For a long time, whether it was negotiating peace between the north and the south, or putting pressure on the Qing court, Zhu Erdian has been doing his best to help Yuan Shikai, and he is optimistic about Yuan Shikai.

Yuan Shikai has a characteristic, no matter where he is or what country he is, as long as he is an important person, he will be able to write down the other party's name when he meets him. When they meet again, they can immediately call out each other's names, which makes the other party often very surprised and moved, and they will feel that they are very important to Yuan Shikai and are valued by Yuan Shikai.

Yuan Shikai doesn't know a foreign language, but he can remember a foreigner's name, no matter how difficult it is. Some people say that Yuan Shikai's memory is amazing, but in fact, it is not true, but he has put a lot of effort into this area that others disdain to do. It shows that Yuan Shikai has a unique judgment and understanding of people and things, and he sees great wisdom in small things.

Zhu Erdian can communicate with Yuan Shikai in Chinese, and he speaks Chinese and Yuan Shikai can understand it. Generally speaking, diplomats are required to speak their native language in diplomatic situations, and this is largely to preserve the dignity of the motherland.

But Zhu Erdian and Yuan Shikai are old friends, so it's very casual.

After listening to Yuan Shikai's concerns, he and Yuan Shikai agreed that they could consider the establishment of a provisional government with the authorization of the court. The government should first unify the decrees of the whole country to avoid a power vacuum at this stage. In this way, it is possible to bring the Qing court and the southern government. The government capital is put aside, and if necessary, for safety reasons, it can also be temporarily placed in Tianjin. This was in fact established to override the Qing court and the southern government. Above the government, command the government of the whole country. Prefecture.

On the same day, Hu Weide, Zhao Bingjun, and Liang Shiyi attended the continuing imperial meeting. At the meeting, Zhao Bingjun proposed the establishment of a provisional government. Yuan Shikai's idea was immediately seen through by the relatives and nobles of the Qing court, and was immediately strongly opposed and condemned by them. Hu Weide and Liang Shiyi persuaded them with reasons such as financial difficulties, lack of military spending, inability to fight, and foreign countries about to intervene. The stubborn people of the Qing court did not listen to it at all, and their words became more and more ugly.

Yuan Shikai had repeatedly instructed the few people attending the meeting to pay attention to their attitude of speaking and do more work of patience and persuasion.

Day by day, Zhao Bingjun saw that these people did not eat oil and salt, and spoke presumptuously, and finally became angry, and said excitedly: "The people's hearts have gone, and the monarchy is no longer able to be preserved, so I advise everyone to look ahead, look into the distance, and make wise and correct choices for themselves and their families."

"If you don't make a decision like this, and if you drag it on indefinitely, not to mention the revolutionary parties in the south, even we, the cabinet ministers, have no patience to accompany you. If this continues, the cabinet will have to resign, and you have the ability to deal with the revolutionary party!

After speaking, he got up and left, and Hu Weide and Liang Shiyi also followed angrily.

Empress Dowager Longyu told them to stay, saying that everything could be discussed, just don't leave it alone.

A few people were still very polite and respectful to the Empress Dowager Longyu, but they just said that it was a waste of time to play the piano with some people here, so they still insisted on leaving.

The Empress Dowager Longyu hugged Pu Yi and cried again, and the imperial meeting was closed again.

The Mongolian princes went out of Beijing one after another, each returned to their own banner, and organized death squads to defend the imperial court. Shengyun, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, prepared to lead the soldiers and horses to escort the king. The Zongshe Party split its activities, some went to print leaflets to expose Yuan Shikai's conspiracy, and some went to the Imperial Forest Army to gather the old troops, and they went everywhere to kill Yuan Shikai to eliminate harm to the country.

I was blown up by that. Yuan Shikai, who was frightened by the bomb attack, had already gone to the underground fortifications to work and rest for several days, and when he heard that the Zongshe Party was going to take him under the knife, he was even more panicked. He hurriedly dispatched Cao Kun's third town to escort him in Beijing. I felt that it would take time for Cao Kun's department to arrive, and it would not quench his thirst far away. I wanted to be escorted by foreign troops and went to the Tianjin Concession to take refuge. The people under him saw that he was so afraid of death, and they were embarrassed to say it, but they just advised him that this was a special period, and that he should not act rashly, and there was no need to make too much fuss. He dispelled this idea and asked Zhao Bingjun to organize the guards and strengthen protection.

Establishment of the Provisional Government. Yuan Shikai did not find a market in the Qing court, and turned to the southern government. government for support. He asked Tang Shaoyi to convey his thoughts to Wu Tingfang, and after Wu Tingfang conveyed this to the top of the revolutionary party, he did not expect the reaction to be even stronger. Mr. Mountain. Middle. Mr. Shan solemnly pointed out that the Qing court did not abdicate, everything was not to be discussed, and it was illegal for the Qing court to privately delegate power to anyone. The government will never admit it.

Organization of the Provisional Government. After the affairs of the mansion hit a wall at both ends, Yuan Shikai was bored with himself, and he had to work hard to force the palace. He found Zhao Bingjun, Hu Weide, Liang Shiyi and others to discuss and seek how to break through.

Liang Shiyi said: "It is difficult, even impossible, to get these people in the royal family to change their attitudes. The key now is the attitude of the Queen Mother, and we still have to find a way to do the work of the Queen Mother. ”

Zhao Bingjun said: "Through these days of contact, he feels that the Queen Mother is really a very good person and very generous. But speaking of which, I have done a lot of work for her, and every time we speak at the Imperial Council, it is mainly for her. But it's hard to work, because the scene can only be said in the words. But then again, it's hard to put this matter on anyone, and it's really not easy to make this decision. If you find someone who can talk to the Queen Mother in private terms, the effect may be better. ”

Hu Weide said: "After listening to the words of the two, I think of a person. ”

"You're talking about Xiao Dezhang, right?" Liang Shiyi narrowed his eyes.

"By the way, when you say this, I remember, I heard that the Empress Dowager Longyu listens to Xiao Dezhang the most, and even sometimes she is a little afraid of him. The Empress Dowager Longyu especially loves to knock melon seeds, but eating too many melon seeds is not good for her health, and Xiao Dezhang stops her every time he sees her knocking melon seeds. Sometimes you may be in a hurry and be stricter. The Empress Dowager Longyu wanted to knock the melon seeds again, but she was afraid of Xiao Dezhang, and when she saw Xiao Dezhang, she was so frightened that she quickly hid the melon seeds. Zhao Bingjun said.

"I've heard that this little Dezhang loves money the most. He was just a eunuch who was poor and afraid. This guy is ruthless enough, he cut it himself. I heard that I can't cut it, but I didn't cut it clean. The Empress Dowager Longyu has never been favored by Guangxu in her life, and she has been satisfied with Dezhang since she was a child, so their relationship is particularly special. A man next to him said.

"Don't talk nonsense, this is all arranged by boring people, and the Empress Dowager Longyu is not such a person." Yuan Shikai hurriedly stopped it. I thought to myself, it's good for Xiaode Zhang to love money, give a heavy gift, and let Xiao Dezhang help him talk, so he asked Zhao Bingjun to find someone to invite Xiao Dezhang to come over once.

Zhang Lande (1876-April 19, 1957), a native of Nanluguantun, Jinghai County, Tianjin, was the chief eunuch. The name Xiang Zhai, the word Yunting, in the inner palace eunuchs ranked the word Lan, the Empress Dowager Cixi gave the name "Hengtai", and the palace number was Xiaode Zhang.

In 1888, he was 12 years old from the palace, entered the palace as a eunuch in 1891, and in 1892 was sent to the palace Nanfu Shengping Department opera troupe to learn Peking Opera Wu Xiaosheng, with exquisite skills, deeply appreciated by the Empress Dowager Cixi.

In 1898, he was promoted to the post of harem superintendent. In the Gengzi Incident, he went hunting with the Empress Dowager Cixi, and after returning to Beijing, he was promoted to the head of the imperial dining room.

In 1909, according to Cixi's decree, Xiaode Zhang was promoted to the chief of the four divisions and eight departments of Changchun Palace. Because Xiao Dezhang is very smart and good at speculation, he is very likable, and he tries his best to get the favor of Cixi, and he is in power, and he is even more prosperous.

Xiao Dezhang's family conditions are very poor, his father is a fisherman, and his mother is a rural woman. When the year is good, you can still eat, but in the event of natural and man-made disasters, you can only be hungry. Due to the poverty of his family, Xiao Dezhang went out to work for people when he was a little older, and engaged in shipping to supplement the family, even so, the life of the family was extremely difficult.

Everyone has poor relatives and rich relatives, and Xiao Dezhang is no exception. His aunt and grandmother were very wealthy. One year, when Xiao Dezhang and his brother went to visit their aunt and grandmother, they were ridiculed by his aunt's family, saying that he could not afford to buy a large set of cars for his aunt's family in his life. Xiao Dezhang's self-esteem was greatly hurt and left angrily.

How can you be rich? Hearing that all the eunuchs in the palace were rich, he thought about it for a long time and decided to enter the palace as a father-in-law. It is safe to say that Xiao Dezhang is an extraordinary person, and he made a move that no one else dared to think of: he did it himself, and he used a sickle. Since the palace, Xiaode died in pain, and his mother regretted it very much when she found out, but there was no way, so she hurried to first aid. There is really a miracle in this world, Xiao Dezhang woke up after six days in a coma and saved his life.

However, if the Qing Dynasty wanted to enter the palace as a eunuch, there was a vacancy, and only when the eunuchs in the palace were vacant could they enter the new eunuchs, the so-called one radish and one pit. With the help of his family, he bought a vacancy for Xiao Dezhang, and it happened that an old eunuch died at that time, so Xiao Dezhang entered the palace and became a eunuch.

Since Xiao Dezhang served by the side of the Empress Dowager Cixi, it can be said that he is the favorite of the Empress Dowager Cixi, the Guangxu Emperor, and the eunuch Li Lianying. Although the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu often had disputes, Xiao Dezhang's scale was very well grasped, so Emperor Guangxu also trusted Xiao Dezhang.

When the Empress Dowager Cixi died, Xiao Dezhang had paved the way for himself, that is, to help the Empress Dowager Longyu keep the throne of the Empress Dowager. After burying the Empress Dowager Cixi, the position of the Empress Dowager Longyu was peeped at by the other three concubines, and they all competed to return to the palace to get the golden seal of the Empress Dowager. Xiao Dezhang immediately persuaded the Empress Dowager Longyu, rode back to the palace and got the golden seal of the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager Longyu thus confirmed the position of the Empress Dowager.