The sky is full of wind and snow, and the New Year atmosphere in the capital is getting more and more full. Starting from the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month, many children have already started setting off firecrackers!
The Manchus like the cold and fear the heat. This is a tradition left over from the time of Baishan and Heishui. Therefore, every winter and New Year, the Forbidden City is bustling with activity.
Especially on this snowy day, everyone from the empress and emperor to the concubines, eunuchs and palace maids like to watch the snow around the stove, eat hot pot and drink some hot wine.
At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, all palaces will begin to decorate with lanterns and colors to prepare for the Spring Festival, and Yangxin Palace is no exception. Da Sixi directs a group of young eunuchs to replace all the red lanterns.
The faded palace gauze lanterns that had been hung for more than half a year were replaced with brand new red tributes. From a distance, they looked so festive!
The palace maids with skillful hands used silk to tie various flowers, and then hung them on dry branches. From a distance, it looked like a whole tree of flowers had bloomed.
Everyone coming and going is in a cheerful mood. The twelfth lunar month and the first lunar month are more particular. All the people serving in the palace are not allowed to lose face and must smile. Otherwise, if the master sees it, he will be beaten!
Logically speaking, the eunuch in charge of Da Sixi and others should know the rules, but today he was in the Yangxin Hall, crouching his neck with his hands clasped in his hands, mumbling and cursing.
The other little eunuchs didn't dare to ask or tell, for fear of getting into trouble and hurry up to work!
"Da Sixi...what are you mumbling about?" A voice sounded from outside the door, Da Sixi said in his heart, who is this? How dare you care about me? As a result, I turned around and immediately smiled.
"Oh... Manager Ermao, you haven't been in the palace for several days, so I'd like to express my regards to you!"
The other little eunuchs who were working saw that it was Chief Ermao who was coming, and they all lay down in the snow and kowtowed. Ermao raised his hands and told them to continue working.
"Aren't you afraid of being seen by His Majesty? Who provoked you again during the Chinese New Year?"
"Hey... Who am I? I have to smile when others give me some courtesy! I'm angry for Your Majesty... In the Xi Nuan Pavilion, the Imperial Master is here again, and he's all complaining. It’s time!”
"Long live the Lord to give him face and resist listening to his nagging, but we can't go on forever? Your Majesty will go to the Chuxiu Palace to compensate the Queen Mother for the snow. Are you so blind?"
"Haha...who are you talking about? An old man, right?"
"But... who else can there be besides him? Go and listen... Why can't I finish reciting the Three-Character Sutra!"
Er Mao walked carefully to the door and listened. Sure enough, Weng Tonghe's words inside were filled with tears!
In the Xinuang Pavilion in the Yangxin Hall, under the plaque "It's hard for the emperor," Emperor Tongzhi is meeting his teacher Weng Tonghe. This old man has been writing for an hour.
At first, Zai Chun tried to save his face and listened attentively, but later he found that he was not finished, so he had no choice but to read the memorial at the same time, then threw an ear to him and let him talk as he pleased!
Zai Chun knew that nothing good had happened to the Qingliu people this year. Their objections had been dismissed, the Great Qing Dynasty Navy was launched, the Beijing-Hankow Railway and the expansion of the stock market were launched.
They tried to stop me, but they didn't. If they have any grievances in their hearts, let them speak out!
As a result, the old man's Three-Character Sutra was endless. He sat on a chair wiping his tears and told the emperor how powerful he was!
"Ugh... Your Majesty! I am dedicated to serving the public good. I am really not determined to oppose His Majesty's reform plan. I just hope that His Majesty's reform will be slower and more prudent!"
"In the past, I didn't understand anything and was very resistant to Western things! But then I experienced so many things and went to the Chinese Naha to inspect it myself. Now I know that this world trend is unstoppable!"
"I no longer oppose industry, nor do I oppose the railway or navy... I just beg Your Majesty to slow down a little, and slow down a little more!"
"Since ancient times, haste makes waste. Going too fast will cause problems! Your Majesty, think about it. With so many projects and the construction period is so tight, we don't have that much money, so we have to borrow it!"
"I borrowed something from the British, I borrowed something from Xiao Letian...don't I have to pay interest in the end? If the interest cannot be paid, I have to give them shares!"
"This is the lifeblood of the country. How can it be held in the hands of the enemy? Isn't our Qing Dynasty in danger?"
"So the old minister keeps saying, slow down and we can do as many things as we save as much money as we can. In the end, it will all belong to our court. Isn't that good?"
"Your Majesty, building industry and building railways... both require a lot of manpower. Have you ever thought that if hundreds of thousands of people are taken away from the countryside, who will farm the land?"
"Your Majesty! I have been to Beijing for inspections several times, and I have also listened to the reactions of many local officials... Zhili, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan... these provinces have a large number of young and middle-aged laborers who have abandoned the land to work! "
"There is no stability without farmers, there is no stability without farmers! After all, people need to eat, and people will starve to death without food... Long live the Lord, we must also prepare food for relief in the snowy countryside this winter. We must prepare for a rainy day!"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
"Your Majesty... I am just so infatuated. I beg Your Majesty to see that I still have a little bit of merit... please help the farmers! We can't let the land be abandoned..."
"We can't just rely on industry and destroy agriculture... Wuwuwu!"
This old man would cry after he finished speaking. He would cry twice once he spoke, and then continue to speak and cry again!
Er Mao looked at his pocket watch and thought that he must give Long Live a step down. He quickly cleared his throat at the door, "Your Majesty! The Queen Mother sent a servant to ask when the lunch will be served!"
Zai Chun was waiting for someone to rescue him. When he heard Er Mao's voice, he quickly said, "Your Majesty, are you anxious? I'll say a few words to Master Weng and we'll be there right away!"
Zai Chun smiled and said to the old man, "Master Weng! I don't know what's on your mind! You are so kind-hearted that you are afraid of starving the people!"
"I'm not a fool. Of course I know the truth about instability without farmers! The current chaos is all problems that arise during development!"
"Well, I have ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to purchase another batch of overseas grain. We will not panic when we are ready! As for the projects you mentioned, they are all short-term!"
"The Beijing-Hankow Railway will be completed in more than three years. By then, the workers who built the road will still have to return to their hometowns to farm!"
"Master, don't worry. People value having more children and more happiness. They will have children. Just survive this period of chaos... It's getting late, so I won't keep you!"
"It's Chinese New Year, Master Weng, have a good time. Let's talk about anything after the New Year!"
After coaxing and persuading, Weng Tonghe was finally persuaded to leave. When the old man walked out of the door, Ermao quickly saluted, and after taking a peek, he discovered that half of Weng Tonghe's hair was already white!
