Author unravels mystery of plot that toppled China's last emperor

作家揭秘：末代皇帝溥仪退位之谜

Indeed the key moments of Puyi's life strike a familiar chord even today, making some of the details of his biography still too sensitive to be published in China.

从那时起，学生们都在疑惑，溥仪的退位，为什么隆裕表现的如此情愿。现年60岁，既是历史学家又是前国家公务员的贾银华找到了问题的答案：隆裕收了2万两（1700磅）白银的贿赂，同时还受到恐吓，如果她拒绝溥仪退位，可能会身首异处。

"The time of his abdication was a time of corrupting and buying government officials, " said Mr Jia.

贾先生说“清帝退位的内幕很敏感，因而在一百年之后才被揭露”，目前，贾先生集结出版了他的最新研究成果《末代皇帝的非凡人生》，书中的资料来自于中南海--中国领导人居住区--的秘密档案，以及与溥仪关系密切大臣的访谈内容。

The imperial court in the last days of the Qing dynasty was a shadow of its former self. Foreign countries, particularly Britain, had humbled the Qing in battle, carved out rich territories and extracted huge payments.

在贝纳尔多·贝托鲁奇的电影《末代皇帝》中，溥仪的生活是重要组成部分，在中国，溥仪依然是公众好奇的人物。贾先生说“他是独一无二的，他经历了三个朝代。中国20世纪的所有动乱都能在他身上得到概括。他从帝王沦为了园丁，在他的晚年生活中，和毛主席的一张合影一直挂在他的床架上。”

Starved of income, the Qing court had even pawned the lavish silk robes of Puyi's predecessor, the Guangxu emperor, said Mr Jia.

贾先生说“溥仪退位的时期正是腐败和卖官鬻爵鼎盛时期。”

Outside the Forbidden City, uprisings were sweeping the land as citizens called for a republic.

即将灭亡的清廷皇宫只是整个大清朝的缩影。外国列强（尤其是英国）已经在战争中击倒了大清，清廷则屈辱地割地赔额。

In order to stabilise the situation, the court appointed Yuan Shikai, a general with influence over a powerful northern army, to be prime minister.

在紫禁城外，百姓们喊出了民主共和的口号，起义铺天盖地。

Yuan Shikai played a key role in forcing the abdication of Puyi (Rex Features)

为了稳定局势，朝廷指派袁世凯为内阁总理大臣，袁拥有一支强大的北洋军。

But according to Mr Jia, Mr Yuan was determined to remove the last emperor from power, by turns cajoling, threatening and then bribing key figures at court.

但袁世凯决心通过诱骗，威胁和贿赂朝廷里的重要人物来让清帝交权，贾先生说。

Not only did he bribe Puyi's adoptive mother, but he also corrupted her closest eunuch, Xiao Dezheng, and Prince Yikuang, one of the most powerful men at court, said Mr Jia.

袁世凯不但贿赂溥仪的养母，还收买了他最亲近的太监肖德正，以及朝廷中最有权势的庆密亲王奕劻。

"In 1911, The Times reported that Prince Yikuang had two million silver dollars in his Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank account, " said Mr Jia. "That was the result of bribes to remove the monarch."

“1911年，《时代》杂志报道奕劻在香港和上海的银行账户中有200万两银元。这就是清帝退位的贿赂所得。”贾先生说。

The eunuch, meanwhile, received a similar sum, equivalent to more than £1 billion in today's money. He used it to build a house in Tianjin stuffed with treasures looted from the palace.

同时，太监也得到了相似的金额，相当于现在的10亿英镑。他用这笔钱在天津建造了大宅子，家里塞满了从皇宫掠夺来的宝物。

In return, the eunuch told the Dowager Empress that she would be rich if she signed the abdication papers. "And if she refused, she would end up like Louis XVI during the French Revolution: beheaded, " said Mr Jia.

作为回报，太监告诉皇太后，如果她签订退位诏书就会永享富贵。“如果拒绝，她的命运就会像法国革命时的路易十四一样：被砍头”贾先生说。

Mr Yuan did not stop there. He put pressure on the court by masterminding a series of threatening letters.

袁世凯的手段还不知如此。他还通过策划一些列的威胁信件来给朝廷施压。

"He had a good relationship with the Russian embassy and he asked them to write a letter saying if you do not sign the papers, the Western powers would force it through anyway, " said Mr Jia, citing the archives at Zhongnanhai.

“他和俄罗斯大使馆的关系非常好，他请求大使馆写信说，如果皇太后不签退位书，西方列强可能会逼迫她强行签字”，贾先生引用在中南海的档案说。

Mr Yuan also secretly authored a telegram from 44 army commanders calling for the empire to dissolve, according to the notes of his aide, Zeng Yujun.

据袁世凯的助手曾玉军记载，袁世凯还秘密授权了一份电报，让44个军队的指挥官联合要求皇帝下台。

After abdicating, Puyi was forced to leave the Forbidden City and briefly became a puppet ruler for the Japanese in a corner of North East China that they had conquered.

退位之后，溥仪被迫离开紫禁城，并短暂的成为日本占了区--东北的傀儡统治者。

After the Communist Party came to power, Puyi was treated cordially by Chairman Mao and was eventually allowed to live out his days in Beijing, for a while working in the Botanical Gardens. He died in 1967, from complications of kidney cancer and heart disease.

共产党执政之后，溥仪被毛主席友善的对待，在北京，特殊的日子他甚至被允许出去转转，在植物园工作一会儿。1967年，他因肾肿癌心脏病并发症逝世。