Know all about the secrets of the harem

Chapter 25
This is the first sentence the old lady woke up from her afternoon nap.We saw the old queen walking north by herself, and when I was about to go down the steps, I saw a eunuch kneel down and talk to the old queen.The eunuch walked with the old lady, with his back turned to us, watching the old lady enter the Yihexuan alone.About half an hour later, the old empress came out from Yihexuan, her face was livid, and she didn't say a word.We greeted the old lady on the porch.At night, someone secretly rumored that the old empress had given Concubine Zhen to death, and someone pushed Concubine Zhen into the well.We can't say a word more.

According to the court lady's recollection, it clearly shows that Cixi had considered the execution of Concubine Zhen for a long time, and it was not a whim, but a deliberate murder.

In addition, the lady-in-waiting also relayed that Cui Yugui, the second chief eunuch, personally told her to execute Concubine Zhen.Cui Yugui said that during lunch on the 14th, Cixi ordered him to deliver an edict to summon Concubine Zhen at the Yihexuan at an early hour.He delivered the decree together with Wang Dehuan, the eunuch in charge of Yihexuan.Concubine Zhen was wearing a light blue silk long cheongsam, dark green satin shoes on her feet, and had two knots removed from her head.When we arrived at Yihexuan, the Empress Dowager was already sitting there.The hall was empty, without a single maid, and it was so quiet that one could hear a needle drop on the ground.

The queen mother said bluntly: foreigners are coming into the city, and the outside is in a mess, no one can be sure what will happen. If you are insulted, you will lose the face of the royal family, and you will be sorry for your ancestors.

Concubine Zhen was stunned for a moment, and said: I understand, I won't embarrass my ancestors.

The queen mother said: You are young and easy to cause trouble!We have to avoid it, it is inconvenient to take you away.

Concubine Zhen said: You can avoid it for a while, and you can keep the emperor in charge of the capital to maintain the overall situation.

According to this description, it is not difficult to see that even at such a critical point of life and death, Concubine Zhen still hopes that Guangxu can get rid of the coercion and do something... However, this sentence hit the Queen Mother's vital point, she immediately turned her face and shouted loudly: You dare to talk nonsense when you are about to die.

Concubine Zhen said: I don't deserve to die!
The queen mother said: No matter whether you are guilty or not, you must die!
Concubine Zhen said: I want to see the emperor, the emperor did not let me die!

The queen mother said: The emperor can't save you.Throw her down the well, whoever!
At this time, Cui Yugui and Wang Dehuan grabbed and pushed Concubine Zhen into the well inside Zhenshun Gate.Concubine Zhen finally shouted loudly: Your Majesty, I will repay you in the next life!
What a tragic farewell!What a despicable court conspiracy!Concubine Zhen is indeed unfortunate.Her misfortune naturally began when she became an official, when she became the daughter-in-law of the Empress Dowager Cixi.Concubine Zhen's dying words also showed how strong this young woman who had been imprisoned in the cold palace for two years was.

In her short twenty-odd years of life, being an imperial concubine brought far more pain than honor, and the rules of the palace brought far more humiliation than her status.

She left this world with hatred.Concubine Zhen is the woman Emperor Guangxu really fell in love with.Her life was short and beautiful, and the relationship between her and Emperor Guangxu who shared weal and woe is still amazing!
Wan Rong: The Tragic Life of the Last Empress
Guo Buluo Wanrong (1906-1946), courtesy name Muhong, nicknamed Zhilian.The origin is now Mannaitun, Longhe Township, Nehe City, Heilongjiang Province, Daur nationality, and later incorporated into the Manchu Zhengbai Banner.Gaozu Guobro Arjing was the deputy capital during the Xianfeng period, and he was named General Wuxian and General Jianwei.Wanrong's mother, Aixinjueluo, is a royal lady, known as Sigege, beautiful and dignified, with a gentle and peaceful personality, usually reticent.Unfortunately, Wan Rong died when she was two years old.Wanrong's adoptive mother, Aixinjueluo Hengxin, is the second daughter of Minister of Military Aircraft Yulang Baylor, known as Ergege.She is a woman who is dignified, kind, shrewd and capable, open-minded, courageous, decisive and full of wisdom. She has a profound influence on Wan Rong's life.Hengxin not only takes good care of Wanrong, but even dotes on her, and the mother and daughter get along very harmoniously.Other members of the family include elder brother Runliang and younger brother Runqi.

Wanrong's father, Guo Bro Rongyuan, Minister of the Interior, was an enlightened person who always advocated equality between men and women, and that girls should receive the same education as boys.In addition to hiring a tutor for her daughter to teach her to read, write, play the piano and draw, Rong Yuan also specially hired an English teacher for her to let her learn English.As the daughter of a high-ranking official and aristocrat, Wanrong's rich living environment, prominent family status, and education in national culture and traditional culture undoubtedly had an extremely profound impact on her.Wanrong is beautiful in appearance, elegant in conversation, dignified in demeanor, extraordinary in appearance, strong on the inside and soft on the outside, and full of kindness. She is a woman who combines Chinese tradition and Western thought.

God's will
In 1921, Wanrong, who was a beautiful girl of the Manchu nationality, was selected by Pu Yi as the queen and began her career as the last queen.

Wanrong grew up in a boudoir since she was a child, with natural aptitude.According to the memories of people close to her, Wan Rong not only has a delicate figure and charming appearance, but also has an elegant manner, a decent conversation, and is skilled in all kinds of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. She is a well-educated and talented woman.However, Wanrong was canonized as a queen not entirely because of her talent and beauty, but because of some accidental "definition".

At the beginning of 1921, when Puyi had just turned 15 years old, the Qing royal family began to prepare for Puyi's marriage.Both Concubine Duankang and Concubine Jingyi wanted their cronies to be elected queens, and they couldn't agree more when discussing the marriage. Finally, they took out a photo and asked Pu Yi himself to confirm it.The person Puyi delineated was Wenxiu (named Huixin), the daughter of Duan Gong of the Erdete clan of the Manchu nationality.This is exactly what Concubine Jingyi wanted.But Concubine Duankang strongly opposed it, so Puyi had no choice but to draw a circle on the photo she was satisfied with, which was Wanrong.However, because the Wenxiu family was not as powerful as the Wanrong family, Wenxiu took the second place and became the imperial concubine.Wanrong's lucky election as queen was just the beginning of her unfortunate fate.

December 1922, 12 was the wedding day of the last emperor of China, Aixinjueluo Puyi and Wanrong.After a grand ceremony, Wanrong was married, but what awaited her was neglect and loneliness.It stands to reason that on the night of the wedding, after uncovering the red hijab, eating the "children and grandchildren" together, "having a banquet and drinking a cup of wine", and eating "longevity noodles", for healthy boys and girls, it is naturally gentle and sweet. It's candle night.However, Puyi left the "Dragon and Phoenix Bed", and went back to his bedroom, the Hall of Mental Cultivation.He left Wanrong alone in his new house in the Kunning Palace. She was so neglected on the wedding night, and she felt deeply depressed and wronged.

Since ancient times, the palace has been a place of strict confinement, which can only be seen from a distance but not approached.The Forbidden City became its own bureau, with power struggles and concubines competing for favor. A sick society was nourished there. The Qing court headed by Puyi broke down and settled down. Not only did it lose its majesty, but even the "inheritance system" went wrong.Puyi is not a healthy man and cannot lead a normal married life.The long-term decadent court life has damaged his health and made him lose the ability to continue his offspring. Even for the already dilapidated Qing court, this is a great shame.

During the two years in the Forbidden City, Puyi still trusted Wanrong, and the husband and wife stayed together, which was quite harmonious.This is not only because of Wanrong's charming appearance, but also because she is a school-educated woman.She likes to watch foreign movies, likes to eat Western food, can ride a bicycle, and speaks a little English.With Wanrong, Puyi is no longer surrounded by bowing eunuchs and pedantic and conservative masters.Therefore, he introduced Wanrong as his confidant, not only obeying Wanrong's habits and hobbies, but also specially hired American teachers to teach Wanrong English.At this time, Wanrong did give Puyi a lot of tenderness. During more than two years in the Forbidden City, she wrote letters to Puyi in English almost every day, and signed "Elizabeth" at the bottom of these affectionate text messages, because she is very I like that Puyi gave her the same name as the Queen of England.

In Wanrong's court life, although there were entertainment, sports and other hobbies, they failed to make her feel fulfilled.But there's still a huge void in terms of affection, one that's sadly unfillable.Those who had access to Wanrong at that time often saw the young queen frowning.When Wei Ziqing and other eunuchs recalled the life of the emperor, they said this: "In retrospect, the emperor's house is full of hypocrisy and politeness, and there is no real relationship between the family, father and son, and husband and wife here." Wanrong lived in emptiness and loneliness. In such an environment, even though one or two hundred taels of silver was spent for living expenses every day, what he got in return was nothing but boredom.

The lively scenes like floating clouds are fleeting, but the depression condensed in her heart lasts forever, so Wan Rong learned to smoke.In some film and television dramas, there are many scenes like this: Wanrong wearing a splendid cloak sits in front of the stone table in the palace, her left hand sticks out from above the cloak, and she covers her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.His right hand protruded from under the cloak, the cigarette he was smoking between his index and middle fingers.Although there has always been a saying in Northeast China that "a big girl has a big cigarette bag", smoking opium has never been tolerated by the Qing Dynasty.Wanrong had the habit of playing with cigarettes, whether it was out of curiosity of young people, or because she was too lonely, later generations can only speculate based on Wanrong's experience.But playing with cigarettes is quite different from smoking opium.There is another theory about why Wanrong started smoking opium later, that is, she suffered from dysmenorrhea, and every time she went through menstruation, the pain was severe and there was no medicine to relieve it, so she tried to use opium to relieve the pain. No more opium.

People who start smoking opium almost without exception say that it is for curing diseases, while women emphasize that opium can cure various women's diseases and disorders of the whole body.The boring toffees in the officialdom smoked it, and the seductive fragrance wafted from them, and the addicts obtained an extraordinary sense of satisfaction.Wanrong still doesn't understand that when she smokes opium, she has a bad temper, and the longer the night, the more bitter her heart will be. Once she smokes opium, she will feel ecstatic, and she will be fine, which can be seen as a "true cure".

Perhaps Puyi knew that she could not forgive Wanrong, so she let her smoke, and even sent a eunuch named Zhao Rongsheng to serve the queen to smoke.Later, Zhao Rongsheng also wrote a reminiscence article, saying that Wanrong smoked 8 cigarettes after each meal and had to wait for more than 20 minutes each time.When talking about the details of burning cigarettes, he said: "You have to kneel on the ground to wait for the burning cigarettes. The queen takes four puffs on the left side. When she turns over, you have to hold the smoking set and serve her four puffs on the right side. Of course. When the waiter grows, people become machines, and the rhythm is not bad, but at the beginning, the nervousness is enough for people to bear."

(End of this chapter)