In 1959, with the release of the list of the first batch of amnesty in New China, many senior Kuomintang generals and puppet Manchu government officials who had previously operated in the northeast walked out of the war criminals management center. The senior generals of the Kuomintang included the famous Du Yuming, Wang Yaowu, and others, and the most famous in the puppet Manchu side was naturally the first to receive a pardon for the last emperor Puyi.
Puyi was the last emperor in Chinese history, and his life was full of twists and turns. When he ascended the throne at an early age, he was forced to abdicate and became a canary locked up in the Forbidden City; later, the warlord Zhang Xun carried out restoration, and Puyi inexplicably became emperor for a few days, and was soon ousted from the throne; then Feng Yuxiang came to a coup in Beijing, drove Puyi out of the Forbidden City, and ran to Tianjin to send people to the fence. In the end, Puyi was also fooled by the Japanese and went to the northeast full of hope, but he plunged into a cold magic cave and served as a puppet for eleven years. During this period, we must not only watch the Japanese army bully their own people, but also always beware of the butcher knives hidden behind their backs. After the Surrender of the Japanese Army, Puyi was captured by the Soviet Red Army and imprisoned, but he lived a few years of comfortable life.
In August 1950, Puyi was escorted back to China, which made him very afraid. Since ancient times, how many of the kings of the fallen countries have had a good ending? Unexpectedly, a train pulled Puyi and some high-ranking officials who were originally puppet-manchurian to the Fushun War Criminals Management Center, allowing them to live a daily life of studying life, studying labor, and studying politics, but with no worries about food and clothing. Through his studies in Fushun, Puyi learned basic life skills, realized the crimes he had committed, and greatly improved his ideological awareness.
On December 4, 1959, the amnesty conference was held, and Puyi received the amnesty notice of "Pardon 001", and he could not cry at that time. In feudal society, his name was the emperor, but he was actually a prisoner, and he did not have a comfortable day. Now, I want to return to society and become an ordinary citizen, and how to walk after nature is all under my feet. For the first time, he felt the vastness between heaven and earth. At this time, his mood was just as he said in "The First Half of My Life": "Motherland, my motherland, you have made me a man!" ”
On December 9, Puyi returned to Beijing after many years of absence with the subsidies given by the state. Although Beijing is not an international metropolis at this time, the thriving spirit on everyone's face is very inspiring. Here, Puyi and those Kuomintang generals who had just walked out of Gongdelin sat at the same table, and the two sides also booed each other and greeted each other, and the atmosphere was very lively.
However, Puyi found that he could not fit well into this atmosphere. Most of the generals who came out of Gongdelin were heroes who had participated in the War of Resistance and had worked with the Japanese army on the battlefield with real swords and guns. And Puyi was once a tool of the Japanese army to rule northeast China, even if he was also involuntary, but after all, he had done some things that his relatives and enemies were happy with. In terms of national feelings, the Gongdelin people will not be able to completely forgive him. And this intentional or unintentional snub touches the most sensitive nerve in Puyi's heart every moment.
Puyi's embarrassing situation made Premier Zhou look in his eyes. He knows the difficulty of transforming a person, and he also knows the struggle in Puyi's heart. If you let it go unchecked, Puyi, who has just come out of the shadows, is likely to fall into another quagmire. Even though at this time, the last emperor no longer posed a threat to the country, it was obviously not the original intention of the transformation to let him carry the burden of his heart from then on. Therefore, premier Zhou always looked for opportunities to talk with Puyi and dispel his concerns. Puyi also slowly walked out of the dark corner of his heart and began to truly embrace life.
On this day, Premier Zhou asked Puyi how he planned to live in the future. Puyi replied very happily: "Premier, I want to be a doctor." "When he was in Fushun, Puyi used to help in the hospital, did learn a part of medical knowledge, had some simple common sense, and when he encountered others with minor illnesses and disasters, he could help prescribe a medicine." It was this achievement that made his heart flutter and he had the illusion of hanging pots and saving the world.
Unexpectedly, after Premier Zhou heard it, he first laughed, shook his head at the same time, and said his thoughts: "The profession of doctor is indeed very sacred, but it is also very not simple. Any ordinary doctor must go through years of professional learning and sufficient clinical experience to be competent. And Mr. Puyi just groped some superficial experience on his own, without any professionalism to speak of. If you rush to practice medicine, it is likely to cause misdiagnosis! Don't forget that what the doctor has in his hands, but a human life, how can it be a joke? So, in my opinion, this doctor, you still don't want to be. ”
Puyi thought about it and felt that the prime minister's words were also very correct, and on his own little experience, at most he was a medical enthusiast, and he was indeed far from the real doctor. So, how about going back to your hometown of the Forbidden City and being a docent? He has been in the Forbidden City for more than ten years and knows every plant and tree there. If you work as a docent, he doesn't even need to take the exam and can go straight to work.
However, this proposal was rejected by Premier Zhou. After all, the identity of puyi's last emperor is too sensitive, and once he does some exposed work, it is difficult to ensure that it will not cause dissatisfaction among some Manchu Qing widows and young people. At present, in the forty-nine cities of Beijing, there are still many such people. Moreover, it is also possible that some people with unclear purposes will find opportunities to blackmail Puyi and then deliberately create ethnic contradictions. There is no need to take this risk at all.
This can't work, that can't work, Puyi is a little silent. Since returning to Beijing, he has been living in the home of his younger sister Jin Yunxin (known as Wu Gege), and his life and living are also taken care of by his sister. Because of the relationship of identity, Puyi returned to the state of clothes to stretch out his hands and food to open his mouth. Now he doesn't want to live such a life anymore, he needs to prove himself, he needs to support himself.
Premier Zhou saw Puyi's difficulty and immediately said to him, "You don't want any baggage. Now, the state has arranged a job for you, right in the Fragrant Hills Botanical Garden. You are there to work now, learn slowly. Puyi heard the words, was very happy, and thanked the premier for his kindness.
Therefore, on December 18, 1959, Puyi had just returned to Beijing for half a month and officially went to work at the Botanical Garden. Beforehand, the leaders of the botanical garden made a special explanation to the employees, because of Puyi's special status, so they must not only assist in their labor, but also protect their personal safety, and can not be publicized to the outside world. The staff of the Botanical Garden said yes.
The botanical garden is far from Jin Yunxin's home. One is located at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain, one is located in Xicheng District, and the straight-line distance is also more than ten kilometers, and it is obviously unrealistic to ride to work every day. As a result, Puyi was arranged to live in the staff dormitory of the Botanical Garden and returned to the city every two weeks.
At this time, the last emperor was already 55 years old, and his health was not good. So his daily work is to water, sell tickets, and engage in hygiene. It is this kind of light work, or do half a day and rest for half a day. The comrades of the botanical garden were very polite, always took the initiative to help him work, and affectionately called him "Mr. Puyi". Although Puyi was once honored as the Ninth Five-Year-Old, being able to get along with people on an equal footing still made him feel extraordinarily cordial. Therefore, when he has spare energy, he will also help others to work. Slowly, Puyi's work content increased, and he also learned a lot of horticultural knowledge, sowing, transplanting seedlings, potting, changing pots, loosening soil, and even grafting and greenhouse seedlings.
A month later, Puyi received his salary for the month — 60 yuan. Once he was sitting on the endless treasures of the Forbidden City, he would not have taken the 60 yuan in his eyes (in fact, it was already a lot at that time). However, this money was exchanged for his own labor, which made Puyi realize his own value for the first time in his life! This money, hold steadily! So he hurried to the street, bought a new quilt, bought some pastries, and brought them back to share with the comrades in the botanical garden. Watching others eat what they bought, Puyi suddenly had a sense of accomplishment in his heart.
Soon after, Puyi experienced two "firsts" in his life: the first time he carried a gun, and the first time he became a voter. Around 1960, the Botanical Garden established a militia organization. Originally, according to the regulations, people over the age of 45 could not participate. However, Puyi was very enthusiastic about this matter and quickly submitted an application for registration. Since then, people can often see a thin man with highly myopic glasses, carrying a domestic rifle, meticulously conducting military training. At that time, there was no shortage of highly skilled internal guards around him, and at this time, it was finally his turn to carry a gun to protect others.
From late October to the end of November 1960, the election of the Fourth People's Deputies in Haidian District began, and an election workstation was set up near Xiangshan. At this time, Puyi asked the leader, do you have the right to vote? If anything, he would hurry up and register as voters. The leaders of the botanical garden were also unsure, and they reacted upwards to the situation. After layers of transmission, the news finally reached the ears of Premier Zhou. Premier Zhou immediately gave instructions: After the amnesty, Puyi will be a citizen of New China, and of course he will have the right to vote.
The message was fed back to the Botanical Garden, and Guan Zengrui, a staff member of the Xiangshan Election Station, immediately rode a bicycle for more than a dozen miles to reflect the situation to the Election Committee. So, love Shin Kyora. Puyi's name appeared on the top of the "Xiangshan Constituency Voter List". After Puyi saw it, he was very excited. On November 26, Puyi solemnly put on his Zhongshan suit, held his own voter card, and cast a solemn vote in the red ballot box.