The dungeon was dark and damp, and the screams from afar were creepy.

After going down the steps, the iron door cells on both sides were next to each other, and the cement corridor in the middle was extremely narrow, making people unable to breathe.

There seemed to be bloodstains in the corridor that could not be washed away, telling the terrifying and terrifying torture.

"Master, go slowly..." Rui Si led the way in front of him, feeling uneasy. This dungeon was not where the master should come. In the words of foreigners, if the master symbolizes light, he represents darkness. The master is the lord of the world, the emperor of heaven, and he is the King of Yama in hell, punishing the little boy for his master.

The master shouldn't have seen things that are shameful.

When Ye Zhao turned east into the red carpet corridor, Rui Si breathed a sigh of relief. On the east side of the dungeon, it was the territory to comfort the prisoners. Usually, lust and temptation are here. As the saying goes, as soon as you go to heaven and go to hell, the cell on the west side, and the torture room is hell, if you suddenly enter the east area, it is heaven.

The entire dungeon uses reinforced concrete structure, which is considered the first reinforced concrete building in the empire. However, the current steel bar bearing capacity is insufficient, so concrete can only serve as a supporting role for the building and is used to build some side and corner annexes, and has not been widely used.

After the Imperial Cement Plant showed rotary kiln technology, cement output has increased significantly and has become an important building material.

When he entered a room similar to a lounge, there was a sofa and coffee table. Ye Zhao sat down. Through the curtain, he heard a woman giggling, and the laughter was charming, as if he was burying into his heart.

Ye Zhao sat on the sofa and savored the tea. The woman's voice in the room turned into a whisper, as if she was talking to her lover.

"Is the assassin inside?" Ye Zhao asked.

"Yes." Rui Si answered respectfully and said, "Master, I'm afraid I won't be able to ask anything for a while. Now he is terrible. Although Mudan is capable, it will take some time."

Mudan is a role in the Office of Internal Affairs, which is probably similar to an interrogator. It is usually used to interrogate a scared prisoner. When the terrifying and charming beauty is entangled, it is really a world of ice and fire. If you are thrown a few charming eyes, you can explain it to the 18th generation of ancestors. In addition, Mudan is extremely capable. Perhaps because she was born in a temple, she has been able to observe words and expressions since she was a child. In fact, the information she often pried out is richer than expected.

Ye Zhao took the tea and began to slowly read the case reports presented by Ruisi. They were all cases of the fight against the Fifth Party organization after the New Year. After listening to Ruisi's lecture, the Fifth Party organizations in the north were more, and Ruisi believed that there was a huge Fifth Party hall in the capital. Now it seems that Ruisi's intelligence is correct. This case, the 19th was done by the Fifth Party. It was just the assassination of the Ottoman Empire, or the assassination of foreign envoys. This was the first time for the Fifth Party. If it focused on assassination and damaging the stability of the empire from then on, it would be a headache. However, the Fifth Party would lose the last group of potential allies who sympathized with them.

Ye Zhao asked, "Has Xue Mingjiu been found yet?"

Rui Si said: "Yes." Hearing that Lu Yueting stayed in China, it should be in a coastal city or in the British and French concession. If Xue Mingjiu can be found, the chances of arresting his adopted father Lu Yueting will be greatly increased.

Ye Zhao didn't say anything, but why did he feel that he was a ruling party persecuting the revolutionary? He was just trying to capture the revolutionary leader, but this feeling was really strange.

As soon as she lifted the curtain, she walked out of a beautiful woman. When she saw General Rui standing respectfully in front of a young man, she was immediately startled and knelt down in a hurry: "Peony to pay homage to Master Mudan." She was soft and charming, and her voice was also nice.

Ye Zhao nodded slightly, thinking that he had the eyesight and intelligence.

Rui Si asked, "Can you ask?"

"Yes, I've asked all the questions!" Mudan raised her hands high and presented them with a few pieces of paper. Ruisi took them and hurriedly presented them to Ye Zhao.

When Ye Zhao looked through the paper, Ruisi winked at the peonies and she retreated.

As Ye Zhao expected, several assassins were fair party members. However, this assassination was not an order from the capital, but the leader who had been shot was given a hundred silver dollars to settle the house. Although the few people knew that they would die for the whole life, they naturally took risks for the huge sum of money. The people chosen by the leader were all small families, and the money had been remitted back to their hometown.

The assassin explained in his confession that they did not know the specific inside story, but last night, the leader, Brother Li, got drunk and said that this time he was working for the Russians. He also knew before that Brother Li knew the people from the Russian Embassy, ​​and seemed to be the elder brother of his clan.

Ye Zhao nodded and handed the confession to Ruisi, saying, "Check these people well, and involve clerks from the Russian Embassy. Don't go to the embassy to arrest people." The implication is that you can catch them outside the embassy.

...

A few days later, Abdul gradually improved and could go to the ground to walk around. Ye Zhao, the minister of the clan government, visited him once, conveying the emperor's condolences and allowing him to recover from his wounds.

It is reassuring to leave the fair party matter to Ruisi, but Ye Zhao put his mind back on the reform of the Council and the preparations for promoting the regional alliances of Asian and southern countries.

After North Korea began to promote the vassal system, envoys from Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand were instructed by the domestic monarchs to apply to the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Military Commission to purchase arms and ask the Empire to help them train new troops. The three countries were surrounded by the coastal areas, and the sect leader was in the forefront, so they were not very resistant to accepting new things such as telegraphs. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Military Commission were connected to the sea line, and the telegraph could go directly to Beijing.

As for the sixth vassal state, Nanzhang, although there was no telegram, since the previous year, at the request of the King of Nanzhang, the Yunnan Border Defense Forces have sent an advisory team to help him train the new army and unify the tribes of Laos.

Judging from the information reported in Yunnan, Laoshan people are not afraid of death. If they can be trained in armed forces, their combat power cannot be ignored, and they may not be weaker than the Nepalese mercenaries who the British rely on for their pride.

The seventh vassal state, Gurkha, also had no telegrams. Gurkha is a tribe in Nepal, and it is also the name of Nepal. However, after the establishment of the empire, the vassal states gradually evolved, such as the name of Siam as Thailand, Nanzhang as Laos, the tribute list is Myanmar, Gurkha as Nepal, etc.

Nepal was a vassal state of the previous dynasty. It paid tribute once in five years and was established. The empire was established. The Nepalese people took the opportunity to harass the *** until Zhao Sanbao entered Tibet and neatly defeated a elite Nepal. The Nepalese talents stopped and submitted a petition.

In fact, in the eyes of the Nepali people, it may be more like an independent country, a protected country protected by the previous dynasties. The Central Plains dynasties changed, and their harassment was naturally not an offense to China. When they saw the Central Plains army again, they were more invincible than the Qianlong period of the previous dynasty, and the Nepali immediately resigned.

However, because of the Opium War and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement, Nepal has actually gradually moved away from the Central Plains government. The current Nepal Prime Minister Rana launched a coup with the support of the British and established the puppet king Sulundra, and began the rule of the Rana family over Nepal.

Rana also obeyed the British people's advice and went to England ten years ago and was received by Queen Victoria.

When the British first intended to conquer Nepal, they were beaten to a great loss by the Gurkhas. They were also impressed by the bravery of the Gurkhas. After supporting Rana to come to power, they began to recruit Gurkha mercenaries and the Indian uprising, and the Nepales played a decisive role in the assistance of the British.

From Gurkha conscription has become a routine in Britain and has continued to the later generations. Gurkha Brigade was one of the most elite infantry forces in the British army.

Nepal, Ye Zhao hopes to win over and make him a member of the Order of East Asia and South Asia. I want this Gurkha Infantry Brigade, don’t he?

Except for Nepal, all seven vassal states have signed treaties similar to the protection state agreement with China, but there is no treaty connection between the countries. Now Ye Zhao is preparing to sign a collective defensive treaty with North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand to form a joint army. This move can increase the vassal states' sense of identity with the sovereign states, and on the other hand, it will make them bear corresponding obligations. To put it bluntly, the vassal states use money to buy face and feel comfortable, and the relationship between the two sides can also become closer.

As for ***, Ye Zhaozheng ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Minister to *** to negotiate with the shogunate, and ordered the Emperor to remove the title of emperor and change it to the title of king, and it was required to be enthroned by the imperial royal family before it could be legal.

If the Emperor does not agree to the title, Ye Zhao will prepare to propose a second plan to abolish the army of the *** country. In addition to training the Servant Army to serve the collective defense treaty, local damings in the country are only allowed to retain a certain number of armed police and a certain number of reserve troops. The reserve troops, like the new army, are commanded by the Collective Defense Treaty Command.

Of course, the abolition of its army has not been mentioned to the *** people now. It is necessary to see the negotiations to demote the Emperor to the King, and the reactions in the *** country.

Shaking the Emperor, the spiritual foundation of the *** people. After years of contact, China has also operated a large number of agents, pro-China factions, and several daimyos have close ties with Beijing. The imperial soldiers are powerful and have also caused great shock in the *** country. Therefore, Ye Zhao believes that the problem of the *** people will be solved by then.

If both proposals were rejected by Emperor *** and the shogunate, Ye Zhao could only support the pro-China regime to come to power, and a civil war would inevitably break out in the country.

The dispute with the Russians became increasingly fierce, and *** had to be tamed before this.

In addition to signing a collective defense treaty, Ye Zhao was also preparing to agree with several countries to agree on various trade terms, encouraging Chinese merchants to invest in various countries. In fact, while "plundering" resources, it can also drive prosperity among various countries.

The State party is preparing to temporarily set the four countries of North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, and it depends on the development of the situation. Myanmar, adjacent to India, is being invaded by the British, and it is not appropriate to rashly absorb it into the five-way group, and it needs to be carefully considered.

As for Nepal, it is not certain which side to stand on, and it is even more impossible to list it as a consideration for member states in a short period of time.

When talking about the policy toward Japan with Li Xiaocun, Ye Zhao knew that the matchmaker also held a meeting of the Military Commission and asked the entire army to prepare for combat. The current regular army of the Empire is about 600,000, and the figures of the reserve army and militia organization are difficult to estimate. Especially the militia organizations, that is, militia organizations. The current county-level governments of the Empire will organize militias to conduct certain military training during the slack season, which is actually a strong body. In Central Asia, in addition to the five newly recruited cavalry divisions, more than 100,000 cavalry can be recruited at any time.

In fact, Ye Zhao was absolutely unwilling to go to war with Russia in full swing. This is not a game. Each soldier has flesh and blood. In today's war, killing a thousand enemies will inevitably hurt himself. Fanatic soldiers can have no regrets, and even get used to the fact that they don't fight after the war is full of problems. However, the most powerful decision-maker in the empire. If he can get something without starting a war, Ye Zhao will never hope to achieve it through war.

Speaking about the *** incident with Li Xiaocun, Li Xiaocun asked: "If the *** people reject two proposals from our country and a civil war breaks out, will our *** team directly participate in the war?"

Ye Zhao was silent for a while and said, "If necessary, you can join the war directly. I hope you don't get to this point." He also said, "Have the ministers of North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand all heard the news?"

Ye Zhao had written a letter to the kings of the four countries in the name of the Great Emperor, explaining the idea of ​​signing a collective defensive treaty.

Li Xiaocun smiled and said, "Everyone responded positively, but I heard that there were quite a lot of opposition in Thailand."

This is also certain. Unlike Vietnam, North Korea and Laos, although Thailand is nominally a tribute relationship with the Central Plains, the Central Plains dynasty has never been able to exert real influence on it.

Vietnam is different. The previous dynasty sent troops into its territory several times to affect the destruction of the Vietnamese king. The Vietnamese king lost power and came to the Central Plains to request reinforcements several times. As for North Korea and Laos, it is not necessary to mention it.

Thailand now has to approach the Central Plains dynasty in order to compete with the eye of Britain and France. However, in terms of psychological identity, Vietnam is naturally different from that in terms of North Korea.

Ye Zhao pondered for a while and said, "Then let's start with the three countries of North Korea, Vietnam and Laos first. We need to send missions to negotiate the terms of the treaty. The negotiation location is in Fengtian."

Li Xiaocun laughed: "Good to heaven, good to heaven, and the emperor's wiseness."

Ye Zhao said that he wanted to do this, and smiled, thinking that he was the king of the mountains, and he was called the king. He didn't care about it in the Far East, saying that he would raise a military alliance. If the overlord of Great Britain was also in Asia, the matter would not be so simple. But who said that he was far away from the ocean? Distance is his biggest barrier.

When I returned to the bedroom of Qianqing Palace, I saw piles of documents on the kang table, and Zhu Sisi was sitting on the couch and looking through it.

I haven't seen her for a few days. Today, Ye Zhao called her to come. She saw her wearing a thin shirt, pink and blue silk jacket and pants, showing off her beautiful body, and she was pulling a pair of small red pomrose embroidered slippers. She didn't know what was burning next to her. The roasting made her face flushed, and she oozed a drop of sweat from her lips, and her face was very delicate. Compared with her uniform, she was more seductive and charming and less strong and heroic.

Ye Zhao walked over and sat opposite the kang table and said, "I asked you to serve the bed, why did you move the office to the palace?" When it comes to serving the bed, Ye Zhao couldn't help but feel moved. No, summoning a stubborn girl like Zhu Sisi to serve the bed, which is quite fulfilling, right?

Zhu Sisi laughed, busy with what she was in her hands and said, "Pervert, don't quarrel at me first. I'll be with you tonight, okay?"

Ye Zhao coughed and said, "Then, listen to me?"

Zhu Sisi thought of Ye Zhao's countless tricks, and her face turned red, she gave Ye Zhao a blank look, and she didn't dare to speak again.

Ye Zhao picked the tea and asked, "What's going on in the construction bureau?"

Zhu Sisi said: "I don't know much yet. I'm looking at the responsibilities and provisions of the Council of the Council and preparing to be truly familiar with the work process of the Council. Well, as for what you said, the work process, I will talk to the people from the Audit Office after I get familiar with it. If I don't come forward, everyone will be chosen."

Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Okay, know yourself and your enemy, and win every battle. It is right to be familiar with the work environment first." He said, "Who did you choose?"

In fact, I wanted to remind Zhu Sisi to find a spokesperson, but later I forgot, who knew she had found it.

After entering the House of Representatives, she was the first female political consultant and became a public figure from then on. Sooner or later, her identity will be exposed. Even if others cannot find out, the royal family will choose a suitable time to announce her identity.

As a concubine, she naturally has the right to be a concubine, and it is impossible to argue with others. Most of the time, as a bystander, the manipulator is.

This requires finding a spokesperson. Of course, the spokesperson is not a puppet. For example, the inquiry meeting can be used to question the questions she wants to ask through the spokesperson.

Zhu Sisi said: "Jinfengjie found me for her. I don't know my identity, but Jinfengjie seems to have revealed some of them. Others should be reliable, and they are called Erdenbu."

Ye Zhao said ah, and he had seen him during the Chinese New Year this year. He came to kowtow to the old man and met him. Erdenbu was a yellow belt. When the former Beile and Pingyuan army entered Beijing, he worked hard to maintain order in the city. Therefore, he was not given up his title and was named a second-class nephew.

Zhu Sisi said again: "The questioning meeting tomorrow, you must have come, right?"

Ye Zhao laughed: "Those who know me are the ones."

On April 15, 1866, the Imperial House of Representatives held the first inquiry meeting in the history of the Council. The object of the inquiry was the Ministry of Transport of the Government. In the inquiry notice submitted to the Secretariat of the Government in advance in the form of a letter, it stated that the content of the inquiry was the construction of highways in Zhili.

When Ye Zhao entered the Grand Chamber of the Council, the political envoys stood up together to express their respect for the emperor with respect.

According to the Imperial Code, during the meeting of the Council, the Councillors were prohibited from kneeling down to the royal members, including the Emperor, in the hall of the Councillors. More than a dozen governors were suspended from exercising their power for one year because they did not abide by this rule. Only then did the Councillors realize that the Emperor was serious.

Hundreds of black parliamentarians stood in a semicircular shape. If people saw it later, they would laugh out loud. There were a lot of people dressed up in the old and young man, and there were many old men wearing green robes and long braids. What kind of government affairs inquiry will such a group of people have? Isn’t it ridiculous?

Ye Zhao just sat silently to the last row, his heart full of solemnity and sacredness. Everything will have a beginning, right? Today, it is destined to be one of the most memorable days in the history of the empire.

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Chapter completed!