In the Xinuang Pavilion of Yangxin Hall, which is on the east side of the famous Qianlong Sanxi Hall, a round table has been set up, with a cloisonné copper hot pot in the middle. The silver charcoal inside is burning brightly, and a group of people surrounding the stove are filled with white meat. , blood sausage, prawns, sea cucumbers, deer tendons, venison... The rich dishes are covered with sauerkraut and vermicelli.
The whole room is filled with a strong aroma of meat and sweet aroma. This is the unique way of eating hot pot brought to the Central Plains by the Manchu Dynasty. It is a bit like Jiangnan Wai Lu hot pot, but the ingredients are more domineering than Wai Lu hot pot, and the ingredients are more focused. Game meat has the strong temperament of the Baishan and Heishui people.
Surrounding the cloisonné hot pot are some appetizers. The portions are not large but they are all exquisite. At first glance, they are the specialty of the imperial kitchen, and they are definitely not warm dishes.
The fact that Cixi and Ci'an were able to host a hot pot banquet outside the customs was a very clear signal. Today was a family banquet with not so many formalities, not so many etiquette, and there was a vague intention to bridge the conflict between the two empress dowagers.
Li Lianying and Zhou Daoying were at the table, one holding a wine bottle and the other holding a towel, smiling like two old chrysanthemums. Such a warm and cordial atmosphere was rare in the Forbidden City.
In fact, they both knew very well that this kind of banquet was not in line with etiquette. Although the rules of the Manchu Qing Dynasty were much fewer than those of the previous Ming Dynasty, it was a situation where the widowed sister-in-law and the brother-in-law gathered at the same table to eat, and there was no third party present. It's also not allowed.
But who can control it? The core top management of the Manchus is composed of these four people. As long as they make trouble for others, who else can make trouble for them.
What's more, the two eunuchs in charge of today's family banquet have already issued a hush-hush order, so the outsiders don't want to know the slightest trace of it.
"This is five-year-old Shaoxing wine sent from Jiangnan. Sister Wenbuzao needs to drink a few more glasses...Two uncles, the deer breasts sent by General Heilongjiang outside the customs this year are really good. Try more..."
Cixi toasted and served dishes, and the atmosphere was extremely warm. If everyone present didn't know everyone's details, she would have been deceived by the newcomer.
Prince Chun sighed in his heart, when you forced Ci'an to Jingshan Mountain and almost forced him to hang himself, you were not so kind. Now that the late emperor's secret decree has been burned, you are now confident.
The most basic quality of a politician is to be able to take things he can afford to let go. Only ordinary people will hold grudges for a lifetime. Politicians in the court are mortal enemies today and allies tomorrow. Their interests are greater than the sky, and their personal dignity is nothing.
The sweetness of the Shaoxing wine was not high, but the backlash was still strong. After three or four glasses, the Empress Dowager's face became more and more rosy.
Ci'an drank a few sips of hot soup to suppress the alcohol and said with a smile, "I am still very capable in the Qing Dynasty. Although the years are not going well, there are always people who can turn things around at critical moments. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was in trouble because of a bunch of Hunan troops." , there was a bit of chaos in the northwest, so Zuo Jigao came..."
"When the British and French allied forces came, the Ai family really thought that the country was going to be over, but they didn't expect that in the end, these Westerners took some money and left... and they also provided a lot of mercenaries to help us fight for a long time. Mao, don’t you think this is a blessing given by heaven?”
Cixi clapped her hands and said, "That's right! If I had known that those foreigners had no intention of overthrowing our Qing Dynasty, they just want money. Why should we go to war with them?"
Yi? smiled bitterly and said, "Hey... At that time, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, including the late emperor, were exhausted from internal and external troubles. In addition, Sushun's group kept slandering... As a result, my brother thought in his heart that Foreigners, like Changmao, are here to overthrow our Manchu world!"
"In the end, I suddenly realized when I was talking to some foreigners in Forty-Nine City. From the beginning to the end, what those people wanted was a switch, and they wanted to do business... To put it bluntly, they saw that our Qing Dynasty was too wealthy, and everyone was jealous. !”
"We have to use weapons to solve problems that can be solved with money. It would be strange if we don't suffer losses..."
Cixi nodded, "Fortunately, the difficulty has passed. Although Xiao Letian has appeared, there are still Yang Zhi, Frenchmen, and Russians to restrain him... What does this mean? It means that our Qing Dynasty has not exhausted its strength." ah!"
In today's small meeting, Yang Zhi's revelation put the four people in a good mood. Life is like this sometimes. The root of panic is because you don't understand. Once you understand the routine, no matter how powerful the enemy is, it will not be so scary. .
What's more, Xiao Letian is not that powerful yet, and there are still many forces in this world that can control him.
If you're in a good mood, just drink a few more drinks. Just when the four of them were lamenting how hard it has been in the past few years, there was a sudden sound of footsteps from outside the palace. A young eunuch and an official on duty from the Prime Minister's Yamen were kneeling outside, covered in sweat. sweat.
"To report to the Queen Mother, the Prime Minister's Office has received an urgent call from Jiangnan... a call from Mr. Zeng!"
"Huh? The Marshal has called with a telegram? Didn't there already be a congratulatory telegram to the court years ago?" Everyone's expression changed, and Li Lianying quickly handed over the telegram.
According to the official system of the Qing Dynasty, during the Spring Festival, all yamen across the country would have five days of closed yamen time, which was a legal rest day in the Qing Dynasty, unless they were involved in military lifeline yamen.
However, during the implementation process, people usually rest until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Of course, the court will not trouble the people below because of such a trivial matter, so the Yamen will not run errands at all during the first month.
Before the Spring Festival, Zeng Guofan had already sent a New Year's message to the Emperor, the Queen Mother and the Qing Dynasty. According to common sense, there would be no news before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and today is only the first day of the Lunar New Year!
Ci'an snatched the telegram from Li Lianying and read it at a glance. The expression on her face at the end was extremely unbelievable: "How could this happen? This, this, this... the commander-in-chief is going to Beijing? He asked the imperial court for the governor-general of Zhili. Official position!"
"Ah?" Everyone was stunned. No one expected that Zeng Guofan, who was celebrating the New Year, would receive such a message.
In fact, according to the original historical rules, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army were pacified, Zeng Guofan was quickly transferred to the capital. After he was granted the title of Marquis, the court did not let him go, but directly placed him in the position of Governor of Zhili. .
What's even more interesting is that the Governor-General of Zhili spent most of his time in the capital on errands, and basically stayed at the Governor-General's Yamen in Baoding for only a few days, which shows the Manchu Qing's taboo against Zeng Guofan.
However, the emergence of Xiao Letian changed the situation of the court. With the addition of Xiao Letian, a sudden disruptor, certain thoughts that had been suppressed within the hundreds of thousands of Hunan troops began to stir again.
Needless to say, when Xiao Letian's Lotte Matheson opened in Tanggu, the ninth commander Zeng Guoquan actually came to support it in person. The profound meaning of this already sent chills down the spine of the imperial court.
After thinking about it, the court felt that Zeng Guofan should still control the southern half of the Yangtze River, because he was more mature and prudent. Once the radical elements within the Hunan Army formed an alliance with Xiao Letian, the consequences would be disastrous.
Therefore, Zuo Jigao's Western Expedition was much smoother than the Western Expedition in history, and took away more resources. The purpose of the court was to hope that Zuo Zongtang would take away more elite Hunan troops and make the Hunan Army completely Divided into two parts, northwest and southeast, it is impossible to form a combined force.
