Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

At this time, Rehe was already covered with white banners and cries of grief were heard everywhere. The Beijing troops stationed in Rehe, the government offices, and the local officials were all mourning, and the scene was filled with despair!

The ignorant eldest prince Zaichun ascended the throne with the support of eight ministers of state.

The Eight Ministers of State, bearing the Emperor's orders, assisted the young ruler and supported all government affairs. The Empress was promoted to Empress Dowager, known as the Mother Empress Dowager, with the respectful title Ci'an; the Imperial Noble Consort Lan was promoted to Empress Dowager, known as the Holy Mother Empress Dowager, with the respectful title Cixi. The two Empress Dowagers jointly held the late Emperor's seal, and all decrees required their affixed seals before they could take effect.

Messengers on fast horses rushed from Rehe to all directions, spreading the news of the emperor's death.

However, as the news spread, voices of dissatisfaction gradually emerged from both the government and the public.

First, the First Prince, Prince Gong Yixin, was not among the Eight Regents. How could this be? In terms of kinship, Yixin was the late emperor's younger brother, and in terms of status, he was an iron-hat prince appointed by Emperor Daoguang. In terms of ability, Yixin's talent was obvious to all, and in terms of achievements, Yixin was the backbone of both negotiations, and both treaties were signed in his name! The fact that Prince Gong was not among the regents left almost all the ministers puzzled.

Second, all eight ministers of state were appointed to the Grand Council. However, they were all members of Sushun's faction, with virtually no one from other factions. How could they possibly act this way? Although Sushun was highly regarded by the late emperor, he couldn't act so freely. There were many powerful figures in the court and the local governments, and there had to be checks and balances. Look at the eight ministers: with the exception of Jingshou, they were all Sushun's followers. There wasn't even a single prince from the imperial family. If everyone could accept that Prince Gong was under the late emperor's suspicion, what about the other princes? Brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons fight in battle!

Third, the rumor of discord between Sushun and the two palaces also began to spread gradually, especially between the West Palace and Sushun. There had been some discord from the beginning, and now it was even more uneasy. Sushun, as the minister of state, held great power, but only cared about doing things according to his own wishes, and completely ignored the opinions and feelings of the two empress dowagers. Wouldn't this gossip spread from Rehe like wildfire?

In the West Warm Pavilion of the West Palace, Empress Dowager Cixi's face flushed red as she cried out, "Sister, how could Sushun act like this? Is this still the world of the Aisin-Gioro family? This is outrageous!"

The scene just now really made the two Empress Dowagers very angry. Sushun actually came with an imperial edict and asked the two queens to use their seals. Unexpectedly, the edict contained the matter of changing the reign title!

The late emperor passed away, and the new emperor ascended the throne. Changing the reign title is of utmost importance. If the emperor were to rule the country personally, he would also want to consult his ministers. The emperor was young and ignorant, so he had to be more cautious. The bigwigs in the Grand Council should naturally discuss and draw up a few titles, ask the two Empress Dowagers to make their decision, and then use the seal. Unexpectedly, Su Shun directly proposed the reign title of "Qixiang", and only this one, and wrote it into the edict. Doesn't that mean that the reign title is decided, and there is no room for rebuttal to what we have discussed?

Sushun's arrogant face was immediately exposed. Not to mention the hot-tempered Cixi, even the kind-hearted Ci'an's face changed drastically and she was very unhappy!

"Humph!"

Cixi snorted coldly and asked, "Sushun, when the late emperor was alive, did you also follow these rules?"

amount……

Sushun was embarrassed. He didn't expect Cixi's words to be so sharp. It was no different from directly criticizing her!

However, Sushun, being Sushun, immediately calmed down and sneered, "Empress Dowager, establishing a new era name is a matter of great importance to the state. The emperor is still young, so we, as his subjects, can only bear more responsibilities. The name "Qixiang" means abundance and peace. The court is now plagued by internal and external troubles. Internally, there are bandits that are constantly suppressed, and externally, there are constant bullying from foreign powers. National affairs are becoming increasingly difficult. I believe that this era name is in line with the will of heaven and the will of the people. I hope it will be auspicious."

Having said this, Su Shun took out a brocade box from his side, opened it and placed it in front of the two palaces, and said with a smile: "Empress Dowager, this is the appearance of the Qixiang Tong Bao coin that I ordered people to supervise. Once we change the reign to Qixiang, I will immediately order the Ministry of Revenue to supervise its production and circulate it throughout the country!"

Cixi's face flushed red, and Ci'an beside her was also a little speechless. What kind of behavior was this? If the previous one was considered abuse of power, then this behavior was nothing less than a slap in the face. The imperial edict for the change of reign hadn't even been stamped yet, and this Sushun had even prepared a new Tongbao. Didn't this mean that the two palaces were completely powerless?

But what should Sushun do now, waiting for the two palaces to use their seals? If he refuses to stamp them, wouldn't that completely intensify the conflict between the two palaces and the regents and make it public? The new emperor has just ascended the throne, and there can be no room for any chaos!

Cixi and Ci'an swallowed their anger and had to seal the imperial edict. Sushun picked up the imperial edict, bowed slightly to the two of them proudly, and walked out with his head held high!

Too arrogant, too arrogant!

This is simply outrageous! The late emperor's body is still warm, and this Sushun is so arrogant and domineering. If he completely controls the court situation in a while, what will happen? Even if he wants to usurp the throne, who can stop him?

This was not the first time such a thing had happened. Although there had been occasional disagreements on the use of seals before, the two Empress Dowagers could still barely accept it. But this time, it was really hard for both of them to accept it!

"Sister, are we just going to keep giving in like this? If we continue like this, we'll be driven to death by Sushun and his gang!"

Cixi said hatefully.

"Sister, Sushun is indeed a bit arrogant, but after all, he is the late emperor's minister of state, and he is entrusted with the heavy responsibility of taking care of the orphan. What can we do? We are just women, and we are novices in political affairs. The emperor is young and ignorant. Even if we want to change the situation, it is impossible..."

Although Ci'an was angry, she remained calm and answered in a hoarse voice.

Cixi couldn't help but pause. Yes, even if Sushun was a little arrogant, so what? There was no one in the entire court to restrain him. What could happen?

Cixi sneered, "Sister, after all, the Qing Dynasty belongs to the Aixinjueluo family, not Sushun's. I'm going to think of a way now. I don't believe that no one in the entire Qing Dynasty can control Sushun. If that doesn't work, don't we still have Lao Liu in the capital?"

Ci'an was startled and asked doubtfully, "Sixth Brother? You mean Prince Gong? Can he do it? He doesn't have any power now. He is just a prince with no more time..."

No matter how high your status is, if you don't have power, especially if you don't have the will of the late emperor, then you are not legitimate and your words are not in order!