In the early days of Kangxi's reign, the domestic and international situation was very severe, but he insisted on the large-scale use of troops to achieve territorial integrity and reunification, and finally quelled the Rebellion of San Fan, the Battle of Penghu, unified Taiwan, thwarted the Russian invading army, and ensured sovereignty over the Heilongjiang River Valley. "Inherit the great cause early, be diligent in government and love the people,...... Although it is known that it is kept, it is the same as the creation. ”
Once you enter the palace, it is as deep as the sea, and the palace is like a big cage, full of palace fighting and free imprisonment. Even if you are the Son of Heaven, you will still be bound by this strict palace rule. And the distinction between the eldest and youngest concubines will make the feelings between the brothers become fragile, once they are loved by the emperor, they will become the target of everyone, for the throne, even their own relatives, will not let go, they will do whatever it takes to eliminate each other.
And the winner is the king, the loser is Kou, kangxi's big brother, how bored is it after being imprisoned? Just look at how many children he has had. Born in the imperial palace family, Yin Zhen was not the eldest son of the imperial family, but due to the unfortunate death of the previous four brothers, he did not survive in this complicated environment. Therefore, Yin Zhen naturally became the eldest son of the Kangxi Emperor, but the conditions for becoming the crown prince were not simply the firstborn. Yin Zhen's mother was not an empress, just a concubine, so it was doomed that Yin Zhen would not be able to become a prince from the moment she was born.
As a prince, you have an obligation to stand up in times of national crisis. During the Kangxi Dynasty, the Kangxi Emperor had fifteen sons over the age of twenty, but he did not choose to hand over his power early. Even the crown prince is just a false name, as long as he does not become the emperor one day, then everyone else has a chance, so other princes are secretly competing and showing their talents in the emperor.
Yin Zhen was also one of them, and Yin Zhen was actually not bad in Kangxi's impression. He not only saddled up in front of Kangxi, but also went to the battlefield and proved his talents to the government and the opposition at that time. In modern times, 18 years old is the stage of studying hard in school and receiving education. The 18-year-old Yin Zhen had already carried his weapon to the battlefield and accompanied the general on an expedition. He was young and crazy, but he had a unique understanding of the military, often providing the general with his own ideas and military ideas.
During an expedition with Kangxi, Yin Yu attacked Geldan and won the battle, and was made the king of the county. In this war, Yin Zhen insisted on his opinion in the face of military differences in the army, insisting on attacking Geldan immediately, and finally won the war because he listened to Yin Zhen's strategy. In the subsequent wars, Yin Yudu achieved great results.
However, Yin Zhen was not willing to stop at the position of king of the county, and he had been coveting the throne for a long time. Every year, the emperor would have an activity to go hunting with the ministers during the autumn festival, and the general prince would also accompany him, and Yin Zhen deliberately made Kangxi and the prince disagree in this hunt, so that the emperor had the idea of abolishing the prince.
After Kangxi deposed the crown prince, Yin Zhen naturally became the best candidate for the crown prince, and even Yin Zhen felt that his opportunity had come. He began to march toward the position of prince, doing everything in his power to achieve his goals, so much so as to affect the relationship between him and the ministers, causing the dissatisfaction of the ministers. It was not until Yin Yu proposed to the emperor that the crown prince be completely deposed and killed, a move that aroused Kangxi's suspicions. In the same year, Yin Zhen was reported by the chancellor, and some of the things he did to the prince were exposed. After Kangxi learned about it, he erased Yin's position and imprisoned him.
Yin was ordered to be completely imprisoned, and according to historical sources, he was placed under house arrest for 26 years. Yin Zhen could not step out of the palace door one step at a time, and lived every day like a year, and his concubines who were imprisoned with Yin Zhen were also imprisoned, staying at home, and there was no entertainment every day, which was very boring. During these 26 years, Yin Zhen, who had nothing to do, could only have fun with his concubines every day. He had 11 sons and 8 daughters, and until his death two years before he had a small child born. It can be seen how boring Yin Zhen's days of being imprisoned are.
With the development of modern science and technology, people's entertainment activities are various, and all kinds of electronic products are dazzling. But in ancient times, there was no entertainment except for piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and from the life of Yin Zhen's grounding, it can also be seen how boring their lives were. However, although Yin Zhen had been under house arrest, his contribution to the Great Qing could not be erased. If it were not for the struggle for the throne, it would not have fallen into such a fate.
Resources:
Draft History of the Qing Dynasty