novelden Chapter 541 Empress Dowager Cixi 10
Chapter 541 Empress Dowager Cixi 10
Therefore, power was delegated to Ci'an and Cixi, hoping that the two forces would be restrained. It was this arrangement that gave Cixi the opportunity to get involved in politics.
Furthermore, the internal conflicts within the Qing court became a key factor in Cixi's rise to the political stage.
Before his death, Emperor Xianfeng actually thought about having Cixi be buried with him.
Su Shun, who was once an important minister to Emperor Xianfeng, also advised Emperor Xianfeng not to let Empress Dowager Cixi become Lady Gouyi.
Gouyi was the biological mother of Emperor Zhao of Han. Emperor Zhao of Han was young, and Emperor Wu of Han was afraid that after his death, the young emperor would have his biological mother interfere in government affairs on his behalf, so he ordered Gouyi to be executed.
Cixi did have ambitions, but in a feudal society where men were in power, neither the government nor she herself had ever thought about taking power.
Sushun could have been a good regent and reached the peak of his life, but he disliked Cixi, or he couldn't stand seeing women get involved in power.
In addition, the reason why Lady Gouyi could not become like Cixi was because of the good governance of Emperor Wu of Han, but Emperor Xianfeng left such a big mess after his death.
Sushun had been displeased with Cixi for a long time.
In the eighth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1858), the British and French allied forces invaded Beijing, and Cixi fled to Rehe with Emperor Xianfeng.
When they came to power in 1861, Cixi and Sushun had many unpleasant experiences.
Because Emperor Xianfeng doted on Cixi and she was literate, Emperor Xianfeng would often review memorials and ask Cixi to read them to him when he was in the capital.
Sometimes he even dictated and asked Cixi to review it on his behalf.
Sushun was very dissatisfied with this, and as Sushun was deeply trusted by Emperor Xianfeng at that time, he had the opportunity to express his dissatisfaction.
After the invasion of the British and French allied forces, Cixi persuaded Emperor Xianfeng to stay in the capital, so that the foreigners did not dare to be too presumptuous when they attacked.
At most, they could propose peace terms, but once Emperor Xianfeng left, they were afraid that the foreigners would destroy the capital with impunity.
However, Sushun kept persuading Emperor Xianfeng to leave.
This was exactly what Emperor Xianfeng wanted, which made Cixi very unhappy with Sushun.
The result was indeed that the British and French allied forces burned, killed and looted after entering Beijing.
If Xianfeng had stayed in the capital, his life would definitely not have been in danger. As to whether the outcome would have been better, that is unknown.
When Emperor Xianfeng's health deteriorated during his stay in Rehe, Su Shun suggested to Emperor Xianfeng that Cixi should be executed.
Finally, this matter reached the ears of Cixi, and from then on Cixi and Sushun were at war until one death.
This was also the reason why Cixi was determined to seize power and kill Sushun. After all, in that situation, it was either you die or I die!
Faced with the relentless pressure from the Eight Ministers, Empress Dowager Cixi had no choice but to protect herself.
The starting point of Cixi's participation in politics was Emperor Xianfeng's decentralization, and Emperor Xianfeng's decentralization was intended to provide checks and balances to prevent the eight regents from undermining the power of the young ruler.
But this balance was broken before it could be established.
Cixi's family background was not prominent, and her father and brother were not important officials who could influence the political situation.
This was also one of the important reasons why Xianfeng delegated power to her, and it was also a limiting factor for her expansion of power.
The emergence of Yi?? broke this limitation.
Cixi used the power of Yizhen's faction to eliminate the influence of the Eight Regents, providing an opportunity for the expansion of her power in the later period.
Emperor Daoguang's hesitation at the time made Emperor Xianfeng constantly suspicious of Yi Xi.
In addition, Yizhen's ability and reputation in the court made Xianfeng increasingly wary of him.
It has been constantly restrained and suppressed, so that it has been excluded from core power.
When Yi Xin was appointed as the "Minister of Assisting Government Affairs", he was not included.
Emperor Xianfeng did not trust his sixth brother, and Prince Gong was not among the ministers appointed to his appointment.
He went to Rehe to live a life of debauchery, leaving the capital a mess to Yi??.
In the end, no matter what, if the deal is done well, it is because I appointed a wise person, and if it is not done well, it is because Prince Gong is incompetent.
Yi Xin had to bear the blame. After all, Prince Gong was Emperor Daoguang's biological son, and the country belonged to the Aisin-Gioro family. He carefully and personally cleaned up the mess for Emperor Xianfeng.
Looking back, the emperor had passed away without leaving him any power.
The eight regents didn't even mention him, which would make anyone unhappy.
After the death of Emperor Xianfeng, the real power of the Qing government was in the hands of the Eight Regents. These eight people belonged to Emperor Xianfeng's faction and often excluded Yi Xin.
Under such circumstances, for Yi Xin, it would naturally be the best strategy to consult with Cixi.
If Emperor Xianfeng had arranged a position for Prince Gong among the ministers of state.
Even if it is not arranged, at least we can meet once before dying, like the emperors of past dynasties entrusted their children to others.
He held Prince Gong's hand and said a few soft words, entrusting him to assist the six-year-old orphan.
If this had been done, Prince Gong would not have joined forces with Cixi to disregard the ancestral system and abolish the eight regents.
If Sushun and his people were not so domineering and arbitrary, they would not have cared about the two Empress Dowagers and Prince Gong at all.
Instead, they should have taken care of their dignity a little and not forced Cixi to the point of fighting a life-and-death battle with the regent ministers.
So, Cixi joined forces with Ci'an and Yixin to launch the Xinyou Coup, thus standing at the pinnacle of power.
It was based on this that Cixi was able to take power and rule from behind the scenes for the first time.
If Emperor Xianfeng had had enough offspring, who were of the right age and had the political ability to be a ruler, Cixi would not have had the chance to take power.
Xue Li was reviewing the memorials, but she was thinking about the old woman.
In theory, she did a good job in the early stages.
It seems that people in power, regardless of gender, are the same.
Once you get older, you madly want to grasp the power in your hands to achieve inner peace.
Many wise rulers become confused in their later years.
You know, in history, after the Xinyou Coup.
Cixi was only 27 years old, and Ci'an was 26 years old.
These two widows were politically immature, and the two Empress Dowagers could only rely on Prince Gong Yi to maintain the normal operation of the government.
However, Cixi was a very smart person.
At the same time, at the beginning of her regency, Cixi did want to completely change the Qing Dynasty's increasingly declining situation.
Under her leadership, a series of measures aimed at punishing corruption and promoting self-improvement were introduced.
After Cixi took power behind the scenes, she first started with the administration of officials. She sentenced Shengbao, the hero of the Xinyou Coup, to death, and then executed He Guiqing, the governor-general of Liangjiang, on the spot.
These two events caused a great shock in the court.
For a time, the atmosphere of corruption, cowardice and inaction in officialdom was greatly improved.
Immediately afterwards, Cixi vigorously promoted and made use of Han bureaucrats in response to the internal troubles of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Rebellion.
?6?8Note: The Nian Army?6?8 was an anti-Qing peasant armed force that was active for a long time in parts of Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong and Henan provinces north of the Yangtze River, and was contemporary with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Han ministers headed by Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Peng Yulin and Zeng Guoquan were all entrusted with important tasks and served as local governors and governors.