Chapter 18 Stay behind to please Guangxu

On the way into the city, Cixi carefully observed Wu Yong who was waiting beside the sedan chair from the sedan chair, and saw that although the scholar was about 30 years old and of medium build, although he was a frail scholar, he was shrewd and capable, and felt that he was worthy of trust. , you can leave everything to him, and you can take a good rest. In fact, it also proved that Wu Yong is capable. Not only did Wu Yong properly arrange the royal families of the two palaces, but even the princes and ministers had their own residences, which was really not easy for the small Huailai County.In order to ensure the food supply of the royal family and ministers, he ordered that all the stragglers brought by Cixi were not allowed to enter the city, and they were resettled in various villages in the suburbs.This ingenious arrangement not only eased the tense situation of food supply, but also guaranteed security issues, ensuring that the daily order in the city was as usual, and the people were not disturbed.

In fact, the arrival of Cixi is also an excellent opportunity for Wu Yong to perform.He has carried out careful consideration and meticulous arrangements everywhere.After arranging the board and lodging issue, he saw that neither Cixi nor the emperor had brought warm clothes.So he ordered his family members to prepare some cotton-padded clothes and robes as offerings, and asked his wife to deliver them in person.This not only solved Cixi's urgent need, but also left a good impression on her. At this desolate moment, Cixi and Emperor Guangxu received such hospitality from Wu Yong, and they were inevitably moved in their hearts.Cixi summoned Wu Yong immediately, and praised him for his considerate handling and not afraid of hard work.

Not to mention a seventh-rank magistrate, it is very difficult for Daotai to see Cixi. Now Wu Yong can not only meet the Empress Dowager, but also receive the Empress Dowager's consolation and praise. If it is not a special period, how could there be such a scene?Wu Yong is also very grateful to Cixi at the moment, and said that his ability is limited, there must be many places that he can't take good care of, and he is in a small and barren county, so negligence in worship is inevitable. I hope the Empress Dowager Cixi will not blame her. Seeing that Wu Yong was not only considerate in handling affairs, but also very decent in his questions and answers when meeting her, Cixi immediately felt happy and asked Wu Yong to get up to speak. After Wu Yong thanked her, he got up and stood aside.

Because Cixi ate a full meal and got a good rest, she was refreshed and wanted to talk to Wu Yong more.Just ask Wu Yong where he is from and what his background is.Wu Yong reported that he was originally from Zhejiang, and that he was born as a Jinshi in two lists. When Cixi heard that Wu Yong was Zeng Guofan's grandson, she remembered Zeng Guofan's great achievements in suppressing the rebellion. If she still had this old and prudent minister by her side, she would not have ended up like this. .Immediately, he was ordered to hand over the affairs of the county to the county magistrate, and the next day to go to the prefectures and counties on the West Road to run the post office.

Wu Yong thanked him and left, and the next day he went to the front states and counties to urge all offerings.Within a few days, Empress Dowager Cixi decreed to keep Wu Yong as the magistrate in Zhili as an alternate, and replaced Dai Hualing first.Later, Cixi returned to Beijing and promoted Wu Yong to Guangdong Daotai.Wu Yong can be said to be lucky. Although Wu Yong did a good job in reception, Cixi could not stay here for a long time.One was that it was too close to Beijing, and foreigners came whenever they wanted; the other was that the food supply in the county was becoming increasingly scarce, and it was difficult to support a large team.Therefore, Cixi decided to go west immediately.

Cixi's pack sedan chair was replaced by Wu Yong in Huailai County with a yellow silk coop, and finally had a decent ride.Zhang Liangxian, the magistrate of Huai'an County, received Wu Yong's notice and went out to meet him far away.At the same time, they searched for food from house to house along the street, slaughtered pigs and sheep, and held banquets. When Cixi arrived at Beijiucang, which was still some distance away from Huai'an, Zhang Liangxian hurriedly brought officials, big and small, to kneel beside the road to greet her, and the Empress Dowager Cixi and her party entered the Zhang Family Courtyard.Because she was far away from Beijing, and there were local officials to pick her up, Cixi was relieved.

Cixi recalled the days when she left Beijing and the hardships along the way. She couldn't help lamenting the embarrassment and sadness of fleeing. She couldn't restrain herself for a while, and she couldn't help crying.Cixi's move frightened the accompanying princes and ministers. Zai Yi, Zai Xun, Yixu, Gang Yi, Gui Xiang and others didn't know why Empress Dowager Cixi was crying, so they knelt down in unison, and no one dared to say What. To say that Li Lianying knew Cixi's temper best, and knew her thoughts, she stepped forward to persuade her and said: "The Empress Dowager Lafayette, a lucky person has his own appearance, and he can always turn bad luck into good luck. This is true."When Lafayette arrived in Huailai, the holy driver had just crossed the river, and the mountain torrents were so severe that even the foreign Boxers could hardly cross the river; now County Magistrate Zhang has traveled dozens of miles to pick him up, which is also the blessing of Lafayette.As the saying goes, if you are not happy, Lafayette should be happy!

Li Lianying's words really prescribe the right medicine, every sentence touched Cixi's heart, coupled with this burst of venting, Cixi's mood calmed down a lot, so she ordered all the princes and ministers to quit and rest earlier. Firstly, Cixi stayed away from the capital, so she had no worries about the future, and secondly, she got a full rest, so she finally had the opportunity to think about the situation in Beijing at the dinner table. Guangxu was a useless emperor who worried about the country and the people. The first thing he thought of was the two visits of foreigners to Beijing. The last time they burned the Old Summer Palace, what would happen this time?Then I remembered the tragic death of Concubine Zhen before leaving, and I couldn't help but feel a little sad.Therefore, facing the first delicacies in the past few days, I have no intention of swallowing them.

Li Lianying saw Guangxu's thoughts. In order not to let him affect the Empress Dowager Cixi, he quickly persuaded Guangxu jokingly not to be too sad, but let the Empress Dowager Cixi choose another concubine for him.When Cixi heard Li Lianying's words, she frowned unconsciously.Li Lianying saw that the topic was wrong, so she quickly kept her mouth shut.Guangxu didn't dare to offend Cixi, so he reluctantly ate some. Empress Dowager Cixi regained her energy after the meal, and she no longer had to worry about foreign soldiers chasing her. The fatigue of the past few days was also greatly relieved, so she took a leisurely walk in the yard.Since the chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs of the surrounding people's homes were all killed by the officers and soldiers to satisfy their hunger, there was no barking of chickens and dogs, and it seemed very quiet.Cixi didn't know the reason, but thought that the people here were kind-hearted, well-fed and well-clothed, and the folk customs were simple, so she couldn't help but admire that this place looked like Taipingzhuang.Since then, Beijiucang has been renamed Taipingzhuang.

There is a family surnamed Ji next door to the Zhang Family Courtyard where the Empress Dowager Cixi lives. There are only father and daughter.The daughter's name is Ji Nizi, who is in her 28th year of life. She is also handsome and delicate, and she speaks softly and softly, which is very pleasant.After the news that Cixi led the team was coming, the villagers all hid in the mountains. Because her father was ill, Ji Nizi couldn't bear to leave her father alone at home, so she didn't leave. A team of officers and soldiers did not disrespect her when they came to her house, they just searched hard for food and even took all the chickens from her house.

Ji Nizi grew up in a mountain village and never went out. She only heard people talk about the prosperity of Beijing, the majesty of the palace compound, and how beautiful the empress is. She never thought that she would see it with her own eyes.Now she heard that Empress Dowager Cixi, Emperor Guangxu and Empress Empress lived next door to her, so she wanted to see what they looked like.With this opportunity, no matter what, we must find a way to see it.Otherwise, after this village, there will be no such shop. That being said, she was a little scared when she saw the serious soldiers at the door, and she was unwilling to see them so close, so she wanted to stick her head out of the wall of her house to take a look.She found a few stones to place her feet on, and then pressed her fingers against the top of the wall. Then she managed to stick her head out of the high wall to see the situation on the other side. Coincidentally, Cixi was taking a leisurely walk in the Zhang family's courtyard, and inadvertently raised her head and saw Ji Nizi who was watching from the top of the wall.If this were in Beijing, it would have been a serious crime to kill everyone, but it happened that Cixi was in a good mood, and she couldn't help but admire Ji Nizi's beauty and slender hands.How could Li Lianying know how to read words, he immediately went to compliment Cixi's good eyesight, and found a stunning woman in this deep mountain, who happened to be accepted by Guangxu as his concubine.Seeing that Li Lianying understood her thoughts so well, Cixi ordered Li Lianying to handle the matter, and Li Lianying went as ordered.Seeing that the two people in the courtyard seemed to be talking about herself, Ji Nizi was too frightened to look at the emperor and empress, and hurried back to the house. Li Lianying got the decree from the Empress Dowager Cixi, and quickly asked Zhang Liangxian, the magistrate of Huai'an County, to come to Ji Nizi's house with him, and read the decree from the Empress Dowager Cixi.When Father Ji heard it, it was as if he had been struck by five thunderbolts. The boss in his heart was not happy, and he knelt down and begged for mercy, saying that his daughter was a girl from a poor mountain village. .Seeing that he was going to refuse, Zhang Liangxian immediately scolded him for being ignorant.The nobleman personally selected by the empress dowager is the blessing of the Ji family and the honor of the county. We should thank the emperor for his kindness, and other families can't wait for it!Li Lianying also chimed in and asked him to take the order to thank him.Li Lianying and Zhang Liangxian didn't care about the crying father and daughter, and went back to deliver orders. Li Lianying reported it to the Empress Dowager Cixi, who praised him for his swiftness and prudence, and ordered him to report to Guangxu as soon as possible.Li Lianying happily announced the good news to Guangxu.He believed that, firstly, with Cixi's orders, he naturally wanted to please Cixi; secondly, Guangxu had been depressed after the death of Concubine Zhen.Li Lianying was afraid that Guangxu would convict herself after Cixi returned to power or ascended to heaven, so she always wanted to find an opportunity to make amends.Now, the empress dowager has chosen a concubine for the emperor. If this concubine is favored, she will definitely remember her own benefits.Now tell Guangxu the good news, even if Guangxu is unhappy, it will not be bad for him. Therefore, Li Lianying happily received the order and rushed to tell Emperor Guangxu the news.He came to Guangxu with a smile, without saying a word, he knelt on the ground with a plop to congratulate Guangxu.Although Guangxu made Li Lianying kneel down, he still kept his head calm. He said that the court is in danger, and the queen mother and himself are out of the dust. What is there to congratulate? Could it be that the foreigners have been repelled, and now they can return to Beijing? Unexpectedly, what Li Lianying was talking about was not about defeating the foreigners, but about choosing a concubine for him by the Empress Dowager Cixi.Guangxu saw that Cixi and Li Lianying still had such leisurely minds when they were in deep crisis, so he immediately refused, telling them to withdraw the marriage immediately, and said that in the face of national crisis, I will not accept concubines.Li Lianying saw that Emperor Guangxu was so stubborn, so she had no choice but to tell Emperor Guangxu that Lafayette's edict must not be disobeyed!After finishing speaking, he went straight to reply. Li Lianying didn't say that Guangxu disagreed with accepting the concubine when she went back, only that she had informed the emperor.After listening to Li Lianying's report, Cixi thought that Guangxu would not ignore the matter, and then ordered Li Lianying to send the betrothal gift of engagement. Not only that, but also ordered Zhang Liangxian, the magistrate of Huai'an County, to quickly build a palace for the nobles of Ji. Get married on an auspicious day. At this point, the matter was tied, and Cixi thought that Guangxu already knew it, so she didn't have to worry about it anymore; Guangxu thought that she had clearly rejected it, so she didn't have to think too much about it.Later, when Cixi returned to Beijing, she had forgotten all about it.And because Ji Nizi was the concubine appointed by the Empress Dowager Cixi, no one dared to marry him, but Emperor Guangxu didn't even know that there was such a person.In the end, this noble man had been living alone, and died of depression when he was just fifty years old.It is really sad that the royal family's negligence ruined the youth of a young girl!