In the forty-eighth year of Kangxi (1709 AD), when talking about the anecdotes of the Ming Dynasty with the bachelor, his majesty concluded: "What he did in the Ming Dynasty was too absurd and ridiculous." He talked about it specifically. Two jokes about Emperor Chongzhen.
First, when Emperor Chongzhen built the palace, he needed to use a huge stone on the back steps of Jianji Hall as the foundation. This huge thing, several feet tall and thick, was transported from other places to Tongxian County via canals, and then moved by horse-drawn horses to the Forbidden City where it was built to build the Ji Palace. Now, it is necessary to transport it to Dauchi and put it to a new use, which is very difficult for a group of craftsmen. Because the stone gate is narrow and cannot enter the palace, the stone is broken and cannot be cut (it is useless to cut the stone), and the door is broken and cannot be dismantled (who dares to take the damage to the Feng Shui dragon vein). The general department had no choice but to report to Emperor Chongzhen, saying that this stone refused to enter the Meridian Gate. I would like to ask Your Majesty for instructions. Unless the door is broken down, I don’t know what to do with it. Emperor Chongzhen was furious and immediately ordered: This is really unreasonable. I will use it for Good talent, how dare you disobey orders. Tie it up and beat it with sixty sticks! I wonder if Chongzhen is confused because of his anger, or is he used to giving orders like this? Anyway, the emperor's words are gold-plated, who dares to disobey? The people below have no choice but to bite the bullet and have someone carry the stick. I went to hit the huge stone. After a violent beating, the stone remained the same, but the imperial stick was broken a lot. But I don’t know if it really happened, or was it deliberately arranged?
The second is that Emperor Chongzhen learned to ride a horse. At that time, the border war was tense, and Chongzhen wanted to practice martial arts and take the lead. The Minister of War suggested that you should first master the art of horse riding. It doesn't matter whether there is a war or not. The scene of reviewing the three armies, with the emperor on horseback and accepting the call of long live the mountain is also very spectacular. Emperor Chongzhen was tempted and decided to practice riding first. Poor Emperor Chongzhen grew up in a deep palace. When did he learn to ride a horse? It was a big deal for the emperor to learn to ride a horse. He chose a good and auspicious day, brought in a well-bred horse, and sent an excellent jockey. When mounting the horse, two people held the bridle, two held the stirrups, and two held the boots. Seven or eight eunuchs, some squatting or lying down, some pushing or lifting, just put the emperor on the horse's back, but before he could sit firmly, he slipped off. Although someone followed, it was no big deal. Chongzhen, who couldn't stand it, was furious: What kind of broken horse is this! It's so ignorant of praise, first give the horse forty lashes, and then send it to a remote post station as an errand!