 In 1876, a censor to the throne wrote that the empress, as a wife who had committed suicide after her husband's death, should be posthumously honoured.Empress Dowager Cixi rebuked him curtly for writing a memorial based on rumours.In 1900, when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi asked the Empress's father, Chongqi, to remain behind and take charge of state affairs.