The Legend of Huifei

During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, Concubine Hui, who was of orthodox origin and extremely intelligent, was personally designated as a concubine by the Empress Dowager Cixi because of her good observation and eloquence. After entering the palace, she quickly became a celebrity around Cixi. When she first entered the court, she flattered Cixi in every possible way and won trust with her clever words and decent behavior. However, during palace banquets and secret conversations, she gradually became aware of Cixi's extreme control of power and her suppression of Emperor Tongzhi. The young emperor was timid and had no real power under the shadow of Cixi. Even daily government affairs were interfered with. By chance, Concubine Hui met Emperor Tongzhi who was meditating alone in the imperial garden. During their brief conversation, she felt the emperor's loneliness and helplessness, and felt sympathy in her heart. After that, Concubine Hui began to secretly observe Cixi's every move, and took the opportunity to get close to the emperor, establishing a secret connection with him through the medium of poetry, calligraphy and painting. The power struggle in the palace became increasingly fierce. Cixi intensified her suppression of the emperor, and even secretly arranged for her confidants to monitor the emperor's every move. After Concubine Hui noticed it, she took the risk to send a message through her personal maid, reminding the emperor to be careful. However, her actions were noticed by Cixi's confidant eunuch Li Lianying and she was almost exposed. At the critical moment, Concubine Hui used her wit to deliberately spread false news in front of Cixi to divert attention and temporarily resolve the crisis. Subsequently, she conspired with the emperor and decided to use the power of the few ministers in the court who were still loyal to the imperial power to attempt to launch a coup on the day of Cixi's birthday party to weaken her power.