The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty in China's history, and it witnessed both the peak of China's feudal system and the collapse of China's feudal system.
According to historical records, the history of the Qing Dynasty lasted for 270 years, from the founding of nurhaci to the formal abdication of Fu Yi, during which there were twelve emperors. But in fact, there is another emperor who has not been written into the annals of history because of his short reign. This emperor was the Baoqing Emperor Ai Xinjueluo Pujuan, who was forced to abdicate three days after ascending the throne, which made people lament.
The matter must begin with the famous "Coup d'état" in history. In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, the rulers stuck in their own ways and adopted a policy of closing the country to the outside world, resulting in the decline of national fortunes, and under the continuous attack of Western ships and cannons, the door of the country was forced to open, and the territory was gradually occupied. At this time, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty remained indifferent and had no sense of crisis.
The turning point occurred in the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War - in the face of Japan, which had only a land of bullets, our country was vulnerable, gradually defeated, and signed the humiliating "Maguan Treaty". At this time, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty finally realized that the inferiority was not due to the lack of advanced weapons or precise tactics, but the fundamental reason was the obsolescence of concepts and the decay of the system.
As a result, the guangxu emperor, who was more enlightened at that time, with the assistance of Liang Qichao, Kang Youwei and others, opened the first official reform in modern times: the Penghu Reform Law. The purpose of this reform is to change the feudal system, learn from the advanced countries of the West, and establish a constitutional monarchy. This was undoubtedly a ray of light in the cracks for the then faltering Qing Dynasty.
However, with the deepening of the reform, which seriously touched the interests of the feudal aristocratic class, and the Guangxu Emperor had no power to tie the chicken and had almost no power to speak of, in this case, the reformists plotted to clear the obstacles by killing the main figure of the conservative faction, Cixi Tai, but in the end the matter was revealed, not only did the Wushu transformation become useless, but also the Guangxu Emperor's imperial career was in crisis.
Soon, Empress Dowager Cixi, who had real power, decided to abolish Guangxu and set up Pu Yan. Pu Juan was the son of Prince Aixin Jueluo Zaiyi of Duan, and was the grandson of Empress Dowager Cixi's younger brother, although the generations were far apart, but after all, there was a blood relationship. On December 24, 1899, Ai Xin Jueluo Puyan was succeeded by the Tongzhi Emperor as his heir, with the title of "Great Brother", and officially entered the Hongde Hall to study, which was scheduled to be officially registered the following year, and the era name was "Baoqing".
Unexpectedly, this move by Empress Dowager Cixi alarmed the Western powers, and in their view, the Guangxu Emperor was the most enlightened of the powerful, and cooperated with him more smoothly. Forced by the imperialist forces, Empress Dowager Cixi had to make concessions. Before this matter was over, the Boxer Rebellion and the Eight-Power Alliance invaded China that shocked China and foreign countries.
The eight-nation alliance's strong ships and cannons mercilessly bombarded China, which had already been devastated, and Empress Dowager Cixi fled with the Guangxu Emperor, accompanied by Ai Xinjueluo Pujuan and her father, Prince Duan, the capital was looted, and the only remaining dignity of the Qing Dynasty was gone.
After signing a series of humiliating terms, Empress Dowager Cixi finally returned to the Forbidden City as she wished, and she first executed Prince Duan, pu's father, on the grounds that she was shielding the members of the Boxer Rebellion, deviating from the will of her ancestors, and disobeying the emperor's orders. Of course, Pu Yan was also implicated and was not qualified to continue to be emperor, and it took only three days from ascension to abdication.
Although Pu Yan did not enjoy the life of gold and jade food and did not have the power to cover the sky with one hand, he had a plain and stable life. The Tongzhi Emperor died depressed, and the Guangxu Emperor died young, compared with Pu Juan, who died and lived until 1942.
The heights are cold, and the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. If you have a soft spot for power, learn to enjoy solitude; if you can't tolerate loneliness, then a quiet and quiet life is a wise choice.
bibliography:
The Last Emperor