The comparison between the high and low levels of the Ming and Qing dynasties is a matter of opinion, and it is impossible to get a unified answer.
In fact, in addition to the differences, there are many similarities.
For example, Emperor Wuzong of Ming and Emperor Muzong of Qing.
1. Both are the only heirs.
Ming Wuzong's father, Emperor Xiaozong of Ming, married only one of his wives, Empress Zhang, and had no other concubines, which was almost unique in history.
Empress Zhang bore emperor Xiaozong two sons, the eldest son was Zhu Houzhao (later Emperor Wuzong of Ming), and the second son, Zhu Houwei, died prematurely and was posthumously honored as the Prince of Wei. Therefore, Emperor Mingwuzong became the eldest son and sole heir of Emperor Mingxiaozong.
Tongzhi's father, The Xianfeng Emperor, also had two sons, the eldest of whom was Ai Silla Zaichun, who was born to Cixi. The second son, King Mercy, was born to Princess Mei, but was also a newborn baby who died early, so Tongzhi became Xianfeng's eldest son and only heir.
2, both are no queen.
Emperor Mingwuzong could not give birth to children, nor could Emperor Tongzhi give birth to children. This history book has been recorded in great detail.
3. The time difference between the two reigns is not too much, and both died young.
Emperor Mingwuzong reigned for 16 years and died at the age of 31. The Tongzhi Emperor reigned for 13 years, at the age of 19. All belonged to the untimely death.
4. After death, both of them adopted the inheritance method of brother to brother.
Since the two had no heirs, they could only be inherited by others. Regarding the succession of the two men to the throne, two opinions have emerged, one is to inherit the throne of Emperor Mingwuzong and Emperor Tongzhi and become their sons; the other way is to inherit the thrones of Emperor Xiaozong and Emperor Xianfeng, become brothers with Emperor Mingwuzong and Emperor Tongzhi, and adopt the method of succession of brother to brother.
In the end, both men adopted the method of brotherhood and brotherhood, with the Ming Dynasty choosing Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty choosing the Guangxu Emperor. Due to the unconventional nature of this approach, some political fluctuations have been triggered. Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, in order to justify his own father's name, sparked the famous Great Ceremonial Controversy. Because of the great etiquette dispute, he used some villains to speak for himself, and he liked alchemy and favored Yan Song, who was good at writing green words, and his politics were extremely chaotic. The so-called qingzi refers to the recital written to the Jade Emperor by The Daoist monks when they were doing things, which is usually written on Qingteng paper with a Zhu pen, so it is called Qingteng. He also superstitiously believed in the Taoist art of collecting yin and replenishing yang in an attempt to obtain immortality, which resulted in the destruction of a large number of palace women. Later, in the twenty-first year of Jiajing, there was a "change in the palace" in the palace where the palace maid Yang Jinying and others tried to strangle him with yellow silk cloth, but only because the rope was tied into a dead knot and was not strangled. Later emperors learned this lesson, so the concubines who slept with the emperor were stripped naked, and the eunuchs wrapped up in a quilt and carried to the dragon bed.
On the same night that Tongzhi died, Emperor Lisi zaitian. At that time, no one could understand Cixi's meaning. At that time, the two empresses were chosen: zaizheng, the son of Prince Gong of the Jinzhi Zhongzhi Dynasty, Zaizheng was the longest, and if he was a Xianfeng heir, he should be Zaizheng. If he is a son of Tongzhi, he is the grandson of Daoguang's eldest son, Pulun, but he is about the same age as Tongzhi and will have to be pro-government as soon as he comes to power. And it will be the empress dowager. Can't be pro-government. So selective. First, he is the younger brother of Chun and can be the heir of Xianfeng. Second, he is the son of his sister. It can strengthen the position of Xianfeng's brother Yihuan and confront Prince Gong Yisu. The Minister of Korea demanded the issuance of iron coupons, which were clearly stated to be passed on to the heirs of Tongzhi in the future. Later, the chief minister Wu Ke read it as the corpse of Empress Tongzhi and fought with death. As a result, Cixi said that the son of Guangxu would be passed on to Tongzhi in the future, and that he would also be tongzhi and Guangxu.
5, both left a lot of absurd legends.
There are particularly many absurd accounts of the two men in the history of the wild. The leopard room of Emperor Mingwuzong is a famous place. There are historical records that show that during Emperor Wuzong's reign, he was absurd and unscrupulous, his national strength was weak, and he was greedy, martial, and rogue all his life, and liked to have fun. In particular, his three rebellions, his self-proclaimed official position, Feng Lu, and his new name "Zhu Shou" were all criticized by the world.
In the Yeshi records, the Tongzhi Emperor liked empress Arute, while Empress Dowager Cixi wanted the Tongzhi Emperor to get closer to Concubine Hui. The Tongzhi Emperor was not happy and often stayed alone in the Qianqing Palace. Depressed, he was instructed by Wang Qingqi to commit adultery, and he and Zai Chengwei walked, looking for flowers and asking for willows outside the palace, causing venereal diseases and dying without treatment.
6. In fact, historians have a high evaluation of both of them.
Historian Huang Renyu explained that Emperor Wuzong was resolute and resolute in his handling of affairs, and he was very decisive in his decisions and decisions on major national events. He killed Liu Jin at the flick of a finger, peacefully rebelled against the king and the king of Ning, defeated the little prince of Mongolia, and repeatedly provided disaster relief. Moreover, there were still many talents under his reign, which also reflected from the side that there were still commendable points under the emperor's rule. The History of Ming states that he was "weakened since the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty." Emperor Yi's hand removed the reverse Jin, bowed to the imperial side, and desperately wanted to use martial arts to strengthen himself. ”
During the Tongzhi period, it was called "Xiantong Zhongxing", and the Qing History Manuscript said that he was "Muzong Chong Ling, that is, The Emperor, and the Mother Queen hung curtains." In the ten years, the thieves were leveled, and the Chinese and foreign countries were at peace. The non-fu palace is one, and it will be harmonized, so why is it perfect? Emperor Bo personally ruled the government and did not take time off. In the face of changes, repair the province, to be diligent. Smell the disaster, the most benevolent. Without saying a word, zhi Ming also. By making the life of the pu to the middle, the day is new and glorious, and the mediocrity is not comparable to the previous ancients. Gu Nai abandoned his subjects, and did not do what he did, sorry! ”
In this way, there are still many magical similarities in history.