Dong Xiaowan was one of the best-known social butterflies at River Qinhuai, Nanjing during the last years of Ming Dynasty. She had been closely connected with Mao Pijiang, one of the four best-known gentlemen of the time. |
Soon after the Manchus took over the throne in Beijing, Hong
Chengchou, a Han-Chinese general who had surrendered to the Manchus,
came to see Dong in Nanjing. He tried to convince Dong to follow
him to Beijing and marry Dorgan, the powerful regent and uncle of
the ruling Emperor Shunzhi, by saying that Dorgan was the one who
masterminded the massacres in Yangzhou and Jiading, near Nanjing.
Hong went on to say that if Dong had married Dorgan she could find
an opportunity to assassinate him for the interests of millions of
people across the country. As a patriot, Dong nodded assent almost
immediately. Hong also asked his niece Daizi to be Dong's maid to
monitor her whereabouts.
When they arrived in Beijing, Hong rushed to report to the Empress Dowager, who had an affair with Dorgan, saying that Dorgan had planned to keep a Han-Chinese woman as a concubine. Out of anger and envy the Empress Dowager summoned Dong in the palace and made her accompany the emperor. Emperor Shunzhi was stunned at Dong's beauty and the Empress Dowager wasted no time to arrange Dong's adoption by a senior Manchu official and then a wedding for Dong and her son. Dong was then appointed the highest-ranking imperial concubine. Emperor Shunzhi's passion for Dong had aroused his empress' envy and resentment against Dong. A year later Dong gave birth to a baby boy, called Prince Rong. Emperor Shunzhi would like to make him the crown prince, but was opposed by Dorgan for the reason that a Manchu emperor could never have a Han-Chinese mother. Meanwhile, Dorgan bribed the imperial doctor and asked him to kill Prince Rong. Later Prince Zheng Jirgalang, a close ally of Emperor Shunzhi, unveiled the plot and reported to the emperor. Enraged at Dorgan's cruelty and arrogant regency, Emperor Shunzhi summoned Hong and Jirgalang to plot for the downfall of Dorgan. To retaliate for her son's death, Dong suggested killing Dorgan with poisoned wine at his 40th birthday banquet and all agreed. |
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Meanwhile, Dorgan was told that the imperial doctor had been
arrested and wasted no time to plan with his supporters for a
violent purge of his opponents at his birthday banquet.
On his birthday Dorgan was surprised to receive Emperor Shunzhi and Dong. Knowing that Emperor Shunzhi was actually his son and not wanting to hurt him, Dorgan suspended his plans for an armed struggle. Dong then volunteered to toast to Dorgan. Without any suspicion Dorgan had a bottom-up and soon fell dead. Jirgalang then led his troops in and arrested all of Dorgan's supporters. Since the downfall of Dorgan, Emperor Shunzhi regained his absolute powers and introduced a series of reforms to wipe out discrimination against Han-Chinese. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager was grief-stricken at the death of Dorgan. Her resentment grew for Dong as Hong, with whom she also had an affair with, told her that it was Dong who suggested poisoning Dorgan. Later Hong even had intention to kill Dong with suspicions that she had discovered his secret with the Empress Dowager. To get rid of Dong the Empress Dowager first arranged her son to have an inspection tour. However, after some thought, the Empress Dowager held Dong in custody in the cold palace instead and announced her death in public. Months later when Emperor Shunzhi returned, he was heart-broken hearing the news of Dong's death. Saddened to see her son in despair, the Empress Dowager told him the truth and asked him to see Dong in the cold palace. However, their conversation had been reported to Hong and the empress. Hong hurried to kill Dong in her place but Daizi was killed instead. Hong fled to the empress and convinced her to set the cold palace on fire. Weary of the brutal power struggles in the imperial court, Dong decided not to escape and was burnt to death. Emperor Shunzhi arrived too late to her rescue and left the palace to become a monk in despair.
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