The Empire will continue to win

Chapter 88: Turning Against the Empress Dowager in Front of the Emperor, the Professor Blames Her

"Then I must ask Master Weng, what is the connection between the Ministry of Rites and the war?"

"Guiliang, listen carefully. War is not just about military affairs; it also involves diplomacy, propaganda, and boosting morale. These are all the responsibilities of the Ministry of Rites. Haven't you heard that a single wolf-hair brush is worth three thousand breech-loading rifles?"

"What you're saying is all empty talk. Unlike the mess I manage, which includes railways, ships, and munitions—all matters directly related to the front lines. Even without the Ministry of Rites, the front lines can still fight. But without the royal enterprises, the front lines would immediately come to a standstill."

"You~"

Weng Tong glanced sideways at Prince Gong, Gui Liang's son-in-law, and saw that the prince was eating with his head down, oblivious to everyone else.

The fact that father-in-law and son-in-law serve in the same court should not be underestimated.

In terms of power and influence, this father-in-law and son-in-law were far superior to Emperor Xuanwu.

Looking at the rest of the people at the table, they were all pretending to be deaf and burying their heads in their food. Clearly, none of them wanted to publicly offend the father-in-law and son-in-law. Helpless, Weng Tonghe could only turn his head and look at the table in the corner.

The Forbidden City is a place with a strict hierarchy, and even the front-line command headquarters is no exception. Ministers and officials sit at separate tables, while others can only sit at small tables.

At this moment, on the small table.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Shen Moqing was devouring the braised sea cucumber with scallions, and in no time the plate was almost empty. He felt a little ashamed to eat alone in public.

"Herd, eat a sea cucumber, it's good for men."

"Thanks."

"Derling, eating a sea cucumber is very good for women."

"Ah~ no need, no need."

Der Ling stared at the dark, unassuming sea cucumber that had suddenly appeared in her bowl, her cheeks flushed. Why was she blushing? She couldn't explain it herself.

"Senior Liu, eat more~"

Liu Buchan reacted quickly, swiftly moving his rice bowl aside and glaring angrily.

Shen Moqing awkwardly withdrew his chopsticks, put the sea cucumber in his mouth, and slowly chewed and savored it. Sea cucumber itself has no taste; it relies entirely on other ingredients to impart flavor, which truly tests a chef's skill.

The sea cucumber from the Imperial Kitchen tastes very similar to that from Qingyunlou.

"Junior Shen, you'll be taking your graduation exams next year. As a senior who excels in all subjects, I feel it's necessary to remind you that studying at the Navy Academy is easy, but graduating is not. Also, you're a reserve officer, so theoretically, you're not qualified to wear this uniform."

According to regulations, the uniforms of reserve officers in the empire only have shoulder boards, no sleeve boards, and no fancy embroidered decorations.

The problem is that officers these days have to buy their own uniforms.

The imperial court will not take any responsibility.

So Shen Moqing ordered this high-end military uniform from Ruifuxiang. The fabric was exquisite, the tailoring was expensive, and the gold thread embroidery alone cost five taels of gold.

Step outside, and you'll shine brightly in the sunlight.

From afar he looks like a brigadier general, but up close he looks like a warrant officer.

"No need for Senior Liu to worry. I not only want to graduate, but I also want to get a good ranking." Shen Moqing smiled frivolously on purpose, which made Liu Buchan furious. He was about to make a sarcastic remark.

"Mo Qing, come sit down and eat at our table~" A call came from afar; Weng Tonghe needed his comrades.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shen Moqing picked up his rice bowl and walked to the table where the ministers were sitting. Since the emperor and the ministers of the army and navy were not present, the table was empty.

"Mo Qing, sit next to me. Have you eaten?" Weng Tonghe pulled over a chair.

-

"Thank you, Master Xie. I'm about half full."

"How can that be? Help yourself to whatever you want to eat, don't be shy."

"Yes."

The gentlemen here enjoy delicacies every day and are well-fed. In addition, they are old and have poor appetites, so more than half of the dishes were left uneaten.

To waste such a precious resource.

"I apologize for my offense."

""

Shen Moqing simply stood up and took a plate of braised sea cucumber with scallions that had hardly been touched to himself and began to eat heartily. It tasted delicious, and most importantly, it was free.

Sigh~ that intellectual's pedantic air is coming back.

"Shen Moqing, you've never eaten such good food at home before, have you?" Prince Gong couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"Your Highness is too kind. This is my first time eating imperial cuisine."

"Logically speaking, braised sea cucumber with scallions isn't exactly a great dish. Aren't you going to Qingyunlou?"

Qingyunlou, the premier restaurant in Beijing, was particularly renowned for its Shandong cuisine. Later, the kind-hearted owner promoted his kitchen staff to the wider community, which led to the emergence of the eight famous restaurants in Beijing.

"My family is poor and cannot afford to eat at Qingyunlou."

It felt like punching cotton.

Prince Gong was extremely displeased and threw another punch.

"Logically speaking, it shouldn't be like this. Although your Shen family isn't a prominent family, you're still a respectable one. Look at the way you're eating; you're just like a hustler from the southern alleys of the city."

"Shen Moqing, you are the supervisor of a royal enterprise with 3000 people under your command. You have a lot of money to be made. What are you pretending to be so honest about?" Gui Liang also mocked.

"You mean I should embezzle some public funds to improve my life?"

"Hey, you little bastard."

"Gui Liang, as the assistant minister of the Royal Assets Management Group, how could you openly encourage your subordinates to embezzle public funds? How could you do this?" Weng Tonghe decisively stepped in, seizing the opportunity to relentlessly attack him.

"Weng Tonghe, who do you think you are? You dare to lecture me?"

"I am the tutor of the Southern Study," Imperial Tutor Weng Tonghe sneered. "You want to hear me preach? Are you worthy?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Gui Liang dared not utter a word, almost forgetting that this was the Imperial Tutor.

The crime of overstepping one's bounds is too heavy to bear.

The battle at the dinner table is over.

Throughout the entire process, Grand Secretary Wenxiang remained silent, firstly because he came from a poor background, and secondly because he was not a member of Prince Gong's faction, but rather a minister of both the palace and the emperor.

Minister of Revenue Shen Zhaolin remained silent.

"Master Weng, have I eaten too much?"

"Being able to eat is a blessing." Weng Tonghe had a kind face and found Shen Moqing pleasing to the eye.

After saying that, she glanced at Gui Liang's half-eaten bowl and said sarcastically, "Every grain of rice and every drop of water should remind us of how hard it is to come by, and every thread and every piece of cloth should remind us of the difficulty in obtaining resources. Besides, the imperial meals are a way for the two empress dowagers to show their care for their subjects; how can they be wasted?"

Gui Liang, seething with anger, picked up his bowl and continued eating.

Sudden.

The young eunuch Li Lianying arrived and immediately kowtowed upon entering: "Greetings, esteemed ministers. The Empress Dowager has summoned Shen Moqing for an audience."

Watching the departing figure, Gui Liang secretly resolved to find a reason to teach this kid a lesson sooner or later.

On the way from Wuying Hall to Yangxin Hall, Shen Moqing quickly reviewed the recent events in his mind to prevent the Empress Dowager from finding fault, but he hadn't had time to brush his teeth, and his mouth tasted a bit like onions.

Entering the gate of cultivating the mind.

Then I saw Wang Qianniang standing beside the grape trellis, her hands clasped together, her face kind and gentle.

"Lord Shen, the Empress Dowager has summoned you to the main hall today."

"Granny, may I have a cup of green tea to rinse my mouth?"

What did you have for lunch today?

"Braised sea cucumber with scallions, very flavorful."

"Lord Shen is very kind," Wang Qianniang said meaningfully.

Shen Moqing took the green tea and salt, rinsed his mouth briefly, and then straightened his top button and peaked cap before walking into the front hall with his head held high.

The hall was empty and slightly cool, and there was no one around.

-

"The Empress Dowager?"

There was an echo.

Suddenly, a person emerged from behind the main hall. She had a fair complexion, a languid makeup, high-piled hair adorned with pearls and jade, and almond-shaped eyes that sparkled. She wore a tight-fitting gold-embroidered short jacket, black fox hunting trousers, and sheepskin boots, a style quite different from her usual attire.

Eyes facing each other.

Shen Moqing keenly noticed that the beautiful Empress Dowager's eyes had lost three parts of affection and three parts of charm, and gained four parts of dissatisfaction.

"Shen Qing, I have a few questions to ask you. Follow me."

"Yes."

Before leaving the palace, Wang Mama, with great foresight, draped the Empress Dowager in a large red feathered white fox fur coat with a snow-white hood.

We left the front hall.

Walking on the vast white snow, the emperor was in front, the ministers were behind, and Wang Qianniang followed at a distance.

The Empress Dowager walked hurriedly, as if she was angry.

-

Shen Moqing had a vague idea in his mind, so he kept his head down and deliberately stepped on the footprints left by the Empress Dowager, with his big feet covering his small feet, making sure they fit together perfectly.

I walked to a wintersweet tree in the courtyard.

The Empress Dowager's fierce temper flared. She whirled around, threw off her snow hat, her phoenix eyes sharp, her gold hairpin swaying, her silver teeth clenched, and she hissed, "Shen Moqing, look what you've done!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

The professor initially thought that his affair with the Countess Frank had been exposed, and he was thinking about how to explain to the Empress Dowager the custom of incestuous relations that were common in European high society.

A cold voice came from across the table: "Putiya is dead beautiful."

"What?!" Shen Moqing was utterly shocked. "How did he die? Where did he die?"

"Hmph, he was terrified by you at the press conference in Wuying Hall that day. He was so frightened that he lost his mind and fell seriously ill. These past few days, the imperial physicians have been coming to his door every day to prescribe medicine, but there has been no improvement. I never expected that an hour ago, he committed suicide by shooting himself in his residence."

"Your Majesty, he committed suicide out of fear of punishment; he severed his ties with the Tsar."

"But he was, after all, the plenipotentiary envoy of the Russian Empire!" The Empress Dowager's tone was icy. "For the envoy to be humiliated in front of everyone and commit suicide in a foreign capital—do you know what that means?"

How could the professor not understand?

At best, it could lead to a diplomatic dispute; at worst, it could escalate into war between the two countries.

"Say it!"

"I know that Alexander III may very well use this as an opportunity to launch an attack."

"The governor of the south is disloyal, the military situation in Liaodong is not yet quelled, and you have added new troubles to my life. The Russian Empire is not militarily strong in the Far East, but if it joins forces with the Eastern Empire, they can attack our dynasty from both the east and the west."

"I am guilty, and I am willing to go to Weihaiwei to board the ship. At worst, I will shed my blood in the Yellow Sea."

This tactic is called "advancing as a form of retreat".

This is a reverse psychology tactic used in dating, and it shouldn't be used lightly.

As expected~

"Am I the kind of woman with a heart of stone?"

The Empress Dowager Cixi was furious, her finger almost piercing Shen Moqing's heart: "Tell me, what did you do with that Parisian fat woman the other night?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Harm~

So it turns out it was about provoking trouble.

Shen Moqing breathed a sigh of relief, but still held his tongue and said, "This humble servant went to the ball by imperial decree."

"Yes, I asked you to dance, but I didn't ask you to strip someone's clothes off, did I?" The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and glared angrily.

"I don't have any."

"Thank goodness it didn't happen, otherwise~"

Not far away~

Granny Wang heard the entire conversation clearly, but remained expressionless. As a servant, one must always consider the master's interests, and whatever the master does is right; one must unconditionally support the master.

Suddenly~

A thought flashed through Shen Moqing's mind, so he deliberately probed, "Your Majesty, it's strange, but that night I felt like I was under the influence of—"

"It's evil, I've been bewitched, my mind is completely blank, and many times, I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Pah!"

Sure enough, Empress Dowager Cixi blushed and turned her face away, pretending to admire the plum blossoms.

Shen Moqing understood everything.

Because you think it through, that's why you can't understand it.

The doubts I couldn't understand that night have now all been resolved.

Damn it~

You're the one who drugged me!

It was you who personally handed me the medicinal wine!

You're turning the tables on me now, you wicked Lan'er! You're worlds apart from the Lan'er in the manor who upholds traditional virtues.

Since that's the case, don't blame me for shifting the blame.

"Your Majesty, it's quite strange. That night, from the moment I entered the Wuying Hall, I felt something was wrong. My meridians were flowing in reverse, and my blood was burning—"

Boiling over, eyes reddening, nerves sensitive, fists clenched.

That very evening, Putia and Komura Jutaro again spoke rudely to me, and I couldn't hold back any longer, nearly losing control several times.

Upon hearing this...

Empress Dowager Cixi felt inexplicably guilty. She reached out a slender hand from under her cloak and gathered her non-existent, disheveled hair by her ear.

"It was only through sheer willpower and unwavering loyalty to the Empress Dowager that I managed to maintain my composure and deal with those despicable foreign envoys, upholding the dignity of the Empire. I finally made it to the end and was about to return home when, alas, another imperial decree arrived! You actually want me to go dance with those shameless foreign envoys' wives???"

"Your Majesty, I am only 18 years old and newly married. The wives of those foreign ministers are so forward, and I am not feeling well myself. This is so hard for me, so very hard."

At this point, Shen Moqing felt extremely aggrieved, so much so that she was about to cry.

The tide of battle immediately turned.

"Mo Qing, I'm not blaming you. Let bygones be bygones. It's nothing for you men to put on a show at a court ball. I'm not the kind of woman who holds grudges."

One black pot after another fell from the sky.

Empress Dowager Cixi's eyes darted around, and she spoke without much confidence. Looking at the wronged, angry, and innocent Xiao Shen, she felt even more guilty and wished she could immediately tie her clothes and take her into her arms to comfort her.

Good luck!

This kid is still in the dark; he doesn't know that there's something fishy in my wine.

No.

We absolutely cannot let this kid know the truth.

While deep in thought.

"Empress Dowager!"

Shen Moqing suddenly looked up, his eyes like swords, making her heart tremble.

"W-What's wrong?"

"I suddenly realized what happened."

"What happened?"

"That day, before the press conference at Wuying Hall, I went to the restroom and happened to run into Prince Gong on the way. The Prince invited me for a cup of tea. Being a prince, I couldn't refuse, so I drank a few sips." Shen Moqing feigned sudden realization. "Now that I think about it, that cup of tea—"

There's a problem inside.

"Hard to say."

Empress Dowager Cixi tightened the sash of her cloak and let out a soft sigh.

"Your Majesty, Prince Gong's disloyal intentions are blatantly obvious."

"Hush~ I know perfectly well that he is a powerful figure with deep roots, many disciples and former subordinates, and his influence is enormous. We cannot touch him for the time being."

Don't mention this to anyone again. Be patient for now, and I will definitely seek justice for you in the future."

"Thank you, Empress Dowager."

Shen Moqing chuckled inwardly, but kept a calm expression. He reached out and plucked a blooming winter plum blossom from a branch, gently placing it on the Empress Dowager's hair.

Faced with such ambiguous and outrageous behavior from foreign officials, Empress Dowager Cixi stood gracefully in place, without flinching, quietly gazing at the young man before her.

She was once a young girl too, not far away~

Wang Qianniang quietly retreated to a place out of sight; she shouldn't look at what she shouldn't see during her master's secret rendezvous.

Under the wintersweet tree.

The Empress Dowager gently stroked the side of her hair and softly recited: "I urge you not to waste your golden robes, but to cherish your youth. Pluck the flower while it blooms, lest you break a bare branch when there are no flowers left."

Very fitting for the occasion.

Very explicit.

As all charming and suave friends know, this is when interactions between men and women become most wonderful.

You know what I'm thinking, and I know what you're thinking.

You know what I want to do, and I know what you want to do.

You know I know what you want to do, and I know you know what I want to do.

It appears incomplete, yet it is perfectly complete.

Taking another step forward would be a loss.

"Please forgive me after my death. At the press conference, I lied and claimed that the Empire was preparing a task force with the goal of penetrating the enemy capital."

-

"It's alright."

"The Admiralty needs to create some smokescreen for my fake attack plan. I have drafted some procedures for your review after my death."

"Looking at the basket."

"This subordinate still needs..."

"Mo Qing, from this day forward, Fen, whatever you think will be what I think. What you mean will be what I mean. As long as we can win, I will do whatever it takes." Empress Xi Shi's eyebrows relaxed, and her eyes curved into a smile.

Ok.

That's exactly the kind of opening line I've been waiting for!

Shen Moqing decisively stepped forward, gently extended his long arm, grabbed the slender waist, slightly tightened his grip, and pulled the beauty into his arms. The woman opposite him was unsteady on her feet, her riding breeches clinging to her crane cloak.

The incident happened suddenly, and Queen Se-seok let out a muffled groan.

Just as "Master~"

Wang Gan Niang took small, quick steps over the burnt paper, then lowered her eyes and said, "Oh no, someone over there has burned paper."