The Lamar register., 1922-10-11
H!STuRYiS
MYSTERIES
THE PUZZLE OF THE PEASANT
EMPRESS

a LII the mystery and intrigue for
"a which the East is famous could
.aslly be epitomized in the strange,
tlmost uncanny story of Tsu-Hsi.
ipwagsr empress of China, and for
Years the power behind the throne Of
he Celestial Empire. Where she came
rom. how she exerted her almost su-
pvrnatural power, the way in which
she managed TO substitute the first
cousin Of her dead son in the place
II tir baby emperor. the manner OF
her death, and the very disposition OF
her body, are all yelled in cloud of
uncertainty, from which there emerge.
,nly the fact that Tsu-Hsi deserves TO
1e ranked with Catherine of Russia
- une OF the few women who ever
completely dominated a vast. half-sav-
ige kingdom.
The first that was known Of Tsu-
lIsi was when she arrived in Peking.
unheralded, TO take her place In the
ranks of the wives OF the emperor.
ifsien-Feng. Her beauty and her
harm attracted the favorable atten'
lion both OF the dowager empress
and the first wife OF the emperor, and
She wns soon accorded the compara
live position Of honor US fourth wife
10 the emperor, taking the place OF the
second wife when the latter died some
months later.
Two Year, after Tsu-Hsi entered
the palace she gave birth to son
boy who succeeded to the throne
upon the death of his father i've
wears later. the first wife OF the EN-
peror being chlldless- Long before
this time, however. official Peking was
boiling over with gossip as TO the
origin of the peasant empress" ss
she was known on account Of the fact
that her feet had never been bound
According Ia one story, she was
slave-girl whose beauty had attracted
The attention Of the emperor. An
other rumor maintained that she had
been given 10 the governor Of south
ern province in return for favor
conferred upon her mother and that
the governor. wishing to secure favor
in the eyes Of the emperor, had sent
her TO Peking. where she soon ruled
the court by virtue Of her oyerpower-
ing personnlity \ third report
and one which was most generally
i.reepJed-wu that she was the pro
tege OF Ii Hung Chang, who Was sup
posed to have placed her In the i'm
perlal palace to further his own ends,
knowing that she was the daughter
of a Tartar general heritage which
would have accounted both for her
brains and her ability to dominate
those around her
But. no matter what her origin
was. high or low. the fact that Tsu-
rs ruled the imperial palace with
rod OF iron Is \ matter Of record. a.
is tie dramatic manner in which she
fnilpd the plot to wreck her power
through the murder Of her son
shortly after he had ascended the
throne. The conspiracy was success
rll. 50 far a. the death Of the boy
was concerned but no sooner had he
Succumhcd to ~ very brief Illness than
the empress left the bed where his
body luy and proceeded at once I"
mother part of the palace. snatchins
fp the three year-old cousin Of the
dead emperor Kwang-Hsu, and pre-
-cnting him to the assembled mandar-
ms as the new ruler of China coup
which the empress is said to have en-
ginepred by means Of threats OF per
-nnal violence against the mandarins
md an oath that she would encom'
pass the death Of any who dared op-
pose her wishes. From this time un
fI lie death # Kwang-Hsu. in 1905.
Tsr-IIsi was the real head Of the
k.agd5m-not only as dowager EN-.
ures7. hut as the power which dom
mated the emperor by means or the
lash whsnever ne showed disln