On August 21, 1333, the Yongzheng Emperor, who had been painstakingly working for the Qing Dynasty and was dressed and fed, suddenly fell ill, but was still able to handle political affairs normally; on the 23rd, "the great illness of the Shang Dynasty", summoned Prince Zhuang Yunlu, Prince Guo Yunli, University Scholar Ertai, Zhang Tingyu, Leading Guards Of the Interior Minister Gong Fengfeng, Ne Qin, and The Minister of the Interior Shilang Haiwang to jointly undertake the edict.
In this key edict that determines the succession of the throne, the Yongzheng Emperor, in addition to clarifying the identities of Yunlu, Yunli, Zhang Tingyu, and Ortai Gufeng, also specifically emphasized the requirement for kindness to Prince Guo, Yunli:
Prince Guo is loyal to sex. Talented. The real country has useful talents. However, on weekdays, the gas is weak and impatient. In the event of a great incident, the kings and ministers should be in good health, and do not harm their bodies. It would be a pity if the spirit of the wise king was thus undermined and the government affairs could not be handled for the country.
Although this request made by the Yongzheng Emperor on his deathbed was ostensibly aimed at the kings and ministers, it was actually a specific request left to the Qianlong Emperor. In view of this, the Qianlong Emperor immediately took care of Prince Guo Yunli in all aspects in the thirteenth year of Yongzheng.
The Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Liechuan VII, and The Six Kings contains:
Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne, ordered the prime minister to be in charge of the affairs of the prime minister, xie zongling, and the ministry of punishment. Seek the prince's double hand, and do not feast and prostrate. Yun Li was weak, and shang was ordered to rule in the mansion, and the more he entered the house for a few days.
In addition, in the first year of the Qianlong Emperor's official accession to the throne, Prince Guo's Yunli was also given the gift of "forever bestowing to the prince with double gifts"; "summoning the ceremony of exemption from prostration in the ben temple" and other great gifts that were not ordinary royal relatives could receive.
On the surface, the reason why the Yongzheng Emperor had such high hopes for Prince Guo's yunli was because his "usual gas was weak and impatient", which was due to the fact that an elder brother cared for his younger brother. Judging from the various pasts of the Yongzheng Emperor's treatment of Yin Xiang, the Prince of Yi, in addition to the former political enemies who seized the concubine, the Yongzheng Emperor still achieved the emperor's grace and greatness in dealing with these royal brothers who sincerely supported and solidly assisted. However, even so, the Yongzheng Emperor would not have made a special request for kindness to Prince Guo Yunli in such a key edict as the succession of the throne.
Stills from The Gift
Then, what was the real reason why the Yongzheng Emperor was dying and asked the Qianlong Emperor to treat Prince Guo's favor favor?
In fact, this is precisely the wisdom of the Yongzheng Emperor, and it is precisely the solid foundation laid for the Qianlong Emperor to realize the concentration of imperial power.
1. The past of the two princes made the Yongzheng Emperor have to make special arrangements
After the Yongzheng Emperor succeeded to the throne, in order to win enough time to completely liquidate the "Eight Ye Party" and to temporarily paralyze the Eighth Son of the Emperor Yin Yu in order to gradually consolidate the foundation of his rule, the Yongzheng Emperor not only crowned the former political enemy Emperor Eight Sons Yin Yu with the title of prince, but also entrusted him with a heavy responsibility. When the time was ripe, the Yongzheng Emperor immediately used thunderous means to overthrow the powerful "Eight Ye Party" clique in one fell swoop, achieving a real sense of power concentration.
As far as the thirteenth son of the emperor, Yin Xiang, this generation of virtuous kings who were loyal to the Yongzheng Emperor and worked hard for the Qing Dynasty, although there was no political persecution, let alone deliberate suppression, but because of this, Yin Xiang, who had been seriously ill for a long time, accumulated fatigue and illness, so that he could not afford it. For the Yongzheng Emperor, Yin Xiang's premature death was definitely a huge loss, and it was a grief that he could not make up for and could never let go.
For Prince Guo's Yunli, the Yongzheng Emperor really valued and placed high hopes on him, and he did not want Yunli to fall into the fate of the eighth son of the Emperor, Yin Yu, and still less did he want Yunli, who was already weak, to die early like Yin Xiang, losing a loyal subject who could shoulder a great responsibility and share the worries of the Qianlong Emperor. Therefore, the Yongzheng Emperor needed to give clear requirements in his will and let the Qianlong Emperor treat him kindly.
2. The balance of forces laid a solid foundation for the Qianlong Emperor to realize the concentration of imperial power
Judging from the four ministers arranged by the Yongzheng Emperor for the Qianlong Emperor, there was a high-powered and special-status imperial family relative, Yunlu the Prince of Zhuang and Yunli the Prince of Guo; there was a representative of the Xungui of the Eight Banners of Manchuria, Xilin Jueluo Ortai; and there were two important ministers and representatives of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Tingyu. It is undeniable that as far as the Yongzheng Emperor's arrangement of life is concerned, including the imperial family relatives, Manchurian nobles, and Hanchen representatives, it can fully guarantee that the Qianlong Emperor, who lacks political experience, will smoothly survive the process of changing the yongqian imperial power, and leave enough time for him to become a generation of male lords with rich political experience and accumulated abundant political resources.
However, in view of the lessons learned by Dorgon, Aobai and others, the Yongzheng Emperor had to take precautions to prevent the unfavorable situation of the power of the powerful subjects. Ertai and Zhang Tingyu, two important courtiers of the imperial court, protégés and former officials all over the world, but the open struggle and secret struggle between the two have never stopped, and the mutual restraint and balance between the two have been obvious, and there is no need to worry. As far as The two powerful princes, Prince Zhuang Yunlu and Prince Guo Yunli, Yunlu is old, senior, and powerful, if he does not pay special attention to and deliberately support Prince Guo Yunli, I am afraid that he will not be able to form a confrontation and balance posture with Yunlu.
In other words, the demand for good treatment of Prince Guo's deathbed was a political and rational consideration by the Yongzheng Emperor.
Zhang Tingyu stills
3. Win over and appease, and cultivate a group of sincere supporters for Qianlong
In addition to checks and balances, the Yongzheng Emperor must also give absolute grace and special status and power to the two royal relatives who are enough to suppress everything and represent everything, so that the two can support their nephews with a dead heart and loyalty.
When the Qianlong Emperor ascended the throne, although he was already 25 years old and was already an adult with rational judgment and the ability to hold power independently, when he was the crown prince, he did not begin to gradually contact state affairs and participate in political affairs until the eleventh year of Yongzheng. That is to say, although the Qianlong Emperor at this time was an adult, he was still a novice in state affairs, and he was a place that needed assistance, guidance, and even "all kinds of state affairs were handled by the prime minister and the minister."
Therefore, for the four ministers who took care of their orders, especially the two imperial relatives with special status and special status, the Yongzheng Emperor had to win over and appease them. In addition to making it clear that Zhang Tingyu and Ertai "will be worthy of the Taimiao Temple and to show grace to the emperor in the future," the Yongzheng Emperor's positive appraisal of Prince Zhuang's "mellow heart, peace and prudence," and the special concern for Prince Guo's "when a big matter is encountered, the kings and ministers should be in good shape, and should not harm his body." These were all acts of grace and solicitation by the Yongzheng Emperor.
postscript
The Yongzheng Emperor's deathbed care for Prince Guo's Yunli had a special care for his younger brother, and even more rational considerations for political purposes. Regardless of the cause of the Yongzheng Emperor's death, throughout the thirteen years of Yongzheng, the Yongzheng Emperor "worked hard day and night, without any entertainment of civil engineering and sound and color", and did not forget to make the most rational, wisest, and benevolent political layout for the Qianlong regime on his deathbed.