Chapter 2: The Nation's Heavy Equipment (1)

  October 1908, Beijing, deep in the night.

  A side gate of the Summer Palace opened quickly, and three sedan chairs entered. Although they were only carried by two people, it was clear that they were not ordinary. Obviously, the person sitting in the sedan chair was a very noble member of the royal family. It was strange that within a hundred steps, there were hardly any soldiers to be seen. Even the soldiers who opened the gate to welcome the sedan chairs were extremely tense. The three sedan chairs entered the Summer Palace, accompanied by only six sedan bearers, one eunuch, and three or five sword-bearing guards. And those few guards were also wearing rare black uniforms.

  Three sedan chairs were moving swiftly through the dark garden. The sky was a deep, foreboding black, not a single star visible, and the vast Yiheyuan Garden was devoid of even a glimmer of light. Along the way, there wasn't a single soldier to be seen, and the entire garden was eerily silent, with only the sound of footsteps breaking the stillness.

  The sedan carriers were all excellent, their shoulders didn't show any signs of strain, but their feet moved swiftly like wheels on fire, yet despite this, the pace was still not very fast. It was clear that the carriers were extremely mindful of the sedan's stability. Next to the first sedan, a thin man dressed in eunuch attire wiped his sweat-drenched face while constantly urging: "Faster, faster!"

  The two sedan bearers listened and hastened their pace, but when they encountered the steps, the sedan still could not remain steady and was somewhat jolted.

  The eunuch shouted again: "Slow down, slow down, you're steady!"

  The curtain of the first sedan chair was slightly lifted, and a woman inside coughed twice with great effort. The eunuch hastily turned to ask, "Your Old Ladyship! Are you all right?"

  The first sedan chair was occupied by Empress Dowager Cixi, who was now seriously ill and would soon pass away.

  Cixi said with great effort: "Lianying, don't worry about me, don't delay the hour!"

  That eunuch was Li Lianying, a trusted aide of Empress Dowager Cixi.

  Li Lianying spoke with extreme sorrow, almost in tears: "Old Buddha, I'm heartbroken for your body..."

  "Cixi said with a sorrowful tone: 'Compared to the Qing Empire, what does this body of mine count for? Don't bother about me!'"

  Those three sedan chairs sped away at twice the speed inside the Summer Palace, but strangely, they were not heading towards the Wanshou Mountain Cining Palace in the Summer Palace, but instead went around the Kunming Lake to a deeper place on the other side of the forest.

  Three sedan chairs stopped one after another in a small courtyard deep in the forest, the courtyard was very narrow and dilapidated, with only one house like a Buddhist temple standing alone in the yard, which also seemed to have been neglected for years. The three sedan chairs occupied the entire courtyard, filling it up completely.

  In the Buddhist hall, a bright light flashed, as if someone had struck a match, and immediately lit up a bean-sized lamp. Two people came out of the Buddhist hall, one wearing a official uniform with a first-class hat and flower decorations, while the other was dressed in a long, earth-colored robe, expressionless, with his hands hanging down.

  That high-ranking official was Zaifeng. Zaifeng was the father of Puyi, the younger brother of Emperor Guangxu, and after Puyi ascended to the throne at the age of three, Zaifeng and Empress Dowager Longyu jointly held regency.

  Zaiyi rushed forward to the front of the sedan, Empress Dowager Cixi had already been helped out by Li Lianying. Cixi's face was pale and sickly, but she was dressed impeccably in her dowager attire, this was no ordinary outing, clearly there was something extremely important that brought her here. Just as Zaiyi was about to step forward to assist, Cixi said: "I can still walk, you go support the Emperor instead."

  Zai Rong hastily responded and rushed to the front of the second sedan chair. The person in that sedan chair was also slowly helped down by the guards, and it turned out to be none other than Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty! He looked like he was on his deathbed, with a pale face, lifeless eyes, and dark purple lips, as if his life hung by a thread. Despite this, Emperor Guangxu, just like Empress Dowager Cixi, was dressed in extremely formal attire.

  Zai Yu hastily stepped forward to support him, saying in a low voice: "Your Majesty, are you all right?"

  Guangxu's lips trembled slightly, squeezing out a few words: "Still... holding on... don't go..."

  Zaiyi supported Guangxu as they moved forward, but his gaze was directed at the third sedan chair. A woman had also alighted from it, holding the hand of a three-year-old child. This woman was Empress Longyu, Guangxu's wife, and the child she held was Zaiyi's son, the future Emperor Xuantong - Puyi. Empress Longyu, like Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu, wore formal attire.

  Cixi, Guangxu and Longyu, all dressed as if attending a royal ceremony, were crowded together in the humble courtyard of Yiheyuan. Guangxu and Cixi were both on their deathbeds, how could they endure such turmoil? This made their trip even more astonishing! Was there some earth-shaking secret in this Buddhist temple?

  Cixi was in the front, Guangxu was in the middle, Longyu and Puyi were behind. The group of people walked towards the Buddhist hall with great difficulty. The man in a yellowish-brown long gown who had been standing still at the entrance of the Buddhist hall did not kneel or bow, as if he saw them but didn't see them, only slightly nodding his head and making a gesture to invite them into the Buddhist hall.

  In the Buddhist hall, the bean-sized candlelight flickered slightly, and all that could be heard was the sound of machinery clicking away. In the center of the Buddhist hall, below the Buddha's niche, a cave entrance slowly appeared, large enough for three people to enter side by side. Looking down, it seemed like a long staircase spiralled downwards, disappearing into the distance without an end in sight.

  The man in the yellow long gown still made a please gesture, and stepped into the cave first. After walking two steps, the cave gradually lit up with soft light. Little Puyi tightly held onto Longyu's hand and said in a milky voice: "Empress, I'm scared."

  Longyu said: "Don't worry, don't worry, the Emperor and Empress Dowager are all here." Although Longyu said so, she was still trembling with fear in her heart, and her body slightly shook.