In 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty died at the Age of 31 at the Chengde Summer Resort in Rehe. After the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, he left his 6-year-old son Zaichun and more than 60 harem concubines. A very important problem arose, the Xianfeng Emperor was only in his early 30s, just in his prime. Well, there were many problems with the Xianfeng Emperor's body. After the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, the helmsman of the Qing Empire became Empress Dowager Cixi. In this woman's hands, the Great Qing Dynasty was already full of holes.
First, the Xianfeng Emperor's health was not good, and he was very
First of all, let's talk about the problem of the Xianfeng Emperor's lust. The Xianfeng Emperor was supposed to be the most lustful of all the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, and his lustfulness exceeded that of his grandfather Qianlong. According to the rules of the Qing Dynasty, girls of the right age in the Eight Banners of Manchuria were required to participate in the elective. According to tradition, the emperor left a few concubines, and the number would not be too large. However, after the Xianfeng Emperor came to power, in the face of 200 show girls, the Xianfeng Emperor left 62 in one go, and Empress Dowager Cixi was one of them. Thus reliable, the Xianfeng Emperor was indeed lustful. In historical film and television dramas such as "Hanging Curtains and Listening to Politics" and "Burning the Yuanmingyuan", he also turned around to satirize the Xianfeng Emperor's lust. In broad daylight, the Xianfeng Emperor could turn over the signs of harem concubines, and it was almost every day. Due to excessive indulgence, judging from the portrait of the Xianfeng Emperor, the young emperor was very thin. But fate has always been a joke for the Xianfeng Emperor, although the Xianfeng Emperor is lustful, but in total there is only one son, that is, Lan Gui's life zaichun. This Lan Gui was the later Empress Dowager Cixi, and since she was the biological mother of the emperor's eldest son, this was the biggest advantage.
Due to excessive indulgence, the Xianfeng Emperor's physical condition has been bad. The Xianfeng Emperor suffered from congenital asthma, and once the air quality deteriorated, asthma attacked. In order to curb asthma, the Xianfeng Emperor developed the habit of drinking deer blood. But deer blood has many side effects, after the Xianfeng Emperor drank deer blood, he liked to continue to flip the card, and his physical condition naturally became worse and worse. Due to the increasing severity of asthma, the Xianfeng Emperor liked to live in the humid climate and beautiful scenery of the Yuanmingyuan, and would only return to the Forbidden City when dealing with urgent matters. For example, when the Second Opium War broke out, the Xianfeng Emperor lived in the Yuanmingyuan. Seeing the situation expand, he had to return to the Forbidden City. In some wild histories, the Xianfeng Emperor also liked to smoke opium. Of course, regarding this rumor, the Qing Dynasty officials have not recognized it. However, judging from the respective literature, the possibility of the Xianfeng Emperor smoking opium was very high. Coupled with problems such as asthma and excessive indulgence, basically people who are physically strong can't stand it, so it can be seen that the life of the Xianfeng Emperor will not be too long.
Second, the Xianfeng Emperor finally died in Rehe Chengde
With the change of the situation in the Second Opium War, the Anglo-French coalition army has landed in Tianjin, and the situation in Beijing is precarious. Under such circumstances, the Xianfeng Emperor fled with his concubines and courtiers to the Rehe Chengde Mountain Resort. After arriving at Rehe, the Xianfeng Emperor was very uncomfortable with Chengde's life and desperately missed the Yuanmingyuan, but the Yuanmingyuan had been burned. At the time of Rehe, The Xianfeng Emperor's health was always good and bad, and because the negotiations with Britain and France were not over, the Xianfeng Emperor did not dare to return to the capital. In August 1861, it was the height of summer, and the Xianfeng Emperor was unable to survive this summer. When the Xianfeng Emperor died, he was only 31 years old, leaving behind his only son, Zaichun, and more than 60 concubines of all ranks. With only one son, Jae-chun became the only heir. However, Zaichun was only 6 years old, and the Xianfeng Emperor left Behind 8 auxiliary ministers, including Sushun. According to the will of the Xianfeng Emperor, the 8 auxiliary ministers and the two empresses checked each other, forming a perfect model. However, the Xianfeng Emperor ignored the sinister nature of the human heart.
Emperor Xianfeng's younger brother Prince Gong Yi? Very capable, never willing to sit on the cold bench. Empress Dowager Cixi, one of the two empresses, was ambitious and was not willing to succumb to the background. But it was Empress Dowager Ci'an who really had the right to decide, because Empress Dowager Ci'an was the legitimate empress of the Xianfeng Emperor and had a natural advantage. At first, Empress Dowager Ci'an accepted the mode of restraint left by the Xianfeng Emperor. However, Su Shun and other auxiliary ministers were too stubborn, which caused dissatisfaction among Empress Dowager Ci'an. At the instigation and deception of Empress Dowager Cixi, Empress Dowager Ci'an decided to overthrow Sushun and others. Empress Dowager Gong and Prince Gong Yi? At the same time, Su Shun and the others did not react at all. In the end, Su Shun and 3 others were killed, and the era of the auxiliary chancellor ended. The Qing Dynasty entered the mode of Prince Gong's auxiliary government and the two palaces of the empress dowager, and the Tongzhi Emperor was only a puppet. Regarding the story of the Tongzhi Emperor, the author will talk to you slowly tomorrow. It has to be said that the Tongzhi Emperor was as as his father, the Xianfeng Emperor, and more short-lived. Due to the accident of the Tongzhi Emperor, the historical development of the Qing Dynasty changed direction.