On October 21, 1908, the Then 38-year-old Guangxu Emperor died inexplicably, and the next day, the elderly Empress Dowager Cixi also left the world.
At the last moment, Empress Dowager Cixi chose Puyi, the nephew of the Guangxu Emperor, to succeed to the throne.
Since Puyi was only 3 years old, he appointed Puyi's father Zaifeng as regent.
On the day Puyi ascended the throne, the weather was very cold. The 3-year-old Puyi was carried by Zaifeng on the emperor's throne and accepted the congratulations of the civil and military officials.
Puyi watched as the ministers who came in with fish fell to their knees and got up at their feet, listening to the congratulatory messages that they could not understand at all, coupled with the bad emotions caused by the cold weather; as a young man, he finally lost his patience, cried loudly, and made a fuss about going home.
His father, the regent Zaifeng, knelt under the throne of Jinluan and pressed Puyi with both hands, trying to prevent him from moving around in order to keep the royal etiquette running smoothly.
However, as soon as the child began to cry, he could not stop it. Seeing that Puyi was getting more and more fierce, struggling back and forth, tossing and turning; in the cold weather, Zaifeng was so anxious that his body was sweating, and he did not dare to move, so he had to blindly support Puyi's legs and let him keep quiet.
In the end, Puyi was really crying too much, shouting: "I want to go home." Zaifeng, who usually didn't speak very sharply, was sweating profusely and exhorting without hesitation: "Don't cry!" Don't cry! Almost, almost finished! It's almost over! ”
These words made the ministers of culture and military affairs who came to congratulate the new emperor feel very frightened.
The words of Zaifeng's father and son were too unlucky for the feudal and superstitious Qing Dynasty ministers at that time, and it could be said to be an ominous omen. How can you say "it's almost over"? What does the new emperor mean when he says, "I want to go home?"? What kind of fate does this indicate for the Qing Empire?
The ministers whispered in each other's ears; they were worried and sighed long and short: Alas, providence is so, and it seems that Daqing is really coming to an end!
Three years later, on October 10, 1911, the first gunshots rang out in Wuchang City, and the Qing Empire was really over.