After night falls, a waning moon hangs in the sky.
The camp has quieted down. All the soldiers who had been having fun all day went to bed early. They knew clearly that they would have to undergo rigorous training tomorrow, so they took an early rest and recharged their spirits. At this moment, Cixi and Ci'an's camp There was still an oil lamp burning in the room, and under the flickering light, two graceful figures swayed gently.
Cixi and Ci'an lived together and were not separated.
In the tent, two people sat facing each other.
The little emperor was sleeping in the cradle, already sleeping peacefully.
Cixi first glanced at the sleeping child lying in the cradle, then looked at Ci'an and lowered her voice: "Sister, today Li Zhen's two children were caught in the cradle. Everyone participated. The atmosphere was lively. You can see it." What?"
Ci'an shook his head and said: "It's nothing, it's very lively, everyone is very happy, very happy."
The corner of Cixi's mouth twitched, thinking to herself, why does Ci'an have so little brains?
She took a deep breath, suppressed the helplessness in her heart, and whispered: "Sister, you were busy watching the two children catching Zhou, but you forgot to pay attention to the situation of the generals under Li Zhen's command. Please carefully recall the situation at that time. When Zhou was captured, the two of us were present, and the emperor was also present, but who saluted the emperor and who saluted our sisters."
At this point, Cixi's voice was slightly louder and she said excitedly: "The eyes of these generals are all focused on Li Zhen, or on Li Zhen's two children, but our mother-in-law has no one to pay attention to her. Although We are in dire straits, but at least the empress dowagers of the two palaces and the emperor are also orthodox in the world, but none of the generals took the initiative to salute. Don't you see the strangeness in this?"
Although Ci'an did not take the initiative to consider political affairs, he was not stupid.
Ci Xi nudged her, and she understood immediately.
She sighed softly and said, "Sister, this is a military camp. The commander-in-chief of the army is very loyal to Li Zhen. This is normal. How could Li Zhen command them to fight without a group of loyal people?"
Cixi said: "Sister, you are deceiving yourself."
When Ci'an heard this, he was a little angry and raised his voice slightly, saying: "Even if I am deceiving myself, but our mother-in-law is in Li Zhen's military camp, what can we do and what can we say? Didn't you also say that you want to make friends with Li Zhen?" , do you want to have a good relationship with Li Zhen? Now we are unhappy because of a trivial matter. It is not good for our sisters, and it is not good for the emperor."
Cixi nodded and continued: "Sister, what you said makes sense, but if you don't worry about the long term, you will have immediate worries. We must think about the long term. We know what happened today and don't need to say it out loud. However, if this continues, the military will The people in the palace only know Li Zhen but not the emperor. What should we do if the emperor wants to take charge of the government in the future? Have we been controlled by Li Zhen, or have the little emperor ignored the government? Sister, this is Aixinjue. In the world of the Luo family, power cannot be left to others."
When Ci'an heard this, his face turned ugly.
Ci'an is very cautious when it comes to issues involving the imperial power. She can ignore things, and can even look at many things and ignore them automatically, but she has a bottom line. Ci'an is very concerned about everything that involves the emperor. Ci'an's expression was solemn, and he frowned and said, "Sister, I understand what you are saying, but we have no power, what can we do? What do you think?"
When Cixi saw Ci'an asking, she suddenly smiled in her heart.
After convincing Ci'an, she was able to put forward her own ideas and fight for her rights as much as possible. Cixi's eyes were sincere and she said seriously: "I can't think of a way, so why not ask Han Laiyu."
"Okay, find Han Laiyu."
Ci'an approved Cixi's proposal and ordered the eunuch outside the camp to invite Han Laiyu. The two whispered something more and considered how to talk to Han Laiyu.
Not long after, Han Laiyu bowed and walked in.
"Slave Han Laiyu, give me..."
Han Laiyu just bent down to speak, but Cixi waved her hand and said: "Eunuch, there is no need to be polite, sit down and talk."
Han Laiyu was flattered. After sitting down, he asked, "Your Majesty, I'm here to see you. What's the matter with you?"
Cixi pretended to be helpless and said: "The Ai family came to my father-in-law late at night to ask for advice on something. The two children under Admiral Li's knees arrested Zhou. The Ai family found that the generals in the army ignored the emperor and did not bother him at all. In my eyes, father-in-law, you are an old man who stayed with the late emperor. Now that Yixin has usurped the throne, the city of Beijing has fallen, the emperor is also in trouble, and we orphans and widowed mothers are helpless. Please help me, father-in-law."
When Han Laiyu heard this, his heart skipped a beat.
Did Cixi's words express dissatisfaction with today's situation?
His mind was spinning, but he felt that was not the case.
Obviously, Cixi was unwilling to be lonely and wanted to seize power. When Xianfeng was still alive, Cixi often helped Xianfeng handle affairs in the court, and she had power. Now that Cixi and the little emperor have no power, she must be uncomfortable. Especially when Cixi saw the generals in the military camp surrounding Li Zhen like stars holding the moon, she was even more stimulated, which prompted Cixi to say these words.
Han Laiyu figured it out, but felt a headache.
It was uncomfortable for him to be sandwiched between Li Zhen and Ci Xi. At this moment, Ci'an stood up, leaned over and said, "Eunuch Han, when the late emperor was still alive, he often said in front of the Ai family that Han Laiyu was loyal and could be trusted. Man, now we, mother and son, are in trouble, please help us, father-in-law."
Han Laiyu didn't dare to accept Ci'an's gift. He immediately stood up, bowed his head and bowed at almost ninety degrees. He said in a trembling voice: "The Queen Mother is trying to break this slave. Please don't do this." Cixi asked Han Laiyu to sit down. , and then asked: "Father-in-law, the late emperor praised you for your sharp mind. We, the mother-in-law, are at our wits' end. Please teach me, father-in-law."
The corners of Han Laiyu's mouth twitched, feeling embarrassed.
Cixi said that one was the late emperor on the left and the other was the late emperor on the right, and the same was true for Ci'an. Both women talked about the dead Xianfeng, which made Han Laiyu feel very embarrassed. Han Laiyu also understood that he helped the empress dowager of the two palaces to plot Li Zhen, and the friendship between him and Li Zhen However, Han Laiyu was highly regarded by Xianfeng. Although he was not loyal to Xianfeng, Xianfeng was kind to him.
Finally, Han Laiyu sighed in his heart and said: "The Queen Mother, I have a plan that can make the emperor's throne as stable as a mountain and give more respect to the two queen mothers."
"Oh, what a plan."
Cixi had an expectant expression on her face, and excitement flashed in her eyes.
Ci'an looked indifferent and sat quietly.
Han Laiyu said: "I think that because the emperor is young,... if this is done, once it succeeds, Admiral Li will definitely do his best, and the emperor will be safe."
Cixi sat quietly, thinking about Han Laiyu's suggestion.
After a while, Cixi nodded and said: "My father-in-law is indeed a talented person beside the late emperor. Fortunately, my father-in-law gave me some advice today, so that we, the third daughter, can find a clear way. Thank you very much, father-in-law."
Han Laiyu stood up and said, "The Queen Mother has broken my servant."
After that, Han Laiyu said goodbye and did not dare to stay any longer. Cixi and Ci'an were sitting in the tent. They were full of energy and continued to talk by candlelight at night, discussing how to implement Han Laiyu's plan, which involved the Aisin Gioro family. The future involves the rights of the emperor and their own rights, and the two of them dare not relax at all.