The eighth emperor Tongzhi after entering the Passage in the Qing Dynasty was born in the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856) by the Yehenala clan (Cixi) and the only son of Emperor Xianfeng (Yipa). When Tongzhi was six years old, he became emperor in the eleventh year of Chengfeng (1861) and became emperor in the twelfth year of Tongzhi (1873). However, he died of illness on the fifth day of December in the thirteenth year of Tongzhi, less than two years after his taking office.
There are different opinions on the cause of Zaichun's death. Some say that Zaichun died of smallpox, and some say that he died of syphilis.
Recently, a copy of "Long Live Ye Medication Record Book" belonging to the Qing Dynasty Emperor’s Mai Case Record Book (hereinafter referred to as "Mai Case") was found in the Qing Dynasty archives.
According to records, Zai Chun became ill and was in bed on October 30, Tongzhi thirteenth year. In the afternoon, the Taiyuan Hospital sentenced Li Deli and the imperial doctor Zhuang Shouhe to diagnose, and the result was: "The pulse is floating and thin. It is a disease that is closed due to wind disease, insufficient yin qi, and unable to pass through, resulting in fever, headache, and chest fullness. The body is sore and the legs are soft, the skin is in a rash shape, and sometimes the qi is blocked." The imperial doctor can make the above-mentioned definite diagnosis only by asking for the first pulse, mainly because Zai Chun’s disease is very aggressive, "rash". The table is more prominent. The imperial physician prescribed the "Yiyin Qingjie Decoction" prepared with twelve herbs such as Shengdi, Yuanshen, Burdock Seed, and Reed Root to avoid wind. Tongzhi only took the medicine once and the effect was obvious. The next morning, the rash with acne appeared, and it was not as boring as yesterday. However, when the rash first started, it did not come out completely, resulting in "distemper fumigating the lungs and stomach, resulting in dry throat, chest full of nausea, head and body heat, and face delirium." The imperial physician suggested to use "Qingjie Liyan Decoction" to regulate this. After taking the medicine for the third quarter, the effect is obvious. The pulse is floating and the acne particles appear in the rash on the head, face and body.
In this way, after the imperial physicians have meticulously treated and nursed for less than two days, although the acne particles have begun to show up, some symptoms have also subsided, but due to the excessive stagnation of distemper, the head, face and neck have very serious acne particles. It is dense, and the color of the acne is purplish stagnant, with sore throat, nausea, body tremor, dry mouth, and constipation. Obviously, the excessive poisonous stagnation after the acne material leaked out did not completely follow, and the medication was ineffective, resulting in death.
According to these records, some people think that Tongzhi died of smallpox, but these records are only one-sided records of Gong Yanli, and most of the folk rumors say that Emperor Tongzhi died. Yu syphilis.
In some formal academic works, it is recorded that Emperor Tongzhi went out of the palace in micro-services, played with matchmaking, and even entered and exited the brothel. For example, in the "General History of the Qing Dynasty" by Xiao Yishan, Tongzhi suffered from travel. Records of death from syphilis.
According to records, Emperor Tongzhi and Empress Arut are in love with each other, but Empress Dowager Cixi does not like Arut. Cixi began to order the queen and others to accompany her to the theater. But the queen is quiet and doesn't like to be lively. Every time she sees the affair between men and women, she sits facing the wall. Cixi was initially dissatisfied with the queen, so she disliked her even more. The queen was blamed many times, and she still did her own way, and Cixi felt that the queen deliberately did not give her face. The empress greeted the Emperor Tongzhi with a smile, and Cifu believed that she was fond of the lord, so he restricted the Emperor Tongzhi to pet the empress and forced her to love Concubine Hui. But Tongzhi hated the concubine Hui, whom Cixi liked. As a result, Emperor Tongzhi and the eunuch Cheng Chen often went out to find flowers and ask Liu in micro-services. However, Tongzhi was afraid that his officials would see it, so he did not dare to go to the larger brothels in Beijing, specifically looking for hidden small brothels, Anjuan and other places. At first, people didn't know his identity, and then they pretended not to know.
Some ministers noticed that Emperor Tongzhi's Weixing was spread inside and outside, and repeatedly advised Tongzhi to be fruitless. On one occasion, Emperor Tongzhi repeatedly reputed Prince Jin Yi in person. Prince Jin had to specify the time and place one by one, but Emperor Tongzhi repeatedly asked him the source of the news.
Although the authenticity of these rumors has yet to be verified, these rumors are widely spread, and Emperor Tongzhi died suspiciously, so it is not surprising that many people suspect that he died of syphilis.
It is said that Zai Chun contracted syphilis from the Fireworks Lane. At first he did not notice it, but later he showed spots on his face and back.Point, call the emperor for diagnosis and treatment. The imperial doctor was shocked and did not know what to do, so he asked Cixi for orders. Cixi passed the decree and told the outside world that the emperor was only infected with smallpox. Therefore, the imperial doctors prescribed medicine according to the method of acne, but no effect. The emperor was furious and asked: "Why don't you heal me according to my illness?" "Furthermore, the "Diary of Weng Tongsu" recorded that: "The wind is too loud, and it is not the holy meaning of the two palaces." Zaichun resented. Syphilis was terminally ill at the time, and smallpox was used to treat it, obviously to cover up the scandal, so as not to lose the royal side. Therefore, Tongzhi later became increasingly ill and died from ulceration in the lower part.
Whether Tongzhi died of smallpox or syphilis, these two statements have their own sources, and they can find their own evidence, which makes it difficult to distinguish, and it becomes another suspect in the Qing Palace.
