Author: Zhao Xinfang
According to the data, there were 422 people in ancient China from the beginning of the first person to be called emperor in BC to the abdication of the last emperor at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Among them, those who have great talent and great strategy, and who have influenced the historical process are Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Tang Taizong, Wu Zetian, Song Taizu, etc., who have had a far-reaching impact on the system and culture of the Chinese nation in opening up the territory of China and laying the foundation for thousands of years of the Chinese nation.
As the saying goes, there are hundreds of people, all kinds. This applies not only to ordinary people, but also to emperors. Among the 422 emperors, there is no shortage of mediocre people, and there are many others who do different things. This article will talk about these alternative emperors.
(1) Emperors who like to do business
The emperors who liked to do business in history could be called the "most" name, and it was none other than the Southern Dynasty Qi Emperor Xiao Baojuan (483-501). He ascended the throne at the age of 16, was killed at the age of 19, and after his poor death, he was posthumously demoted to the title of "Marquis of Dongxia", and in the short three years of his reign, he did a lot of absurd things.
Xiao Baojuan lost his mother since childhood and had a relatively withdrawn personality. Because his brother was disabled and inconvenient to inherit the throne, the emperor's father Xiao Luan had no choice but to make him crown prince. He was born a stutterer, and the more he tried to speak, the more unclear he became. He didn't like to study, he only knew how to play and play all day, and strangely enough, the emperor's father was not worried at all, and he also changed his original stipulation that the prince must go to the court every day to a three-day pilgrimage. With more free time, Happy Xiao Baohuan played more unscrupulously, even digging holes and catching rats in the palace with the guards all night, or teasing horses in the back hall, completely disregarding the identity and dignity of the prince.
Under the charm of those uneasy and kind courtiers and eunuchs, he ordered a large number of lishu to be selected from all over the world to enrich the harem. After some days, he became obsessed with a beautiful woman named Pan Yu'er.
At that time, the social situation in the State of Qi was turbulent, and when the emperor's Xiao Baojuan did not feel the slightest pressure, he was still so heartless and lungless all day long. In order to please the beauties, under the influence of Pan Yu'er, who is good at trading, Xiao Baojuan gradually became addicted to trading.
He decreed that a market should be set up in the palace garden, lined with shops of all sizes, and eunuchs and palace ladies dressed as various vendors were responsible for selling goods. He wanders around the market every day and has a lot of fun. He called Pan Yu'er to serve as the "city order", which is now the market supervisor, managing market transactions and handling various dispute cases.
The more Xiao Baojuan played, the more he got overwhelmed, he simply rolled up his sleeves and personally sold meat, asking Pan Yu'er to sell wine as a stove on the side, which became the highest level of "husband and wife shop" that had never been seen before and never came after.
This matter spread to the people, and the common people made up the first shunkou to satirize him: Reading the Martial Hall, planting willows, supreme slaughtering meat, PanFei Gu wine...
An absurd teenager who ignored the government and politics was not enough to convince the courtiers, and he also intensified his harm to the courtiers, and in December of the first year of the Yongyuan Dynasty, the eunuch who was forced to rebel in the palace had his head beheaded.
(2) Polo Emperor Tang Dynasty
Beginning in 875 AD, the Tang Dynasty entered the late Tang Dynasty. Originally, according to the system of primogeniture, Emperor Li of Tang was not qualified to be emperor, and the eunuchs of the late Tang Dynasty were very powerful, large enough to influence the government of the dynasty, and the Manchu Dynasty's civil and military ministers were all poor in donkey skills. Taking advantage of Tang Yizong's serious illness and imminent death, the eunuchs forged the emperor's suicide note and deposed the original crown prince to support Li Yan as emperor.
Li Yan grew up in the deep palace and was raised by the eunuch Tian Lingzi from an early age. Li Yan was very dependent on him and called him "Father". After the 12-year-old Li Yan succeeded to the throne, he did not know how to approve the reading of the recital and preside over the imperial meeting, and the power of the government was actually controlled by Tian Lingzi, and this guy took the opportunity to sell the official and the knighthood and enrich his own pockets.
Since there was nothing serious to do, Tang Xianzong had no choice but to play. This little emperor is skillful, music, Go, riding and shooting, cockfighting, walking dogs... It can be said that everyone is proficient, but my favorite and highest level of sports is to play polo. He often held polo matches with eunuchs and youlings in the palace. He once conceitedly told everyone that if polo also set up a entrance examination, it would be the only way to go. Someone scolded him, if you ask Yao and Shun to be the chief examiner, you will be reprimanded.
Because Emperor Tang did not pay attention to state affairs, the eunuchs were overbearing, the society was in chaos, and the poor people rose up, and Tian Lingzi, who was helpless, decided to use the Divine Strategy Army to escort Emperor Tang to flee to Sichuan. When selecting a loyal and able escort official, Tang proposed to determine the candidate by playing polo to decide the winner.
Since tang xianzong ascended the throne at the age of 12, due to the continuous turmoil in the social situation, he was forced to flee the palace several times, and died at the age of 27.
(3) Genius carpenter Zhu Youxiao
Emperor Mingxi Zong Zhu Youxiao was the most legendary emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he was not as greedy as other emperors, or keen on seeking immortal medicine, pursuing immortality, doing carpentry was his favorite, and it was said that he could compete with the technical level of his grandfather Lu Ban. I don't know what he thought.
Zhu Youxiao's succession was very hasty and awkward, and his father, Emperor Mingguangzong, died of a violent illness after only 29 days on the throne. The 16-year-old Zhu Youxiao was involuntarily pushed onto the cusp of history. When he ascended the throne, social contradictions were already very prominent, and the people were living in a deep and fierce situation.
Due to the loss of his mother and his father's indulgence in female sex and neglect of his education, Zhu You's school's cultural level is very low, not to mention the content of the song chapter, that is, many of the words cannot be understood or confused, often making jokes, and indeed sweeping the "face", he simply can't afford to hide, let the Donglin Party and the eunuch Wei Zhongxian fight for power, and go to carpentry work to seek comfort.
It is said that in the long feudal society, the emperor who indulged in carpentry work was only Zhu Youxiao. He was skillful, and the whole set of carpentry processes, such as sawing, axe chiseling, scraping ash, painting, etc., was no less than the top carpenter master at that time, that is, he was a foreman, and he was also very good at directing a group of carpenters.
According to the history books, the bed made by the carpenter master at that time was very bulky and inconvenient to transport, and he designed and produced a folding bed with unique ingenuity. This kind of bed is not only easy to carry, but also carved with intricate patterns, which are both practical and beautiful, which makes folk carpenters marvel.
At that time, a kind of puppet play was popular in the palace, similar to modern shadow puppetry, except that the shadow puppet characters were replaced by small wooden people. Zhu Yuxiao likes to make wooden people and stages by himself, and the wooden costumes he makes are novel and flexible in his performances. To say that these small fights are nothing, he often designs his own blueprints and guides the craftsmen to make them. If the production was not satisfactory, he immediately called for demolition and restart, and how much money he would waste, he never thought about it. The traitorous minister Wei Zhongxian was very good at exploiting loopholes, and he often took advantage of zhu youxiao's full-time devotion to carpentry work to ask for instructions, zhu you did not listen for a while, and was impatient with a few perfunctory words. Over time, the power of the dynasty was controlled by the castration party.
More than ten years after Zhu You's death, the Ming Dynasty vanished.
Addendum at the end of the article: When the emperor is not diligent in government and spends a lot of time and main energy on other things, is it too different? In addition to the three examples mentioned above, there are also those who believe in Buddhism and are dizzy, who can become the owner of the pear garden, who are chess fans, and those who are masters of calligraphy and painting.....
【About the author】Zhao Xinfang, pen name Zhao Shi, is a director of the Chongqing Miscellaneous Literature Association and a director of the Chongqing Nan'an District Writers Association.
Tips: If you like this article, please forward and comment.