Anecdote of the Fifth Queen Mother

Chapter 30 The Empress Dowager (2)
Concubine Yi's elder brother was named Zaichun.Zai Chun's childhood was really spent amidst internal and external troubles.Not to mention that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom revolution in the south was in full swing, even the foreign invaders took advantage of the fire and looted, deceiving people too much.

Let's say that when Zaichun was four years old, that is, in the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860 AD), the Second Opium War launched by Britain and France had entered a tense stage.The reports that Xianfeng received frequently were almost all frustrating reports of defeat. What made Xianfeng even more disturbed was the report that the British and French allied forces attacked Dagu, captured the Dagu Fort and occupied Tianjin.He really didn't want to read these military aircraft battle reports, but he couldn't ignore them, so when the military newspapers came in a box, he still took it and read it, only to see that it read:

First, the British retreated from Dagu in May [-]th...

This is last year's almanac, what are you doing looking through it!The important thing is now, so Xianfeng read the previous content at a glance, and his eyes fell on the following lines:

In June, the British general Elgin and the French general Gero led the fleet to arrive, with a combined force of 700. They watched Beitang relax their defenses, and then sailed into the inner harbor.Seng Gelinqin's soldiers went to guard, and when the tide was receding, the British and French warships could not move for fear of being attacked, and the white flags in Guixian County (hanging) showed their desire to make peace.Seng Gelinqin believed it, and did not fight.There was no tide leader, the ship stood out, and they drove to Xinhe, where they landed with 700 men.Seng Gelin looked at the widows and rode them vigorously. 700 people retreated falsely and took advantage of the momentum. Suddenly, [-] people lined up in a line, and when they were approaching, they shot suddenly. Meteor, three thousand fine riders, only seven of them got rid.So British and French warships attacked Dagu... (Volume [-] of Qing Jian)

The more Xianfeng looked at it, the more enraged he was. What happened to Seng Gelinqin, who had always been trusted by him, was tricked by foreign devils, which is unbelievable.In order to understand the result, he continued to read. The final report is:
On the seventh day of the lunar new year, the Allied forces entered and occupied Tianjin. (Volume [-] of "Qingjian")

After reading the report, Xianfeng was indeed a little nervous.Once Tianjin is lost, Beijing is at stake!For several days, he spent extremely tense and pondered what to do next.Of course, Xianfeng's first consideration was to prevent the British and French allied forces from entering Beijing. Peace talks were a way, but the British and French invaders asked for too high a price, which made it difficult for the emperor to accept it.Armed resistance is another way. However, after mobilizing so many troops, they were unable to defeat the [-] British and French allied forces. What a corruption and incompetence!As a last resort, he was going to leave Beijing to avoid this dangerous place.However, this latter path is tragic. None of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty has been scared away. How could Xianfeng not hesitate?However, the development of the times forced him to make up his mind.In August, Xianfeng received a report of the fall of Tongzhou. How could he not be alarmed because Tongzhou was so close to Beijing?Therefore, Xianfeng decided to "conquer in person".The next day, Xianfeng led his concubine and military ministers to leave Beijing in a hurry and headed for Rehe.

Xianfeng fled to Rehe, and then the political center also moved to Rehe.And he left the shabby mess in Beijing to his sixth brother Yi, and let him handle the peace talks with full authority.But he and his court lived a life of debauchery in Rehe.

Xianfeng was originally in poor health, suffering from tuberculosis, coupled with his excessive indulgence, and the country's internal and external troubles were frequent, so his health became more and more deteriorating. Those who often contacted him knew that the emperor would not live long.It was under such circumstances that in the small world of Rehe, powerful officials and concubines were all thinking about their own future and rushing about, resulting in turmoil.

The power ministers were mainly Zaiyuan, Duanhua, Sushun, Jingshou, Duhan, Kuangyuan, Mu Yin and Jiao Youying who were later ordered by Xianfeng's edict to be the eight ministers of Gu Ming.The central characters are Sushun, Zaiyuan and Duanhua.

Sushun and Duanhua are brothers from the same mother.Because Duanhua was older than Sushun, he was able to inherit the title of his father Wuerbunbu and became Prince Zheng.Although Sushun did not inherit his father's title when he was young, he was named a third-class general of the auxiliary country because he was a descendant of the clan, and he was appointed as a minister of rank.To be honest, Sushun's ability should be higher than that of his brother, even among the ministers of Manchuria, he is also the most outstanding one.Since Sushun was recommended by Zaiyuan and Duanhua in the fifth year of Xianfeng (AD 1855) and was called to the imperial court for reuse, he formed a powerful group with these two people, domineering the world, and formed the "three treacherous knots, Doing the same big politics, but the power of the military aircraft department is gradually shifting, and the military aircraft ministers are all handed over to obey orders" ("Qing Barnyard Banknotes: Three Traitors in Xianfeng Ji Nian") situation.

The power of Sushun and other powerful groups came from Emperor Xianfeng who was unwilling to listen to the government, so they tightly controlled Xianfeng and tried their best to enjoy themselves.Even if they fled to Rehe, the number continued unabated.Xianfeng loves to listen to operas, so they set up a stage to perform. The troupe in the palace got tired of listening to it, so they transferred the troupe from outside to perform on festivals, birthdays, and in their spare time.Xianfeng loves to play, and they made a lot of construction projects, setting up scenery and digging pools.As for whether the treasury can support it, that is not a question.Sushun was good at keeping Xianfeng in his heart, so he became Xianfeng's most trusted person.Therefore, he is also the most domineering, not only looking down on ordinary ministers, but also dismissing concubines.This ordinary minister has nothing to do with Su Shun, he can only let him be domineering.However, the concubine is not resigned.

Concubine, it can be regarded as a force.Of course they are headed by Queen Niu Hulu and Concubine Yi Nala.

Concubine Yi came to Rehe with Xianfeng.During the several months in Rehe, she witnessed Xianfeng's condition with her own eyes. It was getting worse day by day, and she vomited blood from time to time recently, which clearly told her that the emperor's life was not long.Concubine Yi has been feeling uneasy recently, which she has never experienced since she entered the palace and was favored, especially after giving birth to her elder brother Zai Chun, she has great hopes for her future and destiny, and is full of confidence.However, in the small world of Rehe, Sushun can do things big and small as long as he nods, but Sushun can't do anything if he shakes his head, and Xianfeng just listens to him.It's fine with general ministers, but even domineering towards concubines. If the emperor dies, then I will fall into his hands, and the consequences will be disastrous.Concubine Yi secretly made up her mind that this situation must be changed quickly, and Sushun must be defeated.

Decisions are easy to make, but steps are hard to follow.Concubine Yi, although she is an imperial concubine, she is a woman after all!She fights against Sushun single-handedly, it is like hitting an egg against a rock, she knows this well.However, letting her join the courtiers was strictly restricted by palace rules.If she doesn't make it right, she will fall into a tussle, and the only one she can unite with now is the Queen Niu Hulu.Concubine Yi knew Niu Hulu's family very well, and they had a discordant relationship.That was when she was favored in Beijing, whether she was competing for favor or jealousy, or was she really afraid of hurting the emperor's body and spirit, anyway, the empress once angrily wanted to punish her in the Kunning Palace, but fortunately the emperor arrived in time to intercede for her, so she was spared once punishment.However, since Concubine Yi gave birth to her elder brother Zai Chun, the relationship between the two seems to have eased a bit.After arriving in Rehe, Sushun's domineering and domineering made the queen very uncomfortable. Therefore, her dissatisfaction was palpable, and Concubine Yi knew this very well.She decided to approach the Queen and form an alliance with her.

Concubine Yi has thought carefully about how to form an alliance with the queen, especially she is very cautious in taking this first step.

Beside Concubine Yi, there was an eunuch whom she admired very much. This person was An Dehai, the later famous power supervisor.Since An Dehai was assigned to serve Concubine Yi, he has been loyal to his master and thoughtful in everything, which has won Concubine Yi's favor.Therefore, Concubine Yi also trusts An Dehai very much.This time, the eunuch is of course indispensable for the work of forming an alliance with the queen.

Let's say Concubine Yi Yi wants to hand over a secret and very important job to An Dehai.Therefore, she called An Dehai into the secret room, and said in a very serious tone:
"Xiao Anzi, there is an important matter for you to do."

"The slave obeys the master's orders and will do his best to serve the master." Xiao Anzi replied immediately after hearing Concubine Yi's words.

"From today onwards, you must pay special attention to the movements of Su Liu (that is, Su Shun, because it is ranked sixth, so it is often called this in the Forbidden City), even if it is a small matter, you should pay special attention to it."

Concubine Yi straightened her serious face, she was really majestic, and An Dehai couldn't help feeling a little nervous.However, since she ordered it like this, it shows that Concubine Yi has a lot of trust in herself, otherwise, how could she be so straightforward.Therefore, An Dehai expressed with confidence:
"Slave, please rest assured, master. From now on, I will carefully observe the movement over there and report it in time, especially the movement related to the master. The slave should pay more attention."

Concubine Yi nodded with satisfaction after hearing An Dehai's confession, she believed that An Dehai would manage it well.

A few days later, An Dehai immediately reported to Concubine Yi after finding out about Sushun.When she walked into Concubine Yi's bedroom, she was reading "Three Kingdoms".Concubine Yi is good at reading history and literature, especially "Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin".At this time, I was reading with relish, but when An Dehai came in, he knew that he might have something to report, so he put down the "Three Kingdoms" in his hand, and asked:
"Xiao Anzi, what happened recently?"

"Returning to the master, the slave came to report to the master today, and I heard an important piece of information."

An Dehai slowly lowered his voice while talking.Concubine Yi looked around subconsciously, and then motioned An Dehai to speak.An Dehai took two steps forward knowingly, and then reported the information he got in a low voice.

"The servant learned from the eunuch over there that Su Zhongtang has misbehavior, especially his ambition to spy on the throne."

"Huh?" Concubine Yi couldn't believe it. She was able to get such information just after giving instructions. Is there something adulterated?But Concubine Yi is very interested in this.How she wished it was true, if so, she would be punished.She wanted to hear more, so she asked:
"Is this true? Tell me in detail."

When An Dehai saw Concubine Yi for the first time, he showed a puzzled expression and tone, and did not continue. He was watching Concubine Yi's expression, and when he saw Concubine Yi was very interested in this and asked him to explain in detail, he continued to talk. go down.

"Su Zhongtang's misbehavior is well-founded. Zhongtang often sits on the throne of Lord Long Live, and that's all. He often asks the people around him: 'Does it seem like it?'"

When An Dehai said this, Concubine Yi slapped the table and started cursing.

"Bold Su Liu is really extremely arrogant. Is there any other explanation for this non-tampering?"

Seeing that his words aroused Concubine Yi's great interest, An Dehai cleared his throat and said:

"The slave will tell the master again, there are others more powerful than this!"

Concubine Yi was really attracted by An Dehai's words. Seeing An Dehai's serious expression, she nodded to let him continue talking.After obtaining consent, Anderhay reported the even more serious usurpation.

"The servant learned that there is such a thing. After getting up every morning, Su Zhongtang will sit quietly in the tent and ask the attendants to bring a cup of ginseng juice. The cup is made of Khotan mutton fat jade, which was specially given to Zhongtang by the Lord Long Live No. No, the little attendant accidentally broke the cup and wanted to run away in fear. An old eunuch came up with an idea for him, asking the little attendant to ask for advice from Su Zhongtang's close friend Chen Shangshu Fuen. The little attendant came up with an idea. The little attendant acted according to the plan, glued the broken mutton fat jade cup, and served ginseng juice in this cup as usual the next morning. When Zhong Tangfu paid the bill, the little attendant was surprised Hu Pudi, the mutton fat jade cup fell to pieces, Su Zhongtang was furious, and asked why, the little attendant hurriedly replied: "I saw that there is yellow gas in the two nostrils of the master, which is like two dragons, five or six feet long, so I feel very frightened." Break the cup on the ground, please kill the servant.' I never thought that Su Zhongtang not only didn't get angry, but asked the little servant to get up quickly, and said: 'Don't talk about this matter outside!'"

An Dehai finished what he learned in one breath, and then paid close attention to Concubine Yi's attitude.Concubine Yi was furious at first, then sneered a few times, showing a complacent look, and then nodded again.

"You've done a good job, this is indeed very important information." Concubine Yi first rewarded An Dehai with a few words, and then seemed to remember something: "I wonder if the Queen knew about this?"

Hearing this question, An Dehai showed a very proud expression, and replied in a very mysterious tone:

"The slave really spent a lot of effort to get this information. He bribed the eunuch over there. How would the queen know?" Concubine Yi rewarded An Dehai and asked him to continue to pay attention to the situation of Sushun and others. The sea collar has gone.Concubine Yi attached great importance to this information, she considered it for a long time, and decided to visit the queen.

Empress Niu Hulu also has a proud person, that is the maid Shuangxi.Shuangxi is smart and clever, which wins the queen's favor.When Shuangxi was standing at the door looking out, she happened to meet Concubine Yi and several accompanying eunuchs walking towards this side, and she hurriedly informed the queen.Before the queen could go out, a crisp voice reached the queen's ears.

"Sister, sister sees you coming."

The voice came to everyone, and the two sisters first narrated the family life and asked about the health and well-being.After finishing the polite words, Concubine Yi said with a serious face:
"I have something to discuss with my sister."

Seeing that Concubine Yi was very serious, the queen knew that there might be important matters to discuss, so she ordered to her attendants:
"Wait outside, don't enter without orders!"

After the eunuchs and maids left, Concubine Yi whispered the information she had received from An Dehai to the queen.Then he said:
"Sister, now the emperor trusts this Su Liu too much. He takes care of everything big and small, and even our sisters have to rely on his nose to talk, so that he is so unruly. If something happens to the emperor, our sisters will become mud in their hands." Is it a group? How can you fiddle with it! "

The queen had long been disgusted with Sushun's domineering and domineering, and today she heard Concubine Yi say that he was so unruly, she was really angry.

"It's too outrageous, how can such a usurper be tolerated?!"

"Yes, sister, I think so too. But, sister, now the emperor has been deceived by Su Liu. If he doesn't make a report against us, it's our sister's fault. In my opinion, this matter must be Take your time, on the one hand, let the emperor see Su Liu clearly, on the other hand, we can't wait to die, we must be prepared just in case! Sister, what's your opinion?"

The queen nodded in agreement, and then the two secretly discussed how to ventilate, jointly filed a lawsuit against Sushun and others... In this way, the alliance of queens and concubines was formed.

Since Sushun came to Rehe, he has been trusted by Xianfeng, so he is unscrupulous.However, recently he seems to feel that the Queen and Concubine Yi have been in frequent contact and have a close relationship. Is there any special activity?He also felt that Emperor Xianfeng didn't trust him as much as before. Could it be that the empress and concubine Yi were causing trouble?Sushun knew the Queen and Concubine Yi quite well.The empress is quiet and kind, so it is easier to deal with. That concubine Yi is not easy to deal with. She is confident that she has given birth to a big brother, and she often opposes us. Could it be that she has slandered something that hurt me.Sushun was alerted, no matter what, this Concubine Yi should be dealt a blow.He is waiting for a suitable opportunity.

In recent days, Xianfeng's illness has slowed down a bit, and he felt a little refreshed, so he relapsed again.So a word of mouth spread throughout the Jehol Palace: Today is a boating game in the palace marsh.

After the word of mouth came out, all the concubines, ministers, and eunuchs gathered in Gongmao. Concubine Yi believed that she had lived in the south for a period of time and practiced boating skills. She volunteered to Xianfeng:

"I have lived in the south for a long time, and I have practiced boating skills. Please allow me to hold a pole paddle for the emperor to travel with."

Seeing that Concubine Yi is so attentive, Xianfeng agreed.Concubine Yi saw that the emperor happily agreed, her courage doubled, and she thought to herself: It's time to show her face.She picked up the paddle, stepped onto the boat with ease, and waited for Xianfeng's arrival. Xianfeng was already very weak, and the boat was unstable in the water. , A pole oar was thrown into the water, and the boat floated away. The Xianfeng became more unstable, and as a result, it wobbled and fell into the water.Fortunately, there were many people and quick hands, Xianfeng was fished out of the water, really like a drowned chicken, he gave Concubine Yi a hard look, and was taken back, and the boating scene ended unhappy.

Sushun is very happy this time, he finally found a good opportunity to be slandered.When he and some eunuchs helped Xianfeng back to the bedroom and changed his clothes, the eunuchs were sent out.Xianfeng lay on the imperial couch with his eyes closed. After a while, he slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Sushun guarding him, he pointed to the chair next to him. Sushun understood and moved the chair forward. Nodding, sitting there as if waiting for something.

After a while, Xianfeng felt much better. The false alarm really scared him out of his wits. Seeing that Xianfeng was much better than before, Sushun knew that everything was back to normal.He thinks now is the time.

"Your Majesty is lucky today, otherwise..." Sushun purposely stopped abruptly and looked at Xianfeng on the imperial couch with a special look.

Seeing that Sushun mentioned today's misfortune, Xianfeng sighed involuntarily.Of course, no one could guess from the sigh whether he was angry because Concubine Yi didn't take good care of her, or felt sad for her weak body.Sushun didn't think much, and continued talking.

"Concubine Yi teases the emperor like this, it's really treasonous."

Sushun's use of the word "teasing" really aroused Xianfeng's indignation, yes, today's failure was in the hands of this concubine Yi, he gritted his teeth unconsciously.Seeing that these words worked, Sushun went further and said according to the pre-considered words:

"Hey! I have ulterior motives. Concubine Yi has heard about her unruly intentions. I don't want to take action today."

Xianfeng seemed to believe it or not, showing doubts, only to see Sushun leaned forward, then lowered his voice and added mysteriously:
"The emperor won't forget that Concubine Yi is Yehenala, right? Presumably he will also remember the oath made by the fire walker during the Taizu period!"

How could Xianfeng forget this thrilling story?He fell into the contemplation of the past...

(End of this chapter)