Aixinjueluo Yinxiang (1686-1730), the thirteenth son of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (actually the 22nd son), a native of Zhenglan Banner in Manchuria, born to Zhang Jia, the noble concubine of Emperor Jingmin, Nurhaci Descendants. Among the brothers, he has the closest relationship with Prince Yong Yinzhen. After Yinzhen succeeded to the throne, he was named Prince Heshuoyi, prime minister of the government, and minister of political affairs, handling major government affairs. In the first year of Yongzheng's reign, he was appointed Prime Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Because Yinxiang greatly contributed to the achievements of the Yongzheng Dynasty, he was allowed to inherit the throne and became the iron hat king. After his death, he was given the posthumous title "Xian". In order to commemorate his contribution, Emperor Yongzheng decreed that the character "Yun" in his name "Yunxiang" should be changed back to the character "Yin", making him the only person in the Yongzheng Dynasty who finally had the character "Yun" in his name. The emperor's brother who retained the character "Yin".
Character Judging from many aspects of records and descriptions, Yinxiang was an outstanding politician who was enterprising, meticulous and full of ownership spirit, and had a great influence on the early political activities of Yongzheng. In terms of temperament, he is shrewd and restrained, calm and self-possessed. He is very familiar with serving as an official and a minister. He knows the rules of the game well. At the same time, he is also courteous to the virtuous and corporal. "I love talents as much as I am afraid of losing them. Even if I say something right, I will accept it."
Let’s talk about some of his attitudes in life.
Arrogance, stubbornness, and forbearance This is the impression I got from Kangxi's reply to the third elder brother about the illness of Kangxi's thirteenth elder brother. Such a serious illness directly led to his untimely death, but he endured it for a full year without saying a word. When the imperial doctor came to see him, he did not express any lament or complaint, and did not use it to beg for his father's mercy. . But he also had a deep respect and love for his father. Even though he later became Prince Yi, the Koreans still said that "the thirteen kings loved the words of praise for the late emperor." If he praised his father, he would be very happy.
The General Chronicle of the Eight Banners records: "The Holy Ancestor (Kangxi) was in Rehe, and he occasionally sent envoys back to the palace. The king (Yinxiang) greeted him and asked about his daily life. He fell off his horse and lost his shin. He forced himself to restrain himself, but still gathered together to say hello. You don't know how bad your feet are." This can only be the case after 49 years of not following him again. According to the fifty-year-old doctor's diagnosis, he had been suffering from arthritis for more than a year. The crane's knees are preceded by the wind, and the possibility of falling from the horse is very high from a time perspective. His arrogance did not allow him to show weakness in front of the envoys sent by Kangxi, and he did not want outsiders to think he was pitiful, so he could bear to be so stubborn.
Have a little understanding of religion but not a deep belief in it. Yongzheng was a person who had a good understanding of Buddhism and Zen. In contrast, Yinxiang was a more secular person. Although he is also proficient in Zen, can talk about Buddhist scriptures with his fourth brother, and explains Buddhism to his son Hongxiao, he is not enthusiastic about it. Personally, I feel that Yi Wang is in a state of believing in his religious beliefs when he thinks about them, but he is depressed when he doesn't think about them. Most of the time, he can't remember them.
The missionary Song Junrong’s letter said: “The Thirteenth Prince respected European religions and people very much, and especially loved Father Badomin. … But he never wanted to get the priest’s voluntary expression as a He wrote religious books and Tatar works. "The missionaries felt that Prince Yi was very friendly to them and respected religious people, but it was obvious that Yinxiang had no interest in reading the Bible.
"The priest took advantage of this opportunity and talked about the Jews, especially those Jews who can still be seen in Kaifeng Mansion. These people have arrived in China since the Zhou Dynasty... The Thirteenth Prince is listening After I told them about the situation, we were asked to talk again on an agreed day. We went to the Prince's Mansion on that day, and he told us that he had investigated the situation of the Jews in Kaifeng Prefecture and introduced it to us. They had Hebrew scriptures. He wanted to know more about this nation, and then asked us if we knew these Hebrew scriptures. "Yinxiang is very efficient in his work, and he is also very curious and curious. Strong, but the focus of everyone's attention is completely different. What the missionaries want to get is the Jewish Hebrew Bible, and what Yinxiang wants to know is the situation and cultural relics of a nation.
Gentle and generous side. In the last years of Kangxi, Yinxiang came forward to win over Qu Fu, an old man from the Ming Dynasty, but he was declined with a song "The Song of a Virgin". However, this person was never harassed by the government during the Yongzheng Dynasty. On the contrary, in the Qianlong Dynasty, his collection of poems and essays was included in the list of banned books in the Siku.
In the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, the Sichuan admiral impeached Chieftain Rongmei and mentioned that the chieftain's card contained the words "Son of Tomorrow". In response to this secret, Prince Yi replied: "The Zhiwei tablet is called the Son of Tomorrow. I have carefully considered the literal meaning. It means the Son of Tomorrow and has nothing to do with the previous Ming Dynasty." , should mean the wise emperor, and has nothing to do with the former emperor.
Before Li Wei took office, Yinxiang used his own money to reward him with silver. When Li Wei vomited blood while he was in office, Yinxiang helped him see a doctor and find medicine. Zhu Shi's mother died of illness. Yinxiang went to Yongzheng for him to get permission to work in the imperial palace (this was a great grace), and also gave Zhu Shi a lot of things to comfort him. When surveying water conservancy, Yinxiang had to wait for the Han ministers who went with him to come back safely from surveying the water source before going to bed at night. He was afraid that they would get lost, so he sent his own ship to look for them. Yue Zhongqi led the army and was worried that he could not convince the people because he was Han, so Yinxiang went to help him communicate with Yongzheng. There are countless examples of taking extra care of officials and providing clothes and medicine to their subordinates.
Pursue elegance without losing tranquility and moderation. In addition to hunting, which was a common favorite among the Manchus in the early Qing Dynasty, Yinxiang’s hobbies also included collecting calligraphy and paintings, ancient books and appreciating curios. His calligraphy was also recognized by the two emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng, but very few of his personal calligraphy, painting, calligraphy, and poems have survived. Only a small number of poems collected by Yongzheng and his successor, Prince Yi Hongxiao, have been handed down to the world. The inscription of Yongzheng's "Jiaohuiyuan Posthumous Manuscript" says, "My younger brother, Prince Yixian, is extremely talented and has an unparalleled understanding. Just like the rituals, music, and imperial calligraphy, once practiced, they are all exquisite and enchanting, unmatched by others. ( (Omitted) However, Wang Ziqian's academic ability was not sufficient and he never kept any manuscripts. Therefore, after Wang Xian passed away, there was no one left in his residence." It is a common mentality of literati to hope that their poems and paintings can be passed down to future generations, but Yinxiang is different from them. There is probably a very indifferent side to his personality. From a certain point of view, he doesn't care whether he leaves something behind or leaves a name in history, but is more committed to doing more practical things in the present. Perhaps this can partially explain his willingness to hide behind Yongzheng and offer advice, "(Prince Yi) praises those in the secret place, eight years is like one day...Wang Zhiyi's virtues and virtues never want to show it to others. And people have no way of knowing everything." ("Edict to the Cabinet" by Bingzi, May 8, the eighth year of Yongzheng). Prince Yi held on to power very tightly, but that was out of the consideration of being proficient in government orders, just like the wise rulers who like to be in power. It is understandable, but from his behavior of declining rewards several times, it is not difficult to find that he views wealth and glory very clearly. It can be said that he is rich but not greedy, and knows how to be moderate.
He worked tirelessly and fell ill due to overwork
During the Kangxi period, Yinxiang suffered from a disease called Crane's Knee Wind, which could be rheumatism or bone tuberculosis. Although he was nursed back to health after that, his physical condition has deteriorated. After Yongzheng came to the throne, Yinxiang took on a lot of government affairs. Different from the caution he showed when declining various favors, Yinxiang had an attitude of not shirk and do his best when accepting the government affairs assigned by the emperor. This is It is inseparable from his strong sense of political responsibility and mission. As the head of the household department, he would even take home the keys to the warehouse. When supervising the construction of cannons, he also placed one in his garden for study. His son Hongxiao said that when he was settling down the province in the morning and dusk, he often saw his father bring home "important military and state affairs" to cook and "keep criticizing them." In the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, Prince Yi fell seriously ill. The emperor was so worried that he went to the palace to pray for the prince's illness. However, the patient himself was not idle at all. In early April, he was busy with the re-division of the state capital, the management of officers and soldiers, and Yunnan. Regarding salt affairs, I personally went to explore rivers and water conservancy maps in mid-April and May. In June, I studied the transfer of grain from nearby provinces to Fujian to benefit the people, and checked the local deficit (after that, the sea ban was imposed). In July, I left Beijing again. , tell how to open new river channels and arrange river work. In the same month, Yongzheng awarded him the eight-character plaque of "Loyal, Honest, Honest, Diligent, Prudent and Honest" as a reward, praising him for "diligence in serving the public affairs and working tirelessly day and night. Even though the king is suffering from illness, there are many documents and documents, and he is tireless in reviewing them." I can’t bear to hear the truth.” Such high-intensity work is bound to have adverse effects on his body.
Yinxiang was responsible for exploring the cemetery for Yongzheng. He initially searched near the Kangxi Cemetery. At the place he first selected, he found sand in the cave. Although Yongzheng only said that it was not perfect, Yinxiang said With a cautious personality, he would be very nervous, so he went to a distant place to choose the tomb for Yongzheng again. This is the reason why the Qing emperor's tomb was divided into the East and West Tombs. In the autumn and winter of the seventh year, his health was already very bad. At this time, Yongzheng appointed Liu Shengfang, the envoy of the imperial hospital, as the minister of household affairs, so that he could treat Yinxiang while consulting him on government affairs. However, he still went through the mountains and ridges with Gao Qizhuo personally, and spent all the hard work "going back and forth to inspect". Yinxiang was afraid of disturbing the people and "often had a meal until late at night." This state of physical and mental exhaustion worsened his condition.
After completing the matter of selecting the site of Tailing Mausoleum, Prince Yi's physical condition further deteriorated. On the eighth day of the first lunar month of the eighth year, the water reduction dam was built at Qinglong Bay of the Bei Canal. It was impossible for Yinxiang to go to the site to investigate, so he had to report the matter to the minister He Guozong (a mathematician of the Qing Dynasty) to supervise the construction. At that time, Prince Yi said to his subordinates who were also in charge of water conservancy, "This plan controls all the rivers and controls the profit and contraction in the palm of my hand. How can I expect to be seriously ill and lose weight?" Three months later, Prince Yi said He passed away due to illness. These words are very touching to hear, and his strong ambition and strong sense of responsibility are evident. At the beginning of the eighth year, because Yinxiang had suspended the court due to illness, Yongzheng often sent people to Jiaohui Garden to ask Prince Yi how to handle certain matters. It can be seen that during this period, Yinxiang was still involved in government affairs. Yinxiang did not participate in the plowing ceremony of Xiannongtan in February of the eighth year (he had participated every year before). In March of the eighth year, Yongzheng issued two imperial edicts, letting others take charge of camp field and missionary affairs. After Yinxiang fell ill, Yongzheng "prepared for medical prayers" for him. In order to comfort Yinxiang, he "will make sure to see him in ten months."
On the fourth day of May in the eighth year of Yongzheng (1730), Yinxiang died of illness at the age of forty-four. Yongzheng was extremely sad and said in an edict on the sixth day of September in the eighth year: "I remember that my brother, Prince Yixian, was in Japan. I have sincerely supported him for eight years and handled many things on my behalf. In the past, I was chatting with my brother. , it is often said that the relationship between the Holy Bow and the clan is of great importance. Anyone who can handle the work should wholeheartedly express his efforts to replace the Holy Bow. I am sincerely willing to dedicate my life to increase the longevity of the Holy Lord. I was deeply displeased when I heard about it, and I think it is wrong to say this. Today I think back to the fact that during the eight years my brother served as assistant to Bi Xiangxiang, he worked hard all day and night, which may have damaged his spirit and led to his death soon. In terms of human affairs, my brother spent eight years of hard work and I was able to save eight years of hard work. This means that my brother's life is a benefit to me."