A Romantic Detective in the Qing Dynasty [Complete] - 14

In the first chapter of episode five, a sensual visit,

I silently slipped past the bed curtains and walked behind the bed canopy. I was immediately stunned by the sight before me: a stunningly beautiful woman was washing herself naked!

She was incredibly beautiful. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her large, bright eyes were filled with tears, her nose twitched slightly, and her cherry-like lips were curved downwards, as if she were troubled by some sorrow.

Her body was like jade or porcelain, dazzlingly white, her smooth skin translucent and radiant. Her small but firm breasts were full of elasticity, trembling gently with her movements, highlighting the deep cleavage and appearing exceptionally soft.

Below her slender waist, a plump, rounded buttock suddenly appeared, like two jade hemispheres, with iridescent dewdrops rolling on them. Her two long, jade-like legs were so beautiful they made one dizzy. Between those legs, a pair of delicate hands were rubbing her mound of nipples. Thick, dark pubic hair stubbornly peeked out from between her hands, revealing a hint of pink, like a red apricot peeking over a wall!

So beautiful, so pure and sacred, that one dared not defile it!

"Gulp," I swallowed hard!

Damn, Zongren really knows how to enjoy himself. Even as my prisoner of war, he can still have his way with such a beautiful woman!

Perhaps the sound of me swallowing startled her, for the woman suddenly looked up and saw me, momentarily stunned: "Who are you? How dare you watch me, the Crown Prince, bathe! Get out!"

I chuckled: "You, a woman, dare to call yourself the Crown Prince? You'd better leave now and summon the Crown Prince of Japan. I am Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, here to see off Crown Prince Zongren."

Upon hearing this, the woman froze: "You're Guangxu? You're looking for me? You go out first, and come back when I'm dressed!"

What? He's the Crown Prince? That can't be right? She's a woman! Does the Japanese royal family not distinguish between men and women?

I snapped, "What are you meddling for? Go put your clothes on! I'm looking for a man, for the Crown Prince, what's it to you?"

She immediately snapped, "You're blocking my way! How am I supposed to get dressed? What kind of eyes do you have? I am a man, I am Crown Prince Zongren! I need to be dressed first! Get out of here, doesn't the Emperor know the rules?"

I had already made way for her, letting her pass by, but hearing her words, I grabbed her again.

She kicked and bit me, and I reached down to touch her genitals. Good heavens, I really felt a pile of soft flesh and a tiny penis!

She really is a man, but why are all the penises in her family so small? His was even smaller, not even an inch long! It's true, each generation is worse than the last! Wait, why are his scrotums just two soft, tender pieces of flesh? No testicles at all, doesn't that mean he doesn't even need sterilization? It seems the Muren family is truly doomed to die out! Alas, truly, one should not do evil, for evil will surely be punished!

I touched it for a while, and somehow managed to get that little penis hard, not quite hard, but rather a little over half an inch long.

Hmm, this little penis is strange; it's a thin, small, lifeless little fleshy pillar, without even a urethra. How does she urinate?

The Crown Prince cried and shouted, "What are you doing? Does your Chinese emperor have homosexual tendencies? How can you like touching men's urination?" I didn't listen to her. My hand moved upwards again, and there was a small indentation between the two testicles. I pressed it, and it felt like there was only a thin layer of skin. Touching further forward, I touched something sticky. Upon closer inspection, there was a small hole there, and the sticky fluid was coming out from there! Oh, this must be her urethra! With a urethra on her body, she's definitely not a man!

Looking at her Adam's apple, it's soft, without even an Adam's apple. What kind of man is she?

A woman, she must be a woman! I suddenly understood. All she had were slightly enlarged labia, a large clitoris, and a septum around her vagina—and people mistook her for an underdeveloped man! Sigh, the mystique surrounding genitalia led to even the daughter of the Japanese imperial family being mistaken for a man; it's truly pathetic!

Perhaps my touch had aroused her; she let out a soft moan, her body twisting violently, her arms pounding against me.

My uncooperative member, at that moment, sprang to life, like a small cannon, bulging in my pants and pressing tightly against her lower abdomen.

She seemed to know what it was; her face flushed red with embarrassment, and she desperately tried to back away from my member. But I

was already ready to pounce; I didn't care about anything else. Now that she knew she was a woman, I couldn't let her go. It's just a thin layer of skin, right? That thing might stop others, but could it stop my unyielding little diamond drill? I grabbed her, pulled her to the bedside, pressed her down, pulled down my pants, kicked my leg aside, and then straddled her.

She cried out, "What are you doing? I'm a man!"

I laughed, "With a man like you in the world, I don't even need women anymore! Come on, I'll cure your ailment and restore your original appearance! Let you taste what it's like to be a woman!"

She kicked her legs frantically, her buttocks twisting incessantly, making my penis even more erect. I held her down with one hand and guided my penis with the other, aiming it at her tender vulva. With a powerful thrust, I heard a soft "plop," and my penis was fully inside her.

She screamed, her body stiffening instantly, tears streaming down her face.

I knew she must be in a lot of pain. Most women cry and scream in pain when they lose their virginity; her hymen was several times thicker than theirs—how could the pain be light? I gently licked away the tears on her face, then lowered my head and gently sucked on the small nipples of her breasts. After one nipple was finished, I sucked on the other, until her nipples were exceptionally hard, until she let out a soft moan. Only then did I gently begin to move on top of her.

Ah, now I could see the effect of her large clitoris; it pressed tightly against my penis, already as hard as a small cannon! And it was much larger than before. With each movement, her body involuntarily trembled; that thing was so sensitive!

At first, she furrowed her brows and bit her small lips tightly. Later, I felt her vagina contracting repeatedly, and streams of fluid gushed out. Only then did I begin to move more vigorously. Gradually, her breathing became heavy, and she murmured, "No, no, I need to pee! I need to pee! Get up, I'm going to wet the bed!"

Suddenly, she hugged me tightly, her legs wrapped around my back, and her body began to convulse. I knew she had reached the peak of pleasure, and a torrent of fluid gushed out like a fountain, so hot that I immediately ejaculated. We entered a state of ecstasy together, and I drifted off to sleep.

I don't know how much time passed before she woke me with a hard slap on my bottom.

She raised her eyebrows, a coquettish smile on her face: "Have you been with too many women? Didn't you get enough rest and came here to catch up on sleep? You seem quite comfortable, lying on top of me, dozing off left and right, sleeping so soundly! Don't you know how heavy I am?"

I hurriedly tried to roll off, but she suddenly hugged me tightly: "What, you want to leave already? You're still connected with me, and you want to leave without even saying goodbye? Tell me, is this rape, or treatment?"

I said with a grin: "Both! Nobody can see your private parts, and they don't know if you're a man or a woman. I just happened to be there. If I don't take care of you, you'll be a spinster for life! You could say I saved you!"

She pinched my butt with her little hand: "You're so clever! Tell me, what am I supposed to do?"

I pulled her into my arms and said: "What else can I do? There's a Chinese saying, 'Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.' You can even marry a chicken or a dog, what would you lack if you married me? Marry me!"

She slapped me hard on the buttocks, making my skin sting. "You're dreaming! What am I supposed to do? You're the mortal enemy of Yamato. If I marry you, I'll be a traitor to Yamato, and I'll never be able to return to Japan. If I don't marry you, I'm not a virtuous widow anymore. Why have you given me such a dilemma?" As she spoke, tears streamed down her face again.

I quickly changed the subject. "Are you crazy? You even dare to hit your husband? Aren't you afraid I'll divorce you? Your child won't be able to find its father, and you'll be a widow for the rest of your life!"

She was stunned. "A child? You mean I'll have a child?" She touched her stomach, surprised. "I'll be pregnant like other women, all pregnant?"

I said confidently. "My thing is very reliable. The first time we have sex, I guarantee you'll get pregnant! You made me ejaculate quite a bit earlier, I'm sure you've got it!"

She pushed me down and squatted there, grabbing a towel to wipe her sore spot, which was still raw and painful.

I hurriedly asked, "What are you doing? That thing is already inside, you can't wipe it out!"

She opened her little mouth and burst into tears, hitting me with her little fists as she cried, "I still have to be the prince when I go back, how can I be the prince with a big belly? Aren't you ruining me?"

I chuckled, "You're a woman, how can you be the prince?"

Her words stunned her again, and she sat there dumbfounded, tears streaming down her face.

Looking at her like that, I felt both angry and sorry for her: "You really want to be the crown prince that badly? Your craving for power is almost as strong as our Empress Dowager Cixi's! You're such a little bureaucrat!"

Suddenly, she burst into tears again, and I quickly pulled her into my arms to comfort her, saying, "Don't go, stay here with me, be an imperial concubine, I'll give you power, let you manage a whole bunch of things, and really enjoy your bureaucratic fantasy!"

She punched me: "Who wants to be an official? I'm just pitying my mother! My mother was a maid, and when she served that prince, he raped her, just like you did, without giving her a chance to speak. As a result, my mother got pregnant! The head wife of the family found out and wanted to throw my mother into the dog pen to feed the dogs, but luckily one of her friends secretly ran to tell the prince. That prince was over fifty years old and had no children, and when he heard about it, he rescued my mother! But he didn't keep my mother at home." They sent my mother to the palace to serve the Emperor! On the very day she entered the palace, she was raped by Mutsuhito. Later, when Mutsuhito found out she was pregnant, he assumed it was his child and made her an empress! When I was born, my mother noticed my unusual appearance and told Mutsuhito I was a son. My family raised me as a son, and I always felt like a man! Later, I learned that the prince knew the Emperor had no children, and he wanted to offer my mother and me to him so he could seize power! He was afraid my mother would reveal the secret, so he threatened us, saying that if I didn't become Crown Prince and succeed the Emperor, he would have us killed!

I immediately knew who the prince she was talking about was. He now controlled the extremely reactionary "Heavenly Guardian Corps," with a large group of assassins. The Japanese ronin who had been causing trouble in China in recent years were all his men! I asked, "Is he really your father?"

She said, "No! Later, my mother told me that my biological father was a water carrier! That day, my mother had just finished her period when she was raped. Although she wouldn't get pregnant, she felt ashamed to live, so she jumped into a lake in front of her. The water carrier happened to be passing by and rescued her. That day, he tried his best to comfort her. My mother had heard that if a person who has been raped has sex with someone they love again, the pain will disappear! She insisted on having sex with the water carrier again, and he couldn't resist her, so he had sex with her." Who knew that once the two tasted the pleasure, they couldn't bear to part, and later they secretly tasted it more than a dozen times, which is how she became pregnant.

I asked, "What does this have to do with your pitiful mother?"

She said, "If I don't go back to be the crown prince, they will kill my mother. That prince later found out that the child wasn't his, but that water carrier's, so he killed my own father! Now that they know I'm not going back, will my mother be alright?"

I thought for a moment and said, "Then you absolutely can't go back. If you go back, you'll be exposed sooner or later, and they will kill you and your mother together. I can use the excuse of not trusting Japan..." "I'll hold you hostage and have your mother come to take care of you, that way you'll be safe from harm! But then you won't be able to be my beloved concubine legitimately, we'll have to meet in secret!"

She gritted her teeth: "As long as my mother isn't in danger, it doesn't matter if I have a title or not, as long as you have me in your heart, that's enough! Besides, how would outsiders know about my activities within your palace?"

I happily hugged her and said: "Good, it's good that you're willing to live in the palace. You can live in my Hall of Mental Cultivation every day, with my beloved concubines, I guarantee that the Japanese won't know anything about it." "I know nothing!"

I said, standing up. "Come on, let's go back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. My beloved concubine can't be left outside, secretly touching herself and crying!"

Her words made her blush, and she hugged me shyly, saying, "I was worried about my body, which is neither male nor female! Who knew you, you little lecher, would see it and rape me!" Suddenly, she hugged me and pushed me onto the bed. "No, I can't let this go unpunished! I have to get my revenge!" She straddled me, sitting on top of me, enduring the pain as she bounced her little bottom.

I quickly told her about the Three Cultivations method, saying, "Although lacking one person makes it less effective in improving your power, it's quite effective in treating your 'that area'! And it can even enhance orgasms!"

Upon hearing this, she immediately begged me to teach her, and after trying it, she became obsessed, performing the Three Cultivations several times in a row, still unwilling to stop! And once she started practicing, she would shout and yell excitedly, her little bottom bobbing up and down. She whispered in my ear, "I'm never going back to Japan! You have to bring my mother here soon, I have to practice this every day!" She

practiced until it was completely dark. Shu'er and Min'er came to the door to meet me, and we walked hand in hand back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation!

My two wives, upon hearing that I had raped a Japanese crown prince, both came over and grabbed Zongren's hand, looking him up and down. Fei'er even said, "How can someone as handsome as you be a man? You'll give yourself away so easily, yet you've been a man for so many years, it's really strange!"

Shu'er said, "You should thank me for bringing you back, otherwise where would you find such a good husband?"

Zongren actually bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for your care, sisters! Thank you all for your kindness!"

As soon as she arrived, everyone was too embarrassed to say anything. Yu'er and Mei'er, however, kept urging her not to go back.

Her face flushed, and she glanced at me with her beautiful eyes, saying, "His Majesty won't let me go back, but I miss my mother. I can't make up my mind! If I leave, I can't bear to leave him; if I don't leave, I'll miss my mother!" She started crying again.

Yan'er laughed, "That's easy! His Majesty can hold you hostage, have your mother come and take care of you, and then publicly reveal your relationship with His Majesty, leaving that old bastard Muren speechless!" She

was indeed my closest wife, thinking the same way I did. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her, saying, "My wife's idea is the best! Let's do it my way!" Yan'er

pinched me hard, annoyed, "What are you doing? Aren't you afraid the Crown Prince will laugh at you? I forgot to tell you, Lord Zeng's talks with Russia broke down, and Russia doesn't recognize Niger." "The Treaty of Vladivostok states that they occupy unclaimed territory and insists that we return Vladivostok to them!"

I laughed, "That's good. If they admit it, we'll have no excuse for another attack, which will pave the way for us to reclaim all our territory! I said we must drive Russia back to Europe, and our Qing army must drink from the Ural River!"

Fei'er continued, "However, they still want those soldiers back. Lord Zeng said, 'Then we'll have to pay ransom, three thousand taels of silver per person. You decide what to do!' This angered the negotiator, and he ran away!"

I laughed: "No wonder they say Zeng Jize is the best diplomat of the late 20th century; he's got so many clever ideas, even managing to get that indemnity back through roundabout means!"

The difficult Sino-Russian negotiations are underway. Can this battle without gunpowder be won?

Episode 5, Chapter 2: The Russian Envoy.

Historically, Russia has seized the most Chinese territory, and it also harbors the greatest ambition for Chinese territory! In the 9th century AD, Russia's territory was limited to the Kiev area. During the Tang Dynasty in China, Sakhalin Island was already under the jurisdiction of the Heishui Prefecture. In 1406, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty established Shuangwei City east of the Ussuri River, later called Shuangchengzi, which is what the Russians now call "Ussuriysk." At that time, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the center of the Russian population, was limited to the Moscow area and was smaller than Taiwan. In the second half of the 17th century, Russian Cossack mercenaries repeatedly plundered and invaded northern Chinese territory. In 1650-1660, Chinese troops repelled the Russian Cossacks who had occupied Yaksa and those who had infiltrated the Songhua River estuary area. In 1665, Russia again invaded Yaksa. In 1685-1686, the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty ordered the Qing army to attack Yaksa by land and sea, severely damaging the Russian army. Russia then demanded peace talks and a border treaty. In 1689, delegations from China and Russia held negotiations in Nerchinsk and signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk. The treaty stipulated that the Gerbichi River and the Outer Khingan Mountains would form the border between China and Russia, with the area south of the Outer Khingan Mountains belonging to China. The land between the Outer Khingan Mountains and the Udi River was not yet demarcated and would be determined after both countries had investigated it. (Note that we still have the right to reclaim this territory!) The treaty also stipulated that all the fortresses built by Russia in Yaksa must be dismantled, and all Russians must be relocated. The Treaty of Nerchinsk legally affirmed that the vast territory east of the Argun River, extending from the Outer Khingan Mountains to the Sea of Okhotsk, encompassing the Heilongjiang River basin and the Ussuri River basin (including Sakhalin Island), belonged to China. Russia has no outlet to the Pacific Ocean!

Yet, taking advantage of the internal strife and corruption within the corrupt Qing Dynasty, the Russians illegally established the "Primorsky Krai" (Coastal Province) centered on Nikolayevsk-on-Amur in the Heilongjiang River basin, on Chinese territory, at the end of 1857. In 1858, Russia used force to coerce the Qing government into signing the Treaty of Aigun. The treaty stipulated that over 600,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory south of the Outer Khingan Mountains and north of the Heilongjiang River would be ceded to Russia, but the Chinese residing in the "Sixty-Four Villages East of the Heilongjiang River" would continue to "reside permanently" under Chinese jurisdiction, and Russia "shall not infringe upon" them. The treaty also designated the Chinese territory east of the Ussuri River to the coast as jointly administered by China and Russia. However, in the summer of 1860, the Russians forcibly occupied the territory and renamed Vladivostok, meaning "ruler of the East." That same year, when the Anglo-French allied forces reached Beijing, Russia again used force to compel the Qing government to sign yet another unequal treaty—the Treaty of Beijing.

After the Treaty of Aigun was signed between China and Russia, the Qing government, under pressure from the people, did not ratify it and punished Yishan for signing it without authorization. However, in 1860, the Treaty of Beijing was forced to confirm the Treaty of Aigun, and at the same time, 400,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory east of the Ussuri River was forcibly ceded to Russia. In demarcating the border, Russia also ceded the Tumen River and thousands of kilometers of coastline north of it, completely blocking China's access to the Sea of Japan. This severely restricted China's opening to the outside world in the north! These territories—not only I, but even the later corrupt Beiyang warlord government—never recognized these unequal treaties. Why should I recognize the legitimacy of the territory you have seized? Have I lost my mind, or am I addicted to selling out my country? I clearly instructed the Qing Foreign Minister Zeng Jize to fight for every inch of land and every right, recognizing only the Treaty of Nerchinsk, and using it as the basis to fight for national rights!

The negotiations between Zeng Jize and Antonov, the Russian negotiator, reached a stalemate from the outset. Antonov insisted that the Far East region had long been developed by Russia itself and was not under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government. He even brought up a travelogue by some Russian poet, using a line from it: "I walked down the Amur River for seven days and did not encounter a single local official" to prove that the region was unclaimed territory.

This infuriated Zeng Jize to the point of being both amused and exasperated. He laughed and said, "Then let's not talk anymore. Go back and tell your Tsar to hand over the Moscow region to China this month. I recently spent fourteen days in Moscow and didn't see a single local government official. According to your logic, we should take over there!"

Antonov rolled his eyes for a long time before saying, "That was just a coincidence!"

Zeng Jize continued, "That arrogant poet was even more of a coincidence! And what he said might not even be the truth. You Russians are good at fabricating lies and nonsense; you're not worthy of being trusted! 'Turning your hand to make clouds and rain' describes people who are untrustworthy and fickle, and that's most fitting for you Russians! We Chinese call you 'sour-faced monkeys,' which means you haven't evolved to the level of humans yet, and also that you're unreliable!"

Antonov quickly shook his head, "Look, that's an insult to us Russians! I protest! Alright, let's not talk about anything else today." "Let's talk about releasing our warriors immediately!"

Zeng Jize said with a stern face. "Fine, it's really troublesome keeping such a bunch of idiots and good-for-nothings around. Tell me, when will you return your men?"

Antonov hurriedly said, "The sooner the better! It would be best if you handed them over to us today!"

Zeng Jize: "Then you should sign the peace agreement immediately. We don't have time to argue with you!"

Antonov picked up the agreement and looked at it: "Didn't we say that we disagree with your wording? There is no disputed territory between China and Russia. Vladivostok is Russian territory, and you must return it!" Zeng

Jize put away the agreement, stood up and left: "Since that's the case, there's nothing more to talk about. Let's settle this on the battlefield! I never want to deal with scoundrels! You should go back and tell your Tsar to find someone with a bit of humanity to talk to!"

Antonov's face turned as red as a pig's liver with anger, but he couldn't do anything about it. The first contact between the negotiating representatives of China and Russia ended just like that.

But the Tsar wouldn't have it; his 36,000 Russian soldiers were still locked up in our prisoner-of-war camps! Their families were relentlessly pressuring him for their release!

On the third day, Russia again invited us to negotiate, saying that the Tsar's newly appointed Russian envoy, Princess Catherine, would personally come to negotiate.

Looking at the list of Russian negotiators that Zeng Jize handed me, I was stunned: "Didn't she say she wouldn't participate in her father's conflict with me? Why is she here today? And as the Russian Special Envoy and Plenipotentiary? What does this mean?"

I knew that Russians were world-renowned for their fickleness. Not only them, but even that big oaf of a scoundrel and all his successors, who waved the banner of proletarian internationalism, were the same. What did Catherine have to offer?

I instructed Zeng Jize that there must be no compromise. He must clearly declare that the Sino-Russian border should be based on the Treaty of Nerchinsk, and that the Treaty of Beijing and the Treaty of Aigun were unequal treaties, things that the Qing Dynasty would not recognize!

I didn't attend the meeting, but I did participate with the delegation, though I watched the negotiations from behind a veil.

Actually, I was also curious to see how the Russian envoy, Princess Catherine, would perform!

Hey, in the dead of winter, she was wearing a white dress, but underneath she wore a tight sweater and thermal pants, a mink coat, a white fox fur scarf around her neck, a sealskin hat, and deerskin gloves—a very flamboyant and eye-catching outfit. A handsome young Russian officer took her arm and led her into the meeting room.

She sat down in the main seat for the Russian side, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, then glanced around and nodded to Zeng Jize, saying, "It's getting late, shouldn't we begin?"

Zeng Jize ignored her, continuing to tap the table and hum a Peking opera tune: "I am a carefree person from Wolonggang—"

She also tapped the table: "Foreign Minister Zeng, shouldn't we begin?"

Zeng Jize glanced at the person who interrupted his singing with disgust, then said, "It should have started long ago, I just don't know how your preparations are going! We don't have the time or interest to drink tea, chat, or gossip with you. Our Emperor is back, and he wants to develop the economy of Northeast China, arrange the construction of the Far East region—oh, that's the Vladivostok region that was just liberated from your Russians—strengthen the defense of Mongolia, and improve the military preparedness of Xinjiang. Our Emperor said there's a Russian to the north who talks a lot but doesn't act, and we have to be careful they don't come to raid our territory again one day! With so many important matters to arrange, where would we find the time?" "Why are you spouting nonsense here!"

Catherine blushed and paled with anger, but she held back. Antonov abruptly stood up: "This is an insult to our Great Russian Empire! We are a peace-loving nation; we have never occupied an inch of another country's land!" Zeng Jize slammed his hand

on the table and stood up, saying, "In 1689, delegations from China and Russia held negotiations in Nerchinsk and signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk. The treaty stipulated that the Gerbichi River and the Outer Khingan Mountains would be the border between China and Russia, and that the area south of the Outer Khingan Mountains belonged to China. Why have you then forcibly occupied the area south of the Outer Khingan Mountains and north of the Heilongjiang River?" "China's more than 600,000 square kilometers of territory and 400,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory east of the Ussuri River? What you plundered with gunboats and muskets—isn't that aggression? Let me tell you, our parliament has passed a resolution that the Sino-Russian border will be based on the Treaty of Nerchinsk signed in 1689, demanding that our army reclaim these territories as soon as possible! Since you're in such a hurry to hold a meeting, then sign it immediately and return our territory as soon as possible!"

Catherine threw off her coat and hat, standing up angrily: "Those are all based on the Treaty of Beijing and the Treaty of Aigun!" "It was settled, and your government recognized it, so why is it no longer valid?"

Zeng Jize said seriously, "Do you understand history? Do you know how the Treaty of Beijing and the Treaty of Aigun were signed? Those were unequal treaties signed under your coercion with guns and cannons, and they don't count! We are now a constitutional monarchy. Things that the monarch did arbitrarily in the past now have to be approved by our parliament. Our parliament reviewed those two treaties that you forced us to sign and found them to be neither reasonable nor legal, and has already rejected them! Moreover, those treaties were obtained by you through gunboat diplomacy and the slaughter of our people." " That doesn't count at all!"

Catherine immediately retorted. "So what if it's killing? Haven't you killed enough of us Russians? In this battle, 80,000 to 90,000 of our soldiers, including the dead, wounded, and prisoners, were slaughtered by you. Isn't that killing? I originally thought your Emperor Guangxu was a benevolent and loving ruler, but in the Battle of Hulu Valley, he burned tens of thousands of my Russian soldiers to death. Didn't you also rise to power through killing?"

Zeng Jize said sternly, "Our Emperor's benevolent rule and love for the people are widely acknowledged. You can't erase that with your words! You can ask our people! As for burning the Russian soldiers, remember, soldiers, not civilians." "That's war! War is a life-or-death struggle. If we don't burn them alive, they'll kill us. That's only natural! Burning them alive and killing them alive are the same thing. This has nothing to do with benevolence. Shouldn't you study war properly before becoming this plenipotentiary representative?"

Catherine continued, "But they are all human beings and should have basic human rights! Your Guangxu Emperor is a bloodthirsty murderer! A warmonger!"

Zeng Jize slammed his fist on the table and stood up again: "Don't you have any basic knowledge? They came with weapons to kill our soldiers, they stormed into Korea to attack our troops..." You're sending warships to attack our ports, and you expect us not to fire or burn them? Are you telling us to just sit here and wait to be slaughtered? We did that in the past, which led to the Treaty of Beijing and the Treaty of Aigun, and so much of our beautiful land fell into your hands. Now we can't tolerate it anymore, and you come here accusing us of being bloodthirsty murderers and warmongers! Do you think Russia is superior to everyone else? Let me tell you, while the Chinese were sailing their great ships around the world spreading messages of friendship, you Russians were still living in that tiny place called Kiev. "Your country, the place you're in now, is most likely a result of your invasion of China! We are dozens, even hundreds of times more noble than you! When Confucius was already teaching our people with the Analects, you were probably still naked monkeys! You think you're noble just because you're wearing fur? That's because you haven't forgotten that you were furry animals yesterday! You have a fetish for fur! Only you in this world are bloodthirsty, murderous demons! War maniacs! Don't be so modest; you're just giving that term to others, that's your patent!"

Catherine blushed and sat down in her chair, head drooping, never to look up again.

Ekaterina fell silent. Antonov quickly stood up and said, "Shouldn't we put aside those historical issues for now and talk about the release of our captured soldiers?"

Zeng Jize glared at him: "Every era has its own tasks. Why should we leave the problems of our time to future generations? That's an irresponsible excuse! The problems of our time should be resolved now, not left to posterity. And certainly not used as a shield to cover up your cowardice and ignorance! If you don't want to resolve this issue now, I think we can stop talking here. We should maintain a state of war and let the war resolve our differences! Maintaining a state of war will also give our soldiers a sense of crisis and keep them clear-headed, so they can strike back against your invasion at any time! As for the issue of prisoners, we'll consider that." "They all have families, wives and children, so we can let them go home! But you must pay a ransom. There are 36,000 people in total, and you must pay 36 million taels of silver to ransom them. This is a special mercy from His Majesty. According to us, the ransom should be 200 million taels, not a penny less! Just this 36 million. Pay or we'll ransom them; if not, forget it. We're short of people for logging in the Greater Khingan Mountains, and these 30,000-plus people are all good laborers! As for the land we liberated, the weapons and warships we captured, those are our spoils of war, and not a single one can be returned! Even after the state of war ends, that won't be allowed, let alone now that we are still in a state of war! The war isn't over yet, why are you in such a hurry to talk about the aftermath?"

Catherine looked up at Zeng Jize and said softly, "Thank you for His Majesty's understanding of our soldiers' families!"

After saying that, she hurriedly left without even putting on her fur coat, scarf, and hat. I knew she was afraid that Zeng Jize would again call her a fur fetishist! Hey, Zeng Jize's mouth! He doesn't even need to find the right words to insult people!

The second round of Sino-Russian negotiations ended just like that!

Three days later, Antonov came again. He replied that Russia was willing to pay 30 million taels of silver, hoping that China would arrange for the return of Russian prisoners of war as soon as possible.

Zeng Jize immediately said, "We can release your prisoners of war at any time, but it must be a cash-on-delivery transaction. We don't trust you Russians! Your credibility has been proven by your glorious history!"

Antonov also brought a letter, saying it was from Princess Catherine, the Russian special envoy, to His Majesty the Chinese Emperor. He said, "Our Russian special envoy, Princess Catherine, departed for home yesterday. Before leaving, she wrote this letter to His Majesty the Emperor as a farewell! She also shared her personal views on this Sino-Russian dispute, hoping that your country would..." "Quickly return Vladivostok to Russia. This is her wish, and also the opinion of the Russian government!"

Zeng Jize took the letter and said, "We will immediately forward this letter to our Emperor. We also hope you can stay a day or two longer to deliver our Emperor's reply to Princess Catherine! There's a Chinese saying, 'It is impolite not to reciprocate,' and I estimate that His Majesty the Chinese Emperor will certainly reply!"

The letter was sealed in a thick leather pouch. I opened it and took out a small, exquisitely embroidered pouch. The pouch was embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water. I pulled out a letter from the pouch. The letter didn't mention Vladivostok at all; it was entirely a private conversation. I knew this was her excuse to conceal the contents of the letter.

"Your Majesty:

Hello, are you still angry with me? I've been waiting for you in Beijing for so long, every day felt like an eternity! During those days of waiting, I learned embroidery and sewed purses from a Chinese auntie, and under her guidance, I made this purse for you, hoping to surprise you on our wedding day! Who knew that my father's people would tell me you burned down Hulu Valley, calling you a bloodthirsty murderer! A warmonger! I was furious. I contacted my family to volunteer to be the special envoy, intending to give you a good scolding at the meeting, and then never see you again, to sever all ties with you completely. You could be the emperor of China, and I'd go back to my Moscow! But that day at the meeting, I'd barely started speaking when your foreign minister unleashed a torrent of abuse, making me feel like I wanted to die. I went home and cried my eyes out! But his scolding woke me up. I realized that it was Russia that was in the wrong first, and it was Russia that invaded others. What reason did I have to scold you or complain about you? I've read your proclamation, and I know that the "Nafi" in it refers to me. You're a man of your word, a trustworthy husband! I'm telling you now, I bought a hundred copies of the newspaper with the proclamation; I'll carry it with me at all times! You've kissed me, seen my body, touched my breasts, and patted my bottom. From the bottom of my heart, I consider myself yours. I'll only ever have one husband in my life—you! I will never be attracted to any other man again! And I will never let any other man touch my body again! Oh, they probably told you that the person who helped me into the meeting that day was a man! Ha, that was something I arranged to spite you; she was my personal female soldier, Rita, in disguise! Russian men aren't that handsome, are they? I know we're destined to be apart. My father is still alive; I can't marry you. If I did, it would drive him crazy! Now I can only wander like this. Maybe one day I'll return to your side, but by then I'll be old and faded. Will you still love me then? By the time you receive this letter, I will have already left China. I'll go back to see my hometown one last time, and then I'll leave, never to get involved in your struggle with Father again! But I will always keep an eye on you; my heart still belongs to you! Your Consort Na.”

After reading the letter, I hurriedly picked up my pen and wrote a reply, the last few lines of which read: “I await your return, awaiting your reunion of the friendship between the people of China and Russia! No matter how old you get, you will always be my beloved consort, and I will never despise you!” "

I was grieving Catherine's departure when Yu'er rushed in to tell me that Zongren had left, saying he was going back to Japan!

(Episode 5, Chapter 3: Rescuing the Beauty at Sea)

Upon hearing this, I immediately rushed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. I found that besides Zongren and Yan'er, the other concubines were all there, anxiously concerned about Zongren's departure. Seeing me return, Fei'er quickly explained the situation. Apparently, someone from the Japanese Imperial Palace had suddenly arrived, claiming to be from the Japanese Imperial Palace, requesting to see the Crown Prince. They said Zongren's birth mother was suddenly critically ill and on the verge of death, urging Zongren to find a way to return. They also said there was a ship going to Japan, about to depart, and asked if Zongren could make it back! Zongren immediately panicked and told his maid, 'Tell Empress Yan to tell His Majesty I'm going back to see my mother! I'll return as soon as I'm done!'" "After saying that, she left in a hurry. When Empress Yan heard about it, she went after her.

I was immediately alarmed. How could the Japanese Imperial Palace know so quickly that Zongren was in my palace? Why would they send someone here directly to find Zongren? Doesn't this clearly show that there is a Japanese intelligence network in our palace? I'm fighting the Japanese to the death here, and yet there are Japanese spies here. Isn't this too dangerous?

And you, Zongren, are too foolish. You've only been in the palace for a few days. How could they come from Japan to find you so quickly? Isn't this a deception?

I immediately said to Fei'er and Xue'er, "Find out immediately how that person got into the palace, who leaked the news of Zongren's entry into the palace, and quickly eliminate the spies within our ranks. If we really can't find out, at least we must replace all the palace servants who have been in contact with Zongren these past few days and send them to the Mongolian grasslands to herd horses. We can't let such a thing happen in our palace again!" "

After saying that, I immediately ran outside, grabbed Li Xianglin, and drove off in my 'armored vehicle.'

Luckily, with Yan'er's people pointing the way, we didn't waste time. Around noon, our car reached Dagukou, just as Yan'er had dispatched the Longnu and Longteng warships. She was about to board when she saw me, quickly pulled me aboard, and then ordered, 'Set sail immediately, catch up with that British warship HMS Ziyunying, and intercept it.' After

the warships set sail, she told me, 'Isn't this Crown Prince foolish? He's been sitting in the palace like a madman. He just followed someone's lead and ran off, only to be kidnapped as soon as he stepped outside. Now he's on the British warship HMS Ziyunying. He's out at sea! I've dispatched two warships now, intending to intercept Zongren!'" "

I was furious when I heard that. Damn it, what are those British doing here? Are they itching for trouble because we didn't beat them? They were the first to cause trouble in China, the instigators who started this whole thing. They really need to be taught a lesson!

I immediately said, 'See where he thinks he's going. Have some of our fleets intercept him! We can't let him get away! As long as we can rescue people, we'll even sink him!'

Yan'er said, 'No need. I've already sent two submarines to intercept him ahead. He can't escape!'" "

The Purple Cloud is a cruiser of the British Royal Navy. It played a crucial role in opening China's doors to Britain during the First Opium War, earning considerable prestige. This time, at the request of the Japanese government, it assisted Japanese ronin in transporting Zongren, who had been kidnapped from China

, back to Japan. British Minister Kravitz deliberated on this request for a long time. He knew that the Japanese were now half-crippled by the Chinese army, and bringing Zongren onto their side at this time was extremely important for future dealings with China and for Britain to seize greater interests in East Asia. Therefore, he overruled objections and personally boarded the Purple Cloud. He believed that China was unlikely to know that Zongren had been kidnapped and was on a British warship, and even if China knew, it wouldn't dare to do anything to the British warship! Based on these two points, he confidently lay in his VIP cabin, embracing a... Japanese ladies, there they were, making love!

He wondered, China had already agreed to release all Japanese prisoners of war, so why did Japan spend so much money kidnapping Zongren? And this Crown Prince was strange too; when he heard he was to be sent back to Japan, he kicked and punched, cried and cursed, refusing to go back no matter what.

He couldn't understand how Japan, after so much effort and years of military preparation, could lose to a country that looked like a piece of tofu. He couldn't understand even more why China's usually sickly emperor had suddenly become so arrogant, actually pointing his finger at the envoys of the six nations and hurling insults at them! Wasn't he afraid that the six nations would unite and beat him up? It was truly incomprehensible!

Suddenly, his cabin door was violently pounded on, startling him. He shuddered, and his manhood began to throb with pleasure from the Japanese woman: "Damn it, I've only been up for less than a minute and I can't even hold on anymore? You're such a damn jerk!"

He roared angrily, "What are you banging on? Speak quickly!" "

Your Excellency, two strange ships have appeared on the sea and ordered us to stop immediately! They say they are warships of the Qing Dynasty and are conducting a routine inspection! They said they will launch torpedoes if we don't stop!" The voice belonged to Captain Wells.

"Are you fucking stupid? Can't you just fire at them? What gives them the right to order the Royal Navy of the British Empire around?" Kravitz snapped.

"Where to fire? They signaled and then disappeared into the sea, not even a trace!" Wells' voice trembled; he was clearly terrified. Warships that disappeared into the water? What were those? He knew he was in real trouble and quickly climbed off the woman and put on his clothes.

"Go, don't listen to him, keep going!" He didn't believe China would dare fire at the Royal Navy of the British Empire: "Does he want to die? Has he forgotten the two Opium Wars? Has he forgotten how the Old Summer Palace was destroyed?" Thinking this through, he felt more confident and began to slowly and deliberately tie his tie.

Zi Yunying continued forward. The Chinese warships made no reaction!

He breathed a sigh of relief! The Chinese hadn't yet developed the mind to confront the British Empire!

Suddenly, three deafening explosions rang out at the front and both sides of the warship. Huge columns of water shot into the sky and crashed onto the deck of the ship, tossing the ship about in the giant waves. Kravitz fell to the ground with a "thud," hitting his head on the bed leg, and was in so much pain that he couldn't get up for a while. It was the naked Japanese woman who helped him up. The

Japanese woman rubbed the bump on his head with her small hands, but he irritably pushed her away, opened the cabin door, and strode out.

"Thud!" He slipped on the deck again, and quickly slid towards the railing, about to plunge into the turbulent sea. Terrified, he lost all his gentlemanly demeanor and shouted loudly. Fortunately, the Japanese woman grabbed his leg and pulled him back into the cabin.

This time, he dared not go out again, clinging tightly to the Japanese woman: "Damn it, am I courting death? The ship is rocking so badly, the deck is covered in freshly poured seawater, I'm sure I'll fall!"

Captain Wells didn't dare to play the hero either. He knew that those three shots were clearly a warning, and they were fired very close to the warship, yet they didn't damage it. They were really skilled! If they left now, those shells would be landing on their heads. He immediately ordered the warship to stop and wait for the Chinese warships to inspect it.

But after waiting for a long time, not only did he see nothing, but there was no reaction at all. Suddenly, he saw it—two Chinese warships were sailing towards them, cutting through the waves. Both warships' cannons were aimed at their vessel, which made Wells sense something was wrong. Before he could react, a voice came from the Chinese warship in both Chinese and English: "We are warships of the East China Sea Fleet of the Great Qing Empire. Because you are suspected of kidnapping our Japanese prisoners of war, we are acting on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Qing Empire. We request that you immediately return the Japanese prisoner of war, Mr. Zongren, to our army, and hand over all those involved in the kidnapping to our army. At the same time, you must absolutely guarantee Mr. Zongren's personal safety! If anything happens to Mr. Zongren, we will immediately sink your ship. Do not say we did not warn you!"

Wells reacted quickly. He immediately ordered his soldiers to take Zongren and the Japanese into custody. He was afraid that the Japanese would be desperate and tear up the hostage, which would endanger their warship!

He was right. When the Japanese ronin who had kidnapped Zongren saw that things were not going well, they immediately tried to throw Zongren into the sea to destroy the evidence. Just as they were dragging the struggling Zongren out, Wells's personal guards seized them and Zongren, taking them all to the captain's cabin.

Hearing the soldiers' report, Wells broke out in a cold sweat: "These Japanese bastards! Luckily, we acted quickly; if we had been a moment later, everyone on this ship would have been killed!" Enraged, he kicked the Japanese soldiers several times and ordered them to be tied up and chained to the deck. Zongren was placed in a VIP cabin and placed under guard.

Just as he was about to reply to the Chinese warship, Minister Kravitz rushed into the captain's cabin: "What are you doing? Why have you tied up all your Japanese friends?"

Wells hurriedly explained, "They were about to kill the hostages, so I arrested them all!"

Minister Kravitz also knew the consequences of the Japanese ronin killing the hostages, and he said angrily, "These Japanese are only good for petty theft. It's good that you tied them up first, so they won't cause any more trouble! But the hostages cannot be handed over to the Chinese. We must protest! They have no right to intercept the warships of our Great British Empire! This is an insult to the Great British Empire!"

He immediately ordered a warning to be issued to the Chinese warship.

Looking at the flags displayed by the Zi Yunying, I asked Captain Deng Shichang, "What did they say?"

Deng Shichang angrily replied, "What good nonsense could they possibly spout? They say they are Royal Navy ships of the British Empire, and we have no right to inspect them!"

I immediately said, "Tell them we have no intention of inspecting their dilapidated ship; we only want them to return the kidnapped Japanese prisoners of war and the criminals involved in the kidnapping. We'll give them only ten minutes to answer. If they refuse, we will consider the Zi Yunying to have participated in the kidnapping and treat it as an

enemy ship!" Wells, seeing the Chinese warships' flags, was immediately stunned. He said to Minister Kravitz, "Hurry and hand them over to the Chinese! Our warships are completely under the gunfire of the Chinese warships! Our strength is no match for theirs!"

Minister Kravitz cursed, "Useless! Immediately order preparations for battle! Our Great British Empire..." "The nation cannot lose face!"

Wells hurriedly said, "No, their two underwater warships have already targeted us. If we make the slightest move, they will launch torpedoes! We'll be finished!"

Kravitz thought for a moment and said, "Tell them first that the British Empire will not intervene in your dispute with Japan, but we are responsible for the passengers on our warship. We will not and cannot hand them over to you!"

As soon as the signal was given, the Chinese warship signaled: "Your anchor winch is no longer working, isn't it? Shouldn't you replace it? Let us help you remove the old anchor winch! If your rudder wheel is also no longer working, we can continue to serve you!"

As soon as Wells finished repeating the signal, a shell exploded on the foredeck of the Purple Clover, and the Purple Clover's anchor winch immediately flew up and disappeared from there.

Wells' face turned deathly pale. He hurriedly shouted to the first mate, "Tell the Chinese immediately that we are handing over the Japanese prisoners of war and the criminals who kidnapped them! Ask them to stop firing! We have nothing to do with this. We are going to Japan to pick up our minister; they are just hitchhiking!"

Kravitz angrily stepped forward to stop him, but Wells immediately said, "Guards! It's too dangerous here! Take the minister to his bedroom immediately. You are responsible for his safety!"

The guards immediately understood what was happening. They dragged Kravitz out of the captain's cabin and shoved him into his bedroom, not letting him out again.

Zongren felt something was wrong as soon as she stepped out of the palace gates. She hurriedly tried to turn back into the palace, but it was too late. The three ruthless Japanese ronin grabbed her, shoved her into a car, and drove off. She now realized that because of her foolishness, she would never see her beloved brother again! She knew this was definitely a cover-up by the Japanese, who knew she was a woman and feared it would cause a greater international uproar! She was either bound and taken back to continue impersonating a man as his crown prince, but would never be allowed to act alone again; or she would be silenced, made to disappear from this world forever. There was no third way!

She also knew that due to her own stupidity, her mother had likely already been silenced, because her mother was the only person in the world who truly knew she was a woman, and they couldn't allow her to continue living! If she hadn't left the Chinese palace, they would have used her mother as bait, and her mother would have continued to live. But now—she could only bitterly hate herself for her lack of social experience! She was practically less capable than a three-year-old child, allowing them to succeed with such a simple trick! She felt so ashamed of her brother's love for her! She was far inferior to her sisters!

She cried and fussed incessantly along the way, wanting the world to know how unpopular the Japanese government was, that even its crown prince didn't want to return to Japan!

But she discovered that Japan was completely indifferent to her life or death, treating her like an ant, a useless person! Especially the British envoy, who looked at her with such indifference, made her realize that the seemingly illustrious Crown Prince she had once thought of was nothing more than a pawn manipulated by others! Once this pawn lost its value, it was less than discarded trash!

Later, when the cannons fired and the Chinese warships issued warnings demanding her return, her heart instantly recovered from her inferiority and despair. She knew that her brother was willing to risk a war with the British for her sake. Her heart was filled with sweetness, and she felt ashamed of her rash actions. Now, she leaned against the window, watching her brother's warship approach the Ziyun Ying, and tears streamed down her face. She made the most important decision of her life: she would never return to Japan, not even for her mother's sake. She wanted her brother to give her a Chinese name; she wanted to be Chinese, to be a Chinese wife!

Seeing the small boat take Zongren and the three Japanese ronin onto the warship, I rushed over, grabbed Zongren's arm, and pulled her into my bedroom. As soon as the door closed, we embraced tightly. It had only been a few hours since we parted, but it felt like an eternity. Holding her, seeing her beautiful face streaked with tears, I said with heartache, "How could you be so foolish? They used such a simple trick to deceive you, and you fell for it? Promise me, from now on, you will obey my every command, okay?" Zongren,

like a docile bird, held tightly to her body... She nestled close to me, tilting her head back and staring at me with wide eyes. After I finished speaking, she nodded obediently and suddenly said, "Brother, I've changed my name. How about I be called Ai Long? I'll become a Chinese citizen!"

Looking at her determined expression, I said, "There's no surname like 'Ai' in China. So, your surname will be Ai Hao, like the 'Ai' in 'Artemisia leaf,' and the pronunciation will be the same. As for your given name, how about Xin, like the 'Xin' in 'warmth'?"

She immediately said happily, "Then I'll be Your Majesty's Xin'er! Your Majesty's Heart? Brother, aren't you being too affectionate with Xin'er? This name—"

I hugged her and kissed her: "You'll..." "Is she my precious darling? Look how dangerous it was! If it weren't for your elder sister's cunning, you would have been in deep trouble! Don't try to do it yourself next time!"

She smiled sheepishly, "There won't be a next time. From now on, my home is China. Wherever His Majesty goes, I will follow, as long as you don't mind! I'm so glad I told my elder sister before I left. I really have to thank her properly!"

Yan'er was talking to Captain Wells, the British captain who was escorting Xin'er and the three criminals onto the ship. Wells kept apologizing, saying, "We don't know what's going on with them! We absolutely..." "Wanting to be an enemy of China!"

Yan'er said, "You may not know what happened, but Mr. Kravitz on your ship probably knows everything, right? Please tell him that we spared him this time because of Captain Wells, but if he's an enemy of China again, we'll expel him!"

The incident was resolved, but Kravitz harbored a grudge against the arrogant China. He began to extend his reach into China's vast rural areas. (Chapter 4, Volume 5, Thirty-Six Sheds)

After crippling the Japanese, Russia became my primary focus! For many years, due to our neglect of the development of Northeast China, especially the areas bordering Russia, development and construction have lagged behind. Russia has repeatedly encroached on our territory precisely because of its sparse population, backward economy, scattered villages, and inconvenient transportation. I realized that strengthening the development of Northeast China, Mongolia, and Xinjiang is our top priority!

How to strengthen the development of the three regions was included in the agenda of both houses of parliament. During the fifteen-day sessions, representatives from both houses put forward many good suggestions for the development of the three regions, which can be summarized into four main points: first, large-scale immigration to reclaim wasteland and build villages; second, construction of railway and highway networks; third, construction of a national industrial base; and fourth, development of commerce and foreign trade to revitalize the local economy! The representatives also emphasized that the problems of the three regions should be solved one by one, with the Northeast region being of paramount importance!

To implement the suggestions of the representatives of the two sessions, Li Hongzhang convened State Council meetings for nearly a month, studying and implementing each of the four suggestions one by one. He also led a group of State Councilors on a long tour of the Northeast. Finally, it was decided to solve the problems in the Northeast first, and to use all of the 36 million taels of ransom recovered from Russia for immigration, industrial projects, and the development of commerce and foreign trade in the Northeast. In addition, 20 million taels of the first installment of indemnity paid by Japan were allocated to build a highway network along the Heilongjiang and Ussuri Rivers. As for the railway, I know that according to the original history, Russia was going to build the Chinese Eastern Railway, and the Russo-Japanese War in Northeast China was about to begin. Because of my presence, they couldn't fight that war, but they still had to build the railway! Russia and Japan have quieted down for a while, but that doesn't mean their covetousness of Northeast China has died, especially Russia, which hasn't suffered any major losses. They will definitely make trouble over the Northeast issue again. I considered it for several days and decided to put the Heihe-Dalian Railway, from Heihe on the Heilongjiang River to Dalian Port on the Bohai Bay, up for public bidding! This would attract Russian funds to the Northeast, and then let them suffer a silent loss like Japan! Since it's a bidding process, there has to be some attractive incentive. I discussed it with Li Hongzhang and the two vice premiers for a long time, and finally decided to use the 30-year management rights and revenue of the Heihe-Dalian Railway as a condition for bidding on the railway construction.

Once the bidding conditions were announced, Britain, France, Germany, and Russia began a fierce competition. Thirty years—this was a huge prize! Moreover, the construction of the railway was also a process of economic, political, and military infiltration into the region, a process of turning the region into their sphere of influence. Therefore, the four countries fought tooth and nail. Although Japan lacked the strength to compete, it engaged in numerous underhanded tactics. It did everything it could to prevent Russia from winning the construction rights,

while outwardly stating its support for Russia. Since my aim was to trap Russia, I deliberately leaked the bidding prices to Russia, allowing them to obtain the construction rights. To ensure their bid was approved in the Chinese parliament, Russia continued to extend olive branches to China, and with my covert efforts, Russia's bid was successfully passed. On

April 10, 1896, while large numbers of immigrants from Shandong, Hebei, and Henan were building dugouts along the Heilongjiang River, clearing land and sowing millet, Russia also recruited a large number of workers from North China to build the railway, beginning a five-year construction project.

The once quiet Northeast suddenly came alive. Large numbers of farmers from the inland regions flocked to the Northeast, building highways, railways, factories, and mines. The three northeastern provinces were a hive of construction activity, teeming with migrant workers from all over the country.

I, along with Zhen'er, Xin'er, Yu'er, and Mei'er, also arrived in the Northeast. We planned to choose a location near Daqing to build a fertilizer production line jointly designed by Yanhou and Feihou, contributing to the construction of the Northeast's granary and earning more money for our family! We also planned to build a car production line in Harbin later and establish a Long family fleet in Vladivostok.

The roads were truly difficult to travel on. Construction sites were everywhere. The old dirt roads, trampled by one vehicle after another, frequently created muddy puddles. Vehicles would get stuck in them, and it would take half a day to pry them out, leaving everyone covered in stinking mud. Moreover, there were so many vehicles that we had to queue and wait, sometimes for half a day. To get the cars through quickly, our guards were constantly on the move, pulling and pushing each other. By the time all fifteen cars in our convoy had passed, Li Xianglin and the others were exhausted.

Mei'er, furious, cursed, "What a terrible road! How long will it take to get through like this?"

Her best friend, Yu'er, laughed, "This is the vibrant new Northeast of our husbands! It shows the momentum of large-scale development, construction, and progress! Without today's congestion, how can there be tomorrow's prosperity? Just you wait, in a few years, there will definitely be a wide and smooth road here!"

Xin'er smiled silently, pursing her lips. She dampened her handkerchief and carefully wiped the mud off me, then snuggled into my arms. After the last incident, she became less talkative, but even more attached to me, following me almost everywhere. In that incident, Xue'er finally uncovered a three-person group among the eunuchs—Japanese spies planted in the palace. Luckily, I was directing the battle in Korea while fighting the Japanese, so they didn't succeed. Enraged, I executed all three of them and handed their bodies over to the Japanese when returning the prisoners of war. Feeling guilty, they said nothing and accepted the corpses.

The three young girls are now Zhen'er's deputies. Determined to solidify the foundation of the Long family business, I assigned them all to Zhen'er. This time, we brought the 30 million taels of silver that Li Hongzhang returned to Zhen'er (of course, this was the money from the indemnity paid by the Japanese) to expand and improve our business in Northeast China!

Upon arriving in Shenyang, Zhen'er arranged for a bulldozer from her Fengtian Machinery Factory to clear the way for us, which greatly accelerated our journey. On the third day, the convoy reached a place called Thirty-Six Sheds.

It was a large, flat beach right next to the Songhua River, a small village with only a few dozen households. When we arrived, it was the height of the fishing season, and the Songhua River was crowded with small fishing boats. The riverbank was covered with fishnets that smelled terrible. Xin'er covered her mouth and said, "Let's go, the stench is unbearable!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than she ran to the roadside and started vomiting loudly. Yu'er and Mei'er joined in, vomiting with great gusto! Zhen'er was so amused that she pinched me several times, making me angry. I yelled, "Why are you pinching me? This is a drying ground; it's bound to be smelly and stinky. They vomited on their own; what does it have to do with me? It's not like I'm the one who caused the stench!"

Zhen'er then gave my bottom a good rub: "Are you stupid? You philandering emperor, don't you know how to restrain yourself? There's still a war going on, and you're already busy chasing girls. Now you've got three little ones all pregnant! Look at the assistants you assigned me—they'll all be having babies at once, leaving me to perform a solo act again!"

I chuckled: "So what? In a couple of days, if I see any more pretty girls, I'll bring back two more for you, both to be your assistants, so you can lead a whole bunch of pretty girls!"

This made her give my bottom another good rub. Sigh, what an undeserved disaster! My noble bottom will just have to bear the brunt of this. Who told your master to be so lecherous! Every advantage has its disadvantage, so I'll just have to bear with it!

Once their latest round of vomiting was over, I quickly led them away from the riverbank.

The three little ones were now flushed and wouldn't look at anyone. Zhen'er said something and got a good pinch from the three of them, which made me laugh so hard I slapped my thigh: "Good, great! You've avenged your husband! To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest virtue!" Yes, I got my revenge without even lifting a finger—how brilliant!

But then came another round of physical pain; the four women teamed up to take care of me. Sigh, the world is going to the dogs!

After we'd had our fun, I looked at the vast hills and said, "This is where Harbin will later become. Let's build our automobile city here!"

Zhen'er looked around and exclaimed in surprise, "No way! This place is inconvenient to get to, and sparsely populated!"

I pulled her into my arms and said, "You wait, the Russians will be here soon. The Black Railway they're building will definitely pass through here. Once the train is running, how can this place be sparsely populated?"

She looked up at me, stuck her leg out, and kissed me on the cheek. "Then let's listen to your brother. Let's choose a good spot here!"

I saw a carriageway leading straight into the distance. This was probably the boundary between Daoli and Daowai districts later on. This area became the commercial street, which we couldn't occupy. And that large hill in front of us was probably the Nangang district later on. That spot is no good either. Looking into the distance, there's a cluster of small, mud-brick houses covered with the unique Ula grass of the Northeast mountains. Those were probably the fishermen's houses, and perhaps the later bungalow area. I pointed and said, "Let's carve out a plot of land over there and build our factory there!"

The three little ones, seeing that the location was far from the smoky fishing grounds, happily exclaimed, "Great! My husband knows how to pick a spot!"

Zhen'er frowned, looking at the tall reeds and the fluttering waterbirds, and asked, puzzled, "Why not build the factory over there? Is this place even suitable?

" She laughed: "Aren't you worried about spending money? That area ahead is going to be a commercial district. It's better for us to set up our factory far away from residential areas! Don't be fooled by the fact that this place is a wetland. Once we drain the water, it'll be a great location! And it'll definitely be cheaper here than there!"

Since the area consisted of large tracts of wasteland and reed marshes, our land acquisition procedures were easy to complete. Although the local officials didn't know us, they knew the name of Longxiang Company, and they quickly allocated land for us. Because it was a large reed marshland, the price was more than half cheaper than other places. Only then did Zhen'er grin, but then she frowned again.

It turned out that Yu'er had said, "We're building a car city. Since it's a city, it needs to be big, so we don't run into trouble later!"

The other two little ones immediately clapped in agreement, and the three of them quickly claimed a plot of land, more than forty miles wide and ten miles in length. Zhen'er said with concern, "Buying this land must have cost a lot of money! You guys are really good at claiming land! Sister Yan didn't designate such a large area!"

Yu'er laughed and said, "Sister, don't be stingy with the money. Once this place becomes popular, you'll probably have to spend several times more to buy it back now." "A hundred times the money couldn't buy this! Owning more land means we can save on land acquisition for any future projects!"

Mei'er said, "Sister Zhen, just wait and see! Our car city will definitely be the world's largest and most beautiful car production base. This place will be incredibly popular!"

Zhen'er said, "Make this place popular? Is that even possible—"

Xin'er hugged Zhen'er and kissed her: "Buy it! It's cheap now!"

I know Zhen'er. My wife is notoriously stingy, but when it comes to serious matters, she's incredibly generous! When we were fighting the Japanese, without me even asking, she lent Li Hongzhang 50 million taels of silver. This time, when Li Hongzhang repaid the loan, she only accepted 30 million, saying, "Consider that our family's contribution to the fight against the Japanese! We don't need it!" Now that we have over 40 million taels of silver notes, she's become stingy. I don't know what she's thinking!

Manager Zhen hesitated to give her opinion, and the three little ones gradually became a bit uneasy. I knew their pride had been hurt, so I smiled and said, "Zhen'er, stop being stingy. The three of them are right. This place might appreciate in value tomorrow, so let's buy it! Besides, Yan'er gave you the design plans for a car factory. We also need to build a truck factory, a bus factory, a locomotive factory, and a train carriage factory here to form a large vehicle group. A small place won't be enough!"

Zhen'er looked around: "This lousy place will appreciate in value?" She shook her head, but still paid the money. I realized she didn't believe this place would become popular! It seems we'll have to let future events speak for themselves!

The land was purchased, and within a few days, the migrant workers from within the city and our company's staff arrived. They started building the factory buildings, bringing in equipment, and constructing the residential area according to Yan'er's design, working feverishly.

This place didn't disappoint me. Once the drainage ditches were dug, the water flowed into the Songhua River, leaving the ground dry, clean, and exceptionally flat—truly a wonderful place!

The factory had barely started operating when Russian surveyors arrived to measure the railway embankment. Seeing that the area was flat, they decided to build a large train hub there. Zhan Tianyou, who was accompanying the Russians to survey the railway line, saw that we had occupied such a large area. Being quite gullible, he ran over and immediately saw Consort Zhen. Startled, he knelt down, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, what are you doing here?"

Consort Zhen smiled and said, "Don't just look ahead; look back and you'll see why I'm here!"

Zhan Tianyou quickly turned around and saw me standing there smiling at him. Startled, he kowtowed repeatedly. I quickly pulled him up, saying, "Forget the formalities. Come, tell me, how's the railway line survey going?"

Zhan Tianyou said, "The survey is basically finished. This time, they're asking us to review and approve it. I think it's basically reasonable. However, these Russians are saying they want to build a broad gauge railway, and that they've built a broad gauge railway on the other side of the Yangtze River! I see they're speeding up the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Long live the Emperor! Shouldn't we be careful of them? Russia's ambition to destroy us is undiminished!"

I nodded and asked, "What's your opinion?

" He said, "I insist on building a narrow gauge railway. Firstly, it's for domestic uniformity, and secondly, it prevents their trains from running all the way to Beijing!"

I laughed, "Their tricks won't fool anyone. Actually, it doesn't matter whether it's broad gauge or narrow gauge. If they really want to invade, how long does it take to change locomotives? They can't stop anyone! We know what we're doing! But for domestic convenience, narrow gauge is better!"

Zhan Tianyou asked, "How much did you spend on this land?"

Zhen'er told him, and he exclaimed in surprise, "You couldn't even buy back a tenth of it now! The Russians spent so much money on just one station, and they said it was cheap! Consort Zhen has such good judgment!"

Zhen'er opened her mouth wide, and after a long while, she looked at me with shame and said, "This wasn't really my decision, it was my younger sisters'. They said the car city couldn't be too small, but theirs is five or six times bigger than the place Empress Yan designed!"

Zhan Tianyou said, "This isn't big. A large car trust can't function without a large car production base!"

Consort Zhen laughed, "They all say so too. It seems I'm quite ignorant!" With

the Harbin matter settled, Zhen'er handed over the construction of the automobile city to her company's team. We then headed to Anda to implement the task of building the Longhua Chemical Group.

After so many years of development, it had acquired a certain production capacity, basically meeting our current oil needs. However, due to poor comprehensive utilization, a lot of waste materials were being thrown away, which was a real waste. In the past, we lacked funds; now that we have the economic means, we must find ways to develop Longhua's comprehensive utilization project!

The immigration work was also proceeding smoothly. By the end of 1899, the population of Northeast China had reached 60 million, and even the cold Heilongjiang Province had reached 18 million. Moreover, along the highways along the Heilongjiang River, there were villages of about a hundred households every ten miles or so, and each village had established a militia. I ordered that the weapons captured from Japan and Russia on the Korean battlefield be distributed to the militia, and that instructors sent by Haibo provide them with training, thus forming a certain level of combat capability! We established a county town every two hundred li (approximately 100 kilometers), each with its own garrison, thus forming a relatively solid iron defense line in the northern border region.

At the same time, we purposefully launched a series of large-scale industrial projects in the three provinces, including machinery manufacturing, steel smelting, automobile and locomotive production, agricultural machinery manufacturing, and munitions production, making Northeast China a vital industrial base for the Qing Dynasty and one of the regions with the highest concentration of emerging industrial workers in China.

But just then, the Japanese devils once again extended their reach to our side!

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