Zhu Yuanzhang had a son of great talent and great talent like Zhu Di, but he was almost stubborn to pass the throne to his eldest son Zhu Biao, and even after the death of the crown prince Zhu Biao, he stubbornly wanted to pass the throne to the immature emperor's grandson Zhu Yunjiao.
Although Zhu Di later rose up to seize the throne, during Zhu Yuanzhang's lifetime, the position of crown prince was always clear and indisputable.
Kangxi also had a number of good sons, and he also wanted to establish a crown prince, but the dispute between the sons rose and fell, and finally performed "Nine Sons and Nine Concubines".
Behind this is the difference in the ancient storage method.
The ancient mainstream heir selection system
Since ancient times, there have been two ways to choose an heir: to establish a long and a virtuous.
Among them, since the Zhou Dynasty, for most of the time, the inheritance system of the eldest son of the concubine, which is "established as long as the long, not with the virtuous; the establishment of the son is expensive, not with the long" is the mainstream.
This is true not only in the inheritance of the throne, but also in the inheritance of titles and even family status.
The benefit of this approach is: clear! It is conducive to the unity and stability of the family.
Who will take over the shift has already been determined by birth, and others can throw away their delusions early and do their own thing in peace, and do not compete for things that do not belong to them. The elderly and young are orderly, united and dear.
Unlike the fiercely competitive modern society, the ancient agricultural society was relatively stable, as long as the heirs were not too "working", even if the ability was mediocre, the family business could be maintained. In contrast, the conflict between sons is much more dangerous, leading to the division and decline of the family.
Therefore, the primogeniture system based on the patriarchal system has always been the mainstream in ancient times.
Zhu Yuanzhang's insistence
After Zhu Yuanzhang expelled Meng Yuan and unified the world, he was eager to restore order in the world.
At that time, not only was the throne hereditary, but the throne, knighthoods at all levels, military households, and even many professions were hereditary.
There are hereditary positions that everyone is rushing to get, and there are hereditary positions that everyone does not want.
In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, if the hereditary system cannot be clarified and the norms that are convenient for implementation and supervision, the world must be chaotic.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang strictly regulated the hereditary succession of the throne, prince, title, and military household.
For example, in the position of prince, the eldest son of the concubine is granted a golden book when he is ten years old (the probability of premature death is greatly reduced), and he is made the son of the king; the other sons each have their own throne; if the eldest son dies early and already has the eldest grandson, he must establish the eldest grandson; if the king and the concubine are 50 years old and have not yet given birth to a son, they must be established as the eldest son.
In short, Zhu Yuanzhang made a clear and meticulous specification of the hereditary system and included it in the ancestral precepts, thinking that the principle of the Ming Dynasty will not change for all generations.
After Zhu Biao's death, Zhu Yuanzhang's edict when he was the grandson of the Emperor showed his unswervingness.
Zhu Yuanzhang mentioned: The establishment of Daming is to set an example for future generations! If you don't abide by the system you have set up, who will abide by this system in the future?
Therefore, in the Ariake generation, the primogeniture system was the basic principle of imperial succession.
After Zhu Di raised an army to seize the throne, he continued to resolutely implement Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral precepts and explicitly implemented this system.
Obviously, for Zhu Yuanzhang, who was once a wanderer, "each has its own place, each has its own business" is the ideal world to live and work in peace and contentment.
And Zhu Yuanzhang took the lead in implementing the primogeniture inheritance system, which is precisely to try to set an example for the world of "each gets what he wants, and each has his own business".
The early heir system of the Qing Dynasty (Later Jin).
Hou Jinqi was less affected by the Central Plains patriarchal system and the level of productivity was relatively backward.
Therefore, the heir system of the Houjin Dynasty has a primitive democratic color.
Chiefs generally did not appoint successors, but the eight-banner nobles established heirs in a situation elected by the council.
As a result, every succession to the throne of HouJin was in jeopardy.
After Nurhaci's death, after fierce competition, Emperor Taiji ascended the throne. However, many people were not convinced at the time, and Dorgon even believed that "the throne of Emperor Taizongwen was originally seized".
After the death of Emperor Taiji, Hauge and Dorgon fell out of touch with each other, almost causing a fire.
Fortunately, at that time, the Eight Banners nobles were more sober-minded and restrained in their behavior, and the struggle for the throne never led to a split in power.
However, often walking by the river, where there are shoes that are not wet. If this system of heirs cannot be changed, fierce infighting and division will be a matter of time.
If that were the case, Daqing would not be able to escape the "curse" of "Hu people have no luck for a hundred years."
Kangxi's attempt
Kangxi's initial attempt was to use the primogeniture system common to the Central Plains Dynasty.
Therefore, Kangxi established his eldest son Yin Rong as crown prince early.
Immediately, Kangxi poured a lot of effort into trying to train Yin Rong as a qualified successor.
Kangxi not only chose excellent teachers to account for the crown prince, but also vigorously safeguarded the position of the crown prince, and resolutely cracked down on the contempt for the crown prince's merits, no matter how high the position and how powerful it was, and showed no mercy.
However, the Manchu nobles did not have a patriarchal tradition, and the princes still coveted their positions, and the important ministers also befriended different princes, ganged and competed with each other.
Under the complicated circumstances, crown prince Yin Rong "wood shows in the forest, the wind will destroy it" and has become the target of everyone.
At the same time, Yin Rong really does not have the ability to deal with complex situations.
Yin Rong not only was arrogant and domineering, reprimanding the princes and ministers at will, but even arbitrarily revised the things that Kangxi had already wholesale while staying in the capital!
In the end, Kangxi deposed Yin Rong.
Obviously, trying to use the common primogeniture system of the Central Plains Dynasty, it is not appropriate to establish a prince early.
Because: The Manchu Qing nobility was limitedly influenced by the patriarchal system of the Central Plains and had less constraints.
Even if a prince is created, if the power of the prince is not increased, the sons can still challenge him in collusion with the ministers, and if the power of the prince is further increased, the prince may threaten the current son of heaven.
Therefore, Kangxi no longer made the crown prince.
In this way, the succession to the throne of the Qing Dynasty not only did not have a clear successor, but also did not even have a relatively clear succession!
In such a situation, who can show outstanding ability, have greater power, and gain more support, who is more likely to become the heir!
The activists among the sons coveted the throne and competed with each other, and the "nine sons seized the concubine" became more and more intense.
The formation of the "secret reserve" system
The sons fought each other, and Kangxi did not make a crown prince again.
It was not until his death that Kangxi was determined by the situation of the Testament: the fourth son of the emperor "succeeded to the throne".
Yongzheng, who has experienced the ups and downs of the "Nine Sons and Sisters", is determined to determine new rules.
In the first year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng, who had just ascended to the throne, announced: Now that the sons of the Emperor are still young, the matter of building a reserve must be carefully and carefully discussed later.
In fact, at that time, the third son Was twenty years old, and the fourth son, Hongli, and the fifth son, Were already thirteen years old, and they were no longer "young".
Therefore, the essence of Yongzheng's words is to say: no longer use the "primogeniture inheritance system", but to examine the sons and then establish the heirs!
Immediately, Yongzheng said: Shuohui personally wrote down the established candidate for the crown prince and placed it after the "Zhengda Guangming" plaque in case. You don't need to know who you have established, just do your best to do things for you, and you will also preserve your wealth, is this not a great celebration of the country?
Obviously, Yongzheng's meaning is very clear: Shuo has already chosen the Crown Prince, so no matter how much you fight around, it is useless! And the Emperor has not made a public announcement of the Crown Prince, so you do not have to attach the Crown Prince to shake the imperial power.
In this way, for Yongzheng, it can maintain the stability of the regime, while for the Qunchen, there is no need to be forced to take sides.
Therefore, all the courtiers praised this law.
After that, after Qianlong succeeded to the throne, he legalized Yongzheng's "pioneering deeds".
Qianlong issued an edict: We must not fail to establish a reserve, and especially not to show the establishment of a reserve, the most good law and good intentions, my descendants should abide by it and change.
In this way, the "secret reserve" system was established and became the legal reserve system of the Qing Dynasty.
Since then, the sword tension during the succession of the throne has decreased, and the great reckoning is to find a suitable method for their own inheritance.
Zhu Yuanzhang stubbornly adhered to the "inheritance system of the eldest son", hoping to make the sons "each settle down and occupy his own position".
However, the essence of the distribution of power is always based on strength and ability.
Shortly after Zhu Yuanzhang's death, Zhu Di removed Jianwen from his horse and seized the throne.
During the Kangxi Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty had been in power in the Central Plains for a long time, and the aristocratic democratic system based on production and lifestyle outside the Guanxi in the past was no longer appropriate.
Therefore, Kangxi tried to use the primogeniture system again.
However, for the Manchu nobles who lacked a patriarchal tradition, such an approach could not make the sons and ministers each settle down, and the open struggle over the right to inherit could not be stopped, so that it developed into "nine sons and nine concubines".
Under the circumstance of the further concentration of imperial power, the "secret reserve system" established by Yongzheng, "must not be without the establishment of reserves, especially not the explicit reserves", can be regarded as finding a suitable inheritance system for the Manchu nobles.
Of course, looking at the world, the hereditary imperial power itself at this time is already a backward system.