Not long after Yiliang left, Shen Baozhen was taken to the warm pavilion, compared to Yiliang's enthusiasm and caution, Shen Baozhen was not so enthusiastic about doing errands.

Xingzhen knew the reason why Shen Baozhen lost his official position back then, firstly, he lost the important town of Guangxin Mansion, and secondly, the most important thing was to offend his boss, and then someone in the court framed him, and the most interesting boss that Shen Baozhen offended back then was Yiliang, who was the governor of Liangjiang at the time, and the party that was framed by the DPRK and China was Sushun and the party. Shen Baozhen still relied on the reputation left by his father-in-law to save his life, and the punishment after the investigation was only to go to the official, and after going to the official, he returned to his hometown, and was once extremely disappointed in the Qing court, but later actively organized group training in Fujian and purchased ships to support the imperial court to fight the war, which shows that he is an official and has an unremitting desire to go up, but the arrogant nature of the literati makes him not willing to put down his body like Yiliang.

After inquiring about the situation of the Lin family and the Shen family, Xingzhen changed her words and said: "I heard that when Changmao entered Kou Fujian, Wang Yide and Li Tingyu both invited you to enter the scene, but I don't know why I shirked it? ”

Shen Baozhen only said that his parents were old and polite, and Xingzhen said with a faint smile: "When the national disaster is at the head, thieves are rampant, from the princes and important ministers, down to the peddlers and pawns, who can be spared?" Who's not all having parents and children? If everyone is like you, who else will serve the court? ”

Shen Baozhen saw that although Xingzhen was talking with a smile, but the weight in her words was quite heavy, she hurriedly left the pestle and knelt down to kowtow and ask for guilt, Xingzhen waved her hand and said: "That's it, this palace just wants to tell you that there is a country and a home, presumably when you followed Lin Gong." Lin Gong has also taught you these truths, and this palace is just mentioning it. Back then, you didn't want to go out of office just because the Sushun party in the DPRK and China was still there, and you didn't want to be with these people, right? ”

Although Shen Baozhen was meeting the Empress Dowager Cixi for the first time. But I have long heard of the shrewdness and ability of this curtain heroine, and quietly brought down the Sushun party and killed the two iron hat kings. When I saw it today, I learned the sharpness of her words. A word hit the key point of his reluctance to be a leader, and when Ai Ai said: "The queen mother knows the subtlety, and the grass people admire it very much." ”

Xingzhen pursed her lips and smiled. "Humane Lin Gong has a good son-in-law, it is true, you act like love and hate, you are quick to talk and have the demeanor of a husband, and it is very rare to be able to admit it calmly when you are said to be the center. Since you're calm. Hongu will also say it directly. This time I summoned you to appoint you to an errand, this is a charter to negotiate with Yangyi, you can take a look at it first. ”

Shen Baozhen took the charter and read it, only after reading it did he stand up with a sigh, then knelt down and said loudly: "Queen Mother Mingjian, Yangyi's heart will not die, and it is okay to reopen negotiations with Yangyi, but if you want to agree to Yangyi's request according to the terms above the charter, it is a self-harming act." ”

Xingzhen sighed and said, "You can tell me carefully." Shen Baozhen said bluntly: "Tianjin is close to the land of Gyeonggi. Yantai, Qingdao and other places are important towns in the north, and Tianjin, Yantai, Qingdao and other places are opened as treaty ports. Yangyi warships and soldiers can enter with the trend, and in such an important place, some people are snoring and sleeping day and night, isn't it a big trouble? There is also the opium trade, this thing harms people, the people smoke and hurt their bodies, the country's silver source flows out, the grass people and the law's ban on smoking is this thing harms people, and now if the imperial court agrees to the opium trade of Yangyi, it is to drink water to quench thirst. The same is true of the terms that allow Yangyi to build railways and open mines, and the customs of Yangyi and mine are very different, and building roads and mining is bound to compete with the people for profit, and it will definitely be a constant ...... between China and the West."

After listening patiently with the celadon tea bowl, Xingzhen said with a faint smile: "This palace remembered that after Lin Gong was assigned to Xinjiang, he was not depressed, but led the people to open up the wasteland and plant trees in the border area, and built Lin Gongjing to promote the forest bus, so that Xinjiang opened up farmland widely, cultivated and guarded the border fortress, and he was a broad-minded person." But I think that Lin Gong failed to ban smoking back then, and the palace also said that Lin Gong also figured out this section in Xinjiang, and will analyze it with you, but I didn't expect you to still not understand. ”

Shen Baozhen blushed, knelt straight and clenched his fists, and said, "I beg the Queen Mother for advice." ”

Xingzhen didn't care about Shen Baozhen's rude behavior, and said slowly: "It's good for Yangyi to sell opium to our country to earn money, but this palace heard that Yangyi doesn't sell this opium in the Wa country, have you ever thought about why?" ”

Shen Baozhen was slightly stunned, and Xingzhen continued: "The Japanese country has also opened up commerce and trade like the Xiyi countries, and opium is also available in the Japanese country, but the people of the Japanese country are very poor, and there are very few smokers. ”

Shen Baozhen was a little speechless, Xingzhen said: "The ban on smoking is not only a source of ban, but also the domestic smokers must also be banned in order to be effective, but now that the country is in turmoil, the so-called outside must first be inside, and the long hair is not clean, how can this trend be banned in the country?" The matter of mining and road construction has also been done by Changmao, you should have heard of it in Fujian, why can Changmao do it and we can't do it? The country needs to mine and make iron and make guns, so that it can have the power of self-improvement and not be afraid of Xiyi. Qingdao, Yantai, Tianjin and other places are indeed important towns, but now how can there be sailors to protect the coastal defense of the Qing Dynasty? Qingdao, Yantai and other places are not Xiyi who can come if they want to come and go? If the Qing Dynasty does not have coastal defense, it will be bullied for a day! ”

Shen Baozhen was silent when she heard this, and Xingzhen smiled bitterly: "It's unfair if this palace doesn't know about these terms?" But we still have to negotiate with Yangyi now, Longhair uses the benefits of foreign guns and foreign cannons to cause trouble in the country, and we don't catch up, I'm afraid that we will be beaten to Beijing by Longhair after all. ”

Shen Baozhen was still silent, Xingzhen said: "This errand is to let you be the deputy envoy of this negotiation, in addition to negotiating the terms, you also shoulder another important task, that is, to negotiate with Yangyi about the purchase of ships and shipbuilding, the Qing Dynasty must reopen the matter of shipping administration and coastal defense, with coastal defense, clean long hair, we can ban smoking in the future!" ”

Shen Baozhen slowly kowtowed after a moment and said, "The grass people know, and the grass people are willing to handle this errand." ”

Xingzhen hummed and said: "This charter is the bottom limit of the imperial court, and you can ask for a price when negotiating, and what you can negotiate depends on you, Prince Gong, He Guiqing and Yiliang's ability." ”

Shen Baozhen's face flashed with a hint of embarrassment: "Lord Yiliang is also there?" ”

Xingzhen smiled slightly: "This palace knows that you and Lord Yiliang had a gap back then. But so what? You can agree to deal with Yangyi, are you still afraid of your own people? Shen Youdan, remember above foreign affairs. No Chinese person is willing to be humiliated, and Yiliang is no exception. ”

Shen Baozhen nodded heavily, and Xingzhen instructed him to retire for the time being, and then Shen Baozhen retreated.

Not long after Shen Baozhen left, Li Lianying came in and reported: "Master, Lord Rong has arrived. Xingzhen gently closed the fold and said lightly: "He came quickly." Let him in, and you all go out and wait. ”

Li Lianying snorted and turned around to beckon the palace maids and eunuchs to go out, and after a while, Rong Lu walked in with a dusty look. Seeing that there was no one in the house, he didn't salute, and eagerly stepped forward and said, "Qingyun, what are you asking me to come back for?" ”

Before the words fell, Xingzhen's fierce gaze was raised, and Rong Lu was slightly stunned. I couldn't help but take two steps back. "This is the Heart Cultivation Palace, you'd better know what your identity is!" Xingzhen's words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing Ronglu's fiery joy.

Rong Lu bowed slightly and saluted: "See the Queen Mother." ”

Xingzhen looked at him coldly and said, "You'd better remember to be respectful, I can give you what you want, and you can take it back!" Don't you know why you cut off half of your military power? ”

Rong Lu's face was very difficult to look at, "Qingyun, I ......" before the words came out, Xingzhen glared at him coldly, opened the jade box and took out Xiao Yungui's letter and threw it in front of him fiercely, and said sharply: "What qualifications do you have to use the old title?" Xiao Yungui has made it clear in his letter. You've met with them a few years ago, and I've asked you if you've ever known their whereabouts. Is that how you deceive me? ”

Rong Lu's face suddenly changed greatly, and he hurriedly picked up the letter and read it, and after reading it, he hurriedly said: "Qingyun, listen to me, I haven't seen them at all, they are dividing the love between us!" ”

Xingzhen laughed angrily: "Do you know what women hate the most? What I hate most is to be deceived by someone I trust! To this day, I see you as someone I trust, but now you lie to my face! After that, Xingzhen threw a letter in front of Rong Lu and said sharply: "Look for yourself, this is Ilgen Jueluo. Cheng Eun's confession, your best brother has already said that you went to see the important people of Long Hair back then! What else do you have to say?! Are you going to make up another lie to round it up?! ”

Rong Lu heard the words like falling into an ice cave, he couldn't imagine that Xingzhen's methods were so powerful, and Cheng'en fell to him, so what secrets did he have in front of her? He didn't dare to look at Cheng En's confession, and only after a while did he whisper: "Just because I didn't tell you about Xiao Yungui's whereabouts back then, you are going to turn against me now?" ”

Xingzhen pointed at Rong Lu bitterly and said sadly: "You only know yourself, you don't know what I want, the premise for us women to trust a person is that the person can't be deceived!" Lu Sixuan, I sue you, even if you sue me about Xiao Yungui's whereabouts, I can't leave the palace to find him, you are selfish for fear that after I know Xiao Yungui's whereabouts, I will ask you to take me out of the palace regardless of Qiē, right? Haha......"

Speaking of this, Xingzhen laughed, but in her laughter, she shouted tears, and the beads rolled down, and at this moment her emotions were completely released, "You were just a small official at the time, even if you can take me out, I won't let you take the risk, and I don't have the face to see Xiao Yungui at all, Lu Sixuan, Lu Sixuan, you are jealous of the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain." ”

Rong Lu was very remorseful when he heard this, and couldn't help but step forward to hug her with an apologetic face, and said softly: "It's me who is wrong, it's me who is not good, it's me who is wrong, Qingyun, you forgive me, I won't hide anything from you in the future......"

Rong Lu said a lot of self-reproachful words, but Xingzhen didn't listen to a word, and was still held by him, until Rong Lu finished speaking, she said coldly: "Let go of me!" This sentence was as cold as cold ice, Rong Lu didn't dare to disobey, and slowly let go of her.

After Xingzhen turned around and walked back to the imperial case, she shouted lightly to the door: "Little Lizi!" Li Lianying hurriedly walked in, and a group of eunuchs and palace maids also returned to the house.

"You don't have to go back to Huaishang, the military affairs palace over there has already issued an order for Chengen and Li Hongzhang to be temporarily replaced, and Yuan Jiasan will take charge of Huaishang's military affairs, you go home first and wait for the news!" Xingzhen's words were like ice picks stinging Rong Lu's heart, he wanted to say something, but he was surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs, he didn't dare to say another word, and finally had to take a long look and say: "The slave obeys the order!" He said it almost through gritted teeth, and then he didn't look back...... (To be continued......)