The Ailing Emperor and the Rise of the Regents
In the spring of 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor contemplated returning to Beijing from his retreat at Rehe (modern Chengde). His worsening health made travel impossible, forcing him to abandon the journey. This decision would set in motion one of the most dramatic power struggles in Qing dynasty history.
At the isolated Rehe Mountain Resort, the emperor found himself increasingly under the influence of three ambitious men: Prince Yi Zaiyuan, Prince Zheng Duanhua, and their protege Su Shun. With the emperor’s brothers absent and Xianfeng himself debilitated by illness (likely tuberculosis compounded by opium addiction), these men began consolidating power. While Prince Yi appeared as the leader, the real mastermind was Su Shun, a controversial figure known for his distinctive appearance (described as resembling a Mohican) and violent temperament.
The Making of a Political Crisis
Su Shun’s rise had been meteoric. Introduced to the emperor by the two princes, he progressed from a palace guard to head of the Imperial Household Department. His methods, however, were ruthless. He famously advocated executing the Grand Secretary Bojun for alleged corruption in the civil service exams, though the real offense was crossing the two princes. This marked Su Shun’s first confrontation with the emperor’s consort, the future Empress Dowager Cixi (then known as Yehenara), who opposed the execution but lost the political battle.
As Xianfeng’s health declined, the regents grew bolder. Su Shun orchestrated mass arrests of wealthy merchants and officials under pretext of currency manipulation, extorting huge ransoms that funded his political ambitions. Meanwhile, they isolated the emperor, preventing other officials from joining him at Rehe during the crisis caused by the Anglo-French occupation of Beijing in 1860 – a strategic move to monopolize access to the dying monarch.
The Death of an Emperor and the Birth of a Conspiracy
When Xianfeng died on August 22, 1861, the regents produced a will naming themselves as coregent for the five-year-old heir, the future Tongzhi Emperor. The document notably excluded the child’s mother, Yehenara, from any political role. However, they faced an immediate problem: Yehenara had secured the imperial seal, without which the will lacked legal authority.
The regents attempted to neutralize Yehenara through character assassination, spreading rumors of an affair with the dashing guard Ronglu. They also invoked historical precedent, reminding the court how the Qianlong Emperor had imprisoned a disrespectful consort. When these tactics failed, they arranged for Prince Yi’s wife to supervise the young emperor, while simultaneously undermining Prince Gong (Xianfeng’s brother), accusing him of colluding with foreigners.
The Race to Beijing and the Coup Unfolds
The regents’ fatal miscalculation came with the funeral procession arrangements. Tradition required the imperial coffin to travel slowly from Rehe to Beijing (a 150-mile journey taking ten days), while the empresses could arrive five days earlier by sedan chair. Recognizing this advantage, Yehenara secretly coordinated with Prince Gong to prepare their move.
As heavy rains slowed the procession, Yehenara demonstrated political acumen by maintaining proper protocol – inquiring after the coffin’s condition and rewarding bearers – while Ronglu foiled an assassination plot at Gubeikou Pass. Arriving in Beijing on September 29, three days ahead of the coffin, Yehenara convened a secret council with Prince Gong and other allies.
The Dramatic Showdown
On October 2, as the funeral procession entered Beijing, the conspirators made their move. In an elaborate tent ceremony near the city gates, Yehenara first praised Prince Yi’s service before stunning the assembly by stripping the regents of power. When Prince Yi protested, citing their appointment by the late emperor, Yehenara had them arrested under the watch of loyal troops.
The subsequent edicts (bearing the precious imperial seal) outlined the regents’ crimes: mishandling foreign relations, isolating the emperor at Rehe, and forging documents. Prince Yi and Prince Zheng were ordered to commit suicide (a privileged death for royalty), while the commoner Su Shun faced public execution. His extensive properties, including an unfinished mansion at Rehe rumored to contain hidden treasure, were confiscated – significantly boosting the imperial treasury.
Legacy of the Xinyou Coup
The coup established the precedent of empress dowager regency that would characterize late Qing politics. Yehenara, now Empress Dowager Cixi, would dominate Chinese politics for nearly fifty years. In 1864, after the Taiping Rebellion’s suppression, she partially rehabilitated the disgraced princes’ families, restoring their hereditary titles while maintaining political restrictions.
Su Shun’s legacy proved more complicated. Three years after his execution, Cixi banned his descendants from government service – ironically using the same punitive measures he had employed against his enemies. The coup’s aftermath also saw the rise of Prince Gong as a leading statesman and the beginning of the Tongzhi Restoration, a period of attempted modernization.
The Xinyou Coup demonstrated how Qing political culture could accommodate radical power shifts while maintaining traditional forms. Even during this life-and-death struggle, both sides meticulously observed court rituals – a testament to the enduring power of Confucian protocol in Chinese governance. The events of 1861 would cast long shadows, influencing court politics until the dynasty’s collapse in 1911.