Exposed Yuan Shikai's flattery to Cixi: He actually relied on Li Lianying to "act according to the opportunity"

Every time Shikai saw the Empress Dowager Cixi, he was too frightened to look at his master. Privately, he asked Li Lianying: Where should you look in front of Lafayette? Li Lianying told him: "From now on, you have to look at my feet!" Yuan Shikai was a little confused: "Look at your feet?" "Yes, just look at my feet!" Li Lianying continued, "In front of Lafayette, you will Stare down at my feet. As long as my feet are together, you will shut up immediately, because the Queen Mother does not like to hear what you have to say; if my feet are apart, it means that the Queen Mother likes to hear it, so you can continue talking. "Listen?"

"Listen!" For a while, every time the Queen Mother summoned him, he would lower his head and watch whether Li Lianying's feet were together or not, so as to control whether he was doing it or not. Shut up or speak. Once, the Queen Mother saw something and asked: "What's wrong with you? Are you looking at other people's feet, or are you listening to me?" "Ah, I'm listening to you attentively!" Yuan Shikai trembled all over and couldn't help but I broke out in a cold sweat! Afterwards, he gave Li Lianying 100 taels of silver and asked him again: how to truly win the favor of "Lafayette". Li Lianying told him this story: "When Li Hongzhang was the governor of Zhili, the Queen Mother came to Tianjin. In order to please the Queen Mother, Li Hongzhang dedicated a well-trained yellow parrot to the Queen Mother. But the parrot was also lovable. , repeatedly saying "Long live Lafayette" in front of the Queen Mother, which made Lafayette beam with joy and praise him.

However, the good times did not last long. This little guy said flattery regardless of the occasion, and would only repeat it. The phrase "Long live Lafayette" over time made the Queen Mother restless, so I let it return to its original owner. For this reason, I also wrote a little poem: "It's not bad for a parrot to imitate the Queen Mother's love for a while; to flatter the Queen Mother for a while." His words are subject to change, but who can't blame him if he can only say one thing? '" Upon hearing this, Yuan Shikai hurriedly asked: "Eunuch Li, please advise me, how can I please the Queen Mother forever?" Li Lianying said: "This method is difficult to say. It's not difficult, it's not difficult at all." Yuan Shikai immediately asked: "How do you say this?"

Li Lianying said: "At this time, it seems that just looking down at your feet and avoiding it is not a good idea. You have to raise your head to look at each other. In this way, it is easier to see the face and color, and to see clearly the Queen Mother's moods, anger, sorrows, and joys, so that you can adapt accordingly. If the Queen Mother says the east is good, you can say that the east is full of blessings. "Tomorrow, if the Queen Mother says that the west is good, just say that the west is a treasure of Feng Shui!" Hearing this, Yuan Shikai suddenly became enlightened, nodded repeatedly, and said: "Thank you for your advice, I understand, I understand!" Think about it, the Queen Mother likes..." Li Lianying continued: "These days, the Queen Mother likes to do foreign affairs."

Yuan Shikai rolled his eyes and understood: "Okay, great, Eunuch Li! I will also give you a crooked poem: 'Look at your feet and talk to people, but as time goes by, you will get better; parroting is not bad, but it only wins the Queen Mother's love for a while; look up and look at your face to avoid confusion, and follow the Queen Mother to do foreign affairs!'" "Wonderful! Ah!" Li Lianying clapped her hands. Therefore, Yuan Shikai made Lafayette seriously like him for a while.