On December 11, 1915, Yuan Shikai brazenly announced the restoration of the constitutional monarchy, announcing that the enthronement ceremony would be held on New Year's Day of the following year, changing the name of the country to "Chinese Empire" and the era name of "HongXian".
Subsequently, the presidential palace in Zhongnanhai was renamed "Xinhua Palace", and a special preparatory office for the enthronement ceremony was set up, which was run by Zhu Qiling, the minister of internal affairs. As the "enthronement ceremony" drew closer and closer, the crown and dragon robe worn by Yuan Shikai when he ascended the throne were also nervously rushing to make it.
Yuan Shikai and his subordinates
As the saying goes, "One man gets the tao, and the chicken and the dog ascend to heaven." Yuan Shikai was called emperor, and the whole family, young and old, was ecstatic, and the feeling of being an "imperial relative and a relative of the state" was really too good. The happiest is his nine-room aunt, the little wife has become a righteous imperial concubine, and her children have become the crown prince's grandson. In particular, the eldest son, Yuan Keding, seemed to regard himself as a "prince" and played a role in the farce of Yuan Shikai's claim to the throne.
Just when the old and young of the Yuan family were rejoicing, there was a person who looked at Yuan Shikai coldly as the emperor, and she was Yuan Shikai's original wife, Yu Shi. Yu was born into a family of landlords in Huaxian County, Henan, and his father, Yu Qi, was a wealthy local magnate. In 1876, under the arrangement of his parents, Yu married 17-year-old Yuan Shikai, and gave birth to his eldest son Yuan Keding the following year.
Yuan Shikai's aunt and daughters (Yu in the front row)
Although he was born into a landlord family, the Yu clan did not have much culture and did not know how to socialize. With Yuan Shikai's smooth progress, the simple and straightforward Yu Clan was gradually snubbed by her husband, especially after Yuan Shikai began to take concubines, Yu Shi almost became a decoration at home.
Yuan Shikai has successively married a total of nine young and beautiful aunts, although the relationship with the original match is relatively weak, but Yuan Shikai is still a kind person, usually still trying to maintain the status of Yu's original match. All the children of the Yuan family from an early age must be called "Mother" by the Yu clan, and "Mother" by the birth mother.
Yuan Shikai's aunts and wives
Fast forward to the eve of New Year's Day in 1916, when the New Year's Chinese New Year's Eve, the Xinhua Palace was full of lights and bustling, and it was a festive atmosphere. The young and old of the Yuan family dressed in costumes and gathered together to welcome the arrival of the New Year, or rather, waiting for the arrival of the "enthronement ceremony".
The aunts and wives dressed up in flowers and fought for each other, first exchanging new year greetings, and then eating reunion dinner and drinking shou nian wine together. Just as everyone was preparing to eat, they found that Yu Shi had not yet entered the table. The Yuan family has a rule: the protagonist of the family has not arrived, and he cannot move chopsticks. Yuan Shikai hurriedly told the servant to call, and when the food was cold, Yu Shi walked out slowly with his little feet under the support of the servant.
The graceful and luxurious fifth aunt of the Yang clan
After this night, Yu Shi was the empress dowager of the "Mother Yi Tianxia". Yuan Shikai's face was unhappy, and he casually said sarcastically: "I have not yet become an emperor, you have put up the empress's shelf!" Yu Shi immediately turned his lips back and sneered, "Yo, I don't have this blessing!" Tonight is a family banquet I only came out, tomorrow you do any enthronement ceremony, I will never participate! ”
As soon as Yuan Shikai heard this, he became angry: If you don't come, you won't come, is it less of your living treasure? I am in favor of being the emperor of the world, and you are against the will of the people! Don't think about it, if you hadn't married me, would you have today? ”
Yu Shi did not forgive: "Who doesn't know that your so-called public opinion is catty?" I am married to you, even I can't look at it, will others approve of it? Yuan Shikai was furious when he heard this, and the more quarrelsome the two became, the more fierce they became, and everyone rushed to dissuade them.
Chinese New Year's Eve on this day, it took more than 600,000 oceans of dragon robes to be completed and had just been sent to the Xinhua Palace. The Ministry of the Interior then arranged an audition for the "Enthronement Ceremony", which was attended by family members and a small number of close associates, the "Six Gentlemen and Thirteen Taibao".
Yuan Shikai's enthronement ceremony
At 4:00 a.m., Yuan Shikai, dressed in a crown and dragon robe, sat on a dragon chair surrounded by palace maids and accepted the courtesies and worship of the "subjects", and three or four hundred people did not arrive until dawn, except for the "empress dowager" Yu Shi, who was not present.
Yuan Shikai's perverse behavior was strongly resisted by the people of the whole country and was called "a great thief of the country" by the media. On March 22, under strong public pressure, Yuan Shikai was forced to abolish the imperial system and restore the era name of the "Republic of China". On June 6, Yuan Shikai died of illness in grief at the age of 57.
Yu Shi cried out in front of Yuan Shikai's spirit: "You old thing doesn't listen to my advice, I'm really sorry for me!" I also begged so many little wives, raised a large group of children, and threw them at me when they died, telling me what to do? Three years later, Yu Shi also left with her husband.