After being knighted, it is logical to enter the palace to thank him; In addition, Du Lide's "entering Beijing to be knighted", from the news to the announcement of the ceremony, it has always been the wind that fuels the fire, and it is vigorous. Therefore, the courtiers already have enough psychological expectations for this foreign devil to meet the queen mother of the two palaces. Therefore, although this matter is truly "groundbreaking", it is rare that no one openly opposes it.

Of course, there are still many people who disagree, but they all know that opposition is useless.

What is it to see a foreign devil? Next, the "Queen Mother's Military Parade", I don't know how many foreign devils I will see! Moreover, after the "military parade of the Queen Mother," the "delegation visiting China" of the United States will arrive in Hong Kong, and the friends of the countries will be in charge of the country, floating thousands of miles in the ocean, and gathering in China. -- They are all foreign devils, and they are all foreign devils in the United States, and they are just different from seeing each other early and seeing each other late.

Speaking out against it at this time will not have any effect except for spoiling the scenery and making it unpleasant for others and yourself.

In addition, the strong stimulation in the lobby of the Ministry of Rites, as well as a series of operations in front of and behind the scenes before and after, did make a considerable number of conservative defenders begin to "desensitize" new things. Although this "desensitization" is still very limited, in any case, the first step has already been taken.

There are still controversies on the table, mainly about etiquette. In other words, it is not a question of "whether you can see it", but "how to see it".

Some people say that since Du Little is willing to kneel down and bow to receive the order, then when he meets the queen mother of the two palaces, he will naturally handle it according to the gourd, and at most after the ceremony. Imitate the example of King Gong, Guan Beile and some old ministers who are virtuous and old. The special grace of giving "flat body". "Standing and replying" to show the virtue of the Celestial Empire, "Huairou Yuanren".

With such an arrangement, Du Yide may not be unwilling, but even if Du Lide is willing, Guan Zhuofan is also unwilling.

As analyzed above, Du Lide knelt down on his knees and bowed to receive the order, although it can bring great "blessings" to Guan Zhuofan. But there was a side effect, and this side effect immediately became apparent: no, someone climbed up the pole and asked Doolittle to continue touching the ground with two knees and a head.

Don't forget, Doolittle is different from Wall, Forrest, and Bai Qiwen, he is American, not Chinese, if Doolittle kneels down when he sees the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces, some people will know the taste. In the future, there will be similar situations, and even foreign envoys will enter the Hajj. It is also required to "handle it according to the regulations", so what can I do?

Isn't that going back to the old road of "you don't kneel, I won't see" and putting yourself back in the sleeve again?

Therefore, Guan Zhuofan said very clearly that Du Lide performed this salute, first, because he was "deeply gracious", and second, because he was "very sincere in his heart", which was a special situation and did not follow the "common practice". The public law of all nations clearly states that all countries interact on an equal footing, and if Doolittle, as an important member of the United States, kneels down and bows to the two palaces, and sends it back to the United States, it will certainly make "friendly countries embarrassed": how should the "visiting delegation" Gon Gong and the princes meet the queen mother of the two palaces?

Kwan Zhuofan also said that this time is different from the past, and foreign affairs cannot be left undone, and the dealings with foreigners will only become more and more, not less and less. The Empress Dowager receives foreign envoys, just like the two palaces hang curtains and meet with ministers. Otherwise, it is inevitable that some people will use their hands to "deceive the saint and damage the sainthood". Therefore, it is not possible to "pour the end as the foundation, the original as the end, the heavy as the light, the light as the heavy, and the small cause to harm the whole".

These few words are very powerful.

If some people question the etiquette of the Empress Dowager of the two palaces to receive Du Lide, they will be suspected of setting up a name and isolating the two palaces, which are all "blinding the saint and damaging the sainthood" -- this kind of remark is most likely to be listened to by the superiors who are always suspicious of their subordinates; And this kind of thing, because it is the most difficult for the minister to clear himself, he also needs to avoid suspicion the most. If someone still wants to do it, they have to weigh whether they still want to jump into this pit.

With such a statement, Guan Zhuofan is not afraid of offending people. Because the whole of China is counted, he has dealt with foreigners the most - using himself as a pawn to show the world that he is selfless, who can say anything?

As for "the end is the foundation, the original is the end, the heavy is light, the light is heavy, and the small cause harms the general", silently, the "etiquette" that is most important in Chinese tradition is placed in the position of "the end", "light" and "small reason", even if someone is uncomfortable in their hearts, they cannot open their mouths to refute it.

The final "ritual note" is that Doolittle "kneels on one knee, salutes flat, and speaks solemnly".

Doolittle met with Guan Zhuofan, the former minister who led the class, and this was natural, because he also had to take on the role of interpreter. This job can't be done by any other imperial minister.

Du Lide and Ding Ruchang entered the palace early in the morning, and the eunuch took them to the court room of the Ministry of Rites to wait. Ding Ruchang can't follow anymore, but it doesn't matter, Guan Beile came over to "take over".

To explain, Ding Ruchang did not enter the palace specifically to accompany Du Lide. Since Ding Ruchang has entered Beijing, he also has to meet and report on his work by the way, and after Du Lide, it will be his turn.

At the beginning of Du Lide's entry into Beijing, he went to the palace gate to "hand over the fold and ask for peace", and was already amazed by the majestic majesty of the Forbidden City. Now I really entered the "inner court", all the way to go, only to see the Guidian Lan Palace, Bei Que Zhu Lou, the floor of the pavilion, the flying pavilion Liudan. Nine-fold majestic, eyes are fascinated by five colors, it is really an endless painting of the heavy eaves, Biwa Zhu Yong, gold shop bending, jade masonry carving! Du Little's heart shook, and in a trance, he didn't know what day it was!

The forbidden place is silent, the world is huge, silent, the eunuchs and Sula are walking against the high wall, and the people they meet on the road, including the guards, all silently bow their hands to say goodbye when they see Guan Zhuofan. This scene, although Du Little has never seen it before, cannot imagine it. The heavenly majesty of "respect and fear" and the splendid pavilion and pavilion together constitute a peculiar pressure, and as Du Little walks, he feels a little chill on his back, a little soft under his feet, and a little panic in his heart.

Finally walked to the door of the Heart Cultivation Palace.

The eunuch signed up loudly, and Du Little didn't know what he said in a shrill voice. Guan Zhuofan led, crossed the high threshold, entered the main hall, and then turned right to the door of the Dongnuan Pavilion. Then the eunuch shouted something in a sharp voice, and a clear and soft female voice said a few words. The door curtain opened, Guan Zhuofan stepped in first, and Du Yide followed in.

At this time, whether it was Guan Zhuofan standing next to him, or the Queen Mother sitting above, Du Yide was no longer visible, and all that was rolling in his mind was the "ritual note" that Guan Zhuofan had repeatedly told him in advance.

Doolittle walked through in three steps, lifted the hem of his robe, and knelt down - he was originally kneeling on one knee, but somehow he did it, and naturally, both knees fell to the ground together.

This time, whether it was the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces or Guan Zhuofan, they were all stunned.

Damn, Doolittle, you're a disgrace to the American people.

Guan Zhuofan quickly turned his mind around, and made a decision in an instant: not to correct him.

Doolittle didn't find anything wrong with his "ritual note", he was full of thoughts about what else to do next?

Fortunately, I didn't forget jì.

"Doolittle respectfully invites St. Ann!"

A strange Chinese voice came out of the mouth of the foreign devil kneeling in front of him. After the yellow yarn, the Queen Mother, who was sitting on the left-hand side, couldn't help but let out a soft "huh".

Doolittle took off his "big hat", put it on the ground beside him, and bowed his head in greeting—this time it was okay, although the range of movement was large, but his head did not hit the ground.

Then he got up, took three steps forward, and stood still.

On the ground three paces behind him, a big hat stood out.

This was excessive tension, and he made the same mistake as when Zuo Zongtang met him: when he stood up, he forgot to put on his hat.

Of course, after the Chinese officials got up, they had to "kneel close to the imperial front", and Doolittle "stood close to the imperial front".

When officials enter the Hajj for the first time, most of them are nervous, and it is common for them to make mistakes in their notes. However, in the case of Doolittle, it is unprecedented to change the pre-said "one-knee bow" into a "two-knee kneeling salute", which is automatically increased.

Of course, Du Little didn't care about this, he was dizzy, and his mouth was dry: there was a bright yellow gauze screen in front of the imperial case, and through the tulle, he could clearly see the demeanor of the two dressed beauties behind the gauze screen.

Du Lide's heart was pounding: Oh, goddess!

*(To be continued......)