The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 524: Behind closed doors, capture Xianfeng! The new emperor is called Tongzhi (seeking subscription, requesting tickets)
July 15, the fifth year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign, Yuanmingyuan.

The twelve animal heads on the large fountain outside Haiyan Hall shone with metallic luster in the morning light. Concubine Yi was pacing back and forth in Haiyan Hall in her flower-pot shoes on the Persian carpet. Her eyes moved from the animal heads outside the window to the table where the flintlock rifle "gifted by Emperor Xianfeng", the empty "secret decree box" and the enamel tobacco box that Luo Yaoguo asked Wanzhen to bring to her were placed.

The letter raft with the prophecy "Xianfeng will kill Tongde, and the Qing Dynasty will be destroyed" was twisted into a ball and held in her palm.

The "bed" and "pillow" that she had shared with Emperor Tongde before were in this bedroom. Little Zaichun was now lying on the bed, sleeping soundly, holding in his arms the embroidered pillow that his mother and uncle had shared.

"Your Majesty, Li Hongzhang's 6,000 Beiyang troops have surrounded the Old Summer Palace." Yuan Bao, his hat soaked with dew, hurried in from outside, his voice trembling in a deliberately low voice, "He said that he would like to invite Your Majesty to the West Court Room outside the palace gate to discuss matters."

"Li Hongzhang is so arrogant!" Miss Wanzhen, who was sitting nearby and yawning and feeling a little sleepy, suddenly became alert and said with her eyes wide open, "How dare he, a minister, ask the master to go out and see him!"

Concubine Yi sneered: "Li Hongzhang is no longer an ordinary minister, and I don't know how long I, as his master, can keep doing this."

"When?" Wanzhen said with a smile, "With the support of His Royal Highness Prince Wu, my sister's Queen Mother of the Later Jin Khan can do it whenever she wants!"

Imperial Concubine Yi looked at her sister with a gleam of lightning in her eyes: "Oh, you trust him so much? He hasn't used your body yet, right?"

Wanzhen blushed: "I, I'm still young"

Imperial Concubine Yi nodded, "Yes, you are still young and don't know the affairs of the imperial family! The imperial family is the most ruthless." She sighed softly, "It is said that Emperor Xianfeng was captured by the Taipings. In order to survive and protect the eldest prince, your sister had to give herself to Gong Laoliu! This is selling yourself! Later, in order to overthrow Gong Laoliu, I had to join forces with the spies of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and even put my handprint on the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom-Later Jin Treaty". This is selling out the country! Can Emperor Xianfeng still want me, a concubine who sells herself and sells out the country? Even if he doesn't think I'm dirty, how can the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom-Later Jin Treaty" be implemented? If I don't implement the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom-Later Jin Treaty", can your King Wu let me go? Sister, tell me, should I go to the West Court Room to see Li Hongzhang now?"

"But...but this Li Hongzhang also has ulterior motives!" Wanzhen was quite vigilant and could see that something was wrong with Li Hongzhang.

"It doesn't matter," Imperial Concubine Yi smiled bitterly, "We still have Zeng Guofan! There is only one person wearing the yellow robe. As long as Zeng and Li can control each other, the Qing Dynasty can be maintained. That's it, go to the West Court Room outside the palace gate!"

Li Hongzhang's western boots stepped on the floor tiles of the west court room outside the palace gate. Mathilde, wearing a female western military uniform, sat on a grand chair, holding a western sword with her white-gloved hands and a tricorn hat on her head. Her eyes were curved with smiles when she looked at Li Hongzhang. Outside, the rifles in the hands of the infantrymen of the Third Regiment of the Beiyang New Army shone blue in the morning light. Eighteen French cuirassiers rode western horses back and forth, and the armor on their chests was polished like a mirror, reflecting people's shadows.

Feng Guifen came quickly with the sealed military report: "General, Xianfeng led 3,000 infantry and cavalry and has passed Wanping City!"

Li Hongzhang didn't even raise his eyelids: "Xianfeng killed Tongde, and the Qing Dynasty was destroyed! Even if he returns to Beijing, he can't turn the tide." Before he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar. Hundreds of lancers of the Beiyang Army led by Duolong'a rolled in like a whirlwind, and several bloody human heads were hung on the saddle of each war horse - these were the heads of the Eight Banners soldiers who stayed behind in the inner city of Beijing, and were killed indiscriminately by Duolong'a's Eight Banners soldiers and Boyong's Green Camp soldiers!

“Report to the Marshal!” Duolong’a dismounted, his two hideous heads still dripping with blood. “The Eight Banners soldiers who refused to obey the rules in Beijing have been dealt with. The nine inner gates, seven outer gates, four gates of the imperial city, four gates of the palace city, and four gates of the dragon vein mouth are all under the control of our Beiyang New Army. The money-hungry bastards of the Fifth Battalion of Patrols took the silver dollars and all said they would obey your orders!”

Li Hongzhang then smiled and said, "Jingting, go and urge her again. Tell her that His Majesty is about to enter the city. If she doesn't come, I will go to greet him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a duck-like voice shouting from inside the palace gate: "The Imperial Concubine has arrived!"

Li Hongzhang laughed when he heard this, and turned to Mathilde and said, "Marty, it seems that my guess was right. Now she has to cooperate with us!"

Mathilde unfolded a Xiangfei bamboo paper fan, covered her mouth and said in English with a smile: "Shaoquan, now you want to learn from Cao Mengde, hold the emperor hostage, sleep with the queen mother, and control the princes, right?"

Li Hongzhang was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head and said, "Marty, what are you talking about? How could he sleep with the Empress Dowager? Prime Minister Cao has never slept with the mother of Emperor Xian of Han!"

Yuan Jiasan, acting as the commander-in-chief of the Nine Gates, looked at the 3,000 infantry and cavalrymen outside the city, and suddenly felt that the official seal in his hand was frighteningly heavy!
"Listen up, everyone in the city! Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty is here. Open the gates immediately!"

Zeng Jia Linshu's loud voice rang out from the city. The Minister of the Imperial Guards was extremely anxious. Emperor Xianfeng was now shivering in a carriage. The emperor's plague was getting worse day by day. He could no longer ride a horse. He was now relying on opium to keep himself awake, otherwise he would have collapsed long ago. Now he just wanted to get into the city quickly so that the imperial doctors from the Imperial Hospital could come and treat this emperor! Otherwise...
However, the situation at Yongding Gate was a little strange. Although there was a flag with the words "Emperor Xianfeng" hanging on the city wall, which clearly showed that the situation had changed, the people on the city wall saw that the emperor had returned, but no one opened the gate to welcome him. "Master Yuan! Please make a decision!"

Boyong behind the battlements kept urging Yuan Jiasan to make a decision, the telescope in his hand was still shaking, looking useless. Yuan Jiasan leaned on the crenel and looked down, only to see that the 3,000 infantry and cavalry below were still in good spirits, and the bright yellow dragon flag was fluttering in the morning breeze. The leader Zeng Jia Linshu was still wearing a chain mail, with a spear in his hand pointing high at the top of the city wall, looking like an old man in good health. However, the yellow curtain on the four-wheeled carriage did not move at all - the person inside had always been weak and sick, and now he probably didn't even have the strength to lift the curtain.

If it collapses like this, it will make it easier for Marshal Li and Concubine Yi to act!

"Open the city gates..." Yuan Jiasan finally made up his mind. He touched the handwritten letter from Li Hongzhang that had just been sent by someone on a fast horse in his sleeve. The eight words "The Tongde Change, the Mandate of Heaven is in Chun" on the gold-embossed paper burned his hands like a branding iron.

Zeng Jia Linshu finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the city gate open. But then he realized something was wrong. Why didn't any official come out to kowtow in the dark city gate?
"cough cough"

A violent cough interrupted Zeng Jia Linshu's thoughts, and he waved his hand hastily: "Drive into the city. Quick!"

Then he drove his horse to the side of Emperor Xianfeng's carriage, and said to him, smiling, as he curled up on a cushion inside: "Your Majesty, the banner of 'Emperor Xianfeng' has been hoisted over Beijing. The Qing Dynasty is back in your hands!"

Xianfeng, who was in a daze, suddenly became more energetic after hearing the news. He struggled to sit up straight, and two blushes appeared on his pale face: "Quick, quick, I want to go back to the palace!"

"Yes!" Zeng Jia Linshu responded, and waved his hands a few times, urging the driver to drive Xianfeng's carriage into Yongding Gate, and he also drove the horse into the gate. As soon as he entered the gate, Zeng Jia Linshu found something wrong - Yongding Gate was only half open!
This Yongding Gate has an inner city, and the gate itself is a small city, one gate leading to the outside of the city, and one gate leading to the inside of the city, and there is a high wall between the two gates. Now the outer gate of Yongding Gate is open, but the inner gate is closed!

"click"

A sharp hinge sound suddenly came from behind Lin Shu. He quickly turned around to look, and then his eyes almost popped out of his head. He only saw a gate falling down with a bang, isolating the outer gate of Yongding Gate from the inside and outside!
"How dare you! The emperor is here, do you want to rebel?" Zeng Jia Linshu opened his throat and shouted.

Before he finished speaking, thousands of foreign guns had already been extended from the walls of the Yongdingmen Wengcheng! The figure of Duolong'a, the general of the Beiyang Third Regiment, also appeared on the wall. He shouted to the people below the city: "In compliance with the order of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor is invited to go to the Yingtai Island in the Western Garden to recuperate!"

"What? The, the Emperor? Duolong'a, what are you talking about?" Zeng Jia Linshu raised his spear and pointed it at Duolong'a on the city wall, "Dulong'a, you are rebelling!"

Duolong'a laughed and said, "Zeng Jia Linshu, don't resist stubbornly. The entire Beijing city is now under the control of the Empress Dowager and Marshal Li. The young emperor has ascended the throne and the Empress Dowager has also come to power. The emperor can still enjoy himself in peace!"

Xianfeng in the carriage seemed to be confused by the plague, and didn't understand what was going on. He just muttered: "Xianfeng killed Tongde, and the Qing Dynasty was destroyed. Let me ask, is Gong Laoliu dead? If he is not dead, it is not considered a murder... Ask quickly, ask quickly!"

Taihang Mountains, Niangzi Pass.

Large groups of Taiping troops were marching eastward along the narrow mountain roads. The army was so large that the front group had already left Jingxing Pass, while the rear group was still wandering in the Taihang Mountains.

In the squadron of the army, under a huge "Eastern King" flag, Yang Xiuqing was riding on a tall horse. Looking at the endless army in front and behind, the smile on his face could no longer be concealed.

There were several scouts coming up ahead, and Daozi immediately rode forward. After exchanging commands with them, he rode back with a look of surprise on his face. On horseback, he bowed to Yang Xiuqing and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor of the East, Beijing has a new emperor. Emperor Tongde is finished!"

Yang Xiuqing stroked his sparse beard and asked: "Xianfeng has been restored?"

"It's not the restoration of Emperor Xianfeng," Daozi said with a smile, "The new emperor's reign title is Tongzhi!"

On the same day, off the coast of Dagukou, dozens of steam troop transports flying the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Panlong flag and the "The Great Wall Will Never Fall" flag appeared in people's sight, dragging thick black smoke.
(End of this chapter)