How beautiful is Cixi? In her own triumphant description, it is "imperial secretary regards me as beautiful", and her appearance is enviable. We can now see some portraits of Cixi in her later years. Even from today's aesthetic point of view, Cixi can still be called dignified. There are two women who had close contact with Cixi in her later years: one is De Ling, who became the first waitress of Empress Dowager Cixi because of her familiarity with foreign languages. She commented on Cixi's appearance like this: "When Empress Dowager Cixi was young, she was indeed a charming and bright girl, and was often praised by people in the palace; Even Iraq is gradually being squeezed out by the years, and after entering the old world, it still retains a somewhat touching look! "
The other is American female painter Carl. 1August 904, entered the Qing court to paint the Empress Dowager Cixi. She spent nine months with Cixi and recorded her personal experience in The Portrait of Cixi. In the book, she wrote: "I think the queen mother in front of me is a very beautiful and kind woman." I guess she is no more than forty years old (in fact, Cixi is almost seventy), and her temperament is beautiful, which makes people feel happy at first sight. " "All parts of Empress Dowager Cixi's body are very harmonious. Her beautiful face, soft hands, slim figure and shiny black hair are harmoniously combined and complement each other ... She is smiling and full of joy."
However, the beautiful women in the harem are excellent, and they are all carefully selected beautiful women. With the emperor around, it is common to move on and change your mind. For Cixi, to maintain and consolidate the special favor of the emperor, there must be potential that others can't replace. Among them, Cixi had incomparable ability to read and write Chinese, which was extremely valuable among Manchu women at that time. Therefore, Cixi is a "bilingual" model in which concubines in the palace can master Manchu and read and write Chinese.
Bandu, hand-picked by his adopted son, became the escort of Cixi, who was strict with the Tongzhi emperor and did not let him fully understand his mother's good intentions. Instead, he formed a strong rebellious attitude towards his mother in character, and sought adventure and * * * behavior outside the scope of the palace. During this period, there were two people who had a great influence on the Tongzhi emperor. A man is the eldest son of Prince Gong. After the death of Prince Hui, who managed the emperor's study, Yi Xiang and Yi Xun also ended their study life with the emperor * * *, and then Cixi appointed the eldest son of Prince Gong to accompany the emperor to study. Cixi only saw Zai Feng's bright and cheerful personality, but what she didn't know was that Zai Feng's life was bohemian and everywhere. The Bandu carefully selected by Cixi eventually became the "guardian" of the Tongzhi emperor.
The other is imperial academy's assistant Wang Qingqi. Wang Qingqi, a native of Shuntian, grew up in Beijing and came from a noble family. Wang Qingqi is a "flatterer" man, "diligent and good at flattery. The first time I was in the south study, the emperor liked it very much and sealed five products and two products. Yuqing Palace (it should be Hongde Hall) spoiled my peers with walking, unparalleled. " Wang Qingqi's knowledge should be good, because it is enough to show that he can enter Hongdetang, the place where Emperor Tongzhi studied, as an attendant of Hanlin. His beauty and charm, coupled with his good flattery, naturally attracted the inexperienced Tongzhi emperor. Under his guidance, Emperor Tongzhi actually shared a bed with Wang Qingqi and maintained an extremely ambiguous relationship.
Du offered the pox god to hall of mental cultivation. When Cixi learned that Emperor Tongzhi was ill, and the symptoms were fever and rash, Cixi was very worried. After a night's observation, the next day, Emperor Tongzhi began to have obvious rash symptoms: "rash-like appearance, plague mixed with pox" and "granules", from which doctors judged that Emperor Tongzhi was infected with smallpox.
Cixi did not dare to neglect, while ordering the physician to make a full diagnosis and treatment, she carefully followed the rules handed down by her ancestors, for fear that negligence would be detrimental to her son's smallpox.
First of all, for the pox god. Empress Dowager Cixi ordered that Empress Dowager Cixi, who had been enshrined since the reign of Emperor Tongzhi, be welcomed into hall of mental cultivation. There are red carpets and red couplets everywhere in the palace to create a festive atmosphere. I hope Empress Dowager Cixi will take back the smallpox sown earlier. Three days after the sacrifice, a grand ceremony was held to send Yu Daqing, the pox god, out of the door, and burn her with paper boats and gold and silver wires, so that the pox god could ascend to heaven in the foaming flame, hoping to take away the chicken pox covered with the emperor Tongzhi and survive the disaster safely.
Second, pray for our ancestors. Cixi and Ci 'an went to Jingshan Shouhuang Temple, a shrine dedicated to ancestors-a shrine dedicated to "His Majesty the Emperor" in Qianlong period, praying for the ancestors' blessing and the son's safety.
Since then, Emperor Tongzhi has appeared acne granules constantly, and began to collect pulp, scab and fall off. It seems that everything is developing in the direction that Cixi expected. However, after 1 1 20th, Emperor Tongzhi's condition suddenly deteriorated, and he began to develop toxic sores, and his waist festered like a hole, with constant pus, pain, swollen cheeks and bad breath. "Wet poison flows around the waist, swollen and festering. ..... The residual poison after acne is moist. " . After that, although "acne scabs have all fallen off, but the waist is perforated, and the left and right hips are perforated ..."
On December 5th, 13th year of Tongzhi, Emperor Tongzhi died in Dongnuange, hall of mental cultivation. The mother of Cixi lost her son.
The mausoleum is unwilling to be an equal with Cian. According to the status and role of Cixi in China feudal society, it should be slightly inferior to Ci 'an, and it will also be reflected in the management of the mausoleum, so as to reflect the grade difference. However, in view of Cixi's special status, the mausoleum originally designed was as close as Ci 'an in terms of regulation and quality, and she should have been satisfied. But Cixi was not satisfied. Because of her inflated arrogance and uncontrollable greed, she could not stand side by side with Ci 'an. Since the choice of burial place must be subordinate to Ci 'an, it is necessary to surpass Ci 'an in the construction and decoration of the mausoleum to show her uniqueness.
The reconstruction project of Cixi's mausoleum lasted for thirteen years until her death. The rebuilt Long 'en Hall and the East-West Attached Hall rank first in the Qing Emperor's Mausoleum in terms of expensive building materials, exquisite workmanship and luxurious decoration. Even compared with the imperial tombs of the Qing Dynasty, some imperial tombs are inferior to her. The luxury of her funerary objects is also staggering. Cixi's funerary objects are divided into two parts: the treasure placed in the golden well in the tomb before his death and the buried treasure.
According to the Qing Palace archives "Chronicle of Empress Dowager", Cixi put six batches of treasures into Jinjing before her death. And how many treasures are buried with him? His confidant eunuch Li personally attended the treasure burial ceremony of Cixi. According to "Notes on Love Moon Xuan" written by him and his nephew, before Cixi's body entered the coffin, there were three layers of gold beads and a layer of pearls at the bottom of the coffin, which was one foot thick. The head is a green lotus leaf; Pink tourmaline lotus under your feet. Wearing a crested pearl, the largest pearl on the crest is as big as an egg, and it is worth12 million taels of silver. There are twenty-seven Buddha statues carved with gold, precious stones, jade and jade beside him. Jade watermelons, melons, cabbages and peaches, plums, apricots and dates made of more than 200 precious stones are placed on both sides of the foot. Put a Yu Lian on the left and a jade coral tree on the right. In addition, there are eight jade horses and eighteen jade arhats, totaling more than 700 pieces. After the burial, four liters of pearls and two thousand two hundred precious stones were poured into the coffin. According to the Records of the Interior Office, the number and types of jewels and jades buried in the coffin are extremely amazing, which is almost a complete collection of jewels and jades.
Nineteen years after her death, her "land of eternal happiness" was bombed by warlord Sun Dianying, which not only exposed her bones, but also suffered humiliation, and even the treasures buried with her were looted. The "Lafayette" who enjoyed the splendor of the world left only a lonely wasteland for future generations to comment on.
The Luck and Misfortune of Cixi As a woman, Cixi is both lucky and unfortunate.
Her luck lies in her position that women of that era could not get. Cixi did not come from a powerful family that lived for generations. She was just the daughter of a middle-level flag officer. If she hadn't accidentally entered the Forbidden City at the age of seventeen, thus setting up a political platform for her to revolve around Gan Kun, how different would her fate be from that of thousands of ordinary girls in Qian Qian, Qian Qian? Cixi, relying on her step-by-step drilling, was lucky enough to give birth to the only prince of Xianfeng Emperor, thus being promoted to princess and imperial concubine until Empress Dowager Cixi, and thus "listened to politics" for 47 years.
Cixi is very unfortunate. Her misfortune is that as a wife and mother, she lost her husband when she was young and her son when she was middle-aged. Although she has the supreme power, so that countless princes and ministers fall at their feet to worship, but she can not get the love of men and women that an ordinary woman can get, and can not get the happiness that a normal mother and children and grandchildren kneeling beside her have. It is hard for us to imagine how she spent that long day and night alone in the forbidden palace surrounded by high palace walls.
In Guangxu 16 (1890), just after the New Year, Empress Dowager Cixi was so proud that she made the late Horqin Bellenarsu a prince in the name of Emperor Guangxu. Speaking of power, the 55-year-old Empress Dowager Cixi has become the first person in the Qing Dynasty. Countless dignitaries fell at her feet and tried their best to flatter her. Emperor Guangxu was almost a puppet. However, Empress Dowager Cixi, as a woman, is unfortunate. At the age of 26, her husband Xian Fengdi went first. In the long and lonely years, she struggled with men and lived and worked more and more like men. She ruled the whole of China, but lost the happiness and emotion of ordinary women.
However, after years of silence, the stagnant water of feelings was rippled by a Mongolian youth.
1888, it was early spring, Empress Dowager Cixi walked in the imperial garden as usual, and Emperor Guangxu came to pay his respects as usual. Everything is a familiar law. Suddenly, behind Emperor Guangxu, a radiant and handsome bodyguard caught the attention of Cixi. This man is Nalsu. He is the grandson of the famous loyal minister Prince Sanchin.
Monk Qin was a loyal and brave Mongolian prince in the late Qing Dynasty. He made outstanding contributions to pacify the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army in the Qing Dynasty, and he himself died in the battle to suppress the Nian Army. The Qing court was very kind to the descendants of Monk Qin. Sanglin Qin's eldest son, Bo Yan Monet, not only inherited his father's throne, but also served as a command minister and held a high position. At that time, there was a saying called "Bo Ban Chao". Bo Yan Monet's eldest son, Nalsu, has lived in Beijing since he was a child. Because of his civil and military skills and handsome appearance, Nalsu was first selected as a personal bodyguard by Emperor Guangxu.
From this encounter, Empress Dowager Cixi's dead heart began to sprout, and she fell in love with Nalsu at first sight. At this time, Empress Dowager Cixi was at the peak of her power. As long as she can get what she wants, Sur is what she needs. Empress Dowager Cixi is in her early fifties, but she still has outstanding feminine charm.
Clothes make the man, and Cixi is in the supreme position, so that she can have the most luxurious clothes in China to increase her luster. De Ling once recorded in her "Two Years of Qing Palace": "The yellow satin robe worn by Empress Dowager Cixi is embroidered with large red peony, and the jewelry is covered with the crown of Empress Dowager Cixi, with beads on both sides, a string of beads on the left and a phoenix made of the purest jade in the middle. The embroidered robe is covered with a shawl made of 3,500 pearls. The pearls are as big as birds' eggs, round and bright, with the same color and size, and the edges are inlaid with jewels and garlands. In addition, Empress Dowager Cixi wore two bead bracelets, a pair of jade bracelets and several gem ring. Three-inch gold finger pads are worn on the middle finger and little finger of the right hand, and jade finger pads of the same length are worn on the two fingers of the left hand. There are also garlands on the shoes, with various gems in the middle. "
More importantly, it can stand out among many concubines of Emperor Xianfeng, proving that Cixi is a beauty, and even when she is old, she still has charming amorous feelings. An American female painter who came to China 1903 recalled: "Cixi's head and shoulders are harmonious and her figure is just right. Beautiful hands, small and elegant, harmonious and accurate facial structure. The black hair above the delicate forehead is horizontally divided into two halves, the eyebrows are slender, and the energetic black eyes are neatly embedded in the face. The nose is high and the width is perpendicular to the forehead. Although the mouth is a little bigger, it is still very nice. When the two flexible red lips are separated from the strong white teeth, it will make her smile have a rare charm. If I didn't know that she was almost 69 years old, I would regard her as a well-maintained 40-year-old woman. " Nalsu first met Cixi nearly twenty years earlier than this American.
Two men and women with different ages and identities soon fell into a whirlpool of feelings. Many rules of the Qing court hindered many things, and every second of lovers' separation in love seemed like a year. In order to see more of her lover, Empress Dowager Cixi first promoted Nalsu as Minister of the Interior and found various reasons to make it easier for him to enter and leave the palace. For example, when it didn't rain for a long time, Empress Dowager Cixi asked Naersu to beg for rain in Dragon Shrines, Qingyi Garden where she lived. When the rain came, Nelsu came back to make a wish. However, such "business" is really too few. How to spend more time together is a huge problem. Li, a clever eunuch, understood the suffering of Empress Dowager Cixi and came up with a clever way. He declared that Empress Dowager Cixi must drink the water from Yuquan Mountain in Beijing to nourish her body. Every night, Li personally took several eunuchs into the palace and sent two large water tanks to the bedroom of Empress Dowager Cixi. One tank is filled with water, and the other is filled with Nalsu. Li is the most famous person around Cixi, and the court guards dare not check it too carefully, so Empress Dowager Cixi and her young lover can meet every night. Although no one dared to say anything because of the power of Empress Dowager Cixi, over time, such a heavy matter quickly spread through various channels, and at one time Beijing made a lot of noise.
Narsu's father, Bo Yan Monet, also heard the wind. He also found that his son was often not at home at night in the name of court duty. He also had doubts for a long time, but after all, he was too shocked to believe it. Later, when he went to see Empress Dowager Cixi, and saw Nar Su Zhen and Cixi sitting together drinking, Bo Yan Monet realized that the rumors were true and fear began to surround him.
Bo Yan Monet's family has been married to the royal family of Essien Choro for generations. Monk's foster mother is the sister of Daoguang Emperor, monk's cousin is the nominal cousin of Xianfeng Emperor, and Empress Dowager Cixi is the wife of monk's wife and the ancestor of Naersu. This is a perverted love that violates ethics and regulations. If it continues to develop, the whole family will inevitably suffer disaster.
/kloc-at the beginning of 0/900, on New Year's Eve, Bo Yan Monet finally thought of a solution to the problem. He asked Cixi to give Naersu a three-month holiday and let him accompany him back to the Horqin grassland to worship his ancestors. Although she did not give up, Cixi could not refuse such a legitimate reason and had to let Naersu go. After returning home, Bo Yan Monet forced Nalsu to commit suicide only when the whole family was safe. So Naersu indulged in hunting for three days and broke the gold bracelet given to him by Empress Dowager Cixi on the tomb of Sengqin. Half thrown in the direction of beijing lover, half swallowed by yourself. He is 35 years old.
After a short period of happiness, Cixi fell into endless sadness again. The price of mastering power is that no matter how hard you try, you can't really have the ordinary feelings of an ordinary woman.
In memory of her lover, Empress Dowager Cixi posthumously awarded the title of Prince Narsu. A year later, Prince Bo Yan Monet also passed away mysteriously. It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi poisoned Naersu in revenge.
This ambiguous palace secret will naturally not appear in the official history. We can only restore such a story according to the simple narrative of Naersu's life in the official history, the legends of Horqin Grassland and Beijing, and the records in the literature and history materials of Inner Mongolia and Ankang County. But in the official history, there are some clues to prove that this relationship did exist. It is clearly recorded in "Qing De Zong Zhi" that Naersu was made a prince after his death, which is very rare in the Qing Dynasty and does not conform to the regulations. The knighthood in the Qing court was very strict, and even Fu Kang 'an made outstanding achievements in civil and military affairs. Even the man who was rumored to be the illegitimate child of Emperor Qianlong was only posthumously named "King of Yongjia County". However, it is doubtful that Nalsu, who was only the title of Baylor before his death, was inexplicably named as an infinite honorary prince by two levels. Maybe even Empress Dowager Cixi felt a little uncomfortable. At the end of the imperial edict, she added a meaningful sentence, "I can't help you in the future."
In addition, according to common sense, if the eldest son dies before his father, the other sons of the prince will inherit the throne. Nairsu died first, and Bo Yan Monet's title of Prince Bodo should have been inherited by his other son Windusu, but it was directly inherited by Nairsu's son Amurlingkui, which was really counterintuitive.
Perhaps these are the only compensations that Cixi can make to her lover.
Cixi was widowed at the age of 26. In her later years, she experienced the power struggle in the harem, the pain of losing her son, and the national disaster. It is hard to be called a truly "happy" time. Since she listened to politics, people have never stopped speculating about this woman's love life. From eunuchs such as Li, to the powerful minister Rong Lu, and even restaurant staff and "crooked nuts", almost all of them are groundless, but they are all vividly interpreted, which makes Cixi present a distorted face with power. However, the only relationship that can be seen in the official history is with this inexperienced and fledgling Mongolian youth. Cixi in this story is less reckless and more helpless after a hard struggle. After all, she can't even save her lover's life.
Why even if she becomes a woman at the peak of power, love is just an illusion for her.