Me and Empress Dowager Cixi

Chapter 18 On the Journey (1)
The trip to Fengtian has finally begun. Our eight female officials, as well as Zhang De and his eunuchs, are all very excited, looking forward to enjoying the various scenery during the journey, but no one dares to put this kind of thought Show it on your face.We stood respectfully beside the Queen Mother one by one, like puppets in the temple, not daring to glance out the window, pretending to be heartless.

The train departs around four o'clock in the afternoon, and Fengtai is the first stop. It is only eleven kilometers away from Beijing, which is equivalent to the flag station of Beijing Railway Station.However, for such a short distance, our train took a long time, because the car drove very slowly, like an old cow walking, slowly creeping forward.Even though it was so slow, we were still worried that the queen mother would be dissatisfied, because she would be unhappy if the car jolted slightly.

We plan to let the Queen Mother have the first dinner in the car after arriving in Fengtai.Rest for a while after the meal, and then go straight to Tientsin, preferably before the Empress is ready to go to bed.This was the idea of ​​Minister of Internal Affairs Qingshan. He felt that the Queen Mother was a noble person, and it was inappropriate to sleep in any village or town. Even if the Queen Mother did not get out of the car, it would not be appropriate.Although our train was running very slowly, we still reached Fengtai.Dinner is also ready.The train from Beijing to Fengtai usually takes three to four 10 minutes at most, but our Queen's train took more than two hours, which probably broke the record of the slowest train in the world.However, the queen mother will not take this into consideration, let alone two hours, even if she walks for two days, she will not say anything.For her, there is plenty of time, if not today, then tomorrow, if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow, if not the day after tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow... Besides, she said that wherever she is, there is the court, and major national affairs can still be resolved, so, she Don't even care how long it takes.

It is precisely because the Queen Mother herself has not considered the issue of time, she has no regard for what time means to others.

Take the trip to Fengtian this time as an example. The train went so slowly that it seemed that only the Queen Mother or our entourage were affected, but in fact countless people were affected.For example, if you happened to be rushing from Tianjin to Beiping or Jinzhou at that time, you usually bought a ticket and arrived soon; now, the empress dowager's imperial train occupies the tracks, so you have to wait, no matter how busy you are. Urgent, don't even think about getting on the train.If you have plenty of time, then wait slowly, one day, two days... There will always be a day when you will be let go.If you are short-tempered, if you wait like this, your life will be in danger.

I can say with absolute certainty that the queen mother never considered how her order of "cut off traffic" would affect others.Moreover, even if she could think of it, she would think that there was nothing wrong with it, she should have this privilege, and she would not feel any uneasiness or pity in her heart at all.

At Fengtai Station, the train stopped.Looking out of the car window, there is no one idle.I have been here before, and it was very lively at first, but now it is like entering a desert, it is so silent that there is no sound at all.I really admire those local officials. Their talent and courage are simply incomparable—in order to please the Queen Mother, they resorted to all kinds of harsh methods.

But what do those ordinary people think?They are forbidden to go near the station, or even take a casual look at the Queen's train - who will pay attention to their thoughts?I secretly guessed: They must be watching from a distance in trepidation, thinking that what passed here was really God who blessed them.The emperor of China has always been called the "Son of Heaven". In this way, the empress dowager has a relationship with God, and it seems that there is nothing wrong with her as a representative of God.

It was spring when we set off, and crucian carp is a famous seasonal product of Baihe at this time, so as soon as our car set off from Beijing, officials near Fengtai began to spend a lot of money to purchase fresh crucian carp, preparing to present it to the Queen Mother.As soon as the train arrived in Fengtai, a few alive and kicking crucian carp were presented.

Giving gifts is absolutely not casual.These crucian carps were all packed in very delicate containers, and after a series of cumbersome etiquettes, they were presented with great solemnity.Although these officials were cautious, the queen mother didn't take them seriously, because the officials in Fengtai area were all small characters who didn't even have the qualifications to meet the queen mother.

For these small officials, even if the Queen Mother does not receive them, even if they know very well that the Queen Mother will not receive them, they have no courage not to serve them hard.As early as before the train arrived, these people were waiting at the station one by one.They only have one thought in mind, that is to make the queen mother satisfied with the arrangement on their station, and to ensure that there will be no idlers nearby, as long as they can do this, they will be satisfied.They were so cautious that no one dared to approach the train, and they all kept as far away as possible, busy there non-stop.

I looked out the car window and saw a long line of people in colorful official uniforms.They kept jostling to and fro, appearing solemn and fearful.In fact, whether they are busy or chaotic, they are meaningless and have nothing to do with the Queen Mother or the train, only those few crucian carp are still useful.

Let's talk about crucian carp.Crucian carp is a delicacy in itself, and it tastes even more delicious when it comes out of the water. Generally, this dish can only be seen at the banquets of wealthy people.For those who pay more attention to taste, crucian carp is always their first choice.In order to show their wealth in front of everyone, when they have a big banquet for guests and friends, they will always order the servants to hold a few lively crucian carp in a large wooden basin, let the guests choose at will, and then take it to process and cook immediately.What's more, they will ask their own chefs to disembowel the crucian carp they picked in front of the guests to show that they have not cheated.

Since the Queen Mother did not want to see those officials, I went to inspect the few crucian carp presented at Fengtai Station.When I went, the fish were all splashing about, which was very satisfying.However, we didn't let the cook cut them open immediately. Even the resolute and decisive character of the Queen Mother would not have the heart to stare at the lively fish to death on the spot.

That being said, these crucian carp will die sooner or later, because although the queen mother is unwilling to watch the fish die, she really likes to taste the deliciousness of the fish, and the taste of fresh crucian carp is even more mouth-watering.Why doesn't the Queen Mother know?So, those few fresh crucian carp entered the "Imperial Dining Room" very quickly, and soon became a delicacy, and were held in front of the Queen Mother respectfully.

The queen mother picked up the chopsticks, just after eating a piece of meat, she kept applauding.Afterwards, she ordered the eunuch to send the bowl of crucian carp back to the imperial dining room, not because she stopped eating it, but to let them cook it again with the method she specified.how should I do it?First of all, remove all the fish bones, and don’t want the fish skin, only the fish meat is left; then mix the same amount of soft tofu with the fish meat, add sugar, soy sauce, salt and other ingredients and cook slowly over a slow fire, and it is ready. Finally, there is a cup of delicious and unusual fish soup.

For people in the past, crucian carp is not only a delicacy, but also can be used to tell good or bad luck.Its main material is a short bone under the gills of the fish, and each fish has two, one on each side of the head.The bone is somewhat fan-shaped and slightly softer than the rest of the fish's bones.Since it has a very flat side, it can stand on the table and looks like a small sailboat.Some people call it a little fairy, probably because it can tell good or bad luck.

How to use fish bones for divination?It is very simple to say, pick up a fishbone with chopsticks, and throw it from a place about half a foot away from the table three times in a row. If the fishbone stands there once, it is auspicious.

There are similar superstitious activities in foreign countries, but they use the breastbone of chicken or pigeon.

The Empress Dowager is an old-fashioned person, and she is very superstitious about gods and Buddhas, so this fish cheekbone called "Little Immortal" is also full of attraction to her, and she immediately decided to give it a try.Unexpectedly, after throwing it twice in a row, the fishbone didn't stand still, and an angry look immediately appeared on her face.Although she would not be completely superstitious about this, she would not think that this small fish bone could determine the fate of a person, but it made her a little disappointed after all.Fortunately, the result was very satisfactory. The third time the fishbone actually stood upright, the queen mother immediately became happy.

I thought from the side: According to the Queen Mother's personality, if the third attempt is still unsuccessful, she will definitely throw the fourth, fifth, sixth... or even countless times.She is the empress dowager with supreme power, who has the guts to limit how many times she throws it?Keep throwing it, and the fishbone will always stand upright once, and she will be satisfied.

According to my usual observations, not only small things such as fish bones, but also the big national affairs, the Queen Mother is also very patient. A little setbacks and tribulations will not make her shrink back, and she will soon adjust her countermeasures. deal with.In this regard, she is indeed admirable.

After the crucian carp meat with the bones and skin removed and tender tofu were cooked, the eunuchs held them in front of the Empress Dowager respectfully again.She picked up a silver spoon and drank several sips in succession, praising while drinking.It made those of us who stood by and watched began to salivate outside.The queen mother didn't want to eat half of it, so she reached out and gave me the rest.

This can surprise me!Because at that time, if the queen mother rewarded anyone with leftovers from eating or drinking, it would show that the person's status was higher than others.Not only the recipients themselves will feel very honored, but the people around them will also be extremely envious.At this time, the queen mother gave me this fresh fish soup, and the joy in my heart can be imagined, and the fish soup made with tender tofu and crucian carp is really delicious.

The Empress Dowager has this habit on weekdays, rewarding the people around her with what she left over from eating or drinking.She didn't eat a lot, even though she was an elderly person, her appetite didn't decrease, but there was too much food served in the imperial dining room, and there were a lot of leftover soup and leftovers in every meal.In this regard, I always deal with it very carefully. Even if the Queen Mother refuses to order something that I really want to eat, I will bear it no matter what, watch it helplessly, and order the little eunuchs to clean it up immediately.On the contrary, even if my stomach is already very full, if the queen mother orders me to eat or drink the rest, I will not hesitate at all. It was the rest of the cup that was poured into the stomach.Otherwise, I am afraid that I will be charged with disobedience.

There is one thing that I still remember.That time I served the Queen Mother together with another female officer. The Queen Mother took a few sips of tea in her hand and was about to put it down. When the female officer saw it, she hurried over to take it.At that time, there was still half a cup of tea in the cup, probably because the female officer was really thirsty, she didn't hear clearly whether the Queen Mother wanted her to drink, so she kowtowed and drank the tea.

(End of this chapter)