Emperor and monk, these are two unrelated professions, one is the Nine-Five-Year Emperor who controls the life and death of the people of the world, and the other is the person who is at ease for the people of the world. But the two professions were combined in two people, zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who was a monk in the temple before joining the army. One was Xiao Yan, the founder of the Liang Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, who became a monk after he became famous. Zhu Yuanzhang is very familiar to the world, and today I will take you to understand this Liangwu Emperor Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan was a native of Wujin County, Nanlanling County (roughly located in present-day Danyang, Jiangsu Province). His ancestors were also famous and prestigious, and it is recorded that he should be the twenty-fifth grandson of Xiao He, the prime minister of the Western Han Dynasty. When he was a child, he showed his unique ingenuity, and when he was a little older, he studied under Xiao Ziliang, the king of Jinling, and became the most well-known of his apprentices. Emperor Wu of Qi then fell seriously ill and his grandson Xiao Zhaoye took the throne, but the young emperor only knew how to covet pleasure and did not know how to handle political affairs. This upset Xiao Luan, who was in charge of Chao Gang, who tried to depose Xiao Zhaoye and establish himself as emperor, but he was afraid that the usurpation of the throne would be laughed at by the people of the world. At this time, Xiao Yan gave him a good idea, and he asked Xiao Luan to bring Xiao Zhaowen back to the Capital Division, and then proclaimed him emperor.
At this time, Xiao Zhaowen was only fifteen years old, and the power of the government was naturally in the hands of Xiao Luan. Soon after, he was not willing to be a vassal and forced the little emperor to abdicate, and then established himself as emperor. After ascending the throne, he did not forget Xiao Yan's instructions, so he appointed him as Zhongshu Shilang, and soon after promoted him to Huangmen Shilang, so Xiao Yan's status gradually became prominent. Xiao Luan died after five years on the throne, and his son Xiao Baojuan took the throne. This emperor's fainting was also incomparable with Xiao Zhaoye's incompetence. Xiao Baojuan indiscriminately killed Zhongliang Xianchen, and Xiao Yan gradually began to deal with him, but he never tore his face. Until Xiao Yan's brother was killed, he finally couldn't hold his breath, and then he gathered his ministers to try to abolish Xiao Baojuan, and this idea was also recognized by everyone.
Soon after, Xiao Yan, together with Xiao Baorong, the king of Nankang, and the general Wang Zhenguo raised troops to build Kang to destroy Xiao Baojuan, the emperor, and then Xiao Baorong became emperor with his support. Xiao Yan was also made the Grand Sima for his meritorious support, and from then on he took control of state affairs. With great power in his hands, he had the heart to establish himself as king, but he knew that he could not act rashly at this time, so he did not move for a long time. It wasn't until his friend Shen Yue repeatedly persuaded him to act that he spread the matter of his ascension to the table. Then Shen Yue and others forced Xiao Baorong to abdicate, and they also used the superstition of the people to create the illusion that Xiao Yan was the chosen son. Later, Baorong abdicated and swallowed Jin and died, and Xiao Yan posthumously buried hou in him and took the throne in Jiankang.
When Xiao Yan first ascended the throne, he learned the lessons of the demise of the previous dynasty, he was diligent in political affairs, handling major state affairs day and night, whether it was spring, summer, autumn or winter, he got up on the fifth day to do things. He listened to people and rewarded ministers who dared to speak out and point out the emperor's mistakes, and he ruled the country diligently and frugally, and as an emperor, he had to sew and mend his clothes until he could no longer wear them. He attached importance to the appointment and dismissal of local officials and demanded that officials, large and small, should be honest and honest. Under his rule and governance, the Liang Dynasty's country was more stable, and the people's lives were more smooth. But such an emperor's late obsession with Buddhism put me in danger.
Probably because of the rebellion of Aizi, Xiao Yan was a little tired of life, and in his old age, he was obsessed with Buddhism and ignored the major affairs of the DPRK. According to the literature, there were more than 500 Buddhist temples near the capital of Emperor Wu of Liangwu in the later period, and each one was built ornately. There were also more than 100,000 monks near the capital, and they also had great wealth. From this we can see the extent of Emperor Liangwu's obsession with Buddhism and his indulgence of monks because of his yearning for Buddhism. It is reported that from 527 AD to 547 AD, emperor Wu of Liang had been ordained four times in succession, and almost every time he became a monk, the imperial court needed to spend a lot of money to redeem him, and the imperial court spent nearly 400 million coins for him in twenty years.
When Xiao Yan studied the scriptures, he did not eat meat food, and he also asked other monks not to eat, and when he was old, he did not approach female color and also asked other monks not to be close to female color, in short, it was here that he formed the practice of monks abstaining from meat and color. In his old age, he did not listen to the advice of his ministers to devote himself to the cultivation of Buddhism and built Buddhist temples in spite of the burdens of the people, and in this state, the national strength of the Liang Dynasty gradually declined, and eventually there was a disaster like the Hou Jing Rebellion. After this incident, Xiao Yan, who was in his eighties, lived in the palace of Taicheng, and one day he was hungry and thirsty and looked for someone to find honey. But no one in the vast palace took care of him, and finally the eighty-year-old emperor died in hunger and thirst.
Throughout Xiao Yan's life, he became famous at a young age and sought a high-ranking official in his family lineage. However, he plotted his own work in his position and then helped Xiao Luan achieve great causes and also gained a noble position for himself, and eventually he forced Xiao Baorong to abdicate and establish himself as the king to establish a great beam. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was diligent and loved the people, and his life was simple, but as he grew older, he became obsessed with Buddhism and became an emperor who loved the country and the mountains and loved Buddhism more. Later, the Liang Dynasty also became worse than a day under his profligacy, and he also ended up starving to death because of his own confusion.