Mother and Son, Rulers and Subjects

Author: Gao Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: A golden landscape of late Qing history, the fourth installment in the epic poem series "The Complete Biography of Empress Dowager Cixi"! The last emperor, with lofty ambitions to revitalize the world, but, the formidable empress dowager and the state-defying courtiers would inevitably this last chance to rewrite history. In the palace, there is only power, not family affection! The author of this book, Gao Yang, was a renowned writer from Taiwan who passed away. His real name was Xu Yanping, styled Yanbing, and used the pen names Junwang and Liyu. He was born into a prominent family in Qiantang. Before finishing his university education, he joined the Nationalist Air Force Officer School and became an air force officer. In 1948, he followed the army to Taiwan. He once served as the secretary to Wang Shuming, the Chief of the Nationalist Army General Staff. After retiring from the military, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Taiwan-based "China Daily" and also as a special commentator for the "Central Daily." Gao Yang was skilled in historical research and once described himself as a "wild scholar." His achievements lay not only in evaluating and narrating history but also in applying his historical knowledge to writing historical novels. In 1962, Gao Yang was invited to serialize "Li Wa" in the of the United Daily, which not only made a stunning debut but also marked the beginning of his career as a historical novelist. Later, his works such as "The Complete Biography of Empress Dowager Cixi" and the trilogy on Hu Xueyuan further solidified his status as the foremost historical novelist in Taiwan. Gao Yang's life's works numbered over 90 volumes, totaling approximately 105 books. His historical novels not only focused on creating a historical atmosphere but also featured dramatic plots and aimed to capture the essence of characters. When writing about people, he skillfully highlighted their distinctive traits with just a few words, bringing the characters to life.
At that time, Xu Gengshen took pen in hand and drafted a memorial, which he presented to the imperial desk. Empress Dowager Cixi personally used vermilion ink to write her reply at the bottom of the memorial and sent it to the Ministry of Personnel. The reply read: "Minister Huang Tifang has memorialized, stating that the conference of ministers on the naval affairs may lead to frequent delays. He requests that the envoy be instructed to return promptly to train the troops. The establishment of the navy this year is of great importance, and therefore, Prince Chun, Yixuan, has been specially appointed to oversee all matters. Li Hongzhang has outstanding military achievements and extensive experience, so he has been ordered to cooperate in the matter. However, it is feared that Li Hongzhang alone may not be able to handle the training and inspection tasks. Therefore, Zeng Jize has been appointed as an assistant. All matters related to the navy are to be reported to the Naval Office for review and approval by imperial decree. The court has carefully considered this matter and has already made comprehensive plans. Moreover, the power to promote or demote officials rests with the emperor, and how could subordinates dare to suggest changes? Since the navy has just been established, Minister Huang has immediately requested the removal of Li Hongzhang from his position as a conference participant and instructed Zeng Jize to return promptly to train the troops. His reckless suggestions to alter the plan border on chaotic governance. Huang Tifang is hereby ordered to be dealt with by the Ministry of Personnel!"
Li Lianying merely nodded and murmured in agreement, saying little. His obedient and cautious demeanor pleased Prince Chun, but also caused him slight surprise. He began to doubt whether the rumors he had heard, even those from Prince Chun's wife, were accurate in describing how powerful and manipulative "Pigskin Li" was. As for the officials working in the Beiyang Office and the Zhili Governor-General's Office, who witnessed the scene, they were all greatly astonished. In their eyes, Li Lianying was no less than Liu Jin from the Temple of Law or Liang Jiugong from the. A perfect example was Andehai. Many officials in the capital had personally seen how imposing and arrogant Andehai had been when traveling south along the Grand Canal from Tongzhou and Tianjin. Comparing the two, it was even harder to believe that Li Lianying was the unyielding chief steward in front of Empress Dowager Cixi.
The reconstruction of the Qingyi Garden began quickly. On one hand, Li Shan raised funds and secretly cleared the debris, choosing an auspicious day to start construction. On the other hand, Lei Tingchang created models and drawings, which were gradually submitted. The work was done in strict secrecy, but it could not be hidden from Prince Chun, who was all-powerful. Li Shan was most concerned about this, fearing that if Prince Chun learned about it and questioned him directly, he would have no answer. Therefore, he kept urging Li Lianying to persuade Empress Dowager Cixi to explain the matter to Prince Chun early, so as to avoid putting him in a difficult position. This was not the time for tricks. Li Lianying only found opportunities when Empress Dowager Cixi was in a good mood and reported the facts truthfully: "It is almost the end of the year, and the Imperial Household Department needs to submit a memorial to request funds to cover expenses in various places. Whether borrowing from the Naval Office or repaying the Ministry of Revenue, all requests must pass through Prince Chun's review. If he does not understand the higher authorities' intentions, he will definitely reject it. If we try to reverse his decision then, it would not be appropriate." Empress Dowager Cixi naturally agreed. In fact, she had already made plans. Explaining this matter to Prince Chun would not be difficult, but the real trouble was the Minister of Revenue, Yan Jingming. If she did not make alternative arrangements, even if Prince Chun did not oppose the garden's reconstruction, securing funds from the Ministry of Revenue would still be very difficult. After careful consideration, she came up with a solution and ordered the Grand Secretariat to draft a list of candidates for the promotion to Grand Secretary.
According to the regulations of the Grand Secretariat, Grand Secretaries had always been four, with two serving as chief and deputy. The chief Grand Secretary was Li Hongzhang, who was customarily appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall. The deputy Grand Secretary was ranked according to the years of service in the Grand Secretariat, and thus, Zeng Zongtang was considered the deputy. Originally, he should have been appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, but because he was a jinshi by background, he was instead appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Dongge Hall, a practice that continued unaltered. Below them were the Grand Secretaries of the Wuying Hall...