In short, the emperor was extremely glorious, and many people fought for it, bleeding and sweating; After all, this is a high-risk occupation, with only one position and one throne. It is often difficult to detect how greedy people secretly plan to replace it in time. Therefore, being born into an emperor's family is sometimes a lifetime of instability, and the hard work of a lifetime is not that the tree wants to be quiet but the wind does not stop. Maybe from the moment you were born, you were caught in the whirlpool of competition and the trap of killing.
There is such an emperor in history, and his life is full of many mysteries. Compared with any previous emperor, his achievements are not inferior. The topics around him have always been the most, and the controversy behind them is also great. Especially in the contemporary era, his image has become a household name with the interpretation of countless film and television works and novels, which makes him an out-and-out "emperor network celebrity", an extremely busy emperor with a love of crossing.
Everyone is familiar with this emperor, that is, the third emperor after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, Yong Zhengdi Aisingiorro, the Qing Sejong? Yin Zhen. His life is particularly controversial, and his mystery is particularly extensive. Since ancient times, there have been all kinds of speculations and textual research around his succession and death. The mystery of his succession even ranked among the "Four Mysteries" in the early Qing Dynasty. Some people say that he killed the king and usurped the throne, some people say that he seized the throne without imperial edict, and some people say that he succeeded to the throne legally. For his death, some people say that he was assassinated by a chivalrous woman, some people say that he died of a stroke, and some people say that he died of Dan medicine poisoning. In short, there is no agreement, and the fog is heavy, which adds mystery to the confusion.
In folklore, he is often regarded as a "tyrant" who is moody, stingy and ungrateful, and any dirty water will be poured on him. The common people call him "patricide", "forcing mother", "killing brother" and "killing son". In short, they think he is an animal-like figure who ignores human relations and destroys human nature, saying that he has raised a group of people. Also, because of the imperial examination title of "Wei Minzhi", he made a lot of tragedies of "literary inquisition". However, what was he like in historical reality and how did he ascend to the throne? Is he really like folklore and some records? With these questions, let's approach Grandpa Four, Yong Zhengdi and Yin Zhen to explore what kind of person he is, especially how he got the highest throne.
Yin Zhen, the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi, was born in the Lama Temple in the seventeenth year of Kangxi. He was born at the peak of Emperor Kangxi's energy. His biological mother was De Wu Fei Yashi, and he also had a half-brother, Yin Gui, the 14th elder brother, who was later trusted and valued by Emperor Kangxi.
Yin Zhen is an older brother among the philosophers of Kangxi, but because of Wu Yashi's background, Yin Zhen is not qualified to be raised by his biological mother. After the full moon, she was raised by Empress Xiao Yiren, the daughter of Tong Guowei, the sister of Long Keduo, and even the niece of Emperor Kangxi's biological mother Xiao Yiren. Empress Xiao Yiren had no children, so she regarded Yin Zhen's upbringing as her own, and Yin Zhen had deep feelings for her. On the contrary, she was not friendly with her biological mother, Wu Yashi. Moreover, when she was born on May 14th, Princess Wu Yashi's status was already relatively high, and she could raise her youngest son by herself. Many children in the family are still close, after all, a bowl of water is hard to level. Historically, Wu Yashi really liked Yin Gui, while Yin Zhen was relatively cold, which was a kind of frustration for Yin Zhen in a sense, but he died of suffocation.
It should be said that Yin Zhen's growth is a typical dependence. Since childhood, he has developed the ability to be cautious, sense words and sense emotions, and has a strong ability to adapt to the environment. So when he was six years old, the Qing court sent him to Shangshufang to study Confucian classics and Manchu, as well as riding and shooting and military skills. It is worth mentioning that his master was at that time, but not the father of Zhang Hezhang, a famous minister of Yongzheng Dynasty. When I was a child, Yin Zhen grew up rapidly under the careful cultivation of the old masters, and both poetry and calligraphy made rapid progress. We can see that among the existing historical relics, Yong Zhengdi Yin Zhen's calligraphy level is extremely exquisite, which has a lot to do with his profound foundation since he was a child.
Emperor Kangxi had a habit that when he went out to patrol or fight, he would travel with his princes. As an older prince, Yin Zhen was no exception. When he was eight years old, he patrolled the customs with Emperor Kangxi and learned a lot of military knowledge. He was also personally taken to the front line of river management and other affairs. 15, 16 years old, Yin Zhen went to Qufu with his third brother Yin Zhijun to attend the ceremony of offering sacrifices to Confucius, which shows Kangxi's experience in it. Kangxi personal expedition galdan, also specially appointed Yin Zhen in charge of Zhenghongqi camp. It can be seen that Kangxi still spent a lot of thoughts on him, and he also returned the trust of Emperor Kangxi with excellent results, and achieved the skill of governing the country and the strategy of military aircraft.
However, because of the opportunity of growth and cautious forbearance, coupled with too many brothers and many excellent people, he also developed the habit of speculating on his father's psychology and maintaining the relationship between the parties. Being cautious and treading on thin ice is his normal state. Of course, he didn't make any mistakes and passed all kinds of examinations. In the thirty-seventh year of Kangxi, he was named Beizi; In the forty-eighth year of Kangxi, he was named Prince Heshuo Yong, becoming one of the princes with the highest title except the prince at that time, while the other prince was named the third brother of Prince Heshuo Cheng, and the highest title was only the county king. It can be seen that from this period on, Emperor Kangxi attached great importance to Yin Zhen.
Yin Yong was a prince for more than 30 years, which made him impatient. He kept complaining and making mistakes. In the forty-seventh year of Kangxi, Yin Yong was particularly disgraceful from illness to his death on May 18th. In addition, he also secretly spy on Kangxi's camp. At the same time, with a series of "knocking down the wall", Emperor Kangxi finally made up his mind to depose Yin Yong as the prince, and Yin Zhen's mind was very clear during this period. He didn't misjudge the situation or forget it. Unlike big brother, he didn't jump up and down, looking for someone. On the contrary, he was relatively low-key and calm, able to actively mediate and safeguard the forces of all parties, especially at the critical moment, expressing his support and help to Yin Ren, thus winning a lot of goodwill from Emperor Kangxi. Later, in order to balance all parties and stabilize state affairs, Emperor Kangxi restored the position of Prince Yin Yong in the following year, and at this time, he made Yin Zhen a prince. It was from this time that Yin Zhen officially entered the core of imperial power decision.
In the fifty years of Kangxi, Yin people were abolished again. How could a Chu Jun be abolished twice? At this point, Yin Zhen also understood that it was absolutely impossible for Prince Yin to make a comeback. So, from this period on, judging the situation, the competition for storage space officially began, and he also secretly assembled a "grandpa four party", including thirteen elder brothers Huang, sixteen elder brothers Yin Lu and seventeen elder brothers Yin. The greatness of Yin Zhen is that he keeps a low profile and plays very well. All this was not discovered by Emperor Kangxi. It was not until Yong Zhengdi ascended the throne that he suddenly realized that the Grandpa Four Party had been operating privately for many years. Really quiet, "focus on getting rich". From this perspective, I have to admire Yong Zhengdi's forbearance and sophistication in sharpening his sword for decades.
But for Yin Zhen, he doesn't have much advantage. He is not long, but it is better to be born in three dimensions. His roots are bright red, but he is three-dimensional Not bad; In terms of age, Yin Zi and Yin Zhi are older than him. On merit, Yin Gui is known as the "Eight Sages King" and has a large number of fans. With deep pockets and spending money like water, he is not as good as Yi Yin, not to mention Fei Yi, Yi Yin's mother, who is also very popular with Emperor Kangxi. In terms of military talent and dependence, he is not as good as his own brother Yin Gui; Yin Zhen has no outstanding talent or perfect background, but he is an ordinary prince raised by the queen, and his biological mother doesn't love himself very much. Therefore, under the planning of Chief of Staff Dai Duo and others, Yin Zhen chose to develop strengths and avoid weaknesses and sit tight. He hides his hair and takes care of it in many ways. At first, I supported the prince, and later I got along well with the Eight Ye Party. He paid special attention to collection and concealment, did not show mountains and rivers, devoted himself to studying Buddhism and Taoism, and even called himself "the world."
On the surface, he simply stayed out of it, but he practiced the truth of "no dispute, no dispute is struggle" with practical actions, especially in practical actions, showing sincere filial piety to his father Kangxi and unity and friendship to his brothers. For Kangxi, who values family most, this is the right way. His affection for Yin Zhen, the fourth brother, gradually increased, and he thought that he was a "kind man" and felt that he had changed the most. It is worth mentioning that Emperor Kangxi once thought that Yin Zhen was irritable and easily angry. History also specifically warned him to "be patient." In his view, Yin Zhen in this period was successfully transformed, and was the most mature and worthy of being a prince.
Here, I would like to mention in particular that Yin Zhen can do this and do it well. In fact, he benefited from Dai Duo, an important counselor during his seclusion. Dodo's advice to him is very necessary. First, he should try his best to please Kangxi and show sincerity and filial piety. The second is to tolerate and maintain brothers and win over all parties to relax themselves. At the same time, he advised Yin Zhen to put on more airs and show his talents at critical moments. Yin Zhen was obedient, modest and prudent, and even voluntarily lowered his title so as not to offend him. In this process, Deduo played a very key role.
In fact, the historical prototype of Wu Sidao in the TV series Yongzheng Dynasty is Dai Duo. Although Wu Sidao is also the aide of Yong Zhengdi's favorite minister Tian Wenjing, he is not so "divine" in the history of film and television dramas, but many deeds have the origin of Dai Duo. Historically, Dai Duo, as a counselor, successfully helped Yong Zhengdi win the throne. Of course, he was liquidated after Yong Zhengdi succeeded to the throne. That's another story and a fan.
In addition, Yin Zhen's "Quadripartite Party" also integrated two important ministers, namely "one inside and one outside" and "one skill and one martial art", which played an extremely important role in promoting Yin Zhen's successful accession to the throne. As an infantry commander, Longkodo was in charge of the Beijing Garrison, and was a legacy of Emperor Kangxi, while Nian Gengyao became the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi from the governor of Sichuan, with heavy troops in his hand, and was in charge of the northwest frontier fortress.
Yin Zhen made and controlled two key figures, Roncodo and Nian Gengyao, and the benefits were obvious:
In history, after Emperor Kangxi abolished the Prince, he hated hundred schools of thought's feud struggle, and no longer mentioned the Prince. He was directly imprisoned between his big brother and the abandoned prince, and was heavily attacked and closely monitored by the "Eight Ye Party" headed by Mei, but he trusted Yin Zhen, which cleared the opposition for his later accession to the throne and paved the way for the golden light.
And in Kangxi's later years, Kangxi's esteem for Yong Zhengdi can be seen through many things. First of all, Yin Zhen was arranged to participate in important affairs such as the detention and trial of abandoned children; The use of troops and dispatch in the northwest also allowed Yin Zhen to participate in planning and enter the decision-making of core military aircraft; On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne, he also arranged for Yin Zhen to go to Shengjing outside the customs to worship the ancestral tomb, which was an extremely important national activity at that time, even a ceremony attended by the emperor himself. It also shows that Emperor Kangxi prefers him as his successor, which is a clear signal. And sent Yin Zhen to worship heaven on his behalf in the winter solstice; According to historical records, before the death of Emperor Kangxi, Yin Zhen was sent to the Temple of Heaven to worship, apparently to spread the news to the fourth son of the emperor.
In 61, Emperor Kangxi came to the end of his life. He died in Changchun Garden and left his reluctant motherland. It is a beautiful myth to borrow from heaven for another 500 years. At the last moment of his life, he specially summoned Yin Zhen, accompanied by the fourth son of the emperor:
It is this kind of record in history that brought endless troubles to Yin Zhen who succeeded to the throne later, so that he had to compile the Record of Great Righteousness to defend himself, but the doubts in this record gave people at that time and future generations endless space:
According to relevant records, before his death, Kangxi declared Yin Zhen as the heir to the throne in front of all the princes, which was artistically reproduced in Yongzheng Dynasty. Longkodo publicly announced Kangxi's testamentary edict, and Yin Zhen officially succeeded to the throne as yongzheng emperor.
With the wishes and expectations of Emperor Kangxi, Yin Zhen succeeded to the throne, and the following year was changed to the first year of Yongzheng. However, it is accompanied by the theory of patricide succession that still exists today, which is full of doubts and arguments. People with different views have their own reasons, and no one can convince anyone, but serious and responsible researchers basically think that usurping the throne to change the imperial edict is nonsense and untenable, and Yin Zhen should be the legitimate heir.
Kangxi's testamentary edict was made in quadruplicate, and there are original materials on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in China First Historical Archives, Liaoning Provincial Archives and Taipei Palace Museum. Among them, the Kangxi Testament of Liaoning Archives was written in Manchu and Chinese respectively, and the contents of both were the same. As for the widely circulated change from "14th Brother" to "4th Brother", it is not worth refuting at all. What's more, at that time, the word "imperial" was the official of the Qing Dynasty and "the son of the emperor". There was no basis for these statements of tampering with the imperial edict, but there was no problem whether the testamentary edict was appropriate or not. I can't think so, because:
According to records, when Kangxi was escorted to Yong Zhengdi, many brothers were present, but unlike now, there can be video data to prove it. Yong Zhengdi later liquidated the other princes who participated in the seizure of office one by one. Does this just show his guilty conscience? According to relevant accounts, Yi Yin and Yi Yin deliberately spread rumors of Yongzheng usurpation. After the folk spread, the water was mixed up. Yong Zhengdi has been defending, and Huang Hongfa, as the most hardcore "ally" of Yong Zhengdi, his testimony is not acceptable. On the other hand, Long Keduo was killed shortly after Yongzheng succeeded to the throne. Isn't this for killing people?
All these make Yong Zhengdi's succession an unsolved mystery. What is the historical truth about Yong Zhengdi's succession, or the lack of conclusive proof, may become an eternal historical unsolved case, which will be dusty in the long river of time and space, and future generations will not stop exploring this period of history. We are all looking forward to new evidence, which is enough to convince everyone in the world.
Although Yong Zhengdi has only been in power for 13 years, it is not short. The president of the United States only served for four years, while Yong Zhengdi served for almost three, which is long enough. Moreover, in these thirteen years, he made great efforts to govern and failed to be diligent, inheriting Kangxi and succeeding Kangxi. Without him, there would be no "Kang Yong Prosperity". Their three generations created the rule of nearly 140 years, which was the longest prosperous time in the ancient history of China. Yong Zhengdi made a special contribution in it. In his later years, Kangxi's treasury was empty, bureaucratic corruption, intensified contradictions and obvious disadvantages. After Yong Zhengdi took over, he lost all envy and returned to the public, established the system of supporting and saving money, reformed the land to return to his hometown, eased the ethnic contradictions in southwest China, made the gentry work together to lift the shackles of the people, abolished the basic staff system, and made the people live a more equal life. The secret storage system eased the dispute between the prince and his cronies, and the secret folding system made the decision more appropriate to some extent. The establishment of the military department pushed the feudal imperial power to the peak. It can be said that Yong Zhengdi is an outstanding politician and an outstanding reformer.
It is difficult for any reform to be smooth sailing, touch the interests of vested interests, and hit the nail on the head. Yong Zhengdi will naturally be "beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it", and those gentry will not speak well of him; He also engaged in literary inquisition, which offended readers; Although ordinary people benefited a lot from the reform, they didn't understand that Yong Zhengdi was a "tyrant" and his negative image was deeply rooted in people's hearts, which was a painful price paid by Yongzheng for the prosperity of the empire.
As the most diligent emperor in history, he slept less than two hours a day, only one day off on his birthday. He is hands-on and cautious, and all the memorials are recited by himself, and some even have more than 1000 words. It can be said that his final death is probably exhaustion. He didn't indulge in the harem every day like the empresses in the palace. According to historical records, he only had eight queens, and he was not dissolute. He devoted himself to court affairs. From this point of view, he really deserves the evaluation of being a good emperor.
History may be unfair to him. Even today, there are still criticisms of him. There are endless topics about Yong Zhengdi's life and death, but it is undeniable that he has made many contributions to the development of China's history and social progress.