Master Yuan, start!

Looking forward to the arrival of the royal army.

"We respectfully welcome the arrival of the Commander-in-Chief of the Royalist Army in Beijing. We also welcome Yuan Xiangcheng, the Governor-General of Korea, the President of the Great Qing National Defense Army, and the Minister of Beiyang. We will protect the country and peace, quell the evil, and restore the Qing Dynasty to the right path!"

A congratulatory speech that was not grand and could even be said to be a bit simple was recited to Yuan Shikai by Sun Jianai, a cabinet scholar, vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, minister of the Tongwenguan and imperial tutor.

Important court officials such as the Grand Councilor and the Shangshu were waiting for Yuan Shikai in the Forbidden City, and those who went outside the city to welcome the army were at most at the rank of Vice Minister, the second rank.

It was obvious that these civil officials in the capital were still somewhat uncomfortable with Yuan Xiangcheng's identity change, and Yuan Xiangcheng was observing them one by one on horseback.

Yes, the rank of any of these positions, Grand Councilor and Minister, is higher than that of Yuan Shikai's previous Governor-General of Korea, who was in name only but actually a governor-general.

Now, facing a mere common man like Yuan Xiangcheng, they have to lower their proud heads, which is indeed a loss of face for them.

"How is the situation in the capital?" Yuan Xiangcheng did not dismount. "Are there any bandits causing trouble?"

One of the men walked out of the gathering area and bowed, answering, "The Infantry Yamen and bandits took advantage of the chaos to harass the people of the capital. Your Excellencies have dispatched troops to quell the riot."

The one who replied was Zhou Jiamei, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.

Five years ago, Yuan Xiangcheng was still an unknown person. Because his friend got into trouble and killed someone in a restaurant, he was arrested by the yamen runners under Shuntian Prefecture. In order to rescue his friend, he was involved in the Yi Shu dispute in the capital.

At that time, in order to save people, Yuan Shikai asked for help from the patrol commander Gong Baotun and the governor of Jiumen, Ronglu, and then visited Li Hongzhang, the governor of Zhili.

In the end, he personally joined the game and trained the new Jiashen Army, which put an end to the disaster.

Zhou Jiamei raised his head and looked at Yuan Xiangcheng who was sitting on horseback. The sun was so bright that he couldn't see his face clearly.

Zhou Jiamei lowered her head again.

He understood that Yuan Shikai was no longer the Wu A'mon of the past, and there was now an insurmountable gap between the two of them.

"That's fine," Yuan Xiangcheng answered to himself, and it was unclear whether he was saying that it was better for the capital to be in chaos or for the chaos to be quelled.

"Where is the Demon Queen?" Yuan Xiangcheng deliberately asked, "Where is she now?"

"The Demon Queen fled west last night," Zhou Jiamei said, bowing again. "I hope Lord Yuan will care about the people of the capital. Once you enter the city, you can temporarily cease hostilities and appease the people."

Are you afraid that I will vent my anger on the people of Beijing because I failed to capture Cixi? Yuan Xiangcheng glanced at Zhou Jiamei.

If he wanted to capture Cixi, he would lead his troops westward after killing Ronglu and surround Beijing. Even if he did not capture Cixi in the capital, he would still pursue her and kill her.

However, keeping Cixi could not only be used to restrain Guangxu, but also further weaken the majesty of the Qing court.

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Therefore, Yuan Shikai did not intend to pursue Cixi to the end.

That’s enough, he didn’t really come to save the Qing Dynasty.

"Since the evil queen has fled, it is appropriate to abolish her title and demote her to a commoner." Yuan Xiangcheng sat upright on his horse and said lightly a sentence that sounded quite presumptuous.

After all, only the emperor could depose the empress. There had never been a precedent of a minister deposing a empress, let alone deposing an empress dowager.

Even if Guangxu was here, facing Empress Dowager Cixi, the mother of the late emperor and the wife of the previous emperor, theoretically he had no right to abolish the title of Holy Mother Empress Dowager Cixi.

But Yuan Xiangcheng did it anyway, and he did it quite decisively, leaving no room for maneuver.

The officials outside the door looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Should he refute it? It seemed like he was trying to spread rumors for the Queen Mother. If Yuan Shikai got suspicious, the tens of thousands of national defense troops under his command would be no pushovers.

"Go to the city to find the old queen and protect her well." Seeing that no one objected to the proposal to depose the queen, Yuan Xiangcheng continued, "The evil queen has committed crimes against the country, and it is only natural to deprive her of her title and issue an imperial edict to criticize her.

Although the old queen is also from the Yehenara clan, she is only in her prime, so the disaster will not affect her relatives. Moreover, the old queen and the emperor are engaged, and after the emperor returns from Korea, the marriage will be completed."

Most of the officials were confused, some looked puzzled, and some were surprised.

However, when Sun Jianai, who was standing in front of the queue of officials, heard this, his eyes lit up and he was extremely surprised.

Since Yuan Xiangcheng was willing to let the emperor continue with his marriage, it meant that after the wedding, Guangxu could officially take power.

Moreover, without the constraints of Cixi, Guangxu had more room to govern. As the emperor's tutor, he would naturally be able to ascend to power in one step.

In fact, after the officials in Beijing learned that the National Defense Army did not lead the troops westward in large numbers, but instead reorganized the troops in Zunhua and set out again at a leisurely pace, they more or less had some guesses about the purpose of Yuan Shikai's trip.

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That is "appeasement is the day's smaller ft: seven three divisions and four masters, no killing."

After all, Yuan Shikai's purpose was to purge the court of corrupt officials, not to invade the imperial capital, so it was inconvenient for him to kill people in the capital.

But no matter how much we appease her, we cannot allow the emperor to marry the former queen again.

After Yuan Shikai's carriage robbery last time, Guangxu's wedding was interrupted. The old queen's carriage drove into the palace that day, and she has not been seen going out in the past few months.

Now, if we talk about getting married again, let alone whether it is auspicious to get married twice, even if we want to take a queen and rule the country again, there is no need to choose the old queen.

But her last name is also Yehenara!

"Master Yuan!"

As expected, as soon as these words were spoken, someone objected, "Master Yuan, since the evil queen has brought chaos to the government, we must eradicate her evil. Even if we don't kill her entire family, we should capture her and execute her in front of the people.

Now, instead of severely punishing the Yehenara clan, the emperor is allowed to continue marrying women from the Yehenara clan. If people all over the world find out, won’t they think that the emperor will find it difficult to support himself without the Yehenara clan?

Lord Yuan raised an army in Korea this time and entered the pass to defend the king. If he only drove away the old Yehenara and welcomed a new Yehenara.

How can one be called a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty?"

Complete the task of eradicating evil!

What a domineering statement! As soon as it was spoken, all the officials outside Chaoyang Gate turned their heads to look, and Yuan Shikai also turned his head to see who had made such a bold statement.

"you are?"

"I am Yang Chongyi, editor of the Hanlin Academy!" The person who spoke held his head high and chest puffed out, as if he had done something great and kind.

"Oh, it's Lord Yang." When Yuan Xiangcheng heard the name, he could only feel that fate was indescribable.

No, Yang Chongyi was a traitor in the original time and space, and he overthrew the "allies" of the reformists.

The only difference is that one rose to prominence after informing on others, while the other was a big bootlicker who could not get what he wanted no matter how hard he tried to lick Cixi.

Yang Chongyi was good at understanding Cixi's psychology, and he can be said to have made the greatest contribution in the political arena during the Wuxu Coup.

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It was he who asked Empress Dowager Cixi for permission to shut down Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao's powerful association, and he also impeached those censors who were in favor of reform.

However, his behavior was too flamboyant, and he betrayed his friends, so Cixi disliked his character. Therefore, although he had made such great contributions, he was only transferred from the censor to the position of prefect, and the prefect of Hanzhong, a middle-level place.

Later, Yang Chongyi was in mourning while in office. On his way back home, he raped a woman in Yangzhou. He was severely reported by the Jiangsu Provincial Governor, dismissed from his post and expelled from his hometown. He died in depression.

Yuan Xiangcheng also hated this kind of informer, so he immediately asked back: "Master Yang, what you said is very true, but I also have a question. I wonder if Master Yang can answer it?"

"I will definitely answer all of your questions." Yang Chongyi replied with a bow.

"Lord Yang boasts of his determination to eradicate all evil and wipe out the evil queen's clan." Yuan Xiangcheng asked sternly, "But I wonder what Lord Yang was doing when I swore my oath to raise my army at the Yalu River?

What was Lord Yang doing when I personally led the National Defense Army to seize Shengjing City?

When I rushed thousands of miles and stopped at the Shanhaiguan Gate, what was Lord Yang doing?

I was stopped by Ronglu in Zunhua and could not advance westward. I wonder what Lord Yang was doing at that time?"

Yuan Xiangcheng's tone was not harsh, but it was like beating a drum, and every word struck Yang Chongyi's heart.

After the four sentences were said, no one in front of the huge Chaoyang Gate made a sound, and only the sound of the breeze blowing against faces could be heard.

It is now March, the beginning of spring. The sun is shining brightly. Although the weather is not extremely cold, it is not very warm either.

But at this moment, Yang Chongyi was so frightened that sweat broke out on his back and he didn't know how to answer.

"Lord Yang?" Yuan Xiangcheng continued, "How come our national defense army, with thousands of casualties and bloodshed, fought their way through the pass, but in Lord Yang's eyes, it's not considered loyalty to the country?

Could it be that all the soldiers who died at Shanhaiguan died in vain?"

"I...five...seven. Your humble servant...six..." Yang Chongyi hesitated but could not say a few words.

Yang Chongyi originally made this statement to gain fame, but he never expected that Yuan Shikai would take it seriously.

"How about this," Yuan Xiangcheng suggested to Yang Chongyi: "Since Lord Yang is an editor in the Hanlin Academy, he naturally interacts with his colleagues frequently.

If Lord Yang has ever lamented the evil queen's faults with his colleagues in a letter, or defended the National Defense Army, or if Lord Yang himself admits to having acted even halfway loyally for the country, you can submit the evidence."

Yuan Xiangcheng's tone was calm, but he pressed on: "If Lord Yang can't produce even a single word of evidence, why don't you take off your hat and return to your hometown in Changshu, Suzhou, to plant mulberry trees and cultivate the fields?

People often say that there is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. Letting you return to Suzhou to retire is not an underestimation of your title as a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty.

Yang Chongyi remained silent. He was a speculator. If he were asked to produce evidence to support Cixi, he would probably be able to produce a lot.

But if you ask him to produce evidence to prove that he opposed Cixi, he would never find any even if you dig three feet underground.

"I love to tell the truth, Lord Yang." Yuan Xiangcheng spoke slowly.

"But I wonder if your words just now, when you denounced the Demon Queen, were truly from the heart?"

Every word Yuan Xiangcheng said was heart-wrenching, and finally Yang Chongyi was ashamed and overwhelmed with emotion.

Under the gaze of officials outside the city, Yang Chongyi took off the hat on his head, took off the egret-patched robe he was wearing, and walked away dejectedly.

Even though the Minister of Personnel Sun Jianai was by his side, Yuan Xiangcheng had no intention of asking for instructions and watched Yang Chongyi resign and leave indifferently.

It is just like this to dismiss an official from office with just one word.

After Yang Chongyi left, no one dared to offend Yuan Xiangcheng anymore, and everyone just spoke in a celebratory manner.

Yuan Xiangcheng also dismounted and responded one by one, then walked into Chaoyang Gate.

After entering Chaoyang Gate, they were considered to have entered the capital. After informing Lord Yuan that they would go to the Forbidden City later to meet with the military councilors and officials in Beijing, these people dispersed one by one, leaving only the people around Yuan Xiangcheng.

Yuan Shikai put away the governor's guard of honor and only raised the Yuan and Guofang flags. Under the watchful eyes of the people in the capital, he walked leisurely in the center of Beijing.

Walking straight along Chaoyangmen Street, you will soon arrive at the Korean Governor-General's Office in the capital.

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After more than a month of absence, no one lived in the house, only a thin layer of dust had fallen.

After a short rest here, Yuan Shikai, with his bald head, led hundreds of elite guards to the Forbidden City.

When he walked out of the house and onto Chang'an Street, he saw a group of important officials including Weng Tong and Li Hongzao gathered there.

Seeing Yuan Xiangcheng coming, Weng Tong took out a piece of yellow silk cloth from his arms, opened it and read to Yuan Xiangcheng.

"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: Now that the capital of the Qing Dynasty has been cleared, the evil Empress Cixi has brought disaster to the nation and the people, and has poisoned the lives of all people."

"Lord Weng," Yuan Xiangcheng interrupted, "The Emperor is still in Korea. I wonder where this imperial edict of yours came from?"