A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 39 Sudden Accident
Xiyuan, Yiluan Hall.

Lu Chuanlin, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs and Minister of Military Affairs, is reporting to Cixi.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, in the first six months of this year, according to statistics from the Household Department, the land tax totaled 810 taels, the total tariff amounted to 140 million and 500 taels, and the salt tax was 32 and..."

Cixi was a little impatient: "Okay, okay, I can't remember so many, you just say the total."

Lu Chuanlin said: "Back to the Empress Dowager, the total is 4000, 12..."

Cixi said: "Okay, it's fine to talk about tens of thousands. How can I have free time to worry about those three melons and two dates."

Lu Chuanlin is a clean and honest official, and replied: "Queen Mother, I am in charge of the household department, and I dare not make a slight difference in the accounts, so I must report to you in detail. The Empress Dowager is in charge."

"I know, I can rest assured that the Ministry of Finance is under your command." Cixi reassured.

Although she usually likes to use people from the clan, these capable Han ministers are still inseparable.

Cixi pondered for a moment, and said, "Don't even mention it, Hurd did a really good job. How much did you say the customs duty was?"

Lu Chuanlin was so familiar with these numbers that he didn't even look at the account book, and immediately replied: "Back to the Queen Mother, it is 500 million and three..."

"Oh yes, 500 million, I see. You should retire first."

It is a major financial matter related to the country's destiny, and Lafayette just asked about the total and ignored it.

Cixi turned her head and said to Rong Lu who was sitting next to her: "The foreigners are really good at what they do. With the money in the court, I can feel at ease about the compensation. Otherwise, my [-]th birthday would be uncomfortable."

If future generations hear this, they will definitely scold her to death.

——Great love money is earned by foreigners?Give so peace of mind?

Of course, Lafayette only wants to live a comfortable life for herself. Apart from national affairs, she has a small calculation in her heart: with money, her own Xiyuan and Summer Palace can be renovated, and Yuanmingyuan may also be rebuilt.

When the First Sino-Japanese War coincided with her 3000th birthday, Kang Youwei later publicized that Cixi embezzled [-] million taels of navy military expenditures to celebrate her birthday.In fact, Kang Youwei did exaggerate a bit. He himself did not have much financial knowledge, so he boasted a large number.

You must know that the Qing government at that time had so much money. The annual fiscal revenue was only more than 7000 million taels. They couldn’t give [-]% to the Beiyang Navy. We are all waiting to see the excitement!

In fact, Cixi spent a total of 600 million taels to build the Summer Palace, and then spent more than 500 million taels to prepare for the [-]th birthday ceremony for three years.

As for the money to support the front line at that time, hehe, it was less than 300 million taels.

Someone once suggested that Empress Dowager Cixi donate part of her money to support the frontline, and then our Lafayette Cixi uttered the famous saying recorded in the draft of Qing history: Whoever makes me unhappy today, I will also make him unhappy for life!
Later, Wang Zhao, the former head of the Ministry of Rites who fled because of the [-] coup, once said: Empress Dowager Cixi only knows about power and has no political opinions.

To sum up, it is: dedicated to self-interest, never to the detriment of others; if it is beneficial to the country, it is purely a coincidence, and this is not an example!

But now, there are only two years left before her [-]th birthday, and I don't know how much money will be spent to make her "happy".

After all, from Lafayette's [-]th birthday to now, the imperial court has owed more than one billion taels of silver in compensation. I don't know if she has any deep understanding of this figure.

It's just that with the rise in tariffs, commercial taxes, and salt taxes in the past few years, Lafayette may be a little bit drifting again, feeling that it's all because of his great contributions.

Rong Lu is almost the last of the Eight Banners nobles who can do things. He is different from Prince Qing Yikuang, who "keeps his ears off the window and only earns snowflakes and silver". He somewhat understands the current situation in his heart, but he dare not disobey The Queen Mother meant it, so she bowed and said respectfully: "It's all due to the Queen Mother knowing how to use people well."

These words made Cixi feel very useful.

Not long after Lu Chuanlin left, Li Lianying came to report to Yikuang to see him.

Cixi snorted angrily: "This Yikuang, if he dares to say that Aijia is, yes... Anyway, I have his good fruit to eat!"

Outside the Hall of Yiluan, it was also the first time that Li Yu approached the power center of the late Qing Dynasty so close. Everything happened so suddenly that he didn't have the slightest precaution.

The most troublesome thing is that I was summoned today because of something that made Cixi "unhappy".

"Prince Qing, Lafayette let you in."

The person who spoke was Li Lianying, the chief manager of the respected service room, and his appearance really looked the same as in the photo.It's just that the backward photography technology at that time would always make people look dull, but Li Lianying's eyes are very lively at first glance, and he is a smart person.

After all, someone who has been able to serve the moody Cixi for decades has achieved the ultimate in trying to figure out people's hearts.

Li Yu followed Yikuang and Timothy Li into the main hall, passed a screen first, and saw Cixi sitting on the Nuan Pavilion from a distance.

As an old man who is about to be seventy, she is still in good spirits, but she can't hide her old age.

Cixi beckoned, and Li Lianying immediately understood, walked over and brought her a cup of tea, and then stood beside her without saying a word.Because his head is not held high, his eyes look very strange, always wandering around. Although the main line of sight is on Cixi, he still looks at the courtiers on both sides from time to time.

Li Yu saluted with Yikuang, and then Yikuang said: "Queen Mother, this is Timothy Li's memorial, requesting the opening of Shanxi University Hall and hiring Western teachers."

Cixi didn't even want to read the memorial, and just said casually: "You just need to let me know about this trivial matter, why are people running here?"

Yikuang chuckled: "Queen Mother, the servant asked him to tell you, Queen Mother... Oh no, it should be said that people are transformed from monkeys."

"Tsk!" Cixi frowned, "Why are you bringing up such endless things again, do you have nothing to do?"

Rong Lu who was beside him quickly gave Yikuang a wink.

But Yikuang said: "Queen Mother, what I mean by this servant is that I dare not deceive you in any way, let alone arrange you at will. So this servant also brought Li Yu from the mansion, and Timothy Li, they are all If you know Western learning, you can ask if you don’t believe me.”

Cixi glanced at her, "You are Li Yu? Recently, Prince Qing has mentioned you a lot."

Li Yu's head was getting bigger, and the key point was that Cixi only said half a sentence, and she couldn't hear praise or criticism at all, leaving it to others to guess.It's not good to learn from anyone, but I have to learn from Jiajing, the Taoist emperor!
"Returning to the Queen Mother, what Prince Qing mentioned was Darwin's theory of evolution, which is indeed the most advanced theory in the West."

Li Yu didn't dare to talk about monkeys, so he could only bring out a foreigner to shock her, "The bishop is also an Englishman, so he must also know Mr. Darwin's "Origin of Species."

"No!" Timothy Li said, "Honorable Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty, Mr. Darwin's theory is also flawed."

WTF!

Li Yu and Yi Kuang's hearts immediately sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and they were instantly relieved: Why didn't this person play his cards according to the routine!

Li Yu's mind flashed, broken!How did you forget this:

Darwin betrayed Christianity in his later years and became an atheist, while Timothy Richard was an authentic and pious missionary. It would be fine if he only mentioned the theory of evolution, but he must be a bit biased when it comes to Darwin!

What a curse!

(End of this chapter)