The Daming Dynasty is the only dynasty in history that does not make peace, does not cut land, and does not pay reparations, even when the country is about to fall, it has achieved the feat of the Son of Heaven guarding the gate of the country and the death of the king.
Today, let's find out together, as the king of the dead country, what did the Chongzhen Emperor do on the eve of the destruction of the Ming Dynasty?
An inseparable father-son relationship
On the eve of the collapse of the state, the Chongzhen Emperor summoned his three sons, and he was surprised to see them all dressed in bright clothes.
Now that the Ming Dynasty is in jeopardy, their status as a prince not only does not guarantee their personal safety, but also puts them in danger.
Therefore, the Chongzhen Emperor made all the children dressed as commoners, and then sent them out of the palace.
The love of parents for their sons is far-reaching, and in the chaotic times, what he can leave to his sons is this last lesson.
He asked his sons to put aside their royal dignity and learn how to respect those around them. At the same time, he also warned his son that now that the Daming Empire has run out of oil, there is no need to think of avenging him and reviving Daming.
In the heart of the Chongzhen Emperor, he had already made the last effort for Daming. Therefore, the fate of Daming's collapse has long been unsalvageable, and he hopes that his sons will not take their lives for an unrealistic idea.
In his final moments, the Chongzhen Emperor showed the demeanor he should have as a father. Subsequently, he had to accept the departure of his wife.
Touching husband and wife
As the mother of a country, Empress Zhou watched her three sons leave the palace, and her heart was very uncomfortable. Her family was poor and suffered a lot since she was a child, but later fortunately forged an indissoluble bond with Wang Ye and successfully lived a happy life.
At that time, they were very affectionate and would never be afraid of future events, but no one expected that Wang Ye would eventually become the Chongzhen Emperor, and the fate of the two has changed drastically since then.
In that era of power change, all she could do was do her best to appease her husband.
Portrait of Empress Chou of Filial Piety
After experiencing the turbulent times of Wei Zhongxian's reign, the Chongzhen Emperor finally became the real ruler of the Daming Dynasty, but no matter how hard the Chongzhen Emperor tried to govern, there was no way to save the decline of the Daming.
Now, the Daming Dynasty is on the verge of collapse, and her three children have been secretly sent out of the palace by the Chongzhen Emperor. Now that she has nothing to worry about, it's time to fulfill her duties as a queen.
Empress Zhou and the Chongzhen Emperor stayed together for eighteen years, and even hanged themselves, also by the side of the Chongzhen Emperor.
In order not to humiliate the Chongzhen Emperor and not let the Daming Dynasty be humiliated, this empress personally ended her life, and the death of Empress Zhou also became the last straw that overwhelmed the Chongzhen Emperor.
Today, the Chongzhen Emperor has become a true loner, holding up his sword and wanting to defend his dignity as the king of a country.
The national situation that endures forever
After Empress Zhou's death, the Chongzhen Emperor went on a killing spree and killed the people around him one by one. Concubine Yuan wanted to comfort him, but the Chongzhen Emperor carried a long sword and walked towards her.
He ordered Yuan Guifei to hang herself, but the rope broke, and finally Yuan Guifei died at the hands of Chongzhen. For the Chongzhen Emperor, instead of letting his harem female dependents be humiliated by the rebels, it was better to kill her with his own hands.
In addition, he cut off one of the arms of his eldest daughter, Princess Changping, and even killed the six-year-old Princess Akihito.
It is hard to imagine what kind of pain the Chongzhen Emperor had in his heart when he was a close relative, perhaps for him, simply dying neatly was far better than being humiliated and ultimately living better than death.
At this time, the Daming Palace was shrouded in darkness, and the noisy sounds around it meant the arrival of the rebels. At dawn, the rebel army led by Li Zicheng entered the Daming Palace.
At the same time, the Chongzhen Emperor and his subordinate Wang Chengen were also rushing to the coal mountain, and when the Chongzhen Emperor ascended the coal mountain and saw the raging fire burning in the Daming Imperial Palace, he finally fell into despair.
So the Chongzhen Emperor finally chose to hang himself and martyr the country by death. Subsequently, his subordinate Wang Chengen also committed suicide with him, becoming the last victim of the dynasty.
After Li Zicheng occupied the Daming Imperial Palace, he waited until the exact news of the Chongzhen Emperor's death before ordering the Chongzhen Emperor's body to be placed in a coffin so that he could be buried alive.
Some officials of Daming chose to commit suicide after hearing the news that the Chongzhen Emperor had been martyred by death.
As soon as the Chongzhen Emperor died, it meant the fall of Daming. However, Li Zicheng did not have the last laugh, and it didn't take long to be defeated by the Qing soldiers. With the establishment of the Manchurian Empire, history began a new round of reshuffling.
Even if the Chongzhen Emperor was gifted, he could not save a devastated Daming, which was the result of fate and history.
Portrait of Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youzhen