Beiyang Dream

Chapter 43 Empress Dowager, the Foreign Emperor wishes you a happy birthday!

On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month in the fifteenth year of the Guangxu reign, at 3:45 AM.

Beijing, Xiyuan, the West Warm Pavilion of Yiluan Hall.

Snowflakes were falling sporadically outside, but the palace was warm and cozy with underfloor heating.

Empress Dowager Cixi reclined on the kang (a heated brick bed) under the south window, with two large, bright yellow satin cushions behind her. She was fifty-five years old this year and was very well-preserved; her face had few wrinkles, but her eyelids drooped a little, making her look listless.

Emperor Guangxu sat on a round sandalwood stool by the kang (a heated brick bed), his back slightly hunched. He was nineteen years old, with a fairly handsome face, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused, and he didn't dare to look Empress Dowager Cixi directly in the eye.

Prince Chun, Yixuan, knelt on a blue satin cotton cushion, his forehead pressed against the cold ground. He had rushed back from Tianjin, the journey was bumpy, his face was sallow, his eyes were droopy, and he coughed softly every now and then.

After a long while, Empress Dowager Cixi slowly spoke:

"Seventh Brother, speak. What message did Li Hongzhang send you back with?"

Prince Chun quickly raised his head, but remained kneeling:

"Your Majesty, this servant...this servant has just returned from Tianjin. Minister Li instructed this servant to report to Your Majesty and the Emperor that the envoy to Germany, Hong Jun, has sent an urgent telegram. Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany has personally written a greeting card to congratulate Your Majesty on your 60th birthday, and has also attached a portrait of the Emperor..."

As he said this, he secretly glanced at Empress Dowager Cixi.

Empress Dowager Cixi didn't even lift her eyelids: "Where are the greeting cards? Where are the photos? Let me see them."

Prince Chun's throat bobbed: "Your Majesty, the items... the items are still at sea. They are separated by the ocean and will not arrive in the capital for at least two months. At present, we only have a copy of Hong Jun's telegram."

He held a copy of the document in his arms above his head with both hands.

Li Lianying, who was standing behind Empress Dowager Cixi, quickly came over, took the copy, and bowed as he presented it to her.

Empress Dowager Cixi didn't take it, but only raised her chin: "Read it."

"Yes, sir." Li Lianying unfolded the manuscript, cleared his throat, and began to read it aloud in his high-pitched, androgynous voice:

"Your subject Hong Jun respectfully reports: Recently, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, through his naval captain Tirpitz, delivered a handwritten greeting card and a portrait to me. The card reads: 'On the occasion of the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday, I extend my sincerest blessings and wish for the enduring friendship between our two nations… Wilhelm II.' Furthermore, to express his sincere congratulations, the Emperor has specially ordered his Navy to sell a new ironclad warship to our country at half price. The ship has a standard displacement of 8,200 tons, six main guns, ten secondary guns, a speed of 18 knots, and robust armor… The original price was 4.6 million taels of silver, but the Emperor personally set a 'birthday gift price' of 2.3 million taels. The ship has been named 'Longevity' and is scheduled to arrive in Tianjin before the Empress Dowager's birthday to strengthen coastal defense and demonstrate His Majesty's virtue…"

When Li Lianying read out "two million three hundred thousand taels," his voice trembled involuntarily.

Empress Dowager Cixi finally stopped holding the endless Buddhist prayer beads.

She opened her eyes and looked at Prince Chun: "How much?"

Prince Chun swallowed hard. "Your Majesty, it's two million three hundred thousand taels. But this is 'half price,' the original price was four million six hundred thousand..."

"How many times do I ask you!" Empress Dowager Cixi's voice suddenly rose.

Prince Chun shuddered: "Two million, two million three hundred thousand taels."

"Hmph." Empress Dowager Cixi snorted, closed her eyes again, and the prayer beads started spinning again. "Continue, what does Li Hongzhang mean?"

Prince Chun quickly said, "Minister Li said that this ship is a sincere gift from the German Emperor to celebrate his birthday, and it was specifically built to counter Japan's new-style cruisers. If this ship can be commissioned before the Empress Dowager's birthday, Japan will certainly not dare to provoke us, and the Empress Dowager's birthday can be guaranteed..."

"Alright, alright," Empress Dowager Cixi waved her hand. "Save these platitudes to fool outsiders. To be honest... what's the background of this Germany?"

Prince Chun paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Your Majesty, Germany is a powerful nation in the West, especially its army. In the ninth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign... uh, the Tongzhi Emperor's reign, they launched an attack on France, and in just a few months, they utterly defeated France and even captured their Emperor Napoleon III, shaking the entire continent of Europe. Now, its industry and military strength are arguably the best in Europe. Such a nation is precisely the one that our Great Qing should befriend from afar!"

He spoke until his mouth was dry, and then secretly glanced up to see the Empress Dowager's reaction.

Empress Dowager Cixi remained half-dead, and after a long while, she mumbled something:

"I'm only fifty-five this year, and the German Emperor... is already thinking of celebrating my sixtieth birthday?"

These words came out of nowhere, and Prince Chun didn't know how to respond, so he could only lower his head and say, "Yes, it is Emperor De who admires the Empress Dowager's virtue and has been thinking of her for a long time..."

"Your Majesty," Cixi suddenly turned to Guangxu, "what do you think?"

Emperor Guangxu was pondering the technical specifications of the "birthday celebration ship": 8,200 tons, 18 knots, six main guns... When he heard Empress Dowager Cixi's question, he was startled and quickly looked up:

"Dear Father, I think... perhaps foreigners don't know the proper etiquette?"

"Hmm?" Empress Dowager Cixi lifted her eyelids slightly.

The moment Guangxu was swept over by that gaze, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He quickly changed his words: "No, no... Your Majesty meant well. He genuinely wants to befriend our Great Qing, and perhaps even wants to form an alliance..."

"Hmph." Empress Dowager Cixi snorted again, this time with obvious displeasure. "Still coveting the Qing Dynasty's silver!"

Emperor Guangxu: "Yes, yes, yes..."

"Who asked you to say yes?!" Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly raised her voice. "You have to make a decision! Should we keep this birthday celebration ship or not? And where will we get the more than one million taels of silver?!"

Emperor Guangxu was speechless, his face turning red.

He glanced at his biological father, Prince Chun, kneeling on the ground, his body trembling slightly, whether from the cold or fear, he couldn't tell. Then he looked at Empress Dowager Cixi on the kang (heated brick bed)—the old lady had her eyes half-closed, her prayer beads turning slowly in her hand, looking ready to explode at any moment.

Emperor Guangxu suddenly understood.

The German Emperor gifted the Empress Dowager a birthday ship at half price, much to her delight. Even though she knew the "half price" was inflated, the gesture was incredibly generous! It boosted her prestige both domestically and internationally. Her years of regency had finally been acknowledged by the "foreign emperor"! This was far more effective than a hundred congratulatory letters from ministers.

However... she was unwilling to actually take out more than a million taels from the coastal defense donation to fill the hole for Li Hongzhang.

They're really hard to please!

But what should we do about this?

Emperor Guangxu's mind raced. The 1.08 million taels saved by the Beiyang Government definitely needed to be used to pay it back. That still left... 1.22 million taels. This money would have to come from the coastal defense donation.

But the coastal defense donation is for the garden's construction. If too much is done, the garden's construction will slow down. If the garden's construction slows down, the Empress Dowager will be unhappy. If the Empress Dowager is unhappy, no one will have an easy time.

"Seventh Prince," Cixi's voice rang out again, languidly, "how did your discussion with Li Hongzhang go? How much of the coastal defense tax are you planning to use?"

Prince Chun's body trembled again.

Empress Dowager Cixi's prediction was correct. While he was in Tianjin, Li Hongzhang had confided in him: the 1.08 million taels saved from the Beiyang Army would all be used to fund this. The remaining 1.22 million taels would have to be drawn from the coastal defense tax…

Li Hongzhang asked for one million!

Prince Chun's face turned pale: "Shao Quan, one million... can the Empress Dowager agree to that?"

Li Hongzhang smiled wryly: "Your Highness, the total price of 2.3 million is already a 50% discount. We will contribute 1.08 million, and the Empress Dowager will contribute another 1 million. This is already a tremendous favor. The Beiyang government will have to find a way to cover the remaining 220,000."

Prince Chun haggled with him for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and agreeing: 800,000. That's the most he could offer.

Whether this 800,000 can be implemented depends on the Empress Dowager's approval.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager," Prince Chun said, forcing a smile, "This servant has discussed with Li Hongzhang... the 1.08 million taels saved by Beiyang will be used entirely for the purchase of warships. As for the remaining 1.22 million taels... could 800,000 taels be temporarily transferred from the coastal defense donation? The remaining 420,000 taels should be raised by Beiyang... through their own means."

After he finished speaking, he held his breath and waited for Empress Dowager Cixi's reaction.

Empress Dowager Cixi did not speak, but she spun the prayer beads in her hand faster.

After a long while, she slowly said, "Your Majesty, what do you think?"

The ball has been kicked back to us again.

Emperor Guangxu looked at Prince Chun—his biological father was kneeling there, his forehead touching the ground, his shoulders trembling slightly.

He glanced at Empress Dowager Cixi again—the old lady's thoughts were clearly written on her difficult-to-please face: I'm not happy, but I won't say anything; you decide for yourself.

Emperor Guangxu was deeply distressed.

He understood Cixi's thoughts. She wanted the prestige of celebrating the German Emperor's birthday and the security of the "Longevity Ship," but she didn't want to spend more money.

Eight hundred thousand taels of silver was too much for her.

So how much is appropriate?

Six hundred thousand? That's not much different from eight hundred thousand.

Four hundred thousand? That's too little; Li Hongzhang would definitely be furious.

Then... 500,000.

As for the remaining shortfall of 720,000 taels... let Li Hongzhang figure it out himself.

Wasn't he incredibly capable? He was involved in so many foreign affairs projects in the Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong and Guangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang. Back in Southeast Asia, they heard that overseas Chinese merchants were rolling in money and always wanted to "serve the court." So they sent him to "persuade donations," "beg for alms," and "borrow money."

In short, stop trying to take advantage of the coastal defense donation.

Emperor Guangxu took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at Empress Dowager Cixi:

"Dear Father, I believe that... the Beiyang government has already contributed 1.08 million taels, which shows their loyalty. The coastal defense donation is related to the garden construction and should not be touched lightly. Could... we allocate 500,000 taels to address the immediate needs? As for the remaining amount, Li Hongzhang should... find a way to raise it himself."

After he finished speaking, his heart was pounding in his throat.

Prince Chun's body also slumped, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Empress Dowager Cixi finally opened her eyes.

She stared at Emperor Guangxu for a full three breaths, then her lips twitched slightly, and she snorted out a single word through her nose: "Hmm."

Let's leave it at that.

Prince Chun and Emperor Guangxu both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Seventh Prince," Cixi closed her eyes again, "draft the decree. Tell Li Hongzhang that I've assigned the task and paid him. The rest... depends on his ability. If he does well, I'll give him credit. If he messes it up... hmph, let him think it over himself."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Prince Chun kowtowed heavily.

"Your Majesty," Cixi turned to Guangxu, "you have made progress today...."

Emperor Guangxu quickly bowed his head: "Your subject... thanks your father for his teachings."

"Go," Empress Dowager Cixi waved her hand, as if she were tired.

Prince Chun and Emperor Guangxu bowed and withdrew from the warm pavilion.

Stepping outside the palace, a gust of cold wind blew, and Guangxu realized that the back of his clothes was soaked through.

......

On the same day, in Tianjin, at the Zhili Governor-General's Office.

Li Hongzhang received a secret telegram from Beijing, read it three times, put down the telegram paper, and remained silent for a long time.

His advisor, Zhou Fu, cautiously asked, "Your Excellency, what about the capital...?"

Li Hongzhang pushed the telegram over.

Zhou Fu picked it up and his face changed: "Five hundred thousand taels? This...this isn't enough! We're still short seven hundred and twenty thousand taels!"

Li Hongzhang smiled wryly: "The Empress Dowager gave us 500,000 taels of silver, which is already an immense favor. As for the rest... we'll have to figure it out ourselves."

"What can we do?" Zhou Fu asked anxiously. "Seventy-two hundred thousand taels of silver is no small sum! Borrowing from foreign banks? I'm afraid the interest rates will be too high. Donating to charity? Every province is strapped for cash these days..."

"No rush," Li Hongzhang waved his hand. "Let's get the 500,000 first, and then we can deal with the rest slowly. The 2.3 million can't be paid in one lump sum, so we still have time. We should be able to find a way out in Southeast Asia. Let's ask Guo Shigui and Chang Desheng again to see if we can pay in installments or borrow from foreign banks..."