Aisin Gioro Zaifeng (1883-1951), whose courtesy name is Bohan and his pseudonym Jingyun. He was the grandson of Emperor Daoguang, the fifth son of Prince Chun, the half-brother of Emperor Guangxu Zai Tian, the biological father of Emperor Xuantong, and the regent of the regent of the Xuantong period in the late Qing Dynasty.
There were only two regents in the Qing Dynasty, which was the second only to the emperor of the current dynasty. The first is Dorgon when the Qing Dynasty entered the pass, and the second is Zaifeng . He inherited Prince Chun at the age of eight, refused to kneel down to the German Emperor William II at the age of eighteen, and served as the regent of the ruling state and acting Grand Marshal of the Army and Navy at the age of twenty-five. He was forced to resign three years later, and the Qing Dynasty was destroyed.
He once tried hard to prevent his son Puyi from establishing the "pseudo Manchukuo" and refused to surrender to the Japanese. For Yuan Shikai was called emperor and Zhang Xun restored , he only said "nonsense". After liberation, Zaifeng contributed Prince Chun's mansion to the people's government for public use, and died of illness in Beijing in 1951.
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Abdicated in disgrace. The Qing Dynasty was destroyed. In September 1911, with the vigorous progress of the Sichuan Road Protection Movement, the then governor of Sichuan, Zhao Erfeng, could not respond and requested to mobilize troops from outside to Sichuan to quell the rebellion. The Qing court urgently supervised the Guangdong-Hanzhou and Sichuan-Hanzhou Railway Ministers Duanfang led the Hubei army into Sichuan to suppress it.
At this time, the revolutionaries who were ready to go took advantage of the situation and launched the Wuchang Uprising on October 10. Zaifeng received a memorial from Ruicheng, Governor of Huguang , saying that he had seized 32 bandits and gangsters and seized more than arms bombs.
Zaifeng naturally praised it, saying that "the supervision should stop the troubles of the first arise, and the chaos will be resolved in the midst of a sudden." Unexpectedly, as soon as the decree was issued, news came from Wuhan: , Wuhan’s three towns, , was lost, and Ruicheng fled in panic.
12, Zaifeng urgently ordered the Army Minister Yinchang to lead the Beiyang New Army to suppress the warships. Unexpectedly, the Beiyang New Army was an armed force cultivated by Yuan Shikai and was beyond Yinchang's command. Foreign forces and the veterans within the Qing court all urged the appointment of Yuan Shikai.
On October 14, Zaifeng had to appoint Yuan Shikai, who had been "returning home and raising ills" for nearly three years, as the governor of Huguang to supervise the suppression and repression matters. However, Yuan Shikai was not satisfied with the position of governor of Huguang and refused to take office on the grounds that his foot disease had not yet recovered. Forced by the situation, Zaifeng had to issue two decrees on October 18 and 19, requiring Yuan Shikai to quickly regulate and take action, and give full authority to control the reinforcements of the Hubei army and provinces, navy and Yangtze River Navy ships.
Yuan Shikai was still unmoved, and Zaifeng had no choice but to send Yuan Shikai's close friend Xu Shichang to Yuan Lin, Anyang, Henan. After Yuan Shikai conspired with Xu Shichang and others, six conditions were issued. Including convening a parliament next year, organizing a real responsible cabinet, tolerating participants, lifting the party ban, granting full military power, and sufficient military expenditure.
Zaifeng was unable to deal with the current situation and could only accept Yuan Shikai's conditions. On October 27, Yuan Shikai was appointed as the imperial envoy and obtained full authority to control the army to quell the rebellion. The first army, which was originally controlled by Yinchang, returned to Yuan Shikai's confidant Feng Guozhang .
On October 29, the 20th town of the Qing army commanded Zhang Shaozeng , Wu Luzhen , Lantianwei and other generals launched Luanzhou military advisors, demanding that the convening of a parliament be held immediately, otherwise they would march to Beijing and mobilize the army to prepare to enter the area of Tongzhou and Nanyuan .
Facing the attack between the north and the south, Zaifeng had no choice but to do anything. On November 1, Zaifeng issued the " Crime Edict " in the name of the Emperor Xuantong , disbanded the royal cabinet , and appointed Yuan Shikai as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet to reorganize the cabinet.
On November 16, Yuan Shikai's new cabinet was formed. On the list of the chief and deputy ministers of each department of the cabinet, the Han people lived in 17, and there were only three people in . Of course, Yuan Shikai's confidants occupied important positions.
Under Yuan Shikai's military deployment, Feng Guozhang led his troops southward, the Qing army captured Hankou, and the revolutionaries launched an attack under the auspices of Huang Xing , but returned in vain. The Qing army launched a counterattack, stabilizing the situation in the three towns of Wuhan, and the revolutionaries retreated to Nanjing.
At the same time, Yuan Shikai sent people to assassinate Wu Luzhen, dismantle the Luanzhou military admonishment, and then suppress the soldiers of the Luanzhou uprising.
At this point, Zaifeng's regent is useless. On November 6, Zaifeng had no choice but to resign from the "Regent of the State" to Empress Dowager Longyu, and retreated to his vassal residence only in the name of Prince Chun. All the power of the Qing Empire fell into the hands of Yuan Shikai.
Empress Dowager Longyu
1 On January 1, 1912, the Provisional Government of the Republic of China was established in Nanjing. Sun Yat-sen took office as the Provisional President of the Republic of China under the election of the independent provinces in the south. A series of innovative measures were subsequently issued, and the North-South peace talks were also in full swing.
On January 22, 1912, Sun Yat-sen issued a statement saying that the purpose of the revolution is to overthrow the imperial system and establish a democratic republic. If Yuan Shikai, the Prime Minister of the Qing Dynasty, could agree to the republic system, he would resign from the post of interim president and elect Yuan Shikai as interim president.
Sun Yat-sen
So, on January 25, Yuan Shikai and the generals of Beiyang issued a telegram to announce their support for the republic system. Then Yuan Shikai performed a farce forcing the palace.
On January 26, 1912, Yuan Shikai's Beiyang general Duan Qirui , jointly held 46 generals with heavy troops, sent a telegram to the Qing court cabinet to "released an edict to declare China and foreign countries, and establish a republic system. If it is not broken quickly, the rivers and seas will be lost and the situation will be destroyed."
On the same day, Liangbi , a nobleman from the Qing Dynasty "Zongshe Party" (restoring the Qing Dynasty and opposing abdication), was assassinated on the way home and died of serious injuries a few days later.
Zaifeng and Guarjia (standing on the left and right, the biological mother Liu Jia and the concubine Li Jia)
Yuan Shikai spared no expense to buy Prince Qing Yi Li and eunuchs' chief Xiao De Zhang , and promised generous treatment to the royal family in order to persuade Empress Dowager Longyu to agree to the abdication of the Qing emperor.
htmlOn February 5, Duan Qirui led all the generals of the First Army to call the Qing court to abdicate, and Yuan Shikai sent several confidants to force the palace. Empress Dowager Longyu finally accepted the conditions for the abdication of the Qing emperor.1912 On February 12, Hu Weide represented Yuan Shikai as the Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (maybe he was guilty, Yuan deliberately avoided it), and went to Hall of Yangxin to attend the last ceremony of the Qing Dynasty to see the emperor.
movie and TV drama stills
Empress Dowager Longyu took the six-year-old emperor Puyi to sit on the throne of the Golden Luan, and received three new bows from a group of ministers and cabinet members, including Hu Weide, Zhao Bingjun, , Liang Shiyi, Wang Shizhen, , etc.
Then, Empress Dowager Longyu handed over the three abdications to Foreign Minister Hu Weide and promulgated the world. The Qing Dynasty, which ruled China for 268 years, died at this time.
Mr. Sun Yat-sen keeps his promise to resign from his post as interim president of the Republic of China. On February 15, 1912, after the Provisional Senate election, Yuan Shikai was elected as the second interim president of the Republic of China and was sworn in Beijing on March 10.
After Empress Dowager Longyu issued an edict to abdicate, she couldn't let go of her heart and was depressed and eventually got sick. A year later, on February 22, the 45-year-old Empress Dowager Longyu suddenly passed away in Changchun Palace in a state of depression and lament.
Empress Dowager Longyu
A peaceful life
After the founding of the Republic of China, the abdicated emperor Puyi still lived in the Forbidden City and enjoyed the generous treatment of the Republic of China.
Zaifeng returned to Prince Chun's residence. He didn't complain much, and lived a life of "a book that is so rich, and a little god without any trouble". However, he was only twenty-nine years old at this time.
. Follow the routine
Zaifeng has a calm and generous personality and rarely asks about the faults of his servants. He usually just rebukes. At this time, he didn't speak much and rarely talked to others. Even if he is with his two closest brothers, he often talks about them and he listens to them.
The daily affairs of Prince Chun’s mansion have long been under the control of his biological mother Liu Jia. In 1925, after Liu Jia's death, Zaifeng still rarely involved specific management.When people ask for instructions on related matters, Zaifeng usually says "do it as usual".
Even when shouldering the heavy responsibility of the country and holding the royal power, Zaifeng was the same, following the old system - acting as usual, without going beyond the line.
Reading and reading newspapers became Zaifeng’s biggest hobbies. The royal palace has a lot of books and a complete collection of classics, history, and literature. He spends most of his daily time reading history books in his study. In addition, we can learn about the current situation by reading newspapers every day.
Zaifeng has always insisted on writing diaries in fine brush and small regular script. The diary contains concerns about his children and also has respect for his relatives, old ministers, and relatives and friends.
Zaifeng once went on a mission in Europe and was relatively trendy. Back then, he brought the "Bruham" European carriage back to China and purchased scientific instruments such as globe, astronomical telescope , and he had a strong interest in natural science, especially mathematics and astronomy. In the diary of this prince, records of Halley's comet , five-star bead , solar and lunar eclipse often appear, with simple fine drawings, mostly from his personal observations.
He was also the first to use cars and phones, the first to cut his braids, and the first prince and nobleman to wear a suit, prefer photography and think that he is not a self-confidant person.
Guarjia (Xiafeng's wife and daughter of Ronglu)
. The "President" met with the "Prince" to forget his grudges
In August 1912, Sun Yat-sen, who resigned from the presidency, came to Beijing to discuss internal affairs at the invitation of Yuan Shikai. During this period, members of the former Qing royal family also expressed their sincerity and hoped to communicate with Sun Yat-sen.
htmlOn September 10, Sun Yat-sen accepted the invitation and went to Prince Chun’s mansion in person. Yuan Shikai sent infantry commander Jiang Chaozong to prepare in advance. Sun Yat-sen arrived by car under the escort of the horse team, and Zaifeng was waiting for the greeting in front of the "Baohan Hall" (big study room).
The two of them exchanged a little greetings and walked into the hall, and sat down in turn. Sun Yat-sen first said: In 1901, Prince Chun apologized to the German Emperor on behalf of the Chinese as his brother, and was neither humble nor arrogant in the face of embarrassment and passivity, which was praised by international public opinion.
Then said: In the year of Xinhai, the prince could not fall in love with the throne, automatically abdicate, recognize the republic, advocate peace, and prevent China from a bloody battle. This is a wise move with political wisdom and political qualities.
As the emperor's father and the regent of the Qing Dynasty, Prince puts the interests of the country and the nation first and puts the interests of the family second in the issue of the emperor's abdication. The prince's move was beneficial to the revolution and was a patriotic act with political vision.
Mr. Sun Yat-sen
Zhaifeng's attitude towards Sun Yat-sen gradually became a little kind of intimate from politeness and perfunctory. He praised Sun Yat-sen's efforts for the country and the people.
Sun Yat-sen also fully affirmed Zaifeng's attitude of not caring about politics and not participating in restoration activities after his "abdication". He said that he will be committed to national construction. We hope that the two sides will work together on the basis of the five-nation republic in the future to make our country more prosperous and stronger.
talks took place for an hour in a harmonious atmosphere. When Sun Yat-sen said goodbye, he specially presented a photo of himself to Zaifeng. The photo read: "Prince Chun Huicun, Sun Wen gave it." Zaifeng thanked him and said: "I support the Republic of China, and the general trend is the same. Thank you for your care for us."
The next day, Zaifeng, accompanied by Jiang Chaozong, went to the hotel to visit and hosted a banquet to entertain Sun Yat-sen. The former number one "wanted criminal" and the former "ruler" made fun of each other and abandoned past grudges.
Later, when Sun Yat-sen passed away, Zaifeng placed the precious photo in his study, surrounded by plain white flowers, burned incense and steamed candles, and prayed devoutly to the great man who died early.
Middle-aged Zaifeng
. "Nonsense" restoration
Zaifeng, who wanted to live a dull life, was threatened by the current situation from time to time.
When the Qing Dynasty was just destroyed, former Qing nobles and their elders gathered in Qingdao , trying to win him over to start a joint cause. Although Zaifeng was young, his status and influence were both present. He expected that the situation was hopeless and it was difficult to achieve great things in restoration, so he politely refused one by one on the grounds of "exhausted".
In his speech to others, Zaifeng made it very clear that restoration is impossible. Pulling his mind will eventually be a dream, which will not only be useless, but will also bring greater disasters.
Zaifeng could forget about politics, but the whirlpool of politics would sweep away him and his son who stayed in the Forbidden City at any time. What he cared most about and wanted to work hard for was to preserve Puyi's status as the emperor and the preferential treatment regulations of the Republic of China government for the Qing Dynasty. For this purpose, he can be kind to others and maintain friendship with all kinds of politicians.
915, Yuan Shikai became emperor and restored to the climax, and Zaifeng was also dragged into it. In order to win over the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Shikai sent someone to plead with his relationship and clearly stated that he would be betrothed his daughter to Puyi and wanted the Qing Dynasty to express his attitude.
Zaifeng, who was in a dull life, believed that this matter was "nonsense", but he had to agree to the request for marriage. On the surface, he supported Yuan as the emperor, but did not take any practical actions, and then watched the scene of the ugly drama coldly.
November 16, a month before Yuan Shikai became emperor, Zaifeng wrote in his diary: "With the Grand Tutor, I met the Four Imperial Concubines, and reported to the Shang royal family and President Yuan Da's marriage, and they all recognized it, and they ordered everything to be prepared. In the secret documents of Inner Vipassana, everything is as good as ever."
Yuan Shikai only served as the emperor for 83 days, and died of depression amid opposition, and the marriage was naturally incomplete.
Yuan Shikai
After Yuan Shikai's death, Li Yuanhong and Duan Qirui were in power and became the authoritative figures of Beiyang Government . Every New Year's Day, Puyi's birthday and other major festivals, Zaifeng gave food to the two to maintain friendship with those in power.
1917, "Dians the Commander" Zhang Xun 3 seconded to mediate the dispute between the government and the court and led the Braids into Beijing. However, Zhang Xun's real intention was to support the restoration of the Qing emperor.
html At midnight on June 30, Zhang Xun entered the palace to meet Puyi in the Forbidden City's Heart-Healing Hall. On July 1, Zhang Xun and others called for a nationwide call to restore the imperial system, and Huanglong Banner was hung in the capital.
Zhang Xun
Among all the officials appointed by Zhang Xun, they were all Han people. The princes and nobles of the Qing Dynasty were very indignant about this and went to Zaifeng to discuss it. Therefore, Prince Chun's mansion became the deliberation center for a group of Beilebeizis. Zaifeng was still quiet and steady, without actively dissuading or actively echoing, and still responding with a word of "nonsense".
They gather together all day to find solutions. Before we figured out the countermeasures, attacked the rebel army and has entered the city. This made them successful.
In the end, Puyi was the emperor for only twelve days, and was forced to abdicate again as Zhang Xun's braided army was defeated. How this farce ends is really a headache.
Puyi
Zhaifeng and Puyi's master Chen Baochen Finally drafted an edict of abdication, including "It is only based on the word "Save the country and the people, so I have to accept it as requested and obey the government" and other accommodating words, which put most of the responsibility on Zhang Xun. In the end, big things will become smaller and disappear invisibly.
Zaifeng likes Bai Juyi's 's song "Wine" very much: "What's the matter with the snail horn? I'm lying in the light of this body. Being rich and happy, not laughing is a fool."
Life is like living on a small snail horn. In such a narrow space, what else can I fight for? A short life is like a little bit of fire emitted by the moment when a stone collides. Therefore, no matter whether it is rich or poor, you don’t have to be too petty, but you should try to relax your mind and keep your mood happy at any time.
Zaifeng truly understood the artistic conception of this poem, so he, who once held a high position, became a sober person who was not greedy for power and had the right to advance and retreat.
(To be continued)
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