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

"Wang Qingqi's status even surpassed that of the late Zai Cheng, because he brought the emperor more fresh and exciting entertainment, which made Tongzhi ecstatic and unable to extricate himself."

"Wang Qingqi even took the emperor to view the "Pictures of **" deep in the palace, ignoring the eunuch serving tea next to him."

"But the indulgence in the palace still failed to satisfy them, and they began to venture to the underground red light district inside the capital to have fun, where crime and disease coexisted."

"I won't go into details, let's just talk about the disease issue. Emperor Tongzhi died from this issue."

"In the Qing Dynasty, medicine was still in the early stages of exploration. Some deadly diseases such as smallpox left people helpless and left them to their fate."

[That’s the kind of disease, readers think to themselves. ]

"But no matter what the truth is, Emperor Tongzhi's dramatic and short life could not change his tragic fate."

"Good things happened during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi."

"During the reign of Emperor Tongzhi, the Qing government relied on a group of important ministers such as Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, and Zuo Zongtang to suppress the Taiping Rebellion."

"During his reign, the Qing Dynasty successively put down the Shaanxi-Gansu Hui Uprising, the Yunnan Hui Uprising, and the Guizhou Miao Uprising."

"At the same time, the New Deal for Westernization was established, and a period of political stability appeared in the late Qing Dynasty, which is known in history as the "Tongzhi Zhongxing"."

"Emperor Tongzhi lived for 19 years and became emperor for 13 years."

"I don't know if this is a blessing or a misfortune."

"Emperor Tongzhi was lucky because he was born in an imperial family. He enjoyed the honor of "all the land in the world is the king's land, and the shore of the land is the king's ministers." He lived a life of fine clothes, fine food, and prosperous bells. He had no brothers. Compete with him and successfully ascend to the throne of emperor."

"But Tongzhi is also unfortunate. The first misfortune is that he lost his father when he was six years old. The second misfortune is that he was put on the throne as a child and was unable to enjoy the joy of innocence. The third misfortune is that he is married to his mother. Having a bad relationship and being scolded often is the fourth most unfortunate thing: an unsatisfactory marriage, and the fifth most unfortunate thing is dying at the age of nineteen."

"Looking at the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty, Zai Chun was indeed the youngest one to die."

"Everyone in the world laments that Zaichun is pitiful and has done nothing in his short life."

"In fact, it can be seen that Zai Chun did not really do nothing. During his reign, the Tongzhi New Deal emerged."

"The queen mothers of the two palaces listen to and discuss government affairs behind the curtain. Wang Yi presides over government affairs and cooperates with each other to implement the new policy."

"But the untimely death of Emperor Tongzhi not only ended his imperial hegemony, but also brought a turning point in the history of the Qing Dynasty."

"After his death, Empress Dowager Cixi once again grasped the power of the empire and appointed Guangxu, who was only three years old, as the new monarch."

"The Empress Dowager Cixi used the name of Emperor Guangxu to launch many domestic reforms and diplomatic campaigns, but she repeatedly ran into obstacles. Instead, she accelerated the decline of the Qing Empire, eventually triggering the Revolution of 1911 and the end of the Qing Dynasty."

"Now we are going to talk about the Empress Dowager Cixi. There is really a lot to talk about." Zhang Yanxi took a sip of water directly. There are too many topics about this person, covering all aspects.

"Cixi was an indispensable and important figure in the late Qing Dynasty. She was a woman, but she held power in the Qing Dynasty for so many years and influenced the history of the Qing Dynasty."

"Cixi was just a noble person at the beginning, but it was quite powerful to be able to dominate the government and the public later." "In 1852, during the emperor's draft, this woman entered the palace. Everyone loves beauty, and Emperor Xianfeng was no exception. I took a fancy to Cixi, Yehenala, who was one of the many beautiful women, and made her a noble lady of Lan."

"However, among the beautiful girls at that time, Xianfeng's favorite was not Nala, but Niu Colu, the fifteen-year-old daughter of Mu Yang'a in Youjiangdao, Guangxi. Although she was not outstanding in appearance, she was dignified in manners."

"On the 11th day of the second lunar month, a decree was passed on the same day as the Nala clan and they were conferred the title of concubine. A month later, she was appointed as the queen. She became the later Empress Dowager Ci'an."

"But fate seemed to favor this Nala family particularly. Not long after, Xianfeng gave birth to the only son in her life, who became the later Emperor Tongzhi, and she also embarked on the unusual path of valuing mother and son."

"One is suitable to be a queen, and the other is liked by the emperor. Emperor Xianfeng is a romantic figure. This Cixi is not only beautiful but also capable. She is also very popular in the harem."

"Zeng Guofan, who pacified the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, was said to have been recommended to Emperor Xianfeng by the Empress Dowager Cixi."

"At that time, Emperor Xianfeng had no idea how to solve the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It was Empress Dowager Cixi who told Emperor Xianfeng to delegate power to Zeng Guofan and let Zeng Guofan find a way to quell the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom on his own."

"Although Emperor Xianfeng was addicted to women and did not seek advancement, he was not stupid."

"He knew that Empress Dowager Cixi was too ambitious and was afraid that after his death she would be out of control and start to seize state power."

"So Emperor Xianfeng once wanted to depose Cixi, but considering that Cixi was the prince's biological mother, killing Cixi would be very detrimental to the prince's growth, so he kept Cixi."

"However, Emperor Xianfeng also gave Ci'an a secret order, giving her the right to execute Cixi. This shows Emperor Xianfeng's fear of Cixi."

"During the reign of Emperor Xianfeng, Cixi was just a concubine competing for favor in the harem. The change was during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi. At this time, Cixi seems to have some imagination with the empress."

"But power is like opium. It not only changes Cixi's heart, but also changes her appearance."

"In the cruel and cold court struggle, Cixi turned to the most critical political struggle in the entire Qing Dynasty."

"Emperor Xianfeng took all precautions. Before his death, he made careful plans. Man's calculations were not as good as God's calculations. In the end, he made a fatal mistake and gave Cixi, a widow, an opportunity to take advantage of."

"There are two main things in Emperor Xianfeng's edict to support his son."

"The first is to make his only son, the later Emperor Tongzhi, the crown prince, who will inherit the throne in the future."

"The second is to appoint eight ministers to help handle all government affairs."

"The content of Emperor Xianfeng's edict is very clear. After the father dies, the son inherits the throne, and the eight ministers assist him. However, there is a fatal flaw, that is, this extremely important edict was not written by the emperor himself, but was ghostwritten by his courtiers. "

"At that time, Emperor Xianfeng was critically ill and decided to write a posthumous edict. However, since he could no longer write, he could only dictate it and let the minister write it, and then he would read it and seal it."

"This edict seemed to be nothing, but later it became one of the key points for Cixi, Yi and others to attack the Eight Ministers."

"The crime is that when Emperor Xianfeng issued the edict, none of the princes and ministers of BJ knew about it. It is suspected that the edict was deceived by the eight ministers to blackmail Emperor Xianfeng. They did not recognize the identity of the eight ministers and the power to assist in all government affairs. ."