The only concubine in Chinese history who dared to file for divorce from the emperor.

In the spring of 1921, when Emperor Puyi was selecting an empress, Wen Xiu and Wan Rong were among the noble young women recommended. Wen Xiu was not as beautiful as Wan Rong, but Emperor Puyi preferred her. Empress Dowager Duan Kang, the emperor's mother, chose Wan Rong as empress, while Wen Xiu became the concubine.

Imperial Consort Wen Xiu. (Photo: Baidu)

In the early days, Wanrong was often jealous and tried to overthrow Wenxiu. Wenxiu had no romantic relationship with the emperor, and her personality was introverted; she didn't like to talk much and found it difficult to confide in him. From a young age, she loved reading poetry and always lived alone in Changchun Palace to keep herself company with books. Emperor Puyi even hired an English teacher to teach her. Living in the inner palace, Wenxiu gained much knowledge.

Shortly afterward, the emperor and the royal family were forced out of the palace by Feng Yuxiang, a Kuomintang general, and lived in the Chun Shen Prince's Mansion in Beijing. Wen Xiu wanted to improve the atmosphere in the palace and maintain equal status with the emperor. She often offered advice to the emperor, but he remained loyal to the Japanese, hoping to regain his throne.

Wen Xiu did not want Emperor Puyi to collude with the Japanese, so she repeatedly advised him against it. The Emperor found this repulsive and gradually became distant from her, especially after they moved to the Japanese concession in Tianjin. The Emperor even mistreated Wen Xiu. During meals or walks, Puyi often ignored Wen Xiu and went with Wan Rong. At that time, the Emperor and Wan Rong lived on the second floor. Wen Xiu lived downstairs, rarely going upstairs, feeling like a stranger.

The relationship between Wen Xiu and Emperor Puyi grew increasingly cold, their feelings fractured, devoid of any affection. Therefore, she secretly left home to seek a lawyer and publicly announced her divorce from Emperor Puyi. One of the main reasons for the divorce was Emperor Puyi's failure to fulfill his marital duties; despite nine years of marriage, Wen Xiu remained a virgin.

At that time, Puyi was no longer the emperor, but this still surprised everyone. The press called Wen Xiu the "revolutionary imperial consort." When Emperor Puyi received the court summons, he was extremely frightened and reluctantly agreed to the divorce. He became the first emperor to be divorced by his imperial consort.

When Wen Xiu found a lawyer to handle the divorce proceedings, Puyi was utterly astonished, considering it an unprecedented and absurd situation. However, Wen Xiu was extremely resolute, and the two sides eventually reached an agreement: Puyi compensated Wen Xiu with 50,000 yuan for living expenses, in return for Wen Xiu's lifelong commitment to never remarry. After the divorce, Wen Xiu returned to Beiping, which is present-day Beijing.

Imperial Consort Wen Xiu. (Photo: Baidu)

Although she returned to being a commoner, Wen Xiu's palace habits remained. She hired four servants. Every day, changing clothes and washing hands had to be done three times, each time adding hot water, and the final rinse had to be careful not to burn her hands. If a servant failed to meet her expectations, she would scold them. This extravagance didn't last long; the compensation money from her ex-husband gradually ran out. Wen Xiu's days of staying home and reading also came to an end.

Van Tu changed her name to Pho Ngoc Phuong and became a teacher at a private school. As her new life began, Van Tu gradually smiled, enjoyed being around children, and was loved by them in return. Her happiness then was simple, the happiness of freedom.

Not long after, her true identity as the last imperial concubine of the Qing dynasty was discovered. People swarmed her house, turning her life upside down. Wen Xiu had to leave school in tears. Afterward, she fell into hardship, working as a cardboard box maker and even as a construction worker to make ends meet.

Emperor Puyi and Empress Wanrong. (Photo: Baidu)

In 1949, after the victory of the resistance war in China, Wen Xiu worked as an editor for a newspaper, and later married Liu Zhendong, an aide to Li Zongren, the acting president of the Republic of China after Chiang Kai-shek resigned in 1947.

The wedding was held grandly at Dongxing Tower, a famous location in China at the time. Liu Zhendong gave Wen Xiu the money he had saved for over twenty years. After the marriage, Liu Zhendong opened a small rickshaw rental shop. Wen Xiu later gave up her job as an editor. They also had a maid, and Wen Xiu spent her days peacefully reading and painting. This life lasted for two years before Liu Zhendong went bankrupt, and the new house they had worked so hard to save up for was also lost.

Before they could escape south, Beiping City was besieged. Liu Zhendong, heeding his wife's advice, turned himself in to the authorities. Thanks to his good behavior, he was allowed to stay and work in the sanitation team of Xicheng District, Beijing, with a low but sufficient income to make ends meet.

Wen Xiu and Liu Zhendong lived in a room of only 10 square meters. Wen Xiu managed the household herself, taking care of all the cooking and domestic chores. However, they had no children. Due to poor health, she passed away in 1953 at the age of 45.

TUỆ LÂM (Source: Sohu)

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Source: https://vtc.vn/phi-tan-duy-nhat-trong-lich-su-trung-quoc-dam-de-don-ly-hon-hoang-de-ar759792.html