At the end of 1954, Zhang Shizhao invited a friend to hang out in a thrift market in Beijing, and accidentally found an ancient book called "The Remnants of the Palace" at a dilapidated bookstall and was instantly deeply fascinated.
Mr. Zhang, who is more than a year old, is a well-known patriotic democrat and scholar, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was specially appointed as the director of the Museum of Culture and History. Reading ancient texts, especially those about the late Qing Dynasty, has always been his passion.
Flipping through the yellowed paper, Zhang Shizhao sometimes smiled, sometimes nodded frequently, and the court secrets in the book stimulated his enthusiasm for reading. However, what fascinates him the most are the dozen or so letters written by a woman named Yun Ying.
It turned out that this letter was written by a fresh, elegant, lively and vivid woman, which made Zhang Shizhao read it several times and admired her talented performance. He decided to buy the book, and when he returned home, he wrote two poems with great interest.
Loving Wu and Wu, Zhang Shizhao also began to explore the traces of this woman, fortunately, he met Pu Yi's seventh uncle Zaitao, and soon found her whereabouts. However, the results surprised him a little.
The third sister of the former Qing Dynasty emperor Puyi, Gege of the Qing Dynasty, turned into an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman.
In order to let Gege in the late Qing Dynasty have a good home, Zhang Shizhao wrote a report overnight, attached "The Remnants of the Palace" and **, and sent it to *** In 1912, the Qing Dynasty fell, Pu Yi and his relatives still lived in the Forbidden City and lived a prosperous life.
And Sange Yunying, who was born in 1913, as Pu Yi's most beloved sister, has everything in life.
* In the early days, in order to win over the remnants of the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Shikai contributed 4 million taels to the royal family every year**. Many Qing institutions, such as the Guards and the Zongren Mansion, were also preserved.
Although Yun Ying is no longer Gege, her life is still luxurious, and her fingers do not touch the spring water. In 1924, Pu Yi was driven out of Beijing by Feng Yuxiang, and he brought his sister to Tianjin.
This is the first time Yun Ying has left the capital, but her life has not changed, and she is still well-fed. And Pu Yi arranged a suitable marriage for his sister. In 1932, 19-year-old Yun Ying married Pu Yi's brother-in-law Runqi, who grew up in the palace together since childhood and knew each other, so Pu Yi was very relieved about this family business.
The Japanese invaded China, the northeast fell, and Pu Yi was forced to go north to become the ruler of the puppet state of Manchukuo. In this context, Runqi was sent to Japan to study military affairs, accompanied by his wife Yun Ying.
At that time, the Japanese imperial family vigorously curryed favor with this Qing Dynasty Gege, gave her a new package, and invited her to be the honorary president of the women's association. At first, in her days in Japan, Yun Ying enjoyed a beautiful life like the stars holding the moon, and her thoughts were as innocent as an ordinary girl.
The dozen or so letters in the "Remnants of the Palace" were written to his brother Puyi during this period, full of thoughts for his brother. Although the literary style is not high, it is real and moving, and Pu Yi, who was bound by the Japanese, is full of warmth every time he reads these letters.
At that particular historical period, it seemed impossible for a Manchu Gege to find lasting happiness. As she grows older, she feels more and more depressed about the constraints of life in the deep palace, and occasional venting can only make reality more dull.
Finally, she found an excuse to return to her homeland. However, the life back to China did not bring her relief, but made her face the cold eyes and bad words of strangers every day.
Although she is not innocent, after all, her identity is related to Pu Yi's affairs, but the spearhead of these evil words has always been pointed at her. During the years of the existence of the puppet state of Manchukuo, she endured too much suffering.
Back in August 1945, Japan was defeated, the puppet Manchukuo disintegrated, and Pu Yi's dream of restoration was finally shattered. At the same time, Yun Ying, who was separated from her husband and brother in the process of escaping, also became an ordinary member in an instant, and may not even be as good as an ordinary person.
Those past clouds and pasts can no longer be told, and have become ordinary things in the mouths of ordinary people. In her later years, Yun Ying recalled her childhood, although she felt breathless and lonely, but compared with her later life, she could only be regarded as being in a blessing and not knowing the blessings.
After her brother and husband left her, the 32-year-old had to face life's challenges on her own. Although she doesn't have a clear plan for the future, she knows she has to work hard for the sake of her three young children.
She left in a hurry and was penniless, and life became difficult when she arrived in Tonghua. However, the emancipation of Tonghua troubled her, and she feared that she would be misunderstood as a Manchu widow and be judged.
After much deliberation, she mustered up the courage to take to the streets, and she was relieved to finally learn that the PLA is an army that serves the people.
A few days later, she reported herself to the local garrison, revealing her identity and her heart. The leaders of the army comforted her and encouraged her to look forward and welcome a new life. Since then, she has started the life of an ordinary person.
However, from a royal family who spends a lot of money to an ordinary woman who no one cares about, can she bear this huge gap? Adjusting to the change of identity was not an easy task, and she suffered a lot from it.
In the past, she didn't have to worry about eating, but now it's her top priority. In order to support her family, she took off her cheongsam, changed into a cloth shirt, rented a humble room, set up a stall to sell cigarettes, and earned three or five cents by helping people sew rags and shoes.
For the first few days, she couldn't open her mouth to sell, and in the eyes of passers-by, she was a little out of place with other vendors. However, if you don't even have to eat, what's the use of having no face?
Although she is not a saint, after a few years, Yun Ying has successfully adapted to the life of the bottom and has become a sturdy woman who really relies on her hands to eat. Instead of feeling disgusted by the unforeseen changes, she experienced an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
At the beginning of 1949, when she was setting up a stall on the street, she heard the news of the peaceful liberation of Beijing, and tears could not help but fall. This name, which was both familiar and unfamiliar to her, resonated deeply in her heart.
Yun Ying, who has been adrift for most of her life, finally decided to return to Beijing, and fortunately, ** agreed to her request. A few months later, she moved back to Beijing with her children, where she met her mother-in-law, father and siblings, and her life was finally back on track.
No. 10, North Terracotta Division, Jiaodaokou, Beijing, is the new home of Yun Ying and her mother-in-law. Although there is no prosperity here as the palace in the past, for her, who is accustomed to civilian life, it is already very satisfying to have relatives to accompany her and have a place to live.
However, the grind of life did not make Yun Ying depressed, but made her more tenacious. In 1951, her father Zaifeng died of illness in Beijing, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow, but she understood that as long as she had a goal, she would not be immersed in grief forever.
When she came to Beijing, she found that the changes here were drastic, the people were united and smiling, and she realized that such a country would definitely have a bright future. Here, she found her own value, that is, to integrate into the crowd and do her part for the society and the country.
She no longer just buries herself in making money, but uses all her free time to learn from her neighbors, read them newspapers, and share the country's policies. Gradually, the neighbors saw her as their own.
She said happily: "Now that the people are the masters of the country, men and women have equal rights, and ethnic minorities have turned over, although I have been tossing and turning for ten years, I am very fortunate to be able to join the ranks of pursuing happiness." ”
Zhang Shizhao met her with the help of Zaitao, and she calmly recounted her years of experience. Looking at this now extremely confident Qing Dynasty Gege, Zhang Shizhao was very pleased.
After learning about her difficult life, Zhang Shizhao felt pity and said with concern: "You write a self-report, and I will help you present it to ***." ”
On the day of the return of spring, the chairman's praise of the royal sister brought new life to Gege, who returned to the nest. On New Year's Day in 1955, ** was reviewing documents in Zhongnanhai, full of New Year's energy.
Soon, he saw Zhang Shizhao's report, in addition to Zhang Shizhao's basic elaboration, there is also the book "The Remnants of the Palace", Zhang Shizhao's inscription poem, Yun Ying's two ** (a 19-year-old Western wedding photo and a 26-year-old Manchu cheongsam), of course, Yun Ying's self-description is indispensable.
Zhang Shizhao has been a friend for many years, and he understands his good-looking character, so he carefully browses all the materials.
This woman self-evaluates, literally, and seems to be the best among female intellectuals. However, she is a descendant of the Manchurians and lives in a state of despair.
Seeing her predicament, ** was deeply sympathetic, took out a pen from the drawer, and wrote "agree" on her help-seeking report. After reading her self-report, ** was deeply touched, especially to see her spontaneously serve the people, and I was even more gratified.
He wrote a comment at the end of his statement: "I walked into the masses of the people and became a person with ambitions. After getting the instructions, Yun Ying repeatedly read ***'s evaluation of her, and that day, she was especially happy because she met an approachable leader, which made her more motivated to continue serving the people.
Soon, the staff conveyed the instructions of ** and made her a member of the CPPCC in Dongcheng District, Beijing, and her life has improved significantly.
In 1956, Yun Ying's life took a turning point. She got ***'s permission to visit her brother Pu Yi at the War Criminals Management Center. The siblings met again after 11 years apart.
Under the ideological education of the first class, Pu Yi has completed his self-transformation, and later he made many contributions to the country. Seeing the change in each other, the siblings were very happy.
Subsequently, Yun Ying's husband Runqi also completed the transformation and returned to Beijing. The husband and wife looked at each other and smiled, and began a happy life. Yun Qi worked in a repair shop, while Yun Ying continued to serve as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) for the benefit of the people.
They supported and respected each other and worked together through many difficulties and challenges. On Chinese New Year's Eve in 1961, at the Zhongnanhai West Flower Hall, a special family banquet was held, inviting Pu Yi's relatives, including Yun Ying.
The family dinner was filled with a strong family atmosphere, and everyone felt the love and respect of the Prime Minister. Overall, Yun Ying and her family have experienced the ups and downs of life, but they have always maintained their love for life and support for each other.
Their stories teach us that no matter how hard life may be, as long as there is love, there is hope.
Focus on people who have turned over and believe that they all have a chance to embrace life again. He personally went to visit Pu Yi in the renovation center and showed a very careful attitude, which deeply touched Pu Yi.
At a family dinner, ** asked about Yun Ying's child's condition, and asked about her eldest son with concern. Yun Ying's eyes welled up with tears when she heard this question, it turned out that when they were wandering around, the eldest son had bone tuberculosis due to malnutrition and could not walk.
However, after coming to Beijing, **learned of this situation and specially instructed the doctor to help**, so that the child's condition improved, and now he can stand and is expected to go to school.
This made Yun Ying deeply concerned and worried.
In a warm and harmonious atmosphere, the banquet was carried out happily. However, Yun Ying didn't know that it was *** who personally arranged the job for her. Even after retirement, she is still grateful and does not forget the help *** and *** have helped her.
She insisted on contributing to the society, donating money and materials to help her neighbors solve their difficulties. Until she died of illness in Beijing in 1992, she had gone through a bumpy life, but the fire of her soul was never extinguished.