Preface
During the Tongzhi period, an astonishing court marriage story quietly unfolded, a woman married the Tongzhi Emperor with her niece. However, the strange thing is that although her niece was named queen, she could only be named a concubine, but she actually lived to the Republic of China era in later years. The legendary life of this woman makes people want to explore what she experienced in court life and history.
This article will delve into the trajectory of this woman's marriage and her relationship with the Tongzhi Emperor, revealing her bitterness and tenacity behind the title. Through the tracing of history, we will restore her court life and later years, and deeply analyze how she survived in the palace conspiracy and how she lived to the Republic of China in the changing historical period.
Traveling through time, we will feel the ups and downs of this woman and her extraordinary footprints in history. Through in-depth interpretation, we may be able to understand more comprehensively this woman who has spent many stormy years in the court, as well as her tenacity and wisdom in the changing times.
1. When he first entered the court, his aunt and nephew attracted the king's affection
A spring rain in 1854 washed away the dust of the Mongolian steppe and erased the dust of fate for the birth of the Arut clan. This is the daughter of the Minister of Seishan'a, born bright and clean, with an elegant face. She has been carefully cultivated by her father, who is an all-round scholar and martial artist, and she is not only a talented woman, but also a martial arts woman. However, her talent and beauty are not tolerated by this Mongolian tent, and she is eager to show her ambitions.
By chance, the 18-year-old Arut entered the Forbidden City and should be elected to the court to participate in the final round of selection for the Empress Dowager Cixi as the concubine of her only son, Emperor Tongzhi. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her to reach the top of the harem and be watched by thousands of people. In all the previous eliminations, the Arut clan has come out on top. She knows righteousness, is gentle and generous, has both literary brilliance and righteousness, which makes Emperor Tongzhi appreciate.
Finally, at the last level, the outstanding appearance and talent of the Arut clan successfully impressed Emperor Tongzhi. He favored this Mongolian woman with both talent and color, broke the rules and made her a concubine directly, and took the steps of the queen. In the eyes of the Empress Dowager Cixi's celebrants and eunuchs, this is simply unprecedented and extremely inappropriate.
However, the alluring countenance and unparalleled talent of the country and the city made the Arut clan fearless. She was determined to win, and finally did her best, and after death, she stood out among many glamorous show girls and became the most delicate peony.
Second, the palace is in power, and the queen is in a worrying situation
After retiring successfully, the Arut clan finally got her wish and became the queen. However, the court's intrigues did not stop with her coronation. Having lost her father's protection, she was helpless in the palace and gradually felt lonely and timid.
The mother-in-law, the Empress Dowager Cixi, was a woman with a shrewd mind and strong wrists. She is dominant in the political arena, and the government and the opposition are sideways. It's just that she doesn't look down on this daughter-in-law - the queen who doesn't know the rules of the palace is stubborn in her eyes and refuses to change her teachings.
As a result, the Empress Dowager Cixi began to accuse the empress of not being virtuous enough, and even repeatedly proposed to abolish this incompetent woman. As the emperor's biological mother, her words are authoritative and unquestionable. Arut felt that this mother-in-law was stuck in her throat, and she could not sleep well.
Under the repeated persuasion of several clan ministers, the Empress Dowager Cixi's request was not granted. However, the Arut clan knew that they had drifted away and lost the emperor's trust. She could have been surrounded by children and grandchildren, prosperous and wealthy, but now she is alive and jumping on the verge of Yellow Spring.
Third, unfortunately died, and the aunt and nephew were only one step away
However, the good times were short-lived. In 1874, Emperor Tongzhi contracted smallpox and died at the age of 19. The fate of the Arut clan, which seemed to be a momentary glory, was completely disillusioned with the sudden death of the young emperor.
Her nominal position may have improved, but in reality her power has deteriorated. Having lost the protection of the emperor, she was like a thin tree in the palace that she had lost to rely on. Panic all day long, struggling.
Two months later, the young Empress Arut also died with hatred. In the short few years she spent in the palace in her life, the rise and fall of power almost made her rise and fall fatal. She longed for real power in the court during her lifetime, but she was powerless and left in disgrace when her fate turned.
And the fate of her aunt, the imperial concubine Arut, is also bumpy. This three-year-old concubine who is older than the queen is the one with higher qualifications and better talent among the two aunts and nephews. She was very favored when she entered the palace, and she was only one step away from becoming the queen.
However, the power of the palace has been exhausted, so that she has never been able to shake the position of the queen. After the death of Emperor Tongzhi, her nominal status was slightly promoted to a concubine, and later posthumously named an imperial concubine, but she was not a queen after all. The aunt and nephew were originally equal beauties, but after fierce competition, the queen took the lead, but the imperial concubine never managed to level it.
Fourth, widowhood for half a life, the imperial concubine has experienced vicissitudes
The painful blow did not make the imperial concubine sad and decadent. She has chosen an aggressive lifestyle, and although she will never have a chance to ascend to the throne again, she can find a place in the court through her own efforts.
So, from the age of 19, the imperial concubine guarded the palace with perseverance and resilience, and survived the change of dynasties one after another. She experienced the replacement of Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Longyu, as well as the Boxer Rebellion and the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance.
She spent 47 years of her youth watching over this impermanent court and witnessed the fall of the last Qing Dynasty. She could have died early like the queen, but she chose to live strong. Just to repay the loneliness and courage of the girl, and to wait for the long-lasting friendship between aunts and nephews.
Until 1921, when the Republic of China was founded, the imperial concubine died of illness at the age of 64. After experiencing the vicissitudes of the court after the change of two dynasties, she finally became a legendary woman in the stormy Forbidden City, who has endured disasters and perseverance.
What she watched over in this life was not gold, silver and jewelry, nor hypocritical glory, but the sincere aunt and nephew feelings that passed through the years, tightly interlocking and indelible.
epilogue
The fate of the court of the aunt and nephew is full of joys and sorrows. The giant wheel of fate always seems to favor the queen who comes first and comes first, but it snubbs the talented imperial concubine. However, the imperial concubine did not give in, she overcame obstacles and opened her own chapter of life with perseverance.
In the face of the rise and fall of the palace power, how will we guard the memories of each other? In the depths of the palace, the true feelings of the aunt and nephew who once depended on each other and looked at each other with great affection are also the most touching chapters in this ethereal world.