The photos of Cixi seen by later generations are often dry and difficult to look directly at, but these photos were left by Cixi when she was nearly seventy years old. Cixi, who is in her twenties, is beautiful and moving. Just think, is the lecherous and autocratic Emperor Xianfeng not a talented Qi Xuanwang? How could he, like Qi Xuanwang, be unwilling to favor Zhong Wuyan, who has only wisdom but no beauty?
When Cixi was a girl, every time she went out to play, everyone she met could not help but stop and look askance, saying that she was as beautiful and charming as a fairy. Cixi used to show off in her later years. When she was young, everyone in the palace said she was beautiful and everyone was jealous of her. De Ling, who served beside Cixi for nearly two years, described Cixi's appearance in the book: "When Empress Dowager Cixi was young, she was indeed a graceful and intelligent girl, and was often praised by the palace people; Even if Iraq is gradually squeezed out by the years, she still retains some touching beauty after entering the old world! "
Carl, an American female painter, entered the palace in August of Guangxu 30th year to paint a portrait of Cixi, and spent nine months with Cixi, recording her personal experience in writing a portrait of Cixi. In the book, she wrote, "I regard the Queen Mother in front of me as a very beautiful and kind woman. I guess her age is at most forty years old, and the beauty of her temperament makes people fall in love at first sight. " "Empress Dowager Cixi's body parts are extremely commensurate. Her beautiful face, tender and beautiful hands, slim figure and shiny black hair complement each other. The queen mother has a broad forehead and picturesque eyes, and the width of her lips is just commensurate with the width of her nose. Although its jaw is extremely wide, it does not show a tenacious posture at all. The helix is flat and the teeth are as white as scallops.
A captivating smile and gestures make people naturally happy. I can't believe that she is sixty-nine years old. To be fair, she must be a beautiful middle-aged woman of forty. In the book Empress Dowager Cixi in the Eyes of an American, the western writer IT Heddeland wrote: Empress Dowager Cixi is below average height, but all the shoes she wears are high heels, and some are as high as six inches. The Manchu-style clothes she wears hang down from her shoulders, making her look like an emperor.
She has a perfect figure and walks lightly and gracefully. From the appearance alone, she is indeed a very attractive woman, which is commensurate with her status as the queen mother. Her appearance can't be said to be really beautiful, but she is full of energy and vitality, and she is very likable. Her skin color is slightly olive, and her dark eyes are under dark eyelashes, which makes her cheeks glow. In her black eyes, sometimes with a smile, sometimes with a flash of anger. '
However, Cixi did not become a concubine of the harem after being made a nobleman, and the competitive pressure was still great. There are still many people in the harem who compete with Cixi. For example, Yunheng, who likes beauty and is docile, Gui Li, who is famous for her gentleness, and Mei Chang, who wins by beauty, are also favored by Emperor Xianfeng. Yun's wife's wife was the most beloved concubine before Emperor Xianfeng proclaimed himself emperor. She is a gentle flower and has a deep friendship with Emperor Xianfeng. Xianfeng fell in love with her as soon as possible after he proclaimed himself emperor. Li Gui Renhe Mei Changchang and Cixi were recruited into the palace in the same year.
Beautiful and noble people are as beautiful as peaches, as sick as the west, spoiled and furious. When they are charming and soft, they are boneless. When they were angry and stupid, jade bone clanked. Since the draft entered the palace, they have been the favorite of Emperor Xianfeng. Mei Chang was born in a poor family in Xu Gui. She is very calculating. She always brings freshness and excitement to Emperor Xianfeng, and soon she is promoted to nobility, but she is jealous, so Emperor Xianfeng always loves and hates this eccentric beauty.
Cixi spends a lot of time dressing up every day, and the fragrance permeates both inside and outside the palace. Every night, she hopes to see the eunuch who greets the bride walk into her room and bring her good news of serving the bed. But most of the time, the emperor was at a loss. He could only listen to the songs and dances of the palace beauties or Mei from the window and secretly cry until dawn. If he has something occasionally, she will be elated and try her best to make him feel her desire and enthusiasm. But the emperor was really busy, and she was tired of this disappointment again and again. What she needs is a pet.
Looking around the harem, Cixi is not the most beautiful or charming. If you want to be loved by 3,000 people, you have to be quick and hard when necessary, and sometimes you have to learn to wait for the right time and be merciful. Cixi gradually calmed down and matured in the cruel harem competition. She began to listen to the imperial secretary's advice and drank "Zhu" wine every day, gradually becoming fragrant. Following the doctor's advice, she painted egg white on her face to make her skin soft and elastic. She asked her attendants to collect human milk from outside the palace and bathe it every day. Soon after, her whole body was smooth and white, and her skin was like a newborn baby. Make up with special jade powder in the palace to make the face round and smooth; She is also partial to China's various health secrets. Due to good maintenance, Cixi in her early twenties lost her youth when she first entered the palace and gained the charm of a mature woman.
While constantly improving the charm of women, this girl who has just stepped out of the shelter of her elders has shown extraordinary competitiveness. She is a natural flirt, and in this small harem, her potential political ability can be fully practiced. She mobilized all the eunuchs around Gong E, gave away their money, paid bribes everywhere, planted eyeliner and formed a small circle in the palace. She is the leader of this small community.