Synopsis

More sumptuous than Versailles, Yuanming Palace, the ‘Palace of all Palaces’, was set ablaze by the combined armies of France and Britain. Consequently, on 22nd September, 1860 the Ching Dynasty was forced to sign a treaty to the tune of 56 unfair condition. Having lost their means of making a living, the common folk were driven to spontaneous uprisings led by Taiping rebels and Nien bandits. The country was ravaged. Threatened by the dangers of foreign attack and internal disorder, the Emperor Xiangfeng dared not return to Beijing. He hid in his summer resot in Chengde where he lived his life of exile in luxury.

Emperor Xianfeng was bewitched by Lady Li, one of his charming wives. Ignoring the Imperial Doctor’s advice, he persisted in spending his nights in amorous pursuits to drown his sorrows. His kind-hearted Empress could do nothing to stop him. This further inflamed Lady Ji, another wife, who was left waiting in the cold.

An opera was prepared in celebration of Emperor Xianfeng’s birthday. Amidst the din of music and drums, he was seized with diarrhea and spat blood profusely. He never recovered from this and died at the tender age of thirty-one on 17th July, 1861 in his Rehe temporary Palace.

The Ministers of Defence, headed by Sushun, fearing that Lady Ji would take advantage of her son, the six-year-old Prince Zaichun, upon his succession to the throne, petitioned the dying Emperor Xianfeng to imitate Emperor Wuhan by killing the mother, Lady Ji. Xianfeng did not accept the suggestion. He summoned Zaichun and personally ordered the Ministers of Defence to be loyal to the Prince and assist him in his reign. These were the eight Ministers of Counsel.

Xianfeng bequeathed to the Empress a box which contained an imperial edict ordering anyone disrespectful to the Empress to be punished. He also bequeathed the seal of ‘Common Devotion’ to Lady Ji, ordering her to join the Empress in helping the young master.

During the imperial funeral, the struggle for power in the imperial palace became more acute. The good-natured but weak Empress Dowager Cian was manipulated by her counterpart, the ambitious Empress Dowager Cixi, to form one contending group. They sided with the Prince Consort Gong and defied the edict. Sushun and other Ministers of Counsel formed another clique. Each conspired to overthrow the other.

The Imperial Censor Dong Yuanchun joined the two Empress Dowagers and the Prince Consort Gong. As part of the scheme, he submitted a report to the throne advising that the Empress Dowager should make decisions on the empire’s policies, to be carried out by the Prince Consort. Sushun would not stand for it and submitted another report, railing against Dong’s proposal as seditious. Neither party would give way and each continued to conspire against the other.

While Emperor Xianfeng's coffin was on its way to Beijing, Sushun sent someone to assassinate Cixi. The latter anticipated this move and, with the help of a hunter’s daughter, Feng Wanzhen, survived the attempt. Sushun, on the other hand, was captured by Lord Chun who was sent by the Prince Consort Gong. He was accused of bringing along his concubines on the funeral trip back to Beijing, an offence punishable by castration.

On 9th October in the year Xinyou, the enthronement ceremony for the six-year-old master was held. The official name of the reign was changed to Tongzhi. Among the eight Ministers of Counsel, Sushun was executed, Zaiyuan and Duanhua were forced to commit suicide and the other five were exiled. The Prince Consort Gong was installed as Lord Counselor. Henceforth, the Empress Dowager, aided by the Prince Consort, gave orders “behind a lowered curtain” (since a woman could not participate in affairs of state she had to symbolically carry out her duties masked by a ceremonial curtain). This Xinyou Coup d'Etat led to the beginning of the “Reign behind a Curtain”.

(The film title ‘Reign behind a Curtain’ in Chinese calligraphy was written by Pujie - the brother of Aixinjueluo Puyi, the last Emperor of the Ching Dynasty.)