In 1903, a decree spread throughout the court of the Empress Dowager Cixi, appointing Madame Yu Geng and her two daughters as female officials. Yu Geng was well aware of the sinister nature of the court, but she had no choice but to accept this will.
However, she never expected that something unexpected would happen - Cixi actually set a trap in order to prevent Yu Geng's daughter Deling from contacting Emperor Guangxu.
Yu Geng was a famous diplomat in the late Qing Dynasty, when she married a mixed-race woman as a concubine. Her two daughters, Deling and Rongling, have been proficient in foreign languages since they were young and have followed their father in politics.
In 1902, when the Qing court sent Prince Qing's son Zaizhen to a ceremony in England, he discovered Yu Geng's two daughters. Not only are they outstanding, but they have also studied in Western countries and speak foreign languages fluently. This is exactly what the Empress Dowager Cixi needs.
So, Cixi issued a holy decree and summoned them.
Due to the long-term stationing of De Ling and Rong Ling, their personalities are very different from those of the women of the court. With his excellent language communication skills, Deling was deeply favored by Cixi.
She became Cixi's confidant translator and was also the English teacher of the Guangxu Emperor.
Cixi trusted Deling very much, and often asked her to translate newspapers from various countries to understand the international situation. De Ling became Cixi's personal bodyguard. She broadened Cixi's horizons and even guided Cixi to start using cosmetics introduced by Deling and advanced foreign technology.
In 1904, Deling also invited the American painter Karl to paint a portrait of Cixi. Cixi was so interested in Western culture that she even asked Deling to wear her own clothes as a model. Therefore, only the face in that painting is the real Empress.
In addition to accompanying Cixi, Deling also has an important task:
Accompany Emperor Guangxu to learn English. The two talked freely about heaven and earth, and Emperor Guangxu liked to listen to Deling talk about foreign experiences. De Ling once admired Guangxu because he was smart and open-minded. She once lamented that she had missed the opportunity to become queen.
However, Cixi noticed that De Ling and Guangxu were getting closer and closer, so she tried every means to marry De Ling to someone else.
But how could a highly educated Deling be obedient to Cixi's arrangement?
At the same time, Cixi began to worry that Deling's mother and daughter had too much contact with foreigners, so she had the idea of eliminating the "hidden dangers" around her and preventing her from interacting with Guangxu.
There are many accounts in history, one of which is:
Cixi set a trap and placed a gold watch full of diamonds on the way home of Mrs. Yu Geng. However, Mrs. Yu Geng didn't care and put the gold watch in her bag.
Unexpectedly, she and her two daughters were then brought to Cixi by the governor and finally expelled from the court.
From then on, Deling never had the opportunity to meet Emperor Guangxu again.
In 1944, Deling was killed in a car accident in front of the Carlton Hotel in the United States.
Later generations called her "Princess Deling", and she was an advocate of women and one of the first women to bring Western culture to the Chinese court.
She is a brave woman who dares to change her fate, dare to change her trajectory, and live a wonderful life.
She used her personal experience to record the life of the Empress Dowager Cixi and left an important historical record for future generations.
A woman's life, no matter how long or short, should not be cowardly, should not wronged herself, but should be brave to change her life, change her fate, and live a wonderful life.
