Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Liu Ye curled his lips and replied, "Well, isn't it just a demotion of three levels? I'm used to it. A demotion is a demotion, it's no big deal!"

Yi Xin angrily said, "Bullshit! You know you're used to it? Can't you stop causing trouble for me? We can't afford this kind of trouble. Sooner or later, we'll be tormented to death by you! Demotion? You sound so nice. Tell me, what about Shandong? You boasted to me that within three to five years, you would build Shandong beyond Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Huguang. You didn't even get a firm foothold and you're being driven down. What will happen to Shandong then?"

Liu Ye said helplessly: "Well, please don't demote me. Within three years, I promise to create another Jiangsu and Zhejiang for you..."

"you……"

Yi Xin was completely speechless. "Don't demote me? Damn it! Not chopping off your head is already the most righteous thing I can do for you, and you're still thinking of not demoting you..."

"Get out! Get away from me! I'm getting mad just by looking at you. Go back to your own home! Don't forget that I'm getting upset just by looking at you!"

Liu Ye was much more shameless than before. He bowed to Yi Xin and walked out triumphantly. Now Yi Xin was in a dilemma. But this was his problem. Who told them that the Manchus were no good? You deserved it!

He could playfully ignore Prince Gong, but he couldn't do the same with the two palaces. It was still easy to deal with Cixi, after all, she was his old lover, and she would naturally think about him. But the situation with Empress Dowager Ci'an was not so clear. Ci'an was a strict and upright person, although she was generous, but when faced with such a "treasonous" thing, she was afraid that she would not explain it properly. This time, it was not so easy to fool people...

The next day, Liu Ye finally received the summons from the two palaces. Presumably, Prince Gong had entered the palace overnight and communicated with the two empress dowagers. If there was any accident, Prince Gong would definitely greet him. Now there was no news, which meant that the three heads of the family had almost communicated with each other. Yi Xin did not greet him, which meant that he was putting on airs and throwing a tantrum.

"Your Highness, Your ...

"Well, get up for now."

Ci'an did not answer. Cixi had a blank expression on her face, snorted coldly, and asked Liu Ye to stand up.

"Sister, look..."

Cixi asked in a low voice.

Ci'an sighed and said, "Liu Ye, ever since you were appointed to Tianjin, the court has repeatedly promoted and appointed you. The late emperor and the emperor have treated you with such graciousness that has been rare in hundreds of years. Yet, you have become increasingly arrogant and extravagant. First, you committed treason by assaulting the prince. Now, after only a few days in Shandong, you have disobeyed the imperial decree and executed Hebita and his son in Jinan. You even besieged the garrisoned Eight Banners. Don't you understand the rules and regulations of the court?"

Liu Ye quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, I was indeed a little reckless at this time. Hebica has bullied me too much. First, on the day I took office, he made things difficult for me. Then, when the Nian bandits besieged Jinan, I invited Hebica to join me in resisting the bandits and protecting the people of Jinan. Unexpectedly, Hebica, under the pretext of inspection, hid in the city and almost caused the city to fall. What's worse, when the Nian bandits were attacking the city fiercely, he even allowed the Eight Banners' sons to set fire to and loot Jinan. The teahouse owned by the wealthy Shanxi merchant Qiao Zhiyong in the city was looted by the Eight Banners, resulting in a loss of up to 100,000 taels of silver. The daughter of the teahouse owner was even insulted to death. I had originally intended to wait for the monk king to enter the city so that we could jointly impeach him. Unexpectedly, before the monk king could enter the city, Hebica's son actually raped my wife by the Daming Lake, leaving one of her seriously injured and unconscious, and the other abducted. If I hadn't arrived with my troops, I'm afraid I would have been left with only the bodies to collect."

"Hmph! After all, you're still a fool. Can't you just save people first and then be patient? Don't you think my mother, the Empress Dowager, and I will make a decision for you? Don't you think Prince Gong and the Prince of Monks will just sit back and watch? You've lost your temper, and now you've made the entire court restless!"

Cixi snorted coldly. Seeing Liu Ye working so hard for another woman, Cixi naturally felt a little jealous.

"Holy Mother Queen, you can't say that. As a man, if you can't even protect your own wife, what kind of man are you? Since they have become my women, I have the responsibility to protect them from any harm. This is my lowest duty. If you can't do this, then what's the difference between being alive and being dead?"

Liu Ye's words made Cixi's heart ache. Wasn't she his woman? Hadn't he faced Su Shun and his followers alone outside Miyun City for her sake? This guy, really, made one love and hate him!

"Holy Mother Empress Dowager, I was at the scene at the time. I only wanted to maintain order, but my fiancée was kidnapped, and the entire army was enraged. If I didn't act decisively, and a sudden upheaval ensued, it wouldn't just be Hebita and his son who would be killed. I'm afraid the entire garrison of the Eight Banners would be razed to the ground..."

"Nonsense! What? Do these trained soldiers dare to rebel? Are these the elite soldiers you trained for the court?"

Ci'an was somewhat unhappy. If the elite soldiers trained by Liu Ye could not be used by the court, it would be better not to have them. The elite soldiers trained by Liu Ye were all brave and powerful generals who could fight ten enemies at once. Once something went wrong, it would be fatal!

Liu Ye quickly replied, "Mother, Empress Dowager, this matter is quite different. My fiancée, Zheng Qingxue, is the daughter of Zheng Yi, the former governor of Gaotang Prefecture. Lord Zheng Yi defended Gaotang to the death, sacrificing his life for his country. She was the only one of his entire family who escaped death, earning her deep respect among the soldiers. Moreover, many in the army have benefited from her teachings, and the generals consider her their teacher. Who could tolerate such a situation? The soldiers in the army are all passionate men. If they lack even this basic sense of righteousness and conscience, then it would be a tragedy for our court..."

Cixi nodded and said, "Sister, I do know about Zheng Yi. He's a loyal minister. Zheng Qingxue was finally rescued by Liu Ye, but was almost ruined by his own people. This Hebita father and son are really bastards. We can't let the descendants of loyal ministers suffer such injustice..."

Ci'an nodded and replied, "Well, sister, what you said makes sense. I'll ask the Ministry of Rites to submit a memorial and grant you a title. It can be regarded as a token of the court's appreciation. However, Liu Ye, you have gone too far this time. You know, the memorials impeaching you that I and the Holy Mother Empress Dowager have received are already piled up in several baskets! If we don't punish you, it will be difficult for us to explain to the entire court..."

"I will leave it to my mother, the Queen Mother, to deal with!"