In the eleventh year of Xianfeng (186 1), Emperor Xianfeng died and Tongzhi ascended the throne. Ye He Na La was named Empress Dowager Cixi. Before Emperor Xianfeng died, in order not to lose power, he appointed eight ministers to "praise government affairs" and check each other. However, despite its comprehensive design, the eight ministers still tried to control the release of the imperial edict. After hearing the news, the 27-year-old Cixi quickly rushed back to Beijing from Jehol, contacted Queen Niu Zhilu and eunuch An Dehai, and formed the Empress Power Group. In addition, she also launched a "Xin You coup" with Prince Gong, which overthrew Nanba's minister-assisted government system in one fell swoop and was replaced by the Empress Dowager of the two palaces.
At the beginning of Cixi's listening to politics, it coincided with the outbreak of the Taiping Rebellion. In order to maintain her power and status, Cixi gave in to the invaders and brutally suppressed the uprising of the people of all ethnic groups such as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army at home. Later, she used the power of the clean party to contain the rights of Prince Gong, and then skillfully used Cai Shouqi, a bachelor, to dismiss the Iraqi king, and then replaced all the military ministers. After lifting the game restrictions, Cixi quickly wiped out the once famous Liu Qing Party. However, the ruthless Cixi still refused to give up. Finally, the poison cake was used to poison Empress Ci 'an, clearing the last obstacle for her to monopolize power, and she was in charge of state affairs from then on.
Cixi is a person with a strong desire for power. When the national interest conflicts with her personal power, she absolutely refuses to sacrifice a little bit of her rights and interests for the benefit of the country and the nation. After the failure of the Sino-French war, the French navy was in urgent need of rectification and construction, but she took naval funds to build the Summer Palace. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government had no money to prepare for the war. The reason is to prepare for her 60th birthday. In the face of Eight-Nation Alliance, on the condition that the powers continue to recognize her dominant position, she frankly signed the "Xin Chou Treaty" which humiliated her power and country.
1908, after the death of Emperor Guangxu, Cixi made her young master Puyi emperor. Soon, Cixi died in the Summer Palace. Before her death, she still clung to the supreme power of the Qing Empire.