Tongzhi's empress Alut was the daughter of the official Shangshu Chongqi, and she was canonized as empress in the eleventh year of Tongzhi.
In the thirteenth year, Mu Zong died, and Empress Dowager Yi of the Two Palaces was crowned "Empress Jiashun". After the Guangxu Emperor succeeded to the throne, Ci'an and Cixi remained empress dowagers, while Alute became "imperial concubines", which made her relationship with the empress dowager and the emperor extremely awkward, and she was only a powerless empress in the court, which was very embarrassing.
I don't know how to arrange it when the palace acts, for example: when the emperor ascends the throne, he wants to salute the Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces, but whether to salute this special empress, the Ministry of Rites does not know how to deal with it, so he asked the Empress Dowager to do so. After consideration, the Empress Dowager finally issued a decree and decided to let the new emperor "pay tribute to Empress Yi Jiashun" after ascending the throne, and the matter was settled.
However, this awkward and delicate relationship and the problems that arose resolved itself with the death of the Alut clan on February 20 of the first year of Guangxu. However, the queen's death was still not peaceful, and the cause of her death was confusing and caused a lot of discussion.
For the death of the empress, it is generally believed that the Tongzhi empress missed the Tongzhi Emperor to the extreme, and wanted to die of a diet with her body. However, Cixi did not like Empress Jiashun, and the inside and outside of the court were all under her control, and the Tongzhi Emperor had no empress, so that the empress had nothing to rely on, and the widow had no way to live in the palace for a long time, and the death and martyrdom also revealed a lot of helplessness.
It is rumored that the empress was killed by Cixi, and it is impossible to verify whether it is true or not, but it also reveals the tension between the two.
For the practice of not establishing an heir for Mu Zong, the dynasty already had a lot of criticism, but because of the imperial power, he did not dare to argue.
Empress Tongzhi
This time the queen died of martyrdom, and the waves rose again, and some ministers could not hold back and prepared to give advice. In May of the year after the death of the empress, Emperor Pan Dun wrote a letter requesting praise for Empress Mu's virtue, pointing out that Empress Xian also went with him less than 100 days after the death of the emperor, and the people were all sad and sentimental. It is rumored that the empress died of hunger strike, determined to follow the emperor. Therefore, he felt: "With the virtue of motherhood and the wind of the first sun, the strange festival is not showing, how can we express virtue?" ”
The Tongzhi Emperor's nickname was "Yi", so after the empress's death, he was named "Empress Xiaozheyi", and Pan Dunyan thought that this nickname was not enough to recognize the virtues of Empress Tongzhi, and she should be replaced with a nickname that better highlighted her virtue.
Empress Dowager Cixi was particularly displeased with Pan Yushi's request, reprimanding him: "It is already foolish to follow his presumption and lead the request; And daring to use unfounded words to make a statement, which is particularly false. In addition, the Empress Dowager said that Empress Xiao Zheyi had added her title and could not be easily changed, and Pan Yushi was also removed from office.
Regarding the martyrdom of Empress Tongzhi, the government and the public already had different opinions, and Pan Dun played this and set off another discussion.
Wen Tingshi lamented Empress Mu, so he felt that Pan Dunjian's play was "foolish and loyal, but also fair."
Although Pan Yushi was blamed for this, Empress Yi's underlying virtue became more and more prominent.
However, Li Ciming thought that Pan Dun's request for a change of name was absurd.
The death of the empress was already talked about a lot, and the courtiers were all hurt, if Pan Yushi immediately wrote a letter when the empress died, according to the rumors at the time, euphemisms were worded, asking the two palaces for protection, even if it might anger the empress dowager and get guilty, but the people of the world could understand his loyalty.
Now that the matter has passed the year, the rumors at that time are no longer grounded, and the empress died and was named Empress Xiaozheyi, which was already respected, and all kinds of ceremonies and etiquette were not missing, and suddenly it was easier to be named, which was unreasonable.
If you praise the queen's hidden virtue according to her performance, how should it be arranged? This matter is difficult to handle, and it will surely cause a new controversy. As Li Ciming said, although he did not agree with Pan Dunjian's letter this time, he also pointed out that it was a drought, and Pan Dunjian must have been touched by what he had heard in the past, so he expressed the hidden doubts that had been accumulated in his heart for a long time.
Although there are many reproaches for "observing and knowing people" in the previous discussion, "a gentleman has no deep responsibility", and false blame is only a sigh. Pan Yushi actually wanted to take this opportunity to express his dissatisfaction with Cixi's control of authority and not for Mu Zong.
Empress Yi's nickname was not changed in the end, and the courtiers had both accusations and sympathy for Pan Yushi's remarks, and the matter was only a wedge, so the contradiction hidden between those in power and his courtiers gradually became apparent.
Since Empress Xiao Zheyi was dead, the etiquette issues involved by her were not difficult to solve, and the handling of various matters after her death was relatively smooth. However, the problem of the heirs of the Tongzhi Emperor was not so easy to deal with because of its wide range of concerns and intricate character relationships.
Although Pan Zuyin and Weng Tongyong noted the key to the names "Wenzonghei" and "Emperor" in the edict when discussing the candidates for the throne, the hasty decision made the relationship between Guangxu and Tongzhi more complicated.
Tongzhi Yuyu has no benevolence for thirteen years, and he chooses his peers to succeed him, and does not establish an heir for him, so how can the relationship between Tongzhi and Guangxu be balanced? Historically, the emperor succeeded the heir to unify the unification, and Guangxu succeeded the heir Wenzong instead of Muzong, which was already unjustified and unjustified on the issue of unification.
The establishment of the son of Guangxu as the heir of Tongzhi is also not in line with the ancestral system of "secretly building reserves", and whether the successor after Guangxu inherits Guangxu or Tongzhi has become a new point of contradiction. With frequent problems and numerous contradictions, how can we not arouse the discussion of the government and the public?
Pan Dunjian was followed by a cabinet attendant Guang'an, who played the matter of Tongzhi's heir on the 15th day of the first month of the first year of Guangxu (February 20, 1875), first affirming the arrangement of the canonization of Emperor Muzong's heir in the former decree, praising this as the Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces' "far-reaching holy calculation" and "perfect calculation", and the Tongzhi Emperor would eventually have a prince and the Tongzhi Emperor would inherit the lineage.
Judging from the content of the recital, he did not raise any objections to the arrangement of Cixi Lihei, so what did he think should be adapted? Emperor Taizong of Song's throne was passed on to his brother by Emperor Taizu of Song on his mother's orders, and he promised to pass on to Taizu's son in the future, but because Zhao Pu instigated, he broke his promise and "passed on the son without passing on his nephew", which attracted endless rebukes.
Taking history as a guide, Guang'an feared that the future emperor would be separated by people with bad intentions, regardless of the heirs of Tongzhi. In order for Mu Zong's heirs to inherit the throne smoothly in the future, he suggested "issuing iron coupons". In this special way, which can represent the effectiveness of the divine decree, the decision on the heirs of Tongzhi can be handed down to the world, so that this decision can be as stable as Mount Tai, and the Guangxu Emperor will definitely follow it in the future, and the "aliens" will not be able to start, and the rule of Tongzhi can be guaranteed.
In fact, Guang'an only believed that there should be a stable and unchangeable way to fix the former decree and maintain the rule of the Tongzhi Emperor, and did not blame the various problems of the previous heir, but this also touched on Cixi's anti-scale, and the practice of issuing iron coupons to declare Guang'an's proposal was "presumptuous and disrespectful."
Like Pan Dunjian, his appeal was not accepted, and he was convicted for it, and public opinion was mixed about it. "Quoting Song Zhaopu to Taizong's language, it is very difficult to speak in style, and the text is also contemptuous and ridiculous." This euphemism did not solve the problem and was reviled by the scholars. However, at this time of suspicion and taboo, Guang'an can "plan for the good of the long time and put an end to future dissent", which is also a manifestation of loyalty to the country and has won the praise of public opinion.
Wu can read the corpse and the issue of heirs after the same treatment
The legitimacy of the imperial throne, the family law of the ancestors, and the heirs of the emperor, which are important matters related to the dynasty's succession, cannot disappear after the gentle play of a few officials is beaten back. Problems always existed, and they could not be solved, and finally Wu Keyan raised these problems again in a drastic way.
On March 20 of the fifth year of Guangxu (April 11, 1879), Empress Dowager Lianggong, together with Emperor Guangxu and a large number of court officials, went to Beijing to send Emperor Mu Zongyi and Empress Xiaozheyi to the Huiling Tomb. On the twenty-ninth day, when he returned from the ceremony, Wu Ke's reading of the "corpse advice" happened.
Wu Ke was known for his outspokenness and courageous advice, and when he died, he was the chief of the bureaucracy and was not qualified to accompany him, and after his repeated requests, the officials allowed him to accompany Huiling. After the burial of the empress, Wu Keyan did not return with the team, but left a letter in the Sanyi Temple of Mashenqiao, Jixian, and died after drinking poison.
Wu Keyuan's main appeal was to request the establishment of an heir for Emperor Mu Zongyi and to determine that the successor after the Guangxu Emperor was the son of Tongzhi's successor. As far as the content of his remains is concerned, he first explained why he risked the death corpse.
In the eleventh year of Tongzhi, Wu Kexun was convicted of impeaching Chenglu, the governor of Urumqi, when the Tongzhi Emperor spared him the death penalty and was only demoted. Wu Ke read that he thought that he had committed three capital crimes and did not die, all relying on the gift of the Tongzhi Emperor, and now that the emperor is dead, the matter behind him is the most important issue of the imperial heir, so he wants to use his "unfinished years" to make a small contribution to the solution of the problem of the Tongzhi Emperor's heirs.
Subsequently, he threw out the "Lihei" that caused the most sensation in the government and the public. When the issue of the imperial heir was first discussed, the Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces did not establish an heir for the childless Emperor Mu Zongyi, but for the sonless Emperor Wenzongxian, and the Guangxu Emperor inherited the throne from Emperor Wenzong and the Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces, not the Tongzhi Emperor, and most importantly, "the inheritance of the great rule in the future, and there is no explicit text, will return to the successor son", which would most likely lead to the severance of the Tongzhi Emperor's rule, so he accused Cixi of this behavior of "mistake after mistake".
Not only was his words sharp, but he also bluntly accused Cixi of not establishing an heir for the Tongzhi Emperor. The former decree has stated that the future successor will be the heir, but Wu Keyan is still not at ease. He thought that although Prince Jiu was loyal to the country and asked for all the messengers, it was difficult to ensure that there were no discordants such as Zhao Pu, the prime minister of the early Song Dynasty.
What he was worried about was that Emperor Taizong of Song would establish a son instead of a nephew and that history would repeat itself, and those whose names had been determined could not be obeyed, and the undecided situation of the Tongzhi Emperor did not know what would happen. He hoped that the Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces would send another edict, making it clear that the prince who would inherit the throne in the future was the heir of the Tongzhi Emperor, so as to "correct the name and divide and pre-eliminate disputes." ”
epilogue
According to Wu Keyan, in fact, he had "made a fold" as early as the death of the Tongzhi Emperor, but he had already lowered his tone at that time and could not exceed his duties, so he hoped to be transferred from the Inspectorate. Although "the bottom of the presentation was already drafted", it was not submitted due to the persuasion of a friend, and the manuscript of this fold was preserved at that time.
Later, Wu Ke read was appointed as a "master" and served as an official, but found that in five or six years, there were very few ministers in the imperial court and for Muzong's heirs, and even few people thought about it. Now that the Tongzhi Emperor wants to worship the Anshan Mausoleum forever, I am afraid that this matter will be forgotten for a long time, so he played the intention again to give back to the "remaining years" given to him by the Tongzhi Emperor.
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