What is the saying that emperors of past dynasties always abide by the principle of standing long and not standing young?
The so-called standing and not standing has a major premise, that is, standing and not standing, and then growing up in an orderly manner. In other words, if the emperor has a hundred sons and only the hundredth son is the heir, then the heir to the throne can only be the hundredth son, and the first ninety-nine "chiefs" are not qualified to inherit the throne! This is the so-called eldest son inheritance system. Of course, theory belongs to theory and fact belongs to fact. It's not uncommon to have abandoned children in China.
The so-called eldest son inheritance system can be summed up in twelve words: eldest son, no eldest son, and orderly age. Di Zi (Queen) born in the main room is always given priority. In the case of Di Zi, illegitimate children are not considered. Only when Di Zi is away, the throne will fall to concubines' sons, such as Zhu Shitang, the third son of concubines in Zhu Jianshen, Ming Xianzong, and Zhu Changluo, the eldest son of concubines in Zhu Yijun, Ming Shenzong. Without Di Zi, they all became crown princes and even emperors.
Of course, whether you are standing in the office or not, you should follow the principle of orderly growth. Take Xiao Zong of Ming Dynasty as an example. He is the third illegitimate child, he is not the eldest son. He can become a crown prince or even an emperor because his two brothers are dead, and he is the eldest son of the truth! This has always been the case, and his fourth brother Zhu Shiyuan is not qualified ... Of course, Zhu Shiyuan eventually became the "emperor", but that was after Ming Xiaozong lost his heir.
Advantages and disadvantages of eldest son inheritance system
One of the biggest advantages of the eldest son inheritance system is that the young and the old are determined early, only depending on their origins. As long as you are the eldest son, you are naturally the heir to the throne! Because the birthright has long been determined, except for a few ambitious princes, most princes can only admit the fait accompli and give up covetousness and reserve. This move has successfully avoided the situation that various schools of thought compete for storage and brothers turn against each other, and is a good way to eliminate civil strife.
Of course, the eldest son heir also has a shortcoming, that is, he has no choice. Because success or failure is based on birth, as long as it is the eldest son, even if the qualifications are extremely poor, the emperor has no choice. This has led to the emergence of a large number of mediocre and even faint kings, and the famous Jinhui Emperor Sima Zhong is a typical example. In order to contain his younger brother Sima You, Sima Yan had to emphasize the eldest son inheritance system. As a result, the fact that "public and private toads" and "why not eat minced meat" was exposed, and the eldest son Sima Zhongcheng was the Crown Prince. Such a person with worrying IQ didn't expect to be emperor at all, and the result can be imagined. The "Eight Kings Rebellion" and the "Five Rebellions in China" in the Western Jin Dynasty perished only fifty years after its establishment. ...
In addition, due to the birthright, relying on the crown prince who was born in a superior position since childhood, it is easy to form the idea that "death is victory, dad", and it is a common problem for most crown princes to be enterprising and muddle along. In addition, Chu Jun was a quasi-emperor since childhood, and the development of the Crown Prince's personality is prone to deviation. The thinking mode of "Laozi is second in the world" is not uncommon, and it is not uncommon for the crown princes who have been arrogant and extravagant in past dynasties. You can imagine what kind of emperor such a person would be when he became an emperor.
Why stand up straight and grow up, but don't stand up straight?
Having said that, many people may want to say, since the eldest son inheritance system has so many disadvantages, why didn't the ancient emperors of China choose to establish sages? Wouldn't it be better to choose a talented prince to inherit the throne? But the question is, what is "xian"? There is no quantitative standard! Is it that the princes think that the virtuous call the virtuous, or that the emperor's father thinks that the virtuous call the virtuous? It cannot be quantified.
Due to the lack of quantitative standards, this so-called practice of establishing sages often goes astray-the emperor's father thinks that sages are sages. This not only intensified the struggle between princes, but also artificially concealed the original intention of "xian" and finally became a "xian" who would pretend to be! Yang Guang, the famous emperor Yang Di, and his younger brother Yong Yang, the abandoned prince, are typical examples. Because of the chaos in private life, Yong Yang was disgusted by his biological mother, the Queen Dugu. At the same time, Emperor Yang Di, who was good at camouflage, won the favor of his biological mother, Queen Dugu. Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty was also seriously affected when the water in the bowl of Queen Dugu was uneven, and finally made a decision to abandon the long-term and establish a young one.
It seems to be a "sage", but the ending is well known. Despite his outstanding ability, Emperor Yang Di was ambitious and eventually destroyed the Sui Dynasty ... followed by not only national subjugation, but also the mutual destruction of brothers. Yong Yang, the abandoned prince, finally died at the hands of Emperor Yang Di.
To sum up, although the eldest son inheritance system has its drawbacks, its operability is much higher than that of establishing wise people. Because the birthright is fixed early, it is not easy to cause custody disputes. Although there are some special cases, in most cases, the smooth transition of political power can be guaranteed. The Ming Dynasty is the most typical example. Except for the Ming Emperor Judy and Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu, they all followed the principle of eldest son inheritance. Although there were many governors, there was almost no civil strife. The Ming dynasty passed safely for more than 200 years!
Of course, the "professional manager" system is also an important factor. In the era when the prime minister system prevailed, the emperor did not need to be so outstanding in ability. As long as the "professional manager" prime minister is used correctly, Yong Jun can also achieve prosperity. What's more, as long as Chu Jun doesn't like Sima Zhong, in theory, ability can be cultivated. Even in the Ming dynasty when the prime minister system was abolished, the emperor still had the cabinet as a "professional manager", as long as he grasped the general direction. Under such circumstances, compared with "establishing sages", the eldest son inheritance system obviously has more advantages than disadvantages. The prince who keeps his promise needs stability more, and the crown prince trained under the framework of the eldest son inheritance system just meets this need, which may be one of the reasons for the enduring eldest son inheritance system.