2. Empress Dowager Cixi
Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from behind a large pillar, accompanied by a gust of cold wind, and drifted forward. The newcomer wore a black cloak, had gaunt cheeks, eyes like copper bells, and a deathly pale face. Upon reaching the Empress Dowager, he immediately knelt and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty!" His tone was high-pitched and slow, yet his voice seemed to emanate from the depths of hell. Cixi recognized him as the Grand Preceptor, Nalan Changshu. Nalan and the Empress Dowager's Yehenara clan were of the same lineage at the founding of the dynasty, so the Empress Dowager trusted Nalan Changshu greatly. Seeing that it was him who had come to pay her respects, she relaxed slightly, her brow unfurrowing as she smiled and asked,
"Grand Preceptor, how have you been lately? Why have you not come to pay your respects for so long?"
"Your Majesty, I have been busy observing celestial phenomena for the sake of the Ch'ing Dynasty's destiny, and have neglected to pay my respects to Your Majesty. Please forgive me!"
"Very well! This is what we need most right now. Whether or not you pay your respects is irrelevant. May I ask, Grand Preceptor, have you gained any insights from your observations of the celestial phenomena?" Empress Dowager Cixi said kindly.
"In response to Your Majesty, the foreigners nowadays mostly attack with firearms. Our dynasty is called the Great Ch'ing, and using water to extinguish fire should be effective. The reason it has failed, in my humble opinion, is that the water level has been declining over the long term of the founding of the nation. If we could obtain a luminous pearl and present it to Your Majesty for your daily enjoyment, it would surely attract endless water to extinguish the Westerners' fire!"
"Is Preceptor's statement true? I'm already terrified by all those superstitious and mystical theories. Look, the Boxer Rebellion almost brought the country to ruin..." Empress Dowager Cixi said, pointing to the dilapidated landscape around the Hall of Taiho.
"The Boxers are Han Chinese, how can we believe them? Ostensibly they support the Ch'ing and destroy the foreigners. But secretly they're still plotting to overthrow the Ch'ing and restore the Ming. I had already informed the Empress Dowager before the incident."
"Alas! Those ignorant ministers were blindly praising its invulnerability to swords and spears; I was completely deceived by them. I should have listened to you sooner," Empress Dowager Cixi said. "By the way, you mentioned the Western luminous pearl; does such a thing really exist?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant observed the celestial phenomena and discovered that there really is a luminous pearl in the Western Regions containing boundless water power."
"Then please, Imperial Advisor, hurry and retrieve this luminous pearl for me!"
"Your servant obeys! However, to obtain it, it must be during a total solar eclipse, which, according to your calculations, is the fourth day of the twelfth month of the Dingwei year, five years from now!"
"Sigh! We have to wait so long? I'm not even sure I'll live that long!"
"Please don't say that! You are the Empress Dowager, the Emperor's mother, and you are destined to live for ten thousand years!"
"Sigh! Don't even mention living ten thousand years. Even Emperor K'ang-hsi and Emperor Chien-Lung didn't live to be ten thousand years old. What can a woman like me dare to hope for? My old friend, Queen Victoria of England, who ruled for sixty or seventy years, passed away last year, didn't she? You should hurry up and make all the necessary preparations. When the time comes, you must get your hands on luminous pearl!"
"This servant will make preparations immediately and depart as soon as the appointed day arrives. However, this servant has no soldiers at his disposal, so I beg Your Majesty to grant me a pretext to facilitate the operation!"
"What problem is there? I will grant you the title of Imperial Commissioner. Governors and viceroys of all regions must cooperate fully and without fail! I will reward you handsomely after the matter is accomplished."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Meanwhile, in the British Legation in Dongjiaomin Lane, opposite the Forbidden City, a young legation officer named James Derek, my father, was looking at a photograph of his late wife, Elizabeth, under the dim light of an electric lamp. "Still thinking about Elizabeth?" Draken turned around and saw his classmate, Sir Edmund Backhouse. Backhouse was Draken's classmate at Oxford University when they studied Oriental history. He was very talented in languages and came from a noble family, but due to his dissolute personality, he accumulated huge debts and failed to graduate. He went to China at a young age to make a living, working as a translator for some Westerners in China and lobbying the Chinese government. At that time, there was no term for political public relations. So-called lobbying was actually a front for bribing officials. However, such talents were very much needed in the East Suburbs. As a result, he was very familiar with everyone in the legation and could come and go directly. Hearing that Draken had come to Peking, he came to visit his old classmate. "I..." James said, "She died a terrible death, it was all my fault." "You can't go on like this, James," Backhouse comforted him. "I'll take you somewhere fun tonight!" "The Pa-Ta Hutongs?" "That kind of place isn't for a gentleman like you. Today we're going to..." Backhouse teased, "to the place the Mandarins go!" "Where do the Mandarins go? What kind of place is that?" You'll see when you get there! After boarding a rickshaw, James Draken and Backhouse arrived at a luxurious Chinese-style garden. The chill of early spring in Beijing seemed to have stopped outside the gate. The newly installed incandescent electric lights illuminated the two-story building like a giant lantern. Every room was filled with the sounds of women singing opera or drinking and playing drinking games. Judging from the clothes of the customers coming and going, they were either high-ranking officials or wealthy businessmen. 
(Figure 1-2-2) After the Eight-Nation Alliance, Peking saw the emergence of many clubs for receiving wealthy Chinese and foreign dignitaries. "I'll take you to see someone," said Backhouse, who knew the place well. "Who is it?" Derek asked. "Prince Su!" Backhouse said. The two entered one of the rooms and found it already full. Half the people were men, presumably guests, and the other half were women, likely prostitutes. Nearby, a musician playing the erhu and a girl playing a drum and clapper were singing opera. A middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table was fondling the bound foot of a woman beside him, a look of ecstasy on his face. Upon seeing Draken and Backhouse enter, he loudly proclaimed, "Sir Backhouse! Welcome! Welcome!" Backhouse introduced James Draken, and Prince Su stood up to shake hands with him. Dreken hesitated, remembering he had just played with a prostitute's bound feet, but out of politeness, he had to extend his hand. Prince Su shook James's hand heartily and said with a smile, "Mr. Draken! Sit next to whichever one you like!" "Prince Su is the most powerful prince in the world today!" Backhouse said. "Power my foot! The Empress Dowager only listens to that charlatan Nalan Changshu these days!" Prince Su said. "We support Prince Su!" another guest said. "Prince Su is the most progressive nobleman in the current court, and if constitutional reform is implemented, he is the most suitable candidate to be prime minister!" "Oh dear! Don't you dare get me into trouble, Mr. Kawashima Naniwa!" Prince Su said, waving his hand. Draken then realized that almost all the guests present were Japanese, including those from the embassy, the military, and even so-called ronin. At that time, the alliance treaty between Britain and Japan had just been signed in London on January 30th, and all the Japanese were eager to know what the future held. "Mr. Draken, you've just come from England. What's your opinion?" Kawashima Naniwa asked James.
(Figure 1-2-3) Sir. Draken explained the impact of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance at Prince Sue's banquet.
"Both Britain and Japan are constitutional monarchies and island nations, so an alliance is a natural fit," James Draken explained. "However, this alliance could encourage your governments to take an overly aggressive stance against Russia on the Liaodong Peninsula issue, potentially leading to war. If that happens, it would be an unprecedented war that your national strength might not be able to afford. You should all think twice."
James Draken emphasized: "Furthermore, even with an alliance, I don't think Britain would directly send troops to intervene!"
"Mr. Draken is very insightful. It would be great if you could be sent to Japan!" another guest said. "I know Foreign Minister Komura; I think I could ask him to make the suggestion to your Ministry of Foreign Affairs!"
This Japanese man with a small mustache seemed to be very well-informed. After exchanging business cards, James learned that he was a current Major General in the Japanese Army, Fukushima Yasumasa. James vaguely remembered seeing this name in the embassy's list of intelligence personnel from various countries stationed in Peking.
"Let's not talk about such serious matters in a place like this!" said Prince Su, who had been fiddling with his bound feet. "Even I, Prince Su, am not serious anymore, so what are you all pretending to be? Come, come! Drink with your embroidered shoes..."
The wine was poured into the small embroidered shoes that had been taken off, and the guests had to pass them around and drink them in turn. Backhouse, who had been in China for several years, was the first to surrender to this kind of game played in Chinese high society.
James thought to himself, "How can I conduct diplomacy without learning their methods?"
He steeled himself, pinched his nose, picked up the little embroidered shoe, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Prince Su patted Derek's shoulder happily and said, "That was great! From now on, I have a friend, Mr. Draken!"
Knowing Prince Su allowed James to learn many secrets of the Ch'ing court, and also added a lot of interesting content to his diary, although not all of them were things he personally experienced; for example, the conversation between the Empress Dowager and the Grand Preceptor mentioned earlier was told to him by Prince Su himself.
Although Backhouse introduced Draken to Prince Su, he secretly wanted to use Derek's diplomatic status to win over more powerful figures in Beijing to facilitate his own work. Therefore, Backhouse was almost always present at Draken's banquets and social gatherings, which gave him the opportunity to hear many court secrets. This led to the later sensational "Empress Dowager Cixi's British lover" incident.
The so-called "Empress Dowager Cixi's British lover" incident originated from a memoir written by Backhouse based on gossip he overheard at various events, combined with his own imagination. He claimed to have a secret six-year relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi from 1902 to 1908, the content of which was as explicit as erotic fiction. Backhouse even submitted the manuscript, along with a large pile of documents, to the Oxford University Library in hopes of obtaining a professorship, but to no avail. Later, scholars accidentally discovered the manuscript while studying this pile of old papers. Upon reading it, they were greatly surprised, believing they had found documents to overturn historical facts, thus creating the current rumor of a "British officer and Empress Dowager Cixi's six-year secret lover."
This wasn't the first time Backhouse had fabricated stories. When he was gathering information about China for Western journalists, he often made up stories and embellished them. These false reports, spread through the media, caused serious misunderstandings about China in Western countries at the time. Soon, Draken also discovered Backhouse's arrogant and deceptive personality and wanted to distance himself from him. However, Backhouse was already like a sticky candy, following him everywhere. He even used Sir James Draken's name to swindle and deceive people.
For example, he once impersonated a representative of the abdicated Chinese imperial family to negotiate loan deals with British and American companies. During World War I, he even claimed to be a British spy trying to smuggle arms from Britain to China. Since Sir Draken happened to be in charge of these kinds of businesses at the time, it was easy to gain trust by using his name. Fortunately, these scams ultimately failed. This notorious British swindler died in Japanese-occupied Peking in 1944. He had clashed with me several times before that, but that's another story.
That said, Sir Draken, who had just arrived in China, quickly mastered the tricks of doing business in the East under the tutelage of Prince Su. Later, he was indeed transferred to the consulate in Yokohama, Japan, at the end of 1904. However, the reason had nothing to do with Foreign Minister Komura's recommendation, but rather because Empress Dowager Cixi celebrated her 70th birthday on November 16, 1904 (the 10th day of the tenth lunar month)...
That evening, there were many performances and celebrations on the grand stage in the palace. The performance by the Peking Opera troupe was Empress Dowager Cixi's favorite, and all the famous actors were present. They chose a lively and auspicious birthday celebration play with loud gongs and drums. Then, the Grand Master Nalan Changshu also went on stage to perform magic tricks of Qimen Dunjia. He simply covered himself with his cloak and brought out a series of large dishes from behind him out of thin air. Finally, he brought out a large water vat filled with water. Empress Dowager Cixi was overjoyed. She had not been so happy for many years since her sixtieth birthday in 1894 coincided with the Sino-Japanese War and the cession of territory and payment of indemnities. The grand finale was the presentation of a movie by the British Legation to the Empress Dowager as a birthday gift. This was a novelty at the time, with only recently an American bringing one to the market for demonstration, causing a sensation throughout Peking. The projection machine was presented by the Legation on behalf of the King, and the screening of the films was operated by technicians. The films consisted of short European and American landscape films and news footage, such as the coronation ceremony of the Russian Tsar.
During the screening, the Grand Preceptor, his brow furrowed, appeared beside the machine. This foreign holographic projector seemed far more sophisticated than his magic; the arc light emanating from the carbon rods in the projector alone was so intense that he dared not approach. The projected images danced ghostly in the night sky—it was too eerie; the Empress Dowager must not be allowed to become enamored with this thing. The white light leaking from the projector's lightbox reflected upwards, making the Grand Preceptor's gaunt face appear even more sinister. His cloaked figure cast a gigantic, demonic shadow on the palace wall. Draken suddenly looked up and came face to face with him, startling him greatly. At that moment, the Grand Preceptor suddenly took a ladle of water from his cloak and poured it into the projector. The high heat meeting the cold water caused the machine to explode instantly, filling the room with smoke. Empress Dowager Cixi, thinking someone was trying to assassinate her, was hurriedly escorted back to the inner palace by eunuchs. The joyous birthday celebration thus came to an abrupt end! It is said that the Empress Dowager immediately issued an edict that no more movies should ever be shown in the palace again.
The explosion of the movie projector was merely an accident. In reality, after returning to Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi's thinking had changed, and she began to engage with some Western gadgets, though conflicts still occasionally arose. For example, two years earlier, in 1902, on Empress Dowager Cixi's 67th birthday, Yuan Shikai, the Governor-General of Zhili, imported an American-made Duryea car as a gift. A German driver took Cixi on test drives within the Forbidden City and even in the Summer Palace. Later, Cixi discovered that the driver was sitting instead of kneeling while driving. Although kneeling made driving impossible, this displeased Cixi, and she subsequently lost interest in riding in cars. The car was then abandoned and never used again.
In addition, Empress Dowager Cixi had a private train, commonly known as the "Dragon and Phoenix Special Train." Built in 1899 with a locomotive imported from Germany and carriages constructed in Belgium, it consisted of three special-class carriages ("Imperial Carriages," also called "Dragon Carriages") for Empress Dowager Cixi, Emperor Guangxu, and the Empress; four first-class carriages for princes, ministers, and the chief eunuch Li Lianying; three second-class carriages for attendants and eunuchs; one administrative carriage; one carriage for railway staff; and nine freight cars, one of which carried Empress Dowager Cixi's special 16-person palanquin. The "Dragon and Phoenix Special Train" featured two crossed yellow dragon flags and numerous decorations on its locomotive. The carriages were adorned with gilded dragon ornaments on both sides, and the interior was tiled with carpets and had satin curtains hanging on the sides. The interior was divided into a conversation room, rest area, palace hall, dining hall, bedroom, bathhouse, and servants' quarters. Amenities included electric bells, lights, fans, and armchairs. All the staff on the bus were dressed in uniforms similar to those of eunuchs.
When Empress Dowager Cixi returned to Pekng in 1902, she traveled on the "Dragon and Phoenix Special Train" . My father had greeted her at the station, so I had seen the grandeur of the train and was deeply impressed. Traveling on the "Dragon and Phoenix Special Train" was much more comfortable than her hasty escape to Xi'an in 1900, so Empress Dowager Cixi did not dislike taking the train.
 
Empress Dowager Cixi even owned a steamboat, the "Yonghe," a paddle steamer gifted by the Japanese government in 1907. Built by the Kobe Kawasaki Shipyard, the ship was 67 feet long, 9 feet 3 inches wide, and displacement 25.9 tons. It was propelled by paddle wheels on both sides by a small boiler steam engine. The "Yungho" was usually used as a tugboat to tow Cixi's painted boats on Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace. Later, it was assigned to be a training boat for the Kunming Lake Naval Academy.
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