Proud of death, she held her head high
One day in August 1900, the Empress Dowager Cixi reprimanded and ordered Concubine Zhen to commit suicide by throwing herself into a well. The atmosphere was tense and silent, and everyone held their breath as if the air had been frozen.
Concubine Zhen behaved calmly and calmly, she didn't say much, just walked to the mouth of the well with her head held high, and then threw herself into the well with her head down, ending her life at the age of only 24.
Concubine Zhen, the woman who made Emperor Guangxu fall in love at first sight, was smart, beautiful, and versatile, good at singing and dancing, and better at calligraphy, and her handwriting was like flowing water, which fascinated Emperor Guangxu deeply.
When the Empress Dowager Cixi first entered the palace, she was also attracted by her innocent and lively personality, and praised her for bringing vitality and vitality to the deserted harem, which filled the harem with laughter.
For Emperor Guangxu, Concubine Zhen was not only his lover, but also his confidant, and his revolutionary comrade-in-arms, and she was the only one who could understand his heart.
The affection between them transcended the love between men and women, and became a like-minded ally, bringing solace and happiness to the Guangxu Emperor. However, due to Concubine Zhen's favor, Emperor Guangxu snubbed the unattractive Empress Longyu, which made Longyu full of hatred for Concubine Zhen.
You must know that Empress Longyu is Cixi's own niece, which makes Cixi also dissatisfied with Concubine Zhen.
In 1894, the Sino-Japanese War broke out, and the defeat of the Qing Dynasty plunged Emperor Guangxu into deep depression. He realized that only through reform and reform could the country change its poverty and backwardness and move towards prosperity and strength.
And Concubine Zhen, a woman educated in new ideas, is a supporter of this change. However, her firm stance was undoubtedly challenging the old forces led by Cixi, which made Cixi hate Concubine Zhen to the core.
The failure of the Wuxu Reform, coupled with Concubine Zhen's many violations, violated the interests of Cixi and others, and made Concubine Zhen fall into a situation from which she could never recover.
At the critical juncture when the Eight-Nation Alliance was about to invade Beijing, Cixi's mind was not about how to resist foreign enemies and defend the country, but was busy preparing to escape. Before escaping, she ignored Concubine Zhen in the cold palace and pretended to say to her: "The foreigners are coming soon, hurry up and change your clothes and leave." ”
Concubine Zhen insisted that the emperor and herself should stay and try to negotiate with foreigners to safeguard the overall situation of the country. These words touched Cixi's sore spot, and she was furious and loudly accused Concubine Zhen: "You slut, you dare to talk nonsense when you are dying."
Come on, throw this slut into the well. Despite Concubine Zhen's best defense, Cixi could not accept any rebuttal, and she roared and ordered the eunuch Cui Yugui and the palace queen Dehuan to drag Concubine Zhen to the well, and despite Concubine Zhen's struggles, she was thrown headfirst into the well, and immediately blocked the well.
The core idea of the new copy: At the critical juncture of the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance, Cixi thought of fleeing, regardless of the life and death of Concubine Zhen, insisting that she should flee, while Concubine Zhen thought that the emperor and herself should stay and tried to negotiate with the foreigners.
Cixi could not listen to Concubine Zhen's arguments, and finally ordered Concubine Zhen to be thrown into the well and the mouth of the well was blocked.
Another version of the death of Zhenfeijing stems from the father of the last emperor, Puyi, Zaifeng, who personally experienced and witnessed the tragedy. According to Zaifeng's recollections, Concubine Zhen was a woman who adhered to her integrity and was not afraid of life and death.
The Empress Dowager Cixi said to her, "The foreigners are about to invade, and as a guilty person, you can't leave with them." If you stay here, you will be young and beautiful, and you may be humiliated by foreigners and disgraced by your ancestors.
Therefore, the best choice is to commit suicide, die for the country, save your name, and make the emperor feel at ease. At that time, Cixi pointed to the well, and the scene was silent, and the atmosphere was so tense that it was breathless.
Then, with her head held high, without saying a word, Concubine Zhen silently walked to the mouth of the well and jumped down head-down. With a loud bang, a generation of imperial concubines left.