Chapter 909 Secret History of Qing Palace
Early in the morning of April 8, 1881, Zhongzi Palace in Beijing!
Jing Yi, the palace maid, walked around the courtyard. Finally, she gritted her teeth and opened the palace door to rush out.
Outside the palace gate, many guards stopped him. Eunuch Li Gui was walking over from afar with a food box. Seeing this, he hurriedly rushed forward and pulled Jing Yi, who had been grabbed by the guards, behind him.
"Jingyi! You slut, why aren't you taking good care of the Empress Dowager in the palace? What are you doing?"
Jing Yi looked at Li Gui awkwardly, and Li Gui hurriedly winked at Jing Yi with her back facing the guard.
Jing Yi knelt down helplessly and bowed to Li Gui,
"Eunuch Li, the Empress Dowager is seriously ill. I want to see the imperial physician!"
"Impudent! Why would the imperial physician listen to your humble servant's summons?" After a slight pause, Li Gui said, "I'm serving by the Empress Dowager's side today. She already knows about the Empress Dowager's illness. Their sisters are very affectionate, so they will naturally arrange a suitable imperial physician to check on her. Hurry up and take good care of the Empress Dowager for the miscellaneous family. Be careful of your life if anything happens!"
With that, Li Gui quickly stepped forward and pulled Jing Yi back to Zhong Zi Palace, closing the door tightly!
'"Little aunt, why are you so stupid? There are people from the Empress Dowager of the Western Palace outside. Now that the Yehnala clan is in the palace wall, she has secretly summoned everyone in the Zhong Zi Palace to leave. The guards can kill anyone on shootout and be accused of stealing!" Li Gui whispered in Jing Yi's ear.
Jing Yi was only fifteen years old this year, and she was also a smart maidservant.
She naturally knew the situation on her side, but now, Empress Dowager Donggong was already terminally ill. If she didn't find someone to treat her, she might really die!
At this moment, someone outside the palace suddenly shouted,
"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
Li Gui and Jing Yi's faces immediately turned pale. They hurriedly opened the palace door and knelt down to welcome them!
In the future, the Empress Dowager of West Dowager would be forty-seven years old, and she would be in her prime.
She strolled into the courtyard of Zhong Zi Palace, followed by two guards with sabers and Li Lian Ying, the head of the eunuch.
Speaking of eunuch Li Gui and Li Lianying, they still had some relatives. However, Li Guiping was by the side of East Empress Dowager Ci An, while Li Lianying was Ci Xi's personal slave!
On the surface, the two of them had a hostile relationship, but in private, their relationship was very close and harmonious!
Life in the palace wasn't easy for the eunuchs. If they didn't have some connections in the dark, it would be very difficult for them to get along.
Masters are enemies, but servants can become friends. Mutual reporting of information enables the other party to claim credit in front of his master. This is also a way of survival.
At this time, Li Gui and Jing Yi both knelt on the ground. Cixi did not even look at them and directly walked into the bedroom of Zhong Zi Palace.
Jing Yi looked nervous and hurriedly got up to follow him!
"Who told you to get up, bold servant?" Li Lianying shouted angrily when she saw this.
The eunuchs and maids of the Clock Essence Palace all ran to the courtyard to receive Cixi. They had already knelt on the ground. Hearing Li Lianying's roar, they immediately crawled on the ground, not even daring to breathe.
Only the little palace maid, Jing Yi, remained unafraid in the face of danger and stood there stubbornly.
The Empress Dowager turned around and looked at Jing Yi. Then, she smiled and said, "Lian Ying, my sister is recovering. If you roar and scream like this, it will disturb her Qing Xiu. Shut up!"
Hearing her master's words, Li Lianying hurriedly knelt on the ground and said that this slave deserved to die.
Cixi ignored him and said to Jing Yi, "Are you Jing Yi, the personal maid next to my sister? Come with me. My sister's condition has deteriorated and there is no one to take care of her. I'm still worried!"
After saying that, Cixi pushed open the door and directly walked in, ignoring the people kneeling outside.
Jing Yi gritted her teeth and finally followed him into the room!
The bedroom was somewhat dim. A woman was lying weakly on the big bed. Beside her was a baby that looked to have just been born a few days ago.
Jing Yi entered the room and quickly lit the candle lamp. After that, she ran to the bedside and lowered her head to stand without saying a word.
The Empress Dowager slowly spun around the room and finally sat down on a chair. She sighed and said,
"If I don't come for a few days, I feel that my sister's bedroom seems to have fallen a lot. What a pity!"
"I have already given you all the power in the palace. What else do you want?" The woman on the bed coughed weakly a few times and said weakly.
"I don't want to do anything, just feel a pity! Big sister, I seem to be two years older than you, but I've called you big sister for so many years! In the future, when my sister is gone, I may be left alone! Sister has been hiding in the Zhong Zi Palace for the past few months, and the ministers are already suspicious! Ai, after all, you are the Donggong Empress Dowager. You should be respected in this imperial harem, but unfortunately, the current you are shameful! "Sister, I'm a little scared. I'm afraid that if your matter were to be leaked out, I would lose all of the face of the previous emperor. What do you think we should do?" Empress Dowager Ci Xi said in a sad tone, as if she was really worried.
"Hmph, Yehnala, do you still have the face of a former emperor in your eyes? I heard that Zeng Jize signed the Treaty of Ili and the Charter of Land Trade with Russia more than two months ago. According to these two treaties, although we can take back the Ili and no longer cede the River Tieks, the area west of the Horgos River will be occupied by Russia; The Imperial Court actually wanted to pay 50,000 silver taels of compensation to the Tsarist Russia? Empress Dowager Ci An's tone was a little excited, and she coughed again. "Are you so weak and worthy of the previous emperor?"
Cixi's gaze was indifferent. After a long time, she said softly,
"I also have no way, beat again and again, in order to let the war subsided, can only cede land compensation! I did this precisely to protect Great Qing's inheritance. Sister, don't distract yourself from the topic. Let me tell you one thing. I have already executed the guards who committed adultery with you. Apart from the people in the Zhong Zi Palace, no one else in this world knows about your scandal! The reason why I'm here today is to say goodbye to you! Lian Ying is my man. He will stay by my side for the rest of his life to help you keep this secret. Do you have anything else you want to say before you leave? "
Ci An trembled as she sat up from her bed. She finally understood. It seemed that Cixi had taken control of a lot of power in the past few months. This time, she came to kill her.
The east and west palaces were hanging down the curtains to listen to the government for several years. As the Empress of Xianfeng, Ci An had always suppressed the noble imperial concubine of Xianfeng.
Now everything had changed. She had made a mistake and was caught by someone else. In order to save face, she could only give up power.
Ci An didn't have the mood to pay attention to the affairs of the country anymore. She looked at the baby sleeping beside her and tears rolled down her eyes!
After a long time, Ci An raised her head to look at Cixi and said in a hoarse voice,
"Little sister, can you let this child go? You can let Li Lianying adopt him. He is innocent and he doesn't know anything! In the future, can you let him be an ordinary guard in the palace? Or can you just send him to the people and become an ordinary person?"
Cixi frowned slightly and did not say anything.
Ci An slowly climbed down from the bed, knelt on the ground and crawled in front of Cixi. She kowtowed and said,
"Sister, you and I have been widowed for more than twenty years! I know that you must have been a little unfaithful in the palace these past few years, but I did not send anyone to investigate you deliberately, so I was unable to catch you!
Now I've lost! I admit it!
But can you spare me for Zai Chun's sake?
I once treated your child sincerely, but now can you spare my child as well? "
Looking at Ci An, who was already crying to tears, Cixi frowned even more and recalled the past.
After he entered the palace, he bestowed the title of Noble Prince Yi. The next year, he became a concubine, and four years later, he gave birth to the eldest son of the Emperor, Ai Xinjueluo
After the death of Emperor Xianfeng, Zai Chun ascended to the throne and became Emperor Tongzhi.
As the biological mother of Tongzhi, he became the Virgin Empress Dowager and Ci'an became the Empress Dowager. The situation of the Eastern and Western Palaces' Empress Dowagers hanging down the curtains and obeying the government took shape, and the battle between the Eastern and Western Palaces' Empress Dowagers began!
Now that Prince Chun's son, Zai Tian, had entered the Great General Stage, his own son, Zai Chun, had passed away a few years ago.
At that time, Ci'an really cared for Zai Chun and treated him as if he had come out.
Speaking of which, Ci An was considered a qualified Empress Dowager. She was virtuous and virtuous, and also had the ability to govern a country!
However, she was a person with a strong desire for power. Cixi had no choice but to admit that she had always been looking forward to the day when she would be able to take over all the power!
But when this day was really right in front of her, Cixi felt a little lonely.
She did not like Ci An, because she had always been a woman who placed pressure on her rights.
She also liked Ci'an a little, because she and this woman had been accompanying each other for more than twenty years since Emperor Xianfeng's death!
After pondering for a long time, Cixi finally nodded. She stood up and prepared to leave. When she reached the door, she stopped and said,
"Sister, sister retired!
At dusk, I will let Lian Ying take the child away and bring you the last meal!
Lian Ying is a slave beside me, too eye-catching.
He seems to have some relatives with that servant beside you, Li Gui. I heard that Li Gui already has two adopted sons. How about this, let's let Li Gui have another adopted son, called Li Guisan!
Tonight, the Eastern Palace Empress Dowager will die. All the eunuchs and maids serving in the Central Palace will need to be buried with her to apologize!
Li Lianying would adopt Li Gui's three adopted sons, and after this incident, there would be no more stories or legends about the Eastern Palace Empress Dowager!
"Sister, do you think this is a good story?"
Empress Dowager Ci An's face revealed a look of joy. She knelt on the ground behind Cixi and said in a trembling voice,
"Niuhulu Ruifen, respectfully send off the Virgin Empress Dowager!"
A triumphant smile finally appeared on Cixi's face. She strolled out of the bedroom and brought Li Lianying out of Zhong Zi Palace.
"From now on, no one is allowed to enter, and no one is allowed to leave. Those who disobey will be killed!"
This was the last thing Cixi said to the guards when she left Zhong Zi Palace!
From today onwards, it was all over.
And from today onwards, it was also a new beginning!
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