Chapter 11 Plan to deceive the will to eliminate serious troubles

In the seventh year of Xianfeng (1857), Concubine Yi was promoted to Concubine Yi (i.e. Cixi), from which she became more arrogant and gradually revealed her political ambitions.Emperor Xianfeng had long seen Concubine Yi's ambitious ambitions. If he went to see his ancestors one day, Concubine Yi would be the mother who valued her children and took over the power. Out of consideration for checking and balancing Cixi, Xianfeng Eleventh Year (1861) three On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Emperor Xianfeng sent an edict to Empress Niu Hulu, saying: I worry about state affairs, causing chronic scab disease.Knowing that the end is approaching, I have no choice but to abandon the people of the world.Fortunately, there are sons, and the emperor will continue; although he succeeds to the throne at a young age, I have loyal and loyal ministers who will assist me as much as possible, so I don't have to worry about it.Those who can't be relieved, since Concubine Yi gave birth to a prince, and the mother will value the son in another day, she has to be respected as the queen mother.But I really can't trust him.From then on, if you can abide by the law.Otherwise, I will show you this edict and order the courtiers to get rid of it. All my ministers will obey this edict as before me, and obey it without violation.

◇ Cixi had many eyes and ears in the palace, and An Dehai finally found out about the news, so he immediately informed Cixi.Since then, this matter has become a heart disease for her.After the death of Emperor Xianfeng, the imperial court asked the two palaces to listen to the government behind the curtain. Although the Empress Dowager Ci'an was honest and honest, she refused to meddle too much, but Cixi was a younger sister after all. Restrain himself in every possible way, yielding to Ci'an everywhere.In fact, she understood Ci'an's character, she was not afraid of Ci'an, but she was afraid that if Ci'an was unsatisfactory, if she showed her will, everything about her would be ruined.

According to the law of etiquette, the government affairs of the court and the family law of the ancestors all have to be approved by the Empress Dowager Ci'an, otherwise, Cixi will not be able to persist no matter how much she wants, which greatly limits Cixi's power.Not only that, but several things happened that made Cixi firmer in her determination to take power. Andehai brought his younger brother Andehe into the palace, and later Andehe became Cixi's lover.I don't want to be found out by Prince Gong Yixin when he was chasing after fun, and insisted on searching the palace to uphold the majesty of the royal family, and obtained the consent of the Empress Dowager Ci'an.Cixi knew that this matter was difficult to turn around, so in order to destroy the stolen goods, she had no choice but to kill her beloved lover An Dehe, and destroyed the body to wipe out the traces, so she escaped unharmed.In this way, her hatred for Empress Dowager Ci'an deepened.

Then there is the matter of choosing a queen for Emperor Tongzhi.In order to elect a queen for Emperor Tongzhi as soon as possible to preside over the affairs of the harem, a grand ceremony for the selection of the queen was held under the auspices of Cixi and Ci'an.Cixi originally fell in love with Fengxiu's daughter, but Ci'an thought that Chongqi's daughter was more in line with the royal demeanor and had the virtue of being a mother.The two did not have sufficient reasons to persuade each other, and finally had to let Emperor Tongzhi himself decide.Cixi thought that her son was born to her, and she should always be of one mind with her, and would choose Fengxiu's daughter to be the queen.Unexpectedly, Tongzhi didn't have the same heart with her, and finally chose Chongqi's daughter as queen.This made Cixi very sad, her heart was half cold, and even her son didn't agree with her.She finally believed that her son was instigated by the Empress Dowager Ci'an, so she hated both of them very much.Therefore, even if someone later reported the emperor's misbehavior, she didn't go into details, and she didn't rush to get treatment after she got sick, so she died within a month.

What embarrasses Cixi the most is that the behavior of Cixi and her lover made Ci'an catch the current situation.Since An Dehe's death, Cixi was unwilling to be lonely, so Li Lianying found her a lover named Jin, but Ci'an discovered their scandal on the spot.Cixi was so ashamed at that time, which made the Empress Dowager Ci'an very angry, thinking that Cixi had ruined the majesty of the royal family and harmed the prestige of the country. Immediately, people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs beat the man surnamed Jin to death with sticks. Cixi was afraid that the Empress Dowager Ci'an would take this opportunity to get rid of her, so she knelt on the ground and begged bitterly. The Empress Dowager Ci'an was a kind person after all, so she gave up with a sigh, and did not pursue and make a statement.Cixi felt ashamed and worried, but also annoyed that Ci'an deliberately broke up her good deeds, and her hatred towards Ci'an deepened unknowingly.

After several lover incidents, Cixi no longer dared to do this blatantly, but she couldn't help it.Therefore, Li Lianying was often asked to accompany her day and night, giving massages, playing and having fun.After the Empress Dowager Ci'an heard about it, she severely reprimanded Li Lianying for being unseemly more than once. In fact, her real purpose was to let Cixi understand her identity and not to mess around, so as not to lose her tongue. The Empress Dowager Cixi hated the Empress Dowager Ci'an deeply, but she dared not act rashly because she was frightened by the power of the will.Cixi often sent Li Lianying to Zhongcui Palace to say hello and give snacks, etc., in order to win Ci'an's favor and trust.The Empress Dowager Ci'an is honest and honest, she has no city in her heart, she didn't know Cixi's cunning intentions, and thought it was a respect for her.In fact, this is Cixi monitoring Ci'an, waiting for an opportunity.In addition, Li Lianying was a favored eunuch in front of Cixi. Every time Li Lianying went to Zhongcui Palace, the Empress Dowager Ci'an was always very kind to him and rewarded him from time to time.At first Li Lianying didn't know Cixi's true intentions, and thought that Cixi was showing favor to Ci'an, so she always reported the truth to her.Seeing that she could not achieve her goal, Cixi finally became annoyed and slapped Li Lianying awake, Li Lianying finally understood Cixi's true intentions.From then on, he always fabricated rumors about the Empress Dowager Ci'an against his conscience, knelt in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and told with tears that the Empress Dowager Ci'an wanted to murder the Empress Dowager Cixi, and said that he would be the first to be operated on. Lose the Empress Dowager Ci'an.Of course, searching the palace and choosing a queen for Tongzhi are also excuses for the Empress Dowager Cixi to take action.

Cixi hated Ci'an, which was well known by everyone in Chuxiu Palace, but there was nothing he could do for the time being.Firstly, the Empress Dowager Ci'an is the official palace, and she holds the imperial edict of Emperor Xianfeng in her hand; secondly, the Empress Dowager Ci'an has always been decent in her affairs, without Cixi's frivolous news, and all her actions are in accordance with the ancestral family law, making it difficult for Cixi to grasp the handle. Since Li Lianying understood Cixi's true intentions, she has offered advice to Cixi. Only by destroying the edict in the hands of the Empress Dowager Ci'an can she completely get rid of her troubles and let Cixi rest easy.The Empress Dowager Cixi saw that Li Lianying was so well-behaved and finally understood her troubles, she couldn't help being moved in her heart.But this matter is easier said than done, so I can't help being a little disappointed: This thing was left by the late emperor, and it was Ci'an's curse to threaten her, so how could she destroy it so easily?In any case, Li Lianying's ability to think about herself has given her a little comfort after all.Seeing that Cixi was really worried about this matter, Li Lianying already had a solution.He is not as pessimistic as Cixi, but confidently stated that he has a perfect strategy for advancing, attacking, retreating, and defending.

Seeing that Li Lianying was so confident, Cixi's eyes lit up immediately, and she asked him to speak out quickly.Li Lianying leaned in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi and whispered something in her ear.A smile gradually gathered on the face of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and told him that if this matter can be done cleanly, there will be a great reward. A few days later, the Empress Dowager Ci'an fell ill, and she was seriously ill. She took a lot of medicine but she didn't get better.On this day, Cixi personally delivered the medicine, and personally served the Empress Dowager Ci'an to take it, and her condition improved that night.The next day, Cixi and Li Lianying went to visit again, and the Empress Dowager Ci'an told Cixi that she had recovered after taking the medicine she gave her.After hearing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Li Lianying meaningfully, and it happened that Li Lianying was also signaling to her, and the two knew it well.

The smart Li Lianying also deliberately pretended to be hesitant to speak, which made the Empress Dowager Ci'an feel that something was wrong, so she asked what was going on.Li Lianying wanted to speak, but Cixi pretended to stop Li Lianying from speaking.Ci'an became more and more strange, so she insisted on letting Li Lianying speak out.Seeing that the time was right, Li Lianying pretended to tell the truth at the risk of capital punishment, and then said what she had already known by heart: the Holy Mother and the Empress Dowager saw that the Empress Dowager had not recovered from her illness for many days, not only burning incense every night to pray to God , bless the queen mother and the queen mother to be healthy soon, and inquire everywhere about the prescriptions for treatment.A few days ago, I heard that human flesh can cure all kinds of diseases, so I cut a piece of flesh from my own arm and gave it to the Queen Mother in medicine.Seeing that the Empress Dowager's illness is really cured, the Holy Mother Empress Dowager is also very happy, thanking God for not gouging out her own flesh in vain.After finishing speaking, without waiting for the two empress dowagers Ci'an and Cixi to agree, they walked quickly to Cixi's side, rolled up Cixi's sleeves, and wrapped them in white cloth.

Empress Dowager Ci'an didn't think too much, she just felt that Cixi was really too kind to her, so she couldn't help but shed tears.He also apologized to Cixi, saying that his illness had troubled her.Cixi said emotionally: What is the sister talking about, as long as the sister's illness can be cured, what does it matter for the little sister to suffer?Ever since Daxing Emperor Long Yu was the guest of honor, you and I have been the closest people.I see the sickness on your body, but it really hurts my little sister. Now that my sister is safe, it is worth it for my little sister to suffer a little.

The Empress Dowager Ci'an had no heart, and she didn't see Cixi's sinister intentions. She felt that Cixi and herself were really of the same mind, and that she listened to her in the past, unlike the Daxing Emperor Xianfeng estimated, so she decided to do something about the will. When it was over, he ordered Yuzi, the personal maid, to fetch the thing left by the late emperor. Although Yuzi hesitated, she had no choice but to go into the inner room and took out a gold-painted box wrapped in yellow satin. The box was locked with a gold lock. It was very delicate, and it looked like it was storing important items.Empress Dowager Ci'an opened the golden lock with a delicate key, took out the imperial edict that Cixi had been thinking about day and night, and handed it to Cixi.Although Cixi had been salivating over this edict for a long time, she was almost jumping for joy at this time, but she still has a city in her chest after all, so she must behave calmly at this time, otherwise all previous efforts will be wasted. She immediately stood up and knelt on the ground, thanking Ci'an for her great kindness, not treating her as an outsider, and showing her such an important thing left by the late emperor.She also said that she made mistakes many times, but fortunately Ci'an did not blame her. In the future, she will be more self-disciplined, always follow the ancestors' family law as a lesson, and ask Ci'an for advice.In the end, in order to cover up herself, she still pretended to ask Ci'an to keep this thing, so that it will always remind her not to act recklessly. Cixi's performance was also designed by Li Lianying. He knew that the Empress Dowager Ci'an was a temperamental person. Seeing Cixi's trust in him and her sincere words, he would definitely give up his psychological defense.Sure enough, Ci'an finally made the move that Cixi had dreamed of, and she neatly ordered Yuzi to go outside and burn the will. Yuzi knew that her master was always kind-hearted, not as cunning as Cixi, if this thing was destroyed, Cixi would definitely reveal the truth, and if she did something unfavorable to Ci'an, there would be no weapon to deter her.But I have to listen to my master's words, so what should I do?The clever Yuzi suddenly thought of a way to replace the real edict with a fake edict without words, burn it to ashes and present it to the two queen mothers.Cixi immediately beamed with joy, without any doubts.Seeing that the goal had been achieved, Cixi went away after gossiping with the Empress Dowager Ci'an for a while. From then on, Cixi felt that there was no restraint, she removed the mountain on her head, her words and deeds were much tougher than before, and gradually she did not take Ci'an seriously.She was the first to speak up when something happened, no longer caring about Ci'an's feelings, and even made a final decision, completely losing the respect and politeness she had before.Seeing Cixi's appearance like this, the kind Ci'an had no choice but to swallow her anger.