Chapter 349: Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Gong's Concert
Cixi asked: "Prince Gong, can you tell me what the shortcomings of Li Guo Tower are."
Yi Xin burst into laughter and said: "Politically, I am a Westerner like me. I like to try new things. In my leisure time, I like to dress up like a fake foreign devil. I was called a Japanese devil six. He was called a fake foreign devil in the Ministry of Punishment. He must belong to the same category. .”
Cixi hurriedly covered her face to prevent wrinkles from laughing on her face. This was also a good way to slow down aging. She also rarely smiled. She usually didn't like to show others a smile. She only showed her charming demeanor in front of her lover.
Yi Xin smiled and said: "However, Li Guolou has a firm political stance and firmly supports the rule of the Qing Dynasty. I have tested him on this point. There is no one who has returned from abroad and has that kind of constitutional monarchy. His personal ethics are good. His age Qing likes to be unconventional. He has adopted several foreign wives and widows. However, he never listens to ditties and does not go to brothels. His articles and poems are so-so. He racks his brains. He can also recite a few poems and eulogies. There are not many good works. He can stand out in a crowded crowd. He has a sharp tongue and is good at flattering people. When he is on duty in the Ministry of Justice, he is able to greet others with courtesy. He is a human being. I have never heard of offending any officer. Li Guolou is still known for his hard work. He is an expert in solving crimes. I The theft of the red rabbit and rouge beast in the house was a hidden conspiracy that he saw through at a glance. He revealed the mystery. It was indeed the case. Without any effort, the red rabbit and rouge beast was recovered again. He captured the revolution The party and the rebels were all on the front line. This allowed Mr. Bao to be promoted to the ninth rank official in a few months. With Li Guolou's military exploits, he should have been promoted to the seventh rank official. But his personal ethics were somewhat lacking. .So Bao Yiyi deliberately suppressed his official position. He gave him a false title of ninth rank and made him a real vacancy at the bottom of the stream. So Li Guolou was very angry. He wanted to prove it to his superiors, so he took the test like this. Become a Jinshi."
Cixi was surrounded by people who fooled her. Even her old lover Yi Xin still lied to her. And she thought she was the shrewdest woman in the world. No one could hide it from her eyes and ears. In fact, her subordinates had already colluded with Cixi. Who knows the sufferings of the people? They have little understanding of what the world has become, so they often make wrong decisions. Anyway, it is right to believe that their own Manchus are slaves. Those Han ministers should be careful and guard against those who give birth to rebellious people. To kill.
"Oh..." Cixi glanced at Li Lianying standing next to her. It was just as Li Lianying said. There was not much difference. Yi Xin spoke of Li Guolou in a complimentary tone, mainly with praise. But Li Lianying talked about Li Guolou in terms of things. Telling things is more funny and more vivid.
Cixi glanced at him and said: "Prince Gong, you trust him. You entrusted the affairs of the house to an outsider so quickly. That is Li Zhongtang's grandson, not your grandson."
Yi Xin smiled freely and said: "Empress Dowager, the affairs of my house are not to recruit scholars for the country, nor to gain fame for myself. Since the country has given me a high official and a generous salary, and has given me so many honors and rewards, I I must return my mother's support. The surname of this country is 'Aixinjueluo'. I must live up to this great surname. Since Li Guolou has studied abroad and his third wife is French, it is up to their family to organize public students. The matter of studying abroad is the most appropriate. Women also have strong ability to do things. I think the Queen Mother agrees with this."
Yi Xin's words caused the Empress Dowager Cixi to think for a long time. She likes to use servants and relatives to leave the benefits to her own family. She is wary of the Han people. She is hesitant and still has doubts: "Prince Gong, what about Li Guolou?" How should it be used to bring out its strengths?"
Yi Xin whispered: "Li Guolou is Heshen beside the emperor. With him by the emperor's side, nothing can't be done. If the emperor doesn't use him, I will use him. Li Guolou can also help me. Come to wealth and glory. The Queen Mother. Just now I haven’t mentioned how much money Li Guolou promised to his uncle to raise for the Beiyang Navy every year. Guess the big one."
Only Yi Xin dared to talk to the Empress Dowager Cixi like this. Who told them to sleep in the same bed at night?
Next to him, Li Lianying didn't seem to hear. Nor did he look at Cixi and Yi Xin, who were making eye contact, gazing at each other, holding hands, caressing each other, and expressing their feelings to each other. He looked toward the Taiye Pond and looked at the sparkling blue water of the lake. The gulls were dancing and cruising in the sky. Catching fish and having fun on two dragon boats. A group of eunuchs were steering the oars. The palace maids were singing and dancing on the dragon boats. But he was bored. It was the same old game every day. Li Lianying's ears stood up and she eavesdropped. Every word Cixi and Yi Xin said to Li Guolou, which was related to their good brother Li Guolou, was what he wanted to hear urgently.
Ci Xi lightly brushed Yi Xin's stretched out hand, telling him to stay serious and not to let the slaves laugh. She said with a smile on her lips: "You must have three hundred thousand taels."
Yi Xin smiled and said: "Empress Dowager, please guess one digit less. Li Guolou promised to raise 3 million taels of silver for the Beiyang Navy. Within three years, a total of 10 million taels of silver were raised for the Beiyang Navy. Request There is only one thing. That is to let his family's "Invitation Bank" be fully rolled out in Liangjiang and Zhili areas. Cash transported by water and silver transactions for material turnover are all handled by "Invitation Bank"."
Yixin originally thought that Cixi would be very happy. The country had a financial expert. Someone shared the country's worries and solved more than half of the heavy financial burden of the court. Unexpectedly, Cixi's face changed after hearing Yixin's words. She felt She was fooled and immediately became angry. How could a private bank raise 10 million taels of silver for the Beiyang Navy, but not benefit from her alone? Yi Xin actually fooled her with 700,000 taels of silver. The Ministry of Accounts will not allocate funds until next year. Giving 600,000 taels of silver to the "Wanshou Mountain Project" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is obviously favoring one over the other.
Cixi was angry. The corners of her mouth would droop, and her phoenix eyes would turn into sidelong glances. Her cold eyes seemed to kill people. How could Yixin not see it? She hesitated for a moment and asked, "What are you unhappy about, the Queen Mother? Those ticket numbers?" , the bank was originally run by the private sector. It doesn't matter what we do. Water transportation is related to the rise and fall of the country. It should be handed over to reliable people. Li Zhongtang did not have a hairpin. The Zhili area is now under his jurisdiction. He has this power. As for the Liangjiang area, what about the Liangjiang area? Most of them are his students. There is no need to go to great trouble. Does the Queen Mother think it is inappropriate to let Li Guolou intervene..."
There are some things that cannot be said clearly. Cixi said angrily and cautiously: "What use do I need from a slave?"
Yi Xin immediately understood. It turned out that Cixi had thought of the "Wanshou Mountain Project". She hurriedly expressed her position: "Oh, I didn't think well. I will coordinate with Li Zhongtang when I get back. Queen Mother, what do you think of Sanqi? "Bi Yixin stared at Cixi with a pitiful slave look. Thirty percent means nine hundred thousand taels of silver. So much silver. Cixi just said, "What is the use of my servants?" She took the account from the Beiyang Navy. It was allocated to the "Wanshou Mountain Project".
Cixi felt comfortable. With a look, Li Lianying brought the tea cup to her. Cixi took a sip of the warm Pu'er tea and did not answer directly. She still wanted to think clearly. She could not let Yi Xin and Li Hongzhang work together behind her back and betray her interests. Cixi put her hands on the armchair and stood up. She needed to go.
The toilet dedicated to Cixi is carved from red sandalwood. The decorative pattern is in the shape of five bats, which means the coming of the five blessings. The toilet is covered with fine sand, and there is a layer of mercury on top. The little De Zhang who gave Cixi the toilet raised the toilet top. Above the head, enter the convenient place. At this time, Xiaode Zhang is just Cixi's eunuch. He does not have much power. He usually follows Li Lianying. Cixi only needs to squat down. Other matters are handled by two maids standing by the side. After Cixi finished using the toilet, Xiao Dezhang held the toilet above his head and took the toilet out for cleaning.
When it comes to people like the emperor and the empress dowager, they have to be taken care of by others even for dressing, convenience and bathing. They never need to do it themselves. Cixi is sitting on the toilet. She is still thinking about what Yi Xin just said. From Li Hongzhang Beiyang Water I received 900,000 taels of silver from my teacher as a filial piety. Is it a profit or a loss? Why did Li Guolou give such a large sum of money to the national defense cause like paying taxes? How could Liangjiang and Zhili areas have such a large sum of money? A lot of silver income. The figure of three million taels of silver accounts for almost one-tenth of the country's annual fiscal revenue. Li Guolou actually wanted to support the Qing Dynasty. Is this possible?
Cixi returned to Nuan Pavilion and saw Yi Xin standing in front of the window enjoying the dragon boat performance in Taiye Pond. She coughed lightly to let Yi Xin know that she was back. It was time to turn her eyes back. Don't just stare at the palace maid who was good at singing and dancing. look.
Yi Xin knew in her heart that Cixi just left for a long time with an excuse to think alone for a while. As the saying goes, a person like the Empress Dowager Cixi who holds the power of the country cannot change what she says. It's not bad here. No. Outsiders say casual words, but no one knows the content. If they go to the Yangxin Hall and go to the study room to listen in a place with a curtain, the historian will record every word and deed of their speech. What should be said? Be clear. Don't be caught by the historian. Record the gossip and let future generations laugh.
Cixi said slowly: "Prince Gong, I have just been thinking about what you said. The more I think about it, the more false it becomes. No one dares to say such nonsense. How could you believe it?"
Yi Xin smiled and said: "Empress Dowager, I not only believe it, but also believe that only Li Guolou can do it. I have a memorial from Li Zhongtang here. It is a memorial about the establishment of a post and telecommunications bureau in Liangjiang and Zhili areas. Although this Li Guolou's name was not mentioned in the memorial. But the establishment of the Post and Telecommunications Bureau crushed the foreign telegraph offices. It was also Li Guolou's clever idea. Moreover, the establishment of the Post and Telecommunications Bureau did not require state financial investment. Li Zhongtang recommended Sheng Huaixuan to be the head of the Shanghai General Post and Telecommunications Bureau. He was appointed as the director and received the rank of seventh grade official. There is also a copy of Sheng Huaixuan's memorial here. Please ask the Queen Mother to read it."
"There are so many things." Although the Empress Dowager Cixi had a strong desire for power, she was also very interested in playing. She didn't like to spend all her time discussing government affairs. She looked at the two memorials and flipped through them casually. He scanned it as if he were just looking at flowers. He replied: "Prince Gong, let's discuss it in the Yangxin Hall tomorrow. That's it for today."
The Empress Dowager Cixi was right. Even if she had it all figured out, she agreed with the ideas of Prince Gong Yixin and Beiyang Minister of Commerce Li Hongzhang. She still had to explain it to the Empress Dowager Ci'an. The two palaces share power and the pattern of keeping pace has not changed. .On the surface, all major national issues need to be agreed with the Empress Dowager Ci'an. Although she is the one who makes the decision behind the scenes. Empress Dowager Ci'an is accurate in judging people and has the ability to discern pearls. But she is unclear about national policies and cannot listen. She understood every cliche in the memorial. So Cixi was no longer interested in listening to Yi Xin. She only needed to know that with the filial piety of 900,000 taels of silver, raising a slave like Li Guolou was still useful.
Put it in the Yangxin Hall for discussion. That is to let Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun, Empress Dowager Ci'an and the Minister of the Study Room discuss together. The core leaders who listen to politics behind the curtain all decide national affairs in the Yangxin Hall. It is a small court meeting every three days. National decisions It was also the practice of the Qing Dynasty to meet each other at every level.
Yi Xin also has no sense of urgency. The formulation and implementation of national policies must be sustainable. They cannot be changed overnight. Every newly promulgated decree must be checked at all levels, carefully studied, implemented in points, and then the effects will be seen. Then it will be implemented nationwide. This is also the superiority of the governor system. Many laws in the Qing Empire were implemented in provinces. The truth became clearer with more debate. He seemed to see a bright future for the Qing Dynasty.
Yi Xin stood up and said with a sweet smile: "Empress Dowager, do you want me to accompany you today?"
"Well, Prince Gong, don't leave tonight." Ci Xi felt hungry and thirsty. She still kept a suitable distance from Yi Xin. The two stood at the window at the same time and began to watch the dancing in the blue waves. The beautiful melody played on the lake. Wandering. The mother of the country who embodies the world. Enjoys the life of heaven on earth in Taiye Lake.