Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, an indispensable key figure in the Qing Dynasty's great cause of establishing and reunifying the whole country. She taught her husband and children, helped her husband achieve great things, and cultivated two emperors, Shunzhi and Kangxi, which played a vital role in the development of the Qing Dynasty.
It can be said that since the Yuan Dynasty, the key figure in China's unification was the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
In January of the twenty-sixth year of Kangxi, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang suddenly fell ill, but Emperor Kangxi took care of his grandmother meticulously. He tasted the decoction and guarded her day and night.
However, despite his best efforts, the life of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang came to an end in 1688. Before she died, she left a last word, which Kangxi could never solve, and it is still an unsolved mystery.
After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he quickly found a solution with his ingenuity and wisdom, and perfectly realized the last wish of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. So, what mystery did the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang leave behind before her death, leaving Kangxi at a loss?
And how did Yongzheng crack it wittily?
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, the 19th granddaughter of Genghis Khan's younger brother, grew up in Mongolia since she was a child, and was born smart and clever, which laid a solid foundation for her to assist three generations of emperors.
In February 1625, as Nurhachi and Huang Taiji implemented"Manchurian and Mongolian marriages"policy, the thirteen-year-old Xiaozhuang was forced to marry Huang Taiji and became his side Fujin.
Xiaozhuang is proficient in Mongolian, Manchu and Chinese, has a soft spot for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and is familiar with the military strategy and statecraft of Zhuge Liang and other famous people. These theories were applied after Huang Taiji succeeded to the throne, and he revitalized the Manchus with his talents, laying the foundation for the establishment and development of the Qing Dynasty.
Xiaozhuang assisted Emperor Taizongwen to create a great cause and went all out to support her husband's great cause.
In the first year of Chongde, Huang Taiji was crowned emperor, and Xiaozhuang was canonized as Concubine Zhuang and lived in Yongfu Palace. However, before Huang Taiji ascended the throne, he married Hai Lanzhu and Namu Zhong, two favored women, so that Xiaozhuang's status in the court was not high after Huang Taiji ascended the throne.
In the third year of Chongde, Empress Xiaozhuang gave birth to the ninth son of the emperor, Aixin Jueluo Fulin, that is, the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Although she was not particularly favored by the emperor in the harem, Empress Xiaozhuang's performance in political wisdom amazed everyone, for example, it only took three days to successfully persuade Hong Chengchou to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, so that Huang Taiji was impressed by her.
Since then, for the decision-making of major national affairs, Huang Taiji will often have in-depth discussions and deliberations with Empress Xiaozhuang.
Xiaozhuang's national policy of "the integration of the Manchus and the Hans" and "the key to governing the country is not to reassure the people" not only eliminated the contradictions between the Manchus and the Hans, gave the Han people the right to freedom, but also improved their status.
In addition, she also actively promoted the change of the country's name to "Qing", which undoubtedly showed her outstanding political wisdom.
In 1643, Huang Taiji died suddenly in the dormitory, which caught everyone off guard. What is even more alarming is that he has not yet established an heir, which has plunged the palace into chaos, and the competition for the throne has intensified, even threatening the future of the Qing Dynasty.
For the prosperity and stability of the Qing Dynasty, Xiaozhuang and his aunt carefully planned to persuade the ministers of the two yellow banners, and won the support of influential ministers such as Sony and Turai, forming a powerful force.
Under pressure from all sides, Dolgon and Hauge were forced to retreat, and finally Fulin ascended the throne at the age of 6 and became Emperor Shunzhi, and Xiaozhuang became the empress dowager as a matter of course.
Under the careful teaching of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, Emperor Shunzhi made great contributions to the development of the Qing Dynasty, he not only collected the land, conquered the various ministries, but also stabilized the people, and laid a solid foundation for the prosperous Kangqian era.
However, because of Concubine Dong E, the relationship between mother and son became estranged, so that the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang began to shift her energy to Kangxi's training.
Kangxi and Xiaozhuang's mother-son relationship is very close. After all, Kangxi failed to get enough attention from his father Shunzhi, but now that the Queen Mother taught him herself, he was deeply grateful.
Later, Shunzhi died at the age of only 24, and Kangxi, who was only eight years old, was able to succeed him.
1. The young hero was taught in Xiaozhuang, and at the age of 14, he was captured and worshipped, and Kangxi did not forget to ask for advice, and Xiaozhuang had a far-reaching influence. 2. In the twenty-sixth year of Kangxi, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang suddenly fell seriously ill, experienced hardships and hardships in her life, saved the Qing Dynasty, and is now riddled with illness.
Emperor Kangxi was anxious, and continued to take care of the Queen Mother in Cining Palace, and only then went to listen to the government.
For the sake of the Queen Mother's illness, he worked tirelessly, personally tried various prescriptions, stayed in front of the sickbed day and night, and even canceled all non-emergency affairs. He also led many imperial relatives and civil and military ** to the Temple of Heaven to pray for blessings, and was willing to sacrifice his life to continue his grandmother's life.
His heart was filled with deep love for the Queen Mother and respect for life.
Kangxi stayed in Cining Palace for a month, and the status of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's heart can be seen. Although the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang repeatedly advised him to go to rest and said that "whatever you need, just ask me", he still insisted on staying there.
Although he tried his best, he was unable to save the life of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, after four dynasties, made great contributions to the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty, and passed away in December of the 26th year of Kangxi with reluctance at the age of 75. On her deathbed, she also instructed Kangxi: "The Taishan Mausoleum has been placed for a long time, don't move it easily for me."
Your father and son are the last thing I can let go, so bury me near the filial piety tomb. ”
Kangxi tearfully agreed to his grandmother's last wish, but he was troubled by a difficult problem in his heart: although his last wish was good, it was contrary to the rules of his ancestors. He knew that if he did what he wanted, he would break the tradition, but he couldn't ignore his grandmother's wishes.
Kangxi compromised, first gave his grandmother the nickname "Empress Xiaozhuang Wen", and then temporarily placed the coffin in the Dongling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty in Jingdong. However, until Kangxi's death, the coffin was not buried.
Fortunately, after Yongzheng ascended the throne, he finally found a way to be properly buried.
After Yongzheng took over the throne, he also began to be troubled by this problem. After all, he can't delay it forever, and he must hold a funeral for Empress Xiaozhuang Wen as soon as possible so that she can rest in peace.
However, he also understood that neither the will of Empress Xiaozhuang Wen nor the rules of his ancestors could be violated. So he needed to find a solution that could meet both requirements and offer the best of both worlds.