Among the many clans of the Qing Dynasty, there was one branch that was arguably the most unlucky! Originally, the imperial throne should be inherited by them, but instead of becoming an emperor, they became the most unfortunate clan of the Qing Dynasty. The persecution of this lineage lasted from the Post-Jin period to the middle of the Qing Dynasty, and they were either killed or exiled, and they were exiled to Ili and never returned. So what's going on here?
It is said that the Qing Taizu Nurhaci had sixteen sons, and although he was replaced by the eighth son, Emperor Taiji, Nurhaci's initial successor was not Emperor Taiji, but Chu Ying. According to historical records, Chu Ying was nurhaci's eldest son, and was awarded the title of Guangluo Belle for his meritorious conquests, and Nurhaci also took care of him as a state general. At this time, Nurhaci had not yet formally established a political power, but Chu Ying was already a veritable heir!
However, in the forty-first year of the Wanli Calendar, Nurhaci ordered Chu Ying to be stripped of his powers and imprisoned. Two years later, Nurhaci believed that Chu Ying was "not good at his heart, did not admit his mistakes, and was deeply afraid of ruining the way of life in the future", so he ordered him to be executed. Chu Ying and his descendants have since become the most unfortunate clan of the Qing Dynasty. Chu Ying's eldest son, du du, was already Baylor in 1624, and after many military achievements, he was always suppressed by The Emperor Taiji, and was still Baylor when he died of illness in 1641.
The second son, Guo Huan, died young. The third son, Nikan, was very powerful, and after entering the pass, he made many military achievements and was named the King of Jingjin County, but in 1653, Nikan led an army to the south and was killed by Li Dingguo. Nikan's son was also punished during the Kangxi Emperor's reign for marrying the daughter of Aobai, and was even stripped of his title. Let's talk about Dudu's descendants, his eldest son Durhu was once expelled from the clan because of his dissatisfaction, and he was only a Baylor until his death.
Dudu's other sons, like Durhu, were expelled from the clan and had low restored titles. By the middle and late Qing Dynasty, most of the titles of Chu Ying's descendants were only generals of Feng'en. The title system of the Qing Dynasty was divided into twelve grades, of which General Feng'en was the lowest level, with low wages, poor treatment, and if he failed the examination, he would be punished by suspension. But these people are lucky, because some of them are even more unlucky.
Du Du's sixth son, Du Nuwen, was given the title of Duke of Fuguo, but because he died early and did not make a military achievement, his son Sunu could only become the Duke of Zhenguo. During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, Sunu's title was elevated to the title of Belle, during which time he also climbed a "big tree", the eighth son of the emperor, Yin Yu. However, it turned out that Sunu had boarded the wrong ship, and the Yongzheng Emperor issued an edict, denouncing Sunu, saying that he "did not change the heart of the country."
In the second year of Yongzheng, the Yongzheng Emperor issued an edict and sent Sunuga to the title of Baylor, and his sons were sent to live in Shanxi Right Guard. In the fourth year of Yongzheng, the Yongzheng Emperor once again issued an edict to remove the Sunu family from the yellow belt and remove them from the clan. During their demotion from Beijing, the Sunu family had received help from Western missionaries, so the whole family was baptized, converted to Catholicism, and was very religious, which angered the Yongzheng Emperor, who again issued an edict to punish Sunu's descendants.
In just five years, the five sons of Sunu died one after another, and it was not until the Qianlong Emperor ascended the throne that the situation of their family improved. Despite their long-term oppression, members of the Sunu family became the staunchest adherents of the Catholic Church. Since the Yongzheng Emperor, the spread of Catholicism has been severely restricted. During the jiaqing emperor's reign, Sunu's great-grandsons Tuqin and Tumin were punished by the emperor for their Catholic faith, "stripped of their red belts, removed from their names in the jade cabinet, sent to the Ili shackles for six months, and then acted as torture messengers, and were never allowed to be released."
Resources:
1. Draft History of the Qing Dynasty; 2. DonghuaLu; 3. "Old File Without Circle Points"; 4. "Records of Emperor Renzong of Qing"