"No filial piety has three, no queen is greater", in China's feudal society, up to the members of the royal family, down to the common people, the inheritance of their own heirs are very important, because they are the peak of power of the emperors, for the inheritance of the bloodline, there are three palaces, six courts, seventy-two concubines, harem beauty three thousand said, however, in the Qing Dynasty, there is a strange phenomenon, that is, the three emperors of the last qing Dynasty, namely Tongzhi, Guangxu, Xuantong, they actually did not leave any heirs, popularly speaking, it is "the queen of extinction". It's a bit of a stretch.
The Tongzhi Emperor Zaichun was the only son of Cixi, who died at the age of 19, and the zhengshi records that there were no heirs, and the subsequent Guangxu Emperor Zai xiang also died untimely at the age of 38, also without a son and a half daughter, and the last Xuantong Emperor Puyi lived for a full 61 years, but still did not leave any descendants. Looking back at the nearly 300 history of the Qing Dynasty, if you count Nurhaci and Emperor Taiji, there are a total of 12 emperors, and this situation of three consecutive emperors without heirs is unique in history. So what is the reason for this?
For the Tongzhi Emperor, there are rumors that he is an emperor who often goes in and out of the flower street willow lane, and there is a wild history that Tongzhi died because of the flower willow disease. Although the Guangxu Emperor had one and two concubines, of which Zhenfei was deeply favored by Guangxu, Guangxu was weak and sick from childhood, coupled with the long-term control of Cixi, and his heart was extremely depressed, which was also an important reason for Guangxu's early death. As for the Xuantong Emperor Puyi, through his autobiography "The First Half of My Life", it can be known that he lost his fertility at a very early age, and his empress Wanrong fornicated with the guards, and the concubines finally left him. But are these the reasons why they are "dead"? The answer is certainly not so simple.
After in-depth analysis by scholars from all walks of life, the following statements have been drawn:
1. Marriage of close relatives
This claim is widely recognized by historians. Ai Xin Jue Luo regards himself as noble in blood, in order to ensure the purity of the blood, has only intermarried with the Eight Banners and mongolian nobles, the circle of intermarriage is limited, naturally, the phenomenon of marriage between close relatives is more, we modern people all know that the impact of marriage between close relatives on offspring is very large, light affects development and fertility, heavy leads to premature death, but Ai Xin Jue Luo obviously does not feel the drawbacks.
For example, Emperor Taiji had five concubines from the same family, the Borgit clan, some of whom were aunts and nephews. Kangxi also married two of his own cousins, Tong Jiashi. Guangxu's mother was Cixi's sister, and his empress Yehenara was Cixi's niece, his cousin.
This layer continues layer by layer, the impact on future generations is very serious, let's look at the death of the qing emperor's heirs:
Founding Emperor Taiji: 25 children, 5 premature deaths, 20% proportion
Second Emperor Shunzhi: 14 children, 6 premature deaths, 43%
Third Emperor Kangxi: 55 children, 27 premature deaths, 49%
Fourth Emperor Yongzheng: 14 children, 9 premature deaths, 64%
The fifth emperor Qianlong: 27 children, 12 premature deaths, the proportion of 44%
Sixth Emperor Jiaqing: 14 children, 8 premature deaths, 57%
Seventh Emperor Daoguang: 19 children, 8 premature deaths, 42%
Eighth Emperor Xianfeng: 3 children, 2 premature deaths, 67%
The back is completely gone, which shows how serious the evil consequences brought about by the so-called "kissing on top and kissing" are.
2. Affected by lead and cinnabar
The foundation of the Forbidden City was watered with lead, and in order to disperse mosquitoes, the ground was also paved with cinnabar, both of which were harmful to the body, because after the Yuanmingyuan was burned by the British and French troops, the Qing Emperor stayed in the Forbidden City, and over time, the body was affected, resulting in infertility.
3. Idealism
Some idealists believe that the prosperity of future generations has a lot to do with luck. They believed that when the fortunes of a dynasty were prosperous, everything would naturally go smoothly and the descendants would continue endlessly. And when a dynasty has "exhausted its qi number", those in power will usually be weak and sick, and their descendants will become scarce.
Do you agree with the above statement? Feel free to leave a comment.