In the long history of China, the eunuch system has always been regarded as a stubborn disease of feudal society, and even after its establishment in 1912, it still existed. The Qing Dynasty royal family still survived in the deep palace of the Forbidden City under the reservation of Xin**, and hundreds of eunuchs served the emperor and his family. However, it was not until 1923 that the last emperor, Pu Yi, did not hesitate to confront the entire imperial family, which put an end to this thousand-year-old eunuch system. Why, then, did the emperor, who had been submissive, suddenly take such an iron-fisted action?
The crisis caused by the fire.
The beginning of the story begins with a fire. At about 9 o'clock in the evening of June 26, 1923, the Jianfu Palace in the Forbidden City of Beijing suddenly **, the fire spread to the Yanchun Pavilion, making the surrounding palace a sea of fire. This fire not only made Pu Yi deeply heartbroken, but also burned the treasure house of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, Buddha statues, gold and silver, and the wedding gifts of Emperor Guangxu in the Forbidden City.
However, the fire did not come naturally. It turned out that although Pu Yi lived in the Forbidden City after his abdication, the actual power no longer belonged to him. The eunuchs took the opportunity to frequently steal cultural relics in the palace, and were caused an uproar by ***. The eunuch's reselling reached Pu Yi's ears, making him feel that he had lost control of the palace property. As a result, Pu Yi decided to inventory the treasures in the Forbidden City and register them.
Pu Yi's determination provoked the eunuchs to revolt.
Once the plan of the inventory is implemented, the emperor will know the treasures of the Forbidden City at a glance. Seeing that their actions were about to be revealed, the eunuchs resorted to unexpected measures. On the night of the inventory, a fire broke out in Jianfu Palace, destroying all the treasures in the palace. Pu Yi quickly realized the strangeness of the fire, and the fire became the perfect cover for the eunuchs to cover up their crimes.
The eunuchs dared to defy the emperor's orders in this way, which made Pu Yi feel lawless against the eunuchs in the palace. Even more worrying was that those closest to the emperor could become a potential threat, ready to conspire to reduce his palace to ashes. This fire made Pu Yi deeply aware of the threat posed to him by the eunuch system, and then made up his mind to put an end to this thousand-year-old system.
The Emperor's iron-fisted determination.
On July 15, 1923, 19 days after the fire of Jianfu Palace, Pu Yi quickly adopted a plan of action to dismiss the eunuchs. The eunuch system has lasted for thousands of years, and it is undoubtedly a sensational revolution to expel these eunuchs from the palace and abolish the eunuch system. However, Pu Yi not only faced the resistance of the eunuchs, but also had to convince multiple interest groups such as the imperial family, his father's regent, and the internal affairs government in order to truly abolish the eunuch system.
The first to bear the brunt were the three old ladies in the palace, who had relied on the eunuchs for many years. In the face of Pu Yi's decision, the concubines resolutely opposed it, which made Pu Yi adopt a strategy of leaving. He left the Forbidden City and refused to return to the palace, which was an unprecedented shock to the emperor as the master of the Forbidden City.
The concubines refused to remove the eunuchs, and Pu Yi refused to return to the palace. In this wrestling, Pu Yi finally promised the concubines to keep 20 eunuchs each, and the rest were all driven out of the Forbidden City. In this game, the end of the eunuch system became a condition for Pu Yi to return to the palace. At this time, Pu Yi's father, Prince Alcohol, was also opposed to the abolition of eunuchs, but in the face of Pu Yi's insistence, he finally promised that as long as the concubines agreed, he would no longer object.
Determined with an iron fist, the eunuch system ended.
Among the royal family, Pu Yi had to gain a say in the fight against several of the most influential figures. In this way, the opinions of others are not to be feared. In order to prevent the eunuchs from being dissatisfied with the dismissal and seeking trouble, Pu Yi ordered an army to be stationed in the Forbidden City to supervise the dismissal of 1,740 eunuchs.
Among these eunuchs, some are extremely wealthy, and some have hundreds of thousands of debts. During the dismissal process, each person was given three or five yuan in severance pay, and the eunuchs left the Forbidden City one after another. Although this fire destroyed the priceless treasures in the palace, it also ignited Pu Yi's blood and ended thousands of years of eunuch system.
The end of the eunuch era.
Through this iron-fisted revolution, Pu Yi not only ended the rule of eunuchs, but also drew an end to Chinese history. As a remnant of feudal society, the eunuch system finally came to an end under Pu Yi's firm determination. This historic decision not only changed the pattern of the Forbidden City, but also brought new possibilities to China's social system. The iron-fisted revolution of the last emperor, Puyi, became a new chapter in Chinese history.
The iron-fisted revolution of the last emperor, Puyi, put an end to China's thousand-year-old eunuch system, which is a shocking chapter in history. The occurrence of this incident not only revealed the shortcomings of the eunuch system, but also showed Pu Yi's courage and determination in the face of the profound court system.
First, the outbreak of the fire became the trigger for this revolutionary change. The fire at Jianfu Palace not only destroyed precious historical relics, but also highlighted the irresponsible management of imperial property by the eunuchs. Pu Yi was acutely aware of the corruption of the eunuch system and the threat this systemic problem posed to the Forbidden City's cultural relics. He decided to take measures to inventory the treasures of the Forbidden City and strengthen management, but the eunuchs not only resisted, but also defied the emperor's orders by causing a fire, which made the problem even more prominent.
Secondly, Pu Yi's determination and courage were vividly demonstrated in this iron-fisted revolution. In the face of internal and external pressure, he resolutely took the action of dismissing the eunuchs and completely abolished the eunuch system. This decisive move required not only preparation for a strong resistance from the eunuchs, but also overcoming internal and external resistance. Especially in the game with the palace concubines, royal relatives, and his father regent, Pu Yi showed firm leadership, successfully negotiated the opinions of all parties, and finally realized the end of the eunuch system.
The social impact of this revolution was also far-reaching. As a remnant of feudal society, the existence of the eunuch system has long been an abnormality of the Chinese social system. By abolishing the eunuch system, Pu Yi not only achieved the end of eunuch power, but also took a big step forward in the modernization of Chinese society. This move changed the internal structure of the Forbidden City and provided inspiration for later social reforms.
However, Pu Yi's decision also sparked a series of controversies. On the one hand, the abolition of the eunuch system meant a dramatic change in China's ancient court system, which could have been a shock to some traditionalists. On the other hand, although the abolition of the eunuch system solved the root of the problem, it also led to the mass dismissal of eunuchs and caused social instability. In response to the possible resistance of the eunuchs, Pu Yi even sent troops into the Forbidden City, which was undoubtedly a political and social upheaval at the time.
Overall, the iron-fisted revolution of the last emperor, Puyi, was a profound change in Chinese history. His determination and courage brought the eunuch system to an end in Chinese history and laid the foundation for the development of modern society. However, this event also triggered a series of controversies and social unrest, reflecting the complexity and difficulties of the transition period of Chinese feudal society.
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