Knowing the true purpose of the emperor's southern tour, Li Hongzhang also settled down and carefully inquired about the reconstruction project of Zhonghai. The emperor's southern tour did not have the slightest impact on Li Hongzhang, because most of his people were in the north. At the very least, there are a few characters in the south, so you have to make the emperor happy. In addition to arranging the guards, the emperor sent an order to transfer Liu Yongfu, the commander-in-chief of the two Guangzhous, to Guangzhou to garrison to protect the emperor's safety. As for the impact of the emperor's departure from Beijing on the power of the dynasty, Li Hongzhang also figured it out, as Yang Du said, as long as there is an elite royal army, who dares to provoke the emperor against the scales. However, the shock of Jiangnan officialdom was still not conducive to the stability of the country, and Li Hongzhang decided that it would be better to advise him again. Li Hongzhang inspected Zhonghai for a whole afternoon, and did not return home until the sun sank in the west.

Guangxu only began to arrange the southern tour, and rumors began to spread outside the palace. Just pass it on, but it's not good for the emperor's private affairs to be passed around. I don't know how it was spread outside, but now the emperor's southern tour has become the emperor's private lover in the south. It can be seen that most of the original opponents have died down, and the dynasty needs an heir. Guangxu swore that he didn't let him pass it on, but Guangxu didn't come forward to object. It is rumored that the emperor has a private meeting with his lover than it is rumored that the emperor wants to rectify the officialdom in Jiangnan. But what really guessed the purpose of Guangxu's southern tour was still admonishing over and over again. Not only Li Hongzhang, but even Yan Fu, Tang Shaoyi and others have secretly advised the emperor, and they all think that the initial decision of the court situation is not easy to affect too much.

Take righteousness first, take military as a fist, and take profit as bait. Tang Shaoyi, Lin Qizhao, Wang Shizhen, Ouyang Zhenhua. These small soldiers and petty officials, who once had nothing, have grown into the pillars of today's court situation under Guangxu's intentional training. Under the deliberate suppression of Guangxu, these new generation of nobles have begun to replace the old nobles. These people are all vested interests of Guangxu's government, and they will be Guangxu's most favorable supporters. Then put the emperor's righteousness first, recruit old ministers such as Li Hongzhang, in order to calm people's hearts, and the elite royal army of Tsarist Russia and Dongping Japan in the north has become a sharp sword hanging over the heads of people with lively thoughts. The northern part of the imperial army was in fact firmly in the hands of Guangxu, while in the south of China, with the exception of the Liangjiang River, the officials promoted by the Hou Party continued to disobey the imperial court. This time, Guangxu insisted on going south in order to rectify Jiangnan.

Late at night. Guangxu, who was standing alone on the platform on the second floor, saw his deep eyes fall through the thick night in Wuhan, Changsha, and Guangzhou. Now it's time to clean up the old rivers and mountains.

It is different from the previous micro-service travel. This time, Guangxu opened the way with great fanfare. According to the emperor's etiquette system for traveling, the Ministry of Rites had already announced to heaven and earth three days ago. When the Ministry of Rites submitted the ceremonial system of the emperor's southern tour to Guangxu for approval, Guangxu just said that the grander the better. Guangxu is very excited to look forward to the grand scenes of the Son of Heaven's travel in countless film and television works. Today I finally have a chance to show off.

As a result, the scene on the day of the trip really stunned Guangxu. A full set of ceremonial guards are opened, from the guide cover to the red light, all kinds of ritual instruments, the five chariots of the Son of Heaven and all kinds of public opinions...... The whole scene is several miles long, and you can't look at each other before and after, which can be described as mighty. At eight o'clock in the morning, Guangxu sat on the dragon chair of the Taihe Hall and waited to leave the palace, when the first honor guard to leave the palace had been stationed at the railway station, but the day was fast to the top, Guangxu was still sitting on the dragon chair and was attacked by the cold.

"Why is the gift of the Son of Heaven so cumbersome, when can I leave the palace? If I knew it would be so troublesome, I wouldn't have made these names. It's a lot of work. After learning that it would take more than half an hour, Guangxu issued an order on the spot to reduce the specifications and extent of the Son of Heaven's honor guard, and further simplify the procedure on the premise of retaining the royal majesty. Guangxu rubbed his numb legs and said, "I'm really hungry." ”

Today is the day when the court has the most people. As a courtier. If you want to send the emperor out of Beijing, all officials above the third grade in Beijing need to be on duty. Li Hongzhang was at the head of the class, and when the emperor proposed to travel with a big gift, he told the emperor to guard against arrogance and rashness. He was worried that the emperor had already shown a domineering temperament and was unfavorable to the country at the beginning of his reign, and that many emperors in previous dynasties had behaved well before taking the throne, but as a result, he began to be unruly after becoming emperor. It's not all because after taking power, he vented the resentment that had accumulated in his heart for many years, and the emperor in front of him met all the conditions. Li Hongzhang knows. The emperor has reduced the staff of the inner palace for many years, so that the shortage of maids needed for travel gifts needs to be seconded from the Beijing University Hall.

Hearing the emperor's words today, Li Hongzhang couldn't help but feel relieved, the reason why he wanted to perform great etiquette was completely out of publicizing himself, and he was unhappy if he was a little troublesome. Where is the emperor in front of him what kind of domineering temperament, it is normal for young people to like to behave, and when he was young, he also said that he wanted to look for the marquis three thousand miles away. Besides, he is the emperor, so it's okay to show off.

How many years has it been since the Son of Heaven's honor guard appeared on the streets of Beijing? Many old people in Beijing don't remember, and the most recent one was the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Guangxu twenty years ago, and that time is definitely not as pomp as today's, which can no longer be described as not being able to look at each other. The old and young masters who came to watch the ceremony have been kneeling for a morning, and there is still no sign of the end. From the initial excitement to the shock after seeing the honor guard, they have now been reduced to cursing in their hearts, because their legs are numb on their knees. The envoys of the same countries who came to watch the ceremony were also impatient, because according to the etiquette they had to stand solemnly on both sides and wait for the Son of Heaven to come. Although the envoys of various countries have been informed in advance that they do not need to participate, they all came out of etiquette, but who would have thought that the honor guard of the Son of Heaven would be so lengthy, and it would be unbearable for a person to stand in the cold wind all morning. Only the reporters were still excited, and the mysterious China could not say that the first complete display of royal etiquette in China could not be said to be recorded in detail, and the whole scene was filled with the smell of scorched magnesium powder. In order to better record the honor guard of the Chinese emperor, the foreign reporters put all the cameras that could be found in the entire Zhili area to the capital, and filled the road along the route of the Son of Heaven announced in advance, and two were placed in the palace. But their ideas are still only in the concept of European supremacy, and they are prepared according to the specifications of European monarchs, so only half of the film is not enough for the Guangxu ceremonial guard. In Guangxu's view, it is the way their monarch travels now. It's about the same as the time of the Yellow Emperor in China.

The emperor's luan frame finally appeared, which was the first part of the entire emperor's honor guard. Guangxu sat on the dragon chair expressionlessly, waving from time to time, this was the only move. Honor guards. The front and back clusters, the cars and passengers are linked, the flags are displayed, the gongs and drums are ringing, the salute is soaring to the sky, and the grand pomp and circumstance all reveal the majesty of the emperor. Countless foreigners are amazed: this is the majesty of the emperor of a country.

A dynasty plays nine heavens, and the sunset drops Chaozhou Road eight thousand. The emperor who is the lord of the world. He can make a difference in his word. The emperor is happy, and he can gather thousands of glory in one; The emperor was furious. then millions of corpses are ambushed; Everything in the world is determined by the top, and the prosperity and decline of honor and disgrace are all in the emperor's thoughts. Since Qin Shi Huang unified China, China has been a huge empire, and it is the emperor who has enough power. While ensuring the effectiveness of the central executive order, it also ensured that the vast territory was not divided as in Europe. The power of the emperor in the era of the world was supreme and all-encompassing. However, the Chinese in the Spring and Autumn period already understood the disadvantages of unlimited power, so they tried every means to limit imperial power. All kinds of theories and theories pervaded the entire land of China, all of which restricted the rights of the king in various aspects.

At the national level, Confucius said that "rule by virtue" and "benevolent government"; Mozi said that he should "love both" and "non-attack"; Lao Tzu said that we should "rule by doing nothing" and so on...... Without exception, the king is required to use his power carefully. Chinese people are kind, they always think of people in a good place. That's why there is "the beginning of man, the nature is good". They all ignore the ugly side of human nature. Whether these theories are good or bad, none of them are enough to make the emperor lay down the right to do whatever he wants. People are greedy, and where would the emperor who tasted the benefits of centralization be willing to give up the power in his hands again. All the kings of all dynasties have done nothing but to consolidate their imperial power. The three princes, who used to sit and talk about the Tao, can now only stand under the stage and grovel.

Dong Zhongshu, a yin-yang scholar in the Han Dynasty, put forward the philosophical thought system of the unity of heaven and man, and thus constructed the main body of traditional Chinese culture. The king was commanded by the heavens. On behalf of the celestial herdsmen, the doctrine of celestial and human induction maintained the legitimacy of the imperial system. But he also said: The king should "rule the law" and practice "moral government" for the government, and "it is suitable for the people for the government"; Otherwise, the "heavens" will send down all kinds of "calamities" to "rebuke" the people. If the king of the people still does not repent at this time, the "heavens" will make the king lose the world. Dong Zhongshu hoped to limit the emperor's selfish desires and power through the idea of "heaven and man induction". Therefore, once there is a disaster, it is that the Son of Heaven is immoral, and he will show his guilt and so on. But it turns out. This ethereal "sky" basically did not play a role.

When people found that it was impossible to limit the secular imperial power from this aspect, they started from other aspects. So there is nothing trivial about the royal family. Even the emperor's personal affairs must be put on the line. In the name of preaching the supremacy of the emperor, all kinds of etiquette and rituals were imposed on the emperor regardless of whether the emperor wanted it or not, in the hope of cultivating a king with noble virtues. When the etiquette law was constantly improved, there were more and more requirements that the emperor had to abide by, so there was Liu Yu, the emperor of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, who would rather go to the market to steal the things of the merchants, and was happy to be caught and beaten; and Zhu Houzhao, Ming Wuzong, who did not become a general but set up a private zoo.

Behind the emperor's brilliance are countless sufferings and shadows, but no one knows and doesn't want people to know. Because the majesty of the emperor needs to be maintained, and the face of the country needs to be maintained...... Guangxu sat on the dragon bowl and enjoyed the worship of all the people, but who knew that he had endured cold numbness and hunger before this. On the surface, Guangxu is above tens of thousands of people and is sacrosanct, but who knows that Guangxu's every move and even the expression on his face are bound by countless rituals. Guangxu, who went out through this big ceremonial tour, has always firmly believed that Zhu Youxiao of Ming Xizong would rather not go to the court to be a carpenter in 28 years, and the reason is that he can't stand this endless etiquette system.

Persistence, patience, perseverance, patience, perseverance, perseverance, perseverance...... Finally insisted on the train station according to the etiquette requirements. When Guangxu Luanjia stepped into the platform, when Guangxu solemnly stepped into the trunk, then all respectful instruments disappeared.

Guangxu kicked open the door of the dining car, fished out a roast chicken and bit it without caring about the heat, at this time there is no more important etiquette than sacrificing the five internal organs temple. Li Lianying, the chief eunuch of internal affairs, trembled and guarded outside the kitchen door and did not dare to disturb the emperor's meal, because the personal eunuch who advised the emperor to pay attention to his appearance was slapped on the head by the emperor's cutting board and lifted out.

"The secretary of the Xuanli Department promised to see the driver." Guangxu finally came out with a full burp. took off the oily dragon robe in three or two and threw it to Li Lianying.

The Ministry of Rites, from the sacrificial heavens to the underworld, to the edification of the people. All things related to etiquette at home and abroad are under the control of the Ministry of Rites, and the emperor's words and deeds are the top priority of the work of the Ministry of Rites. The emperor went out on tour according to the requirements of the ritual system, that is, to prepare half a year in advance, this time the emperor suddenly proposed to leave the southern tour to the Ministry of Rites only less than 15 days, in order to be able to follow the emperor's "specifications to be high, the scene to be large, than the previous dynasties to be higher" requirements, the Ministry of Rites and the whole staff of the Ministry of Rites finally lived up to the emperor's trust, the gift will be impressive. The emperor's tour ceremony has come to an end at this point, and according to the requirements of the etiquette system, the emperor will now summon the courtiers to give a lecture before the official tour. After the official decree to stay in the capital was issued, it was completely over. Now the six ministries and nine secretaries and ministers are waiting on the platform. But it was rumored that the emperor was alone as if he saw Xu Yingqi.

Xu Ying looked around in surprise, and the ministers were also at a loss, but the etiquette system did not take such a step. At Li Hongzhang's signal, Xu Yingqi boarded the train. When he walked into the conference car. I saw the emperor wearing a shirt and leaning on a chair with Erlang's legs. Xu Yingqi was furious, and he didn't care about the courtesy, and asked why the emperor did not abide by the etiquette system, and when he was excited, he quoted scriptures and scriptures, which was reasonable. He was also on fire with Guangxu, and the ministers waiting to be summoned on the platform all heard the emperor's roar.

"Shut up, if you don't wear a dragon robe, you're not an emperor? Lao Tzu is also the emperor even if he is bare. Guangxu patted the table and stood up and roared: "Lao Tzu thinks that he has never deliberately made things difficult for his courtiers as the emperor, why did you deliberately toss Lao Tzu when he arrived." What kind of etiquette, I think it's you courtiers who deliberately torture the emperor, right? Do you know that Lao Tzu is about to starve to death...... "Guangxu can't stand this complicated etiquette, Guangxu is about to summon the courtiers to lecture and hurry to end the ceremony.

"Wait." Li Hongzhang appeared at the car door. He frowned when he listened to the emperor's scolding voice on the platform, and after thinking about it, he got into the car and advised: "Your Majesty, this gift is when my Qing Dynasty shows its national prestige to foreign countries. Foreigners and photographers are already waiting outside, and the emperor should give priority to state affairs, and must not be bored by cumbersome etiquette. After speaking, he motioned to Li Lianying to take the emperor to change clothes.

The corners of Guangxu's mouth twitched, and he turned back to the train palace car. Li Lianying hurriedly asked the other eunuchs to fetch the dragon robe, and turned around to follow. Inside the train dormitory. Guangxu honestly asked Li Lianying to wait for her to get dressed, and when Guangxu came out in a dragon robe. Everything is ready to go.

The foreign camera recorded the expressionless Qing emperor accepting three kneels and nine knocks from the important ministers of the court, and then issued an emotionless order to stay in the capital. Everything was in accordance with the requirements of etiquette, but the emperor still made an incredible decision.

Before the tour, the emperor never mentioned the matter of staying in the capital, but the emperor has always been on patrol, and those who stayed in the prison country were all princes, and Guangxu had no heirs, so the one who stayed in the prison should be the queen mother. It is impossible for the Empress Dowager Cixi, so it is logical for the Empress Dowager Cihui to supervise the country, in short, the people who supervise the country are all members of the royal family. Today is the day of the emperor's tour, but the twists and turns in various places are still constantly presented, and now waiting for the emperor to announce that the queen mother will supervise the country, these folds have been sorted out, just waiting for the emperor to announce the decree and submit it to the Empress Dowager for approval, but I didn't expect the emperor to make an order to supervise the country beyond everyone's expectations.

"During my southern tour, Prime Minister Li Hongzhang was in charge of the country. Matters large and small shall be handled at the discretion of the Prime Minister, and if there is any indecision, the request will be sent by telegram. ”

"Brush", all the courtiers' eyes were focused on Li Hongzhang in the middle of the front row, and the two cameras in front and one behind also turned to focus on Li Hongzhang at the same time. Li Hongzhang, who heard the emperor's will, trembled all over, and at this moment he understood what it meant to be in the limelight. It's not all the attention but the attention of the billions, and today's every move has to be recorded in the camera, and maybe it will be passed on to future generations......

Li Hongzhang, who was covered in cold sweat, resisted the urge to refute the will and knelt down in front of the camera to receive the will. Guangxu turned around and went back to the palace, and the emperor's tour ceremony ended here. Li Hongzhang watched the foreigner withdraw the camera from the train station, and hurriedly knelt at the gate of the palace, willing to beg the emperor to take back his instructions.

Guangxu appeared at the gate of the palace in a cyan robe and reprimanded: "The imperial prime minister, the prime minister of a country, don't you have this kind of burden?" ”

On January 1, 1897, November 28, the 22nd year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, on the first day of the New Year of the foreigners, the Qing Emperor's southern tour special train departed from Beijing Railway Station. There are three trains in the emperor's special train, the front is the two battalions of the first regiment of the Central Guard Brigade led by Feng Guozhang, and the middle is the emperor's train in the palace, and the royal guard battalion led by Yang Dongzi is responsible for security, and finally Duan Qirui led a battalion of royal military police to lag behind.

When the emperor's palace train left the railway station, Li Hongzhang, the prime minister of the prison state, led the civil and military ministers to see them off at the railway station. All the ministers looked at Li Hongzhang with envy, because this was the first prime minister of the Qing Dynasty. But who knows the pain in Li Hongzhang's heart at the moment. (To be continued)

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