In all kinds of costume dramas, there is a role that does not appear often, but it is indispensable, and this role is the emperor. In the TV series, the emperor can be described as extremely powerful, enjoying endless glory and wealth, combining thousands of glory in one, and having the right to say one thing and the same. I believe that many people have fantasized that they can travel back to ancient times to become an emperor, even if it is only for one day, they are satisfied, but in fact, the emperor is not so good.
From 221 BC, when Qin Shi Huang successively destroyed the six kingdoms of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi and completed the great cause of unifying China, to 1912, when the last emperor Puyi issued the "Abdication Edict", the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history officially declared the end of the Qing Dynasty. In Chinese history, there have been 83 dynasties and 559 emperors.
Among them, more than 200 people can be found in detail from birth to death, but according to statistics, the average life expectancy of these emperors is only 39.2 years. In the Analects, it is said: "Thirty and standing, forty is not confused", most of the emperors died before they reached the age of confusion, to say that these emperors eat and drink spicy every day, the food is much better than modern people, why is the average life expectancy less than 40 years?
The first reason: stress
A historian once said that the profession of the emperor itself is "anti-human", there is a saying called "the greater the power, the greater the responsibility", as the emperor who combines all the power in one, means that one person has to manage all the affairs of the world, how can this be managed? However, many emperors were not yet willing to cede power to their ministers.
For example, Qin Shi Huang had to read 120 pounds of bamboo documents every day to rest. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was even more a model worker, and he felt that the position of prime minister was very bad and divided his power. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the official position of prime minister, and as a result, he had to read more than 200 pieces of music every day, and handled an average of more than 400 state affairs.
There is no way, this state affair is a big thing, and if it is not done well, it will be poked in the spine by the world. The emperor cherishes his own reputation, but also fears that others will use the excuse of "fainting" as an excuse to create his rebellion, so many political affairs must be done by themselves, much busier than many modern entrepreneurs, such day and night work, even if you eat a pound of ginseng every day, you are afraid that you can't make it back, right?
The second reason: to eat the elixir
Ancient emperors were very superstitious in order to request the method of "immortality", many emperors were taoist believers, after all, the Taoist request was to "feathered immortals" to get eternal life, let me ask which emperor who has enjoyed the glory and wealth of the world is willing to die? Even if there is even a glimmer of hope, they will take a risk, and "eating the elixir" is a way to seek immortality.
During the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, there were many emperors who believed in this "immortal method", but eventually they made themselves short-lived, because the so-called "elixirs" were substances containing heavy metals, and even the Yongzheng Emperor, who took "mercury" every day, according to historical records, he had to take a certain amount of "immortal medicine" mercury every day.
The third reason: there are a lot of premature deaths
In ancient times, many ministers would elect young children to the throne in order to better grasp the power of the dynasty, and if these young emperors did not obey, or if their families rebelled, they were likely to be murdered. For example, Liu Long, the Emperor of Han Dynasty, who only lived for two years, and Liu Bing, the Emperor of Han Chong, who only lived for three years, naturally lowered their average life expectancy.