Anecdote of the Fifth Queen Mother

Chapter 35 The Empress Dowager (7)
Cixi couldn't help being secretly surprised when he heard that Guangxu quoted Confucius' words to express his attitude, not only expressing his meaning euphemistically, but also citing scriptures.This kid is so smart!But, how could she change her decision, this is another time she carefully arranged a family plan!Guangxu is not his own son, but only a nephew plus a nephew. If he wants to get him as close as possible, then he has to ration his niece (the daughter of Cixi's younger brother) to Guangxu.Since entering the palace now, making their childhood sweethearts cultivate their relationship is the first step.Now that it has been decided, how can it be changed, so she repeated her decision.

"From now on, you have two partners, Prince Gong's son and Jing Fen!"

Guangxu knew that what Cixi decided was irreversible, so why did he argue?Only walked away resentfully.After that, he really had to play with these two.

Guangxu's dislike of Jingfen comes from the heart.Although he didn't dare to disobey Cixi's edict, but he really didn't want to play with Jingfen, so he often ignored Jingfen, which made Jingfen very embarrassed.She couldn't help but complained to her aunt.

"The emperor ignored me all day long and only cared about playing with himself."

Cixi knew a thing or two about this, and when she heard Jingfen's complaint, she thought she had to take care of it.How to manage it?She couldn't force them, and she took the method of getting them in touch and contacting each other to deepen their relationship.So once Cixi ordered Guangxu to take Jingfen to the Imperial Garden to teach her archery.Guangxu didn't dare to disobey the order, so he took Jingfen to the imperial garden.

After the task of bringing Jingfen to the Imperial Garden from the Changchun Palace was completed, Guangxu no longer carried out Cixi's orders. He was just alone in the Imperial Garden for archery and fun, but he left Jingfen aside and let her stand there blankly. .

Cixi really cared about their play, and not long after Guangxu and Jingfen left, she asked the eunuchs around her to go to the imperial garden to have a look.The sent eunuch saw that Guangxu was only playing alone, Jingfen stood aside blankly, he dared not and was unwilling to report truthfully for fear that something unpleasant would happen.Along the way, I thought hard and thought hard.

"Has Lord Long Live taught Jing Fen how to archery well?"

"Yes, Empress Dowager. They have been playing together very happily, laughing. The emperor gave the little princess all kinds of archery techniques one by one. He taught them very seriously. They played many times, It's been a pleasure."

"Today, the emperor shot carefully or not, how many times did he get hit?"

"Your Majesty shot very well today, Empress Dowager. There were only one or two misses."

"How did the little princess shoot?"

"It's also very good, Empress Dowager. Although the little princess is a beginner, of course she can't compare with the Long Live Lord, but she has shot it several times!"

Cixi listened to the eunuch's lie with a happy face, and smiled happily.She was really happy with her careful arrangement.But after a while, Cixi's joy disappeared.After Guangxu finished shooting the arrows, Cixi summoned the two of them again, and she wanted to inquire about the specific situation.

"The emperor practiced well today, he hit a lot of shots!"

"No, no, dear father! Where did we come from? We practiced really badly today. We never won five balls together." Hearing Cixi's question, Guangxu answered without hesitation.

"Is Jingfen doing well?" Cixi wanted to know about Jingfen's situation again.

"Her? She has never even shot an arrow, dear father. We will not allow her to shoot at all, because a stupid person like her will never learn archery, and she has no strength, so how can I teach her?" ..."

Hearing Guangxu's answer, Cixi almost twisted her mouth in anger.She didn't expect that her careful arrangement would fail again.However, after thinking about it, I felt a little bit of masturbation: Guangxu was a child who told her the truth.Since then, Cixi has tried many times, but they have not received great results.

In the 14th year of Guangxu (AD 1888), the aged emperor should have reached the age of marriage.Cixi made up her mind that regardless of the relationship between Guangxu and Jingfen, they must be combined.For this reason, Cixi specially summoned Guangxu.

"My child, we see that you are very good! Since you have been a long live god, you have done everything well, and we like it very much! We will always like you, and we must make you happy always!"

When people from Guangxu met Cixi, Cixi made such an opening speech first.Of course he didn't understand Cixi's intentions, he just nodded vaguely.Hearing that Cixi didn't continue after she finished speaking, she was waiting for herself to say a few words!So he also opened his mouth and said a few words that comforted Cixi.

"Dear father, my son is very clear, my son is always grateful to you, the old man, and never dares to forget your kindness one day."

Cixi nodded happily, and then said what was in her heart.

"We have something very important to tell you today. You should know that the biggest thing in life is nothing more than marriage. This is true for both men and women. Things like you have become the emperor should not be rushed. The old ancestors in the past, for the sake of solemnity, hired their wives a long time ago. So, now we also want to hurry up and hire you a wife."

After Guangxu listened, he understood the theme of today's summons.Yes, it stands to reason that it is time to hire a wife.The queen mother was quite thoughtful, and discussed this matter with herself every day.It can be seen that this is really a very important matter, neither hasty nor sloppy, you must choose the one you like.I don't know who the queen mother has in mind, but don't choose the playmate I don't like.

"Now, I might as well tell you that when you were four or five years old, we have already paid attention to you, so our selection is very careful. We have inquired about dozens of companies. All girls from noble families , as long as you are about the same age as you, we have asked people to inquire. Now, we have to rely on these many reports to make a decision. We have chosen the best wife for you. But the girl's appearance is not How extraordinarily beautiful, there is no difference. You have studied for a few years, and you must still remember the old saying "beauty is like disaster"? A woman who is a queen does not care about sex, as long as she is virtuous. "

Guangxu was listening quietly. The more he listened, the more uncomfortable he felt, as if something unfortunate was about to happen.He couldn't help praying silently: the person chosen by the Empress Dowager Wanwang was not Jingfen.Prayer is always prayer, whether it is heaven or God, it may be because too many people ask for its blessing, so they often only ask for nothing.You see, even the emperor of the Qing Empire prayed for blessings, but it ignored him.What Cixi said below is the best illustration of this point.

"We have made a selection for you now. Among the many girls from decent families, according to the results of our inquiries, there are some who are beautiful and some who are smart in reading, but none of them suit our wishes. There is only one person who suits us best and deserves to be a queen, and that is Jingfen who has been with you for a long time."

Is it thunder and deafening, or the melodious alarm bell and the ear-piercing long dysprosium sounded suddenly in the quiet night, when Guangxu heard the word Jingfen, it was exactly this kind of scene, and he suddenly raised his head and widened his eyes , staring straight at Cixi, it must be the case that the nerves are out of normal.Cixi has seen Guangxu's thoughts from his demeanor and demeanor.She will not change the long-planned decision because of this.So after looking at Guangxu for a while, she said in a threatening tone:

"We chose such a good wife for you, why don't you express your opinion!"

When Guangxu heard the question, he collected himself, and slowly lowered his head after returning to his normal state.Who can he confide in, full of grievances?What else can he consider, because this is the Queen Mother's decision!

"Father, for a wise old man like you, how could he be wrong in his decision?" Guangxu said holding back his grief and indignation. He tried his best to restrain himself, but two lines of tears still flowed down.

"In the past, you, the old man, took care of the child and brought happiness to the child every time. This time, you, the old man, took care of the important things for the child. Of course, your idea is beneficial to the child. If you are a father, you must If you want the baby to say a word, then the baby should make your father happy. If you want to say something, you have to obey Yi's order." After wiping away his tears, Guangxu finally said something against his will.

In this way, after Guangxu's "consent" by Cixi, she determined the marriage event for Guangxu.Then, on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the 1889th year of Guangxu (AD 25), Jingfen was welcomed into the palace according to Cixi's decree, and she officially became the queen of Guangxu.Since then, Cixi and Guangxu have been really close, and Jingfen has also become a "spy" with a special identity.

Cixi's series of schemes made Guangxu firmly controlled under invisible shackles, and he really became a trapped dragon that was difficult to leap.

[-]. Supervising authority

Guangxu was in a difficult situation, which was caused by Cixi.But it also has a lot to do with Li Lianying, the power supervisor.

Li Lianying, a native of Hejian, Zhili.People gave it the nickname "Skinny Plum".How did you get this nickname?It is said that this Hejian Li family has been a well-known scoundrel since he was a child.As the son of a peasant family, he dislikes farming.He saw that the smuggling of nitrate was very profitable, so he dealt with the government all day long to smuggle nitrate.Unexpectedly, he was out of luck and was arrested and imprisoned.After he was released from prison, he no longer sold nitrate but changed his career to a cobbler.Therefore, people added his occupation before his Li surname and called it "Pi Ni Li".

Selling nitrate is risky and profitable.Although he wanted to resume his old business, he had to give up because the government's anti-smuggling was too strict and he was on the list.There is no risk of changing to a cobbler, but the income is too meager, so that Li Lianying, who has spent a lot of money since childhood, is too dissatisfied.He decided to give up his career and change his career, but which one would he do?He hadn't made a decision for several days, until one day he met Shen Lanyu, a friend from his hometown who was working as an eunuch in the palace to visit relatives, and he decided to enter the palace as a eunuch.So he begged Shen Lanyu to help him with this.Shen Lanyu had friendship with Li Lianying when she was young, how could she refuse her friend's request?So he readily agreed, and told him a piece of news: Recently, the Empress Dowager Cixi heard that a new hair style was popular in Beijing, and asked the eunuchs in the combing room to imitate it, but the eunuchs were not satisfied with it.If you can learn some hair combing skills, it will be easy to enter the palace.Li Lianying thanked her for her advice, and immediately expressed that she would try her best to practice it, and would report it immediately after the skill was completed.

A few days later, Li Lianying really learned the technique of combing hair. After reporting to Shen Lanyu, Shen Lanyu immediately recommended him to the hairdressing room.So they immediately reported to the chief eunuch, and Li Lianying successfully entered the palace without much trouble and became the eunuch of the combing room.

Sure enough, Li Lianying lived up to expectations. He combed Cixi's hair for the first time and it was very satisfactory.The gentle hands flew over Cixi's head, and the new hairstyle was completed in an instant.Cixi had already seen the eunuch's every move from the mirror. After combing, she admired herself in the mirror and felt very comfortable.

"It's exactly what I want! Oh, why didn't you come a few days ago?"

"Returning to the Empress Dowager, the slave just entered the palace recently. I heard that the Empress Dowager likes the new hair style in Beijing, so I deliberately practiced it to please the Empress Dowager. I am very lucky to be praised by the Empress Dowager for what I have done today." Li Lianying finished listening Cixi made a self-introduction after the questioning.

Since then, Li Lianying has become a eunuch who combs hair that Cixi especially admires.No wonder people say, "Since the Nala family has acquired Lianying, they are very happy. Anyone who wears a bun or hairpin with a flower will definitely make Lianying do it, otherwise she will be unhappy." Li Lianying finally won the favor of Cixi by combing her hair.

Li Lianying is not only better at combing her hair than the eunuch in the same room, but also surpasses others in that she is good at predicting Cixi's wishes, doing what she likes, and hating what she hates.Not only did he succeed An Dehai as the chief eunuch, but he was also able to make an exception and reward the second rank Ding Dai. (As usual, eunuchs can only be rewarded at the top of the fourth rank, so An Dehai is very favored, and it is only the fourth rank.) Li Lianying is also the wealthiest in the world.Those who want to be promoted to official positions and ranks often go to his sect, making him a prominent power supervisor for a while.Even Prince Chun Yixuan and Bachelor Li Hongzhang had to give him three points.

Guangxu was very dissatisfied with this bullying eunuch.He really wanted to punish this eunuch, and hit Li Lianying's arrogance.However, one cannot punish without reason, and Guangxu is actively looking for reasons for punishment.

Li Lianying is quite versatile, he is elegant and good at rhythm, loves Beijing opera, and can play Xu Sheng, Lao Dan, Hei Tou and other roles.Therefore, he is often indispensable for acting in the palace.One day, Cixi and Guangxu went to watch "Golden Terrace" starring Li Lianying.In this play, Li Lianying speaks plainly and sings well, and Cixi, who is sitting below, is so happy that she can't close her mouth from ear to ear.After seeing it, Li Lianying was very proud, and even a little complacent.Unexpectedly, troubles would follow after triumph, and Li Lianying accidentally got into trouble.There is such a scene in the play: Tian Dan travels, meets the prince at night, and kicks out the prince's lantern with his feet.At this point, Li Lianying, who played Tian Dan, kicked the lantern with a kick, but she kicked the lantern too hard, and hit Guangxu on the head.

"It's simply presumptuous, drag that slave down to me!" Guangxu wanted to take this opportunity to punish Li Lianying.

The emperor issued an oral decree, of course not to be disobeyed, and Li Lianying was dragged before Guangxu.

"Come on, forty canes!" Seeing the enemy being dragged in front of his eyes, Guangxu was furious, and immediately ordered punishment.

After Li Lianying passed by, she knew that she had caused a catastrophe.The former majesty is long gone.When he rolled his eyes, a hero does not suffer immediate losses, and he can only be relieved by begging Yu Guangxu hard.So he kowtowed and said:
"The slave deserves to die, the slave deserves to die. The slave offends the Lord Long Live, he really deserves to die. The slave begs the Lord Long Live to forgive him."

Guangxu cast a glance at Li Lianying, who was begging for mercy on the ground. Instead of showing any mercy, both old hatred and new hatred came to mind. Time?

"Hmph! I'll spare you a capital crime, but a living crime is unforgivable. Forty flogging is still light."

After listening to Guangxu's words, Li Lianying knew that Guangxu had decided to punish him, and it was useless to ask any more.He knelt on the ground and rolled his eyes to look for another person who could save him—Cixi.When he found it, he turned his head slightly and begged for mercy again.

"The slave is really unintentional. I beg Lafayette and Long Live Lord to show mercy."

Cixi heard Li Lianying begging her to help her, how could she not make things right?She turned around and said to Guangxu with a smile:
"Let the emperor spare him. It's true, Li Lianying really didn't mean it." Before Guangxu could speak, he said to Li Lianying: "Hurry up and thank the Lord Long Live for your kindness."

"Slave, thank you, Lord Long Live, for not punishing me." Li Lianying was such a clever person. After hearing Cixi's words, he immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude.

Guangxuman thought that the punishment was for a reason, and took the opportunity to vent his personal anger. He didn't expect Cixi to mediate, and his wishful thinking fell through.When he saw Li Lianying kowtowed to thank him and wanted to say something, he was so annoyed that he waved his hand and squeezed out four words from between his teeth: "Get off!"

Li Lianying obeyed the order and withdrew.How could he not hate the emperor who made him ugly in public!But he was always a eunuch, a slave for others to serve, and it would be unwise to oppose Guangxu with open flames and sticks, so he harmed Guangxu secretly.Sometimes she slandered Cixi, making Cixi's impression of Guangxu worse and worse, and sometimes she looked for opportunities to revenge Guangxu.

One year during the Lantern Festival, Empress Dowager Cixi rewarded cakes.She first rewarded Guangxu and ordered Li Lianying to send it on a special trip.Li Lianying brought it to her room on her own initiative.

"Little ones, come here, Lafayette rewarded us with cakes again, come, come and taste together." Li Lianying said and distributed all the cakes rewarded to Guangxu to his little eunuchs to eat.

This matter happened to be inquired by Guangxu's confidant eunuch Wang Shang, and he reported to Guangxu indignantly:

"Long live Lord, my servant found out that today Lafayette rewarded Long Live Lord with cakes, so the chief eunuch Li Lianying made a special trip to send them to him. Unexpectedly, Chief Li took it back to his room and shared it with the little eunuchs, and even said that it was given to him by Lafayette." .”

If you don't listen to it, it's enough. When you hear it, your lungs will explode.Guangxu immediately rushed to the Changchun Palace, and when he saw Cixi, he said angrily:

"Father, Li Lianying hasn't delivered the pastry you gifted to the child. Everyone knows that the Queen Mother has already sent him the pastry. I hope my father can check it out."

Cixi was surprised when she heard this, and immediately asked Li Lianying to be summoned. Li Lianying came immediately after hearing the call. Seeing Guangxu standing there angrily, she understood a lot.He pondered in his mind a strategy for dealing with the situation.

"A bold slave who dares to withhold even the rewards of the Long Live Lord at will. How decent is it? Do it honestly!" Cixi first gave an order to Li Lianying.

Li Lianying knew that this incident was caused by Guangxu, and as long as Guangxu calmed down, the matter would be over.He also knew that as long as Empress Dowager Cixi took care of her, the big things would come to naught.So he kowtowed to Guangxu first, and then explained what he did.

"Please calm down the anger of the Long Live Lord, the slave has been convicted! But there are still some twists and turns in the middle to allow the slave to report. Just now, after the slave took these cakes out, I wanted to send them to the Long Live Lord immediately. Unexpectedly, as soon as I got outside, there were many people. I found the servant here for important matters. And all these matters are related to Lafayette, either in the imperial dining room to ask for food, or the old palace ladies come to ask for shoes. Lord Long Live probably understands that the servant has always served Lafayette These things cannot be replaced by others; and the slave himself is not willing to let these things be put aside casually, so the slave is busy doing these things first, so he has to put the cake of the Long Live Lord aside for a while."

Hearing this explanation, Cixi's angry face changed into a smile.Instead of blaming Li Lianying, she deepened her affection for Li Lianying.Yes, this eunuch is a loyal one for me.After hearing Li Lianying's lies, Guangxu knew that Cixi would definitely face him, so he suppressed his anger and left angrily.

(End of this chapter)