Me and Empress Dowager Cixi

Chapter 17 The Little Court on the Train (2)
Even though the queen mother was over 70 years old at that time, after boarding the imperial train, the smug smile never disappeared from her face, just like a child who just got a new toy.However, this is not what makes her most proud. It is her authority that greatly satisfies the Queen Mother's psychology.Here, the empress dowager's majesty is particularly clearly displayed. As long as she moves her lips lightly, the train will immediately move forward, backward or stop according to her mind.And her little imperial court could move freely in her land, at the time, it was indeed very proud.

For me, traveling by train is nothing new.Before coming to the Empress Dowager, I had already taken the train several times, not only in foreign countries, but also in our own country.No matter which time, I never had any special feeling, but this time I went to Fengtian, I was always very nervous. I was sweating constantly from the beginning of the preparations, for fear of any accidents.

Not only had the queen mother never been on a train before, she had never even seen it before. If a certain movement of the train dissatisfied her, everyone would be worried.For example, when the train starts, it often shakes a bit, which is fine for ordinary people, but the Queen Mother dare not say it.Moreover, no matter how experienced the driver is, it seems impossible for him to ensure that the train does not vibrate at all. I am afraid that there is no one in the world, let alone a driver who drives this imperial train.

At the order of the Queen Mother, the train officially started.We all stood respectfully in the small court, while the Queen Mother sat alone on the throne, with a smile full of expectation, as if she wanted to experience the feeling of taking the train.Unexpectedly, at this moment, the train suddenly backed up, and then suddenly rushed forward, and the few of us who were standing almost fell to the ground.It doesn't matter, what's terrible is that the antique jade wares placed on the small wooden shelves next to them - those treasures of the Queen Mother, rolled down one by one under the huge movement.

My soul flew up at once!The empress dowager's baby was knocked to the ground, which is not bad!The empress dowager would definitely blame the driver. Although we knew it wasn't the driver's fault, we didn't have the heart to protect him, because we couldn't protect ourselves at that time!As I said before, almost all the arrangements on the train were arranged by Qingshan and I, and we also ordered people to make the small wooden shelves for the empress dowager's antique jade articles.Before leaving the city of Beijing, all these things fell off, and it is uncertain what will happen in the future.The heads of us people may not be able to keep their heads, maybe even myself. This is something that no one can be sure of.Moreover, when the Empress Dowager was leaving the palace to get on the sedan chair, I even boasted to her about how well the arrangements were made on the train, and this happened now.Do I still dare to ask the queen mother to have any favors for me?

In fact, I was the only one who was worried there, and the ladies, maids, and eunuchs next to me were all very calm.To them, it was just a small accident.When they saw the queen mother's beloved antique jade wares fall, they hurried over to pick them up.For a while, some squatted on the ground to pick up, some put them up, and the little court on the train became a mess.Whether in the palace or in the Summer Palace, there has never been such an unseemly situation in hundreds of years.

I secretly thought to myself, if those courtiers who desperately opposed the Queen Mother to take this risk knew the current situation, they would definitely shake their heads and say: "Look, look, or are we right? This is Ominous omen!"

At that time, I felt that this matter was terrible, and I was so scared that I almost passed out.So, while they were in a hurry, I just stood by and thought, I hope the Queen Mother can figure out a good way to clean up this mess.Thinking of this, I couldn't help turning my head and peeking at her, who knew that the Queen Mother was actually smiling there.This is really a rare thing that happens once in a hundred years, she can smile so gently in this messy time!

I finally put my heart in my stomach, but the shock just now has not subsided, my legs are still shaking, and my hands are cold.Fortunately, the people around me were not as scared and stupid as I was, otherwise those babies fell on the ground and rolled around with the movement of the train, what an embarrassing scene it would have been!If that's the case, then we can't escape a catastrophe anyway.I really want to thank them for being able to rush to rescue the baby regardless of the dignity of the court, which finally made the queen mother laugh.This is really our luck!

The queen mother is really smart, and soon came up with a way.She asked the eunuch to reinstall all the wooden shelves according to the method she said, and then fixed each antique or jade article with colored thread.In this way, no matter how the train moves, the babies are safe and sound.

However, there is one thing we have forgotten, and that is the vases on the four corners of the small court.The mahogany shelves below them are very smooth, as are the bottoms of the vases, so when the train moves, the vases move little by little, as if they had legs.In the end, two suddenly fell off.The eunuchs saw it, and hurried over to help the two that didn't fall off first.Luckily, the two that fell to the ground were also intact, thanks to the thick tapetum on the ground.

I was secretly glad that the vase was not broken, when I suddenly remembered that the water in the vase was dirty, and it would be a sin to stain the tapestry!Thinking of this, I hurried over to have a look. Fortunately, there was not much water in the vase, and it didn't spill out at all.

The false alarm passed, and although neither the bottle nor the blanket was damaged, we were already sweating from fright.Just in case, everyone hurriedly checked other things and fixed everything that should be fixed, so as not to have such a false alarm again, otherwise I am afraid that we will not be so lucky.

Our trip to Fengtian began amidst this hustle and bustle.However, it is not yet possible to describe the journey, because although I have introduced many important people, I have left one behind.Compared with him, our status is really nothing, because only the Queen Mother is above him.

In fact, this great "character" is just a pet dog of the Queen Mother, and its name is very powerful, "Hai Long".Of course, no one knows what the real sea dragon looks like, but this dog looks a lot like a sea otter. Maybe the queen mother didn't like the word "sea otter", so she changed its name to "sea dragon".

This dog is a pure Beijing breed, with dark brown hair, only a large piece of long silver-white hair on the neck and the top of the head, like the hair of an old man.The most striking thing about it is the big eyes. I have never seen a dog with such big eyes.In comparison, its body is much smaller, its legs are very short and curved, like a bowed back, and its nose is very flat, like a knife-sharpened nose.

There are so many breeds of dogs in Beijing, it's rare to see such a strange appearance, so the Queen Mother likes it very much.When going to bed at night, the queen mother let him rest in the small court.Of course, to be favored by the empress dowager, even if it is resting, it cannot be casual, and there is a special bamboo basket for it to use as a couch.It's a big bamboo basket, it's no problem to hold a child, and it's also sewn with a red satin lining inside, so people who don't know it would never guess that it's for dogs.

The preferential treatment for it is not limited to this, the queen mother specially sent a eunuch to serve this pet dog day and night.In addition, it has its own clothes, like horse armor, red satin, with the softest leather inside, which looks beautiful and comfortable.There are three golden bells tied around its neck, the big one in the middle, and the smaller ones on both sides. Whether it is walking, running or jumping, it will make pleasant bells.

The empress dowager's beloved dog has more decorations than that. There are two things dotted on the back of its collar close to its ears, just like the cockades on soldiers' military caps. One is red and the other is green. It is made of silk thread. It is really beautiful. .Someone will replace it at any time, and as long as the color looks less bright, a new one will be put on.

No matter what kind of preferential treatment he enjoys, he is a dog after all, so there will always be a leash to hold him firmly so that he cannot move freely.This belt is about four or five feet long, and there are many small bells tied to it, which can be easily found anywhere.If it is happy, run faster, and the bell can be heard far away.

As for the eunuch who specializes in serving this "royal dog", his job is not easy.For example, he had to prepare the dog's meals himself.Not only must it be carefully prepared, but you can't always eat the same meal.However, it is the chopped liver that is eaten the most, tossed with gravy and fresh rice.This alone is not enough, you can't feed it directly, you must send it to Zhang De first, and ask him to see if it is possible for the royal dog to eat.Where is Zhang De?He didn't dare to make a decision, and if he didn't pay attention, he would be charged with decapitation, so he would hold it in front of the Queen Mother every time, and respectfully ask the Queen Mother to examine it.The queen mother will take a serious look at it every time, and if she finds that the rice is not cooked enough, or the liver is not fresh, the broth is too little, etc., she will order to make it again, and she will never do it carelessly.Once he failed, Zhang De would scold the eunuch who was in charge of the dog, even the cook of the imperial dining room was not spared.

Until now, I still remember what the eunuch who served the dog looked like. Every time I saw him, he pretended to be serious, and stood in a corner of the carriage with the huge bamboo basket on his arm.When the train stops for a long time, he will also get off the train with us, still carrying this bamboo basket in his hand.When getting out of the car, he first carefully placed the basket on the ground, then gently carried the sea dragon out, and tied the belt with countless small bells around its neck, so that he could lead it for a walk.

Under normal circumstances, people should direct the dog. This eunuch is not so courageous. He will always follow the dog. He has to go in whichever direction the dog wants to go. Only when it is absolutely necessary, Only people can make up their minds.

At times like this, I would secretly think: Can that dog understand the preferential treatment it receives?
well!In any case, everything it has been treated is absolutely true.I can even assert that no matter what happens to the dog, whether it is injured, eats a bad stomach, or gets lost, no matter what kind of situation it is, the whole palace will be in a commotion, even if a eunuch dies It won't attract so much attention either.

Of course, the reason why this dog has such a great style is all due to the empress dowager's preference for it. There are so many ministers in the capital who also have dogs. Which one can be treated like it?

(End of this chapter)