Sure enough, as Xingzhen expected, on the third day, An Dehai first came to the news from the imperial dining room, and sure enough, someone secretly put saffron in Xu Jia's stew. After Xingzhen learned about it, she was very angry, and sure enough, someone wanted to kill two birds with one stone against herself and Xu Jia's, and Xu Jia's was about to give birth, and even Xu Jia's would worry about her life at this time.

At that moment, Xingzhen passed on the meeting with Cunyou, the minister in charge of the internal affairs who remained in Beijing, informed him of the matter, and ordered him to investigate strictly. After Cunyou learned about it, he didn't dare to slack off, and now the Internal Affairs Office began to strictly investigate, and the seven divisions and three courtyards under its jurisdiction, as well as the respectful room, and the eunuchs and maids of each palace were strictly investigated one by one, and they were all made a chicken. In the end, the eunuch Fang Gonggong, the head of the worship room, committed suicide in fear of crime, and more than a dozen eunuchs and palace maids under his command were implicated, and most of the evidence was indeed killed with a cane, and the rest were sentenced to exile or detention. But it's a pity that as soon as Father-in-law Fang died, no one knew who the mastermind behind the scenes was, and the clues were broken here.

Xingzhen doesn't have so much energy to defend day and night, she uses thunder to deter everyone in the palace, so that the people behind the scenes know that she is in the palace, and she has already taken precautions, and she does not dare to do this again. Sure enough, the people in the palace were extremely careful, and Xu Jia's side also had a full-time imperial doctor waiting for him, and everything in the entrance was inspected clearly, and the three ways were strictly checked before Xu Jia's could take it.

After eliminating the conspiracy inside and outside the palace, Xingzhen also received a more difficult news these days, two French missionaries were killed by the local people for preaching in Guangxi, and then there was a similar dispute in Guangzhou with the Yarrow incident, but the protagonist of this incident was a merchant ship called the Nissan.

Ye Mingchen, the governor of Liangguang and the minister of trade and commerce of Wukou, said that Britain and France were quite angry about this incident, and Ye Mingchen had tried his best to deal with Britain and France, but Britain and France had changed their normal state and had to make things bigger.

Xingzhen naturally knew that this incident was the fuse of the Second Opium War. And the incident is much stricter than in history, this time two missionaries were killed in France, and Napoleon III, the emperor who hugged the thigh of Catholicism, must not have given up. The incident on the Nissan was even more severe, and the officers and men of the Qing Army's naval division who inspected the merchant ship did not know what they had done, and they burned the British flag in public.

After Prince Gong and Su Shun and others discussed, they decided to fly to Xianfeng in Chengde, and Su Shun did not go to Chengde with him this time, Xianfeng still left a hand and left Su Shun in the capital. Balancing Prince Gong is also a common practice.

Xianfeng's edict came back quickly, and told the two that they should ask Concubine Yi first on top of the affairs of Britain and France. Let the two of them discuss the articles of association with Yi Guifei and then report it. Prince Gong was naturally secretly happy, but Su Shun didn't like it. Yin and Yang said a lot of nonsense angrily. Abundant? and paid no heed, but commanded him to do as he was told. Xingzhen is also mixed, happy that Xianfeng trusts herself far more than Cixi in history, and worries about Xianfeng's pick, it is right to do a good job, and it is a sin to do it badly.

Xingzhen was deeply worried about Ye Mingchen's handling methods. Although Ye Mingchen is good at tai chi, this incident is very strict, Britain and France cannot have such good patience, and Ye Mingchen refuses to compensate and apologize. The promise to release the captured crew of the Nissan and at the same time hand over the murderers of the two missionaries in Guangxi was obviously far from satisfying the appetite of Britain and France.

Sure enough, haven't you waited? On the third day, the Humen Fort in Guangzhou was captured by the British army, and the British fleet began to bombard the city of Guangzhou. The news reached the capital, Yi? He had a quarrel with Su Shun, and Su Shun advocated a tough treatment, and if the Yi people dared to lead troops to attack Guangzhou, they immediately ordered the Hunan army still in Guangdong and Ye Mingchen's soldiers and horses to go to war with the British; Abundant? He advocated a settlement through peace talks, and agreed to the demands of Britain and France for compensation and apologies, and it was expected that Britain and France would not cause any more trouble.

The two can't agree on the same opinion, and they can't argue. When you enter the palace, you first ask Concubine Yi for her opinion, yi? , Su Shun first had Xianfeng's will, and then there were a few people who couldn't argue, so they had to enter the palace to see Xingzhen.

After Xingzhen got the report, she ordered someone to put a screen on the main hall of Lijingxuan, sat behind the screen, and let the two of them in. After the two saluted, they sat down on both sides, Su Shun was in the limelight today, he was in charge of the household department and served as a co-organizer of the university, and he said with a commanding voice: "Concubine Yi, the persecution of the Yi people is too great, and you dare to raise troops to attack Guangzhou City, you don't have to talk to them about anything, just ask the emperor to start a war, and it is also a shame for Jiangning twelve years ago!" ”

Xingzhen was slightly displeased, frowned and asked, "I don't know if Su Zhongtang knows that the Yi people have warships in Guangzhou this time?" Centaur geometry? ”

Su Shun was speechless for a while, but then said: "I don't know this, Ye Mingchen only said a number of ships in the report, and there is no real number. On the warship, there is no real number of Yi soldiers, but the news from Yang Yuebin, the general of Xiangyong, said that there are about 1,000 Yi soldiers. ”

Xingzhen said gently: "The soldier has a word, knowing himself and knowing that the other is invincible, now that the enemy situation is unknown, how can he talk about war?" If there is really a war, with the temperament of the people, Guangdong, Fujian, Shandong and other coastal places are all under the threat of its warships, how can Su Zhongtang deploy a formation to retreat from the enemy? ”

Su Shun's face froze, and he said angrily: "Fearful, in the woman's opinion, should you let the Yi people show off their strength and lead the troops to attack?" ”

As soon as this statement came out, Yi? Dissatisfied glanced at the flying and domineering Su Shun, Xingzhen was not annoyed, chuckled, and said: "Su Zhongtang, although the palace does not understand military affairs, but I have also read some books, and the soldier saint also has words, soldiers, national affairs, the way of life and death, you must not ignore it." In fact, this palace is not against going to war, and it is better to teach the people a lesson, but if there is no certainty of victory, it is better to be cautious. In the end, how do many sages and heroines deal with themselves in the opinion of the women of Suzhongtang? I'm afraid that Empress Wen of Xiaozhuang will be uneasy if she knows about it. ”

Su Shun's face was even more ugly, and he sneered: "Niangniang is really sharp-toothed, so according to Niangniang's opinion, what should I do?" ”

Xingzhen said: "Let's listen to the opinion of the sixth master again." ”

Abundant? Seeing that Su Shun was deflated for a while, he secretly exclaimed in his heart, cleared his throat and said: "Imperial sister-in-law, in the opinion of the courtier, you can agree to the request of the Yiren, and we will also send Xiangyong to confront in Guangzhou, so there should be no big chaos." ”

Xingzhen hummed behind the screen, and said slowly behind the screen: "The palace has lived in the palace for a long time, and I don't dare to judge the major affairs of the country, but I think of the passage written in the history books that Lin Xiangru met the King of Qin, although Lin Xiangru was an envoy to Qin. In front of the tyrannical Qin, he has never shown a trace of cowardice, and the Yiren have already sent troops to bombard Guangzhou this time, but I am afraid that it is no longer possible to meet the previous conditions, and we will only make Britain and France feel that we are weak and can be bullied. ”

Su Shun couldn't help it, stood up and said, "This doesn't work, that doesn't work, so what should I do?" ”

Xingzhen said slowly: "There are clouds in the book of soldiers, soldiers who surrender without a fight, and those who are good are also good." Britain and France made such a big fuss this time. It was nothing more than a matter of revising the treaty before, and after the 12th anniversary of the Jiangning Treaty, Britain and France wanted to amend the treaty in order to seek greater benefits. Although there is no proper solution in this palace, it can still be done after some delay. Ye Mingchen was ordered to summon the British and French envoys to the north. The emperor was invited to Prince Gong as the ambassador for negotiations with Britain and France at Dagukou. And so it goes. Britain and France will definitely stop fighting and go north to negotiate. ”

The two of them were taken aback when they heard this, and Su Shun sneered and said: "Niangniang, don't do such a thing to lure wolves into the house, the British and French people have always wanted to enter the Beijing Face Saint, if they arrive at Dagukou, I am afraid that they will be forced to enter the Beijing Face Saint." ”

Xingzhen smiled and said, "Britain and France want to enter the capital and face the saint." Presenting the credentials in person is a common practice in all countries, and Rong Lu has had many contacts with the Yi people in Guangzhou, and has also asked about this holy matter. The Yi people just wanted to enter Beijing to submit their credentials as a sign of respect. Let's let the British and French envoys go north first, and send elite soldiers to the south to prepare, and thank you for the time to prepare. ”

Abundant? said: "Brother Chen understands what Niangniang meant, that is, negotiate with the Yiren first to delay the time, we have a lot of effort to prepare?" ”

Xingzhen said slowly: "I held Ye Mingchen in front of me to bring a few books to the palace, and there is a book that is written about the biography of the French emperor, and there is a sentence that is very good, the axiom is only within the range of the cannon, this is what the French emperor Napoleon said. It seems that these Yi people are also masters who bully the weak and fear the hard, and if we only think about negotiations and do not prepare for war, we will definitely suffer losses in the future. Therefore, we must fight and both sides at the same time, and those Yi people saw the majesty of the official army, and they did not dare to make a mistake. She paused, and then said: "Ye Mingchen's side only needs to be neither humble nor arrogant, and let the Yiren go north to negotiate and settle the dispute, and any unreasonable demands can be refused." ”

Su Shun snorted and said: "It turns out that Niangniang is well-read, and that strange person can know the world without leaving home, Su Shun admires it." I hope it's just as Niangniang thinks, but what kind of conditions does Niangniang think Britain and France will propose for amending the treaty this time? ”

Xingzhen smiled secretly in her heart, it seemed that Su Shun was working hard with herself, and asked strangely at the moment: "The two are the ministers of the prison authorized by the emperor, haven't they thought of the true intentions of Britain and France until now?" ”

Su Shun, Yi? The two looked at each other awkwardly, Su Shun frowned and continued: "I guess it's just asking for a few more treaty ports to be opened to discuss the matter of tariffs." ”

Xingzhen took a sip of tea behind the screen, and couldn't help but be anxious when she heard the words, choked and coughed a few times, Kang Qi on the side hurriedly beat her back, Xingzhen adjusted her breathing, and said urgently: "Sixth Master, Su Zhongtang, you think too simply, this palace has read the beginning and end of the negotiations with the Yi people, with the greed of the Yi people, I feel that the British and French requirements are not so few, this palace expects that they will ask for the opening of the whole country, the minister in Beijing, the Yangtze River trade, the legalization of the opium trade, the negotiation of tariffs, and the land lease can be carried out in various coastal areas." ”

The two of them were shocked when they heard this, and stood up together. He said angrily: "It's too much to deceive people like this! Before the two spoke, they both glanced at each other. Abundant? Then he asked anxiously: "Imperial sister-in-law, such a request, it is difficult to have any possibility of discussing it in detail, it is better to fight." ”

Su Shun snorted and said, "I said earlier, you can only use a knife to talk to the Yi people. ”

Hearing this, Xingzhen said slowly: "Now that I am worried about domestic and foreign troubles, the national strength is weak at this time, and silver must be used everywhere, Su Zhongtang, you are in charge of the household department, how much silver is enough for us to fight?" ”

Su Shun gritted his teeth when he heard this, and said: "There is indeed not much money in the household, but let the Yi people bully it?" ”

Xingzhen said coldly: "In this negotiation, I only hope that the two of you will know that a weak country has no diplomacy, so all the troops in the south and the armies in the north, as well as the Shenji Battalion of the new army in the capital, must be prepared for war, especially the Dagukou elected as a good general to defend the palace." In any case, we must let the two countries understand that our country has not yet reached the point of being bullied, and I hope that it will take a few more years to negotiate, and when the long hair is leveled, we will not be afraid of them. (To be continued......)