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The self-designation of ancient emperors, in addition to the well-known "朕", the most commonly used is "lonely" and "widow". It is true that the nine-five-year-old who is called a lonely person is the real lonely person. As the so-called "high place is not cold", the loneliness of the emperor stems from not believing in anyone, in case they compete with themselves for power.
(Emperor cartoon image)
The first thing the emperor should be wary of are his brothers and nephews of the same clan and surname, for the simple reason that they are also of royal blood, and these people are most likely to find a legal basis for usurpation. Zhu Di Zhu Yunjiao's uncle and nephew performed the best model.
Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang crossed over more than twenty sons and passed the throne to his grandsons from generation to generation. After Zhu Yunjiao succeeded to the throne, Zhu Di launched the "Battle of Jingnan" on the grounds of "Qing Jun's side" and seized the throne. In fact, this was a typical usurpation, but from the king of the domain to the people, the voice of condemnation at that time was not very strong. This is because Zhu Di, as the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, is also a descendant of the Zhu family who is rooted in Miao Hong, the emperor changes people without changing surnames, and the country changes masters without changing the dynasty, which is easily accepted by both inside and outside the government.
(Zhu Yunjiao Zhu Di stills)
The risk factor of relatives with the same surname is too large, so they can only use foreign relatives, such as grandfathers, uncles, cousins, cousins, or old fathers-in-law, brothers-in-law, etc. Good villains are also relatives, and they are always more trustworthy than outsiders. But is it safe to use a foreign relative? Of course not! Once a foreign relative comes to power, it is easy to threaten the imperial power. For example, during the Two Han Dynasties, it has not been able to get rid of the threat of foreign relatives interfering in politics.
From Lü Hou and Huo Guang in the early Western Han Dynasty to He Jin at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were all foreign forces with temporary power. And Wang Mang's usurpation of Han was a direct consequence of the foreign relatives taking power. Wang Zhengjun, the empress of the Han Yuan Emperor, was the mother of the world for more than sixty years, assisted four emperors, and then pulled his nephew Wang Mang into the center of power, which eventually led to the evil consequences of the demise of the Western Han Dynasty.
(Portrait of Foreign Relative Wang Mang)
Since your family can't use it, then use the minister. Under the whole world, there can be no royal land, the coast of the land, and the royal subjects. The whole world is a courtier of the emperor, will there be no one to use? Yes, there are people available, but it's hard to navigate. Because the danger coefficient of the powerful minister is no less than that of foreign relations.
From Cao Cao of the Eastern Han Dynasty, to Sima Yi of Cao Wei, to Cai Jing of the Northern Song Dynasty, and then to Yan Song and Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty, the powerful ministers played the protagonists of the historical stage again and again, and it was polite to elevate the imperial power, such as Liu Yu, Gao Yang, Zhao Kuangyin, etc. simply drove the emperor out of power and put himself on top. Such things are endless.
(Quan Chen Cao Cao stills)
Normal people can't use it, so use eunuchs. The advantage of eunuchs is that they are close to the emperor, it is easy to get the emperor's trust, the advantage of eunuchs is that they have no foundation, there is no family power behind them, and they are easy to control. But are eunuchs really safe? The answer is also no, and if the eunuch is fierce, he will be even more ferocious.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, where eunuchs were the most rampant, there were even many cases in which eunuchs directly deposed the emperor. Even in the Ming and Qing dynasties, when the imperial power was dominant, there were many eunuchs who were in trouble: such as Liu Jin, the emperor, Wei Zhongxian, who was nine thousand years old, and Li Lianying, the grand eunuch.
(Eunuch Wei Zhongxian stills)
The imperial family cannot use it, the foreign relatives cannot use it, the powerful ministers cannot use it, the eunuchs still cannot use it, and the emperor who is forced into a desperate situation simply does not reuse it and carries everything himself. However, in this way, the central government is destined to be empty, the central government is empty, and the outside clan towns will naturally rise up, forming a situation in which the clan towns are divided.
The consequences of the division of the town were also terrible, and the famous Anshi Rebellion came about in this way, and as a result, the Tang Dynasty lost half its life and went into decline.
(An Lushan stills)
Maybe you will say that since the princes of the clan are also a danger factor, then suppress it as soon as possible! You think that's all right? Not! When the princes and kings are suppressed, the frontier is empty, and external troubles will follow. For example, the "Five Hu Chaohua" in the Western Jin Dynasty was the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" when taking advantage of the void, and this consequence was more serious, not only the destruction of the country, but also the destruction of the world.
In summary, it is not difficult to see that although the ancient emperor was a noble person of the Ninth Five, he was also the loneliest person under the heavens, and it was difficult to sit on the throne, and it was even more difficult to be a Ming Emperor. The art of the emperor is really difficult to cultivate, and it is necessary to balance the forces of all sides while using the forces of all sides, otherwise once the imbalance will lead to great disasters.
Resources:
Zhonghua Bookstore "Twenty-Four History"