Zhao Chun, the third emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, left a unique mark on history by refusing to attend his father's funeral.
Zhao Chun is the third son of Emperor Xiaozong, and it was not his turn to be the emperor, however, maybe Zhao Chun was born to be the emperor, no one thought that Zhao Chun actually died of illness at a young age, and Zhao Chun's second brother had a weak personality and was difficult to take on this big responsibility, so Emperor Xiaozong directly crossed him and made Zhao Chun the crown prince.
When Zhao Chun was made crown prince, it was believed that he would become a promising monarch who would lead the Southern Song Dynasty to new glory. However, the road of life is always full of twists and turns.
Zhao Chun's road to the prince was not all smooth sailing. He ascended to the throne of the crown prince at the age of 25, but at that time he did not immediately seize power. Emperor Xiaozong hoped that he would first show his talent and ability before considering passing on the throne to him. Although Zhao Chun was anxious, he also had to suppress his desires and live an ordinary life on the surface.
However, after all, the status of the crown prince has made him a thorn in the side of some people. Zhao Chun lived on thin ice in the shadow of Emperor Xiaozong, he was afraid of being framed by others, and he was afraid of being charged with plotting to usurp the throne. His heart was filled with fear and uneasiness, and every day was very tormented.
As time passed, Zhao Chun's inner dissatisfaction gradually accumulated. He saw that Emperor Xiaozong's body was still strong, and he felt very anxious about the plan to abdicate after delaying it again and again. Finally, once, at the age of 43, in front of Emperor Xiaozong, he jokingly expressed his heart:
"Erchen's beard has begun to turn white, someone sent me medicine to dye his beard a few days ago, but Erchen didn't dare to use it."
This sentence made Emperor Xiaozong instantly understand his thoughts. Emperor Xiaozong mocked him dissatisfied, saying:
"I want to show the old minister to the world, why do you do this?"
This scene undoubtedly revealed Zhao Chun's deep helplessness and dissatisfaction.
However, fate always seems to favor Zhao Chun. By chance, Emperor Xiaozong's adoptive father died. This made Emperor Xiaozong deeply distressed, and he decided to hand over the affairs of the court to Zhao Chun, and he himself had to keep filial piety for three years. This undoubtedly gave Zhao Chun a chance to show his talent. However, Zhao Chun's wife, Li Fengniang, is not a peaceful person. She did a lot of things to hurt the feelings between their father and son in order to seize power.
One day, Zhao Chun came out of the way, and he finally ascended to the throne, known as Song Guangzong in history. However, his queen Li Fengniang was not satisfied with this. She once tried to get Emperor Xiaozong to appoint her son as the crown prince, but Xiaozong refused. This made Li Fengniang resentful of Xiaozong.
Before Emperor Xiaozong was about to die, he hoped to see Guangzong and Empress Li for the last time. However, Guangzong did not go to visit him due to Empress Li's obstruction. Many ministers wrote letters asking Guangzong to go to see Xiaozong, but Guangzong ignored them.
In the end, on the day of Xiaozong's funeral, neither Guangzong nor Empress Li appeared. The incident caused a national uproar. People were disappointed and angry at Zhao Chun's cowardice and indiscriminateness.
This incident caused discontent among the ministers. Zhao Ruyu, Zhao Yanyu, Han Yanxuan, Ye Shi, Xu Yi, Guo Gao and others, with the consent of the Empress Dowager Longci, forced Guangzong to abdicate to his son Jiawang Zhao Kuo. Guangzong and Empress Li became Emperor Taishang and Empress Taishang, and this event became known as Shaoxi Neizen.
After Guangzong abdicated, he was depressed and his condition worsened. Empress Li is unusual, and often uses wine to relieve Guangzong's heart knots. She also forbade her chamberlains and court maids to mention words such as "Shanghuang" and "Neizen" in front of Guangzong.
Zhao Chun's fate is lamentable, but it also reminds us that power, status and desire are important, but more important is to stick to morality and family affection. Only in this way can we go further, higher and stronger on the road of life.