late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 16
May 1861, 9 sunny
The sky seems calm, but the wind and rain are already in my heart.

Early this morning, Su ran over angrily by the way, and slammed a memorial on the table, showing no dignity at all.

"Queen Mother, Prince Gong is going to attend the funeral for the late emperor, what do you think?"

Sushun sat across from Lan'er, looking like a king, his attitude was obvious, he disagreed with Prince Gong's coming to Rehe.

"Prince Gong is the younger brother of the late emperor. It is only natural for him to ask to come to Chengde for the funeral. Naturally, the Ai family has nothing to say."

Lan'er had a smile on her face, and her tone was very gentle, as if she was chatting with Sushun.

I sat on the side, watching their "you come and I go", I had already figured out how to deal with Sushun in my heart.

"According to what the queen mother said, I hope that Prince Gong will make such a trip?"

Su Shun turned pale, and there was a threatening tone in his tone.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, I feel that it's fine if Prince Gong doesn't come to Rehe. Prince Gong must be in charge of everything in the capital. There must be someone in charge in this court."

I stood up and looked at Lan'er indifferently. From the corner of my eyes, I inadvertently passed Sushun, his face seemed to change slightly.

"Master Tang is right. If that's the case, then let Prince Gong be in charge in the capital. After a few days, when the late emperor's Zi Palace returns to the capital, there will be someone to accompany him."

Sushun's expression changed completely. If Prince Gong became the ruler of the capital, it would become a huge stumbling block for him.

This is definitely not something he wants to see.

"Prince Gong, as the late emperor's younger brother, naturally wants to come to Rehe to attend the funeral. It's the way of heaven. The Queen Mother may as well allow it!"

Sushun looked impatient, but still pretended to be a courtier, looking ridiculous to the extreme.

"Then let the prince decide. The Ai family wants to be quiet for a few days recently. I will let you ministers who care about the affairs of the court take care of it."

As Lan'er said, she yawned, stood up with the help of the little maid, and walked slowly towards the inner hall.

"Master Tang, continue reading to the Ai family, the stories in this book are interesting."

I sneaked a glance at Sushun, and saw a smug expression on his face, presumably, he had been paralyzed by Lan'er.

If you think of high danger, you will think of humility and self-grassing, and if you are afraid of overflow, you will think of rivers and seas and hundreds of rivers.

Sushun doesn't even understand such a simple truth, so how can he talk about seeking to usurp the throne? His temperament is really not suitable for being a king.

Before I entered the inner hall, Su stopped me with a sneer on his face.

"Master Tang can please the Empress Dowager!"

His tone was obviously full of sarcasm, even a warning, but no matter what it was, he couldn't be complacent for a few days.

"It's just studying, not much fun."

I bowed my head and stood aside, keeping my composure.

"Okay, the Queen Mother is illiterate, so you can read to her more, and you will learn a lot, haha..."

As Sushun said, he patted my shoulder and walked away.

I looked at his back and shook my head imperceptibly. Who would have imagined that such an arrogant person would be beheaded in embarrassment at Caishikou within a month.

"Come in and keep studying."

When Lan'er's voice came over, she was still flattered, as if Sushun had never been here just now.

"Lan'er, Prince Gong estimates that he will arrive in Rehe in a few days. What are your thoughts?"

I know that now that the Second Opium War has just ended, it is a good opportunity for the country to recuperate. I must take advantage of these relatively stable years to strengthen the country's strength, especially in terms of military affairs.

Therefore, it is imperative to get rid of Sushun.

"Let's take one step at a time. The only thing we can do now is to stand still and wait until we return to the capital before we can make plans."

Lan'er sighed lowly, and waved her hands, "Go on and study, and listen to the Analects more, so that you can understand more things."

Lan'er and I were together and read the Analects of Confucius for a long time. At noon, Lan'er's bedroom was still as calm as usual, and the little eunuch never appeared.

Could it be that what he said yesterday was all false, no one would assassinate us at all.

"It's time for lunch, let's go."

Lan'er stood up, waved her hand towards me, and I followed her out knowingly.

"You said, will those people still come?" Lan'er suddenly asked me.

"I think it's alarmist. That little eunuch has a strange face. I don't know which palace he is from. However, he doesn't need to tell such a big lie. It won't do him any good."

"It seems that someone is trying to play tricks. In the palace in Rehe, who else wants to seduce us besides Sushun?"

"You mean Empress Dowager Ci'an?"

Suddenly a flash of lightning flashed through my mind, and everything became clear. It turned out that Empress Dowager Ci'an was not as innocent and harmless as recorded in the history books.

Before the situation became clear, she had already started planning for power and profit.

"So, in the royal family, no one can be relied on, except yourself."

After Lan'er finished speaking, she gave me a meaningful look, and added, "Except for you."

"May we always trust each other and save a country in peril together."

I know the changes of the Empress Dowager Cixi in her later years, but I don't know why she became like that, and what historical reasons it is, so I want to give her a vaccination first, and tell her subtly that the nation, the country, and the people are the people. the most important.

"Now the long-haired army is coming in menacingly, the Anqing army has been captured, and the great powers want to carve up China. At present, there are really internal and external troubles!"

The long-haired army that Laner mentioned should be the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. I know that it is now 1861, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was completely wiped out in 1868. That is to say, in the following seven years, China was in internal friction, and the great powers But it is getting stronger and stronger, preparing for the next war.

"There are many people with lofty ideals in the long-haired army. We don't have to eliminate them. We can negotiate with them, take them for our own use, and jointly deal with the aggression of foreign powers."

I secretly swear in my heart that since I have come here, in the most turbulent era in China, I must shoulder the historical mission to save my Greater China from the fire and water, and give my grandparents and grandchildren a clear and clean sky.

"It's easy to say, but it's really difficult to do. Moreover, now is not the time to talk about it. Let's deal with Sushun first."

As soon as Lan'er finished speaking, a dart suddenly flew in from outside, flying straight towards me, and it was in front of me in the blink of an eye.

(End of this chapter)