Yang Zhi felt like he was in a dream today. Ever since he came out of the barracks in Xishan and followed Prince Gong's guards into the city, his heart had been boiling.
He had been to Beijing once before, and that was when Xiao Letian was writing a book in the capital. At that time, Xiao Letian didn't have the prestige he has now, so naturally his younger brother didn't have much luck.
At that time, in his spare time, Yang Zhi's favorite thing was to visit the small alleys in Tianqiao, Dashilan and Sijiucheng. He couldn't afford to eat in big restaurants, but the affordable Ershi Shop cost him his monthly salary. With wages, it’s okay to eat more than a dozen times.
But Yang Zhi’s favorite places to go are the Sheep Market and Beef Bay on Xidan Archway Street. It’s so delicious to have a meal of Zhizi barbecue there with half a pound of Shaoguo wine.
After drinking and eating, he walked along West Chang'an Street. Do you think he was really digesting food? Wrong, he was actually standing here just wanting to take a look at the scenery of the Forbidden City.
There were no high-rise buildings in the Qing Dynasty, and the royal rule was that private houses could not be higher than the Hall of Supreme Harmony, so the Forbidden City was definitely the tallest and most magnificent building in Sijiu City. Looking east from the Xidan Street entrance, you can see the majestic Forbidden City. Southwest corner tower and ramparts.
While walking forward, passing Shuangta Temple, Liubukou, and Huiziying, people can even see javelin-like soldiers on the city wall, and various flags of various colors ringing, and the royal majesty is coming towards them.
However, when he walked to the General Affairs Department and saw the three gates in front of West Chang'an Gate, Yang Zhi had to stop, because it was already a forbidden area for the common people, and no one dared to wander in front of Tiananmen without any trouble.
It was at that time that a very secret seed was planted in Yang Zhi's heart. Everything in the first half of his life was overturned. He felt that the first half of his life was a farce.
Born into a poor family, he rebelled with the King of Heaven and his companions. Before he could enjoy the blessings after breaking the city of Nanjing, he was selected by the Northern Expeditionary Army. They fought all the way north until they were completely defeated in Tianjin.
Then there was the bandit life in the Taihang Mountains. Although he had no worries about food and drink, he had never seen real wealth.
It wasn't until he came to Beijing and saw what real princes and ministers were, what a prosperous city was, and what the majesty of the imperial authority was that he realized that the heaven created by the king back then was actually a joke.
The Manchus inherited many palace legacies from the previous Ming Dynasty. How could the royal culture and capital scene in Beijing accumulated during the Ming and Qing dynasties be compared to the dilapidated palace of the Heavenly King in Nanjing?
High-ranking officials and dignitaries were walking on the street in a showy manner in eight-carriage sedans. The domestic servants and guards were eager to clean the streets in advance. The red-belted men riding tall horses looked unruly, racing around, fighting eagles, and looking for flowers and willows. They didn't have to do any work in their lives, and they were born to be rich and noble.
Teahouses, wine shops, theaters...the wealthy businessmen and dandies who held the corner of the table were offering silver coins and coins, and they were being thrown onto the field like rain. Even the prostitutes fighting for a brothel fan in the eight alleys made Yang Zhi greedy.
This is life! I have been alive for the past half of my life. I have worked hard for the damn Hong Xiuquan all my life. In the end, I got nothing good. I also got the reputation of a traitor. What do I want?
Doubt caused him to enter a psychological spiral of self-denial, and the old values collapsed. At that moment, Xiao Letian's Western learning and his dreams did not really fill the gap in Yang Zhi's mind. At that moment, the level of thousands of years Social welfare made a comeback, once again controlling Yang Zhi's confused heart.
Later in Ryukyu, Yang Zhi gradually became rich. Why he had so many concubines and why he tried so hard to enjoy it was actually closely related to this period.
In Yang Zhi's ideal, I have the power to follow the dragon. I have been working with you Xiao Letian with my head in my hand until now. It's time to reward me based on my merits, right? What are you working so hard to figure out now?
However, the reality disappointed him. Not only did Xiao Letian not reward people according to their merits, he even refused to replace him as King Shotai of Ryukyu. How many seats can the prime minister of a small vassal state provide to his subordinates?
What's more, Xiao Letian's Western learning has always instilled a spirit of equality and fraternity, which made Yang Zhi very disgusted. He also has his own reasons. Why is everyone equal?
We risk our lives with our heads in our hands, and then so many brothers die, and everyone is covered in injuries. In the end, you just say that everyone is equal and that's it? Can those ordinary people who have no strength to exert any effort, those prisoners who surrendered in defeat, easily share the dividends that we worked so hard to win?
Am I short-sighted? We have sacrificed our lives and blood to conquer the country. Will these rights be freely distributed to others? Don't you, Xiao Letian, simply advocate getting something for nothing? Once this trend becomes popular, who will contribute in the future? If you die, your death will be in vain, if you are injured, it will be in vain. Just give me a small amount of money and let it go?
Damn it, I won’t serve you anymore!
Just when Yang Zhi was thinking wildly, he suddenly heard a snap in his ear, "You slave! How dare you not answer Lafayette's question?"
Yang Zhi trembled with fright and immediately fell from the embroidered pier to the ground. He knelt down on the ground and said, "Old Buddha, Prince, please calm down. This is my first time to enter the palace. The majesty here is too great. I am shocked to the core." Trembling, I lost my composure for a moment, I lost my composure!”
Maybe it was because Yang Zhi's trembling look made people feel inexplicably happy, or maybe it was because he was in a good mood after seeing the new money. Cixi was really not angry, but asked meaningfully, "Is the palace so majestic? You You are also the same old man as Xiao Letian. You should have seen a lot of the world overseas, why are you making such a fuss?"
"Tell the Ai family, what do you think of Xiao Letian? And what do you think of our country? To be honest, the Ai family don't want to listen to clichés..."
Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared. Yang Zhi is greedy for money and lust, but he is not stupid. He knows that a huge opportunity is already in front of him. If he seizes it, he may be able to rise to the top. If he fails to seize it, he may not be able to do it for the rest of his life. It's just a matter of looking at the printing press.
Thinking of this, Yang Zhi's heart trembled, and he said secretly, "If you don't do it for yourself, heaven and earth will destroy you. Xiao Letian, Xiao Letian, if you want to be a saint, you can become one. I don't want to, I want to be a master, and making slaves and maids is my dream." …”
Yang Zhi fiercely kowtowed and said loudly, "Old Buddha, all princes... With my servant's knowledge, Xiao Letian will undoubtedly be defeated, and the country will win!"
"Oh? What you said is enough. You have to tell us a truth. If the truth can convince us, your reward will naturally be indispensable. If you can't say anything...be careful, it will be a sin of lying. !”
Yang Zhi gritted his molar teeth and said, "Empress Dowager Mingjian, I put my words here. If Xiao Letian continues to act like this, there will be more and more defectors like me in Ryukyu, and our Qing Dynasty is waiting to welcome them." Talent!"
