As the emperor with the strongest presence in the history of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi's life was magnificent and prosperous. After Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, he conferred a posthumous title on his father, Emperor Kangxi, believing that "the word Weisheng can praise the great virtue of Emperor Daxing; the title Weizu can highlight the great achievements of Emperor Daxing", so he used "Shengzu". These two words affirmed Emperor Kangxi's great achievements in "although he said he maintained success, he actually pioneered it". Zeng Guofan, an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, even believed that "after Yongzong and Qianlong, sages and sages emerged in large numbers, all of whom were like the teachings of Mu Shengzu", and the real founder of the Qing Dynasty should be Emperor Kangxi.
In addition to having the most meritorious service, the greatest influence on later generations, and the longest reign, Emperor Kangxi also has a less glorious record, that is, Emperor Kangxi has the largest number of emperors among the Qing Dynasty emperors. There are as many as 65 harem concubines in the harem that can be traced in history. He raised 35 princes, 20 princesses, and a total of 55 imperial heirs throughout his life. He is a well-deserved "high-yield emperor" in the history of the Qing Dynasty.
In the fourth year of Kangxi, with the direct participation of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, the 12-year-old Emperor Kangxi ushered in his wedding; in the fifty-fifth year of Kangxi, the 63-year-old Emperor Kangxi held the wedding ceremony The last "draft girl" event. For more than half a century, Emperor Kangxi's harem has been constantly being updated and replenished, but who is his favorite concubine?
The situation of the "draft girl" in the Qing Dynasty: the first wife's direct concubine - Empress Xiaochengren
Some people think that it was her first wedding that she married the "original concubine" - Xiaocheng Queen Ren Hesheli, because she was the "wrong wife" who accompanied Emperor Kangxi through the most difficult period; because Emperor Kangxi established his second son Yinreng as the crown prince early.
But the wedding of Empress Tong Xiaochengren was, after all, a political marriage through and through. After all, it was a helpless way to win back the support of the Hesheli family for Emperor Kangxi. If Emperor Kangxi really regarded him as the "love of his life", the queen's uncle, Suo'etu, might not have been sentenced to death; Prince Yinreng might not have been deposed twice, and ultimately ended up with the tragic end of being imprisoned for life. What's more, Emperor Kangxi was only 12 years old at the time. Even when Queen Xiaochengren passed away, Emperor Kangxi was only a 21-year-old young man who didn't quite understand what feelings were.
So, the "friendship" between Emperor Kangxi and Queen Xiaochengren may be far greater than "love"! The third empress - Empress Xiao Yiren
Some people believe that the empress who stayed with Emperor Kangxi the longest - Empress Xiao Yiren, Tong Jia, should be Emperor Kangxi's favorite. Just because Emperor Kangxi believed that he was suspected of "conquering the queen", he would rather let Tong Jia rule the harem as the "imperial concubine"; in the twenty-eighth year of Kangxi, the day before Tong Jia's death, in order to "celebrate", In order to allow her to live and die in the same quilt as him, Emperor Kangxi resolutely officially canonized her as a queen. After the death of Empress Xiao Yiren, Emperor Kangxi sadly wrote this poem - "Sorrow comes from it, and I can't control myself. I can control my words and express my sorrow and condolences."
However, as the direct cousin of Emperor Kangxi, it seemed reasonable that Empress Xiao Yiren could become a queen and receive special care from Emperor Kangxi. What's more, while Empress Xiao Yiren was in charge of the harem, Emperor Kangxi was busy pacifying the San Francisco dynasty and taking over Taiwan, and had no time to take care of the harem, let alone deep feelings.
So, the "family affection" between Emperor Kangxi and Empress Xiao Yiren may be far greater than "love"!
Empress Xiaoyiren’s canonization decree was the birth mother of Emperor Yongzheng - Empress Xiaogongren
As the first empress and empress dowager who was born as a "palace" in the Qing Dynasty, Empress Xiaogongren Wu Ya There is absolutely no doubt about her appearance. In addition to the direct proof of her portrait passed down to later generations, her "high fertility" of giving birth to 6 children in 8 years is also enough to prove that she received the blessing of the Holy Family. In the 12th year of Kangxi, the 14-year-old Wu Ya entered the palace as a palace maid; in the 20th year of Kangxi, Wu Ya became one of the "four Kangxi concubines". More importantly, Emperor Kangxi finally passed the throne of the Qing Dynasty to Wuya's eldest son, the fourth son of the emperor, Yinzhen, who later became Emperor Yongzheng.
However, Emperor Kangxi's special favor for Empress Xiao Gongren does not seem to be related to love, but just because of Wu Ya's strong fertility and high survival rate of the emperor's heirs. In the late Kangxi Dynasty, when the "Nine Sons to Seize the Right" gradually became a competition between the two princes of the Wuya family - the fourth son of the emperor Yinzhen and the fourteenth son of the emperor Yinzhen, the Emperor Kangxi still had no idea about the position of the Wuya family. That she was promoted was enough to show that Wuya was just a fertility tool in the mind of Emperor Kangxi, an ordinary concubine who was renewed, and there was nothing special about her.
So, the only thing between Emperor Kangxi and Empress Xiaogongren was her "favor" for the royal family. The position of other concubines in Emperor Kangxi's heart
In addition to the queen, Kangxi also had a "noble concubine" and various high-ranking concubines except Empress Xiao Gongren.
Concubine Wen Xi: Although she once ruled the harem as a "concubine", she was only a political tool used by Emperor Kangxi to appease and win over the Niu Hulu family. His strong maternal background and the positive influence of his sister, Empress Xiao Zhaoren, were the main reasons for Emperor Kangxi's special treatment of him.
Concubine Rong: Five of the first ten princes of Emperor Kangxi were descended from Concubine Rong, and she gave birth to Emperor Kangxi’s most beloved princess—Princess Gulun Rongxian, also known as "Kangxi Dynasty" The historical prototype of "Blue Qie Gege" in ".
However, after her four sons died one after another, Concubine Rong saw through the changes in the palace and took the initiative to alienate Emperor Kangxi. She did not seek favor, but only sought comfort.
Still photos of Concubine Rong
Concubine Yi: the historical prototype of "Master Yi" in "Kangxi Private Interview", and also the concubine in the harem who was "the most favored" recorded in the notes of the time. . However, after twenty years of Kangxi, Concubine Yi had not been promoted in the harem position, and Emperor Kangxi had no preference for the prince he gave birth to, which seemed to indicate that there was no special relationship between the two that could be matched by others.
Concubine Hui: The first of the "Four Concubines of Kangxi", she once assisted the queen in handling the affairs of the harem. However, in order to gain the trust and favor of Emperor Kangxi, she took the initiative to defend her erring son, the emperor's eldest son Yinxin. He was convicted of "always being unfilial" and asked Emperor Kangxi to "rectify" him. This shows that Emperor Kangxi's feelings for Concubine Hui were not special.
Still photos of Concubine Hui and her son So, who is the true love of Emperor Kangxi’s life?
That is the second queen whom we deliberately left to explain clearly at the end—Queen Xiao Zhaoren, Niu Hulu!
Queen Xiao Zhaoren has several special features that we need to explain below:
1. She was the only queen in the Kangxi Dynasty who never had an heir;
2. She was not drafted, but directly entered the palace as a "successor";
3. She was the queen who accompanied Emperor Kangxi for the shortest time;
More importantly, Empress Xiao Zhaoren was the adopted daughter of Ao Bai, a powerful official in the Kangxi Dynasty and the biggest enemy of Emperor Kangxi in the early days. Emperor Kangxi commented that she "knew that Ao Bai was evil, remained silent, did not stop him, and did not impeach him." The daughter of Zhi Ji Bi Long. Empress Xiao Zhaoren, the daughter of Kangxi's most mortal enemy, could still be canonized as a queen, which shows the Emperor Kangxi's great favor and deep affection for her.
In addition, there is another incident that directly proves the special relationship between Emperor Kangxi and Empress Xiao Zhaoren.
In the 16th year of Kangxi, after Empress Xiao Zhaoren was officially canonized as empress, she made a request to Emperor Kangxi - to build a family temple for her father Bilong. Note that E Bilong was a criminal who was personally ordered to be "removed from office and demoted" by Emperor Kangxi because of the party's attachment to Obai. He was a hostile element who once hindered Emperor Kangxi's pro-government, and was an accomplice who almost overturned Kangxi's imperial power. But what is surprising is that Emperor Kangxi actually "granted his request" and fulfilled the queen's dream.
For Emperor Kangxi, Empress Xiao Zhaoren was not about "friendship", "family affection", or "favor". Even the Niu Hulu family at that time had just been severely punished by Emperor Kangxi. To attack, there is no need to win over or appease. Therefore, Empress Xiao Zhaoren was the only woman who Emperor Kangxi was truly bold and trustworthy, and who devoted her true feelings wholeheartedly.