Guide
Want to know about the regrets of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty and the pessimistic attitude of Emperor Xianfeng? A story of self-summary and family inheritance in power, allowing you to understand the complex reasons for the turning point in history.
《Daoguang 遗诏》
Xianfeng was extremely ignorant of the outside world, believing that the Qing Dynasty was incurable, and he would be the king of a generation of ruined countries.
Emperor Xianfeng was the ninth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and his accession to the throne meant that the Qing Dynasty ushered in new hope.
Because of his accession to the throne, the Qing Dynasty will also face new opportunities and challenges. The self-confidence shown by Emperor Xianfeng at the beginning of his ascension to the throne was quickly crushed by the outside world. During the Second Opium War, the British captured Beijing and forced the Qing Dynasty to sign the unequal Treaty of Beijing.
And Xianfeng was extremely ignorant of the outside world, and he believed that the Qing Dynasty could not be saved, and he would be the king of a generation of lost countries. Xianfeng's idea completely pushed the Qing Dynasty to the end. Before Emperor Xianfeng, the Qing Dynasty had already had various problems, and these problems would also accompany Emperor Xianfeng's reign to the point of no return.
Emperor Daoguang's indecision and hesitation in dealing with state affairs eventually led to the decline and demise of the Qing Dynasty after him. Before the death of Emperor Daoguang, he promulgated the "Daoguang Testament" to summarize Daoguang's reign.
In this edict, Emperor Daoguang listed in detail the mistakes and shortcomings he had made during his reign. Emperor Daoguang confessed his indecision and hesitation in dealing with state affairs.
As the supreme ruler of a country, Daoguang obviously does not have the courage and ability to take on heavy responsibilities. It was this indecision and hesitation that led to a series of problems in the Qing Dynasty in the Daoguang era, which laid the foundation for the Qing Dynasty.
In his later years, Daoguang chose to establish a prince and choose an heir, but this decision caused Emperor Xianfeng to be pessimistic about the future. After Daoguang made the decision to establish a prince in his later years, he failed to let people inherit the Qing Dynasty as he wished, and Emperor Xianfeng finally ascended the throne.
Emperor Daoguang was worried about the future of the Qing Dynasty in his later years, and he decided to make Yiwei the crown prince and chose Yiwei as his heir. In this way, everything seems to be back to normal, but Daoguang himself has fallen into a strange circle similar to "unwarranted" because of this.
Since Daoguang has not officially established a reserve before, Liyiwei will inevitably cause all kinds of speculation and rumors from the outside world. And Emperor Xianfeng, as a father who loves his son like his life, can't accept such an arrangement. What's more, after a long period of infighting, after the two princes Yi Yan and Yi Shen died one after another, Daoguang finally decided to establish Yi Wei as the crown prince.
At this time, Yiwei had grown up, and the young Yitai and Yirong became the only competitors of Prince Yiwei. As an emperor who is over the age of old, Yiwei, who is the most valued and favored among the many heirs, almost no one in the court dares to look directly or even speak, but such a favored prince has not been able to inherit the Qing Dynasty as he wishes.
epilogue
History is always full of drama, and a single decision can change the fate of an entire dynasty.
The indecision of Emperor Daoguang and the pessimistic attitude of Emperor Xianfeng make people sigh at the impermanence of history. What do you think of this period of court struggle and family affection in history? Come and share your views in the comments!