Chapter 46 Imprison Guangxu

Emperor Guangxu listened to Kang Youwei's words and carried out reforms, and the reformers fought against the conservatives.Emperor Guangxu dismissed Wen Ti as an official of the conservative sect, and Wen Ti begged Huaitabu to come to the Summer Palace for help.Although Cixi did not express her position on the matter, she ordered Guangxu to quickly reprimand Weng Tonghe.Emperor Guangxu had no choice but to send Weng Tonghe back to his hometown. In fact, this behavior of the Empress Dowager Cixi was reminded and suggested by Li Lianying, which made Emperor Guangxu lose a person who gave advice.Immediately afterwards, the Empress Dowager Cixi issued a decree, making Rong Lu the governor of Zhili and Yu Lu the military aircraft office.Emperor Guangxu had to follow Cixi's wishes.But he was unwilling to do so, and secretly investigated and found out that it was Waitab who made the hindrance.Guangxu Longyan was furious, and immediately issued an order to dismiss Huaitabu, Xu Yingyu, Minister of Rites, Bixiu, Xu Huifeng, Pu Yi, and Zeng Guangwen, the ministers.

The Conservative Party was shocked, and immediately requested Empress Dowager Cixi to return to power through Li Lianying.The Empress Dowager Cixi kept her face on the surface, but secretly she was actively preparing for a counterattack, so as not to change the things of her ancestors. Because of the support of Emperor Guangxu, the Reform Party became very powerful for a while.One of their reforms violated Li Lianying's interests, and the reformers asked Emperor Guangxu to dismiss the eunuchs.Emperor Guangxu originally hated Li Lianying deeply. If the demands of the Reform Party were answered, Li Lianying would definitely end badly.Therefore, Li Lianying was worried that if the reformers became popular, her life would be in danger, so she cried out to Cixi that Emperor Guangxu supported Kang Youwei and others in their plots, which would be detrimental to Empress Dowager Cixi.

Empress Dowager Cixi was afraid that the Reform Party would be bad for her, and hated them very much.So, according to Li Lianying's strategy, she planned to temporarily transfer Guangxu out of the capital in the name of Ronglu asking Guangxu to go to Tianjin to inspect the navy, and then act cheaply. Of course, Guangxu dared not disobey Cixi's orders.But he felt that there was something wrong with it, so he called Kang Youwei, Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, Lin Xu, Tan Sitong and other reformers to the Hall of Qinzheng for discussion.After analyzing the pros and cons, Kang Youwei believed that this was a scam to lure the emperor out of Beijing, and begged Guangxu not to leave Beijing easily.

Emperor Guangxu stopped Kang Youwei from continuing, and Kang Youwei also understood what Emperor Guangxu meant. There are many eyes and ears in the palace, and talking too much will inevitably leak secrets.Therefore, Kang Youwei waited for others to discuss going out of the palace and then make plans. In the end, they also adopted the same strategy as the conservatives, that is, they first sent people to Tianjin to get rid of Rong Lu, and then quickly transferred the army of 10,000 people to enter the city at night to surround the Summer Palace and get rid of Li Lianying; , Let him take care of his life and stop meddling in political affairs.In this way, Emperor Guangxu's reform movement could continue.

After the agreement, Kang Youwei entered the palace to report to Emperor Guangxu.Guangxu thought over and over again, and felt that although Kang Youwei's words were reasonable, they lacked practical operability: where did the soldiers come from, and who would kill Ronglu?Are the people sent there reliable?These are all problems, but there is no good solution, so Kang Youwei has to step down first. Emperor Guangxu thought it over and felt that although Kang Youwei's method was good, it was a pity that all the soldiers in the capital were in the hands of Rong Lu, so he should not act rashly.Unless you seize the military power of Ronglu first, it will be difficult to accomplish anything.After much deliberation, Guangxu couldn't decide which bold and careful person to send to carry out this strategy.

At this time, Zhili inspector Yuan Shikai came to Beijing to have an audience.Guangxu's eyes immediately brightened: this person took the lead in attacking the palace in North Korea, he must be the bold and careful person he was looking for.Guangxu was overjoyed and summoned him immediately. Although Guangxu was eager to hand over the heavy responsibility to him, Guangxu was not a three-year-old urchin. Of course, he would first test Yuan Shikai's attitude towards the reform, so he asked him what he thought of the New Deal.Yuan Shikai was a person who was slick and well-versed in everything. He always knew that Emperor Guangxu intended to promote the New Deal, so he followed his will.

Yuan Shikai touted Guangxu as a promising monarch. If the Qing Dynasty wanted to strengthen itself, it must implement the New Deal.He also used neighboring Japan as an example, saying that Japan has become a world power soon after the Meiji Restoration.If the New Deal rises in China, it will soon develop into a world power by virtue of its vast land and abundant resources. Emperor Guangxu was a little flustered by Yuan Shikai's words, thinking that Yuan Shikai supported the reform, so he asked him if he would listen to his dispatch and lead the army to assassinate Ronglu. Although Yuan Shikai didn't expect that Guangxu would let him assassinate Ronglu, he felt that his chance had come, and he knelt down quickly and said that he would do his best to repay the emperor's kindness, and as long as he was alive, he would do his best for the emperor.

Guangxu was overjoyed when he heard the words, and soon issued an order: Now military training is very important. Yuan Shikai, the inspector of Zhili, is diligent in his work and serious in school training.When the current situation is difficult, improving military equipment is actually the top priority.Yuan Shikai should encourage and encourage, pay attention to training, and pay attention to the sacred intention of the court to straighten out the army.This is it. ◇ The terrified conservatives saw this decree and hurriedly reported it to Cixi.In fact, there were Li Lianying's confidants inside and outside the palace, even if they didn't report, Cixi knew well about Kang Youwei and Yuan Shikai's entry into the palace, but she didn't know that Kang Youwei was planning to plot the Summer Palace.

Cixi once asked all officials above the second rank to be appointed, and to thank the Queen Mother in person.This time Yuan Shikai was promoted to the position of servant, and the official residence was from the second rank, so he should meet the Queen Mother to thank him.When Yuan Shikai came to the Summer Palace to thank him, Cixi summoned him immediately and asked him what he said when he went to the palace, and Yuan Shikai answered them one by one.The Empress Dowager Cixi told Yuan Shikai not to act too hastily and fell into Guangxu's tricks.Li Lianying also told him to be careful about Emperor Guangxu's conspiracy after he withdrew.

On the fifth day of August, Yuan Shikai invited training to Tianjin.Guangxu summoned in Qianqing Palace, sent everyone away, and secretly ordered Yuan Shikai to lead troops to capture and kill Rong Lu immediately after he arrived in Tianjin, and then returned to Beijing without stopping to surround the Summer Palace and control the Empress Dowager Cixi.At the same time, he promised that after his success, he would be directly appointed as the governor of Zhili, and he was also given an arrow of the Great Nei Ling as evidence. Only then did Yuan Shikai remember what the Empress Dowager Cixi had said to him, and he was taken aback.In fact, he is a fool, who can make money with someone else.Emperor Guangxu was weak, and the power was still in the hands of the Empress Dowager Cixi. He did not dare to take the risk of killing Rong Lu in exchange for the uncertain governor of Zhili.Therefore, he decided to betray Emperor Guangxu and tell Ronglu everything.But in order to stabilize Emperor Guangxu, he calmly led the decree and withdrew.

After Yuan Shikai withdrew, he took the train to Tianjin immediately, and then went to Ronglu's mansion to talk to Pan Jiang about Guangxu's plan.Rong Lu was shocked, so he went back to Beijing to meet Empress Dowager Cixi in the Summer Palace that day, and repeated Yuan Shikai's words.Cixi was still not sure whether it really happened until Rong Lu took out the arrow.Cixi saw that she was indeed a thing of the great nephew, and only then did she know that Guangxu, who had always been timid and cowardly, really wanted to get rid of her. Li Lianying was also frightened, and quickly knelt down to ask the Empress Dowager Cixi to take immediate action, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.The panic-stricken Empress Dowager Cixi quickly ordered Ronglu to summon the Manchu relatives and nobles, and the conservative figures Shiduo, Gangyi, Huaitabu, Xu Yingyu and others were specially summoned by order.Not long after, the crowd came to the Empress Dowager Cixi, knelt down and begged the Empress Dowager Cixi to come out and train the government quickly to save the situation. Empress Dowager Cixi immediately ordered Rong Lu to return to Tianjin and lead troops into Beijing.Unexpectedly, Rong Lu had sent the officers and soldiers to set off long ago and had already arrived in the capital.Cixi praised Rong Lu for his foresight, and ordered him to immediately transfer out all the guards from the Forbidden City and replace them with Rong Lu's cronies, and went to Tianjin to intercept Kang Youwei's accomplices so as not to escape.Rong Lu was ordered to go. When Cixi held a secret meeting, she happened to be informed by an eunuch surnamed Sun.The little eunuch had always been trusted by Emperor Guangxu, so he hurried back to the palace to report to Emperor Guangxu.Only then did Emperor Guangxu know that Yuan Shikai had betrayed himself.Now that the matter has leaked out, the first thing he thought of was that Kang Youwei was in danger, so he immediately drafted an edict and ordered someone to send it to Kang Youwei.Kang Youwei received Guangxu's autograph and knew that the plan had failed, so he hurriedly disguised himself and took the train to Tanggu, and then boarded a ship for Shanghai.When Ronglu arrived in Tianjin, Kang Youwei had already fled. The next day, Empress Dowager Cixi summoned Emperor Guangxu in Xiyuan.Emperor Guangxu knew that Cixi was coming to settle accounts, but he had to go.The eunuch guided Emperor Guangxu to Xiyuan. Li Lianying had already led a group of people waiting for him. When he saw Emperor Guangxu, he couldn't help explaining, surrounded him on board the boat, and went straight to Yingtai.From then on, Emperor Guangxu was imprisoned here, and his power was taken back by Cixi. Soon, Empress Dowager Cixi led the queen, concubine Zhen and others to Yingtai.Guangxu hurriedly knelt down to welcome the Empress Dowager Cixi.The Empress Dowager Cixi reprimanded Guangxu while saying that the ministers asked her to come out to educate the government, and her words seemed to imply the intention of abolishing the lord immediately. Concubine Zhen was afraid that Guangxu would be dethroned, so she came out to intercede, but Cixi angrily reprimanded her as unworthy to speak out.Concubine Zhen was in a hurry, so she boldly said that Empress Dowager Cixi could not depose the king of a country at will.Seeing that Concubine Zhen dared to challenge her authority, Cixi imprisoned her in a rage. The Empress Dowager Cixi was still angry, and she was still reprimanding Guangxu who was kneeling on the ground, but was persuaded by Li Lianying.Before leaving, the queen was ordered to stay with Guangxu and monitor Guangxu's actions. After Cixi returned to the palace, she ordered the quick arrest of the Reform Party members, and soon arrested six of them, Yang Shenxiu, Tan Sitong, Yang Rui, Lin Xu, Liu Guangdi, and Kang Guangren. These were the famous Six Gentlemen of 1898.It's just that Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao were not captured, and Yang Shenxiu, Tan Sitong and others confessed after rigorous interrogation, and Cixi quickly executed them. Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to dethrone Guangxu and was afraid of causing interference from China and foreign countries, so she issued an edict in the name of Emperor Guangxu: Now the state affairs are difficult, and common affairs are waiting to be taken care of. I work hard and take care of all kinds of opportunities every day.Since the reign of Tongzhi, Empress Dowager Cixi Duanyou Kang Yizhao Mu Yingcheng Shou respectfully worships the Empress Dowager Yi, listens to the government twice, handles the government affairs, and promotes the economy in difficult times. Politics, look up and bow down as you please.This is the blessing of the subjects of the world.From today onwards, work in the hall.On the eighth day of the first month of this month, I will invite all the princes and ministers to salute in the Palace of Qinzheng.Everything should be done with etiquette, and each department's yamen should be prepared with respect and respect. ◇ Although Guangxu is still the emperor in name, he can be dethroned.Cixi also ordered Pu Jun, the son of Duan Wang Zaiyi, to enter the palace as the elder brother (that is, the prince).The foreign powers have nothing to do, and they still have three points. Now they hear that Emperor Guangxu is going to be abolished, and they have interfered one after another.It just so happened that the Shandong Boxers were rising, which led to Li Lianying's suggestion that Cixi use the Boxers to contain foreigners.