The history of the Qing Dynasty, a chapter full of changes, ended in destruction. There are differing explanations for the reasons for the fall of the last dynasty of this feudal society. Some people think that the feudal system is lagging behind, while others point to the fact that the feudal small peasant economy cannot match capitalism. However, the fall of the Qing Dynasty was a combination of multiple factors in the social environment, and it was clearly inseparable from the mediocre rule, especially the influence of the Empress Dowager Cixi.
Empress Dowager Cixi's extravagance and pleasure led to the weakening of the Qing Dynasty's forces, which was eventually conquered by foreign enemies and the Japanese. Cixi's extravagant life is well-known, but is there some untold story hidden beneath the extravagant exterior?
The 17-year-old Yehenala clan lives in a declining official family. With a love of reading, she longs to change her destiny. Luck struck, and she was successfully selected for the palace draft, ushering in the opportunity to change her fate. Determined to make a name for herself, through unremitting efforts, she won the favor of the young and beautiful Emperor Xianfeng and became a concubine. However, she was not satisfied with this, she studied Xi diligently, dabbled in military books and poems, and constantly improved herself. When she gave birth to the prince Zaichun, her status went to the next level, becoming Yi Guifei, and even after Emperor Tongzhi ascended the throne, she became the empress dowager, that is, the Empress Dowager Cixi. All this is the result of her wisdom and hard work, and it is also the beginning of her ambition.
However, Empress Dowager Cixi's ambitions were not satisfied with that. Emperor Xianfeng's health was getting weaker and weaker, and there was an invasion of the British and French forces outside, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom uprising inside. Concubine Yi was good at calligraphy, and became Emperor Xianfeng's right-hand man in handling the chapters. She gradually became involved in the affairs of the imperial court, and began to win the hearts of the people and cultivate her own power. Empress Dowager Cixi's intrigues reached their climax in 1861, when Emperor Xianfeng died of illness, and she consolidated her power in the court, assisting the 8-year-old Tongzhi Emperor to ascend to the throne of Empress Dowager. Her ambitions began to swell at this moment.
In the Xinyou coup d'état of 1861, Empress Dowager Cixi conspired with Prince Gong to eliminate the Eight Ministers, so that all power was concentrated in the hands of her and Empress Dowager Ci'an. However, her road to autocratic power was not all smooth sailing, and the eight ministers left by Emperor Xianfeng in advance became a major problem for her, and at this time her ambitions began to be gradually questioned by the outside world.
Some time after the Empress Dowager Cixi, she was caught in a pregnancy turmoil. Because of her affair with a merchant surnamed Bai, she fears that the matter will be exposed, but she is accidentally mistaken for pregnant, resulting in the execution of a royal doctor. In order to cover up the truth, she found the famous doctor Xue Fuchen to solve the problem of "pregnancy". Xue Fuchen wittily explained the ** of the Empress Dowager Cixi in a way that regulated her qi and blood, and successfully helped her cover up the truth. This medical anecdote became a part of the Empress Dowager Cixi's career of power schemes.
Conclusion:
The historical reputation of the Empress Dowager Cixi is rare and beautiful. She signed treaties that were unfavorable to the country during the period of national crisis, and she enjoyed luxury, which caused public indignation. She has schemed all her life, leaving a deep stain. The life of the last feudal queen is like a picture scroll in history, deeply imprinted in the long river of Chinese history.