Upon hearing Shirley's words, Yi felt a surge of excitement.

Yes, Emperor Xianfeng's frail body.

He left behind a mess, and it's his son who suffers the most.

Yi changed his attitude in an instant.

It's no longer the perfunctory approach of the past, but a covert pursuit of development.

Sherry generously provided the minerals she wanted!

Sherry arranged for her puppets to guard the arsenal and forge iron and weapons.

The queen ant then laid many more ants to mine the minerals, and they were even more efficient than humans.

Orphanages have sprung up in many places, offering a full range of skills and cultural courses.

In 1854, the fourth year of the Xianfeng Emperor's reign, the American consul in Shanghai announced to American merchants that Shanghai was a free port.

The plan for "armed navigation on the Heilongjiang River" was approved.

Historically, the newly appointed British Minister to China, John Bowring, arrived and proposed a meeting, requesting treaty revision.

These included demands such as opening the entire territory to foreign powers, allowing foreign envoys to reside in Beijing, opening the Yangtze River to trade, and legalizing the opium trade.

But at this time, Western countries were in chaos due to the invasion of opium.

Sherry was worried that they would resist, so she made a special improvement, making it more difficult to defend against.

They have everything: lotions, powders, aromatherapy products, cigars, cigarettes...!

Countries around the world have now joined together to condemn Britain and France.

Britain and France declared war on Russia, and the Crimean War broke out.

Japan and Russia strictly prohibit opium, yet the more they prohibit it, the more rampant it becomes.

Everyone was so busy that they had no time to keep an eye on the Qing Dynasty.

Merchant ships frequently went missing, not just those belonging to foreigners, but also those from the Qing Dynasty.

As for the Western rumor that it was God's anger.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the East claimed that God and the Son were angry.

The people of the Qing Dynasty said it was Buddha punishing them!

So, Sherry started spreading rumors.

Buddha punished the common people because of opium; opium addicts would become impoverished, sell their children, and be separated from their wives and children.

This is retribution!

Those who traffic in opium will die a horrible death and be infamous for eternity!

After all, many businessmen have mysteriously disappeared!

The departure of the "Inglewood," a ship carrying 47 young girls, from Ningbo Port marked the beginning of a heinous "pig flower" trade.

"Pig Flower" refers to women who are bought and sold, trafficked overseas, and meet tragic ends.

Sherry had been watching for a while.

Those people died without a complete corpse, and even their merchant ships were gone.

The young girl entered the orphanage, and some of the palace maids around Sherry selected to raise her.

Various rumors frightened people into avoiding opium.

However, some infected individuals and the powerful continue their decadent lifestyles as always.

Not long after, those people also mysteriously disappeared.

In reality, they were all working as laborers in illegal factories in Sydney.

They provide meals, but no money or opium.

Those people were heartbroken!

Only when their lives are at stake do those addicts outside begin to take control.

The opium addiction treatment that Shirley and Physician Cao collaborated on came in handy.

However, the enhanced version created for Sydney was not very effective.

Of course, at this time, a large-scale Red Turban Rebellion broke out in Guangdong.

This uprising occurred under the influence of the Taiping Rebellion. The leader of the uprising, He Liu, responded to the Taiping Rebellion and first raised the banner of rebellion in Dongguan.

The national crisis and class contradictions were aimed directly at the Qing government.

At this time, the Qing government faced a situation that could be described as beset by both internal and external troubles.

In December, Consort Li announced that she was three months pregnant.

Emperor Xianfeng promoted her to the rank of Consort Li.

The fifth year of the Xianfeng Emperor's reign (1855) was a rather quiet year.

Emperor Xianfeng suddenly fell ill and never recovered.

Because the internal deficit is even greater.

Sherry relentlessly exploited and oppressed him, and Emperor Xianfeng refused to admit that he was physically weak.

Consuming potent and dangerous drugs every day!

It's probably because the original owner was a master calligrapher and writer.

Emperor Xianfeng was very satisfied and asked her to review the memorials for him.

Sherry suddenly realized that the original owner of this body would later become the ruler of the Qing Dynasty.

It's not that she was particularly outstanding, but rather that the Qing Dynasty's imperial family was utterly incompetent.

The book "Empress Dowager Cixi" lists five reasons why Cixi was favored:

1. Beauty;

2. Intelligent;

3. He has excellent calligraphy skills and can draft imperial edicts on behalf of the emperor;

4. Possess the ability to participate in politics;

5. She gave birth to a prince.

These characteristics are common to all the famous empresses and concubines throughout history.

The key lies in the emperor's ability and ambition!

But this emperor happened to be Emperor Xianfeng.

They indulge in a false paradise, pretending to be unaware of the turmoil outside.

Historically, the birth of the Tongzhi Emperor led to the promotion of Empress Dowager Cixi's rank and the gradual consolidation of her position.

Secondly, as the only surviving prince, he directly inherited the throne, transforming Cixi from a concubine into the Holy Mother Empress Dowager.

Thirdly, the Tongzhi Emperor was only six years old when he ascended the throne, and he needed the Empress Dowager's assistance, which indirectly handed over real power to Cixi.

Feudal society was a patriarchal society, in which men always held a dominant position, whether in politics, economics, military affairs, or in family and education.

The inequalities faced by women are particularly pronounced in the political arena.

In feudal dynasties, women who were involved in politics were usually regarded as "sources of disaster," as the Book of Songs, in the section "Zhan Ang," says, "A wise man builds a city, a wise woman destroys a city."

It means that wise men can bring prosperity to a nation, while wise women can destroy it.

This proverb reflects the traditional views on the roles of men and women in ancient society.

This view holds that men have a greater advantage in politics and military affairs, while women, through their wisdom and influence, may lead to the decline of a nation.

As for women's politics, it is often regarded as a symbol of the collapse of social order, hence the saying "a hen crowing at dawn".

However, feudal society also had a strict hierarchical system, and the interaction between the two produced a special group of women, namely women of the ruling class, including women of royal blood as well as the emperor's concubines.

In a sense, royal women and consorts are part of politics.

Therefore, there were instances of princesses being sent to marry foreign rulers, and kings marrying concubines to consolidate their power in the court.

This also makes women in this group more likely to participate in political activities.

Nevertheless, throughout the long course of history, male power has always been the mainstream, and the participation of empresses and concubines in politics remains extremely rare.

It can be said that, apart from possessing certain qualities (such as political acumen and the ability to influence the political situation), the participation of imperial concubines in politics required the impetus of many external factors.

First, the Qing Dynasty imperial family was facing a decline in offspring.

When Emperor Xianfeng died in Rehe, he feared that if the six-year-old Tongzhi succeeded to the throne, the imperial power would fall into the wrong hands.

After all, there are precedents like Dorgon and Oboi.

Therefore, Emperor Xianfeng appointed eight officials—Zaiyuan, Duanhua, Jingshou, Sushun, Muyin, Kuangyuan, Duhan, and Jiaoyouying—to assist him wholeheartedly in all government affairs.

On the other hand, the Empress Dowager Niohuru was granted the "Imperial Appreciation" seal, and Prince Zaichun was granted the "Tongdaotang" seal, which were put under the control of Empress Dowager Cixi in an attempt to create a balance of power.