Cixi's iron fist, Guangxu's helpless fate.
In order to satisfy her lust for power, Cixi firmly held the Qing dynasty government in her hands. After her son Emperor Tongzhi died of illness, she actually let her four-year-old son Zai Yan succeed him and became Emperor Guangxu. However, the existence of Emperor Guangxu was only a tool for Cixi to manipulate power and scheming, and how unfair it was for a child who was supposed to be under the knees of his parents.
According to historical records, on the night of Guangxu's succession, the weather was cold and the wind was howling. Cixi actually sent someone to wake up Xiao Guangxu in the cold night at nine o'clock, when he was not yet four years old. Ignoring his crying, the visitors forcibly separated him from his parents and brought him into the palace. This scene is like a cruel drama, revealing the miserable childhood of Emperor Guangxu.
Cixi's cruel intervention: severing family affection, humiliating and punishing.
In order to make Emperor Guangxu a puppet emperor at his mercy, Cixi resorted to almost cruel methods. First of all, he broke off family affection, and Cixi issued a decree that Emperor Guangxu's parents and other relatives were not allowed to contact him again. Even the nannies, maids, eunuchs and other staff who once took care of him were all removed as Cixi's henchmen. This practice made Emperor Guangxu lose the familiar face around him at the age of four, and was warned not to miss his relatives anymore, such a confusion is really a huge torture for a child.
The second is humiliation, punishment and intimidation against a young child who is ignorant of the world, in order to destroy his self-esteem and self-confidence. History records Cixi's coercion and temptation of Guangxu, and even punished him with whipping and kneeling on the ground for a long time. This made Emperor Guangxu tremble at Cixi when he was young, and even had extreme fear of thunder and rain. His life was full of fear and pain, and growing up in such an environment, Emperor Guangxu's childhood was undoubtedly a tragic picture.
The emperor was in a luxurious prison: underfed, restricted, and hungry in spirit.
The life of Emperor Guangxu was comparable to a tragedy. Even in the luxurious and splendid palace, he was underfed, restricted, and sometimes unable to preserve even the most basic of self-esteem. It is recorded that Emperor Guangxu was frail and sickly, and was often reluctant to eat because of stomach pain. But even if she proposed to change the food, she was always reproached by Cixi, who reprimanded Emperor Guangxu for knowing how to be thrifty, causing the emperor to dare not mention anything to eat. This made the little emperor often run to the eunuch's room to look for food, and even had to take care of himself, resulting in bleeding fingers and burning hands. This was undoubtedly a serious devastation to the emperor.
Growing up in such an environment can be predictable for a child. Emperor Guangxu's teacher, Weng Tongyi, wrote in his diary: "(On weekdays) the emperor stammers and is timid and afraid of sound, and when it thunders on rainy days, he will shout in fright. Such a life made Emperor Guangxu not only lose the dignity and majesty that a son of heaven should have, but also unable to maintain even the most basic self-esteem.
The Emperor of Learning: The ups and downs in the sea of learning.
Despite the adversity, Emperor Guangxu showed an astonishing enthusiasm for learning Xi. Compared with most children at that time, who didn't like to learn Xi, Emperor Guangxu was extremely enthusiastic. Perhaps because of the lack of care from adults and the play of children of the same age, he found the joy of life in the boring study and Xi. He likes to read, and his teacher, Weng Tongyong, greatly appreciates this.
In the process of learning Xi, Guangxu and Weng Tongyi established a special relationship similar to that of father and son. Once Weng Tongyi asked for leave to return to his hometown, the little emperor was depressed all day long after learning about it, and lost his soul. When Weng Tonggong returned two months later, the little emperor shed tears of joy and said, "I have missed you for a long time. This sincere emotion from the heart also made Weng Tongyi feel extremely moved.
Power strife: The indissoluble bond between Guangxu and Cixi.
However, how could the power-hungry Cixi be willing to surrender the right to rule?At the age of sixteen, Cixi had to let him pro-government. In order to continue the government, she carefully formulated the "Detailed Rules for Discipline and Administration", even if she no longer "listens to the government", she can still hold the imperial power.
However, even if Guangxu was pro-government, he was still elbowed everywhere, and it was difficult to exercise the freedom and right to issue decrees. When choosing the queen, Cixi intervened a lot, and in the end, Guangxu could only marry a queen he didn't like. All of this was a ploy by Cixi to monitor and control the emperor's every move.
Ending: Cixi's Iron Fist, Guangxu's Tragic Song.
Later, under the influence of progressives such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, Emperor Guangxu implemented reforms, and the contradictions with Cixi became increasingly tense. In the end, being betrayed by Yuan Shikai led Guangxu to be imprisoned in Yingtai in the South China Sea, and finally died there, even one day before Cixi. Regarding the cause of Guangxu's death, some studies point out that he died of arsenic poisoning, which is inextricably linked to Cixi.
Throughout the life of Emperor Guangxu, he is really a veritable "emperor of hard life", and he has not lived a comfortable day. He spent a painful and unfortunate life under the iron fist of Cixi, and became the sad song of the dynasty.
Emperor Guangxu: The prince of tragic fate.
Emperor Guangxu's life is like a tragic historical scroll, full of misfortune and helplessness. Cixi's cunning and cruelty had a profound effect on him, transforming him from an ignorant child to a restrained emperor. The essay profoundly depicts Cixi's brutal interference in Emperor Guangxu's childhood, as well as his wanton interference in his pro-government as an adult.
At an early age, Cixi's iron fist made Emperor Guangxu lose the support of family affection and was forced to separate from his family. This is undoubtedly an unbearable blow for a four-year-old child. The article describes the scene of his awakening in the palace, the cold wind raging, the dead of night, full of descriptions of loneliness and helplessness. This scene makes one feel sympathy for the little emperor and reveals the cruelty of Cixi's power schemes.
Cixi's intervention was not only reflected in the severance of family affection, but also in the humiliation and punishment of Emperor Guangxu. Such a move on a child who has not yet understood the world cannot help but make people lament for his childhood. Emperor Guangxu grew up in this environment, unable to be coquettish to his heart's content, and lost the innocence and innocence that should have belonged to him. This made him full of trembling fear of Cixi, and he felt extreme fear of thunder and rain, which became a psychological shadow.
However, despite the difficulties in life, Emperor Guangxu showed an astonishing enthusiasm for learning Xi. He found the joy of life in the sea of learning, and showed an extraordinary desire for knowledge. This may be the pure land he is looking for in the face of adversity, a world where he can escape the iron fist of Cixi. The article describes the special affection between him and his teacher, Weng Tongyong, and this deep relationship between teacher and student has become his spiritual sustenance in the oppressive environment.
With the passage of time, Emperor Guangxu gradually became pro-government under Cixi's power, but Cixi's control over him did not weaken. The article pointed out that he was restricted by Cixi in the selection of concubines and the implementation of law changes, showing his helplessness in court politics. Cixi's machinations even led to his eventual imprisonment in Yingtai, Nanhai, where he died of arsenic poisoning. The tragic ending, and the fate of dying a day before Cixi, made Emperor Guangxu's life full of drama and pathos.
In general, this article profoundly shows the tragic fate he experienced under Cixi's power through the description of Emperor Guangxu's life. From the helplessness and loneliness of childhood, to the restriction of pro-government in adulthood, and finally to a tragic end, Emperor Guangxu's life is a profound reflection on that era, and also a profound revelation of Cixi's iron-fisted rule.
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