Me and Empress Dowager Cixi

Chapter 13 Emperor Guangxu
The sensational coup of 36 [-] years ago will always remind people of Emperor Guangxu.As an emperor, he is really pitiful.Just because of a coup d'état, he lost the power in his hands. Since then, the queen mother has covered the sky with one hand, but he is like a prisoner, under house arrest in the palace, and he will never make his debut.

This time he went to Fengtian, and he also went with him.He had never been to Fengtian before, and it was the first time to go with the empress dowager this time.He looked very happy, almost like a student who just had a long vacation.At that time, Guangxu was already in his 30s, but he looked only 23 or [-] years old, with a childish look in his eyes.The Empress Dowager Cixi was not his biological mother, his biological mother was a sister of the Empress Dowager, and his father was the brother of Emperor Xianfeng.

When Guangxu was very young, his mother passed away. Since then, the queen mother has recognized him as a godson.Because the blood relationship is separated by a layer, the mother and son lack real affection. Therefore, even without the [-] coup, the power in Guangxu's hands would not last long, and the Queen Mother would never allow him to hold power forever.As a result, only some irrelevant edicts, such as sacrifices, were issued in the name of Guangxu—this is what the courtiers dared to do under the Queen Mother's instruction.All orders of great importance are directly issued by the Queen Mother.

Longyu was Guangxu's wife, the so-called "Queen" at that time.Her father, known as "Grandfather Gui", was the brother of the Queen Mother and Guangxu's biological mother.In this way, Guangxu and Longyu were originally a pair of cousins.Although it seems to outsiders that the relationship should be very good, there is no real love between these two people.It was the same in that era, everyone's marriage had to obey the orders of their parents, young men and women closed their eyes and let others manipulate them, so family tragedies appeared frequently.What about Guangxu, who is the king of a country?This bondage is also inescapable, and as a result, there is no love between him and Longyu, and they even gradually developed into a pair of enemies, hating each other so much that they gritted their teeth.

Guangxu only loved one woman in his life, and that was Concubine Zhen.However, when the Boxer Fist was in chaos, the eunuchs felt that she was useless in the palace, and it would be too burdensome to take her with them when fleeing to Xi'an, so they threw her into the well at the east corner of Shenwumen.People say that the body of Concubine Zhen has not been salvaged until now, but the well has been covered with stone slabs.

Speaking of those eunuchs, they would never have the guts to murder a concubine, but it would be a different matter if someone instructed them.Who is the manipulator behind this?Everyone has probably guessed it-yes, it is our empress dowager!Guangxu's love for Concubine Zhen has long been seen and hated by the Queen Mother.Later, during the Reform Movement of [-], the Queen Mother listened to other people's slander, thinking that Concubine Zhen was behind Guangxu's reforms, so she had the idea of ​​executing her.

Concubine Zhen's death was a very heavy blow to Guangxu, the little happiness and joy he had left, all left with Concubine Zhen, replaced by endless pain.However, he knew very well that he was an emperor, and he was different from ordinary people. He could neither give up his life easily nor walk out of the palace gate. All he could do was cry silently.However, to Guangxu's comfort, a sister of Concubine Zhen also became his concubine, named Concubine Jin.Since the death of Concubine Zhen, Guangxu has been very kind to Concubine Jin, and it is probably only in her that he can find some spiritual comfort.

This time I went to Fengtian, Longyu and Concubine Jin also had a share, they lived in the same carriage and got along very well.Probably because they don't have any special status in the palace, except for eating and dressing, they are not involved in other things, so there is no conflict of interest.Concubine Jin is easy to understand, because she is just a "concubine" type concubine, and she has no status at all.What about Longyu?Even though she is a queen, the queen mother doesn't like her at all, so compared with Concubine Jin, Longyu doesn't seem so important.The reason for the twists and turns is really puzzling.It makes sense for the Queen Mother to hate Concubine Zhen in her heart, because Guangxu loves Concubine Zhen too much, but the Queen Mother should have no reason to dislike Longyu, not to mention that Longyu is the Queen Mother's own niece.Strangely, the Queen Mother just doesn't like Longyu.There are many right and wrong in the family, and there are so many people in the palace, it is really difficult to get harmonious.

The relationship between the Empress Dowager and Guangxu was very weak, even ruthless, but this time I went to Fengtian with him.Almost everyone knew the reason, even Guangxu himself knew it very well.Because the Queen Mother always had a grudge against him, and was worried that he would do something bad when she was not in Beijing.Therefore, no matter where the queen mother goes, she will take him, this special prisoner, otherwise she will not be at ease.Cixi can probably see that Guangxu himself will not have any more thoughts, but she is worried about the courtiers, and she is afraid that some people with a purpose will confuse Guangxu to seize power while she is away.

All the above concerns are not unreasonable, and the Queen Mother is also a person who is keen on power, and the lofty title of Queen Mother does not make her feel satisfied.In her opinion, only by holding real power in her own hands can she truly retain the glory and wealth in front of her eyes, otherwise, everything will turn into nothingness sooner or later.It is precisely for this reason that she desperately wants to keep the power in her hands, and she does not care about danger, slander, and criticism.

Sometimes I can't help but think to myself: so many dangers and difficulties, and sometimes she even doesn't think about food and drink for several days because of a political matter, what is she doing for it?It's really puzzling.

What did Guangxu think?In fact, the Empress Dowager does not need to be on guard against him, because Guangxu is very aware of his current situation - at this time, it is even more difficult for him to regain power than ascend to the sky.As long as the queen mother is alive, he will never be able to be a real emperor.Just because he thinks more broadly, he doesn't feel sad about his situation, thinking that everything is predestined.

Take this trip to Fengtian as an example.Guangxu was well aware of the queen mother's thoughts, but he didn't worry about it. Instead, he regarded himself as going out for fun, leaning against the window along the way, enjoying the scenery outside with a leisurely expression.Every time the train stopped, except for a few people left to serve the Queen Mother, everyone else could get off and take a casual look.At this time, Guangxu will also get out of the car and wander around with us.He is not tall, looks a bit childish, and he doesn't feel superior when he speaks. Even for female officials like us, he treats us like his friends.Maybe he knows some of my childhood experience, so he always finds opportunities to talk to me, asking me to tell him about European and American railways, monarchs or heads of state.I told him very little, and he seemed very happy.

I remember one time, he said to me very excitedly: "If I am a real monarch and can hold power like Lafayette, the first thing I will do is to learn from those foreign monarchs, as you said, Führer, turn the whole world around first. However, I’d still like to go out and play in micro-services. That’s interesting. If everyone knows who I am, it’s not fun. Look how awkward it is to play now. Playing on land Not the most interesting, but it would be fun if I could swim laps in the sea!...Before traveling around the world, I must first visit the big cities in my own country. Anyway, I really yearn to travel, So, the thought of this outing coming to an end soon makes me uncomfortable."

well!I can see that if the Queen Mother agrees, he will never go back.Because, the result of going back is to be trapped in the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace forever, and even in these two places, he does not have the right to move freely, even those eunuchs with higher status are more free than him.Whether it is his orders or punishments, basically no one will carry them out. Female officials like me who are favored by the Queen Mother are much more powerful than him!

It was for this reason that a melancholy light flashed in his large clear eyes at the thought of going back.

In my opinion, he does have advanced ideas, and with his wisdom and ability, it is not difficult to provoke the country's burden, but the Queen Mother will not let him have such an opportunity.If the Empress Dowager had not seized power back then, and let him decide everything, it would probably have injected some new vitality into the Qing Dynasty at that time. Regardless of whether it perished in the end, China would always suffer fewer internal and external troubles.Not only I said this, even he himself regretted it for the rest of his life.Of course, he didn't dare to show such emotions in front of the Queen Mother.It's not that he is too weak. In this deep palace, no matter whether he is weak or strong, a son can never disobey his mother. The mother can take the regent for the son at any time, as long as she wants, and no one cares if the son is willing or not.In this way, Guangxu's talent was buried forever.

Tell me about his clothes.Regardless of whether he has power or not, he is the emperor after all, so compared with those accompanying ministers, his clothes are of course more gorgeous and outstanding.The arrow clothes are made of sky-blue satin, and there are many characters of "longevity" on it, all embroidered with gold thread.The tailoring of the whole suit and the delicate workmanship, combined with his handsome face, made him look like a beautiful young man facing the wind.However, this arrow jacket is also wearing a vest. Although it is also made of satin and has many "shou" characters embroidered with gold thread, the color of this vest is black.I don't know what other people think, but anyway, I think it's better not to wear it. Just think about it, how ugly it would be if there were two extra blue long sleeves outside the black vest.

Guangxu is a little different.Most rich and powerful people loved decorations made of gold, silver and jewelry, but Guangxu hated these things very much.This may seem strange, but it is not difficult to understand what happened to him.In addition, there was no such rule in the palace - how many decorations should the emperor use in each dynasty, so, as long as you like, it's up to you to wear more or less.Therefore, Guangxu can be free on this point.

However, he is not wearing nothing.On his black satin cap with melon skin, there is a bead the size of a longan hanging above his eyebrows.This bead is big and moist, and it is absolutely extraordinary at first glance. Against the backdrop of the small cap, it looks even more radiant.However, Guangxu didn't wear this bead for good looks, it was a special commemoration.If you pay attention to him at ordinary times, you can understand this point, but it is inconvenient for me to guess who the object of commemoration is.

In addition, there are two more conspicuous decorations on his body, one is the knot on the top of the hat, and the other is the red tassel on the top of the hat that is more than a foot long, all made of red silk thread, and the color is very bright.The boots on the feet are made of black satin like the ministers.

I often think that if Guangxu can have the opportunity to put on a neat military uniform, he must be full of heroism.

In fact, he is so pitiful. Although he is the king of a country, his situation is not as good as that of ordinary people, and even more painful than them.

Although his throne has actually been abolished, he can never escape the tall and fortified palace.All he could do was to suffer through the red tape in the palace day after day.The Empress Dowager just wanted to restrain him and let him be a puppet emperor in name only!
Taking meals as an example, whether he likes it or not, he must enjoy the one hundred bowls of food every meal. The taste is exactly the same as that eaten by the Queen Mother, and he can't change it.The reason is very simple, his dishes are made together with the Queen Mother, and of course the Queen Mother makes the decisions.Not only that, every time he ate, he would sit there alone, eating and drinking. Even though Longyu and Concubine Jin were his wives and concubines, they had to go to the Queen Mother to serve them. Guangxu had dinner at the same table.These two people are also having a hard time, every time they have to wait for the queen mother to finish her meal before eating the queen mother's leftovers with us female officials and maids.For the queen mother, even though Longyu was there to serve every meal, she acted as if she hadn't seen her, and she was still very indifferent to this daughter-in-law, and she only said a word for almost a month.Probably this queen is not in the queen mother's mind at all.

Guangxu sometimes forces himself to do some interesting things to have fun, to have fun while suffering.But he had to be on guard against the empress dowager all the time, he was really scared and didn't dare to make the empress dowager unhappy in the slightest.Therefore, no matter what he does or what he says, he is very cautious, and every word must be carefully thought out.Don't say that he is weak, this is also a very helpless thing, there will always be a few eunuchs wandering around by his side, listening to what he has to say.Even when they were sleeping at night, those people would not let him go, always looking forward to hearing some inappropriate sleep talk from him, so that they could immediately go to the Queen Mother to ask for credit.

This was Emperor Guangxu at that time, who didn't even have the freedom to speak.This time he went to Fengtian, because he was on the train, not as spacious as the palace, so he had to be under stricter surveillance, so that the fun of traveling was greatly diluted.He even began to miss the cage-like life in the palace, because in the palace or the Summer Palace, he could occasionally have a few minutes of free breathing time, and he could make full use of this short gap to make jokes and find some fun for himself.

I still remember now that his jokes were always so childish, he was like a big kid back then.There is one incident that speaks volumes for this.

There is a rule in the palace that people with a little status must go to the morning court every day.But it was different from the courtiers in the early court. The purpose of our visit was to greet the Queen Mother, not to participate in any state affairs.Guangxu will also go with us, and then we can exchange a few words with him.Who knew that he actually made a joke with me that morning.

Whenever the Empress Dowager walked out of the house to meet us, someone would stand up and shout, "Come on!" Everyone immediately knelt down and kowtowed.We were waiting for the Queen Mother that day, when Guangxu suddenly turned around and shouted at me: "Here we come!" I subconsciously knelt down on the ground and didn't even look at how others were doing. I didn't realize I was fooled until I heard everyone's laughter.He actually made a joke with me.At that time, the Queen Mother probably hadn't woken up yet.

This is Guangxu, an emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who can only seek a sliver of happiness in such childish jokes, how lonely and sad he must be in his heart!At that time, even though I had a good time with him because of this joke, as long as I calmed down, I couldn't help crying for him.I knew very well that such idle banter was his only pleasure.He can't do anything he wants to do; but he must do the things he hates most every day.What is the difference between such an emperor and a prisoner?

Whenever night falls, this imperial train will stop, because the Queen Mother wants to rest, and all sounds must be silenced.Not only that, but also absolutely guaranteed safety.It's fine for ordinary people to sleep in the wild, but this is the queen mother, so of course you have to think carefully.Therefore, at this time, a train of military vehicles following us also stopped together, and hundreds of heavily armed guards crawled down in the dark, and quietly ambushed around us to protect the safety of the Queen Mother.Especially next to the two carriages dedicated to the Empress Dowager and Guangxu, the defense is even more airtight.

Even though they were guarding closely, for fear of any accidents, the Queen Mother could still get out of the car on her own will, as long as she was happy, she could ignore everything.Guangxu couldn't do this anymore, not only couldn't walk half a step down, but no one else was allowed to walk up to his car.At this time, he is the loneliest, everything in the outside world is cut off from him, and he is only accompanied by the long night.

I have met many people in my life, and Guangxu should be the one worthy of sympathy. His misfortune is innate, and he has no power to change it. He can only resign himself to fate.

This trip to Fengtian was probably one of the few pleasures in his life.

(End of this chapter)