Preface
The death of Emperor Guangxu is a controversial event in history, related to the rise and fall of a dynasty. Was his death a natural death, or was there a man-made conspiracy behind it?
This mystery has puzzled countless historians and researchers for more than a century, however, with the advancement of modern technology, the truth of history may eventually emerge. So, what kind of secret is hidden in this mystery that has puzzled historians for nearly a hundred years?
The mystery of Emperor Guangxu's life
Emperor Guangxu, also known as Zaiyan, was the eleventh emperor of the Qing Dynasty and reigned from 1871 to 1908. His life can be described as magnificent, full of ups and downs and tragedies.
Since he was a child, Guangxu has been weak and has suffered from various diseases all year round. It is recorded that he suffered from spermatozoa from adolescence and had seizures more than ten times a month, and although he later improved, he still had seizures from time to time, especially in winter. This severe kidney deficiency not only made him physically weak, but also mentally tormented.
What's even more cruel is that Guangxu's mental state has not been very good. Before he was imprisoned, he had been under the long-term suppression of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and his spirit was often in a state of tension. When he was in power, he could not do everything to the fullest, and he was also very dissatisfied with his career, and his spirit suffered another blow. All of this led to his physical and mental exhaustion, which led to a variety of complications such as respiratory tract, digestive tract, and neurosis.
It can be said that Guangxu was doomed to a tragic fate from the beginning. As an emperor, he should have enjoyed the best quality medical resources, but because his physical foundation was too weak, even so, it was difficult to cure it. To make matters worse, his diet was also strictly controlled by the Empress Dowager Cixi, who first informed Cixi of any delicious dishes, which she often rejected because she thought it was extravagant and wasteful.
After being imprisoned, Guangxu's situation became even more difficult. In 1908, Du Zhongjun, a famous doctor in Jiangsu, went to Beijing to treat Guangxu, but after seeing Guangxu's illness, his wish was immediately frustrated. Because Guangxu's condition has been delayed for too long and there is no possibility of cure, as long as Du Zhongjun does not make any mistakes in the treatment, it is good to save his life.
It can be said that the mystery of Emperor Guangxu's life is a tragic fate. Since childhood, his body has been weak, and he has been subjected to heavy oppression by Cixi, and finally in captivity, even a normal person cannot be cured of an illness that can not be effectively treated. Such a Guangxu is doomed to a tragic end.
The controversy over Guangxu's death
So, whether Emperor Guangxu died of illness or was killed by others? This question has always puzzled historians. The view that Guangxu only died of illness is mainly based on the following points:
First of all, Emperor Guangxu's physical condition has indeed been very poor. He has been suffering from various diseases for a long time, especially severe kidney deficiency symptoms, which have fundamentally affected his physical health. Coupled with Cixi's strict control over him, his physical condition deteriorated even more. Therefore, the death of Emperor Guangxu was not unexpected, it was just a normal process of death.
Secondly, the Empress Dowager Cixi was also nearly 74 years old at the time, which was already a long life, and her death was normal. Therefore, it is a pure coincidence that Guangxu and Cixi died within 24 hours, because their deaths were predictable.
However, there are also people who believe that Guangxu was killed by someone, and this theory mainly comes from three political enemies: Empress Dowager Cixi, Yuan Shikai, and eunuch Li Lianying. Cixi, Yuan Shikai, and Li Lianying were all political enemies of Guangxu, and they were all afraid of being liquidated by Guangxu, and they didn't want Guangxu to take over the Qing Dynasty alive. However, it is impossible to verify who carried out the poisoning operation.
Modern technology solves mysteries
In order to solve this century-old mystery, since 2003, CCTV, the Qing Xiling Cultural Relics Management Office, the China Institute of Atomic Energy, the Forensic Inspection and Identification Center of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and other units have formed a special research group on the cause of death of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty.
For five years, the experts of the special group used a series of modern professional technical means such as "neutron activation" and "X-ray fluorescence analysis" to repeatedly test and analyze the hair, remains, clothes and environmental samples inside and outside the tomb of Emperor Guangxu.
The results showed that the total amount of arsenic stained on some of his clothes and hair after Guangxu's body was decomposed was as high as about 200 mg, and a normal person would be poisoned to death if he took 60~200 mg of arsenic. It can be inferred from this that the total amount of arsenic in Guangxu's body is even greater than this value, that is, Emperor Guangxu did die of arsenic poisoning.
This conclusion was also confirmed by Qu Guiting, a famous doctor who treated Emperor Guangxu on his deathbed at that time. According to his records, three days before his death, Emperor Guangxu kept rolling on the bed, constantly screaming "my stomach hurts so much", his face was dark, and his tongue was yellow and black, which was obviously a symptom of poisoning.
It can be said that through the analysis of modern science and technology, the cause of Emperor Guangxu's death was finally confirmed, and he was indeed poisoned to death. This conclusion is undoubtedly heart-wrenching, the king of a country actually ended up being poisoned, and the power brought to this poor emperor was painful all his life in addition to going down in history.
Guangxu's political enemies
From the above analysis, it can be seen that Guangxu's three political enemies, the Empress Dowager Cixi, Yuan Shikai, and the eunuch Li Lianying, are all suspected of committing crimes.
The contradiction between the Empress Dowager Cixi and Guangxu can be said to be the most acute. There is a deep grudge between the two, and Cixi has always suppressed Guangxu and prevented him from using his talents.
During Cixi's illness, she was even more afraid that she would die before Guangxu, and that Guangxu would liquidate her and her family after he returned to power. Therefore, some believe that Cixi ordered Guangxu to be poisoned in order to preserve her position and family.
Another suspect is Yuan Shikai. During the Wuxu Reform, Yuan Shikai betrayed Emperor Guangxu to Cixi, which led to the failure of the reform and Guangxu being imprisoned. Later, Yuan Shikai also had the same worries as Cixi, that is, he was afraid of being liquidated. So he bribed the eunuch and finally poisoned Guangxu to death.
There is also a suspect who is the eunuch Li Lianying. According to records, Li Lianying often relied on Cixi's power on weekdays to ruthlessly slander and fool Guangxu. After Cixi fell ill, Li Lianying was also worried that she would be liquidated by Guangxu after Cixi's death, so she made the first move.
It can be said that all three of them have the motive and opportunity to commit the crime. They are all political enemies of Guangxu, and they are all afraid of being liquidated by Guangxu, and they don't want Guangxu to take over the Qing Dynasty alive. But it is impossible to verify who did the poison.
epilogue
The life of Emperor Guangxu can be described as tragic. Since childhood, his body has been weak, and he has been subjected to heavy oppression by Cixi, and finally in captivity, even a normal person cannot be cured of an illness that can not be effectively treated. Such a Guangxu is doomed to a tragic end.
The tragic fate of Emperor Guangxu is undoubtedly a heart-wrenching story. A young emperor should have a bright future, but because of the struggle for power, he ended up being poisoned. This was not only a personal tragedy, but also a tragedy for the entire Qing Dynasty.