The first emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty, he was extremely absurd and unreasonable
Emperor Hongguang was the first emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and he was notorious for his immorality. His downfall can be said to be well deserved. Before he ascended the throne, Shi Kefa summed up his seven major crimes, including **, fornication, alcoholism, unfilial piety, abuse of subordinates, failure to study, and interference with justice.
However, after he ascended the throne, he did not recognize the situation clearly, but repeatedly reluctantly wanted to make peace. His edict seemed full of determination, but in his heart he always fantasized about avenging his "parents' revenge" by bowing to the Qing Dynasty.
Mr. Gu Cheng once said bitterly that during his reign, Emperor Hongguang scavenged wealth from the people, but the money was hardly used for actual policies, such as relief for disaster victims and water conservancy.
Instead, this wealth was used in the lavish lives of emperors, courts, and bureaucrats to maintain their lavish lives.
Of course, we can't put all the responsibility of the Nanming Hongguang regime on Hongguang alone, but as a person who shoulders the enmity of his parents and the heavy responsibility of the country's rejuvenation at the same time, how can Hongguang perform?
His character is first and foremost questionable. As soon as he ascended the throne, he couldn't wait to order the eunuchs to go to Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and other places to select "ladies" in the name of "big weddings", which not only gave these eunuchs the right and opportunity to blackmail the people in disguise, but also caused the people in the capital to fall into panic.
If you don't give it, they will say that they will take you away and marry the emperor, no matter how many months the women of your family have given birth or the mothers of several children, they will not let go.
This practice is simply absurd to the extreme, and it is exactly the same as the story between Song Huizong and the stone. What's worse is that choosing a concubine has become a top priority on Hongguang's heart, and at this time, Hongguang's court is only two months away from its demise.
Emperor Hongguang spared no effort to satisfy his personal desires. He sent eunuchs to catch toads, configured **, and asked the eunuchs to arrest the people under the banner of "catching toads by order", and was ridiculed by the people as "** Son of Heaven".
On the Chinese New Year's Eve of the Jiashen year, Emperor Hongguang was troubled by the lack of beauties in the harem, and rushed to see the **, but surprised the ministers. Emperor Hongguang liked to drink and often indulged in wine, but he did not use it to dispel his sorrows or miss the first emperor, but simply liked to drink.
Many ministers advised him to drink less, but he often struggled to resist. Once, Emperor Hongguang promised to follow the advice of his ministers and drink only one glass, but when he was halfway through the glass, he asked the eunuch to fill it up and then drink another half, and so on, so that he could never finish a glass of wine.
The conduct of the leaders directly affects the style of their subordinates, and the ministers are drunk and dreaming of death, and they sell their official positions, which leads to complaints among the people. The important minister Ruan Dacheng even openly talked about the "way of financial management", which was essentially just accepting bribes.
How can such a country have good development prospects? Historian Yao Tingxuan commented that although Emperor Hongguang seemed to be beautiful when he ascended the throne in Nanjing, he did not have any good governance.
When he heard the news that the Qing army was coming, he immediately chose to flee, obviously in his mind, Sheji was not as important as his own life. Zhang Dai also scolded Emperor Hongguang, believing that he combined the shortcomings of the kings of the past dynasties.
When Emperor Hongguang first ascended the throne, the people were full of expectations for him, but after he was arrested, the people scolded him and even threw stones at him. In contrast, although Song Huizong was mediocre and incompetent, when he was exiled to the north, the people still burned incense and worshipped.
Therefore, the demise of Emperor Hongguang is completely self-inflicted, no wonder it is clear.