Yiluan Hall in Xiyuan.
Cixi Lafayette was playing cards at the moment, sitting at a square table with Empress Longyu, Xiaode Zhang and Si Gege.
They were playing mahjong, but it was just playing cards, and each shot cost 100 taels.
When Ronglu, Yikuang and Yuan Shikai arrived, they consulted the young eunuch in advance, and the young eunuch informed the chief manager Li Lianying.
Seeing that Ci Xi was very successful, Li Lianying did not disturb Ci Xi immediately.
He took a sneak peek and saw that Cixi had already listened to the cards and was waiting for a 20,000 draw card, so he blinked his left eye twice at Xiao De Zhang.
Xiao De Zhang immediately understood. Anyway, in order to cater to Ci Xi and the Queen, the cards in his hand had been shredded to pieces, and he happened to have a card worth twenty thousand.
"Your Majesty, I have played this card very carefully! I have just calculated that I have already left two pieces of ten thousand, two pieces of twenty thousand, one piece of thirty thousand and two pieces of forty thousand. I don't believe you are still waiting for this. Zhang 20,000!”
Xiao Dezhang's acting skills are very good. He joined the opera troupe when he first entered the palace. He has practiced Peking Opera for several years and his voice is also very nice.
As soon as the cards in his hand fell, Cixi said happily: "What a fool! You didn't expect it, I just calculated it correctly and you will definitely not ask for ten thousand cards again!"
Longyu and Si Gege also put down the cards in their hands and couldn't help praising Lafayette for his ability to predict events.
"Today, the old Buddha has really transformed into the God of Wealth. He can do whatever he wants."
"If you say this card is the same, then go to Lafayette."
Cixi was very happy: "Quick, quick, get the silver, get the silver!"
Xiao Dezhang handed over a silver note on the table, and kept saying: "My slave has such hands, why do you always give cards to Lafayette?"
——As long as it can make Ci Xi happy, this little money is nothing.
Of course, Cixi is even less likely to be short of money, they are really just playing.
At this time, Li Lianying told Cixi that the three adults were outside Yiluan Hall.
Cixi was in a good mood now: "Oh, how can we keep them waiting? Come in, come in."
Li Lianying chirped and immediately shouted loudly: "Invite Ronglu, Yikuang and Yuan Shikai to enter the palace."
After the three people came in, they immediately saluted. Xiao Dezhang, Longyu and Si Gege had already left their seats and stood aside. They did not dare to be knelt down by them.
Cixi sat calmly in her original position: "No need, tell me, what's the matter?"
Ronglu held the box and said, "Queen Mother, this is a memorial from the governors of several provinces. Please read it."
"No need, just say it." Cixi wrote lightly, she had absolute trust in Ronglu.
Ronglu also understood very well and immediately said: "Back to the Queen Mother, the governor of Sichuan reported that the local Ge Laohui was causing trouble. Please allocate 2 million taels of silver to suppress the bandits."
Cixi clicked her tongue softly: "Let the Ministry of Household Affairs check this matter. How can a brother need so much money?"
"In compliance with Yi's decree. In addition, the governor of Shandong reported to the local red lantern society and launched the banner of 'The Reincarnation of Our Lady of the Yellow Lotus'."
Cixi looked at Yuan Shikai and said, "Isn't this your business in Tianjin? Why did you go to Shandong?"
Yuan Shikai immediately said: "I mobilized new troops from many towns in Beiyang and have driven out this force."
Cixi turned to Ronglu and said, "Look, this matter is not difficult to handle. Let Yuan Shikai teach them more."
"The Queen Mother Shengming. And..."
"Okay, okay, there's nothing to make people happy about?" Cixi asked.
Ronglu originally wanted to continue reporting on other matters, but seeing that Cixi didn't seem to want to hear it, he immediately talked about Yuan Shikai: "Of course, under the mediation of Yuan Shikai, Governor of Zhili, Tianjin Customs Road has returned to normal. From now on, Tianjin Customs The tax money can be escorted to the capital as normal."
"Well, that's not bad." Cixi said, "It would be much better if everyone acted like Yuan Xiangcheng."
Xiangcheng, Henan, is Yuan Shikai's hometown, and Cixi is considered very close to him by calling him this.
Yuan Shikai immediately said with sincerity and fear: "I will do my best, but I hope the Queen Mother will be blessed and prosperous."
They talked for a long time, but Yikuang didn't say a word since he came in. His personal abilities were indeed inferior to those of Yuan Shikai and Ronglu, and they could naturally handle government affairs well. Yikuang has a good mentality. Anyway, with the Empress Dowager Cixi as his backer, it would be better to have someone to take care of things so that he can relax.
Cixi said to him at this time: "Prince Qing, why have you been silent all this time?"
Yikuang was thinking about why the earth and the sun would not collide when he suddenly heard the Queen Mother calling him and said quickly: "Go back to the Queen Mother, I am thinking about some astronomical issues."
Cixi burst out laughing: "Astronomy? You haven't slept well. What are you thinking about astronomy?"
"My slave is really thinking about this...this gravity, and this...this problem of the movement of the earth and the sun."
When Cixi heard what he said, she smiled from ear to ear: "Sigege, come and see if this is your father?"
Si Gege and Queen Mother Longyu were both standing to the side. Compared with Longyu, they were really incredibly beautiful. Later generations have always called her the most beautiful woman in the late Qing Dynasty, and she is indeed well-deserved. She appears in many photos of Cixi in later generations. Compared with other court women, she really looks like a hibiscus emerging from the mud but not stained by water.
Even according to today's aesthetic standards, she looks like a great beauty.
She was the fourth daughter of the Yikuang family in the Qing Dynasty. Cixi liked her very much and always kept her by her side as a female imperial official.
Of course, Yi Kuang was also happy.
Si Gege said softly: "Queen Mother, maybe Amma is really learning Western learning."
"You really know how to speak for your father!" Cixi smiled and said, "Yikeng, of course I'm not laughing at you. It would be a good thing if you could learn more about Western learning. After all, you still have the errand of the Prime Minister's Yamen. Actually, I do too. I want to learn it, but it’s just too inconvenient. It would be great if I could have a female officer like Si Ge Ge by my side.”
Yikuang rolled his eyes and said immediately: "If the Queen Mother wants to find a female official who understands Western learning, my servant has a good recommendation."
Cixi became interested: "Come and listen."
"The term of Ambassador Yu Geng to France has expired. His two daughters are aged fourteen and seventeen. They have lived with Yu Geng in Japan and France for seven years. They know a lot about the West and can be recalled as the Queen Mother. The female officer next to me.”
"Yu Geng, I almost forgot about him. Fortunately, you have a good memory, so just go ahead and do this."
Yi Kuang said: "The other thing is..."
Cixi saw him hesitating and asked, "What else?"
"I would like to borrow some instruments sent by the British minister to go back and study them."
"Is it the globe and the telescope?"
"Yes."
Cixi was like protecting a treasure: "You can take the globe, but I will keep the telescope for myself. You know so many ministers, just ask them to give you one. Besides, do you know how to use it?"
"I don't understand, but I have a young gentleman in my house who is familiar with Western learning. He can tell me how to use it."
Cixi said: "You Yikuang, no wonder you are learning from foreigners now, then call me Yu Geng back quickly, I can't lose to you!"
