The Qianqing Palace in the capital, the 14 emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the Shunzhi and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty all used the Qianqing Palace as their sleeping palace. It is the head of the three palaces, located in the Qianqing Gate, "Qian" is the meaning of "sky", "Qing" is the meaning of "thorough", one is to symbolize the transparent sky, not muddy or turbid, symbolizing the stability of the country; The second is to symbolize that the emperor's actions are as open as the clear sky, and he has not done anything unseemly.

Peng Yulin knelt on the white marble pedestal in front of the Qianqing Palace, looking at the top of the Yellow Glazed Tile Heavy Eaves Hall of the Qianqing Palace shrouded in rain, his heart was full of emotion, inside and outside the Forbidden City shrouded in a spring rain, the spectacle of a thousand dragons spitting water reappeared, but he was still fortunate to see. Li Mengqun was sincerely frightened, his heart was uneasy, and although his body was drenched by the spring rain, he didn't feel a trace of chill.

As if in a dream, they only met the king of the West once in Shanghai, and then took the Taiping army ships north, because the British and French forces blocked the Bohai Sea, the Taiping army fleet had to drop the two in Qingdao and hand them over to the local Bai Zetang personnel to escort into Beijing.

The two were tied hand and foot, blindfolded, all the way to the capital by land in a carriage, and finally woke up when they were already outside the noon gate, and the Taiping army people also put the official uniforms and seals of the two people beside the two, so the two were soon found by the Qing army guards at the noon gate, and sent them all the way to the palace.

The first to be reported was the Minister of Military Aircraft Gui Liang on duty, after asking the reason for the incident, Gui Liang took the two to the Qianqing Palace to ask to see the Empress Dowager Cixi, who has been acting in the Qianqing Palace for several days.

When he arrived outside the Qianqing Palace, Gui Liang went first to Tongyu. Peng Yulin and Li Mengqun knelt outside, because they lost the land of Yunnan, they were still guilty. Both of them went to their official uniforms, and the lightly dressed knelt in the rain.

After Gui Liang had been in for more than half an hour, a eunuch turned out and shouted in a sharp voice with a male duck: "Peng Yulin, the governor of Xuanyunnan, and Li Mengqun, the envoy of Yunnan, have come to see you!" ”

Peng Yulin and Li Mengqun are both relieved, since they are still willing to call for the official positions of the two, it seems that the Queen Mother has not completely given up on the two. After thanking for the grace, the two went to the porch. The eunuch looked at the appearance of the two of them and said, "The queen mother is kind to let the two adults come to see each other after changing their clothes in the hall, please come with me." ”

The hearts of the two are even warmer. Li Mengqun was even more tearful, choked and knelt down and kowtowed three times to the Qianqing Palace before getting up, and Peng Yulin had to kowtow when he saw this. Then the two hurriedly changed their clothes in the side hall and changed into ordinary simple clothes. Only then did I feel a chill on my body. The spring rain is really cold.

After changing clothes, the two followed the eunuch into the West Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, and there was a screen inside, and someone seemed to be sitting in the back behind the screen, and Gui Liang was sitting on a pestle outside the screen.

After the two entered the house, they bowed and prostrated, claiming guilt, and the beautiful woman behind the screen slowly spoke: "The two Qing families don't have to be like this, the long-haired thief Kou is menacing, and the court is forced by outsiders. and did not send a soldier to the south to rescue, it is already very good that the two Qing family can rather die than follow the thief. Small plums. Give the two adults a seat, and then serve two bowls of ginger tea, the spring cold and dew outside are heavy, and the two adults are frozen. ”

The hearts of the two were agitated, and Peng Yulin secretly thought that this queen mother was just like the rumors said, if she really said that one is one, she has never blamed others, and she is also generally upright compared to the king of Naxi, but after all, she is just a woman. Li Mengqun thought that the Queen Mother was so magnanimous, she should repay her with death. At that moment, the two of them had their own thoughts, and they sat down with a thousand thanks.

Just sat down, Li Mengqun was busy taking out the secret letter from his arms and handed it over, seeing Li Mengqun take out the letter, Peng Yulin was slightly shocked, it turned out that the king of the West ordered the two to send the letter, but before leaving, there was no secret letter to the two, until the two were about to arrive in the capital, one night someone secretly handed the secret letter to Peng Yulin, and sewed it in Peng Yulin's underwear, and repeatedly told him to hand it over to the Empress Dowager Cixi. Now that he saw Li Mengqun also take out a secret letter, Peng Yulin was suspicious for a while, could it be that this letter for himself was fake?

After thinking about it again and again, Peng Yulin did not hide it, and took out the secret letter in his arms, Li Mengqun was also stunned when he saw it, the two of them each had a secret letter, and they didn't know what medicine was sold in the pseudo Xiwang gourd.

Zhenghu suspiciously, Xingzhen behind the screen has opened the two letters, the content of the letter is the same, and it is also written in the code language of Chinese pinyin, but a paragraph is written at the end, Xingzhen smiled after reading it: "You two don't have to suspect anything, this pseudo-king of the West said that there are people in my army who secretly collude with foreigners, in case there are their party members in the two of you, they gave the two of you letters, and finally this pseudo-king of the West said, who did not take out the letter or the letter was lost or damaged, It shows that this person is a gang of rebels, and I can kill him. ”

Hearing this, both of them were shocked, and Peng Yulin was even more shocked, if he had a little bit of disobedience, or curiosity, and wanted to intercept the letter in private, but did not hand over the secret letter on his body, then he was afraid that he would already be in a different place at this time.

Gui Liang frowned and said: "This pseudo-king of the West specially arranged for Peng and Li to come back to deliver the letter, I don't know what it means, there are people in my official army who collude with foreigners?" Where did he get this news from? I'm afraid there is a sense of discord. ”

Xingzhen, who was behind the screen, smiled slightly: "He sent a warning, saying that there are people in our official army who are colluding with foreigners, and a large number of foreigners' fleets and men and horses have already gone north, and they will launch an offensive in Jintang and other places in the near future, so we must beware of changes within the official army." At the same time, the pseudo-king of the West also said that the soldiers and horses with long hair on the Huai can postpone the march and reach a partial temporary ceasefire with our official army, and our officers and soldiers can boldly transfer the soldiers and horses on the front line of Huanghuai to the capital to defend against foreigners and prepare for foreign affairs. ”

Gui Liang and the other three were all surprised, although Peng Yulin and Li Mengqun knew about the delivery of the letter, but they didn't know what the king of Naxi said in the letter, so they were also very surprised, you must know that the Manchu Qing and Taiping are the enemies of life and death, so that the pseudo-king of the West would be so kind to let the land of Jianghuai cease fire, so that the Manchus can concentrate Jiangbei forces to resist foreign enemies?

Gui Liang thought about it for a while and exclaimed: "Queen Mother, this is the poisonous plan of the pseudo-king of the West to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. I want my officers and soldiers to fight to the death with the foreigners, and once we fight with the foreigners, he can grow his hair and drive north. ”

Li Mengqun was also woken up immediately. Said eagerly: "What Lord Gui Liang said is extremely true, the heart of the long hair that kills me is not dead, it is a plan to lead the water to the east, and he wants me to compete with the foreigner sandpiper and mussels, he is fortunate to benefit from the fisherman on the side, and the Queen Mother is aware of it." ”

Xingzhen was noncommittal, but asked Peng Yulin, who was silent, "How does the Peng Qing family feel about what this pseudo-king of the West said?" ”

Peng Yulin began to slowly fall into deep thought from the initial surprise. It is true that as Gui Liang said, the Taiping army may be able to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. But based on what he saw and heard in the territory of the Taiping Army, he seemed to feel that the military strength of the Taiping Army had far surpassed that of the Manchu Dynasty, and in fact, there was no need to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, if the Taiping Army really had the idea of destroying the Manchu Dynasty. It is to send troops together with foreigners. Launching the Northern Expedition directly is the fastest shortcut. But now that the puppet king of the West has let go of a great opportunity and offered a temporary ceasefire, so that the Manchus can free up their hands and feet to prepare for foreign affairs, does this puppet king of the West have other ideas?

Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard the Queen Mother's question, Peng Yulin hesitated again and again before gritting his teeth and saying: "The Queen Mother Mingjian, the humble position is now a sinful body. The court did not dare to discuss the major affairs. ”

Xingzhen smiled slightly and said, "Peng Aiqing, the palace has already said it." Yunnan is lost, although you two are guilty, but the main cause is not on the two of you. Shicai Bengong has already said to Gui Liang that the Military Aircraft Department, the Ministry of Officials, and the Ministry of War will definitely give a light sentence to the two of you, and no matter how you say that you have lost the land of Yunnan, you must have an explanation, but this palace has authorized you two to make meritorious contributions, so you will stay in the capital for the time being, and it doesn't hurt to say anything. ”

Peng Yulin's heart was warm, the loss of Yunnan is indeed the two of them can't escape the relationship, Cixi can be so light is already considered benevolent and righteous, and he can't hide it for personal gain, and now he and Li Mengqun said and heard along the way, and finally knelt down on his knees and bowed to the ground: "Queen Mother, the long hair is now full-fledged, if we join forces with foreigners to destroy our Qing Dynasty, we really have no way, now since this pseudo-king of the West is still willing to let a way out, we must have the heart to break the cauldron and sink the boat, first resist the foreigners, and then make plans." But the minister wants to come, the same room is too anxious to fight each other, if you really resist foreign insults first, you can improve yourself. ”

When Gui Liang heard this, he immediately said angrily: "What is this, what the foreigners are trying to do is just to open a trade market, find one or two good ports to station, or trade opium, and then that long hair is going to cut off our full foundation, how can we say the same thing?!" Then Gui Liang hugged his fists and said loudly: "Queen Mother, this Peng Yulin has been bewitched by long hair, and his mind is confused, so the slave asked the Queen Mother to put him in prison, and asked him about the crime of losing Yunnan before!" ”

Li Mengqun was in a hurry, and hurriedly pleaded, secretly complaining in his heart, what's wrong with Xue Shuai? Isn't it clear which is more important?

Peng Yulin also seemed to be out of the way, kneeling and clasping his fists and said: "Queen Mother, forgive the ministers for being reckless, but the ministers have been fighting with Changmao in Jiangnan for many years, and they are all their own people fighting their own people, and they are already tired of it, and now the Qing Dynasty is worried about internal and external troubles, and the ministers are only willing to die on the battlefield to resist foreign aggression, and they are not willing to fall in the battle of internal fighting, and ask the Queen Mother to fall, even if it is to let the minister be a pawn to guard Jintang, the minister is also willing!" ”

When Gui Liang was about to reprimand angrily, Xingzhen spoke: "A few listen to the words of this palace!" Gui Liang sat back on the pestle angrily, Li Mengqun and Peng Yulin were still kneeling on the ground, only listening to Xingzhen say: "You guys don't have any rules to quarrel around, it's really disappointing to this palace." ”

Speaking of this, Xingzhen first asked Gui Liang: "Gui Liang, if what Peng Aiqing said is true, if we don't stop fighting with Changmao, and Changmao and the foreigners join forces to attack, then how can we resist the enemy?" ”

Gui Liang was speechless for a moment, but opened his mouth wide and I said a few times, Xingzhen waved his hand and said: "If it really comes to that situation, we don't have to fight, the difference between strength and weakness is huge, and the victory or defeat has been decided." ”

Gui Liang was not angry, and asked rhetorically: "Then the Queen Mother, do we really want to fight to the death with foreigners?" After my elite fight in the Qing Dynasty, this great country will be handed over, and it will be cheaper for these house slaves? ”

Xingzhen pondered for a long time before muttering to herself: "Rather with friends than with house slaves?" Would you rather be with a friend than with a house slave? Her voice was lowered, but the three people in the room heard it, Gui Liang's face was full of resentment, Peng Yulin and Li Mengqun were extremely embarrassed, weren't the house slaves in the mouth of the Han family officials...... (To be continued......)