In the eighth year of Yongzheng, Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, who had worked hard for the yongzheng Emperor's power and dedicated his life, died of illness, and the Yongzheng Emperor was extremely saddened, and decreed that "Hongxiao, the son of my brother, will inherit the Prince of Fengyi, and the world will inherit and be replaced forever." Whoever is added to the grace of my brother shall not be arbitrarily reduced by future generations." As a result, Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, became the first person to be awarded the title of "Iron Hat King" in the "Shoucheng" stage of the Qing Dynasty. In addition, the Yongzheng Emperor also specially crowned Yin Xiang's other son, Hongxu, as the title of "King of the County".
From this point of view alone, Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, occupied an absolutely unusual position and influence in the heart of the Yongzheng Emperor.
So, in what kind of image did Yin Xiang, the thirteenth son of the emperor during the Yongzheng Dynasty, exist?
In the seventh year of Yongzheng, Yin Xiang's power and prestige reached its peak, supervising the three treasuries of the household department, the Examination Office, the construction office, the affairs of foreign missionaries, the plenipotentiary command of the northwest military, the premier Yingtian Water Conservancy, in charge of the Eight Banners of the Yuanmingyuan Forbidden Army, the trial of major cases in the country, the collection of arrears from the national treasury, and various sacrifice ceremonies, which covered almost all the affairs of the imperial court.
More importantly, at this time, Yin Xiang also had two unprecedented and huge powers: 1. He controlled the appointment and dismissal of military officials above the level of zhengsanpin in the whole country; 2. The list of officials of various local governors, Daoists, and prefectures submitted by the officials must "ask the opinion of the king."
In addition, according to the "Yongzheng Dynasty Han Wen Zhu Batch Folding Compilation", the Yongzheng Emperor once gave this instruction in the recital of a subordinate:
Yi Wang's color changes, and he has no choice but to obey!
If a male lord like the Yongzheng Emperor can "bow his head and obey", I am afraid that only Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, can do it!
According to the summary of Yin Xiang the Prince of Yi in the "Qing Shi Tongjian", Yin Xiang at this time combined many great powers such as politics, military, finance, personnel, and imperial internal affairs, and was not only a courtier who could set the tone, but also a great steward of the entire imperial court, and the most trusted guard chief of the Yongzheng Emperor. It can be seen that the honorific title of "executive deputy emperor" in later generations is absolutely worthy of the name.
However, why did the Yongzheng Emperor, who was already extremely suspicious and paid special attention to the concentration of imperial power, have no suspicion of Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi?
Why did the Yongzheng Emperor, who had always hated his friends, take the initiative many times to ask the imperial court officials and local governors to "make friends with the king and don't be afraid, because this is the idea of Yuan, and It is beneficial to Protect Yu'er"?
There is no unprovoked hatred in history, let alone unprovoked love, and there are specific reasons why the Yongzheng Emperor can treat his thirteenth brother in this way.
Some people believe that it is because Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, was "loyal to the country" and "bowed down and died" for the Yongzheng Emperor's power, that he had the absolute trust and great grace of the Yongzheng Emperor. However, as early as the beginning of The Yongzheng Succession, before officially entering the Yongzheng Dynasty, the Yongzheng Emperor's absolute trust and no suspicion of Yin Xiang had been clearly demonstrated.
Therefore, almost all of this hard-won trust comes from the Kangxi Dynasty!
1. Deep feelings cultivated since childhood
Because he was raised by the Yongzheng Emperor's biological mother, Wu Yashi, who was then a "de concubine", the relationship between the thirteenth son of the emperor, Yin Xiang, and the fourth son of the emperor at that time, Yin Chan, was extraordinary. According to the content of the tribute written by the Yongzheng Emperor for Yin Xiang, Yin Chan and Yin Xiang have been intimate since childhood, and the Kangxi Emperor also ordered Yin Chan to personally teach Yin Xiang mathematics, "tending to serve the court, gathering in the morning and evening". Every time they went out with the Kangxi Emperor, the two brothers must be "dependent on each other"; if they could not go out on the tour together, there would certainly be correspondence.
According to the Records of the Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty, the fourth son of the Emperor, Yin Chan, was a reclusive and grumpy character since childhood, and was reprimanded by the Kangxi Emperor many times. The reason why the fourth son of the emperor, Yin Chan, did not have a good relationship with his birth mother had a lot to do with his eccentric temperament; the reason why he was weak in the "Nine Sons and Sisters" incident was also the negative impact of his personality. That is to say, yongzheng in his childhood was probably only Yin Xiang, a close brother and friend.
With such an unforgettable year, the relationship between the Yongzheng Emperor and Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, was naturally beyond the reach of ordinary brothers, and this kind of feeling cultivated since childhood and knowing the roots was the source of absolute trust.
2. The great help to the Yongzheng Emperor in the "Nine Sons and Concubines"
In the interpretation of the TV series "Yongzheng Dynasty", the thirteenth son of the emperor, Yin Xiang, is definitely the staunchest supporter in the process of the fourth son of the emperor, Yin Chan, in the process of seizing the throne, and on the night of Changchun Garden's succession, if there is no Yin Xiang and the timely Qin King to protect him, the fourth son of the emperor, Yin Chan, is likely to lose the throne.
Although yinxiang's support for Yin Chan's conquest of the concubine is not clearly recorded in the official qing dynasty documents, a "secret decree" of the Yongzheng Emperor in the first year of Yongzheng seems to illustrate something:
In the first year of Yongzheng, the emperor decreed that future generations of heirs would always abide by it: Prince Yunxiang of Yi did his best in the life of the Imperial Examination, and he was heavily sponsored; since the beginning of the Imperial Dynasty, he was the most proclamation and sincerity, and he was deeply involved in politics.
This "secret will" from the first year of Yongzheng can only explain Yin Xiang's previous contributions. That is to say, during the "Nine Sons and Concubines", in the process of Kangyong's imperial power change, Yin Xiang's great contribution was only clearly recorded in the official documents for some reason.
Yongzheng issued an edict specifically for Yin Xiang
In addition, when the Kangxi Dynasty was "deposed as a prince" in the forty-seventh year, the thirteenth son of the emperor, Yin Xiang, was briefly imprisoned, but the reason for the captivity was not explained. After all, it was the prince of the dynasty, who was imprisoned for almost a year, why did the official documents not even explain it? Even after the Yongzheng Emperor succeeded to the throne, he only gave the reason that "because of the involvement of the second brother, he temporarily offended the emperor".
So, why did Yin Xiang, who had always been loved by the Kangxi Emperor, offend Kangxi and be imprisoned for nearly a year?
Judging from the obvious compensatory rewards given to Yin Xiang by the Yongzheng Emperor after he ascended the throne, judging from the above explanation of "in the life of the Emperor's Examination, He did his best to make friends and multi-funded", Yin Xiang probably took the initiative to carry the black cauldron for Yin Chan. However, the record of this history was deleted by the Yongzheng Emperor for the sake of maintaining his own image.
In the process of seizing the throne, in the process of imperial power change, the Yongzheng Emperor can help each other, and even the thirteenth son of the Emperor Yinxiang, who is imprisoned, will naturally win the gratitude and trust of the Yongzheng Emperor.
3. Yin Xiang did not pose a threat to the Yongzheng Emperor
Of course, the above two reasons only gave the Yongzheng Emperor a reason to trust Yin Xiang, but the younger brother of a mother's compatriot, he still punished; in the battle for the concubine, Long Keduo and Nian Qianyao, who played a decisive help to him, did not end up in a sad end. Therefore, there was only one main reason for the Yongzheng Emperor to absolutely trust Yin Xiang and have no suspicion about him, that is, Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, did not pose a threat to the Yongzheng Emperor's power.
From the "Prime Minister of Prime Minister's Affairs" in the early yongzheng dynasty to the "executive vice emperor" in the seventh year of yongzheng, Yin Xiang, the prince of Yi, held the power of the government, and if he wanted to, in terms of his status, prestige and influence at that time, it was enough to deal a fatal blow to the power of the Yongzheng Emperor. However, Yin Xiang, who holds great power, is only loyal to the Yongzheng Emperor, only dedicates himself to the Qing Dynasty, collects the arrears, manages the flood, straightens out the government, and raises the merits for the country, and what the Yongzheng Emperor needs him to do, he will always be the first person to rush to the front.
Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, who had always paid attention to brotherly feelings, also shed tears and regretted when the Yongzheng Emperor severely punished his former political enemies, but he never spoke out to persuade him, because he knew that only in this way could the Yongzheng Emperor's power be stable and the ancestors of jiangshan be long-lasting.
In view of Yin Xiang's great contribution, the Yongzheng Emperor chose a place of "Zhongji" for him next to his mausoleum, but Yin Xiang was horrified after hearing this, and desperately resigned, until the Yongzheng Emperor agreed to choose another mausoleum site. After choosing the site of the mausoleum, Yin Xiang "swallowed the land of the mausoleum" and chanted in his mouth, "If you say such a thing, your subjects will be at peace and your descendants will be blessed." Even though he was so powerful, even though the Grace was so great, he could still put himself in his place— I was a brother, but I was a courtier! Therefore, only the Yongzheng Emperor had the highest evaluation of his "one heart and one mind, and the way of the disciples", so there was the Yongzheng Emperor's absolute trust in him!
As the Yongzheng Emperor explained to Yin Xiang the imperial letter "Loyalty, Sincerity, Honesty, Diligence, Prudence, honesty, and Honesty", "Prince Yi is a prince of Affairs, Ke Yan is loyal, he has nine positions, and he forgets his private interests, regards the country as a home, and knows Wang De very well, and feels that there is no excess in these eight words." With such a high status, he can soberly recognize his position; his grace is so grand, but he can always maintain a respectful heart; "the public forgets selfishness, regards the country as a home", and can not be the same "for the country and the people, day and night worry" Of the Yongzheng Emperor's trust and grace!
References: "Qing History Manuscripts, Liechuan VII, Kings VI", "Qing Shilu Sejong Shilu", "Yongzheng Dynasty Han Wen Zhu Batch Folding Compilation"