On January 21, 552, the only emperor of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Xiaojing Yuan Shanjian, was poisoned at the age of twenty-eight.
Yuan Shanjian was the great-grandson of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the founding emperor of the Eastern Wei Dynasty.
Speaking of the founding emperor, the adjectives that can be thought of in the first reaction are both civil and military, knowing people and making good use of them, and conquering the world.
But although Yuan Shanjian is indeed both civil and military, he has been a puppet emperor all his life.
What has he experienced in his life?
Yuan Shanjian. First, Motozen was forced to ascend to the throne at an early age.
After the death of Emperor Xiaowen, the regime of the Northern Wei Dynasty gradually became turbulent.
Emperor Xiaowen's son Emperor Xiaowu Yuan Xiu succeeded to the throne, but he was dissatisfied with Gao Huan's **, so he went west out of Guanzhong and defected to Yuwentai in Guanzhong to establish the Western Wei regime.
Gao Huan originally planned to support Yuan Shanjian's father Yuan Kan as emperor, but he thought that Yuan Kan was not suitable to inherit the throne, so he decided to support Yuan Kan's son Yuan Shanjian as emperor.
Yuan Shanjian was only eleven years old at the time, and was made the heir, changed the Yuan to "Tianping", moved the capital from Luoyang to Yecheng, and established the Eastern Wei regime.
As a result, the Eastern Wei and Western Wei Dynasty formed a situation of juxtaposition.
Although Yuan Shanjian was named emperor, he has actually been Gao Huan's puppet.
In the beginning, Gao Huan was in complete control of the government, and he used the young Yuan Shanjian to consolidate his power.
Northern Wei Dynasty and neighboring countries.
Second, Yuan Shanjian failed to regain his rights after Gao Huan's father and son died.
Gao Huan's rise was closely related to the defeat of the Erzhu clan and the restoration of the throne.
Although Gao Huan had already grasped the real power of the entire Eastern Wei Dynasty, he had not easily usurped the throne and became emperor, because he did not want to bear the infamy of betrayal.
Gao Huan treated Emperor Yuan Shanjian very respectfully, and would play Emperor Xiaojing for the affairs of the court, no matter how big or small, and only dared to implement it after obtaining Yuan Shanjian's permission.
Whenever the emperor held a banquet to entertain his ministers, Gao Huan always took the lead in kneeling down to toast the emperor, showing his loyalty and respect for the imperial power.
Moreover, whenever Emperor Xiaojing went to the temple to worship, Gao Huan would hold an incense burner and follow behind the emperor's chariot, showing his devotion and reverence for the emperor.
Although Gao Huan held real power, he always maintained his superficial dignity and did not dare to take a step beyond Lei Chi.
Later, Gao Huan fell ill during an expedition to the Western Wei Dynasty and eventually died of illness.
Gao Huan. After Gao Huan's death, his eldest son, Gao Cheng, succeeded him as the new minister of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
Unlike Gao Huan's courtesy to Yuan Shanjian, Gao Cheng was quite jealous of him.
He ordered people to monitor Yuan Zen's every move, and to inform him of both major and minor matters.
Gao Cheng also restricted Yuan Shanjian's behavior and did not give him too much say and influence.
Gao Cheng himself was even disrespectful to Yuan Shanjian, and once, Yuan Shanjian just didn't want to drink and complained, so he was ordered by Gao Cheng's subordinates to punch him three times.
This attitude towards Yuan Shanjian reflects Gao Cheng's jealousy and contempt for him.
The funny thing is that Gao Cheng died two years later, and the cause of death was that he didn't let his cook redeem himself, and was killed with a knife by the cook in a fit of rage.
After Gao Cheng's death, his younger brother Gao Yang inherited his father's and brother's inheritance and continued to control the court.
Assassinate Gao Cheng's cook, Lan Jing.
Empty his own ministers Two important changes of power, what did Emperor Xiaojing do?
As it turned out, he did nothing.
Gao Huan died, and Emperor Xiaojing Yuan Shanjian held a mourning ceremony for him.
After the news spread that Gao Cheng had been assassinated by the cook Lan Jing, both inside and outside the government and the opposition fell into panic and uneasiness, which was supposed to be a good time.
However, the situation was quickly quelled by Gao Yang, and Emperor Xiaojing Yuan Shanjian could only sigh with admiration.
The period of the confrontation between the unification of the north and the Southern Song Dynasty.
Third, Yuan Shanjian lacks bloodiness and courage, and even if there is an opportunity to seize power, there is no way to seize it.
Linchuan was accepted" is a poem by Xie Lingyun, describing the loyalty and righteousness of Han Deceased Zifang and Qin Emperor Lu Lian.
At that time, Gao Huan was already dead, and Gao Cheng had not yet been assassinated.
When Emperor Xiaojing Yuan Shanjian sang this poem, only Xun Ji, a regular attendant, was present, and Xun Ji understood Emperor Xiaojing's intentions.
Emperor Xiaojing Yuan Shanjian longed for characters like Zhang Liang and Lu Zhonglian to stand up and be ashamed of themselves.
So, Xun Ji secretly planned to kill Gao Cheng in order to correct the dynasty.
Gao Cheng. However, the coup d'état was discovered by Gao Cheng before it even began. Gao Cheng quickly led the army into the palace.
In the face of Gao Cheng's questioning, Emperor Xiaojing Yuan Shanjian replied firmly, he had only heard of the rebellion of his courtiers, but he had never heard of the emperor's rebellion.
He accuses Gao Cheng of wanting to rebel, and suggests that if Gao Cheng insists on killing the king with his ministers, then life and death depend on Gao Cheng.
This answer shocked Gao Cheng, and he pleaded guilty to Emperor Xiaojing.
However, Emperor Xiaojing did not take the opportunity to capture Gao Cheng, but left him to drink, and the two drank until midnight before leaving the palace.
The next day, the minister who had assisted him in his escape was killed in public.
From this incident, we can see Emperor Xiaojing's cowardice and lack of bloodiness as an emperor.
He missed an opportunity to turn the tide.
Even if the coup d'état of Xun Ji and others succeeds, Emperor Xiaojing is likely to become a puppet again, rather than a real emperor.
In the end, Emperor Xiaojing Yuan Shanjian Chan let Emperor Gaoyang, Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi ascended the throne, changed the Yuan to "Tianbao", and the Eastern Wei Dynasty perished.
After Yuan Shan saw Chan and gave up the throne, he was named the king of Zhongshan and ate 10,000 households.
At the beginning, Yuan Shanjian still had a certain privilege in the situation, he could not be a vassal to Gao Yang, he could not accept Gao Yang's edict, or he could still use the era name of the Wei Dynasty and take the carriage that only the emperor could sit in.
But a year later, Emperor Gao Yang's throne was stable, so he sent someone to assassinate Yuan Shanjian.
Map of the territory of the Northern Wei Dynasty during the Luoyang period.
Throughout history, we have often seen cowardly rulers manipulated by powerful ministers, which ultimately led to the decay of the state.
The case of Emperor Xiaojing's Yuan Shanjian is also a typical example.
His weakness prevented him from cutting off the power of the ministers, and he lost his political dominance.
In this case, even if someone planned a coup d'état, it was difficult to guarantee that Emperor Xiaojing would be able to truly seize power and become a productive emperor.
The Northern Soul Frontier during the Pingcheng period.
As a ruler, bloodiness and decisiveness are essential qualities.
If Emperor Xiaojing could use Gao Cheng's weakness to turn things around, like Emperor Liu Zhi of the Han Dynasty or Cao Chao, the noble townsman of the Wei State, instead of being weak and bullying like Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty, it would be possible for him to get rid of his puppet status and regain real power.
However, his weakness and lack of action cost him such an opportunity.
February** Dynamic Incentive Program