"Are you saying that these rumors may have been released by the foreigners themselves?" Cixi's voice was not high, fluttering, and I couldn't tell whether it was joy or anger.

"Back to the Queen Mother, the servants sent a lot of spies to investigate everywhere, and many people saw the foreigners' interpreters spreading rumors in the market." An official knelt underneath and buried his head low. He knew that the Empress Dowager Cixi was very annoyed by the rumor that had just appeared, and if the result was a non-long-sighted minister or a damn rebel, then Cixi would still have a chance to vent her anger. But now it's just that. He knew that the Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't get angry with foreigners, and even those foreigners' minions couldn't move easily. In this way, the Queen Mother is only afraid that she will be even more annoyed, and if she is not good, she will be angry with herself.

There was a sudden rapid coughing sound from the top of the steps, and then he heard Li Lianying's voice: "Our Lady Queen Mother, don't be angry with these guys, it's not worth ...... it."

There was still a continuous coughing sound on it, and listening to that sound, the Queen Mother seemed to be about to cough out her heart and lungs. After a long while, the coughing gradually stopped, and Li Lianying's voice came from above: "Our Lady Queen Mother, you drink ginseng soup to moisten it, this is the ginseng of Citigroup, which is different from our Changbai Mountain, and it is the most moisturizing ...... lungs."

Without Cixi's instructions, the Manchu official lay down and didn't dare to move, and after a while, it wasn't until he felt that his knees and lumbar spine were sore so much that Cixi's voice came from above: "Don't get out of here!" ”

……

These days, all kinds of messy things keep popping up, which makes Cixi's mood a lot worse. First of all, the rebellious party's ruthless article made the Queen Mother Lafayette very frightened; Then, after the rumors appeared, the actions of the foreigners and the local governors made her even more resentful. They warned her in various ways not to try to make another emperor. And now, she found out that such rumors were actually released from foreigners! Obviously, these foreigners deliberately released such rumors to test her after seeing that article, and at the same time took this opportunity to warn her not to try to come up with any tricks.

"These robbers, these rebels!" Cixi couldn't help but be ruthless in her heart, she knew the intentions of these people. The more unjustifiable the Qing Dynasty court was, the more beneficial it was to these guys. For the governors, the weaker the court, the more dependent it was on their support, and the more power they would have. As for the revolution, when the time comes, the imperial court will not be justified anyway, it is nothing more than a change of skin, they are still the local bosses, and no one can accuse them of disloyalty. And for foreigners, a divided China is better than a unified China in any case. Because they can provoke competition or even civil war between the divided parties, and under such conditions, the value of their "aid" will naturally rise, and the price of China's original various things will naturally fall, in other words, at that time, even if the Chinese sell the country, they will not be able to sell for money.

Originally, in Cixi's view, first set up a prince for Guangxu, and then respect him as the emperor, and let that prince ascend the throne, which is almost the best way to ensure the legitimacy of the imperial court. However, those foreigners actually took the initiative to create rumors first, and then blocked the road without hesitation.

"This, that's what it is...... This is to bring the Qing Dynasty to an end! Cixi gritted her teeth, but she had no choice but to back down now. Because foreigners have half of the ways to make the Qing Dynasty unable to survive, but the Qing Dynasty has nothing to do with the foreigners. The spread of the rumor caused a lot of confusion within the imperial court, and in order to quell it, Cixi, who was already in her seventies, had to constantly meet with officials, reply to the local governors, and reassure them. For this reason, she sometimes needs to work more than ten hours a day, and this kind of work itself is not suitable for an old man in his seventies, plus these things are still some things that make Cixi feel depressed and painful to deal with, and every thing she handles is a blow to Cixi's spirit. Such depression, combined with the dry air of the spring, coupled with insomnia, Cixi could not even guarantee three hours of real sleep a day. As a result, the Empress Dowager Cixi's physical condition began to deteriorate.

What's even worse is that at the critical moment, the imperial court, or the royal family, also has special pig teammates. Cixi's fatigue, those summoned princes naturally noticed, but these guys don't say that they share the worries of Lafayette, many of them are even secretly happy, many princes feel that Cixi has been in power for too long, if she really dies, then the power that was originally controlled by her may fall into their own hands. Moreover, they also felt that they could definitely do a better job than Cixi. For example, if it were himself, he would never allow those Han people to be so domineering.

Radical two. The forced people thought that if they came to power, it would definitely be a holy decree first, to recruit those domineering governors or something into the capital, and then click them off with a knife, and then send people to receive their troops and territories, and then the Qing Dynasty will be prosperous, and it will be ten thousand years.

A little more steady. The persecutors felt that the local governors were stupid, as long as they were given the title of Minister of Military Aircraft, they could obediently put down the power in their hands, and then they could send those Manchurians to the localities, not only as local commanders, but also as the No. 1 commander in various new armies, and then the Qing Dynasty would naturally be ten thousand years old, and then everyone would continue to eat hardcore crops.

As a result, from the mouths of this group of pig teammates, the Empress Dowager Cixi was not in good health, and she was always coughing, afraid that she would not live long and other rumors with noses and eyes spread again. Although the Empress Dowager Lafayette ordered a strict investigation, to be honest, the police system of my Qing Dynasty, especially the police system in Beijing, is full of a large number of Eight Banners who can't do anything, and there are a lot of people, but there are not many people who really run business like Wu Xiangzi and Song Enzi to arrest people. In addition, those who spread rumors often have guys like Wu Xiangzi and Song Enzi who can't be provoked, so in various teahouses and other places, including Wang Lifa's teahouse, all kinds of rumors are almost flying all over the sky. Although Wang Lifa's shopkeeper also pasted things like "don't talk about state affairs, dress properly" in all eye-catching places in the teahouse, the effectiveness of this thing, to be honest, is the same as the requirements for patriotism on the top of the bar in the Baidu post bar in later generations, or the bar rules prohibiting water stickers on the top of the sophomore bar, which is purely a decoration. But it's not to spread rumors, it's not to have some fun, it's not to make a boring life a little talk, why do those Eight Banners disciples soak in the teahouse from morning to night? Speaking of which, the teahouses of that era are somewhat similar to the BBS and even stickers in later generations. And this situation naturally made the Empress Dowager Cixi more and more resentful.

……

The summer of 1908 finally came, and as soon as the weather was hot, the Empress Dowager Cixi's already bad health became worse and worse. She is now emaciated like a skeleton, and even Li Lianying knows that Cixi's time is running out.

On this day, Cixi lost her temper twice with those pig teammates, and after finishing her work, she asked Li Lianying to help her walk around the yard after dinner.

"Our Lady of the Queen Mother, you slow down." Li Lianying helped Cixi and walked slowly along the corridor.

"Husband Li, have you been following the mourning family for decades?" Cixi asked.

"Back to the Queen Mother, the slave maid has been serving the Queen Mother since the third year of Tongzhi, and it has been forty-four years now."

"It's been forty-four years, these years and months are really like flowing water, and it has only been forty-four years in the blink of an eye. I remember that at that time, Husband Li, you were still a child, and the mourning family still called you Xiao Lizi. In the blink of an eye, you are old, and the mourning family is also old. Cixi seemed to be quite emotional.

"The slave is old, but the Queen Mother is not old, she is still young, and she is still very energetic." Li Lianying replied.

"Hehe, the mourning family is also old, and I don't know if I can survive this year." Cixi didn't seem to care.

"Our Lady Queen Mother has a long life and can live for 10,000 years." Li Lianying hurriedly said.

"Hey, you also talk nonsense to the mourning family, when in this world, when can anyone live for 10,000 years? Even the turtle king can't live that long. Husband Li, you have worked hard with the mourning family for all these years. ”

"Our Lady of the Queen Mother, the slave can serve you, that is a blessing for several lifetimes, how dare you be the word hard work." Li Lianying was shocked and hurriedly said.

"It's not hard work, the mourning family naturally knows it." Cixi smiled, "Husband Li, the mourning family is not a very easy person to get along with, and the mourning family knows this. You've always been smart, and you've never been smart enough to do things that you pamper and pride. Except for collecting some money, I never do anything taboo. ”

"Our Lady of the Queen Mother, slave maid ......" Li Lianying quickly knelt down, "Slave maid deserves death, slave maid ......"

"Husband Li, get up." Cixi said, "It's not a big deal. Besides, in your position, collecting money is the proper thing to do. The mourning family still knows this. Get up, if the mourning family even has to punish this, I'm afraid there won't be a single person with a head left in this palace. Get up......"

"Huh." Li Lianying quickly stood up.

Cixi stretched out her hand and let Li Lianying hold her on, and continued to walk along the corridor.

"Husband Li, I'm afraid that time is running out for the mourning family. Don't kneel down again and support the mourners! Listen to the mourners! ”

"Huh!"

The mourning family thought, the mourning family is gone, how long can the Qing Kingdom last, and the mourning family really has no idea in their hearts. Husband Li, once a son of heaven and a courtier, by that time...... Alas, Husband Li, you'd better find a reliable person to sell a house in the Tianjin Concession, and then put the valuable things in the bank in the Tianjin Concession. When the time comes, it will also be a way out...... There is only a mourning family, and there is no way out. ”