At the end of the Qing Dynasty, why did Xianfeng, who had thousands of harems, only love Cixi? This may be related to the fact that "one part" of Cixi's body is different from ordinary people. Cixi was elected to the palace in 1852 when she was only 17 years old. Her beauty and talent made her stand out in the palace, and she soon won the favor of Emperor Xianfeng.
In 1852, Cixi was given the title of "Lan Guiren", a title in the Qing Dynasty's harem, meaning that she was one of the emperor's nobles. This title also reflects her beauty and talent. In the palace, Cixi gradually won the trust of the emperor with her ingenuity and political skills, and eventually became the favorite concubine of Emperor Xianfeng, and gave birth to the only prince, who later became the "Tongzhi Emperor".
In the court of the Qing Dynasty, there was often the concept of "mother is more expensive than son", so with the birth of Tongzhi, Cixi was promoted to a higher level and became "Yi Guifei". Some historical experts pointed out that the reason why Cixi was deeply loved by Emperor Xianfeng was that in addition to her beautiful appearance, there was another little-known factor: her "feet". This may also be a big secret of her success.
Foot binding is an ancient Chinese custom in which a woman's feet are tightly wrapped with cloth to make them deformed. Generally female, from.
From the age of four or five, the foot binding begins, and the cloth belt is untied after the adult skeleton is set, and there are also lifelong wrappers. During the Qing Dynasty, there was also a custom of wrapping small feet, and it was often believed that the smaller a woman's feet, the better, and it was best to reach the standard of a three-inch golden lotus.
Although the small foot was seen as a symbol of feminine charm, Emperor Xianfeng held a different view. He favored women with normal feet, and it was because of this preference that Cixi, who did not have small feet, was unexpectedly attractive in the emperor's heart.
On February 26, the fourth year of Xianfeng (1854), the nineteen-year-old Lan Guiren (recorded as "Yi Guiren" in the "Qing Shilu") was awarded the title of "Yi Concubine". According to the record of "Hongcheng General", the Manchu meaning of Yizi is "dignified" and "elegant", and the text is as follows:
I Wei Jiao Tingyihua. The nun is in the sixth house. Landian Chenghui. Reserve the internal official in the nine royals. Privileged Order. Shi Huan Yi Zhang. The noble Nala clan is pure and gentle. Be cautious. Accompanied by a robe, and Xieji. There is no violation inside. Xi Qiongpei greeted Xiang. Ferryk Ho. It is to use Fenger as a concubine. The Book of Tin. Erqi only bears the rope. It is advisable to wear the elephant suit. Yi Mao is gentle. Yu Hongxi is in the middle of nowhere. .
On October 13, the fifth year of Xianfeng, according to historical records, Xianfeng had a handwritten note of "Prudent Peace", asking the eunuch to ask where the "Yi Guiren" should be posted. This undoubtedly shows that Xianfeng attaches great importance to Cixi. This attention is not only because of Cixi's beauty and talent, but also because of her spiritual fit with Emperor Xianfeng.
According to historical records, it was because Concubine Yi was good at calligraphy that Emperor Xianfeng often taught her orally and asked her to write and approve the chapters, and at the same time allowed her to express her own opinions, so the ministers were dissatisfied with the Yehenala clan (Cixi).
It can be seen that Emperor Xianfeng's preference for Cixi is not only due to the "feet", but also to the "dignified" and "elegant" image left by Cixi in Xianfeng's heart.