There are hundreds of historical celebrities in Horqin Grassland, among which Xiaozhuang's fame and influence in China feudal society are unparalleled. In recent years, Xiaozhuang's film and television dramas and literary works are common occurrences, which let the masses know something about this Mongolian female politician in the Qing Dynasty. However, from the perspective of historical research, it is necessary to restore a true Xiaozhuang in history.
Zhuang Fei is a person.
Xiaozhuang, born in Butai (also translated as Bumu Butai), was born on the eighth day of February in the forty-first year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (16 13). She is the second daughter of Berezhai Sang in Horqin, Mongolia. She received a good education since childhood and can speak fluent Mongolian and Chinese. The vast grassland has refined her strong and handsome body, and the Mongolian customs and habits have made her develop a cheerful and unrestrained personality. When she was 13 years old, Huang taiji, the fourth Baylor in Nurhachi, a great Khan in the late Jin Dynasty, came to Zhasang's house to consolidate her alliance with Horqin Department and was attracted by her charming appearance. She immediately offered to marry Ben Butai, and Zhai Sang readily agreed. 1 month later, Wu Keshan, the eldest son of Zhaisang Sect, sent Ben Butai to marry Huang Taiji. Huang taiji gave a banquet in Northeast Gang, Liaoyang, and welcomed the farewell party. Nurhachi also led his empresses, Baylor and ministers to travel 10 miles outside Liaoyang. Since then, Bentai has become a favorite of Huang Taiji.
In the eleventh year of destiny (1626), Nurhachi was wounded in the battle and died soon after. In the battle for Khan's position, Huang Taiji skillfully used his own strategy and was chosen as Khan. After the position of Khan, it was renamed Tiancong. In the tenth year of Tiancong (1636), in order to enter the Central Plains, Huang Taiji changed his title to Qing, Yuan Chongde, became emperor and moved his capital to Shengjing (now Shenyang). Bentai was named Princess Yongfu Palace and became the last of the five concubines. The young Zhuang Fei made suggestions on some policy mistakes of Nurhachi. After the adoption of Huang taiji, the Manchu-Chinese integration was implemented, officials were treated with courtesy, the central organization was reformed, and six departments were set up to imitate the official system of the Ming Dynasty and ease the ethnic contradictions between Manchu and Han. The Regulations on Abandoning Owners and the Law on Wandering Bandits were revised, which improved the status of slaves in Manchu and Han dynasties and created conditions for national reunification.
Zhuang Fei successively gave birth to three princesses for Huang Taiji. In the first month of the third year of Chongde (1638), she gave birth to nine sons of the emperor, who were named Fu Lin, which means "blessings fell from the sky". In the eighth year of Chongde (1643), on August 9, Huang Taiji died suddenly, and the battle for the throne was fierce. These two forces, led by the eldest son of the emperor, Prince Su Haoge, and the fourteenth brother of Huang Taiji, Prince Rui Dourgen, launched fierce battles. Zhuang Fei knows that Fu Lin, who is only 6 years old, has no competitive strength at all. She sat tight, assessed the situation, and persuaded Dourgen to be the regent to solve the political crisis. As a result, the princes and ministers finally compromised and got the news of Fu Lin's succession. It was agreed that Dourgen and Gil Harlan would be regents before Fu Lin took office, and * * * would be in charge of state affairs.
Empress Xiao Zhuang
After Fu Lin succeeded to the throne, she was renamed Shunzhi, and the 3 1 year-old Zhuangfei was honored as sourdrang dowager. Because Huang taiji is called Emperor Wen, he is also called Empress Dowager Filial Piety. Since then, sourdrang dowager has stepped onto the political stage, highlighting the wisdom and talent of female politicians. In the 16th year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty (1643), the peasant uprising army led by Li Zicheng captured Yanjing (present-day Beijing), and Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself and the Ming Dynasty perished. When the news reached Shengjing, sourdrang dowager made a decisive decision and suggested that Regent Dourgen lead all the military forces in the Qing Dynasty to enter the customs on a large scale and win the Central Plains, so as to realize the wishes of Qing Taizu Nuerhachi and Qing Taizong Huang Taiji. She warned Dourgen that after entering the customs, she should strictly abide by military discipline, win the hearts of the people, move the capital to Beijing after victory, and stabilize the Central Plains. Dourgen led the Qing army and Wu Sangui, a general of the Ming Dynasty, annihilated the Li Zicheng Rebel Army and soon occupied Beijing.
On October 19th, the first year of Shunzhi (1644), sourdrang dowager left Shengjing with Fu Lin and his officials. Under the bow of the ministers, they entered the Forbidden City and the Cining Palace. She devoted herself to training Fu Lin to be the first emperor after the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains. She carefully raised the little emperor with the cultural accomplishment of "only loving pictures and history". She chose the most knowledgeable Manchu minister as Fu Lin's teacher, "to keep Hanlin official as a consultant and make the book go down in history forever." Every time Fu Lin went to the harem to meet the Queen Mother, he knelt down to be taught. She persuaded the little emperor to make Dourgen's contribution to the Central Plains a "regent of the imperial uncle".
In order to maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty, sourdrang dowager accepted the advice of the Ming Dynasty, surrendered Qing officials Hong Chengchou and Fan Wencheng, and remonstrated with Dourgen. With the consent of dourgen, on the premise of taking Manchu aristocrats as the core, he adopted the establishment of Ming regime and the use of civilian military commanders in Ming dynasty; In order to reduce farmers' tax burden, the Regent's Order of Qing Dynasty was promulgated, which abolished the burdens of Liao, suppression and training in the late Ming Dynasty, increased taxes and corvee, and achieved good results, which played an important role in stabilizing the political situation and developing the economy in the early Qing Dynasty.
However, Dourgen's power leans towards the ruling and opposition, crowds out dissidents, forms a party and is good at power, and has the ambition to abolish the emperor and stand on his own feet. Sourdrang dowager realized that once the coup took place, not only the lives of orphans and widows were in danger, but also the Qing Dynasty might be destroyed by the Eight Banners civil strife. She went up and down, advanced and retreated, compromised, and rationally handled the relationship with Dourgen. In the fifth year of Shunzhi (1648), in December, she suggested that the Shunzhi emperor revere Dourgen as the "Regent of the Emperor Tai Shang", and the Shunzhi emperor wrote a letter and sealed it, which successfully protected the young emperor and made Dourgen's plot unsuccessful. The statement that "the Queen Mother married Dourgen" was not clearly recorded in the history books of the Qing Dynasty. In the seventh year of Shunzhi (1650), Dourgen died of illness. In order to win over the forces of Dourgen's two white flags, the Queen Mother arranged for the emperor shunzhi to lead the princes, Baylor and Minister of Civil and Military Affairs Pima Dai Xiao to meet Dourgen's coffin five miles outside Dongzhimen. Six days later, the emperor shunzhi canonized Dourgen as "Emperor Sincerely Respecting Righteousness" and named the temple "Chengzong".
In order to stabilize the political situation and win the hearts of the people, sourdrang dowager guided the emperor shunzhi to favor, knighthood, promotion and reward the ministers of the Eight Banners, and vigorously supported the ministers loyal to the emperor. On the one hand, dourgen's persecution was rehabilitated and his title and official position were restored. For example, Haug, the king of Su killed by Dourgen, was rehabilitated, and his son was named Prince Heshuo and Minister of State. Ao Bai, Bach, Suksaha and other Manchu ministers were both wise and brave, serving as court ministers respectively, and won the support of princes and ministers for the emperor shunzhi.
Sourdrang dowager was a practitioner of Manchu-Mongolian marriage, and realized that this ethnic policy was very important to consolidate the Qing regime, so he continued to implement it. In the eighth year of Shunzhi (165 1), she chose the daughter of her niece and eldest brother, Prince Wu Keshan of Zhuoliktu, as the queen. Because the emperor shunzhi didn't like it, she was demoted to Jing Fei three years later. In the second year, the Queen Mother called the two granddaughters of the second brother Chahan King into the palace, named her sister Queen Xiao Changhui and her sister Shu Huifei. In order to maintain the special position of Borzijit Banner in Horqin Mongolia, the Queen Mother also married her three princesses to Mongolian nobles to consolidate the rule of the Qing Dynasty over Mongolian ministries.
In order to get the support of Han officials in the Qing Dynasty, in the ninth year of Shunzhi (1652), sourdrang dowager left Kong Sizhen, the daughter of Kong Youde, the king of Dingnan who died for the Qing Dynasty, with him, and named her "Heshuo Gege". Empress Dowager also dared to break through the patriarchal clan system in which Manchu and Han were not married. In the tenth year of Shunzhi (1653), she married fourteen daughters of Huang taiji and Princess Shuokechun, the son of Wu Sangui. This made the vast majority of Han generals loyal to the Qing court, and also contributed to the victory of Kang Xiping's "San Francisco Rebellion" in the future.
In order to cultivate Fu Lin's ruling ability, sourdrang dowager wrote inspiring advice: "If you are the emperor and are in the supreme position, then honesty is not easy. On the basis of the Republic of China, governing the people must be simple and virtuous, governing the country must be loyal and far away, employing people must be out of insight, entering politics must be judged, and rewards and punishments must be fair and appropriate. Don't be extravagant, aim high, study hard and ask questions, punish anger and stop playing. Specializing in Henan, the great cause will be replaced. Every few things to the front, we must cover everything, not tired. If you sincerely keep this statement, it is both a blessing for generations and a great filial piety. " However, when the young son of heaven encounters something, sometimes he will be impatient and not calm enough. In June of the 16th year of Shunzhi (1659), Zheng Chenggong, the general of Nanming, besieged Jiangning (Nanjing), claiming to destroy Jiangnan and take Beijing directly. The news shocked the ruling party and the opposition party. The emperor shunzhi panicked and even offered to give up Beijing and retreat to the pass. Sourdrang dowager sternly reprimanded: How can the emperor easily destroy the inheritance of his ancestors? The emperor shunzhi was deeply ashamed, drew his sword and struck several times, claiming to use personal expedition. The queen mother patiently advised the emperor to be the emperor, not to be impulsive, and to treat every major event calmly. The emperor shunzhi stayed in Beijing to take command and quickly sent reinforcements from the Qing army. Because of Zheng Chenggong's decision-making mistakes, Jiangning finally cleared the way. The settlement of the Jiangning crisis shows the statesmanship of Empress Dowager Cixi who grasps the current situation and is calm and responsive.
In the eighteenth year of Shunzhi (166 1), the emperor shunzhi was bedridden with pox and was anxious to succeed him. Emperor Shunzhi considered that because the prince was young, he planned to have a younger brother. The Queen Mother listened to the advice of Tang Ruowang, a German who worked in the Qing court. "Michelle Ye has smallpox and is immune and suitable for succession.". After careful consideration, she insisted on establishing the emperor's third son, Michelle Ye. Highly recommended by the Empress Dowager, the emperor shunzhi obeyed his mother's words and made a decree that his third son, Michelle Ye, would succeed him and chose a wise monarch for the Qing Dynasty.
Empress Xiao Zhuang
On the seventh day of the first month in the eighteenth year of Shunzhi, the emperor shunzhi died. Michelle Ye, who was only 8 years old, succeeded to the throne, changed to Kangxi and honored sourdrang dowager as the Empress Dowager. After the death of Emperor Kangxi's biological mother, the Queen Mother, with the grief of losing her son in her later years, resolutely assumed the heavy responsibility of raising and cultivating her grandson Michelle Ye. A minister advised the highly respected and resolute Empress Dowager Xiao Zhuang to listen to politics, but she politely refused.
In order to cultivate Emperor Kangxi's ability to govern the country, Empress Dowager Tai personally wrote an admonition and earnestly taught her grandson: "Ancestors can't ride and shoot, but they can't be equipped with weapons. Employing people to govern is a respect for heaven and a judgment on the public. " He also warned: "In ancient times, it was said that the monarch was difficult, and the people were born for the masses. The son of heaven was born on it and grew up on it. He must look forward to it and think about it. He will win the way of the country for the people, making the four seas salty and prosperous, and Wan Li has no boundaries. " Under the guidance of his grandmother, Emperor Kangxi changed from a teenager to a diligent emperor who is rare in history and loves learning, reading, calligraphy and classics. Empress Dowager Tai not only used traditional educational methods, but also paid attention to absorbing advanced western culture to cultivate Kangxi, and hired foreigners with contemporary scientific knowledge to enter the palace to impart various scientific knowledge to Kangxi. Italian Tang Ruowang, Portuguese Li Leisi and Belgian ferdinand verbiest taught Kangxi astronomy, mathematics, geography, painting and medicine. Emperor Kangxi asked Ferdinand ferdinand verbiest to design light artillery suitable for fighting in mountainous areas, which showed great power in suppressing the "San Francisco Rebellion".
According to the posthumous edict of Shunzhi, before Emperor Kangxi came to power, four assistant ministers, Sony, Qiba Bilong, Ao Bai and Suksaha, managed the state affairs, but they had their own ambitions and contradictions. Ao Bai had no young master, monopolized power, arbitrarily ruled state affairs, and killed innocent people in an attempt to usurp imperial power and seize the emperor to make princes.
After Emperor Kangxi 14 years old ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Tai made suggestions and put forward measures to govern the country behind the scenes. She did not agree to take back the rights of the assistant ministers immediately, and adopted the strategy of differentiation and utilization for the four assistant ministers. After Sony's death, Ao Bai became a recorder, even more unscrupulous, deceiving and confusing the monarch, framing and killing Suksaha, who was struggling. Emperor Kangxi was determined to get rid of Ao Bai, and the Empress Dowager and Emperor Kangxi cleverly planned a way to seize Ao Bai. Emperor Kangxi personally selected a group of aristocratic teenagers as bodyguards and often wrestled with them in the imperial garden. Ao Bai often wrestled with them, thinking that the emperor was playful and didn't care. One day, Ao Bai was called into the palace. As soon as he entered the palace door, he heard a call to arms. Martial arts teenagers swarmed, tied them up, put them in prison, announced their 30 major crimes and sentenced them to death. Later, due to Ao Bai's great exploits, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, his henchmen were wiped out one by one, and his imperial power was consolidated.
As soon as the rebellious minister was dismissed, the rebellion broke out again. Jiangnan San Francisco, the day king Wu Sangui, stationed in Yunnan and Guizhou; Pingnan Wang Shangkexi was stationed in Guangdong; King Geng Zhongming of Jingnan was stationed in Fujian. The Qing court took these three kings as a barrier to defend the forces of Nanming, so it was called San Francisco. After Emperor Kangxi came to power, the forces of Nanming were eliminated, and the ethnic contradictions between Manchu and Han gradually eased. However, San Francisco, with its own soldiers, spent a lot of money on each side. The emperor decided to withdraw from San Francisco, and many princes and ministers were afraid of causing rebellion and opposed to withdrawing from San Francisco. Empress Dowager Tai urged everyone to support the withdrawal of the vassal, and personally persuaded the ministers to unify their understanding. In the 12th year of Kangxi (1673), after the imperial edict was revoked, Wu Sangui rose up in Yunnan. In the second year, Geng (the grandson of Geng) and Shang Zhixin (the son of Shang Kexi) also responded one after another, with considerable momentum. Sichuan and Shaanxi also responded in succession, and the rebellion spread to half of China, which was called "San Francisco Rebellion" in history. Determined to counter-insurgency, Emperor Kangxi adopted the differentiation strategy of restraining and soothing, mobilized the main force of the Qing army, concentrated on crusade against Wu Sangui, and made Shang Zhixin and Geng surrender. Wu Sangui has been defeated repeatedly and is dying. Five years later, alas. Eight years later, the San Francisco Uprising was finally put down and China was reunified. In the counter-insurgency war, the Empress Dowager and her grandson shared weal and woe, made suggestions for them, and repeatedly rewarded the soldiers who participated in the war with their own money and the money saved by the harem, encouraging them to be brave in counter-insurgency.
In the 14th year of Kangxi (1675), when Bourny of Mongolian Chahar Department rose up against the Qing Dynasty, the Empress Dowager decisively recommended Tu Hai, a dismissed university student, to lead an army to fight, which quickly put down the rebels and stabilized the overall situation.
Empress Xiao Zhuang has always opposed extravagance and advocated frugality. I took the lead in setting an example, and the harem utensils were not updated for many years. In July of the tenth year of Shunzhi (1653), Hadrian people in the south were displaced, and Empress Dowager Tai took out 82,000 silver saved in the palace to help the victims. In the eleventh and thirteenth years of Shunzhi, she took out 42,000 yuan and 32,000 yuan respectively for disaster relief. The frugal family style advocated by Xiao Zhuang influenced the Kang Yong dynasties. Emperor Kangxi respected Empress Dowager Tai very much and asked for instructions before acting. He often said: "I have been kneeling with my grandmother for more than 30 years, and I have been educated and educated before I have achieved success." "If there is no grandmother, there will never be today's establishment."
In the 26th year of Kangxi (1687), sourdrang dowager died at the age of 75. Later, he was posthumously named san huang, and the cumulative posthumous title was: Xiao Zhuang Chengyi to Dechun Apocalypse Queen. She is a Mongolian female politician who came out of the Horqin grassland in Inner Mongolia. She spent more than 60 years in the Qing Palace and devoted her life to the Qing Dynasty. After four emperors, he assisted the two young masters in three dynasties and made important contributions to the establishment and consolidation of the Qing regime, and was known as the mother of the Qing dynasty. Some people say that the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty is closely related to two female politicians: the prosperous time of sourdrang dowager, the rare "prosperous time" of the feudal dynasty of China; The decline of Empress Dowager Cixi brought the Great Qing Dynasty from humiliation to extinction.