It is difficult for princes and ministers to see the emperor, and it is not easy for the queen and Yi Guifei to see the emperor.

Especially in the past two years, the emperor listened to the drama whenever he had a little time, or favored those who entered the palace later, and even agreed, rarely turning over their signs. But a mother is in the world, and a mother is expensive by her son, it can be said that what a woman dreams of has been fully realized, and the two have no complaints, but such a "peace" was broken with the arrival of Ren Yuer.

The queen, who has always disliked noisy, went uncharacteristically to accompany the emperor to listen to the play, and Concubine Yi took the little prince to ask the emperor for peace, and even summoned several eunuchs around the emperor to interrogate under the pretext that the emperor's complexion was not as good as before.

The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, this is the rule left by the ancestors!

No one dared to believe it, so she asked Lian'er, who was waiting in the palace with Ren Yu'er, to guard outside, and closed the door to talk to Ren Yu'er about the things outside.

"How can there be such a chaos outside, is it possible that no one dares to resist the decree and disrespect it?"

"Mother, do you mean ......?"

Concubine Yi frowned tightly and asked puzzledly: "Although I haven't read a few books, I still understand the truth that the foreign monarch's life is not affected, but Hengfu went out to welcome him before he got the decree, and gave up the huge Tianjin City to the foreigners. ”

The queen also said worriedly: "I heard that Gonggong Liu said that the emperor had ordered the monk Greenqin to retreat to Tianjin, and also said that Tianjin is the gateway to Tongzhou, but where are they retreating, it is clear that they only retreat but do not defend." ”

"Yu'er, you have seen the world, and even held the token of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to run errands for the imperial court, tell me how it came to be like this, are they really not afraid of losing their heads!" Seeing that Ren Yu'er wanted to speak and stopped, Concubine Yi asked again: "Yu'er, didn't you just go to see your brother-in-law in the morning, does he know these things?" ”

"Yu Niangniang, my fourth brother knows something."

"Then tell me, how did it come to this, why did those people in Tianjin dare to disobey the yang and the yin?"

Ren Yu'er had no choice but to say with a bitter face: "Niangniang, Yu'er thinks that Lord Hengfu is blameless for doing this." ”

"How can it be blameless?"

"As far as Yu'er knows, the emperor ordered Lord Hengfu to be the minister of the Qin Mission, with full authority to handle the situation, and the edict is clearly written, but the camera can act and handle it properly. The foreigners were all killed under the city of Tianjin. If it is fought, how to deal with this situation, in the eyes of foreigners, there is no sincerity at all. Let alone...... Not to mention ......"

"What's more?" The queen asked eagerly.

"What's more, the ordnance, grain and grass prepared for the blockade are all lost, and the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Tianjin is low due to the loss of the Haikou Fort, even if they want to defend it, they can't hold it!"

Concubine Yi asked: "What about peace, we will suffer more or less losses, can the foreigners withdraw from the army?" ”

"Yu'er thought it was a little difficult."

"Foreigners make such a big move, isn't it just trying to trade and get some silver, why is it difficult?"

Ren Yu'er sighed lightly and explained helplessly: "Niangniang doesn't know, we have dealt with foreigners not for a day or two, nor for a year or two, but from Daoguang 20 years to today." In order to calm things down, the imperial court agreed to some conditions for foreigners and signed some trade peace treaties with foreigners, but the foreigners took it seriously and had to honor it. ”

"And later?"

"Later, the foreigners submitted the note again and again, Ye Mingchen and other five ministers of trade not only did not take it seriously, but even coaxed the foreigners again and again, anyway, the foreigners no longer believed them, and originally planned to send an envoy to Beijing, thinking that if the people below were playing tricks again, they could file a complaint with the emperor nearby."

"Foreigners want to come to the capital, and they want to stay in Beijing!" The queen was taken aback.

"So other conditions are negotiable, but this one is not negotiable, foreigners are not humble, and they don't even bow down when they see their own lord, let alone see the emperor." Looking at the thoughtful appearance of the queen and Concubine Yi, Ren Yu'er continued: "Foreigners don't believe us, this is one of them. ”

"Second?" Concubine Yi asked in a low voice.

"Then the emperor is the honor of the Ninety-Five, and my Qing Dynasty is the kingdom of the Heavenly Empire, how can I allow Yingfo and others to be so rampant, so the emperor ordered Lord Guiliang and Lord Hengfu to negotiate with the foreigners, and secretly ordered Jiao Youying, the secretary of Guanglu Temple, and Zhang Zhiwan, a bachelor, to go to Tianjin to conduct a group training, and ordered them to lead the regiment to attack and suppress."

Concubine Yi couldn't believe that this was true, and she muttered for a while: "So many officers and soldiers can't beat it, and a group of Lian Yong can beat it?" ”

Ren Yu'er said with a bitter face: "The blame can only be blamed on Ye Mingchen and other officials who have more than enough success, a few days ago, they knew that they were open-mouthed, and as soon as they reported the situation, they said that the gentry are afraid of the officials, the officials are afraid of foreigners, and the foreigners are afraid of the gentry, and the emperor will naturally not believe it when a person says this, but everyone says so, and the emperor will be deceived by them no matter how holy he is." ”

"What about your brother-in-law, doesn't the emperor value your brother-in-law, why doesn't he tell the truth?"

"Back to the queen's mother, my fourth brother has reported to the emperor more than once, and Lord Wen Xiangwen, who later took over Houyitang, has also reported more than once, but they add up to two mouths, and they can't say that there are so many mediocre officials who can get by. What's more, the long hair is so fierce, and it is difficult for the emperor, at least at that time, the emperor will prioritize. ”

"What kind of yamen is Houyitang, why haven't you heard of it in this palace?"

Ren Yu'er suddenly realized that she had slipped her mouth, and seeing Concubine Yi's serious expression, she could only explain the ins and outs of the matter.

The queen was dumbfounded.

Concubine Yi couldn't believe it, and was silent for a long time before she said faintly: "War is not like war, and it is not like peace, war and indefiniteness, sooner or later things will change, I understand why you are so worried, why you have to enter the palace to serve." ”

"Sister Lan'er, do you mean that foreigners will really kill them?" The queen asked in horror.

"As it is, sooner or later."

"How's that okay?"

"Sister, what's the use of you and me being anxious, so far, we can only wait and see what happens."

"Or ...... Or you go and persuade the emperor. ”

"Sister, the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, this is a rule left by the ancestors. What's more, as Yu'er said, it is difficult for the emperor, if you really want to make compromises, how can the emperor face the ancestors and ancestors. Although Concubine Yi said this, she didn't mention how anxious she was, she paused and turned back and said: "Yu'er, it's not appropriate for you to always live with the queen's mother, or you start from today, come to talk to the queen's mother at noon, relieve the queen's boredom, and go back in the afternoon, so as not to attract criticism." ”

How could Ren Yu'er not know that Concubine Yi was letting her out of the palace to find out the news, and hurriedly said, "Yu'er obeys." ”

The queen reacted suddenly, and said without thinking: "You can go back with confidence, those minions outside, the palace will explain to them." If anyone dares not to let you enter the palace, see that the official does not break his legs! ”

……

If others can't find Han Xiufeng, it doesn't mean that Wenxiang can't find it.

Just when the queen and Concubine Yi were talking with Ren Yu'er behind closed doors, Wen Xiang came to the small courtyard where Han Xiufeng temporarily lived, and talked about what had happened in the past two days at the stone table sitting under the tree.

"Su Shun didn't look for you again, not because he didn't want to look for it, but because he didn't care about looking for it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I heard the father-in-law in the palace say that the emperor is in a bad mood these days, not only did he not summon the minister of civil and military affairs again, but even Prince Zheng, Prince Yi and Su Shun could only see the emperor once a day, and they couldn't say a few words after meeting."

"Hiding is not the way to go!" Han Xiufeng said solemnly.

"It's really not a way, but it's not easy to think about the emperor, he ascended to the pole in the year of the weak crown, and he encountered so many things as soon as he ascended to the pole." Wen Xiang sighed lightly, and then changed his words: "In short, most of the decrees in the past few days have come from Prince Zheng, Prince Yi and Su Shun, they have to send troops to Tongzhou to prevent blockage, and they also have to raise food and salary, so they are so busy that they can care about looking for you." ”

"Dispatch troops, there are troops to be transferred, are there generals to be sent?" Han Xiufeng put down the teacup and asked.

Wen Xiang glanced back, and said like a few family treasures: "There are so many officials in the Qing Dynasty, how can there be no generals to send, first ordered Hengqi, the secretary of the Military Garrison Academy, to serve as the assistant minister of Fuyi, and go to Tianjin to serve; Immediately afterwards, he rewarded the top belt of Saishan'a, a scholar of the University of Reform, and handed it over to the Monk Greenqin Military Camp Committee, the minister of Qin. Ordered Wu Zhuo, Xue Shutang, Yang Rongxu, Xu Qiwen, Guo Xiangrui, Liu Youming, Zhu Chao, Xue Chunli, Ren Zhaojian and Bai Enyou to assist in the defense of the five cities. ”

"What about the soldiers?" Han Xiufeng asked.

"Ordered Jilin General Jing Chun and Heilongjiang General Tepuqin, each to select 1,000 horse teams and 1,000 Orions, and send people to take care of them. He also ordered the Xi'an general Tuo Ming'a and the Shaanxi governor Tan Tingxiang to urge the original to transfer the officers and soldiers, and they all galloped to Tongzhou to wait for the dispatch. At noon today, he ordered Le Bin, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, to select 2,000 hunters, send people to take care of them, and gallop to Tongzhou to wait for dispatch. If necessary, the monk Gerinqin can be redeployed from the banners. ”

Han Xiufeng muttered: "Not to mention whether these soldiers who are temporarily recruited can go into battle, even if they can be of great use, will there be so much ordnance and food for a while?" ”

"The emperor has ordered Wen Qian, the political envoy of Zhili, to deposit more than 200,000 taels of silver in Tianjin, quickly relieve Tongzhou, and withdraw Shuntianyuan to set up a grain platform, all of which belong to the manager of Tianjin Dao Sun Zhi. And allocated another 30,000 taels of silver, and handed over Jiao Youying, the Shaoqing of Guanglu Temple, to handle the group exercise. The Ministry of Household was ordered to continue to allocate 100,000 taels of silver and send it to Tongzhou Grain Station. Wen Xiang paused, and then said: "As for the ordnance, the emperor has ordered the governors of Zhili, Henan, and Shanxi to spare the ordnance. Quickly dismiss Beijing. ”

"Spare ordnance, do they have spare?"

"It is said that it is on the book of the Ministry of War."

"There is one in the ledger, but not necessarily in the armor storehouse, and even if there is, it may not be usable."

"You know this, I know this, people don't know, not to mention that for people, as long as they give orders, as long as they let the emperor know that they are doing an errand with a solid heart." Wen Xiang took a sip of water, and said with a gloomy face: "For fear that morale will not be strong, people also asked the emperor to order Prince Hui to go to Tongzhou to deliver the decree." ”

"What is the message?" Han Xiufeng asked subconsciously.

"Monk Greenqin is diligent in the king's affairs, deeply thought, and all the arrangements in Beijing are close to the capital, and he must be diligent day and night. Prince Hui and others went to Tongzhou to inquire about the defense situation, and wrote the monk Gelinqin to motivate the soldiers, in order to be prepared. ”

Han Xiufeng muttered: "Although it may not be able to motivate the soldiers, compared to other arrangements, this matter is much more reliable. ”

"Reliable?" Wen Xiang was stunned, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Then I'll tell you an unreliable one, didn't Hengfu negotiate with the foreigners in Tianjin, they whimsically let Hengfu bargain with the foreigners, if you have to pay so much for the soldiers, you can tell the foreigners that the Dagu Fort project is huge, and now it has been destroyed by them, and the cost of the ships they lost years ago is especially huge, which is enough to offset." ”

"If it's just a reckoning, it's reliable."

"But will the foreigners settle this account with us?"

Han Xiufeng was speechless, and simply asked: "What is the situation in Tianjin now, Chonghou, Han Chen, and Shi Zanqing are all right." ”

"Chonghou and Han Chen are fine, they went out of the city when Hengfu went out to greet them, and the emperor ordered them to support the money and food needed by Jiao Mazi and Zhang Zhiwan to run a group. As for Shi Zanqing, there is some trouble. ”

"What's the trouble?"

"Hengfu is handling the Fu Bureau, and he has already put the foreign soldiers into the city, and none of the preparations he made before are useless. You can't go to war with foreigners, and as a prefect, you have the responsibility to defend the territory, so you can't just leave. The current situation is similar to that of Ye Mingchen, no fighting, no peace, no guarding, no leaving, no surrender, and no death. ”

"How could it be like this......" Han Xiufeng sighed lightly.

"yes, how did it happen?" Wen Xiang asked rhetorically, and then changed his words: "Jiao Mazi was ordered to go to Tianjin to hold a group training, and Master Cao was eyeing the vacancy vacated after Jiao Mazi left Beijing, and wanted to be a 'big military aircraft'." Although he only has fame and fortune in his heart, compared to Mu Yin, Du Han and other inactive people, he can really be regarded as a capable official. Moreover...... And because of Jiao Mazi's entry into the center before, his relationship with Su Shun is not as good as before, Zhixing, do you think we can help if we are busy with this? ”

"Brother Bochuan, such a big thing, it's not that you can help if I want to!"

"I know you don't look down on him, but if he can really learn to walk on the Minister of Military Aircraft, it won't be a bad thing for the court."

"Brother Bochuan, I understand your good intentions, but it is the Minister of Military Aircraft who wants to protect, not Nanyuan Langzhong! I don't dare to open this mouth with the emperor, and I don't think you can open this mouth either. What's more, even if he can really be promoted to be a 'big military machine', in the face of this crisis, will he be able to turn the tide? Even if he has great ability, in this situation, is it difficult for him to show his strength? ”

Thinking that most of the current decrees come from Prince Zheng, Prince Yi and Su Shun, and the current Military Aircraft Department is almost like the cabinet, almost becoming an ornament, Wen Xiang nodded slightly: "That's right, when I didn't say it." ”

"Now I'm most worried about Tongzhou," Han Xiufeng put down the teacup and muttered: "I remember that He Guiqing once had an excerpt back then, saying that as long as the Zhili side is prepared, it will be able to gather foreigners and annihilate them." It's good now, knowing that this battle can't be fought at all, and all the soldiers who can be transferred from all over the country are transferred to Tongzhou, and all the food and salary that can be collected are collected and sent to Tongzhou, and the last bit of family money is all pressed, if it is gathered and annihilated by foreigners, the consequences are really unimaginable! ”

"Isn't there still a bet left unbetted?" Wen Xiang said meaningfully.

"Which bet?"

"You, those hundreds of private soldiers you raised in Nanyuan!"

Han Xiufeng reacted, and then thought of the incident that the big head had said about the Heavenly God before, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Su Shun and Prince Zheng don't know, the emperor ...... Emperor...... The emperor probably forgot about this stubble, otherwise even my note would have been pressed up. ”

"How could the emperor forget?"

"Brother Bochuan, you are asking knowingly."

"Is the rumor true, is the emperor really ...... Did you really get caught with that? Wen Xiang didn't dare to speak, so he simply gestured.

Seeing him smoking a big cigarette, Han Xiufeng nodded helplessly.