When Wenxiu was born in 1909, it didn’t look like she would become the next Imperial Consort of China. Although she was part of a fairly respectable Mongolian clan, her family lived in genteel poverty, and Wenxiu often helped them make an income by selling goods. But then everything changed.
When she was just 11 years old, the current Emperor of China, Puyi, began looking for a bride. From there, her fate was sealed.
Puyi married two women on the very same day: his Empress Wanrong and his consort Wenxiu. It’s hard to say which woman had a worse time married to him—as each faced unspeakable horror. However, it was ultimately Wenxiu who was the first to stand up for herself.
After mistreating Wenxiu for years, Emperor Puyi was incensed when she divorced him, calling it “treason.” Within years, however, Puyi had a vicious fall from grace. Considering what he’d done to poor Wenxiu, his karma was both extremely gruesome and incredibly fitting.
