Puyi can be said to be a very tragic figure in the entire history of Chinese feudalism, he was summoned to the palace by Cixi at a young age, and then began his career as emperor.
However, the Qing Dynasty was on the verge of extinction when he ascended the throne. Not only did the external powers continue to expand their aggression against China, but internal revolutionary activities also broke out everywhere. The young Puyi had no ability to govern at all, and could only rely on the Manchu nobles for governance.
However, these Manchu Nobles did nothing during the Cixi period, and handed over the entire country to them and doomed them to doom. And Puyi only became a mascot of the Qing Dynasty, and no one cared whether his imperial throne could be saved. Today, let's take a look at Puyi's ups and downs in his life.
Always want to restore
After Cixi learned of the death of the Guangxu Emperor from her hospital bed, she asked Li Lianying to take Puyi, who had been determined for a long time, to the palace. The reason why Puyi was chosen among many princes and nobles was purely because Puyi was only three years old, and his young age was easy for Empress Longyu to control, and he would not violate the policies he had previously formulated
When the people of the palace sent Puyi out of the palace in front of and behind, everyone thought that after Puyi succeeded to the throne, he would also follow Huang Tengda. However, within two years of Puyi's succession, the death knell of the Qing Dynasty sounded.
Although the Qing Dynasty collapsed, it did not affect Puyi, the last emperor, according to the treaty signed between the Qing Dynasty and the Revolutionary Party at that time, the Republic of China government had to give the Qing royal family four million yuan a year for living expenses. These four million are also a big expense in the homes of ordinary rich people, but in the eyes of the extravagant Qing Dynasty royal family, these are not enough for them to toss for half a year.
After Puyi grew up, he held a big wedding ceremony under the planning of the Qing Dynasty's widows, and married Empress Wanrong and Shufei Wenxiu. Originally, relying on the four million living expenses of the Republic of China government, Puyi's life was still able to barely maintain the "noodles".
However, the warlord melee of the Republic of China soon spread to the deep palace. First there was the braid army "Qin Wang Escort" and then Feng Yuxiang led the soldiers into the Forbidden City, this toss made Puyi leave the palace where he had lived for fifteen years and move to Tianjin Jingyuan to live.
Although the place where Puyi lives is called "Jingyuan", the spirited Puyi cannot be calm in his heart, although he is still a "cunning emperor" who plays around in the eyes of outsiders, he still has the "ambition" to revitalize the great cause of his ancestors in his heart. He often consulted privately with the qing dynasty's widows and widows, and also had plans to infiltrate his cronies into the army.
Become a Japanese puppet
At this time, the arrival of Kenji Toihara gave Puyi's "restoration" cause a glimmer of light, when Japan brazenly invaded the three eastern provinces and was strongly condemned by various countries in the international community.
At this time, although japan was militarily strong, it could not withstand the condemnation of various countries, and they were ready to find a puppet from China that could be grasped by themselves. Remembering from death, the Japanese government has locked its eyes on Puyi, who lives in Tianjin Jingyuan.
At first, when Kenji Toihara proposed to Puyi the idea of going to the northeast to "reinvigorate", he refused. Probably because of the Sino-Japanese War, Puyi did not have much good feelings for the Japanese.
However, under the sugar-coated shell of The Soil Fat Yuanxian Er, Puyi still chose to go to the northeast with him. When Puyi boarded the train, he did not expect that his decision would ruin his life.
After he arrived in the northeast, the Japanese government was still very polite to Puyi. Under the arrangement of the Kwantung Army, Puyi carried out the enthronement ceremony and established the puppet state of Manchukuo, at this time he had completely stood on the opposite side of the Chinese nation.
Although Puyi was the ruler of the puppet state of Manchukuo, he did not need his intervention in military and political affairs, and he was only responsible for showing up on some ceremonial occasions and diplomatic occasions. At first, Puyi thought it was very easy, but later he realized that he was just a puppet supported by Japan in the northeast.
In addition to Puyi and his empress Wanrong, Wanrong, who became addicted to drugs after arriving in puppet Manchukuo, eventually suffered from mental illness. Wen Xiu was even more unable to adapt to the puppet life in puppet State of Puppet Manchukuo, so he and Puyi announced their divorce.
The departure of the two wives also made Puyi's spirit suffer, and he wanted to get out of the control of the Japanese, but he had no choice. After being emperor for several years, Puyi's spirit also became extremely fragile, and he often made some unusual moves in the house.
It was not until 1945 that Puyi's life saw a glimmer of hope, and this hope came from Japan's unconditional surrender. At first, Puyi was very happy to learn of Japan's surrender, and he thought that he had escaped Japanese control.
However, the Japanese government still had ambitions not to die, and they prepared to send Puyi to Japan the day after their surrender, providing public opinion support for continuing to gain benefits in the northeast in the future. However, when Puyi was "sent" to Shenyang Airport by them, what awaited them was not a plane to Japan, but a Heavily Armed Soviet Red Army, which had been waiting here for a long time.
The makeover is back to life
After being captured by the Soviets, Puyi's living conditions plummeted, but the pomp and circumstance of life did not change. After Puyi got up, many royal children came to ask him for peace and wait for him to wash up, so life in the Soviet Union did not make Puyi have any change in thinking, but just changed places to live.
However, Puyi still had a little worry in his heart, he remembered his experience in puppet Manchukuo, afraid of returning to China and being liquidated, so he tried all kinds of methods to let the Soviet Union keep himself, and even gave all the antiques in the palace to high-ranking Soviet officials. Puyi's efforts were not taken seriously by the Soviets, and he was still sent back to China for reform in 1950.
In the ten years of returning to China for reform, Puyi's thinking gradually changed, from the beginning he regarded himself as a "superior person" to later changed his mind to think that he was an ordinary working person. He also gradually became self-reliant in life, learned many life skills, and also learned Chinese medicine in the process of transformation.
After receiving the amnesty, Puyi's mood was very excited, and when he saw Premier Zhou, he excitedly shook Premier Zhou's hand: "Thank you to the party and the state for not giving up on saving me, so that I can truly live as an ordinary person." Hearing Puyi's words, Premier Zhou said: "It is good to change your thinking, and you will continue to serve the people after you come out." ”
When the premier asked Puyi what job he wanted to do, Puyi mused for a moment and said that he wanted to be a Chinese medicine doctor. The prime minister mused for a moment and told him that TCM needed to have sufficient experience, which was not easy to do.
Puyi thought about it again, he was very familiar with the Forbidden City and could be a docent of the Forbidden City. Premier Zhou still refused, explaining: "The flow of people in the Forbidden City is too large to ensure your safety. ”
In the end, Puyi still went to work in the botanical garden, and in his spare time, he would also do some research on the history of the Qing Dynasty. Nowadays, the two jobs proposed by Puyi have become popular industries, which Puyi did not expect at that time.
brief summary:
Puyi's previous life was lived in the coercion of various forces, and he may be able to get material satisfaction in this life, but he always sends people to the fence. Life in the camp allowed him to realize the mistakes he had made before, and he also allowed himself to get a new life from the inside out.