In the turbulent years of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Zhu Quanzhong, a small man who started in the Huangchao Uprising, finally laid down a territory and became the founding emperor of the Later Liang Dynasty. In the later years of his reign, due to his lust for adultery, he not only indulged in the minister's wife, but even his own daughter-in-law. This kind of extravagant behavior not only tarnished the royal majesty, but also exacerbated the contradictions and antagonism within the royal family. Zhu Quanzhong originally hoped that the crown prince Zhu Youwen could inherit the throne, but in the end, because of his prostitution, his righteous son Zhu Youwen was tragically killed, and Zhu Quanzhong himself died for it. So, how did Zhu Quanzhong destroy a founding dynasty in one fell swoop? How did his adultery lead to tragedy? What kind of human weakness and cruelty of power struggle does the short dynastic history of Later Liang reflect? Let's find out.
1. Antecedents: Zhu Quanzhong ascended to the top of the emperor with his military exploits, and Zhu Youwen contributed a lot as a righteous son
At the end of the ninth century, the Central Plains was in turmoil. The young Zhu Quanzhong initially followed the peasant rebel army Huangchao to fight in Jianghuai, and made a lot of military achievements along the way. In 904 AD, after Huangchao was defeated by the Tang Dynasty army, Zhu Quanzhong took refuge in the Tang Dynasty.
With his outstanding strategy and martial bravery, Zhu Quanzhong soon rose to prominence in the Tang Dynasty and was awarded the command of the three towns and horse infantry troops. In the following ten years, he gradually seized the real power in Huainan and Shaanxi, and became the overlord of the Central Plains at that time.
In 907 AD, Tang Zhaozong was killed by his cronies, and his grandson Xizong was imprisoned by Zhu Youzhen, the court commander, shortly after he succeeded to the throne. Zhu Quanzhong took the opportunity to come to Luoyang, drove away Zhu Youzhen, and supported the young son of Xuzong as the puppet emperor "Emperor Mourning". Zhu Quanzhong then proclaimed himself the king of Bianliang, and his strength gradually increased, and he controlled Bianjing.
Soon, Zhu Quanzhong took advantage of Emperor Wai's lack of power in his childhood, forcibly forced the palace, forced Emperor Mourning to give in, and established himself as the founding emperor of Later Liang. Although Zhu Quanzhong started as a martial artist, he seized power in the Central Plains with his outstanding military and political talents.
In this process, Zhu Quanzhong's most powerful assistant was his adopted son Zhu Youwen. Zhu Youwen's original name was Kang Qin, his family changed when he was a child, and he was adopted by Zhu Quanzhong. Because of his outstanding intelligence, Zhu Youwen won Zhu Quanzhong's appreciation and became an important figure in the Zhu family second only to his son Zhu Youyu. In the process of Zhu Quanzhong's next territory, Zhu Youwen not only gave advice, but also took charge of the army's war rations, which made great contributions to the growth of Zhu's power. It can be said that without Zhu Youwen's assistance, it would be difficult for Zhu Quanzhong to establish the Later Liang Dynasty alone.
2. Adultery: Zhu Quanzhong became obscene in his later years, and violated his daughter-in-law beyond the rules
At the beginning of Zhu Quanzhong's seizure of the throne, he worked hard in political affairs and worked hard, but he was still able to barely maintain the integrity of the head of the family. But as the dynasty stabilized and power became more concentrated, Zhu Quanzhong's lust and lust were gradually exposed.
Especially after Zhu Quanzhong's original partner Zhang went west, the founding emperor seemed to have completely indulged his selfish desires. The beauty in the palace is as good as he is. Whether it is the minister's wife or his daughter-in-law, as long as Zhu Quanzhong likes it at first sight, he will immediately order someone to imprison them in the deep palace and use them as concubines.
One of the most outrageous is Zhu Quanzhong's extravagance of his own son Zhu Youqi's wife Zhang and his righteous son Zhu Youwen's wife Wang. The two daughters-in-law were pregnant and had outstanding appearances, so Zhu Quanzhong put them under house arrest around the dormitory, prostituting themselves during the day and indulging in greed.
In Luoyang City at that time, Zhu Quanzhong's rumors of promiscuity were all over the streets and alleys, and everyone was in danger. Some wealthy and wealthy families even hid their young daughters incognito in the countryside for fear of being poisoned. And those noblewomen and dignitaries who were coveted by Zhu Quanzhong did not dare to sleep at night, and some fled out of the country.
Zhu Quanzhong's lewd storm abuse has reached the point of reaching its peak. Even his own son Zhu Youqi felt deeply ashamed of himself, and planted a deep hatred in his heart.
Once, Zhu Quanzhong was flying with Zhang and Wang, and suddenly there was a military situation, saying that foreign troops had invaded the frontier. Zhu Quanzhong just sat up from the bed and said to his daughters-in-law: "I am having fun with you two tigresses, why are you so ruthlessly disturbed?" With that, he lazily lay down again, and continued to hold the lower body of the beast over the clouds.
From this small incident, it can be seen that Zhu Quanzhong's heroic spirit of daring to act and dominating the world in the past when he was in his prime has all disappeared. Power and lust bewitched his mind, and he became obscene and depraved, lascivious, indulged in alcohol all day long, and gradually lost interest in court politics and military affairs.
One day, Zhang knelt in front of Zhu Quanzhong while pregnant and cried: "Your Majesty, the little woman has not seen a horse for three years, please be merciful and let him go back to the palace for a while." When Zhu Quanzhong heard this, he just sneered and said to Zhang: "Doesn't he know the origin of me?" I'm having fun with you two beauties, and if he comes back, I'm afraid he'll be jealous. ＂
Judging from Zhu Quanzhong's words, he has completely left the shame of humanity behind. As the head of a nation, he should lead by example. But now, he's fallen to such a point. The dignity of the royal family had lost any meaning in his eyes.
3. Zhu Quanzhong's original match for the contradiction between Zhang's and his eldest daughter-in-law Wang
The prince Zhu Youqi thought that Zhu Youwen could be established as the crown prince, all because his wife served Zhu Quanzhong
The prince Zhu Youjun conspired to kill his father and usurp the throne and took the opportunity to get rid of Zhu Youwen
Zhu Quanzhong's promiscuity naturally aroused suspicion and contradictions between the concubines in the palace. One of the most violent conflicts occurred between Zhu Quanzhong's original partner Zhang and his eldest daughter-in-law Wang.
Zhang was originally Zhu Quanzhong's wife and had a respected status. But since the Wang family entered the palace, he has won Zhu Quanzhong's favor. Zhu Quanzhong even publicly declared that Wang was his most beloved daughter-in-law. Although the Zhang family is old, he is still beautiful. She watched her position gradually replaced by a junior, and she was very resentful.
Once, Zhang's resentment secretly found Zhu Youwen's wife, Wang, and said to her: "You and I, as a family, have been humiliated like this, which is really intolerable. If you and I can try to get rid of the old Zhu Quanzhong, wouldn't it be done once and for all? ＂
After hearing this, Wang seemed to be moved by Zhang's words. She is committed to the matter, and she does have the resentment of being humiliated by Zhu Quanzhong. It's just that she is afraid of Zhu Quanzhong's power and doesn't dare to act rashly. Seeing this, Zhang Shi guided again: "I heard that your husband Zhu Youwen will be made the crown prince and inherit the throne. Then you and I will be in control of the entire dynasty. ＂
Zhu Quanzhong has two sons, the eldest son Zhu Youqi and the adopted son Zhu Youwen. It stands to reason that Zhu Youqi should inherit the throne. But Zhu Quanzhong dotes on Zhu Youwen, and Zhu Youwen is indeed outstanding. In addition, Zhu Youzhong conspired to cause chaos and was alienated by Zhu Quanzhong, so Zhu Quanzhong tended to make Zhu Youwen the crown prince.
It is this that makes Zhu Youwen jealous and jealous. Zhu Youqi believes that Zhu Youwen can be favored by Zhu Quanzhong, all because his wife Wang serves Zhu Quanzhong in the dormitory and sings every night.
Once, when Zhu Youqi was drunk, he said something crazy to Zhang (his wife): "Do you know? The reason why the old man wanted to make Zhu Youwen the prince was entirely because his slut wife served the old man well every night. If it weren't for that, with his mere son, how could the old man be so fond of him? ＂
After hearing this, Zhang was disappointed by Zhu Youqi's narrow-mindedness and calculatingness. But she also figured out one thing: as long as she can get rid of Zhu Quanzhong with the help of Zhu Youqi's power, she will be able to control the entire dynasty in the future.
So Zhang turned to Zhu Youqi and said, "Then what countermeasures do you have?" If you can seize power in one fell swoop, you and I can unify the world, you are the emperor, and I will assist you in governing the government. Then you will be the ruler of the entire dynasty. ＂
Zhu Youqi was completely ignited by Zhang's words, he patted his chest and said: "Okay, let me get rid of the old thief first, and then get rid of the wild seed Zhu Youwen, I will definitely avenge this evil breath that cannot be seen for all generations for the clan!" ＂
In this way, Zhang and Zhu Youqi colluded together, plotted to kill Zhu Quanzhong, and took the opportunity to get rid of Zhu Youwen and steal Zhu Youwen's crown prince. As a result, the Later Liang Dynasty fell into unprecedented family infighting and chaos.
4. The cause of Zhu Youwen's death: Zhu Quanzhong decided to pass on Zhu Youwen instead of his own prince, causing Zhu Youwen to kill his father and kill Zhu Youwen
As he grew older, Zhu Quanzhong began to plan for the heir of the dynasty. It stands to reason that the eldest son, Zhu Youqi, should inherit the crown prince. However, Zhu Quanzhong has a lot of complaints about Zhu Youqi.
The reason is that Zhu Youqi is insidious and suspicious, mediocre and incompetent, and he has plotted rebellion and rebellion, and has been placed under house arrest by Zhu Quanzhong for many years. On the other hand, Zhu Youwen is cautious, brave and promising, and has always assisted himself, which can be said to be the outstanding merit of the Later Liang Dynasty. Based on these considerations, Zhu Quanzhong finally decided to pass on the crown prince to Zhu Youwen.
After Zhu Quanzhong made up his mind, he summoned hundreds of civil and military officials and personally announced the candidate for the heir to the crown prince. Although everyone also has some private opinions in their hearts, Zhu Quanzhong, as a generation of monarchs, has his own measure in words and deeds, and no one dares to disagree.
This matter naturally reached Zhu Youqi's ears. Zhu Youqi was furious when he heard the news, and resented Zhu Quan's loyalty to family affection, and actually ceded the position of the crown prince to an illegitimate son Zhu Youwen. He then found Zhang, who also resented Zhu Quanzhong, and the two discussed countermeasures.
Zhang reminded Zhu Youqi that Zhu Quanzhong is now obsessed with beauty, his behavior is becoming more and more perverse, and he has gradually become lax about the government. If he can take this opportunity to get rid of Zhu Quanzhong, Zhu Youqi can continue to renew the unification. Zhu Youqi thought so, so he instigated his henchmen to plot against the king.
Soon, Zhu Youqi coerced dozens of his henchmen, smashed Longque with a sharp blade, and prepared to assassinate Zhu Quanzhong. However, although Zhu Quanzhong is old, he has been on the battlefield for a long time, where can Zhu Youqi hurt these maggots? In the end, Zhu Quanzhong avoided the assassination under the protection of his personal guards.
However, this assassination made Zhu Quanzhong think hard. He can no longer regard Zhu Youqi as his own son. In the end, Zhu Quanzhong was ruthless and killed Zhu Youqi and his henchmen, eliminating future troubles.
However, Zhu Quanzhong did not stop there. He knew that Zhu Youqi's move would inevitably arouse the suspicion of the eunuchs and ministers. Now that Zhu Youqi has been killed, the position of the crown prince is still undecided, which will inevitably lead to a new round of party turmoil. In order to prevent this from happening, Zhu Quanzhong issued an edict to officially canonize Zhu Youwen as the crown prince, so as to eliminate worries.
On the eve of the implementation of this decision, Zhu Quanzhong was suddenly conspired against. Although Zhu Youqi has died, he has done enough for Zhu Youwen during his lifetime. He secretly instructed his henchmen to bury hidden weapons and poisons in the place where he passed through the palace, taking advantage of Zhu Quanzhong's departure from the palace to visit, in an attempt to assassinate Zhu Quanzhong.
Sure enough, after Zhu Quanzhong returned from this trip, he was wounded by a secret weapon almost immediately and died. However, on the eve of Zhu Quanzhong's death, he was suddenly heard that Zhu Youwen had been murdered by someone who had plotted to die.
Although Zhu Quanzhong is in his last years, he still thinks that Zhu Youwen can succeed him. Seeing that his greatest wish could not be realized, Zhu Quanzhong was very sad, and instructed his close ministers on his deathbed: "The most regrettable thing in my life is that I failed to let Youwen inherit the royal line. Now that I am gone, let those mediocre children and grandchildren fend for themselves...... ＂
Fifth, there is no successor: Zhu Quanzhong has no heirs who are qualified to be heirs, causing chaos in the government and the opposition
Before his death, Zhu Quanzhong was undoubtedly haunted by Zhu Youwen's death. Because this incident not only disrupted his plan for the heir to the crown prince, but also made Zhu Quanzhong see a cruel truth: his sons are all mediocre and incompetent, and no one can take on the responsibility of heir.
After Zhu Quanzhong's death, the Later Liang Dynasty immediately fell into unprecedented chaos. Because although Zhu Quanzhong made it clear that he wanted to make Zhu Youwen the crown prince before his death, but now that Zhu Youwen has been killed, the position of prince is naturally vacant.
It stands to reason that the eldest son, Zhu Youqi, should be the natural candidate for the next heir. However, Zhu Youqi had already been killed at this time, and the power struggle intensified. In addition to Zhu Youqi, Zhu Quanzhong has several other heirs, but all of them are incompetent and mediocre, and it is difficult for them to take on such a heavy responsibility.
In the power vacuum, the Later Liang dynasty soon fell apart. Some local princes and clans seized the opportunity to rebel and called on the local military and people to divide one side and be loyal to them. For a time, the world was in turmoil, the people were panicked, and the people were struggling to make a living.
The only ones who are still sober are probably some of the remnants of the previous dynasty. When they saw the dynasty fall apart like this, they were naturally deeply distressed. As a result, these elders secretly communicated with each other, preparing to elect a highly respected figure as the head of state, rectify the central government, and curb the spread of separatist forces in various places.
In the deliberations of the elders, two candidates were once widely considered: one was Zhu Quanzhong's important minister and eunuch magnate Li Yuanchang, and the other was Zhu Quanzhong's most favored daughter-in-law, Wang.
Li Yuanchang has always been proficient in government affairs, and if he becomes the new head of state, he may be able to revive centralized power. As Zhu Quanzhong's favorite daughter-in-law, if she comes forward to be the emperor, she may be able to maintain the legitimacy of the dynasty to a certain extent.
In the end, among the two, the elders favored the Wang family more. The reason is that Li Yuanchang is only a eunuch after all, and if he inherits the throne, he will definitely be strongly dissatisfied and opposed by other noble warlords. In contrast, although the Wang family is only a female dependent, she is also Zhu Quanzhong's descendant after all, and if she listens to the government, she may be more able to win the support of scholars and soldiers and civilians.
So, the remnants of the elders rushed up, came to the palace of the Wang family, and ordered the Wang family to ascend the throne. Educated since childhood, Wong knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So she reluctantly agreed.
Soon after, the Wang family officially ascended the throne and became the emperor, and the country name was "Ming", and the history was called "Ming Xizong". Ming Xizong, with the assistance of the elders, launched a series of political and military operations in an attempt to reunify the world.
However, the government and the opposition were very dissatisfied with the succession of Ming Xizong. Because Ming Xizong is only a female stream after all, and she is also Zhu Quanzhong's concubine, she lacks the qualifications for orthodox inheritance. As a result, the warlords in various places became more unscrupulous, and the unification of the Ming Dynasty was aborted.
Since then, China has been mired in a long period of war, and has been divided into dozens of countries and small regimes divided by warlords. The legitimacy of the dynasty also changed hands several times. It took more than 200 years for the world to reunite. This turbulent period was undoubtedly caused by Zhu Quanzhong's lack of children to inherit the royal throne.