In feudal society, most rulers not only had a lot of food during their lifetimes, but also lived in luxury. Even after death, the grave must be erected. The mausoleum is large in scale and lavishly carved, no less than the palace they lived in during their lifetime, and it squandered the fat of the people. However, the following five emperors were able to practice frugality, live with the people, and create a peaceful and prosperous era with their own strength.
1. Emperor Liu Heng of the Han Dynasty
Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty Liu Heng (202-157 BC), the fourth son of Liu Bang, Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, reigned in 180 BC and 157 BC. In 196 BC, after Han Gaozu suppressed the rebellion of Chen Xuan, he named Liu Heng as the acting king. After the death of Han Gaozu, Empress Lu was in power. In 180 BC, as soon as Empress Lu died, Taiwei Zhou Bo and Prime Minister Chen Ping wiped out Zhu Lu, and welcomed Liu Heng, the king of the dynasty, into Beijing as the emperor, for Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty.
During his reign, he advocated frugal governance. vigorously compress the expenses of the royal family, not to mention wearing coarse silk clothes, and the harem concubines are also plain clothes. His favorite Mrs. Shen is not allowed to wear clothes that mop the floor, and the curtains of the palace are not allowed to embroider patterns, so as to show that she is honest and frugal and set an example for the world.
Once the terrace is proposed. "Summoning the craftsman, straight to a hundred gold". 100 gold, which is the property of ten households in a medium family, is not a large amount, but Emperor Wen of Han gave up on the grounds of excessive luxury. During his reign of 23 years, there was no increase in the number of things in the chariot and riding clothes; If the dragon robe is torn, let the queen make up for it for him and wear it again; It is forbidden for the county to contribute rare treasures. Build a mausoleum for yourselves, not a tall mound. After death, the burial goods were made of earthenware, not gold, silver, copper, and tin, so as not to increase the burden on the people.
After Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, he made great efforts to build water conservancy, dress plainly, and abolish corporal punishment, so that the Han Dynasty entered a period of strength and stability. At that time, the people were rich and well-off. His son, Emperor Jing of Han, inherited the frugality of Emperor Wen of Han, and the father and son pioneered"The Governance of Wenjing".。It is rare for Sima Qian to praise: Hanxing, more than 40 years of filial piety, virtue to prosperity. The township of Diao has corrected the obedience to the Zen, and the humility has not been achieved today. Woohoo, isn't it kind!
Second, Emperor Liu Zhuang of the Han Ming Dynasty
Emperor Liu Zhuang of the Han Ming Dynasty (28-75), the fourth son of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, the second emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, reigned in 57 75. Liu Zhuang was a very diligent emperor. History records: "B is the best to sleep, the first five watches, the rate is often like this."
During his reign, he was diligent and thrifty, conscientious, and governed the country with a family, and achieved quite a lot of achievements. He paid attention to the rectification of officials, severely punished lawbreakers, reduced taxes on the people, and did not engage in reckless military force. The requirements for foreign relatives are particularly strict, and it is expressly forbidden: "The harem family shall not be sealed and the government shall be feuded." During his reign, he was praised by historians as "the world is peaceful, and the people are rich", which is called"The rule of eternal peace".
Usually live frugally and oppose luxury. Dress modestly and eat simply. He also personally cultivated the fields, recruited displaced people, and developed production. When he was dying, he issued an edict to his children and ministers: "The funeral should be simple, and no extravagance is allowed." "Emperor Ming once clearly said not to build an imperial mausoleum for himself, and buried in the tomb of Empress Yin after death. Due to the influence of Emperor Ming, Empress Mingdema issued a long edict condemning excessive extravagance. Her edict was a serious warning to her mother's extravagance.
3. Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian
Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian (541 604), the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty, reigned in 581 604 with the era name "Kaihuang". Famous politicians, strategists, and reformers in the early Sui Dynasty successfully unified China for hundreds of years, making China a prosperous country. During the Kaihuang period, the Sui Dynasty had a vast territory and a population of more than 700,000 households, which was a glorious period of China's agricultural civilization.
During his reign, he "kept frugality, ordered and forbidden, and made it up and down." Never accept extravagant gifts, and wear clothes after they are torn and repaired. Once, the magistrate offered gorgeous silk, and Emperor Wen of Sui had it burned on the spot. He constantly admonished ** not to pursue the beauty of clothing. Edict: "Dogs, horses, utensils, and tastes shall not be offered." He only eats meat dishes, and never heavy meat. There is a division to store dried ginger in cloth bags and spices in felt bags, which he denounces as luxury.
In the later period of the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui, the society was prosperous, and he was rich in strength and martial arts. At the beginning of the Zen period, the granaries of the world were full, and the Sui Dynasty reached a rare heyday in the Middle Ages, which was called"The rule of the emperor".
Fourth, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin
Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin (927 976), the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, seized the throne through the "Chenqiao Mutiny", reigned in 960 and 976, and the era name "Jianlong". Five generations of military strategists, politicians, and strategists in the early Song Dynasty.
During his reign, he was diligent in entrepreneurship, advocating frugality, and taking simplicity. Her daughter, Princess Wei, likes to dress up, and often wears gorgeous clothes with embroidery and emeralds in and out of the palace, and was reprimanded by Zhao Kuangyin. He was upright-hearted, jealous of evil, generous, open-minded, tireless, diligent in government and love for the people, strict in self-discipline, not close to lust, advocating frugality, leading by example, etc., which not only had a great exemplary effect on changing the extravagant atmosphere of the past five generations, but also was deeply talked about by later historians.
Once when I went to the temple to worship my ancestors, I saw that there were many ritual utensils inside, so I ordered them to be removed and replaced with daily dishes and homely meals. When sacrificing heaven and earth and ancestors, he ordered the yellow mattresses laid on the road to be removed. Abandon the luxurious gold chrome and take a simple chariot to the sacrifice. He has repeatedly ordered to carry forward the traditional virtues, live diligently and thriftily, pay attention to saving food, do not be extravagant and wasteful, and keep everything simple in weddings and funerals. The curtains in the palace are also not ornately decorated. The clothes he wore were made of worse materials than those worn by the ministers. Clothes are rarely changed, they are all worn, washed, and worn. The number of people in his palace is also the least. There were more than 50 eunuchs, and there were only more than 200 palace maids, and later more than 50 palace maids and eunuchs who voluntarily left the palace were dismissed.
By 976, the people lived a prosperous life, the soldiers and horses were strong, the treasury was abundant, and the social order was good, reaching another strong stage since the Tang Dynasty opened the Yuan Dynasty, which is said in history"The Governance of Jianlong".
Fifth, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang
Zhu Yuanzhang (1328 1398), the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, reigned in 1368 1398, and was an outstanding military strategist, strategist, and commander in the early Ming Dynasty.
During his reign, he took the lead in thrift, practiced by himself, and taught people to say: "The so-called thrift, not the first, how can you take the lead?" "His frugality was the pinnacle of the emperors. The palace was built in Yingtian, only for durability and durability, not for kitsch and gorgeousness. There are also many historical stories painted on the walls to remind themselves. Every day for breakfast, "just vegetables, plus a dish of tofu". The bed used is not a golden dragon, "no different from the couch of the Chinese family". When he ordered the workers to build a car for him and a sedan chair, he used copper instead of gold where it was supposed to be used. He also ordered someone to open a wasteland in the palace to grow vegetables to eat. In the third year of Hongwu, he took out a sheet and gave it to the ministers. When you look at it, it is all a hundred orders sewn with small pieces of silk. Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The clothes left behind are used to be arrested, and it is better to abandon them." ”
During the reign of Ming Taizu, the edict ordered the world: "In order to cherish the lives of the people, the officials who commit corruption of more than 60 taels will be executed, and they will never be lenient." ordered the peasants to return to farming and rewarded land reclamation; strengthening the resettlement of tuntian and military tuntian; organize farmers in various places to build water conservancy; vigorously advocate the planting of mulberry, hemp, cotton and other cash crops and fruit crops; Enrich the people in vain, suppress the strong and strong; Ordered the emancipation of slaves and maids, etc. Through hard work, social production has gradually recovered and developed, history says"The rule of Hongwu".