Although slave society had withdrawn from the stage of history during the feudal period, there was another set of strict hierarchies. From a certain point of view, the relationship between the Son of Heaven and the courtiers is actually no different from that of the previous slave owners and slaves. Just as the so-called "companion is like a companion tiger", those who are courtiers will end up with the fate of "rabbit dead dog cooking" if they are not careful.
Since ancient times, how many loyal ministers have been beaten to the board, beheaded and skinned, or planted with nine tribes? Speaking of which, the emperor's persecution of the ministers was generally for the sake of centralized rule, and it was not as heinous as the subsequent situation. Some emperors let their courtiers test poison with their bodies, and others acted as "human body medicine testers" to ensure that they could live forever, which was even more gritted teeth.
In ancient times, many emperors had a special love for poison, and Yongzheng was one of them.
Don't look at Yongzheng's life is not obvious, the mountain is not leaking, but the folk evaluation of this emperor is very bad, and many Yongzheng like to use rumors of poisoning people to sweep the world. In the historical records, there are also records of Yongzheng's visit to the poison side, for example, in the third year of Yongzheng, the emperor ordered the governor of Guangxi:
"Among the seedlings in Guizhou, the crossbow of the fox seedlings is the most poisonous. There are two kinds of medicine: one herb and one snake medicine. Although the herbs are poisonous, after two months of boiling, they will not work. Snake medicine boils and is available for several years. With snake juice alone, its venom can stop ulceration, and there are still snake cures. There is also a kind of brute medicine, whose name is 'sprinkling', which is combined with snake juice to apply arrows, and its poison is everywhere and is incurable. Smelling this 'sprinkled' medicine is the sap of a poisonous tree, dripping and condensing on the stone... Its trees are quite small, and it is difficult to get them... Er, who may visit this tree in secret, will make sure that the shape is recognized, and that he will cut and dig as much as he can, leaving no traces. There is such a tree, and there should be a cure. More encrypted and confidential to visit everywhere, if there is an antidote, even if it is written on the stagecoach. ”
From this account, we can see that Yongzheng has a considerable interest in poison. From this historical data, we can see that the common people's wind and yongzheng are good at killing people with poison, which is not empty. After Yongzheng came to power, several of Yongzheng's brothers died inexplicably, and it can be seen that Yongzheng's purpose of visiting the poison is by no means simple.
Of course, emperors like Yongzheng who blatantly kill people with poison are rare in history, and most emperors use their courtiers as "testers" to let them try some strange elixir recipes.
Moreover, for the sudden death of the Yongzheng Emperor, the Qing Dynasty officials only have such a simple record, and do not explain any reason. This can easily lead to speculation. Thus came the legend of the cause of Yu Yongzheng's death. But what is the real cause of death? Historians have conducted a lot of research on the Qing Palace archives, and more and more historians believe that yongzheng is extremely likely to be poisoned by Dan Yao.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was an official in the imperial court named Wang Dingguan, who was highly capable and had a considerable position in the capital. One day, Emperor Huizong of Song summoned Wang Dingguan to the imperial palace and said to him, "Last year, I found an alchemist who spent a year refining an elixir, and I will reward you with this medicine." Wang Ding listened and gleefully thought that this was a great grace of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Wang Dingguan swallowed the pill in one gulp. As soon as the pill came down, Wang Dingguan felt that his chest was hot and dry, and he spat out white smoke and fell to the ground for his life.
In history, there are many such "elixirs", because alchemists often use inorganic substances such as gold stones when refining Dan, so "elixirs" often contain severe poison. As for whether the elixir has the effect of immortality, the answer is obvious, after all, no emperor who takes the medicine can live past a hundred years. It can be said that although this "elixir of immortality" is not a poison, it is better than a poison.
Ming Muzong was a "Lover of Dan Yao", but Dan Yao did not make him strong and prolong his life, but made him "yang things day and night, so he could not look at the dynasty", which showed the strength of the medicinal properties and was appalling. Ming Muzong's health was deteriorating, and he blamed himself for himself, and he could not blame others. The aforementioned hapless egg king Dingguan is a victim, and his medication is pure tragedy.
Many friends may feel that a victim like Wang Dingguan is a special case, but this is not the case. Yan Song, a well-known traitor in history, was also a professional "drug tester".
The Jiajing Emperor was obsessed with fangshu, which is well known. However, before the Jiajing Emperor took medicine every time, he would first find a eunuch to try the medicine, and then the minister would try the medicine after the eunuch tried the medicine, and the eunuch and the minister did not have an abnormal reaction, and Jiajing would take the medicine. In the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing, Yan Songshang said: "Fu Mengsheng asked for a piece of medicine, looked up to the holy mercy and thoughts, and encouraged the courtiers to be difficult to detour, and the heavens and the earth were thick with grace... No thanksgiving. The minister took only fifty pills of Dan in August last year, but it caused him to be itchy and abnormal, and he could not bear it. ”
According to historical records, Yan Song's body was good, and he was still strong and healthy until the age of ancient rarity. Rao was so, after eating the "holy medicine" rewarded by Jiajing, there were still strong side effects. A high-ranking official like Yan Song will naturally understand the toxicity of the "holy medicine", so whether Yan Song has taken the medicine or not is still unknown.
As a cabinet chief assistant, Yan Song was not able to advise the emperor on the stupidity of obsessing over the fangshu, but instead thanked the "grace of the heavens and the earth" and willingly acted as a "guinea pig", even if he ate his body, he did not deserve the sympathy of future generations.
Resources:
【"Dan Yao" in ancient China" and "Living Counting File"】