Ancient emperors needed to condemn themselves in the year of disaster, and even pardoned the world to be unjustly imprisoned, and worshipping heaven and earth was an important means of self-reflection. In the picture, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing is a place where the emperor specially worships the heavens.
How did the emperors face the plague and natural disasters?
Water Margin Story Song Renzong's epidemic disaster
In the story of "Water Margin", a great plague occurred during the song renzong period. The epidemic has spread, causing the military and the people to lose their lives. Zhao Zhe, the prime minister, and Wen Yanbo, a member of the government, sent out a class to ask for a request, hoping that Emperor Renzong would grant amnesty to the world's criminal prisoners, reduce their punishments and taxes, and hold sacrifices at the same time to pray for natural disasters to relieve the people.
Emperor Renzong of Song listened to the request of his courtiers and ordered the Hanlin Yuan to immediately issue an edict, on the one hand issuing an edict to grant amnesty to the world's criminal prisoners and exempt them from civil taxes; on the other hand, he ordered the Gongguan Monastery of the Beijing Master to sacrifice the disaster. Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi, was also invited to cast a spell to save the people of the world, and finally the plague was eliminated.
Although it is the plot of the novel, whenever there was an epidemic in ancient China, the emperors of the past often believed that they were unclear about the government and did not implement benevolent government, which led to the abuse of the people by the traitors, the suppression of loyal and virtuous subjects, the obstruction of the road to advice, the boiling of public resentment, and the loss of "harmony" between heaven and earth, thus causing the epidemic. In order to eliminate the plague, the emperor would implement benevolent government in order to answer the heavenly punishment. The following takes the Han Dynasty as an example, a brief overview of one or two.
The Son of Heaven blames himself for being exempt from taxes
In May of the second year (64 BC) of Emperor Xuan of Han,64 BC, an epidemic occurred, and Emperor Xuan issued an edict rebuking himself, frankly believing that some officials were unfair because of their unclear administration, causing some officials to judge unfair cases, and to make unjust imprisonment, so they ordered the officials of the two thousand stones (Note) to supervise their subordinate officials and not to use mediocre officials. Emperor Xuan ordered "prohibition of violence and suppression of evil" and reduction of taxes in immunization areas.
In the ninth year (166) of the Huan Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, epidemics, floods, droughts, and bandit rebellions arose at the same time. Emperor Huan of Han believed that "political turmoil was in the way" and blamed himself for the source of political turmoil. He ordered that the Grand Si Nong should never solicit dispatch funds, and that those who had not completed the requisition the previous year would not be ordered to collect them. Do not levy taxes on areas with severe disasters.
In the twenty-fourth year (219) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a great plague occurred in Jingzhou, and Emperor Xiandi also ordered that all taxes be exempted from the people of Jingzhou.
The inspector gave the medicine to the coffin money
In addition, the emperor of the Han Dynasty would also order a certain amount of relief money and burial expenses to be paid to the families who died of the epidemic, and assist in the burial of the deceased relatives; officials were sent to inspect the epidemic area and send medical personnel to treat the sick.
In the second year (2nd year) of the first year of the Reign of emperor Ping of the Western Han Dynasty, tianzi issued an edict: "Those who are sick and sick, give up the empty residence, for the purpose of medicine." Give the deceased family more than six corpses to bury 5,000, 4 corpses more than 3,000, and 2,000 or more corpses. "The government has vacated the mansion to resettle the people suffering from the epidemic and treat them with medicines. If more than six people die in a family, the government pays 5,000 for the funeral, 3,000 for 4 dead, and 2,000 for 2,000 for the dead.
In the summer of the sixth year (119) of the first year of Emperor An's reign, a great epidemic occurred in Huiji, and Emperor An sent Guanglu Dafu to follow the tai doctor to the place to treat the disease, and at the same time "gave the coffin, removed the rent of the land, and gave the mouth".
Reduction of punishment Amnesty the world
When the epidemic became a disaster and the people suffered, the ancient Ming Emperor introspected himself and blamed himself and pardoned the world.
In order to eliminate the epidemic, the imperial court will also grant amnesty to the world, reduce punishments, and clean up unjust prisons.
In the fifth year of the first year of the Han Dynasty (44 BC), there was an epidemic and famine in the Kwantung region, and the Yuan Emperor introspected himself and blamed himself, believing that as the Son of Heaven, the employment of people was unknown, which disappointed the world and the emperor fell. He ordered the eunuchs (in charge of the emperor's meals and Yan's enjoyment) not to kill, and to halve their daily meals. In addition to frugality, he also gave knighthood, gave corn, and reduced punishment by more than seventy things.
In the first year of the shun emperor Yongjian (126), in the spring of the first month, the epidemic became a disaster and the people suffered. The Son of Heaven decreed that adultery was in charge, causing resentment among the people, discord between the upper and lower levels, and causing plagues and plagues, so he ordered "amnesty for the whole world" and gave widows and widows grain and rice to the poor who were lonely and unable to support themselves. Tianzi hopes that officials at all levels will scrupulously perform their duties, be diligent and self-cultivating, and "benefit our people."
Use the economy to help the victims
In June of the first year of the first year of the Western Han Dynasty (48 BC), an epidemic occurred, and the imperial court ordered the ministers to reduce their diet, reduce the number of Lefu, and reduce the number of horses in the garden to help the victims.
During the reign of Emperor An of the Eastern Han Dynasty, "disasters and epidemics fell from heaven, the people were hungry, and the dead looked at each other", and the great general Deng Hu and others "advocated frugality, boycotted force, and pushed the elite into ability", so the world was soon stable.
In the past, in the face of the pandemic, the Great Han Tianzi issued an edict to himself, ordered officials to do their duty to cultivate themselves and "to benefit the people", put the rescue of the lives of the people in the first place, and the imperial court spared the use of moderation, sang and danced, exempted from taxes, cared for the people, and worked together from the imperial court to the localities to prevent the epidemic.
Resources:
Book of Han, vol. 8/ Volume 9/ Volume 12/
Book of the Later Han Dynasty, vol. 5/vol. 6/vol. 7/Vol. 17
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Vol. 47, Book of Wu, Biography of Sun Quan
[Note] Two thousand stones: In the Han Dynasty, from Jiuqing and Langjiang, to the county sheriff and wei, feng lu were all two thousand stones, of which there were three grades: two thousand stones in the middle, two thousand stones, and two thousand stones, which were about to be the three pin officials in later generations.