Anecdote of the Fifth Queen Mother

Chapter 32 The Empress Dowager (4)
Instructions to princes, princes, officials, etc.: Last year, the turmoil in the sea and territory, and the martial law in the capital were always caused by the bad plans of the kings and ministers in charge.Zaiyuan and the others could not do their best to make peace negotiations, and they only tried to lure the British envoys to cover up their own responsibilities, so that they broke the trust of all countries.The Dian Garden was disturbed, and my emperor inspected and visited Rehe, which is the last resort of the Sacred Heart.After the prime minister, the king and ministers of the state affairs yamen, etc., took care of the affairs that should be done by each country, and the peace inside and outside the capital was as usual.Huang Kao repeatedly summoned the king and ministers to discuss the purpose of returning to Luan, but Zaiyuan, Duanhua, and Sushun were compared as traitors, always because of repeated foreign situations, and tried their best to reject public opinion.The emperor was exhausted during the night of the exam, and his mouth was severely cold, so that the holy body violated the harmony, and he actually held the guest of honor on July 101 this year.I rushed to the ground and shouted to the sky, and the five insides were on fire.I am not the only one who hates Zaiyuan and others for their past crimes of deception.At the beginning of my imperial court, I wanted to punish him again, but I thought that Yi and others were ministers of Gu Ming, so I temporarily pardoned them to see the effect later. On August 102th, I summoned Zaiyuan and other eight people. Shi Dong Yuanchun respected Chen Guanjian and said that he would ask the empress dowager to take charge of the government temporarily. After a few years, I will be able to manage the general affairs by myself and then return to the government; I also ask to send one or two of the princes to assist the prime minister; I also ask Jane to send one or two ministers to serve as my masters.The above three ends are in line with my wishes.Although I am facing the ceremony without the empress dowager hanging the curtain, I have been entrusted by the emperor with great care, but I only care about the national economy and the people's livelihood, how can I stick to the routine?This so-called thing is more important than power.Specially ordered Zaiyuan and others to deliver the decree as requested.When the king and the ministers played the right question, they argued with each other, and there was no courtesy for ministers. When the decree was drafted, it was overtly obedient and negatively violated, and it was rewritten without authorization, and it was promulgated as my decree. What is the sincerity?Moreover, Zaiyuan and others always use the words of not daring to be good at being good at it. Is this not a real example of being good at being good at it?Because of my age, the empress dowager can't fully understand state affairs, let Yi and others deceive me, can I deceive the world as much as possible?This person should live up to the deep kindness of the emperor. If I do things to Gurong again, why should I look up to the spirit in heaven?How can we obey the public opinion of the world?Zaiyuan, Duanhua, and Sushun were dismissed immediately, while Jingshou, Mu Yin, Kuangyuan, Duhan, and Jiao Huying withdrew from the Military Aircraft Department.Prince Pai Gong, together with the University Scholars, Liubu, Jiuqing, Han, Zhan, Ke, Daojiang Yi, etc., differentiated the severity of the blame, and performed it according to the law, and how the empress dowager should hang the curtain. with playing.Special order, Qin this. (The First Series of Archives and Historical Materials of the Qing Dynasty, pp. [-]-[-])
The Shangyu Mingfa condemned the eight ministers and announced the system of listening to the government behind a curtain.But the two palaces were not enough, so they summoned a group of ministers to accuse Zaiyuan, Duanhua, and Sushun of bullying orphans and widows.The tearful accusation of the two palaces made the officials present feel aggrieved.But no one expected the six-year-old Zai Chun to say something that surprised people:
Grandma, if this slave is so indebted, he can beheaded, please don't be sad. (Page 254 of "Qing Barnyard Banknotes: The Three Traitors of Xianfeng Ji Nian")
The emperor's words are verbal instructions, since the emperor has expressed his position, he should act immediately. Therefore, under Yi's personal deployment, he sent people to arrest Zaiyuan and Duanhua first, and took them to the clan mansion.Then he asked Wang Yi of Junjun to lead his men to capture Sushun on the way.After Sushun was captured in Miyun, he was taken to the clan mansion.The three of them met in the clan's mansion, and they no longer had the prestige of Rehe. None of them expected that the orphans and widows would be so powerful.
On October [-]th, the crimes of the eight ministers were announced and severely punished: Zaiyuan and Duanhua were ordered to commit suicide, Sushun was executed, Jingshou was dismissed and Mu Yin was dismissed and sent to the military platform to serve as atonement, Kuangyuan, Duanhua John and Jiao Youying were dismissed.Cixi and Ci'an listened to the government behind the curtain, and their wish to take power finally came true.Of course, the two palaces did not forget the promise made by Rehe, no, just after the curtain was drawn, the edict of Ling Yi as the king of politics was announced to the world.

The cabinet issued an edict: Prince Gong Yizhu was appointed as the king of the government, and he walked in the military plane.This is it.

[-]. Conflict between uncle and sister-in-law

The empress dowagers of the two palaces and Yi temporarily joined forces for the common goal of overthrowing the eight assistant ministers, and they cooperated very well.But when the goal is achieved and the situation is stable, the conflict between these two forces is inevitable.

After Xianfeng died, his son Zaichun succeeded him.According to the usual rules, the new emperor must change the yuan when he ascends the throne.Therefore, in Rehe, Sushun and others proposed that the new emperor's Jianyuan year name be "Qixiang", and issued an edict with the consent of the two palaces.However, after returning to Luan, the eight ministers were overthrown, and of course the reign title they drew up should not be used again.On October [-]th, Zhou Zupei, a scholar of the university, made a memorial requesting that another Yuannian name be proposed.The empress dowagers of the two palaces felt that it was very satisfactory after reading the memorial, so they immediately transferred the memorial to the military aircraft department for further discussion.The Military Aircraft Department is headed by Yi, and the current Minister of Military Aircraft is Yi's confidant.When reconsidering the issue of the Jianyuan Year, they took into account the fact that the downfall of the eight ministers and the implementation of listening to the government behind the curtain were the result of the joint efforts of the empress dowagers of the two palaces and Prince Gong. Considering two aspects, governing the country must also be governed by two aspects. Therefore, after full deliberation, the military ministers drafted the word "Tongzhi" and submitted it.

The Military Aircraft Department planned to advance to be the Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces, and the Two Palaces thought it was very appropriate.Their thinking is not the same as that of Minister Yi and Military Aircraft. They think that since the two palaces are drawn at the same time, of course the two palaces should be governed together.Therefore, the two palaces agreed to use this word.

On October [-]th, the imperial edict to change Yuan Tongzhi was issued to the whole country through the cabinet. The imperial edict reads as follows:

University scholar Zhou Zupei can change the title of the first year of Jianyuan, according to the decree of the Empress Dowager and the Holy Mother: Jianyuan Grand Ceremony, which will last forever. Not agreed.Please correct me according to Zhou Zupei's performance. It is really a caring ceremony, which is thorough and prudent, with deep compassion.The king of politics and the minister of military affairs were ordered to submit the word "Tongzhi" to submit, and the empress dowager and the empress dowager agreed to do so.On the ninth day of this month, Lian Yuji issued an edict, announcing that next year will be the first year of Tongzhi. (The first series of "Archives and Historical Materials of the Qing Dynasty", page 112)
In Yi's view, the "Tongzhi" reign title is the most appropriate.Since "government is the same", it should be governed together.He has a division of labor in his heart: the two palaces govern the inner court, and I govern the outer court.Therefore, Yi took over the power of the outer court in the capacity of the King of Discussion to assist the young master.In Yi's view, this is all natural.

The two palaces have opinions on Yi's seizing power, especially Cixi. She has worked hard to defeat the eight ministers and fulfilled her long-cherished wish to listen to the government behind the curtain. What about the decorations?At first, she was tolerant towards Yi, because the situation was still unstable at that time, and she hadn't figured out the bottom line of Beijing, so she didn't rashly restrict Yi.But when she found out the truth and stabilized the situation, she could no longer tolerate it, so she first warned and restricted Yi through various means.Ke Yi relied on his great achievements and powerful influence, and all military ministers acted on his face. How could he buy Cixi's account?Therefore, he still took over the political affairs of the foreign court, and the conflict between uncles and sisters began, and this conflict increased day by day, and finally surfaced.

It was Cai Shouqi's memorial that caused the conflict between Cixi and Yi to become superficial.Let's put aside the pen for a while, let's get to know Cai Shouqi, the worshiper.

Cai Shouqi was born in Dehua, Jiangxi.In the 20th year of Daoguang (AD 1840), he was a second-class Jinshi.Entered the Hanlin Academy as an editor.In February of the fourth year of Tongzhi (1865 A.D.), the Ministry of Public Affairs delivered lectures on officials.Cai Shouqi, who worked as an editor first and later as a lecturer, has a good ability to observe the current situation and spy on the inner court.Because of a trivial matter, Cai Shouqi made up his mind to shoot at the king of politics.

After Cixi closed the curtain, An Dehai was very favored. In order to win the favor of his master, An Dehai often asked the minister in charge of the palace to provide for Cixi outside the usual practice. Of course, he did not deny that there were his own needs.The minister in charge was deeply dissatisfied with this, but how dare he oppose Cixi's confidant eunuch An Dehai?Therefore, he had to do everything possible to meet An Dehai's needs, but An Dehai also had more and more needs.This incident spread to the ears of Wang Yi, who was in charge of the affairs of the court. For some reason, the person in charge of the power of the outer court was moved to take care of the affairs of the inner court, so he said to the minister in charge:
"If An Dehai asks more than usual, you bring him to me, and I will teach him a lesson."

The minister in charge of the palace heard that it was hard to burn incense when he heard that the king of politics was in charge, so he kowtowed and thanked:

"Thank you, my lord, for taking care of me. I will definitely obey the order."

One day, An Dehai came to ask again, and added a lot beyond the routine.The minister in charge, uncharacteristically, laughed and refused.Seeing this, An Dehai was about to get angry, when he saw a young eunuch walking out beside him, and saluted An Dehai and said:
"Second Master An, the King of Political Affairs invites you to go."

When An Dehai heard that the King of Political Affairs invited him, he felt overjoyed, and thought: What, you bastards still don't listen to my instructions, have you seen that, the King of Political Affairs still has to "invite" me if he has something to do!I saw him raise his head and walk away with great vigor.Seeing An Dehai's arrogant appearance, the minister in charge sneered a few times, thinking: I'm afraid I'll be discouraged when I come back!

Yi was dealing with some matters at the military plane, and heard that the little eunuch sent by the minister in charge reported that An Dehai needed to ask for it outside the routine, so he asked the little eunuch to call An Dehai.When An Dehai came, Yi was waiting there.

"Slave pays respects to the lord." An Dehai greeted Yi first after seeing Yi.

Yi glanced at An Dehai and said coldly:
"There are rules for offerings and collections in the palace. No one is allowed to ask for more than the regular rules, but you break the rules and ask for selfishness. Are you guilty of violating the rules and regulations?"

An Dehai didn't expect that he was here to be trained, and the one who trained him was the king of political affairs. He might not be convinced by others, but the king of political affairs is not easy to mess with. It's better not to suffer the immediate loss. Therefore, he said repeatedly :

"The slave is guilty, the slave is guilty.",

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I felt that "conviction" was inappropriate, but it was difficult to take it back.Seeing this, Yi also wanted to teach him a few words to finish the job, so he continued:

"Now the country's affairs are difficult, and it is not appropriate for the palace to ask for it..."

An Dehai couldn't help interrupting Yi's words and asked:

"What did you take?"

Yi's words were suddenly interrupted by An Dehai, and he asked such a question out of the blue. He was startled, and after a little thought, he continued to answer An Dehai's question.

"Such as porcelain, cups and plates, as usual, one piece per month is not too small. Why do you ask for it?"

After hearing this, An Dehai breathed a sigh of relief, what kind of crime is this?He immediately said,
"I won't ask for it in the future."

Yi said something that shouldn't be an exception, and asked An Dehai to back out.On the way back, he was like a deflated ball.He was thinking about how to let out this breath, thinking deeply all the way, keeping his heart in mind.

The next day, An Dehai took special care of the imperial dining room and gave them the following order:
"Today, the empress dowager passed on the meal, learned about the imperial porcelain, and made the best use of the rough and evil porcelain in that village shop."

Yushanfang felt perplexed, but did not dare to confront An Dehai, so he obeyed the order.When Cixi was eating, she saw that all the meals served were served in coarse porcelain, she felt her brows frowned, and she said angrily:

"What's the matter, such rough porcelain can also be used for imperial use?"

Seeing this, An Dehai hurriedly approached Cixi, and said with a dissatisfied look:

"Master, don't need to be angry. Let the servant report: Yesterday, I went to the minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to receive the imperial belongings. Unexpectedly, I was summoned by the sixth master. He was full of anger and severely reprimanded me. What did you say that the slave did not follow the palace rules and asked for the imperial belongings at will from the master? He also said that even the Empress Dowager is no exception, and ordered that the items used by the Queen be reduced from today. In order to comply with the order of the Sixth Lord, this is a last resort today."

"Oh, so that's the case. The king of politics is too unscrupulous. He didn't listen to the warnings in the past. Instead, he became more serious. Let alone the external power, he even took control of the inner palace. Is it possible to reduce the royal power tomorrow? ?!"

Therefore, the conflict between Cixi and Yi deepened.This incident quickly spread in the palace, and Cai Shouqi, who was good at spying on the affairs of the inner court, understood it in more detail.Cai Shouqi analyzed the pros and cons of both sides, and believed that Cixi had the seal of "Tongdaotang" in her hand, which was a symbol of power, and she also controlled the emperor. What about Cixi's blow to Yi?This must be appreciated by Empress Dowager Cixi, and it goes without saying that high-ranking officials will be generously paid at that time.So he carefully drafted a memorial to impeach Yi, and after several revisions, he submitted it to the imperial court.

Now it's time for us to go back and write about the situation after the bow.On March [-], Cai Shouqi's memorial was presented to the Empress Dowagers of the Two Palaces.Since Cixi took office, she had to read the memorial all day long.For some memorials, she can see ten lines at a glance.At first, she glanced at this memorial, but the content of the memorial deeply attracted her.She read it carefully.

Recently, there have been greedy and mediocre people who took heavy responsibilities internally because of heavy money, and those who agglomerated and harmed the people because of good fortune and appointed them to seal the frontiers outside. The members of the bureaucracy are all abandoned, and the subjects are suspicious, thinking that the king of the government is corrupt;However, with the elimination of the affairs of a province, the ministers in the nearby borders will be rewarded, the household soldiers and the ministries will be honored, and the credits will not be doubted. The public will whitewash and the subjects will be suspicious, and they will think that the king's arrogance is full of politics;... In recent years, the ministries and halls As for the mission, every time the recommendation is too much, but the interests are silent, the ministers are suspicious, and they think that the king of the government is taking power; favoritism.

it is good!When Cixi saw the four major crimes of corruption, arrogance, power grabbing, and favoritism, she couldn't help but applaud.Cai Shouqi really grasped the key point, which was enough for the king of politics, she watched the last paragraph with great interest.

The ministers thought that if the king who discussed the affairs of state took it as his own fault at this time, returned to the court, and retired to the mansion, please don't choose to discuss affairs with his relatives. ("Qing Palace Anecdotes Cai Shouqi Shut Up Prince Gong")
After Cixi finished reading the memorial, she really couldn't put it down. She read it several times before putting it aside.She was so happy, the memorial came at the right time, yes, this time, Gong Lao Liu must be cited as his own fault, return to the court, and retire to the mansion.

On March [-]th, the two palaces issued a decree: "Summon the King of Political Affairs." After receiving the decree, Yi immediately went to meet with the two palaces. He thought there was something important to discuss, but after entering the palace gate, he felt that the atmosphere was not the same as before. same.But he still stood there firmly.Seeing that Yi had arrived, Cixi looked at Ci'an with a questioning gaze, and Ci'an nodded.So Cixi said:
"Sixth Master, someone has impeached you." Cixi told the whole story bluntly, and shook the memorial in her hand while speaking.This means: This is absolutely true.

As the King of Political Discussion, Yi did not expect someone to impeach him, so he said in a suspicious tone:
"Who impeached me?"

"Daily lecturer Cai Shouqi." Cixi replied without any hesitation.

"Cai Shouqi? This person is not a good person. He specializes in speculation. Ask him as soon as the servant returns."

Yizhen uttered big words, which angered Cixi.She didn't expect Yi to answer her like this, how can it be done if he is not punished in the future, so she first ordered Yi to retreat, and then issued an order to the eunuch:

"Pass my words, and invite Zhou Zupei, Rui Chang, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Zhu Feng, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Wu Tingdong, Minister of the Ministry of Households, Wang Fagui, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, Sang Chunrong, and Yin Zhaoyong, scholars of the Cabinet, to come and see you."

After a while, all the ministers were summoned to file in. The purpose of Cixi summoning them was to discuss Yi's crime.Although these ministers had different opinions during the negotiation, under the coercion of the two palaces, they had to discuss Yi's crime.The agreed results will be announced to the public soon.

I submit to the order of the Empress Dowagers of the Two Palaces: On the fifth day of this month, according to Cai Shouqi's performance, Prince Gong acted in favor of favoritism, was greedy for ink, was arrogant, seized power, invited many things to discuss, and all kinds of disadvantages. ...

Prince Gong has been self-important and arrogant since he discussed politics. Many tricks, full of nonsense.In this situation, how can we handle state affairs in the future! ...

Prince Gong said that there is no need to discuss politics at the military plane, and all errands are removed, and no interference in official affairs is allowed. This is my best intention for preservation. ("Anecdotes of Upright Officials Cai Shouqi Shut Up and Impeach Prince Gong")
As soon as the edict was issued, there was an uproar inside and outside the court.Yi's confidants were even more terrified.At this time, the Prince of Paradise, Yiliang, felt that Yiming was not fair. He thought that "Prince Gong has not heard of any notable bad deeds in handling affairs since he discussed the state affairs, but the many indiscretions in Zhao's language and expressions are not common to all the subjects. It has been widely heard; but it has been involved in various items, and there is no real evidence to investigate and deal with it. If you commit a crime and denounce it suddenly, you will be afraid of rumors at home and abroad, and there will be a lot of discussions." Therefore, he suggested that "the empress dowager and the emperor should be extra kind."Yisu, the king of Chunjun, also followed in the footsteps of the prince, and wrote a letter to ask for extra favor.What's more, once Yi, who has always been trusted by foreign countries for his handling of foreign affairs, was dismissed, all countries were also very concerned, "Foreign envoys also inquired about the reasons of military officials" (Wang Minyun's "Qixiang Story"), under such circumstances , the two palaces also felt that it was too much, so they decided to make some concessions.

Yi was arrogant at first, and he didn't care about Cai Shouqi's participation in impeachment, and even thought that the two palaces would not punish him at all.But when the decree was issued that he was dismissed from the position of discussing state affairs and dismissed all errands, he felt like waking up from a dream, felt the power of the two palaces, and regretted that he had underestimated them.Therefore, when the two palaces resumed summoning Yi on April [-], he changed his previous arrogance, and after entering the door, he knelt down on his knees and "wept and apologized".Yi's move finally set up a ladder for the two palaces and lowered the steps, so they decided to reduce the punishment and gave a reasonable explanation to the officials in the above edict.

Today, Prince Gong was summoned by thanks for his kindness, and fell to the ground and cried bitterly, unable to contain himself... Now that Prince Gong can understand this meaning and reform his mistakes, the imperial court has no prejudices about the advancement and retreat of ministers and workers. As a trusted and important minister, he is worthy of assisting the court.How can we be willing to change the way we treat each other from beginning to end, so as to make him feel comfortable and comfortable!Prince Gong is still walking on the minister of military aircraft, and there is no need to review the name of the government to show restraint. ("Qing Palace Anecdotes·Cai Shouqi's Impeachment of Prince Gong") The conflict between uncle and sister-in-law has come to an end. In this conflict, the two palaces, especially Cixi, finally suppressed Yi and resigned from his post of discussing politics.This is not only a blow to Yi himself, so that he does not dare to be as domineering as before, but also shows his strength to the officials.This incident announced the failure of Yiyu's "coercion of the emperor to command the princes", and the status of the two palaces became more consolidated.

Seven, confidants are removed

(End of this chapter)