Anecdote of the Fifth Queen Mother

Chapter 37 The Empress Dowager (9)
On the way Yuan Shikai returned to Tianjin from the capital, he beat his horse and swung his whip, meditating in the waves.How to do?Surround the Summer Palace according to the emperor's secret decree?When thinking of the Summer Palace, the shadow of Cixi comes to mind. She is not an idle person, and besides, she has Ronglu as an accomplice.At this time, Rong Lu had both political power and military power, and his army had controlled Gyeonggi.After weighing, Yuan Shikai felt that it would be better to exchange an emperor with no real power for Cixi's high-ranking officials and generous salary.Therefore, after arriving in Tianjin, he did not return to Yuan's Mansion, but turned his horse's head and went straight to Zhili Governor's Mansion.

"Mr. Rong, I have something to discuss with you, and I ask Mr. Rong to enlighten me." Yuan Shikai spoke bluntly when he saw Governor Rong Lu.

"Oh, please sit down and talk." Rong Lu knew that Guangxu had specially summoned Yuan Shikai, and he just wanted to know more about it!Therefore, when Yuan Shikai asked for help, he was very happy, but on the surface he pretended nothing had happened.

"The lower official was summoned by the emperor, and the emperor gave the lower official a special task..."

Yuan Shikai spoke vividly. He thought that Rong Lu would listen in surprise, but he didn't expect that when he reached a critical point, Rong Lu would yawn, close his eyes slightly, and gradually fell asleep.This cunning fox, Yuan Shikai secretly cursed.After straightly speaking all the content of the repeated summons, when Yuan Shikai closed his mouth, Rong Lu rubbed his eyes and said sleepily:
"I'm so sorry for you. Today is an unfortunate day, and I'm really sleepy. What did you say to me just now, Mr. Yuan? I didn't even hear a single word."

"According to Rongxiang, should Yuan obey the edict this time?" Yuan Shikai knew that Ronglu was pretending, so he asked directly without going around in circles.

"My lord Yuan, if you want to mention this matter, what I mean is, first of all, as our subjects, we must obey the emperor first, so since the emperor has given you an imperial edict, how can you not obey it? But on the other hand On the one hand, being loyal to the Empress Dowager is also the duty of our courtiers. Then, according to you, the emperor's edict did not mention not to tell the Empress Dowager!"

Having said that, the meaning is very clear.Yuan Shikai bid farewell to Rong Lu, rode on a fast horse, returned to Beijing with only one attendant, and went straight to the Summer Palace.When he arrived at the Summer Palace sweating profusely, the sky could not be seen, and the garden gate was tightly closed.Yuan Shikai did not ask the guards at the garden gate to see the queen mother, but said that he wanted to see Li Lianying, the chief manager, and the guards reported to him, and Li Lianying immediately asked him to come in.

"I beg the manager to report to the Queen Mother. I have something important to report." Yuan Shikai immediately explained his intention after seeing Li Lianying.

Li Lianying could see from Yuan Shikai's expression that the matter was serious, so she readily agreed to his request and immediately introduced it to Cixi.Seeing Cixi, Yuan Shikai repeated what he said in Rongfu and then made up a set of astonishing lies with more emphasis.

"The emperor also ordered his ministers to lead troops to encircle the Summer Palace, and used violence to break through the garden gate, ending Lafayette's life amidst the chaos."

After Cixi listened, smoke came out of the seven orifices.She was suspicious of Guangxu at first, but now after Yuan Shikai's set of lies, she is convinced that Guangxu is plotting to seize power.She gritted her teeth and said:
"What a traitor, let's wait and see!"

"Little Lizi, prepare for Luanyu, return to the palace immediately!" Cixi thought that Guangxu should be caught off guard, so she decided to return to the palace immediately. "

Since Guangxu summoned Yuan Shikai, he has stabilized a lot.When Yuan Shikai informed and Cixi walked towards Zijin City in a murderous spirit, Guangxu was immersed in beautiful longing.

"Long live lord, long live lord, this slave has something important to report." When Guangxu seemed to be asleep, Wang Shang came to disturb him again.

"What's the matter? Tell me quickly." Guangxu heard the call and immediately ordered him to report.

"The empress dowager has returned to the palace from the Summer Palace!"

"Ah!" Guangxu didn't expect such a sudden turn of events, he hurriedly turned over and sat up, holding his head with both hands: "It's over, everything is over!"

Concubine Zhen, Guangxu's most desirable person, was sleeping with Guangxu tonight.Since entering the palace, she has been favored by Guangxu. She is wise and courageous, and she is really a good adviser to Guangxu.When she heard the news that Cixi had returned to the palace overnight, she also knew that it was not good.However, she knew Guangxu best, and she was most afraid that Guangxu would not be very calm at this time. If such a catastrophe was bound to happen, she had to comfort Guangxu.

"Long live, everything in the world is always predestined. It seems that the New Deal cannot be implemented, it seems to be God's will. Long live, don't take it too seriously. So stop for a while when Lafayette comes back, no matter how much she blames the old man No matter how harshly she punishes her, Long Live God must keep in mind the rules passed down from her ancestors. You must know that under Lafayette's rage, as long as the emperor says a word that offends her or does something that defies her, she will try her best. It can immediately hurt the life of the emperor..."

Speaking of this, Concubine Zhen choked up.Tears flowed down like broken pearls.She took Guangxu's hand, held back her weeping and continued:
"I have always been loved by the emperor, but I also love the emperor! The life of the emperor is also my life. Besides, when it comes to the country and the people, the emperor can really say something about them in the past few years. Now it is God's will If you don’t want the emperor to be successful—at least for now—then, the emperor can only let go of his ambitions for the time being! Besides, the emperor is still young, and the queen mother is already an old man. She cannot restrain the emperor forever .In the future, there will be more opportunities like this! So I must persuade the emperor to be patient for the time being, and be careful to avoid this storm first."

"You don't have to worry, I will deal with her well myself." Guangxu also said something comforting to Concubine Zhen.

Upon hearing the news that Cixi Luanyu had entered the palace, Guangxu and Concubine Zhen hurried out to greet her.

"Baby, pay respects to your father!" After Cixi gave birth, Guangxu saluted first.

"Don't dare. Now I want to ask you something, do you know what kind of crime a son wants to kill his mother in the law left by our ancestors?"

"Oh my God, this is absolutely nothing. If the child has such an evil intention in his heart, he should kiss his father, even if he is scraped with a knife. But now he always asks his father to learn from him, and the child has never had such an evil intention in his heart." Such a rebellious thought." After listening to Cixi's questioning, Guangxu made some excuses.

"Father, the child understands the rules of the ancestors and the filial piety that a son should do, and has always abided by it, so how can the child admit to such a big injustice? My father, the child can swear immediately : There is only one thought in the boy's heart, that is, to serve the country and the people, and all the plans for the New Deal are all based on this."Seeing that Cixi's anger was still there, Guangxu made another supplement.

"Don't give me any more rhetoric! Now I only have a few simple words: You must know that the world was established by the ancestors. All the laws and regulations they set and all the rules, of course, have their reasons. We are descendants If you want to keep this foundation, you have to fully abide by these laws and rules. Who are you, you are worthy to change them! If you really mess up those bastard new methods you think, the world of our Qing Dynasty will not be in your hands Will you be ruined here?! Now you should understand, are you worthy of ruling this country? Think about it for me!"

Guangxu already understood the meaning of Cixi's words, what else could he think about?Only retreat.

"Dear father, my son understands. Tomorrow, my son will immediately draft an edict, and I will still invite you to take charge of the power of state affairs, because my son is really useless." In this way, Guangxu "returned to the government" the next day. The enactment was made clear. "Order to the cabinet: Now the state affairs are difficult, and the common affairs are waiting to be taken care of. I work hard all day long, and take care of all the opportunities in the day. In addition to being conscientious, there are always troubles. Since the reign of Tongzhi, Cixi Duanyou Kangyi Zhaoyu Zhuang Chengshou respectfully presented the empress dowager Chongxi twice. Listening to the government, handling the government affairs, the great economy is difficult, and everything is perfect and perfect. Because the memory of the sect is the most important, I repeatedly appeal to the kindness and training of the government; I look up and bow down as I ask, this is the blessing of the people of the world. From today onwards, in the hall To do business, on the eighth day of the first month of this month, I led the king and ministers to salute in the Palace of Qinzheng, and everything should be done according to the etiquette, and each of the yamen should be respectful and ready." (Volume 420 of "Records of Qing Dezong")
Cixi realized her wish to regain power and left a third chapter in her history.This is the first time in Chinese history and in the history of curtains.

Thirteen, New Deal

Starting from consolidating her own power, Cixi angrily overthrew Guangxu's rule and abolished the reforms of Guangxu and Kang Youwei.Guangxu was imprisoned in Yingtai, and Tan Sitong, Yang Rui, Yang Shenxiu, Lin Xu, Liu Guangdi, and Kang Guangren were beheaded at Caishikou.Since then, the power has returned to Cixi, and Cixi is sincerely happy.However, the Qing Empire was declining day by day, and crises were everywhere.

It should be said that Cixi did not want the Qing Empire to decline, nor did she want China to be ruled by outsiders.She still wants to restore the old business of her ancestors!However, foreigners bully others too much, their greedy claws stretch out everywhere, and they will never satisfy their needs.How could she not be indignant about it!Recently, foreigners have intensified their efforts to interfere in internal affairs, even court affairs.The escape of Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao was covered by Britain and Japan. Otherwise, could they have escaped from the net of heaven and earth?Letting go of the two scourges made them organize royalists abroad, and often sent royalists to infiltrate the country to organize "rebellion" activities, causing unrest in the world; Take the opportunity of healing to eliminate this scourge.Another foreigner sent a doctor to see Guangxu, and after seeing it, he announced to everyone: All blood vessels are cured, and there is no disease!The actions of the foreigners completely disrupted Cixi's plan.How can this not make Cixi indignant; after Cixi abolished the ban on Guangxu, in order to cut off his desire for restoration, at the suggestion of Duan Wang Zaiyi, he decided to make Pujun, the son of Zaiyi, the elder brother. Instead of congratulating, foreigners expressed that be opposed to.Cixi was very annoyed by this and said: "We are happy to have a big elder brother, so we just set it up. It's really something that doesn't matter to them. I don't know why they must come to take care of other people's houses." It's my own business!" Of course, what made Cixi hate her even more was that foreigners wanted her to withdraw from the curtain and return to politics.This is like adding fuel to the fire.Therefore, in this case, as long as someone shouts to "down with foreign devils", she will be very happy.Just at this time, the Boxers broke out in Shandong, and they played the banner of "supporting the Qing Dynasty and destroying the foreigners", which was in line with Cixi's psychology.Therefore, Cixi thought: Why can't I use these invulnerable boxers with the help of gods and men to rule those foreigners!So, under her instruction, the Qing government began to organize and support the Boxers, which made the Boxers stronger.

However, what was unexpected was that the boxers' magical skills were useless in front of foreign guns and cannons. The Eight-Power Allied Forces quickly captured Beijing, forcing Cixi to flee westward in embarrassment.She originally wanted to stay in Taiyuan, but she heard that the Eight-Power Allied Forces were pursuing her, so she fled westward to Xi'an in a hurry.While fleeing, she telegraphed Li Hongzhang and others to negotiate a peace with the foreigners. After concessions, the "Xin Chou Treaty" was finally signed. The main content of the "Xin Chou Treaty" includes compensation of 5000 million taels; punishment of the "culprit" who resisted the Eight-Power Allied Forces; sending princes and ministers as special envoys to Germany and Japan to apologize; demolishing the military equipment between Dagu, Tianjin and Beijing Facilities; Embassies of various countries can station soldiers, and Chinese are not allowed to live in them; Improve the status of the prime minister's office, the first of the six departments of the class.

After the "Xin Chou Treaty" was signed, Cixi was able to return to the capital from Xi'an, but the national disaster deepened after this toss.Moreover, the foreign invaders did not stop their aggression. They penetrated every corner and continued to seize power; To overthrow the corrupt Qing Dynasty; the insightful people among bureaucrats and bureaucrats demanded to change the old system and save the crisis. Under such circumstances, Cixi re-introduced the New Deal and carried out reforms again.

The edict of Empress Dowager Cixi to implement the New Deal was promulgated when she was in Xi'an, and the edict pointed out the difficulties and necessity of the new reform.

Instruction: In the world, there are countless scriptures that are not easy to change, but there is no one-size-fits-all rule of law.It can be seen in "The Great Change", the profit and loss can be known, and it is written in "The Analects of Confucius". ...Since ancient times, there has been Xingge. When the ancestors of our dynasty established systems according to the time, there were many similarities and differences. After entering the customs, it was already different from Shenyang.In general, the law is changed, but it is only for the benefit of the people... Why did the empress dowager not allow the update of the profit and loss regulations, and why did I abolish the old ones, use discretion to defend, choose what is good, and follow the good. Inheriting benevolent orders, dedicated to revitalization, strictly dispelling old and new names, and blending Chinese and foreign traces. ... In short, the law does not change, and the old habits do not break. If you want to cheer up, you must discuss changes.Ministers of military affairs, academicians, six ministries and nine ministers, ministers of various countries, and governors of various provinces each consider the current situation and disadvantages, and consider Chinese and Western politics. Provinces and Dang mergers, how to make the country prosperous, how to make talents flourish, how to spend money before it is rich, how to make military preparations better, each draws up what he knows, expresses what he sees, and discusses and hears it within two months.Then go up and report to Cimo for consideration.Exactly implement. ("Donghua Xulu" Guangxu [-])

The imperial edict issued by Empress Dowager Cixi to implement the New Deal and further reforms when she was in Xi'an was not just a piece of paper, nor was it "singing and dancing all day long, forgetting the chaos" after returning to Beijing, but practical implementation, and some of them were a big step forward than Guangxu's reforms.Such as running schools and reforming the imperial examination system.In November of the 28th year of Guangxu (AD 1902), an imperial edict was promulgated, "Storing talents is a top priority. After repeating the scriptures, Ming issued an edict to establish a school and adapt to the imperial examination. Now that the school has just been established, it will take time to become a talent, and the imperial examination will be changed to a trial strategy" ("Qingde Zongshilu "Volume 30).By the 1904th year of Guangxu ([-] A.D.), not only had a new school of institutions been set up to revitalize academic affairs and educate talents, but at this time, "schools in various provinces had been set up one after another."This is better than the Guangxu Reform, repeated reminders, and the indifference of the local governors; in terms of learning from the West, Cixi’s New Deal ordered the localities to "raise funds and send them to Western countries to study specialized studies in order to send more students to study in Western countries. Real talent can be achieved in a long time."In addition, a political inspection center was specially set up in order to "recruit generalists, study carefully, select countries whose politics are suitable for China, consider profit and loss, compile them into books, submit them at any time, and wait for the ruling" (Volume [-] of "Records of Qing Dezong". Fives).Comparing these examples with the Guangxu Reform, I am afraid it cannot be said that Cixi is only limited to words!

Cixi, during the Reform Movement of [-], set up obstacles in order to prevent her power from being damaged. When the reformers threatened her power, she resolutely launched a second court coup to stop the reform of Kang Youwei and Guangxu.She imprisoned Guangxu, slaughtered the reformers, and returned to the curtain.However, after resuming the curtain, the development of the current situation was very unfavorable to her, and it was impossible to remain unchanged, so she re-implemented the New Deal and reformed again.Unfortunately, however, it was too late.At this time, the imperialist powers divided their spheres of influence in China, and China had completely fallen into the abyss of semi-feudalism and semi-colonialism.It is no longer helpful to make some improvements and reforms. To change the situation in China requires revolution.It should be said that Cixi's new reform is a big step forward from her previous conservative, but it is absolutely impossible for her to make a revolution, so it is inevitable for the Qing Empire to die.Cixi's New Deal was just a flashback. After it was short-lived, the Qing Dynasty finally perished.

Fourteen, the death of the dragon and the death of the phoenix

It has been rare since ancient times for people to reach seventy, and Cixi has reached the age of seventy. At the age of 74, Cixi finally fell ill.The strange thing is that Guangxu also fell ill at the same time as Cixi fell ill.

"The Empress Dowager was ill, and the emperor did not hesitate to enlist famous doctors from both inside and outside Beijing to treat it." (Volume [-] of "Qingjian")

After the edict to call for famous doctors was issued, famous doctors from all over the country gathered in the capital and under the chariot of Tang Ju.So is Guangxu sick?The results of the appraisal by the doctors at that time clearly showed: "The six channels are peaceful and there is no disease." (Volume [-] of "Qingjian")

Since Guangxu is disease-free, what is the meaning of Cixi's edict to recruit famous doctors from all over the country?Cixi and Guangxu had become enemies after the Reform Movement of [-]. How could Cixi die before her enemies?After the Reform Movement of [-], she repeatedly tried to harm Guangxu.Rumors first spread that Yun Kang Youwei entered the red pill to poison Guangxu to death, but because Kang Youwei was protected by the British minister to leave the country, Cixi's conspiracy was exposed, and Cixi's plan to kill two birds with one stone failed.Then it was rumored that Guangxu was seriously ill, and he wanted to let Guangxu die of "disease" early, but he was exposed by foreign doctors, and the two attempts failed.Now that my condition is not good, if something goes wrong, how can I walk away alone?Moreover, if he walked away first and Guangxu was restored, the consequences would be disastrous.Therefore, she wanted to send Guangxu away first with the help of a famous doctor.We can understand at a glance by listening to the narration of the parties.

"At that time, the Empress Dowager regarded Emperor Guangxu as a thorn in her side, but it was difficult to do so, so she used the name of the emperor's illness and wanted to borrow the doctor's hand to kill the emperor with wrong medicine, and then blame others. But the imperial physician is good at evading responsibility, and always uses medicine Peace is a common practice. The prescriptions prescribed can neither cure the disease nor kill the person, so that there is no chance to take advantage of it. Therefore, the Queen Mother ordered the governors of the provinces to recommend doctors, hoping to throw the medicine of tigers and wolves to Diza. Lu (Yongbin) was arrested Recommended by Hubei Province to go to Beijing for a careful examination in the palace, Emperor Guangxu was not seriously ill, but was injured by eating and drinking. He planned to use light medicine for treatment, but the Empress Dowager refused to allow it. Under the majesty, Lu (Yongbin) was frightened and lost his time, so he got pharynx and diaphragm disease because of it." (Shen Jun's "Records of Clouds and Smoke in the Late Qing Dynasty and the Early Republic of China A Mysterious Case in the Qing Palace")
(End of this chapter)