Chapter 81

"Xiao Letian, you must tell me the truth today. How did the industrial special zone plan pass through the hurdles? And how did you quell the riot in Tanggu? What's the deal with the Ninth Marshal, and when did you two start colluding...?"

Qing Sanye hadn't even touched his wine, and as soon as he sat down, he grabbed Xiao Letian's sleeve, firing off questions like a machine gun, spittle flying onto Xiao Letian's face.

Xiao Letian, with a forced smile, put down his wine glass, "Sanye, have some food first, take a breath. There's plenty of time, no need to rush..." After persuading him to drink three cups of wine, Xiao Letian finally started to tell Qing Sanye the half-true, half-false story of what he could.

There was no need to repeat the entire process of the Tanggu riot; it was all detailed in the official gazettes sent to provincial governors and commissioners. Although Qing Sanye wasn't a governor or commissioner, his position as a clerk in the Zongli Yamen made it easy for him to access such information.

What puzzled Sanye were three points: how Xiao Letian obtained so many Mexican silver dollars, why the Ninth Marshal supported him so much, and how the court let him off so lightly, considering that over a thousand people died in Tanggu.

These three questions troubled Qing Sanye throughout his journey, and now that he had Xiao Letian in front of him, he had to get to the bottom of it. "Brother, I'm warning you, I've already tolerated your private army, which isn't unusual in the Qing Dynasty. My family has dozens of private soldiers and servants. But if you have any other schemes, I won't agree, and don't blame me for cutting ties with you..."

Xiao Letian, seeing Qing Sanye's serious face, wanted to laugh. "Sanye, do you know how much money your share in the foreign trading company can earn? I estimate you'll get at least this much by the end of the year..." Xiao Letian gestured with his fingers, but Qing Sanye's nose was already twisted in anger.

"Don't give me your smooth talk. You must explain everything today..."

"Alright, alright, don't worry, let me explain slowly. The Mexican silver dollars are simple. Don't you know about foreign banks? They're much more advanced than our draft houses..."

In Xiao Letian's rambling, the exchange of silver dollars was blamed on the foreigners. Given the vast scale of maritime trade, transactions in the millions were common, so Xiao Letian's explanation was plausible.

The issue with the Ninth Marshal involved the political struggles at court. Qing Sanye wasn't stupid and wasn't ignorant of politics; he was just a bit straightforward and idealistic. After Xiao Letian carefully explained the dirty politics among the three factions, Sanye could only sigh.

"Sanye, now you understand why the Shanghai industrial special zone is managed by the Jiangnan Arsenal? It's to appease the Hunan Army. Why did Zeng Guofan decline the scheduled visit to the capital in the fall? And why did he say there were rebels in Wuyi Mountain? Isn't it to pressure the court? The industrial special zone is a huge piece of meat; who wouldn't want a piece?"

"Also, the imperial examination this winter is a sweet reward after the court punished the Qingliu faction. No matter how angry the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are about the Qingliu faction inciting the people, they can't announce it publicly. Look at the final verdict on Ma Bao and Huang Juren; you can see the court's hesitation..."

Xiao Letian was right. After the court meeting, the Ministry of Justice quickly concluded the Tanggu riot, stating that Huang Juren and Ma Bao were killed by the mob, completely overturning the Ninth Marshal Zeng Guoquan's previous judgments. The Ministry of Justice's ability to lie with a straight face was unparalleled.

However, by this time, the court had already completed the distribution of benefits, and all factions had laid down their arms. No one would be foolish enough to keep harping on the issue.

As for the gossipy old men in the capital, their interest waned after just a few days. The discussion about the Tanggu riot lasted less than ten days before it became boring, and no one wanted to bring it up again.

Xiao Letian, seeing Qing Sanye's slightly embarrassed face, quickly changed the subject. "Come, come, let's drink. We can't change what happens in the court, so let's just drink. As for how I managed to pass through the hurdles, it's all thanks to you, brother..."

"The court appointed me as the supervisor of the Tanggu industrial zone. I believe I have some use in foreign affairs, so I was lucky to keep my life. This is all thanks to Sanye's good fortune... Oh, by the way, Empress Dowager Cixi is your cousin, why don't you use this relationship?"

"Hey! How do you know that?" Qing Sanye's voice rose an octave. He was surprised because the complex family relationships among the Manchus could confuse even themselves, let alone a Han Chinese like Xiao Letian.

"Speaking of which, I remember I wanted to ask you, why did my sister come to Tanggu? And why did she encounter such great danger? Why didn't I, her brother, know about it?"

Xiao Letian's face turned awkward, and he quickly raised his glass to change the subject. "Drink, drink. My sister Huinü just came to play with Hu Nü. It was all an accident..."

By this time, Qing Sanye had drunk quite a bit and was so confused that he let Xiao Letian get away with it. If he knew what had happened between Fu Hui and Xiao Letian in Tanggu, he would have beaten Xiao Letian on the spot.

At this moment, in the capital, hundreds of miles away, in the Forbidden City's imperial garden, on the viewing pavilion of the Dui Xiu Mountain, Empress Dowager Cixi was smiling as she listened to Fu Hui's visit. Being cousins, it was good to maintain a close relationship.

Fu Hui was no ordinary woman. The grace of a Manchu lady made her eloquent. She was sitting in the pavilion, vividly describing the Tanggu riot to the Empress Dowager. When she spoke of the critical moments, the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs were all wide-eyed and gasping in shock.

"Your Majesty, at that moment, I was so scared that my face turned white. Hundreds of vicious men with knives and chains were charging at Hu Nü and me. I only had four guards with me, and we were surrounded by fields of green. It was truly a desolate place..."

With her eloquence, Fu Hui vividly described the crisis, adding a bit of artistic embellishment, making it more dramatic than a storytelling session. She spoke for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. "In the end, one of the four guards was seriously injured, and the other three sacrificed themselves. Just when I was about to give up, I heard a voice from the sky. I felt a sudden clarity and knew it was the voice of the Bodhisattva..."

"The Bodhisattva said, 'Your family, the Fucha, has been closely tied to the royal family for generations, and you have the royal family's good fortune. Your sister is the reincarnation of the Buddha, and you have the good fortune to be related to her. After that, my eyes brightened, and I saw the main force of the foreign trading company rushing over. At the most critical moment, Xiao Letian and his guards came to save us, and that's how I managed to survive..."

Fu Hui was truly a master storyteller. Her tears came easily, and she even stood up to give Empress Dowager Cixi a deep bow. "I thank the Empress Dowager for saving my life!"

Cixi was delighted. She was a devout Buddhist and loved flattery. Today, encountering Fu Hui, a master of flattery, how could she not be happy? "Ha ha ha, you, you, your mouth is so sweet, like honey. According to you, I am the reincarnation of the Buddha?"

An Dehai, seeing Cixi's eyes squinting with joy, quickly joined in. "May the Empress Dowager be blessed. You are truly the reincarnation of the Buddha. Otherwise, how could all the good fortune in the world converge on you? Even the true dragon, the Emperor, calls you Mother and pays respects every day. You are the reincarnation of the Buddha..."

"May the Empress Dowager be blessed..." Everyone in the garden knelt down. Cixi was overjoyed. At this moment, she didn't care about the truth. She liked Fu Hui more and more, wondering why she hadn't noticed how good this sister was before.

At this moment, Fu Hui secretly signaled to An Dehai, who understood and loudly said, "Bring in the gifts that Sister Hui has for the Empress Dowager..." A group of eunuchs then carried the gift boxes up from the rock garden.

Fu Hui stood up and opened the gift boxes one by one. "Empress Dowager, these are top-quality goods I bought directly from the foreigners in Tanggu, not from those unscrupulous middlemen. This is an Italian crystal chandelier, wine glasses, and silverware. This is Swiss cheese and chocolate, and this is milk-flavored, which you should try..."

As Fu Hui introduced the gifts, a steady stream of exquisite Western items was brought in, including various fine crafts, gold and silverware, special candies, pocket watches, and clocks, almost all the best goods from Europe.

"Oh my, my sister, how much did this cost? I've always heard that your family isn't well-off, but how did you become so generous all of a sudden?" Even Cixi was surprised by the end.

Fu Hui smiled. "It's all thanks to the Empress Dowager's good fortune. My good-for-nothing brother has a stake in a foreign trading company with Xiao Letian. Fortunately, the first deal was profitable. I thought such a big success shouldn't be kept within our family. Without the Empress Dowager's protection, my poor brother and I wouldn't know what kind of life we would have. So, we must first thank the Empress Dowager..."

An Dehai, listening, was impressed. This level of flattery was truly exceptional. No wonder she was known as the female Zhuge Liang among the Manchu ladies. He would have to get closer to Fu Hui in the future, as the Empress Dowager was clearly delighted.

Cixi was already beaming with joy, and the flattery from those around her only made her more excited. However, Fu Hui was somewhat distracted. The gifts in front of her were all prepared by Xiao Letian. She recognized the last eunuch holding the gifts, who was from Yixian, named Ermao. All this reminded her of Xiao Letian.

One night in Tanggu, during a hot summer, she felt unbearably hot after drinking. Even after a bath, the heat didn't dissipate. That night, she stumbled upon Xiao Letian, who was drunk in the study.

Fu Hui knew Xiao Letian had been drinking with the Ninth Marshal. At that moment, she didn't know what was going on in her heart, but she walked into the study.

When the doors and windows were closed, even the guards on the roof, Xiang Shaolong, and the eagle that usually eavesdropped, blushed. The guard perimeter instantly expanded fourfold, and Xiao Letian and Fu Hui spent a summer night they would never forget.