Zhang Zhidong did not conquer Cixi, but only followed the meaning of Cixi. You should know that Cixi is also a woman and a capable woman. If you go against her, there will be no good fruit to eat. Therefore, after gaining the trust of Cixi, Zhang Zhidong showed his ability step by step. Empress Dowager Cixi took a fancy to his ability and loyalty before entrusting him with an important task.

Everyone thinks that Zhang Zhidong conquered Empress Dowager Cixi because Zhang Zhidong was very popular with Empress Dowager Cixi, and the promotion of others was first-class promotion. However, Empress Dowager Cixi's promotion of Zhang Zhidong is totally out of line with the process. Overnight, Cixi promoted Zhang Zhidong to the fourth grade, and Zhang Zhidong directly became a minister of the DPRK from an unknown official, which was unprecedented in history of qing dynasty, so Cixi loved Zhang Zhidong very much.

In fact, Cixi didn't like Zhang Zhidong at first, because Zhang Zhidong was just a scholar. Although she made many suggestions, Cixi thought that these were all on paper and could not be realized in practice. So Cixi didn't think highly of this thoughtful little scholar, but several things happened later, and Zhang Zhidong showed his extraordinary strength, so Empress Dowager Cixi deliberately cultivated him into a confidant.

There is also the situation of Empress Dowager Cixi at that time was very passive. Although she was in power on the surface, the court officials were all headed by Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan. Empress Dowager Cixi was afraid that they would threaten her rights, so she wanted to cultivate her own strength to stabilize her regime. It is precisely because of this that Zhang Zhidong was given an unprecedented opportunity.

Opportunities and challenges coexist. A truly capable person will succeed no matter what. They can seize every opportunity in life.