As the saying goes, "A companion is like a companion of a tiger", and the ministers who lived by the emperor's side were often cautious and fearful, because one careless person could lose his life. However, there was such a minister Zhang Tingyu, although he constantly rose and fell in the official sea, but as the elder of the Three Dynasties, he actually won the praise of the three emperors, becoming the only Hanchen in the Qing Dynasty who deserved to enjoy the Taimiao Temple. So why was he so comfortable with several emperors?
The first reason is because of Zhang Tingyu's strong talent. In the thirty-ninth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Zhang Tingyu passed the jinshi examination. Once, the Kangxi Emperor summoned him to the palace and asked him to give him a poem, so Zhang Tingyu immediately composed a seven-word poem, and the Kangxi Emperor praised him one after another after hearing it, and admired his talent very much. By the time of Yongzheng's reign, Zhang Tingyu became an official in the Military Aircraft Department, which directly adhered to the emperor's will and often needed to write documents, and Zhang Tingyu was often able to draw up documents and polish the language shortly after the emperor said his will. It is precisely because he writes documents of both fast quality and high quality, so he has also been praised by Yongzheng many times for his quick thinking, and such a position is indispensable to him.
The second reason is because Zhang Tingyu knows how to read the holy will and is well versed in the heart of the emperor. In the late Kangxi Dynasty, Zhang Tingyu accompanied the Kangxi Emperor on his southern tour many times, often accompanied by Kangxi, and his official positions were also promoted to academician Hanlin, the right shilang of the punishment department, and the left shilang of the official department, although he was always a Erpin official, but his future was always optimistic. However, in the last year before Kangxi's death, suddenly the Kangxi Emperor lowered his official rank by three levels with a holy decree, and everyone in the world felt sorry, but Zhang Tingyu went home without saying a word. At this time, Zhang Tingyu's son was worried that his father was sad and was ready to comfort his father, but Zhang Tingyu not only did not sigh, but even smiled happily, and secretly said to his son, "For the father, he needs to wait for the gift of the new king."
When Yongzheng ascended the throne, Zhang Tingyu's words came true, and he was ordered to concurrently hold the title of bachelor and then become the rebbe Shangshu, becoming Yongzheng's right and left arm. This is exactly the embodiment of Zhang Tingyu's understanding that the Kangxi Emperor wanted to give Yongzheng the opportunity to promote important subjects, so he first demoted and then promoted by Yongzheng. Zhang Tingyu's deep understanding of the emperor's intentions also saved him from some disasters, Qianlong's reign paid special attention to the issue of friends, at this time Zhang Tingyu had reached his old age, Ortai died, Zhang Tingyu realized that Qianlong would definitely target him, so he was more cautious, and finally asked Qianlong to resign and return to his hometown.
The third reason is because Zhang Tingyu is low-key, indifferent, fair, and does not seek selfish interests. Zhang Tingyu never acted in a brazen manner, and once the emperor gave him a task, he buried his head in hard work until he was done. He was a clean and honest official, and never accepted heavy money from officials who wanted to curry favor with him, and even Qianlong praised him for his "demeanor like nine years old." It is precisely because of the valuable qualities of this old minister of the Three Dynasties that he has won the high praise of the three emperors in succession, and naturally his name will always be in history.