The Joseon Dynasty's Records of Lee Jong is the most detailed and specific historical record of the death of Kangxi and the succession of the Yongzheng Emperor, and its writing time is earlier than the official historical materials of the Qing Dynasty and the notes of the Qing Dynasty.
"Yongzheng succession" has always been a major topic in the study of the history of the Qing Dynasty, and it is also one of the mysteries in the eyes of scholars. Let's first look at what the North Koreans have to say.
Yongzheng stills
The Koreans say that Kangxi made it clear in his last words that he was in Yongzheng because of his favor for Qianlong. But is that really the case? Further research is needed.
Yongzheng was appointed by Kangxi alone
The Records of the Li Dynasty also records that Kangxi knew that his time was short, and before his death, he often reprimanded Yongzheng for "the way that is not easy for the king" and "the key to ruling the world peacefully". It seems that this is strong evidence that Kangxi intended to be ordained by Yongzheng.
The records in the Records of Emperor Shizong of the Qing Dynasty can also be used as corroboration. It is particularly emphasized that before Kangxi's death, Yongzheng had "entered the meeting five times", but no one knew what the father and son said.
Yongzheng himself was very secretive about this, and he particularly emphasized that before he "arrived at Changchun Garden", Kangxi had already confessed to the two important ministers that Yongzheng should inherit the throne.
This is obviously a means for Yongzheng to vigorously maintain the legitimacy of his succession after being attacked by political enemies. The accusation from political opponents was that Kangxi died after drinking a bowl of ginseng soup sent by Yongzheng. Yongzheng's explanation is obviously a kind of cryptic rebuttal. What he denied was that kangxi had been appointed to kangxi alone before announcing his succession to the throne to two important ministers.
When the Korean literature and the official literature are compared, the clues are revealed. So we need more direct evidence.
"The Rosary Issue" and "The Problem of the Treatment of The Wasted Prince"
The Records of the Li Dynasty records that before Kangxi died, he gave his rosary to Yongzheng, saying: This was passed to me by the Shunzhi Emperor, and I will now pass it on to you. This is the "physical evidence" that Kangxi was appointed alone before his death.
The Yongxian Record written by Shi Ren also records that Kangxi handed over the rosary to Yongzheng. At that time, the Records of the Lee Dynasty was a book circulated within the ruling class of the Lee Dynasty in Korea, which was rarely seen by outsiders; the Records of the Yongxian Dynasty had not yet been released at that time. Therefore, it can be inferred that the two books cannot be copied from each other, proving that "Kangxi handed over the rosary to Yongzheng".
Kangxi stills
According to the Records of the Li Dynasty, Kangxi asked Yongzheng to treat the deposed crown prince Yunrong "to be imprisoned according to the front, to enrich his food and clothing, and to live his life", and because Kangxi loved Yunrong's second son very much, he also asked Yongzheng to make him a "prince".
When the Records of the Li Dynasty were recorded in Kangxi's last words, their contents had not yet become facts. Let's take a look at what Yongzheng did afterwards: After Kangxi's death, Yongzheng made Yunrong the prince, and also made Yunrong's son the king of the county.
Not only that, Yongzheng gave a considerable degree of preferential treatment in the life of the deposed prince Yunrong, and crowned Yunrong's son as king. These facts are consistent with the records in the Records of the Li Dynasty. Therefore, we can say that Yongzheng executed Kangxi's will.
Yongzheng won, relying on his son
The Records of the Li Dynasty records a rather crucial sentence in Kangxi's last words: "If Yin Chan's second son has a heroic atmosphere, he will be crowned prince." This sentence shows that Kangxi had a special favor for Qianlong.
There are also records in official Qing dynasty documents that can be used as corroboration. There is such an incident in the Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty: Kangxi took Hongli to hunt and shot down a bear, so he asked the guards to lead Hongli forward to shoot him. Who knew that "the bear suddenly rose", but Hongli was not in danger, and controlled his horses. Then Kangxi stabbed the bear to death, pointed at Hongli and said, "Fu will pass." This sentence was spoken from the mouth of the Kangxi Emperor, which was naturally extraordinary.
Qianlong stills
In summary, the record of Kangxi's death and Yongzheng's succession in the Records of the Li Dynasty is credible. That is to say, Yongzheng's succession to the throne was Kangxi's original wish, and Qianlong was the key factor in Kangxi's succession to Yongzheng.