The absurd and eccentric emperor - the Hunjun
The emperor was originally the supreme ruler of the country, in charge of and handling military and political affairs. However, there have been many foolish emperors in Chinese history who regarded national military and political affairs as child's play, but engaged in their own hobbies with great enthusiasm and energy, and even developed various absurd quirks:
The King of Fans. The most typical ones are Xizong of Tang Dynasty and Huizong of Song Dynasty. Emperor Xizong of Tang Dynasty loved to play polo and his skills were also good. He proudly boasted to himself: "If I take the imperial examination, I will definitely get the first place." Once the Sichuan Jiedushi was vacant, the ministers who coveted this position included Chen Jingxuan, Shi Li, Niu Mian, Luo Yuanguo, etc. people. When Tang Xizong finally considered the candidate for this extremely important official position, he actually ordered the above four people to perform their own performances. In the end, he played the most exciting game. Chen Jingxuan was appointed as the military envoy of Sichuan. As for Song Huizong's love for Cuju (an ancient football game), he actually appointed Gao Qiu, a rogue who was good at Cuju, as a lieutenant - a senior military attache at the time. This is even more known to everyone. The fan emperor regards state affairs as playing ball, appoints officials based on their skills, and appoints non-human beings. The result will inevitably be chaos and the destruction of the country.
The merchant emperor. Liu Hong, the Ling Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and Liu Yifu, the Young Emperor of the Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasty, both set up "stores" in the palace - imitating market shops. The two emperors wore merchant clothes and sold in person. Xiao Baojuan, the deposed Emperor of Qi in the Southern Dynasty, was an expert at this. Not only did he set up a trading market in the back garden of the palace, he and his concubines and maids-in-law were doing business and enjoying themselves in imitating the shops in the middle market. He also set up a special "market management organization" , with his beloved concubine Pan as the general manager, and the emperor himself acted as the manager of Pan's subordinates. Those who violated "market discipline", including the emperor, were whipped, which made the palace a mess.
The Carpenter Emperor. Zhu Youxiao, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, was a famous fatuous emperor. His hobbies were to be a carpenter, build houses, and operate axes, chisels, and saws himself, which is not ambiguous at all. His bedroom was often filled with various kinds of wood. He often worked day and night building furniture. When he was able to do it, he was unwilling to spend time meeting with officials, let alone deal with major military and political affairs. He left everything to the eunuch Wei Zhongxian, which formed the extremely dark eunuch dictatorship for many years in the late Ming Dynasty.
The Beggar Emperor. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Gao Wei, the empress of the Northern Qi Dynasty, had an even more ridiculous "eccentricity" - he liked to be a beggar. He set up a poor village in Hualin Garden of the harem. He personally dressed in rags and acted as a beggar and begged along the streets. This was not because he wanted to experience the life of poor people, but to come up with new ways to have fun and seek excitement. To kill a boring and empty life. As a result, not only the political affairs were neglected, but also the political style was corrupted.
The theater-loving emperor. The first emperor to be a theater fan should be Qin Erhu Hai. After he ascended the throne, he indulged in singing and dancing. He ordered people to arrange the music score with orchestra and fill in lyrics based on "Nuo", and develop it into a drama with plot, which later became the predecessor of Shaanxi "Qin Opera". He ordered the establishment of a special opera and music institution "Yuefu" to serve the court. He listened to songs and watched plays all day long, but he didn't know that there was chaos outside the palace. Emperor Minghuang of the Tang Dynasty was not only a rare theater fan, but also specially designated the Liyuan as a place for opera talents. From then on, "Liyuan" became synonymous with the opera world. He had fun with Concubine Yang and handed over state affairs to Yang Guozhong, the brother of Concubine Yang, which finally led to the "Anshi Rebellion". Empress Dowager Cixi, who was in power in the late Qing Dynasty, was the biggest theater fan in ancient and modern times, especially Peking Opera. She faced the invasion of foreign enemies, the increasing external aggression, the broken mountains and rivers, and the suffering of the people, but she remained indifferent. She watched Beijing opera almost every day, and built magnificent stages in the palace and Summer Palace villas. She found it unsatisfactory to watch a play, so she sometimes dressed up in costume herself and appeared on stage with the eunuch Li Lianying. Under her influence, the entire Qing Dynasty's dignitaries were immersed in Peking Opera. Those who acted for Cixi became actors and became "enshrined in the inner court". Their net worth was a hundred times higher and they became extremely popular. The famous actor Tan Xinpei (stage name Xiao Mingtian) has become the most admired idol of civil and military officials. There was even a situation in Beijing: "Whoever is in charge of national affairs, the whole city is arguing about calling him Tian'er!"
There were even more romantic emperors who indulged in womanizing. Qin Shihuang was the first romantic emperor who loved women. After he pacified the Six Kingdoms, he gathered the concubines, maids, and princesses of the rulers of the Six Kingdoms to Xianyang, and built the magnificent Epang Palace specifically for their sexual pleasures. It is said that every day the powdered water used by the concubines and maids of the Qin Palace to wash their faces was poured into the Wei River, causing a layer of oil to float on the water.
Because the emperors of the Han Dynasty had too many wives and concubines, in addition to naming their main wives as queens, they also divided the numerous concubines into hierarchies, calling them madam, beauty, beloved, eighth son, seventh son, long envoy, young envoy, etc. The history of the harem of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty contains "thousands of women." Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Han Dynasty favored Zhao Feiyan, which is a famous palace history. Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty had more than 10,000 women in his harem, which was a record-breaking number. He often traveled to the harem in a goat cart and would feast and sleep wherever the goat cart dragged him. Empress Chen of the Southern Dynasty doted on the beauties Zhang Lihua and Kong Guiren until the fall of the country, leaving the romantic relics of Rouge Well in Nanjing. Song Huizong even left the palace incognito and went to a brothel to have an affair with the famous prostitute Li Shishi. Zhu Houzhao, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, not only had a large number of concubines in his harem, but also traveled around incognito to hunt for women. He fell in love with the prostitute Liu Meiren in Datong, and fell in love with Sister Li Feng, the daughter of the innkeeper in Xuanhua Mansion. The Peking Opera "You Long Xi Feng" describes this matter.
Idiot Emperor
If the person who succeeds to the throne is not a baby, but a stupid idiot, he will become an idiot emperor. There are not as many idiot emperors as there are baby emperors in Chinese history, but they are more harmful.
The most famous idiot emperor in Chinese history is Sima Zhong, Emperor Hui of the Western Jin Dynasty. He was originally the second son of Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty. Due to the early death of his brother Sima Gui, he became the eldest son and was established as the prince of the East Palace. At that time, the officials in the East Palace who were responsible for educating the prince knew that the prince was an idiot. However, in order to protect the inheritance system of the eldest son and his future status as emperor's master, they collaborated to conceal the truth from Emperor Wu of Jin for a long time. When Emperor Wu of Jin died and Sima Zhong ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of Jin, the truth about his idiocy could no longer be concealed. Once when he went out and heard the croaking of frogs, he stupidly asked his attendants: "Are they official? Are they private?" Does it mean that these frogs are owned by the public or privately? The attendant couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this, and could not answer, so he had to say perfunctorily: "In the official field, you are an official, and in the private field, you are private." Once, there was a famine in the whole country. The people had no food to eat and countless people starved to death. After listening to the minister's report, the idiot emperor felt very strange and asked the minister: "Since the people have no food to eat, why not eat minced meat?" This ridiculous statement has become an eternal joke. After the princes and ministers knew that Emperor Hui was an idiot, they all had evil intentions: there were those who fought for power and gain, there were those who formed cliques for personal gain, and there were those who coveted the throne. In the end, the "Eight Kings Rebellion" broke out, causing the "Five Barbarians" to invade, causing chaos and chaos in the world, and the destruction of all living beings. Emperor Hui himself suffered many hardships and was poisoned to death after being the emperor for 17 years. Soon, the Western Jin Dynasty perished.
Another idiot emperor was Sima Dezong, Emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He is the eldest son of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Dynasty. He has been stupid and mute since he was a child. "Although he can't distinguish the changes of cold and heat." Dementia cannot distinguish between spring, summer, autumn and winter. Emperor Xiaowu knew that his son was an idiot during his lifetime, but in order to maintain the hereditary throne and the eldest son's succession, he still had to make him the prince. In this way, Sima Dezong became emperor in 397 AD as Emperor An of Jin. Naturally, he was an idiot emperor who could not manage politics at all. This would inevitably lead to the fall of the powerful emperor. The princes, princes and ministers all showed their magical powers and made the government a mess. In the end, the idiot emperor was hanged to death by the powerful minister Liu Yu. Soon, the Eastern Jin Dynasty also perished.
There was another idiot emperor in Chinese history, Shunzong Li Song of the Tang Dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty. He was originally extremely intelligent and knowledgeable. However, four months before Xingzong died of illness, he suddenly suffered a stroke and became stupid and mute. Tang Dezong was a shrewd emperor, but after discovering that the prince was mute, he had no choice but to let Li Song succeed to the throne. Li Song succeeded to the throne as Emperor Shun of the Tang Dynasty and reigned for only one year. During this year, the government was Wang Shuwen, Wang? After taking control, he received support from courtiers Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, Han Tai and others, and carried out the famous "Yongzhen Reform" (Yongzhen was the reign name of Shunzong). However, because this innovation harmed the interests of the eunuchs and vassal towns, they were jointly opposed. Shunzong of the Tang Dynasty was forced to abdicate and became the Supreme Emperor. The throne was inherited by Shunzong's son Li Chun, who became Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty. The two kings, Liu and Liu were naturally demoted and expelled. The innocent Shunzong also died of fright the next year. The political situation of the Tang Dynasty experienced a fierce turmoil, and the situation of eunuchs' autocratic power and vassal towns' domineering situation intensified.
If an idiot becomes emperor, the political situation will be turbulent and the country will be in trouble. This is the evil consequence of autocratic politics and the tragedy of feudal society.
Emperors who like to kill - tyrants
In history, emperors who killed too many subjects were called "tyrants" by later historians. Tyrants are murderous. They not only massacre the enemy's monarchs, subjects, soldiers and civilians, but also massacre their own subjects, and even their own flesh and blood.
The first tyrant in Chinese history who liked to kill people was Qin Shihuang.
In the process of pacifying the six kingdoms and establishing his empire, he often used his victorious troops to brutally massacre the soldiers and civilians of the six kingdoms. After the world was unified and he became the first emperor, he regarded the people of the whole country as the imaginary enemy and formulated strict and cruel laws to prevent and severely suppress all "unruly" actions of the people at all times. Even if the common people were merely suspected of having dissatisfied thoughts in their hearts, the so-called "slander" would "abandon the market" - be dragged to the street and beheaded. His bloody massacre of intellectuals - "burning books and humiliating Confucians", nailed him to the pillar of shame of a "tyrant" forever, leaving him with an eternal infamy.
The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, according to the "History of the Ming Dynasty·Wenyuan Biography", killed so many intellectuals that it was rare in history. At that time, the famous poet Gao Qi was beheaded by Zhu; Yang Ji, who was also known as the "Four Heroes" with Gao Qi, was persecuted to death in the migration factory; Zhang Yu committed suicide by drowning in Lingnan; Li Ben was imprisoned and died; Xie Li, one of the "Ten Talents", was killed; in addition, famous literati Su Boheng, Fu Shu, Wang Yi, Zhang Mengjian, Du Yin were killed, Wang Meng and Wang Hongyu died, Dai Liang committed suicide, etc. In his congratulatory note to Zhu Yuanzhang, historian Xu Yikui included the words "under the light of the sky" and "a born saint who sets an example for the world". Zhu Yuanzhang suspected that Xu was deliberately mocking him for his humble background and being a monk, " The word "ze" is close to "thief", etc., and he wants to kill Xu.
During the approximately 140 years of the reign of Emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, they continued to create many cases of persecution and massacre of intellectuals, their families, and tribesmen by relying on literal meaning, making false accusations, and arbitrarily fabricating charges. Literary prison big press -2, like Zhuang Yan? "History of the Ming Dynasty" is pressed -2, Dai Mingshi's "Nanshan Collection" is pressed -2, Wang Jingqi's "Essays on the Western Expedition" is pressed -2, Zha Siting's "Wei Min Zhi" is pressed -2, Lu Liuliang is pressed -2, Hu Zhongzao's "Jian Mo" Press -2 and so on. Every time you press -2, you will kill people like hemp, including your wife and children. Moreover, even the dead people will have their coffins opened and their bodies slaughtered, and the dead people will also be massacred. It's really "killing people like grass without hearing a sound"!
Many tyrants not only massacred ordinary people and intellectuals, but also slaughtered their own civil servants and generals. The most famous emperors in Chinese history who killed heroes are Han Gaozu Liu Bang and Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. Liu Bang was originally weak on his own, but he relied on the strategic achievements of his subordinates Han Xin, Xiao He, Zhang Liang, Fan Kuai and other generals and the assistance of generals such as Peng Yue and Yingbu to defeat the powerful Xiang Yu and conquer the world. But after he became the emperor, he felt that these "highly accomplished" subordinates were a threat to his soldiers, so he immediately, with the help of his wife, Empress Lu, created various excuses to bloody massacre these senior officials. He first attacked Han Xin, who had great achievements and strategism, and suddenly arrested Han Xin on the unsubstantiated charge of "rebellion", and later demoted him to the title of Marquis of Tanyin. Soon after, he asked Empress Lu to come forward to behead Han and annex the three Yi tribes; then, Liu Bang He also used the same method to kill Liang Wang Pengyue and chop him into meat paste, and the Yi tribe; then he killed Huainan Wang Yingbu and other dissenters one after another, and even killed Ding Gong who was kind to him; Fan Kuai and Xiao He, the close founding fathers of the country, were also almost killed.
After ascending the throne of the emperor, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang first formulated the "Da Ming Law", which stipulated that anyone who dared to "conspire", regardless of master or subordinate, would be executed without delay, and his relatives would be implicated. Anyone under the age of 16 must be executed. "Hu Weiyong pressed -2" was the beginning of his killing of heroes, and he was implicated in killing about 30,000 people. Later, he executed General Lan Yu for "rebellion". The dead in "Luojian-2" included 13 ethnic groups, amounting to more than 15,000 people. Others, such as Fu Youde, the general who risked hundreds of lives and made great achievements in war, Song Lian, the prince's mentor, who was once praised by Zhu Yuanzhang as "the loyal and virtuous in one body", Zhu's children and relatives, Li Shanchang, who is the leader of hundreds of officials, and other senior officials also all They were killed or had their homes confiscated one after another. Later historians commented on Zhu Yuanzhang: "To use the heroes to conquer the world, the world has established that all the people in the world will be killed and they will be killed. This cruelty is unprecedented in the history." (Zhao Yi: "Historical Notes of the Twenty-Two Histories") 》)
Before and after Wu Zetian came to power, it became common for the royal family to kill each other. Before she became Gaozong’s queen, in order to frame her political opponents in front of Gaozong, she strangled her own daughter to death with her own hands; after she came to power, He also killed his two biological sons in succession. Tang Xuanzong Li Longji killed three of his biological sons in one day. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, in order to usurp the throne, Shi Hu killed his brother Sanhong, who was the emperor, and also killed all his sisters-in-law and nephews. After becoming emperor, he killed many people. Later, he brutally killed his own son Shi Xuan because of a small family matter. He also killed Shi Xuan's wife and 9-year-old son together.
Gao Yang, Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi Dynasty, appointed his son Gao Yin as the crown prince. Because Gao Yin was stupid and weak, and his uncles were strong, Gao Yang, in order to eliminate future troubles, burned his brothers Gao Jun and Gao Huan alive on trumped-up charges. When Gao Yang was seriously ill and dying, he expected that his son's throne would eventually be taken over by his younger brothers, so he begged his eldest brother Gao Yan, saying: "If you take it, be careful not to kill him." However, shortly after Gao Yin became the emperor, he was still High performance and wasteful killing. When Gao Yan was planning the conspiracy, he contacted his younger brother Gao Zhan and promised: "If the matter is completed, I will become the crown prince." When he ascended the throne, Gao Yan made his son Gao Baibai the crown prince. Until Gao Yan's death, he knew that Gao Baibai was no match for Gao Zhan, so he had to pass it on to Gao Zhan and begged Gao Zhan to treat his son well. But after Gao Zhan became emperor, he still killed Gao Baibai.