The tragedy of the Qing "first lady": Living away from her husband because of Cixi Empress Dowager's favor

The title of "First Lady of the Qing Dynasty" belongs to the Four Ways. But unfortunately, from ancient times until now, Hong Yan often had to live under the control of Empress Dowager Cixi all his life.

According to the records in Qing Su Gao*, Empress Dowager Cixi in her youth was a person of outstanding beauty, and soon received the special favor of Emperor Xi.

Xu Xi is extremely fond of beauty and extremely fond of trendy things. Although he belonged to the feudal dynasty, Old Buddha was very fond of Western items, and the camera was one of them. Therefore, Xu Xi took many photos to save for the next life as historical documents.

In Xu Xi's photos, a beautician can be seen regularly appearing beside her. From the frequency of appearances in photos taken with the Empress Dowager, one can guess that this woman is Xu Xi's "blessing". Qing Su Chao also called it the "first lady of the late Qing Dynasty".

She was beautiful, but her life was quite sad, and her name was not even recorded in the history books. It was only known that she was the Four Ways, the daughter of Prince Yi Kuang.

Prince Ai of Xinjiang was an official at the end of the Qing dynasty, later inheriting the title and becoming Prince Xi, who was highly respected by Cixi.

However, Yi Kuang himself had no real talent, in order to secure his position, Yi Kuang sent the daughter of the Four Ways into the palace to serve Cixi.

The Four Ways were born as beautiful as flowers and extremely intelligent, so after entering the palace, she found ways to win Xu Xi's favor so that her father could take power in the court. The Four Ways, with her charismatic appearance and erudite knowledge, and her talent for telling jokes, won the special affection of Empress Dowager Cixi. She often brought the Old Buddha strange games from the West whenever she visited, making her more and more favored by the empress dowager.

Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, growing up next to Xu Xi and being favored by Xu Xi meant having endless glory and riches. But in fact, behind that seemingly noble favor lies the endless pain of the Four Ways.

Under his father's arrangement, the Four Ways were taught many talents from a young age to please Xu Xi. Xu Xi enjoys dancing, calligraphy, and playing mahjong, and the Four Ways are also proficient in holding the painting exam. Her life was filled with courses, making it impossible for her to develop her interests at will like her peers.

When the Four Ways grew up, Yi Kuang couldn't wait to bring her into the palace, and the Four Ways did just that. From the many photos left behind, we can not only see the beauty of the Four Ways, but also Xu Xi's different attitude towards her.

As the daughter of a prince, the Four Ways always stood closest to Xu Xi, which showed how much Xu Xi liked her. However, perhaps it was because of Xu Xi's favor that the Four Ways suffered all their lives.

When the Four Ways did not appear at the palace for a while, Empress Dowager Xu Xi would send someone to invite her, deciding to see her. Although the beauty of the Four Ways is admired by many, only she herself understands the suffering that beauty brings.

Empress Dowager Cixi was so interested in the Four Ways that even her marriage was decided by her. The Four Ways were married to Hi Jun, the son of Lu Lu, a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

The married life of the Four Ways was filled with happiness. However, Empress Dowager Cixi could not bear the lonely days without the Four Ways by her side. It wasn't long before Xu Xi had sent the Four Ways back to the Peace Palace to serve him by his side. Only when Xu Xi didn't need the Four Ways anymore could she do what she liked.

Some time later, the Four Ways received the news that the husband, who had missed his wife for many years, had died. The Four Ways became a widow when she was less than 30 years old, and Empress Dowager Cixi had to let her leave the palace and go home to mourn her husband. When the Four Ways had just finished taking care of the funeral, Xu Xi couldn't wait any longer, and immediately sent the person who picked her up to return to the palace. From that moment on, the rest of the Four Ways of Life was spent in the company of the Empress Dowager, a step that did not leave.

In the photos taken with Xu Xi, it can be seen that the expression of the Four Ways is not natural, if he smiles, he only has an extremely reluctant smile, and his eyes hide dreary sadness.

In 1908, when Empress Dowager Cixi died, the Four Ways had already entered the age of four weeks. For most of her life, the Four Ways spent in the palace, and after losing her husband, she neither remarried nor had children. She devoted her youth to Empress Dowager Cixi. In the end, however, she faces an isolated and tragic fate.

What rank did Cixi rank on the list of the most famous figures of the late Qing Dynasty? Phượng Vũ20:52:08 03/01/2024The last period of the Qing Dynasty in China happened many large and small events associated with the names of many famous figures. The following is a list of characters that almost everyone knows.