Lian Xing, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, also lost all his good-guy mask today. He stopped smiling and pointed at the little eunuch who knocked over the box and cage and killed him.
Two guards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs rushed forward and dragged the thin little eunuch like a dog to death. The poor guy kept begging for mercy but no one paid any attention to him.
"Master, please spare my life, Master, please spare my life... Please save my slave's life..."
But no one wanted to pay attention to him anymore. Even Weng Tonghe, Feng Fu and other high-ranking officials could not care about it at the moment. Everyone was focusing all their energy on the guard of honor.
Emperor Tongzhi returned home early, but the honor guard did not come to Shanghai to pick him up. This is a capital crime!
Now we have to hurry and pull the team to greet the emperor before he arrives in Shanghai!
Everyone just glanced at the little eunuch without saying anything and continued to do their work. But at this moment, a team of fast horses came over from a distance, protecting a sedan chair.
The person leading the way in front of the sedan was actually Peng Yulin, Minister of the Ministry of War, and an old voice inside the sedan said, "Is Donghua Gate coming soon?"
"Yes, Marshal, the Donghua Gate is ahead... We are passing by the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The old man and the others, as well as Lian Xing of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, are moving things and getting ready to set off?"
The dignified Minister of the Ministry of War spoke with a low eyebrow, so it was not difficult to guess the identity of the person in the sedan. It was Zeng Guofan who stayed in the capital to balance the political situation and became a hostage of the Hunan Army!
"Ahem...why did I just hear that we are going to kill people? It's a good day to welcome the long live Lord. It's not good to kill people..."
"Hey..." Peng Yulin responded on the horse, and then the horse rushed forward and shouted, "On a good day to pick up the driver, there should be no sinister aggression, no bloodshed... let this eunuch go!"
"Who..." Lian Xing turned around and wanted to curse, but when he saw it was the Minister of the Ministry of War and the familiar sedan chair, his expression suddenly changed and he became flattering.
"Ouch... Master Peng! The commander-in-chief also wants to enter the palace? Come on, come on, it's all up to you... Come on, let that puppy go! This kid is really lucky..."
The little eunuch who overturned the box cage knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the sedan, his forehead bleeding from the impact. "Thank you for saving me, Your Majesty, Lord Wandai... Lord Wandai..."
Zeng Guofan came in person, and Weng Tonghe and the others had to come forward. The old man led a group of Qingliu officials from the Ministry of Rites and went around to salute, "Greetings to the commander-in-chief!"
Cough, cough, cough... There was a cough in the sedan, and then the guard, the old farmer, opened the curtain to reveal the old Zeng Guofan: "I am not feeling well, so I won't get off the sedan..."
"It should be, it should be, Commander, take care of your body and bones!"
It was only the end of summer, and Weng Tonghe had already seen the white fox fur cushion under Zeng Guofan's buttocks, which showed how weak the commander was now.
Zeng Guofan reached out and called to Weng Tonghe, "Don't be impatient. I have made arrangements in advance. There is an American steamship waiting for you at Dagukou... You will have enough time!"
"It won't matter even if it's a day or two late. His Majesty has traveled around the world and his horizons must have been broadened. He won't blame you for this..."
"Calm down, be sure to calm down..."
After giving a few instructions, Zeng Guofan slowly walked towards Donghua Gate under the escort of Peng Yulin. Logically speaking, Donghua Gate was not a gate that ministers should enter and exit, but the imperial court took care of Marshal Zeng.
The Marshal temporarily lives in the east of the city. It is more convenient to take the Donghua Gate. Nowadays, the bureau does not care about any rules. Even the princes of the Eight Banners are doing business with the special zone. Even the prince has done it himself. Who will do it? Care about some door rules!
Weng Tonghe watched the Marshal's team enter the Donghua Gate and prayed silently in his heart, "Commander, please be okay! The court is in chaos right now, and you are the only one who can control the many forces... Before Long Live Lord can truly take charge, You have to live!"
"What are you looking at! Get on with your work... Haven't you heard that the Marshal has arranged an American steamship at Dagukou? They are all coal-fired and can travel against the wind... Hurry up and get on board!"
Leaving aside Weng Tong and the group of people who came to meet him, there are still several real giant Buddhas in the Forbidden City, which are inseparable from the Forty-Nine City. The political situation of the late Qing Dynasty was entirely supported by them.
The empress dowagers of the two palaces are already here, as are Prince Gong, Prince Chun and Prince Chun, the fifth son of Emperor Daoguang. The three sons of Emperor Daoguang are also here.
A group of people gathered in the East Nuan Pavilion of the Yangxin Hall, drinking cup after cup of tea, anxiously waiting for Zeng Guofan's arrival. After a while, the little eunuch outside the door quickly ran in and knelt down to reply, "Queen Mother, Prince, Marshal Zeng has already entered Donghua Gate, and the sedan has been carried over..."
"Please... please come in quickly!" Cixi was the first to speak.
During this period, Cixi was as restless as an ant on a hot pot. Ever since the news of Emperor Tongzhi's return from Europe came back, Cixi people had gone crazy in the past few months.
Sometimes he was crying, sometimes he was laughing, and everyone was hysterical!
Everyone knows that when the Jingshan Palace changed, Cixi lost most of her power and was completely at a disadvantage in the political struggle.
If her son hadn't been the emperor, she might not have been able to save her life. Right now, her son was everything to her and was her biggest reliance on regaining her rights.
Who here doesn't know Cixi's little thoughts, and everyone didn't say anything after seeing through it. Even the three princes stood up and said, "Zeng Shuai is not feeling well and we have to trouble him to enter the palace. We have to welcome him..."
After saying this, the three princes walked out of the Yangxin Hall and stood at the door waiting for Zeng Guofan's sedan!
Zeng Guofan was a privileged commander who rode in a sedan in the Forbidden City. No one could fault him when he came to Yangxin Hall in a sedan. After a while, he saw Peng Yulin and a group of eunuchs walking over quickly, holding the sedan.
"Get off the sedan, get down soon... I'm so embarrassed. How can I let the three princes come to greet me in person?"
After all, it was Yi Pei, the fifth master of the capital who was known as the King of Chivalry, who was the most benevolent. He actually ran a few steps quickly, grabbed Zeng Guofan's hand and said with concern, "Why has the commander lost weight again... I gave him a few Aren’t eunuchs and maids easy to handle?”
"Ouch...Prince Chun really upsets me. They serve me well...It's hard for me to lose weight with old age!"
All of them were pillars in the political situation of the late Qing Dynasty. Although they all had their own thoughts, they walked into the Hall of Cultivation of the Heart hand in hand with each other in harmony.
Zeng Guofan still wanted to salute after entering the Hall of Cultivation of the Heart. How could the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces make him kneel down? "No, no... you have a weak body, please bring the armchair over here..."
"You are the sea-suppressing needle of the Qing Dynasty! You will feel at ease in the Aijia..."
Zeng Guofan has indeed reached the point where his fuel is exhausted. Others don't know him, but Xiao Letian knows very well that 1872, next year, will be Zeng Guofan's deadline in history.
But in this parallel universe, no one can say whether Zeng Guofan can break through this barrier, but Xiao Letian knows that the power of historical inertia is still very powerful.
Even Xiao Letian knew that before Zeng Guofan dealt with government affairs, he would definitely need a small amount of opium to calm his mind, and he would also need the old peasant guard to use his internal strength to help clear his blood.
In this way, Zeng Guofan could only persist in working for thirty or forty minutes, and then he would take a break!
How many times did Ninth Marshal Zeng Guoquan and others persuade him to retire and go back to his hometown to have a good rest, but the Marshal refused them all!
"I will never leave until His Majesty takes charge, and I will not die!"
