Preface
Who is the true master of this world? Is it the emperor who rules over thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, or is it the son of the clan who is trapped in a deep palace with high walls? Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "under the whole world, it is not the king's land."
The shore of the land is not the king's minister", this may be the obsession of the ruler of every dynasty. However, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the contradictions and dilemmas of imperial power gradually emerged behind this obsession. Between power and affection, how should they choose?
Ming system: The emperor who is trapped in power
During the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was uneasy. He was originally just an ordinary peasant child, but he gradually rose in the war years, pacified the world, and dominated the country. But because of this, he is always vigilant that someone will rebel outside like himself. So he set up a system of "foreign vassals do not enter Beijing", and many heirs were divided into foreign seals, and they were not allowed to enter Beijing without authorization.
Among them, Zhu Yuanzhang's most beloved eldest son Zhu Biao has died early. Now the fourth brother Zhu Di is quite favored by him, so he was named the king of Yan and guarded the northern frontier. Zhu Di is brave and talented, and he is deeply favored by Zhu Yuanzhang. However, Zhu Yuanzhang was also deeply jealous because of Zhu Di's outstanding talent. He believes that if Zhu Di succeeds, he will definitely seek to seize the throne. This thought is difficult to suppress from the beginning of a lifetime.
Zhu Yuanzhang was always vigilant and watched Zhu Di's every move, for fear that he would have a different heart in the capital. Seeing Zhu Di's reluctance to leave Beijing, Zhu Yuanzhang had a loud alarm in his heart, and he couldn't sleep for days. He was afraid that Zhu Di would form a party in the capital for personal gain, and secretly plotted against him. Finally one day, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't bear it anymore, ordered someone to bring a red orange, and said to Zhu Di: "Your fourth brother, like this bright red orange, is mouth-watering, I am afraid that if you don't return to the fiefdom, you will be peeled by me like peeling an orange!" Zhu Di was so frightened that he hurriedly set off north to pacify the frontier.
At first, Zhu Yuanzhang was still nervous, fearing that Zhu Di would lead the troops to change. But soon, the mastery of the situation in the north made him relax a little. At this time, he was old and decrepit, and it is unknown when he will die. The eldest son died early, and all the children of the clan guarded the foreign domains, but now who can guard the world and see the moon for this world? In the face of the powerful imperial power, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but feel regret in his heart. He lamented the irreconcilable dilemma of power.
Eventually, after he sailed west, the storm for the throne befell as he expected. After his grandson Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he was attacked by his uncle Zhu Di, and his whereabouts were finally unknown. Zhu Di seized the throne in this bloody storm of brother and brother, creating a prosperous era of "Yongle". However, during this period, how many children of the clan who were fratricidal and whose families were ruined became victims of this political struggle?
Zhu Yuanzhang was wise and martial, but after all, he could not escape the dilemma of power and emotion, and when he died, he must have mixed feelings in his heart and it was difficult for him. He regrets and blames himself for the difficult choices he made in his life. Or at the last moment, I finally got relief. In the long river of history, all his mental journeys have passed with time and are difficult to find.
Qing system: The children of the clan who are trapped in the imperial power
After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty took its place. However, having learned the profound lesson of the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing rulers switched to the system of "the clan is not allowed to leave Beijing". All the princes and brothers were left in Beijing, and once someone left Beijing, it was regarded as a rebellion. Under this system, the Qing Dynasty's imperial power was much more stable than that of the previous dynasties. However, behind the imperial power, there is another dilemma.
At the beginning of Kangxi's accession to the throne, he was only seven years old. He was diligent in his studies, but who would have thought that he would inadvertently cause a bloody storm of brothers whose foundation of the dynasty was shaken. Kangxi accidentally asked in the study, "Who is the fifteenth son of the emperor", this unintentional remark immediately angered the emperor brothers. They believed that what Kangxi was referring to must be the intention of competing for the throne. Kangxi didn't expect that this unintentional question would actually tear open the taboo window. The brothers suddenly turned their faces, and the battles of life and death rose one after another.
At first, the young Kangxi did not see the essence of this turmoil. He only childishly thought that his brothers were only jealous of his diligence and wisdom. Unexpectedly, this battle became more and more fierce, and Kangxi gradually understood that the temptation of the throne was far beyond the scope of his young mind could understand. He hated these brothers for wanting to kill him even though they knew he was young, and he also blamed himself for being young and ignorant, and he turned his words into prophecies and set himself on fire.
In the end, with the help of his grandfather and ministers, Kangxi escaped. However, the bloody political struggle above the court made him see the sinister hearts of the people. He sadly discovers that in the face of the temptation of power, even flesh and blood relatives kill each other. This realization gave his young heart a taste of sorrow for the first time.
After this turmoil subsided, Kangxi began to reflect. Maybe the grandfather's practice of confining the children of the clan is smart and can effectively stabilize the imperial power, but it is too unkind for the children of the clan to be imprisoned in the deep palace all day long. Those who are young and vigorous will often think about Lingyun and aim in all directions, but they can only be forgotten by the world among the high walls of this deep palace. Although Kangxi is a king, he also understands that this kind of treatment is really cruel. The decision forced to be made because of the stability of the imperial power made Kangxi feel a ray of sorrow that could never be soothed.
However, Kangxi understood that he, like these clan children, was also in the same thorny predicament of the imperial power. For the sake of the continuation of this society, he has no choice but to let this cruel system continue. So day after day, year after year, this helpless choice has become a lingering sadness in the bones of every emperor.
The systems of the Ming and Qing dynasties may have been brilliant in the face of imperial power, but behind them there were also irreconcilable dilemmas. Rulers can choose between power and affection, but history will not forget what was discarded. We should not be harsh on history, because they were doing their best to find a solution due to the limitations of their time. Just as today, when people look back on these choices, they will not be able to fully understand the difficulties because of the limitations of the times.
epilogue
Time has passed, and people today can no longer fully understand the plight of their ancestors. But I am gradually learning to be tolerant and understanding. Because we understand that history is like a mirror, reflecting the mixed side of human nature. It does not look forward to the fingers of future generations, but hopes that we can slowly heal those irreconcilable regrets. These regrets may not be fully filled, but we can choose to be tolerant.
Perhaps this is the charm of history. In its own unique way, it melts the prejudices in our hearts bit by bit, until we can truly tolerate them and accept them. Throughout history, no one has always been perfect. Just like those monarchs of the Ming and Qing dynasties, they also struggled and made choices in the dilemma of imperial power and human nature. When future generations recall their wrong or compromised choices, they can no longer accurately understand the ideological dilemma of the time, and can only choose to understand and tolerate.
This is what history tells future generations. On the long road of life, each of us will face various choices. In the face of these choices, tolerance is the key to unlocking the heart. This tolerance comes from understanding, and it comes from our heart's desire for this imperfect world.