The emperor is the most beautiful profession in the world. He has the power to dominate the world, thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, golden cups and jade cups, a gluttonous feast, three thousand beauties, and hundreds of civil and military officials. The emperor's profession looks very beautiful, but in fact the emperor is the most dangerous profession. In the history of our country, there were 495 emperors (including 73 people who were posthumously named), with an average age of less than 39 years old. It is said that during the turbulent times of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, people would do anything to fight for power. Zhu Wen usurped the Tang Dynasty and established the Later Liang Dynasty. After being killed by his son, he was replaced by Li Cunxu in the Later Tang Dynasty. Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and led the Khitans to destroy the Later Tang Dynasty and establish the Later Jin Dynasty. After that, heroes from all walks of life all appeared on the stage. Liu Zhiyuan established the Later Han Dynasty and was replaced by Guo Wei in the Later Zhou Dynasty. It was not until Zhao Kuangyin seized power from the orphans and widows of the Later Zhou Dynasty and established the Northern Song Dynasty that the great division of the north ended.
During the Five Dynasties period, the fate of most emperors was very tragic. The worst fate of emperors in history was during the Northern Wei Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. 12 emperors were killed, and many died unexpectedly. The average life span is far lower than the average life span of all emperors in history, and also lower than the life span of ordinary people in the same period. Let's take a look at the fate of the Northern Wei emperor.
1. Tuoba Gui, the founding emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, was an accomplished emperor in the first half of his life. He was determined to restore the country and establish the Northern Wei Dynasty. Tuoba Gui's fate was exactly the same as that of Zhu Wen of the Five Dynasties. After achieving hegemony, he became mediocre in his later years. He abused the drug "Hanshi Powder", which later led to a drastic change in temperament, mental disorder, and indiscriminate killing of innocent people. He was finally killed by his son Tuoba Shao at the age of 39.
2. After Tuoba Si got rid of Tuoba Shao, he became the second emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty? Emperor Ming Yuan. He adopted a soft policy, vigorously developed production, resisted foreign enemies externally, and defeated Rouran. Tuoba Si had hoped to become a wise king, but he made the same mistake again and died of poisoning after taking "Hanshi Powder". Tuoba Si died young at the age of only 32. Among the emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he died a good death.
3. After the death of Tuoba Si, Tuoba Tao ascended the throne? Emperor Taiwu. Tuoba Tao's life was exactly the same as Li Cunxu's. Half his life he was a hero, and half his life he was a comatose. He defeated Rouran, separatized Northern Yan, destroyed the Xia Kingdom, unified the Northern Kingdom, drank the Yangtze River, and ended more than 130 years of division in the north. In his later years, like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he listened to the slanders of treacherous ministers, killed ministers, and mistakenly killed the prince. In the end, he was covered to death by the eunuch Zong Ai with a pillow.
4. After Zong Ai killed Emperor Taiwu Tuoba Tao, he supported Tuoba Yu as emperor. In order to repay Zong Ai for his support, Tuoba Yu allowed him to take charge of the political and military power and named him King Feng Yi. Zong Ai was the first eunuch to be crowned king in history. Zong Ai was domineering and did whatever he wanted. Tuoba Tao wanted to reduce his power. After being discovered by Zong Ai, he sent the eunuch Jia Zhou to kill him while Zong Ai was offering sacrifices. The eunuch Zong Ai killed a prince and two emperors (Tuoba Tao and Tuoba Yu), making him the most vicious eunuch in history.
5. After Tuoba Yu's death, Tuoba Jun was promoted to the throne by the ministers? Emperor Wencheng immediately killed the eunuch Zong Ai to avenge his uncle. He learned from Tuoba Tao's lesson and did not kill innocent people easily. He adopted a policy of resting with the people and built Luoyang Grottoes to stabilize people's hearts. He pursued a peaceful foreign policy, exchanged merchants with the Southern Dynasties, and calmed down troops to support the people. Tuoba Tao was young and promising, and could have done more. Unfortunately, God was jealous of talents, and Tuoba Yu died of illness at the age of only 26.