In 1872, both Ci'an and Cixi agreed it was time for the Tongzhi Emperor to marry. As the highest-ranking woman in the Forbidden City, Ci'an was put in charge of selecting the Tongzhi Emperor's new empress and consorts. It was decided that a girl from the Mongol Alute clan (the later Empress Xiaozheyi) would become the new empress. Lady Alute's mother was Empress Dowager Ci'an's cousin from her father's side. After the wedding, both empresses dowager resigned as co-regents, but they resumed the regency in December 1874 during the Tongzhi Emperor's illness. In January 1875, the Tongzhi Emperor died and Empress Dowager Cixi's nephew, Zaitian, was enthroned as the Guangxu Emperor. As the Guangxu Emperor was also underage at the time of his coronation, the two empresses dowager became the regents again.