After the Empress Dowager returned from her western tour, some significant happenings took place in the palace, and I will recount them to you in detail. The Eldest Prince is no longer favored by the Empress Dowager and often faces punishment. He has a foolishly stubborn temperament and a particularly bad temper. Gao Gen'en once said, "What a pity for such a candidate for the crown prince; he probably won't even make it to crown prince!"
The Eldest Prince has no interest in studying at all; he's only into three things: listening to music, riding horses, and practicing martial arts. Every day, he takes a few eunuchs to the theater to watch plays, and he doesn't dress particularly well, wearing a gold-edged felt hat, a tight blue leather robe, and a maroon Batulu collar coat, looking like a commoner. He loves watching operas and frequently calls for specific performances. There is a famous Peking opera actor named Yan Yu, and he’s lavished him with quite a bit of cash.
Although he doesn't like studying, he's got a knack for music. If the orchestra makes a mistake during a performance, he can't help but point it out right then and there and even goes on stage to play the drum or the huqin, showing off what he can do.
On October 18, the Crown Prince, accompanied by several eunuchs, clashed with the Gan army in the Qingxi Garden of the City God Temple. Several eunuchs were injured, and everyone present suffered as a result. The cause was a dispute over seating. The eunuchs, having been beaten and too afraid to retaliate against the Gan army, vented their anger on the theater. He sent someone to inform a certain minister that all theaters were to be closed, and the theater owner was to be publicly punished. The notice read: "With the two imperial courts in turmoil and the common people suffering, it is the time for the lord to humiliate his ministers. Both nobles and commoners should endure hardship and reflect; who has the heart to watch plays and seek pleasure? Moreover, with the severe drought in Shaanxi, expenditures should be reduced, and all restaurants and inns are to be prohibited from operating!" Consequently, the theaters hurried to plead with Minister Jilu and Deputy Minister Puxing and even asked Li Lianying to intercede, which ultimately allowed performances to resume. Later, another notice was posted stating: "Heaven has bestowed auspicious snow, heralding a bountiful harvest; it is appropriate to perform plays to honor the gods. All theaters are hereby unbanned, but disturbances are strictly prohibited, with severe penalties for violators!" This was clearly just a façade, and everyone present applauded in approval.
Li Lianying has become quite arrogant; he makes unreasonable demands regarding provincial tributes, nitpicking over the slightest issues.
Xia Zhenwu submitted a petition, strongly recommending Yu Manzi for a strategic position, even willing to stake his family's lives on it, claiming he could fight alongside the allied forces in defense of the city. The petition cited two stories about Han Xin, requesting the emperor to set up a platform to appoint him as commander. Although this did not come to fruition, the Empress Dowager still held him in high regard.
Dong Fuqiang, although his name sounds like he is of Hui ethnicity, still serves under Deng Zeng. Deng Zeng was recommended and rewarded by Dong Fuqiang during the pacification of the Hui rebellion in the year of Yiwai, making him a student of Dong Fuqiang.
Fan Zengxiang was sent away because of a poor relationship with a certain individual. This individual, who has some insight, is a prominent figure in Ronglu's administration and is now nominally the Customs Director.
On the sixth day of October, a certain middle-ranking minister wanted to grandly celebrate the Wanshou Festival and discussed this with various members of the royal family. Pu Tong loudly said, "The country is in such decline, and I recently heard that the Eastern Tombs have been occupied by the allied forces. How can we face our ancestors! Celebrating a birthday? I firmly oppose it!" So the plan was scrapped.
That middle-ranking minister was a vain person. Although he posted a notice strictly prohibiting eunuchs from bothering him, stating, "Our department has always treated officials as temporary guests, unaware of what powerful people are like," in reality, he was constantly running to the eunuchs to curry favor, being considerate in all matters, and even exchanged visiting cards with eunuch Xin, calling him "Third Brother."
Officials in the court either traveled by carriage or horseback, with only ministers allowed to ride in sedan chairs. The middle-ranking minister felt that traveling by carriage was not dignified enough, so he had the eunuchs help him with this, and he was thus promoted to the title of minister and allowed to ride in a sedan chair. Rong Lu had a very bad reputation; the reformists branded him a traitor, while the traditionalists called him a Han collaborator, especially notorious for corruption. Chen Zelin embezzled a huge amount of military funds, and Rong Lu ordered him to repay it. Chen Zelin then sent Yao Duzhi, a substitute general from Shanxi, with 40,000 taels of silver, several pounds of edible bird's nest, and four boxes of silk to Rong Lu, begging him to spare him from punishment, which Rong Lu approved, claiming it was a wartime loss.
Madam Rong passed away on Zhangde Road, and the Rong family set up a mourning hall in a temple on Pitiaoxiang in Xi'an, with people and carriages crowding the entrance. The Princess of the Zhuang Wang also passed away on Taiyuan Road and set up a mourning hall at the Huanghua Pavilion in Xi'an. Although there were many guests there as well, the gifts they received were nowhere near as impressive as those received by the Rong family.
He Naiying is a hardliner in the court. Someone asked him, "What about those ministers who caused the trouble?" He replied, "They're probably about the same as Wang Yun." Another person said, "Comparing him to Han Tianzhou seems about right too." He Naiying was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to respond. Every time He Naiying mentioned Gangyi (referring to the resolute minister, specifically the minister who was executed), he would cry and passionately say, "After the minister died, his family fell into poverty and nearly had no means to bury him. His integrity and moral character are rare both in ancient and modern times; he died young, truly a case of heaven being envious of talent!"
When Zhao Shuqiao first arrived in Shaanxi, he took a ten-day leave and brought a famous feng shui master to fix up his ancestral tomb outside the South Gate, putting in a lot of effort to renovate it, hoping to achieve lasting wealth and prosperity. His family also hired five people skilled in fortune-telling and physiognomy, who studied his fate, appearance, and complexion all day long, consulting three times a day to assess his fortune. His foolishness truly knows no limits!
When the Shandong grain commissioner Da Bin was giving thanks, he personally petitioned the Empress Dowager, requesting the execution of the one responsible to satisfy foreign demands. The Empress Dowager looked displeased. Da Bin continued, "The foreigners will definitely not let it go easily. Rather than waiting to clarify the charges before taking action, it would be better to take action first to save the nation's face." The Empress Dowager said, "Not only is Minister Wang loyal, even the Boxers are patriotic. You weren't in the capital then and don't know the full story; there's no need to elaborate." Da Bin had no choice but to withdraw.
