The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 484: Xianfeng, Empress Dowager Cixi, are you going to sell your country? (Happy New Year, and asking for monthly tickets)
Yu Garden, Shanghai.

Wanzhen pouted her little mouth, her face stretched out like an eggplant hit by frost. She followed reluctantly behind her old classmate, Weng Tonghe, who was now both a senior and a class teacher, and wandered around in this small garden. Her heart was in turmoil, as if she had a little rabbit in her arms.

Wanzhen is a student at Suzhou No. 1 Primary School. She is a poor little girl. Her classmates Zhou Xiuying, Wang Xier, Zhang Bao, etc. have all transferred to Tianjing to study at Tianjing No. 1 Primary School. Now, she has firmly taken the last place in the school. No one can "compete" with her. This is not a pleasant feeling. Although she studies very hard every day, and even Senior Weng, who works part-time as a teacher, often gives her special treatment, her efforts are like a dwarf in front of the hopeless talent, and are not worth mentioning at all.

Over the past year or so, Wanzhen's classmates have been replaced like a revolving lantern. Except for the few who transferred, everyone else was able to go to middle school, but she is still struggling in the third grade of elementary school. Many of her former classmates have come back to be her teachers, which is so embarrassing. Thinking back to when everyone happily entered the elementary school together, but now they are almost finishing middle school and some are even coming back to be teachers, but she is still "standing still" in elementary school. And it's not just one or two classmates, almost all of them have left her far behind, which makes Wanzhen doubt her life: Are everyone else geniuses, or is she just an out-and-out fool?
Moreover, Wanzhen always had the illusion that the teacher was teaching just for her. Why? Because other students could basically master elementary school mathematics by self-study. Not to mention Chinese, everyone has a level above that of a scholar, so they don't need to learn it at all. English is the "toughest bone" for them, but it only takes some time. Luo Yaoguo didn't expect these geniuses to master all the English knowledge of elementary school students from grades one to six in a few months, so he arranged two academic years of courses for them to complete in a few months. Everyone learned well, and Wanzhen barely passed, but she was still the last in the school, and she couldn't get rid of this "last" position.

Of course, Wanzhen not only "didn't learn well" in the main subjects, but also didn't do well in the secondary subjects. Those scholars were proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting. In the original history, their large characters and meticulous landscape paintings were treasures that could be sold at auctions. Compared with them, Wanzhen was simply a world apart. She could only regain some confidence in the two subjects of horse riding and musket shooting. After all, she was a bannerman, and she might have some ancestral talent in this area, at least a little better than those Jiangnan scholars.

But Wanzhen still felt that her report card was not good enough to show, and she kept muttering in her heart: When her fiancé sees this score, he will be so angry that he will blow his beard and glare at her, and he may even slap her on the palm. Just as she was thinking about the tragic scene of being slapped on the palm, Weng Tonghe, who was walking in front of her, suddenly stopped as if he was cast a spell. Wanzhen didn't pay attention and almost bumped into his back. The scene was so funny.

"Your Highness, I, Weng Tonghe, am here to see you, along with my classmate Wanzhen." Weng Tonghe spoke in a loud voice, as resonant as a bell.

"Wanzhen is here? Okay, Shengfu, bring her in quickly, it's cold outside." Luo Yaoguo raised his head from the desk, a big smile on his face, and warmly greeted the two people outside to come in quickly.

It is now the third day of the first lunar month of the fifth year of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and it coincides with the first Spring Festival holiday of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Starting from the fifth year of the Tianli calendar, the Tianli calendar has undergone a major transformation, changing the 366 days of a year to 366 days in a leap year and 365 days in a normal year, with a leap year every four years. At the same time, traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival have also "re-emerged." However, Luo Yaoguo does not have the blessing of taking a holiday. He is now a "997" worker who works all year round. This "blessing" is really sweet.

"Your humble servant wishes His Royal Highness the King of Wu a happy old age." As soon as Weng Tonghe entered the room, he bowed to Luo Yaoguo. His posture was so standard.

"Wanzhen wishes His Highness good health and happiness." Wanzhen performed the blessing ceremony in a proper manner. Since Luo Yaoguo took full control of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the kneeling ceremony has been largely abolished. Even when meeting the kings, there is no need to kneel down with a "thump".

"Wanzhen, come here." Luo Yaoguo waved to Wanzhen, who had grown taller and looked more beautiful, and called her over. The little girl took a few cautious steps forward, timidly like a frightened deer.

"What's the matter?" Luo Yaoguo asked with a smile, "Did you fail the final exam?" As he spoke, he glanced at Weng Tonghe, as if to say, "Did you make the questions too difficult and deliberately embarrass our Wanzhen?"

"I passed," Weng Tonghe explained with a smile, "Chinese, math, and English all passed 60 points."

"That's good!" Luo Yaoguo praised Wanzhen first, then asked with a smile, "Zhen'er, what grade are you in?"

"Only in the third grade." Wanzhen's face turned red with shame, and her voice was as small as a mosquito's hum.

"Not bad, not bad!" Luo Yaoguo praised twice in a row, looking at the little girl with a happy face, "You are good, very smart!" This is really the truth! Wanzhen finished three years of classes in one year. Although she just passed the passing line with 60 points in every subject, you have to think about that she is studying in the academician class of a super key primary school. Most of the students studying with her are adults. Almost all of them have passed the examination and become scholars, and a few have passed the imperial examination. What kind of classmates are these! Can the test papers for these people be simple? If it is too simple, everyone will get 100 points. What is the difference? Wanzhen can get 60 points, which means that she has mastered what she should know. She can't do it because the questions are not for people of her level. So, Wanzhen is actually a female academic tyrant disguised as a poor student, but she hasn't discovered it yet.

"You did very well in the exam, so I'll give you a New Year's gift!" Luo Yaoguo still liked the cute female academic master, so he smiled and took out a big red envelope and stuffed it into Wanzhen's pocket. Wanzhen, who didn't know she was actually very good, took the red envelope with a face full of shame, and secretly made up her mind: I must work harder in the next semester and strive to finish the fourth grade homework, and I can't be so "last" anymore.

Luo Yaoguo took Wanzhen's hand affectionately and looked at her with a smile. The little girl had grown taller, and there was a little more bookish air between her eyebrows. She looked more and more likable.

"Wanzhen, do you know that the emperor of the Qing Dynasty has been changed?" Luo Yaoguo asked with a smile.

Wanzhen was startled, and a nervous look instantly appeared on her face: "No, I don't know about Lord Xianfeng." "He may have been captured by the Eastern King." Luo Yaoguo frowned slightly when he said this. He has placed spies on both Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing's side, but the news that has been reported recently is confusing. Hong Xiuquan seems to have been seriously injured, and it is even possible that he has died, because he has not appeared in public for a long time, and the secret line developed by the Dark Hall in Hong Xiuquan's female camp has also completely lost contact recently. And Xianfeng should have been captured, because the Qing Dynasty really changed the emperor, and now it is the first year of Tongde! The captured Xianfeng is still the "Keeping Emperor". He just opened the Fengyang County not long ago, and is currently wandering around Luzhou Prefecture. However, there are also rumors that this Xianfeng is an imposter.

"Ah?" Although Wanzhen tried hard to suppress her emotions, she couldn't help but exclaimed, "Then my sister and eldest prince..."

Luo Yaoguo said, "According to the news from Tianjin, the eldest prince is now Prince Fu, and your sister has moved out of the palace and moved into the former Prince Gong's Mansion, now Prince Fu's Mansion. But..." Luo Yaoguo paused and emphasized his tone, "I want her to be the queen mother and Zaichun to be the Khan of the Later Jin! Zhen'er, do you have a way to contact your sister?"

Wanzhen nodded slightly: "Yes, my sister said." She hesitated for a moment and looked at Luo Yaoguo again.

"Go ahead!" Luo Yaoguo said, "Zhen'er, I won't blame you for hiding something from me. If I'm not mistaken, your sister and your brother-in-law must have arranged a secret agent in Shanghai to contact you, right?"

Wanzhen nodded again: "Your Highness is really wise, Ronglu who sent me here is now in Shanghai!"

Luo Yaoguo smiled and said, "Okay, then we have a channel!"

Just as he said this, Xu Yuegui's voice came from outside Dianchun Hall: "Your Highness, Zhu Ba has good news!" Zhu Ba has led his team to land in Haizhou on the ships of the Nanyang Fleet and the merchant ships rented by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Navy Department. If everything goes well, the landing should be successful on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and it is time to report back the good news.

"Come in!" Luo Yaoguo greeted him with a smile. Then Xu Yuegui, wearing a tight red coat that outlined her curvy figure, walked in with a smile and bowed to Luo Yaoguo: "Your Highness, double happiness!"

"Double happiness?" Luo Yaoguo asked with a smile, "The first happiness should be Zhu Ba's successful landing in Haizhou, right? What's the other happiness?"

"Your Highness, who do you think controls Haizhou City now?" Xu Yuegui kept the question in suspense.

"In whose hands?" Luo Yaoguo asked with a smile.

"Xianfeng!" Xu Yuegui shouted, "The real Xianfeng, not the fake one in the hands of the Eastern King!"

"Haha, this is really interesting!" Luo Yaoguo looked back at Wanzhen, "Wanzhen, take Sister Yuegui to find Ronglu for me. I want to discuss a big deal with him, no, it should be with Xianfeng and your sister!"

Wanzhen did not agree immediately after hearing this. Instead, she stared at Luo Yaoguo with her eyes wide open, and said crisply, "Your Highness, you said you wanted to discuss a big deal with my brother-in-law and sister, but you don't know what a big deal this is?"

Luo Yaoguo raised his lips, revealing a half-smile, and laughed: "Hey, this deal is incredible, it's a big deal of selling out one's country! I heard that your sister is the most knowledgeable about selling out one's country for fame. If she wants her son to become the Khan of the Later Jin, I can help her!"

Wanzhen blinked her bright eyes and asked with a puzzled look on her face: "The eldest brother is the Khan of the Later Jin? Then where does my brother-in-law stand?"

Hearing this, Luo Yaoguo smiled coldly, with a hint of teasing in his laughter: "Him? I want to see if he can fight Gong Laoliu to the death!"

(End of this chapter)