On November 14, 1908, Empress Dowager Cixi, the Lafayette of the late Qing court, issued her last edict: Puyi, nephew of the Guangxu Emperor, took over!
After about an hour, the Guangxu Emperor, who was imprisoned in Yingtai, died and lived only 38 years.
Empress Dowager Cixi did not feel too sad, but thought about whether to "obey the government" after Puyi ascended the throne, but before she could figure out this problem, she suddenly died of illness the next day at the age of 73.
Since the "extermination masters" of the late Qing Dynasty were gone, the father of the new emperor Puyi, that is, Zaifeng, naturally became the actual boss of the Great Qing Dynasty at that time.
On December 2, 1908, Puyi, who was only 3 years old, ascended the throne. Although Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor died just last month, Puyi's enthronement ceremony was still held with high specifications and grades, and it was not simple.
The ceremony lasted for six hours before and after, and the young Xuantong Emperor Puyi also completed various ceremonies in a well-mannered and presentable manner, worthy of being the heir of the royal family, that is, much better than ordinary children.
Of course, after all, he was still a child, and it was impossible to manage the imperial government as soon as he took office, so his father Zaifeng issued a holy decree in the name of Puyi, which probably means:
My son is the current emperor, but I am still young, so I will temporarily manage the affairs of the military state by my father, and everyone will call me the regent Zaifeng, but remember, except for the emperor, you must listen to me!
In a popular phrase, that is: the son became the emperor, and his father took power.
Now that he is in power, Zaifeng will begin to exercise power next. The first thing he did was to get rid of Empress Dowager Cixi's henchman Yuan Shikai.
I have to say that Yuan Da Fat was in power at that time, served as the minister of military aircraft, was in charge of the Beiyang Army, and also formed gangs and factions in the imperial court, formed parties for personal gain, helped Empress Dowager Cixi get rid of the Restoration faction in the Reform Law, and also overthrew Zaifeng's brother Guangxu Emperor.
Therefore, Zaifeng had to take revenge, of course, Zaifeng also had to get rid of Yuan Shikai, a powerful political enemy, in order to protect his own interests.
However, Yuan Shikai had already thought of this, and he knew the time as Junjie, united with many ministers to fully support the new emperor Puyi, and also fawned and showed loyalty in various ways.
However, the regent Zaifeng was not so soft-hearted, and he knew that if he didn't get rid of Yuan Shikai quickly, then he would be under a lot of pressure later. Therefore, Zaifeng planned to fabricate charges and put Yuan Shikai to death.
However, the royal nobles and courtiers advised not to kill Yuan Shikai, in case he died, the Beiyang army under his command rebelled together, and the Qing court would be in danger.
At the same time, Zhang Zhidong, a Han man, the last supreme civil official of the late Qing Dynasty, did not agree to kill Yuan Shikai, on the grounds that the Beiyang Army still needed Yuan Shikai to stabilize.
After thinking about it again, Zaifeng listened to everyone's opinions and did not kill Yuan Shikai, but let him return to his hometown in Henan to recuperate on the grounds that Yuan Shikai suffered from a "foot disease".
As soon as Yuan Shikai heard this, he knew that Zaifeng did not dare to come hard, so he naturally accepted this decision and went home leisurely. Just as he left the palace, he glanced back at the city wall thoughtfully, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if to say: I, Yuan Da Fatty, will come back!