A lively banquet lasted until three o'clock in the afternoon. Hundreds of officials and more than 200 Jinshi left the Forbidden City. Tomorrow, Lu Runxiang, Tan Zongjun, and Li Guolou will parade through the streets to pay homage to their mentor Li Hongzao.
Li Guolou will have a wedding party tomorrow night. There are so many things to do. He wants to go home to celebrate but can't refuse Tan Zongjun's warm invitation. He plans to go to Fengze Garden to drink with a group of Jinshi. Looking at the majestic Forbidden City behind him, Li Guolou He was full of emotions. The center of power finally opened a door for him. The title of "Editor of the Hanlin Academy" is a seventh-grade official. From now on, he can pretend to be a teacher wherever he goes. The day when he will be full of talents is just around the corner.
The square to the west was filled with official sedans and carriages of hundreds of officials. There was also a long queue of sedans and carriages coming to pick up the Jinshi. Li Guolou searched for it and finally saw Zhen Yuhuan's carriage.
"Uncle Dumb, thank you for your hard work. Let's go to Fengze Garden first." Li Guolou said hello to Uncle Dumb, the groom, and opened the car door.
Chen Xiangfang and Zhen Yuhuan were sitting in the carriage. When they looked at Li Guolou, Chen Xiangfang said anxiously: "How is the small building?"
Li Guolou said proudly: "I'm going to Fengze Garden to drink a celebratory drink. From now on, you will call me Tanhualang." After speaking, Li Guolou excitedly kissed Chen Xiangfang's cheek and hugged Zhen Yu in his arms. The three of them huddled together for a while and the carriage headed straight for Fengze Garden.
Zhen Yuhuan's eyes glowed with gold. She said excitedly: "It's great, great. I knew my small building was the best. What did Prince Gong say?"
Li Guolou said with a smile: "I didn't say anything. The banquet in Qionglin was just for show. My uncle didn't say anything either. There were too many people. My dear, what do you think of sending Prince Gong to you?" Li Guolou said as he spoke. One hand has already reached into Zhen Yuhuan's underwear, deftly untied the slipknot on the back of her bellyband, and kneaded her plump breasts while kissing Chen Xiangfang with her mouth. One person controlled two grandmothers. This move by Li Guo Driving the building is easy and familiar.
Zhen Yuhuan twisted her waist comfortably and said softly: "Xiaolou, don't give big gifts yet. Just mean it. I'm going to find out Guiziliu's tone. Maybe he also wants to invest in our "Come In to the Bank". Although Guiziliu didn't say it explicitly and never did business with others. He owns a copper mine business, but you are different. Guiziliu is very interested in the bank you founded. This time he specifically asked me about my activities in Tianjin. You know ?”
Li Guolou asked: "Does Guiziliu know that Li Jingyi holds 10% of our bank's shares?"
Zhen Yuhuan smiled and said: "That's of course. Is there anything in the world that can be hidden from Guiziliu? He is not as easy to deceive as the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces. The Qingping Society is not run by my family. 嘤·····小楼. You are so bad. I am emotional."
Li Guolou calmed down. Fengze Garden was too close. He couldn't mess around. He stretched out his hand and hugged Zhen Yuhuan. He kissed her mouth again and said: "Baby, wait for me to come home. I will love you tonight." I'll ask the coachman to pick me up at about half past seven. If Guiziliu is willing to take the bait, it will be no problem for us to earn ten million taels of silver next year. Anyway, I don't want to live alone. But you have to beware of Guiziliu. Let him We all understand. He founded his own bank. We can't compete with him."
Zhen Yuhuan smiled and nodded. She is such a shrewd person. How can she tell all the secrets of her family before she sees the rabbit? Chen Xiangfang said softly: "Xiaolou, I want to hug you too. Grandma Qi, you can finish your fun. That's okay." Just let me."
Chen Xiangfang sat in Li Guolou's arms and asked ecstatically: "Grandma Qi, how many percent of the shares do you think the Sixth Japanese Association wants? If you continue to increase shares like this, won't I become working for others?"
Zhen Yuhuan was also a little worried. He said: "Xiaolou. Even if Guiziliu is not greedy, he still needs at least 15% of the equity. I think it is like what the grandma said. We are getting smaller and smaller, and in the end there will be no meat to eat." I can only drink soup."
Li Guolou replied: "You are absolutely right. Sooner or later, the bank will be nationalized. We are the first in history and can only eat a few bites of fat at the beginning. Later, it will become a national asset. Our family can hold 10% of the shares. We have to burn incense to Emperor Tongzhi. We may not even get 5%. We are annexing bank accounts and banks now. Later, the National Bank will annex us. The principle is the same. We make money. We still have to invest in industry in the future. .This is also what the country wants us to do. Just like investments like Yadong Textile Factory. That is fundamental. So I am not greedy. Just like I have nine of your grandmothers, it is enough. No matter how beautiful the woman is, I will not look at it. One glance.”
The carriage arrived at Fengze Garden. Chen Xiangfang said: "Xiaolou, I have to get up early tomorrow. Don't drink too much."
Li Guolou waved goodbye and said, "Don't party at home either. We have a wedding reception tomorrow. Go to bed early and be energetic."
The carriage turned around and drove towards Dengcao Hutong. Zhen Yuhuan leaned on Chen Xiangfang's arms and said, "The small building is finally successful. Grandma, you have to work hard. Don't let Mayuko alone be beautiful. Give birth to a son as soon as possible."
Chen Xiangfang nodded and said, "I know. Let's go to church tomorrow morning. God will give me a son. I'm not greedy. One son is enough. He should be as smart and sensible as his sister."
Zhen Yuhuan touched her belly and said, "I also hope to give birth to a boy."
Chen Xiangfang glanced at her and joked: "Grandma Qi, don't be like Guizi Liu's son, who only causes trouble and hangs around in romantic places all day long."
"Ah, you know this too." Zhen Yuhuan sat up and looked at Chen Xiangfang with some surprise. Prince Gong Yixin's eldest son Zai Cheng is a playboy. But this kind of thing is a state secret. Even if Zai Cheng goes to romantic places, it is still... Use a pseudonym so that outsiders will not know.
"Humph." Chen Xiangfang said proudly: "Grandma Qi, you need to know what I do. The Empress Dowager Cixi is Lafayette. It's so confusing. I am Miss Fang from the Tianzi Gang. There is no news on any road. Besides, you Let me tell you, can a playboy like Zaicheng keep his mouth tight?"
"Oh...that's true. I'll introduce you to some friends in the future and let them help. Your Tianzihao affairs will be easy to handle. No one on the White Road will cause trouble for you."
"What about the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" Chen Xiangfang already knew that there was a group of spies in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Although Tianzihao did not unify the underworld in the capital, accepting protection money from the underworld would always be known to the spies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Don't worry, grandma. Hasn't Xiaolou already begun to make friends with the eunuch? He will take charge of the arrangement. Everything will be watertight. Even the Empress Dowager Cixi wants to drink our foot-washing water." Zhen Yuhuan smiled evilly, as if he saw Guiziliu drinking. Empress Dowager Cixi's foot-washing water. She got rid of her obsession with Prince Gong Yixin and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the embrace of Li Guolou.
"Hmm..." Chen Xiangfang glanced at Zhen Yuhuan with a look of approval on her face. This is her "little sister". Everyone must obey her orders. She will take the seat of the eldest grandma. The other grandmas can only pat her on the back. Damn it.
Night covers the earth. In the Chuxiu Palace of the Forbidden City, the Empress Dowager Cixi takes a bath. A steam-filled bathroom. The bath inside is 4.55 meters long, 2.9 meters wide, and 1.4 meters deep. The pool is made of ten huge processed stones intersecting with seams. It is made of mosaics. A reservoir is adjacent to it. When bathing, warm water pours into the reservoir from the cracks in the stones. When it is full, a gate on the south wall is opened. The water flows into the bath through the hidden channel. This bath The design is exquisite and unique, especially when Cixi takes a bath.
Cixi sat on a very wide, low chair with four legs to take a bath. There was a dragon hanging on each leg of the chair. The water for Cixi was served by two bucket-shaped, three-foot-long wooden trays inlaid with silver. One washer. One for the upper body and one for the lower body. Never mix them. There is a wooden shelf next to it, where towels for bathing are placed. There are always a hundred of them. Each towel is embroidered with a golden dragon in yellow silk thread. Each stack is a posture: some with their heads raised, some with their heads raised. Those who look back at the moon, those who play with beads, and those who spray water. The water in the bathtub should always be kept clean. After soaking the towels, take them out and never put them back into the basin again. Towels should be thrown away after use. Although dozens of towels were used on the upper body, the water was still clear. The water in the bathtub was scooped out and added at any time to maintain a certain water temperature. The four palace maids who bathed Cixi did so quickly, orderly and silently. First, gently. Repeatedly rub Cixi's chest, back, armpits, and arms to open her pores and relax her body. After applying soap, use a wet towel to wipe off the soap scum on her body to avoid drying her skin. Then use pure white silk cotton Soak in perfume. Pat evenly and lightly on the body, chest, bone seams, and spine grooves. These places are prone to accumulation of soap foam, which can easily make the skin itchy. Pay special attention to it. Finally, scoop out water to wash your face again, soak your hands, and wash your face. It's better to apply hot water when taking a bath. Especially apply heat to Ci Xi's forehead and cheeks. This can dissolve the traces of forehead wrinkles.
"Is this palace good-looking?" Cixi made a cooing voice, as if she had returned to her eighteen-year-old age. Her face was slightly wider, her skin was smooth and smooth, she was of Mongolian descent, and her figure was still as delicate as a girl's. All she could think of was Prince Gong Yixin was so kind to her that she regained her shy demeanor as a young girl.
"Your Majesty, you are as beautiful as a fairy." The four maids replied uniformly, with looks of approval on their faces.
"Well...it's much easier for Mr. Liu." Ci Xi said proudly.
Cixi did not wear clothes but wrapped her whole body in a silk and satin quilt embroidered with nine golden dragons. Then the maid called two eunuchs to come in. The eunuchs Li Lianying and Xiao Dezhang carried her on their shoulders and headed towards the palace. There, her beloved Prince Gong, Yi Xin, was waiting. From the day she entered the palace, this was how the concubines in the palace served the emperor.
Because several concubines and maids in the Ming Dynasty used ropes to hang Emperor Jiajing to death (it was unsuccessful. The rope was tied with a tight knot. Emperor Jiajing was not hanged.) So the emperor of the Qing Dynasty learned a lesson. Women must be naked before they can sleep with them. The emperor, every queen, and his concubine were carried into the emperor's palace by two eunuchs. In Chuxiu Palace, the emperor was replaced by Prince Gong Yixin.
Empress Dowager Ci'an knew from the beginning that Prince Gong Yixin and Empress Dowager Cixi were having a secret affair. However, in order to regain the power of the two palaces, Empress Dowager Ci'an agreed with Empress Dowager Cixi's actions. She never said a word from the beginning to the end. Turn a blind eye and just pretend it didn't happen.
Wine was the vanguard. Yi Xin took advantage of the alcohol and took medicine, which made the Empress Dowager Cixi miserable. The two hugged each other and talked to each other. Many important matters in the court were resolved on their bed. .
The Qing Dynasty was able to eliminate the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army and regain its second spring. This was because the Empress Dowager Cixi obeyed Prince Gong Yixin. All the power in the court was in Yixin's hands.
While talking, she couldn't help but talk about the lover's private conversation to today's imperial examination. Yi Xin hugged Ci Xi and said: "Xing'er. Chun'er is so funny. There is a digression. What about Xiang Yu and Napoleon? I think even his teacher Li Hongzao He was so angry that his beard stood straight up."
Cixi casually took a wet towel from the silver plate on the bedside table and wiped the sweat from Yixin's body. There was only this man in the world worthy of her service. She sighed slightly: "Sixth Master, haven't you seen it? Chun'er is so young. He is sensible. He wants to perish together. He can't imitate anyone but a failed hero. He is only a teenager. He doesn't know how high the sky is. He wants to destroy the wealth we have worked so hard to save. How can I trust him to be in charge of the government alone? Woolen cloth."
"Oh..." Yi Xin thought about the test questions asked by Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun. Cixi saw it thoroughly. Sure enough, one question contained evil intentions. Who should be imitated? Let's learn from "Xiang Yu" and "Napoleon". Just want to be a hero without considering the consequences.
"Well, Xing'er, what you said makes sense. This won't work. Chun'er is going to cause big trouble. Chun'er is still willing to listen to a few words from me. I'll go to the study to talk to him in the morning and let him know the importance of maintaining his talents and cultivating his strategy. .I don’t know which teacher taught me. How could I have such an idea?”
Cixi put the towel back on the silver plate. She turned around and hugged Yi Xin again. She said, "Yes, I think so too. Mr. Liu, I have to take care of my family's affairs all by myself."
Yi Xin smiled brightly and said: "For you, I have shouldered all my sins. I have not even talked about brotherhood. Isn't it just for you, Myolie?"
"Hey... Xing'er only has you in my heart." Cixi slipped into Yi Xin's arms. She was as sympathetic as a little bird.
Yi Xin felt comfortable. She knew that Ci Xi was most obedient at this time, so she cut to the topic. She smiled sweetly and said: "The man you chose today, Li Guolou, gave me the eleventh statement. I brought it. There is I rejected a few of them. Some of them hit home to the current ills of our country. You can read them first tomorrow. I will come back to discuss them with you the day after tomorrow. This guy is not fair. He gave his uncle two more statements. It’s scary. I don’t even dare to tell you about Li Guolou’s propositions. I’ll talk to you after you have read these eleven points and have a solid foundation. You must first have an understanding of Li Guolou’s propositions. What are the thoughts of those who have stayed abroad? It’s different from us.”
"Well, Your Majesty, please go to bed quickly. You will leave early tomorrow morning. Xing'er has been tortured so much by you this time. Mr. Liu is dead..." Cixi said to go to bed early, but with one hand Stretch it down and start teasing Yi Xin. Women are the same. They want it when they say they don’t want it.
After a stick of incense, Yixin's ambition returned and she started a new journey. A gasping sound could be heard in the room.
Outside the door, Li Lianying and Xiao De stood close to the door panel, eavesdropping on the sound. The two of them winked and made obscene gestures in strange voices. This was the privilege of being close to the eunuchs. They liked to listen to their master's calls.