Why didn t Zhao Kuangyin pass the throne to his son but to his younger brother?

Speaking of the Song Dynasty, everyone inevitably mentions the founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin, the emperor who was dressed in a yellow robe, and then released his military power with a glass of wine, emphasized literature and suppressed the military, and laid the foundation for the prosperous economic development of the Song Dynasty. But why did he pass the throne to his younger brother Zhao Kuangyi in the end, this has not been clarified until now.

In fact, one of the commonly believed theories is not that Zhao Kuangyin took the initiative to pass on the throne to Zhao Kuangyi, but that Zhao Kuangyi illegally obtained the throne. And it can also be seen from a series of reactions after Zhao Kuangyi ascended the throne that it should be like this.

But even if there is no accident, Zhao Kuangyin may also pass on the throne to his younger brother. Because Zhao Kuangyin has four sons, the reason why he did not pass on the throne to his son is mainly because his sons are still too young, the Song Dynasty has just completed the unification, although he holds the military power through a glass of wine and other ways, but after all, it has just been opened for a few years, the domestic situation is still very unstable, and the generals are not there, so it is also a good choice to pass on the throne to his younger brother Zhao Kuangyi.

There are two idioms on this subject:

The Alliance of Money(The Alliance of the Golden Cabinet), which is recorded in the official history, is on the orders of the mother, and passed on to the younger brother.

The Empress Dowager Du Shi's last words on her deathbed "The three children I gave birth to, you don't want to make noise, you should love each other, take turns to be the emperor, you do it, the second child does it, and the second child does it." ”

The second idiom is calledAxe sound candle shadow, Taizu was seriously ill, recruited Taizong to discuss the matter, left and right can not be asked, only people saw the light and righteousness leaving the table under the candlelight from a distance, there was a state of avoidance, and heard Taizu poke the ground with an axe, and said loudly: "Good for it" (there is another record that says "good to do, good to do"). That night, Taizu died.

Passing on the throne is for Taizong.

Interestingly, when the Northern Song Dynasty perished, the Taizong line was taken to the north by the Jurchens and became prisoners, while the Song Gaozong Zhao Gou of the Southern Crossing had no son, and the throne had to be inherited by the descendants of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin (the sixth generation grandson of Defang), so starting from the second generation of emperors in the Southern Song Dynasty, the throne returned to the hands of the descendants of Song Taizu, and the Song Taizong line was interrupted from then on. ‍‍

Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin's succession to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi is one of the famous historical doubts. Among them, the "Candle Shadow Axe" and the "Golden Alliance" were implicated.

As we all know, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin ascended to the throne in one fell swoop by taking advantage of the yellow robe of the "Chenqiao Mutiny". At that time, the throne was hereditary, that is, the father died and the son succeeded. But Zhao Kuangyin did not go the other way and passed the throne to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi.

Xiangshan Yelu, "Ember Yulu" and other wild historical records all show that Zhao Kuangyin's death and Zhao Guangyi's succession have other hidden circumstances.

But it is also said in the official history that Zhao Kuangyin was the queen mother, that is, the widow of Empress Dowager Du before her death, so that Zhao Kuangyin passed on the throne to Zhao Guangyi. This has to mention the things before Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty. In the Later Zhou Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyingui was the first general at that time.

Deeply trusted by Chai Zong, the little emperor Chai Zongxun succeeded to the throne, when the Khitan invaded, Zhao Kuangyin went to meet it. But on the way, the yellow robe was added, and finally the little emperor Chai Zongxun was removed from the throne and became the emperor himself.

Therefore, when the Empress Dowager Du was seriously ill, she called Zhao Kuangyin to her side and asked him to pass on the throne to Zhao Guangyi, on the grounds that Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty because the emperor was weak at that time, and if the emperor was older at that time, maybe it would not be his turn to govern the world now. At that time, Zhao Kuangyin also agreed with this statement, so Prime Minister Zhao Pu converted this matter into words and sealed it into Jinkui, which is the origin of the "Jinkui Alliance".

At that time, Zhao Kuangyin did not set up his son as the prince, but made Zhao Guangyi the Yin of Kaifeng Mansion and the king of Jin. This series of things are all political signals, and it is obvious that Zhao Kuangyin cultivated Zhao Guangyi as a prince. Therefore, it is invisibly logical for Zhao Guangyi to ascend the throne.

But the truth about the "Candle Shadow Axe" and the "Golden Alliance" is still not easy to draw conclusions.

On the night of October 19 in the ninth year of Kaibao (976), the wind was cold, the snow was flying, Song Taizu suddenly ordered someone to summon Zhao Guangyi, the king of Jin, into the palace, after Zhao Guangyi arrived, Song Taizu said that he wanted to discuss national affairs, retired the left and right attendants, and drank wine with Zhao Guangyi alone. Then, that night, Zhao Kuangyin died.

It is for this reason that I have always thought that Zhao Kuangyin may be a person who has traveled to ancient times, and he would even think of passing on the throne to his younger brother.

Since ancient times, the throne has been passed to his sons, and of course, this excludes those who rebel. In this case, Zhao Kuangyin's brain is rusty, so he will pass the throne to his younger brother.

Because Zhao Kuangyin felt that his own son could take on this heavy responsibility, he and Zhao Guangyi should discuss something during the drink.

No one knows what the truth of history is, my opinion is that Zhao Kuangyin thinks that his younger brother is more capable of sitting on the throne, and his son may have a bad end when he ascends the throne, so it is better to retreat to the second.

It seems that Zhao Kuangyin's mother's name and Zhao Kuangyin passed the throne to Zhao Guangyi, but some people say that it was not Zhao Kuangyi who passed it on to his younger brother, but his younger brother who directly usurped the throne.

Song Taizu's mother was a good mother, and let her sons take turns to be emperors, Song Taizong was not a good son, and he grabbed the throne when he got it. also killed his brother and nephew, not looking at family affection, only looking at power.

Zhao Kuangyin is a relatively wise monarch, he knows that the world he takes must be defended, so he chooses a younger brother with stronger ability.

In fact, Zhao Kuangyin should have wanted to pass on the throne to his son, so his younger brother should have usurped the throne.

Because Zhao Kuangyin didn't want to pass it on to his younger brother at that time, but suddenly his younger brother saw that he was sick, so he usurped the throne.

What is the candlelight axe talking about?

After the death of Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, the throne was inherited by his younger brother Zhao Guangyi, and the official history records that he acted on the orders of the Empress Dowager's "Jin Kui Edict".

Before the death of the Empress Dowager Zhaoxian Du, she called her sons (Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Guangyi) to make a last word, and determined the order of succession to the throne: Zhao Guangyi took over after Zhao Kuangyin's death, Zhao Tingmei took over after Zhao Guangyi's death, and then Zhao Tingmei passed on the throne to Zhao Kuangyin's son Zhao Dezhao or Zhao Defang. It is known as the "Golden Alliance" in history.

On the night of October 19 in the ninth year of Kaibao (976), Zhao Kuangyin summoned his brother Zhao Guangyi to drink and stay in the palace together; Early the next morning, Zhao Kuangyin died violently at the age of 50. He is called Emperor Yingwu Shengwen Shende, and the temple is called Taizu.

On April 25, the second year of Taiping Xingguo (977), he was buried in Yongchang Mausoleum (now Gongyi, Zhengzhou, Henan). 26] In the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008), he was honored as the Emperor of Great Filial Piety of the Ming Dynasty.

Regarding Zhao Kuangyin's death, the saying that "Xiangshan Yelu" has "the sound of candle shadow axe" is popular in the world, and it is believed that Zhao Kuangyin is Zhao Guangyi, who intends to usurp the throne**.

In order to justify his accession to the throne, Zhao Guangyi put forward the unprecedented "Golden Kui Alliance", saying that Zhao Kuangyin promised his mother Empress Dowager Du before his death that he would pass on the throne to Guangyi in the future.

According to records, on the night of October 19 in the ninth year of Kaibao (976), Zhao Kuangyin was seriously ill, and Empress Song sent her confidant Wang Jien to summon her fourth son Zhao Defang into the palace in order to arrange the funeral. Zhao Guangyi, the second brother of Song Taizu, had already watched the throne and bought Wang Jien as a confidant. When he learned that Taizu was seriously ill, he and his confidant Cheng Dexuan waited all night in the Jin Palace.

After Wang Jien received the edict, he did not summon Zhao Defang, the fourth son of Taizu, but went directly to inform Zhao Guangyi. Guangyi immediately entered the palace, and after entering the palace, he entered Taizu's bedroom without waiting for a notification. Wang Jien returned to the palace, and Queen Song asked:

Defang Laiye? Wang Jien said: "The king of Jin is the best."

Queen Song was taken aback when she saw that Zhao Guangyi had arrived! Knowing that something had changed, and it was irretrievable, he had to call Zhao Guangyi, one of the emperor's titles, and begged: "The lives of my mother and son are entrusted to the official family."

Zhao Guangyi replied: "Don't worry about wealth and prosperity together!" [1] According to the history, after Zhao Guangyi entered the palace of Song Taizu, he saw the Jin king or leave the table under the shadow of the candle, and the sound of "pillar axe poking the ground", and Zhao Kuangyin subsequently died.

On the morning of the 21st, Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne in front of the coffin and changed the Yuan Taiping to rejuvenate the country. Since there was no third person present in this incident, there has always been a legend that Zhao Guangyi killed his brother and ascended the throne, but because there is no evidence, it cannot be confirmed, and it has become a mystery through the ages.

Chen Qiao's mutiny of Zhao Kuangyin's younger brother Zhao Guangyi contributed a lot, and Zhao Guangyi's henchmen were all over all departments of the imperial court, so it can be said that except for Zhao Kuangyin, he is the boss, and the power is tilted towards the government and the opposition. At the same time, Zhao Kuangyin's sons are obviously at a disadvantage. It is not so much about "seizing the throne", it is better to say that Zhao Kuangyin conformed to the situation and made a wise move.

This paragraph has been answered in detail in the book "Political History of the Southern Song Dynasty", and Professor He Zhongli, a master of Song history, has derived the fact that Zhao Guangyi compiled the throne and seized power based on historical materials.

Because Zhao Kuangyin made a will to pass on the throne to his younger brother.

After the death of Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, the throne was inherited by his younger brother Zhao Guangyi, and the official history records that he acted on the orders of the Empress Dowager's "Jin Kui Edict".

The first time the matter of "Jin Kui" was officially announced in the imperial court was in the sixth year of Taizong's accession to the throne, that is, in September of the sixth year of Taiping Xingguo. The "Jinkui Covenant" dedicated by Zhao Pu and discovered and made public by Taizong this time is the "Exclusive Covenant", that is, it is passed on to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi, and the "Covenant of Jinkui" recorded and recognized in the official documents of the Northern Song Dynasty in the "Actual Records" and "National History" is also only a "Sole Covenant". This is the origin of the Golden Alliance.

On the other hand, the private history of the Northern Song Dynasty has many records of the "Three Transmission Covenants" of the Jinkui Alliance, that is, "the Tingmei of Taizong's biography, and the Dezhao of Tingmei's retransmission".

Candlelight axe shadow, Ye Shi said that it was his younger brother Zhao Guangyi who killed his brother and seized the treasure.

probably thinks his son is unreliable.

After Zhao Kuangyin died, why did he let his younger brother inherit the throne? but not to the son.

Zhao Kuangyin passed the throne to his younger brother, not his son, because his mother and his mother wanted Zhao Kuangyin to pass on the throne to his younger brother Zhao Kuangyin to his mother like this, which was filial piety to his mother!

Because of the unstable political situation at that time, his son had no ability to inherit and keep the country he had worked so hard to fight, and his younger brother was also eyeing the throne, he knew very well that once he was gone, his son would have no room to resist in the face of his younger brother, and he would die tragically in the hands of his younger brother.

Because Zhao Kuangyin's younger brother is very talented, it is safer to pass the throne to him, and Zhao Kuangyin's sons are not as capable as his younger brother.

Zhao Kuangyin was from a practical point of view at that time. If, he does not pass on the throne to his younger brother. The throne was passed on to his own son, who was very young at the time.

And his brother is still very young, and in such a situation, the country is prone to civil strife. His son can't keep the country at all.

Because Zhao Kuangyin is first an emperor, and then a father. He needs to make decisions that are responsible for the people of the world, and his younger brother is better suited to this position than his son.

may be because Zhao Kuangyin felt that his son was not good, and handing over the throne to his son might be the end of the dynasty, so he chose to pass on the throne to his younger brother.

Taizu passed the throne to Zhao Guangyi because of the last order of the Empress Dowager Du. "The History of the Song Dynasty: The Biography of the Empress Dowager Du" records: "In the second year of Jianlong, the Empress Dowager did not hesitate, and the Taizu served the bait and did not leave the left and right.

In an urgent situation, Zhao Pu was summoned to receive his will. Zhao Kuangyin obeyed his mother's words and passed the throne to his younger brother, not his own son. This is the way of filial piety.

Because his son was not capable enough to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

And it just so happened that his relatives wanted his other son to be the emperor as well.

Therefore, it was passed on to the younger brother and not to the son.

History believes that Zhao Guangyi killed his brother to seek the position. In 976 A.D., Zhao Kuangyin, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, died suddenly, and there is no record of his illness in the history books. There are still many doubts.

1 Zhao Kuangyin's death is a "candlelight axe shadow" 2 Wang Jien falsely passed on the holy decree 3 The authenticity of the "Golden Kui Alliance".

His younger brother fought with him and held heavy troops. If he passed the throne to his son, his younger brother would also rebel and kill his nephew and become emperor.

Purely personal opinion, no historical basis.

There is a saying that Zhao Guangyi killed the murderer and seized the throne, and I think it is too much to exalt him.

In ancient times, there were no cameras and camcorders, and in order to prove that they once existed, the ancients had a fanatical desire to leave a name after death. In order to be able to "according to the sweat and green" to say that he digs up his heart to you, only for the fame of future generations, so all the monarchs who take the throne are not brave, in order to make up for the stigma of stealing the throne, the No. 1 son of heaven, they have redoubled their diligence and redoubled their efforts to seek fame for future generations.

For example, Li Shimin, Wu Zetian, Yongle, Yongzheng. Boss Zhao himself is too.

Look at this Zhao Lao Er, he has no intention of coming to the court at all, except for the occupation of Xiao Zhou, he really can't see what he has done with a strong desire for power and control.

Boss Zhao is indeed an outstanding character, strict with himself, and lenient with others. He is very strict with his children, stingy, and very tolerant of his family, especially his younger brother.

Indeed, he said that his brother will not break his promise with his character, which is a rare quality in the imperial world.

As for the son's death....Zhao Lao Er succeeded to the throne, but he may not be the biggest beneficiary, at least not the only one. At that time, several followers who took refuge in Nanya sincerely believed that the emperor also had a pure heart. Just in case, it is in the interest of the whole group to clear the obstacles.

At that time, as long as you are copying the trick of adding the yellow robe, it will be the merit of standing from the dragon.

The above is purely a personal understanding of this unanswered history.

I believe in beauty, I believe in such an elder brother, even if the younger brother is not capable, his character is not bad, I believe that the elder brother digs up his heart and liver to the younger brother to eat, and the younger brother will never return the poisonous wine that cuts off the children and grandchildren.