She extorted $1 million from Chiang Kai-shek in exchange for the release rights of the two men's secret histories, and Chiang eventually promised to give her $500 a month

On the right is a group photo of Chiang Kai-shek and Chen Jieru

In the 1960s, because of a lack of money, Chen Jieru, with the help of Li Shimin, a teacher who had taught Chiang Kai-shek and her English, wrote a book in English describing the beginning and end of her marriage to Chiang Kai-shek. According to FBI documents, Chen Jieru apparently tried extorting $1 million from Chiang Kai-shek before publishing her secret history. Chiang Kai-shek eventually promised to give her $500 a month.

Chen Jieru's Memoirs, which finally came out in 1992, revealed a "political" version of the marriage and evidence that "The marriage of Chiang Andong was arranged by Song Xialing", the core of which was the meeting between Chiang Kai-shek and Song Xialing on the Jiujiang ship. Chen Jieru described the scene of their meeting: "Mrs. Kong rushed to the scene on the central bank's clipper. Once at the dock, she did not go ashore, stayed on the ship, and sent someone to ask Chiang Kai-shek to come and talk. The two "spent a day and night discussing the political situation" and, of course, talked about specific exchanges of interests — such as marrying Soong Mei-ling, appointing Kong Xiangxi as chief executive, and Soong Ziwen as finance minister, while Chiang Kai-shek could be helped by influence, banknotes, manpower, and prestige.

According to the research, there is another version of this negotiation process, which appears in a biography of Kong Xiangxi, and the general experience is not much different from what Chen Jieru described.

Chiang Kai-shek tricked Chen Jieru into resuming her marriage in just five years, and swore in front of the bodhisattva: "I promise to resume marriage with Jieru and remarry within five years from today." If he breaks his oath, the bodhisattva can punish me and my Nanjing government. If I don't keep my promise to her in 10 to 20 years, the bodhisattva can overthrow my government and keep me from standing in China forever. ”

It was the autumn of 1927, Chen Jieru was far away from the United States, and Chiang Kai-shek, who wanted to do what he wanted at that time, became a slur 22 years later.

——Excerpted from Writers' Digest Bound Edition No. 200

Author: Zhao Yan

Editor: Zhou Yiqian

Editor-in-Charge: Xu Jianzhong

*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.