The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 551: Mind and Scheming

This time, Cixi was going to ride in an open-top carriage, while Guangxu was also going to ride in a large sedan chair with eight people carrying no canopy. However, Guangxu's sedan chair was much smaller than Cixi's. It is not known whether Cixi intended to humiliate Guangxu.

The imperial carriage and the sedan chair had already stopped next to Cixi and Guangxu who were standing on the platform for a while before Yuan Shikai ran back with sweat all over his forehead and a bitter face.

Seeing Yuan Shikai's extremely ugly face, Ronglu was not only a little surprised, but also asked hurriedly, "Weiting, what took so long?"

Yuan Shikai glanced at Cixi without saying anything, but just looked at her coldly, and then spoke to Ronglu in fear.

"Sir Rong, Duan Qirui said that his soldiers were here to protect the Empress Dowager. Kneeling to welcome her would not be an effective precaution, so he refused to order his troops to kneel to welcome her."

Yuan Shikai's words surprised and shocked all the officials at first, and then everyone looked angry.

Teng Yuzhao even noticed that before Yuan Shikai finished speaking, Cixi's face suddenly turned cold.

But then, Cixi became nonchalant again, as if this matter had nothing to do with her at all.

After Yuan Shikai finished speaking to Ronglu, he turned around and wanted to explain the situation to Cixi, or perhaps to apologize to Cixi.

While Yuan Shikai was explaining to Ronglu with a bitter face, Zai Yi quickly glanced at Teng Yuzhao, and seeing that Teng Yuzhao looked indifferent, he turned around and winked at the Minister of Rites Qixiu.

Qixiu naturally understood Zai Yi's thoughts. The only one who could compete with Teng Yuzao now was Yuan Shikai and his Wuwei Right Army. However, Yuan Shikai had nothing to do with these "culprits" on the list, and might even cause harm to them.

However, Teng Yuzhao was their savior. With this fate, as long as Teng Yuzhao was well, they would always have room for maneuver.

Even if Cixi brought this matter up again one day, they would be safe as long as Teng Yuzhao supported them.

But if Teng Yuzhao was at a disadvantage and could no longer speak for them in front of Cixi, who could guarantee that Cixi would not want to settle the score later? At that time, even if all the gods and Buddhas were invited down from the sky, it would probably be of no avail.

For people like them, Teng Yuzhao is the biggest god behind them.

Moreover, there are rumors now that Gangyi secretly took laxatives to cause himself diarrhea and eventually committed suicide because he had a premonition that Cixi would not care about the culprits like them in the end, but would only care about her own safety.

With the lesson of fortitude, if we continue to cling to unfounded loyalty, we may end up being a rootless duckweed despised by heaven and earth.

Therefore, Qixiu would never sit idly by when he saw Teng Yuzhao's opponent making a mistake. Qixiu, who understood what Teng Yuzhao meant, was about to scold Yuan Shikai, but he didn't expect that someone had already spoken first.

The person who spoke was Prince Chun Zaifeng, who shouted sternly with a dark face.

"How dare you refuse to kneel and welcome the Queen Mother and the Emperor back to the capital. This is truly treasonous!"

After Zaifeng finished speaking, he bowed to Cixi with great sorrow and spoke loudly.

"Queen, I suggest that you immediately arrest this rebellious general and punish him severely to restore order."

"Also, Yuan Shikai is a poor leader of troops, and he watched the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in danger. That's why his men have such a disregard for discipline and law. They must be punished, otherwise it will serve as a warning to others! The Wuwei Right Army will surely become a great scourge to the court!"

Zaifeng's words were extremely heartbreaking.

Not only did he mention that Duan Qirui refused to order his subordinates to kneel down to welcome him, he also mentioned that Yuan Shikai participated in the Southeast Mutual Protection Plan, held his own troops and refused to come to the capital to defend the king.

You have to know that what Cixi was most angry about at that time was the signing of the Southeast Mutual Protection, and the provincial governors who remained indifferent to her repeated telegrams urging them to come to Beijing to defend the emperor. Zaifeng mentioned this matter in front of so many princes and ministers. It seemed that he was determined to put Yuan Shikai to death!
After Zaifeng finished speaking, he could clearly feel his second brother's gaze sweeping over him.

However, Zaifeng did not dare to look at his second brother and could only lower his head silently to avoid losing control of his emotions.

If it was Qixiu, Zhao Shuqiao, or even Zaixun who scolded Yuan Shikai, Teng Yuzao could still understand it, but Zaifeng's jumping out at this time was completely beyond Teng Yuzao's expectations. But then he thought about it and knew the whole story.

Prince Chun Zaifeng is no other than the most authentic royal relative. Guangxu is his half brother. If Guangxu was an emperor whose words were law, how could Zaifeng have fallen to the point of being an embarrassed prince that everyone stays away from.

In the year of Wuxu, Yuan Shikai, who had originally agreed to help Guangxu seize power, changed sides at the last minute, which led to Guangxu being kept under house arrest by Cixi to this day.
Because of this incident, not only Guangxu hated Yuan Shikai to the core, but also Zaifeng, Guangxu's younger brother, and many royal relatives wanted to eat Yuan Shikai and sleep on his skin. Now that there was such a good opportunity, how could Zaifeng let Yuan Shikai go easily?

Zaifeng's words frightened Yuan Shikai so much that his face turned pale and beads of cold sweat kept rolling down his forehead. He fell to his knees in front of Cixi with a plop, and kept banging his fat head on the cement floor of the platform while speaking in a trembling voice.

"Please allow me to report this to you, Your Majesty. I think that although Duan Qirui's actions may be considered rebellious, they are also out of consideration for the safety of Your Majesty."

"Besides, this person has great talent. He studied military affairs in Germany for many years and was highly appreciated by the late Li Zhongtang. Such a person is exactly the talent that the current court urgently needs. I hope the Queen Mother will understand his painstaking efforts."

Yuan Shikai still wanted to protect Duan Qirui, who had caused him a lot of trouble. This made Teng Yuzhao secretly admire Yuan Shikai.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered that there was indeed an incident in history where Duan Qirui refused to order his troops to kneel to welcome the emperor. Similarly, after Yuan Shikai's repeated persuasion, Duan Qirui still insisted on his own opinion, and Yuan Shikai could do nothing about him in the end.

However, Duan Qirui was subsequently transferred from his post as commander of the Beiyang Third Regiment and sent by Yuan Shikai to serve as director of the newly established Baoding Military Academy.

It is not known whether Duan Qirui was sent to Baoding because Yuan Shikai knew that Duan Qirui would not give him face in some aspects.

However, even though Yuan Shikai was really trying to make things difficult for Duan Qirui at that time, he did not do anything to Duan Qirui afterwards. This magnanimity alone made Teng Yuzhao maintain his admiration for Yuan Shikai.

But after Yuan Shikai finished speaking, before Cixi could say anything, Qixiu started talking.

"Empress Dowager, even if this brave general has great talent, such a person and army are not fit for use. Not only does he have no respect for the rules and laws of the country, he is also disrespectful to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. How can such a person be used to lead the army in the important area of ​​the capital!"

Qixiu said viciously, "I agree with Prince Chun's opinion. Even Yuan Shikai is a man with wolfish ambitions! He refused to obey the Queen Mother's order last year. He held important national weapons but refused to lead troops to defend the emperor. He watched the Queen Mother and the Emperor go on a hunting expedition for years."

Zhao Shuqiao also bowed to Cixi and said, "Empress Dowager, Yuan Shikai has his own army and uses state equipment for his own benefit. He has private dealings with foreigners and signed the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement. These are unforgivable crimes and should be punished according to the law."

Seeing that some court officials seemed to be ready to denounce Yuan Shikai's "crimes", Cixi waved her hands and said solemnly, "The Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement was approved by me in order to ensure that the southeast half of the country would not be corrupted. Therefore, those officials who signed the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement are not only innocent, but also have made contributions to the country. I will reward them."

Cixi paused for a moment and then said, "No one should mention this matter again."

Cixi took a deep breath, then smiled calmly and said.

"As for whether to kneel to welcome them, these are all minor matters. The Green Camp soldiers are willing to kneel to welcome them, but can they defeat the foreigners?"

After that, Cixi said to Yuan Shikai, who was still kneeling on the ground, in a gentle voice, "My dear Yuan, let's just leave this matter alone. Don't make it hard on Duan Qirui. Just go back and teach him a lesson. Now get up!"

Cixi glanced at the ministers on the platform again and said with a smile on her face.

"My fellow ministers, you all need to be tolerant. Talented people usually have tempers. Duan Qirui is a talented person, and we should cherish him!"

"As for the fact that such a person controls an entire town's army, and is located in the capital, I don't think there is anything to worry about!"

Cixi glanced at Teng Yuzao casually and said, "Hundreds of thousands of vanguard troops are in Zhili. They have defeated millions of foreign troops one after another. With such a strong army, are you still worried that Yuan Aiqing will become Cao Cao?"

Yuan Shikai, who had just stood up, was so frightened by Cixi's words that his legs went weak and he fell to his knees involuntarily.

Cixi smiled and said, "My dear Yuan, I was just joking. Please don't take it seriously. Please stand up quickly."

Cixi's words made Teng Yuzhao sneer in his heart.

It seemed that Cixi was comforting the ministers not to worry about Yuan Shikai's Wuwei Right Army, and not to make things too difficult for him. But in Teng Yuzhao's view, this was a secret reminder to these princes and ministers that Yuan Shikai and his Wuwei Right Army were not the biggest hidden danger of the court, but the biggest hidden danger of the court should be him, Teng Yuzhao.

Only if Yuan Shikai and the Wuwei Right Army were still there could they slightly check and balance Teng Yuzao and his vanguard army. Otherwise, Teng Yuzao would really become Cao Cao, an uncontrollable emperor who could command the princes.

As for the fact that Cixi was willing to take the blame for the officials who signed the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement, Teng Yuzhao also saw clearly that under the current circumstances, she absolutely did not want to force these officials into a desperate situation, otherwise it would probably cause great chaos.

Cixi's current concern is to maintain stability, and then she can use the power of the court to make secret arrangements to deal with any unexpected events.

In a word, not only Teng Yuzhao, but also Yuan Shikai were a thorn in her side. Cixi would never be able to feel at ease unless she removed these two thorns.

Everyone on the platform, including Yuan Shikai, was surprised that Cixi let the matter go so easily. Then Ronglu and others began to praise Cixi's magnanimity and broad mind.

In response to the praise from these noble court officials, Cixi simply smiled slightly, turned around and said to Teng Yuzhao with a smile.

"Xingfu, Lord Yuan's soldiers are pretty good. You should also show them to the people of the capital and the Right Army of the Wuwei Army."

"Besides, the first two people to welcome the emperor are the foreign envoys and foreigners in Beijing, so that everyone can have a good look at the style of our Qing Dynasty's invincible vanguard army."

"Whoo."

Teng Yuzao made a thousand, then turned around and quickly left the platform.

Teng Yuzhao now fully understood Cixi's scheming. He had to admire her. Not only could she tolerate those frontier officials who signed the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement, but she could even remain calm about the rude behavior of a general like Duan Qirui who openly ignored his authority. How could Guangxu be her opponent?

Teng Yuzhao did not think that this was a sign of Cixi's broad-mindedness. Instead, he believed that this was a sign of Cixi's ability to endure. Once the opportunity came, she would instantly transform from a harmless little cat into a man-eating tiger and suddenly attack.

Perhaps, it could be that Cixi had already realized that her ability to control the Qing Dynasty was rapidly declining, so she had to be patient and even formed a new army led by Manchus who would absolutely obey the court's command.

Before the Manchus had absolute power, she would not deal with any provincial governors, at least not openly, and certainly not touch either him or Yuan Shikai.

Shuntian Prefecture had already announced that Cixi would enter Beijing through Yongdingmen. Many of the capital's residents, who always liked to watch the excitement, came out to watch and see the Empress Dowager Cixi, who had been out "hunting" for more than a year.

There were even people who held on to a glimmer of hope, hoping to see Guangxu, who had been under house arrest for several years, and wanted to try their luck and see the long-lost emperor.

To the extent that, the entire route from Majiabao Railway Station to Yongdingmen was packed with Chinese people.

Even many foreign ministers standing outside Yongding Gate, at the junction of the Green Camp soldiers and Yuan Shikai's Wuwei Right Army, as well as the families of the foreign ministers standing on the city wall, had the same idea.

However, few people would have thought that Cixi, the supreme ruler of the Qing Dynasty, would inevitably fall from the arrogant and lofty empress dowager to a "country lady" after the Boxer Rebellion.

The era of Cixi is about to pass, or has already passed.

Cixi's return journey was a journey for her to regain power.

However, apart from a few confidants such as Ronglu, no one else knew that Cixi had become much less arrogant and less selfish since the beginning of her Western Expedition.

She finally realized that as she got older, the affairs of a country were no longer her own business.

Those Chinese and foreigners who had been eagerly waiting for a long time were finally disappointed. The first thing that appeared in their sight was not Cixi's carriage, but the Green Camp's infantry.

These Green Camp soldiers held many imperial flags and carried their spears to lead the way.

The whole team had flags flying and red tassels fluttering, looking very majestic.

Immediately following the Green Camp soldiers was the cavalry from Shaanxi and Gansu.

Then the team that appeared before the onlookers suddenly brightened their eyes.
(End of this chapter)