The world is like chess, and there are endless changes. Once Emperor Pu Yi was driven out of the Forbidden City by Feng Yuxiang, he was reduced to a prisoner. And Zhang Zuolin, an old minister from a reckless background, became the prince of the Northeast. When the former courtiers and the emperor are reunited, what will be the scene for both sides? Respect and humility are reversed, monarchs and ministers are exchanged, how will Zhang Zuolin entertain Puyi?
1. The former emperor Puyi, whose fate is shaky
In the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu (1908), when Pu Yi was eight years old, his life changed dramatically. In the winter of this year, the Empress Dowager Cixi died suddenly, and Emperor Guangxu also became ill due to overwork, and then passed away. Succeeding to the throne should have been Prince Zaifeng's business, but Zaifeng was always ill, and the Empress Dowager Cixi had made a will before her death, to choose a royal heir who would give incense. So the government and the opposition hit it off and recommended the young Pu Yi to inherit the unification.
Pu Yi was still young and ignorant when he ascended the throne, and he only knew that he was bathed in the worship and favor of the palace. It wasn't until he grew up that he gradually realized what it meant to be an emperor. The Forbidden City, a paradise, is his world. There are thousands of Li people kowtowing to him, and there are commanders of the three armies who are dispatched by him. If there are still a few people in this world who can be equal to him, there are only the kind and generous queen mother, and those princes, county kings, and many princes and nobles.
Don't look at Pu Yi's young age, there are a lot of etiquette rules on his body. When entering the court, I saw the queen mother, inspected military affairs, took concubines and daughters-in-law, and gave favors and rewards, all of which had to be done according to the number of courtesies. Pu Yi gradually became accustomed to this identity, and began to realize the dignity and sacredness of this "emperor". He respects the emperor's courtesy, and is even more respectful to his relatives and nobles. Once, because of a moment of negligence, he accidentally stepped on the corner of his skirt in front of Wanji Mansion, and he was immediately shocked and immediately knelt down to plead guilty.
Second, the former minister Zhang Zuolin became a powerful faction in the Northeast
is completely different from Pu Yi's honorable status, Zhang Zuolin's background can be described as extremely humble. He was a well-known reckless armed leader in Suiyuan, and once went into exile in Russia in order to escape the arrest of the Qing court. After the Xinhai Revolution, Zhang Zuolin calculated the general trend and turned to the Qing court to "submit" and joined the ranks of suppressing the revolution.
With his outstanding martial prowess and loyalty to the Qing dynasty, Zhang Zuolin soon established his own armed forces in the local area. Subsequently, he expanded his troops to as many as seven battalions, plus the warriors from all over the country, and the total strength was as high as 3,500 people. In the war to suppress the revolution, Zhang Zuolin showed outstanding military talent, was invincible, and was famous. The Qing court appreciated Zhang Zuolin very much, not only gave him the title of "chief soldier", but also named his parents as Tongfeng Doctor and Tongfeng Lady.
After the Xinhai Revolution, Zhang Zuolin chose to defect to the Beiyang government. After years of desperate struggle, he finally defeated Zeng Guofan's forces in the Zhifeng War, and took control of important places such as Beijing and Tianjin in one fell swoop. After that, he united with Yan Xishan, Zhang Zongchang and others to fight against Feng Yuxiang's army and regain the lost territory. So far, Zhang Zuolin has become a powerful faction in the Northeast that commands the party, and is respected as the "Prince of the Northeast".
Compared with the small characters who lurked in the grass of Montenegro back then, Zhang Zuolin is now a warlord who calls for wind and rain and speaks the same thing. He commanded more than 100,000 troops, not only controlled the entire northeast, but even the capital Beijing was at his disposal. Even those senior officials of the DPRK and the civil and military officials were respectful and cautious when they saw Zhang Zuolin. It can be said that in the northeast, Zhang Zuolin has replaced Pu Yi and become the local "soil emperor".
Third, Zhang Zuolin's treatment of Pu Yi was unexpected
On November 5, 1924, Feng Yuxiang staged a coup d'état in Beijing to drive Pu Yi out of the Forbidden City. Since then, the former "Dragon Body Heavenly Son" can only live in the palace of Prince Alcohol and live a rather embarrassing life. However, Pu Yi did not live in seclusion for long. Three months later, he came to Tianjin and joined the Japanese sphere of influence.
At that time, Zhang Zuolin was in his heyday, and he had just won a great victory in the Zhifeng War and controlled the entire Beiyang government. After that, he united with Yan Xishan, Zhang Zongchang and others to deal with Feng Yuxiang's army and recaptured Tianjin and other lost territories. The dignified "Northeast Prince" is self-satisfied.
At this moment, Zhang Zuolin suddenly learned that the "last emperor" Pu Yi was living in nearby Tianjin. As Puyi's old department, Zhang Zuolin is reasonable, and it seems that he should take this opportunity to meet him. So, he first sent Li Jinglin, the superintendent of Zhili, to visit him and expressed his desire to meet. It's just that the old people around Pu Yi really look down on Zhang Zuolin, a little person from a humble background, and turn a deaf ear to Li Jinglin's request.
Zhang Zuolin was greatly annoyed when he saw this, so he sent Yan Zepu to carry a heavy gift worth 100,000 yuan. However, Pu Yi still ignored Zhang Zuolin's request. Just when Zhang Zuolin wanted to curry favor with Pu Yi again, he suddenly woke up: as a former courtier, he was too inferior and humble. So, for the third time, he directly sent someone to send a letter of worship, expressing his desire to meet with a strong attitude.
Faced with Zhang Zuolin's resolute attitude, Pu Yi had no choice but to reluctantly agree. So, one night, Pu Yi personally went to Zhang's Garden to meet Zhang Zuolin. When Pu Yi stepped into the garden, Zhang Zuolin, who was dressed in casual clothes, smiled and walked quickly to greet him. Pu Yi originally thought that as the former emperor, Zhang Zuolin should at least make a respectful salute. But he never thought that Zhang Zuolin rushed to him with an arrow step, knelt down with a plop, kowtowed, and shouted "Good emperor" in his mouth!
Fourth, Zhang Zuolin knelt down to worship Puyi, with sinister intentions
Zhang Zuolin's kneeling to Pu Yi seemed unexpected, but it was not entirely impulsive and rude. Behind this, there is actually another deep meaning.
If you want to talk about the relationship between Zhang Zuolin and Puyi, it can be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty. At that time, although Zhang Zuolin was the leader of the reckless armed forces, he was bent on serving the Qing court in order to seek a half-official position. Due to fate, Zhang Zuolin finally got his wish, was recruited by the Qing court, and became an important force in suppressing the revolutionaries. In the battle to pacify the three eastern provinces, Zhang Zuolin performed well, repeatedly performed miraculous feats, and was widely valued by the royal family.
Pu Yi was still young at the time, and he may not know much about Zhang Zuolin's deeds. But for Zhang Zuolin, a feudal official, it is naturally a supreme honor to be able to get the personal favor of the "Dragon Body Son of Heaven". Since then, Zhang Zuolin has become one of the most distinguished ministers loyal to Puyi, and he is often rewarded with heavy rewards, and his status is much higher than that of ordinary officials. What's more, the personal relationship between the two is also quite close, and they often exchange gifts and letters, which can be regarded as half a confidant.
Therefore, when Zhang Zuolin knelt down in front of Pu Yi, it was actually out of a kind of nostalgia and respect for the old master. However, as a warlord who has been in power for a while, Zhang Zuolin will never simply do this kind of thing that has no practical interests. His motive was actually to win the hearts and minds of the people and further consolidate his dominance in the Northeast.
This can be seen from Zhang Zuolin's elaborate meeting ceremony. He not only arranged the meeting venue in advance and personally came to the door to greet Pu Yi, but also pretended to exaggerate and knelt down, saying "The emperor is good". For a while, the cronies and guards who followed the garden all showed surprise. It can be seen that Zhang Zuolin is deliberately staging this "meeting between monarchs and ministers" extremely grand and exaggerated.
Its intention is to re-establish the sacred majesty of Puyi's "emperor" in the hearts of the people of Northeast China. After all, Pu Yi is still a Ming monarch widely recognized by the people, and has an unshakable orthodox status. If Pu Yi can be recognized, Zhang Zuolin's rule in the Northeast will be as stable as Mount Tai. Therefore, this "kneeling drama" is nothing more than a political performance carefully concocted by Zhang Zuolin.
Fifth, the monarch and the minister are exchanged, and the world is in unison
Once upon a time, Pu Yi was still the "dragon body emperor" above 10,000 people, and Zhang Zuolin was just a mustard under him. And when we meet again today, we see that the dignity and inferiority of the former lord and servant have undergone earth-shaking changes.
Pu Yi grew up in the Forbidden City since he was a child, and he has never experienced the taste of being a prisoner. But since he was forced to abdicate after the Xinhai Revolution, he has often struggled with hardship and helplessness. Although he is still in the emperor's mansion, the glory and wealth behind it have long since ceased to exist. Not to mention that he was ruthlessly driven out of the Forbidden City by Feng Yuxiang later and became a complete prisoner. Since then, the former princes and nobles have all respected him, and even the most basic living expenses have become a heavy burden.
In stark contrast to Pu Yi's erratic, Zhang Zuolin's smooth future is all the way. This little man from a reckless background, with his extraordinary martial courage and prudence, not only became a feudal official, but also changed in the chaotic era and became the "prince of the Northeast". Today, he commands millions of heroes, and has power and wealth far beyond his former power. Even the nobles who used to be arrogant are now respectful and obedient to him.
Back then, Zhang Zuolin, as a poor and sour petty official under Pu Yi, was unimaginable even if he dreamed that one day he would be able to look down on everything in front of the "dragon body emperor" like today. The entourage who was present witnessed this completely upside-down scene, and they must all be concerned. Zhang Zuolin, who bowed down to Pu Yi back then, can now bow down to him, isn't it a pity?
However, in the final analysis, all these changes are also the inevitable result of the torrent of the great era. As the former emperor, although Pu Yi's life experience is lamentable, after all, he has missed the time and can no longer regain power. On the contrary, Zhang Zuolin has experienced vicissitudes and experienced too many ups and downs, and now he can dominate the party. The so-called "poor think about change", isn't this the case with the impermanence and change of ownership in this world?