In the fifty-first year of the Kangxi Dynasty, in 1712, the father-son relationship between the Kangxi Emperor and the crown prince Yin Rong was completely broken, and Yin Rong was deposed as the crown prince again, and since then, the crown prince who has been doing it for more than 30 years has completely no connection with the imperial throne and is forever imprisoned. However, according to the official records of the Great Qing dynasty of Korea at that time, it seems that the crown prince Yinrong, who had been deposed for the second time, still had the possibility of being restored, so what was their basis?
The Korean envoys returned to the country to report to the king: "The emperor's eldest grandson (Hongyao) is quite virtuous, and it is difficult to abolish (Yunrong). "Or the son of crown prince Yunrong (弘皙) is very virtuous, so he cannot bear to make another son, and Shang Er degrades (允礽) yi.
The above passage is from the "Records of the Lee Dynasty of Joseon", as a vassal state of the Great Qing Dynasty, all major matters of the Great Qing Dynasty will inform the DPRK or the DPRK will send emissaries to participate in the ceremony of major matters, so the historical documentary record of this vassal state is more reliable and referenced than the official documentation of the Qing Dynasty. It can be seen from the Korean envoys' Huazhong that Yin's concubine and the Kangxi Emperor's eldest grandson, Aisin Kyaw Lo Honghao, played a crucial role in the restoration of Yin's crown princeship.
Hongyao was born from the Li Jia clan of Fu jin on the side of Yin, because his concubine Fujin did not have a son, and Hongyao's only brother died prematurely, so Hongjiao became the de facto eldest son of Yin, and became the eldest grandson of the Kangxi Emperor. His father was a prince, and he was also the eldest son of a concubine, and the Kangxi Emperor's grace to him was naturally extraordinary, and he was personally raised by the Kangxi Emperor since he was a child, much earlier and more favored than the Hongli who claimed to be deeply favored by the Kangxi Emperor.
Kangxi thirty-three years, the Kangxi Emperor is only 42 years old, this age can be promoted to grandpa as the Qing Dynasty is not uncommon, but for the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, it means that the royal bloodline can be long-standing, the Qing Dynasty can be passed down for generations, and this imperial grandson is from the prince who will inherit the throne, which is absolutely extraordinary. How much did the Kangxi Emperor like his first grandson? In the sixty-first year of the Kangxi Dynasty, on the occasion of the Kangxi Emperor's death, after issuing the Zhao Shu of succession, he specially issued a will against Hongyao.
"The eldest son of the deposed crown prince (Yun Rong) Emperor (Yin Zhen) was not in a good mood, and was imprisoned according to the previous one, and enriched his food and clothing, so as to end his life." "The second son of the deposed prince (Hongyao) was beloved, and he was specially named a prince", and passed away in words"
The above passage is also from the "Records of the Lee Dynasty of Joseon" The Korean envoys reported to the Joseon King, this sentence is the death of the Kangxi Emperor to the university ShiMaqi, when the deposed prince has been imprisoned for 10 years, and the Kangxi Emperor's dislike and hatred for him has not been eliminated, but he has made a rare arrangement for his son Hongyao. Hongyao was also able to become the earliest of the Kangxi Emperor's grandchildren who were expected to be promoted to the title of Prince, and was directly promoted to prince in one step. You know, at that time, even the eighth son of the emperor, Yin Yu, and the fourteenth son of the emperor, Yin Yu, did not have the title of prince, which shows how much the Kangxi Emperor loved this emperor.
After the fourth son of the emperor, Yin Chan, succeeded to the throne as emperor, although he did not promote Honghao according to the Kangxi Emperor's will, he was promoted to the title of County King, becoming the highest rank among his peers, including the Yongzheng Emperor's own sons Hongli, Hongshi, and Hongzhi. In addition, the Yongzheng Emperor also specially gave Hongyao to lead his family and brothers to live in Zhengjiazhuang, and sent thousands of people to protect him. It is reasonable to say that the deposed prince Yin Rong was Yin Chan's biggest political enemy at that time, so why did he not suppress Yin Rong as desperately as he did against Yin Yu and Yin Yu after he succeeded to the throne, but instead greatly appeased and doubled his grace? There are three reasons for this.
1. At the beginning of the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, his foothold was unstable, and there were the powerful "Eight Masters Party" of the Eighth Son of the Emperor, who was everywhere constrained and publicized the illegitimateness of his succession; outside, there was the Fourteenth Son of the Emperor, Yin Yu, who had a heavy army and was eyeing the tiger. The weak Yongzheng Emperor could only try his best to win over and rely on the rest of the princes, and although Yin Rong's position as crown prince was abolished and imprisoned within the high walls, his power was still there, the influence of the dprk was still there, and Hongyao, who was favored by the Kangxi Emperor, could not be underestimated, so he was also within the scope of the Yongzheng Emperor's co-optation.
2. For the fourth son of the emperor who has just succeeded to the throne, Yin Rong, the deposed prince Yin Rong is not his own political enemy, before Yin Rong was deposed, and even before he was deposed twice, he was a firm supporter of the crown prince Yin Rong, and he was also loved and valued by Yin Rong. It can be said that during the Kangxi Dynasty, in addition to the Kangxi Emperor, Yin Rong paid the most attention to and loved him. If there is no struggle for the throne between Yin Chan and Yin Rong, it will definitely become a model for brothers and brothers. In the second year of Yongzheng, Yin Rong died of illness in the forbidden place, and the Yongzheng Emperor disregarded the emperor's majesty, cried in front of the courtiers, and personally went to the coffin of Yin Rong to cry for sacrifice, which shows that the Yongzheng Emperor's feelings for his second brother are not hypocritical. Therefore, it is reasonable that this famous "cold-blooded emperor" in history can take care of and comfort Yin Rong's family.
The grace that Hongyao received from the Yongzheng Emperor was far from this, and in the second year of Yongzheng, Yin Rong died of illness, and the Yongzheng Emperor ordered Hongyao to be crowned prince. You know, at that time, the Hongli who was secretly appointed as the crown prince was nothing, and he did not have any titles in his body, just an imperial brother status. In the ninth year of Yongzheng, when Empress Xiaojingxian, the yongzheng Emperor's favorite concubine, died, Hongyao was appointed as a funeral envoy. Supporting the empress's memorial ceremony, which was a position that could only be held by a princess, and Hongli, who was already 21 years old at the time, still did not receive such grace, it can be seen that the Yongzheng Emperor's favor for Hongyao was no longer related to political factors, but only out of love for him.
What do you think is the fundamental reason why Yin Rong's concubine Honghao was able to receive the grace of the Yongzheng Emperor?
If you were the Qianlong Emperor who succeeded to the throne, would you continue to favor Hongyao, the longest brother?
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(References: Records of the Joseon Dynasty, Records of Emperor Zuren of the Qing Dynasty, Notes on Yongzheng Living)