Where did Yongzheng die to serve KangxiEunuchs?
The Qing Dynasty was the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, lasting 268 years, of which the three emperors Kangxi, Qianlong, and Xuantong were the most successful and widely known, while the most controversial emperor was the Yongzheng Emperor - Aixin Jueluo Yinzhen.
Aixin Jueluo Yinzhen, later Emperor Yongzheng, was the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and was named Prince Yong. For Yongzheng's evaluation, there are different opinions. Some people praised him as the most diligent emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and his diligence could even rank among the top three in the entire feudal dynasty.
During his 13-year reign, he successfully filled the deficit in the treasury of the Kangxi Dynasty by rectifying the rule of officials and implementing new policies, which clarified the previous chaotic rule of officials, and the political situation became very stable, laying the foundation for the prosperity of the Qianlong Dynasty later.
However, he was also criticized for being too eager for quick success, showing little sympathy for his courtiers, and that most of the ministers he valued were cool officials.
During Emperor Yongzheng's ascension to the throne, there have always been questions about whether he obtained the throne through improper means. Some people even suspect that he once teamed up with Long Keduo and others to tamper with Kangxi's edict.
Although historians have long confirmed that there were two versions of the Qing Dynasty edict, there were two versions of the edict of succession, both Chinese and Manchu, even if Yongzheng could easily tamper with the Chinese edict, it was difficult to manipulate the Manchu version, which indicates that the Yongzheng Emperor was the legitimate successor to the throne.
However, even so, there are still people who firmly believe that Kangxi prefers the fourteenth son Yinchu as the successor to the throne, mainly because Yongzheng executed a close confidant who had followed Kangxi for 60 years on the night of Kangxi's death.
So, who is this Kangxi cronie who was executed by Yongzheng? Why did Yongzheng execute him?
Li Dequan, Kangxi's personal attendant, appeared many times in the "Luoxia Trilogy". He is three years younger than Kangxi, he has grown up beside Kangxi since he was a child, and he is not the royal prince or Kangxi's brother.
Zhao Chang, the encoded servant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is the prototype of Li Dequan, he is three years younger than Kangxi, and has been by Kangxi's side since he was a child, and was finally killed by Yongzheng. If you want to accompany Kangxi for 60 years, the first condition to be met is that you are similar in age to Kangxi, preferably 2-3 years younger, and have grown up with Kangxi since childhood, not the royal family or Kangxi's brother.
During the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Changyi"Haha beads"is favored. Although there are not many records of him in the official history, his status and influence cannot be ignored. He has been by Kangxi's side since he was a child, so he was appointed"Messenger eunuchs", which fully reflects Kangxi's love and trust in him.
As the emperor's confidant, Zhao Chang's relationship with the emperor was extraordinary, which also made the concubines and ministers pay more attention to Zhao Chang. Whenever they received an order, they would try their best to curry favor with Zhao Chang in order to ask him to speak well for themselves in front of the emperor.
Over time, Zhao Chang's wealth gradually grew.
Zhao Chang's career in the middle and late years of Kangxi can be described as smooth sailing. He once relied on his understanding of Kangxi and Kangxi's trust in him to get the fat shortage of the head of the Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
During his tenure, he used his position to accumulate a large amount of wealth for himself, including land, houses and curiosities, and his wealth even exceeded that of some princes.
In Kangxi's later years, Zhao Chang became one of Emperor Kangxi's most trusted courtiers because he succeeded Liang Jiugong as the head of the Inner Palace, and even waited on the night of Kangxi's death.
However, unfortunately, after Kangxi's death, Zhao Chang, the head of the inner house, who was sitting on trillions of family assets, became the first target of Emperor Yongzheng.
Why did Yongzheng kill the killer? In Aisin Jueluo. After Yinzhen inherited the throne, he suddenly ordered the arrest of Zhao Chang, a personal eunuch who had served Emperor Kangxi for 60 years. Zhao Chang was sentenced to death, and his family was sent into slavery, and the crime was reported to the world.
So, why did Yongzheng kill a eunuch who had served his father with all his heart and soul for nearly 60 years? "The Thirteenth Year of the Qing Court" records that Yongzheng gave Zhao Changan 3 charges, but none of them seem to be very tenable.
Article 1: There was once an accusation that Zhao Chang had privately sent people to spy on the princes, and if it was true, then it was not inappropriate to be executed according to his crimes. However, this allegation is not well founded.
First of all, even though Zhao Chang was the head of Ouchi at the time, he did not have the power or courage to send people to monitor the lives of the princes. If Zhao Chang did install eyeliner to monitor the actions of the prince, it was also carried out under the instructions of Emperor Kangxi, otherwise, who would follow his orders, and once something went wrong, how could he bear such a heavy responsibility?
Zhao Chang has been in the deep palace for many years, and he will not be unclear about this truth.
During the Kangxi period, there was a mysterious organization called "Sticky Pole Office", which seemed to only do some trivial things such as catching knowledge, catching birds, and catching dragonflies on the surface, but in fact it had the same function as the Jinyi Guard in the Ming Dynasty, and was specifically responsible for monitoring tasks.
The person in charge of the institution is usually the Minister of the Guard, and the fourth elder brother Yinzhen at that time was the supreme leader of this organization. Therefore, even if these people were assigned by Zhao Chang to monitor the princes, it was possible that they would report to Yinzhen in the process of carrying out their tasks, not to mention whether they would obey Zhao Chang's orders.
If Zhao Chang hands over the monitoring task to others, he may be discovered by the master at the sticky pole, which will not only make Zhao Chang fall into passivity, but also may damage the dignity of Emperor Kangxi. Therefore, Emperor Kangxi would not let Zhao Chang perform this task, and Zhao Chang did not dare to do so.
The crime of making a fire sickle for Hongsheng, the son of the deposed prince Yinren, seems to be a serious crime, as it may be seen as an attempt to help the deposed prince regain power.
However, once we know Hongxi's true identity, perhaps everyone will see it differently.
Honghui, the second son of the abolished prince Yinren, and the favorite grandson of Emperor Kangxi. Even though his father was deposed for the crime of treason, Honghui's status was not affected in the slightest. Before his death, Emperor Kangxi left two wills, one of which everyone has long known, that is, the fourth elder brother Yinzhen inherited the throne.
The other is the special prince of Honghui. This decision to be crowned as a matter of equal importance to the succession is enough to show Emperor Kangxi's incomparable preference for Honghui, and even before his death, the only candidate he mentioned for the title of king was Honghui.
Next, let's talk about the meaning of the fire sickle that Zhao Chang gave to Honghui. In the Qing Dynasty, the fire sickle was used for a variety of purposes, in addition to the basic ignition and cigarette lighting functions (similar to today's lighters), as well as as decoration and as a dowry.
Princes, nobles, and wealthy merchants, on the other hand, preferred to see it as a status symbol, so ornate gems and elaborate patterns were often used to decorate the scythe.
Therefore, we can infer that the fire sickle given to Honghui by Zhao Chang is just a delicate "lighter".
The time when Zhao Chang gave Honghui the fire sickle should be between the forty-seventh and fifty-first years of Kangxi, when Honghui was very interested in gorgeous clothing and food. It happened that during this time, Zhao Chang served as the head of the manufacturing office, so he took advantage of his position to give Kangxi's favorite imperial grandson a beautiful and luxurious fire sickle to satisfy the vanity of the imperial grandson.
Therefore, Zhao Chang's second charge can be attributed to the fact that he took advantage of his position to provide the emperor Honghui with beautiful items for him to show off in front of everyone.
1.His behavior is just pandering to flatter, after all, Kangxi loves Honghui so much, and seriously speaking, it is just "bribery". But in those days, what was unusual about giving small gifts?
2.During the Kangxi period, Zhao Chang did use his position to accumulate wealth and owed the state treasury 5,000 taels of silver, but this was not enough to be a reason to execute him.
During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, there were countless people who owed money to the national treasury, and the amount of arrears was often tens of thousands of taels, 100,000 taels, or even hundreds of thousands of taels. Although Yongzheng has been trying to recover the arrears of the state treasury since his succession, this phenomenon has not been completely eliminated.
However, the heaviest penalty under Qing law was dismissal for owing more than 5,000 taels and an order to return the deficit in full. Therefore, in order to recover 5,000 taels of arrears, Yongzheng killed a general manager of the first emperor himself, which seems to be a bit unfair.
The first two counts are a bit absurd, and the third is not deathly. So, what is the real reason?
Since ancient times, it is not uncommon for new emperors to purge their former courtiers after taking the throne, which is normal. Zhao Chang, as the head of internal affairs of Emperor Kangxi, his loyalty is not entirely directed to Yongzheng, Yongzheng will naturally choose someone who takes care of his life and life more handy.
In addition, as Zhao Chang, who has accompanied Emperor Kangxi for 60 years, knows the secrets of Emperor Kangxi and his brothers and courtiers well, and in order to prevent these secrets from being leaked, the best way is to keep Zhao Chang shut.
Therefore, although Zhao Chang's death seems a little unjust, it is also an inevitability.
Zhao Chang's behavior has undoubtedly aroused Yongzheng's vigilance. When he saw Kangxi's love for Honghui, he immediately went to stammer, and even when his father was the deposed prince, he also made some private speculations about the holy will, which was a crime of deception.
Therefore, after Yongzheng ascended the throne, the execution of Zhao Chang was not only a warning to himself, but also a warning to all the **, so that they could understand the consequences of forming a party for personal gain. At the same time, it also shows those who support the other elder brothers that if they continue to have illusions, they may end up in the same fate as Zhao Chang.
Through Zhao Chang's death, Yongzheng sent a clear message to Honghui: you are now the emperor, Honghui has lost the protection of Kangxi, even if he has a will to take care of Honghui, now that the person who knows the secret is dead, other people who know the secret will carefully consider whether to reveal it.
Therefore, Honghui should faithfully obey the current emperor so that you can be sure of your future safety. Zhao Chang is the tool of Yongzheng to rectify the rule of officials. In the late Kangxi period, the imperial court was chaotic, with serious embezzlement and corruption, and a shortage of treasury funds.
Therefore, after Yongzheng ascended the throne, Zhao Chang became an important tool for him to rectify the rule of officials, and through Zhao Chang's lesson, let other ** know Yongzheng's determination to rectify the rule of officials.
Zhao Chang has arrears, although it is a small amount, but it still cannot escape the punishment of the law. Although he was only a governor of the Great Interior in the early Qing Dynasty, he was an important figure in the side of the first emperor Kangxi.
His death was enough to cause a shock in the imperial court, and made the ** people understand that no matter who they were, even if they had been favored by the previous emperor, once they violated the laws of the imperial court, they would be severely punished.
The purpose of this act is to deter the ** who owe money and make them return it as soon as possible, and at the same time warn those who are lucky. At the same time, the disclosure of Zhao Chang's crimes is also a manifestation of the new emperor's determination to rectify the rule of officials, which is the emperor's strategy and Yongzheng must carry out.
In the long river of history, there are many examples of rabbits and dead dogs cooking, birds and bows hidden, and the dramas of later kings suppressing the important ministers of the former dynasty are endless. Several monarchs of the Qing Dynasty even used it as a continuation of the tradition.
Aobai and the three feudatories in the Shunzhi period, Zhang Tingyu, Ortai, Honghui, Li Wei, Tian Wenjing, and Yinlu in the Yongzheng period, and He Shen, the favored ministers in the Qianlong period, all became the tools of the successors to stabilize the royal power.
Zhao Chang's death, although somewhat innocent, was not accidental.