After the death of Emperor Yuwenyong of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the 13-year-old crown prince Yuwenyun couldn't wait to ascend the throne, not only violating the royal rules, but also celebrating on the 10th day after the burial of his father, which shocked the government and the public. What's even more fashionable is that Yu Wenyun forcibly violated his father's favorite concubine. This kind of rebellious behavior is undoubtedly a great disrespect to his father, and he has completely lost his prestige as the king of a country. However, Yu Wenyun's insolence and incompetence paved the way for Yang Jian, the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty, and eventually created a generation of Ming monarchs. Yu Wenyun's life is suffocating, what will be his end? What enlightenment will this history bring us?
Yu Wenyun's past and present life
Emperor Yuwen Yong of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was a rare and valuable Ming monarch, he governed the country diligently and cherished the people, which made the Northern Zhou Dynasty strong and prosperous, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. However, Yu Wenyong was too strict with the education of his children, and this approach eventually led to a big mistake.
Yu Wenyun was born in the fourth year of Jiande in the Northern Zhou Dynasty and is Yu Wenyong's favorite son. Since he was a child, Yu Wenyun has been highly expected by Yu Wenyong, and he hopes that his son can become a virtuous and promising crown prince. For this reason, Yuwen Yong invited the best teachers in the court for Yu Wenyun, from the subset of classics and history to the martial arts riding and archery, all of which required Yu Wenyun to learn and be proficient.
Yu Wenyun has shown extraordinary talent since he was a child, whether it is reading or practicing martial arts, he is far superior to his peers. However, Yu Wenyong's requirements for his son are getting higher and higher, and he has to personally supervise Yu Wenyun's learning every day, and severely reprimand him for the slightest omission. Although Yu Wenyun is docile and obedient on the surface, he has long been disgusted by his father's strictness in his heart.
In this way, under Yu Wenyong's high-pressure discipline, Yu Wenyun gradually became gloomy and introverted, and his personality became more and more distorted. He began to indulge in wine, seeking a moment of indulgence to vent his inner frustration. Once, when Yu Wenyun was even drunk, Xiao Xiang's heart was moved by his father's favorite concubine, and he was bumped into by Yu Wenyong on the spot. Yu Wenyong was furious, scolded Yu Wenyun fiercely, and gave the concubine to death as an example.
This incident intensified Yu Wenyun's disgust with his father. He began to secretly hope for his father's death as soon as possible, so that he could succeed to the throne as soon as possible and get rid of his father's discipline. Finally, when Yu Wenyun was 13 years old, Yu Wenyong died of illness. As the crown prince, Yu Wenyun should keep filial piety for three years and live a poor and simple life. However, Yu Wenyun simply ignored this rule, and the day after his father's burial, he couldn't wait to ascend the throne as emperor, and celebrated it on the tenth day, shocking the government and the public.
Yu Wenyun's absurd actions after ascending the throne
Yu Wenyun's various actions after ascending the throne shocked the government and the opposition, and he completely lost the prestige and ethics that a king of a country should have.
First of all, Yu Wenyun put on a big battle the day after he ascended the throne, violating the royal rules. According to tradition, the new emperor should keep filial piety for three years after succeeding to the throne and live a poor and simple life as a sign of mourning. However, Yu Wenyun ignored this rule at all, and on the tenth day after his father's burial, he celebrated his accession to the throne, and the scene was extremely extravagant and wasteful.
What is even more despicable is that shortly after ascending the throne, Yu Wenyun issued a ridiculous order, requiring all civil and military ministers in the court to marry their daughters to him. This is undoubtedly an insult to the ministers, and it is also a complete violation of etiquette. Although the ministers at that time were angry, they could only force it, because Yu Wenyun was the current emperor after all.
Yu Wenyun's fanaticism for beauty is even more outrageous. He not only accepted hundreds of beautiful concubines in the palace, but also selected stunning folk beauties to enter the palace. Once, on the way to his travels, he took a fancy to a peasant girl and brought her back to the palace to serve on the spot. This kind of extravagant behavior completely loses the integrity of the king of a country.
The most intolerable thing is Yu Wenyun's treatment of the queen. The mainland has practiced monogamy since ancient times, and although the emperor can take concubines, he can only have one wife, that is, the queen. However, Yu Wenyun destroyed this tradition, and he sealed five queens in one go, namely Yang Lihua, Empress Tianyuan, Zhu Manyue, Empress Tianyuan, Chen Yueyi, Empress Tianzuo, Wei Chi Chifan, and Empress Yuan Leshang.
This kind of behavior is undoubtedly a complete contempt for the royal etiquette, and it also makes Yu Wenyun's reputation in the government and the opposition plummet. Although the ministers at that time were helpless, their dissatisfaction with Yu Wenyun in their hearts had reached the extreme. Some ministers even began to plot secretly to depose the mediocre emperor.
Yu Wenyun's alcoholism and indulgence in life
After ascending the throne, Yu Wenyun completely put aside the ethics and responsibilities that a king of a country should have, and immersed himself in wine all day long, and was extravagant.
Yu Wenyun has had an unusual fanaticism for beauty since he was a child, and he has been unrestrained after ascending the throne. He recruited beauties in the palace, and there were hundreds of beauties in the harem. Once, Yu Wenyun took a fancy to an ordinary peasant girl on the way to the trip, and took her back to the palace to serve on the spot. This kind of extravagant behavior shocked the government and the public.
In addition to coveting beauty, Yu Wenyun also has an inextricable obsession with wine. He often drank heavily all day long, and even became debauched after drinking, and even used his hands and feet on the palace maids. Once, when Yu Wenyun was drunk, he actually moved Xiao Xiang's heart to his father's favorite concubine, and was bumped into by Yu Wenyong on the spot and scolded him fiercely.
Indulging in a wine-colored life, Yu Wenyun's body soon deteriorated greatly. His originally heroic and upright figure became rickety and short, and his originally red face became yellow and swollen. What's more, because of excessive indulgence, Yu Wenyun actually suffered from a strange disease, with ulcers all over his body and bruises all over his body.
However, even so, Yu Wenyun did not have the slightest intention of restraint, and was still immersed in the wine pond meat forest all day long. Once, even after he was drunk, he became lustful towards his biological mother, which was witnessed by the eunuchs, causing a great commotion.
Yu Wenyun is greedy for pleasure all day long, and has no mental politics at all, and all the government affairs of the country are forgotten by him. At that time, the Northern Zhou Dynasty was in a very critical period, with strong enemies outside and people displaced. However, Yu Wenyun completely ignored this, only immersed in the wine, and let the country fall into chaos.
Although the ministers of the DPRK and China were extremely angry at Yu Wenyun's extravagance, they were helpless. Because Yu Wenyun is the lord of the present day after all, they can only slander Yu Wenyun in secret and secretly plot to depose this mediocre emperor.
The fall of Yu Wenyun and the rise of Yang Jian
Yu Wenyun's extravagant life finally ushered in a sad end when he was 21 years old. Due to long-term alcoholism and indulgence, his body has long been hollowed out, and finally died after a binge drinking.
Yu Wenyun's death is undoubtedly the end that a mediocre emperor deserves. However, his life also left a good story for future generations.
During the reign of Yu Wenyun, although the ministers of the DPRK and China hated him very much, they were helpless. It wasn't until after his death that one person began to dominate the government - his father-in-law, Pu Liurujian. Pu Liurujian was originally the father of one of Yu Wenyun's favorite concubines, and he had been entrusted with important responsibilities before Yu Wenyun's death.
After Yu Wenyun's death, Pu Liurujian firmly controlled the power of the court. He first cremated Yu Wenyun's body, completely cutting off the bloodline of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Then, he staged another coup d'état, seized the rivers and mountains of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and established the Sui Dynasty.
In order to demonstrate his authority, Pu Liurujian changed his surname from "Pu" to "Yang", and called himself "Emperor Wen". From then on, he was Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui, praised by later generations.
As soon as Yang Jian came to power, he began to reform the political system of the central and local governments, strengthen the centralization of power, and implement a series of policies such as the equalization of land system, so that the social order was quickly restored to stability. Under his rule, the Sui dynasty soon embarked on the road to prosperity.
Interestingly, it is precisely because of Yu Wenyun's mediocrity that conditions were created for the rise of Yang Jian, the first emperor of the ages. If it weren't for Yu Wenyun's extravagance and loss of popular support, it would have been difficult for Pu Liurujian to launch a coup d'état to seize the country.
It can be said that although Yu Wenyun's behavior in his life is despicable, his existence has made another wise and martial monarch. This is the irony and irony of history.
As mentioned earlier, in turbulent times, the fall of one faint monarch often leads to the rise of another bright monarch. The story of Yu Wenyun and Yang Jian is the best footnote to this law.