Emperor Gao Yan of Northern Qi: Kill his nephew who gave way, but before he died, he did not dare to let his son succeed to the throne
Text/Zhang Xiuyang
Northern Qi of the Southern and Northern Dynasties is a very famous dynasty. It is not because of how long this dynasty has enjoyed the country and how great the Wenzhi martial arts are. Gao Huan, the son of the Eastern Wei chancellor Gao Huan, ascended the throne in 550 (5 May 1955), the throne, the state name Qi, Jianyuan Tianbaoqi, until 577 was attacked by the old enemy Northern Zhou, and the total number of people enjoyed 28 years.
Of the 6 emperors of Northern Qi, in addition to the second emperor Gao Yin being usurped by his uncle and killed, the last emperor Gao Heng succeeded to the throne at the age of 7, reigning for only one month, and only the third emperor Gao Yan could be called a man of virtue and ability.
Except for these three emperors, the other emperors were all cruel, absurd, and perverted. "Perverted dynasty", "beast dynasty", "scum family", "crazy family" became the label of this dynasty and its founders, so much so that many people believe that this family has a genetic gene for mental illness.
Gao Yan was the third emperor of Northern Qi during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a native of Yan'an, Bohai (present-day Jingxian County, Hebei). Gao Huan's sixth son, Gao Cheng, Emperor Wenxuan Gao Yang, and Emperor Wucheng Gao Zhan's half-brother. Empress Dowager Lou Zhaojun.
Gao Yan is a handsome guy. "Emperor Congmin has a sense of knowledge, deep and can be broken, and cannot be spied on. Eight feet long, with a belt ten circumferences, a wind watch, and a unique show. “
He was also very filial: "Sex is filial piety, the empress dowager is not hesitant, out of the Southern Palace, the emperor is not walking properly, the appearance is degraded, the clothes are not untied, and the general will be forty years old." ”
The Sixth Book of the Northern Qi Emperor: "Young and ying, there was already a great amount, and Empress Wuming had long been loved." ”
As an emperor, it is not enough to be handsome and filial to parents, but also to know how to govern the country. "The emperor is good at cutting, good at literature and science, and fearful in the province." After becoming emperor, he also strived to make a difference in political clarity: "Since the emperor is in a big position, he knows everything, chooses his orders, examines the name and truth, and deposes the emperor to obey the government." ”
In the tenth year of Tianbao (559 AD), on the afternoon of October (November 25 of the Gregorian calendar), Gao Yang, the first emperor of Northern Qi, who had done almost bad things, fell ill and could not eat, and after a few days of hunger, he finally died. On his deathbed, he was worried that the young prince would not be able to cope with the many uncles who were watching the throne, and repeatedly instructed his half-brothers Gao Yan and Gao Zhanhaosheng to support the prince, and finally said to Gao Yan: "If you want to take it, take it, but don't kill him." ”
In the first year of the Qianming Dynasty (560), Yang Yan and Gao Yin secretly appointed the second king (Gao Yan and Gao Zhan) as the assassins, with the intention of elevating the power of the prince and strengthening the imperial power. The second king was furious, and took advantage of the opportunity to go to Shangshu Province to "pay homage to his post" and support thousands of troops, and took Down Yang Yan and others on the spot at the banquet.
Empress Dowager Lou Zhaojun ordered the deposing of the young emperor Gao Yin as the King of Jinan, and Gao Yan was made emperor. After Gao Yan ascended the throne, he pardoned the world and changed the yuan emperor to jian. Empress Dowager Lou Zhaojun was made empress dowager, Empress Dowager Li Zu'e was called Empress Wenxuan, and the palace was called Zhaoxin Palace.
Immediately after Gao Yan took the throne, he immediately made a drastic move to rectify the political order. He issued a series of edicts: all officials and slaves over the age of sixty were exempted from being free. Law enforcement officers such as Ting Wei and Yu Shi Zhongcheng must be sentenced by law, and those who engage in favoritism and fraud are punished by death. Guozijian can recruit students, teach classics, set up officials, and supervise classes.
In order to understand the people's feelings in a timely manner and reflect on himself, Gao Yan specially ordered some ministers such as Shang Shuyang Xiuzhi, HongxuQing, Cui Hao, and others to go straight into Gao Yan's residence at any time to discuss the ritual music, officials, fields, taxes, and political gains and losses of the past, and analyze one by one what is not in line with the contemporary era and is still being inherited; which has been beneficial to the world since ancient times, but has now disappeared; which policies are appropriate and which are not. These ministers talked with Gao Yan, always entering the palace at dawn and coming out after dark.
Since Gao Huan in Northern Qi, grain prices have soared, and it is difficult to transfer tribute grain. After Gao Yan took the stage, a large area of tun tian was carried out in the north and south of the Yellow River, and as a result, more than 100,000 stones of grain could be obtained from the tun fields every year, and the problem of grain shortage in Hebei and other places was finally solved. In order to alleviate the difficulties in the transportation of tribute grain, Gao Yan also set up granaries in Hebei and other places to store grain. After a high-level rectification, the long-standing food crisis has finally been resolved.
Diplomatically, Northern Qi and Northern Zhou fought endlessly for many years. By the time of Gao Yan's reign, Northern Qi was stronger than Northern Zhou. Although Northern Qi had a stronger strength than Northern Zhou, Gao Yan believed that what Northern Qi urgently needed at that time was stability and construction, rather than expanding land and seizing the people. Therefore, during the period of Gao Yan's reign, the army was eliminated and the neighboring countries were basically in a state of peace.
When Gao Yan deposed Emperor Gao Yin as the King of Jinan, he obeyed his brother Gao Yang's last words and did not kill him, but later Gao Yan always felt that keeping Gao Yin was a hidden danger, and he violated the agreement. In September of the second year of Emperor Jian's reign (561), Gao Yan secretly ordered Gao Guiyan to kill Gao Yin at the age of seventeen. In the second year of Taining (562), he was buried in Wuning, with the courtesy name Min Mourning and the temple number Gongzong.
After killing his nephew for a few days, after his mood calmed down, Gao Yan felt guilty again, feeling sorry for his brother Gao Yang. This feeling of guilt tormented him all day and all night, and he became ill. Empress Lou visited the sick and repeatedly asked where Gao Yin was, Gao Yan should not, the empress dowager knew that Gao Yin had been killed, and although the empress dowager was very angry, but the matter had come out, she could not do anything.
However, Gao Yan was not a cruel emperor by nature, and he blamed himself in his heart. Soon, the consciousness began to be a little confused, and the empress hurriedly called for people to "exorcise the ghosts", sprinkled the boiling oil inside and outside the palace, and ordered the eunuchs and servants to hold torches one by one and stand around the palace all night to prevent "ghosts" from invading the palace.
After getting a little better, Gao Yan went hunting in the countryside with a few retinues in order to distract himself. The high-flying horse jumped up in fright, threw him off his horse, and broke his ribs.
After Gao Yan's injury, his condition changed drastically. He remembered who would inherit the throne once he died. Originally, Gao Yan had already made his son Gao Bainian the Prince of Leling crown prince, but when he thought about it carefully, he was a little frightened: I bullied Gao Yin's young and powerful son, killed the king and usurped the throne. Who can guarantee that after my death, my younger brother Gao Zhan, the King of Changguang, will not kill my son and become emperor himself? What's more, Gao Zhan is not the kind of person who is benevolent and righteous.
After much deliberation, Gao Yan felt that the best strategy was to change the crown prince and establish Gao Zhan as the heir to the throne.
In November of the second year of Emperor Jian's reign (561), Gao Yan ordered Gao Zhan, the King of Changguang, to succeed to the throne. He also wrote a suicide note to Gao Zhan, pleading with Gao Zhan: "After I die, you must treat my wife and children well, and don't follow my example." After dealing with the aftermath, Gao Yan died at the age of 27 and was buried in Wenjing Mausoleum with the title of "Emperor Xiaozhao".
Li Baiyao's "Book of Northern Qi": "After plotting for a long time, it is the bright lord of the present, and the year is not eternal, why is it?" Is there really a revenge between the shadows, and the Qi Zhiji yu stops at Si, the emperor wants to be great, and the heavens do not allow it? ”
This means that the Northern Qi Fortune, since Gao Yan's death, was basically severed.