In Beijing at the end of the Qing Dynasty, a grand wedding was being held at the home of Changxu, the right attendant of the household department. His two daughters will marry into the palace at the same time and become the empress of the current emperor Guangxu.
Emperor Guangxu had a soft spot for his youngest daughter, and loved her lively and active, slender figure, and her vitality that was not afraid of feudal etiquette and religion, like spring.
After the eunuch Li Lianying accepted the gift, she launched the "love one get one free" activity, which made Emperor Guangxu feel displeased. His eldest daughter was on the fat side and looked lifeless, like a piece of wood.
However, as an emperor, he has the right to choose to sleep and does not blame Li Lianying for the arrangement. Changxu was very happy, sitting among the hundred officials, drinking a glass of wine, and rejoicing in his good luck.
However, his wife, Zhao, showed a completely different mood, sitting on a chair in the living room with a lonely look on her face. She originally hoped that her two daughters could be by her side, but she didn't expect them to enter the deep palace.
The high walls of the palace, how can you leave easily? If it weren't for the emperor's special favor, it would be impossible to see his two daughters again in this life. The two daughters were dressed in red, and their mothers stared at them, several of them with tears on their faces.
Suddenly, she stretched out her palm, slapped her two daughters in the face, and said sadly: "Just because I don't have you two daughters in my life." The two daughters were too young to understand the meaning of their mother's words, and by the time they truly comprehended, death had approached them with a grim expression, and they were powerless to resist this merciless teasing.
Let's start with the story of her sister, who was named Concubine Zhen after entering the palace and was deeply cherished by Emperor Guangxu, just like cherishing one of his treasures. However, as a monarch who can't even control his own fate, how can he protect the girl who lives under his wing?
If you've ever been to Beijing, visited the Forbidden City, or been to Ningshou Palace, you may find a dry well in the deep courtyard of Ningshou Palace. There is nothing special about the well itself, and even when spring comes, you will see a beauty here like no other.
But as soon as you look up and see the sign on the wall next to the well, you will feel a cold wind coming from the back of your neck, and the air around you will be like a thin ice sewing you tightly, and an eerie beauty will appear next to the dry well.
Yes, this is the eternal home of Concubine Zhen, who was in the prime of her youth but died prematurely. Her beloved Emperor Guangxu failed to protect her, and fled alone to the Rehe region of Chengde.
If there is a soul in the world, Concubine Zhen will definitely go to Emperor Guangxu and confide in him about the sorrows and grievances of her life. And Emperor Guangxu, who lived alone in Yingtai, would burst into tears and kept apologizing to her.
However, in the palace, the power was intertwined, and Emperor Guangxu had to obey his biological mother Cixi, and Empress Longyu, whom Cixi chose for him, was his kindred.
This was unacceptable to him.
Concubine Zhen's innocence and Emperor Guangxu's youth meet at this time, like watermelons, cicadas and shade trees in summer, filled with endless vitality. However, the complex environment of the harem makes it impossible for this pure love to grow.
Empress Longyu, a woman of flesh and blood, watched Emperor Guangxu spend his time in Jingren Palace night and night, while her Kunning Palace was deserted and lonely, and a deep resentment surged in her heart.
She would come to Cixi every day and say that Concubine Zhen was wrong, and at this time, Cixi, because of Concubine Zhen's delicateness, also began to dislike her and find various reasons to punish her.
Concubine Zhen didn't want to play tricks with the harem concubines, she was innocent, straightforward and bold, and resolutely broke into Cining Palace to question the Queen Mother, Cixi looked at this desperate girl, was furious, and waved her hand is a slap.
Fortunately, Emperor Guangxu was able to avoid the disaster. Later, Emperor Guangxu began to implement the Wuxu Reform, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly, hoping to lead the Qing Dynasty to prosperity.
However, the change ended in failure, and the time for Concubine Zhen and Emperor Guangxu to get together became less and less, and Cixi Lafayette and Empress Dowager Longyu took the opportunity to make trouble, although Concubine Zhen was kind and innocent, but she was powerless to resist and gradually defeated.
The story of Emperor Guangxu and Concubine Zhen is like a distinct historical mark, telling the cruel collision of love and power. In the difficult moment when Emperor Guangxu failed to change the law and was imprisoned, Concubine Zhen took the initiative to accompany him, and they enjoyed a short happy time in a dark and damp place.
However, the power struggle at the court leaves them unable to escape the tricks of fate. When the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded the city of Beijing, the Empress Dowager Cixi decided to flee westward, leaving Concubine Zhen behind, citing a lack of manpower.
Emperor Guangxu watched his lover leave helplessly, while Concubine Zhen said firmly: "I'll wait for you!" However, the eunuch sent by Cixi responded ruthlessly: "No need to wait, for the sake of royal face, the Empress Dowager ordered Concubine Zhen to drown on the spot." ”
This story makes us think deeply: love or power, which is the true meaning of life?
Concubine Zhen was ruthlessly pushed into a well at the age of 24, aptly confirming the prophecy of "the most ruthless emperor's family". Compared with it, Concubine Zhen's sister, Concubine Jin, lives a completely different life.
She never fights with others, and lives quietly in Yonghe Palace, immersing herself in calligraphy and admiring the scenery of the back garden every day. Although she is not conspicuous, does not speak much, and her appearance is even somewhat ordinary, because she does not fight, those harem concubines who like to fight do not regard her as an enemy.
She lived a life of freedom from the world, living comfortably in her own little world.
Tragic fate, Cixi has a strong desire to control and likes to provoke those below to satisfy her own desire for power. And Concubine Zhen often became her punching bag because of the emperor's favor, and she could only endure it silently.
Chronic stress led to her developing hyperthyroidism, which she eventually died in the fall of 1924 at the age of fifty-one. Looking back on the fate of the two sisters, who could have foreseen the misery of the future before they got married?
If they had a choice, they would instinctively choose to avoid it, so why wasn't Emperor Guangxu, who was closely linked to the fate of the two?
Even the Son of Heaven who reigns over the world cannot be compared with the Lu family, as Li Shangyin said: "How the fourth era is the son of heaven, not as good as the Lu family." ”