Cixi borrowed it from Qiao's family when she fledTen thousand taels, ask for a reward, the Qiao family asked for Cixi's word.
In September 1900, a thrilling migration unfolded in Shanxi. The people in the procession were ragged and haggard, showing unspeakable hardship. However, the people in this team were not ordinary people, but the "imperial family" of the Forbidden City headed by the Empress Dowager Cixi.
They struggled to survive under the encirclement and interception of the Eight-Nation Alliance, and the former dignity and glory were gone. However, when they arrived in Shanxi, their fortunes changed.
All this is thanks to the Qiao family in Qi County, Shanxi, who lent Cixi 100,000 taels ** to solve the urgent need. However, when Cixi returned to Beijing to reward them, the Qiao family only asked for four words, what kind of mystery was hidden behind these four words?
Let's look back at that period of history, when the capital fell, and the Empress Dowager Cixi, after a short period of preparation, hurriedly took some eunuchs, retinue, and Emperor Guangxu to try to escape from the palace.
At this time, Emperor Guangxu's favorite concubine Zhen suggested that the emperor stay in the palace, indicating that outsiders would not violate the emperor. Cixi understood this, but if outsiders allowed Guangxu to gain actual power, she would no longer be able to return to the palace and might even lose her life.
Therefore, Concubine Zhen was sent by Cixi to throw herself into a well and ended her life. After dealing with this matter, Cixi and her party began a ridiculous escape. After fleeing, Cixi looked extremely embarrassed, and could no longer find her former majesty.
Although the Qing Dynasty officials later called Cixi's exit from the palace as a "western hunt", this was only to save face, and in fact it was a complete "westward escape".
Along the way, the arrival of invaders caused chaos, the bureaucrats fled in a hurry, and the people lost their homes. Cixi and her entourage left the palace in a hurry and did not have any clothes, so they had to wear Han peasant clothes to prevent their identities from being exposed.
The food and accommodation conditions are extremely poor, millet is hungry, the earthen kang is used as a bed, and there is no comfortable bedding. At night, the two rested back to back, the Queen Mother, not to mention the entourage.
According to the personal palace maid's recollection, the situation improved slightly when she arrived in Huailai County, and the county lord was fully prepared to take over.
In a catastrophe, the former Empress fell into the county's storehouse, which was small but provided her with a haven that had not been plundered. Soon after, the kitchen brought the bean porridge that had been boiled in advance, and Cixi was hungry for a few days, so she immediately drank the porridge and even wanted to eat more.
However, after the ransacking by the army, most of the county's homes were left uninhabited, and they either fled or died. As a result, the county master could only personally lead his subordinates out to look for it.
Luckily, they found five eggs in the family's drawer. For Cixi, who had not eaten meat for a long time, she was very happy to see the eggs, and ate three in one go, and the remaining two were given to Emperor Guangxu as a reward.
Although Emperor Guangxu usually lived a life of fine clothes and food, he only really realized the preciousness of food in this time of chaos. The Empress Dowager Cixi did not stay long in Huailai and entered Shanxi on August 27, 1900.
Different from other places, the elm and willow roads in Shanxi are smooth, the hotels are tidy, and the dishes are sumptuous. All this is because the local area was entrenched in the famous Jin merchants at that time, which shows their wealth.
After arriving in Shanxi, Cixi's life was no longer as difficult as before, and she had time to breathe. However, for her, who is accustomed to a luxurious life, this is not enough, if she wants to maintain the usual style, she needs a lot of money.
However, in this period of war and chaos, even food and clothes are extremely scarce, so should she go to get all this silver? Just when Cixi was distressed by this, a family helped her solve this problem in time.
And this family is the protagonist of today's story - the Qiao family in Qi County, Shanxi.
Qiao's Courtyard is a popular TV series more than ten years ago, which tells the legendary story of the Qiao family of Jin merchants. Among them, the success of the Qiao family is inseparable from the close connection with **, they were able to obtain the information of Cixi and Guangxu passing through Shanxi in advance, and they were fully prepared.
Cixi's arrival brought a huge "investment" opportunity to the Qiao family. And in this process, Jia Jiying, an important figure in the Qiao family's Taiyuan Dadeheng ticket number, has been reused with his outstanding ability and appreciation of the Qiao family, and has become one of the key figures in the success of the Qiao family.
Note: Jia Jiying) Jia Jiying is shrewd and capable, wise and courageous, with rich business experience and keen political intuition. Based in Taiyuan, he has made extensive contacts with people from all walks of life, and enjoys a certain prestige in the local area.
On behalf of the Qiao family, he befriended Wu Yong, who was ordered to come to Taiyuan to fight the front station, and Wu Yong was ordered by Cixi to deploy troops to prevent foreign invasion on the one hand, and prepare for the holy drive on the other hand.
Jia Jiying established contact with Wu Yong with his connections, and took the initiative to accept the task of welcoming the Empress Dowager Luan, and at the same time learned about Cixi's desire for travel expenses. Although he had been prepared, he understood that the money given to Lafayette could not be too small, and although the Qiao family's ticket number was prosperous, it was not easy to come up with a large amount of cash in the short term.
The Qiao family's well-informed advantage was fully demonstrated in the moment of emergency. In the face of the fundraising needed for Cixi's travel, Jia Jiying of the Qiao family took the lead in donating 3,000 taels**, setting an example for raising funds.
He elaborated on the role, purpose and future returns of the crowdfunding, which successfully inspired the enthusiasm of other firms. In less than half a day, the merchants raised 100,000 taels of silver and solved the problem of funds.
At the same time, another plan of the Qiao family is also being carried out in an orderly manner.
Empress Dowager Cixi, Jin Shang Qiao's Dade Pass Number Palace arranged another ticket number of Qiao's family, and Gao Jue, the manager of Dade Pass, had a close relationship with Prince Qing Qing and Shanxi Governor Zhao Erxun.
The information of the Empress Dowager Cixi passing through Qi County was learned by him and reported to the Qiao family, and Cixi's place of residence was also set at the general number of the Dade Pass. Gao Jue immediately made arrangements, and the inside and outside of the ticket number were renovated.
Cixi and Guangxu's car drove along the way, all the way to the Dade Pass number, laying out the red carpet. The renovated ticket number is like a comfortable "palace".
After a bumpy journey, the Empress Dowager Cixi finally found peace in a luxurious and luxurious place. Although she is not financially well-off, she hopes to be supported by a sum of money.
At this critical moment, the Qiao family reached out to help, and they took out the 100,000 taels of silver prepared in advance and handed it over to the Queen Mother. For Cixi, it was a timely rain that gave her hope in the midst of her predicament.
Although her situation is difficult, she cannot forget her identity as the queen mother and maintain the dignity she deserves. The Queen Mother promised that when she returned to the capital after completing the "Western Hunt", she would definitely give the Qiao family a rich reward in recognition of their loyalty and talent.
The Qiao family's "investment" is finally about to pay off.
The Qiao family made a surprising request when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded, they did not ask for fame, nor did they ask Cixi to return their silver. Qiao Zhiyong just asked Cixi to give them four words - Blessing Langhuan.
Cixi thought about it for a while, and decided that this request was not difficult, so she gladly agreed. After returning to Beijing, Cixi sent someone to make a plaque engraved with these four characters for Qiao's family and sent it to Qiao's family.
Today, this plaque is still hanging in the Qiaojia compound and has become a famous tourist attraction in Jinzhong County, Shanxi.
However, when you understand the story behind this, you may have a question: why did the Qiao family ask Cixi for such a reward? Could it be that the huge investment of 100,000 yuan has only received such a simple return?
Explore the deep meaning behind Qiao's compound: The plaque hanging in Qiao's compound hides a deep meaning behind it. Qiao Zhiyong made this request with at least four layers of deep meaning.
First, the literal understanding, "Fu Chong Lang Huan" represents the Qiao family's beautiful expectation of accumulating blessings and seeking fairyland, which is a symbol of Tujili in ancient commerce.
The second is political considerations, after the Empress Dowager Cixi returned to the palace, the economic situation was very embarrassing, and the Qiao family expressed their support and respect for her in this way.
The Qiao family compound knew the importance of saving face for the court and the queen mother, so he decided not to pay back the money without hesitation. This thoughtful political wisdom made Qiao Zhiyong stand out in the humane society of the feudal dynasty.
However, in order to become an official, it is still necessary to pass the imperial examination, and arbitrarily demanding official positions will undoubtedly break political rules. The Qiao family has a close relationship with the imperial court, and it is not good for them to openly break the rules.
Qiao Zhiyong was well aware of this principle and decided not to accept money and official positions, in order to show the strength and courage of the Qiao family, and at the same time to create the image of Shanxi businessmen who were loyal to the king.
Qiao Zhiyong's advertising strategy not only helped his family and Jin merchants gain an advantage in business competition, but also won a plaque from Cixi, which became the golden sign of Jin merchants.
Although the Jin merchants were restricted and constrained in doing business in a society that valued agriculture and suppressed commerce, now with the approval of the imperial court, it is undoubtedly much easier to do business. What's more worth mentioning is that they also received the support of the royal family, the largest commercial resource in the feudal dynasty, which undoubtedly provided a strong backing for their commercial development.
After Emperor Guangxu left Shanxi, the silver coins that Cixi scavenged along the way were deposited into the Qiao family's ticket number, making the Qiao family earn huge profits. Three years later, Qing ** decided to try to set up a bank, Cixi was the first to think of Qiao's family, and summoned Jia Jiying to Beijing, and he presided over the preparation of the Hubu Bank.
In 1908, Hubu Bank was officially renamed "Daqing Bank", and Jia Jiying successfully served as the first president of the bank in China. Since then, the Qiao family has won credibility with its ticket number and silver coupons, and it has even been preferred in the sales of foreign companies, and its reputation has become famous all over the world.
Han Yefang described this incident in the "Business Records of Shanxi Pizhuang Pixing", showing that the Jin merchants successfully took advantage of this opportunity and made a name for themselves.
When the country was facing a crisis, the Jin merchants assumed their social responsibilities, and their actions reflected their responsibility and responsibility as the descendants of Yan and Huang. Although there are problems with the way Cixi ruled, we cannot judge them from today's perspective.
After Cixi fled, although she was temporarily safe, she still lived a luxurious life, spending a lot of money on food and living every day, which was irresponsible to the country and the people.
Cixi behaved in a very shameful manner in dealing with the war. When war was first declared, although many ** admonished her, she didn't listen to it, but scolded those people bitterly. Now that she has lost the war, she has begun to shirk her responsibilities, complaining that the people around her are not doing things well, and the unreasonable advice she provides has led to the current situation.
She put the responsibility for the war on the Boxers, ordered the brutal suppression of the Boxers, and profoundly explained what it means to "employ people forward, not need people to face backwards". Subsequently, she put forward the slogan of "measuring China's material resources and forming a friendship with the country".
On September 7 of the same year, she signed the Treaty of Xincho with 11 imperialist countries. This treaty provides for an indemnity of 4500 million taels**, punishing the main battle**, dismantling all the forts along the line from Dagu to Beijing, etc., have become another huge shame in Chinese history.
Note: The Treaty of Xinchou was signed) China was completely reduced to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and the Qing Dynasty completely became a tool of imperialist rule over China. Recalling this period of history, it is still heart-wrenching and sighing.
In the end, the corruption of the Qing Dynasty and the mediocrity of Cixi brought great suffering to the land of China. However, it was in these stormy years, when the people were struggling to make a living, and the mountains and rivers were broken, that the businessmen of Shanxi seized the rare opportunity to find a living space for their own development.
They have won a good reputation throughout the country and around the world for their principle of integrity first and unity. They have one thing in common with the countless warriors who later sacrificed their lives for the revolution, that is, they never gave up their love in the darkness and never gave up the opportunity to find the light.
These deeds are a constant reminder that we should strive for self-improvement. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese nation has stood on its own feet in the world and is no longer an object of aggression and oppression by imperialism at will.
Draw strength from history and create a better future together! The history of the founding ceremony has passed, but the power of the people is constantly creating new glories. Today's China, like an oriental dragon, roars and declares to the world that we have embarked on the road of great rejuvenation with brilliant stars!