The Zen system refers to the system used during the change of power of leaders during the "Three Emperors and Five Emperors" period in ancient times. Generally speaking, the Zen system follows the purpose of passing on the wisdom and not passing on the son, and gives the world to more talented and virtuous people. The transfer of power between the three emperors Of Yao, Shun, and Yu, as we know it, was accomplished through "Zen Rang". The world of this period was also called "gong tianxia" by later historians. After Dayu, it was originally necessary to continue to follow the tradition of Zen concessions, but Yu's son Qi seized the throne and abandoned the tradition of Zen concessions, and Chinese history officially entered the era of "family world".
However, in the thousands of years of Chinese history of "family world", there is such an emperor who has returned the tradition of Zen to the stage of power transfer. This is Liu Xie, the Emperor xian of Han at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Liu Xie not only opened the Zen concession system again, the authenticity was even higher than that of Yao Shunyu
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, famine was everywhere, and peasant uprisings continued. Later, in order to quell the rebellion, Dong Zhuo was ordered to enter The Capital, and then installed the young Liu Xie as emperor, that is, the later Emperor Xian of Han. Due to his young age on the throne, Emperor Xian of Han never had real power.
He served as a puppet emperor for 31 years, and was finally forced to "Zen cede" to Cao Pi.
In 220, Cao Cao fell ill and died, and Cao Pi succeeded him as King of Wei, forcing Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate. Emperor Xian of Han, who did not have any real power, had no way, and issued an edict in October of the same year, announcing his abdication and "ceding" the throne to Cao Pi, the king of Wei, and after repeated resignation, Cao Pi "had no choice" to accept the throne, and at the same time changed the name of the country to Wei, and the Three Kingdoms period officially began.
When accepting the throne, Cao Pi was full of emotions and said, "I know the affairs of Yao Shun." ”
Gentle change of power
Although this zen process is full of performance nature, everyone knows that Emperor Xian of Han was forced, but referring to the bloody fact of dynastic changes in Chinese history, the change of power between Han and Wei can be said to be extremely gentle.
We know that the transfer of power in history, in addition to Zen Concession is hereditary, and after the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, history entered the era of "family world", the transfer of power of the emperor if not through hereditary, can only be the violent overthrow of the old rulers, and the emperors of the old dynasties will often be executed by the enemy in violent wars. For example, during the Xia Shang Zhou Period, the Shang Tang put Xia Jie, and the King of Wu cut down the silk. The old rulers were often executed as opposites, thus consolidating the legitimacy of the new dynasties' dominance.
However, the transfer of power between han and Wei was very gentle, which can be called China's version of the "glorious revolution"
。 Although Emperor Xian of Han did not do so voluntarily, Cao Pi did not persecute him after Zen Concession.
After his abdication, Cao Pi made Emperor Xian of Han the Duke of Shanyang, gave him a fief of his own, and allowed him to maintain the etiquette of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty on his fief.
Emperor Xian of Han still existed after his abdication
The fiefdom of 10,000 households
This was something that no other princely prince had at the time. In addition, when he played to the emperor, he did not have to be a subject, and when he received the emperor's edict, he could not perform the bowing ceremony, which can be said to be a great honor. Fourteen years later, Emperor Xian of Han died of illness in his fiefdom at the age of fifty-four, and was posthumously honored as Emperor Xiaoxian of Han, and the funeral adopted the etiquette of Han Tianzi. And Liu Xie's descendants also inherited his title.
Although there are often claims in history that Cao Wei usurped Han, Cao Pi has always been courteous to Emperor Xian of Han. Whether he's out of heart or out of acting,
Emperor Xian of Han finally spent fourteen years of comfortable life at the end of his life
Don't bend the knees and be afraid in a complex power struggle.
A model of Zen conservation
To some extent, Cao Pi's practice of "Zen concession" to seize power also set a positive example for future generations. During the Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties, the establishment of many dynasties also adopted the form of Zen Rang. Especially after the Zhao Kuangyin Mutiny, he also adopted a kind approach to the empress dowager and tianzi of the former dynasty, avoiding many bloody incidents.
Many people will say that Cao Pi is just a false benevolence, usurping the throne of others and showing a look of justice and awe, thinking about the world. Originally, the throne was Liu Xie's, and no matter how cao Pi later treated the abdicated Emperor Xian of Han, that specification was no better than the appearance of Emperor Xian of Han when he was in power. However, if we consider it from another angle, "abdication zen concession" may be exactly what he dreamed of, which may be the best outcome for him.
Because since Emperor Xian of Han ascended the throne, he has always been a puppet in the hands of others, and he has not once held real power, and at any time he may be reduced to a commoner by the actual rulers of the DPRK, or even secretly murdered. In the nineteenth year of Jian'an, Empress Dowager Fu secretly sent a secret letter to Cao Cao, and after the secret letter was leaked, Cao Cao killed more than 100 people in total, and all of them were killed. In the face of the empress's cry for help, Emperor Xiandi of Han was powerless, and even after his beloved woman was killed by Cao Cao, he had no choice but to marry Cao Cao's daughter and make him the new empress.
And this is just a microcosm of the humiliation suffered by Emperor Xian of Han. As long as he is on the throne, the powerful use him, and the manipulation of him will not stop. His choice to abdicate and leave the vortex of power was the best outcome for him personally.