Embroidered wedding photos
"Zhendong, my real name is Wen Xiu, and I am the imperial concubine of Emperor Xuantong Puyi."
"If I marry the emperor's wife, my life will be worth it."
Seemingly helpless dissections, seemingly frivolous responses, are the last words left by Wen Xiu and Liu Zhendong in this world before they die.
In this life, is Wen Xiu lucky or unfortunate?
"In the nine years of the emperor, he was not lucky, he was alone, he was sad and tearful, he was abused and unbearable."
A woman who has only nine years of youth, but mixed with great grievances and indignation,
In this way, she seems to be "unlucky".
And this lawyer's letter, which once made Puyi blush and strongly ask for confidentiality, eventually became the laughing stock of posterity.
Only because it not only exposed the truth of the first-ever divorce of the imperial concubine, but also declassified the unknown "hidden disease" of a certain emperor.
Embroidery
When Wen Xiu learned of this, whether there would be a kind of "great revenge to repay" the cheerfulness of the people do not know, we only know,
Since then, she has had the right to "happiness".
In feudal society, the royal marriage contract is always a lock that binds happiness, and when this lock was just put on Wen Xiu's body, she was only 13 years old.
In the movie "The Last Emperor", there is such a scene: a palace person dressed in red clothes of the Qing Palace beats a gong and drum, and joyfully sends the new empress sitting in a palanquin into the Forbidden City.
Subsequently, under the leadership of many palace women, the dressed lady Wenxiu used the imperial concubine etiquette to lure the empress out of the car door and helped her climb the stone steps.
As a film that applied to be shot in the Forbidden City, the director of "The Last Emperor", Bernaldo Bertolucci, was very cautious about it.
The efforts on the set to restore are secondary, and the sincerity of asking Pu Jie and Li Wenda to be consultants does ensure the authenticity of the film.
Left embroidery, right grace
In the big wedding section, they gave the audience a very important message -
When WanRong first entered the palace, the first person to pick her up was not her husband Puyi, but Shufei Wenxiu.
At this time, Wen Xiu only entered the palace one day earlier than the empress.
Thanks to Emperor Puyi for his willingness to organize half of his life into a book for people to read, which allows us to find some clues of embroidery in it.
At the beginning of their story, there is this sentence:
"At that time, I couldn't think of any lifelong events or anything like that, and I didn't have any standards, so I drew a circle with a pencil on a seemingly pleasing photo without thinking."
This "circle" is the embroidery.
Puyi, 15, has some ambitions, but the ivory tower life and the situation of not returning to the past make these ambitions seem a little unsure.
It's just that as the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.
Just as he is at this moment in order to "restore the ancestral inheritance, no selfish feelings" is only hastily drawing a circle of his marriage, but he has drawn the half of the two women's lives into prison.
In fact, according to the traditional custom of choosing concubines in the Qing Dynasty, the embroidery of the yellow flag has more advantages than the grace of the white flag.
However, according to the actual situation, the advantages of literary embroidery are extremely weak.
A group photo of Wen Xiuwan
Wen Xiu's grandfather, Erdete Xizhen, was once an official shangshu from Yipin, and under his shadow, the Erdete family could only be regarded as ranked among the nobles of the late Qing Dynasty.
Because the legacy left by the ancestors is quite rich, Wen Xiu has also lived a few good days,
It's just that the Erdet family is very successful in the official arena, and by her generation, it has declined.
A series of encounters such as the loss of his father at an early age, the demise of the Qing Dynasty, and the division of family property came a bit unexpectedly, so that the whole family lost their measure at the same time, and had to rely on the old money to sit on the mountain and eat the air.
Wen Xiu's mother, Jiang Shi, who has always been well-regarded, has ended up taking three daughters (one of whom is the daughter left behind by her husband's original partner) to work outside to earn a living.
Embroidered cheongsam
Jiang Shi, who was born in the family, is a traditional "small-footed woman", who follows the three from four virtues and strictly abides by the three principles and five constants, but at this moment, he deeply understands the necessity of women's education.
Perhaps it was the new trend of the times that affected this still young mother, who did her best to send her daughter to school despite the pain of life.
This laid a very good foundation for the future "knife and concubine revolution".
On the other hand, the first half of Wanrong's life is a completely different situation.
Grace
When WanRong was born, her father, Guo Buluo Rongyuan, was the minister of internal affairs of the Qing Dynasty at the time, with great power in his hands and financial power in his hands, which can be called a two-pin official and a one-pin official.
And the birth mother and stepmother of this lady are both from the noble character of the Ai XinJue Luo family, which makes WanRong have the qualifications to be superior since birth.
The ups and downs of the outside world could not affect the young lady living in the inner courtyard, even if the revolution in the feudal Qing court was boiling over, the Guo Buluo family could safely invite several English teachers to teach their children.
When puyi was elected, WanRong, who was beautiful in appearance, posture and family, naturally became a candidate recommended by "a certain faction", and the young emperor had no intention of doing this, and he was also resigned to the result.
And the wen embroidery that was first selected by Puyi was based on it
"If you are trapped by the emperor, it is not good to marry someone else"
In the name, he entered the palace and became the lady concubine in name only.
Sometimes I have to lament that the abolition of feudalism is such a lofty and great undertaking.
Gentle old photos
Although two women have already entered the palace, it seems that nothing has changed, the walls of the Vermilion Palace, which have stood for a hundred years, are still dead, and the glazed bricks and tiles also flash the illusion of the imminent demise of the dynasty.
Most importantly, the purpose of their entry into the palace, Puyi, did not love them.
In fact, it is too profound to say that love is a bit too deep, after all, Puyi once said it himself:
"To be honest, I don't know what love is, in others it is an equal couple, in my case, the relationship between husband and wife is the master-slave relationship, and the wives and concubines are the slaves and tools of the king." 」
Puyi
Wen embroidery is a good "tool".
She lived in seclusion on weekdays, living in the exquisite and luxurious Changchun Palace to live her own life in peace, but she was quite obedient, and every morning she had to clean up and greet the empress dowager one by one.
Wen Xiu is very satisfied, after all, the life at this time and the days when there was no food were already one day and one place.
But it is naturally good to live like this.
In October 1924, Feng Yuxiang entered Beijing and launched the "Beijing Coup" that was a disaster for Puyi and others. ”
Forced to leave the court where he had lived since childhood, Puyi was quite angry, but the situation forced him to hide in Tibet for several months and then live in Zhangyuan in the Tianjin concession.
Puyi and the foreign minister took a group photo in front of Zhang Yuan
It was here that Wen Xiu's life took an unpredictable turn for the worse.
Of course, this does not mean that her standard of living has declined, but the physical and mental frustration.
At that time, Puyi was full of how to restore the glory of the past, he could not see the external wind and fire to save the survival of the movement, but also ignored the countless people to get rid of the feudal loud voice, but also forgot what the old ancestor said:
"It is in the interest of seeking skin with the tiger."
In the 7 years of Tianjin, the deposed emperor of the Qing Dynasty repeatedly pulled with various forces, mostly for the sake of becoming famous and blackmailing the Son of Heaven to order the princes.
Among these power organizations, Puyi alone chose the one that should not be chosen the most- Japan.
Puyi court trial scene
When Puyi accepted the Japanese inducement to go to the northeast to become the emperor of the puppet state of Manchukuo, Wen Xiu had been divorcing him for a year.
The reasons for their divorce are complex and simple, no doubt that they have failed to compete for favors, have been reprimanded for their advice, and have been held high and low.
Puyi once described the relationship between Wenxiu and Wanrong in "The First Half of My Life":
"WanRong bought something, Wen Embroidery must also be." I bought it for Wen Xiu, and Wanrong must buy it again, and it cost more money, as if it was not enough to show the identity of the empress. Wen Xiu saw that she bought it, and naturally grunted again. ”
How can the small means of competing for favors between women not hide the sharp edge, and the open struggle between WanRong and Wen Embroidery also has to make people sigh: art comes from life.
Wen embroidery left, Wan Rong right
The dispute between the two women made Puyi feel a headache, and he had to make a trade-off in it.
And the bright atmosphere, cheerful personality, fashionable and modern wife wanrong, naturally won a big victory.
However, in fact, Wanrong's victory and Puyi's dislike are not without Wen xiu himself.
Bunji himself is quite disgusted with the Japanese.
Although there are some unspeakable shortcomings in the traditional feudal Chinese education for women, the women cultivated have always been unquestionable in the righteousness of the family and the country.
Unfortunately, the Republic of China is only in the stage of women's participation in politics and enlightenment, and the voice is not weak, and it is even more impossible for a woman like Wen Xiu, who has married into the royal family, to intervene in political affairs.
Despite this, Wen Xiu still couldn't look at the face of the Japanese and Puyi who were very happy.
At first, she only advised her husband that Japan was not credible, and cooperating with him was tantamount to fishing for the moon in the water and seeking skins with tigers.
After repeated failures, she did not hide her thoughts and said bluntly to Puyi, "If you continue like this, sooner or later you will suffer the consequences." ”
And Puyi, from the initial impatience, to the back of the fist and foot addition, and finally to the extent of ignoring her, day by day only with Wan Rong in and out of the pair.
WanRong's birthday, Zhang Yuan's feast, Puyi's reward is like flowing water into the queen's room, Wen embroidery birthday, but only she sits alone, lonely and bitter.
On weekdays, the empress often went out to go shopping, and regardless of money and good products, she entered zhang garden, but she did not have any share of embroidery.
On the seventh of July, Queqiao met, WanRong and Puyi put up a rich feast in the courtyard, raised a glass to drink, and were not happy.
Wen Xiu was finally sad and indignant in the house, and when he picked up the scissors, he stabbed himself in the abdomen...
Although she was finally stopped, the consequences of her doing so were only in exchange for her husband's impatient words:
"What kind of demon she is, it's just a bitter meat plan, don't pay attention to her!"
Puyi Wanrong group photo
At this time, Wen Xiu has long been dead to marriage, but the impact of the outside world has not stopped.
The tiger fell in Pingyang and was bullied by the dog, and the cat was more than the tiger, and the slave who could wait in ZhangYuan had the nature of stepping on the high and holding the low with several hands.
Seeing that Wen Xiu had lost his heart, everyone could sneer in front of her, that is, to eat, wear, live and travel, and it was far less attentive than in the past.
Although the environment in which Wen Xiu grew up was poor, it was also the aristocratic status of zheng'er Bajing, who could bear such insults, and his heart was depressed and sad every day, and the flame of escape was ignited at this moment.
Just when his distant cousin Yu Fen came to see her in the palace, he heard that his sister had suffered such a thing, and proposed a bold plan:
"Divorce!"
When the two big characters came into Puyi's eyes, Wen Xiu had successfully escaped from Zhang Yuan under Wen Shan's response, and the servants who pursued him brought back only a divorce agreement.
Wenxiu divorce report
This directly made Puyi, who has always been arrogant and arrogant, angry and ordered someone to track down where his people were, but Wen xiu had long been hiding with his sister in a lawyer's house, and it seemed that he had an iron heart to divorce.
What made Puyi even more embarrassed was that this matter was actually said out by an unknown mouth the next day, and for a while, he could be said to have lost all face.
The concubine wants to divorce the emperor, which is simply a slippery slope in the eyes of the Qing Dynasty's old ministers.
Out of shame and consideration of his own identity, Puyi originally wanted to consult with Wen Xiuhaosheng, but after several negotiations, Wen Xiu still insisted on divorce, and at this time, the folk had accepted the term "daofei revolution".
Coupled with Wanrong fanning the flames behind him and asking him to agree as soon as possible, Puyi's heart seems to have already made a decision.
Wan Rong Puyi group photo
Just when everyone was wondering what the outcome of this matter would be, he published the newspaper in his personal name:
"Lady Shu left the garden without permission, showing that she violated the ancestral system, removed her original title, and abolished her as a commoner."
However, it was said that it was abolished as a commoner, and everyone knew at that time that at this moment, still supporting the emperor's prestige, it was just Puyi's helpless move to save the last trace of face.
Soon, Wen Xiu regained her freedom with 55,000 yuan of living expenses and some jewelry, and she was like a bird in a cage, and she could finally soar at will.
And the grace that gave her countless stumbling blocks did not end well.
Puyi pushed the responsibility for Wenxiu's divorce on Wanrong, and he believed that it was the latter who chewed his tongue and put pressure on him, which caused him, the emperor, to be so humiliated now.
Perhaps puyi was really a little angry at this time, which made him ignore the words published in the literary embroidery newspaper that "he could not bear the emperor's abuse" and ignored the sadness written in the letter that "the emperor has been an emperor for nine years, and he has not been fortunate".
Wanrong, who had lost her favor, became obsessed with opium smoking, and after a long time of loneliness, she even committed adultery with her guards and gave birth to a son.
And the unbearable nature of this secret story is the degree to which even if it is said through Puyi himself, it will be abridged.
On the other hand, Wen Xiu returned to Beiping with the property obtained from the divorce and changed back to the name she used before she was married, Fu Yufang.
However, there is no impermeable wall in the world, and in addition to leisure, the literary embroidery that restores the identity of civilians also has a day-to-day curious exploration and extortion.
After taking off the cloak of the Imperial Princess, her first identity was that she was a teacher of Chinese studies and painting in the bishop's primary and secondary schools in Fuyou Street.
The second identity is a small worker who sells coolies.
Among them, the world is very different, only because I don't know when Wen Xiu appeared in Beiping's home a group of people dressed in military uniforms, police uniforms, and mixed dresses.
Her identity seemed to be no secret, and everyone wanted to bite a piece of flesh from the hands of this former imperial princess.
55,000 yuan was very impressive at the time, but it could not withstand such a strong robbery, and soon, wen xiu's hands had little money left.
In order to get rid of this situation, she had to hide her name and start working again, you know, after entering the palace, she never did physical work again.
It was not until the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression that Wen Xiu had a chance to breathe, because of her outstanding knowledge and good temperament, she was recommended to the North China Daily newspaper and became a newspaper proofreader.
It was at this time that she met the only lover in her life, Liu Zhendong.
Liu Zhendong is also a typical representative of the salted fish turning over.
He was originally a poor Henan boy, in order to make a living, he entered the army of the Nationalist Army at the age of 17, because of his bravery and good fighting, not afraid of hardships and dangers, plus a little good luck, from a recruit all the way to the major.
When Wen Xiu met him, he was already the manager of the Zhongnanhai warehouse.
Liu Zhendong is enthusiastic and straightforward, steady and responsible, because he has been stationed on the battlefield for many years, and he has not had a relationship in his nearly 40 years, which can be described as clear and clear.
The president of the North China Daily newspaper was fond of these two people and was happy to be this month old, so he introduced the two to each other at a suitable time.
Literary embroidery funny photos
At this time, Wen Xiu was a little hesitant, she could see that this thick man had some thoughts about her, but in addition to rejoicing, she couldn't help but worry.
"Well, if this time is the same as the last time, what if it's good?"
Liu Zhendong could vaguely see the concerns in Wen Xiu's heart, in his opinion, this woman's temperament was elegant, and although her appearance was not beautiful, it was better than being rich and pleasing.
Although he has been a rough man for decades, he is willing to become careful for her.
The influence of the past days on Wenxiu is still too great, and Liu Zhendong's close care day after day makes this woman who has never felt warmth gradually indulge.
In 1947, Wen Xiu married her second husband, and this time without another wife who needed her support, she became a well-deserved protagonist.
The days after marriage are happy, at least Wen Xiu never thought that the original married life can be so comfortable.
Even after the liberation of Peiping, the two were controlled for a period of time because of ideological problems, and even if they had no children in their lives, it did not affect their marriage.
And the phrase "I am the imperial concubine of Emperor Xuantong" did not dare to say it to her husband until Wen Xiu died.
Looking at Liu Zhendong's sad expression mixed with shock, the 44-year-old Erdet Wenxiu smiled helplessly and died in a room of less than 10 square meters in Peichai Hutong in Xicheng.
Her death was not solemn, or even simple.
There is no life wood made of golden silk nan wood, only a coffin made of four wooden boards temporarily pieced together;
There was no fanfare funeral procession, only a silent farewell by the husband and a few co-workers;
There is no luxurious mausoleum, only a small dirt bag outside the Anding Gate in Beijing.
She was gone, and she was still tired of who she had been.
Liu Zhendong did not escape the influence of this identity on him, and that dying sentence was enough to explain the problem.
And the story of Puyi and Wenxiu, in the end, only a meaningless sigh remains:
"Unfortunately, Red Face's life is thin, she only has a life expectancy of more than 40 years."
They are all tragic products of the feudal era, and who is more noble than whom?