When it comes to the late Qing government, when it comes to the late Qing empress dowager, we often think of Empress Dowager Cixi, after all, in the late Qing dynasty, she held great power and dominated the fate of the late Qing Dynasty. However, we overlook another important figure, she is also the empress dowager, she also bowed to the government, she is the second empress of the Xianfeng Emperor.
Many people, through some folk rumors and fabricated novels, including some film and television dramas, feel that Empress Dowager Ci'an is a loyal and honest, cowardly, incompetent, and politically talentless woman, so is the actual Empress Dowager Ci'an really like this?
Empress Dowager Ci'an was a Manchurian yellow flag bearer of the Niuhulu clan. In February of the second year of Xianfeng, he entered the palace through the draft, was named a concubine in April, promoted to a noble concubine in May, and was crowned empress in October.
That is to say, she was promoted from concubine to empress of the fourth rank, and in the absence of an heir, it took only six months, and she was also known as the fastest empress in the Qing Dynasty, of course, the most important thing was to rely on the trust and favor of the Xianfeng Emperor.
In July of the eleventh year of Xianfeng, Emperor Xianfeng died, and because Empress Dowager Ci'an had no heirs at that time, Emperor Xianfeng made a testament before his death: to appoint his eldest son Zaichun as crown prince; to appoint the former imperial ministers Zaiyuan, Duanhua, and Jingshou, the university ministers Sushun and the military ministers Mu Yin, Kuangyuan, Duhan, and Jiao Youying to jointly assist Zaichun; to grant empress dowager Niuhulu the "imperial reward" seal representing the power of the mother's world, to grant the crown prince Zaichun the "Tongdaotang" seal to represent the power to unify the world, and to issue "send Zaiyuan and other eight ministers to praise all administrative affairs." "The Lord's Commandment.
The purpose of the Xianfeng Emperor in doing so was actually to suppress The Crown Prince Zaichun's birth mother, Cixi, because the Xianfeng Emperor knew that Cixi was an ambitious woman.
After Xianfeng's death, Zaichun, who was only six years old, took the throne as the later Tongzhi Emperor. ZaiChun's mother, Niu Hulu (Empress Dowager Ci'an) and her biological mother Yehenara (Empress Dowager Cixi), were honored as empress dowagers.
The "Qing History Manuscript, Volume 21, Benji 21" contains: 癸卯, Wen Zongbang, summoned Chen Fuen and Wen Yu to go to the line. Kotatsu, Empress Dowager and Lady of the Crown.
But how could Cixi willingly submit to the rank of Chancellor of The Eight Ministers?
Soon after Xianfeng's death, Cixi instigated Ci'an to launch the Xin You coup. Although the organizers and leaders are both Cixi, let's not overlook the important role of Ci'an. Ci'an was the righteous Empress Yuanzhonggong at that time, the empress dowager at that time, and the master of this coup.
Of course, Cixi worked hard and understood this truth, so she tried every means to shake Empress Dowager Ci'an, and she also knew that at that time, whether it was in terms of seniority, prestige, or influence, she was inferior to Ci'an. Therefore, she knew very well that if this coup was to be foolproof, it would be necessary to win over Ci'an.
The final outcome showed that Cixi's idea was right, and after the coup d'état of Xin You, empress dowager Cixi and Ci'an began to bow to the government. But Ci'an and Cixi are the opposite, Cixi is ambitious, and Empress Dowager Ci'an is the opposite, not interested in power, but it is not that Empress Dowager Ci'an has no political talent.
Under the circumstances at that time, Empress Dowager Ci'an could still suppress Empress Dowager Cixi. Although daily political affairs were handled by Empress Dowager Cixi, the final decision was still in the hands of Empress Dowager Ci'an. Therefore, when Empress Dowager Ci'an was alive, Empress Dowager Cixi had some scruples, because Ci'an was a concubine and Cixi was a concubine. The so-called distinction between concubines and concubines was also the same in the Qing Dynasty, where the feudal hierarchy was strict. It was precisely because of this that whenever he encountered major state affairs at that time, Cixi had to consult Ci'an's opinion and never dared to advocate without authorization.
It is recorded in the "Afterwords of the Qing Palace": "The Eastern Palace is superior to virtue, and the Great Reward is the Lord; the Western Palace is superior to the talent, and judges the reading of the chapter, and summons the right time to consult the pros and cons."
In addition to her political talents, Empress Dowager Ci'an also knew how to distinguish between rewards and punishments. It is mentioned in the "Notes on Yong Di" that He Guiqing, the governor of Liangjiang, who had lost his land in the city and escaped from the battle, sent the arrogant and greedy Sheng Bao to prison and gave him the titles of Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Li Hongzhang, all out of the will of Ci'an.
It can also be seen from this incident that Empress Dowager Ci'an has clear rewards and punishments, and those who have had the past are punished and those who have meritorious deeds are rewarded. Then, for Empress Dowager Ci'an's style, it was still affirmed by many people at that time. It is definitely not those folk fictions, as the film and television dramas say, Empress Dowager Ci'an is cowardly and incompetent, and has no political talent.
Many people know that the famous eunuch chief of the late Qing Dynasty, An Dehai, was reprimanded, and they all know that it was Ding Baozhen, the governor of Shandong, who disposed of it, but they did not know that it was Empress Dowager Ci'an who gave the order in the end!
The Qing Dynasty system was once strict: eunuchs were not allowed to leave the capital, and there was no forgiveness for the perpetrators. An Dehai was Empress Dowager Cixi's confidant eunuch, who was favored by Empress Dowager Cixi and acted recklessly everywhere. In the eighth year of Tongzhi, An Dehai asked Cixi to send him to Jiangnan to buy dragon clothes and obtain permission. He swaggered all the way, making trouble everywhere to make money. Later, when he arrived in Shandong, he was captured by Ding Baozhen.
Ding Baozhen reported the matter to the imperial court, and when Empress Dowager Cixi learned of it, she deliberately took sides. However, Empress Dowager Ci'an still "established her destiny", and as a result, An Dehai was put on the spot to correct the Law. At that time, everyone clapped their hands and said hello and rushed to tell each other.
In the seventh year of Guangxu, Empress Dowager Ci'an, who was only 45 years old and two years younger than Cixi, suddenly died violently in the palace, and the curtain was changed from two palaces to a dictatorship of Empress Dowager Cixi. As for the cause of Empress Dowager Cixi's death, whether it was then or now, there are many speculations, which has become another mystery case in the late Qing Dynasty.
However, according to some wild histories or folk rumors at that time, there are two theories about the cause of Ci'an's death: one is natural illness and the other is Cixi poisoning.
First, let's talk about the first way of saying that natural diseases die. The Records of Emperor Dezong says: "On the ninth day of the first month of the seventh year of Guangxu, he was occasionally infected with a slight boil, and on the tenth day of the first month, he became ill and became severe, and when he was delayed, his thoughts gradually dispersed, and he died. ”
However, this is Empress Dowager Ci'an's "Testament", and it is entirely possible that after Empress Dowager Ci'an's death, Empress Dowager Cixi was arbitrarily reformed, so the authenticity is not strong.
Let's talk about the second theory, he was poisoned by Cixi. According to the Records of the Chongling Transmission, when the Xianfeng Emperor died, he secretly left a testament to Ci'an, asking her to supervise Cixi, and if Cixi "kept to herself, she would have already done so, otherwise Ru could issue this edict and order the courtiers to pass on the will to get rid of it."
In order not to be suppressed by Empress Dowager Ci'an and achieve the purpose of dictatorship and power, Cixi poisoned Empress Dowager Ci'an and poisoned her.
Which of these two statements is the closest to historical truth? The record of "Weng Tonggong's Diary" tells us the answer that is closest to the truth of history!
In the "Diary of Weng Tonggong", two medical histories of Ci'an were recorded, one was in the second year of Tongzhi, and Empress Dowager Ci'an "had a liver-like seizure, could not speak, and was the first Da'an", similar to modern brain ischemia, insufficient brain oxygen supply. Another time was in the eighth year of Tongzhi, when Empress Dowager Ci'an "made old diseases and rebelled against half an hour."
All these circumstances show that Empress Dowager Ci'an should have died of cerebrovascular disease, not empress dowager Cixi! But as soon as Ci'an died, Cixi took sole power, and the fortunes of the Qing Dynasty were coming!
References: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Volume 21, Benji 21, Qing Palace Relics, Records of Emperor Dezong, Diary of Weng Tonggong, etc