Life

Zaixun was born in the Aisin Gioro clan as the second son of Yiren (奕仁; 1824–1874), the ninth successor to the Prince Zhuang peerage, one of the 12 "iron-cap" princely peerages of the Qing dynasty. Born during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor, Zaixun initially held the title of a fuguo gong. In 1875, during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor, he was promoted to qinwang (first-rank prince), and inherited the title "Prince Zhuang of the First Rank" (莊親王) from his father.

In 1900, Zaixun strongly advocated making use of the Righteous and Harmonious Society (or "Boxers") to counter foreign aggression. The following year, after Empress Dowager Cixi issued the Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers, war broke out between the Qing Empire and Eight-Nation Alliance, leading to the Boxer Rebellion. Zaixun and Gangyi (剛毅) were placed in command of Boxer groups to fight the foreigners. Zaixun had an altar set up in his residence, while he personally donned garments similar to those of the Boxers. Not long afterwards he was appointed as the Nine Gates Infantry Commander, and he gave out rewards for the capture and killing of foreigners. All the Boxers throughout China first gathered in Zaixun's residence after arriving in Beijing to receive their respective missions.

When Beijing fell to the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi fled to Xi'an in western China. She was accompanied by Zaixun, who took on the post of Camp Inspecting Minister (查營大臣). 1,700 Boxers in Zaixun's residence were killed by foreign soldiers. During the negotiations for the Boxer Protocol, Zaixun was accused of being one of the masterminds of the Boxer Rebellion by the foreign powers. In 1901, he was impeached and stripped of his titles, and on February 21 he committed suicide by hanging himself in Puzhou (present-day Yongji, Shanxi).

Zaixun's residence previously belonged to Liu Jin, a court eunuch of the Ming dynasty. The house was destroyed when the armies of the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing. During the early Republican era, it was purchased by the warlord Li Chun (李純) and shifted to Tianjin, where a Li Family Shrine (now the Nankai Cultural Palace 南開文化宮) was built.

Family

Consorts and issue:

• Primary consort, of the Wuliyahan clan, daughter of prince of the second rank Seboke Dorji

• Step consort, of the Magiya clan, daughter of Shaoqi

• Secondary consort, of the Huanggiya clan, daughter of Qiming

• Mistress, of the Huang clan, daughter of Huang Sheng

• Mistress, of the Song clan, daughter of Changming

Issue:

• Pugang (溥纲), lesser bulwark duke

• Puqi (溥绮)

• Pushen (溥绅)

• Puji (溥继)

• Pujian (溥缄), a sixth rank literary official (笔贴式, pinyin:bitieshi)

• Pujing (溥经), a sixth rank literary official (笔贴式)

• Pushao (溥绍), a sixth rank literary official (笔贴式)

簡介

生于咸豐三年（1853年）十二月二十六日，初封輔國公，光緒元年（1875年）襲莊親王。

光緒二十六年（1900年），載勛力主借義和團力量排外。同年，慈禧下令對各國宣戰，載勛與剛毅統率京津義和團王大臣，並在王府設立拳壇，載勛自己也是身著短衣，頭裹紅巾，一副義和團打扮。不久又被任命為京師步軍統領，懸賞捕殺洋人。各地義和團到北京後，先去莊王府挂號領取戰鬥任務。不久，在八國聯軍攻占北京城。慈禧太后帶著光緒帝西逃，即「庚子西狩」。載勛、載漪等人隨行。任行在查營大臣。

閏八月初二（1900年9月25日），下發諭旨，對庚子事變相關的宗室王公、官員進行懲處。「莊親王載勛、怡親王溥靜、貝勒載濂、載瀅均著革去爵職。端郡王載漪著從寬撤去一切差使。交宗人府嚴加議處。並著停俸」。閏八月初六（9月29日），仍命載漪、載勛隨扈。

九月二十三日（11月13日），下發諭旨，他與載漪均暫交宗人府圈禁。預備軍務平定後，發往盛京永遠圈禁。同年十月二十八日（12月19日），再發諭旨，「前有旨將載漪、載勛革去爵職。交宗人府圈禁。俟軍事平定後。發往盛京圈禁。現在正將開議。不可任其自便。致貽口實。前在蒲州途次。已有旨令載漪、載勛毋庸隨扈。即著錫良就近于蒲州將該革王等派員管束。俟迴鑾日。再行解京圈禁。將此由五百里諭令知之。」

《辛丑條約》談判時，載勛被指為禍首，終被清廷賜死。1901年2月21日，在山西省蒲州府（今永濟）自縊而死。

家庭 

嫡福晉烏里雅罕氏，郡王色伯克多爾濟之女；繼福晉馬佳氏，尚書紹祺女；側福晉黃佳氏，啟明之女；妾黃氏，黃升之女；妾宋氏，宋長明之女。

七子：第一子不入八分輔國公溥綱，第二子溥綺，第三子溥紳，第四子溥繼，第五子候補筆帖式溥緘，第六子候補筆帖式溥經，第七子候補筆帖式溥紹。

莊親王的王府原是明朝大太監劉瑾生前的住宅。八國聯軍進入北京後遭焚毀。民國時期被軍閥李純購買，拆移到天津，建了李氏祠堂（今南開文化宮），據說是為了挖掘傳說中的地下藏寶。太平倉原莊親王府址，改建了平安里、志興里，設立了平安里經租處。