Chapter 74 In the Forbidden City (1)

Beijing City, the capital of the Qing Dynasty, had been around for nearly five hundred years since the Ming Dynasty.

Although the city remains unchanged, dozens of rulers who dominate this ancient city have been replaced. The Ming Dynasty has long been buried in the long river of history. Now, after more than two hundred years of rule, the ruling foundation on which the Qing Dynasty relies on has long been emptied by internal and external troubles. Anyone with a discerning eye has seen that the demise of this old empire is inevitable.

Although the capital city had a little cooler because of the autumn, it was not yet as cold as the cold wind was howling and the hearts of people. The sky was a little dry. Although it was already midnight, there was only a little more water vapor on the streets. The air was fresh and not turbid. Although the occasional cold wind was mixed with some sand, it was far less severe than later generations. At this time, midnight had just passed, and with a burst of rapid machine printing, several urgent telegrams from the south, to be precise, were sent to the General Administration of Telecommunications in Beijing. After a clerk took a look, his face turned pale and he hurriedly reported to the envoy. After calling the Yashi Office to prepare for a quick horse, the official sent by the imperial court to take a few telegrams and headed straight to the imperial cabinet (formerly Military Affairs Office).

Because of several telegrams, the imperial city, which had already fallen into a deep sleep, suddenly became noisy. Not long after, guards rushed out quickly, carrying the empress dowager's oral orders, and went straight to the residences of princes and ministers in the city. Among them, the Regent Zaifeng, Prince Qing Yikuang, Prince Su Shanqi, Prince Gong Fu Wei, Duke Fu of the State Council, Zaize, Minister of Military Advisory Zaitao, and Liangbi of the Imperial Guard Commander.

The updater had just played the second update. There were almost no pedestrians on the street at midnight. There were only a few green skins hidden in the wind shelter on the street. Beggars, perhaps because they heard footsteps, someone rubbed his eyes in the corner and saw a black shadow coming from afar. He immediately woke up his companions, one to boost his courage, but if he met a fat sheep, he would snatch some property. After waking up, the people around him gathered together and waited carefully with the help of the shadows on the street corner.

An official sedan chair carried by eight people turned over from the corner of the street. There were two teams of guards with swords and guns around the official sedan chair. The sedan chair handlers were all steadily sturdy men. After taking a look, the beggars were deflated and lay down at their own place. Only one person was a little unwilling to touch his croaking stomach, watching the official sedan chair sway onto the Imperial Street and walked towards the Forbidden City with a "huffle".

"That's the sedan chair of the court official, young man, don't look at it?"

After rubbing her body for a long time, she rubbed a gray ball the size of a fingernail. An old beggar leaned against the wall and said to the distressed Qingpi who was touching Kong Xiang's belly.

"Uncle? Is that really the sedan chair of the court official?"

"Bah, great official? You young man don't have any eyesight. You didn't see the guards beside the sedan chair with peacock feathers in their hats. You're not an ordinary person sitting in the sedan chair. At the worst, you're Prince Beile, a clan royal family, do you know?"

"Which prince? I heard that there are more princes in the capital than in the Yongding River."

"That's not clear. But it's strange. In the second update, there is a prince who has no ceremonial patrol? Could it be that the master from the Forbidden City summoned him... Hey, boy, 'The turtle in the Yongding River' means royal family members, but you can't say princes. Besides, there are not many princes in this capital. There are only Beile, Beizi, and the general of the auxiliary country who have many iron-core crops, and how many bricks can be smashed."

I have to say that the old beggar deserves to be a talented person in this capital for so many years. He guessed it well. The one sitting in the sedan chair was a prince of the Qing Dynasty, Prince Qing Yikuang.

"Dequan, please tell the sedan chair owner to be faster!"

"Yes, Master!"

The guard who lifted the curtain and ordered the horseman to ride a horse on the side of the sedan chair urged the sedan chair to speed up. After putting down the curtain, Prince Qing, who had been in the Qing Dynasty for half a century, was sitting in the sedan chair. His right hand brushed the object wrapped in a yellow cloth roll on his knee, but his eyes were slightly narrowed as if he was thinking.

Things are strange! This is all his thoughts now. Since the young and energetic royal family member Zaifeng succeeded to take over the position of regent with his new emperor's biological father. With the support of Prince Gong Fu Wei, Shanqi, Liangbi, Tieliang and other young royal family members who were unable to do anything, they first used means to seize the position of governor of Huguang in Zhang Zhidong, and then used his in-law Yuan Shikai, who had been rumored to bribe the eunuch and poisoned Guangxu's family, and rushed back to his hometown to "repair". He made great contributions to supporting the new emperor and the empress dowager. With decades of management, the situation of the Qing Dynasty in the past three years has been getting worse day by day. Anyone with a discerning eye can see it. But, will anyone say it?

It is no longer news for the country's Zonggui to dispel Han. In recent years, with the young Zonggui of Xiao Gong Fu Wei, Liang Bi and others, they have taken over the power of the court. A large number of Han ministers were either excluded from the bottom, or simply inserted into their confidants without even giving a reason. This behavior has long since become disappointed with the ministers, and the court rules are gradually quieter. In addition to the censors in the Censorate who jumped up and down every day to trouble him, they could never hear a regular meeting about the world outside the capital for a long time!

"I'm afraid the Qing Dynasty has come to an end, right?"

A terrible thought suddenly flashed in his mind. Yikuang was shocked, but suddenly remembered the Hubei, which the father-in-law who had just received his reward silver, and thought about the early days when he went to court, a group of censors and doctors submitted a report to participate in the current governor of Huguang Ruicheng. Could it be that some people wanted to take the position of governor of Huguang by taking advantage of yesterday's incident?

However, this idea was just a circle in his mind, and he denied it himself! Although Ruicheng had a bad reputation in his early years, he was a Manchu from the Huangqi family. In addition, his ancestor Qi Shan lived in the Daoguang and Xianfeng dynasties, and was also a popular person in front of Master Xianfeng. Although signing the first shameful Regulations of the Qing Dynasty became the biggest mistake in his life, because he had been kind to the Lord Long Live the Lady Buddha who had not yet gained power, after Ruicheng became an adult, the Lord appointed his name and disciplined him to serve in the Ministry of Justice. Later, he promised him a low-level but full of fuel to the position of the Ministry of Revenue, and this person was a little scheming. He has been very close to Zaifeng in recent years. Although the Regent had a cowardly personality, he was not as confused as to the operation of his subordinates.

So, what exactly was the reason for urgently summoning him to the palace late at night? According to the father-in-law, it seemed that all the civil and military officials in the court had received the call. If it were not for a big event, it would be hard to say here!

With a full of doubts and anxiety, the official sedan chair went further and further away, gradually disappearing into the night!
Chapter completed!