Preface
During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the Qing Dynasty's national strength increased day by day, and its territory continued to expand. Kangxi felt deeply tired in his later years, so he passed on the eight princes of his confidants to assist the government. Finally in the first month of 1722, Kangxi died at the age of 69.
Kangxi only left a sentence of "let the throne go" on his deathbed, and let the four princes govern the country together. After Kangxi's death, his fourth son Yinzhen took charge of the government and became the emperor, that is, Emperor Yongzheng.
Yongzheng had a strong temperament, and at the beginning of his reign, he vigorously purged the forbidden army forces and stabilized the situation. During his reign of 12 years, Yongzheng advocated innovation, and the Qing Dynasty became increasingly prosperous. However, in 1735, Emperor Yongzheng suddenly died of illness at the age of 56.
Hongli was brilliant when he was young, and the inner court received wise teachings
The 24-year-old fourth prince Hongli ascended the throne as emperor for Qianlong. Emperor Qianlong was healthy since he was a child, intelligent by nature, and was deeply loved by Kangxi.
Whenever Emperor Kangxi went out on a safari or inspected the river work, he would take the young Hongli with him. While observing the people's and military conditions, Kangxi raised orders to Hongli Er and explained the rules and regulations.
The young man is gifted and intelligent, and has a deep understanding of the code system. He often asked Kangxi for classic records, and Kangxi often saw everything and instructed him on the essentials of reading. Such teachings enabled Hongli to lay a solid foundation of knowledge and accumulate rich experience for future governance.
After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he also attached great importance to the calendar. He asked Hongli to accompany him to learn Xi government affairs, and cared about helping Hongli deal with government affairs. Yong normally convened the ministers to discuss the aircraft affairs, and let Hongli be present to listen; Or separately teach Hongli the method of handling political affairs and the skills of handling national affairs, such as stockpiling food and dispatching troops, etc.
Such a good learning and Xi environment enabled Hongli to systematically and comprehensively learn the way of Xi and governing the country, and accumulated valuable experience for his future accession to the throne.
Emperor Qianlong's family has a long family and a strong physique since childhood
Hongli was born intelligent and elegant. He has been in good health since he was a child and has no genetic diseases. Mother Nala is agile and good at riding and shooting; His father, Yongzheng, had experienced many battlefield battles, which also made Hongli inherit a strong physique.
In 1735, Yongzheng suddenly offered a reward to find a medicinal material called "Fanlin Medicine". The medical officer played this medicine to "nourish yang qi and warm the true fire", Yongzheng was overjoyed when he learned about it, and immediately sent people to buy it everywhere. That night, Yongzheng died of a sudden emergency when the effect of Panlin medicine was exerted.
Hongli ascended the throne as emperor at the age of 24. In good health, he did not overwork the government like his father Yongzheng, but often traveled abroad. He took a boat along the canal to the south of the Yangtze River, climbed the famous mountains and rivers, or went to the ancient temple to burn incense and pray for blessings.
This saved Qianlong from being in a tense court atmosphere for a long time and could relax his mood. At the same time, it also made him always related to the people's suffering, which benefited him a lot.
In the early days of the succession, he stabilized the political situation and practiced benevolent government
When Qianlong first succeeded to the throne, he was cautious. He knew that the emperor's heavy weapons should not be rushed, so he handled government affairs step by step, and learned Xi from the reform measures of Emperor Yongzheng to accumulate experience for future governance.
In the winter of 1736, there was a severe drought in Shaanxi and other places, and the epidemic was epidemic, and the people lived in difficulty. When Qianlong learned about it, he was very sorry and immediately issued an edict and issued a disaster relief order. Grain was dispatched from all over the country to Shaanxi for relief to the victims. In the spring of the following year, Qianlong issued another decree to reduce taxes in Shaanxi to help the victims tide over the difficulties. Such an act won the support of officials and the people.
Qianlong also knew very well that the use of force could easily provoke popular uprisings, and only by implementing benevolent government could he win the hearts of the people. Therefore, in the daily government affairs, they often sympathize with the people's feelings and listen to the voices of the people, which makes the political situation stable and lays a good foundation for long-term peace and stability in the future.
Guotai people's security, social stability, less work, more happiness in prosperous times
During the Qianlong period, the Qing Dynasty's internal and external difficulties had been basically lifted. Emperor Qianlong was able to encounter this rare peaceful scene of prosperity, and the country's social environment was stable, and he was able to work less and be more happy, which is also one of the important reasons for his longevity.
In 1745, Emperor Qianlong toured the Great Wall and saw a governor say that the Great Wall had collapsed somewhere. Qianlong immediately ordered the repair within a time limit. Soon after the completion of the project, Qianlong deliberately stopped to inspect it, and was very pleased to see that the Great Wall was falling and falling, and the sentry posts along the way were strictly arranged.
The following year, the 500,000 Dzungar army marched south to attack the Qing Dynasty, but was soon blocked by the newly repaired Great Wall and retreated one after another. Emperor Qianlong personally went to the battlefield to supervise the battle, was crowned emperor, and finally completely defeated the Dzungar department. This battle erased the shadow of war in the last years of Kangxi in one fell swoop.
In 1784, Emperor Qianlong made up his mind to quell the Lin Shuangwen uprising in Taiwan and personally took command of the campaign. The rebel army was defeated again and again, and retreated to the deep mountains and old forests. Qianlong saw that the situation was stabilizing, and he did not go out in person with real swords and guns, so he returned to the court to rest.
After that, until his abdication, there was no major upheaval in the Qing court. In this way, it can be said that Qianlong occasionally got the help of the right time, place and people, and was able to meet a rare peaceful and prosperous era, which made him feel more comfortable during his reign.
Self-discipline and moderation attach importance to health preservation, and maintain the body and mind to supreme life
Emperor Qianlong attached great importance to the rules of daily life. He insisted on going to bed early and waking up early every day, and rarely stayed up all night. Even when there is a major event, he will go to bed with a regular meal, but appropriately shorten his sleep time to deal with government affairs. This routine provides an important guarantee for his physical and mental health.
Qianlong also knew that indulging in sound and sensuality would inevitably damage the body. He had no more than 40 concubines in his life, far fewer than other emperors. This allows him to avoid overexerting his energy and focus more on political affairs and health.
In his later years, Qianlong was advised by a doctor to quit drinking. Without saying a word, he completely quit drinking, and since then he has fallen into the idea of a glass of wine. Such self-control and the spirit of following the doctor's advice enabled Qianlong to recuperate in a timely manner and lay a solid foundation for a long life.
Change everywhere is not surprised, and joy is in it, and in his later years, he walked out and sang poetry leisurely
Emperor Qianlong inherited the past and opened up the future, so that the Qing Dynasty entered a period of prosperity. He has been dealing with government affairs for many years, and he has gradually become a little tired of power and glory. So in 1751, Qianlong passed the throne to the 15-year-old emperor's eldest son Yongyan as an acting politician.
Although Qianlong passed the throne to Yongyan, he still controlled the power and was in power for a long time. Yongyan suffered from mental illness and was removed from the throne in 1765 and imprisoned until death. Qianlong never set up another crown prince, and he ruled until he was 85 years old.
On the occasion of Qianlong's 60th birthday, a grand celebration was held. The ministers presented birthday words and paintings, laughter and laughter in the capital, and firecrackers rang out. Qianlong also carefully prepared many opera acrobatics as a return gift. It's hard to count.
On Qianlong's 80th birthday, a banquet was also held. Qianlong was dressed in a simple robe, and welcomed thousands of elders such as Taoist priests, old and young. The elders have lived one after another, and Qianlong also humbly accepted it. For a while, there was a lot of drinking, singing and dancing, and it was very lively.
In his later years, Qianlong liked to chant poems and paint, taste tea and talk about the ancients. He often invited a group of literati and scholars to come to gossip and comment on contemporary literature; Hand in hand to travel the famous mountains and rivers, chanting nostalgia.
Qianlong and the literati and writers also often exchanged lyrics and songs, and they were always hearty. I once traveled with a few words and traveled to a lake, and the lake was beautiful in autumn. Everyone was admiring the lake and mountains, and suddenly saw two egrets passing by. Everyone thought of Li Shangyin's sentence of "Twin Herons Swinging in the Cold Pool", and they were full of interest and drank and poems.
Such a leisurely and comfortable life ensured Qianlong's physical and mental health and enabled him to live a long life.
epilogue
The reason why Qianlong was able to live a long life was not simply a good endowment or fate. What's more important is that he lived in the peaceful scene of the prosperous Kangqian era, the country and the people; Strictly follow the life schedule and be diligent in exercise and recuperation; and abstaining from selfish desires and maintaining the body and mind.
We today cannot enjoy the same rich life, but we should still reflect on ourselves and quit bad Xi; Pay attention to the regularity of work and rest, and always maintain a happy mood; Timely physical examination and conditioning to prevent problems before they occur. Only in this way can we keep our youth and live a long life.