sea, you can see the charming sapphire sea surface, sunshine, sea breeze, endless fresh seafood in the trawl, dolphins Jumping and singing along the sides of your ship..."
"In Nanyang, there are countless expatriates and South Asian indigenous monkeys. There is no winter there at all. Rice is harvested three times a year. There is no such thing as drought. You don't have to worry about throwing the seedlings in. You can harvest the food then..."
"Pineapples, bananas, lychees, mangosteens...the sugarcane fields are like forests, and the sugar-pressing workshops are one after another. It is simply the land of sweetness, the kingdom of fruits."
Xiao Letian was like a strange uncle who was about to abduct a child, describing the beauty of the world outside to the ten-year-old Tongzhi. He had a purpose, and his purpose was very clear. He just wanted to abduct the emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
"The ship passed Malacca and entered the Indian Ocean... The emperor is right. It is the country of Tianzhu that Tang Monk visited. There is an island called the Lion Country, also called Sri Lanka. God, that is the country with the highest production of gems in the world. One of the countries where rubies, sapphires, jade and agate are everywhere..."
"Sailboats sail along the Indian mainland, and you can see the vastness of the Ganges Plain. You can even hear the singing and dancing of Indians in the wind... People who believe in Hinduism push the bodies of their dead relatives into the Ganges River and drift into the sea. , Foreign Minister’s ships have hit many..."
"All the way west, we reach the Arabian Peninsula. We used to call it Tianfang. People who believe in Islam settled there...The rolling yellow sand stretches as far as the eye can see. There are Arab warriors wearing turbans in the desert. Their scimitars are extremely sharp. There are countless people in the desert. The ruins of the ancient city, the history there is the same as ours in China, and can be traced back thousands of years."
Emperor Tongzhi was dumbfounded. He was raised in the hands of the lady in the deep palace. He never thought that the world would be so colorful, including giant whales, dolphins, devastating storms, delicacies from all over the world, gem islands, and deserts. The ancient city, the Pyramids and the Sphinx, and the Nile River Civilization are also so attractive.
When Xiao Letian's topic turned to Europe, Emperor Tongzhi was even more shocked. A steampunk world emerged in his mind.
"Your Majesty, do you know that in the Mediterranean, there are more and more steamships that spit out black smoke. The boilers drive the paddle wheels so that the ships can sail against the wind. The ten-story-high cranes at the seaports of various countries can lift tens of thousands of pounds. Lifting heavy objects into the air..."
“The train blows its whistle in the wilderness, and the white smoke billows incessantly. You can feel it in a day or two thousands of miles away... And in those oversized factories, each steel gear is as tall as a person.”
"Europe is not a barbaric land. They also have their own civilization. The exquisite gardens and palaces are breathtakingly beautiful. In the pastoral songs, passionate girls are seducing guests from far away. I am not going to lie to His Majesty, there are many brats in the new army who have been in Europe. "
Temptation, this is the temptation of Chi Guoguo. Emperor Tongzhi is as curious as in real history, and has an unusual interest in women.
Unofficial history says that Emperor Tongzhi often sneaked out of the palace, ran to the Eight Great Alleys and alleys, and finally died. This unofficial legend is not necessarily accurate, but it is indeed a historical fact that Emperor Tongzhi loved to leave the palace incognito.
This is a very curious emperor. He is full of curiosity about all unknowns, and this curiosity can become a desire to forge ahead with a little guidance.
Emperor Tongzhi was very smart, full of curiosity and adventurous spirit. He was originally a British master bestowed by the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty. He could have led the Qing Empire to a different path of progress.
It's a pity that it was destroyed. It was destroyed by the hands of women. A group of women, eunuchs and a group of sluggish old-timers killed a wise seedling alive.
All Xiao Letian has to do today is to pry open His Majesty Tongzhi's new door and stuff a handful of seeds inside to let him know what the outside world is like.
As long as Emperor Tongzhi is poisoned, Xiao Letian may take him out of the Forbidden City and make himself Tongzhi's imperial master. As long as Emperor Tongzhi stays with him for three years and instills Western learning for three years, Xiao Letian will not believe in religion and will not be able to produce a generation of wise kings.
"My dear... everything you said is true. Is the outside world really so wonderful?" Emperor Tongzhi secretly gritted his teeth and stamped his feet and asked, "Tell me, how do foreign emperors and princes live? Are you the same as me?"
There is a way. Xiao Letian immediately became alert, "Your Majesty, I can guarantee with my life that everything I said is true. This world is so big that you can't imagine. The Qing Dynasty is very big, but the world is even bigger." big."
"As for the education of princes in European courts, I actually talked with the Crown Prince of Prussia. European crown princes are different from those of the Qing Dynasty. They attach great importance to civil and military education, which means that the emperor must lead the army himself. Yes, your Majesty does not have to think so. I, the prince of Europe, have direct troops, and I personally lead the troops on horseback to fight..."
"This time in the Austro-Prussian War, I fought alongside His Royal Highness Crown Prince Karl of Prussia. He had no less than 200,000 direct troops... Not only that, the young Crown Prince also had to go on a study tour in Europe. They went to various places They traveled around the country, learned many languages, met countless scholars, and they also continued to inspect the country's colonies."
"There are many colonies that are their own fiefdoms. Prince Carl received a British education since he was a child. Now Prince Carl's son is also receiving an education in the UK. They have manors in various countries, and they have connections with nobles in various countries..."
"Perhaps they will walk in the hills of Northern Ireland in the spring, go to the forests of Norway to escape the heat in the summer, go to the musical capital Vienna to enjoy the opera in the autumn, and go skiing in the Alps in the winter..."
"Skiing, is it a dog pulling a sledge?" Emperor Tongzhi's eyes lit up.
"No, it's a person carrying a sled to the top of a mountain thousands of meters high, and then rushing down at lightning speed. The excitement is simply unimaginable... Your Majesty, you can feel the biting cold wind blowing, the powdery snow It’s cold and biting when hit on the face, and a huge boulder suddenly appears in front of my eyes, what should I do?”
The little emperor suddenly exclaimed, "What should I do?"
"What else can you do? Quickly twist your body and change direction. The moment you leap over the huge rock, all the blood in your body will be excited. It is an extremely exciting and refreshing feeling."
"That's a game for the brave. Your Majesty, don't you want to try it?" Xiao Letian was a deceptive devil at that moment.
