Both inside and outside the palace called her big princess.

She followed Empress Dowager Cixi for half a century until she died for Cixi. As the adopted daughter and confidant of Cixi, she knows better than anyone the inside story of the court in the late Qing Dynasty. At present, many people and events are passed down from her.

Princess Rongshou, originally the daughter of Prince Gong, was adopted by Cixi at the age of seven and grew up in the palace. Prince Gong is not an ordinary person, but the brother-in-law of Cixi. He played a key role in the "Xinyou coup" and made Cixi begin her 47-year rule. Therefore, Princess Rongshou received special care from Cixi. Cixi loved the little girl even more when she saw her eyes calm and steady. Cixi hates glamorous, lively and famous girls.

So when Princess Rongshou was seven years old, she was named Princess Gulen-the daughter of the prince was named the tallest princess. This is a special case and a special case. At the age of twelve, Cixi decided to choose a husband for this seemingly honest little girl.

According to the memory of the old eunuch of the Qing Palace, on this day, Princess Rongshou dressed up and put on a colorful dress, and walked at the leisurely pace of the court like an adult. The princess ordered the maid-in-waiting to be the forerunner and went to the harem to appear before Empress Dowager Cixi. Then she went into a dark back room, put down the bamboo curtain on the door and waited quietly to see her future husband.

Walk into the three teenagers in turn, stand side by side, say hello to the princess first, then hold your breath and stand with your head down. After a while, the eunuch motioned the three teenagers to step down, and the princess had been chosen.

It should be said that with this program, the selected boy is of course her relative favorite. However, Princess Rongshou's autonomy in marriage is very limited. Anyway, it's a procedure, and the candidate prepared by the queen mother is also good. The princess is not a person who has many illusions about boys and likes to be picky.

Fu Cha Zhiduan, a gentle boy, was the son of Fu Cha Jing Shou, a prince of the Qing Dynasty. Jing Shou married a princess, the daughter of Daoguang, Princess Shou Engulun. Princess Rongshou's marriage has no objection or hindrance.

After the engagement, the Princess House was built in Kuanjie outside Di 'anmen. Not far from the Princess House, Sima Di is also under construction. The Princess House has gradually taken shape with everyone's attention, which is quite magnificent.

Qing dynasty scholar Wu has a poem:

"Begging lang don't be partial to the pottery in the restaurant, Tom is diligent. Different numbers are princess royal today, and Jia is the first in Dongcheng. "

The last three sentences are all realistic, saying that Princess Rongshou got a special favor, a title and a luxurious mansion, as well as a lot of land, manor and money. The previous sentence was quite unexpected, and it was very gossip.

Princess Guantao belongs to the Han Dynasty. She married her daughter, Chen Ajiao, to Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, and Chen Ajiao and Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty were cousins. The analogy between Cixi and Guantao in the poem shows that many ministers speculated at that time that Cixi left Princess Rongshou in the palace for her son Zai Chun (later Emperor Tongzhi) and wanted Princess Rongshou to be the queen in the future. The princess is two years older than Zai Chun, and her age is appropriate. Who knew that Cixi regarded the princess as her own daughter? Isn't it immoral to use it as a daughter-in-law

Even if Princess Rongshou marries Emperor Tongzhi, she will be a widow as soon as possible and then accompany Cixi. Her fate is not much different from what she experienced later.

The princess died of illness after about five years of marriage. At the age of seventeen, she was widowed and childless. According to the "control" of the princess in the Qing Dynasty, the princess must have few or no children.

The Qing dynasty was like this: on the day when the princess got married, there was no such thing as a night of flowers and candles. After the ceremony, they returned to their respective palaces. From now on, Xu will go to the princess's house every morning and evening, and then go back to his home-unless the princess wants to sleep with him and summon him, he can stay overnight. There are many rules before.

Five years' married life was very short, and the Qing Dynasty made unreasonable arrangements for the princess's married life. Princess Rongshou is such a serious and stuffy girl. Who knows how many days she can be married?

No one is born a middle-aged woman. No one can believe that Princess Rongshou has never had any color and cheerfulness. Widowed, she was only seventeen years old and a "girl". In the long and lonely days, will she feel like a stone man at all? The old eunuch of the Qing palace said: Princess Rongshou is often seen riding a horse alone in the yard.

This yard belongs to her, closed and quiet, hovering inside. Although it is also a pastime, the space is too narrow and the process is too monotonous, right? It seems that she never thought of simply hitchhiking out of town to see if the peach trees outside are in bloom. Have the willows sprouted by the river? How do pigeons fly in groups in the sky? How do wild ducks in the lake cross their necks and live together? In this way, she rode quietly in the yard, looking at every flower and grass around her, and even found pleasure. Who says she has no girl's lively and cheerful nature? There are also some.

Seeing that she was young and widowed, Cixi was really lonely and pitiful, so she took her to the palace. Cixi herself is a young widow. If any prince's daughter is widowed and childless, Cixi invites them into the palace, and everyone is more lively. Cixi is surrounded by a bunch of widows. Including the later Princess of the Jin Dynasty, Emperor Guangxu regarded them as ugly and boring, and simply ignored them, just like widows. Among these widows, Princess Rongshou is the most qualified and filial widow, and because she works with widows every day, she has grown into a standard widow.

She used to look very old, but after she was widowed, she didn't wear any fancy clothes or make any decorations. "Although there are twenty people, I am looking forward to it." Although she is only in her early twenties, she looks like an old lady.

Princess Rongshou is not beautiful. The old eunuch said that from the back, he was often confused with Emperor Guangxu's Yulong. The jade dragon queen's face is yellow, her teeth are slightly clumsy, and she is tall and shriveled. Because she is too tall, she often wriggles apologetically. Princess Rongshou looks better than her in front, sitting straight and looking more dignified.

In fact, Princess Rongshou is not a boring and incompetent person. She is quiet and low-key and loyal to Cixi. The palace is the most familiar place she has lived since she was a child. In the complex harem, she is all eyes, fair and invisible. She gets along well with everyone in the palace except Li. She is the daughter of the prince, the adopted daughter of Cixi, and is familiar with nobility and court etiquette. The wife of the prince's minister visited Empress Dowager Cixi, and she had to arrange it first. Even the wives of foreign envoys need to be received and accompanied when they enter the palace.

Moreover, Princess Rongshou is not a person without interests. When she has nothing to do, she teaches herself flower and bird painting, which is very similar to that, and is called "the second wonderful palace" with Yu Guifei's landscape painting.

In the harem, she lived very comfortably.

Cixi trusted her very much and could not do without her. Only she dares to persuade Empress Dowager Cixi in person. Princess Rongshou seldom talks, but as long as she talks, Cixi is mostly willing to listen.

Princes and ministers all know her weight and respect her.

Some ministers didn't know what the level of "big princess" was. Xi Shi Yu couldn't escape on the road, collided with the motorcade of "big princess", was arrested and punished, taught him to know the rules, knelt down and made amends to "big princess", and was released. Sheng Boxi, the imperial clan of the Qing Dynasty, was so impressed by this matter that he wrote a long book "Arrest and remonstrate":

"The car is like a chicken, the horse is like a dog, and the embroidered messenger hobbles away. Cars flow like water in Ma Rulong, and the four major surnames are Xiao Houhang and Dou Feng.

I sat in the car and walked down the street like a chicken coop. )

The yellow dust on Chang 'an Road is thin, and the whip of Yuleshan Mountain is galloping. Before the singing instruments were listened to, flags were raised and shadows were raised.

The princess's motorcade is coming with extraordinary momentum, which is terrible! )

When the horses and chariots collided, they really hit the hub in a hurry. The rotation is uneven. I haven't broken the martingale yet.

-(hit! The car crashed, too )

Before the Great King came, he cried out in anger and sent his servants into office. When touching the pestle, you should die the most. Suggestions on grabbing the car.

The princess's entourage was furious and caught the perpetrator.

Your Highness suggested that the situation in Nantai is also called Duangong. Lord Weng still wants to avoid the red stick, so who dares?

Open the way and cover the nine flowers, and you will be the yoke. I can't help it, but I struggle too much.

The wise men in the world are open-minded, and the strong sects bully each other. The imperial court did not hesitate to respect the law and suggested partial rest.

This suggestion is also very good. Who dares to let the car go? Now I'm waiting for forgiveness. )

The rat is too lazy to listen, so you don't have to tell the emperor the details. On the sidelines, they all ask their elders, or ministers know the overall situation.

The disaster crown is still broken, and the cabinet minister is temporarily exempted. The pavilion director kowtowed and told me, and today my aunt remonstrated.

Things are finally settled. Apologize to the princess and let her go. )

The author of this poem doesn't know what to think. A little thing, written for so long. I guess I was intoxicated with my gorgeous and jingling words and forgot what I wanted to vent.

In ancient times, there were many such crash stories, mostly calling one of them domineering and ignoring the oncoming motorcade. In fact, this ancient system of avoiding cars and horses is very necessary, especially in narrow and crowded streets, where there are a large number of cars and horses on both sides. If you come face to face, people will be frightened, and it is inevitable that "traffic accidents" will not happen. To be on the safe side, just obey the "traffic rules" related to your grades. It is not good for others and yourself to refuse to accept, rush and vent, scold each other for their bad temper and attitude, and bully others to play big cards.

Speaking of it, even Empress Dowager Cixi is afraid of big princess's three points. Cixi likes to wear gorgeous and luxurious clothes, but big princess is not happy when she looks at them. She spoke bluntly and didn't like to hear: "Why waste so much money?" ? You are just an old widow of the Qing dynasty, and you are still in the mood to dress up as a witch and tell others ... "After some nagging, Empress Dowager Cixi was afraid of her. Every time big princess came to see her, Cixi chose a simple dress, and dared not wear too much makeup or jewelry. Imperial secretary said that big princess was like the mother of Cixi.

On one occasion, the queen mother secretly made an extremely gorgeous robe, which was made by craftsmen in Jiangnan and cost a lot of money. Empress Dowager Cixi told people around her, "Don't let big princess know about this." Who knows that big princess still knows, and when he sees Cixi, he is not happy, nagging: "Am I not good to your old man?" I think about what my mother likes, what she likes to wear, what she likes to use and what she likes to eat every day, and then tell others to do it. Mom can secretly make a dress to wear and let others know who we are. ..... "Empress Dowager Cixi quickly changed the subject and started talking nonsense with people around her. As soon as big princess left, Cixi complained to the people around her: "Someone must have told big princess, otherwise how could I be persuaded by her! It's all your fault, you gossips! ("Let the princess know that the colorful clothes you made are not suitable. What's going on now? Ironically, if you don't wait for more, you won't get anything today ")"

Only big princess dared to be honest with Cixi. In her later years, big princess did more to reconcile the contradiction between Cixi and Emperor Guangxu.

Speaking of Emperor Guangxu, although Cixi made him emperor, she was disgusted with him. This cowardly, shy and ambitious young man supported political reform, which made Cixi furious and wanted to kill him. Big princess often said to people, "The Emperor is very pitiful. He entered the palace at the age of five and never saw his mother again. We should help him. "

Emperor Guangxu knew that Princess Rongshou was the confidant of Cixi and dared not go too close. But he couldn't help feeling the pity and selfishness of Princess Rongshou. In the heart of this young man who lost his maternal love at an early age, I'm afraid Princess Rongshou has long been regarded as a woman with warm motherhood-Cixi is not Guangxu's mother, and her so-called "maternal love" for him is so terrible.

Emperor Guangxu's political reform failed and the situation was very dangerous. According to the meaning of Cixi, it is better to announce the ancestral training in front of Gan Qing, and then kill Emperor Guangxu with a royal staff. At this time, big princess was visiting relatives in Gongwangfu, and Cixi killed Emperor Guangxu while big princess was not in the palace. Someone found the news and reported it to big princess. Big princess has never been in such a hurry. She is the most stable person. Hearing this, she rushed to Xiyuan overnight to pat the door of Empress Dowager Cixi, then knelt down and asked Empress Dowager Cixi to calm down. In this way, Emperor Guangxu was able to save his life temporarily and was placed under house arrest in Yingtai. Afterwards, Empress Dowager Cixi felt that big princess had come so quickly that someone must have tipped him off and tracked him down.

In fact, big princess secretly took care of the most, or the favorite concubine of Emperor Guangxu. Big princess was also present when Emperor Guangxu chose his queen and concubines. A row of noble girls stood in a row, and the emperor chose to be the queen and gave it to her. If you choose to be a concubine, give her a wallet. Later, Zhen Fei was bright, charming and outstanding. Guangxu was about to hand it to her when Cixi shouted, "Your Majesty!" Pout at another girl. The emperor was told in advance that he had to choose this girl with his lips, because she was the niece of Cixi, the later Jade Dragon Queen. Zhen Fei and her sister Jin Fei got wallets.

Later, for more reasons, Zhen Fei and Empress Dowager Cixi had a deep contradiction. No one dares to be kind to Zhen Fei except Emperor Guangxu. Only big princess secretly took care of her. ZhenFei also often cried to big princess, saying that in case of any big change, big princess must be rescued. When Eight-Nation Alliance invaded the capital, Cixi fled with Guangxu to the west. When she left, she ordered the eunuch to push Zhen Fei into the well of the Forbidden City. At this point, big princess has taken refuge in the palace. Cixi also killed Zhen Fei while big princess was away. Big princess returned to his palace and was very sad to learn that Zhenfei had died. She often says to people, "I feel sorry for Jane."

Emperor Guangxu died, so did Empress Dowager Cixi. There is only one day before and after. Big princess went to offer her condolences in tears. What she saw made her sad and angry. She has never lost such a big temper in her life.

The bodies of the emperor and the empress dowager are on the bed, but they have not been buried. There are two candles in front of the bed board, only two candles, shining like a jack-o'-lantern, full of eyes. Going in is as scary as going in a haunted house. There is no one in the room. The ministers in the palace are all busy with the heir, and I don't know where they have gone. The eunuchs panicked, but they didn't understand funeral etiquette and had no backbone. They don't know who to listen to and what to do.

The archduke called the eunuch in charge and reprimanded him, "You people are outrageous! The queen mother is dead, and no one can be found! If I don't stand up today, who will? ! "

She immediately drove to find Puyi's father, flew into a rage as soon as she entered the door, and loudly reprimanded him: "You are so happy today! Your son became the emperor! You are the Regent! Is Empress Miyako bad to you? Now that the Queen Mother is dead and the funeral is imminent, you are carefree and indifferent, and you can sit still at home! "

The Regent was very afraid, so he called the princes and ministers to discuss the establishment of "funeral committee". With a little manpower, big princess began to assign tasks, mobilize personnel and arrange various etiquette. Until the burial, the palace was in good order. The queen is timid and ignorant, and the regent is indifferent. The emperor is only three years old and can't count on anything. Ministers and eunuchs have their own ideas. If big princess hadn't arranged everything neatly, even the funeral would have been a mess.

Cixi's adopted daughter is not wrong.

Even the foreign minister's wife said that big princess was a first-class woman in the Qing Dynasty. Virtue, dignity, self-cultivation, good words, good entertainment, good calligraphy and painting, and the appearance is so quiet and unobtrusive. Unfortunately, I haven't read any books. If I can travel abroad like Princess De Ling and see the general trend of the world, I don't know what kind of outstanding person I am!

In fact, big princess knows some foreign languages, and his vision is not so narrow. She tried her best to understand the world. Princess De Ling (in fact, she is not a real princess) lived abroad with her father since childhood. After the Empress Dowager Cixi returned to China, she stayed in the Qing Palace for two years. De Ling didn't know the tedious and deadly etiquette of the Qing Palace and couldn't fathom Cixi's temper. Big princess had to teach her how to walk, how to sit, how to lie down and how to talk to Cixi. The relationship between De Ling and big princess is also very close, not only as a foreign language interpreter for Cixi, but also as a foreign language teacher for big princess. Big princess was not young at that time, and he was still trying to learn foreign languages. Of course, her foreign language is not as good as German, but it is more than enough for daily etiquette communication with the wife of the Foreign Minister.

After the founding of the Republic of China, big princess lived in seclusion, but did not disappear in social occasions. Especially in the minds of Qing adherents, she is still big princess, and her position has not changed at all.

Wan Yan Zuo Xian, a descendant of the Liao and Jin royal families, once saw big princess personally, which was recorded in detail in the Examination of Anti-dry Legacy Accessories:

"In the early years of the Republic of China, the Mongolian Horqin Prince Gong Sangnuobu won the love princess Wang Zhimei's new sensation Roche, celebrated her 40th birthday, and gave a banquet, sang operas and entertained relatives and friends at Huixiantang Hotel in Shichahai. Singers include Mei Lanfang, Yang Xiaolou, Yu Shuyan, Jiang Miaoxiang, Xiao Changhua, Jin Xiushan, Qiu Guixian and Cheng Jixian. The pomp and circumstance and the week of arrangement were rare at that time. Manchu, Mongolian, Baylor, Beizi and other ministers gathered, and dignitaries of the Republic of China were present. The surface of the mat is a swallow-wing mat with barbecue on it, which is a feast. This is a grand gathering for all families to celebrate their birthdays.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, officials in Wang Fu told Prince Gong: "The front door of big princess is not far from here." The palace master dressed in a hurry, crowned himself, and greeted him at the door of the fairy hall in person. The palace king stood in the inner court of the second gate. The princes and nobles of the Manchu, Mongolian and Han Dynasties took turns standing in the courtyard of the stage. After a while, the curtain in front of the door was lifted. With the help of two grandchildren, big princess got off two sets of Zhu-wheel carts, climbed the steps and got on the door. The palace master knelt down respectfully and said, "How dare you disturb the princess?" Big princess replied in a low voice: "wedding date should be." When she reached the second door, Gong stepped forward and handed her hands to the princess. Big princess hands a mix, Wang Gong Fujin respectfully double squat, thank you in a low voice. Holding the students into the yard, the foreman Cheng Kun, the prince of does, respectfully asked them to kneel down. Kneel down with the princes and ministers to show their respect. The courtyard is solemn and the atmosphere is quiet.

Into the hall, Shoutang put a round-backed armchair in the middle and sat alone. The upper berth is covered with apricot-yellow inch pythons, with several on the left and right. There is a bowl of tea (with a tea boat) on the table, and there are small boxes of silver betel nut, cardamom and sand on the table. Big princess takes a seat, and Chang Shi's mother puts the purple bedding in front of big princess. Gong immediately bowed down to the ceremony of six elements. The princess leaned down and whispered, "Knock on the ceremony and wish Gege a long life and good health." Fujin leaned over to offer tea and told a story with a long history. The gongs and drums are loud, so sing.

About an hour or so, King Gong Fujin ordered a long history to pass the meal. At this time, four servants were carrying a gold-painted desktop, which was filled with a table: bird's nest, shark's fin, tremella, sea cucumber and so on. There are two piers beside the chair, with a roasted dolphin and a roast duck on them. Began to invite big princess to dinner. Big princess was sitting alone at the square table with two grandchildren standing. In particular, Gong and the couple from the Qing Dynasty were invited to assist in serving, toasting and setting dishes. Big princess only took a sip of Shoujiu, accompanied by Gong. Big princess tasted the main course and took a sip of duck soup with a spoon. The red seal has been put on, and he immediately wiped his hands and sat in his place. Eat areca and cardamom.

At about five o'clock, big princess leaned over and the palace motioned for him to go back to his office. That is, he ordered the long history to spread to the outer compartment, claiming that big princess had started driving back to the house. The whole hall and the whole hospital immediately stood up and saluted. Two grandsons and Gong helped big princess walk slowly, thanking the guests and host for their attention. All the guests and the host stood with their hands hanging down, unusually silent. On the stage, as if the switch had been turned off, it remained the same, waiting for big princess to leave before performing. This big pass is slowly closing.

At that time, she had entered the Republic of China, and Princess Rongshou Gulun was still so dignified. Yu Wei can imagine. "

-This is the 40th birthday party of Aisingiorro Che, the wife of the Mongolian prince. Because of the arrival of big princess, people's attention has all changed, and big princess has become the leading role. Looking at her ostentation and extravagance and eating habits is the legacy of Empress Dowager Cixi. Although she is already in the Republic of China, she knows her every move like the back of her hand, and strictly maintains the court demeanor-it can be said to be decadent and ridiculous, but for her, this is a demeanor that goes deep into the bone marrow, which is innate and lifelong. It can't be said that it is deliberately putting on airs.

The most surprising thing is that those once Manchu aristocrats, in their life circles, still live the old aristocratic lifestyle, unchanged and meticulous. After the Republic of China, the nobles of the Qing Dynasty still kept big princess at a respectful distance. Besides inertia, I'm afraid it's more about sincere respect for big princess.

It is said that after the demise of the Qing Dynasty, many people who had no livelihood went to big princess. She is kind and kind. She took out some money to open a silver village to do business and took in and helped many people.

This time, she looked weak, didn't talk much and ate little, but sitting for two hours and watching Mei Lanfang's acting showed that she was in good spirits and health. Princess Rongshou died in 1924 at the age of 7 1.

Princess Rongshou/Kloc-was married by Empress Dowager Cixi when she was 0/3 years old, and married Zhiduan, the son of Jing Shou, a hereditary first-class male. Jing Shou had married Princess Shou Engulun, the sixth daughter of Daoguang Emperor, in his early years. Both father and son married Princess Julun, the most prominent royal family. However, Zhiduan was unlucky and died half a year after marriage. After her husband died, Princess Rongshou, as the adopted daughter of the Queen Mother, returned to the palace to accompany the Queen Mother. Before the princess died, western photography technology had been introduced into the court. Judging from the photos preserved so far, the middle-aged princess looks plain, with a long face and a big nose, and her brow is full of majesty and nobility.

Princess Rongshou came from a noble family and was supercilious since she was a child. Later, she was looked down upon by the Queen Mother and became more overbearing. When she goes out, pedestrians must give way, and horses and chariots must stop to make way for her. In the early years of Guangxu, Xi Town, the vice capital, met the princess's ceremonial ceremony on the road, but he failed to escape. Cars and horses scrambled to violate the princess's etiquette. The princess was so angry that she was escorted to Xie Wei yamen with horses and men. Xizhen was forced to kneel in front of the princess's sedan chair and beg for mercy before being released. However, with the growth of age, Princess Rongshou's domineering gradually faded, and she made good friends both in front of the Queen Mother and inside and outside the court. It is said that after Zai Tian (Emperor Guangxu) ascended the throne, Prince Gong's family was very jealous of him. But Princess Rongshou can take care of the overall situation and get along well with Zai Tian. It was also said that Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to abolish Zai Tian's throne, and she tried to dissuade her in front of Empress Dowager Cixi. The former site of Rongshou Princess House is located in Dafosi Street, Dongcheng, Beijing, and is now hidden in Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It's long gone