For a long time, there has been a question in the folklore: did the Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty change the will of his father Kangxi to successfully ascend to the throne? Not long ago, with the holding of an exhibition in Beijing, this unsolved case finally had an answer.
In the "Exhibition of Chinese Archives and Treasures", not only the kangxi emperor's succession edicts (replicas) of that year are exhibited, but also the "Marriage Measures" (replicas) of Hulan Province in the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu wooden tablets (replicas) in the early Qing Dynasty, and so on. Behind those precious archives, there are also dusty stories and histories.
Did Yongzheng succeed to the throne by tampering with the will?
A few years ago, the "fourth master" Yongzheng can be described as quite "out of the circle" among the ancient emperors, and he has his figure in several popular film and television dramas. However, on the issue of Yongzheng's succession, there are many folk and wild history rumors.
The Kangxi Emperor passed on the throne (a replica).
Wang Zhenzhao
There is a story that was once very popular, the content is as follows: Yongzheng changed the will left by his father Kangxi, changed the "fourteen sons of the succession" to "the fourth son of the heirloom", and then squeezed out his brothers and successfully became the emperor.
In fact, there is no such thing at all.
There is a precious "Kangxi Succession Testament" on this treasure exhibition, which is 1.55 meters long and 0.8 meters wide, and is scroll-style, and the inscription about the succession is as follows:
"Prince Yong's fourth son, Yin Chan, is of high moral character, deeply humbled, and will be able to inherit the throne, and succeed him to the throne, that is, the emperor's throne..."
This "Fourth Son of the Emperor Yin Chan" is Yongzheng, and the edict does not have the words "Fourteen Sons of The Transmission" or "Transmission of the Fourteen Sons" or "Transmission of the Fourth Son". Wang Zhen said that this edict was written separately in Manchu and Chinese, and the manchu words "ten" and "yu" were completely different, and there was no possibility of mannerism.
Interestingly, in the above-mentioned testament, the Kangxi Emperor summed up his life while complaining about the tiredness of work: "Decades of hard work, like a day, can the word 'labor' be summed up?" "He who has worked diligently for the king has lived a life without rest."
Therefore, this "Kangxi Succession Testament" proves that "Yongzheng secretly added pen to tamper with Kangxi Succession Will" is just a rumor.
Holding the "Golden Book Iron Coupon", can you really avoid death?
In "Water Margin", there is a good man Chai Jin, and there is a "Danshu Iron Coupon" at home, which is said to avoid death. In fact, there were such things in ancient times, but the dynasties were different, and the names may not be the same. At the treasure exhibition, there is also a Piece of Ming Dynasty "Golden Book Iron Coupon".
The "Golden Book Iron Coupon", commonly known as the "Death Card", is a special document issued by the emperor to the meritorious servants, and the recipient and future generations can use this to pardon crimes.
This piece of Ming Dynasty golden book iron coupon was given by Emperor Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen to Li Wen, the governor of the Right Army.
The Ming Dynasty "Golden Book Iron Coupon" (replica) on display.
Shangguan Yun photography
This "iron coupon" is the texture of pig iron, semi-curved, and looks a bit like tiles. It weighs 1300 grams, and its contents are all in ancient Chinese, and the font is Yan Ti Italic, indicating that Li Wen was given "Eat Lu one thousand stones ... Exempt er itself from a death" special treatment.
In order to put an end to counterfeit and inferior products, the "iron coupons" are generally divided into two halves, the left half is given to the meritorious generals, and the right half is left in the palace, if there is any abnormality, the two "iron coupons" are a pair, and the truth and falsity are known.
However, even if you hold the "Golden Book Iron Coupon", you may not be able to avoid death.
Wang Zhen said that the back of this "iron coupon" is very clear, and other types of capital crimes can exonerate the holders of their own sins, but the crime of rebellion cannot be forgiven, and the head must still be killed.
"The contents of the iron coupons are different, some are exempt from personal responsibility, some are exempt from family responsibility, and some can be exempted from several generations of guilt, and they will be written clearly." Wang Zhen said that the use of "iron coupons" also has sequelae, "If the 'death card' is used, the salary will no longer be paid to this person, that is, the feng lu will be stopped." ”
Title of "Gold List":
What does the Qing Dynasty "Golden List" look like?
In the past, it was often said that there were four great joys in life, the last of which was "when the title of the gold list" was held. In feudal society, the "golden list title" is the wish of almost all readers. The Qing Dynasty Golden List is a landmark archival document of the ancient Chinese feudal imperial examination system, and is the highest level of the Qing Dynasty imperial examination - the score list of the palace examination.
A copy of the "Golden List" of the Qing Guangxu Twenty Years (1894) Temple Examination, quietly staying in the exhibition hall. It is 19.26 meters long and 0.825 meters high, and is written in yellow paper and ink, Manchu and Chinese, and the "Emperor's Treasure" seal is placed on the year, month, day and riding seam.
Qing Dynasty Great "Golden List" (replica).
"This is the 60th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi, who opened an enko and let the world's readers take an extra exam." Wang Zhen introduced that corresponding to the big gold list, there is also a small gold list. The Dajin List was posted on the East Chang'an Gate, and the Wu List was posted on the West Chang'an Gate for three days. The small gold list is made into an album style for the emperor to see, and it is not stamped with the seal of "Emperor's Treasure".
The leader of the "Golden List" of the Guangxu Twenty Years Temple Trial was the famous Zhang Xiao, who later founded the Dasheng Spinning Factory and became a famous industrialist in modern times. The 31st and 37th runners-up were Guan Mianjun and Chen Zhaochang, who participated in the construction of the Beijing-Zhang Railway, and the 63rd runner-up was Xiong Xiling, who later founded the Xiangshan Kindergarten.
Of course, the interesting exhibits at the "China Archives and Treasures Exhibition" are definitely more than that. For example, Sun Yat-sen's inscription handwriting - "Fraternity" and the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Archives; China's most complete preserved, longest-formed, and largest ancient world map, "Daming Mixed Map", it is also the earliest world map depicting Africa.
In addition, there are also the "Imperial Jade Tablet" equivalent to the imperial family tree, the Manchu wooden plaque before the Qing army entered the customs, and the green head card and red head card equivalent to the "identity card" in the Qing Dynasty. Among them, the green head card is used by concubines, showgirls, and ministers.
"According to statistics, as of the end of 2018, there were more than 750 million volumes of archives in the collection of national comprehensive archives at all levels across the country." Wang Zhen said that the exhibits selected this time include precious archives of the Tang, Yuan, Ming, Qing and modern times.
They either record a major historical event, or confirm a certain historical fact, or record a little-known secret anecdote, recording the long history and splendid culture of the Chinese nation, and the life of the ancient people also seems to span thousands of years of time and space, displayed in front of people.