In the eleventh year of Daoguang (1831), the eldest son of the Daoguang Emperor died. At that time, the Daoguang Emperor was already on the verge of knowing the destiny of heaven, and the death of the eldest son not only brought him great pain, but also made him worry about the heir to the throne.
His second son and third son died early at an early age, and the eldest son of the emperor, who has always valued him, is such a situation. Therefore, the Daoguang Emperor's gaze fell on the fourth and sixth sons of the Emperor. The fourth son of the emperor was the Xianfeng Emperor who would later ascend the throne, and the sixth son of the emperor was Prince Gong, who later united with Cixi. The two knew that they might inherit the throne, so they began a secret contest.
The Manchu Qing dynasty was a nomadic origin, and although it had been in the Central Plains for many years, it had always maintained many traditions. One spring, the Daoguang Emperor asked the fourth son of the emperor and the sixth son of the emperor to go out hunting together. It seems to be just an ordinary father-son trip, but it implies the emperor's inspection of the successor. When the fourth son of the Emperor heard about it, he immediately went to consult his master Du Shoutian.
Because, the fourth son of the emperor knew in his heart, in terms of riding and shooting, he was far from the sixth brother. If you force the test, you will only make yourself ugly in front of your father and emperor. In this way, you will be farther and farther away from the long-dreamed throne. Du Shoutian lived in the deep palace for a long time and knew very well about the temperament of the Daoguang Emperor. After careful consideration, he told the fourth son of the emperor that he could not compete with the fourth son of the emperor to try to ride and shoot, but should find another way and win by surprise.
Then, Du Receivedian instructed the emperor's fourth son: when he hunted with the emperor tomorrow, he would not only not fire an arrow, but also strictly restrain his subordinates. In this way, the emperor would surely ask why he did so. At this time, he told the emperor that this was the spring of the revival of all things, and he was worried about hurting many birds and beasts to dry up the heavens and the earth. Moreover, he has no intention of competing with his brothers.
The fourth son of the emperor acted according to the master's words, and sure enough, he won the admiration of his father. The Daoguang Emperor pursued benevolence and filial piety all his life, and the words of the fourth son of the emperor were right on his mind.
While he was happy, he couldn't help but sigh: What the fourth son of the emperor said was really something that only people with the heart of the emperor could say. Du Shoutian was worthy of being a scheming man, and during this riding shot, the Daoguang Emperor's gaze had completely shifted from the aspect of riding. The emperor's six sons had many prey and outstanding skills, but they were not praised by the Daoguang Emperor.
The Daoguang Emperor believed that the fourth son of the emperor was a benevolent person, so he couldn't help but pay great attention to him. The balance of the throne thus tilted towards the side of the fourth son of the emperor. However, after all, the sixth son of the emperor was both literate and martial, and all his talents were relatively prominent, and in the end who to choose to take the throne, the Daoguang Emperor was still undecided and hesitant. Therefore, the Daoguang Emperor decided to investigate the two men again.
Once, the Daoguang Emperor fell ill and ordered the princes to come in. At this time, the competition for the throne has reached a white-hot level, and the fourth son of the emperor and the sixth son of the emperor are even more geared together, ready to compete.
In fact, before meeting, both of them carefully inquired about their master. The master of the sixth son of the emperor, Xuefu Wuche, instructed the sixth son of the emperor to know everything and say everything when he met the emperor, and he must completely narrate his views on the major affairs of the country to the emperor. If this answer stands out among many princes, then the possibility of King's Landing in the world will be greatly improved.
To this end, the master taught the sixth son of the emperor a lot, and after listening to it, the sixth son of the emperor was very confident, and even forced, and wanted to show his grand plan in front of the father and emperor. The master of the fourth son of the emperor, Du Shoutian, did not, and he boldly instructed his disciples to let him cry before the daoguang Emperor's sickbed and wipe his tears and remember the love of father and son, but as for state affairs, he did not mention a word.
Du Shitian taught the fourth son of the emperor for many years and knew very well the ability of the fourth son of the emperor. Du Shoutian understood that his disciples were inferior to the sixth son of the Emperor in terms of the cultivation of thesis, improvisation, and proficiency in major state affairs. When we are about to enter the palace today, if we force the fourth son of the emperor to memorize by rote, the result will only be self-defeating. Only by touching the emperor with family affection can there be a glimmer of life.
After a few days, the fourth son of the emperor and the sixth son of the emperor came to the Daoguang Emperor. In the face of his father's inquiry about state affairs, the sixth son of the emperor, according to the words that had been prepared, pinpointed the shortcomings of the times, and gushed out his own views. The fourth son of the emperor did not talk about state affairs, but only asked about his father's condition in detail, and wanted to do his filial piety.
When the Daoguang Emperor saw that his son cared so much about himself, he said sadly: His body is getting weaker and weaker, and I am afraid that time is running out. When the father and son talked about the emotional place, the fourth son of the emperor lay on the ground and wept bitterly. The Daoguang Emperor looked at him like this and thought that he was a benevolent and filial person. In this way, the sixth son of the emperor, who was full of taoism, was once again left behind by the Daoguang Emperor.
After these two events, the fourth son of the emperor left a very good impression on the heart of the Daoguang Emperor. Therefore, the Daoguang Emperor decided to let the fourth son of the emperor inherit the throne. However, during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor, he was mediocre and did not achieve much. Coupled with the fact that he made a lot of wrong choices, the Qing Dynasty was still so devastated, politically corrupt, the national treasury was empty, the people's livelihood was withered, and the soldiers would be decayed...
Moreover, according to historical records, the Xianfeng Emperor also had four major bad habits:
First, greedy beauty: in the summer resort, he still does not ask about the wind and rain outside the window, there is wine in this day and drunk in this day, just trying to be happy and happy.
Second, greedy silk bamboo. Move a drama class to Chengde, called "flower singing" in the morning, "oratorio" in the afternoon, perform in the cold house, and perform in "Ruyizhou" in the summer.
Third, greed for fine wine. Xian Feng coveted the cup, drunk as soon as he drank, and also played a drunken madness.
Fourth, greed for opium. Soon after Xianfeng ascended the throne, he violated his ancestral precepts, smoked opium, and called it "Yishou Ruyi Cream".
It turned out that the Daoguang Emperor had made a wrong decision.
Resources:
[Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, The Twelve Emperors of the Qing Dynasty, General History of China, Volume 11, Volume II of the Pre-Modern Period]