Chapter XVII: The Diary of His Excellency Ching Shan (3)

“We have accordingly prostrated ourselves in supplication
before our Sacred Mother, begging that she may be pleased to
select some worthy person from among the Princes of the Blood
as heir to His Majesty T’ung-Chih, in order that the Great
Inheritance may duly revert to him. As the result of our
repeated entreaties Her Majesty has graciously consented, and
has appointed P’u Chün, son of Prince Tuan, as heir by adoption
to His late Majesty. Our gratitude at this is unbounded, and
obediently we obey her behests, hereby appointing P’u Chün to
be Heir Apparent and successor to the Throne. Let this Decree
be made known throughout the Empire.”

Seldom has history seen so tragically pathetic a document. It was not only a confession of his own illegality and an abdication, but his death-warrant, clear writ for all men to read. And the poor victim must perforce thank his executioner and praise the “maternal benevolence” of the woman whose uncontrollable love of power had wrecked his life from the cradle.

_Memorial from the Censorate at Peking to the Throne at Hsi-an,
describing the arrest of En Hai, the murderer of the German
Minister, Baron von Ketteler._[98]

This Memorial affords a striking illustration of the sympathy which animated, and still animates, many of those nearest to the Throne in regard to the Boxers and their anti-foreign crusade, and their appreciation of the real sentiments of the Empress Dowager, even in defeat. It also throws light on the Chinese official’s idea of heroism in a soldier.

“A spy in Japanese employ, engaged in searching for looted
articles in the pawnshops of the district in Japanese military
occupation, found among the unredeemed pledges in one shop a
watch bearing Baron von Ketteler’s monogram. The pawnbroker
said that it had been pledged by a bannerman named En Hai, who
lived at a carters’ inn of the Tartar city. This spy was a
man named Te Lu, a writer attached to the Manchu Field Force,
of the 8th squad of the ‘Ting’ Company. He went at once and
informed the Japanese, who promptly sent a picquet to the
inn mentioned. Two or three men were standing about in the
courtyard, and the soldiers asked one of them whether En Hai
was there. ‘I’m the man,’ said he, whereupon they took him
prisoner. Under examination, En was perfectly calm and showed
no sort of emotion. The presiding Magistrate enquired ‘Was
it you who slew the German Minister?’ He replied ‘I received
orders from my Sergeant to kill every foreigner that came up
the street. I am a soldier, and I only know it is my duty to
obey orders. On that day I was with my men, some thirty of
them, in the street, when a foreigner came along in a sedan
chair. At once I took up my stand a little to the side of
the street, and, taking careful aim, fired into the chair.
Thereupon the bearers fled: we went up to the chair, dragged
the foreigner out, and saw that he was dead. I felt a watch in
his breast pocket and took it as my lawful share; my comrades
appropriated a revolver, some rings and other articles. I never
thought that this watch would lead to my detection, but I am
glad to die for having killed one of the enemies of my country.
Please behead me at once.’

“The interpreter asked him whether he was drunk at the time.
He laughed and said, ‘Wine’s a fine thing, and I can put away
four or five catties at a time, but that day I had not touched
a drop. Do you suppose I would try to screen myself on the
score of being in liquor?’ This En Hai appears to have been
an honest fellow; his words were brave and dignified, so that
the bystanders all realised that China is not without heroes
in the ranks of her army. On the following day he was handed
over to the Germans, and beheaded on the scene of his exploit.
We, your Memorialists, feel that Your Majesties should be made
acquainted with his meritorious behaviour, and we therefore
report the above facts. We are of opinion that his name should
not be permitted to fall into oblivion, and we trust that Your
Majesties may be pleased to confer upon him honours as in the
case of one who has fallen in battle with his face to the foe.”