Chapter 31

In the Forbidden City, in the Yangxin Hall, this is the heart of the Great Qing Empire, and this is where Emperor Tongzhi's study is located. Although Emperor Tongzhi is only nine years old this year, the imperial princes are all very precocious. The young Emperor Tongzhi sitting on the throne already exudes a certain imperial dignity.

"Shameless, the Western barbarians are utterly mad! No wonder Father Emperor sought refuge in the Chengde Mountain Resort; it turns out these Western barbarians are so unprincipled! They are worse than beasts..." The nine-year-old Tongzhi slapped the armrest of the throne, not even realizing his hands had turned red.

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" The two rows of eunuchs and palace maids in the Yangxin Hall all knelt down, trembling under the overwhelming imperial authority.

What Tongzhi held in his hands was an extraordinary piece of writing, the latest chapter of "A Leisurely Journey West." It turns out that the young Emperor was also a die-hard fan of Xiao Letian. However, this chapter had infuriated the young Emperor, as it described the fall of the Inca Empire.

The Inca Empire rose in the 11th century and fell in the 16th century, lasting for over five hundred years. In Xiao Letian's writing, the mysterious Inca Empire was located on the highlands of South America, a nation highly skilled in architecture and agriculture, and the origin of corn, which is now widely cultivated in the Qing Dynasty.

In the latest chapter, Xiao Letian lavishly praised the splendid civilization of the Inca Empire. Whether it was the cities built entirely of massive stones, the towering pyramids, or the vast imperial treasury, all these demonstrated the greatness of this civilization.

However, this brilliant civilization was destroyed by Europeans in 1532, the 11th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty. Most infuriatingly, the Europeans used deceit to kidnap the Inca King Atahualpa.

The despicable Spanish conqueror Pizarro, with only 170 soldiers and some explorers, ventured deep into the heart of the Inca Empire and, surrounded by 50,000 Inca troops, sought to negotiate amicably with the king.

King Atahualpa, unaware of the trap, brought thousands of attendants to negotiate with these foreigners. However, he never expected Pizarro to suddenly attack and kidnap the king. When the king fell into enemy hands, the 50,000 loyal soldiers, fearing to attack, were massacred by the Spaniards.

Subsequently, Pizarro took the Inca King as a hostage and demanded gold as ransom. The king was held hostage for a full year, and the Inca Empire, to redeem their king, provided six tons of gold and twelve tons of silver.

Xiao Letian, of course, made the conversion in his book. At that time, one tael in the Qing Dynasty was about 35 grams. A simple calculation shows that the Inca Empire provided 170,000 taels of gold and 350,000 taels of silver.

Do you think the Spaniards would keep their word? You are wrong. After obtaining this wealth, they falsely claimed that the king's army was trying to rescue him and used this as an excuse to burn King Atahualpa to death.

From that day on, the Inca Empire, which had flourished for over five hundred years, began to decline and eventually disappeared from the annals of history.

Xiao Letian had his own plan in writing this chapter. He understood that to make the Manchu rulers recognize him as a renowned scholar and master of Western learning, he needed to touch their hearts. Here, Xiao Letian chose a very sinister tactic: intimidation.

Is your Great Qing a great empire? Even if it is, it hasn't lasted for five hundred years, has it? The Inca Empire, which was established during the Northern Song Dynasty and lasted until the end of the Ming Dynasty, is a significant nation, isn't it?

But such a powerful empire was conquered by a tiny Spanish army. Now, do you, the Great Qing, not feel a sense of crisis? Remember, you have been defeated by the British and French twice.

Xiao Letian used his most straightforward words to depict a scene of imperial collapse for the Manchu rulers, vividly portraying the tragic fate of the last emperor locked in an iron cage. Here, Xiao Letian also subtly praised Emperor Xianfeng, beautifying his retreat to the Chengde Mountain Resort.

Look at how ruthless the foreigners are, using the king as a hostage and killing him even after receiving the ransom. They are not human. Our Great Qing emperors are wise, seeing through their schemes and refusing to fall for their tricks.

Xiao Letian was very confident. If this article failed to move the Manchu rulers, he would give up everything, take the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and live a quiet life in America.

The latest chapter of the extraordinary writing spread throughout the capital, and the entire Manchu ruling class was completely stunned. The princes and nobles imagined the tragic scenes of the dynasty's collapse, sighing deeply. The Han officials, seeing the foreigners' lack of integrity, were furious. Even the so-called heroes of the underworld in the capital were pounding their chests and cursing in the streets.

"Damn, these Spaniards are shameless, taking the ransom and still killing the king. If I ever meet them, I'll tear them apart!" Xiao Letian's article was so captivating that even the outlaws loved it, making it impossible for him not to become famous.

As for the nine-year-old Emperor Tongzhi, he was so angry that he slammed the table and swore, not knowing from whom he had learned such language, scaring the eunuchs so much that they slapped their own faces. If the two Empresses heard this, none of these servants would survive.

Just as Emperor Tongzhi was pacing around the Yangxin Hall in anger, a group of people entered through the main door, led by Empress Dowager Cian from the Eastern Palace. "Who has made the Emperor so angry? He was still happy this morning!"

"Your Majesty, I greet you!" The young emperor casually bowed and then jumped up, saying, "It's the foreigners who have made me angry. Mother, have you read today's latest 'A Leisurely Journey West'? Those Spaniards are so shameless, worse than beasts..."

Empress Dowager Cian looked at Tongzhi kindly. Although he was not her biological son, they had been very close since he was young. Tongzhi was the only emperor of the Qing Dynasty who ascended the throne without any controversy, as Xianfeng had left only one son.

He is the hope for the revival of the Qing Dynasty. Tongzhi's succession was very smooth, with no opposition from within or outside the court. His inheritance was so pure that all the great scholars could find no fault with it. This is the child's greatest asset; with a legitimate claim to the throne, the internal and external unity of the Qing Dynasty could be restored, and the revival of the Qing Dynasty was within reach.

Empress Dowager Cian sat on the bed, picked up the long fingernail, and looked at the copy. She raised her hand and motioned for the emperor to sit beside her. "Emperor, I have also read this article, but I did not get as angry as you. I immediately ordered the Imperial Household Department to privately inquire with the foreigners to verify if this was true..."

Tongzhi, being quick-witted, knew that the Empress Dowager was teaching him the essentials of governance, so he quickly sat up straight. "Anger is useless. When faced with such a situation, one should investigate first. What if this Xiao is a fraud? Then your anger would be in vain."

"Has the Empress Dowager inquired, and what was the result?" Tongzhi was still very curious.

Empress Dowager Cian's expression did not change. "The Imperial Household Department sent people to privately ask the missionaries from Britain, France, and America. The result... the result is the same. Although they were hesitant and a bit embarrassed, the final answer is the same... it's true, as true as it can be!"

With a crisp sound, Tongzhi threw the teacup, shattering it. The shards cut the faces of three eunuchs, and blood dripped down. "This is the nature of the foreigners, greedy and despicable. But why do these barbarians have the power that we, the Great Qing, do not? What is this power..."

Just as the young emperor was in pain, another group of people entered, led by Empress Dowager Cixi, Tongzhi's biological mother. "What's wrong, my son? Your face is so pale with anger..." Cixi, upon entering, lifted Tongzhi's face with both hands, rubbing it tenderly. This was her way of asserting her authority, implying, "I am the real mother, don't try to compete with me for my son."

Empress Dowager Cian was used to Cixi's gaze. Being close to the emperor was the only way for women in the palace to gain status, and it was normal for Cixi to be jealous.

"Sister, read this extraordinary article. The Emperor is angry because of this story!" She handed the article over. Cixi had already read it, but her reaction was different from Cian's. "Your Majesty, don't worry about these things. Everything is under control with Mother. The foreigners won't bully you. They can't do it again and again. Now that the Taiping rebels have been suppressed, the Qing Dynasty is thriving. One day, we will surpass those foreigners..."

Tongzhi was a bit impatient with his mother's caressing. He thought to himself, why does the Empress Dowager always teach me what to do, while my biological mother always takes everything on herself and never lets me handle it? The Sage Ancestor was able to outsmart Aobai at the age of eight, but I am nine and still cannot rule personally. It's all because of this biological mother.

"Mother, I have an idea... I want to summon Xiao Letian to serve in the court. What do you think?" Before he finished, Cixi had already frowned. "How can that be? I have already investigated him. He is a traitor, and the Americans are protecting him..."

"Just look at how he behaves at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. I doubt he even wants to serve as an official. He wears Western clothes all the time. If he were to serve, the court would be in chaos!"

"Then, can I have Xiao Letian come to the palace to read with me? Let him teach me Western learning..." Tongzhi did not give up.

"That's even worse. If he teaches the emperor Western learning, the great scholars in the court will go mad! The court has just stabilized, and if you cause trouble, who knows what will happen..."

"This is not allowed, that is not allowed, are you going to suffocate me?" Tongzhi, angry, stormed out. "I'm going to the imperial garden to clear my mind. No one follow me..."

Cixi's eyes welled up with tears, while Cian consoled, "The Emperor is growing up and having his own ideas is not unusual. However, I support you. Xiao Letian's background is too mysterious. He should not be allowed to meet the Emperor until he is thoroughly investigated."

"That's exactly what I mean, but the Emperor doesn't understand my good intentions..." Cixi, wiping her tears, had a venomous look in her eyes.

Pretending, she is pretending again. The disharmony in our mother-son relationship is all because of you. If it weren't for the imperial edict in your hands, I would have sent you to meet the late emperor long ago.

If Xiao Letian knew about this incident, he would be stunned. He never expected his article to have the power to sow discord between a mother and son. However, he had no time to analyze the dirty politics between the two Empresses Dowager. His plan to target the old scholar Wang was about to unfold.