The Deciding Vote

The Grand Council convened the next day in an atmosphere of weary stalemate. The debate over the leadership of the new naval office had dragged on for days, a tiresome war of attrition. Cixi's faction, confident in their superior numbers, was on the verge of forcing a final vote. They were certain of victory. Grand Councillor Ronglu would be appointed Commissioner, and the entire office would become another jewel in the Empress Dowager's crown.

Prince Gong sat in his place, his face an unreadable mask of calm. He allowed the opposition to make their final, pompous speeches, to extoll the virtues of loyalty and the impeccable Manchu lineage of their proposed candidates. He waited until they had exhausted themselves, until a sense of inevitable conclusion had settled over the room. Then, he rose to his feet.

"Esteemed Councillors," he began, his voice cutting through the stale air. "We have debated the merits of loyalty versus expertise at great length. I wish to propose a new candidate for the crucial post of Deputy Commissioner. A candidate who represents not a political faction, but simple, undeniable competence. I propose the diplomat, Li Fengbao."

The name caused a ripple of confusion through the chamber. Most of the high-ranking Manchu nobles had never heard of him. Ronglu sneered openly. "Li Fengbao? A minor attaché? A man of no standing, no family, no influence? The Prince jests. We cannot entrust such a vital role to a nobody."

Li Hongzhang, the powerful Viceroy, leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Li Fengbao… I know the name. He wrote a most impressive treatise on European naval armaments some years ago. A man of keen intellect, though perhaps lacking in… courtly graces." He nodded his approval. "An excellent, practical choice."

Cixi's faction began to object vociferously, decrying the candidate's low rank and obscurity. Prince Gong let their protests swell, then he raised a hand for silence.

"It is curious that the Grand Councillor should object so strongly," he said, his voice laced with a theatrical innocence. "For it seems the Son of Heaven himself has taken notice of this humble man."

He produced the sheet of calligraphy paper from his sleeve and held it up for all to see. The large, childish characters were unmistakable. "This is the Emperor's own handiwork from his lesson yesterday," he announced. "As you can see, of all the esteemed officials in this vast empire, Li Fengbao's name is the one His Majesty chose to practice with such care. A strange coincidence, is it not?"

He then produced the second sheet, the one with the large, black ink blot obscuring Ronglu's name. "And it seems," he added, his voice dripping with false sympathy, "that he showed his great displeasure for other, more prominent names. Perhaps Heaven, through the pure heart of a child, is attempting to guide our hands away from poor choices."

A bombshell had just exploded in the center of the Grand Council chamber. This was not a rumor. This was not a dream. This was physical evidence. It was a tangible, if bizarre, sign of the Emperor's own preference. The implication was staggering: the boy, with his mysterious, prophetic insight, had chosen a candidate.

Cixi stared at the two sheets of paper, her face pale with fury. She knew, she knew, this was another one of Prince Gong's manipulations. But it was a masterful one. How could she argue against it? How could she stand before the entire court and declare that the Emperor's will, the will of the Son of Heaven, should be ignored? To do so would be to undermine the very foundation of her own authority, which was derived from her position as his regent.

The mood in the council shifted dramatically. The ministers from Cixi's faction looked uncertain, their blustering confidence gone. They were loyal to her, but they were also deeply superstitious men. To defy what appeared to be a direct sign from the throne felt like tempting a terrible fate. The vote, which had been a foregone conclusion just minutes before, was now completely uncertain.

The time had come. Votes were cast, faction by faction. Prince Gong's supporters and Li Hongzhang's modernizers voted as a solid block in favor of appointing Li Fengbao. Cixi's faction, though shaken, held firm out of fear of her wrath, and voted against. The final tally of the ministers was a near-perfect split. The deadlock remained.

According to protocol, in the case of a deadlock on a major appointment, the final decision fell to the Regents themselves. The two Empress Dowagers would cast the deciding votes.

Everyone in the room turned to face the dais. This was the final confrontation.

Cixi's voice was cold as winter stone. "This Empress sees only a child's scribbles, being used to advance a political agenda. The candidate is unsuitable. I vote no."

One vote against. The deciding vote now fell to the other Empress Dowager, the quiet, gentle Ci'an. For years, she had been a political non-entity, always deferring to her more powerful and ambitious co-regent. Everyone expected her to follow suit, to cast her vote with Cixi and end the matter.

Ci'an had been silent throughout the entire debate, her face thoughtful. She had been deeply troubled by the events of the past weeks. The Emperor's strange "toy boat" demonstration had planted a genuine fear in her heart about the threat from Japan. She was tired of the endless, bitter factional infighting that seemed to paralyze the court while the empire weakened. And she, like the others, was moved by the strange evidence of the Emperor's calligraphy. She believed, in her heart, that the boy was a special, divinely touched child, and that his strange insights were a form of heavenly guidance.

She took a deep breath, her quiet voice carrying with surprising strength in the silent hall.

"For too long, this court has chosen loyalty over ability, and connections over competence," she said, her words a quiet rebuke to Cixi's entire political philosophy. "We face dangers from without and rot from within. If the Emperor and Heaven itself have shown a preference for a man of expertise, a man free from the stain of faction, who are we to argue?"

She looked directly at a stunned Cixi, her gentle eyes for once holding a firm, unyielding resolve.

"This Empress votes yes. Let the expert be appointed."

Her words landed like a thunderclap. She had defied Cixi. She had broken ranks. For the first time in their long regency, she had voted against her co-regent on a matter of state.

Her vote, combined with the support from Prince Gong and Li Hongzhang's factions, created a clear majority. The motion passed. Li Fengbao, the obscure diplomat, would be the new Deputy Commissioner of the Beiyang Fleet.

The episode ends with Cixi staring at Ci'an, her face a mask of cold, murderous fury. It was a look of utter betrayal. Ying Zheng, from his distant study, had achieved more than he could have hoped. He had not only placed his chosen expert in a key position to oversee the building of his navy. He had done something far more significant. He had shattered the united front of the two women who ruled the empire. He had created the first open, political fissure between the two Empress Dowagers. The balance of power in the Forbidden City had just been irrevocably broken.