5,000 Years: From the four neighbors, covering 5,000 years of strange historical interests, cultural and tourism topics
"Zhao" originally meant "edict", since Qin Shi Huang stipulated that the superior issued an administrative order to the subordinate only allowed to use "life", "zhao" has become a special verb for the emperor to publish daily speech, only the emperor can say "zhao yue: ..." and the civil and military officials can only say "fate: ...", to this day, the word has been used in the military documents.
Corresponding to the "edict", the emperor would use the words "edict and edict" when issuing a statutory law to distinguish it from everyday speech. The former is dynamic and can be repeatedly "edict:..."; the latter is fixed, and once it is issued, it becomes a fixed provision, and it is not good to "change the order at the end of the day".
As the founder of the mainland imperial system, the boss of yingzheng can be said to have taken advantage of all the opportunities, except for the absence of an empress, in fact, all the things exclusive to the emperor are the first things he occupies and "enjoys": for example, the common "朕", like the "zhao", was not originally used by the emperor, and after he designated it, others would not be able to use it again - except for the "wife" in today's family.
The origin of the "Sin Self-Commandment" dates back: from its inception to its popularity for thousands of years
Documentation in the form of a recorded "edict of guilt" appeared very early, when it was only a formatted style used by emperors and did not have "exclusivity". In the "Spring and Autumn of the Lü Dynasty", such a format is recorded: "Yu Yiren is guilty, and there is no one who can reach Wanfu..." This is the story of Shang Tang's sin of himself, and later emperors often used this as the beginning of "sin and self-edict", but it is not fixed, because this format "sin" is too obvious.
Emperor Wen of Han, the earliest person in the annals of history to issue a self-edict (179 BC), used the phrase "degeneration is not virtuous...", which has the meaning of self-blame, but there is no definition of "sin". Later generations of emperors who were not serious about "sinning themselves" liked this type, to put it bluntly, this was a kind of formalism, and the ministers could not find a reason to say that the emperor was "immoral".
There are still many emperors who have "sinned against themselves" in previous dynasties: the Han Dynasty accounted for more than half of the total, the Qing Dynasty had the highest proportion, and other dynasties had different numbers, counting a total of eighty-nine emperors. There are also dynasties that do not exist that "sin against oneself", such as the Qin Dynasty, which created the imperial system, and Qin Shi Huang obviously did not want to slap this "first slap" in his face.
The original use and formal evolution of the "Edict of Sin"
As the Son of Heaven, he is guilty of sin, but the emperor is also a man, and it is a time when people will have human flaws and mistakes. The emperor has more "edicts" to the outside world, which will also derive the "edicts of self-crime" for himself---- if this is not the case, no one in the world can give the emperor "orders", so the emperors have to "send themselves to themselves".
"Sin yourself" is a kind of "edict" issued by the emperor to the outside world, usually used when encountering a special event and the emperor consciously makes a mistake that he is embarrassed to deny. Such edicts were originally very strict, but later many emperors used it as a tool to "go down the stairs" in use, so they gradually began to change their flavor.
The Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty felt that the "edict of sin" was no longer enough to express the meaning of "the injustice of the world and the hereafter", and even personally compiled the "Mystery of the Great Righteousness" sprinkled in several volumes, the core content of which was actually a super long "edict of sin" - more arguments and less self-blame, and the whole text was to find a "public theory" for his own right and wrong, which was "different in appearance but quite similar to god" with the sin edicts of many emperors.
One of the more timely "sins and self-edicts": Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "turned the platform to sin his own edicts"
Emperor Wu of han fought for the emperor for decades, resulting in the people's livelihood withering and the depletion of national strength, and in a tour in his later years, after seeing a large number of old people who had "gone out on expeditions for several generations and had nothing to do in their later years", they began to reflect on their past. In 89 BC (the fourth year of Zhenghe), Emperor Wu of han, in order to allow the people to rest and recuperate, decided to temporarily suspend the war against the Xiongnu and vetoed the motion of Tuntian Luntai (Luntai County, Xinjiang) requested by Sang Hongyang and other ministers.
At the same time as the truce was called away, Emperor Wu of Han also issued himself an edict for his own sins ("Abandon the land of the wheel platform, and lay down the edict of sorrow"): "Now please Goda Wheel Platform, want to raise a pavilion tunnel, is to disturb the world, not so worried about the people, now I can't bear to hear..." This is the famous "Wheel Platform Commandment".
Since the full text of the edict does not have the common format of "sin and self-edict" ("Yu Yiren is guilty...", some historians in later generations believe that this is only an adjustment of emperor Wudi's policy toward the western regions, not a "sin self-edict". Since the cause of the withering of the national plan in the late Han Dynasty was caused by the long-term use of troops in the Western Regions, the review and adjustment of the policies of the Western Regions can indeed be regarded as the form of "sin and self-commandment".
The appearance of the "Wheel Tai Zhao" promptly made the Western Han Dynasty chariot stop at the hands of Emperor Wu of Han, laying the foundation for the later "Renxuan Zhongxing"; otherwise, would the successors follow or not follow his policy toward the Western Regions? If you don't follow it, you will violate the ancestral system, and if you follow it again, you will destroy the country!
One of the more clever "sins and self-edicts": Tang Taizong's self-commandments
In 628 (the second year of Zhenguan), Tang Taizong, who had just ascended the throne, encountered a rare drought and locust plague. In addition to actively providing disaster relief and appeasing the people, in order to gain the broad support and goodwill of the people, Tang Taizong also issued an edict saying: "If the niangu is prosperous, the world will be at peace, and the disasters will be transferred, so as to save all the nations, it is the wish, and it is willing to be stingy."
Such a "edict of sin" is obviously very "lofty", and only a noble emperor with the heart of the world will announce to the world that "it is better for heaven to reduce all disasters to him alone, so as to relieve the suffering of the people." This "edict of sin" was indeed very effective, and Tang Taizong also put a lot of action into the disaster, so the people recognized him as the new emperor from the bottom of their hearts.
In the three years of Zhenguan, only 29 people were sentenced to death in the country, which was the response of the society at that time to his benevolent government and "guilty of himself", even if these criminals were released home to handle the aftermath, they would also return to serve their sentences on time, which was indeed a very rare phenomenon in feudal society---- achieved the rule of law effect of "no criminal measures".
One of the more formalistic "sins and self-edicts": Song Huizong's sin self-edicts
In 1125, in the face of the momentum of the Jin army to push into Tokyo, Emperor Huizong of Song wanted to pass the throne to his son and leave the capital for a while, but he could not find an excuse to step down. Some ministers suggested: "It is advisable to first issue a decree on oneself, and to reform all kinds of maladministrations, so that people's hearts will be pleased, and Providence will return." Emperor Huizong of Song pretended to list some of his "sins" and resigned from the "position of emperor" and went to the field to enjoy happiness.
Emperor Huizong of Song wrote in the edict: "Words are hidden, rumors are heard, authoritarian power is fortunate, and corrupt officials are successful...", and the words are often "half covered by the pipa", and the guilt has become someone else's, and it does not appear to be "guilty" at all.
At the time of the survival of the country, Emperor Huizong of Song's "edict of sin" was obviously too formal, because he never seriously examined himself. At the time when Tokyo was in danger, his "sinners" were completely just a formality, but he took his cronies to Jiangnan to "build gardens and chant poems and paint", not only had no intention of aiding the north, but also secretly held his military and political power in the Jiangnan area.
One of the most popular "sins and self-edicts": the Chongzhen Emperor sinned against himself
During the seventeen-year reign of the Chongzhen Emperor, his grand ambitions were great, but whenever things did not go as he wished, he repeatedly examined himself with "sin against himself", in essence, in order to rebuke the courtiers for their inaction. Among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the Chongzhen Emperor issued the most (six times) of his own edicts, and in the process of government, he almost "bowed down to himself step by step, reviewed step by step", but afterwards, none of them achieved "learning from the past" and achieved practical and effective results.
The chongzhen emperor's summary of government is very complete from all his "edicts of sin and self-righteousness". When these "sin self-edicts" were superimposed, they formed the last "sin self-edict" of his life: "Since he ascended the throne for seventeen years, the rebel thief has directly approached the Kyoshi... Heaven is to blame, but all the ministers are mistaken", and even to death, they still think that all these situations are not their fault!
What is the significance of issuing such an inconceivable "edict of sin" no matter how much it is issued? The more sins there are, the more they are no longer sins, and this is the most complete embodiment of the Chongzhen Emperor, perhaps this is his last face as an emperor, and he must maintain it until he dies.
One of the most exemplary "self-edicts of sin": Tang Dezong's edict of sin and self-inflicted
The above list of self-condemning edicts is actually only "in vain", and the most decent "sin self-edicts" in history belong to Tang Dezong. His edict of sin has first been "sinned" in the name, called the Edict of Amnesty for Sins. The words in the edict are earnest, and the content is a review of "the truth is not a king", which can be regarded as a model of beautiful writing, you may wish to find a reading, after all, it was ghostwritten by the Tang Dynasty famous Xiang Lu Zhen!
In 783 (the fourth year of Jianzhong), the Jingyuan Mutiny broke out, and the Tang capital Chang'an was once again lost due to the rebellion of Jiedushi, and Dezong was pursued and killed by the rebels, and Emperor Canghuang fled to Fengtian (Qianxian County, Shaanxi). In the face of this chaotic situation, Tang Dezong openly assumed the responsibility for causing the chaos in the world in his own edict, and sincerely apologized to the rebel generals, saying that he would "treat everything as before", thus eliminating the doubts of these emissaries.
The edict also says, "The upper is tired from the ancestors, and the lower is burdened by the steaming." Pain is grieving, the sin is really given", from head to toe, all came according to the "standard" of the sin himself, and few emperors could face his mistakes as seriously as he did. It is said that after the promulgation of this "edict of sin", for a time "the hearts of the people of the four directions were greatly pleased" and "the soldiers and soldiers all wept", so that the rebellion was quickly quelled under the circumstances of the return of the world.
From the standard of writing and the "cost performance", Tang Dezong successfully quelled the rebellion with "one edict", which can be called the "most exemplary" criminal edict.
The sequelae of the Qing Dynasty's "sin self-edict": it has become a tool for prevarication
The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty was martyred in the "Sin Self-Commandment", and the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Shunzhi, also died in the "Sin Self-Edict", which is indeed an interesting historical phenomenon of "very symmetry". In terms of emperor behavior, the Chongzhen Emperor and Shunzhi also have many similarities: both appear indecisive, lack boldness, and both belong to the "weak heart" type of emperor.
In addition, the Shunzhi Emperor was also "miraculously" infected with the Habit of the Chongzhen Emperor who loved to write "Sin Self-Edict" (addictively issued fourteen times), which brought a bad head to the future Qing Emperors: six of the Qing Emperors (except Daoguang and the Tongzhi Emperor) had issued the "Sin Self-Edict", which was really worthy of the descendants of the Ai Xinjue Luo family!
After the "Sin Self-Edict" was issued, although the status quo had not changed, the "sin" in the emperors' hearts had thus been prevaricated and cathartic - with the exception of the Daoguang Emperor, who after his defeat in the Opium War, lived in fear of "ashamed of the patriarchs" all day long, and even the "sin himself" consciously acted without face.
Under the autocracy system, even if the emperors "arbitrarily" sinned, people had nothing to say, because it was the "family world" of the emperors.
The emergence of the edict of sin is originally a bright color of "democratic overtones" in the autocratic system, but the essence of autocracy ultimately determines its reality of "vain form and lack of sincerity". In other words, "it is useless to oneself, nor to that dynasty; those in power are not guilty, and those who are guilty are still non-rulers", such as Empress Dowager Cixi, who pushed the "crimes" to the puppet emperor Guangxu.
Even in the face of heinous crimes, as soon as the "Sin Self-Commandment" came out, the emperors symbolically completed the process of atonement, neither itching nor flesh pain -- of course, everything was not absolute, such as the Chongzhen Emperor and the Shunzhi Emperor; because of the human nature of the emperors, not all the sins and self-edicts were in vain.
The advantages and disadvantages of the feudal imperial system have been vividly reflected in the "self-condemnation" of successive dynasties, which is also their unique historical value. With the promulgation of Yuan Shikai's edict of "abandoning the imperial system" in 1916, this special edict that lasted for thousands of years was finally completely buried along with the imperial system of the mainland.
In the new cultural movement of the Republic of China, "writing love letters" has arisen, among which many scumbag male literati have imitated the tone of "sin against themselves": they have taken all the untrustworthy vows in love, but in reality they are still going their own way; these love letters have literally touched some women, but they have also shamed the free love in the new culture movement.
Because regardless of the ancients and the present, the emperors or the commoners, the defects in human nature are unchanged for thousands of years. From this point of view, the "Complete Book of Self-Sins" of the emperors of the past generations is actually a true portrayal of their human nature!