The Tongzhi Emperor watched from the sidelines the whole time, not daring to utter a single word.
"This feels so good!" Zhen'er thought to herself with satisfaction. At this moment, she was as happy as a child.
Just then, Tongzhi suddenly felt dizzy and couldn't help but tap his forehead to clear his head.
His sleeves slipped down as he raised his hands, revealing red spots on his snow-white arms.
These are the initial symptoms of venereal disease. Zhen'er can still get treatment if she wants to.
Before she could even think about it, the system said, "This is Zai Chun's destiny. You must not act rashly, or the consequences will be severe."
If he were a wise ruler, she would naturally not hesitate to treat him. But the Tongzhi Emperor was incompetent and foolish, and could not shoulder great responsibilities. His death was not a pity.
But she still wanted to give him a chance, so she asked with concern, "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
The discomfort came quickly and went quickly. Tongzhi immediately returned to his usual self, waving his hand and saying, "I'm fine, Your Majesty, please continue!"
Seeing that his complexion had returned to normal, Zhen'er continued, "The affairs of state have been dealt with sufficiently, so let's adjourn the court!"
Zeng Guofan and the others had achieved their goal, and immediately bowed and withdrew.
The main hall was empty, with only Zhen'er and Tongzhi remaining.
Just as Tongzhi was about to leave, Zhen'er suddenly looked up and asked, "How much silver does Your Majesty spend each time you leave the palace?"
Tongzhi found it strange that Zhen'er would ask such a question out of the blue, but he still reported, "Your Majesty, it's not much, just one thousand taels."
A thousand taels isn't much! Zhen'er couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. Like mother, like son; the two of them were quite similar in their extravagance.
“Every summer, the Zhejiang and Fujian areas are ravaged by typhoons. Fujian, in particular, is surrounded by mountains, and typhoons cause severe damage. Would you be willing to leave the palace less often and exchange this silver for food to distribute to these people?”
If he says he's willing, then Zhen'er will go and heal him.
"Um..." Tongzhi hesitated for a while before finally saying, "Distant water can't quench a fire nearby, and besides, what can you do with such a small amount of money?"
"What can they do?" Zhen'er couldn't help but smile bitterly. "A meal only costs a dozen coins. How many people do you think a thousand taels can feed?"
The silver in the national treasury was originally taken from the people, but instead of being above the people, they enjoyed it themselves.
"I..." Tongzhi was speechless.
Seeing this, Zhen'er could only give up. Tongzhi had already developed this mentality, and no amount of time could change it. In the end, she sighed helplessly, "Fine, if you are unwilling, I will not force you. Go!"
Perhaps because he had a rendezvous with a beautiful woman outside the palace, upon hearing Zhen'er call him to leave, Tongzhi was overjoyed, like a fool, and hurried away.
Zhen'er sat on the dragon throne, watching Tongzhi's departing figure, her eyes narrowed.
"She's really hopeless!" Zhen'er shook her head and sighed.
She looked carefully at everything in the hall, touching each item, and said softly, "The days to come are destined to be turbulent."
She understood that Empress Dowager Cixi would not let her off the hook after this incident.
In fact, she had also suspected the cause of the original owner's death, as unofficial historical records state that she died suddenly.
How could this happen so suddenly? Zhen'er thought for a moment and realized that it must be related to Empress Dowager Cixi.
However, she was not afraid. What was a mere Empress Dowager Cixi? If she was really forced to the brink, she would definitely pay a huge price to eliminate Cixi.
As the sun rose higher, people stood in the sunlight, which compressed their shadows into a single point. Zhen'er walked out of the vast palace and slowly returned to her own palace, instructing that the memorials from Empress Dowager Cixi's side be moved into her own as well.
She didn't want this wicked woman to harm the country and its people.
The system kept objecting: "Are you crazy? Take a good look at what you're doing right now. You're inexplicably offending Empress Dowager Cixi. Do you think the original owner didn't live long enough?"
Zhen'er looked at the memorial calmly and said in her mind, "Rather than living such a humble life and obeying her will, it is better to strive and change the status quo. As for the result, we'll talk about it when the time comes."
After saying that, she closed the folded book and handed the teacup in her hand to Xiao Anzi, who was serving her, saying, "Bring me a pot of hot tea. I'm tired."
After saying that, she turned and walked to the chaise lounge to rest for a while.
The system was speechless: What the hell is going on? Why is everyone like this when we get here?
Mo Yuanyuan is his ninety-ninth host. Of the previous ninety-eight, ninety were love-struck, falling in love with men along the way and remaining in that era using the original owner's identity. There were also eight who were not love-struck, but when it came to the last mission, they were just like Mo Yuanyuan, refusing to listen to his commands and insisting on changing things.
The system is ultimately a machine; how can it understand the feelings of living people? That is history etched in the blood and bones of the Chinese people, a lesson learned through blood and tears.
Any normal Chinese person cannot stand by and watch their ancestors suffer so much; they want to pull their ancestors out of the abyss.
After taking a short nap, Zhen'er got up again to read the memorials, ignoring the system's constant chatter.
...
Chuxiu Palace
At this moment, Empress Dowager Cixi was like a mad beast smashing things in her bedroom, cursing Zhen'er over and over again.
The palace servants were terrified and quickly hid.
After a long while, Empress Dowager Cixi calmed down after venting her anger. Then, looking at the palace servants kneeling before her, she said, "All of you, get out of here!"
The palace servants, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to their feet and fled as if their lives depended on it, daring not to stay in Chuxiu Palace any longer.
Only the daring Li Lianying remained in the same spot.
After everyone had left, Empress Dowager Cixi slumped into her chair, panting.
She was already furious enough in court, but she didn't expect that when she returned to the palace, there wouldn't even be any memorials to submit. Now she couldn't hold back any longer.
Although she only casually reviewed the memorials, and her comments were insignificant, she simply could not tolerate Zhen'er stepping on her head.
Seeing this, Li Lianying quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down, please calm down."
"Calm down?" Cixi looked up at him. "How can I calm down? That vile woman Zhen'er has gone too far!"
Upon hearing this, Li Lianying quickly said, "Everyone has weaknesses. Your Majesty might as well use this weakness to teach the Empress Dowager a lesson, and she won't dare to act recklessly in the future."
"Oh?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked with a puzzled look. "Tell me about it."
Li Lianying nodded and said, "People have needs. The late emperor has been gone for so many years, and the Empress Dowager has been all alone. She must feel incredibly empty inside. If someone were to take advantage of this situation and open her heart..."
Before he could finish speaking, Empress Dowager Cixi immediately understood and said with a smile, "What a brilliant idea! If her sweetheart is one of ours, then this wretched woman will surely obey our orders."
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