In fact, there are many riots that originated at the bottom of society, but there are only a few who can leave their names in the annals of history and stand out. As Zhang Tingyu commented in the "History of Ming": "The scourge of thieves has been constant throughout the ages, and at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were extremely strong." As the leader of a generation of peasant movements, Li Zicheng revolted in the city and finally established his own empire, the Great Shun Kingdom, after suffering hardships.
However, as a well-deserved "king of intruders", Li Zicheng did achieve a change of life against the sky. However, in the historical records, after Li Zicheng ascended the throne, he only became emperor for eighteen days.
So, why is that?
Regarding Li Zicheng's short time as emperor, there are many theories circulating in the historical circles, one of which believes that Li Zicheng's time as emperor was too short, mainly because he had a less auspicious habit when he was called emperor - eating dumplings.
Why did dumplings lead to the short life of the Great Shun Dynasty?
According to the records of relevant materials, Li Zicheng's family was not rich in his early years, and his father and son both made a living by working for a local landlord surnamed Zhao. The landlord of Zhao was a well-known rich man in Mizhi County, with a family of thousands of acres of fertile land and herds of mules and horses, while Li Zicheng was responsible for herding the sheep of the main family every day. Later, due to successive years of natural disasters, Li Zicheng's parents died one after another.
Therefore, forced to make a living, Li Zicheng had to go to the station as a pawn. However, even with a relatively stable job, Li Zicheng was still imprisoned by the local gentry because of his previous debts. But fortunately, Li Zicheng was rescued by his partner by chance. However, Li Zicheng, who regained his freedom, was not willing to run away in this way, and he killed the creditor and his wife who stole love.
In 1629, Li Zicheng, who had been in exile for several years, feared arrest for murder, surrendered his army in Ganzhou, Gansu Province, and later became a general under Gao Yingxiang, the king of Chuang, who was brave and wise. Soon after, he was promoted to commander-in-chief. After Gao Yingxiang's sacrifice, he continued to be called "King of Chuang".
At that time, the Central Plains was severely derelict, and the social class contradictions were extremely acute. Therefore, trapped by the situation, Li Zicheng launched an uprising. After the uprising, Li Zicheng held aloft the slogan of "uprising and no grain" and won the support of a large number of followers. Later, as the size of the rebel army expanded, Li Zicheng finally captured Beijing in 1644 and established the Dashun regime.
Therefore, Li Zicheng, who was called emperor, was happy and like a god every day, and he ate whatever he wanted.
It is said that after completing the ceremony of becoming emperor, Chef Li in the palace asked Li Zicheng what he wanted to eat. Therefore, Li Zicheng lamented that he was as happy as the New Year along the way, and said: "I want to eat dumplings." The next day, Chef Li asked him what he ate, and Li Zicheng said, "I want to eat dumplings." "That's it, one day, two days, three days... Li Zicheng ate dumplings for eighteen days.
It is said that at that time, Li Zicheng's ministers said: "Dumplings are things that are eaten at the turn of two years, and the meaning is 'alternation'." However, at present, the Dashun regime has not been built soon, and if you eat dumplings every day, it is inevitable that it will be a little unlucky. But at that time, Li Zicheng, who had just taken the throne, could hear these words, and he still ate them every day. Therefore, after persuading the emperor to no avail, the minister immediately resigned and went home.
Although this move did not seem to have practical significance at the time, it was lamentable from a long-term perspective. Because, Li Zicheng ate dumplings for eighteen days and became emperor for eighteen days.
However, in addition to the saying of "eating dumplings", there is also a rumor that Li Zicheng's mother "stole the treasure land".
According to legend, the landlord of Zhao, who had hired Li Zicheng to herd sheep, wanted to prepare for his death as soon as possible. At that time, he had reached the age of Hua Jia and invited several local and highly prestigious Mr. Yin and Yang to choose a cemetery. After repeated deliberation and comparison, these Yin and Yang gentlemen selected a beach land eighteen miles away from Zhao Landlord's house. The terrain here is low in the east and high in the west, backed by mountains, and a small river with a meandering turn in front of it.
Although several gentlemen felt good, The Zhao landlord was confused. So, in order to prove that this place is really a treasure of feng shui, one of the mr. Yin and Yang said: "If you plant eggs in this beach today, you will definitely be able to hatch chicks tomorrow." And those who have gained this land can sit in the country for one hundred and eighty years. After the speech, several gentlemen nodded their heads in agreement, and Zhao Yuanwai immediately ordered someone to lay the egg and agreed to verify it the next day.
However, this line of people could not have imagined that this conversation would be listened to by an illiterate pig herding woman. At that time, Li Zicheng's mother happened to pass by here. So, when everyone had left, she quietly dug out the eggs and replaced them with some of the eggs that had been boiled. The next day, Mr. Yin Yang and The Landlord Zhao came to this place, but after digging up, they did not find the hatched chicks, but a few eggs that had already been boiled.
The Yin and Yang gentlemen exclaimed, "I saw it wrong, this place is a fire place!" ”
As a result, the Zhao landlord gave up his plan to use this place as a cemetery.
Three years later, Li Zicheng's grandfather was seriously ill, and when Mother Li saw that the time had come, she took the initiative to find the landlord of Zhao and said: "Lord, now that my father-in-law is approaching, I hope that the old man can reward a piece of land as his destination after a hundred years." Li Zicheng's father worked for him for many years, just a cemetery, Zhao Shizi will not be stingy, he said to Li Mother happily: "You look at and pick a piece." ”
As a result, Li Mu naturally owned the beach land that she never forgot. After Li Zicheng's grandfather died, Li Zicheng's mother really buried him here. On the seventh day, Li Zicheng suddenly had a strange dream, in which his grandfather sat at the head of the bed and said to him: "Grandson, the place where I am buried now is a treasure of feng shui, but unfortunately it was destroyed by the boiled eggs buried by your mother." Now you should plant a weeping willow in front of my grave, and when the branch grows to the head of the grave, you will be able to revolt. In this way, the descendants of my Li family can sit firmly in the country for one hundred and eighty years. ”
The next day, Li Zicheng told his mother about the dream, and Li Zicheng ordered Li Zicheng to quickly go to the grave to plant willow trees. However, it was easy to plant trees on the beach, because the weeping willows grew too slowly, and Mother Li dropped a stone on its branches. In this way, the time of the son's uprising can be shortened, so that he can also enjoy the life of the empress dowager for a few days. However, all things have their own laws, and if you break this law without authorization, you will only usher in destruction. Although Li Zicheng was also a smooth sailing after he rose from the pole, he only became emperor for eighteen days after countless hardships, which was too "tragic" to end.
Therefore, regarding the short-lived Great ShunGuo, it is said anecdotally:
First, Li Zicheng's inability to sit firmly on the throne is all arranged by heaven, that is, in order to get jiangshan as soon as possible, Li Zicheng will not hesitate to steal the feng shui treasure land of the main family;
Second, contrary to the laws of nature, falling stones and long willows.
Third, the original one hundred and eighty years of Jiangshan were "eaten" by Li Zicheng, and as a result, there were only eighteen days.
It can be seen from this that "the cycle of heavenly reason, the order of cause and effect", Li Mu went against the heavenly path, and the final result will not be satisfactory.
Resources:
["Ming Shi, Vol. 309, Biography of Li Zicheng", "Chronicle of Mizhi County", "Ming Ji Beiluo"]