[Romantic Anecdotes of the Qing Dynasty Court] [23] [Author: Xu Xiaotian]

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Chapter Twenty-Three: Saving His Beloved Concubine, Wu Sangui Borrows Troops to Kill Palace Women, Chongzhen Dies for
His Country. Meanwhile, Dorgon was thinking of his nephew's wife when a palace maid entered, saying that Alu Hui was requesting an audience. Knowing it was a confidential matter, Dorgon quickly went out and summoned him to the west room. Upon seeing the Regent, Alu Hui recounted how Hauge and others had plotted to assassinate him. Dorgon was both shocked and furious. He immediately sent Alu Hui with palace soldiers to secretly go to Prince Su's residence, arresting all the princes, beile, and ministers present and bringing them to the palace. Only Dodo had already escaped. When the Regent saw Hauge, remembering how he had spoken ill of him to Emperor Taizong, he wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces. He immediately, together with Prince Zheng, ascended the Dugong Hall for interrogation, with Alu Hui as witness. Seeing no way to deny it, Hauge retorted with vicious words. The Regent was furious and ordered Prince Su to be demoted to commoner status and imprisoned forever within high walls, and his palace confiscated. He secretly took his nephew's wife into his own residence, and would sneak back to his own to enjoy himself with her.
At the same time, ministers such as Adali, Shuo Tuo, and Wu Dan were sentenced to death, and Grand Secretary Tu Ganglin was also imprisoned. Countless other ministers were also executed for crimes; their confiscated property and women were all sent to Prince Rui's residence. Since Haoge's imprisonment, Dorgon had removed a thorn in his side and indulged in unrestrained pleasure with the Empress Dowager every day, without any scruples. The young Emperor Shizu, residing in a separate palace, could not possibly know their affairs. However, Fan Wencheng learned that the people outside were dissatisfied.
Meanwhile, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong of the Ming Dynasty rebelled, leading 200,000 troops, including starving people from Shaanxi and disbanded soldiers, and occupied Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, and Sichuan provinces. The rebel leaders included Lao Huihui, Cao Cao, Hualiyan, Zuo Jinwang, Gaishiwang, Shetatian, Hengtianwang, Hunshiwan, Guotianxing, Jiutiaolong, and Shuntianwang, divided into thirteen families and seventy-two camps, rampaging everywhere. Many Ming Dynasty soldiers surrendered to them. These thirteen families and seventy-two camps were originally led by Li Zicheng's uncle, Gao Yingxiang, who was originally a bandit. Later, he joined forces with Zhang Xianzhong, a famine-stricken leader from Yan'an Prefecture who called himself the King of Daliang, and proclaimed himself the King of Chuang. Zhang Xianzhong called himself the Eighth King. After Gao Yingxiang was killed by government troops, Li Zicheng took over the title of King of Chuang and marched towards Xi'an; Zhang Xianzhong marched towards Sichuan.
Changxun, the son of the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was killed by Li Zicheng, who drank his blood and wine, and called himself the King of Fortune and Prosperity. The heir apparent, Tian Song, fled naked into the wilderness. Later, Li Zicheng stormed Xi'an, occupied the palace of the Ming Dynasty's Prince Qin, killed the Prince, and established the Great Shun Dynasty, changing the era name to Yongchang. He then led his troops to capture Taiyuan, Daming, and Zhengding. The Ming Emperor Chongzhen, upon hearing this news, was terrified and hastily issued an edict summoning troops from all over to protect the capital. However, at this time, treacherous officials held power, the emperor was extremely impoverished, and there was not a single loyal minister in the court. This news reached Fan Wencheng's ears, who said to Dorgon, "This is an opportunity not to be missed. Your Highness should seize this opportunity to subdue the Ming Dynasty and achieve great merit; who would dare disobey?" The Regent Prince agreed, saying it was a good idea, and hurriedly went to explain it to the Empress Dowager. Although
the Empress Dowager was reluctant to leave her uncle, for the sake of the country and Dorgon's future, she agreed. He instructed his son, Emperor Shizu, to choose an auspicious day, ascend the throne in the Dugong Hall, and appoint Dorgon as Grand General, commanding two-thirds of the Manchu and Mongol troops, along with the armies of the two Han princes, Gongshun and Xushun, totaling no less than 100,000 men. The Emperor also bestowed upon Dorgon a yellow umbrella, two large banners, a black fox fur hat, a sable robe, sable socks, a sable cushion, a sun hat, a python robe, a python jacket, a python cushion, a carved saddle, a fine horse, and many other gifts. Dorgon went to the palace to bid farewell to the Empress Dowager, stating that if they conquered the Central Plains, he would bring the Empress Dowager to the pass to share in China's prosperity. At noon, cannons roared outside the city. The Grand General mounted his horse, eight large banners raised in front of him, and marched in a grand procession towards Shanhaiguan. Upon crossing the border, Dorgon dispatched Dodo, Ajige, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi, and the Korean prince Yi Cheng, each leading a large army to advance. He himself commanded his personal guards and stationed them at Wenghou near Guangning, awaiting news from the vanguard. While Dorgon was dispatching troops, Ajige, from the vanguard, suddenly brought in a Ming Dynasty official. Upon seeing Dorgon, the official immediately knelt and said that Wu Sangui, the Earl of Pingxi of the Ming Dynasty, had sent a document, specially dispatched by his deputy Ye Yuzhong, to be presented to the Grand General for his personal review. A guard immediately took the document. Dorgon read it and saw that the document stated that Emperor Chongzhen had hanged himself at Coal Hill, Li Zicheng had breached Beijing, and that the Grand General was requesting troops to save China from this great calamity. Dorgon, after reading the above, was stunned and exclaimed, "How formidable is Li Zicheng! He's caused such a great upheaval in just a few days!" He then asked Ye Yuzhong, "How did Emperor Chongzhen hang himself?"
Ye, the deputy general, didn't speak, but tears streamed down his face as he said, "Emperor Chongzhen lost his life in vain!"
At this time, the people of Beijing were still unaware that Li Zicheng's army was at the city gates. It wasn't until the morning court session on March 17th that the emperor asked, "What is the situation with the rebels outside?" The civil and military officials, upon hearing this, could only weep. After a pause, a report came in from outside the Meridian Gate: "Li Zicheng's army is attacking all nine gates." Upon hearing this, the ministers, disregarding the emperor, slipped out of the hall one by one. Emperor Chongzhen, upon seeing this, only sighed, left the court, and returned to the palace, where he wept bitterly before the empress. At this moment, a chief eunuch, seeing the emperor's sorrowful weeping, was moved by a sense of loyalty and righteousness. He immediately summoned over six hundred eunuchs from the palace, each armed, and sent them out to guard the imperial city. On the 18th, the attack outside was extremely fierce. A eunuch named Du Xun secretly escaped the city to surrender to Li Zicheng, revealing everything about the palace to the rebels. Li Zicheng then sent Du Xun to the palace that very night, to meet Emperor Chongzhen and request that the emperor abdicate in favor of Li Zicheng. The emperor was furious and imprisoned Du Xun. On the evening of the 18th, the eunuch Cao Huachun secretly opened the Zhangyi Gate. The rebel soldiers stormed into the city, killing everyone they encountered and burning every house they saw. The capital was ablaze with fire and filled with the clamor of voices. Emperor Chongzhen hurriedly ordered the inner city to be closed. The poor emperor walked out of the palace gates alone to Wanshou Mountain. Seeing the flames of war, he sighed and said, "These innocent people have been harmed for nothing!" He shed a few tears. Returning to the Qianqing Palace, he picked up a vermilion brush and wrote an imperial edict: "Duke Zhu Chunchen of Cheng is hereby appointed to oversee all military affairs, both inside and outside the palace, and to assist the Crown Prince." After writing the edict, he ordered the Empress to be summoned. In an instant, many palace maids stood before the emperor, with the empress and Consort Yuan seated to the side. The emperor ordered a feast to be prepared, drank three large cups, and felt quite drunk. He turned to the empress and said, "The matter is hopeless!" Before he could finish speaking, the palace maids began to sob and weep. The empress, wiping away tears, said, "Your Majesty, I have served you for eighteen years, offering my advice, but you never listened, leading to this!" The emperor didn't say much more to her, but summoned the crown princes, Prince Yong and Prince An, took their hands, and said only, "Escape for your lives!" He then ordered the eunuchs to send the two princes out of the palace to be fostered by the Zhou and Tian families, relatives of the empress. A short while later, a palace maid reported: The empress has hanged herself! The emperor rushed in to see her, but she was already dead. The emperor only uttered one word: "Good." The princess wept beside him. The princess was fifteen years old, with a beauty that could rival that of a legendary beauty. When the emperor saw her off guard, he drew his sword, concealed his face with his robe sleeve, and with a single stroke, severed her right arm. The princess fell into a pool of blood, writhing and crying out. The emperor, wiping away tears, said, "Who told you to be born into our imperial family?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Yuan bowed repeatedly to the emperor, untied her belt, and attempted to hang herself in front of him. Just as she finished hanging, the belt suddenly snapped, and Consort Yuan awoke. The emperor then raised his sword and viciously slashed her shoulder several times until she died. The emperor sheathed his sword and hurriedly squeezed through the crowd of palace eunuchs to the Donghua Gate, where he was stopped by soldiers. He then went to Zhu Chunchen's house at the Qihua Gate, but was again stopped by the gatekeeper. He turned back to the Anding Gate, but the gate was tightly shut, preventing him from leaving. The emperor sighed and returned to the palace. At this time, the emperor, dressed in a blue robe, walked around the streets unnoticed. Early on the morning of the 19th, the inner city was breached by the rebels. The emperor quietly went alone to Coal Hill and sat down in the Shouhuang Pavilion. The sounds of battle reached his ears. He sighed several times, picked up a vermilion brush from his desk, wrote a few words on his robe, loosened his belt, and hanged himself in the pavilion. When Li Zicheng stormed the palace, a eunuch named Wang Chengen searched the palace for the emperor. He found him in the Shouhuang Pavilion, hanging high on the windowsill, his hair disheveled, his left foot bare, and his right foot clad in a vermilion shoe. The words written on his robe read: "I have been on the throne for seventeen years, and the rebels have advanced directly to the capital. Though I am of meager virtue and have offended Heaven, it is all the fault of my ministers! I have no face to meet my ancestors in the underworld. Remove my crown, cover my face with my hair, and let the rebels tear my body apart, but do not harm a single commoner!"
After reading the imperial edict found on the emperor's robe, Wang Chengen burst into tears. He bowed eight times to the emperor's body and said, "Your Majesty, please rest in the underworld, your servant is coming!" With that, he untied a belt from his waist and hanged himself at the emperor's feet.
When the city fell, Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne alone, not seeing a single eunuch. He then descended and struck the bells himself, but not a single minister appeared. Later, Li Zicheng entered the palace and, sitting in the Golden Hall, began striking the bells and drums. Duke Zhu Chunchen led all the civil and military officials to the throne, prostrating themselves and shouting, "Long live the new emperor!" When Li Zicheng inquired, only a few ministers, Fan Jingwen and Ni Yuanlu, remained loyal. He then inquired about the whereabouts of Emperor Chongzhen, but none of the ministers knew. Later, the emperor's body was found on Coal Hill. When questioned, the young eunuch guarding the Shouhuang Pavilion recounted the emperor's death and the martyrdom of Wang Chengen. Li Zicheng ordered a palace gate to be removed, the emperor's body to be hastily placed in a willow coffin, and abandoned in a temporary enclosure outside the Donghua Gate. Only three or four old eunuchs guarded it each day.
Li Zicheng lived in the palace, where civil and military officials attended court daily, yet not a single one paid homage to the emperor's coffin. At that time, a group of treacherous Ming officials, including Chen Yan, Wei Zaode, Zhang Ruoqi, Liang Zhaoyang, Yang Guanguang, and Zhou Kui, all gained high positions by currying favor with Li Zicheng. Even Wu Sangui's father, Commander Wu Xiang, surrendered to Li Zicheng. Wu Sangui had a beloved concubine named Chen Yuanyuan, originally a singing girl from the household of the powerful maternal relative Tian Wan. She was as beautiful as a lotus emerging from water. Wu Sangui fell in love at first sight while drinking at Tian Wan's house, took her from him, and doted on her, holding her in his arms and kissing her constantly. Because he was ordered by the emperor to lead troops to Shanhaiguan, fearing Chen Yuanyuan's delicate skin wouldn't withstand the harsh winds and sand of the pass, he left her with his father in the capital. When Li Zicheng attacked Beijing, Wu Sangui, having been granted the title of Earl of Pingxi, led his troops back to the capital. He had only reached Fengrun when he received news of the fall of Beijing. He learned that his father, Wu Xiang, had also surrendered to the rebels, and even his beloved concubine, Chen Yuanyuan, had been captured by the rebel general Liu Zongmin and presented to Li Zicheng. How could Wu Sangui not be furious? He immediately led his soldiers day and night to march into Beijing, while also sending his deputy general, Ye Yuzhong, to the border to request reinforcements.
Dorgon, having ascertained the situation, was delighted and immediately mobilized his troops, raising a large banner at the front of the army with the four characters "A Righteous and Benevolent Army" inscribed on it, and marched triumphantly into Beijing; the troops of the Earl of Pingxi led the way. Li Zicheng, hearing of the Manchu army's arrival, panicked and fled from the Wuying Hall, capturing the Ming crown prince and two princes as he fled west. Wu Sangui pursued them, killing his father, Wu Xiang; when he inquired about Chen Yuanyuan, she had already been captured by Li Zicheng and taken out of the city. Wu Sangui continued his pursuit, encountering Chen Yuanyuan alone at a post station. Upon seeing this, Wu Sangui was filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy. Having won the heart of his beloved, Wu Sangui had no desire to pursue her and returned to the capital.
Dorgon, meanwhile, was already sitting high in the Wuying Hall, receiving the congratulations of the officials. Prince Rui, while tidying up the palace, personally wrote a memorial, sending the Duke of the State, Tunjikheto, and the Gushan Ejen, Aluohui, to Shengjing to welcome the two empresses to the capital. He also dispatched Jin Zhijun, a Ming dynasty official who had surrendered, to repair the official road from Shanhaiguan to Beijing and build temporary palaces along the way. When Prince Rui was in Shengjing, he and the Empress Dowager had been accustomed to seeing each other intimately every day. Now that they were separated, he couldn't help but long for them day and night. He eagerly awaited the arrival of Emperor Shunzhi and the Empress Dowager in Beijing on September 20th. Dorgon summoned Manchu and Han civil and military officials, fully armed, and went nine li outside the city to respectfully welcome the emperor. Nine cannon shots rang out, followed by the sounds of drums, ceremonial guards, dragon banners, and the imperial carriage. Squads of blue-feathered attendants flanked the carriage. Inside, a full-figured Empress Dowager sat, cradling a seven-year-old emperor. The carriage entered the Forbidden City through the Yongding Gate and then the Daqing Gate. Along the way, every household set up an incense table
, and people peeked through their windows. Once inside the Forbidden City, all the civil and military officials withdrew, leaving only the Regent Prince to accompany them into the palace. The Shunzhi Emperor and the Empress Dowager entered the Cining Palace, rested briefly, and then summoned Dorgon. The two, reunited after a long separation, naturally shared a warm welcome, talking until evening before returning to their private residences. At this time, Consort Xiaoyu and Hauge's wife also arrived in Beijing. Dorgon returned to his residence, chatted and laughed with Consort Xiaoyu for a while, and then spent some time with his twenty concubines before slipping into his nephew's wife's room.
Since marrying the Regent, Consort Yu harbored deep resentment towards her sister, whom she had never been kind to. She considered going to the palace several times to confront her sister, but knowing her sister was now the Empress Dowager and she couldn't match her power, she endured it. Dorgon, preoccupied with palace affairs, served her day and night. The Shunzhi Emperor
chose the first day of the tenth month to ascend the throne. From the twenty-sixth of the ninth month, he ordered all officials to wear mourning clothes for three days in remembrance of the Chongzhen Emperor. On the first day, everyone changed into auspicious attire, and the Emperor ascended the throne in the Wuying Hall. All officials prostrated themselves, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times. The Emperor then issued three edicts: First, changing the name of the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, granting a general amnesty, and exempting all taxes for one year. Second, ordering all subjects to shave their heads within ten days. The third edict appointed Ajige as the General Who Pacifies the Distant Lands, ordering him to join forces with Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi, and others to advance from Datong to meet with Mongol troops, enter Yulin and Yan'an, attack the rear of Shaanxi, and annihilate Li Zicheng's band of rebels. It also appointed Dodo as the General Who Stabilizes the Nation, ordering him to join forces with Kong Youde and other surrendered generals to march south and conquer the Ming Dynasty. Just this one edict alone cost countless loyal ministers and righteous men their lives, but let's not dwell on that.
Now, let's return to the matter of Dorgon. Having distributed his troops to various regions, he spent his days drinking and reveling with the Empress Dowager in the palace. The wives of the various princes took turns visiting the palace to offer their congratulations, except for Consort Xiaoyu, who hated her sister to the core and refused to go to the palace. However, seeing her husband not leaving the palace for several days, she couldn't suppress her resentment. After a few more days, seeing that Dorgon still hadn't returned home, she could no longer bear it. Without combing her hair or changing her clothes, she rode in her carriage and stormed into the Cining Palace. Seeing her fierce approach, the eunuchs and maids guarding the palace gates stepped forward to stop her. Consort Xiaoyu, filled with rage and unable to vent her anger, began to shout and curse in the outer courtyard, demanding that Dorgon come out so she could reason with him. In her fury, she revealed the illicit affair between the Empress Dowager and Dorgon, frightening the eunuchs and maids who covered their ears, unable to listen to her. Several maids then spoke to her gently, leading her to the west study; meanwhile, they sent someone inside to inform the Regent. After a while, a maid relayed the message: "Princess, please return home first; the Prince will certainly return home that night." Consort Xiaoyu, having no other choice, got into her carriage and went home.
As expected, Dorgon returned home in the evening. Upon seeing the Prince, Consort Xiaoyu forgot all her anger from the day and greeted him with a beaming smile, welcoming him into her room. Dorgon didn't mention the day's events either. After dinner, he stayed in Consort Xiaoyu's room. The concubines were astonished by this. The next morning, when they went to serve Consort Xiaoyu, they found her lying stiffly on the bed, bleeding from all seven orifices, already dead. It was clear that Dorgon had murdered her, but no one dared to utter a sound. Dorgon simply summoned an official, ordering him to purchase clothing and a coffin, and hastily prepared her for burial. Outside, it was only known that the Prince Rui's wife had died of a sudden illness, and the funeral was held as usual.
Afterward, Dorgon continued his usual routine of returning to the palace, and he wouldn't be seen for ten days or more.
The affair between the nephew and his sister-in-law had become common knowledge both inside and outside the palace after the young Consort Yu had made a scene. When the news reached the emperor's ears, even though he was young, he felt extremely uncomfortable, filled with shame and anger. However, a Minister of Rites named Qian Qianyi had already discerned the regent and the emperor's anxieties and boldly submitted a memorial, saying, "The Empress Dowager is in her prime, and being alone in the deep palace must cause her much sorrow; the Regent has achieved great merit and holds a high position, and is also due to remarry. Why not ask the Empress Dowager to marry the Regent? This would not only alleviate her loneliness but also reward the Imperial Uncle for his great achievements." This memorial was first read by Dorgon, who was overjoyed. He immediately took the memorial to the palace to discuss it with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager, however, became shy, glanced at Dorgon, and said with a smile, "I don't know, you go and discuss it with them!" Dorgon returned to his residence and summoned Qian Qianyi. The two discussed it all night.
The next day, Qian Qianyi presented his intentions to the Emperor at court, adding that the Empress Dowager and the Regent should now have a formal title to avoid gossip. Emperor Shunzhi immediately approved the memorial and issued an edict the following day. The imperial edict was widely circulated. It read: "I ascended the throne at a young age, establishing my capital in Yanjing, setting an example for all and bringing peace to the four seas. How could my humble virtue have achieved this? Fortunately, I have received the wise guidance of the Empress Dowager and the support of my uncle, the Regent Prince; with one heart and one mind, we have been able to lay this foundation. Considering that since the passing of my late father, the Empress Dowager has longed for the Emperor, her heart aches; and that she teaches her children with bear's gall, she finds it difficult to smile.
Fortunately, the Regent Prince has been entrusted with the responsibility of a trusted advisor; he has received the Empress Dowager's grace and favor."
Having achieved success in the struggle for power, I express my sincere loyalty; with high regard, I offer my devoted support. The golden edict quelled the rebellion, establishing the merit of Duke Ji; the iron certificate rewarded service, silencing the resentment of Qiu's wife. This is a chance to observe the marriage of the Empress Dowager, to alleviate the sorrow of separation; may joy overflow in the palace, freeing us from the lament of parting. How can we, by adhering strictly to the rules and rituals, adapt and exercise flexibility? This will preserve the proper order of husband and wife, and comfort the deep affection between elders and relatives. Alas! The rites and scriptures are still in place, not abolishing the provisions for remarriage; family laws are still in place, where is there a law against bigamy? Why should a sage be unable to uphold principles, and filial piety is especially valued in obedience to parents? My predicament should be understood by all my subjects. The Ministry of Rites shall review the grand wedding ceremony and submit it to the Emperor for implementation. So be it.
To know how the Empress Dowager will marry, please read the next chapter.

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