History live broadcast: the beginning is Qin Shihuang's live broadcast of the subjugation of th

"In the eleventh year of Xianfeng, the then 27-year-old Empress Dowager Cixi, side by side with Ci'an, and Prince Gong Yixin launched a Xinyou coup, which was the prelude to her first behind-the-scenes administration."

"It was under the careful planning of Cixi's political ally Prince Gong Yixin that important officials in the court wrote letters, imploring the two empress dowagers to listen to politics together behind the curtain. Immediately, the reign title of "Qixiang" passed away and was renamed "Tongzhi". ", which means that the queen mothers of the two palaces and the emperor govern the country together and discuss state affairs together."

"In this way, the roles of Prince Gong and the military ministers were limited to discussing political affairs, but in actual circumstances, the balance of power was mostly tilted towards Cixi's side."

"Emperor Tongzhi was young and ignorant, but he inexplicably became the supreme emperor."

"For him, studying in Hongde Hall every day is the most troublesome thing."

"The Qing Dynasty has always attached great importance to the education of royal children, but Xianfeng died young and Cixi was busy with government affairs day and night and had no time to take into account Tongzhi's studies."

"Tongzhi gradually lost interest in his studies and indulged in games because he had no one to take care of him."

"It was meant to relieve boredom occasionally, but eventually it turned into a habit that I couldn't extricate myself from."

"He became slacker and more bored with his studies than before, and a group of schoolchildren also became his playmates."

"Every morning when he was studying, Tongzhi always seemed listless and lacked progress in writing. It was difficult to complete a short article, let alone understand the strategies of governing the country."

"Even the imperial memorials were a sacred book that was difficult to decipher for him."

"1873, this year is of great significance to Emperor Tongzhi who just turned 18."

"Deep in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, courtiers lined up in a long line to congratulate Tongzhi on his official enthronement."

"However, contrary to his expectations, the mysterious curtain deep in the palace still hangs and has never been lifted."

“Whenever a courtier hands over a memorial, the final voice of decision-making always comes from the other side of the curtain.”

"Emperor Tongzhi sometimes felt distressed about his powerlessness."

"He admitted that his knowledge of history and geography was lacking, and his decisions were often hasty and full of loopholes. He had to rely on the figure behind the curtain to clean up his mess."

"In the eyes of everyone, the Empress Dowager Cixi, as Tongzhi's biological mother, should have a close relationship."

"However, the facts are unexpected. The relationship between Emperor Tongzhi and his adoptive mother Ci'an was even closer."

"Whenever he paid greetings to Cixi in accordance with court rules, he always left in a hurry after the routine etiquette, but when he was at Ci'an's place, he was always willing to stay a little longer and enjoy the time to talk with her."

"The subtle relationship between them stems from the completely different personality traits of the two queen mothers."

"The Empress Dowager Ci'an was a virtuous wife and loving mother in the traditional sense, possessing all the gentleness, kindness and tolerance of Eastern women, which made Emperor Tongzhi feel a deep maternal love and warmth around her."

"The Empress Dowager Cixi is in sharp contrast to Ci'an. She has an almost masculine decisiveness and desire for power, showing a tough and cold side."

"In front of Cixi, Emperor Tongzhi often felt an invisible pressure hanging over him."

"The first time this subtle relationship was truly exposed to the public was at the wedding of Emperor Tongzhi."

"There are two candidates for the queen in the palace, one is the mild-mannered Arut family, and the other is the extremely intelligent Fucha family."

"The Empress Dowager Ci'an prefers the gentle Arut family, while the Empress Dowager Cixi prefers the Fucha family."

"Faced with the differences between the two queen mothers, the final choice fell in the hands of Emperor Tongzhi."

"Emperor Tongzhi finally chose to side with Ci'an and decided to marry Arut as his queen."

"This decision undoubtedly deepened the conflict between Cixi and Arut. Since then, Cixi's attitude towards Arut has become more harsh and mean." "But as a mother, Cixi naturally takes on the responsibility of educating her children. Whenever Tongzhi greets her, she always asks, "How is your academic progress?" ” or “What are the new improvements?” "And other issues."

"If his academic performance is excellent, she will not praise him too much, but if his performance is not satisfactory, she will scold him."

Yang Guang: Li Er, isn’t this the same as how you educate your children?

Xu Miaoyun: When they are still children, pressure is imposed on them.

Li Shimin: There was something wrong with my education. I’m sorry for my son.

"As time went by, Tongzhi found that Cixi's existence became a heavy pressure on his heart."

"He had no deep emotional connection with his mother, and now Cixi is so strict with him. Every time they meet, he walks on thin ice and is filled with distress."

"He confided these troubles to Ci'an, who was gentle and always showed him love."

"When Cixi learned this, her dissatisfaction intensified, and the conflict with Tongzhi also expanded."

"After Tongzhi got married, Cixi tried to control Tongzhi's private life and even interfered with his choice of concubines."

"Tongzhi was extremely angry at this excessive interference and decided not to have any concubines anymore and insisted on spending every night alone."

"However, his lonely life soon ended because he met Zai Cheng, the son of Prince Gong, and Wang Qingqi of the Hanlin Academy."

"Zaicheng, a daughter of a famous family in the Eight Banners, has a distinguished status, but is known for his enjoyment in the capital."

"One day, he witnessed Emperor Tongzhi's deep melancholy, and he came up with a plan. He secretly led the emperor to quietly leave the palace and go straight to the bustling place with fireworks."

"Stepping out of the splendid palace, Emperor Tongzhi felt extremely fresh about the world in front of him."

"He grew up in a deep palace and had few opportunities to come into contact with the colorful world of the outside world."

"The temptation he had never experienced made him quickly lost and unable to extricate himself. In the days that followed, the emperor and Zai Cheng became frequent visitors in the fireworks alley."

"They are intoxicated with the freedom and happiness here, and they are especially fond of young widows. They not only wander among the flowers and willow shadows, but also often make frivolous jokes about these widows."

"Once the matter was exposed and brought to the government, they would use silver to seal the matter and calm the turmoil."

"Tongzhi and Zaicheng were so dissolute that a "widow trend" gradually emerged in the capital.

"Newlywed women asked their husbands to hide, and they dressed up as widows to lure the emperor and Zaicheng into taking the bait, and then went to their mansions with their husbands to extort money."

Cao Cao: Tsk, tsk, tsk! If you have a good level, I don’t know how good a young woman is, but can the taste be the same?

Guan Yu: You are not afraid of dying on a woman.

Zhu Yuanzhang: Don't talk about it, Cao Cao can still control himself on this matter. Some emperors are on women's bellies every day.

"Zaicheng died of illness when he was 28 years old. Soon, Emperor Tongzhi met Wang Qingqi, a descendant of another aristocratic family."

"After an encounter at Guangde Tower, Tongzhi developed a strong liking for Wang Qingqi. He not only gave Wang Qingqi an official position, but also allowed him to enter and leave Yuqing Palace freely."

[Why I have a good impression, I can’t say it, just two words “exciting”]