In 1900, when the Eight-Nation Alliance was about to invade the Forbidden City, the 24-year-old Concubine Zhen was dragged to the well by the eunuch Cui Yugui and executed. She was not afraid of danger, stared at Cixi and shouted: "I don't deserve to die, the emperor didn't let me die." Suddenly, there was a "plop", and she instantly drowned in the gloomy and cold well water.
The Empress Dowager Cixi was so stunned by Concubine Zhen that she couldn't speak, and her heart was like being blocked by a stone, and it was difficult to eliminate the resentment in her heart for a while.
A concubine died in vain in the palace, or in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, if this matter spreads, it will affect her reputation.
Although Cixi was not afraid, she didn't want to be tongue-in-cheek, so she had to find a step for herself.
So, she grabbed the executive eunuch Cui Yugui and scolded her: "I just asked you to scare Concubine Zhen, you actually pushed her into the well." You have harmed the emperor's concubine, and you should be punished for your crimes. ”
Cui Yugui's face turned pale with fright, and he knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Wronged, Lafayette." I wanted to hold Concubine Zhen, but I didn't, it was Concubine Zhen who jumped into the well by herself. ”
However, Cixi still insisted on his execution.
Cui Yugui didn't want to lose his life because of this, so he hurriedly ran to find his godfather Gui Shen for help.
Who is Gui Shen?He is the younger brother of the Empress Dowager Cixi. After that, after Gui Shen's dredging, Cui Yugui's death penalty could be avoided and it was difficult to escape.
After that, Cui Yugui was deducted and driven out of the palace to fend for himself.
It's just a pity that Concubine Zhen, she is still at the same age as a flower, so she died in vain in the gloomy and cold well.
So, is Concubine Zhen's death self-inflicted or innocent?To decipher this question, we must first understand the source of the joint invasion of the palace by the Eight-Nation Alliance.
At that time, Western missionaries wanted to build a church, and they needed to encroach on the people's fields.
But the fields are the people's grain planting land, and it is too late to protect them, so they are willing to give them up, and they are still giving them to the invaders of the West.
However, due to the incompetence of the Qing **, the people could only huddle together to protect themselves, and they spontaneously organized the "Boxer Rebellion".
At that time, the Qing Dynasty learned that the Boxers were a non-governmental organization that would not fight externally or internally, so they chose to turn a blind eye and indulge the Boxers to grow bigger and bigger.
Unexpectedly, the actions after the Boxer Rebellion became more and more intense, and their missionaries aroused strong resistance from the Western powers.
In fact, the Eight-Nation Alliance had long had ambitions for the Qing Dynasty, and they simply took this opportunity to officially invade the capital.
However, at that time, the various equipment of the Qing Dynasty was not comparable to that of Western countries, and the Boxers were quickly defeated.
At this time, the Eight-Nation Coalition had already tasted the sweetness, and they took advantage of the victory to pursue, first capturing Tianjin, and then attacking Beijing along both sides of the canal.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager Cixi, who held the real power, panicked. She knew very well that the Qing ** would most likely not be able to defeat the Eight-Nation Alliance, so she decided to negotiate peace with the other party.
But today's Eight-Nation Alliance is a winner from any point of view, and they have long coveted the huge wealth of the capital, no matter how Cixi compensates and retreats, it will be useless.
When Cixi saw that the matter had reached the point of no return, she decided to flee first.
After making up her mind, Cixi immediately asked people to prepare the fleeing items and determine the accompanying personnel, in her own words, "escape" is a clever plan to "abandon the car and protect the handsome".
However, before Cixi left the Forbidden City, there was a woman who had to be dealt with first.
If the Eight-Nation Alliance attacks the city, then no one knows what crazy moves these red-eyed foreigners will make.
They have already burned and looted the Old Summer Palace, and it is a matter of minutes to copy this method in the burning of the Forbidden City. The situation is extremely urgent, but Cixi can't take everyone in the palace with her after all.
So, who to take with you?This is actually not a difficult thing for Cixi.
Guangxu is the emperor and Yulong is the queen, and these two people must be brought. The other concubines and relatives were sent back to their mother's homes for refuge, while the eunuchs and palace maids left them to fend for themselves.
However, the Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't rest assured that Concubine Zhen, who had been imprisoned by her for 3 years.
Subsequently, Cixi took a group of people to the Summer Palace of the Cold Palace, and she said to Concubine Zhen directly
The foreigners are about to attack the city, and the situation is extremely urgent. You are young and frivolous, and you are prone to trouble. We need to go out to avoid it, it's inconvenient to take you away.
It's just that I'm worried that if you are unfortunately insulted, you will lose the royal face, and you will be even more sorry for your ancestors. ”
Concubine Zhen didn't know why, she stared at Cixi's face, without fear: "You can go out and avoid it yourself, but the emperor is the king of a country and must stay to maintain the overall situation." ”
This sentence is comparable to a spike, which deeply pierces the bottom line of Cixi's desire to be in power. She immediately changed her face, and scolded with great resentment: "You are dying, and you dare to commit the next crime, and you should be punished for your crimes." ”
Soon, Cixi ordered the eunuch Cui Yugui beside her to drag Concubine Zhen to a nearby well, and Concubine Zhen struggled with all her strength and shouted: "I have not committed a crime that must be killed, the crime is not to death, the emperor did not let me die, I want to see the emperor." ”
Cixi said angrily: "The emperor can't save you when he comes." Just go ahead. ”
At this time, Concubine Zhen still shouted to Emperor Guangxu without giving up, and in an instant, in her last "Your Majesty, I will repay you in the next life", she fell into the gloomy and cold well water.
Fortunately, speaking of history -
This scene about Concubine Zhen's death comes from the eunuch Cui Yugui's own account.
As one of the eunuchs in charge of the Empress Dowager Cixi's close affairs, and a witness to the incident, his credibility is still very high.
In fact, when Concubine Zhen first entered the palace, the Empress Dowager Cixi still liked this beautiful woman, proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and loved to talk and laugh.
There was even a period of time when the "Fu and Shou" calligraphy given by Cixi to the ministers was still written by Concubine Zhen. It can be seen that Cixi recognized Concubine Zhen's talent.
It's a pity that Concubine Zhen is young and vigorous, and although she and Emperor Guangxu have a passion for reform, they seriously despise the ambition of Cixi, the ruler of imperial power.
The Empress Dowager Cixi has been able to hold power for decades because of her courage, skill and the strong support of the powerful people in the DPRK and China for many years.
How could a fledgling person like Concubine Zhen, who has no strategic means and no solid connections to support him, shake it at will.
In the final analysis, Concubine Zhen's death is also a kind of self-defeating moth to the fire.
If she can be low-key in life, even if she doesn't do anything, she will win a big step over the Empress Dowager Cixi in terms of age alone, and her sister Concubine Jin is like this.
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