Among the many contestants, there are two who have the most hope of winning. One is Huang Taiji's eldest son Aixinjueluo Hauge, and the other is Huang Taiji's fourteenth younger brother Aixinjueluo Dorgon.

(portrait of Aixinjueluo Huang Taiji)

Chongde eighth year, 1643 AD.

The second leader of the Qing Dynasty, Aixinjueluo Huang Taiji passed away.

Since Comrade Huang Taiji died in a hurry and had no time to leave a will, the position of the heir to the throne was full of uncertainty.

The late emperor did not designate who would succeed him, so everyone has a chance to participate in the next battle for the throne.

Among the many contestants, there are two who have the most hope of winning. One is Huang Taiji's eldest son Aisin Gioro Hauge , and the other is Huang Taiji's fourteenth younger brother Aisin Gioro Duo. Ergon .

The two brothers are equally powerful and equally matched. They are at a stalemate in the battle for the throne, and neither one can defeat the other.

According to the laws of history, when such a close match occurs, one of them must die to end it. However, with the mentality that if I feel uncomfortable, you should not feel comfortable, the two of them finally decided that no one should fight or snatch the throne. , let’s give it to others.

The motivation for giving up is very simple. I can't be the emperor, so don't have any wishful thinking.

So, Hauge and Dorgon picked and chose among the children of the Qing Dynasty royal family, and finally selected the ninth son of Huang Taiji, Aixinjueluo Fulin.

(image of Aisin Gioro Hauge)

Fulin, also known as Shunzhi, was only six years old when he first ascended the throne.

Now, we can see the intentions of Hauge and Dorgon.

Of course they would not be so kind-hearted that they would willingly give up the throne to Shunzhi, but because Shunzhi was young, even if he became the emperor, they would still hold great power and regard the young emperor as a puppet.

Therefore, Emperor Shunzhi, who ascended the throne at a young age, lived in an atmosphere of being controlled and ignored from the first day he ascended the throne.

The eldest brother Hauge sits firmly in the court, is his own home, is his own master, and gives orders for himself in the country's internal affairs, while his uncle Dorgon holds military power and gallops abroad. Almost all military operations of the court are controlled by Dorgon. Ergon decided on his own, and he couldn't get involved in a word.

If it was just that he couldn't get involved in national government affairs, Shunzhi might still be able to accept it. After all, he was too small. Not to mention climbing the mountain of "Master Shao Guo Sui", his short stature could not even reach the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. The threshold cannot be crossed alone.

But once little Shunzhi crosses the threshold and returns from the court to the harem, he will find that his mother Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang is waiting for him, letting him learn royal etiquette, paying attention to emperor's manners, and educating him as a You should behave like a king, and criticize him for his lack of ability and difficulty in convincing the public.

Being the emperor is really frustrating.

(Portrait of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang)

However, being aggrieved has always been a basic characteristic of the emperor, which is completely different from what people usually imagine that being an emperor is a great good thing.

In the inherent concept, it seems that as long as you become an emperor, you can break through all the constraints on morality and law. Simply put, you can do whatever you want, say what you want, eat whatever you want, and eat whatever you want. Play whatever you want.

I have endless amounts of steamed buns. I want to dip them in brown sugar, and I want to dip them in white sugar and dip them in white sugar.

People naively believe that the most basic privilege of the emperor is that he can do anything without bearing any consequences.

People imagine that the emperor is free, but there are about five hundred emperors in Chinese history, and only a few of them can achieve freedom.

The Western Han Emperor Liu Che was a real puppet emperor in the first five years after he ascended the throne. His power was controlled by the Empress Dowager Wang and the Empress Dowager Dou. There were many officials and ministers such as Wei Zheng in the court, so the emperor had to pay attention to his words and deeds at all times to avoid being educated by his ministers.

The emperors of the Ming Dynasty, such as Emperor Gao, Zhu Yuanzhang, Chengzu, Zhu Di, Renzong, Zhu Gaochi, Xuanzong, Zhu Zhanji, and Xiaozong, Zhu Youtang. Each of them was deeply involved in civilian politics and was Censors criticized, were restrained by civil servants, and were overwhelmed by powerful political dogma.

These famous heroes and virtuous kings in history had such a bad life, let alone a young emperor like Shunzhi.

So to sum up, we can find that being an emperor is not only not a good thing, but a hard job.

The emperor must always pay attention to his words and deeds. The emperor must always maintain sacred dignity. The emperor cannot have personal hobbies, let alone personal emotions. The emperor must endure his anger and hold back his words. The only thing the emperor has to do is, It is dedicated to the operation of the state machine.

But if Emperor Shunzhi could endure all this, the only thing he couldn't endure was losing power.

Because when the emperor loses power, it means losing his dignity.

However, for Shunzhi, such miserable days will soon be over.

(Portrait of Aixinjueluo Dorgon)

In the fifth year of Shunzhi, in 1648 AD, Hauge was convicted and executed.

In the seventh year of Shunzhi (AD 1650), Dorgon was out hunting. His horse was speeding and he was involved in a traffic accident. He fell off his horse, became seriously ill, and died soon after.

The two auxiliary ministers received lunches one after another, and the Shunzhi Emperor, who had been shackled for many years, was finally able to take charge.

When the young Emperor Shunzhi ascended the throne for the first time, he immediately showed his side as a wise monarch. He reused Han officials, breaking the monopoly of important official positions by Manchu and Qing nobles. The remaining peasant rebel forces in the Qing Dynasty did not suppress them blindly, but recruited as much as possible, hoping to end the war through peaceful means.

The emperor clarified the official administration, developed the economy, revived the culture, and did many good things that benefited the country and the people. He was indeed a promising king of his generation.

However, after doing all this, Emperor Shunzhi suddenly felt deeply tired.

As soon as it came, the Qing Dynasty that had just taken over the Central Plains had not yet gained a firm foothold and had an unstable foundation. The country was in dire straits and was busy with government affairs. There were memorials one after another and state affairs one after another. Although Emperor Shunzhi was very Diligent, but it seems that this kind of high-intensity work will never end, and there are always overwhelming things that need to be dealt with by the emperor.

Secondly, Shunzhi, who suffered from the abuse of power in his childhood and adolescence, originally had a negative attitude towards politics. However, after taking office personally, the emperor's diligence and responsibility for work were only due to his own sense of responsibility, and Non-interest and voluntary.

Shun means smoothness, governance, and governing the country. When combined, it means to govern the country smoothly and unify China.

(Portrait of Aixinjueluo Fulin)

His name Fulin also means that happiness and contentment will come to the world.

But things in the world are always full of fantasy and very skinny in reality.

Behind the brilliance on the surface, there was the endless melancholy and loss of Emperor Shunzhi.

Of course, in the complicated and boring ruling career, the emperor also encountered the dawn of his life, and this dawn was Concubine Dong E.

As the emperor's favorite concubine, the emperor regarded her as a confidant. Concubine Dong E was knowledgeable, sensible and considerate, and she also soothed the emperor's heart in the extremely boring years.

However, such days were short-lived. In the 17th year of Shunzhi, after Concubine Dong E died of illness in 1660 AD, Emperor Shunzhi could be said to be completely desperate.

Losing power as a child, boring work as an adult, and the collapse of his love world made Emperor Shunzhi despair of this cruel and merciless world.

There has been no freedom for eighteen years. When will the war in the south and the north end?

(image of Hesheli Sony)

In the last years of Emperor Shunzhi, he was influenced by Buddhist culture. He once wanted to become a monk, but under the persuasion of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and a group of ministers, he had no choice but to After all, the author watched " Kangxi Dynasty " when he was a child, and still vividly remembers what Hesheli Sony said in the film and television drama at that time when he was admonishing the emperor:

Fulin! Good luck! Aixinjueluo Fulin! You are a descendant of Aixinjueluo , the founding king of the Qing Dynasty! (After entering the Central Plains), you are in danger for the world, how can you let that monk deceive the people with his evil words (referring to Shunzhi's desire to become a monk). You ascended the throne at the age of six, took charge as a young man, chopped the throne with a sword, wiped out the rebels of the former Ming Dynasty, and illuminated the ancestors. Lie Zong!

This is the regret of the ministers for Shunzhi's devotion to Buddhism, and it is also the control of the emperor in the feudal monarchy era.

Shunzhi, from the time you are born to the time you die, you are a person who cannot decide anything.

Freedom is the greatest luxury in this emperor's life.

In the 18th year of Shunzhi, AD 1661, it was the seventh day of the first lunar month, the seventh day of the traditional Chinese New Year.

On this night, the Forbidden City the sound of firecrackers, fireworks in full bloom, crowds of people, bustling, people are still immersed in the joy of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new.

That night, Emperor Shunzhi died suddenly of illness at the age of only twenty-four.

(Portrait of Aixinjueluo Xuanye)

After the emperor's death, the imperial court promulgated the imperial edict left by the emperor during his lifetime. In addition to specifying his son Xuan Ye (the emperor of Kangxi ) after he ascended the throne, the imperial edict also listed his shortcomings in life. The sins he committed during his years in office include not respecting the ancestral system, reemploying Han officials, advocating Confucianism and Buddhism, etc.

The contents of the posthumous edict almost completely negated the most glorious achievements in Emperor Shunzhi's life.

Such inconsistencies make it difficult for the author to believe that this posthumous edict came from the emperor himself, but rather that it seemed like a reproach to him by his mother, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

From the perspective of a ruler, perhaps the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang could not understand Emperor Shunzhi's behavior of converting the Han people. However, Emperor Shunzhi, who had a tortuous life, could understand the rules of the world at that time.

He knew that the Manchus had carried out barbaric conquests after entering the customs . In essence, such conquests had little effect on the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Tens of thousands of peasants often rebelled. happened, the unrest in various places has never been eradicated. This is undoubtedly a painful pain for the Qing Dynasty in this land.

Therefore, this young emperor's body will show the loss of the conqueror from time to time, and his personal loneliness, isn't it the historical price paid after the Qing Dynasty established the Central Plains?

When I came, I was confused and when I passed away, I walked through the world in vain.

Never gave birth to me. Who am I? Who was I when I was born?

Emperor Shunzhi ended his life in such loneliness and loneliness, and from this perspective, he was undoubtedly a pitiful person.