In 493, Xiao Changmao, the crown prince of Emperor Xiao of Qiwu, died, and Xiao Zhao himself was already 53 years old, and the position of successor could not be vacant for a long time, but who should take over?
If we adhere to the principle of succession between father and son, we should naturally appoint the second son, Xiao Ziliang, as the crown prince. However, Xiao Ziliang's power was too great, and if Xiao Ziliang was made crown prince, under the premise of the prince's lack of restraint, the contradiction between the elderly emperor and the powerful prince would immediately become prominent.
In this context, Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu did not choose Xiao Ziliang as crown prince, but instead made Xiao Zhaoye, the eldest son of the late crown prince Xiao Changmao, his grandson.
The benefits of this are obvious: the old power structure can be preserved intact. It's just that the interest group centered on the prince has replaced a leading figure (the former prince has changed to a grandson). It also makes legal sense to let the eldest grandson inherit the throne.
Taisun Xiao Zhaoye was a very intelligent person with a good reputation, good looks, and elegant manners. These advantages of Xiao Zhaoye should have been universally recognized at that time, so the history books did not smear Xiao Zhaoye in this regard.
The king of Yulin is wise, beautiful, coping, and mournful; the ancestors are loved. - Zizhi Tongjian, Qi Jisi
If the surface cannot be smeared, it is discredited on the inside. When the history books talk about Xiao Zhaoye, they all say that he is hypocritical and uses a gorgeous appearance to cover up the vile and evil thoughts in his heart.
And the mannerisms are deceitful, the yin is contemptuous, and the left and right groups of small people share food and clothing, and lie down together. - Zizhi Tongjian, Qi Jisi
In other words, Shi Guan believes that Xiao Zhaoye is an actor. This is a typical "belly slander", and this vilification should be for reasons of political propaganda.
In addition, there is a more sinister way of vilifying: it is said that in order to become emperor as soon as possible, Xiao Zhaoye once let a witch do the same, cursing his own father (Crown Prince Xiao Changmao) and grandfather (Qiwu Emperor Xiao Zhao) to die early. After he was made a grandson, the frequency of the curse became even higher. When he received the news of his grandfather's death, he immediately wrote a big happy word for his wife, and wrote thirty-six small happy words next to this happy word. Xiao Zhao's hearse reached the halfway point, and Xiao Zhaoye used the excuse that he was unwell and returned to the palace to have fun.
The prince was sick and mourned, and his sorrow was ruined, and those who saw it whimpered; and the private room was cut back, that is, laughter and drinking. He often ordered the witch Yang Clan to pray and quickly seek the throne of heaven. and the Crown Prince, said to be the power of the Yang clan, doubly respected. Not only is he a grandson, but his ancestors have diseases, and they also make the Yang clan pray. When Princess He was still in Xizhou, the ancestral illness was slightly critical, and the grandson and Concubine He wrote a big happy word in the center of the paper, and made thirty-six small happy characters around it. - Zizhi Tongjian, Qi Jisi
After the beginning of the great retreat, he called out the tricks of the ancestors and prepared to play the music of the crowd. - Zizhi Tongjian, Qi Jisi
Of course, this record is unreliable, but only a few months after Xiao Zhaoye became a grandson, Xiao Zhao, the Emperor of Qiwu, died.
I don't think it's a conspiracy, in that era when medical care was not developed, the death at the age of 53, although not a long life, was not an accident. What's more, the grandson Xiao Zhaoye was far from having the strength to murder Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu.
Before his death, Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu said to his grandson Xiao Zhaoye: "Within five years, you entrust all political affairs to the prime minister, and do not express your opinions indiscriminately; after five years, you must be pro-government yourself and not rely on others for everything." ”
The ancestors thought that they would be able to carry a great cause, saying: "In five years, a commission to the prime minister, do not be unprepared; do not restore the commission outside the five years." If you don't do it yourself, you don't have much to hate. ---Zizhi Tongjian, Qi Jisi
When I read this record, I always had a feeling that I wanted to say goodbye: Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu dared to set a "five-year plan" for his grandson Xiao Zhaoye, which proved that he was very confident in the political structure he had designed. But the truth mercilessly mocked Xiao Zhao: before he could fully breathe, the political structure designed by Xiao Zhao had already had irreparable cracks.
Theoretically, the political structure designed by Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu looked very stable: the grandson Xiao Zhaoye completely inherited the power of the prince's lineage (Xiao Zhaoye was crowned the emperor's grandson, and the civil and military personnel of the Eastern Palace were all changed to officials of the Eastern Palace), the core members of the imperial family, Xiao Ziliang (Xiao Zhao's second son), and the imperial family member Xiao Luan (Xiao Zhao's cousin) were intertwined, and the imperial forces were intertwined (Xiao Daocheng had more than a dozen sons and dozens of grandchildren, and Xuansun probably had hundreds, as well as several nephews and many grandchildren). In this context, it seems that no one is dominant, and no one can threaten the imperial power.
However, just as Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu was dying, Wang Rong openly opposed his grandson Xiao Zhaoye's succession to the throne.
Peng Yin, the upper disease is urgent, temporarily extinguished; the grandson has not entered, the inside and outside are afraid, and the hundreds of officers have changed. Wang Rong wanted to correct the edict and establish the son, and the edict had been established. - Zizhi Tongjian, Qi Jisi
Xiao Ziliang was the King of Jingling, and Wang Rong was one of the "Eight Friends of Jingling" and one of the main members of the Wang clan of Jingling. Such a dual identity made Wang Rong eager to support Xiao Ziliang, the king of Jinling, to succeed to the throne in order to obtain the greatest political benefits. And Xiao Ziliang even failed to withstand this temptation, and half pushed and half walked on the road of no return.
After the death of Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu, Xiao Ziliang, the King of Jinling, with the support of Wang Rong, preemptively entered the main hall and sent an army to prevent his grandson Xiao Zhaoye from entering the hall. But the result was that Xiao Luan forcibly embraced Xiao Zhaoye into the hall and asked people to help Xiao Ziliang out of the hall.
And his grandson came, Wang Rongrong wore a shirt, and was not allowed to enter the Eastern Palace at the mouth of the Zhongshu Provincial Pavilion. After a while, Shang revived, asked where Taisun was, and summoned the Eastern Palace instruments to enter, and shot the Marquis of Xichang with the Imperial Affairs Commission Shangshu Zuo Servant. Russia was martyred, and the punishment was forbidden to the gates with sons and soldiers. Luan heard this, and rushed to the Cloud Dragon Gate, not allowed to enter, Luan said: "There is an edict calling me!" "Entering in a row, the grandson ascended to the temple, and ordered zi liang to be helped out from left and right; the fingers were deployed, and the sound was like a bell, and everyone in the hall obeyed the order." - Zizhi Tongjian, Qi Jisi
In the later period of the reign of Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu, although Xiao Luan's status was improved, it was still slightly inferior to Xiao Ziliang. However, when Xiao Ziliang confirmed the identity of the thief of the chaotic courtiers, Xiao Luan appeared as a loyal vassal who maintained imperial power, and the balance of power between the two sides naturally changed. In this context, Xiao Ziliang's strength and influence were surpassed by Xiao Luan.
The attempts of Xiao Ziliang and Wang Rong, the king of Jinling, to usurp the throne had a very bad impact at that time. Xiao Ziliang's loss of power meant that the core members of the imperial family (Xiao Daocheng's family) lost a strong leading figure. This is an important turning point for the core members of the royal family to step by step into passivity and be slaughtered.
If Xiao Ziliang can refuse the temptation of the throne, if Xiao Ziliang is not a traitor. With his status as an imperial uncle, with the power he had already managed, he would never fail so easily. But unfortunately, Xiao Ziliang seemed to underestimate the difficulty and risk of being a chaotic thief, so he only lasted one round, and was easily defeated by Xiao Luan.
Comparing the brothers Xiao Changmao and Xiao Ziliang, I really don't know how to evaluate.
Once upon a time, they were both acting sanely: the brothers never fought for power, or even showed hostility toward each other. Because they all knew very well that their father, Xiao Zhao, only wanted them to balance each other, but did not intend to adjust their positions.
However, when Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu asked the crown prince Xiao Changmao to handle state affairs in his place, Xiao Changmao had the ambition of "He can take his place"; when his grandson Xiao Zhaoye was about to succeed to the throne, Xiao Ziliang, the prince of Lingling, chose to take the risk.
Recalling again emperor Xiao Zhaoye's deathbed instructions to his grandson Xiao Zhaoye, the reason why he dared to set a "five-year plan" for Xiao Zhaoye should be more assured of Xiao Ziliang,000, the king of Jinling. But Xiao Ziliang disappointed his father Xiao Zhao, and in the face of desire, he still lost himself.
Due to the departure of Xiao Ziliang, the King of Jinling, Xiao Zhaoye, who had just succeeded to the throne not long ago, could only disobey the instructions of Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu and begin to actively pro-government. Because of the political pattern left by Xiao Zhao, there are already cracks that are difficult to repair.
However, Xiao Zhaoye's behavior caused panic among major interest groups because his means of doing things were too impatient.
Not long after Xiao Zhaoye became emperor, he let his cronies seize the main power of the imperial court in an all-round way. With his support, Qi [qí] Wu [wú] Zhenzhi, Zhu Longzhi, Cao Daogang, Zhou Fengshu, Xu Longju and Yang Min all held a pivotal position.
Emperor Zhongshu Washe Ren Qi Zhenzhi, Qi Longzhi, ZhiGe General Cao Daogang, Zhou Fengshu, eunuch Xu Longju and so on. Zhen's discussion and recommendation are not allowed; internal and external important positions are discussed first, and between the months and months, the family accumulates thousands of dollars; unauthorized access to official goods and military work, not the edict. - Zizhi Tongjian, Qi Jiwu
Since Xiao Zhaoye completely inherited the power of the crown prince Xiao Changmao, the power centered on Xiao Zhaoye was very powerful. But perhaps it is precisely because Xiao Zhaoye is too powerful that major interest groups will panic.
Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu was very strong, but Xiao Zhao was already forty-two years old when he succeeded to the throne. At this time, Xiao Zhaoye was only twenty years old, if Xiao Zhaoye became the second Xiao Zhaoye, then how long would the interest group have to endure?
Xiao Daocheng lived to be fifty-five years old, and Xiao Zhao lived to be fifty-three years old, which shows that Xiao Shi should not have a short-lived gene. If Xiao Zhaoye also lived to be more than fifty years old, everyone would continue to endure for thirty years!
In this context, when everyone saw that Xiao Zhaoye began to centralize power, they all stood behind Xiao Luan consciously or unconsciously. When Xiao Luan began to weaken Xiao Zhaoye's concubines, everyone held a tacit attitude and quietly watched from the sidelines.
In addition to being too hasty, Xiao Zhaoye also had a problem, that is, she failed to combine Xiao Dao's descendants into a single force. I have counted before, Xiao Daocheng's descendants are conservatively estimated to be about a hundred people, if Xiao Zhaoye can unite this force around him, Xiao Luan should not have a better ending except to obediently wait for death. Because Xiao Luan was only a marquis at this time, his initial strength was not as good as xiao Ziliang, the king of Jinling.
However, Xiao Zhaoye was ultimately unable to pinch together the strength of Xiao Daocheng's series, and as Xiao Luan advanced step by step, Xiao Daocheng became more and more passive. The final result was that Xiao Daocheng was almost slaughtered by Xiao Luan.
One thing must be admitted: Xiao Daocheng's family was slaughtered, and there was also the reason for Xiao Zhao, the Emperor of Qiwu. He raised the pawn so high that the royal family always shrank in the face of the pawn. When Xiao Luan started to move, many royalty died at the hands of the canon.
Faced with this unfavorable situation, Xiao Zhaoye also wanted to find an opportunity to counterattack. He had ordered Zhongshu Ling He Yin (the empress's cousin) to assist him in solving Xiao Luan by force, but He Yin did not dare to cooperate and the plan was suspended. His close associate Cao Daogang was also ready to fire and Xiao Luan, but in the end he did not have time to act.
Correspondingly, Xiao Zhaoye's cronies were killed one by one: Zhou Fengshu, Yang Min, Xu Longju, Qi Wuzhenzhi, Du Wenqian...
At this time, Xiao Luan seemed to be playing a game of breaking through, after clearing wave after wave of miscellaneous soldiers, he finally faced the final boss Xiao Zhaoye. In the fateful duel with Xiao Zhaoye, Xiao Luan laughed to the end.
At the end of the article, I would like to talk to you about Xiao Zhaoye in my eyes:
Xiao Zhaoye is outstanding in appearance, brilliant, extraordinary in talent, and excellent in popularity. All this is both his strength and his weakness: such a member of the royal family, who is extremely good in all respects, must have experienced no setbacks. His humility and courtesy are probably just to hide the pride in his bones.
Regarding this point, Xiao Zhao, the Emperor of Qiwu, should be very clear, so he set a "five-year plan" for Xiao Zhaoye. At least in Xiao Zhao's view, if he could really give Xiao Zhaoye five years to learn and improve and polish well with a sage, with Xiao Zhaoye's mind and understanding, he would have every opportunity to grow into a wise and powerful emperor.
However, with the rebellion of Xiao Ziliang, the king of Jinling, there were irreparable cracks in the political pattern designed by Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu, and it also completely disrupted the growth plan he formulated for Xiao Zhaoye.
Xiao Zhaoye was indeed a wise man, and he judged the situation and immediately broke the promise he had personally promised his grandfather and began to personally handle the government.
Is Xiao Zhaoye's approach correct? I dare not make up my mind. But Xiao Zhaoye's approach is definitely the practice of smart people, and it is also a practice full of courage. If Xiao Zhaoye was not smart enough, he would definitely not be able to see the situation clearly in a short period of time; in the face of the menacing imperial uncle Xiao Luan, if he did not have the courage, it would be difficult to personally participate in hand-to-hand combat.
But the world is like this, the smarter the person, the easier it is to be mistaken by the clever; the braver the person, the easier it is to use too much force. Xiao Zhaoye's pro-government behavior was too impatient, so that he was in a dilemma in the course of the confrontation with Xiao Luan, and eventually he was knocked to the ground, becoming the "pathless emperor" that everyone shouted and beat.
In the final analysis, it is still because Xiao Zhaoye has endured things that should not be endured at the age that should not be endured. On this point, Emperor Xiao Zhao of Qiwu could not escape the blame.
Recommended reading of related articles in previous periods:
Xiao Daocheng ascended the throne as emperor, and Wang Xie exerted his power to control the overall situation
Xiao Daocheng was secretly fighting between father and son, and the crown prince Xiao Zhao was powerful
Emperor Xiao zhao of Qiwu centralized power, and crown prince Xiao Changmao died