Chapter 36 Three, the two princes

The East Nuan Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation is a historical witness to the tragedy of the two princes assisting the government in the late Qing Dynasty.The Hall of Mental Cultivation has witnessed the decline of Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty, and the downfall of Tongzhi, Guangxu, and Xuantong. The "Abdication Edict" of Empress Dowager Longyu is Signed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Emperor Xianfeng died of illness at the age of 31, and then three emperors—Emperor Tongzhi at the age of 6, Emperor Guangxu at the age of 4, and Emperor Xuantong at the age of 3 became the rulers of the Qing Dynasty, and three widows—Cian, Cixi, and Longyu became the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. Three princes assist the government, among which Prince Gong Yixin will be introduced in detail below.The other two wimpy princes—Prince Jin Yizhen and his son Prince Jin Zaifeng were in charge of the Qing dynasty. The imperial power was in the hands of these three children, three widows, and two princes. At the end of the day, the Qing court building collapsed, and the imperial power of the Qing emperor ended.In the calendar of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, there are three important days:

On August 19th of the third year of Xuantong (October 10, 1911), the Tongmenghui organized the Wuchang New Army Uprising, and the rebel army established the Hubei Military Government, with Li Yuanhong as the governor.Subsequently, Hunan and other thirteen provinces responded one after another and declared independence, and the Qing government quickly disintegrated.Soon, representatives from various provinces held a meeting in Nanjing, elected Sun Yat-sen as interim president, and decided to switch to the Gregorian calendar.This year is the Year of 1911, which is known in history as the Revolution of 1911.The Revolution of 1911 sounded the death knell of the Qing Dynasty.

On November 13th of the third year of Xuantong (January 1, 1912), Sun Yat-sen took office as the interim president of the Republic of China in Nanjing, declaring the establishment of the Republic of China.During this period, Yuan Shikai and Sun Yat-sen secretly negotiated, and Sun Yat-sen Xu Yuan Shikai succeeded as the president. On December 25th of the third year of Xuantong (February 12, 1912), in the name of Emperor Xuantong's obedience to the Empress Dowager Longyu, the Emperor Xuantong's abdication edict was promulgated, announcing that the Qing Dynasty had withdrawn from the stage of history.Since then, the 268-year rule of the Qing Dynasty has ended, and the imperial system of China for more than 2,000 years has also ended.Emperor Xuantong's "Abdication Edict" said: "Because of the civil army's uprising, the provinces responded, and the nine summers were boiling, and the people were dying."Yuan Shikai was specially ordered to dispatch personnel to discuss the overall situation with representatives of the militia.Discuss the opening of the National Assembly and referendum on the form of government.For two months, there was no sure way.The north and the south are separated from each other and stand against each other.Merchants drop out on the way, Shilu goes out in the wild.Just because the state system is not determined for a day, the people's livelihood is uneasy for a day.The psychology of the people across the country today tends to be republican.The southern and central provinces advocated the front, and the northern generals also advocated the latter.The destiny of the people can be known.Because of the honor of one surname, Yu Yi Heren can tell people's likes and dislikes.It is to use the general trend of appearance and internal review of public opinion to lead the emperor to make the ruling power public to the whole country and establish it as a constitutional republic.Nearly comfort the hearts of the people who are tired of chaos and look forward to governance, and far cooperate with the ancient holy world for the righteousness of the world.Yuan Shikai was elected as the prime minister by the former Economic and Political Council. When the old and the new are replaced, it is advisable to have a way to unify the north and the south, that is, Yuan Shikai has full power to organize a provisional republic government and negotiate with the militia for a unified method.In general, the people will be safe, and Haiyu will be safe.The complete territory of the Manchu, Han, Mongolian, Hui, and Tibetan ethnic groups is still one big Republic of China.Wouldn't it be nice for Yu and the emperor to be able to retreat to a leisurely place, enjoy the years, receive the preferential gifts from the people, and see the success of Zhizhi in person!

The "Abdication Edict" was drafted by Zhang Jian's staff Yang Tingdong (or Zhang Jian, Yang Du, and Lei Jixin).Yang Tingdong, a Juren in the late Qing Dynasty, once studied in Japan.After returning to China, he was highly valued by Zhang Jian for his profound knowledge, quick thinking, fluent writing style, and strong heart.After Tingdong was ordered to draft the imperial edict, it was polished by Zhang Jian, reviewed by Yuan Shikai, and released by Empress Dowager Longyu. At the end of the "Abdication Edict", it said: "Isn't it a joy for the emperor to retreat to a leisurely place, enjoy the years, receive the preferential gifts from the people, and see the success of Zhizhi?" To sum up, 32 words, spoken so easily, so elegantly, with extreme literary thinking, quite decent, can be described as a big picture, and a big hand!The Qing government and the Republic of China made compromises, negotiated peacefully, and realized the transition. This is a good deed that is beneficial to China, and it is also wisdom worthy of recognition.

Under the overturned nest, there are no eggs.The three emperors Tong, Guang, and Xuan, the three empress dowagers Ci'an, Cixi, and Longyu, the three princes Gong Yixin, Prince Chun Yixuan, and Prince Chun Zaifeng are all authors of the elegy of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, performers of tragedies, and Funeral objects of the Qing Dynasty.At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the top ruling class had five characteristics: first, the monarch was a 6-year-old ignorant child; second, the regent Zaifeng was cowardly; third, the empress dowager was weak; Three of them are Manchurian nobles; the fifth is Prince Qing, chief minister of military affairs, and cabinet minister Yikuang, who is the descendant of Yonglin, the seventeenth son of Emperor Qianlong. Someone bribed 100,000 yuan to sell an official, and handed over 1.2 million private properties to HSBC Bank in Dongjiaomin Lane (Volume 221 of "Drafts of Qing History");It is impossible for such a privy core of the Qing Dynasty to carry out system reforms, and it is impossible to move towards a republic. There is only one way to go-the Qing Dynasty perishes and the monarchy ends.

This historical lesson is "leading the old chapters of the ancestors", in layman's terms, "the laws of the ancestors are immutable".In the Qing Dynasty, "Two Patriarchs and One Clan" - Qing Taizu Nurhachi, Taizong Huang Taiji, and Shizu Fulin relied on the Eight Banners system to conquer the world. This was the cardinal of its success and the guarantee of its victory.The basic historical experience is just like the "Book of Changes" said: Tian Xingjian, the gentleman strives for self-improvement; the terrain is Kun, the gentleman carries things with virtue.In the late Qing Dynasty, they forgot both the sky and the earth.Why do you say you forgot the day?Aren't the year titles of the two founding monarchs of the Qing Dynasty "Tianming" and "Tiancong"?This "heaven", as understood by today's people, is the "heavenly time" of Sima Qian's "studying the relationship between heaven and man, and understanding the changes of the past and the present", which is the "heavenly time" of "moving good times" in "Laozi", which is what is said today. The "time" of "advancing with the times".They are stuck in their old ways and do not seek new ideas.Why do you say you forgot?The four monarchs, three empress dowagers, and three princes in the last days of the Qing Dynasty did not have "virtuousness", and only considered the interests of the Aixinjueluo clan and nobles, regardless of the interests of 400 million people.Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.In the end, they were abandoned by history, by the world, by the people, and by the times because they couldn't keep pace with the times, couldn't abandon the old and pursue the new, couldn't reform the Eight Banners system, and couldn't give up the privileges of nobles and nobles.

Historical karma, six beginnings and six endings, reincarnation coincidence, makes people reverie: Shunzhi began at the age of six, Xuantong ended at the age of six; King Rui began to reign, and King Chun ended; The end of Ye He; the beginning of the eight kings' discussion of politics, the end of the imperial meeting; the beginning of Taizu Fushun's army, and the end of Fushun prison. In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the elegy of the Qing Dynasty's death was played.