In the spring rain that day, Peng Yulin walked out of the Qianqing Palace in despair, the Empress Dowager Cixi did not make any decisions, Peng Yulin heard that she seemed to hesitate, and her life and death were between her thoughts.

After stepping out of the Qianqing Palace, Peng Yulin and Li Mengqun were taken to the prison by several guards, Li Mengqun's face was like ashes, the Empress Dowager Cixi had pardoned the two, but Peng Yulin's shocking remarks hurt the two, and the two escaped from the prison of the Taiping Army and fell into the prison of the Qing court.

After Gui Liang and the others left, Xingzhen did not object to Gui Liang's temporary detention of the two people, but looked at the two secret letters in a daze, and only after a while did she instruct Li Lianying: "Little Lizi, this palace needs to be quiet, no one is allowed to disturb, no matter what urgency, let them wait outside!" ”

Li Lianying was very puzzled in her heart, since his master beat him and followed, he has always been decisive and resolute, what is wrong with him today? was so hesitant and indecided, although she wondered in her heart, Li Lianying still acted according to her will and blocked all the princes and ministers who asked to see her from outside the Qianqing Palace.

Xingzhen stayed in the Xinuan Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace for a day and a night, and the ministers of the Military Aircraft Department were so anxious that they burned their eyebrows, and there were many things that needed to be broken everywhere, and no one would decide if they didn't see Xingzhen. One party is in control, and no one thinks of going to the queen mother.

Prince Gong? , Shangshu Guiliang and other ministers of the Ministry of War waited anxiously outside the Qianqing Palace for a whole day, but every time Li Lianying went in to ask for a meeting, the reply was that he did not see anyone for the time being.

Abundant? Gui Liang has been asked repeatedly. Gui Liang told Peng Yulin and Li Mengqun about the letter sent by the pseudo-king of the West. After pondering for a while, he said: "This matter should be asked to Peng Yulin, and this king will go to the prison." With that, he rushed to the prison.

After arriving in prison. Abundant? met Peng Yulin alone, Peng Yulin was also slightly surprised, he didn't expect that the first person to interrogate him would be Prince Gong. For Peng Yulin, Yi? It's also the first time we met, and I've only heard of his name before.

In a dark single room in the prison, Yi? Frowning and looking at the shriveled middle-aged man in front of him, it was difficult to associate him with the famous plum blossom snow handsome in Xiangdi. After sitting down on a stool, he sighed lightly and said, "Lord Peng relied on his military exploits with Long Mao to achieve the governor's position." ”

Peng Yulin shook his head slowly and said, "I have achieved what I have achieved today by defending the people of one side from the poison of war. ”

Abundant? Oh, nodded and said, "It's also, when Daoguang is thirty years old." You participated in the rebellion to suppress Li Nguyen Phat, and you also had military exploits, and later awarded the blue-collar crown, but you resigned and did not do it. Master Peng, you're not a person who dyes your hair with blood. ”

Peng Yulin can't think of Yi? and only about his past. Slightly stunned, yi? Then he said: "Master Peng, now that the Qing Dynasty is forced to do so at home and abroad, the Queen Mother closed the door after reading the letter sent by you and Li Mengqun, and the King knew that the Queen Mother was undecided. However, in the eyes of this king, the Qing Dynasty has been established for more than 200 years, and it has quite a foundation, and Britain and France have plundered abroad. It is the disease of scabies, as long as war is used to promote peace. You can be sure that you will be safe for a while. And the long-haired thief Kou inside, it is menacing, that is, the trend of overturning the country and the society, since ancient times, Xiangwai must first settle inside, this is a simple reason, in the opinion of Lord Peng, what is the king said? ”

Peng Yulin said slowly: "Lord Wang, although it is the first time for Xia Guan to see the Queen Mother and her old man, but since the death of the first emperor, the Queen Mother has quietly got rid of Su Shun and other ministers, set up foreign affairs, organized a new army, and reorganized the army and military affairs. It's just a simple Xiangwai must first be inside, and the next official will not let the Queen Mother and her old man be so undecided. ”

Abundant? He bowed his head slightly and said: "Yes, the Queen Mother has always acted decisively, and she has never been as indecisive as she is today, and I ask Lord Peng to analyze one or two." ”

Peng Yulin said a little strangely: "Lord Wang, there are many people in the court who are far more talented than me Peng Yulin, why is the prince looking for me alone?" ”

Abundant? Said slowly: "In fact, before the letter of the puppet king of the West was sent, the queen mother had already noticed that someone in the court was secretly colluding with foreigners, and the war in Beitang, Dagukou and other places was also the queen mother personally taught the monk king face-to-face, and it is expected that the foreigners will not do more for a while." There is nothing new about the things mentioned in the letter of the pseudo-king of the west, but it is only after the queen mother and you have a conversation that the mind is confused. ”

Peng Yulin was slightly surprised and said: "The Queen Mother has already made arrangements? ”

Abundant? Nodding slowly, she expected that the foreigners would choose to land in Beitang, and the foreigner fleet was not something that our navy could control, so she deliberately showed weakness to lure the enemy ashore and seek an opportunity to destroy it." ”

Peng Yulin sighed and said: "The consequences are too consequence, there is a legacy of the martial arts." "Hearing this, Yi? Slightly discolored, but then his expression regained and said: "Listening to Lord Gui Liang talk about your conversation with the Queen Mother, I can hear that Lord Peng seems to be tired of fighting with Long Hair, and only hopes to atone for his sins and fight with foreigners?" ”

Peng Yulin nodded and said, "That's right." ”

Abundant? patted his thigh and said: "It's no wonder, the Queen Mother said to this king, this dynasty will rely on a few capable ministers, Zeng Guofan is one, Li Hongzhang is one, Hu Linyi is one, and the other is you Peng Yulin." ”

Peng Yulin couldn't imagine that the Empress Dowager Cixi would have such a high opinion of him, and he was speechless for a while. sighed lightly and said: "Queen Mother, she must not have imagined that even you, the person she is very optimistic about, have lost their fighting spirit, so they will be indecided." ”

Peng Yulin shook his head and said: "Before leaving, Xia Guan has been listening to the Queen Mother's words, rather than outsiders than domestic slaves, Xia Guan thinks that it is actually because the Queen Mother has huge worries in her heart, and the prince should ask the Queen Mother what she is worried about, instead of listening to Xia Guan's blind guessing here." ”

Abundant? After glancing at Peng Yulin, he muttered: "Yes, even Lord Peng's belief has begun to waver, and it is inevitable that the people's will will change, do you really want to be with outsiders rather than domestic slaves?" I see, I see, so ......"

While he was talking, a big prison guard hurriedly came in to report, only to say that a few eunuchs and guards came to the palace to pass on the Empress Dowager's decree and wanted to take Peng Yulin for questioning. Abundant? After hearing this, I had to get up and say: "Master Peng, go ahead, it seems that the Queen Mother will not investigate you, and maybe she will continue to reuse it." Peng Yulin sighed slightly, stood up and said to Yi? After a salute, he followed the guards.

After returning to the Qianqing Palace one day, the spring rain gradually stopped, and it was early in the morning, and the warm sun showed its warm side, covering people's bodies with indescribable comfort. Peng Yulin didn't have time to enjoy the sunshine, and soon arrived in the house.

It was still outside the screen of the Xinuan Pavilion, Peng Yulin knelt on the ground and didn't dare to raise his head, Xingzhen's voice came from behind the screen, but there was an indescribable tiredness, "Peng Yulin, there are only you and me here today, this palace asks you, do you think there is still hope for this Qing Dynasty?" ”

Peng Yulin broke out in cold sweat on his forehead, but he still gritted his teeth and said: "Queen Mother, it's not a pity for the criminal minister to die, but the criminal minister also has something to say that is not unhappy." ”

Xingzhen hummed and said, "You say! ”

Peng Yulin raised his head and hugged his fists and said: "Queen Mother, the Qing Dynasty has been established for more than 200 years, the distinction between Manchu and Han has not faded, the imperial court uses troops internally every year, and there are people in every dynasty and generation who have raised troops against the Qing Dynasty. The imperial court has always regarded the Han people in the world as domestic slaves, asking how domestic slaves can have a true sense of belonging to the country? ”

Xingzhen sighed lightly and said: "This palace knows what you mean, Jiangnan can support the crisis until now, and this palace knows that it is also relying on Zeng Guofan, Hu Linyi, you Hanchen." But if even you don't have the heart to fight with Long Hair, then the Qing Dynasty is really in danger. ”

After seeing Peng Yulin yesterday, Xingzhen was still very happy, a capable general did not die and did not surrender to Taiping It is indeed worth being happy, I was going to let him continue to command the army, but I didn't expect Peng Yulin to say that he was tired of the civil war, and Xingzhen's heart suddenly cooled half.

Although Xingzhen also knew that Peng Yulin had persuaded Zeng Guofan to establish himself as the emperor of the Han people many times in history, after the fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Xingzhen believed that as long as she controlled it properly, it would not be difficult to reverse the minds of Peng Yulin and others, after all, in history, Zeng Guofan and other powerful Hanchen did not rebel in the end. Unexpectedly, now Peng Yulin has changed in his heart, and the Hunan army has been listening to the propaganda for a long time, and when the Taiping army captured Liangguang, Yunnan and other places, a large number of Qing court Hanchen surrendered, Xingzhen began to realize that this change has reached a qualitative change.

So Xingzhen began to feel disheartened for the first time, feeling that all her years of hard work had been in vain, so Xingzhen locked herself in the house alone and did not see anyone.

In any case, the Qing court officials would not agree to transfer the Qing army on Huanghuai back to reinforce Jintang, because Xiao Yungui and Xingzhen both understood that the Qing court's defense of the Han people was worried that the Han people would one day regain control of the world, and this policy has always run through the history of the Qing Dynasty for more than 200 years.

Xiao Yungui's intentions are extremely sinister, he is forcing the Qing court and Xingzhen to make a choice, so that the Qing court ruling class will show a more ugly face in the end, and would rather let the foreigners not fight, rather than send a soldier to reinforce Jintang. Xingzhen believed that when she received the secret letter, Xiao Yungui's side would intentionally or unintentionally hype the news that the Taiping army was willing to temporarily cease fire with the Qing army, so that the Qing army could concentrate on resisting the invasion of Britain and France. The sentence of preferring to be with outsiders and not with domestic slaves will indeed chill the hearts of the world, and after there is no human heart, Xingzhen will no longer be able to support it, this is where Xiao Yungui's real intentions are sinister...... (To be continued......)