When the title of Founding Emperor is mentioned, we naturally think of an emperor who is both civil and military.
However, on the stage of Chinese history, there is such an "exception" that makes people sigh - Sima Rui, the founding emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. From the day he ascended the throne, this emperor was elevated outside the government and power, and until the last moment he was still in the palace, at the mercy of a "puppet".
What is the fate of Sima Rui, the "arrogant" emperor?
The fall of the Western Jin Dynasty and the construction of the Eastern Jin Dynasty
Speaking of the origin of Emperor Sima Rui of the Jin Yuan Dynasty, we have to start with the corruption of the Western Jin Dynasty and the civil strife of the Eight Kings. At that time, the emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty, Emperor Hui of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Zhen, was an incompetent emperor with intellectual disabilities.
As a result, the power group of the old era, the Nanyang Seventh Division, the Yulin Army and some imperial relatives took the opportunity to fight against each other and staged a thrilling royal fight in the Western Jin Dynasty.
The Rebellion of the Eight Kings lasted for more than ten years, and in 311 AD, there was a sudden sound of horses' hooves. The Huns Liu Cong borrowed the rebellious army into the Central Plains and smashed the Yellow Dragon.
As a leader, Liu Cong was brave and fearless, but his subordinates were nothing more than a group of rude and brutal peasants who destroyed civilized cities.
Soon, there was smoke in Luoyang City. Innocent civilians are suffering and screams are getting louder. The princes and generals lost countless lives, and the Jin Huai Emperor Sima Ye died untimely in this catastrophe, and the Western Jin Dynasty collapsed, and the Central Plains was reduced to a Shura field full of holes for a while.
This is destined to be a difficult time, and there is a thin line between life and death. As a clan, Sima Rui was also difficult to survive this bloody storm. On the night of the Yongjia Change, under the persuasion of his friend Wang Dao, he hurriedly dragged his family with his family, left Luoyang overnight, and embarked on the difficult road to the south.
Along the way, they are thrilling everywhere. From time to time, the group had to hide from the Xiongnu, and sometimes they had to carry their families and wives to walk in the dark of night in the remote places of the dense forest to avoid being sacked. It wasn't until a few months later that they finally reached the relatively peaceful Jiangnan region.
The stains and pains of the Western Jin Dynasty soon spread in the south. The frustrated and scattered dignitaries of the imperial court also gathered in the Jiangdong area.
Among them, there is a veteran minister who is from a famous family and has seen many people in the world, and he is Sima Rui's best friend Wang Dao. Although Wang Dao and others suffered heavy losses in the turmoil, their expectations for the revival of the Jin Dynasty never disappeared. Under the collective efforts, they finally elected Sima Rui as the emperor to revive the "Jin Dynasty".
So, in 317 AD, surrounded by ministers, Sima Rui officially ascended the throne in Jiankang, opening a new curtain of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. As a founding emperor, Sima Rui was supposed to be an eagle, but this is not the case.
The contest between Wang Dao and Wang Dun
Sima Rui was able to sit on the throne of God with the strong support of Wang Dao and others. He is naturally grateful for this favored kindness.
So, at the beginning of his ascension to the throne, Wang Yi was appointed prime minister and led the court. And Wang Dun and others are in charge of the land and water, and the military power is under control.
Everything seems to be in good order. It's just that Sima Rui is not a traditional emperor who only promises. Although he came from a famous family, he was not accustomed to the rules of power in the current dynasty at one time. After experiencing the thrilling Yongjia Change, his heart was always filled with a sense of insecurity about power.
In order to ensure that his imperial power was not hollowed out, he secretly laid out, quietly eliminated the Wang family's collateral, and promoted a group of new people from the government and the opposition such as Diao Xie and Liu Kui as his henchmen.
From an outsider's point of view, it seems that the Eastern Jin Dynasty alternates between the old and the new, and the wind is calm, but in Wang Dun's sharp eyes, the emperor's move is clearly to weaken the power of the royal family and incorporate his own private army. This made Wang Dun very uneasy.
On a summer evening, in a luxurious garden in Wuchang, a grand banquet was underway. In front of everyone, Wang Dun pointed at the emperor and asked, "Your Majesty, what is your intention?" We have no royal merits, so does Your Majesty want to surprise us?"
Before the words fell, the scene was silent, Sima Rui's face was pale, and the henchmen around him were even more nervous, all hinting at each other with their eyes.
"Brother Wang, do you know how I listened to such unreasonable words?" The emperor pondered for a moment and slowly spoke, "I have my own measure, how dare I despise the royal family?" It's just that the DPRK and China have to replace the old with the new. "
"Oh? Is that really the case?" Wang Dun disagreed, "Then has Your Majesty ever thought about how to appease the court so that they can truly follow you?"
The two quarreled like this, and the atmosphere was very tense for a while. Even the dancing girls, who were sitting on both sides of the banquet as a companion, were frightened by the sudden scene in front of them, and hurriedly covered their mouths and fled the scene.
Since then, Wang Dun has always been on guard against Sima Rui's conspiracy, and the contradiction between the two has begun. In the years that followed, the power struggle between the two sides escalated, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty came to the brink of division step by step in a tense atmosphere.
One day, Wang Dun suddenly learned that the emperor was not only secretly cultivating cronies, but was even forming a new army composed of northern refugees. For Wang Dun, this was undoubtedly the emperor's last move against him.
In the face of Wang Dun's fierce attack, Sima Rui seemed a little powerless. On the one hand, he tried his best to maintain his rule, and on the other hand, he had to bow his head to such a powerful element as Wang Dun.
Wang Dun raised troops to put the emperor under house arrest
In the first year of Yongchang, Wang Dun couldn't hold back his long-standing ambition and dissatisfaction, and waved his army to Jiankang. At that time, the soldiers and civilians of the Eastern Jin Dynasty were immersed in the grand spring hunting carnival, and Wang Dun rushed back to Beijing. However, when I saw that side of the battle, I suddenly realized that this was clearly going to be an earth-shaking battle.
Wang Dun has always been ruthless, and this time he is naturally determined to kill them all. Sure enough, his troops easily captured the city of Jiankang, and even killed the emperor's cronies Dai Yuan, Liu Kui and his wife. When the news reached the palace, Sima Rui was even more shocked into a cold sweat, and he was trembling with fright.
He watched his fate being ruthlessly controlled, but he was still helpless, and he didn't dare to flee rashly, and he was surrounded by loyal ministers. At this moment, his heart was filled with fear, helplessness, and despair.
Just when Sima Rui was dazed and helpless, he heard a "squeak" from the palace gate, and Wang Dun walked in with a swagger with a sword. Immediately afterwards, he unceremoniously restrained the emperor to the ground, threatening to end his life if he dared to resist the slightest.
At this moment, Sima Rui's heart was very scared. In a blink of an eye, he was obviously a famous and advantageous founding emperor, but now he was trampled on like this. He had to nod his head and agree, and since then he has been reduced to a prisoner and imprisoned in the palace.
However, this is just the beginning. Wang Dun did not stop there, but began to install his cronies in the court. He first arrested and imprisoned a group of generals and ministers loyal to the emperor on the charge of rebellion, and then sent people to secretly monitor those officials who had not yet made a clear statement, and once they found any abnormal movements, they would immediately eliminate them.
In just a few days, the Eastern Jin Dynasty court was plunged into terror. No one in the DPRK and China dared to say a single word for fear of incurring death. And Wang Dun was very satisfied, and began to plan his enthronement ceremony.
The helpless fate of the puppet emperor
As the founding emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Sima Rui was supposed to be the supreme monarch. However, the power fell into the hands of the powerful minister Wang Dun. In the name of auxiliary government, Wang Dun usurped power, controlled the government, excluded dissidents, and even openly overrode the emperor.
Sima Rui, who was confined in the palace, was depressed and depressed over time, and finally dragged down Sima Rui's body. He began to become depressed, and often sat alone in the empty hall for a whole day. His eyes were misty, as if he was remembering something, and he seemed to be waiting for something.
In the spring of the third year of Yongchang, Sima Rui fell ill. His condition was menacing, and he soon became ill. The imperial physicians were helpless and could only watch the emperor's life pass by little by little.
Before dying, Sima Rui called the crown prince Sima Shao to his bedside and told him earnestly that he must remember this humiliating history, work hard, and restore the imperial power. After speaking, Sima Rui, the emperor who had been the emperor, finally died.
Sima Rui's life was full of tragedy, he went from an ordinary member of the clan to the founding emperor, but he soon became a puppet and suffered humiliation.
The political pattern of the Eastern Jin Dynasty presented a unique phenomenon of "the king and the horse share the world". On the one hand, the Wang family, represented by Wang Dao and Wang Dun, relied on their strong family power to influence the government.
On the other hand, although the Sima royal family nominally has the supreme power, in fact it is controlled by others everywhere, like puppets.
The emergence of this phenomenon is closely related to the political, economic, cultural and other factors of the society at that time. It has left a profound enlightenment for future generations: The long-term peace and stability of a country requires mutual checks and balances and cooperation among various political forces, and one cannot be allowed to dominate.
But no matter what, we can't deny that Sima Rui is a symbol of the times, and his fate reflects the entire Eastern Jin Dynasty.
History is always full of uncertainties, and there are no permanent winners. But as long as we stick to our inner beliefs and bottom line, we will definitely be able to find opportunities to turn the tables in adversity.