The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 515: Empress Dowager Cixi is in pain

"However, the foreigners' proposal to investigate the culprit will probably be the first to be reached."

Ronglu's words made Cixi stunned.

Although Cixi's name was not on the list of culprits that the foreigners wanted to investigate, the investigation of the culprits would inevitably involve her in the end. For example, they wanted her to return power to Guangxu and no longer rule the country from behind the scenes.

And these were exactly what she could not accept. She could accept ceding territory and paying compensation, but she would never give in to this one thing easily. Even if they didn't want to talk about it, she would not agree to it.

If he really lost power, Guangxu, who hated her to the core, would have crushed her to dust.

Ronglu, noticing the ups and downs in Cixi's heart, hurriedly continued speaking.

"Empress Dowager, although Teng Xingfu did not explicitly state it in his memorial, the implication is that he will definitely protect the Empress Dowager. This is still very obvious. The court should also convey the order to Li Shaoquan to protect the Empress Dowager. This is the prerequisite for peace talks."

Cixi nodded and said, "I know Teng Xingfu's feelings for me. Although the foreigners proposed peace talks, I think they will threaten us by refusing to negotiate and increasing troops. The peace talks will probably be put on hold for a while."

"If the foreigners propose peace again in the future, we must give Li Shaoquan's order. Not pursuing the culprit of the so-called imperial court is the bottom line of peace talks. Otherwise, let Teng Xingfu fight them a few more times before we talk about it."

Cixi sighed and said, "Teng Xingfu is still clear-headed and well-spoken. What we can't get on the battlefield, we can't get at the negotiation table. If we lose, we can only let the foreigners slaughter us. But now Teng Xingfu is triumphant all the way. Although we can't control the foreigners at will, the roles have been reversed after all."

Ronglu agreed with Cixi's words and said hurriedly, "Empress Dowager, in the end, it is very likely that the foreigners will not pursue the culprit they mentioned, and we can no longer mention any war criminals. The two families will be even."

Ronglu's words finally made Cixi breathe a sigh of relief, and her mood immediately relaxed.

Ronglu thought for a while and continued, "But."

Ronglu's look made Cixi a little confused. She looked at Ronglu and asked,

But what?

Ronglu seemed not to notice Cixi's complicated expression and continued.

"The outcome of the peace talks ultimately depends on how well Teng Xingfu fights. Also, whether Teng Xingfu's efforts to divide and disintegrate the great powers will be effective depends on Teng Xingfu's methods."

Cixi asked tentatively, "Are you talking about the bait that Teng Xingfu threw out to promote Westernization in Zhili?"

Ronglu nodded. "If what Teng Xingfu said is true, the foreigners will weigh the pros and cons. Britain, Germany, and the United States are most likely to take the bait. From my observation, Teng Xingfu is relatively willing to leave some room in his attitude towards the Germans and Americans. He should have been thinking about winning over and dividing these two countries a long time ago."

Seeing that Cixi didn't say anything but just nodded, Ronglu continued.

"Empress Dowager, it will be difficult for the foreigners to agree to these terms. The peace talks will inevitably be deadlocked for a period of time. By then, Teng Xingfu will have to come forward to participate in the peace talks."

Cixi thought for a moment and said, "We should let Teng Xingfu come forward at an appropriate time to help Li Shaoquan share some of the blame."

Cixi said with a hint of meaning, "Li Shaoquan's health has been deteriorating recently. After all, he is almost eighty years old. Who knows, one day, Li Shaoquan will not be able to withstand such great pressure." "Also, Teng Xingfu is right. The foreigners have always said that the envoy of a country is the representative of the country. Then we must insist on only talking to the envoys of the great powers. If the leaders of the foreign coalition forces want to talk, let them talk to Teng Xingfu!"

Just as Ronglu was pondering the meaning of Cixi's words, Cixi suddenly spoke again.

"Zhonghua, do you think the foreigners will agree to Teng Xingfu's proposal regarding the Tianjin Concession and the three Beiyang customs?"

Cixi's words made Ronglu smile bitterly in his heart. He knew that Cixi didn't care about the concessions. What she cared about was the customs revenue.

The customs controlled by the great powers led by the British had to hand over the annual debt repayment surplus to the Ministry of Revenue. Although this silver was only a surplus, it was still a considerable income for the cash-strapped imperial court.

"Queen Mother."

Ronglu said earnestly to Cixi, "Let's not talk about the concessions. As long as Teng Xingfu agrees, the tax surplus paid by Zhili and the three customs offices will be increased by half every year on the basis of the previous year. We can all be happy to see the customs affairs come to fruition."

In order to get Cixi to give up the three Beiyang customs that she was still reluctant to give up, Ronglu continued to persuade her.

"If Teng Xingfu can increase the tax revenue by half a percent every year, the tax revenue paid will more than double in ten years. If so, it will be better to be in Teng Xingfu's hands than in the hands of foreigners."

Cixi was silent for a while and said, "Teng Xingfu is capable of increasing his salary by half a percent every year."

But then he sighed and said, "Okay, let's follow this rule. Otherwise, I'm afraid someone will say that the court has lost its power and humiliated the country."

"Zhonghua, tell me more. Teng Xingfu threatened that he would vigorously promote Westernization in Zhili. Is this true or false? Can he really come up with such a large sum of money?"

Ronglu understood that although Cixi could ignore the fact that Yikuang and others wanted to recover the money they lost from Teng Yuzao, deep down in her heart, Cixi still cared about such a large sum of money.

Ronglu sighed secretly and said, "Empress Dowager, judging from Teng Xingfu's usual style of doing things, this should be true."

Seeing that Cixi was already moved, Ronglu hurriedly spoke.

"Please allow me to report this to you, Your Majesty. Although this matter seems to be almost true to me, it does not mean that Teng Xingfu has silver in his hands, and certainly not as much as hundreds of millions of taels."

Ronglu's words seemed to make Cixi even more confused.

Ronglu continued, "Your Majesty, do you remember that a few years ago, the French were defeated and quickly paid the Germans 700 million francs. At that time, I was very envious of this country, which is not even as big as our province, but was so rich. But later I heard that the French didn't actually have that much money, and most of the money was borrowed from private banks in their country."

Cixi was still somewhat puzzled, and asked hesitantly, "You mean, Teng Xingfu had to borrow money from money houses, bill houses, or foreign banks to start his foreign affairs? But he borrowed such a large sum of money, what did he use as collateral?"

Ronglu nodded, then shook his head and said, "Empress Dowager, do you still remember that Teng Xingfu reported in his last memorial that he used the silver given to him by Tianjin comprador Ning Xingpu to open the Aurora Bank?"

"In addition, it is said that when Shoushan attacked the concession, all the major banks and foreign companies in the British concession were looted by the Boxers, causing huge losses. According to the foreigners, the loss of money and property was worth tens of millions of taels of silver."

(End of this chapter)