In the depths of the Qing Palace, as a low bell rang, the night of the Forbidden City became even heavier. The palace lights were dim, and the cold wind howled in the corridors, as if telling of the impending changes. In this historic palace, everything seems to be quietly waiting for an important moment.
Empress Dowager Cixi, the strongwoman who has controlled the Qing Dynasty for decades, the sand of her life is slowly flowing out. In her bedroom, the candlelight flickered, reflecting her increasingly thin face. The palace ladies and eunuchs had sorrow on their faces, and they walked lightly for fear of disturbing the old man who was about to die.
In the last weeks of her life, Cixi struggled to survive on bowls of hot Wang Ba soup. In the dead of night, she would quietly pick up the bowl of soup and sip it carefully. She knew it was just a final battle with death, but she didn't want to give up.
The magnificence and hidden worries of Cixi's birthday banquet.
In her later years, the Empress Dowager Cixi was at the peak of luxury and power in the late Qing Dynasty, and her life not only reflected the grandeur of the royal family, but also showed the love of an old man for birthday celebrations. Each of her birthday banquets was an important event in the Qing court, not only a personal celebration of her, but also a display of imperial power.
At Cixi's 73rd birthday banquet, the court specially prepared an unprecedented feast. In order to satisfy Cixi, the palace specially invited dozens of top chefs from the capital's famous restaurants to gather together, and they each excelled in different culinary skills, representing the highest level of cooking at that time. The chefs entered the palace a few days in advance and began the elaborate preparation and cooking.
On the day of the banquet, the entire palace was newly decorated, and a variety of dishes filled the long banquet table. From delicacies from the sea and the mountains to a variety of vegetarian dishes, from exquisite dim sum to a variety of pastries, there are more than 100 kinds of dishes to choose from. Each dish is made with carefully selected ingredients, and through the craftsmanship of the craftsmen, it is transformed into a delicious dish with both taste and taste.
The Empress Dowager Cixi was dressed in a gorgeous dragon robe, smiling and sitting on the seat of the guest of honor, and all this in front of her undoubtedly made her feel very satisfied. The guests competed to toast and celebrate their birthdays, and the palace maids and eunuchs were busy pouring wine and serving food for the guests. At the banquet, the band played melodious music, and the whole atmosphere was both solemn and festive.
At the banquet, the Empress Dowager Cixi tasted a variety of dishes, especially greasy meat dishes. Delicate meat delicacies, such as roast lamb shank, braised bear's paw, and duck tongue with sauce, were all loved by Cixi. Under the persuasion of everyone, she continued to taste these delicacies, although she was very particular about her diet on weekdays, but on such a festive day, she inevitably indulged a little and ate a few more bites.
As the banquet progressed, the atmosphere became more and more enthusiastic, and Cixi's smile became brighter and brighter. With singing and laughter, the banquet reached its climax. But behind this joy, there are hidden dangers to health.
Unexpected onset of illness with**.
The day after the birthday party, the morning in the Forbidden City was still bathed in the frost of the morning. When the Empress Dowager Cixi woke up, she felt a chill hit her. Although the costume she wore at the banquet was gorgeous, it looked too thin in the cold wind, especially when she took pictures by the lakeside, and the cold wind blew directly on her body. At this time, her body was no longer as resistant to the cold as it was when she was younger.
The eunuchs noticed that Cixi's face was not good, and they immediately got busy. Cixi said slowly: "Go, ask the imperial doctor to take a look." Her voice was slightly weak, a far cry from the majesty of the past.
The imperial physicians in the palace were urgently summoned, and they carefully checked Cixi's pulse. After some careful examination, the imperial doctors turned their heads and ears, and their faces were solemn. They diagnosed the Empress Dowager Cixi with dysentery, possibly due to careless eating and drinking at the banquet and cold winds.
Old lady, you need to rest well and take some medicine to recuperate. The Imperial Physician said in a trembling voice, his hands trembling involuntarily as he took Cixi's pulse.
Immediately afterwards, a series of ** began in the palace. Cixi's dormitory was turned into a makeshift ward, and the imperial physicians prepared several doses of typhoid medicine in the hope of alleviating her illness. However, as time passed, Cixi's condition did not improve, but worsened. Her prolonged dehydration and physical depletion made her already weak body even more overwhelmed.
During this period, the atmosphere in the palace became more and more oppressive. Everyone's face was full of worry, and the health of the Empress Dowager Cixi touched the hearts of the entire court. The palace ladies traveled back and forth lightly, bringing medicinal soup and food to Cixi. But Cixi's interest in food has diminished, and the delicacies of the past seem to have lost their appeal in her eyes.
Old lady, please try to eat more. A palace maid cautiously advised Cixi, holding a carefully boiled chicken soup in her hand.
Cixi shook her head weakly, she just wanted to rest quietly at the moment. The imperial physicians in the palace began to try more methods, from traditional Chinese medicine to Western medical methods, and they tried to find a way to alleviate Cixi's illness. But no matter how hard they tried, Cixi's health did not seem to improve significantly.
Seek medical treatment and try to replenish with Wang Ba Tang.
As Empress Dowager Cixi's illness worsened, the atmosphere in the palace became more and more tense. The imperial doctors surrounded Cixi's sickbed and studied various ** plans day and night. They collected home remedies from the people and also introduced Western medicine, hoping to find a way to save Cixi. Medicine bottles, inkstones, and pestles became common objects in Cixi's dormitory, and the smell of medicinal incense and herbs filled the air.
Every day, according to the instructions of the imperial doctor, the eunuchs would prepare various medicinal meals and supplements and send them to Cixi's bedside. Cixi's diet became extremely simple, and most of the time, she could only rely on a few liquids and medicinal decoctions to survive. Among them, the most common is the so-called "Wang Ba Soup", a nourishing soup with soft-shelled turtle as the main ingredient. Soft-shelled turtles are believed to have the miraculous effect of prolonging life, and this has become the hope of Cixi and her attendants.
Whenever the eunuch entered Cixi's dormitory with hot Wang Ba soup, Cixi would say in a weak voice: "Put the soup on the table, and I will come by myself." Even though her hands trembled, she insisted on bringing the potion to her mouth herself.
As time passed, Cixi's body became thinner and thinner, and her once red-faced face became haggard, **dry, and her eyes revealed exhaustion. She also gradually lost her ability to walk and was bedridden most of the time. The ladies and eunuchs were always by her side, preparing all the necessary items to ensure that Cixi could be cared for in the best possible way.
The atmosphere in the palace is getting heavier and heavier, and everyone is silently praying that Cixi can **. In this case, the daily activities in the palace almost came to a standstill, and everyone's attention was focused on Cixi's condition. From time to time, messengers from outside the palace would bring some so-called miracle medicines, but most of them failed to have a noticeable effect.
Cixi's maid Xiaolan asked softly, "Old lady, do you need anything else?" Cixi shook her head, signaling that she didn't need to say more.
Although Cixi's condition had some ups and downs during this difficult time, her overall physical condition was gradually deteriorating. Although Wang Ba Tang provided her with some nutrients, it was far from enough to improve her overall health.
The last days of life.
With the passage of time, the late autumn of 1908 has arrived. Fallen leaves piled up on the roofs of the Forbidden City, and the cold wind blew, bringing bursts of coolness. On November 14, the Empress Dowager Cixi insisted on going to Yingtai after taking care of her sickbed, which was her last public appearance as the Empress Dowager.
Cixi was helped to move slowly, and every step seemed extremely difficult. The palace ladies and eunuchs carefully supported her, for fear that something would go wrong. When he arrived at Yingtai, Emperor Guangxu was already waiting there. When Emperor Guangxu saw Cixi's appearance, he couldn't help but show a trace of worry. Cixi and Emperor Guangxu sat opposite each other, although they didn't say much, but this meeting had a special meaning in the hearts of both of them.
After the meeting, the Empress Dowager Cixi returned to her dormitory. She knew that her time was running out, so she ordered the three-year-old Pu Yi to be canonized as the new emperor. This decision quickly spread in the palace, and everyone understood that this was the last arrangement left by the Empress Dowager Cixi for the Qing Dynasty.
When night fell, the Empress Dowager Cixi lay on her couch, and the palace maids and eunuchs stood by the side. The night sky of the Forbidden City is dotted with stars, as if telling the end of a legend. On November 15, the morning light broke, and the Empress Dowager Cixi quietly closed her eyes, ending her magnificent life.
After the news came out, the entire Forbidden City suddenly fell into mourning. The death of Empress Dowager Cixi not only marked the end of an era, but also heralded the future of the Qing Dynasty full of unknowns and uncertainties.
Cixi's funeral treasures.
The death of the Empress Dowager Cixi caused the entire Forbidden City to be sad and busy. Her funerary goods were selected and prepared in strict secrecy and respect, each one reflecting her living preferences and royal luxury.
The first is the exquisite jade lotus, which is an extremely rare and priceless treasure. It is white all over, free of any impurities, with a warm luster and a cool touch. This jade lotus was once one of the most cherished items of the Empress Dowager Cixi during her lifetime, and it was often placed on her desk and played with from time to time. The jade root represents purity and auspiciousness, and has a very important position in the royal culture of the Qing Dynasty. When the palace maids prepared this jade lotus, they were all cautious, for fear of a trace of damage.
Then there is the pair of priceless emerald watermelons. According to the records of Qing history, this pair of jadeite watermelons is carved from imported tourmaline, with exquisite craftsmanship and bright color. These two pairs of jade watermelons shine in the sun, like real watermelons, which not only shows the wealth of the royal family, but also reflects the Empress Dowager Cixi's ultimate pursuit of beauty. At many banquets during Cixi's lifetime, the pair of jade watermelons was often placed as a decoration, showing the luxury and taste of the royal family.
Finally, even more mysterious is the Pearl of the Night. The Night Pearl has been endowed with many legends and mysteries since ancient times, and it is said to emit a faint glow at night, symbolizing power and mystery. In the process of preparing for the funeral of the Empress Dowager Cixi, the eunuch Li Lianying carefully put this priceless night pearl into Cixi's mouth and followed her into the coffin. This practice stems from ancient legends that believe that the Night Pearl will protect the corpse and make it immortal for thousands of years.
At the funeral of the Empress Dowager Cixi, these three burial items were carefully placed in her coffin. The eunuchs and palace ladies were extremely cautious in handling these precious treasures, knowing that this was not only the last respect for the Empress Dowager Cixi, but also the farewell of an era.
Manuscript of Qing History