Empress Dowager Ci'an, Guangxi sister? Why was sudden death fatal to the Qing Dynasty?
In Guangxi, if you mention girls in Liuzhou, everyone will use the title "Liuzhou Girl". Because of its proximity to Hunan and Guizhou, Liuzhou has hilly terrain and wet and cold winters and sultry summers, so the local girls are tall and fair-skinned.
Liuzhou Mei is like the fiery red pepper in snail noodles, beautiful and straightforward, straightforward in speech, straightforward in heart, and capable and shrewd in doing things. Empress Dowager Ci'an, this Guangxi Liuzhou girl, according to some historical data, she was also born in Liuzhou, and also has the capable character of Liuzhou sister, who once listened to the government with the Empress Dowager Cixi, showing her political talent.
Empress Dowager Cixi, formerly known as Niu Hulu, was born in Maping County, Liuzhou Prefecture, Guangxi, and was a descendant of the Yellow Flag of Manchuria. Her parents Mu Yang'a and Mu Yang'a, the third-class Cheng'en Gong, were both ** in Youjiang Province, Guangxi, during the Qing Dynasty.
During the Qing Dynasty, Guangxi was divided into Guiping Wuyu Dao, Youjiang Dao, Zuojiang Dao and Taiping Sishun Dao, while Empress Dowager Cixi's father managed Youjiang Dao and was stationed in Liuzhou City, Guangxi.
Empress Dowager Cixi was born on July 12, 17th year of Daoguang, and her eighth grandfather was also a meritorious hero and first-class duke in the early Qing Dynasty. Cixi's Niu Hulu surname was one of the eight Manchu surnames, and her uncle was Duanhua, Prince Zheng, who was one of Xianfeng's ministers.
Although Liuzhou during the Qing Dynasty, where the Empress Dowager Cixi was born, was not as prosperous as it is today, her status as a relative of the emperor is beyond doubt. When she was sixteen years old, that is, in the second year of Xianfeng, she was elected as the concubine of the imperial palace.
Empress Dowager Ci'an became empress at the age of sixteen, and the speed at which she entered the palace was extremely rare in the entire history of the Qing Dynasty. Sixteen years old is still a junior high school student in modern times, but in ancient times, this age was enough for a woman to marry, or even the age of a mother.
However, Ci'an is not an ordinary girl, but the empress of the Qing Dynasty Empire, the mother of the world. Her abilities and temperament surpass ordinary people, including her skills in taking care of harem affairs, as well as her graceful and generous temperament.
Ci'an's beauty, temperament, character and cultivation also surpassed ordinary people, making her a shrewd and capable woman. In the harem, outstanding women from all over the country gather, and managing these people requires great management skills.
The concubines of the harem may ** because of trivial things, and even try to depose the queen. However, Ci'an was able to sit on the queen's throne until the end of her life.
This is a testament to her high character and extraordinary abilities. Ci'an's reign coincided with the late Qing Dynasty, and it was also an era when the power of the imperial court was gradually weakening and the situation was changing.
After the death of Emperor Xianfeng, the Empress Dowager Ci'an and the Empress Dowager Cixi jointly managed the government, but the Empress Dowager Ci'an is rarely mentioned. As a traditional woman in a semi-feudal society, she fulfilled her duties and became a competent queen.
In the turbulent period of internal and external troubles in the late Qing Dynasty, the Empress Dowager Ci'an saved the stormy situation of the late Qing Dynasty with her own strength. After the Second Opium War, in order to escape the invasion of the British and French forces, she helped Emperor Xianfeng find a place of refuge.
When Emperor Xianfeng was depressed, the Empress Dowager Ci'an gently comforted him, and at the same time comforted those suffering slaves, showing the duties of a wife and empress.
Emperor Xianfeng died of illness in the summer resort of Chengde, leaving behind his six-year-old successor crown prince Tongzhi and his mother, Empress Dowager Cixi, who was unable to govern. Emperor Xianfeng, who was well aware of the crisis of the throne, did a good job of supporting orphans with scheming and wisdom when he was dying.
He granted Empress Ci'an a secret decree giving her the highest authority to dispose of anyone, including the Empress Dowager Cixi, and gave her the Great Seal of "Imperial Reward". At the same time, he also asked his biological mother Cixi to take charge of the "Tongdaotang" seal of the emperor's eldest son Zaichun, and stipulated that all decrees must be stamped with the "imperial reward" of the Empress Dowager Ci'an and the "Tongdaotang" of the Empress Dowager Cixi before they can take effect.
This shows Emperor Xianfeng's deep trust in Empress Ci'an and the extreme importance he attaches to her abilities. His measures aimed at ensuring the stability of the imperial throne through the balance of power to prevent the Empress Dowager Cixi and the ministers who were destined to be too strong.
After Emperor Tongzhi ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager Ci'an of the East Palace and the Empress Dowager Cixi of the West Palace jointly assisted. However, after the death of Emperor Xianfeng, the original balance of power was disrupted, and the power struggle between the two empress dowagers and the eight ministers escalated into a bloody coup.
The root of this event, known as the "Xinyou Coup", lies in the monopoly of the eight ministers over the imperial decrees and the arrogance of the empress dowager of the two palaces. The minister ignored Emperor Xianfeng's regulations, did not discuss the government with the empress dowager of the two palaces, and even thought that the empress dowager of the two palaces should only deal with the affairs of the harem.
This behavior angered the Empress Dowager Cixi, especially after the Eight Ministers shouted at the young Tongzhi Emperor, who was even more dissatisfied.
After the coup d'état of Xinyou, the Empress Dowager Cixi joined forces with Prince Gong Yi, and with the support of the Empress Dowager Ci'an, they overthrew the eight ministers who took care of their lives. After the killing of An Dehai, the Empress Dowager Cixi and the Empress Dowager Ci'an began to listen to the government and jointly assist the young Emperor Tongzhi.
Although the Empress Dowager Cixi held great power, the influence of the Empress Dowager Ci'an could not be ignored. During the period when the two palaces were in power together, the policy was wise, and Ci'an used his own power to restrain Cixi's power.
Her most decisive decision was to "kill An Dehai", and the main reason why An Dehai was killed was that he was a close confidant of Cixi. He was clever and clever, good at observing words and feelings, and when he saw Cixi's talent and ambition, he wholeheartedly scolded her.
In the process of befriending Cixi, he was also good at figuring out people's hearts, but he did not show traces.
An Dehai was a close confidant of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and he helped Cixi eradicate the Sushun clique in the "Xinyou Coup", which was indispensable. However, when Cixi took power, An Dehai got even more carried away, and even ignored the rules of the palace and married a beautiful woman from Huiban, which caused a lot of shock in the capital.
Although the Empress Dowager Ci'an turned a blind eye to this, An Dehai's actions eventually violated the ancestral system of the Qing Dynasty, and the eunuchs were not allowed to leave the palace. After Shandong Governor Ding Baozhen played, the Empress Dowager Ci'an did not hesitate to order An Dehai to be killed, and the government and the opposition applauded.
Although the Empress Dowager Cixi felt sorry for An Dehai, she could only reluctantly accept it in the face of the titular and highest Empress Dowager Ci'an.
The shrewdness and ability of the Empress Dowager Ci'an can be seen from here. She killed An Dehai with her own considerations. On the one hand, she has to maintain the rules of the palace and the ancestral system, and cannot let An Dehai be lawless.
On the other hand, it was also a good opportunity to deter Cixi from acting indiscriminately and prevent the eunuchs from abusing their power. This fully proves that the Empress Dowager Ci'an is a bold and capable woman.
In the historical records, in the era when Ci'an and Cixi's two palaces were under the curtain to listen to the government, Ci'an's merit lies in virtue, with unparalleled charisma and cohesion. The advantage of the Empress Dowager Cixi lies in her ability to calmly handle large and small government affairs.
The two have their own strengths, complement each other, and cooperate tacitly. The Empress Dowager Ci'an's humility to Cixi was also vividly demonstrated when the Empress Dowager of the two palaces jointly lowered the curtain to listen to the overall political situation.
She did something that the Empress Dowager Cixi was very satisfied with, and even touched a little, that is, she invited Cixi to live in the Tongxin Heart Cultivation Palace. Although Ci'an was the mother-in-law of the Tongzhi Emperor, according to the harem system of the Qing Dynasty, she should have absolute custody of the emperor.
After Tongzhi ascended the throne, as the emperor, he should live in the Yangxin Palace, and the Empress Dowager Ci'an, as a mother-in-law, should also enter the Yangxin Palace to take care of and raise children. Although Cixi is the biological mother of Emperor Tongzhi, due to her concubine background, she can only live in the palace of the Queen Mother, and she is not qualified to enter the Yangxin Palace to live with her son and live together day and night.
We two widows take care of an orphan, and if someone maliciously slanders them, the country is in danger. If we live together, we can be honest with each other, and rumors can't spread. ”
These words made Cixi feel sympathy and dependence, and also made Ci'an emphasize the importance of maintaining the Qing Dynasty. Tzu An believes that the two women who work together should help each other instead of being suspicious of each other.
Living together in the Heart Nourishing Hall can avoid the gossip of others about orphans and widows, which is for the overall benefit of the country. Ci'an's words made Cixi feel respected and sincere.
Empress Dowager Ci'an's wisdom and overall outlook are admirable, and her humility and maternal love for Emperor Tongzhi are touching. As a result, Emperor Tongzhi was more respectful and close to Ci'an, like a true mother-son relationship.
Her dedication and efforts contributed to the stability and prosperity of the Qing Dynasty during the Tongzhi period. Especially during the Tongzhi Zhongxing period, she successfully checked and balanced Cixi's power, alleviated Cixi's desire for imperial power, and played a key mediating role between Cixi and Prince Gong.
The departure of Empress Dowager Ci'an broke the relationship between Cixi and Prince Gong, demonstrating her influence and importance. Overall, Empress Dowager Ci'an was an indispensable virtuous helper, and her contributions played an important role in promoting the development of the Qing Dynasty.
Conclusion: Empress Dowager Ci'an died of a sudden illness on April 8, 1881, at the age of forty-five. The death of the Empress Dowager Ci'an was the greatest benefit for the Empress Dowager Cixi, because the existence of the Empress Dowager Ci'an was a symbol of the Xianfeng imperial power, and to a certain extent, it also restricted the expansion of the Empress Dowager Cixi's political ambitions.
Ci'an's sudden death had a fatal impact on the Qing Dynasty, and from then on, the Empress Dowager Cixi could monopolize power until the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Although the Empress Dowager Ci'an was not as dazzling as Cixi in history, she played a unique role in the political arena of the Qing Dynasty with her capable personality and was a person in power that could not be ignored.