[Romantic Anecdotes of the Qing Dynasty Court] [59] [Author: Xu Xiaotian]

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Mother-in-Law Plots Against Her Wife, the Empress is Poisoned, the Concubine Saves Her Husband
, and the Virtuous Woman Steals the Corpse. It is said that Prince Chun was studying in the Imperial Study with his brothers. Their tutor was Grand Secretary Xu Hongkui, a very strict old gentleman whom the princes feared. Only Yixuan was unafraid of him; in fact, he sometimes played pranks on his tutor. He would place an orange on the tutor's chair, and if the tutor accidentally sat down, a large puddle of water would appear on his bottom—a game he often played in the summer. He would also catch a frog and trap it inside the tutor's inkwell. When the tutor opened the lid, the frog, covered in ink, would jump all over the table, making a mess of the books—another prank he often played.
Xu Hongkui, though resentful, was helpless.
One day, the princes in the Imperial Study suddenly began to clamor, saying that the Fifth Prince was missing. The tutor dispatched many eunuchs to search the entire courtyard, but after two or three hours, they could not find him. Later, Yixuan suddenly slid down a pillar in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Hall of Supreme Harmony housed the throne, and according to palace rules, anyone passing by had to detour around it, and could not walk on the hall unless for a major occasion. Now, the Fifth Prince had committed a grave offense of disrespect, so his tutor invoked ancestral precepts and struck the Fifth Prince's palm three times. From that moment on, the Fifth Prince harbored resentment and constantly sought revenge.
It was summer, and Scholar Xu, being obese, often drank tea; the tutor had a specific teacup. At this moment, the tutor was lecturing, and the princes stood listening.
When Scholar Xu became thirsty, he picked up his teacup and drank it down in one gulp. Sometime later, Yixuan quietly poured himself another cup of tea and placed it on the table. No one noticed, except for the Fourth Prince, who watched coldly. After a while, the tutor picked up the teacup again, took a sip, and then vomited it out with a loud "whoosh." Enraged, he glared and shouted, "Who urinated in there?" The princes were immediately too frightened to utter a sound.
At this moment, the Fourth Prince couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, saying, "I saw my fifth brother take this teacup." Yixuan, upon hearing this, was about to deny it when his tutor shouted and pulled him back. Yixuan then started shouting again. Just then, Emperor Daoguang happened to stroll out from inside and, seeing this, asked, "What's wrong? Could it be that the Fifth Prince can't recite his lessons?" Xu Hongkui, seeing the Emperor, went to greet him and replied, "The Fifth Prince offered me a cup of tea, but it has a rather unusual smell. Please smell it, Your Majesty." Just as Emperor Daoguang was about to smell the tea, the Fifth Prince, seeing the situation was dire, quickly slipped out the door. The Emperor was furious and shouted, "Bring him in!" Two eunuchs rushed forward and dragged Yixuan in. Emperor Daoguang was enraged, drew his sword, and slashed at Yixuan. Fortunately, Xu Hongkui jumped down to stop him and pleaded for the Fifth Prince's life. Seeing his tutor kneel, Emperor Daoguang's anger subsided, and he helped the tutor up. Xu Hongkui then spoke many kind words, and Yixuan seized the opportunity to kneel down as well, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for his life. The Emperor then kicked the Fifth Prince in the chest, knocking him to the ground; he then took a large board and handed it to the tutor, urging him to strike his thigh ten times before stopping. Emperor Daoguang remembered that the Fifth Prince was born to Consort Jing, and now that the Fifth Prince had committed such an arrogant act, his mother should also be punished. He angrily went into the palace. Unexpectedly, Consort Jing had already received the information. She quickly removed her hairpin, let her hair down, and knelt at the palace gate, holding her official hat and robes. Upon seeing the Emperor enter, she repeatedly kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty to raise my son, incurring Your Majesty's wrath. I deserve death! I now willingly return the official hat and robes, begging Your Majesty for mercy and to grant me death." As she spoke, tears streamed down her face like a tidal wave. Emperor Daoguang, who had initially been angry, softened upon seeing Consort Jing's pitiful state. He reached out and helped her up, saying, "Don't worry, you are innocent. But this rebellious son must be dealt with properly." Consort Jing then helped the Emperor into the palace. When no one was around, she pleaded for the Fifth Prince. The next day, the Emperor issued an edict stripping Yixuan of his title of Prince Chun and confining him to the Qing Palace for three years, forbidding him from leaving. Although Emperor Daoguang treated the Fifth Prince leniently, he showed extraordinary favor to Consort Jing. The Fifth Prince was Consort Jing's biological son, and the bond between mother and son was innate. Relying on her wealth, she bribed eunuchs in the Qing Palace to regularly send him clothes and food; she also had people comfort the Fifth Prince and patiently watch over him, waiting for the Emperor's anger to subside before pleading for his pardon.
This news reached the Empress's ears, who accused her of having an affair with an eunuch and colluding with the Qing Palace eunuchs. The Emperor, still infatuated with Consort Jing, simply laughed off this report, and thus the relationship between Consort Jing and the Empress deteriorated day by day.
Consort Jing also constantly plotted to harm the Empress. She had become close with the Empress Dowager's maids, and she instructed one of them to speak ill of the Empress to the Empress Dowager daily. She also said that when the Empress was alone in the palace, she cursed the Empress Dowager, saying that as long as the Empress Dowager lived, she would never have a chance to rise to power, and she only wished for the Empress Dowager's early death so she could wield absolute power in the palace. The Empress Dowager was old, and old people are often not very sensible; now, after listening to their slander, she was beginning to have doubts.
Later, a palace maid from Cining Palace, while visiting the Empress's palace, found a paper cutout of a person with seven embroidery needles sewn onto it. The maid, who served the Empress Dowager closely, found it strange and secretly showed the paper cutout to the Empress Dowager. It also contained the Empress Dowager's birth date and time. Upon closer calculation, the eight characters matched the Empress Dowager's birth year and time. This enraged the Empress Dowager, who repeatedly demanded, "Where did you find this paper figure?
" The palace maid, seeing the Empress Dowager's anger, became very frightened and recounted how she had gone to the Empress's palace to play and how she had found the paper figure outside the palace gate. The Empress Dowager grew even angrier upon hearing this, saying, "No one knows my birth date and time except the Empress. This paper figure must be some kind of trick by that vile woman. She used to curse me to death every day; seeing that I wasn't dead, she came up with this nightmare magic to force me to my death. Truly, the net of heaven is inescapable. Now this paper figure has fallen into the hands of one of our own. Fine, fine! I'll go and question that vile woman myself." The Empress Dowager trembled with rage. Holding the paper figure, she stood up and staggered out of her bedchamber, repeatedly shouting, "Quickly, bring my sedan chair! Let's go to Yikun Palace and question that vile woman!" The maid panicked. She had found the paper figure, and fearing that this commotion would bring trouble upon herself, she quickly knelt down to stop the Empress Dowager, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. This matter should be investigated discreetly before we question her." Many palace maids in Cining Palace were also terrified, having never seen the Empress Dowager so furious before. Just as the palace maids were in a panic, Consort Jing entered the palace. Seeing the situation, she knelt down as well, then thought of returning to the Empress Dowager's room. When she quietly inquired, the Empress Dowager revealed the story of the paper figure. Consort Jing insisted that it was the Empress's doing, adding, "If Your Majesty were to question her, she could easily deny such a baseless accusation. If Your Majesty wishes to take revenge, I have a good plan." The Empress Dowager hurriedly asked what the plan was, and Consort Jing leaned closer and whispered a few words in the Empress Dowager's ear. The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly and immediately instructed the maid to relay a message to the palace maids: "Not a single word of what happened today is to be mentioned outside; anyone who dares to utter a word will have their life taken!" Hearing this, none of the palace maids dared to speak further. From then on, the people in Cining Palace and Yikun Palace became quiet. Sometimes, when Niohuru came to pay homage to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager would never show any emotion and would still treat her with kindness and gentleness. The Empress was overjoyed to learn that the Empress Dowager had changed her mind.
The Empress Dowager's birthday arrived again, and Prime Minister Mu, as usual, presented a troupe of female actors to perform in the palace to celebrate. Upon seeing the actresses, the Emperor recalled the pitiful death of Consort Ruixiang. He had originally planned to go on stage himself to play the role of Lao Laizi to offer birthday wishes, but now, filled with sorrow, he was too lazy to perform and ordered his fourth son, Yizhu, to play in his place. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, the Emperor slipped away and returned to the palace, followed only by a young eunuch. The Emperor entered his bedchamber, took out a portrait of Consort Ruixiang, hung it above his bed, lit incense, bowed, and called out, "Consort," saying, "It is I who have harmed you! Now your companions and sisters are performing there again, but where is the Consort? I think of you every night in my dreams, why don't you come to see me?" These words were spoken with poignant sorrow, and even the young eunuch couldn't help but shed tears. After offering his praises, the Emperor quietly sat facing the portrait for a while. He then ordered a eunuch to remove the portrait and returned to watch the opera. On stage, the Fourth Prince, dressed as Lao Lai Zi, was shaking a rattle-drum, rolling on the ground, and singing. The Emperor, watching, couldn't help but smile. Only the Empress Dowager, preoccupied with her own thoughts, sat silently. Seeing her son performing on stage, the Empress, eager to please, composed four quatrains on the spot to wish the Empress Dowager a long life and presented them to her. The Empress Dowager, after reading them, repeatedly exclaimed, "Excellent!" and then ordered wine to be served. Consort Jing, already prepared, rushed forward with a wine pot upon hearing the order. A palace maid stood by, carrying a golden tray with three golden wine cups. Consort Jing filled the three cups to the brim. Seeing her mother-in-law "rewarding her with wine," the Empress immediately knelt down, straightened her neck, and drank two cups, feeling a surge of heat rising straight to her dantian. He immediately thanked the Empress Dowager for the reward. Just then, the Fourth Prince finished his performance, and the Empress Dowager called him closer, personally taking a string of precious beads and hanging it on his lapel. The Fourth Prince thanked the Empress Dowager and left.
The Empress Dowager instructed, "Singing a song and inhaling cold air is unpleasant; quickly drink a cup of hot wine to warm yourself up." The Fourth Prince agreed and went to his seat. The Empress Dowager sat for a while, then said her back ached and she couldn't hold on any longer, so she dismissed the banquet and returned to the Cining Palace.
The Empress and many of the other consorts also left after the Empress Dowager's departure.
The Empress returned to her palace, but because she didn't usually drink alcohol, she had drunk too much and felt heavy-headed and unwell all over, so she went to bed early. After a night's sleep, her fever worsened, and she became delirious. The Imperial Household Department hurriedly summoned the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital, but after seeing three doctors, none could diagnose her condition. By the next day, her condition had deteriorated further.
The Emperor, whose marriage was already strained due to the Empress's excessive jealousy, summoned the Fourth Prince to the palace to inquire after his mother's well-being upon hearing the news. Upon seeing her son, the Empress regained some composure, but instead of uttering a word, she clutched his hand and wept bitterly. Suddenly, her eyes glazed over, and she screamed, frantically grabbing at her chest, tearing her garment to reveal her nipples. Palace maids rushed to cover her. With another scream, the Empress jumped off the bed, running barefoot around the room, shouting and tearing off her clothes, scattering them on the floor.
She was now only wearing an embroidered undergarment and red satin trousers.
Pushing aside the maids, she tried to storm out of the room. The Fourth Prince, seeing this, rushed forward and embraced her tightly.
At this moment, the Empress, drawing strength from who-knows-where, and even the Fourth Prince, who was also quite strong, simply stretched out her arm, pushed the Fourth Prince to the ground, and rushed out of the room. The palace maids inside cried out, and a group of maids outside rushed in, embracing the Empress and pulling her into the room. The Empress's eyes were bloodshot; she attacked anyone she saw and smashed anything in sight. The room was filled with the cries of palace maids and the sounds of breaking objects. The Fourth Prince, terrified, fled the palace, crying as he told his father, the Emperor. The Daoguang Emperor, upon hearing this, also went into the palace, peeked through the window, and then summoned the imperial physician to examine her. With the Empress naked and in a dazed state, how could the physician dare to enter and examine her? Unable to prescribe any medicine, everyone was at a loss, and could only close the palace gates, letting her scream and jump around as she went on her madness for two days and three nights. Later, exhausted and hoarse from screaming, she collapsed on the bed, unable to move, only continuing to scream. The palace maids covered her up before the imperial physician was allowed in to examine her pulse and prescribe medicine. However, the medicine seemed to sink without a trace, having no effect whatsoever. In the latter half of the night, the Empress's cries grew increasingly strange, like ghostly wails, with many palace maids keeping her company in the room. The next day, the Empress Dowager learned of this and came to see her, accompanied by Consort Jing. The Empress was lying in bed, drowsy and unconscious; the palace maids helped her sit up to receive the Empress.
Consort Jing, standing nearby, saw a palace maid bring her a cup of medicine. She hurriedly took it, blew on it to check its temperature, tasted it herself first, then pulled a gold needle from her hair, stirred it in the medicine, and served it to the Empress. After sitting for a while, she left the palace.
Three days later, Empress Niohuru passed away. The Ministry of the Interior was busy with the funeral arrangements, and the Ministry of Rites was busy drafting the funeral rites. Only the Empress Dowager and Consort Jing secretly reveled in their own happiness. It turns out that the Empress's life was actually driven to death by these two women, all thanks to Consort Jing's scheme. She and the Empress Dowager had pre-arranged to deliberately reward the Empress with wine on the Emperor's birthday; while Consort Jing was sifting the wine, she secretly switched the wine pot. This pot contained seven Asuji pills. After the pills were soaked and dissolved, the Empress swallowed them and unknowingly began to act strangely. These Asuji pills were originally a secret elixir made by a lama monk, extremely potent. When someone fell ill, taking just one pill would bring immediate relief. The pills were only the size of a mung bean, vermilion in color, yet incredibly strong; taking even one more would cause illness, and taking three or more would drive a person mad. Previously, Prince Dorgon, known for his lust, kept many concubines in his household, all relying on these Asuji pills to sustain his spirits. At that time, Dorgon kept lama monks in his residence specifically to concoct these pills.
It is said that the preparation of this pill was extremely mysterious. Initially, one female pill and one male pill were required for the process. The first time this pill was prepared in the Qing Palace, someone was specially sent to the western part of the city to retrieve them. The lamas took these two pills, sealed them in a clean bottle, and placed it in a clean room. Every morning, the lamas would rise early, enter the clean room,
offer incense, and chant mantras over the bottle. On the forty-ninth day, they removed the bottle and found it full of pills. When the bottle was almost empty, with only two pills remaining, the process was repeated, and the bottle was full again. Therefore, when taking this pill, one must always be mindful of the bottle to prevent the "seed" from being extinguished; if all pills were consumed, it could no longer be prepared. Only the lamas in the Qing Palace possessed this medicine; it could cure all diseases, but it could also kill. Emperor Yongzheng bribed the Grand Preceptor to give the Asuji Pill to Crown Prince Yinreng of the Kangxi Emperor, who subsequently became mentally unstable and was deposed. Now, Empress Daoguang has also died from poisoning by the Asuji Pill. Emperor Daoguang knew the Empress's illness was strange, but since he and the Empress had long since lost their affection, he didn't investigate further.
In the blink of an eye, the Empress's death was over, like removing a thorn from his eye. Knowing he was getting old, he didn't appoint another Empress, but instead made Borjigin a Noble Consort. From then on, the two lived happily together in the palace.
Since the death of Consort Ruixiang, Emperor Daoguang had been disheartened and had long neglected state affairs. He trusted Mu Zhang'a, entrusting him with all matters. This Prime Minister Mu was only interested in money and didn't care about the affairs of state. When the British caused chaos in Guangdong, he always kept the news from the Emperor. The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Yishan, was originally a confidant of Prime Minister Mu. Upon arriving in Guangdong, he suddenly led his navy to attack British warships, only to be met with a barrage of fire from the British gunboats, leaving them utterly destroyed. Accusing the Chinese of provoking conflict, the British then went ashore and dismantled all the forts along the Guangdong coast. Yishan, desperate and with nowhere else to turn, hastily went to negotiate peace with the British. Later, because China refused to cede Hong Kong, the British navy sailed directly to Xiamen in Fujian, indiscriminately firing cannons. The Governor-General of Xiamen, Yan Tao, was completely unprepared and was driven back to the inner city by the British. Several other foreign gunboats also reached Dinghai in Ningbo.
At that time, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian was dispatching General Ge Yunfei of Dinghai Garrison, General Zheng Guohong of Chuzhou Garrison, and General Wang Ximing of Shouchun Garrison to guard three routes. However, Generals Zheng and Wang arrived in Dinghai but remained inactive, watching helplessly as Ge Yunfei was surrounded by British troops. Zhushan fell, a cannonball pierced his chest, and he died at the foot of the desolate mountain. The British dragged his body back to their camp and hid it. General Ge had originally brought a beloved concubine with him. Upon hearing of her husband's death, she wept bitterly. After her tears subsided, she knelt before her maids and soldiers, repeatedly kowtowing. The soldiers, seeing this, hurriedly knelt in return. The lady pleaded with them to help her retrieve her husband's body from the British camp. Deeply moved by her loyalty, her men unanimously agreed. That night, under a dark and starry sky, the British troops were stationed on the coast. This concubine, leading the way, secretly infiltrated the Huang Guo camp and managed to steal General Ge's body back. They went home and still held a funeral. Later generations wrote a poem, "The Song of General Ge's Concubine," to praise her.
After General Ge's death, Generals Wang and Zheng also died in battle. This was all due to General Yuqian. He led his troops and refused to come to their aid; as the three armies were either dead or scattered, the British troops attacked Yuqian's camp. Yuqian fought and retreated until he had nowhere left to go, at which point he jumped into the ocean pool and committed suicide. At this time, Prime Minister Mu knew that the situation was escalating, and then news of the fall of Ningbo, the fall of Shanghai, and the siege of Fujian came one after another. He could no longer conceal the truth and had to report it to the emperor. Emperor Daoguang, long unaware of the dire situation, was now in a dilemma upon hearing of the dire consequences. However, he still heeded Mu Zhang'a's advice and reinstated Qiying. At that time, British warships were already approaching Nanjing. Qiying, left with no other option, negotiated peace with the British: ceding Hong Kong, paying six million taels in reparations for opium losses, and twelve million taels for military expenses; and opening Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai as treaty ports. This war is known as the Opium War; the peace treaty signed is called the "Jiangning Peace Treaty," marking the first major diplomatic failure in modern Chinese history. To find out what happened next, please read the next installment.

URL 1:https://www.sexlove5.com/htmlBlog/216008.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=216008&aspx=1

Last access time:

Previous Page : A Noble Family's Romantic Journey - Chapter 317

Next Page : A Noble Family's Erotic Journey - Chapter 23: A Hall of Spring Colors

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

[Romantic Anecdotes of the Qing Dynasty Court] [59] [Author: Xu Xiaotian]

comment Open a new window to view comments