A Romantic Detective in the Qing Dynasty [Complete] - 2

Chapter Ten: A Sea of Beauties

I was stunned: "That old fox, she's finally showing her true colors! No wonder she was so enthusiastic, she was trying to trap me! But now's not the time to resist her, is it? Let her be happy for a few days!" Thinking this, I quickly said, "Great! With Empress Dowager Cixi here, I feel much more at ease!"

Cixi sighed: "I can't keep her here for more than a few days. Our ancestors had their rules, and the ministers aren't united. I think I'll keep her here for another year, until your wedding next year. Then I'll completely retire, tend to my flowers, chat, and let my mother..." "Mother, you've lived the life of a fairy too! Oh, right, go back and eat quickly. We're choosing a concubine for you in the Qianqing Palace later, so don't delay! Don't worry too much, just watch your mother's expression! Your mother won't harm you!" She handed me a jade ruyi: "Take this. When I nod, give this to that girl, and she'll be your empress! Don't give it to the wrong one, this is the empress's engagement gift!" Damn it

, she's choosing a concubine for me without letting me worry about it, what kind of situation is this? Being the emperor here is really not a good thing! No matter how unhappy I was, I still had to take the jade ruyi and say, "What are you saying, Your Majesty? How could I not trust Your Majesty? I'll listen to you!"

Back in my palace, my two concubines (don't be fooled by the fact that Yan'er is four years older than me; after our three cultivations, she and Fei'er are now almost equal in age, and they look like eighteen or nineteen-year-old girls) saw the gloom on my face and quickly surrounded me to ask me all sorts of questions. Fei'er asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Did she see through some loophole?"

Yan'er, however, knew what was going on. She laughed and said, "Didn't you see the way he looked? That old hag is definitely going to dump her ugly niece on him. She'll be hugging a big dinosaur soon, scaring him half to death!"

Fei'er chuckled, "Great! Didn't I tell you to take her? We'll practice every day, and you can use her as a practice subject. Prepare your 'steel spear' properly, unleash its full power on her, and make her never dare to bother you again! She'll tremble at the sight of you, and you'll have to take care of her every day, making her lose her bearings. Let her know that being an empress isn't easy!"

I was so angry that I pulled her over and slapped her little buttocks hard, "What nonsense are you talking about? You think anyone can taste your husband's thing? You want to..." "You want me to sell myself?"

Yan'er asked again, "Did the old man talk about postponing the return of power?"

I nodded, and Yan'er laughed, "You're so petty! Just let her be the one, we'll put on a little show for her and force her to go back to her old lair! You're so stupid, can't the three of us from the 21st century play a trick on her?" I knew this little strategist had some ideas up her sleeve, so I said, "Don't keep it to yourself, tell us all!"

She smiled and said, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed, I will make my own arrangements when the time comes!"

According to the etiquette of the Qing Dynasty, the Imperial Clan Court had long ago sent a document to the Manchu and Mongol bannermen of the Eight Banners, requiring all daughters of officials of the fifth rank or above in civil service and the fourth rank or above in military service, who were sixteen years of age or older, to be registered and submitted to the Imperial Clan Court. The Imperial Clan Court would then create a yellow register, present it to the Empress Dowager for review, and then the Empress Dowager would choose a date for the selection.

Now the preliminary work has been completed, and it's just a matter of me accompanying the Empress Dowager to make the selection.

After dinner, I took Xiao Fuzi and several personal servants and rushed to the Qianqing Palace.

I peeked into the room and was immediately stunned: Wow, beauties everywhere!

The hall was already packed with people, including officials in their robes and their wives and concubines in their finest attire.

Damn, these officials aren't very good at their jobs, but they're certainly good at choosing wives. Each and every one of them is a beauty. They're probably just waiting for me to give them a little "refinement" (a euphemism for grooming). If I did, they'd be just as stunning as my two young wives!

I helped Empress Dowager Cixi into the hall, and after three shouts of "Long live the Empress Dowager!", the selection began.

One by one, beautiful young girls, dressed in Manchu-style platform shoes, swayed gracefully towards us, bowed to Cixi and me, and then turned and walked away. I hadn't expected there to be so many beauties in this era! Each one had rosy cheeks and a curtsy figure. If they wore 21st-century clothes, they'd be absolutely breathtaking! So many beautiful women greeted us respectfully, yet that old woman remained silent, sitting there with her eyes half-closed, seemingly asleep.

Of course, I dared not utter a sound; now was not the time to provoke her!

Suddenly, a dinosaur swayed in—flat chest, a typical airport runway; flat face, like a pancake; flat butt, perfect for rollerblading; an extraordinary dinosaur! Who the hell chose this? Trying to scare someone to death? They even chose someone from the Daoist clan? Are they courting death? Aren't they afraid of being dragged out and beheaded by the Western Buddha?

Strangely, the old woman suddenly smiled, handing her teacup to Li Lianying, staring at the dinosaur with wide eyes, her mouth splitting into a grin, her back straightening, saying, "My son, prepare the jade ruyi, your empress has arrived! Look how composed and dignified this child is! She's perfectly capable of being the empress!"

I knew this was bad. This must be her niece, Yehenara, forced upon me as empress, leaving me to guard this dinosaur for the rest of my life. How could I possibly live? If she were to become the Empress, wouldn't it turn into a dinosaur world? Would any men even survive? Wouldn't they all have to find a place to slit their own throats?

No, I have to save this world! I have to pity the men of the world! I saw Li Lianying just take the teacup, and with a burst of energy, the teacup flew out, heading straight for the dinosaur's feet—the dinosaur was walking along its designated path. She must be very proud of herself now; the Empress was already hers, she was about to become the Empress of the land! What good are your good looks? You still have to lose to me! Suddenly, she slipped, and *thud*, fell flat on her back. Just as she was about to get up, her clothes tore open inside and out, exposing her snow-white buttocks to everyone—everyone immediately covered their mouths (wanting to laugh but not daring to, what else could they do?), not knowing what to do!

The dinosaur lay on the ground and began to cry loudly. Empress Dowager Cixi jumped up in anger: "Quick, take her to the back! Li Lianying, you brat, how could you spill tea there?"

Li Lianying, terrified, knelt down with a thud: "I—I—didn't—do it on purpose!"

Several palace maids rushed over with blankets, wrapped the dinosaur in them, and carried her away.

I stood up seriously and walked to the spot where the tea had spilled, stopping the maids who were about to wipe it up. I squatted down, looked at the broken cup, and said, "Could it have been an accident from this distance?"

The entire hall immediately erupted in commotion, and Empress Dowager Cixi stared at Li Lianying with a livid face.

Li Lianying was so frightened that he knelt there, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I'm innocent! I didn't mean to pour water!"

Xiao Fuzi picked up the broken pieces of the cup piece by piece, saying, "If you didn't mean to pour water, then you threw the cup this far. That means you wanted to throw it, didn't you? This isn't an injustice. Everyone saw it. Your Majesty's niece had just walked over when you threw the cup at her. Chief Eunuch Li, Your Majesty has been so good to you, how could you do such a thing? You've truly failed Your Majesty's expectations!"

Cixi glared at Li Lianying, and I saw the scene was... "That's enough," she said, "Chief Eunuch Li's mistake was unintentional. He must have seen that Your Majesty's water was cold and was worried about upset stomach, so he tried to change it for you, but accidentally dropped the cup! It's nothing, just a minor matter. It's the girl's fault for being so careless and impolite! What a pity, it's hard for her to maintain her imperial virtue! Keeping her in the palace is impossible now. Comfort her, change her clothes, and send her home! Your Majesty, please continue watching!"

After this incident, Cixi had completely lost interest and could only force herself to sit there, her face longer than the face of that beast with the name Zhuge Ziyu written on it.

I, however, was quite interested, staring intently at the beautiful women passing by, looking for any girls who could rival my two wives, pondering how to expand my ranks of beautiful wives!

Unfortunately, after looking for a long time, while they were all beautiful, there wasn't a single one who could compare to or even approach the beauty of Ministers Yan and Fei!

Suddenly, my eyes lit up. There she was! A beautiful young woman with delicate eyebrows, a pretty nose, cherry lips, and rosy cheeks, her face radiant with spring, swaggered in through the door. Seeing her slender waist swaying in the spring breeze, her curvaceous figure, her graceful movements, and her charming demeanor, I knew my third wife had arrived! I quickly picked up the jade ruyi and stood up.

She came over, bringing with her a gentle breeze, a ray of sunshine, and a smile. She walked gracefully towards me, stopped slightly, and bowed deeply. Her delicate eyebrows arched, her small mouth parted slightly, revealing pearly white teeth, and she said in a melodious voice, "This humble woman, Tatara, greets Your Majesty!"

She then smiled at me, and I was instantly captivated. I couldn't help but recite, "Emerald screen, golden curves, drunkenly I sleep among the flowers; seeing the blossoms here, I vow never to return until my hair turns white." After reciting, I handed her the jade ruyi.

The girl understood my intentions, took the jade ruyi, and slightly squatted down, whispering, "This concubine will never betray His Majesty!"

After saying this, she cherished the jade ruyi, pressing it to her chest, her breasts heaving as if she were deeply moved.

I waved her away; I was afraid that old hag might interfere!

Oh no, the old hag rushed over and snatched the jade ruyi from the girl's hand: "We won't choose an empress this year; we'll wait!" Then she said to the girl, "Go home and prepare. You two sisters from the Chang family will both go to the Imperial Clan Court for training tomorrow, and then you'll become the emperor's concubines!" Damn

, her claws are quick! I ignored her. Once the beauty is in my bed, how I arrange things is my business. You old hag, you'll drive me crazy!

(Author's Note: 1. Regarding Emperor Guangxu's address to Empress Dowager Cixi, some readers suggested he should call her "Imperial Father," but after consulting numerous books, I found some called her "Mother" and others "Imperial Father." To avoid confusion between "Mother" and "Aunt," this book uses "Mother." Furthermore, since this book is a collection of rambling thoughts, I don't intend to delve too deeply into historical accuracy, as it is not history. 2. The three characters' martial arts skills were merely for self-defense; after all, guiding a nation onto the right path cannot be accomplished solely through martial arts. 3. Aside from the time tunnel, this book contains no fantasy elements; you'll see after reading. Thank you for your support; I will certainly put in the effort to write a good book.) Chapter Eleven: East Point Military Academy

. It was dark when I entered the house, and I burst into laughter, leaving my two young wives bewildered. They quickly asked Xiao Fuzi, who then recounted what had happened in the Qianqing Palace. My two young wives immediately joined in the laughter! They all knew it was my doing, but they dared not say it—that would be disastrous! They were genuinely happy now, because their husbands had finally learned to deal with the old witch!

As they were laughing, news came from outside that Long An had arrived.

I immediately told my two wives to leave, and then came out with Xiao Fuzi.

Seeing that there were no more idlers, Long'an said, "According to Master's instructions, I have already purchased a house near Dazhong Temple. The house is very large, with six courtyards and seventeen rooms, and there is also a large drill ground, perfect for training troops! The surrounding area is surrounded by tall trees and dense forests, making it relatively secluded. Moreover, if news leaks out, we can quickly retreat to the mountains from there. The courtyard can easily accommodate one or two thousand people, and it only costs four thousand taels of silver. I will pay tomorrow! I have also selected the soldiers, all young men in their twenties, with good martial arts skills and some literary talent!"

I nodded happily, "Good, General Long'an is indeed efficient. You go back first, and I will prepare the silver for you tomorrow morning. You can bring your men to collect it! Find an accountant and arrange the storeroom there. I will go with you to take a look tomorrow. If there is enough space for more people, we will arrange more soldiers and train three at a time." "A thousand iron soldiers!"

Long'an was startled, but immediately said happily, "That's wonderful! I was worried that these three hundred soldiers wouldn't do much in the palace! However, selecting so many people can't just be done in the palace. The master's requirements are too high; we need to find a pretext to select them from all over the country!"

I shook my head: "Not now. Find some heroes in society and ask them for help! But it must be done secretly; we have too many opponents!"

Long'an said, "Yes, ma'am! This servant will find a way! I also need to buy the two houses next door. This way, we can avoid exposing our location and have more people!"

I nodded: "Go ahead and buy them; money won't be a problem! Remember, these people aren't just soldiers for fighting; they also need to be able to become officers who lead troops tomorrow, and they need to produce Grand Generals of the Qing Dynasty, Ministers of the Northern and Southern Seas, Governors-General, Grand Marshals! Naval Captains!" "Turn it into the West Point of the Qing Dynasty!"

Long'an was taken aback: "West Point?"

I was also taken aback: "Why did you blurt out such a term?" But I immediately said: "Oh, that's a very famous military academy in the West that trains officers. In the East, let's call it East Point! But we can't call it that yet. When it's public, I'll write an inscription and name it for you. I'll be your principal now!"

Long'an said excitedly: "Great! So that means that all the officers of the Qing Dynasty in the future will have to be graduates of our military academy? They'll all be well-rounded, both academically and militarily!"

I was also quite excited: "That's right! Forget about sheep and pigs, when we train our troops and equip ourselves, we'll learn the most advanced things in the world. Whatever is advanced, we'll take it and make it ours, so we can fight those foreign devils!"

Long'an said: "General Zeng said the same thing!"

I added: "These three hundred will be trained separately, we'll build a rapid-fire battalion, and once they're trained..." "Bring them into the palace to be the backbone of the Imperial Guard! Train another three thousand men to build ten musketeer battalions. You choose a loyal servant for me in the palace to take over your duties. You will train this iron army for me, and then I will appoint you as the vice principal of the military academy with the rank of third grade!"

Upon hearing this, Long'an was stunned and speechless. After a long while, he knelt down and said, "Thank you for your promotion, Your Majesty!"

I asked, "Have you thought about who will take your place?"

Long'an knelt down and said, "I have already brought ten men for Your Majesty. One of them is named Sheng Bao. He was originally a general in Yunnan. After his parents were killed by the British army, he broke into the enemy camp at night and returned with the enemy commander's head. His superiors said that he had ruined the peace talks and he was discharged from the army. He ended up here with me. He can completely replace the servant!"

I said happily, "Good. Bring them all in immediately. I will appoint them to official positions!"

Long'an immediately left happily and led in ten burly men a moment later.

Several people signed up. Sheng Bao wasn't as muscular as the others, but he seemed quite intelligent. I asked him a few questions about troop deployment, and he answered them fairly well—those were all difficult questions from the police academy! I was so happy that I immediately decided, "We can't let him be confined to the Forbidden City; we need to give him a big responsibility!" I immediately called Long An aside and said to him, "Sheng Bao shouldn't take your rank. He'll follow me for now, and you can recommend someone else!"

Long An looked at me with confusion. I smiled and said, "He'll have a place. You should recommend someone else first!"

"Then Ye Zibin is suitable. He's not a Manchu; he's Han! But he didn't come today. He went to Shandong yesterday and won't be back for three days! Should we talk about it another day?" Long An said.

I patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, let him do it! The Qing Dynasty belongs to all the people. From now on, there's no need to distinguish between Manchus and Han Chinese; they are all subjects of the Qing Dynasty! When he returns, bring him here! As for Sheng Bao, I think I have other arrangements. For now, let him follow me. I want to personally mentor you two!"

Long'an was overjoyed and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

I asked him: "What about the military talent of Jing Lian, the dismissed Minister of War? And what about Governor-General Li of Zhili, and Naval Governor-General Ding Ruchang?"

Long'an didn't answer for a long time. I knew he was in a dilemma, so I said: "Just tell the truth. There shouldn't be any reservations between us!"

The word "we" startled him, and he looked up at me. Then he said: "Governor-General Ding is a good person, but he hasn't studied naval affairs. Naval command is different from land-based troop deployment. The others are all experts in factional struggles, but novices in actual combat! If there had been another capable person, the Qing Dynasty wouldn't have fallen to this state!"

I nodded: "I understand! Can you recommend a few generals who can lead troops into battle?"

Long An thought for a moment: "For generals of great talent, Ding Baozhen from Shandong is suitable. He is proficient in military strategy, cares for his subordinates, and is very popular. If he were to head the Ministry of War, he would definitely be better than the current officials! And Zhang Zhidong is also very capable of leading troops!"

I nodded: "Don't answer me yet, think carefully and recommend a few people, including those who can lead troops into battle! Including the navy!"

After saying this, I walked back to the ten men and said: "I summoned you not merely to protect me, but to protect the Qing Dynasty and the Chinese nation. Therefore, you will not only practice martial arts here, but also study literature, military strategy, troop deployment, and so on." "Learn Chinese knowledge, and also Western knowledge; learn both Chinese and Western knowledge, and use it for your own purposes. I will now introduce you to two instructors. You must learn well from them and prepare to serve the country and the people when the times change!"

These words stirred the blood of the burly men, who knelt on the ground and swore together: "We will remember His Majesty's teachings and prepare to serve the country and the people!"

I called out Yan'er and Fei'er, who had been disguised as servants, and introduced them to everyone: "This is Lin Yan, the firearms instructor. He is very proficient in all kinds of firearms, both Chinese and foreign. You will learn from him to master firearms, even cannons! This is Huang Fei, the martial arts instructor. You will learn various Chinese martial arts from him to enhance your combat abilities!" The ten men immediately knelt down and performed the apprenticeship ceremony for the two of them.

I said, "I appoint ten of you as fifth-rank bodyguards. You are now the first batch of cadets at the Qing Dynasty's Eastern Point Military Academy. The two instructors and General Long'an will be the vice-principals of the Eastern Point Military Academy, and I will be your principal!"

Just as I finished speaking, Xiao Fuzi rushed in and whispered to me, "Vice Minister Changxu's second daughter was just kidnapped by a lecherous thief!"

I was taken aback: "Wasn't Changxu's second daughter the concubine I was betrothed to today?"

"It's the one you were supposed to give the jade ruyi to. She was carried away from her home, and she was drugged with incense. Changxu's servants followed her to Li Lianying's residence but lost her! They suspect Li Lianying did it, and Changxu has already gone to the Empress Dowager for help in rescuing her!"

Chapter Twelve The Flower-Picking Eunuch

I was furious when I heard this: "Damn it, is he looking for death? He even dares to touch my woman, he's not even a—" I was about to say "a man without testicles," but then I remembered that Xiao Fuzi was still by my side and quickly changed my words: "That man who almost lost his head, how come he's jumping around like this after just escaping death?"

Yan'er said anxiously: "Quickly think of a way to rescue her, or it will be too late!"

I said to Xiao Fuzi: "You take my gold token immediately and tell Ronglu, the Nine Gates Admiral, to go and rescue her right away. Tell him that I want my beloved concubine alive!"

Xiao Fuzi hurriedly ran off.

I rushed into the inner room and hurriedly said, "Fei'er, watch the house. Yan'er, come with me. Change into your night clothes immediately, cover your faces, and don't give away our presence!"

Yan'er and I quickly changed our clothes, each carrying a sword, and flew onto the rooftops as soon as we left.

Damn, having light-footed skills is awesome! We flew around on the rooftops and arrived at an alley on Fuyou Street in no time. I had only heard that Li Lianying's family lived in this alley on Fuyou Street, but I didn't know exactly where. Helpless, we flew from rooftop to rooftop, house to house, searching one by one. Fortunately, it was already late at night, and most houses had turned off their lights. There weren't many wealthy families, and the alley wasn't long. After searching more than a dozen houses, we finally found the place.

It was a very elaborately decorated courtyard, with pavilions, flower beds, covered walkways, bamboo groves, and artificial hills. It was clearly the home of a very wealthy family.

All the other houses were dark, except for one main room in the middle, which still had a light on. We flew down and gently approached the lit window, hearing a whistling sound coming from inside.

I dampened a piece of window paper with my saliva, then gently poked a small hole in it. The room was large, with a big bed draped in embroidered curtains at the front. A young woman was bound to the bed, struggling desperately, a white handkerchief stuffed in her mouth; the whimpering sounds were coming from her.

Looking at her shapely figure and breathtakingly beautiful face, I knew this was my third wife! Damn it, she's got some nerve, daring to mess with the emperor! What's she so arrogant about? But thankfully, she wasn't hurt yet, otherwise, how would I comfort my little darling?

A young eunuch stood with his back to us, holding a knife. Seeing the girl making a fuss, he slapped her with the back of the knife: "What are you yelling about? Are you in a hurry to get our Master Li to speak up for you? It's no use being in a hurry. Our Master Li will only have time to spare for the Empress Dowager before he can even bother with you! Don't think that just because you're a rich young lady, you're any different from the Empress Dowager here. You're just a plaything for our Master Li. Once he's had his fill of your sweet water down there, he'll have someone make your belly bigger, then he'll drink your water up there. After he's had his fill, he'll sell you to a brothel..." "Don't even think about seeing that stupid emperor again in this lifetime! Damn it, you're rushing me like crazy. Behave yourself, you can't outrun the Empress Dowager. Her addiction is bigger than yours. Every time, she has to make sure our Master Li is completely satisfied, otherwise she wouldn't dote on him so much! Didn't I tell you not to rush? No matter how much you rush, it's useless. Not only do we not have the guts to touch you, even if we had the guts of a thief, we wouldn't have the ability to mess with you. It's only Master Li who has that ability!" After saying that, he laughed loudly.

I couldn't stand it anymore, and I grabbed my sword, ready to rush in. Yan'er pulled me back, and she gently pried open the door, slipped in, and immediately pinned the little eunuch to the spot.

Yan'er lifted the little eunuch up and said, "Look around, this room should be his bedroom. See if his treasury is there. I'll go interrogate him!" After saying that, she grabbed the little eunuch and went into a room next door.

I was stunned at this moment because the jade in my arms was already burning hot. I looked carefully for a while and saw a painting on the wall in front of me. I tore the painting down, and sure enough, there was a small hidden door inside. I pried the door open, and damn it, there was a small iron box inside. I picked up the iron box, and the jade disc in my arms got even hotter. This must be it! But it wasn't that heavy. What kind of treasure could it be that would make the jade disc so hot? Oh well, I shouldn't let the jade disc's guidance go to waste. I put it back in my arms!

I remembered those heroes in TV dramas who would write a few words on the wall after they finished their work, how cool! Damn it, he has all the writing implements, I'll leave a few words too, and show off my power!

I picked up a brush and wrote twenty characters in one stroke. After I finished, I tilted my head and looked at it for a long time. Ha, I'm pretty cool too!

I softly read: "You slept with someone's woman, I took your money, if you touch my hand again, I'll cut off your neck!"

Quite the tone of a chivalrous knight! What should I sign it? Oh right, there's this Yanzi Li San on TV, let's get Eagle King Boss instead, he's even more powerful than him! Haha, let them go find him!

The little girl quietly stared at me writing with her big, bright eyes, her face full of smiles. Seeing that I finished writing, she started whimpering again. I quickly pulled her over to untie her ropes, whispering, "Don't whimper, be careful they hear you!"

The girl obediently nodded. Unexpectedly, as soon as I finished untying her, she knelt down in front of me with a thud, whispering, "This humble woman thankes Your Majesty for saving my life!"

Even though her voice was low, it startled me. I was masked, how did she know? Damn it, now's not the time for you to acknowledge your husband! If word gets out that the emperor is a masked bandit, that'll be quite a show!

I said in a rough voice, "Girl, you've mistaken me for someone else. Get up and come with us quickly!"

The girl still wouldn't get up, and said in a sweet, melodious voice, "I can smell your scent. As soon as Your Majesty came in, I recognized you. Your figure, your voice, your temperament—they all belong to that Your Majesty who loves to sleep with you, who wants to sleep with you and grow old together!" Damn it

, how come she's a woman with a dog's nose? Looking at her slender waist, round little buttocks, and high, firm breasts, my penis inexplicably stuck out. Damn it, where am I? Can I go and have some kind of "sharing the moon's beauty"? I quickly grabbed her arm and, with a shout, hoisted her onto my back.

Wow, that softness, that faint fragrance, that warm body—it feels just like when I carried Fei'er that day! No wonder that thing is even more magnificent now!

Yan'er had already dealt with the little eunuch. As she wiped the blood off her sword with a rag, she said, "Damn, that was disgusting!"

I heard commotion outside and hurriedly said, "Quick, let's go! They're here! Now's not the time to kill that bastard!"

With that, I grabbed Yan'er and rushed outside. Just as we leaped onto the roof, we heard someone shouting below, "There's a thief on the roof! Surround him!" Then, six or seven men in black, wielding swords, appeared on the roof.

I raised my sword and whispered, "Girl, hold me tight, I have to start killing!"

The girl was very obedient; her arms immediately wrapped tightly around my neck, and her slender legs coiled around my waist like an octopus.

I turned to Yan'er and said, "I'll cover you, you retreat first!"

Who knew that the clueless little wife would move closer to me and whisper, "You retreat first, I can manage on my own!"

I stamped my foot, "Listen to me, I can only retreat if you leave!"

At this moment, several thugs had already surrounded us. I roared, "Kids! Watch how I, Boss Eagle King, teach you a lesson!" and charged forward with my sword.

In that world, I had used a gun, practiced with a knife, and wielded a seven-section whip, but I had never practiced swordsmanship. However, this wasn't the time for modesty, so I used all the Tai Chi sword techniques I knew, and surprisingly, we were evenly matched.

Yan'er was much better than me; her sword was impenetrable, and she took down two thugs in a short time! Damn, this little girl actually practices swordsmanship; no wonder she's so obsessed with martial arts!

Seeing how formidable Yan'er was, the group hesitated to approach. I seized the opportunity, gathering my strength in my hand, and slammed it down on the remaining men. With a deafening boom, several were thrown to the ground by the blast. I grabbed Yan'er and said, "Let's go!" The two of us vanished into the darkness in an instant.

The little girl became excited, pressing her face against mine. She whispered in my ear, "Your Majesty is so handsome! I'm completely captivated by you! I'm so lucky! My suffering today wasn't in vain; I finally saw His Majesty's splendor!" As she spoke, she licked my earlobe with her tiny tongue, almost causing me to have a nosebleed. My manhood was even more erect and refused to recede!

Following the girl's directions, we made our way through a maze of twists and turns until we arrived at the gate of the Chang Mansion. I put her down and whispered, "Knock on the door! Don't make wild guesses, and don't tell anyone who saved you. If you do, your troubles will be even greater, and then no one can save you!"

The girl stared at me with wide eyes and nodded obediently, "I know, I was saved by Eagle King! I look forward to the day I can be by His Majesty's side! I never want to leave His Majesty again!"

I saw soldiers running towards us in the distance, and I knew that the Nine Gates Admiral had sent people to rescue her. So I grabbed Yan'er and flew up to the wall next to us, darting across rooftops and roof ridges.

Back at the palace, Fei'er, who had been frantically pacing around, rushed up to me and burst into tears as soon as she saw us. "Why were you gone for so long? I was so worried! Next time I'm not staying home, I have to go with you no matter what!"

I patted her little bottom and said, "Don't cry, your face will be all messed up!"

Fei'er wiped her tears and asked, "Were they rescued?"

I said dejectedly, "They were rescued, but that girl somehow has a keen sense of smell and recognized me. No matter how much I said it wasn't me, she wouldn't believe me!"

Fei'er chuckled, "That's called a lover's sixth sense! Then why didn't you carry her back? You've been working us to the bone all day without even finishing, wouldn't it be better to finish with one more person?" "

I was so angry that I slapped her little pert bottom a few more times: "You think I'm a stud?"

Fei'er said strangely: "Isn't he a eunuch? How come he's picking flowers?"

Yan'er said: "I'm also wondering. I just interrogated that little eunuch for half a day. Damn, he was disgusting. He takes women back and uses his big tongue to deflower them, and then he drinks their vaginal fluids. Empress Dowager Cixi was proud of him because of his tongue. She said that he always made Li Lianying's stomach hurt! Once, Empress Dowager Cixi happened to be menstruating—"

Before she could finish speaking, Fei'er covered her mouth and ran out. Yan'er and I didn't know what had happened, so we hurriedly chased after her and found Fei'er hugging a big tree, vomiting happily!

I said, puzzled, "Is it really that bad? You throw up as soon as I mention it? If you saw it, you'd be dehydrated from vomiting!"

Yan'er kicked me, "It's all your fault! Go check on her!"

I shrugged, "Are you even being reasonable? You're talking about something disgusting, how can you blame me?"

Yan'er came over and pinched my ear, "You're so stupid, she's pregnant!" Just as she finished speaking, she vomited, almost spitting it out, and hurriedly covered her mouth and ran over to hug a big tree, vomiting loudly. Pregnant

? What happened? I still couldn't shake the feeling! I hurriedly went inside to get some water, and just as I picked up the water, it suddenly dawned on me: "They're pregnant! They're all pregnant!" Damn it, I'm so stupid, I should have realized it sooner! We've been together for almost two months, but I've never seen them have their period!

I was ecstatic, forgetting everything else, I rushed out and grabbed them both, exclaiming, "Great! My handsome guy is amazing! One shot, two treasures blossoming at the same time!"

They were furious, turning around and each grabbing one of my ears, dragging me into the house, shoving me onto the bed, and starting to beat me! Oh dear, trying to murder her husband? Want her child to be born fatherless?

After a while, Yan'er remembered, "You took his money? Were you so busy being intimate with other women that you forgot to take the money?"

Damn, why does she smell of jealousy? I'll let it slide since she has my son with her! I pulled a small box from my pocket: "There's only this little box in here, not much of a treasure!"

Fei'er quickly snatched it, pried it open with her sword, and inside were four egg-sized beads, emitting a shimmering green light.

"Night-shining pearls?" Yan'er and I exclaimed simultaneously, each picking one up and examining it; Damn, are these things really that valuable?

Yan'er said, "It looks like a glass ball, nothing special."

Fei'er exclaimed in surprise.

Chapter Thirteen After Fei'er finished exclaiming

, she waved a stack of papers in her hand and shouted, "So many silver notes!"

The three of us hurriedly sat on the bed and started counting them. Wow, there were quite a lot, a full eight million four hundred thousand taels.

Fei'er said happily, "Husband, you brought back a bank!"

But I couldn't be happy. The country had no money to equip its military, but he was rolling in money. Wasn't he just a eunuch? Wasn't he just a sycophant who managed to fool Empress Dowager Cixi? Could this corrupt government resist powerful foreign enemies? If the Qing Dynasty didn't fall, China would never become strong! But how to take this step was too difficult for me!

After breaking through the bottleneck, we started practicing again. The surging true qi in our bodies was like the turbulent Qiantang River tide, rolling and expanding our meridians.

With the foundation of qigong, after a short nap, we began to learn the Xuanyuan Sword Technique from the secret manual.

Yan'er had a foundation, and she understood it at a glance. She taught us as she learned, and in less than two hours, we were able to follow the basic sword techniques smoothly.

Humans are strange; they're always most enthusiastic when they first learn something new. The three of us, no longer sleepy, grabbed our swords and started sparring. At first, it was Fei'er and me fighting Yan'er, but then Yan'er said something ridiculous, and she and Fei'er teamed up against me. Wow, this was a good fight! We fought from midnight until dawn. Still not satisfied, the three of us trudged through the snow to the small garden for another round. The two female warriors weren't as strong as me, but their attacks were tricky and unpredictable, keeping me constantly on the defensive. I couldn't gain the upper hand, but my swordplay was ruthless, so they didn't dare to close in recklessly. We fought for hundreds of rounds without a clear winner.

Suddenly, applause erupted around us. We quickly sheathed our swords and saw Sheng Bao and ten other warriors standing beside us, clapping.

I looked at the ground; it was covered in snow just moments before, but now not a single snowflake remained. Sigh, we were so engrossed in our practice that we didn't even notice when someone came to shovel the snow! I hurriedly said, embarrassed, "We were so engrossed that we didn't even notice you shoveling snow! If bad guys came, we'd be in big trouble!"

Sheng Bao's eyes widened, and after a long while, he said, "Your Majesty, you're joking! We heard shouts of battle coming from the courtyard, so we came over and saw a big snowball rolling around. After a long while, the snow suddenly flew away, and we saw a sword shadow spinning and moving. After another long while, we saw Your Majesty and the two masters practicing swordsmanship. We've really seen something new this time, and we've finally learned what swordsmanship is!"

Hearing him say this, I was also taken aback. We, as beginners, call this swordsmanship? It seems that the Xuanyuan Sword is really powerful; we really need to learn it properly! The group chatted about swordsmanship for a while longer before going to practice. Just as we were about to go inside, Xiao Fuzi ran over excitedly: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!" "A great hero has appeared in Kyoto, known as Eagle King. Not only did he rescue the second daughter of the Chang family, but he also ransacked the Li family, killing six of their top fighters. If Li Lianying hadn't been summoned by the Empress Dowager for a reprimand, he would have been dead long ago! Now the Shuntian Prefecture is searching everywhere for the murderer!"

I exclaimed in surprise, "So powerful? We should also be on high alert!"

Xiao Fuzi said, "I don't think it's necessary. He's after that lecherous thief. We don't harm anyone, so how could he find us? The Empress Dowager has already sent word to strengthen vigilance. Let them be afraid, we don't need to be. Those people in the martial arts world can distinguish between good and bad!"

After eating some food, we went to pay our respects to Empress Dowager Cixi.

Cixi's expression changed, and she said, "It must be the remnants of the Taiping Rebellion causing trouble!"

I shook my head and looked at Li Lianying, whose face was deathly pale, and said, "Chief Eunuch Li, I heard that your people kidnapped the concubine prepared for me. Are you also trying to kidnap me?"

Li Lianying hurriedly knelt on the ground and said, "This servant would rather die than do that! This is purely a frame-up by bandits. Yesterday, the Empress Dowager scolded me until quite late for the trouble I caused. This servant had no idea what happened at home. I only found out when I returned in the middle of the night that someone was dead and things were missing!" I

said calmly, "That's good. But rumors are a fearsome thing. There are rumors outside that you were carrying my people around. I'm afraid there might be some truth to it. I'm making this clear today: although I am weak, I am still a man of honor. I will never fail to protect my beloved! Anyone who dares to touch my people, I will exterminate their entire family! Just wait and see!"

Cixi laughed, "My son, don't scare him. I called him in last night and gave him a good scolding. These little brats, if you don't discipline them for three days, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles. A scolding is enough. Your Majesty is counting on him to massage your legs!"

Back in the palace, Yan'er, Fei'er, and Long'an were discussing buying a house. Seeing me return, Long'an knelt and said, "Your Majesty, everything is ready over there. Please come and take a look!" Intrigued

, I led ten warriors, along with Yan'er and Fei'er, and followed Long'an out of the palace through the rear gate. We rode in a carriage to the woods near Dazhong Temple.

It was a large poplar grove, and although the trees were now bare, the houses inside were still not clearly visible. After a while, the carriage came into view of a large, secluded courtyard with high blue brick walls. Only the eaves were visible.

The carriage stopped in front of a small gatehouse by the courtyard gate. Two soldiers with sabers at their waists blocked the way. Seeing Long'an get out, they bowed and said, "The troops are training. What are your instructions, General?"

Long'an said, "Let the drivers rest here. Make them some good tea and heat the stove!" "

After saying that, we got out of the car and walked along the snow-covered cobblestone path deeper into the forest.

Rounding a bend in the path, the view suddenly opened up, revealing three hundred strong men wrestling one-on-one in Mongolian style.

I watched for a while, my interest piqued. I turned to Fei'er and said, 'Instructor Huang, shouldn't we find a few to practice with?'

Fei'er smiled and said, 'By His Majesty's decree, Huang Fei dares not disobey!' She then pulled up the hem of her long robe and tucked it into her belt, and confidently stepped to the center of the arena, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and said, 'General Long, I'm about to make a fool of myself. Please arrange ten men to go first!'

Long An was startled, and seeing that I didn't dare to speak, I laughed and said, 'Just choose ten. Don't worry about bumping into Instructor Huang; just take good care of your soldiers!'

Fearing they wouldn't be able to wrestle freely, I said, 'Our Chinese nation is currently beset by internal and external troubles; the situation is dire!'" "We've reached the most dangerous moment. If we don't work harder now, we'll become slaves to foreign barbarians! This time, I want to train an iron army that can't be broken, dragged down, smashed, or defeated, to drive out all those foreign devils and make them vomit up everything they've eaten! Whether you're up to the task, whether you can shoulder the burden of the nation's rise and fall, I need to see! Today, you'll compete with Instructor Huang. If three hundred of you can't beat Instructor Huang, I'll have to consider re-selecting men!"

My words made everyone's faces serious. Long'an selected ten strong men from the crowd, gave them many instructions, and then led them off the field. Looking at the bulging temples of these ten men, I knew they were all skilled fighters. Now, I was a little worried about my little wife; after all, she was pregnant. If something happened to her, I'd be in deep trouble!

Fei'er, however, remained smiling. She clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Excuse me! Let's begin!" "

Ten men immediately moved with light footsteps, leaving no trace in the snow, circling around Fei'er. I knew they were looking for an opening.

One circle, two circles, three circles—the ten men circled for a long time, still not making a move, but their pace quickened, and snow flew up from the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief; these ten men were starting to get impatient, they were doomed to lose!

Long An had also seen the situation on the field long ago; sweat was starting to bead on his face under the biting northwest wind. He looked at me anxiously, and I smiled and said, 'Don't be afraid, no one will get hurt, it's all just a few touches!'

The ten men's footsteps flew, like rapidly spinning wheels revolving around Fei'er, the axle!

Fei'er held her frame still, her face still smiling.

Yan'er leaned close to me and whispered, 'Your little wife is quite mischievous. It's obvious she's going to win, but she's still smiling. Isn't that infuriating?'

I said, 'She's mentally overwhelming them; they'll lose because of that!'" Suddenly, ten men let out a long howl and lunged at Fei'er, only to miss .

Fei'er spun around, flying through the air, her slender legs flying diagonally, her fists striking horizontally. In just one circle, she was the only one left on the field. The ten men lay outside the circle, completely bewildered as to how they had been thrown out.

Fei'er stood there smiling, beckoning to Long An, "Ten more!"

Long An quickly selected ten more and gave them a long, detailed instruction.

These ten men changed their tactics, immediately launching a fierce attack on Fei'er's upper body. However, they lost even faster than the first ten.

The next group used the same tactics, and I realized then that Long An intended to lose ten rounds to secure one, hoping to wear Fei'er down through a series of attacks.

If Fei'er hadn't practiced the Three Cultivations Technique, I would have genuinely worried about her stamina. Now, I laugh at Long An; he made a judgment without knowing the enemy's situation, and the result was sure to be an even more crushing defeat!

Sure enough, Fei'er fought with increasing ferocity, training all three hundred men in the time it takes to eat a meal.

Fei'er, however, remained unfazed, her face unchanged, still smiling as she looked at Long An and the ten guards.

Long An knew Fei'er was challenging him. He looked at me, and I smiled, "Since we're here, let's all try it out! He also wants to assess your skills to develop a teaching syllabus!"

The ten warriors had been eager to try for a long time. Seeing that I had spoken, they immediately huddled together with Long An and discussed for a while before finally stepping onto the field together. As soon as

the eleven men entered the field, they surrounded Fei'er, their twenty-two iron fists sweeping and changing angles like a storm, rushing towards Fei'er.

Fei'er no longer stayed in one place, her feet gliding and moving nimbly. Although the ground was covered in moist snow, not a single snowflake was stirred up. She floated as if walking on water, her pink fists flashing and striking through the shadows of the eleven men's fists, each move extremely ruthless. The eleven men repeatedly encountered danger, their moves often incomplete, many subtle and profound variations unable to be executed, leaving them struggling to defend themselves, constantly in peril. But the eleven men were exceptionally united; when one was in danger, the others rushed to her aid, forcing Fei'er to turn and defend herself, preventing her from gaining an advantage for the time being.

Under the pressure of Fei'er's exquisite moves, the eleven men advanced and retreated swiftly, dodging and weaving like a blur, swirling snowflakes in their wake, a truly beautiful sight.

In the time it takes to eat a meal, the two sides had exchanged hundreds of blows. Although the eleven fighters coordinated well, their internal energy was not as profound and enduring as Fei'er's. After several hundred blows, they all felt tired, their breathing uneven, and their movements much slower. Suddenly, Fei'er let out a long howl, and the situation on the field immediately changed.

Chapter Fourteen: The Vice Minister's Long Narrative

It turned out that one of the eleven fighters had been a half-beat slower. In that half-beat, Fei'er seized the opportunity, grabbed him and used him as a shield, then moved forward step by step, striking from a distance, throwing the other ten fighters into chaos. She took the opportunity to use the same trick again, and in a moment, threw the eleven fighters out of the arena.

Fei'er still stood there smiling, not panting heavily.

I chuckled to myself, "A provincial Sanda champion in the 21st century isn't just a pushover, is he? Now you know how powerful he is, right? The real challenge is yet to come!"

Long An scrambled to his feet and shouted, "Long An greets Master!" He then knelt on the ground, followed by the other 310 men. Fei'er quickly helped Long An up, smiling as she said, "Everyone's skills are quite good. I only used a little trick. You'll understand when you learn in the future!"

I added, "Everyone practiced well today. Although we didn't defeat Instructor Huang, it's because we learned too many fancy moves and too few practical ones. If you all study diligently with Instructor Huang, I believe we can train an iron army! However, I'll come to inspect you in three months. If you're still like today, then I won't be polite!"

I took out 50,000 silver dollars and gave them to Long An, instructing him to immediately buy the other two manors nearby, and also to provide the soldiers with some necessities and make their meals more substantial so they would have strong stamina.

As soon as I entered the palace, Xiao Fuzi told me that Changxu, the Vice Minister of Works, had been waiting for me in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for half a day.

I was taken aback: "Why is he here? He's a key figure in the Empress Dowager's faction! Is he here to thank me for saving his daughter yesterday? I already told him not to tell anyone! How could this girl go back on her word?"

Actually, I had wronged Tatara. When she returned home, her father wasn't there, and her mother said she had gone to the palace to beg the Empress Dowager to save her. Tatara angrily said, "Save me? She and that scoundrel have been sleeping together for ages, why would she save me?"

Her mother was so frightened that she quickly covered her mouth: "Are you crazy? How can you talk nonsense? If she hadn't asked Ronglu to save you, would you be home now?"

Tatara was furious. She pushed her mother's hand away and said, "It wasn't that scoundrel who saved me, it was His Majesty who saved me—it was a great hero named Eagle King, sent by His Majesty, who rescued me!" Then she repeated what the little eunuch had said, which frightened her mother so much that her tongue stuck out and she couldn't retract it for a long time. Her mother finally said, "Just know it, but don't tell anyone. If the Empress Dowager finds out, it'll cause a huge mess! You two should hurry to the palace; we can't afford to offend any of these people!"

Changxu did indeed rush to the palace and entered the outer room of Cixi's bedchamber, but was stopped by a young eunuch who said the Empress Dowager was receiving a guest.

He could only wait there dumbfounded. After a while, the guest still hadn't come out, but he heard a woman's wanton moans and a man's lewd laughter coming from inside. He was startled: "Who would dare to do such filthy things here? Only Cixi! If I heard Cixi's dirty dealings with her male lovers, I'd lose my head!"

He hurriedly made an excuse and left Kunning Palace. On the way, the more he walked, the more familiar the man's voice seemed, but he just couldn't remember it, couldn't place it.

That night, lying in bed, his wife mentioned it, and he finally understood—the man was Li Lianying.

He immediately developed a strong aversion to Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Lianying, which forced him to leave the Empress Dowager's faction and use his daughter's situation to switch sides to the Emperor.

Of course, I knew nothing of these matters. I strolled into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and Changxu immediately knelt before me: "On behalf of my entire family, Changxu kowtows to Your Majesty for sending someone to save my daughter's life!"

Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief; as long as he didn't say it was me who rescued her! I quickly pulled him up: "Your Excellency, you are mistaken. Tatara has already been chosen as my beloved concubine; how could I allow her to be harmed by bandits? It's just that I still don't know who the bandits are, and I deeply regret this!"

Changxu was startled by my words, but immediately understood that I didn't trust him. He hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Changxu will definitely be of one heart with Your Majesty from now on!"

I smiled: "Your Excellency is my trusted minister; of course, you will be of one heart with me!" Changxu

immediately said, "Your Majesty naturally understands what I mean by 'of one heart,' but perhaps you don't trust me? I have made many mistakes in the past, but yesterday's events made me realize that relying on this..." "These people! The Great Qing is in danger! China is in danger! I can no longer be a criminal against the nation!"

I said solemnly, "When these foreign barbarians are causing chaos in our Great Qing and invading our China, the people should be united as one, working together to revitalize the nation and build a Great Wall against the enemy. We should not be embroiled in partisan strife, allowing some treacherous officials to embezzle and break the law, destroying our army and undermining our discipline! I am very pleased that Your Excellency understands this problem and has resolutely broken with partisan strife! I hope that Your Excellency will keep your word and uphold your promise!"

Changxu immediately said, "I will certainly remember Your Majesty's teachings!"

Since he was from the Ministry of Works, I asked about the overseas procurement.

He continued, “In the sixth and seventh years of this dynasty, Li Hongzhang commissioned Li Fengbao, the ambassador to Germany, to order two ironclad gunboats from Germany. Since then, we have successively purchased a batch of ironclad warships and gunboats, which has basically formed the Beiyang Navy. But recently, Li Lianying and Prince Qing have been urging the Empress Dowager to build a garden for her to rest in, and they want to use the tens of millions of taels of silver stored in the navy. They are also urging the Ministry of Revenue to issue a document to stop purchasing ships, so I'm afraid we can no longer make purchases!”

“Oh, the Qing navy is already weak, and it should be strengthened rapidly. Using the navy’s money at this time is like drinking poison to quench thirst!” I said in shock.

Changxu sighed, "Who says otherwise? Recently, the ambassador to Japan even wrote to say that Japan plans to build fifty-four ironclad warships in the next few years, aiming to surpass China in naval speed. They've made China their main adversary! Sun Yuwen, fearing it would affect the approval of the garden construction proposal, withheld the letter! They don't consider the current state of the Qing navy at all; they're just thinking about making money off the garden construction!"

"Oh, Sun Yuwen is a Grand Councilor. He wouldn't do something like that, would he?" I said deliberately.

"Of course he would. I saw the letter in his study, but I only read the beginning before he snatched it and tucked it into his Kangxi Dictionary," Changxu said confidently.

I said with feigned regret, "So, you don't need to go out to purchase anything?"

Changxu immediately said, "It's not that we're not going to make purchases, it's that we're not buying anything for the military, but we still need to buy equipment for the Empress Dowager's garden and a few small steamships for the garden! They want me to go in the next couple of days, but I feel like this is taking money from the navy, and it's such a despicable thing to do. If something happens to the navy in the future, I'll be a traitor, so I haven't agreed to make the purchases yet!"

Hearing this, I thought I had a chance, and I could try to shift the blame! I immediately said, "I also disagree with buying warships from abroad. First, those foreigners are afraid that if we become too powerful, they won't listen to them, so they don't give us good ships, they sell us junk, and they also take advantage of the situation to squeeze us too high; second, our Fuzhou Shipyard can build ironclad warships, we just need to buy some iron plates and other materials!"

Changxu nodded: "That will save money!"

"Your Excellency, could you go out and help me purchase some equipment and materials so we can start building the ship?"

Changxu immediately replied, "Your Majesty's command is my duty!"

I said, "Alright, then take over their procurement task and secretly purchase the necessary items for us. Whether you openly purchase for them or not, you can use a clever trick!"

Changxu hesitated, "I'm just afraid—"

I laughed, "We won't need you to come back. Once we're in power, they won't need those things anymore. Who can check what you bought then?"

Changxu said, "Okay, I'll listen to Your Majesty. I'll take over the procurement task at tomorrow's morning court! However, I have a request. I want to send the two sisters, Ta and La, over here tomorrow!"

Chapter Fifteen: Midnight Visitors

Bringing the beauty home a day earlier was, of course, a dream come true. But that old hag said she wanted to go to the Imperial Clan Court to learn etiquette, and now she wants to avoid going. It's obvious she just wants to hold her little wife a couple more days sooner. I have so many important things to discuss with that old hag. I can't possibly haggle with her over this, can I?

Changxu noticed my hesitation and said, "I'll speak to the Empress Dowager. My concern is that if he's taken to the Imperial Clan Court, he might fall into Li Lianying's hands! If he's sent to His Majesty, I won't have any worries!"

"What? Li Lianying can still interfere at the Imperial Clan Court?" I asked curiously.

"He's the Grand Eunuch of the Palace. In the palace, he's practically a prince. Who dares disobey him? Besides, the Empress Dowager is behind him!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Your Excellency! The Tatara sisters are beautiful and intelligent, and I adore them. It would be my greatest wish for them to join my household soon, but I hesitate because I fear my mother might make things difficult!"

After seeing Changxu off, I entered my bedchamber and saw my two young wives looking at something on a laptop. Seeing me enter, Yan'er pulled me aside and said, "Look, the Qing Dynasty's warships only have a speed of 14.5 knots, while Japanese warships already have speeds of 24 and 26 knots. Our ships' cannons are all breech-loading, with considerable recoil. During the Battle of the Yellow Sea, shortly after the battle began, the bridge of the Beiyang Fleet flagship, Dingyuan, collapsed due to the recoil of its own firing, injuring Ding Ruchang and destroying the signal flag, leaving the Beiyang Fleet without command. Moreover, these cannons have a very slow rate of fire; the Japanese rapid-fire cannons can only fire six shots while our cannons can only fire one, putting us at a significant disadvantage in terms of firepower!"

Fei'er added, "Once the flagship's signal flag is destroyed, there's no way to command it..." "The communications are terrible! No wonder we suffered such a crushing defeat!"

I sighed. "These are all objective factors. Subjectively, political corruption, weak military strength, lagging economic development, and outdated maritime concepts led to a situation where we had a sea but no defense, and even if we had defenses, they weren't strong enough. These are the root causes of our failure! Now that we're here, we must solve these problems. I think we should divide the work. For the subjective problems, I'll take the lead. For the objective problems, Yan'er will be responsible for solving the weaponry and equipment issues, getting the Qing Dynasty's ships equipped with world-class weapons as soon as possible, such as the Soviet Katyusha rocket launcher and China's 105mm long-range artillery. Fei'er will be responsible for solving the warships' speed and communication problems. Can we apply wireless telephones and radar to the warships? Let's start considering solutions now, and then discuss them collectively!"

My two lovely wives immediately went back to fiddling with the computer, while I began to draft the military academy's syllabus.

Actually, it wasn't difficult. I could just copy the syllabus from our world's National Defense University and the one I used when I studied at the police academy. The problem was, what about the teaching materials? Take Chairman Mao's military thought, for example. If you bring it up, people will ask, "What dynasty was this Mao Zedong from? How am I supposed to answer that? And then there are all those examples from World War II, the lessons we learned from the Gulf War—how are you supposed to talk about them? Damn it, it's too difficult!"

I was sweating bullets when Xiao Fuzi called me from outside, "Your Majesty, your mentor Weng Tonghe and Zhang Zhidong, the former governor of Shanxi who is in Beijing, have come to see you!"

I was taken aback. I wanted to see both of them, but I knew that Weng Tonghe and the Qingliu faction had always been at odds, and Zhang Zhidong was a leading figure in the Qingliu faction. Why were they together today?

Surprised as I was, I still said, "Quickly invite them to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, serve them the best tea, I'll be there right away!" As I spoke, I straightened my clothes, and my two young wives busied themselves with it. Finally, I got everything in order before I hurried into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The two men rushed forward and knelt before me, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

I quickly helped them up, saying, "Get up, Teacher Weng and Minister Zhang, no need for such formality, please sit down!"

I carefully examined them. One was an elderly man in his sixties, thin with a slightly yellowish complexion and a long beard; he was clearly an old scholar, undoubtedly Weng Tonghe, Emperor Guangxu's tutor.

The other was a man in his forties, robust and imposing, with a thick black beard reaching his chest, a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose, and a wide mouth, giving him an aura of power and strength; this must be Zhang Zhidong.

I took a sip of tea and smiled, saying, "Teacher and Xiaoda, what brings you here so late at night?"

Weng Tonghe hurriedly replied, "Currently, many powerful nations around the world are eyeing our Great Qing Dynasty. We urgently need to strengthen our military, reorganize our army, and prepare to resist foreign invaders. However, the officials in the Ministry of War are not only out of touch with reality, but also consider themselves a great celestial empire; they are also muddle-headed and incompetent, failing to understand the importance of building a strong and elite army. Instead, they want to divert naval funds to please one person. I hereby recommend someone to Your Majesty, to command the Great Qing army to resist foreign enemies and lead elite troops to subdue foreign invaders!"

I immediately said, "Teacher's concern for the country is truly admirable." "I am truly impressed! The matter you have been worrying about is also what I have been pondering day and night. Seeing Minister Zhang arrive today fills me with immense joy. Even without your words, I know that the person you recommended is Xiaoda! You and I are of the same mind!"

Zhang Zhidong immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Thank you for your gracious favor, Your Majesty. I am but a weak and foolish subject, yet foreign barbarians have wreaked havoc on China, slaughtering my compatriots, causing me sleepless nights and loss of appetite. My heart is burning with anxiety. I am willing to devote all my energy to sharing Your Majesty's burdens, relieving the people from their dire straits. If I do not wipe out the foreign enemies and reclaim our Chinese land, I am willing to die on the battlefield!"

I hurriedly... I helped him up: "I consider that our Great Qing is weak and its army exhausted, with many ingrained bad habits. I don't know where to begin."

Zhang Zhidong said, "I dare not speak presumptuously about national policies, but regarding the frequent incursions of foreign barbarians into our territory, I believe we should purchase fast ships, buy arms, borrow foreign loans, forge strong alliances, clarify rewards and punishments, and train elite troops!"

I nodded and said, "These are indeed very important, but the key now is to centralize military power! Our Great Qing's three navies are currently under different command, and no one can unify their command. Once war breaks out, they will fight independently, unable to form a unified force, which is a major taboo in military strategy." "Therefore, I intend to abolish the Ministry of War and establish the Ministry of National Defense, abolish the positions of Minister of Beiyang, Minister of Nanyang, Governors-General and Admirals of various regions, and establish several major military regions under the unified command of the Ministry of National Defense. The commanders of the military regions must first be nominated by the Ministry of National Defense, then assessed by the relevant departments, and finally appointed by the Emperor, so that the army can be integrated!"

Weng Tonghe hurriedly said, "Your Majesty has hit the nail on the head regarding the current problems. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks about the selection of the Minister of National Defense?"

I smiled and said, "After seeing Xiaoda (Zhang Zhidong's courtesy name) today, I have made up my mind. This great responsibility belongs to Xiaoda alone! I wonder what you think, Teacher?"

"Your Majesty is indeed wise and insightful. Xiaoda is absolutely capable of taking on this responsibility!" Weng Tonghe said happily.

"Your Majesty's favor is most appreciated by me, and I would do my utmost to serve you. However, I fear

the Empress Dowager will be a hurdle to overcome!" Zhang Zhidong said worriedly. I nodded: "Xiaoda's concerns are quite valid. Tomorrow, I will instruct the Empress Dowager and the Ministry of Personnel not to assign Xiaoda any work for the time being. Xiaoda can serve under me first, gaining experience in commanding troops and dealing with foreign invaders. When the time is right, Xiaoda can then assume the position of Minister of National Defense. Is that acceptable?"

Zhang Zhidong knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude, saying: "Your Majesty has arranged everything for me. I wonder when Your Majesty will allow me to report for duty?"

"Xiaoda can come after the morning court tomorrow. I will take you to a good place!" I decided to have him first attend a military academy for me. This would allow him to learn advanced military thought and also allow him to establish closer relationships with future high-ranking military officials!

Zhang Zhidong kowtowed again with delight: "Your subject will obey Your Majesty's command!"

Then the three of us, the emperor and his ministers, discussed the Empress Dowager's intention to divert naval funds. I said, "Not a single penny of this money should be touched. The Naval Office should immediately reassign personnel. I think you, teacher, should make an effort to safeguard that money for your student!"

Weng Tonghe was quite surprised, but he immediately knelt down and said, "Your subject will risk his life to protect this money for the Qing Dynasty and ensure it is used properly!"

I shook my head and said, "I don't just want you to safeguard this money; I want you to build the navy into an iron army, a mighty army, a world-class army. Your teacher doesn't understand yet..." "Military affairs? You don't understand the navy? I'll have you spend half the day working, and the other half going with Xiaoda to the East Point Military Academy that I just established! Learn strategy and tactics, as well as naval command strategies, and study naval warfare precedents worldwide. I hope you can become the most knowledgeable naval commander in the world today, a naval hero of the Qing Dynasty, no, of my Chinese Empire!"

Weng Tonghe said happily, "I was just worried about how to fulfill His Majesty's orders. With His Majesty's arrangements, I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

Zhang Zhidong then mentioned that their Qingliu faction wanted to petition the emperor to assume personal rule. I shook my head immediately, and the two men stared at me with puzzled eyes.

Chapter Sixteen: Courtroom Wisdom

I smiled and said, "Tomorrow they will definitely also discuss postponing the return of power. We cannot confront them head-on at the moment. We can only take advantage of the situation and achieve our goals indirectly! I don't have a specific strategy for how to deal with this right now; I can only adapt to the circumstances! How about this, tomorrow you two act according to my mood!"

After seeing the two men off, I felt a sense of relief. The general had made his appearance, and my trump cards had become much stronger!

As soon as I sat down in the inner room, Yan'er ran over and sat on my lap, hugging me and saying, "Honey, I have an idea. Starting everything from scratch now is a waste of time and unlikely to yield good results. Why not gather all the existing facilities—Anqing Arsenal, Suzhou Western-style Cannon Bureau, Jiangnan Arsenal, Fujian Shipbuilding Bureau, Tianjin Machinery Manufacturing Bureau, Beijing Arsenal, and Sichuan Machinery Bureau—into one unified military industry department? I can then improve the production lines based on their existing facilities and manufacture new guns and cannons!"

I happily replied, "Great idea! Get a systematic opinion right away, and also write a list of items to be purchased. I'll have Changxu take care of it." "Go buy it from the country!"

Upon hearing this, Fei'er immediately squeezed over and sat on my other leg, hugging my neck and saying, "Good husband, Fei'er also has a question. They should have telegraph and telephone offices now, right? Can you bring them to me, husband? I'll use that as a foundation to establish telephone and telegraph connections between the army and the palace. But you'll have to set up a post and telecommunications department for me first!"

I smiled and said, "I grant your request. My two consorts, kneel down and pay your respects!"

The two little rascals left my body, but instead of kneeling or paying their respects, they each grabbed one of my ears and dragged me onto the bed, stripped me naked, and began a new round of marital battle, a new round of three cultivations.

When I woke up, the three of them had practiced the Xuanyuan Sword again, and as usual, I went to pay my respects to the old man.

Empress Dowager Cixi took my hand and said, "Your Majesty, I'm feeling a bit better today, but I have to go to court soon!"

I looked around the room and said, "Your Majesty, let's install a telephone too!"

Cixi was taken aback for a moment before saying, "Li Hongzhang also mentioned that he's set up a telephone exchange, but I heard that thing is quite clunky. You have to crank it for ages to get through, and it's just a mosquito's buzz, but when it rings

, it's a loud cacophony, very annoying. Your Majesty doesn't like it!" I immediately said, "That's because it's not installed properly. I have a friend who came back from America; he specializes in installing telephones. The telephones he installs ring like a song, and when you dial, it connects with a gentle touch, and the sound is very clear! If Your Majesty gets one installed, I can talk to you every day!

" Cixi happily said, "That's wonderful! Have him install one for me!" "

I quickly said, 'Then we need a telephone exchange, lines, and someone to manage it. Your Majesty, let's set up a Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and make my friend the minister. We can allocate all the telephone exchange and reporting information to him, and have him expedite the installation of telephones for Your Majesty and for the entire palace. If Your Majesty wants to contact someone, you can just make a call! This thing won't cost much, Your Majesty, please approve it, and give your son some face!'

Empress Dowager Cixi pondered for a moment and asked, 'What will the minister be in charge of?'

I knew she was afraid of decentralization, so I hurriedly said, 'What can he be in charge of? Just installing telephones, and repairing them when they break!'

The old woman pressed again, 'He won't be involved in any important military or national affairs, will he?'

'Can we let him be in charge of that? We'll just give him face and let him stand in court for a while!'

'What rank should we give him?'" "

At least he should be a first-rank official. If my friend is given a lower rank, I'll lose face. Once the phone is installed, he can charge whoever calls him. He doesn't need our salary, and he doesn't participate in politics, so what's there to be afraid of!"

"Then it's approved, my child. He can be a first-rank official. He can attend court every day, or he can skip it, but he's not allowed to participate in politics!" Empress Dowager Cixi finally agreed.

I hurriedly said, "That's right, that's right. I definitely won't let him participate in politics. But please don't announce it publicly. I'll just tell him. Please give me some face!"

Empress Dowager Cixi nodded: "Alright, go back and eat something. It's time for the morning court! Have your friend wait outside for an audience!"

I happily agreed: "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty!" "

Going to court was just like in the movies, where one person sits on top and listens to a bunch of people talking nonsense below. But this time, it wasn't me sitting on top, but that old hag. I was just sitting on a dragon stool next to her. (What dragon stool? It was just a tattered rag ball, but it was quite soft and comfortable, definitely more comfortable than the old hag's!) As soon as Cixi sat down, she asked me, 'Has your friend arrived yet? What's his name?'

I hurriedly replied, 'His name is Huang Fei. He's already here and is waiting for orders outside!'" "

Empress Dowager Cixi said slowly, 'In order to strengthen the management of the telephone, telegraph, and postal services of my Great Qing, I have decided to establish the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and appoint Huang Fei, who has returned from studying in the United States, as Minister.' She whispered to me, 'What a terrible name! It sounds like she's choosing a concubine for you!'

Then she continued, 'Huang Fei is appointed Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, of the first rank. All existing telegraph and telephone bureaus are to be transferred to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. So be it.'

Li Lianying immediately shouted, 'First-rank minister and Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Huang Fei, come to the court to receive the imperial decree and express your gratitude!'

Huang Fei was led in, knelt under the red laurels, kowtowed in gratitude, and stood in the middle on the right.

As usual, Li Lianying shouted in his hoarse voice, 'Those with memorials, submit them; those without, leave the court!'

As soon as he finished speaking, a minister in his fifties stepped forward and knelt below: 'Your subject, Sun Yuwen, has a memorial to present!'

Cixi said with a smile, 'Little Li, bring his memorial to the court!'"

This document reached Empress Dowager Cixi's hands. She had only read one page when she slammed the book down, saying, "Another attempt to persuade me to postpone my return to power! Don't you know the ancestral precedent? Don't you understand how hard I've worked? I also want to relax, travel, enjoy the beauty of nature, and experience the joys of family life. Why do you keep pushing me to be emperor?"

I smiled and took the document, looking at it. I said, "Your Majesty, look! Minister Sun is right. At a time when foreign barbarians invade our Great Qing and plunder our land—how accurate he is!" Having learned that Japan's Chief of the General Staff, Yamagata Aritomo, recently proposed a plan to expand military capabilities, he stated, "If we do not restore our nation's martial spirit, expand our army and navy, and demonstrate our strength to all sides with our imperial ironclad warships, operating them with unwavering courage and determination, then the Qing Dynasty, a direct external threat that has dared to underestimate our nation, will surely take advantage of our weakness. If this comes to this, with whom will our empire maintain its independence? With whom will we discuss our wealth and power? Therefore, I say: the expansion of our army and navy is the most urgent task at present, and the government should diligently pursue it. Listen to this, the Eastern Japanese have already regarded us as invaders..." "If we don't rise up and prepare under your leadership, won't we suffer a great loss? Empress Dowager, you absolutely cannot relinquish power to me now! The Qing Dynasty has already suffered so much from the Western barbarians; we cannot suffer the same from the small Eastern barbarians! Therefore, we should now strengthen the navy and enhance the power of the Naval Office. I have decided to personally take charge of the Naval Office. I humbly request that Your Majesty appoint my tutor as the Minister of the Navy, and that all three naval fleets be placed under my command—"

Before I could finish, Cixi said, "Your Majesty's words are excellent; it shall be so." "According to your opinion, I will resume personal rule—" Before she could finish, I immediately knelt on the ground: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for allowing me to act as the Minister of the Navy, for allowing my tutor Weng Tonghe to serve as the Minister of the Navy, and for allowing the three fleets to be directly managed by the Ministry of the Navy!"

Weng Tonghe also immediately ran forward and knelt down: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great grace, and wish Your Majesty a long life!"

This commotion made Cixi's eyes widen. She had just meant to agree to assume personal rule, not to agree to my opinion, but now that the die was cast, she was so angry that she was stunned for a moment.

I couldn't let her recover, so I immediately said: "Li Lianying, immediately issue an edict to dismiss Yikuang from the post of Minister of the Navy and make other arrangements. Weng Tonghe shall take office immediately and not fail Your Majesty's great trust!"

Li Lianying looked at Cixi, not knowing what to do.

I immediately said, "What? Don't you even believe the Empress Dowager's golden words? Are you going to make her lose the trust of the world? Don't you believe in the Empress Dowager's determination to resist foreign invaders?"

Perhaps I had pressured her, Cixi waved her hand and said, "Draft the edict!"

Li Lianying had no choice but to draft the edict. I revised it, then handed it to Cixi for a look. Finally, Li Lianying announced, "Weng Tonghe, receive the edict: I, by the decree of Empress Dowager Cixi, in order to strengthen the Qing Navy, hereby appoint Guang..." The Emperor personally appointed Weng Tonghe as Minister of the Navy, dismissing Prince Qing Yikuang from his post and assigning him to another position. The Beiyang Navy, Nanyang Navy, and Fujian Navy of the Qing Dynasty were all placed under the direct command of the Naval Office. This was the imperial decree.

As soon as he finished reading, I said, "Please have the Minister of Personnel immediately bring Weng Tonghe and Prince Qing Yikuang to the Naval Office for the handover. The Empress Dowager is waiting to hear your reply!"

No one dared to delay. The Minister of Personnel, carrying the imperial edict, led the resentful Prince Qing Yikuang to the handover.

Because of my meddling, not only was the postponement of the return of power not finalized, but their proposal to use naval funds to build the Summer Palace also fell through due to the major reorganization of the Naval Office. However, the task of sending Changxu to purchase the goods was still arranged as usual. Since I had my own methods, I chimed in, "The Empress Dowager wants to buy several pleasure boats. This is a serious matter. They must be good, high-class, and the sooner the better!"

Back in my palace, before I could even laugh out loud, Weng Tonghe and Zhang Zhidong arrived. The two of them burst into laughter as soon as they saw me, and Fei'er laughed so hard she almost fell over—damn it, I tricked that old man today!

But before we could laugh any longer, Xiao Fuzi ran over and hurriedly said, "Please excuse yourselves, the Empress Dowager has arrived with a large group of people!"

Author's note: About Tatara:

Name: Tatara Zhenfei, also known as: Keshun Imperial Noble Consort, born: February 27, 1876 (the second year of Guangxu's reign), a Manchu of the Bordered Red Banner. Therefore, her name in her maternal family was Tatara.

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