Zaiheng, Duanhua, Yi, and the others were all deeply trusted by Xianfeng. Most of those gathered in the Hall of Mental Cultivation at that moment were Xianfeng's regents, the men who truly held power in the Qing Empire.
The foreign masters who had battered them bloody and brought them immense pressure had actually been no match for Wang Yan. Beaten into a panicked rout, they fled in utter disgrace. For these masters who had suffered such bullying, the shock was simply overwhelming.
They thought back to how the foreigners had abandoned their second offensive; the conflict had only just flared up before quickly subsiding again. At the time, they had assumed it was because Wang Yan had killed foreigners and provoked them.
Now, however, it seemed that perhaps the foreigners had long understood how great a threat Wang Yan posed, yet had never found a way to deal with him. They could only pour resources into the Qing Empire and have it suppress Wang Yan, thereby safeguarding their own interests in China.
It was not that the foreigners had kindly chosen to stop exploiting the Qing Empire. They simply had no other choice...
This time, the Qing Empire truly stood on the brink of collapse.
After feeding him his medicine and offering a few concerned words, Cixi left the Hall of Mental Cultivation surrounded by attendants, leading little Tongzhi, who had only recently learned to walk.
At this time, Cixi's status came from her son, but she held little real power. She was merely Xianfeng's young consort. Even after Xianfeng died, Tongzhi ascended the throne, and Cixi ruled from behind the curtain, she still had not reached the point of monopolizing power. Xianfeng's regents were still there then.
Even after the Xinyou Coup, Cixi's power had not soared to the