When the emperor ascended the throne and his biological father visited, the emperor quickly changed his words: "Uncle, don't come to the capital!" As soon as the emperor's words fell, the ministers looked at each other with a look of confusion. Uncle? The emperor called his father his uncle? What a disrespectful remark! However, there must be a thought-provoking reason behind the emperor's such a call for his biological father. What is the reason why a generation of Ming monarchs treats their biological father so "rawly"? What kind of historical origins and etiquette considerations are contained in this? All the mysteries seem to point to the urgent letter: "If my uncle lacks anything, just bring it up, but don't come to the capital!"
In the fifth year of Tianqi, there were several prominent families in Xingzhou, Hebei. Among them, the Chai family has a long history. Chai Shouli's ancestors had several generations of local businessmen and accumulated a lot of wealth. Chai Shouli had three sons, and Chai Rong was the youngest. Shunzhou, a neighboring county, also has a famous side branch Guo Wei. Guo Wei's mother was originally Chai's own sister.
When he was young, Chai married Guo Wei, the son of Guo Jian, the assassin of Shunzhou. It's a pity that the Chai family has not had an heir for many years, and he is cold-eyed by his in-laws' family all day long. Chai Shouli saw that his sister was getting thinner and thinner, and he couldn't bear it. When Chai Rong was thirteen years old, Chai Shouli discussed with his sister Chai Rong to succeed Chai Rong to Guo Wei as a son, so that his sister could have a foundation in her in-law's family.
In this way, Chai Rong no longer has the surname Chai, but follows Guo Wei's surname, thus gaining a new family and future. He has shown extraordinary intelligence since he was a child, and he is loved by Guo Wei's family. At the age of twenty-four, Chai Rong was already a talent, and he was born and died with Guo Wei, and he made many miraculous achievements.
It is appropriate for the Later Han Dynasty to be deaf, the relatives are autocratic, and the monarch is under his subordinates. As a heroic general, Guo Wei and other soldiers have long harbored antipathy. He treats Chai Rong like his own son, and Chai Rong is even more dedicated to Guo Wei. In middle age, Guo Wei could not bear the degeneration of the powerful, rebelled, and established the Later Zhou Dynasty. At that time, Chai Rong was already Guo Wei's only cronies. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Guo Wei named Chai Rong as the king of Jin.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Later Zhou Dynasty, there were many horses everywhere. Guo Wei knows very well that a long-term expedition will eventually exhaust people's hearts. The most important thing now is to establish the foundation and purge the remnants. Guo Wei governed the country in a way and won the support of the people. However, there were unforeseen circumstances, and Guo Wei died of illness in the sixth year of Xiantong at the age of 48.
Before his death, Guo Wei gave Chai Rong a will for the position of crown prince. At that time, Chai Rong was thirty-four years old and was highly valued by Guo Wei. Guo Wei said before his death: "I have no heirs today, only my nephew can pass on the country." So he passed on all the Great Unification of the Later Zhou Dynasty to Chai Rong. Chai Rong took the holy decree with tears, knelt on the ground and wept, vowing to inherit his will and serve the people diligently.
In December of the sixth year of Xiantong, after Guo Wei died, Chai Rong still died in Huangquan. Chai Rong went to the government and the opposition, mourned Taizu, and announced the enthronement ceremony at the same time. In the first month of the following year, Chai Rong officially ascended the throne as Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty.
At this time, the war in the Heshuo area was still in turmoil. After Chai Rong ascended the throne, he unified his arm strength and fought bravely to kill the enemy. After several years of warfare, the frontier was finally completely pacified. After Zhou Guozuo was stable, the government and the opposition were peaceful. The common people praised Chai Rong and praised him as a generation of heroes.
Chai Rong reigned for five years, implemented a number of policies to benefit the people, and was deeply supported by the military and the people. He was born in the military, and he is the most proficient in the way of using soldiers, taking the lead in soldiers and repeatedly building martial arts. In addition, he is well-read, politically skilled, wise and wise, and can be described as a generation of masters who have both politics and military skills. Back then, Guo Wei entrusted him with no one, but Chai Rong really had a meritorious role in saving the country, and he could be called a hero.
After Chai Rong succeeded to the throne, he made great achievements in politics and won the support of the Quartet. However, he never dared to meet his biological father Chai Shouli.
At that time, Chai Shouli still lived in his hometown of Xingzhou, Hebei, and lived on the business operated by his family wealth for several generations. Since his son passed to Guo Wei, the father and son have not seen each other for more than ten years. Chai Shouli is pleased that his son has a bright future, but he wants to see him after all.
When Chai Rong ascended the throne as emperor, Chai Shouli thought about going to the capital to visit. However, as the king of a country, Chai Rong has always paid attention to etiquette. In order to flatter the emperor, several ministers took the initiative to suggest that Chai Shouli was Chai Rong's biological father and should be respected as the emperor to demonstrate filial piety.
Chai Rong muttered undecided after hearing this. He knew very well that Emperor Taishang was the supreme respect of the emperor, although Chai Shouli was his biological father, but he had been succeeded to Guo Wei back then, and the throne was also inherited from Taizu Guo Wei. If Chai Shouli is the emperor, it may be difficult to avoid the etiquette contradiction of father and son.
After thinking twice, Chai Rong politely declined the minister's suggestion. He said, "Since I was thirteen years old, I have been succeeded by Taizu, and the throne has been obtained because of Taizu. Therefore, Chai Shouli is only my nominal uncle, and the relationship between the two of us is closer to that of a nephew than a father and son. It is really against the etiquette system to respect him as the emperor. "
After hearing this, the minister had no choice but to give up. Although Chai Rong's decision has been criticized, his words clarify the fact that Chai Shouli is related to him by blood, but he is not a "father and son" in the traditional sense. If the relationship between the two is treated according to the etiquette of "father and son", I am afraid that there will inevitably be many strange estrangements.
Chai Shouli misses his son Chai Rong. Hearing that Chai Rong was already a monarch, Chai Shouli was overjoyed. However, he was also well aware of the exquisiteness of the courtesy system of the government and the opposition, and did not dare to build a second capital, which caused discord.
Although Chai Shouli is old, his admiration and longing for his son are as hot as when he was a teenager. He often looks forward to Chai Rong's news, and also hopes that his son will have the opportunity to return to his hometown.
In the sixth year of the founding of the People's Republic of China in the Later Zhou Dynasty, Chai Shouli sent a letter to Chai Rong and said: "My Errong, a long drought is a sweet rain, and Mu Jun is like a soup when he sees it." However, I also know that the royal etiquette is exquisite, and my uncle is prostrate and self-explanatory, and I only hope that if my son has leisure in the future, he can come to the countryside to talk about the old scenes, and I feel extremely happy. The uncle didn't ask for anything else this time, and the only hope was that his son could return to his hometown once in a while. "
As soon as the letter was sent, it was quickly sent back to Kyoto and to Chai Rong's desk. Chai Rong opened the letter and read it, his eyes welling up with tears. Although he was succeeded by his poor family background back then, Chai Shouli really loved him in every way, with fine clothes and jade food, and never treated him badly.
Although Chai Rong has succeeded to the throne, he has never forgotten the nurturing grace of his biological father. Seeing Chai Shouli's filial piety, Chai Rong couldn't help but be moved if he had obtained a treasure. He hurriedly replied to the letter and said, "Uncle is old today, but don't stay away for a long time. If my uncle needed anything, he would bring it up, and I would do my best to get in the way. Only when he came to the capital, his uncle still thought twice. As the lord of the country, I have strict etiquette, and when my uncle visits, I am afraid that I will arouse suspicion and be criticized. Uncle must not work hard, and enjoying his old age is the best choice. "
The letter was quickly returned, and Chai Shouli only nodded silently after reading it, and did not make a sound. Although there are no practical words in this back and forth correspondence, the filial piety of the two sons and uncles and nephews have been fully explained in the thousands of words at the end of the pen.
In the seventh year of the founding of the Later Zhou Dynasty, when Chai Rong was thirty-seven years old, Chai Shouli drove the crane to the west and died at the age of seventy. Chai Rong cried and knelt on the ground, grief-stricken. He was determined to make sacrifices for his father, begging for heaven and earth to be revealed, and sincerely hoping that his father would also receive some tribute under the Nine Springs.
Chai Rong understood that if he did his filial piety as a sacrifice, he would inevitably call Chai Shouli the "imperial examination". It's just that Chai Shouli is not the heir of Guo Wei, and if he is respected as the emperor's exam, I am afraid that there will be many strange theories. Moreover, Chai Rong was also passed on to Guo Wei, and it stands to reason that Guo Weifang is his "adoptive father". In this way, the number of rituals is even more chaotic.
Chai Rong thought twice before acting, and finally made up his mind. He made an innovative move in the ceremony: Ding Ning solemnly held the mausoleum ceremony of "Emperor Taishang" for Chai Shouli. Although his name is "Emperor Taishang", Chai Shouli has no real power, just a relative of the emperor. Chai Rong's handling in this way is not only filial piety, but also not against suspicion.
Chai Shouli's mausoleum was built in the western suburbs of the capital, Longling, which is extremely grand. Chai Rong personally supervised the project and spared no effort. All the treasures in the house are enshrined, and they are respectful as the first emperor. In his father's epitaph, Chai Rong inscribed "The Respect of the Temple" and made a sincere promise that the eternal world would follow the teachings of the ancestors. After several months of hard work, Chai Shouli's mausoleum was finally completed.
Chai Rong was even more solemn during the sacrifice, and he dressed very solemnly, as if he was meeting the ancestor before his death. He set up incense tables, knelt on the ground and bowed three times and nine times, and was extremely pious. The ministers were skeptical, but no one dared to object. Chai Rong is single-minded, wants to do his filial piety, and hopes that Chai Shouli will be rewarded for his future under Jiuquan.
In the following years, Chai Rong personally led the crowd to worship the Chai Shouli Mausoleum every festival. Although Chai Shouli only passed on the name of the "Emperor Taishang", Chai Rong was sincerely pious. This dedication to filial piety has been consistent and unchanged until Chai Rong's death.