In the history of the mainland, Zhang Tingyu was an important political figure during the Qing Dynasty, an important minister of the three dynasties of Kang Yongqian, the chief compiler of the History of the Ming Dynasty, and even enjoyed the Taimiao after his death, and was also the only Han minister in the Qing Dynasty who deserved to enjoy the Taimiao.
His life witnessed the heyday and changes of the Qing Dynasty, experienced the trust and suspicion of three emperors, and was a legendary figure.
So, how did he rise step by step from a Hanchen, and how did he step by step to the top? Let's talk about it today.
The road to the beginning and the pinnacle of power
Zhang Tingyu was born in the 11th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, the son of Zhang Ying, a university scholar, and showed extraordinary talent since he was a child. About the thirty-ninth year of Kangxi, Zhang Tingyu was admitted to the Jinshi and awarded the Hanlin Academy for review, and became the emperor's personal attendant in the South Study.
Later, because of the death of his parents, he returned to his hometown to keep filial piety, and returned to the imperial court after Ding Wei, and successively participated in the compilation of important cultural projects such as "Kangxi Dictionary" and "Records of Qing Shengzu".
Of course, what made Zhang Tingyu rise step by step in the political arena was his ability to govern affairs, and he participated in peace negotiations on the northwest frontier and perfectly resolved diplomatic problems. In general, Zhang Tingyu in the Kangxi Dynasty could only be regarded as a role courtier, not a close confidant of the emperor.
After Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, Zhang Tingyu began to be more highly used, successively serving as the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, the secretary of the Ministry of Households, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, and also served as the master of the Hanlin Academy, which is equivalent to the master of many princes.
Zhang Tingyu also participated in the compilation of the "History of the Ming Dynasty" in the Yongzheng Dynasty, serving as the chief compiler responsible for organizing, reviewing, and revising various materials, and finally completed this masterpiece after more than ten years. At the same time, Zhang Tingyu was also one of the founders of the Military Aircraft Department.
He usually helps Emperor Yongzheng to deal with various important government affairs of the country, and has close communication with the emperor and enjoys a high level of trust.
Since Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister system, the Military Aircraft Department is equivalent to the "prime minister's institution" of the Qing Dynasty, which is equivalent to the highest decision-making body of government affairs, which shows how high Zhang Tingyu's status is.
There is such a scene in "Yongzheng Dynasty": the eighth elder brother, the ninth elder brother and the tenth elder brother forced the palace Yongzheng Emperor, and no one in the entire court, including the prince, dared to touch his moldy head, and Zhang Tingyu dared to stand up to save the scene, which shows that his identity is not simple.
Through such an incident, it can also be seen how loyal Zhang Tingyu was to Emperor Yongzheng, and it is precisely because of this that he participated in a series of reform measures during the Yongzheng Dynasty, such as rectifying the rule of officials and reforming the tax system.
Why is it stormy in Qianlong
As the saying goes, "flowers are not red for a hundred days, and people are not good for a thousand days", no matter how brilliant a person is, there will be a day of decline, Zhang Tingyu is naturally no exception, and the decline of things also perfectly reflects the truth of "a son of heaven and a courtier".
In the early days of Emperor Qianlong's succession, Zhang Tingyu still retained his original status and power, and continued to serve as the Minister of Military Aircraft, and was an old and important minister in the court. He was also crowned as a first-class Ada Hahafan and a third-class viscount, which was the highest title among the Qing Dynasty scholars.
From the perspective of age, Zhang Tingyu at that time was already old and decrepit, and he could not adapt to Emperor Qianlong's new policies and new style.
At the same time, the seniority of the patriarchs of the Three Dynasties also made him have a certain amount of dependence, and he was too conceited and stubborn to disagree with Emperor Qianlong's opinions and style, and gradually lost the emperor's trust and favor.
In short, how much he was favored by Emperor Yongzheng at the beginning, and how much he is suppressed and rejected by Emperor Qianlong now, and finally asked for retirement in the thirteenth year of Qianlong with old age and illness.
Emperor Qianlong insisted on staying but no longer reusing him, and arranged for some new people to replace him in the military aircraft department, making him a useless ornament.
A year later, Zhang Tingyu asked for retirement again to get permission, but because of the posthumous enjoyment of the Taimiao, there was a greater conflict with Emperor Qianlong, so that his brilliant life ended up being "degraded".
It is worth mentioning that Zhang Tingyu's greatest luck is to get the edict of Emperor Yongzheng, even if he was suppressed in his later years, he also won the honor of enjoying the Taimiao after his death.
So, what is the edict left by Emperor Yongzheng to Zhang Tingyu? This matter has also been arranged by some people into stories, film and television dramas, let's briefly introduce one or two.
Slow, there's another secret message
It is said that since the invention of the "secret reserve system" in the Qing Dynasty, even if the edict of the prince is hidden in the Zhengda Guangming plaque, generally after the death of the emperor, special personnel will take out the holy decree and read it.
When Emperor Qianlong succeeded to the throne, the edict of succession had just been read, and at this time Zhang Tingyu suddenly stood up and said that there was another holy decree. The ministers were shocked when they heard this, and if the contents of the two decrees were different, it would be troublesome.
Fortunately, the emperor in Zhang Tingyu's hands did not change the successor, and Hongli is still the legal successor, but it emphasizes one point, that is, Qianlong is required to treat Zhang Tingyu well, after all, he is a veteran of the three dynasties and has worked hard for the Qing Dynasty for more than ten years.
From here, it is not difficult to see why Zhang Tingyu should attach importance to this edict, mainly related to his own interests, once he enters the temple of the Qing Dynasty, the reputation is false, and the welfare of future generations is real.
In real history, Zhang Tingyu played a great role in the early days of the Qianlong Dynasty, participated in the pacification of the Junggar rebellion, resisted Russian aggression, and conquered Burma and Nepal.
In addition, in the face of such a veteran of the three dynasties, Emperor Qianlong would also have scruples in implementing various policies, and Zhang Tingyu slowly lost his favor. However, one thing that made Emperor Qianlong really disgusted with him was because the interference in imperial power was too serious.
According to historical records, Zhang Tingyu sent his son to thank him after receiving Qianlong's promise, but he learned the news in advance at the military aircraft, and the holy decree did not come down.
Just imagine, the emperor has not yet issued an edict Zhang Tingyu knew in advance, even a fool knows that he has "someone" in the military aircraft, this kind of power infiltration, faction and personal gain is more hated by any emperor, after all, it has a great impact on the regime of a dynasty.
Before this incident, Qianlong just felt that Zhang Tingyu was old and could not do it, and after this incident, he directly changed from disgust to disgust, deprived of all official positions and relegated home, but because of the existence of Emperor Yongzheng's edict, he still entered the Taimiao after his death.
That's why it is said that Zhang Tingyu's greatest luck is to get the edict of Emperor Yongzheng, otherwise his head will have to move, and in serious cases, he will even raid his house.
What do you think differently about this?