Chapter 62 Two, two palaces

The common people in Beijing have a saying: "There is no one who visits the Forbidden City without visiting the West Road, and there is no one who visits the West Road without visiting the Chuxiu Palace." Why?Because Empress Dowager Cixi lived in Chuxiu Palace.The noble concubine of the Tongzhi Emperor Xunhuang, Arut, the daughter of the great scholar Sai Shang'a, is the aunt of the Tongzhi Empress Arut, and also lives in Chuxiu Palace.Arut's first entry into the palace was Xun's concubine, concubine of Jin Xun.During the Guangxu period, the noble concubine of Jin Dynasty.During the Xuantong period, she was promoted to the imperial concubine.In the tenth year of the Republic of China (1921), he died in this palace. ("Ci Yan Zhai Diary")

Chuxiu Palace was built in the eighteenth year of Yongle (1420) in the Ming Dynasty. It was originally named Shouchang Palace and was renamed Chuxiu Palace in the 14th year of Jiajing (1535).The Qing Dynasty followed the Ming Dynasty and did not change its name.In the thirteenth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1656), in the fifth month of leap, Yikun Palace and Chuxiu Palace were rebuilt, and the imperial court sent officials to worship the gods of Houtu, Sigong, and Simen. (Volume 11 of "Records of the Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty")

In the front hall of Chuxiu Palace, there is a plaque written by Emperor Qianlong "Maoxiu Neizhi", "Sacred System of Xiling Teaching Silkworm Praise" written by Zhang Zhao on the east wall, and "Xiling Teaching Silkworm Picture" on the west wall.There are thrones in the two palaces, a pair of bronze dragons and a pair of bronze deer in the front row of the palaces, and the corridors are inlaid with oblique swastikas of blue glaze. Empress Dowager Cixi Palace.Why is Chuxiu Palace Cixi's blessed palace?Because, first, Cixi was selected into the palace as a beautiful girl in the second year of Xianfeng (1852), named Langui, and lived in Chuxiu Palace. ("Records of the Ministry of Internal Affairs").Second, where was Cixi favored?One said it was in Yuanmingyuan.One day, Lan Guiren was singing in the garden, and was heard by Emperor Xianfeng. He summoned him to favor him, and gave birth to Chun Chun (later Emperor Tongzhi).The second theory is that Li Wentian heard an old eunuch say: Empress Xi (Cixi) entered the palace first, wore single clothes in summer, and Fang schooled the scrolls. Fortunately, Emperor Xianfeng saw her and became pregnant, so she was canonized. ("Huasuiren Sheng'an Reminiscence") Third, Cixi gave birth to Tang Chun (Emperor Tongzhi) in Lijingxuan, the back hall of Chuxiu Palace, on March 23, the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856).Fourth, after Cixi entered the palace, she received the "four conferments"—the first conferment as a nobleman of Lan, the concubine Yi, the concubine Yi, and the noble concubine Yi, all in Chuxiu Palace.Nine months after Zaichun (Emperor Tongzhi) was born, Cixi was specially favored and went back to her natal family to visit her relatives once.First, a eunuch came to her natal home and told her to arrive at a certain time. At that time, the eunuchs and guards would arrive in yellow sedan chairs. The mother led her family and relatives to line up in the courtyard and enter the inner hall.Except for the mother and the elders, they all knelt and kowtowed.The banquet is held, and the mother sits down with her, because Concubine Yi is the mother of the prince.

Cixi spent her fiftieth, sixtieth and seventieth birthdays in Chuxiu Palace.In the 10th year of Guangxu (1884), Empress Dowager Cixi’s 50th birthday, the Sino-French war was defeated, the French army captured Keelung, Taiwan, attacked the Mawei Fort in Fujian, the Yellow River burst in Licheng, Shandong, Prince Gong Yixin was dismissed, and all military ministers were dismissed. It is called "Jiashen Yishu".For Cixi's 60th birthday, from the Forbidden City to the Summer Palace, colorful sheds and lanterns were arranged along the way, 850 tables of cakes were prepared for rewards, 100,000 pieces of colored silk were used, 600,000 feet of red felt strips were used, and more than 7.6 million taels of silver were used.Some people were dissatisfied, and posted a letter to the capital: Longevity without borders, the whole world celebrates; the defeat of the three armies, cession of land for peace.70th birthday, Russo-Japanese War, land cession and compensation.There are coincidences in history, Empress Dowager Cixi is at the peak of Jia, and the fleeting time is unfavorable:

Jiaxu (Tongzhi thirteenth year, 1874), the fortieth birthday of the only son Tongzhi Emperor died; Jiashen (Guangxu ten years, 1884), the fiftieth birthday Sino-French war; The tenth birthday of the Sino-Japanese War; Jiachen (the 30th year of Guangxu, 1904), the seventieth birthday of the Russo-Japanese War. For the 50th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi, and because Empress Dowager Cixi will move from Changchun Palace to Chuxiu Palace, the Yikun Palace and Chuxiu Palace were overhauled.This project is huge and changes the original pattern: One is to demolish the Chuxiu Gate and the front courtyard wall of Chuxiu Palace, and change the back hall and hall of Yikun Palace into a hall hall, so that the two palaces are integrated;

The second is to change the five rooms of the Tihe Hall into a hall, the two east rooms are connected as a dining hall, the two west rooms are connected as a tea hall, and the east and west side rooms are each converted into a passageway; The third is to change the front corridor of Chuxiu Palace and its east side hall and west side hall; Fourth, there are two wells in the southeast and southwest of the backyard, and a well pavilion is built; The fifth is to connect the two originally independent second-entry palaces, Yikun Palace and Chuxiu Palace, into a four-entry palace through hallways and corridors.

The total cost of the project is more than 630,000 taels of silver. The courtyard of Chuxiu Palace is divided into two parts. The back hall of Chuxiu Palace is mainly the palace where Cixi lives and works, and the front hall and hall are mainly the halls where Cixi eats and rests. Empress Dowager Cixi ate in the Hall of Tihe.There are five rooms in the Hall of Tihe, the middle one is the hallway door, and the east two rooms are connected together, which is the place where Cixi eats.Meals are divided into three tables: sky, ground, and people—the sky table is in the easternmost room, the ground table is in the hallway, and the human table is in the second room in the east room (for Empress Dowager Cixi).The west and west rooms are separated by a wooden fan, which is where Cixi rested, drank tea, and smoked before and after meals.After meals, I often take a rest in the West Second Room.The westernmost one is the bathroom, where you can urinate after meals.Empress Dowager Cixi mostly had her lunch and dinner meals in Tihe Hall, while her breakfast was in Chuxiu Palace.

Tihedian, like Chuxiu Palace, uses nanguo for incense instead of spices.In Chuxiu Palace and Tihe Hall, there are many empty jars under the tables, tea tables, tables, etc., which are used to hold Nanguo Xundian.When Cixi was having lunch in the Tihe Palace, the maids first exchanged fruits in Chuxiu Palace; and then exchanged fruits in the Tihe Palace when the Empress Dowager took a nap.The whole Chuxiu Palace has a special fruit aroma.Cixi's bedroom is in Chuxiu Palace.