What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
In China's feudal history, there are many accounts of one dynasty overthrowing another. In fact, it is easy to defeat the country, but what should the new royal family do after the war deal with the former royal family?
In the beginning, the rulers were more benevolent, and the royals of the previous dynasty were not killed. As long as they were willing to submit to the new dynasty, the court would give them land and let them fend for themselves. As long as they don't rebel and make trouble, everything is fine. However, as imperial power became more and more concentrated, the emperor could no longer let those who might rebel stay with him! As a result, the new dynasty became more and more harsh on the clans of the previous dynasty, the most mean of which was the Qing Dynasty. After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, what happened to the 100,000 members of the Ming Dynasty?
Originally, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty used the banner of "assimilation" to make the Ming imperial family give up the idea of restoring the country with a policy of huairou. At that time, some people really believed the words of the Qing government and came to surrender. Perhaps, they don't just want to submit to the new dynasty, they just want to live a stable life. The Qing government was very kind to them, giving Manchu surnames, money, and so on. In addition, they were given official positions, and some were even included in the Eight Flags list. However, there were also some Ming royal families who defected and were directly executed.
In fact, people have already surrendered, even if there is a ghost in their heart, they can control it, but why should they be exterminated? Later, the former dynasty people learned about the Qing government's plans, and few people turned to it for help. Just think, those who have sinned have been killed, not to mention those who rebelled. Because, the Qing Dynasty was founded by the Manchus who overthrew the Han Chinese. In order to consolidate power, they did not spare the power to incite their former imperial family.
According to records, the Qing government killed many Ming imperial families within five years. Among them, there are more than 50 people with names and surnames. Together with their families, more than 10,000 people have been killed! Because, the fate of rebellion, these people with their families, young and old, ran to Huangquan Road, which is very sad. It can be seen that the Qing government really implemented the policy of "cutting off roots."
As we all know, the Ming Dynasty has gone through more than two hundred years, and the descendants of the sixteenth generation of emperors are innumerable. But unfortunately, those who were killed returned to heaven, and those who escaped by chance did not ask about the world.
Later, the Qing government settled down and almost all of them were killed by those who thought they might overthrow them. So they issued edicts all over the country so that the Ming dynasty royal family did not have to hide. However, for the direct descendants of the last Chongzhen Emperor, Chongzhen's fourth son, Zhu Cihuan, was arrested at the age of 75. In the end, after this ancient and rare old man and his descendants were killed, the Qing Dynasty was able to give up.
Perhaps, they released Zhu Cihuan's wife and daughter, but the top pillars of the family were dead. How do these weak women live? They eventually chose to commit suicide. Since the previous dynasties have all been destroyed, why should the descendants be destroyed? You know, to rule a country, we must first have a broad mind, how can we not tolerate the descendants of the previous dynasty?
Although the Qing government was very strict with the former royal family, there were still some people living in the new dynasty, and they were very comfortable. For example, Zhu Zhilian defected and became an official of the Qing government. Although he did not receive a prominent position, his family was safe. Later, he was elevated by Yongzheng and entered the white flag of one of the three banners. So, he's doing well. Since then, his descendants have been passed down from generation to generation and have become officials of the Qing government. Perhaps, they were only loyal to the Qing government and forgot whose descendants they were.
Zhu Yuxun was also a descendant of the Ming dynasty royal family, and was enthroned by the Qing government as a candidate and received feng lu. Although he was not very wealthy, he was still comfortable compared to his ancestors who died early. In addition, Zhu Yuxun did not care much about his ancestors. On the contrary, he got along well with Puyi, a descendant of his enemies.
After Puyi moved out of the Forbidden City, he also raised funds to visit him. In contrast, he didn't care so much about his ancestors. Due to the pressure of life, he applied to the government of the Republic of China for help, and the government arranged for him to go to the Ming Tombs. However, he did not care about the ancestral grave and was even accused of robbing the tomb. It can be seen that he did not respect his ancestors at all, which is really sad.
In fact, how to deal with the royal family of the previous dynasty is a problem that every new dynasty has to face. However, most dynasties did not kill them completely. Instead, they allowed the former royal family to wear the clothes and colors of the former dynasty and go to the ancestral hall to sacrifice. This gradually became an unwritten rule, which was circulated from the Western Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty and even to the Jin Dynasty.
For example, after the Wei and Jin dynasties replaced the Han Dynasty, he granted the title of Duke of Shanyang to emperor Xian of Han and gave him many privileges. In addition, the Jin Dynasty awarded titles to two Song emperors. It can be seen that how to treat the imperial family of the former dynasty is not more compassionate than which emperor, but the emperor's will.