In the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng Dynasty (1735) of the Qing Dynasty, emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty died in the Yuanmingyuan, leaving a testament before his death, appointing Ortai, Zhang Tingyu, Yunlu, and Yunli as his ministers. After Ertai and Zhang Tingyu took the edict from behind the "Zhengda Guangming" plaque, the fourth prince Hongli officially ascended the throne as the Qianlong Emperor.
The Yongzheng Emperor was an emperor who dared to love and dare to hate, and he specifically mentioned Zhang Tingyu in his will, and the "Qing History Manuscript and Liechuan Seventy-Five" recorded:
The will was to serve with pure jade and sincerity, and ordered him to enjoy the Taimiao Temple on a daily basis.
On the one hand, Yongzheng was out of recognition of Zhang Tingyu, and on the other hand, in order to make Zhang Tingyu die to assist Hongli, so he promised that after Zhang Tingyu's hundred years, he would be worthy of the Taimiao Temple.
Before Zhang Tingyu, the Qing Dynasty did not have a record of Han chens worthy of the Taimiao Temple, Zhang Tingyu learned that Yongzheng treated himself with such courtesy, wept bitterly, thanked Zero, and said in front of Qianlong that he must be livery and brainless, and live up to the trust of the former emperor.
Who would have thought that 15 years later, when Zhang Tingyu told his old man to return to his hometown, he was repeatedly reprimanded by Qianlong, not only did the scenery no longer exist, but qianlong also dug three feet into the ground and recovered the things given by the emperor. Twenty years after Qianlong, 84-year-old Zhang Tingyu died a miserable and lonely death, died at home, three generations of famous courtiers, and even late festivals were not guaranteed!
Zhang Tingyu was cultivated by Kangxi, reused by Yongzheng, and assisted Qianlong, who worked diligently in the Qing Dynasty for 50 years, was an extremely popular subject, and made great contributions to the "prosperous era of Kangqian". In this article, the author will share with you Zhang Tingyu, a famous minister of the Qing Dynasty, hoping to recreate the glory of the three generations of Kang Yongqian through his life course.
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The "Qing History Manuscript Zhang Tingyu Biography" records:
Zhang Tingyu (張廷玉), also spelled Hengchen, was a native of Tongcheng, Anhui Province, and the second son of a university scholar.
Zhang Tingyu's father, Zhang Ying, was a scholar of the WenhuaDian University of the Kangxi Dynasty. During the Kangxi Dynasty, Zhang Ying and Gao Shiqi were the first batch of Hanlin wenchen in the Qing Dynasty to enter the Southern Study, and from then on, Zhang Ying not only became Kangxi's "secretary", but also became the teacher of the princes. Zhang Ying was knowledgeable and honest with officials, and left "Six Feet Alley" in Tongcheng, which was widely sung for posterity.
During the Qing Dynasty, there was a saying that "Anhui culture looks at Tongcheng", and in the history of Anhui, the status of Tongcheng to Anhui is no less than the status of Qufu in Shandong. In his childhood, Zhang Tingyu studied behind closed doors in his hometown of Tongcheng and married his wife Yao Shi at home.
In the thirty-fifth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, the 25-year-old Zhang Tingyu received a notice from his father to go to Beijing to take the Shuntianfu township examination.
However, just as he was preparing to take the examination in the following year, Kangxi appointed his father Zhang Ying as the chief official of the imperial examination, and according to the imperial court regulations, the immediate family members of the examiner could not participate in the scientific examination of that year because of the principle of recusal.
Zhang Tingyu could only study hard behind closed doors and wait for three years to take the exam. Three years later, in the thirty-ninth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Zhang Tingyu passed the entrance examination in one fell swoop, and the following year, his father Zhang Ying returned to his hometown.
Therefore, in the years when Zhang Tingyu first entered the official field, his father did not guide him around, but what Zhang Tingyu had more advantages over the students of the cold door was that his father, as a university scholar, left him a lot of resources. Among them, the most important resource is the Kangxi Emperor.
Kangxi thirty-nine years into the soldier, changed to Shu Jishi. Scattered library to give review, straight south of the study, to worry about the return. Serve removal, move horses, calendar shuzi, waiter bachelor, cabinet bachelor.
That is to say, Zhang Tingyu entered the examination in the thirty-ninth year of the Kangxi Dynasty and immediately selected Shu Jishi. According to the custom, after three years, after the Shujishi dispersed, they were either left in the ministry or sent to the local government as officials, after which they needed to endure seniority and slowly be promoted.
But Zhang Tingyu was different, he was "official luck and prosperity", after the Hanlin Courtyard was dissolved, he was first appointed by Kangxi as the review of the Hanlin Academy, and then his son inherited his father's business, entered the South Study, gave zheng four pins of imperial clothes, and directly became the "secretary" of the Kangxi Emperor.
According to Zhang Tingyu's own recollection in "Chenghuai Garden Language", after he entered the South Study, he was very trusted by Kangxi:
Tatsumi goes in and out, and the years are full of days. Saiwai Qicong, where eleven times, summer is to avoid the heat of the river, autumn is with the hunting in the border plug.
This means that Zhang Tingyu enters the palace every morning before dawn, and only returns home after dark in the evening, and accompanies Kangxi all day long. In the summer, Kangxi went to Rehe to escape the summer, and in the autumn, Kangxi went to Saiwai to go around, and he accompanied him a total of 11 times.
The reason why Zhang Tingyu can be reused by Kangxi is on the one hand because he is Zhang Ying's son, on the other hand, it is also because Zhang Tingyu is talented, he has a specialty, history records that he is "condensed in temperament, clear in response", "sensitive and detailed, and aware of the holy will". This means that Zhang Tingyu's talent is very agile. Kangxi issued an edict, daily handling affairs, as long as he roughly said his own meaning, Zhang Tingyu could immediately polish the meaning of Kangxi into a very official text, often Kangxi's words were just finished, Zhang Tingyu drafted the holy will, and it could also satisfy Kangxi. Zhang Tingyu's specialty later continued into the Yongzheng Dynasty.
In the forty-seventh year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Zhang Tingyu's father Zhang Ying died, and Zhang Tingyu returned to his hometown to keep the system for three years. Three years later (kangxi fifty years), Zhang Tingyu was promoted by Kangxi for a while, he first served as the crown prince to wash horses, and then served as an examiner of the imperial examination, and was a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, and by the fifty-fifth year of Kangxi, Zhang Tingyu was already a cabinet scholar and an official attendant, ranking second in the rank of Zheng erpin.
In the fifty-ninth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Zhang Tingyu was transferred to the Ministry of Punishment, and the following year, a cult disturbance occurred in Shandong, and Kangxi sent Zhang Tingyu as a minister of Qincha to Shandong. On the first day zhang Tingyu arrived in Shandong, he sought the cooperation of Li Shude, the governor of Shandong, and immediately arrested more than 150 people, and after trial, killed 7 of them and exiled 35 people, and the case was closed.
Throughout Zhang Tingyu's life, although he was ranked as Zaifu, he did not serve as a feudal official, let alone serve outside the capital, but he was familiar with local affairs. From his handling of the case in Shandong, it can be seen that he is gentle as jade on the surface, but in fact he is vigorous. Whether it is ability or skill, Zhang Tingyu is superior.
Therefore, during the Kangxi period, Zhang Tingyu had an advantage in terms of "family background" and "own talents", coupled with Kangxi's deliberate cultivation of him, Zhang Tingyu's future was bright.
Zhang Tingyu had particularly good luck, and he met a pragmatic emperor, Yongzheng.
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In the sixty-first year of the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, the Kangxi Emperor died in Changchun Garden, and the fourth son of the Emperor, Yin Chan, ascended the throne as the Yongzheng Emperor. After a brutal battle for a concubine, Yongzheng deeply felt that the throne was not easy to come by. In order to consolidate his imperial power, Yongzheng began to cultivate his own power. Zhang Tingyu has been walking in the South Study For a long time, not only has rich experience in politics, but also has never been involved in the party struggle, plus Zhang Tingyu's father Zhang Ying once served as Yongzheng's teacher, in Yongzheng's view, Zhang Tingyu "has roots and seedlings are right", so he immediately promoted Zhang Tingyu to be the Rebbe Shangshu, still on duty in the South Study.
According to the "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty", the sacrifice texts and edicts at the beginning of Yongzheng's succession were all written by Zhang Tingyu. During the alternation of Kang Yong, the government affairs were busy, and there were as many as a dozen edicts per day, some of which were very urgent, and YongZheng "dictated the general idea", and Zhang Tingyu wrote a letter of illness and relied on Marco to wait. Yongzheng felt more and more that Zhang Tingyu was easy to use.
The Yongzheng Emperor has always been known for his diligence, but unexpectedly, Zhang Tingyu was even more diligent, Shi Zai:
"The daily waiter is on duty, from the morning to the twilight, do not dare to retreat, and wait until one or two drums."
This means that Zhang Tingyu was on duty in the cabinet every day, working from morning to night, and sometimes working overtime until night.
At that time, the cabinet of university scholars was headed by Fucha Maqi, an old minister of the Kangxi Dynasty, and Yongzheng made Zhang Tingyu the crown prince Taibao, and concurrently served as the head of the Hanlin Academy, "ordering the university scholars". That is, although Zhang Tingyu was not a university scholar, Yongzheng let him enter the cabinet first to handle government affairs, as if he used Zhang Tingyu as a university scholar and teamed up with Ma Qi.
In the fourth year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng ordered Zhang Tingyu to be a scholar of Wenyuange University and concurrently serve as a Hubu Shangshu, and two years later, Zhang Tingyu paid homage to Baohedian University and concurrently served as an official Shangshu. At this point, Zhang Tingyu already had a great deal of say in the cabinet of the Yongzheng Dynasty.
Yongzheng was an emperor who was determined to innovate, and during his reign, he swept away the ills of Kangxi in his later years, refreshed the administration of officials, and cleaned up the deficits, including the new policies such as "spreading out the land into acres" and "changing the land and returning to the stream" that were later implemented, all of which were indispensable to the planning and implementation of Zhang Tingyu, who was Zaifu.
People know that Yongzheng filled the treasury of the Qing Dynasty, in fact, without Zhang Tingyu, a meticulous and cautious cabinet operator who held important positions in the household department and the bureaucracy, Yongzheng would not have achieved such an achievement so easily.
Because of this, Yongzheng said that Zhang Tingyu was "the first propagandist among the ministers"
Zhang Tingyu is usually very diligent, once he was sick and took a leave, yongzheng did not see him for a day, he was very uncomfortable. Therefore, the "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty" commented:
"Tingyu Zhou min is diligent and cautious, especially reliant."
It can be seen that Yongzheng relies heavily on Zhang Tingyu.
In the seventh year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng founded the Military Aircraft Department, and Zhang Tingyu became the first batch of military aircraft ministers, from the political center to the military, Zhang Tingyu can be described as "a high position of authority". Not only that, many of the systems of the Military Aircraft Department were determined by Zhang Tingyu. Draft History of the Qing Dynasty:
The Military Aircraft Department was initially established, and the post system was determined by Tingyu.
Zhang Tingyu not only made great contributions to the military of the Yongzheng Dynasty, but also laid the foundation for the military system of the Qing Dynasty for nearly two hundred years in the future.
In the tenth year of Yongzheng, Ortai, a great hero who promoted the "reform of the land and return to the stream" in Yunnan, was transferred to the capital by Yongzheng and served as a scholar of the Bohol Temple, becoming Zhang Tingyu's partner in the cabinet. The pair lasted for more than ten years in the Qing Dynasty and had a great influence on the Qing Dynasty.
In the thirteenth year of Yongzheng, the Yongzheng Emperor died, and Zhang Tingyu and Ortai, as well as Yunlu and Yunli, were appointed as ministers of gu orders, and Yongzheng left a will to appoint him to the Taimiao Temple after Zhang Tingyu's death. However, the heights were cold, and Yongzheng's promise left hidden dangers for Zhang Tingyu.
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After Qianlong ascended the throne, in order to quickly gain a firm foothold, he attached great importance to Zhang Tingyu, and Qianlong not only made Zhang Tingyu a third-class earl, but also made Zhang Tingyu the prince's tutor. Moreover, in major cultural projects such as the Records of Emperor Shizong of the Qing Dynasty, the History of the Ming Dynasty, and the Great Qing Huidian, Zhang Tingyu was also made the chief compiler, in short, it is said that Zhang Tingyu was deeply valued in the Yongzheng Dynasty, but in the early years of Qianlong, Qianlong's favor for him was no worse than that of his father.
The difference is that Yongzheng reused Zhang Tingyu to value Zhang Tingyu's loyalty and ability, while Qianlong favored Zhang Tingyu and valued Zhang Tingyu's prestige and role even more.
Faithfulness and competence generally do not change. However, the prestige and role, as Qianlong grows, will gradually become inferior, and when Qianlong has a firm foothold, zhang Tingyu and other old ministers will inevitably be disliked by him.
Throughout the feudal society, most of the ministers left by the previous emperor had two endings, the first was to completely suppress the new emperor. The second is to wait for the new emperor's feathers to grow and stomp the chancellor under his feet.
The reason for this is that the ministers of gu orders are often very prestigious, and they either prevent the new emperor from implementing the "new policy", or use the rules of the previous emperor period to restrain the new emperor, blocking the growth of the new emperor and making the new emperor unable to do whatever he wants, so they were hated by the new emperor. Zhang Tingyu was familiar with the history books and was responsible for compiling the "History of Ming", taking history as a mirror, of course he knew what he should do.
In fact, although Zhang Tingyu was favored in the early qianlong period, he paid great attention to his words and deeds to avoid being caught by others.
For example, Zhang Tingyu was ranked as Zaifu, and someone wanted to seduce him through his son Zhang Ruoyi, so he sent some calligraphy and paintings to Zhang Ruoyi. When Zhang Tingyu heard about it, he asked his son to return the painting and angrily scolded his son:
"I have no talent for Jiexi, and Ru has the good of the East Building!"
"Jiexi" is the character of Yan Song, the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty cabinet and a corrupt official; "East Building" is the name of Yan Shifan, the son of Yan Song. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Yan Songquan fell to the opposition, and his son Yan Shifan was even more greedy, and eventually the father and son fell together. Zhang Tingyu was able to take Yan Song's father and son as a warning, which showed how much he cherished feathers.
Once, Zhang Tingyu had a clan nephew who was bullying people, and Zhang Tingyu immediately ordered his clan nephew to resign from the official and return to his hometown in Tongcheng to think about it for three years.
Not only that, Zhang Tingyu is also very concerned about the overall situation, without any arrogance. As early as the eleventh year of Yongzheng, Zhang Tingyu's son Zhang Ruoyi won the third place in the first division (Tanhua), and on the day of Zhang Bang, Zhang Tingyu said to Yongzheng:
"Since ancient times, the imperial examination has been the promotion path of the children of the cold door, and my Zhang family has been favored by two generations of emperors, and it is no longer a cold door, and the dog is not suitable for competing with the children of the cold door for the crown."
Therefore, Zhang Tingyu demoted his son to the second class, and Yongzheng was relieved.
In the tenth year of Qianlong, due to the death of Ortai's illness, Qianlong promoted Neqin to the rank of cabinet university scholar. Zhang Tingyu was an old courtier of the former dynasty, and he also had the covenant of enjoying the Taimiao Temple, so it was reasonable to say that his position in the cabinet should be above that of Ne Qin. However, Zhang Tingyu took the initiative to retreat and let Ne Qin be the "first assistant". It made me very scared. In the end, Qianlong personally made a decision, and in the cabinet shift, Ne Qin was at the head, and if he walked in the official's department, Zhang Tingyu was in the first place.
In these two examples, it can be seen that Zhang Tingyu not only cares about the overall situation, but also cares very much about his reputation and does not want to leave any stains on himself.
On the other hand, Zhang Tingyu's partner Ortai, since Yongzheng ten years after he entered the cabinet, ortai's stains have continued to appear. During the Yongzheng period, his younger brother Orqi was impeached by Li Wei; during the Qianlong period, his son Errong'an was impeached several times by Yushi, and Ortai was almost forced to resign. Ortai himself also had many problems, he was ineffective in counterinsurgency, conniving at the crimes of his subordinates, etc., and the historical records are very clear.
However, contrary to his wishes, although Zhang Tingyu cherished his reputation, but the heights were not cold, during the Qianlong period, Zhang Tingyu and Ortai partnered for ten years, they were all old ministers of the former emperor, and they were famous outside, and the Manchu and Han ministers unconsciously took the lead of the two and gradually formed a party struggle. Draft History of the Qing Dynasty:
Gu Yi has been in the government for a long time, and the two children and guests have gradually competed for power and horns, and Gaozong's candles have been destroyed.
This means that although Zhang Tingyu and Ortai have no intention of party struggle, their protégés inevitably fall for each other in order to compete for interests, so the "E-Party" and "Zhang Party" are formed.
Once, Qianlong borrowed Liu Tongxun's mouth to suppress zhang and yao (Zhang Tingyu's mother and wife were both surnamed Yao) and two officials. The Draft History of the Qing Dynasty and the Biography of Liu Tongxun records:
Zhang and Yao were surnamed Bentongcheng giants, and their officials were either recommended by their own subjects, or attacked yin and discussed, increasing day by month. It is now impossible to deliberate on the elimination of the people, but to suppress the path of removal slightly, so that it will be refrained from being full of suspicion, that is, it will be preserved and created.
This means that there are too many gentry surnamed Zhang and Yao in Tongcheng, and every time there is a scientific examination or local recommendation, there are a large number of students with the second surname, who also take care of each other in the official field, and the outside world has long been unaccustomed to it. In order for them not to be complacent, tongcheng Zhang and Yao should not be allowed to be promoted within three years.
In fact, it was very normal for ancient warriors to intermarry with each other and take care of each other in the official arena, and Qianlong's move was obviously to suppress Zhang Tingyu and make those officials who followed Zhang Tingyu have a little inspiration.
Zhang Tingyu has been a Zaifu for more than ten years, and this reason can still be seen. He knew that as Qianlong grew up, his old thing became more and more annoying. Therefore, Zhang Tingyu planned to resign. Unexpectedly, this resignation led to trouble.
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Ten years after Qianlong's death, Zhang Tingyu felt Qianlong's dislike and suppression of himself, and he had some feelings of "rabbit death and fox sorrow". Therefore, in the thirteenth year of Qianlong, the 76-year-old Zhang Tingyu proposed to Qianlong for the first time to resign and return to his hometown. Unexpectedly, Qianlong did not let him go, and Qianlong said:
"Qing qing has received great favors from the two dynasties, and has been entrusted with the Taimiao Temple on the orders of the emperor, so why did he return to the field from the ancestors and die in old age?"
This means that you are an old courtier who promised to enjoy the Taimiao Temple, how can you return to your hometown and return to the field to grow old?
Zhang Tingyu is worthy of the two ranks of jinshi, his eloquence is not lost to Qianlong, Zhang Tingyu said: "The Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty also have many ministers who deserve to enjoy the Taimiao Temple, and they can also return to the field to grow old." Moreover, the ancients reached the age of suspension at the age of 70, and now that I am 76, I should no longer lie in the court. ”
When Qianlong heard this, he was not happy, and said to Zhang Tingyu: "How can you be the same as them, you have served the Qing Dynasty for more than 40 years, and it is closely related to the fortunes of the Great Qing Dynasty, since the former emperor let you enjoy the Taimiao Temple, you should bow down and die of exhaustion in office." ”
Since ancient times, there have been many ways for emperors to refuse ministers to resign, but it is rare for Qianlong to refuse for such reasons.
Did Zhang Tingyu want to say to Qianlong: The subject has worked hard all his life and does not want to die of exhaustion?
Therefore, Zhang Tingyu resigned this time and failed to succeed.
Then, many people will be surprised, since Qianlong did not like Zhang Tingyu, why did he not let Zhang Tingyu return to his hometown?
First, the ancients cloud: good craftsmen have no discarded materials. Qianlong also cherished his reputation, and the former emperor left him a vassal, and he let it go so easily, which would make it seem that he would not use people. He thought that Zhang Tingyu had better die of illness in office like Ertai, which was called death.
Second, there may be a reason, Zhang Tingyu assisted Yongzheng for 13 years, and he knew yongzheng well about things like "killing his brother and killing his brother" in that year, Zhang Tingyu knew too much, or stayed in the capital to insurance.
Qianlong had thought that this time he and Zhang Tingyu debated, Zhang Tingyu would stop. Who knows, since Zhang Tingyu felt Qianlong's alienation from him, he did not want to serve the Qianlong Emperor.
So, in the second year, Zhang Tingyu once again offered his resignation. Zhang Tingyu said sincerely, saying that he was more than seventy years old, his ears were not good, and his eyes were spent. In order to reassure Qianlong himself, he also said, "When Your Majesty travels south in the next year, I will go to Jiangning to meet him!" ”
Zhang Tingyu has been a zaifu all his life, and his words are very profound, and the implication is: I am under your control at any time.
After Qianlong listened, he was sure to relax and promised Zhang Tingyu to return to his hometown. Who knows, Zhang Tingyu suddenly asked a question before resigning:
"Meng Shizong was entrusted with the Taimiao Temple, and in the previous year, he was given an edict of grace, and it was not appropriate for him to return to the field to grow old, for fear that he would not receive more honors after his death." No crown prostrations, begging for a word as a coupon. ”
This means that the first emperor promised me to enjoy the Taimiao Temple. But you said last year that an old minister who deserves to enjoy the Taimiao Temple should not return to the field to die old. Now that I have returned to my hometown, I don't know if I can still enjoy the Taimiao Temple in the future, and I hope that His Majesty will give his subjects a precise word!
Many people think that Zhang Tingyu is old and confused. Didn't he say this to show that he believed more in Yongzheng and did not believe in Qianlong?
In fact, the author does not think so, I think that Zhang Tingyu does not believe in Qianlong, but he is not confused. The reason why he said this was because he cared too much about his reputation and wanted to enjoy the temple too much. He feared that Qianlong would cancel his treatment of being entitled to the Taimiao Temple because he "returned to the field and died of old age." Zhang Tingyu said it openly and honestly, and Qianlong would certainly not play lai again.
It turned out that Zhang Tingyu was scheming and he succeeded. The "Qing History Manuscript Zhang Tingyu Biography" records:
The lord did not hesitate, but he issued the edict, Shen Shizong was ordained, and made a poem to show it.
Although Qianlong was not very happy at that time, but he could not help Zhang Tingyu, Qianlong issued an edict and sent someone to Zhang Tingyu's mansion, reiterating Yongzheng's promise that year and giving Zhang Tingyu a reassuring pill.
But Qianlong was the Son of Heaven after all, and Zhang Tingyu's purpose was achieved, but qianlong was not happy. After Zhang Tingyu received the edict, he sent his son Zhang Ruocheng into the palace early the next morning to thank him. The anger in Qianlong's heart finally broke out, and he thought that Zhang Tingyu relied on the old man and sold the old man, and he did not come to Thank you personally.
In fact, in ancient times, there was a precedent for the emperor to reward the old minister, and the old minister let his son come to thank him. Zhang Tingyu was 77 years old at the time, dizzy, and it was not rude to send his son to thank him. But Qianlong seized on Zhang Tingyu's "mistake" and insisted on it. After Zhang Tingyu heard this, the next day he had to be supported by his two sons, trembling slightly into the palace, kneeling on the ground to personally thank him, and saying that he was old and confused, and begged Qianlong to withdraw himself from the treatment of the Taimiao Temple.
Zhang Tingyu is indeed a master of the temple, qianlong just issued an edict the day before yesterday, if it is suddenly withdrawn today, will not he punch him in the face? Therefore, Zhang Tingyu calculated that Qianlong would not do this. Sure enough, although Qianlong stripped Zhang Tingyu of his title as Earl, he still allowed him to enjoy the Taimiao Temple.
It has to be said that although Qianlong is deliberately suppressing Zhang Tingyu, Zhang Tingyu also has a side of calculating Qianlong.
In February of the following year, Qianlong's eldest son Yong Huang died of illness, and just after the first ceremony, Zhang Tingyu applied to leave Beijing and return to his hometown. Qianlong was furious, because Zhang Tingyu had been the teacher of several elderly princes, and Yong Huang was also a student of Zhang Tingyu, so Qianlong thought that Zhang Tingyu did not think of a little teacher-student friendship. So he angrily rebuked Zhang Tingyu and warned Zhang Tingyu: If you look at the ministers who are worthy of the Taimiao Temple in history, which one is like you? You say it yourself, do you still have such qualifications?
Zhang Tingyu was really frightened this time, and even wrote a letter to confess his guilt, requesting that he be deposed and deserve the treatment of the Taimiao Temple. Qianlong finally seized the opportunity, so he canceled the covenant of the Taimiao Temple, and then let Zhang Tingyu return to his hometown.
In the spring of the fifteenth year of Qianlong, Zhang Tingyu provoked Qianlong with suspicion, and the treatment of the Taimiao Temple was gone, and he left the capital in frustration and returned to his hometown. But Qianlong did not forget Zhang Tingyu and did not forget to beat him from time to time.
Soon after, the Sichuan scholar Zhu Xiao was investigated for the crime, Zhu Xiao was Zhang Tingyu's in-laws and had been recommended by Zhang Tingyu. Qianlong used this as an excuse to send people from Beijing to Tongcheng to specifically reprimand Zhang Tingyu and ask Zhang Tingyu to hand over all the things that the imperial court had rewarded him over the years. Someone came to dig three feet into Zhang Tingyu's home and took away all the so-called "imperial gifts."
The people of the imperial court left, and the 79-year-old Zhang Hengchen sat in the old mansion, looking at the sunset in the north, and his heart was like bitter artemisia. He may be thinking that he was an official in the Qing Dynasty for 50 years, trembling, never making a big mistake, what did he get? Was it a cake that Yongzheng painted for him, or a white-headed sigh that Qianlong gave him?
Five years later, Zhang Tingyu died of illness at home at the age of 84, and before his death, none of the governors of Jiangnan Province came to visit him. After Qianlong learned of Zhang Tingyu's death, he suddenly released his feelings, and Zhang Tingyu was "Wenhe", and decided to fulfill Yongzheng's promise to share Zhang Tingyu with the Taimiao Temple.
Facts proved that after Qianlong tossed Zhang Tingyu over, he finally put on a benevolent face and gave him everything he owed to Zhang Tingyu.
When I read the history of the Qing Dynasty, I found that Zhang Tingyu's various misfortunes in his later years, as well as his various contradictions with Qianlong, were almost all due to four words- worthy of the Taimiao Temple.
Zhang Tingyu wanted to create a record too much, and he wanted to enjoy the Temple too much, so much so that although he wanted to return to his hometown, he still remembered the Temple. He offended Qianlong because of these four words, and also because of these four words, the evening scenery was desolate.
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The author believes that Zhang Tingyu made great contributions to the Qing Dynasty, he served as an official in the Qing Dynasty for 50 years, conscientiously assisted three generations of emperors, and his reform of the Qing Dynasty system, the governance of the mountains and rivers of the Qing Dynasty, and the creation of the "Prosperous Era of Kangqian" have all been credited that cannot be ignored.
There is a sentence in the "Zhuangzi Outer Chapter, Volume 5", which is very classic:
The name, the public instrument also, is not more than desirable.
The translation of this sentence means that reputation is shared by all the people of the world, and it should not be excessively greedy. Zhang Tingyu is undoubtedly a hero and deserves the respect of future generations. But he was overly persistent in terms of leaving his name behind him.