Figure | Erdet Wen embroidery
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="162" > preface</h1>
As we all know, in the long feudal history of our country, there is such a woman who dares to challenge the imperial power, she is the lady concubine who openly proposed a divorce appeal to the last emperor Puyi - Wen Xiu.
However, with the parting of Wen Xiu and Puyi, the imperial concubine who got rid of the royal family's subsequent situation is little known. It was not until 1953, because of a 44-year-old woman's last words to her husband, that the past of the former Imperial Princess of the Qing Dynasty was resurfaced...
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="318" > concubine: Puyi "kinged" the embroidery</h1>
On the eighth day of november in the first year of the Qing Dynasty, Wen Xiu was born in the Erdet Mongols in the Eight Banners of the Manchus, but who could have imagined that this girl would become the future Imperial Concubine of the Qing Dynasty.
Wen Xiu's father, Duan Gong, was not pleased with the field, and Zu Yin had to be appointed as the head of the Internal Affairs Office.
After Duan Gong's death, life in Wen Xiu's family was no longer good. Her mother, Jiang, moved to Huashi Hutong outside Chongwen Gate and relied on the income from needlework to barely maintain the family's livelihood.
Wen Xiu has been smart since childhood, looking at things in her eyes, she knows her mother's difficulties and understands the hardships of life.
In July 1916, the 8-year-old Wen Xiu, under the scientific name of Fu Yufang, was in the first grade of the private Dunben Primary School in Beijing. Because of her intelligence and quiet temperament, the school teachers liked this girl with a quiet and thick eyebrow.
In school, the homework of Chinese, arithmetic, nature, drawing and music is excellent in each subject.
When Wen Xiu was 12 years old, the warlords in Beijing went to war for many years, and the warlords of the Feng clan also poured into Beijing, social turmoil, political instability, and often defected or electrified independence.
In such a social situation, the most direct influence on the Wenxiu family is the increasingly growing price of goods.
Whether it is a high-ranking official or a commoner, everyone only cares about hoarding goods, and no one buys the embroidery products in The Wenxiu family, and just when the Wenxiu is miserable, a big thing happened and changed her life.
Figure | Love Xinjue Luo Puyi
In 1921, that is, the tenth year of the Republic of China, Puyi, who had abdicated for ten years but still lived in the imperial palace, was fifteen years old. To this end, after some deliberation, the old princes of the Manchu Qing Dynasty believed that "the emperor's spring and autumn have been flourishing, and it is advisable to set the middle palace as soon as possible."
Subsequently, the matter of electing a concubine for Puyi was put on the agenda, and the Qing Palace, which had always been quiet and cold, became busy and lively again because of this matter.
Since the news of the "post-election" came out, puyi's palace was instantly in the city, and there was an endless stream of people coming. Xu Shichang, the current president of the Republic of China, and Zhang Zuolin, the king of the Northeast, both want to climb this family affair.
According to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, there was a restriction that Manchus and Han could not intermarry at that time, and although Puyi had abdicated, he was once an emperor after all, and the emperor's concubines must come from the royal family and the family of the Manchu princes and ministers.
After the election, the emperor will finally "approve", if she likes it, he will give her a jade ruyi, or tie a fragrant lotus bag to the girl's clothes button as a sign of selection.
Figure | Jade Ruyi
Therefore, some people proposed to use the method of picking photos, which was decided by Puyi by drawing circles. Zaitao sent piles of photos into the palace, selected by Puyi and the concubines, and after several eliminations, finally screened out four.
The four selected families were the Mongol prince Yangcang Zabu, the Manchu capital Hengshui, the minister of internal affairs Rongyuan, and the Manchu Erdet clan Duangong, and the photos of these four "show girls" were also determined as candidates.
By chance, Wen Xiu went to the photo studio to take a photo, which was later sent to the Yangxin Hall and became one of the four photos that were later identified.
When Puyi learned that the imperial concubine and the ministers were talking about their big wedding, their hearts were joyful.
Since entering the palace at the age of 3, Puyi has lived in the palace for 12 years, as an emperor, he can give orders to people at will, but because of his age, he still has to be disciplined, and marriage is a sign of a person's adulthood.
Looking at the photo that Zaitao put on the table, Puyi drew a small circle with a pencil on the back of a photo that he looked more pleasing to the eye, and the owner of this photo that he "approved" was Wen Xiu.
Figure | Love Shin Kyora Zaitao
Subsequently, the four photographs were sent to the inner palace and handed over to the three imperial concubines for viewing.
Princess Jingyi expressed her preference for the embroidery chosen by Puyi, while Emperor Duankang wanted Puyi to choose the girl she recommended, that is, the daughter of Guo Buluo Rongyuan of the Manchurian White Banner, Wanrong.
Later, this big wedding about the emperor gradually evolved into a tug-of-war with a long front, and finally the matter was mediated by Princess Ronghui, and the matter was resolved.
As a result, Puyi sealed Wen embroidery as a lady concubine, and the prince and minister began to spare no effort to prepare for the wedding. However, in April of that year, the Zhifeng War broke out in Beijing, and the wedding was suspended for a while, but preparations continued.
Wen Xiu was in the second grade of junior high school when she was selected, and when her mother told her the news, Wen Xiu did not have the joy she imagined, but a frightened and angry expression, she did not want to enter the palace!
Wen Xiu learned from the book that the imperial palace is the center of the struggle between political forces, and the harem is the hell of women's emotions and fate, she hates her own door, and she does not understand what qualifications Puyi, who has abdicated, has to choose a concubine?
Obviously, Wen Xiu's mother did not expect that her daughter would react in this way, so she began to persuade and comfort, Wen Xiu did not want to talk back to her mother, but just leaned over the table and cried. In the end, considering her mother, Wen Xiu still agreed to this matter.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="324" > entering the palace: is it a blessing or a curse? </h1>
On the last day of November 1922, Wen Xiuxian Wanrong was married to the imperial palace one day.
When the embroidered palanquin entered the palace, through the gap in the car curtain, she saw a dazzling yellow, a series of bare courtyards, and the guards standing guard in front of each door, tears could not help but gush out of her eyes, once she entered the royal deep sea, she felt deeply worried about her future.
Puyi lifted the red silk hijab of Wen embroidery, and after seeing this little girl who had just opened her heart but did not understand the style, she was quite satisfied in her heart, and returned to her own Yangxin Hall without saying many words.
After entering the palace, Wen Xiu was often surrounded by a strange and lonely feeling, and she stayed alone in the empty and lifeless hall, like a lively bird being imprisoned in a cage.
Puyi found that Wen embroidery has culture, knows English, and likes to learn new things and new knowledge, so he poured out his heart to her. Puyi felt that this little girl who loved to read would become his confidant and helper at work in the future, and he couldn't help but feel a little joy in his heart.
Wen Xiu liked to learn, so Puyi hired an English teacher for her, as well as a teacher who taught her classical literature and poetry. In this way, Wen Xiu's life was much more fulfilling, and the bitterness when he first entered the palace gradually decreased.
During that time, Puyi often took time to see the embroidery, and the two sat together on many topics to talk about, they talked about the past and the present, expressed their views on current affairs, and even had very fierce arguments.
Not only that, Puyi will also walk in the palace with Wenxiu, and several times he has also eaten with Wenxiu in Chonghua Palace. However, they are not like the newly married Yan'er's little couple, but more like pure and immaculate little brothers and sisters.
Gradually, Wen Xiu treated Puyi more and more unrestrained, and the topics they talked about became more and more extensive. When talking about the reasons for the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Wen Xiu spoke out the ideas in the textbook and blamed it on Cixi's dictatorship.
For this little girl who talked about it, Puyi flashed a look of surprise on her face, and then praised Wen Xiu. Because of the closeness of thought, the conversation between them is very speculative, and there are more and more issues that can be discussed together.
In addition to discussing the issues of politics and the future of the imperial dynasty, Puyi will also take the poems he wrote and sing with the text, such as the following one:
Three poems were embroidered by Shufei
One
The night sitting steps are cold, and the thinking of the king is broken. Ning Tong died a million times, and he would not bear to be divided into two pieces.
If the meaning is here, the sad autumn will gradually be forgotten. Wash the cup and drink freely, and rejoice in the bed.
Second
The servant ben rogue was fortunate to meet Qing Qing, grateful to the old monkey spirit. I am most afraid of not pulling a sentence together, and I am ashamed to blush.
Third
The lights are flashing, the wind is blowing,
The crickets were barking, and I sat on the bed reading a book.
The moon came out, the wind was blowing, and I sat in the courtyard singing.
The moon is out,
She sat in the courtyard (showing) a smiling face.
Suddenly she jumped up and bowed to the moon and me,
One side said: Good clean moon, Come on!
1923, Beijing HENRY (Puyi English name)
From these poems, it can be seen that Puyi is not a secular king, he is also an ordinary person with rich feelings, and because of this, Wenxiu has a new understanding of Puyi.
Puyi can not always accompany WenXiu, in order to adapt to the lonely life in the palace, in addition to reading, Wenxiu has cultivated the hobby of raising flowers.
Once, Puyi could not get out of his body because of the incident, so he wrote a letter to Wen Xiu, which read:
Obscene with lowly qualities, fortunately with green eyes, five senses of inscription, he can win words. One day is gone, like three autumns. Flounder flounder, I am Qingqing, and I am secretly in love. Before the moonlit flowers, hand in hand with travel companions. Willow bank by the river, and sit and talk, you are an idle person, am I half a North Duck Danzi?
Henry was in a hurry
In this way, Wen Xiu, with a beautiful and idyllic mood, clung the letter to his chest and fell into a blissful intoxication. However, in the middle of the palace, Wen Xiu was still too happy too soon.
Later, a theft occurred in the palace, Puyi personally participated in the trial, and even moved a major punishment, and the eunuch did not confess. Subsequently, the Jianfu Palace suddenly burst into flames that night.
In this regard, Puyi suspected that the fire was premeditated, in order to cover up the theft, after this incident, Puyi's psychology has changed a lot, and there is no leisure to continue to wander and have fun.
Figure | Jianfu Palace
Therefore, Puyi sent away the eunuchs on duty in the Yangxin Hall, and he decided to choose a reliable person to stay by his side, and the last person to be selected was Wanrong.
In addition to Wen Xiu's invitation to Puyi, the two rarely saw each other again. For this reason, Wen Xiu was very depressed, locking himself in the deep palace all day, and could only watch Puyi and Wanrong stay together every day.
With great pain, Wen Xiu is even more desperate for the deep palace she is in, and there are many things she can't be sure of, such as her future fate...
On November 5, 1924, Feng Yuxiang launched the "Forced Palace Incident" and sent someone to send the "Amendment to the Preferential Conditions for The Clearance Room", which Puyi signed, and in this document it was impressively written:
"Grand Presidential Directive
Send Lu Zhonglin and Zhang Bi to negotiate the amendment of the preferential conditions of the Qing Room, and this order.
November 5, 13th year of the Republic of China
Acting Premier Huang Gao of the State Council...
Revised the preferential conditions for clearing rooms
Today, because the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty wants to implement the spirit of the Republic of The Five Nationalities and does not want to violate the various systems of the Republic of China still exists today, hereby amend the preferential conditions for the Qing Dynasty as follows:
Figure | Feng Yuxiang
Article 1: The Emperor Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty shall permanently abolish the title of Emperor with immediate effect and enjoy all the same rights as the people of the Republic of China in law;
Article 2: After the amendment of these Conditions, the government of the Republic of China shall subsidize the Qing households with 500,000 yuan every year, and specially spend 2 million yuan to open a factory for the poor people in Beijing, so as to first take in the poor people of the flag nationality;
Article 3: The Qing Dynasty shall, in accordance with Article 3 of the original preferential conditions, be removed from the official ban on the same day and freely choose to live thereafter, but the Government of the Republic of China shall still bear the responsibility of protection;
Article 4: The tombs of the Qing Dynasty's ancestral temples shall always be enshrined and properly protected by the Republic of China at its discretion;
Article 5: The private property of the Qing Dynasty shall be fully enjoyed by the Qing Dynasty, and the Government of the Republic of China shall be specially protected, and all its public property shall belong to the Government of the Republic of China.
November 5, 13th Year of the Republic of China"
In these provisions, the time limit for removing from the official ban on the same day is three hours. Within three hours, they must all move out of the palace!
Wen Xiu also read the "Amendment to the Preferential Conditions for the Qing Dynasty", which particularly reassured her that "the Emperor Xuantong of the Great Qing Dynasty will forever abolish the title of Emperor from now on, and enjoy all treaties on the same basis as the citizens of the Republic of China in law".
In this way, Puyi is no longer the emperor, just an ordinary legal citizen like everyone else, and Wenxiu is no longer a concubine with a low level of grace, which is why her mood is much calmer.
Figure | Puyi, Wen embroidery and grace
On the afternoon of November 5, 1924, Puyi, the Empress, and the Imperial Concubine, with 17 retinues, walked out of the palace gate in a mighty way and headed to the Palace of alcohol in Shichahai.
For Puyi and other members of the royal family, leaving the Forbidden City was a disaster, but for Wen Xiu, it was not. She felt that she no longer had to suffer from the dignity and inferiority of the queen concubines and the loneliness of the palace, and could equally advise her husband.
However, things are not as simple as Wen Xiu imagined.
In the palace, every door was guarded by soldiers, and the people in the palace were not allowed to enter and leave at will, and everyone was in a state of panic and fear, and Wen Xiu also felt this.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="350" > after parting ways with Puyi, it eventually returned to the ordinary</h1>
However, the royal palace is not a place to stay for a long time after all.
On February 24, 1925, Puyi, who decided to rely on Japanese external forces to achieve restoration, disguised himself as a businessman, secretly sneaked into Tianjin by train, and temporarily lived in Zhangyuan and Jingyuan.
Figure | Puyi, Wanrong and foreigners take a group photo in Tianjin
In the face of Puyi's collusion with the Japanese, Wenxiu repeatedly persuaded him to restrain himself from the cliff in time, but Puyi did not listen to the advice, and therefore hated wenxiu more and more. At the same time, the contradiction between Wen Xiu and Wan Rong is also constantly intensifying.
Figure | Embroidery and grace
Later, Wen Xiu learned that in the "National Law of the Republic of China" promulgated by the government of the Republic of China, there was a regulation on marriage and family relations, and learned that the embroidery of this law was a treasure, and decided to fight for his right to personal freedom.
In the autumn of 1931, Wen Xiu, who had moved to the Tianjin Concession with Puyi, secretly ran away from Jingyuan and sent a lawyer's letter to Puyi through a lawyer hired in advance, requesting a divorce.
Wen Xiu's lawyer's letter reads:
For nine years, the emperor was not fortunate; he was alone and embraced, and the tears flowed. It was abused and unbearable. I hereby ask for another residence. Pu should go once a month for a number of days to practice cohabitation. Otherwise, we can only meet in court.
Although the Qing court at this time has long ceased to exist, in the thousands of years of Chinese imperial history, Wen Xiu was the first concubine who dared to publicly divorce the emperor, and once the case spread, it soon caused great shock in all walks of life.
Considering that once the lawsuit is concluded, it will damage the image of the Qing Emperor, Puyi made it clear that this matter must be resolved privately.
Figure | Divorce reports
Finally, after many bargains between the two parties, Puyi, through judicial mediation, paid Wenxiu 55,000 yuan in alimony at one time and agreed to dissolve the marriage.
At this point, the marriage between WenXiu and Puyi came to an end, and Wenxiu truly gained freedom.
Figure | Divorce agreement
In 1932, Wen Xiu restored her original name to Fu Yufang and became a teacher at a primary school in Beiping, teaching mandarin and drawing, which became her first career after leaving Puyi.
A year later, Wen Xiu's identity was exposed, and the matter of "the imperial concubine as a teacher" was full of storms for a while, and Wen Xiu had to resign and live in seclusion in Liu Hai Hutong.
Until the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Puyi was imprisoned, and Wen Xiu chose to marry an ordinary person with an unknown name, this person was liu Zhendong, a veteran, and lived a normal life ever since.
After liberation, Liu Zhendong, because he had previously served as a major officer of the Kuomintang, was later reviewed by the organization because he had made great contributions in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and returned home after two months of exhortation.
After the founding of New China, Liu Zhendong worked in the cleaning team, and his wife Wenxiu and his wife Wenxiu lived a life of poverty in a 10-square-meter house.
After getting married, Wen Xiu never mentioned her past experience to her husband, and Liu Zhendong felt that she might be a lady of the landlord's family, but she never asked too much.
In 1953, Wen Xiu died of a myocardial infarction. Before dying, Wen Xiu revealed her identity to her husband: she was a former imperial concubine of the Qing Dynasty, a concubine of the last emperor Puyi.
For the death of his wife, Liu Zhendong was deeply sad in his heart, he could not believe that his wife was the former Manchu Qinggege, with a sad feeling, he buried his wife, and never remarried.
In this way, Wen Xiu passed away peacefully and safely completed her 44-year short life.
Later, when recalling Wenxiu, Puyi said with great emotion: "Wenxiu and I filed for divorce in Tianjin, and at that time I was very confused in my thinking, and I tried every means to stop it. Now that I think about it, fortunately it was a divorce at that time, otherwise, her fate would not have been better than Wanrong's..."
As the last imperial concubine who was poisoned by feudal thought, perhaps from the moment Wen Xiu entered the palace, she began the legend of her life. She could abandon her status as an imperial concubine and all the honors that followed, but She could not.
Looking back at Wen Xiu's life, she experienced prosperity, fought for freedom, and finally returned to the ordinary, spending the rest of her life simply and happily in an ordinary relationship.
Figure | Wen embroidery after divorcing Puyi
History always makes people sigh, I think, the life of Wen Xiu, sorrow and happiness are together.