They first resided in the southern palace before moving to the northern one. The southern one serves as the office of the provincial governor, while the northern palace is more grand. Initially, they lived in the south because the courtyard there was more spacious; later, they moved to the north awaiting the decree of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
The original plan was to build both southern and northern palaces. The walls on both sides are uniformly red. Since Empress Dowager Cixi lived in the southern palace, the main entrance has been sealed off and repurposed as the provincial governor's office, permitting entry only through the side door. All the decorations in the northern palace are also red, with the characters "东辕门" and "西辕门" written in red paint. The main gate is closed and surrounded by wooden railings crisscrossed like the Daqing Gate in the capital. A plaque hangs above the main entrance, inscribed with the characters "行宫." The main entrance and the left door are both sealed shut, allowing entry only through the right door. Upon entering, one finds guards and various ceremonial items, with offices for the Grand Council, the Six Ministries, and the provincial governor's officials nearby, as well as the guardhouse, all with signs only marked by red paper strips.
The main hall feels quite empty, with the left room serving as the inner court's office, while the right room is a resting area. Inside the Luang Pavilion, there are six screen doors, with two opened in the middle, revealing a throne draped in yellow cloth. The second hall also features another throne, similarly draped in yellow cloth. The left room serves as the reception area, while the right room is designated for the prince's office. The third hall likewise contains a throne, with the rooms on either side serving as the Empress Dowager's chambers. To the east of the second hall, there are three rooms designated as the Emperor's chambers; further back, there are three additional rooms for the Empress's chambers. To the west of the third hall, there are three rooms allocated for the eldest prince. The palace is lit by Western lamps, which have recently been replaced by large safety lamps and Western candles, making it look even more splendid with the arrival of tributes.
After the Empress Dowager and the Emperor arrived at the temporary residence, the Empress Dowager was unwell due to the unfamiliar climate, experiencing stomach pain and insomnia at night, often crying and having to depend on the eunuchs for back massages around the clock. The Emperor, on the other hand, appeared even more energetic than he had in the capital, joking with the eunuchs and laughing as usual. However, when the Emperor was in a bad mood, he would scold the eunuchs harshly, as if he was holding onto some resentment. The Empress Dowager had the eunuchs compile a list of the tributes received from various regions and distributed them to the officials without any hesitation. Whenever the tributes from the provinces arrived at the Imperial Household, the Empress Dowager felt a mix of joy and sorrow, her emotions very complex. Seeing the provincial tributes, the Emperor couldn't hold back his tears. He often played in the garden and, upon seeing the eunuchs enter, would either duck behind the door or dash back to the palace, leaving everyone wondering if the Emperor was ill.
The daily food expenses for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor cost around two hundred taels of silver, which Cen Zhongcheng oversaw. The Empress Dowager told Cen Zhongcheng, "When we were in the capital, we spent several times more on food! Now it can be considered as saving money." Cen Zhongcheng replied, "It can still be saved further." Each evening, the eunuchs would bring a menu featuring about a hundred dishes, which were mostly chicken, duck, fish, and meat. The imperial meals would only be considered extravagant after the bird's nest and sea cucumber from the tributes arrived. The Emperor liked to eat yellow sprouts and didn't consume much meat. The Empress Dowager preferred gluten and didn't eat much else either; she told the eunuchs, "There's no need to prepare too many dishes. In the past, there were over a hundred dishes for the imperial meal, but the Emperor would only eat one or two."
Last winter, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor both drank milk and raised six dairy cows. This spring, due to the drought, they stopped drinking milk and sent the six cows to Xi'an for raising, which cost more than two hundred taels of silver monthly, along with maintaining a dedicated ranch for the cows.
When the two imperial households left the capital, they were in a great hurry and brought nothing but the clothes they were wearing; later, their clothes were sent over from the capital one after another. As a result, the Empress Dowager wore old clothes, and the Emperor was the same.
After the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Eldest Prince arrived at the temporary palace, they had not left the palace at all. The Eldest Prince had a small dog, but the Emperor took it away; later, the Eldest Prince had the eunuchs retrieve the dog, and reportedly, the Emperor punished the Eldest Prince for this.
When Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu arrived at the temporary palace, the common people could catch a glimpse of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager from afar, but everyone was required to kneel in their presence. Before the Empress Dowager arrived at the temporary palace, she told the ministers, "I want to see the true extent of the common people's suffering."
Thus, when the Empress Dowager's carriage reached the countryside, the common people were able to see the Empress Dowager; some farmers stood far away in the fields watching and did not run away, and the Empress Dowager chose not to punish them. The Emperor found it very strange to see the appearance of the rural people, as he had never seen such a scene before. The Empress Dowager told the Emperor, "How could we know the common people are suffering so much!" Therefore, after arriving at the temporary palace, the Empress Dowager ordered Cen Zhongcheng (Cen Chunxuan) to handle disaster relief, open a rice porridge factory, and often asked Cen Zhongcheng about the situation of disaster relief, but Cen Zhongcheng consistently gave vague answers.
The Empress Dowager was anxious to return to Beijing, but she always felt inexplicably uneasy. On the tenth day of the second month, she originally planned to issue an edict for the emperor's return to the palace, but upon hearing news from Russia, she halted the plan. Now, both inside and outside the temporary residence, straw mat pavilions had been set up, as if they intended to stay there even in the summer. Those inside regarded the court's telegrams as more important than anything else, waiting for them with the same desperation as a starving person craves a meal. The Empress Dowager said, "If I don't see a telegram from Beijing in a day, I feel a sense of unease; but every time I see a telegram, I'm more worried than happy, and I truly feel both scared and timid." Regarding the deaths of Prince Zhuang, Yingnian, and Zhao Shuqiao, the Empress Dowager said, "Last year, Zai Xun and Zai Lan boasted that they were royal relatives, claiming that the Qing dynasty could not be handed over to the Japanese. They were at the height of their arrogance, almost overturning the imperial throne. Only Zhao Shuqiao, I see, does not belong to their group; his death is truly pitiful." At this point, the Empress Dowager shed tears.
The Grand Council was still dominated by Rong Zhongtang, while Wang Zhongtang sometimes showed bias due to personal relationships, and Minister Lu followed Rong Zhongtang's opinions. One day, someone saw three ministers attending the court, with a eunuch leading the way, carrying a tray covered with yellow silk. The three ministers advanced in order, with Wang Zhongtang at the front, Rong Zhongtang second, and Minister Lu at the back. Wang Zhongtang had gray hair, a thin face, and had a labored gait; Rong Zhongtang's beard was also somewhat white, his face flat and yellow, with poor legs and not very tall; Minister Lu, with a crooked neck and a puffy face, trailed behind slowly, appearing utterly fatigued. Everyone said that each time the Emperor summoned them, it was always Rong Zhongtang who spoke, as Wang Zhongtang had poor hearing, and Minister Lu's hearing had also deteriorated significantly recently, entirely depending on Rong Zhongtang to relay the imperial edicts within the Grand Council. Moreover, Rong Zhongtang often consulted his aide Fan Yunmen; otherwise, they would have no idea what was going on.
Minister Lu lives at the Musi Pailou, and he has many properties in Xi'an. Minister Rong lives in Mancheng. Minister Wang resides in the Gongyuan. Besides the Censorate, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Works, all other offices operate in the Gongyuan, with signs at the entrance written on red paper stating "Certain Department Office" instead of "Yamen." The Gongyuan houses the offices of various departments, each department has temporarily erected wooden barriers with "Department's Barrier" written on them. Minister Wang is honored with the title "Prime Minister of Peace." Minister Lu has a very big temper; he boasts and makes demands throughout the Liangjiang region, but he has to depend on the Hubei and Hunan regions to help him navigate the situation. Minister Rong often advises him not to be too impulsive and to be more tactful in everything, so that people won't guess his thoughts easily.
Currently, over two hundred officials have arrived at the capital waiting for summons, so the court has sent a telegram urging the Minister of Personnel, Jing Zizhai, to arrive at the capital as soon as possible to arrange for the meetings. However, these officials all complain that the food is too expensive and they really can't afford it. The allowances provided by the court for these officials range from one hundred twenty taels of silver per month for first and second rank, sixty taels for third and fourth rank, forty-five taels for fifth and sixth rank, and thirty taels for seventh rank and below, which barely suffices. Recently, the court has released some officials, and some say that the Military Affairs Office is obstructing this.
By early February, the total amount of silver sent from various provinces has already surpassed five million taels. That's an astronomical figure! By the first day of February, when the accounts were tallied, the total silver sent from across the country actually exceeded five million taels!
Cen Zhongcheng was getting ready to take six hundred thousand taels of silver to Shanxi, which was intended for the military outposts in various regions. All the collected silver was stored in the treasury and hadn't seen much use. There was a eunuch surnamed Sun, who was just as arrogant and domineering as Li Lianying and Hei Xin, and equally greedy. The silver coming from Hubei was to be turned over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, supervised by Eunuch Sun. The official delivering the silver shot back, "This is the silver from Hubei Guandao Pingzu, fifty taels per ingot, it will definitely not be short." Eunuch Sun shot back, "How many times have you delivered silver? Do you even know the rules for sending silver?" The official responded, "The silver from Haiguan Dao is definitely full weight, never short." Eunuch Sun said, "Is the Empress Dowager Cixi's silver fake?" After that, he looked like he was about to hit the official, who quickly took off. Minister of Internal Affairs Jilu reassured him, saying, "You’ve worked hard to make this trip; we won’t let you suffer losses. It’s just that they are taking advantage of the situation here too ruthlessly, so you need to be a bit understanding." The official who delivered the silver detailed the whole story to everyone. He explained everything clearly from start to finish. The tribute sent from Guangdong included twenty-four varieties, but since they didn’t bribe the eunuchs, nine varieties were sent back because they were being picky. A circuit intendant sent tribute to the palace and returned, venting his frustrations to others. It was said that Yu Liansan relied on the connections of Pi Xiaoli; last year, an official went to the province for a substitute position and brought a letter from Pi Xiaoli, which enabled him to get in touch with him. Soldiers from the Wuwei Camp were stationed around the palace, but business in the streets continued as usual. People said they weren’t worried about goods not selling, but were more afraid of running out of stock, and what they dreaded most were those eunuchs who’d buy things and skip out on paying!
Xi'an used to have two imperial palaces. Recently renovated, the emperor invited a famous theater troupe from the capital to perform. The palace eunuchs, noticing the empress dowager's constant tears, repeatedly urged her to go watch the play. The empress dowager said, "You all go watch! I can't possibly feel happy enough to watch a play!" There wasn't even a stage in the palace, and neither the empress dowager, the empress, nor the eldest prince had ever seen a play. However, those working with the emperor in Xi'an were just as enthusiastic about watching plays as they were in Beijing, which is quite remarkable!
Xi'an is experiencing a famine, particularly severe in the northwest region. Since February, there hasn't been a day without prayers for rain. The land is parched everywhere, and it wasn't until entering Henan that wheat seedlings could be seen. Currently, wheat in Xi'an costs ninety-six wen a pound, eggs at thirty-four wen each, pork at four hundred wen a pound, cabbage at one hundred wen a pound, and fish is especially scarce and outrageously priced; other vegetables are all expensive as well. A lamp that costs a few cents in the south goes for three dollars in Xi'an, and kerosene and candles are both ridiculously expensive. As for imported silk, it's not even worth mentioning since there's none available, and customs duties are uncollectible. The brothels in that area are quite shabby, consisting of grass huts and earthen kangs, barely fit for anyone to stay in. Although a significant amount of grain has been brought in from various places, it's not being sold at fair prices to the common people; instead, it's all being kept for the military's rations.
