"The queen is pregnant, she, she is estimated to be fast. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info" Empress Dowager Cixi said with a smile, "The place where the emperor goes the most on weekdays is the empress and her. ”

Hearing the words of the Empress Dowager Cixi, the empress thought that her mother-in-law knew about Emperor Tongzhi playing "Double Fly" with her and Concubine Hui, and she couldn't help but chuckle in her heart, and her face turned slightly pale.

The Empress Dowager Cixi didn't notice the strange look of the empress, and she was talking about Concubine Hui, when a eunuch came to report that Concubine Hui had come to greet the two empress dowagers.

"Look, while she was talking, she came." The Empress Dowager Cixi smiled and patted the queen's hand, turned her head to the Empress Dowager Ci'an and said, "If you don't get it, you're here to report the good news." ”

Seeing that the Empress Dowager Cixi had a kind face and smiled very happily, the queen's hanging heart was put down.

After a while, Concubine Hui arrived, she first greeted the Empress Dowager Ci'an and the Empress Dowager Cixi, and then greeted the empress.

Seeing her well-behaved and lively, the Empress Dowager Cixi liked it in her heart, and hurriedly beckoned this cousin and niece to sit beside her.

"Lan'er, do you know that Bao'er is happy." For the first time, the Empress Dowager Cixi affectionately called Concubine Hui and the queen by her nicknames (Concubine Hui's name is Lanxuan, and the queen's name is Baoyin) like an ordinary old lady, which shows that her heart is really happy.

"Yikes! No wonder the two Lafayettes are so happy today, smiling so happily! Concubine Hui actually knew the news of the queen's pregnancy, and at this time she deliberately pretended not to know anything before, she immediately got up from her seat and happily congratulated the two queen mothers, "Congratulations to the two Lafayettes on their great joy!" Then he congratulated the queen: "Sister congratulations sister, sister congratulations!" ”

"Look at your pleasure!" Empress Dowager Cixi smiled and asked Concubine Hui, "Don't patronize Hexi, what about you?" Did you call the Imperial Doctor to take a look? Is there a hi? ”

Concubine Hui's face turned red, and she lowered her head a little cowardly, "Back to the emperor's mother, Lan'er...... No...... Lan'er is not ...... Too uncompetitive? ”

"Hehe, Concubine Hui, this matter is in a hurry!" The Empress Dowager Ci'an smiled and comforted her, "However, the queen is happy, you, I think it will be soon." ”

"By the way, I have something I want to explain to you." Empress Dowager Cixi beckoned to Concubine Hui and motioned for her to sit beside her.

Concubine Hui was very clever, she rolled her eyes, came to the Empress Dowager Cixi and sat down, and did not immediately agree, but said something alive, "Lan'er listens to Lafayette's orders." ”

"The queen is already happy now, I want her to go to the garden to recuperate, and you will have to take care of the affairs of this palace." The Empress Dowager Cixi smiled and said, "Emperor, you look at him a little more, so that he will not be able to control him, and he will be able to control his own temperament." ”

"Galeries Lafayette, Lan'er...... How can Lan'er manage the emperor! When Concubine Hui heard this, her pretty face immediately turned red and she lowered her head.

"Then you said that you did my will, and that he dared to say anything?" Empress Dowager Cixi said.

"No, Lafayette, what do you think, if Lan'er says that she is at the will of Lafayette, even if the emperor doesn't say it, he must hate Lan'er in his heart...... After Lan'er, there is no way to get the emperor's care anymore......"

Hearing Concubine Hui's answer, the Empress Dowager Cixi thought about it and made sense, so she no longer asked Concubine Hui to watch her son for the queen.

After all, what kind of temperament her son is, she knows best, she just said that let Concubine Hui take charge of the emperor, but she also had a little selfishness, and wanted to experience Concubine Hui, but she didn't expect this. If Concubine Hui falls out of favor because of this, the gains outweigh the losses.

"Sister has joy this time, living in the garden, although there are two Lafayettes to take care of, but the two Lafayettes still have to cultivate after all, it is better to let Lan'er also move over, accompany my sister, in order to fulfill the responsibility of concubines." Concubine Hui heard the Empress Dowager Cixi say just now that she would let the Empress go to the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring" to recuperate, and hurriedly asked the Empress Dowager Cixi about this.

Since the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring" was repaired, she has been here many times in the name of asking the Queen Mother for peace, and she has long been attracted by the wonderful scenery here.

"You're going to take care of the Queen?" The Empress Dowager Cixi was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood, and couldn't help but smile, "You ghost elf, don't you also look at this garden and want to move here?" ”

"Lafayette, Lan'er is with her sister on weekdays, my sister is gone, I can't help but miss it, if Lan'er moves into the garden, one can take care of my sister, and the other can also say hello to the two Lafayettes from time to time, and do my filial piety before the knees, isn't it the best of both worlds." Concubine Hui coquettishly grabbed the hand of the Empress Dowager Cixi and said in a greasy voice.

"Good! Come here, come here! You're not missing either! The Empress Dowager Cixi has always been fond of this cousin and niece, and she couldn't resist Concubine Hui, so she smiled and nodded.

"Lan'er, thank Lafayette for your grace!" Seeing that the Empress Dowager Cixi allowed herself to move into the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring", Concubine Hui couldn't help but be overjoyed, and she got up and wanted to kneel down, but was stopped by the Empress Dowager Cixi.

"Look at you!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said to her with a smile, turned her head to the Empress Dowager Ci'an and said, "When my sister's 'Jixi Hall' is repaired, they don't know how many times they will go shopping." ”

"That's a good feeling, hehe, there are more people in the past, isn't it also lively?" The Empress Dowager Ci'an was also very happy when she thought that her "Jixi Hall" had been restarted and would not be completed in a short time.

She was originally frugal by nature, and at first she did not agree with the Empress Dowager Cixi's intention to rebuild the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring" and build the "Jixi Hall" for herself, but since Lin Yizhe got the "retribution" of overseas Chinese businessmen, so that the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring" returned to its former style, she lived in with the Empress Dowager Cixi, and then realized the mood of the Empress Dowager Cixi.

When she was young, the Empress Dowager Ci'an also lived here with Emperor Xianfeng, but after moving out, as she grew older, she looked down on these things outside her body, but now she suddenly moved from the gloomy Forbidden City to this fairyland after many years, but she can't help but want to live here for a long time.

"I asked Li Lianying's slave a few days ago when the 'Jixi Hall' will be completed, and he vouched for it that it will be completed before the end of the year." The Empress Dowager Cixi knew that the Empress Dowager Ci'an was now looking forward to having a place of her own cultivation as soon as possible, and said with a smile, "I heard that this time the Japanese lord knew that Taiwan was invaded by his **** gangsters, and the project was delayed, and there was no place for trepidation. I ordered all these treasures sent by the Japanese to go down, and all of them were used by my sister in the 'Jixi Hall'. ”

"Ouch! Where do I need so much! Besides, this is a birthday gift from someone. The Empress Dowager Ci'an said with a smile, "There are still many places to use in the future, and we still need to save some of them." ”

"That's what my sister said." The Empress Dowager Cixi nodded with a smile and said, "Like this sister's birthday, for the sake of frugality, it is not appropriate to be too grand, and it is always lively in this 'heaven and earth family spring'." With the money saved, we can build a few more gardens, and we can have a few more places to retreat. ”

At this time, the Empress Dowager Cixi was happy when she thought of the upcoming birthday celebration and the queen's joy, but she didn't know that a big change that would change the future fate of the Qing Empire was already in the beginning.

Emperor Tongzhi went to Emperor Hu Tianhu several times in succession, and he was extremely tired, so tired that he was sweating profusely, and he always seemed to have something to do, but he was extremely sleepy, so he couldn't take care of it anymore, so he fell into his bed and fell asleep.

In the dream, he was still doing nonsense there, but he didn't want his mother to wander in front of the gauze tent between him and the palace maids......

Emperor Tongzhi woke up suddenly, only to know that it was the middle of the day. I just heard that the big and small palace maids outside were all in a mess.

"Hey, where's my clothes? ……”

"My stomach hurts so much......"

"Oops! Why are there so many red ......?"

"Why did your shoes get to my feet?"

"Yo yo, I'm still wondering why I came together this morning, and my shoes are too narrow to wear! It turned out that I asked you to change it. ”

"What am I doing with you? Like a big cloth bag, who can wear it! ”

"Why did the knot on my belly pocket change after sleeping for a while? There's also a sticky dirt sticky thing stuck to the little coat......"

"Say no more! Let the emperor hear! ”

When Emperor Tongzhi heard this, he knew that it must be the masterpiece of his absurdity, and he couldn't help laughing.

The palace maids were busy for a while before they remembered to dress Emperor Tongzhi, who was served by the palace maids and dressed, got up and went to the porch, and met Zhou Deying running over in a panic.

"What's the panic? It's like a lost soul! Emperor Tongzhi looked at Zhou Deying with some dissatisfaction and scolded.

"Your Majesty, the sixth master has come to ask, please ask the emperor to issue an edict......"

"Oh, yes, yes! How did you forget about this! Emperor Tongzhi realized that today was the day to celebrate his mother's birthday, and he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

Emperor Tongzhi ignored the fact that his legs and feet were a little weak, and he ran to the direction of the Qinzheng Palace on foot without calling the imperial chariot.

In fact, the Empress Dowager Cixi's "Long Birthday Celebration" began to be organized as early as two years ago. On the second day of October in the 11th year of Tongzhi (1872), the Tongzhi Emperor issued an edict: "In the year of Jiaxu, I am glad to coincide with the period of Ci Shengchang, Shouyu Hongkai, and I should lead the subjects of the world to congratulate me." All ceremonies and ceremonies should be prepared by the Minister to be respectfully handled by the Minister to show prudence. He wrote Prince Gong Yixin, Prince Yixin, University Scholar Wenxiang, Shen Guifen, and Bao Jun, who held the longevity celebration. The minister of the king and other ministers, together with the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will be respectful of the generals, read the old classics, discuss the solemn rites in detail, and ask for compliance at any time. Subsequently, in the spring of that year, the Celebration Office was set up to handle the celebrations.

Subsequently, all the preparations for the celebration were carried out with great fanfare: oil decoration of the celebration venue, the purchase of costumes for the celebration, and the firing of porcelain painted with the words "longevity without borders" and various auspicious patterns in the imperial kiln factory in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. The birthday gifts contributed by all parts of the country are based on nine, and ninety-nine is the most, and the birthday gifts include rare things in the world.

Starting from September 25 of the thirteenth year of Tongzhi (1874), the ministers of the prince of Beijing and the ministers of other provinces presented Wanshou tribute, which opened the prelude to the sixtieth celebration of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Since the beginning of October, the internal and external ministers have "worn python robes and mended gowns for January", and the grand birthday celebration activities have officially begun. Since then, there have been grand celebrations in the palace, and the celebration of Lenten was not over until October 17.

The 10th day of October is the climax of the celebration of the Empress Dowager Cixi. On this day, outside the Ningshou Gate to the Huangji Gate, there was a ceremonial drive for the Empress Dowager Cixi. Chen carving, the Empress Dowager Cixi's imperial dress, from the Le Shou Tang by the eight-person flower pole peacock top sedan chair out of the Shenwu Gate, into the north door, to the Shouhuang Palace in front of the incense to salute. And to the Chengqian Palace, Yuqing Palace, Qianqing Palace, Dongnuan Pavilion, Tianqiong Treasure Palace, Qin'an Palace, Doutan and other places to finish the incense and salute, and return to the Le Shou Hall. At the beginning of the year, the Empress Dowager Cixi took the eight-person flower pole peacock sedan chair from Le Shou Tang out of the door of nourishment, and ascended to the throne of the Emperor's Pole Palace. The official of the Ministry of Rites led the Tongzhi Emperor to enter the middle door of Ningshou Gate, and the Empress Dowager Cixi knelt down in front of the table, and a member of the palace supervisor knelt to receive the table, and settled on the yellow case on the east side of the throne. Emperor Tongzhi walked to the threshold of Ningshou to worship and stand on the mattress, and led the kings and ministers to kneel three times and bow nine times. After the ceremony, return to the palace. Subsequently, the queen, Hui Concubine, Yu Concubine, princesses, Fu Jin and other worshippers were accepted. After the ceremony, the Empress Dowager Cixi also Leshoutang, ascended to the throne, Tongzhi Emperor Yi Cixi Empress Dowager knelt in front of the Ruyi Bi, the Empress Hui Fei, Concubine Yu and other Empress Dowager Cixi knelt in front of the Ruyi Bi. The Empress Dowager Cixi took the eight-person flower pole peacock top sedan chair from Le Shou Tang to the courtyard of the building, and the Tongzhi Emperor led the queen, Concubine Hui, and Concubine Yu to kneel and receive, eat, enter the fruit table, and watch the play. After the play, Emperor Tongzhi led the queen, Concubine Hui, and Concubine Yu to kneel and send them off, and the Empress Dowager Cixi took an eight-person flower pole peacock top sedan chair to return to Le Shou Hall.

In his diary that day, he wrote with great excitement and gratitude: "What a grand ceremony!" ”

Of course, for this longevity celebration, the vast majority of Qingliu scholars are quite disgusted with the huge cost involved. Until later generations, many people also studied the cost in detail and thought that it was too much.

According to the research of historians, there were three main expenses in the longevity celebration of the Empress Dowager Cixi at that time:

1. Prepare special utensils for the Queen Mother, repairs, etc.:

Dragon robes, dragon coats, shirts, shirts, various colors of python satin, silk and other fabrics. A total of more than 232,000 taels of silver were spent.

The jade book, jade treasure, book text, treasure text, gold box, gold seal, etc., used in the emblem number, amounted to 386,000 taels of silver.

One multiplication of gold costs seventy-six thousand nine hundred and thirteen taels of silver.

All kinds of warm cars, bright cars, and painted car lamps cost a total of more than 78,900 taels of silver.

144,150 taels of silver for colored silk labor expenses and allowances, and 866,610 taels of silver for colored silk.

The repair project of the small railway from Huangchenggen Station to "Heaven and Earth Family Spring" (that is, the small railway from the quarry and the carpenter to the construction site, after the completion of the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring", it was changed to a passenger railway from the palace to the Old Summer Palace), the railway cost 32,000 taels, and the locomotive, carriage, and float cost 91,000 taels.

The Forbidden City and other places only cost 200,000 taels of silver.

Rebuilding "Heaven and Earth One Spring" consumed more than 1 million taels of silver. It is the largest of the expenses.

2. Repair of the street surface and the setting of scenery:

During the celebration, the streets on both sides of the road through which the Empress Dowager Cixi entered the palace from the Summer Palace should be renovated, and dragon sheds, dragon towers, scripture sheds, theaters, archways, pavilions and other scenery should be built in sections.

Dragon shed, dragon building, warp shed, each section with a yellow satin dragon flag, a pair of wishes, on the book "somewhere an official wishes longevity without borders". Several pots of flowers were installed in each section, and 38 officials, tea servants, and soldiers were sent to take care of them, and 29 monks and musicians were sent to take care of them. There are 64 sections, each of which requires 40,000 taels of silver, for a total of 2,400,000 taels of silver.

3. Banquets, performances, and ceremonial guards:

During the celebration period, as usual, the ministers should be given a banquet, a single banquet, which consumes 230,000 taels of silver; The musicians and others used about 70,000 taels. The various items used in singing consumed more than 520,000 taels of silver.

During the celebration, the Empress Dowager Cixi took the "Golden Ring" to return to the palace from the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring", or went from the palace to Zhongnanhai, the Summer Palace, and the Heaven and Earth Family Spring and held ceremonies and banquets. Seven hundred and ninety-eight lieutenants, one thousand six hundred and twenty-eight Sulla, and one thousand three hundred and sixty-two lieutenants were on duty. The above-mentioned people's clothing and ornaments cost about 150,000 taels of silver and 364 taels of gold. About 300,000 taels of reward items were purchased.

However, it is recorded that such a huge amount of expenditure was not allocated from the national treasury, so the question of its origin has been viewed differently by later historians.

Some people believe that part of the funds needed to organize this "longevity celebration" should be "allocated by the ministry treasury", that is, it still comes from the household department, that is, the state treasury, but under a different name. There may be two sources of funds to be withdrawn from the ministry treasury: one is to withdraw 1 million taels from the "border defense funds" and the other is to "divert" 2 million taels from the "railway funds." The other part should be "coordinated outside Beijing", the so-called overall planning outside Beijing, that is, the service taels apportioned by ministers inside and outside Beijing, amounting to more than 2 million taels. The above is only a well-documented cash silver, and other off-the-books tricks and grabbings cannot be counted. According to the estimates of "historians", this celebration cost more than 10 million taels of silver, which is equivalent to one-sixth of the Qing government's annual revenue, which is enough to equip a "Qing Imperial Navy"!

Others believe that the celebration was not financed by the state treasury. In the Qing Dynasty, the record of the treasury revenue was the most detailed, and the state revenue and expenditure at that time were generally balanced, and the annual balance was not much, and at the end of the year, if the treasury could have a balance of about two million taels of silver, it would already be a good year. If this celebration really cost 10 million taels of silver, it would be beyond the reach of the national treasury. Moreover, according to the records of the income and expenditure records of the household department, there is no record of the expenses of the celebration, that is, these expenses did not come from the national treasury. Nor can it come from the treasury. However, the "border defense funds" and "railway expenses" mentioned by the previous commentators do not have such expenditure items, but are just the shadows and false talk of those with ulterior motives.