In the cold and dark Hanyuan Hall of Yingtai in Zhongnanhai, Emperor Guangxu closed his sad, miserable, and full of grievances. On the evening of October 21, the 34th year of Guangxu, the 38-year-old emperor ended his last battle against fate. In contrast, the next afternoon, the Empress Dowager Cixi, at the age of 74, ended her legendary and intrigue life in the Yiluan Hall in Zhongnanhai. The death of these two rulers seems to be a strange coincidence of history, and one can't help but wonder if there is a deeper secret hidden in it.
The death of the Guangxu Emperor was not an isolated incident, and it inspired widespread speculation and suspicion. At that time, it was generally believed that Guangxu's death was not accidental, but a skillfully planned assassination. All kinds of rumors have emerged to try to unravel the truth of this historical mystery. Among them, there are three main theories: first, it was Cixi's actions against Guangxu that led to his death; second, Yuan Shikai may have betrayed Guangxu during the Wuxu Reform, resulting in him being placed under house arrest and eventually poisoned; Third, some eunuchs around Cixi, such as Li Lianying and others, sent Guangxu to the Yin Cao Road in advance on the eve of Cixi's death. These claims have their own credibility, but they all lack conclusive evidence, and they are just speculations and speculations about history.
However, to solve this mystery, we have to rely on the information recorded in the historical archives. The First Historical Archives of China preserves the "pathogens" dictated and written by Emperor Guangxu and the diagnosis and treatment records of the imperial doctors of the Qing Imperial Hospital. These precious documents reveal the true condition of Guangxu's body and the reasons for his death for future generations.
It can be seen from the "pathogens" recorded by Guangxu himself that he has been suffering from diseases since he was young, and his frequent symptoms such as sperm loss, headaches, tinnitus, and shoulder and back pain remind him of the fragility of life all the time. Later, Guangxu's condition worsened. The description of him in the medical case almost constitutes a picture of mixed illness: headache and chills, body and limb aches, pale complexion, difficulty breathing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, constant coughing, etc., all of which show his physical weakness and pain.
Although the imperial court spared no effort to recruit famous doctors and dispatch high-quality medicinal materials, all efforts failed to save Guangxu's life. Guangxu suffers from a variety of chronic diseases, from tuberculosis to liver problems, from heart disease to rheumatism, and the interweaving of multi-system diseases makes his body suffer immensely. Even the skilled physicians at the time could not save him from fire and water. Guangxu himself complained about the incompetence and sloppiness of the doctors on the sickbed, but the arrangement of fate had already doomed him.
Speculation and speculation about the cause of Guangxu's death abounded, but an examination conducted during the 1980 cleaning of Guangxu's Chongling underground palace did not reveal any signs of trauma or poisoning. Guangxu's death should be attributed to cardiopulmonary failure caused by long-term illness, combined with acute infection. His life gradually faded away in illness and helplessness, and all this was a historical inevitability.
The death of Emperor Guangxu is not only the end of a life, but also the end of an era. His life was full of ups and downs and struggles, and his reign was full of challenges and changes. However, in the end, he had to accept the arrangement of fate, ending his earthly journey. His death, the decline of a dynasty and the end of an era, left behind historical contemplation and reflection.
Guangxu's life is a microcosm of China's modern history and a portrayal of an era. His story teaches us that the fragility of life and the impermanence of fate cannot be escaped by anyone. In the long river of history, we should cherish everything in front of us, face life and death calmly, and never forget our original intention.