Tell the truest history in the simplest words.
Historical records say that the Duke of Zhou once assisted his elder brother King Wu of Zhou in establishing the Western Zhou Dynasty. After the death of King Wu, the newly enthroned King Cheng was still young, so the Duke of Zhou assisted King Cheng in handling political affairs as an uncle, and once "practiced the throne of Heaven", that is, seized the throne. Did Zhou Gong, who was widely respected by later generations, really do such a thing that was regarded by Confucian orthodoxy as a "great rebellion"?
Zhou Gong
Speaking of Zhou Gong, people are not necessarily familiar with it, but when it comes to "Zhou Gong interpreting dreams", it is probably a household name. In fact, Zhou Gong was an outstanding politician, military expert and thinker in the early Western Zhou Dynasty of China, revered as the founder of Confucianism, and one of the most revered ancient saints in Confucius's life.
The idiom "Zhou Gong Tu Bao" (meaning the reigning Corporal Li Xian) is derived from the story of the Zhou Gong. However, historical records say that the Duke of Zhou once "trampled on the throne of the Son of Heaven", that is, he seized the throne of his nephew. Is this true?
Let's start with the records in the history books.
The Twenty-sixth Year of zuo chuan and dukes records that the duke of Zhou once "served the Zhou chamber and became a king", and the "Zuo Chuan Ding Gong Four Years" said that after King Zhou Cheng succeeded to the throne of King Wu, "the royal family of the Duke of Zhou took yin tianxia". Historia. The Zhou Benji also says: "The Duke of Zhou... It is the administration of the regent, the kingdom. ”
Judging from this, the Duke of Zhou only assisted the young King Cheng in handling political affairs in order to stabilize the newly established regime.
The Duke of Zhou became king
The opposite account holds that Zhou Gong was indeed "the son of heaven", and the Book of Shang especially holds this attitude. The "Shang Shu Da Biography" clearly says: "The Duke of Zhou is in the position and listens to the Son of Heaven for the government." “
There are also some clues in the title of the Shang Shu Da Zhen, and the "Wang" in the text calls King Wen "King of Ning", also known as "Ning Kao". The so-called Kao naturally refers to the late father, and the only person who can call King Wen this time is The Duke of Zhou. There is also a passage in the Shangshu Kangxuan: "Wang Ruoyue: Meng Hou, His brother, Xiao Zifeng." "Feng" is the name of Uncle Kang, the half-brother of the Duke of Zhou, and the "king" in the book refers to Uncle Kang as his younger brother, and it is obvious that this king still refers to the Duke of Zhou.
From these materials, it can be seen that the Duke of Zhou really claimed to be the king.
But the problem is that if the Duke of Zhou really "trampled on the position of the Son of Heaven" and replaced his nephew as king, then why did posterity still praise the Duke of Zhou?
Confucius
The first view is that Zhou Gong was "falsely son of heaven" and that he had fulfilled the "notoriety" of "claiming the throne" for the sake of the merits of the entire Zhou Dynasty. At that time, the world was initially decided, and the Zhou Dynasty was full of crises, especially the east had not yet been pacified, which was enough to pose a threat to the new dynasty.
It is precisely because of this that the Duke of Zhou said to Taigong and Zhaogong: "I have no way to sue my first king." "That is to say, if I do not take the throne, then once the princes rebel, the unfinished business of the previous king will not continue, and I am afraid that after I die, I will have no face to see the first king."
The Xunzi Confucian Effect also says: "The reason why The Duke of Zhou trampled on the throne of the Heavenly Son was "the double Zhou of the evil world". And it should also be noted that King Wu once advocated that "my brothers are the queen of each other", that is, after his death, his younger brother Zhou Duke will inherit the throne. Zhou Gong was immediately sincerely afraid, "weeping and sharing hands", saying that he absolutely could not accept such a thought. It can be seen that The Duke of Zhou had no desire to usurp the throne.
Despite this, there are still many people in history who have a lot of criticism of Zhou Gong, saying that Zhou Gong's practice of the Heavenly Son's throne is "the double of the evil world", "Xunzi" also said in the same article that "Zhou Gongping became a king and the King of Wu belonged to heaven... Yanran as inherent", that is, a criticism of Zhou Gong was raised--what is this "as inherent" state of not usurping the throne?
Historia. Both the Yan Zhao Gong Shi Jia and the Lu Zhou Gong Shi Jia have recorded that Tai Gong and Zhao Gong expressed dissatisfaction with Zhou Gong's behavior, and even they expressed doubts about Zhou Gong's actions, which shows that there are indeed some problems.
Historical records say that the Duke of Zhou "pretended to be the son of heaven" for 7 years, and then returned to the government to become a king, which is also a suspicious point in history. Those who affirmed the Duke of Zhou believed that since the Duke of Zhou was the son of heaven for the sake of social welfare, it was natural to return to the government when King Cheng had grown up enough to take on the heavy responsibility of governing the country.
Zhou Gongfu Zheng
And some people also think that this is just a trick of Zhou Gong to play with power. The behavior of the Duke of Zhou as the throne aroused the suspicion of the two ministers of the Zhou royal family, Taigong and Zhaogong, and uncle Guan and Uncle Cai reacted even more fiercely, and even joined forces with Wu Geng to rebel, followed by chaos in the Guanzhong region.
Historical records also record that at that time, "the people of the Western Turks were not quiet." The development of the situation completely exceeded Zhou Gong's expectations, so Zhou Gong quickly changed his posture, first sending troops to quell the rebellion of Guan Cai, on the other hand, he also co-opted Zhao Gong and divided power with Zhao Gong, "from the west of Shaanxi, summon the princess; from the east of Shaanxi, the princess of Zhou."
In addition, the eldest son of the Duke of Zhou was made a prince, and the second son remained in the Zhou Chamber and held the royal power for generations. Not only will this no longer attract criticism for itself, but the power in your hands will not be reduced.
Some people also say that it is very normal for Zhou Gong to take the throne. During his lifetime, King Wu repeatedly praised the Duke of Zhou for his "great knowledge", believing that only the Duke of Zhou "could be confused" and could stabilize the political situation at the beginning of The Zhou Dynasty, and even told the Duke of Zhou that he would pass on the throne to him after his death.
Zhou Gongfu
And the Duke of Zhou did not live up to his brother's expectations, and during the seven years of his reign, the basic problems of the Western Zhou Dynasty were better solved. Moreover, the succession method of "brothers and brothers" continued to affect the social system at that time, so it was beyond reproach that Zhou Gong "practiced the throne of heaven".
In short, zhou gong was acting as a royal government for the sake of the interests of the country and the nation, or did he have the ambition to usurp the throne and play all kinds of conspiracies and tricks and failed to succeed? Today, a thousand years later, it can only be commented on.
Single choice| Do you think Zhou Gong is "for the world" or his own selfishness?
For the world
For lust
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