The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 656: Xianfeng visits the garden, Ronglu sells tickets, and Cixi sets up a stall (asking for subscription, tickets)

On the night of the tenth day of the first lunar month in the ninth year of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, at the Xianliang Temple in Beijing and the Zhili Governor's Office.

While smoking a pipe, Zuo Zongtang stared at the handwritten letter from Senggelinqin on the desk, which had just been delivered yesterday. His fingers unconsciously played with a jade paperweight engraved with the words "天下为公".

"Brother Ruzhai," he suddenly spoke in a very low voice, "are you really sure?"

Luo Bingzhang placed his warm hat on a Beijing-Tianjin railway plan and sipped his tea leisurely. "Ji Gao, I was a Beijing official for 16 years and was also a lecturer to Emperor Daoguang. At that time, I could see Emperor Xianfeng once every three to five days, if not every day! Although this Nanyi Jin Gongma is fatter than the original Emperor Xianfeng and has a beard, but with his face shape, eyebrows, mouth and nose. I'm not % sure, but I'm % sure."

The room was completely silent. Outside the window, the north wind blew through the dead branches, and the bells on the eaves jingled. Zuo Zongtang pondered for a long while, then raised a finger and pointed upwards: "Does the higher-ups really know?"

"Above?" Luo Bingzhang squinted his eyes and blew away the tea foam. "Is Ji Gao talking about the Heavenly Palace?"

Zuo Zongtang nodded.

Luo Bingzhang smiled: "He must know. Otherwise, why would King Fengnan recruit him as his son-in-law, and why would King Luowu send him to Beijing?"

"You mean," Zuo Zongtang exhaled two puffs of his pipe, "it's all God's will?"

"What else could it be but God's will?"

Zuo Zongtang glanced at the letter from Senggelinqin and said, "If it is true that the heaven sent him down and brought him to Beijing, it should be in accordance with the will of heaven for us to use him, right?"

Luo Bingzhang understood and turned to talk about tomorrow's arrangements: "The four-wheeled carriage has been prepared and will enter from the Shenwu Gate. By the way, Ji Gao, please ask Zhao Si of the Palace Museum to change the commentary of the 'Pseudo-Qing Dynasty Emperor Exhibition' to be more gentle."

Zuo Zongtang walked to the window and looked at the snow-covered courtyard under the moonlight: "Observe carefully tomorrow."

"Ji Gao!" Luo Bingzhang suddenly lowered his voice, "If it is really him, how can we use him?"

The sound of the night watch drum penetrated the window, and Zuo Zongtang's reply was mixed in with the sound of the night watch drum: "Don't Qi Xiweng, Senggelinqin and Xu Mutian all claim to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty?" When he turned around, there was a smile in his eyes, "Then let them see whose loyal minister Xianfeng is now!"

Early in the morning on the eleventh day of the first lunar month, outside the Shenwu Gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

The carriage rolled over the icy imperial road, and the notice of "four years of compulsory education" flashed through the gap of the curtain. Xianfeng looked out the window at the empty streets and suddenly asked: "The bannermen in Beijing back then."

"Only one in ten survived." Luo Bingzhang held a hand warmer. "When Beijing fell, they suffered heavy losses. Most of the remaining people followed Zeng Guofan to Xi'an, but they met Zeng Guofan's 'Nine Generations of Revenge' and were massacred! Some of the survivors fled back to Beijing." He pointed to an old man sweeping snow on the side of the road. "General Manager Zuo has found a way to resettle him. He was originally a lieutenant of the Zhenghuang Banner. Now he receives ten cents a day as a wage, which is barely enough to make ends meet."

Xianfeng sighed softly: "It's all God's will!"

Luo Bingzhang's eyebrows jumped, and he thought to himself: "It is indeed God's will."

When the Shenwu Gate came into view, Xianfeng felt a wave of heartache. There were three reed-mat sheds next to the gate, and in front of the sheds, a wooden sign read "The Ticket Office of the Palace Museum" with a line of small characters below: "You can visit the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and the former site of the Grand Council with your ticket."

"Who came up with this idea?" Xianfeng asked with a frown, looking at the "Palace Museum Ticket Office".

"King Wu," Luo Bingzhang said with a smile, "this is what King Wu meant. He wrote to General Zuo saying that Beijing's city walls, palaces, imperial palaces, and gardens are all national treasures. If they are well protected, they can be used to develop tourism in the future."

"Development. Tourism?" Xianfeng muttered, "It must be another experience from heaven!"

Luo Bingzhang heard the "experience from heaven" and thought to himself, "So you really came from heaven."

"Twenty cents per person!"

At this moment, a hoarse voice startled Xianfeng. He was familiar with the voice. He turned around and saw Ronglu coming out of the tent in a dirty cotton gown, holding a ticket book in his hand: "Student tickets are half price, show your student ID."

The moment their eyes met, Ronglu's ticket fell to the ground with a thud: "Emperor, Emperor!"

"What do you mean by yellow?" A small Taiping Army leader carrying a revolver flashed out of the city gate, his cotton shoes with thousand-layer soles leaving footprints on the snow. "Ronglu, are you dreaming again? If you dare to address the former dynasty again, I will send you to Changping to dig coal!" He took out a pocket watch engraved with the words "military merit" and looked at it. "The business opens at 3:30 pm, you are really active."

Luo Bingzhang stepped forward quickly and slapped the copper coin on the wooden fence: "Three full tickets." He turned to the little leader and smiled, "Captain Chen, this is the Southern King's consort."

"I know!" Captain Chen picked up the ticket book and tore off three sheets. "Yesterday I received a warrant from Lord Zuo, saying that the Prince Consort wants to inspect the capital." He suddenly lowered his voice, "The Qianqing Palace recently held an exhibition of the 'Pseudo-Qing Dynasty's tyrants', and even the crotchless pants worn by Zaichun were displayed. Does the Prince Consort want one?"

Xianfeng's Adam's apple moved, and Chiyoko suddenly took his arm and said, "Look, my husband, that food stall smells so good!" Xianfeng looked in the direction of her finger, and then he was shocked. He saw an old acquaintance whom he loved and hated - Cixi! The woman was wearing a coarse cloth apron and was directing two banner women to put the fried dough rings into the oil pan one by one. There was a wooden sign next to the pan with the words "Palace Snacks" written on it.

"This, this." Xianfeng couldn't believe his eyes.

Why did Cixi set up a stall outside the back door of the Forbidden City to do small business?

Cixi also saw Xianfeng at this time and pointed at him in surprise: "Xian, Xian"

"Salty? Salty again?" Captain Chen shook his head, "I say Ronglu, your cooking skills are not good enough, you need to find a master to learn from you."

What? This name of Ronglu's family usually refers to Ronglu's wife! Then how did Lalaner become Ronglu's wife?

Xianfeng turned his head and looked at Ronglu, his eyes almost popped out - Ronglu, you are such a cuckold!

Ronglu didn't know what to say. How did Xianfeng escape from heaven to the mortal world? And he became the emperor's son-in-law!
Luo Bingzhang suddenly coughed violently, and dragged Xianfeng towards the city gate: "My Lord, let's go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony first."

"Captain Chen, what did Ronglu do originally?"

When Xianfeng followed Luo Bingzhang and Captain Chen to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he asked Captain Chen about Ronglu in a seemingly casual tone.

Captain Chen walked on the blue brick imperial road with a revolver slung over his shoulder. He grinned when he heard this: "Your Highness is asking about Ronglu? He ran away from Xi'an. It seems that he was a guard in Xi'an. When Zeng Guofan usurped the throne, he brought his wife and children back to Beijing. I don't know who got him a job at the Palace Museum. Even his wife sells snacks at a stall outside the Palace Museum. It seems that his family has some savings, and they have a beautiful courtyard house in Beijing."

"Do they have children?" Xianfeng asked again, "Boy or girl? How old are they?"

"It's a boy," Captain Chen said. "He's six years old this year and it's time for him to go to primary school."

The six-year-old Xianfeng thought of his son!

Chiyoko suddenly tugged at Xianfeng's sleeve and asked curiously, "Husband, how does the Forbidden City compare to the Heavenly Palace?"

"That's much better." Luo Bingzhang interrupted, pointing to the steps with dragon patterns in the distance, "Look at those steps, they are made of white marble! The Heavenly King's Palace in Tianjing doesn't have them! But compared to the Old Summer Palace, the Forbidden City is no match."

Xianfeng only had his son Zaichun in his heart - the son of Ronglu must be Zaichun! Captain Chen did not notice anything wrong with Xianfeng at all, and was still muttering: "Ronglu is also a fool. On the first day of working in the Forbidden City, he ran to kowtow outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple. As a result, he was caught red-handed. He was originally going to be sent to Kaiping to dig coal, but later it was Beijing Police Chief Boyong who spoke up and spared him."

Chiyoko muttered upon hearing this: "So, this Ronglu is still a little loyal to Xian Yaotou."

"I think the thief is still determined to do it!" Captain Chen gritted his teeth.

"Stop talking, we're at the Hall of Supreme Harmony!" Luo Bingzhang interrupted Captain Chen and pulled Xianfeng, "Prince Consort, please come in."

It was almost noon when Xianfeng finished visiting the Forbidden City. There was a long line in front of Cixi's food stall - business seemed to be good!

Captain Chen walked to the food stall with a smile and said, "Ronglu's family, make two servings of fried dough rings for the prince consort. They must be freshly fried!"

Cixi trembled as she handed over the oil-paper bag and suddenly lowered her voice: "Fourth Master, are you really coming down?"

"Madam Rong, you are joking." Xianfeng slapped the silver dollar on the table and wrote the word "moon cake" on the table with his fingertips. "My last name is Zhao, Zhao Si, and I am a Chinese in New York." He turned around and strode away. There was a paper ball in the oil paper bag.
Luo Bingzhang looked at the carriage at the end of the imperial road and suddenly sighed: "I wonder if the sky will change?"

"It won't change." Xianfeng took a bite of the doughnut. "The Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau can make guns, cannons, and warships. The Xuzhou Iron and Steel Plant can produce as much steel in a day as it did in a year." He paused, and his smile suddenly looked strange. "How far do you think the cannons that Yang Dongwang made in Seoul can shoot?"

That night, in the study of the Governor's Office, Luo Bingzhang handed the ticket stub to Zuo Zongtang and said, "He was recognized by Ronglu outside the Shenwu Gate, and Ronglu's family seemed to know him as well."

Zuo Zongtang picked up a brush and wrote something on a piece of letter paper while saying to Luo Bingzhang: "Ru Zhai, since the heaven has really let him go, then we should not be polite and make the best use of him! I will write to Qi Xiweng, Xu Mutian and Senggelinqin and ask them to meet at Juyongguan. If the three of them can back down, then no one will be harmed."

"Ji Gao." Luo Bingzhang said with some worry, "We have to make some arrangements. We can't let Qi Xiweng, Xu Mutian and Senggelinqin kidnap Emperor Xianfeng!"

Zuo Zongtang smiled and said, "Don't worry, they don't dare to kidnap Emperor Xianfeng, that would be courting death!"

(End of this chapter)