During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, a hidden corner in the Forbidden City was hidden in the depths of the Forbidden City, where a forgotten secret was hidden. This secret is about a former prince, Emperor Kangxi's son Yinyu, whose fate has taken a dramatic turn overnight. From enjoying the endless glory of royal life to being imprisoned in the isolated eastern courtyard of the Fire Temple, Yinyu's story is a history full of tragedy.
People often ask: What was Yinyu's situation after he was imprisoned? How did his life step by step lead to the abyss of despair? What kind of hardships did this former prince go through before he came to the point where he had nothing to love in life and nothing to ask for in death? Some people even lamented that his end was even more tragic than that of the Eighth Master back then.
1. The Affliction of the Fire Temple
During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, Yinyu, the son of Emperor Kangxi, was imprisoned in the east courtyard of the Fire Temple. The walls of the Fire Temple are towering, and the walls are inlaid with sharp shards of glass, preventing anyone from infiltrating or escaping. The courtyard is overgrown with weeds, as if no one has taken care of it for a long time.
Li Fu, the governor of Baoding, in order to aggravate Yinyu's suffering, specially ordered all pigs in the Baoding area to be slaughtered in the Fire Temple. Every morning, dozens of carts full of pigs to be slaughtered slowly drive into the open space next to the fire temple. The frightened cries of the pigs pierced the quiet morning light and continued to echo between the courtyard walls.
The process of slaughtering is cruel and lengthy. The butchers brandished their blood-stained knives, and pig blood splattered and stained the ground red. Pig feces and offal can be found everywhere, emitting a disgusting stench. The stench drifted in the wind, through the courtyard walls, and permeated Yinyu's cell.
Yinyu's living environment is extremely simple. The room was small, with only a dilapidated bamboo bed and a desk. The windows are small and narrow, allowing only a ray of sunlight to let in. There are several moldy books stacked in the corner, seemingly left behind by a former prisoner.
Every day, Yinyu is confined to this small space, and can only listen to the screams of the pigs outside and the hoarse shouts of the butchers. The butchers often cast cold or mocking glances at Yinyu, as if he was worse than these pigs to be slaughtered.
In the afternoon, when the sun shines through the high wall and obliquely on Yinyu's narrow windowsill, he can occasionally see the scene of the butchers outside the courtyard resting. They sat around and talked about their home routines over a rough lunch. Their laughter and conversation were in stark contrast to Yinyu's.
When night falls, the Temple of Fire becomes unusually silent. Only the occasional moaning of pigs and the distant noise of butchers breaking the silence. Yin Yu lay on the hardwood bed, listening to these sounds until late at night.
2. Closed life in captivity
Yinyu's forbidden place was located in the most remote corner of the east courtyard of the Fire God Temple, and was tightly sealed by Li Fu, forming an isolated courtyard. There was nothing in the yard but a withered old tree and a few loose stone slabs. The high walls are covered with thick moss, and the corners of the walls are covered with fallen leaves.
His daily diet is fed in through a small turner, which is his only connection to the outside world. The barrel is an ancient mechanism consisting of a rotating wooden cylinder mounted inside a small hole in the wall. The food was put into the tube, and with a slight turn, it was sent to Yinyu's hands from the other end.
At first, Yinyu's food was acceptable, with porridge, side dishes and dried steamed buns every day. But soon, Li Fu lowered his diet to the point where he was no different from a felon. The diet began to become extremely rudimentary, sometimes with only a few blackened hard steamed buns and a bowl of light soup. Occasionally, a few stale leaves float in the soup.
In the afternoon, when the sun is high, the courtyard becomes strangely quiet. The footsteps of the food delivery became the only breath of life here. The person who delivered the meal never lingered, but just put the food in the barrel each time, turned the wooden tube, and left in a hurry.
One day, the person who delivered the meal stayed for a while, looking at Yinyu through the small hole. Yinyu picked up the rice bowl, and the eyes of the two met in an instant. The food delivery person whispered, "This is today's meal." Yinyu nodded, took the rice bowl, and the rice delivery person turned to leave.
The quality of Yinyu's food is extremely poor, often steamed buns are moldy, and the soup is tasteless. Every time he eats, he spends a long time, forcing himself to finish these hard-to-swallow foods. After the meal, the empty lunch box is put back into the carousel again and sent back to the outside world.
At night, the moonlight shines through the gaps in the high walls and casts on the stone slabs of the courtyard. Yinyu often sat on the stone slab, holding a blackened steamed bun in his hand, quietly looking at the moonlight. Under the moonlight, the blackened steamed bun seemed to become heavier.
When winter comes, the cold wind blows through the yard, carrying the cold rain. Rainwater dripped from the eaves and wet the corners of the yard. Yinyu's meals have become more rudimentary, sometimes with only a bowl of cold water and a few slices of dry and hard dough.
Every morning, Yinyu is woken up by the food that is delivered. He sat up from the bed, slowly walked to the turntable, and took the cold lunch box. He ate silently, the quality of his meals declining every day, but he was Xi to it.
Day after day, Yinyu spent time in this isolated courtyard. His days were hard and long, and every meal became a challenge. The quality of the food seemed to be a microcosm of his fate, reminding him every day that he had been reduced from a former prince to a forgotten prisoner. In this enclosed space, Yinyu silently endured all this, and time passed slowly in this silence.
3. Severe physical bondage
In order to prevent Yinyu from committing suicide, Li Fu deliberately made a heavy iron cable. These iron cables are cold and rough, and each link is like a merciless mockery of Yinyu's fate. The iron ropes were wrapped around his hands and feet, restricting his every move. In this small, high-walled forbidden place, Yinyu could barely walk. The grinding of the iron ropes echoed through the silence of the cell, reminding him of his constant restraints.
The summer sun scorched every brick and tile of the Fire Temple, and the temperature inside the high walls was unbearably high. Yinyu's cell became a steamer, hot and humid intertwined. The foul smell of water stains in the corners of the walls, combined with the stench of the slaughterhouse outside, filled the whole space with an unbearable smell.
When the sun goes down and night falls, the heat and stench in the yard seem to be even stronger. The summer night wind brought a hint of coolness, but it was barely noticeable in the forbidden place surrounded by high walls. The iron rope made a piercing sound as Yinyu turned over, like a spell of the night, constantly echoing in this small space.
Late one night, a guard approached the cell and peered through the bars window. Yin Yu looked up, and the two eyes met in the night. The guard said mockingly, "Prince, your palace is really comfortable. Yin Yu just looked at him quietly and didn't respond. The guard sneered and turned to leave.
Early in the morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone through the narrow window, Yinyu tried to stand up. The iron rope left deep marks on him, and every movement made him feel severe pain. He struggled to move, trying to take a few steps in the confined space.
The afternoon sun slanted into the cell, shining on the wall and looking particularly dazzling. Yin Yu leaned against the wall, and the iron rope dragged on the ground, making a heavy sound. He tried to walk to the window and look out through the iron railing. The sun hung high and the sky was blue, in stark contrast to his captivity.
Whenever the time came to deliver the meal, Yinyu had to move to the turntable with great difficulty. His hands and feet were severely bound by iron ropes, and every step was full of challenges. With trembling hands, he took the lunch box in the turner. For him, eating is both a necessary means of survival and endless suffering.
As time passed, the iron rope left traces on Yinyu's body. His skin was worn out and his wounds were often inflamed. Summer mosquitoes were biting at the wound, adding to his pain. But in this unattended sanctuary, there is no healing or consolation.
At night, Yinyu often has difficulty sleeping because of pain. He lay on a hardwood bed, with iron ropes tightly bound to him, restricting all his freedom. In this small and humid space, every breath of Yinyu was full of pain. His body was gradually emaciated, and his strength was gradually exhausted.
In this scorching summer season, Yinyu endured endless torture in the prison cell. His body and mind were constantly being consumed in this unforgiving environment. The former prince suffers unimaginable hardships here, struggling with pain and despair every day. In this enclosed space, time seems to stand still, and every moment is silently proving Yinyu's tragic fate.
4. Deterioration of health
As time passed, Li Fu's pressure on Yinyu became more and more serious. He ordered the guards to reduce the food they were sending and to send more fruits and melons. Although these fruits and melons look fresh, they quickly become unfit for consumption in this poor hygienic environment.
Yinyu's diet has become extremely simple, and almost every meal is a few melons and fruits and a small amount of steamed buns. Due to the long-term lack of nutrition and poor hygiene, Yinyu began to experience symptoms of diarrhea. Whenever after a meal, he would feel a sharp pain in his abdomen, which was especially severe at night.
There were no medical facilities in the cell, and Yinyu could only endure this physical pain. His health deteriorated dramatically due to prolonged malnutrition and constant diarrhea. Yinyu's weight gradually decreased, and his face became extremely pale.
Early one morning, the guards brought breakfast as usual, but Yinyu no longer had the strength to stand up and get food. The guards looked through the iron bars and saw Yinyu lying on the bed, exhausted. The guard said indifferently, "Prince, it's time to eat." Yinyu replied weakly, but did not get up. The warden shook his head, put the lunch box in the carousel, and turned to leave.
Yinyu's condition continued to deteriorate without proper treatment. His body was getting weaker and weaker, and it was difficult for him to get out of bed even the most basic. The diarrhoea was not under control and his physical and mental state was declining.
Every time he eats, Yinyu needs to spend a lot of effort chewing and swallowing those dry and hard steamed buns. Although the melons and fruits were slightly fresh, they were the main culprit for his diarrhea. Despite this, he had no choice but to continue consuming it.
Due to prolonged diarrhea and malnutrition, Yinyu's legs and feet became unusually weak. Every time he tried to stand, he felt a wave of dizziness and weakness. The weight of the ropes became heavier, as if it was going to drag him into hell.
At night, when the cold wind blew through the narrow window of the cell, Yinyu curled up in the corner, trying to find a trace of warmth. His body was tormented by illness, and every breath became difficult. The walls of the cell seemed to be shrinking, pressing against his emaciated body.
Even in such an environment, Yin Yu still adheres to the daily reading Xi. He struggled to concentrate on reading the moldy books, even though reading became more and more difficult. The handwriting of the book danced in his blurred vision, but he still struggled to focus.
Whenever the footsteps of the food delivery gradually faded away, Yinyu would lie quietly on the bed and listen to the sounds outside the cell. These voices are his only connection to the outside world, and even such a faint and indirect connection has become his daily consolation.
In this kind of illness and loneliness, Yinyu's life repeats itself every day. He had been a prince who enjoyed endless honor, but now he spent every day in sickness and despair. Every day and night reminded him that his former glory was a thing of the past, and that he could only suffer in silence in this small, dark cell.
5. Tragic end and retribution
In the cell in the east courtyard of the Fire God Temple, Yinyu's health finally reached a critical point. After a long period of illness and malnutrition, he died quietly overnight. When his body was found, curled up in a small bed, his face pale and unusually thin.
After the news came out, Yongzheng did not say anything about it. He turned a blind eye to Yinyu's death, showing no signs of mourning or concern. After Yinyu's son learned the news of his father's death, he could only hold a hasty funeral for him under extremely simple conditions. There was no mourning, no official mourning, everything was done in a hurry in silence.
Yinyu's death has aroused widespread concern among the DPRK and the people. Many people were outraged and dissatisfied with Li Fu's cruel acts. His atrocities not only ruined the life of a prince, but also shocked the entire society. People privately discussed and condemned Li Fu's brutality and ruthlessness.
Soon after, Li Fu's fate also changed. Emperor Yongzheng demoted Li Fu on false charges, and his power and status were wiped out overnight. This change caused quite a stir in the DPRK, and many people saw it as a direct punishment for Li Fu's atrocities.
Subsequently, Li Fu was sentenced to death for other cases. This news caused a huge sensation in the imperial court and the people. Many believe that this is due retribution for the crimes he committed against Yinyu. However, before the sentence was executed, Yongzheng pardoned his death sentence.
Although the death penalty was spared, Li Fu spent the rest of his life in obscurity in the National History Museum. He was assigned to compile the "Eight Banners Tongzhi" at the National History Museum, a job that kept him away from the center of the government and became a forgotten character. He never regained his former power and influence.
It was not until Qianlong succeeded to the throne that Li Fu gradually recovered some official positions, but he was no longer in his prime. His life passed quietly in books and loneliness, in stark contrast to the glory and power of yesteryear.
Yinyu's death and Li Fu's fate have become a thought-provoking story in the history of the Qing Dynasty. It not only reflects the cruelty and complexity of court politics at that time, but also shows the ruthlessness and tragedy of the power struggle. This history has become an important case for later generations to think deeply about power, justice, and human nature.
"The Secret History of Qing Dynasty"