Cixi is a native of Zhenghuang Banner in Manchuria, Ye Henala. She has been rich, ambitious and smart since she was a child. Xianfeng two years (1852) was elected to the palace, when posthumous title changed. There are many concubines in the harem of Emperor Xianfeng, among which Cixi's talent and ability are the most outstanding and her promotion is the fastest. Cixi had a good family since childhood and loved writing and painting when she was young. Karl in the United States wrote in The Portrait of Cixi that Empress Dowager Cixi "likes to study and criticize China's literature most on weekdays" and "can write fresh poems with great repercussions. This can also be a major style of ancient prose ... "It took thousands of words to praise this talent of Cixi. Cixi also likes to read the poems of ancient masters on weekdays, especially the heroic and tragic poems. It even has the reputation of "the queen mother of literature". Cixi also has a good memory. Every time she finishes reading these famous sentences, she can recite them like a few treasures. "This is often sung to Manson. But if there are beautiful women, they will applaud for an hour or two. " As soon as Cixi enters the bedroom to rest, she will immediately bring a eunuch who can recite poems to read famous articles for her, and the voice of reading can be heard outside the bedroom.
Cixi also loves to write calligraphy. "The pen is absolutely powerful and does not make great efforts." When she writes brush strokes, her wrist is very strong and she writes quickly, which is often amazing. She especially loves to write the words "Long Hu Fu Shou", and the font is extremely verve. Although Cixi is unprofessional, the written words still make people nod and admire. "Cixi can not only write books, but also draw pictures. The flowers and plants he painted are lifelike and not inferior at all. " After she came to power, sometimes when she was happy, she often gave her paintings and calligraphy to ministers to show her love.
After entering the palace, she tried to get close to Emperor Xianfeng. She was brilliant, and soon stood out among many empresses, and was lucky to get pregnant. Before that, Emperor Xianfeng had no children, and Emperor Xianfeng was happy to let her do it. On March 23rd, the sixth year of Xianfeng (1March 23rd, 856), she gave birth to a prince for Emperor Xianfeng, who longed for children, and finally had a son of her own, which was a great event in the palace. The child also became the only prince of Emperor Xianfeng, who named him Zai Chun, the later Tongzhi Emperor. Cixi finally fulfilled Emperor Xianfeng's wish, and her mother was promoted from Zigui to Yifei. On Zai Chun's first birthday, she was promoted to Yi Guifei again, ranking second only to Empress Ci 'an.
Niu Zhilu, the empress of Ci 'an, is also a Manchu in Huangqi. She is two years younger than Cixi, but she is not as alert as Cixi. She is a kind woman and doesn't like to be jealous. Cixi catered to her and got her favor. She even often put in a good word for her in front of Emperor Xianfeng. In the harem, there is a big difference between concubines and concubines. Empresses often treat their sons as their own sons, and even their own mothers are killed. However, Cian, who is kind and filial, does not do so. She even loved this son of Cixi, and even chose Arut, who she always liked, as the queen in order to become the Tongzhi emperor in the future.
Due to the internal and external troubles of the imperial court, and the long-term immersion in prostitution, Emperor Xianfeng gradually became sickly. In the later days, he never gave birth to a prince, and he was too lazy to take care of state affairs. Yi Guifei is familiar with Chinese, and Emperor Xianfeng often asked her to read the memorial for him and classify it for him until he participated in state affairs. Cixi is clever. She not only remembered many things with her eyes, but also remembered them carefully. After a long time, the handling of these government affairs has gradually become clear to her. This gradually gave Cixi the opportunity to get in touch with politics and laid the foundation for her to take charge of the Qing regime in the future. (text. Fall off the list)