Chapter 036 The Emperor is seriously ill

The so-called entry into the cabinet is to revoke the official positions of his Zhili Governor and Beiyang Minister, and only retain his false title as a scholar of Wenhua Hall! This means that Li Hongzhang fell from the peak of power!

However, Zhang Peilun's words seemed to be inadvertent, but revealed an important message.

Xianliang Temple, located in Bingzhan Hutong outside Dong'anmen, is rebuilt from Prince Yixian's house in Yongzheng. The building is magnificent, with clouds, the ground is extremely open, the furnace smoke is quiet, and the idle courtyard is flying flowers. Not only the environment is elegant, but also close to the forbidden city. Most of the feudal officials of the territory stay here. Normally, those who can live in Xianliang Temple are all popular figures. Li Hongzhang entered Beijing this time with the meaning of waiting for sin and should not have lived in Xianliang Temple.

Moreover, Li Hongzhang is afraid of causing trouble, and it is reasonable to thank guests behind closed doors. However, Prince Gong visited him in person. Since Zaiyi, the prince of Duan, was appreciated by the Empress Dowager Buddha, Prince Gong has faded out of the political center. However, everyone knows that Prince Gong is the elder of the Three Dynasties and the pillar of the court. Even if he does not go to the court all day, he is still a resounding figure!

Zhang Peilun's words were to tell Ding Ruchang that Li Hongzhang was indeed unlucky, but he hasn't fallen yet!

Ding Ruchang whispered, "That's good, that's good!" Mr. Zhang, is there something wrong in the court? I heard that the Empress Dowager has returned to the palace?

Zhang Peilun whispered, "Concubine Zhen was abolished, and the emperor is seriously ill!"

Ding Ruchang suddenly felt five thunderstorms, and cold sweat soaked his back.

The Empress Dowager Cixi lived well in the garden and suddenly returned to the palace, which itself meant that there must be a big deal. Ding Ruchang never thought that after the empress dowager returned to the palace, then Zhenfei was abolished, and he did not expect that after Zhenfei was abolished, then the emperor was "severely ill"!

The emperor's health is related to the national fortune. Even if the emperor is really sick, the court should strictly keep it secret and declare that the emperor's dragon is healthy. Now, Emperor Guangxu has always been healthy, but there is news from the emperor's "serily ill" in the court!

This "sick" news can only prove one thing: the Empress Dowager Cixi has made up her mind to depose Guangxu!

Moreover, Cixi not only wants Guangxu to step down, but also needs Guangxu's life!

The reason for the emperor's serious illness in advance is to prepare for the emperor's death soon!

"How about Prince Duan?" Ding Ruchang stammered. There have long been rumors in the court that Pu Jun, the son of Zaiyi, the prince of Duan, will be appointed as the eldest brother, that is, the heir of Emperor Guangxu. If the emperor is about to "dead", Zaiyi is bound to move.

"There is nothing for Prince Duan." Zhang Peilun said, "Lord Ding, what are you going to do if anything happens to you?"

"I..." Ding Ruchang didn't think about this problem at all. Everyone knows that the Empress Dowager Cixi is at odds with Emperor Guangxu, but no one expected that the mother and son would make trouble to death. Once the emperor dies and the new emperor succeeds to the throne, it will be a emperor and a courtier!

Zhang Peilun asked in a low voice, "Lord Ding, did Liu Buqian and Cai Tinggan take the torpedo boat troops to Lushun?"

Ding Ruchang almost fainted!

Liu Buchan and Cai Tinggan left with four torpedo boats on New Year's Eve and went to Lushun. Ding Ruchang has not reported this matter, let alone convey it to the Beiyang Marine Division, but declared that four torpedo boats had left Weiwei to carry out a confidential mission in Fujian.

Ding Ruchang's cover for Liu Buchan is also a helpless move. First of all, the four torpedo boats ran away. No matter what the reason is, as the admiral of the Beiyang Marine Division, they have an inescapable responsibility and will be severely punished according to the law. What's more, Liu Bu Toad went to Lushun and teamed up with Zhou Charter, who was a traitor!

The empress dowager did not believe in the Han people, so she had always been suspicious of the Beiyang sailor. Because of this, before the war, Li Hongzhang clearly knew that the Beiyang sailor was unprepared and the ship was aging, and she did not dare to ask the imperial court for money for fear that the empress dowager would be suspicious. Now, Liu Bu Toad, the right-wing general of the Beiyang Marine Division, actually fought side by side with the rebels, which is a clear proof of the collusion between the Beiyang Marine Division and the rebels!

Therefore, when Ding Ruchang learned that Liu Buchan had left, he did not dare to report to the court at all, so he had to suppress the news and deceive himself.

Now, Zhang Peilun has picked out this matter, and Zhang Peilun knows it. How can the Empress Dowager Buddha not know!

When the Empress Dowager Buddha knew it, she didn't care about Ding Ruchang's hardships. In her eyes, Ding Ruchang did not report it and covered Liu Buchan. He was willing to be the accomplice of Zhou Charter! Even, the Empress Dowager thought that the Beiyang Marine Division and Zhang Jun conspired to rebel - both armies were Han troops!

Now, Ding Ruchang can't even jump into the Yellow River!

Ding Ruchang was extremely weak: "Liu Toad left without permission. I didn't know anything in advance. Later, I didn't report it to the court, which was a last resort..."

"Lord Ding, you will suffer Li Zhongtang by doing this!" Zhang Peilun sighed, "The Empress Dowager Buddha knows that she can't forgive you or Li Zhongtang!"

"Mr. Zhang, help me!" Ding Ruchang said dejectedly.

"Lord Ding, I can't save you or Li Zhongtang. The only one who can save you, or even Li Zhongtang, can save you!"

"What did Mr. Zhang say?"

"Lord Ding, you should see that the Empress Dowager Buddha and the emperor are evil because of a weekly charter! Everyone knows that Zhou Charter is not a traitor, let alone a rebel! In fact, Zhou Charter has not offended the Empress Dowager Buddha, but the emperor wants to rely on Zhou Charter to establish prestige and achieve pro-government, which is what the Empress Dowager Buddha has concluded that he did not want to see!"

"What Mr. Zhang said!" Ding Ruchang wiped his forehead with a cold sweat and said, "This Zhou Charter is really true. There is no need to help the emperor. If he had stood on the side of the Empress Dowager at the beginning, how could he have come to this point today?" Ding Ruchang has learned that Zhou Charter fell into the siege of the Japanese army in Lushun and was in danger. The North Korean Zhang army collapsed and was about to perish.

"But he has come this far! Moreover, he dragged the emperor, Zhenfei, Li Zhongtang, and Lord Ding to this point!" Zhang Peilun said, "Lord Ding, since the outbreak of the war, the Beiyang Marine Division has lost troops. You are not only guilty and useless, but also associate with traitors. If the emperor is gone, how the new king will deal with you is clear at a glance."

Ding Ruchang looked up to the sky and sighed: "I serve the country wholeheartedly, but I want to end up in a different place!"

"However, as long as Zhou Charter is there, the Empress Dowager can't abolish the emperor!" Zhang Peilun said in a low voice.

Ding Ruchang was stunned and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Zhang, you mean..."

"Zhang Jun is not a rebel! Zhou Charter is not a traitor! He supports the country of the Qing Dynasty! The Japanese army lost Lushun and had already messed up. This is a good time for the Beiyang sailor to avenge its shame! If Lord Ding could lead the Beiyang Marine Division and the joint fleet to fight and echo the Zhou Charter of Lushun, the Japanese army would not have occupied Shandong or won the war. Once the Japanese are expelled from Shandong and Liaodong, what will the Chinese think of you? What do you think of the Zhou Charter? With the power of the North Sea sailors and the strength of Zhang Jun, you just don't do anything. How dare the Empress Dowager Buddha touch the emperor! On the other hand, as long as the emperor is there, Lord Ding is the backbone of the community, and no one dares to say anything!"

Ding Ruchang stood up, thought for a moment, and then sat down: "Mr. Zhang's words are extremely reasonable. However, the Beiyang Marine Division fought for days and suffered heavy losses. The Zhenyuan ship was attacked by Japanese torpedo boats and was stranded in the military port and could not fight, while the Japanese Yoshino ship..."

"Don't you still have Dingyuan!" Zhang Peilun said, "Yoshino is not in Weihaiwei! It was dragged to Lushun by Zhou Charter! In Lushun, at least four Japanese cruisers were sunk by Liu Bu Toad and Zhou Charter, including their main battleship Langsu!"

In order to inspire Ding Ruchang, Zhang Peilun deliberately exaggerated the results of Zhou Charter. In fact, only one cruiser and two small gunboats were sunk by the Japanese army.

"I also told you that Liu Bu toad sank the eight mountains on which the Japanese naval commander Huashan Ziji was riding. Huashan Ziji was buried in the sea, and the morale of the joint fleet was extremely low!"

"This is true!" Ding Ruchang was surprised and happy.

"It's true!" Zhang Peilun said, "On the sea outside the Weihai Guarding Port, there is only half of the joint fleet, Lord Ding, this is a good time to make achievements! All the Beiyang Marines sent out to defeat the joint fleet, then go north, join forces with Zhou Charter, and expel the Japanese pirates in Liaodong. At that time, Lord Ding will be the hero of our Qing Dynasty! Lord Ding, if you say something unpleasant, even if the Empress Dowager doesn't like you, what can she do to you, and she dares to do anything to you!"

Ding Ruchang's blood was boiling. He patted the table and shouted, "It's okay! Ding Ruchang has been despised all my life, and I will do a big thing this time!"

Suddenly, I heard the soldiers outside the door shouting, "Lord Ding, ride 800 miles in the capital!"

Ding Ruchang was shocked and his face turned pale: "Is it that the emperor has..."

Zhang Peilun shook his head: "Lord Ding, now that Zhou Charter is still alive, the Empress Dowager Buddha will not do it. Lord Ding, you'd better go and have a look first.

"Mr. Zhang, please wait a moment." Ding Ruchang said and got up and left the secret room.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Ding Ruchang returned to the secret room, changed his sad face just now, and looked relieved: "Mr. Zhang, this is good, this is good."

"What are the new trends in the court?" Zhang Peilun asked in a hurry.

"According to the secret order of the Military Machinery Department, the Empress Dowager Buddha agreed to make peace with Japan. The representatives of the two sides have reached a preliminary agreement in Hiroshima, Japan, and the court ordered us to stop the counterattack and avoid stimulating the Japanese. I just received a notice from Yuan Shikai that the Japanese army stopped attacking and took the initiative to retreat five kilometers. Mr. Zhang, it seems that this is really going to be a truce. This is a great happy event!"

Zhang Peilun pondered for a moment and said coldly, "Lord Ding, do you think this is a happy event?"