Ci 'an, Niu Kelu, a native of Zhenghuang Banner, Manchuria, is the daughter of Muyang 'a, Youjiang Road, Guangxi. In the second year of Xianfeng, Ci 'an and Cixi entered the palace. After the queen was determined, Ci 'an was soon named as the queen. Cixi is just an insignificant aristocrat. Although she later gave birth to the first and only surviving prince for Emperor Xianfeng, her ranking in the palace climbed all the way, from concubine to princess to imperial concubine, becoming the second person in the palace after the queen. In the feudal hierarchical society, the imperial concubines were hierarchical and insurmountable. The queen is in charge of the sixth house. In the palace, even Emperor Xianfeng respected Ci 'an, what's more, a smart person like Cixi was polite and did not dare to be presumptuous.
In the eleventh year of Xianfeng, Emperor Xianfeng died and the curtain hung in the two palaces. Cian is superior to virtue, and Cixi is superior to talent. One retreat and one advance complement each other. Although Ci 'an's birthright was higher than Cixi's, it did not cause any obstacles for Cixi to seize power. "The legacy of the qing palace? The Empress Dowager Ci 'an recorded: "At that time, it was said that the East Palace (Ci 'an) was superior to Germany, and the measures of great punishment and great reward were really the main ones. Nishinomiya is superior to talent, but the judgment depends on reading the paper and consulting the right time. I know that China people have to pay their money. The East Palace saw the minister screaming like a speechless person. Every time there is a play, I will tell it in the West Palace for memorization, otherwise I won't make a decision in the next month. "
Ci 'an is not interested in power, so the daily political affairs are mostly handled by Cixi. Although Cixi is two years older, out of modesty, she still calls Ci 'an "Sister". Cixi knew that Ci 'an had no objection to any major political issues, so she still had to ask for instructions first. "Cixi is embarrassed to be rude." During their 20-year behind-the-scenes life, the two have maintained a relatively harmonious and stable relationship, and there is no record of major differences and disputes between them, which is rare in the harem life in the history of China.
However, it is impossible to say that there is no unhappiness between them. There are two things that worry Cixi: Ci 'an ordered Ding Baozhen, the governor of Shandong Province, to kill An Dehai, the favorite of Cixi, and to elect the Empress Dowager Tongzhi.
An Dehai, also known as An Dehai, is from Nanpi County, Zhili. When he was young, he envied the villagers who made a fortune as eunuchs in the palace, so he cut himself into the palace to be eunuchs. He is "skilled in art, knowledgeable and literate" and can read books such as The Analects of Confucius and Mencius. He is very good at reading and speaking, flattering, "winning the favor of the empress dowager with tenderness", and won the respect of Cixi, becoming a eunuch in power and a highly valued chamberlain of Cixi. Therefore, whether Cixi killed Su Shun or suppressed Yi D and deprived him of the title of "king of discussion", it was all related to An Dehai. Therefore, An Dehai, an accomplished villain, took Cixi as his patron. He cultivated his henchmen, and the flames were blazing, instead of putting Ci 'an, Tongzhi Emperor and Yi? Put it in your eyes.
The ancestral eunuchs of the Qing Dynasty were not allowed to leave Beijing, but in July of the eighth year of Tongzhi, with the acquiescence of Empress Dowager Cixi, An Dehai went south along the canal in the name of the emperor's wedding and purchasing royal robes. An Dehai smuggled women, hung the banner of dragons and phoenixes, took bribes, flaunted all the way, and disturbed the place. After the Shuntianfu yamen and the Zhili Governor's yamen, they all forbeared, and were caught by Ding Baozhen of Shandong Province. He violated the ancestral system and ordered the eunuch to leave Beijing.
Ci 'an, who has been troubled by An Dehai's intervention in the palace office for a long time, received instructions from the military minister headed by Iraq D on the actions of the Empress Dowager Palace. She immediately called the military minister and the interior minister to discuss. When Cixi was ill, Cian lived alone in the palace. Everyone agrees: "The ancestral system can't leave the capital, and criminals can't be forgiven, so they should be executed on the spot." Cian made it clear that he agreed to execute An Dehai on the spot.
This move made Cixi lose her heart, lose face and suffer, so it is normal to be jealous. But it seems inconsistent with the fact that Cian was killed. If Cixi is jealous that someone killed her confidant eunuch, then the most important person should be Ding Baozhen, and Cixi should punish or even kill him to relieve her hatred. However, Ding Baozhen did not lose his official position because of this. This Guizhou native, who is famous for being "strict and powerful" and honest, has been promoted many times since then, although his official career is not prosperous.
1876 (the second year of Guangxu), Ding Baozhen, who had been governor of Shandong for nearly ten years, was promoted to governor of Sichuan, and worked in this enviable job for ten years. 1885 (11th year of Guangxu), Ding Baozhen died in Chengdu. At that time, both Ci 'an and Emperor Tongzhi were dead, and the real power was in the hands of Cixi. Because Ding Baozhen was honest all his life, there were many people who offended him in officialdom. After his death, many powerful people chased him, but Cixi ignored him. She posthumously awarded Ding Baozhen as Prince of Taibao and Monk Mei as "Wen Cheng", and allowed Shandong, Sichuan, Guizhou and other places to build Zhongliang Hall for him. This shows that Cixi has the justice to convince the ruling and opposition parties in front of the overall situation of state affairs. If Ding Baozhen is still like this, what reason does she have to kill Cian?
Ci 'an and Emperor Tongzhi disagreed with Cixi on the post-election issue, which is undoubtedly an unprecedented blow to Cixi, a person who loves power and bosses around him. She can't forgive her son for betraying herself at this critical moment with the Ci 'an Alliance. She is also very jealous that Cian has a more respected position in her son's mind. She passed all this pain on to Arut and expressed her dissatisfaction by torturing the Queen in disguise.
After the death of Emperor Tongzhi, Arut only got the title of "Queen Jiashun", and he was desperate for his future. "It is indecent to be widowed in the palace" and full of resentment against Cixi's domineering, vicious and tyrannical behavior. After receiving a wordless letter from his father, he swallowed gold foil, begged for death, delayed rescue and went on a hunger strike. 1March 27th, 875 (February 20th of the first year of Guangxu), more than 70 days after Tongzhi's death, Arute died in Palace of Gathered Elegance at the age of 22.
After the death of Queen Jiashun, Cixi's unhappiness for many years gradually eased. After the second act fell, Cixi had unlimited scenery and everything was handy. She has no reason to hold a grudge against Cian and kill her heart.
Therefore, the rumor that Cixi forced to die or poisoned Ci 'an is unconvincing. Cixi's regime and influence are unshakable, and there is absolutely no need to kill Ci 'an. Moreover, according to the incidence of Ci 'an recorded in historical materials, Ci 'an died of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, not homicide. Unofficial history said that Cixi killed Ci 'an, which is sheer nonsense.