The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 505: Prince Albert's Delusion and Tsar Alexander's Envoy
"Garlic and Coptis chinensis, what is Coptis chinensis?"

Prince Albert knew about garlic and had eaten it, but he had never heard of Coptis chinensis. Now that his life span was at stake, of course he had to ask for more information.

"It's a herb. I've seen it in a missionary's notebook. It seems that China uses it to treat diarrhea." The chief medical officer of Buckingham Palace is indeed knowledgeable and even knows about Coptis chinensis, which is said to be "a dumb person eating Coptis chinensis but unable to express his pain."

Did I die of diarrhea? Prince Albert wondered how he might die.

Viscount Palmerston's words interrupted Prince Albert's fanciful thoughts: "Prince, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's envoy said that their prime minister knows a special prescription that requires a large amount of garlic and coptis root. They can be used as the main ingredients to make a special medicine that can treat digestive tract diseases and help prolong life."

Prince Albert's eyes lit up. "Can it cure digestive diseases? Does it also include stomach problems?"

Stomach problems were one of the three main factors that destroyed health, along with hard work and Queen Victoria.
"I think so," said Lord Palmerston, "but the Taiping Prime Minister had no way of finding chemists and pharmacists in China who could help him make medicine, and lacked experimental and production equipment."

"Then send it to him!" Queen Victoria said sternly, "Duke, leave this matter to your British Magic Committee and do it quickly!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The 2nd Duke of Wellington stood at attention and immediately accepted the glorious mission of "saving Prince Albert" given by Her Majesty the Queen. "I will find chemists and pharmacists who are willing to go to China to conduct magic potion research in the shortest possible time, and I will also prepare the necessary experimental and production equipment!"

Queen Victoria turned her attention to Viscount Palmerston.

The British Prime Minister understood what the Queen wanted to ask, and he immediately replied: "Your Majesty, there is no principled disagreement between us and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and we will soon be able to conclude the Sino-British Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation."

The Queen was about to say "yes" when Prince Albert came back to his senses: "Wait, have we and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom resolved our differences over the Treaty of Nanjing?"

"No." The Prime Minister shook his head.

"How can we achieve cooperation without bridging the differences?" Prince Albert stared at the elderly and slightly decrepit prime minister in front of him, and his words once again echoed with his former majesty.

"Prince, the thing is, the Treaty of Nanjing was signed between Britain and the Qing Dynasty, not the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom," the British Prime Minister explained hastily. "Moreover, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's envoy also denied that his country was the successor state of the Qing Dynasty."

"So." Prince Albert's mind was still working quickly, "Can our country still openly maintain official exchanges with the Qing Dynasty, export arms to them and send military advisers?"

"Yes." Viscount Palmerston nodded. "Since we have no way to force the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to recognize the Treaty of Nanjing, and we also need them, then not considering the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom as the successor state of the Qing Dynasty is also an acceptable solution."

"No, this plan is very good!" Prince Albert said excitedly, "We can cooperate with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom while actively assisting the Qing Dynasty!" A sneer appeared on his pale face, "Maybe we can let the Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom continue the long-term confrontation between the north and the south!"

This prince is truly worthy of being the husband of the Queen of England. Even though his death was predicted by Luo Yaoguo, he still didn't forget to stir up trouble. He is determined to stir up trouble even if he dies!

Viscount Palmerston bowed slightly and said, "This is also what the Cabinet believes is the best solution to the China issue."

In April 1855, a heavy rainstorm lashed the cobblestone streets of Vienna. A dilapidated carriage sped through the midnight. Wu Chongyao clutched his enamel cigarette case and held a lit pipe in his mouth as he sat in the leaky carriage. The silver cross of the Apostolic Nuncio Bishop Viale-Prera ​​kept hitting the window as the carriage was bumped. He was not wearing a gorgeous cassock, but only a shabby and dirty monk's robe, and holding a Bible whose paper had turned yellow.

"Is your mission in France and England going well?" the bishop suddenly whispered in English.

"Of course, everything went well!" Wu Chongyao pulled open the curtains and looked outside. There were no pedestrians on the streets of Vienna in the heavy rain, and there seemed to be no other carriages running. This was really a good day for a secret meeting.

"I heard that the French established the Napoleon I School of Magic and the British established the Magic Committee. They are planning to send people to China to explore the mysteries of magic. Is there really magic?" the Vatican ambassador asked again.

"Of course magic is real!" Wu Chongyao grinned, "Otherwise who could have predicted the Tsar's death several months in advance? And why would the British and French suddenly become so interested in magic? As for the Russians' 10 million gold rubles! Hahaha!"

Amid Wu Chongyao's laughter, the driver suddenly tightened the reins, and the two horses pulling the carriage exhaled a puff of white air, neighed a few times, and finally stopped in the rain. Wu Chongyao pushed open the door, stepped on the puddles and got off the carriage. A dilapidated little church with the statue of Jesus on the cross almost rotting appeared before his eyes.

"We are here, right here." Bishop Viale-Prera ​​held up an umbrella. "Let's go. Don't keep the Russian ambassador waiting for too long. He came with 10 million gold rubles."

As he spoke, he and Wu Chongyao walked towards the church door. There were only three candles lit in the church, and the damp and cold stone walls were covered with mold. Ambassador Gorchakov stood in front of the broken statue of the Virgin Mary, holding an umbrella in his hand, and the Russian Grand Duchess in a black robe sat on a bench, holding a heavy briefcase in her hand.

"You're finally here!" Ambassador Gorchakov heard the creaking sound of the door being pushed open, and immediately turned around to look at the two visitors who were soaked by the rain. After making sure there was no one behind them, he waved at them, "Come over here!"

Seeing the two people walking away quickly, the Russian ambassador bowed slightly to the Grand Duchess sitting next to him and said, "Natalia, the envoys from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom have arrived."

The Grand Duchess then stood up. She was very tall, and her black cloak concealed her proud figure. Only her beautiful face like a porcelain doll was particularly eye-catching in the candlelight.

"She is." Wu Chongyao looked at the woman in front of him and asked in English.

"I'm Natalia Mihaylovna Romanova." Natalia introduced herself in English.

"Romanova." Wu Chongyao already understood the other party's background. "So, did you bring the gold rubles?"

Natalia held up the briefcase in her hand: "Ten million gold rubles have been deposited in the Vienna Bank under a pseudonym. The withdrawal voucher is here. The Vienna Bank only recognizes these vouchers!"

"Very good!" Wu Chongyao nodded, took out an envelope and handed it to Gorchakov.

The Russian ambassador took the envelope, opened it quickly, took out the letter with English cursive writing, looked at it in the dim candlelight, and whispered: "Kerch Peninsula Landing Battle, May 1855, the number of allied forces exceeded 5"

"What do you think? This prophecy is worth 10 million gold rubles, right?" Wu Chongyao smiled and stretched out his right hand, wanting to take the briefcase from Natalia.

Natalia stood there motionless.

"Natalia, give him the briefcase!" The Russian ambassador carefully put away the intelligence worth 10 million gold rubles. Seeing that Natalia had not handed over the briefcase yet, he hurriedly urged her.

The value of the information provided by Wu Chongyao far exceeds 10 million gold rubles!
If the Russian army could set up an ambush in advance on the Kerch Peninsula and launch a successful ambush, severely damaging the Allied landing forces, then the Russian army would not only be able to maintain the logistics line of the Sevastopol fortress, but there is also a high probability that the war would be delayed until 1856.

By 1856, the Russian army had a great chance of winning in the Caucasus battlefield, and could even enter the Anatolian Plateau! The Ottoman Empire would face the crisis of collapse, and in this case, the possibility of Russia ending the war decently would greatly increase.

More importantly, Wu Chongyao’s “intelligence line” must not be cut off!

Natalia did not hand the briefcase to Wu Chongyao, but walked up to him and said firmly, "Mr. Special Envoy, please arrange for me to go to China. I want to meet Prince Luo Yaoguo!"

"What?" Wu Chongyao was stunned. Looking at this beautiful Russian Grand Duchess, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing Wu Chongyao in a daze, Natalia bit her teeth again and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Special Envoy, I am actually the special envoy of Tsar Alexander II. Now, there is a Tatar Dynasty sandwiched between the Russian Empire and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom! Doesn't he want to join forces with us to attack the Tatar Dynasty?"

It seems interesting!

Wu Chongyao looked at the Grand Duchess. She was as beautiful as Maria, but her temperament was completely different. Maria was like a loyal servant of Luo Yaoguo, and had a religious devotion to him. However, the Russian Grand Duchess had an aggressive aura and looked like a queen of the Romanov family.

"Well, since you are the special envoy of His Majesty the Tsar." Wu Chongyao glanced at Gorchakov, and seeing that the latter had no objection, he nodded heavily and said, "Then I will arrange for you to go to China!"

"Thank you." Natalia handed the briefcase in her hand to Wu Chongyao, curled the corners of her mouth and revealed a charming smile, "I hope our two countries can become allies who rely on each other!"

"But." Gorchakov suddenly reacted at this time and wanted to stop it.

Natalia said to him in Russian in an unquestionable tone: "Ambassador, I have a secret order from His Majesty the Tsar. Russia needs me to go to the East. I want to go there to find the truth of magic!"

(End of this chapter)