Abstract: “The Fake Emperor Guangxu in Wuchang” was a well-known composition by Liu Chengyu. Although the plot sounds interesting, the story was not likely accurate. This article reveals the specific chain of events surrounding this work and discusses the political situation on the eve of Boxer Movement. It concludes that The Fake Emperor was a fraud and had no political intent. The political chaos of the time mainly resulted from the serious conflicts in the attempted establishment of a Crown Prince in 1899. Perhaps most remarkable, the mass media, which mostly edited by reformers, was strongly against Qing Government’s plan of announcing a Crown Prince. So, the media energetically took the fake Emperor rumors to provoke people’s emotions, and there is no doubt regarding the Government’s vengeful repression. This trend partly resulted in the Government’s antiforeignism as well as the worsening of the overall political situation.