The Kangxi Emperor often said to his subordinates, "No grandmother can be here today." It can be seen that the feelings of Kangxi and his grandmother are very strong. Why?
The Kangxi Emperor's father Shunzhi was very depressed after losing his beloved concubine, so he believed in Buddhism more in order to seek liberation, and even had the idea of becoming a monk. Shunzhi's mother, Empress Xiaozhuang, was very worried about this and resolutely stopped Shunzhi's action of cutting her hair and becoming a monk.
Stills of Xiaozhuang
Shunzhi's refuge in Buddhism was not completed, and his thoughts for his concubine increased day by day. He was physically and mentally exhausted, so he never mentioned the matter of the crown prince again. At the repeated urging of Empress Xiaozhuang, Shunzhi finally agreed to choose one of the younger princes and make him the heir apparent.
Why did Kangxi win the campaign for the throne?
The emperor's eldest son died at the age of two, and the fifth and seventh sons of the emperor were too young, and only the emperor's second son Fuquan and the emperor's third son Xuan Ye were the best candidates for the throne.
Logically, the older Fuquan should be elected as the crown prince, so why did the Qing Dynasty royal family finally choose Xuan Ye?
Empress Xiaozhuang loved Xuan Ye as one of the reasons, but Emperor Shunzhi was somewhat reluctant because Xuan Ye's face had left some acne marks due to smallpox, and Shunzhi was afraid that smallpox would recur, so that the disease would take Xuan Ye's life at any time.
The emperor and the empress dowager disagreed, so when the two were deadlocked on the issue of heirs to the fate of the Qing Dynasty, they went to consult the Western missionary Tang John.
John Tang's personal relationship with the empress dowager and the Shunzhi Emperor was very good
Earlier, Shunzhi's empress Borjigit was ill, and Empress Xiaozhuang sent her maid to Seek Medical Treatment from Tang Ruowang. John Tang speculated that the queen's condition was not serious based on the symptoms spoken of by the people who came, so he handed a sacred tablet to the maid and instructed her to hang it on the queen's chest to eliminate the disease and eliminate the disaster. It is said that after the fact, it was fulfilled, and Empress Xiaozhuang was very grateful and ordered the empress to recognize John Tang as her righteous father.
Shunzhi stills
The Shunzhi Emperor also had a favorable opinion of John Tang. He often invited John Tang to the palace to talk, and this bearded Western elder won the emperor's heart with his profound knowledge and noble character. Shunzhi called the old priest "Marfa", which is "honorable grandfather" in Manchu. This title contains the dual feelings of the younger generation for the elders and the disciples for the teacher. He even decreed that John Tang was the "Teacher of Tongxuan".
In the face of the emperor and the empress dowager's inquiries, Tang Ruowang gave the answer: although Xuan Ye was relatively young, he had already had smallpox, was immune to it, and would not get smallpox again; and although Fuquan was older, he had not yet had smallpox, and he had to be careful about this terrible and lethal disease at all times.
This is the reason why Fu Quan missed the throne and Xuan Ye ascended the throne. Xuan Ye ascended the throne at the age of eight for the Kangxi Emperor, while the nine-year-old Fuquan was given the title of Prince of Yu.
The two brothers as adults did not have the same situation
When Kangxi became an adult, his smallpox face did not affect his prestige, and a missionary close to Kangxi once recorded Kangxi's appearance: "He was majestic and mighty... Good facial features... Although his face has acne marks left by smallpox, it does not affect his handsome appearance."
As an adult, Fuquan is also very brave and good at fighting. Kangxi had ordered Fu Quan to conquer Gardan, and Fu Quan immediately sent troops as soon as he received the order. He performed very well in battle, beating the enemy to the ground. After the victory, he ordered the banshi to return to the dynasty.
Kangxi stills
Fu quan's voluntary withdrawal of his troops caused dissatisfaction among the Kangxi Emperor. After Fuquan returned to the dynasty, Kangxi decided to discuss the crime. Fu Quan did not argue, he said with tears: ''What do I say!' In the end, Kangxi abolished Fuquan's parliamentary power.
Fuquan never asked about the government from then on. Fifteen years later, at the age of fifty, Fuquan fell ill, and Kangxi visited his brother in his mansion. Fuquan felt that Kangxi still attached great importance to brotherhood and would not treat his descendants kindly. Therefore, as soon as Kangxi left, Fuquan said to his son with peace of mind: "I can finally die." Fuquan died a few days later.