Empress Dowager Cixi, the de facto ruler of the late Qing Dynasty, lived a life full of legends. She is not an emperor, but she has been in charge of the government for more than half a century and has controlled two generations of emperors. However, people will eventually die, even if you are powerful, it is difficult to escape.
In 1908, the Empress Dowager Cixi celebrated her 73rd birthday. The palace is in a festive mood both inside and outside. To celebrate this event, a grand banquet was held at the imperial court.
In order to satisfy the Empress Dowager Cixi, dozens of top chefs from major famous restaurants in Beijing were specially invited to gather together. Each of these chefs specialized in different cooking techniques and represented the highest level of cooking at the time.
They entered the palace several days in advance and began meticulous preparations and cooking.
At the banquet, there was a dazzling array of delicacies, and the table was full of Manchu and Han seats. One of the most striking is the legendary Wang Ba Soup. Wangba soup, also known as soft-shelled turtle soup, is a nourishing soup with soft-shelled turtle as the main ingredient supplemented by various herbs.
In the Qing Dynasty, this soup was believed to have extremely high nutritional value and could strengthen the body. The Empress Dowager Cixi tasted this bowl of soup at the banquet, hoping to increase her physical strength and continue her reign.
In addition to this bowl of soup, roast duck, suckling pig, abalone and other delicacies of the mountains and seas were placed in front of her, and Cixi was also rarely happy, taking the imperial doctor's admonition as the wind in her ears, drinking a small glass of wine, and eating a few more bites.
It was still feeling good at the time, however, fate played tricks on people. After the birthday party, the Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly felt unwell, and the imperial doctor diagnosed her with dysentery.
At the last moment of her life, in order to save her life, the imperial doctors kept trying various methods, and Wang Batang was one of them. Various herbs are also added to the soup.
This bowl of soup became her last hope against death. It's just that, despite the addition of various exotic herbs, it was too late, and Cixi's condition did not improve. Before the death of the Empress Dowager Cixi, many days of fear had passed in the Forbidden City.
Cixi also knew that her time was short, so she convened the important ** of the imperial court and made a series of important decisions. She decided to make Pu Yi the new emperor to ensure the succession to the throne of the Qing Dynasty.
At the same time, she also made final arrangements for the court to ensure a smooth transition of power after her death. This decision marked another change in imperial power in the Qing Dynasty and the end of an era.
In the last moments of the Empress Dowager Cixi's life, a night pearl was stuffed into her mouth. This night pearl is said to have magical powers that can shine in the dark, symbolizing immortality.
The Empress Dowager Cixi was particularly fond of this pearl of the night during her lifetime, believing that it would bring good luck and regularity. As soon as she took her last breath, the eunuch next to her stuffed this night bead into her mouth, which was not only a respect for her faith during her lifetime, but also a shelter for her soul after death.
In 1908, Cixi died in the harem. Her life spanned almost entirely across the stage of Chinese history in the second half of the 19th century, witnessing the rise and fall of the Qing Empire. This woman, who used to be powerful in the harem, finally found that it was difficult for her to escape the fate of birth, old age, illness, and death.
The death of the Empress Dowager Cixi marked the end of an era. Her funeral was very solemn, and countless precious funerary goods were placed in the tomb, including her beloved jade lotus, jade watermelon, and night pearl.
These treasures not only represent the luxury and power of Empress Dowager Cixi's life, but also become part of her legendary story.
Cixi's funeral was so extravagant and wasteful, it would naturally attract the eyes of others. After 20 years of burial, Sun Dianying set his greedy eyes on Cixi's grave, and it is said that the treasures dug up, in addition to sending them to make connections, still fed more than 30,000 people under his command.
The life of the Empress Dowager Cixi is inseparable from the history of the Qing Dynasty. Her power, her rule, her quest for power were all manifested in the final moments of her life.
Wang Batang and the Pearl of the Night, these objects, played a special role in the life of the Empress Dowager Cixi and became an integral part of her saga. With her death, these stories and legends have become the subject of conversation for posterity.