Zai Chun was stunned for a moment and then smiled coldly and said, "Bao Jun hasn't arrived yet? They took the initiative to find him? Haha, this must be a good excuse to pass the test!"
"Let him come in, I want to see what he said!"
The Gate of Supreme Harmony is said to be a door, but in fact it is also a huge palace inside. It is not open on weekdays, and the sense of ritual is stronger than practicality.
In the early Qing Dynasty, the Shunzhi period and the Qianlong period, the Forbidden City was in the stage of repairs due to damage. At that time, it was also to show that the emperor was in charge, so there was the tradition of discussing politics at the Gate of Supreme Harmony.
In fact, this tradition existed in the Ming Dynasty. The emperor regularly waited in the portal halls such as Qianqing Gate, Taihe Gate, etc. to wait for officials to hand over various major events that the country had to deal with during this period.
Various policies of the country and the dynasty are written on it, and the officials have to write their own new opinions, or give the emperor several alternative plans, and finally let the emperor make the final decision!
Such a place must be a place for government affairs, and it will definitely not be a simple door.
However, no one has entered the main hall of Taihe Gate for a long time, and the eunuchs are also very lazy in cleaning. At this moment, the dust collected inside is flying, and there is no way to stop the master.
Zai Chun simply had a chair moved and sat at the top of the three-story imperial steps at the door, looking at the dark Jinshui River in front and the Meridian Gate behind, and fell into deep thought.
"What went wrong? What did I do wrong? Why can I build railways, build factories, travel across oceans, and build a navy...but I can't get these people to be loyal to me?"
"Why is it that the human heart is more difficult and complicated than working in industry? Master, what on earth are you going to do? How on earth are you going to do it..."
As if deep in thought, Zai Chun sat quietly in front of the dark Taihe Gate. The busy eunuchs behind him did not dare to make a sound. It was like a pantomime between heaven and earth.
British military attache Delaney, led by Baojun, crossed the Meridian Gate to Jinshui Bridge. He looked up and saw Emperor Tongzhi sitting on the imperial steps. No matter how arrogant he was in his heart and how much arrogance he had of the British Empire.
Facing the emperor of the Qing Empire, he did not dare to be disrespectful. He quickly lowered his head and trotted to Zai Chun. He took off his hat and bowed humbly!
"Long live the respected Emperor of the Qing Empire, long live! Your Majesty, British Military Attaché Delaney, I wish you... um..."
What do you mean by good morning? Or good night? It’s already past midnight, so it’s okay to say good morning!
"Well...I wish your majesty a good morning. I hope your majesty is healthy and happy!"
"Haha... Hahahaha... Good morning? Do you want me to be healthy and happy? I haven't slept for more than 20 hours now. How can I be healthy?"
"Happy? You hid Prince Qing and Prince Chun in the embassy, and you still want me to be happy? You must give me an explanation today, otherwise don't think that I dare not close your embassy!"
Facing the emperor's wrath, Delani was a little nervous and sweating, "Your Majesty! Please...please calm down, we are not protecting anyone! This is a very common political asylum!"
"We have this tradition in Europe. When a country's leader or high-ranking nobles are in danger of life, any civilized country must lend a helping hand!"
"Prince Qing and Prince Chun asked us for help this evening, saying that they were in danger of life and death, and begged for shelter for a period of time. We were in a noble spirit, so we granted shelter!"
"When the danger is over, the two princes can naturally leave at will. We dare not detain any nobles of the Qing Dynasty, let alone the prince!"
"Political asylum?" Zai Chun looked at him coldly, "Do you think I'm a fool? What kind of bullshit political asylum? I just released them to be free and continue to enjoy the prince's glory and wealth. How can they be in danger..."
"No, no, no... Your Majesty, you have to be reasonable!" Delani looked aggrieved. "If Prince Gong did such a thing, then there must be someone in the court who will madly attack Prince Qing and Prince Chun... …”
"Irrational people may threaten the safety of the two princes, so the two princes have requested political asylum for a period of time. After the situation has eased and everyone has calmed down, they can then admit their mistakes to Your Majesty..."
"Wait a minute..." Zai Chun suddenly raised his hand, "What did you just say? What you said earlier... What happened to Prince Gong? What do you mean by that sentence?"
Delaney said with a shocked look, "It's that big thing...Your Majesty, you are moving to Taihemen now, isn't it also to solve this big thing?"
"The Gate of Supreme Harmony is close to the Meridian Gate, so the efficiency of handling military affairs will be higher, and it will be more convenient to command and fight..."
"Fuck! I'm asking you what happened..." Zai Chun couldn't stand the long-winded talk of these big-nosed British people anymore, so he jumped up and pointed at his nose and scolded him.
Delaney suddenly realized, "Oh God! Don't you...don't your Majesty know? My God, we thought your Majesty already knew..."
"Just...just after five o'clock this evening...our embassy suddenly received a telegram indicating the identity of Prince Gong..."
"Well... Prince Gong... has already raised troops by the Yishui River. He is energizing the whole country to... overthrow your Majesty's rule!"
"He calls himself Emperor Guangxu... claims to have an army of millions..."
"Ah... how dare you lie to me..." Zai Chun went crazy at that time. He clenched his fist and rushed forward and punched me hard.
There was a muffled sound, and Zai Chun's fist hit Delani's nose, and blood spurted out with a bang. Zai Chun was not a sickly little emperor in history. He was also beaten in the Chinese recruit camp. After several years of aging, I still know how to do two sets of military boxing.
Delaney was caught off guard, or in other words, he didn't dare to guard against it. After receiving the punch, he was so blinded that he took two steps back and leaned against the white marble railing.
He covered the bridge of his nose with his hand and said in pain, "Oh God... the bridge of my nose is broken, the bridge of my nose is broken..."
Bao Jun was so frightened that he quickly ran up and stopped the emperor, "Your Majesty... we can't fight. The two countries are at war and they haven't killed the envoys yet! What's more, there is no war between us and Britain..."
"The incident happened suddenly. Let's ask carefully... You have to stay calm when encountering big things. Your Majesty, please stay calm!"
"You want me to calm down? How can I be calm? This bastard talks nonsense with his white teeth and curses me for the civil war in the Qing Dynasty... I have just pardoned my sixth uncle, and Prince Gong is currently recuperating in Yixian County. How can he rebel?"
"At nine o'clock in the evening, I also reviewed the information sent by Yi County asking for medical reports...Two telegrams were sent in the morning and evening every day! I have to read them every day..."
"I see telegrams from Yi County every day... The county magistrate, the manager of Xiling, and even Man Shun... their joint telegrams! How could a joint telegram be wrong? It could be wrong..."
Zai Chun went crazy, and his roar was filled with tears, but he watched helplessly as Delaney took out a crumpled telegraph newspaper from his arms.
Delaney, who was covering his nose, said angrily, "Your Majesty... there really is a telegram. I didn't lie to you!"
