Emperor Kangxi, the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, was one of the longest emperors in Chinese history during his reign, and his influence was far-reaching. However, the edict of Emperor Kangxi to Emperor Yongzheng has been controversial. Some researchers believe that there are many loopholes in this edict, and it is even suspected that it is the result of Emperor Yongzheng's forgery afterwards.
First of all, the language style of the edict does not match the consistent expression style of Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi was a literary genius, and his imperial pen was fresh and handsome, but the edict of the succession seemed stiff and rigid, and he lost the consistent literary atmosphere of Emperor Kangxi. This change in style raises doubts about the authenticity of the edict.
Second, there are some historical factual errors in the edict. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, he had a deep understanding of the politics, military, and economy of the Qing Dynasty, however, there were many errors in the statements of some historical events in the edict. Does this mean that the author of the edict did not know enough about the history of the Qing Dynasty, or was it for some other purpose?
Moreover, Emperor Kangxi always emphasized the unity between brothers during his lifetime. However, in the edict, there are some episodes about contradictions and discord between brothers, which are inconsistent with Emperor Kangxi's usual words and deeds. This has aroused the suspicion of researchers, who believe that this may be deliberately depicted by later generations to find a high-sounding reason for Emperor Kangxi's succession.
On top of that, the timing of the edict is questionable. Emperor Kangxi died in 1722, but the announcement of the edict was made some time after Emperor Yongzheng's accession to the throne. This jet lag has aroused the attention of historians, who have questioned why the edict was not made public during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, but was not made public until after Emperor Yongzheng succeeded to the throne.
Based on the above bits and pieces, the authenticity of the Kangxi Emperor's edict has become the focus of historians' research. Some scholars believe that this edict may have been forged by Emperor Yongzheng in order to consolidate his dominance. By tampering with historical events, changing the style of writing, and portraying sibling conflicts, Emperor Yongzheng may have tried to find a reasonable reason in the edict in order to justify his succession.
Overall, the truth about the Kangxi Emperor's legacy is still a topic of debate among historians. Whether the flawed edict was forged by Emperor Yongzheng in order to stabilize his position still needs more in-depth research and evidence to reveal the truth. The mystery of this history may never be completely solved, but through the analysis of the loopholes, we may be able to see a more clearly part of the mystery of Emperor Kangxi's succession.
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