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From the moment, Sushun was executed, Cixi became effectively the ruler of China. A position that should hold all the way through to 1908.
从肃顺被处决的那一刻起，慈禧就成为了中国的实际统治者。 这个位置应该一直保持到1908年。
Yet, thanks to agenda, that position would never be official.
然而，由于议程的关系，这一位置永远不会成为官方立场。
She would be treated as equal to the emperors, she ruled on behalf of forced to sit and forbidden from setting foot in front of the Imperial Palace.
她将被视为与皇帝一样的人，她代表皇室统治，被迫坐在皇宫前，禁止踏足皇宫。
Despite these limitations though, she'd wind up overseeing one of the most transformative programs in chinese history.
尽管有这些限制，但她最终监督了中国历史上最具变革意义的项目之一。
With Prince Gong focused on practical matters and Ci'an was happy to stay in the shadows.
随着恭亲王把精力集中在实际事务上，慈安很乐意呆在暗处。
It would be Cixi who'd make the major policy decisions.
慈禧将会做出重大的政策决定。
Perhaps one of the most major was to pivot China towards the west.
也许其中最重要的一项就是将中国的重心转向西方。
Although the Opium Wars were over now, the Taiping was still causing chaos.
虽然鸦片战争已经结束，太平天国仍在造成混乱。
So Cixi put aside the humiliation of the unequal treaty signed with Britain, France and others and instead asked them for help modernizing her army.
因此，慈禧太后放下了与英法等国签订不平等条约的耻辱，请求他们帮助她的军队实现现代化。
The British agreed and did such a good job that the Qing were finally able to end the Taiping Rebellion in 1864.
英国人同意了，并且做得很好，清朝终于在1864年结束了太平天国起义。
By which time, some 20 million people had died, but this massive military upgrade would turn out to be only the beginning of China's westward tills.
到那时，大约有2000万人死亡，但这次大规模的军事升级只是中国西进的开始。
Under the self-strengthening movement, trade was further opened up to Europe.
在自强运动下，贸易进一步向欧洲开放。
Western schools were established to teach European languages, western officials hired to clamp down on corruption
西方学校是用来教授欧洲语言的，西方官员是用来打击腐败的
and graft advisors were invited from the leading economies to do everything, from spearhead agricultural reforms to teach the Qing military how to build modern weapons.
从农业改革的先锋到教清军如何制造现代武器，各个主要经济体都请来了贪污顾问。
The result was slow, but steady.
结果是缓慢而稳定的。
Opening up a transformation that saw China gain its first modern navy postal service and monetary system.
对外开放使中国获得了第一个现代海军、邮政和货币体系。
The first vestiges of industrialization crept in two as mines were opened and telegraph systems were laid.
随着矿井的开掘和电报系统的铺设，工业化的第一个痕迹出现在两处。
Not Cixi's embrace of western style , modernity was absolute.
要不是慈禧对西方风格的拥抱，现代性是绝对的。
No matter how hard outside investors tried, they couldn't get China to invest in railroads.
无论外部投资者如何努力，他们都无法让中国投资铁路。
Cixi was just too adamant that the noise would disturb ancestral tombs dodged across the countryside.
慈禧固执地认为，噪音会扰乱乡村的祖坟。
It would take until 1876 for her to get permission for a single working line to be laid, by which time, the political conditions would have drastically changed.
直到1876年，她才获准铺设一条工作线，到那时，政治条件已经彻底改变了。
First, there was the accidental near war with france that came close to crisis with China becoming stronger.
首先，在中国日益强大的情况下，意外地与法国发生了接近战争的危机。
Plenty of Cixi's advisers, such as Prince Gong's brother Prince Chun, were demanding that she used that new strength to get revenge for the unequal treaties.
慈禧的许多谋士，比如恭亲王的弟弟醇亲王，都要求她用新的力量为不平等条约报仇。
When Cixi demurred, Chun helped orchestrate Anti-Christian riots, riots that saw French citizens lynched.
慈禧反对后，醇亲王协助策划了反基督教骚乱，这场骚乱导致法国公民被处以私刑。
Luckily, the disaster of the Franco-Prussian War meant that france was less willing to fight than usual and Cixi managed to mollify Paris.
幸运的是，普法战争的灾难意味着法国不像往常那样愿意打仗，慈禧成功地安抚了巴黎。
But the second shake-up would be even bigger.
但第二次调整的规模将更大。
On January, 12th, 1875, Zaichun died of smallpox, not yet 20.
1875年1月12日，载淳死于天花，还不到20岁。
Although he'd taken over as emperor when he was 16, Zaichun still hadn't managed to sire in air, while his empress was pregnant.
虽然在他16岁的时候他就当上了皇帝，但在他的皇后怀孕的时候，他仍然不能登基。
When he died, her family ordered her to starve herself to death in a show of piety.
他死后，她的家人命令她绝食而死，以示虔诚。
Although rumors persist, Cixi arranged the whole thing.
尽管传言不断，慈禧还是安排了整件事。
With no son to elevate, the dying emperor handed the power to choose his successor to Cixi.
由于没有儿子可继位，这位垂死的皇帝将选择继承人的权力交给了慈禧。
The successor she chose was Prince Chun's three-year-old son.
她选择的继承人是醇亲王三岁的儿子。
Now there are a couple of different ways to read this.
有几种不同的解读方式。
The first cynical one is that Cixi and Ci'an weren't interested in stepping aside and needed a new very young emperor that they could rule in place of,
第一个愤世嫉俗的说法是慈禧和慈安并不想退位，他们需要一个年轻的皇帝来代替，
since his son becoming emperor would also force the annoying Prince Chun to give up his duties. That was two birds with one stone.
因为他的儿子成为皇帝也会迫使醇亲王放弃他的职责，这是一石二鸟。
The slightly kinder reading is that the dowager empress was hamstrung by convention unable to pick anyone older.
稍微温和一点的解读是，皇太后被传统束缚，无法挑选年龄更大的人。
The dead emperor had been and lacking any decent teenage candidates.
这位死去的皇帝曾经是，而且缺乏像样的皇子继承皇位。
Either way Chun's infant was elevated to Guangxu Emperor and Ci'an and Cixi officially made his parents.
无论如何，醇亲王的儿子成为光绪皇帝，慈安和慈禧正式成为他的父母。
While the boy was told to address Ci'an as his mother, he was made to refer to Cixi as blessed father.
当这个男孩被告知称慈安为他的母亲时，他被要求称慈禧为受祝福的父亲。
Simple expediency or Cixi signaling loud and clear that she was as good as any male.
简单的权宜之计或慈禧响亮的信号，表明她比任何男人都优秀。
Well, we'll let you be the judge.
那我们就让你来评判吧。
As the 1870s closed down, then Cixi was firmly ensconced at the head of a powerful triumvirate, leading a rapidly modernizing nation into the last years of the 19th century.
随着19世纪70年代的结束，慈禧稳居三巨头之首，领导着一个快速现代化的国家进入19世纪的最后几年。
Yet, comfortable as she was, she couldn't shield herself from all misfortunes.
然而，尽管她很舒适，她还是无法避免所有的不幸。
And the dawning of the new decade was going to bring with it something.
新十年的到来将带来一些东西。
The dowager empress had never experienced before real unimaginable tragedy.
慈禧太后从未经历过真正难以想象的悲剧。
