March 15 of the seventh year of Guangxu. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

The Empress Dowager Cixi changed into court clothes and put on the armor one by one, she had to deal with the government every day, and her fingernails couldn't be kept at all, so she cut her nails short, and the armor was just to deal with the rules, Li Lianying held the crown, and the five golden phoenixes on it were about to fly in the air, Li Lianying smiled at the Empress Dowager Cixi: "The master is really radiant today." ”

The Empress Dowager Cixi put on the crown and looked at it in front of the mercury floor-to-ceiling mirror, "What is radiant, but it's just an old woman, is it almost time?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked Xiao Xiazi.

"There is news from Anyou Palace, the ministers have already arrived, just waiting for Niangniang."

Empress Dowager Cixi nodded, "Today is the birthday of the Holy Grandfather, there is no delay, let's get off quickly." ”

The Empress Dowager Cixi wore a big makeup, sat on the sedan chair, and the group walked towards the northwest in a mighty way, and only then did she get off the sedan chair in front of the Anyou Palace, and the Empress Dowager Cixi looked up with a veil.

Anyou Palace has two palace gates. The first door is a glazed door, and a plaque of "Hongci Yonghu" is hung on it. The second gate is the gate of Anyou Palace. It rises on a white marble pedestal, with vermilion doorposts, ridged roofs, and yellow glazed tiles. In front of the door, there is a pair of stone carvings with dragon heads, lion tails, antlers, and scales more than two meters high, which is the legendary unicorn. It is delicately carved, radiant and dynamic. Although this beast looks strange, it is a symbol of auspiciousness and wealth in legend.

Before the Empress Dowager Cixi arrived at the main hall of Anyou Palace, the ministers had already arrived, and when they saw the Empress Dowager again, the Empress Dowager Cixi hurriedly called everyone up, Anyou Palace is the highest building in the Old Summer Palace, completely imitating the format of the Taimiao, the Empress Dowager Cixi walked up slowly, and Prince Gong was already standing in front of the Anyou Palace and waiting.

Prince Gong only bowed slightly when he saw the Empress Dowager Cixi, and the Empress Dowager Cixi also nodded slightly, "Sixth Master." ”

"Queen Mother," Prince Gong said inexplicably, "Li Hongzao has arrived in Beijing yesterday. ”

"Oh, I already know." The Empress Dowager Cixi entered the main hall, on which was hung the Kangxi Emperor Yingzhen, and the tablet of the gods, today is the birthday of the Kangxi Emperor, so the Manchu Dynasty civil and military came to Anyou Palace to worship and salute. The Empress Dowager Cixi knelt down and bowed, Prince Gong knelt behind the Empress Dowager Cixi, and the rest of the ministers knelt outside the main hall, listening to the orders of the officials of the Ministry of Rites and bowing, "He has just come back from Ding Wei, and he should arrange a good errand for him," the Empress Dowager Cixi took the incense from the master of ceremonies of the Zongren Mansion, prayed concentratingly, and inserted the three sticks of incense into the incense burner, "Sixth Master, do you think he wants to continue to enter the direct military plane?" ”

"The argument should also be straight, after all, it was in the military aircraft department before," Prince Gong presented three cups of tea, Prince Xuan, Prince Alcohol, and King Fujun held fresh melons and fruits, such a ceremony ended, the Empress Dowager Cixi walked out of the main hall of Anyou Palace, and rested in the side hall, Prince Gong followed, and continued, "It is the emperor's master again, with old qualifications, high morality, and it is also suitable to enter the direct military aircraft, but Zuo Zongtang said that Li Hongzao cannot pass foreign affairs, and he enters the direct military aircraft, which is too restrictive. It's better to let him go to the cabinet to repair the Yingzong record with peace of mind. ”

"This Zuo Zongtang," the Empress Dowager Cixi shook her head slightly and smiled, "I have always been so straightforward and fast-talking, and I tell the truth every day," the Empress Dowager Cixi picked up the tea and asked Prince Gong to sit down too, "The sixth master also sits, Xiao Lizi, the sixth master does not drink Lu'an melon slices, and changes to Biluo Chunlai." ”

Prince Gong confessed, and sat on the small few, the Empress Dowager Cixi smiled, "There is little rain this year, and there are not too many dragon wells in Shifeng before the rain, I have already taken the best two cages for you, you can take them and give them away, or use them yourself." ”

"There is nothing to send, the Manchu Dynasty civil and military, the Queen Mother has a reward, so naturally I don't need to borrow flowers to offer Buddha, among the ambassadors of the countries, only the British are drinking tea, but they don't drink Longjing, before the Japanese ambassador was a guest in my house, I made a cup of Longjing before the rain given by the Queen Mother, he is knowledgeable, Baba has to ask me to ask for Longjing before the rain, I didn't give it to him," Prince Gong smiled, "It's a waste to give him." ”

"That's it," the Empress Dowager Cixi said with a smile, "What kind of good tea do Japanese devils know?" Wouldn't Longjing give him a pearl before the rain? It doesn't matter what kind of tea you have, just give him a little bit. ”

"So the Pu'er who entered Yunnan last time gave him a few cakes," Prince Gong said with a smile, "I heard that the Japanese have a light diet, and I don't know if the stomach can stand this Pu'er after drinking it." ”

The two of them laughed for a while, and the Empress Dowager Cixi mentioned Li Hongzao's errand again, "His moral article is good, but it is too square, Zuo Zongtang is right, he is not a person who does foreign affairs, I am afraid that it will be placed in the military aircraft department, and it will constrain you too much. ”

"There are also things outside, the British are going to visit China, Li Hongzao probably doesn't know the requirements of the British, if he knows, it will inevitably be a big storm. The French are making trouble in Vietnam, as well as Beihai, it is not a simple errand, and there are so many people in the Military Aircraft Department who are already busy, if there is another Li Hongzao, I am afraid that it will not be able to do anything, but it will make trouble, "The Empress Dowager Cixi skimmed the end of the tea, lowered her head and took a sip of tea, "Zuo Zongtang is right, let him rest for a while, and then talk about it after this paragraph." ”

The corners of Prince Gong's mouth hooked up a smile, "Then listen to the Queen Mother." ”

"I'm thinking about handing over the matter of the Eight Banners to the Seventh Master, Sixth Master, what do you think?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked again.

"Seventh?" Prince Gong was slightly stunned, "It's okay, it's just that over the years, he has been idle for a long time, but I'm afraid that some of them can't pick it up, but it will ruin the queen mother's big things." ”

This faintly disagreed, the Empress Dowager Cixi smiled slightly, and pressed her nose with a handkerchief, "The sixth master is distressed by the seventh master, but I don't know, who will feel sorry for the sixth master?" If the affairs of the Eight Banners are not done well," the Queen Mother leaned on the kang, "When the time comes, there will be complaints, this anger will be sent to the sixth master, I am fine, just hide in the palace, and then the sixth master will suffer." ”

Prince Gong smiled bitterly, "Then listen to the Queen Mother." ”

"Then you go back to Feiyunxuan first, and then discuss other matters in the afternoon, I heard that the Lifan Yuan has accepted the credentials from Vietnam?"

"Yes, it was written by the head of Vietnam, Nguyen Van Xiang, with the golden seal of the King of Vietnam, and it was sent to Tianjin by mail ship."

"The French are very strict at sea," the Empress Dowager Cixi was a little surprised, "how did they ship it?" (To be continued.) )