In 1887 Hong Jun, by then a major Chinese official, met Sai Jinhua ("Prettier Than Golden Flower") while he visited Suzhou.
[6] David Der-wei Wang wrote that Hong Jun was dismissed from his position "for allegedly settling boundary disputes on the basis of twelve Russian maps of the Chinese border area that turned out to be faulty and thus made China lose land to Czarist Russia.
[2] There, Hong Jun was held a post in the Foreign Office (zongli yamen) and concurrently received an appointment to being the senior vice-minister of the Ministry of War.
[3] Sai Jinhua gave birth to her daughter Deguan (Chinese: 德官; pinyin: Déguān; Wade–Giles: Te-kuan) in 1890.
[3] Hong Jun became sick and died in 1893,[3] shortly after his return to their home at 29 Xuanqiao Lane, Pingjiang Road, Suzhou.