In the past thousand years, the concept of "the supremacy of royal power" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the emperor is the heaven of the common people.
Perhaps only the last emperor, Pu Yi, was an exception, and the period in which he lived was too special.
Under the watchful eye of imperialism, revolutionary parties also emerged in the country, whose goal was to overthrow the feudal dynasty.
Pu Yi, who was forced to abdicate, got a little tranquility, although a stable life was not what he wanted, when Pu Yi walked on the streets of Tianjin, he found that he was deceived by the eunuch.
I. The Last Emperor
What do three-year-olds understand? It's good to be smart enough to be able to tell what a sugar gourd is, but three-year-old Pu Yi has already put on a dragon robe and ascended the throne.
He looked at the ministers above the court with his ignorant little eyes, without too many mood swings, just because his father Zaifeng was also kneeling below.
Although Pu Yi was the nominal emperor, the person who actually exercised power for him was the regent, and when he was six years old, the Wuchang Rebellion broke out, and Pu Yi was forced to abdicate.
Or again, what can he know as a child?
The outside world is turbulent, and Pu Yi is still living his own little life.
Coupled with the "Qing Preferential Treatment Treaty", the Republic of China government did not drive him out of the Forbidden City, and Pu Yi's life was practically unaffected, except for a slight reduction in the cost of court life.
It can be determined that Pu Yi is still living in his own "utopia", and the Empress Dowager Longyu invited him many teachers to learn Chinese and Manchu, in addition, the Four Books and Five Classics, History and Geography are all courses that Pu Yi needs to master.
During this period, he was not trained as an emperor at a young age, but had more space to study, which was helpful for Pu Yi to travel to many places later.
He also got married, marrying two wives at once, one of whom was the queen and the other was a concubine, but unfortunately, both wives were able to accompany Pu Yi to the end.
After the farce of Zhang Xun's restoration, Feng Yuxiang entered Beijing strongly, almost "driving" Pu Yi out.
At this time, Pu Yi was eighteen years old, and he had the consciousness of being a human being, and he also had the dignity of being the "Ninth Five-Year Honor".
He clearly knew his identity, he thought that he was the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, how could he be treated so rudely by the national army?
But the turning point of history is so real and cruel, overnight, he is not the emperor, Pu Yi who walked out of the Forbidden City, looked at the bustling streets, and not only sighed that the world changed.
Pu Yi, who came to live in Tianjin, met many old and young people of the Qing Dynasty here, and he tried to persuade them to regain his strength, but Pu Yi got a voice of decline.
These old men of the Qing Dynasty have long amassed a huge amount of wealth.
Just like the great eunuch Xiao Dezhang, there are several western-style villas in Tianjin, and he can spend the rest of his life as a public servant, so why bother to fight with the revolutionary party?
Pu Yi was disappointed, which is also easy to understand.
He has just come of age, and it is the age when he has a fighting heart, coupled with his status as an emperor, it is really difficult for him to accept all this for a while.
2. Stroll on the streets
During his time in Tianjin, Pu Yi really felt the privilege of an emperor.
You must know that when he was in the Forbidden City, the eunuchs and palace maids looked at the crumbling royal family and actually did not respect him, the little emperor; But in Tianjin, his status as "Emperor of China" is a political bargaining chip that can be used.
The concession of foreigners is not accessible to ordinary people, but Pu Yi can talk and laugh with the magnates, and some private clubs for foreigners' entertainment are also specially opened for Pu Yi.
Through his teacher Johnston, Pu Yi made a large number of foreign envoys, and he attended the activities of high society every day, and slowly thought that this was the life that an emperor should live.
One day, Pu Yi was walking through the streets, and suddenly he was attracted by a strange fragrance, and following this smell, Pu Yi turned left and right and walked through the alley, and finally came to a stall selling baked cakes.
Looking at the busy figure of the hawker, Pu Yi became interested, he pointed to the stall and said, "You, bring me two baked cakes!" ”
The peddler looked up, Pu Yi was dressed in a dress, it was really rich and powerful, and he guessed that he was a big nobleman in the concession, and he thought that he must serve the people who came.
So he shouted, "Well, two baked cakes for your guests!" ”
Pu Yi smiled, recalling his days in the palace, when someone came to serve him when he drank saliva, he was really uncomfortable at all, so that in the later stage, he felt that his life was a little difficult, and it seemed that the life of ordinary people was a little more interesting.
"Honored guest, your baked cakes!" The vendor wrapped the baked cake in oiled paper and handed it to Pu Yi, but he didn't expect Pu Yi's hand to touch the baked cake, so he quickly took it back, and said in surprise: "Why is it so hot!" ”
The peddler laughed and said bluntly: "Look, how hot my stove is, of course it is hot, but this baked cake has to be eaten hot, you blow and blow, hurry up and taste two bites." ”
Pu Yi was stunned for a moment, and a voice echoed in his head, what? Do you want to eat hot pancakes? The pancakes turned out to be hot?
Pu Yi took the baked cake, still looking incredulous, and he continued to ask, "Is the baked cake really hot?" ”
The peddler was also puzzled and explained, "Of course, how can the dough be cooked without heating?" ”
3. The lies of the eunuchs
"His grandmother's! Dare to lie to me! ”
Pu Yi suddenly got angry, he threw the baked cake on the ground at once, and the hawker thought that he had caused trouble, and immediately apologized to Pu Yi.
"Don't do your business." Pu Yi looked at the vendor, didn't say anything, but grabbed a pedestrian and asked, "Tell me, is the baked cake really hot?" ”
The pedestrians were also a little confused, and sneered: "Otherwise, if you ask this sentence, it is better to ask the dog to ignore the steamed bun is hot or cold." ”
The people around listened to it and were happy.
Pu Yi recalled that he had also eaten baked cakes in the palace, and once he saw the eunuch eating, so he asked what it was?
The eunuch said that the emperor forgave the sin, and this was bought by the slave outside. Pu Yi became interested and asked the eunuch to run outside the palace gate to buy it for himself.
Because the distance was too far, the baked cakes he ate every time were cold, and he also asked the eunuchs, is there no hot baked cakes?
The eunuch told Pu Yi that if there is anything hot, the baked cakes are cold.
Pu Yi asked the vendor to get him another piece of baked cake, and then took the first bite with excitement and curiosity, and after swallowing it, he scolded angrily: "The dead eunuch has deceived Lao Tzu for 20 years, and the baked cake is still hot and delicious." ”
This anecdote may seem simple, but it dissolves the deterrent power of imperial power in a real sense.
For eunuchs, there is also the opportunity to pinch the emperor in life, which is really a unique "humor" in the feudal era.