Before that, the usurper took care of the face of the monarch and his subjects and did not do much. For example, the hypocrite Wang Mang saved the life of an obedient baby after he usurped the throne, and Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty was still alive after Cao Pi usurped the throne, but all this changed with the appearance of Emperor Wu of Song, a bad example. Everyone followed suit and nothing grew. That? The change of Xuanwu Gate? Later, Li Shimin killed every son of his brother.
According to this logic, when the Qing Dynasty perished, those in power should kill Puyi once and for all, and completely break the idea of Manchu.
But the situation at that time did not need to do this, and it could not be done.
(1) The Revolution of 1911 can overthrow the Qing Dynasty in a short time, which is closely related to the concession of the Qing royal family in sizing up the situation in addition to the efforts of Sun Yat-sen and his followers. Empress Yulong, who was in power at that time, had a good eye, although her ability was limited. She knows very well that it is only a matter of time before the Qing Dynasty perishes. If we negotiate to make way early, we can get more chips. Yuan Shikai was a minister in the Qing Dynasty, and he didn't want to be accused of being a traitor. In addition, although the south was occupied by the revolutionary party, Manchu people still held a great weight in the north, such as Zhang Xun, which later advocated restoration.
If the Manchu royal family is burned, it will still bring great trouble to the revolution. Taking the initiative to abdicate is a win-win result for both sides. The new government promised to keep the emperor's position and safety and gave him 4 million yuan. Puyi also kept his promise and abdicated.
(2) It is not the patent of China people to change dynasties and kill former monarchs. Charles I of England and Louis XVI of France both died at the hands of China. However, after entering the 20th century, political ethics has been greatly improved, and the focus of political struggle is on the struggle for power, rather than the pursuit of physical elimination of opponents. Although China is still in the transition period, the revolutionary concept has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the hereditary regime has long lost its market. Even a senior official like Yuan Shikai announced his resignation just a few days after he proclaimed himself emperor.
Puyi has no children and her ability is very limited. There is no need to kill him. However, after the collapse of the Beiyang government, all the warlords had their own ulterior motives and were unwilling to be villains who killed the former emperors. In the long run, although Puyi was kicked out of the Forbidden City, there was never a problem of life safety. After liberation, Puyi was tried by the people's court for cooperating with the Japanese and was imprisoned until 1959. At the same time, it is very rare for a former emperor to be sentenced to prison in the world, and New China will not kill him.
From the perspective of ordinary people, Puyi is more like an unlucky child who gave birth to the wrong baby. The emperor's special status not only didn't bring him wealth, but made his life a mess. It would be a tragedy if he still risked his life.