Before Cixi died, Pu Yi had been identified as the heir to the throne, with Zaifeng as the regent. However, judging from subsequent developments, it is clear that there are hidden dangers in this decision.
Zaifeng was only 26 years old at the time, and Pu Yi was only 3 years old, and from the perspective of blood relationship, Zaifeng was the younger brother of Emperor Guangxu, and Pu Yi was only Zaifeng's son. So, why didn't Cixi directly establish Zaifeng as the emperor, but chose Pu Yi as the ** person?
When Cixi proposed to establish Pu Yi as his heir, Zhang Zhidong and others raised objections, believing that Pu Yi was too young, and Emperor Guangxu's Empress Longyu was in her prime, and she was worried that there would be a situation of listening to the government.
Therefore, they strongly recommended that Li Zaifeng be emperor. In fact, Zaifeng was the most suitable person at that time. He is the fifth son of Prince Yixun, the younger brother of Emperor Guangxu, and the nephew of Cixi.
In the sixteenth year of Guangxu, Zaifeng, who was only seven years old, had already inherited the title of Prince Alcohol, and his status was extremely prominent. However, such a background did not ensure that Jae-bong would be the candidate for emperor.
However, as Jaefeng grew older, his personal talents gradually became apparent. After the rebellion of Gengzi, the Qing ** and the Eight-Nation Coalition signed the "Xinchou Treaty", but Germany was angry because of the killing of Minister Klinder, and at the same time Germany also wanted to show the strength of its national strength, so it forced the Qing ** to send people to Germany to ask the Kaiser for guilt.
And this shameful errand fell on Zaifeng's head.
Zaifeng successfully completed the task and was warmly welcomed by the German high-level, who proudly said: "The overall situation has been protected, and the national body has not been damaged." Therefore, he was put to good use, and at the age of twenty he was appointed Minister of Peace, and at the age of twenty-five he became Minister of Military Aircraft.
With Zaifeng's qualifications, he is extremely rare among the royal family. When Cixi chose a candidate for the throne, Zhang Zhidong and others made a proposal to make him emperor. However, Cixi has a different idea, she thinks that Tongzhi and Guangxu are brothers and brothers, and if Zaifeng becomes the emperor again, then the three generations of emperors are brothers, which has never been done in the entire feudal era, so it is not appropriate.
In the end, Cixi decided alone and chose Puyi.
Did Cixi really choose the three-year-old Pu Yi as the emperor because of the disagreement of the system? The answer is clearly no. In fact, Cixi had her own ideas. In 1908, when the heir was confirmed, she was already ill, but she was convinced that it was a minor illness that would soon be cured.
Therefore, her choice of three-year-old Pu Yi as her heir is obviously easier to control, which is exactly the same as her idea of making Guangxu emperor back then. However, Cixi also has a good impression of Zaifeng.
He was usually gentle and obedient, so Cixi decided to make him the regent, so that he could assist Pu Yi without posing a threat to her curtain. It's a decision to get the best of both worlds.
On the 21st day of the 10th lunar month in 1908, Emperor Guangxu died, and on the same day, Cixi announced Pu Yi as emperor, changed the Yuan Xuantong, and appointed Zaifeng as the regent.
In order to stabilize the political situation, Cixi was crowned the king of iron hats, but she failed to foresee the fate of Guangxu after his death. After her death, the devastated Daqing Dynasty was left to Zaifeng's father and son.
Although on the surface, Zaifeng is the regent, Pu Yi is the emperor, and the Prince Alcohol family monopolizes all the honors, but in fact, Zaifeng inherited an almost overturned country. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Qing ** borrowed as much as 1.2 billion taels from banks in various countries, most of which were used for reparations.
In the last years of Guangxu, the financial revenue of the Qing Dynasty was about 120 million taels, which were all used to repay debts except for necessary expenditures. During this period, the revolutionary party launched several armed uprisings, all of which were suppressed, but the revolutionary wave was unstoppable, and the fall of the Qing Dynasty was also unstoppable.
From this point of view, even if Zaifeng becomes the emperor, his fate will not escape the fate of Pu Yi, and he will eventually become the king of the country.