[Comprehensive] Emperor

No smoking

Empress Dowager Ci'an died on March [-], the seventh year of Guangxu, and was buried in Dingdong Tomb in Puxiang Valley.Empress Dowager Cixi kept vigil for Empress Dowager Ci'an all night without a drop of water. All the ministers praised the two empress dowagers for their deep love, but only a few people knew whether the vigil was sincere.

Li Tan carried away the little rabbit of Empress Dowager Cixi, and the little rabbit lay obediently in his arms, licking his fingers, showing its intimacy and love for him.

Empress Dowager Ci'an is more noble than Cixi in terms of status, and the funeral was held with great grandeur this time, which was simply a great sympathy for the whole country.

After Ci'an's funeral was over and everything returned to normal, Li Tan personally found the Empress Dowager Cixi. At this time, the Empress Dowager Cixi was not very energetic. The busy days and the half-true grief obviously made her mentally exhausted.

Cixi leaned lazily on the bed, squinted her eyes and asked, "What is the emperor looking for Aijia?"

Li Tan thought to herself that the Empress Dowager Cixi would be able to control the power by herself, because Ci'an was not around this time.This master made him feel embarrassed and phobic, but no matter how much he disliked his attitude, Li Tan still didn't show it: "That's it, I decided to start learning how to govern the country after today."

After hearing Li Tan's words, Cixi opened her eyes, and she looked at Li Tan with obvious surprise: "Oh? Didn't the emperor always hate the way of governing the country, why did he take the initiative to say that he wants to learn now?"

Li Tan took a deep breath, and his face showed the determination to do something after going through the wind and snow: "The matter of the Empress Dowager Ci'an made me think a lot, and it was because I was ignorant and unwilling to bear my responsibilities. It will make Empress Dowager Ci'an too exhausted to deal with state affairs...I don't want you, Empress Dowager Cixi, to be too tired because of state affairs, so you decide to study political affairs, strive to be in charge of the government as soon as possible, govern the country, and share your worries.

The Empress Dowager Cixi stared at Li Tan for a long time, as if she wanted to judge whether he had the ambition to seize power or what he wanted to do with a pure heart...

Li Tan is a good actor, although he has never made a movie.But he is a person who is very good at disguising. He has been pretending to be ignorant for several years, and he can also pretend to be a prodigal son.No, even if Cixi had a delicate heart, she was deceived by Li Tan's expression. She chuckled and said, "I didn't expect... After this incident, the emperor has grown up. So, the emperor has taken a fancy to it." Which minister do you want them to be your masters?"

Li Tan also heard that these words were tentative. If he said that he wanted a minister, then the minister must have been ostracized in a few days. After all, Cixi would suspect that the minister had instigated Li Tan to learn political affairs.Therefore, Li Tan just pretended to be thinking, and then replied: "I have been thinking for a long time but I have not been able to think of a suitable candidate, so it is all up to the Queen Mother to decide. The teacher chosen by the Queen Mother is naturally the best teacher. "

Obviously, Li Tan's performance was very good, which satisfied the Empress Dowager Cixi, and said with a smile: "So, let Li Zhongtang be the emperor's master. Li Zhongtang is knowledgeable and talented, and the emperor will definitely benefit a lot."

Who is Li Zhongtang?That is the famous Li Hongzhang, who has done wrong things in his life, but he is also a commendable courtier.But in this declining late Qing Dynasty, he can be regarded as a reusable talent.If this late Qing Dynasty hadn't been supported by his old bones, it might have gone to ruin earlier.Therefore, when dealing with Li Hongzhang, Li Tan planned to treat Li Hongzhang well, take it for himself and treat him well, maybe it could help him overcome some sorrows.

"Then it's all up to the Empress Dowager." After discussing this matter, Li Tan chatted with Empress Dowager Cixi for a while before leaving. He had to prepare for many things.

For Li Hongzhang, who was lying innocently in this incident, in fact, when he first knew that he wanted to teach the little emperor, he refused in his heart.Teaching the emperor is not a good job. If you teach well, it is your duty. If you don't teach well, it will be a great crime.And now the Empress Dowager Cixi is in power, he already knew what kind of woman the Empress Dowager Cixi was during the entire Tongzhi period, and now that the Empress Dowager Ci'an is not here...she is so powerful and irresistible.So, even if he taught the emperor well, he might be angered by this woman.

Li Tan didn't know that Li Hongzhang took the matter of becoming the emperor's teacher as a sudden disaster.He could only think about how to use his imperial majesty to subdue this important courtier in the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, when facing Li Hongzhang's lectures, what Li Tan showed was not as stupid and arrogant as before, but like a spoiled little emperor who was ignorant and ignorant.At this time, he was humble, studious and very intelligent. He knew how to draw inferences on the issues of governing the country and the arguments in the Four Books and Five Classics. This surprised Li Hongzhang, but he was also very pleased.

After getting acquainted with each other gradually, the relationship between the two people also developed as a teacher and a friend. On that day, Li Hongzhang asked tentatively: "I heard from those masters before that the emperor hates learning, but now I personally teach it, but I find that the rumors are wrong. The emperor is obviously very smart."

Li Tan didn't know whether Li Hongzhang was testing whether he was really stupid or hiding his clumsiness.Li Tan knew that now was the good opportunity he had been waiting for for a long time, so he would not pretend to be stupid. He just smiled and said to Li Hongzhang: "Since it is a rumor, there must be a reason for the rumor to spread. It is suitable to pretend to be stupid in front of some people. But in front of some people, you just need to be yourself. I don’t know, Li Zhongtang thinks what I said is right.”

Li Hongzhang didn't expect the little emperor to be so frank, and guessed in his heart that the little emperor really wanted to recruit himself into the gang.In fact, getting along these days made him feel that after the emperor took power, he might really be able to bring peace and well-being to the people of the Qing Dynasty. Thinking of this, he continued to test: "What the emperor said is naturally reasonable, but the emperor is not worried about some Is it not good for the emperor to show things too early?"

Li Tan shook his head with a wry smile, and made a helpless look: "I didn't want to do that at first, but I can only say that Empress Dowager Ci'an left too early, and I had to mature earlier."

Li Hongzhang thought it was what the Empress Dowager Ci'an said to the Emperor before her death. After all, it was no secret that the Emperor was the last person the Empress Dowager Ci'an saw before her death. He quickly asked, "What did the Emperor find out?"

Li Tan put down the writing brush in his hand, stood up, went to the bookshelf and took the book casually, and continued: "It's not that I found something, but some things have been there all the time, and no one dared to mention them. In fact, for me It doesn't matter whether the person in power is a man or a woman, as long as it can bring prosperity to the country, that's good. But today's Qing Dynasty can be said to be troubled by external and internal troubles, and if it is not properly rectified, we don't know how it will end."

Li Hongzhang was a little surprised that the little emperor in front of him would say such a thing, and quickly said: "External troubles and internal troubles? The emperor is a little alarmist. Although the current Qing Dynasty is not as prosperous as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras, it can be regarded as a prosperous country and a peaceful people."

Seeing Li Hongzhang smiling, the sarcasm and contempt in his smile were too obvious, which made Li Hongzhang feel uncomfortable but unable to get angry: "I didn't expect Li Zhongtang to say such self-comforting words. But I don’t know how much it has fallen behind other countries. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the past, and the White Lotus Sect today. In the past, opium was sold out in Humen, but now there are still not a few people who smoke opium among the people. The so-called peace is false. When you are in the capital, you see Not to the scars beneath the glitz."

Li Tan's voice became louder because of his emotions, and Li Hongzhang was so shocked that he couldn't say anything for a while.

Obviously, Li Tan did not intend to let Li Hongzhang go, and continued: "I don't want to fight for anything, and I don't want to grab anything. This country belongs to me. As an emperor, I will naturally not let my subjects and people be threatened. Li Hongzhang , if you really regard me as an emperor and you as a courtier of the Qing Dynasty, then...you should do something to avoid future wars and the subjugation of the country!"

Li Tan's eyes were extremely sharp, and there was a light in them that Li Hongzhang dared not look directly at.

It also reminded him of his feelings when he first became an official, and also thought of his initial dissatisfaction with Cixi, but now it doesn't matter.

Being in a high position will always make people confused or even go the wrong way. The life is too comfortable, and he has almost forgotten his original wish to be an official.

Li Hongzhang knelt down on the ground in shame: "I know I was wrong! I am willing to obey the emperor's orders, and I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Li Tan smiled like a treacherous fox this time, but he still looked at Li Hongzhang righteously: "With Li Zhongtang's words, I can rest assured! Come here with your ears..."

A few days later, the ministers headed by Li Hongzhang unanimously demanded that opium be banned again, and wrote that opium would not be removed. After a few years, the Qing Dynasty would have no one who could fight. When the country was weak and the people were weak, the Qing Dynasty was in danger of subjugation.He also emphasized that even if the British are offended this time, the ban on opium is imperative.

Cixi still has a little timidity towards foreigners, but she also knows that if the common people become sick, then she, the empress dowager, will have done her best, so she agreed to the "fire again" proposed by Li Hongzhang and others.

Gunpowder activities are very difficult, because after the actual investigation, Li Hongzhang found that just as the little emperor in the palace said, opium has spread all over the country, there are people who smoke opium everywhere, and the people who smoke opium have lost their lives. Human nature, selling children, daughters, and wives for opium can do anything, which faintly brings him a feeling of purgatory on earth.

He confiscated all the opium and lit it at the gate of the city. The fire lasted for three days and three nights, which seemed to have awakened the long-sleeping ambition of the Qing Dynasty, and also awakened the dissatisfaction of foreigners with the Qing Dynasty.