Preface:
Only four emperors of the Western Han Dynasty received the temple title, so many monarchs with outstanding achievements were denied this honor. Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, but did not get the temple number, is really puzzling. Wang Mang once gave the emperor a number of temples in batches, but he also died without a problem. The story of the Western Han Temple is full of twists and turns.
1. Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty: The charm of the pioneer
In 206 BC, Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu at Qixia and established the Han Dynasty as the ancestor of the Han Dynasty. He died after only 4 years of reign, and was succeeded by his son Liu Ying as Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty.
After Emperor Hui succeeded to the throne, Empress Lu was in charge and killed dissidents. It was not until 180 BC that Emperor Wen Liu Heng raised an army to exterminate the Lu clan and regain power.
A few years later, Emperor Jing Liu Qi succeeded to the throne. He believed that Gaozu Liu Bang had made outstanding achievements in founding the country, and he should be posthumously honored with the temple name to highlight the orthodox inheritance of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the government and the opposition also revered Emperor Jing's grandfather.
So Emperor Jing issued an edict: "My ancestors have made great achievements and created my Han River." Jinte posthumously honored as 'Emperor Taizu Gao of the Han Dynasty' to show his immortality. ”
At that time, the ritual law stipulated that only the descendants of the orthodox descendants were eligible to honor the temple name for their ancestors. Emperor Jing's move is tantamount to declaring the orthodox inheritance of Liu Bang to Liu Heng and Liu Qi.
Since then, the temple name of Taizu has become the special name of the founding emperors of previous dynasties, representing the charm of the founder. And Gaozu Liu Bang became the first emperor to receive this honor with his majestic achievements.
Liu Bang did not pursue the temple number before his death, which is also quite emotional. He founded the country, but due to the short reign of the people, he was unable to establish the temple name in person. Fortunately, Emperor Jing posthumously honored him after succeeding to the throne, so that Liu Bang's exploits will last forever.
The confirmation of the Taizu Temple also settled the suspicion of the orthodox inheritance of the Han Dynasty. At the beginning of Liu Bang's founding of the country, the credit is indisputable. Posthumously honoring the temple number is not only in line with the needs of orthodoxy, but also a reward and praise for the founding father.
Liu Bang created my Han Jiangshan and made outstanding contributions. The acquisition of the Taizu Temple made his great cause shine and immortal. As the first temple owner, Taizu's position is irreplaceable.
2. Emperor Taizong Wen of the Han Dynasty: Scapegoat
Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty Liu Heng destroyed the Lü clan and regained power. He selected outstanding auxiliary ministers such as Zhang Yu and Chen Ping, making the Han Dynasty increasingly powerful. After his death, his son Liu Qi succeeded him as Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty.
At the beginning of Emperor Jing's ascension to the throne, the ambitious prime minister Zhang Han rebelled and was killed by Gong Sui. Emperor Jing took the opportunity to purge the court and consolidate the imperial power.
Two years later, Emperor Jing thought that his father Emperor Wen should be posthumously honored with the temple number to highlight Emperor Jing's own legitimate inheritance status. Public opinion at the time also supported this decision.
So Emperor Jing issued an edict: "Emperor Kaowen inherited the cause of Taizu and won the hearts of the people. Jinte posthumously honored as 'Emperor Taizong Wen of the Han Dynasty' to show the orthodoxy of our Han Dynasty. ”
Although Emperor Wen nominally "usurped the throne", he pacified the dictatorship of the Lu family and stabilized the Han dynasty, and his great achievements are beyond reproach. Posthumously honoring the temple number of Taizong not only meets the needs of orthodox inheritance, but also somewhat rehabilitates Emperor Wen.
Since then, Taizong's temple name as the second emperor's gift has also been established. And Emperor Wen became the second temple owner of the Western Han Dynasty with his "conscientious" style of governing the country.
Emperor Wen's rebellion against the Lu clan consolidated the foundation of the Han Dynasty, inherited the achievements of Taizu, and established the tone of the long-term stability of the Han Dynasty. Posthumously respecting the number of Taizong Temple, it also has the significance of rehabilitating Zhaoxue to Emperor Wen himself.
Emperor Wen did not receive the temple number during his lifetime, and after his death, he has always had the notoriety of "killing the king and seizing the throne". Emperor Jing's posthumous temple name not only met the orthodox needs, but also washed away the notoriety of Emperor Wen as a "usurper".
Emperor Wen took over the mantle of Taizu to govern the country and stabilize the foundation of the Han dynasty. The confirmation of the Taizong Temple is the highest praise for his hard work. Emperor Wen also took this opportunity to get rid of the shadow of killing the monarch and his reputation was shocked.
3. Emperor Zongwu of the Han Dynasty: The Evening Festival of the King of Shenwu
In 141 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty died. His son, Emperor Zhao, Liu Fuling, succeeded to the throne.
Twenty years later, Emperor Xuan Liu Xun ascended the throne. He believed that as the greatest emperor since the founding of the country, his grandfather, Emperor Wu of Han, should be posthumously honored. At that time, the government and the opposition also respected Emperor Wu's achievements.
However, Emperor Wu lost power in his later years, causing the disaster of witches. For a time, public opinion was mixed. After careful consideration, Emperor Xuan still issued an edict:
"My ancestors are wise and brilliant, and their achievements are outstanding. Today, he is posthumously honored as 'Emperor Zongwu of the Han Dynasty', and Shangqiu is sacrificed forever. ”
Emperor Wu expanded his territory, and his achievements are undeniable. Despite the loss of government in his later years, it is still reasonable to pursue the temple number. Sejong's special title as the third emperor was thus established.
Although Emperor Wu is not guaranteed in the late season, his eloquence and strategy to create a prosperous era have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. As the king of divine martial arts, he undoubtedly became the third temple master of the Western Han Dynasty.
Emperor Wu made great achievements in his life, and his achievements in opening up the territory and expanding the territory were in a generation. Martial arts and civil rule are equally important, and they are quite wise in the early days. Although the mistakes in his later years caused trouble, the overall merit is still beyond reproach.
The posthumous reverence of the temple number of Shizong not only meets the orthodox needs of Emperor Xuan, but also makes the great meritorious Emperor Shangqiu be enshrined forever and retain the hearts of the people for a long time. Emperor Wu has repeatedly performed miraculous feats, and Sejong's reputation is well deserved.
Emperor Wu was wise and always deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Although he lost power and caused trouble in his later years, it was difficult to hide his eloquence in both civil and military affairs. The title of Sejong is a true portrayal of the most outstanding emperor of the Han Dynasty.
4. Emperor Wenxuan of Hanzhong: A victim of the Orthodox Controversy
When Wang Mang was in power, in order to please his mother Wang Zhengjun, he posthumously honored her two husbands: Emperor Yuan of Han and Emperor Cheng of Han. He also gave the 14-year-old Emperor Hanping a temple number to quell the rumors that he was poisoned.
At that time, public opinion generally believed that these emperors were not worthy of the temple number. Only Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty governed the country in a good way, benevolent and loved the people, and was worthy of building a temple.
Wang Mang took into account the overall situation, and also posthumously honored Emperor Xuan. However, soon after, Wang Mang usurped the throne and built a new one, and all the temple names he worshipped were deposed.
In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in order to show orthodoxy, Emperor Guangwu re-honored Emperor Xuan.
Emperor Xuan finally gained the title of Zhongzong and became the fourth and last temple master in the Western Han Dynasty. But he also tasted the taste of abolition because of the dispute over orthodoxy.
Emperor Xuan won the hearts of the people, benevolent and loved the people, and deservedly won the title of Zhongzong. But his temple name has been deposed and re-established many times, and he is a victim of orthodoxy.
First of all, Wang Mang posthumously honored his temple number, and later deposed as the abolished emperor; In the early days of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it did not recognize its temple number. It wasn't until 30 years later that Zhongzong was re-honored.
The repeated abolition of the Zhongzong Temple reflects the alternation of orthodoxy between the current dynasty and the previous dynasty. Every time there was a change of regime, the new orthodoxy had to re-evaluate the previous monarch, and Emperor Xuan was repeatedly rejected.
Fortunately, his achievements are obvious to all, and he finally won the honor of Zhongzong. However, the abolition and tossing brought about by orthodox recognition has also become Emperor Xuan's helpless life experience.
5. The mystery of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty: embattled and uncared for
Compared with other emperors who did not have the temple number, Emperor Jing of Han had a special regret. He rarely has extraordinary wisdom and continues the rule of Wenjing, but he has never been able to get the temple number.
At the beginning of Emperor Jing's ascension to the throne, he considered catching up with his father Emperor Hui. But thinking that Emperor Hui's reign was short, he gave up.
He later built temples for Taizu and Emperor Wen, but it was only out of orthodox needs, and he did not think of fighting for the temple number for himself.
In the future, Emperor Wu and Emperor Xuan pursued the temple number, but they only considered their own orthodoxy, and did not put Emperor Jing on the agenda.
In this way, Emperor Jing, who had brilliant achievements, was abandoned by every dispute over orthodoxy. Embattled, no one cares.
Emperor Jing continued the rule of Wenjing, bringing the Han Dynasty to its peak. But he successively honored the temple number of the two first emperors, all to show orthodoxy, and never considered himself.
The successors pursued the temple number, but also focused on the needs of orthodoxy, completely ignoring the merits of Emperor Jing. In this way, the benevolent Emperor Jing became the biggest regret.
Emperor Jing built a temple for the two first emperors, and would never have thought that he would lose the temple number in the future due to the lack of orthodox needs. His selfless, philanthropic personality was forgotten by later generations.
Sixth, an edict between the rise and fall: regret in the temple is a foregone conclusion
The small number of temples in the Western Han Dynasty stems from the needs of "orthodoxy". The temple numbers of Taizu and Emperor Wen are out of the consideration of Emperor Jing; The temple numbers of Emperor Wu and Emperor Xuan are orthodox for their descendants.
Emperor Jing, who has outstanding achievements but no one initiates it, has become the biggest regret. Wang Mang's batch pursuit of respect ended without a problem, and it has also become a "passing cloud" in history.
The rise and fall are all in one edict. Although there are few temples in the Western Han Dynasty, there are traces of the reasons for each posthumous respect.
Epilogue:
The number of temples in the Western Han Dynasty is very small, full of stories and dumping. Emperor Taizu Gao's founding achievements; Emperor Taizongwen ruled the country wisely; Emperor Sejong Wu was eloquent; The dispute over the orthodoxy of Emperor Wenxuan of Zhongzong. Only Emperor Jing is bright and virtuous, and no one cares about him. Between rise and fall, it's all in one edict. The inside story of the Western Han Temple is vivid.