Don't look at Daoguang's final success in becoming the emperor, in fact, he almost lost his throne. The imperial succession system of the Qing Dynasty has actually been greatly modified compared to previous generations, at least no longer with the eldest son as the only candidate. In particular, Zi Yongzheng took the lead in introducing the secret crown prince system.
Therefore, for a long time, the crown prince did not produce any more moths when he succeeded to the throne. In the Jiaqing period, there was a sudden accident, and Jiaqing suddenly died. According to the custom, it is necessary to find the edict of succession made by Jiaqing before his death to determine who the heir is, but no matter how to find it, there is no way to find it. The choice for the throne is worrying.
The most beloved son did not inherit the throne
Many people thought that at that time, the most favored prince, Ai Xinjue Luo Mianxin, would be made emperor, or the third prince. However, to everyone's surprise, the Niuhulu clan did not consider his own son at all, but instead strongly supported the son of the previous empress, later Daoguang as emperor.
This act of the Niu Hulu clan not only won the respect of Daoguang, but also took good care of her and her two younger brothers after ascending the throne; it also won the praise of the Manchu Dynasty Wenwu. However, there must be many people who feel strange that Mianxin is Jiaqing's most beloved prince, and even once moved the idea of making him the crown prince, but why didn't he make such a decision in the end?
Jiaqing's fourth son, Ai Xinjue Luo Mianxin, was not only his first child after his pro-government, but also his concubine. Coupled with the fact that Mianxin has been clever and clever since she was a child, Jiaqing really loves this son. How much does Jiaqing love Mianxin?
The Niuhulu clan had two sons, and Mianxin, who was only 14 years old, was crowned prince. And his brother was only crowned a county king. And from the name "Mianxin", it can also be seen that the Jiaqing Emperor loves this child, and "Xin" means joy, which means that Jiaqing is happy when he sees this son.
And Jiaqing's love and preference for Mianxin also made the ministers begin to wonder whether Jiaqing had the idea of changing the crown prince. According to Jiaqing's attitude, the ministers could almost conclude that Jiaqing's candidate for crown prince was Daoguang. But after Mianxin was born, this matter is not necessarily the case, it is difficult to say that the light will not be replaced.
Perhaps the replacement edict had already been prepared, but before it could be hidden or taped, Jiaqing died suddenly. Therefore, there has not been a definite statement on the candidate for the crown prince, but one thing is certain, if Jiaqing is alive, then Daoguang's position is likely to be replaced by Mianxin.
Advantages of Daoguang
Why didn't the Niuhulu clan choose their own son to be emperor, but instead supported Daoguang? This only proves that Nyūrō is a very intelligent woman. First of all, in terms of identity, Daoguang is also Jiaqing's concubine, the two are equal in identity, and Mianxin does not have an identity advantage.
Moreover, Daoguang, the eldest grandson of the emperor, was recognized by his grandfather Kangxi, and Jiaqing was busy with state affairs, and there were not too many children in the harem for many years. Therefore, in terms of age, Daoguang also occupies more advantages. After all, ministers are more happy to see a mature, stable adult succeed to the throne than a child.
Moreover, Mianxin's cleverness does not mean that Daoguang is stupid and incompetent. On the contrary, Daoguang was a fairly talented person. When the Tianli Sect broke into the capital, Daoguang did not panic at all, but calmly organized the soldiers to counterattack. After this incident, Jiaqing's evaluation of him was also greatly improved.
And the reason why Jiaqing had the idea of changing the crown prince was that in addition to his love for the fourth son, there was also a point, that is, the appearance of Daoguang. Daoguang's appearance is indeed a bit ugly. If it is in an ordinary person's home, it is fine, but if you are born in the royal family and want to inherit the throne, you have to consider the problem of appearance.
After all, the length of the Son of Heaven is related to the royal majesty, so unless there is no choice, or the system stipulates that he is dead, otherwise Daoguang's appearance is really not good. However, from all aspects, apart from the appearance, there is no place in Daoguang that is not suitable for being an emperor.
Out of gratitude for the support of the Nyūrō clan, he had great respect for the Nyūrō clan, and the two sons she gave birth to, her two younger brothers, were very affectionate. However, after Daoguang succeeded to the throne, there did not seem to be any particularly prominent political achievements during his reign, except for being very frugal.
Does this mean that Mianxin is more suitable to be an emperor? Maybe after Mianxin succeeded to the throne, she didn't even do as much as Daoguang? For the Niu Hulu clan, the reason why she supported Daoguang was not because she really thought that Daoguang was suitable for being an emperor, but because at present, Daoguang had a greater advantage.
If he supports him, he will definitely remember his own affection, and be good to himself and to his son. As it turned out, she was right to gamble!