Tales from Empress Dowager Cixi’s Harem

[Cixi's Husband + Eunuchs + Harem Intrigue + Aiming for the Empress's Throne + Harem Anecdotes + Imperial Clansmen and Powerful Ministers + Strife Between In-Laws + Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law] Yehenara Lan'er comes from a once-prominent family fallen on hard times. She begins to rise to prominence at Fangjiayuan, and upon entering the palace, abandons her first love, Rong Lu. She wins the favor of Emperor Xianfeng, rising from Noble Lady Lan to Consort Yi. After giving birth to the emperor's eldest son, Zai Chun, the future Tongzhi Emperor, she becomes his birth mother. She and Empress Dowager Ci'an are honored as co-regents, and she is titled Empress Dowager Shengmu and given the honorific Cixi. After Xianfeng's death, Cixi and Ci'an rule the empire together, and Cixi reaches the pinnacle of power. Her relationship with her first love, Rong Lu, remains ambiguous, while her rumored liaisons with eunuch favorites such as An Dehai and Li Lianying are especially controversial. Her relationship with Prince Gong, Yixin, evolves from an intriguing bond between in-laws into a struggle for power. Cixi's romantic entanglements unfold in the harem, while she seizes power through palace intrigue. She serves as regent from behind the curtain and takes charge of the government three times. This empress, who influenced half a century of history, came to be known by later generations as the Old Buddha.