The history that most Chinese know is that the last emperor of China was Aisin Gioro Puyi, also known as Emperor Xuantong. Because Pu Yi has no heirs, most people think that Pu Yi has no successor.
In fact, this is not the case in real history. If you are interested, you can take a look at this "Documentary of the Establishment of the Last Emperor", in which the protagonist tells the story of Pu Yi's selection of the heir (successor) very clearly.
The last emperor is a documentary of the heir, and the protagonist recalls the entire historical process from a first-person perspective
In this historical event, the protagonist's name is Aixin Jueluo Yu Zhe, the last word may not be familiar to everyone, read: rock, which means also rock.
Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe was born in 1918, when the Qing Empire no longer existed, so his family life was in trouble, he was born in a small house in the corner of the original palace garden, and there was no happy life of "royal nobles" at all.
Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe character "巖Rui", nickname "Xiao Ruizi", his great-grandfather was the fifth son of Emperor Daoguang. Since Prince Miankai had no heir, Yi Cheng was succeeded to Miankai and was able to inherit the title. But the Yu Zhe family has always been very unfortunate, because Yu Zhe's grandfather Zaili connived at the Boxers to set up an altar in the Tsinghua Garden, was dismissed by the Empress Dowager Cixi, and "thought about it behind closed doors" at home, his life as a branch of the clan took a sharp turn for the worse, and when Yu Zhe's father Pu Yan died, he only had an official position and no longer had a title.
Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe in old age
Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe's life was very difficult when he was a child, his mother died early and his father left them when he was very young, so he relied on the help of his clan to survive.
It wasn't until Pu Yi later came to the puppet Manchukuo and became the so-called "Emperor Kant" that Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe came to Pu Yi's side with some other Pu Yi's sons and nephews, called learning, in fact, to serve this "Emperor His Majesty", endure Pu Yi's moody temper, and endure endless bullying by the Japanese.
Then in 1945, the Japanese were completely defeated, Pu Yi was intercepted by the Soviet army at Shenyang Dongta Airport, and Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe was also sent to the Soviet Union by a plane because he was Pu Yi's close attendant.
Pu Yi was intercepted by Soviet troops at Shenyang Dongta Airport
During the period of detention in the Soviet Union, because Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe took good care of Pu Yi, Pu Yi was recognized as a model of loyal protector of the Lord, and because there were really no trustworthy relatives around him, I don't know if it was out of fear of being killed, or felt that there was still hope for the "restoration of the country" in the Qing Dynasty, one evening in June 1950, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else in the house, Pu Yi secretly told Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe that he had decided to establish Yuzhe as the heir to the throne.
Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe in his youth
Yu Zhe herself also knew that this was not just a "blank check"? But in any case, she still had to thank the "emperor's grace", and she was really excited for a long time. And this matter is really a big event in the Aixin Jueluo family, and many people around Pu Yi know about it, and they all take good care of Yu Zhe.
Pu Yi during his time in the USSR
And then everyone knows, Pu Yi and Aixin Jueluo Yu Zhe were transferred back to China from the Soviet Union and imprisoned in the Fushun War Criminals Management Center, after which Yu Zhe was first released, returned to Beijing, and worked at the Paradise River Farm, Pu Yi was later released back to Beijing, went to work in the Beijing Botanical Garden, and then Pu Yi got married. Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe did not get along well with Pu Yi's remarried wife Li Shuxian, and even moved around with Pu Yi not so closely until Pu Yi's death in 1967.
Although Pu Yi has no children under his knees (it is said that he was overindulged in his youth), he is very fond of children in old age, including the two children of Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe, Pu Yi is very happy with the children every time, and the children also like this old grandfather who often gives them food and toys.
Let's go back to Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe, during the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Yuzhe, who had worked hard all his life, was sent to Shanxi to work as a coolie. After returning to Beijing after his release in 1979, he could only find a job sweeping the streets. Yu Zhe's literary level is very high, and his calligraphy attainments are at the peak, but he is pitiful for such a versatile person, but he has suffered a lot of unfair treatment.
Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe's calligraphy work "Flowers and Full Moon"
In 1999, the 81-year-old calligrapher Aixin Jueluo Yuzhe died of illness in Beijing, and before his death, he did not continue to designate the "heir of the Qing Dynasty".
(Part of the content of this article is referred to from "The Record of the Last Emperor's Succession")