Is this a historical coincidence? Empress Dowager Cixi, the ruler of the Qing Dynasty, and Emperor Guangxu died only 20 hours apart. More interestingly, before their death, Empress Dowager Cixi had arranged for Aisin Giorro Puyi, the grandson of Yi Xuan, a three-year-old princess, and the eldest son of Zai Feng, to succeed to the throne, becoming the last emperor in the history of China-Emperor Xuan Tong. Puyi's biological father, Zai Feng, is the Regent, and he shares power with Emperor Yulong of Guangxu (the niece of Empress Dowager Cixi). Empress Dowager Cixi seems to have known for a long time that Emperor Guangxu would die.
For a century, people have been saying that Emperor Guangxu was murdered.
Yun, who had been with Emperor Guangxu for a long time, recorded a personal experience in the Biography of chongling: Eleven days before Guangxu's death, Cixi led a hundred officials to celebrate her birthday, but Cixi refused to see Guangxu. "The queen mother was ill for a few days, and a tyrant said that the emperor heard that the queen mother was ill and smiled. The queen mother said angrily, "I can't die first." "From this, he thought that Cixi had made up her mind to kill Guangxu.
The Secret Records of Emperor Guangxu's Diagnosis and Treatment written by Qu Guiting, a doctor too much, also records that three days before Guangxu's death, he "rolled on the bed" and "shouted that his stomach hurt badly", his face was dark and his tongue was brown. This disease has little to do with his previous illness.
The Oral History of Qigong also records that on the day of Guangxu's death, does not write that Pu Liang (Qigong's great grandfather) was recovering from illness outside the Queen Mother's residence and saw a eunuch coming out of the Le Shou Hall with a bowl. Pu Liang asked the eunuch what it was, and the eunuch replied, "It was Lafayette who gave it to the long live grandfather." Soon, the eunuch Xiao announced to the imperial court that Emperor Guangxu had died.
However, the records of Qing Palace archives tend to be normal "death".
File 1: Guangxu nocturnal emission for nearly 20 years, with frequent soreness of waist, legs, shoulders and back and tinnitus for nearly 10 years. File 2: The pulse case in the 26th year of Guangxu recorded the aggravation of illness. File 3: The pulse case recorded on March 9, Guangxu thirty-four years, records that the emperor suffered from liver and kidney yin deficiency, spleen yang deficiency, qi and blood loss, and his condition was serious, so there was no medicine available. File 4: According to the pulse case of May 10, Guangxu 34 th year, Chen Bingjun, the physician, "has been conditioning for a long time and has no effect"; Du, a famous doctor in Jiangsu, said, "I don't want success, I just want not to make mistakes", which shows that there is nothing I can do about the emperor's illness. File 5: According to the pulse case in September of Guangxu thirty-four years, the symptoms are more complicated and changeable, and all the viscera functions are out of balance. File 6: 10 month 17, the pulse cases diagnosed by three doctors record that the condition has entered a critical period, and it will be critical within four days. File 7: According to the pulse case on 10/9, chest tightness, shortness of breath, persistent cough, constipation, general weakness and other symptoms appeared. File 8:1the pulse case on October 20 records that he began to enter a near-death state and was unconscious. The ninth file:1October 2 1 Day pulse record: the pulse seems to be absent, and the mouth is full of breath. The above "pulse case" shows that the emperor's condition is deteriorating step by step, and it should be a normal death.
In the 1980s, experts in Qing history also denied that Emperor Guangxu was murdered. Historians, archivists and medical scientists also studied the archived cases and prescriptions of Guangxu pulse condition. They also believe that they have long-term chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, liver disease, heart disease and rheumatism. , resulting in severe loss of immunity, leading to multiple system diseases, and finally died of cardiopulmonary failure complicated with acute infection.
Exactly 100 years later, in 2008, a special research group composed of the National Committee for Compilation of Qing History, the Cultural Relics Management Office of Qing Xiling, CCTV, China Institute of Atomic Energy, and the Forensic Examination and Appraisal Center of Beijing Public Security Bureau officially announced: "Arsenic trioxide (that is, arsenic) pollutes collars and hair, and arsenic trioxide in the abdomen of the robe is caused by the erosion of body fluids when the corpse is corrupted. The highest arsenic content in two strands of hair is 2404 μ g/g, which is more than 2000 times higher than that of normal people. The arsenic content of other objects in the tomb is basically normal. "
Emperor Guangxu died of "acute gastrointestinal arsenic poisoning"
The autopsy results were authoritative, and it was determined that Emperor Guangxu was murdered.
However, who poisoned Emperor Tang Qing with arsenic? In China's feudal history of more than 2,000 years, it is very rare for the ruling emperor to be murdered.
There are only three people who can do this: eunuch general manager Li, army general manager Yuan Shikai and Empress Dowager Cixi.
The possibility of Li is too small. 1900 When Cixi and Guangxu fled to Anshi, Li was always respectful to Guangxu. After the death of Cixi, Li also gave part of his property to the queen, which shows that Li and Guangxu have no deep hatred; When Cixi is dying, Li won't kill another patron. Because another emperor, his manager position does not exist.
Yuan Shikai has no chance. Because all the tributes to the emperor are received by the relevant agencies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it is impossible to direct them directly.
Then, the most likely one can only be Empress Dowager Cixi. Why would she do that?
On the one hand, Guangxu carried out the "Reform Movement of 1898" in 1889, which seriously affected the interests of the royal family. Empress Dowager Cixi came forward to oppose the reform. To this end, Emperor Guangxu once planned to surround the Summer Palace where Cixi lived with his army. Emperor Guangxu's move was known by Empress Dowager Cixi. First, he deposed Guangxu's power and banned Guangxu, so that the interests of the royal family were protected and the "Reform Movement of 1898" died. This incident not only shattered the only hope of the Qing Dynasty's revival, but also made the relationship between Cixi and Guangxu really hostile, so that "Empress Dowager Cixi angrily said: I can't die first." Record.
On the other hand, Empress Dowager Cixi saw that Guangxu was radical in the "Reform Movement of 1898", and Kang Youwei and other people were even more radical, so she was worried that Manchu and Han officials who were likely to arouse military power in their hands would unite to overthrow Guangxu and set up a new owner, and the Qing Dynasty controlled by the Aisingiorro family would be hard to protect.
On the other hand, Cixi put Queen Yulong and Prince Zai Feng in power before her death, with the intention of keeping her maiden Yenara in power. But if Emperor Guangxu returns to power after her own death, her scheming will be broken by Guangxu.
Therefore, for the sake of what she thinks is the stability of the current situation, the interests of the Ye family and the inheritance of the Qing Dynasty, it is impossible for Cixi to restore Guangxu after his death. To do this, only Guangxu died before himself.
Empress Dowager Cixi did not know that her actions accelerated the rapid demise of the Qing Dynasty.
This article is based on "1. 1 China at the beginning of the century" in China.