The most thrilling scene in "Yongzheng Dynasty", in addition to the eight kings discussing politics and forcing the palace, is the battle between the death of Emperor Kangxi and the succession of Emperor Yongzheng on the night of his accession to the throne.
Although in the end, the fourth Yinzhen inherited the throne with the dying will of Emperor Kangxi, as well as the full support of Wu Sidao, Zhang Wuge, Zhang Tingyu, the thirteenth Yinxiang, and the seventeenth Yinli. But the whole process was full of ups and downs, not only was it full of dangers, but it even fell into a situation where his life was hanging by a thread.
The reason for this is that in addition to the fact that the princes of Emperor Kangxi have ghosts in their hearts and do not want to let go of the opportunity to inherit the throne, they are also inseparable from the arrangements made by Emperor Kangxi before his death.
So, Emperor Kangxi obviously has time to arrange everything, why didn't he determine the prince in advance, and he had to make it so suspenseful, and only said the fourth elder brother Yinzhen when he had his last breath left?
Yang Jiaofeng talks about the series of articles on "Yongzheng Dynasty": No wonder Emperor Kangxi's succession is so suspenseful, what do you think in his heart?
One
Since the crown prince Yinren was deposed twice, Emperor Kangxi has never set up a prince, and he also deliberately issued a clear edict, that is, he will no longer establish a prince from now on.
However, as Emperor Kangxi's health deteriorated day by day, he could sit still, but these courtiers below couldn't sit still. Yes, the emperor's refusal to appoint a prince means that the next emperor has not been determined. So as courtiers, which prince should be supported in order to ensure the glory and wealth in the future?
Of course, Emperor Kangxi also has his own difficulties, after all, the position of the prince is inherently unsuitable for the emperor. There is a saying that "one mountain does not tolerate two tigers", "there are no two days in the sky, and there are no two monarchs in the country", and the court of the Qing Dynasty can only say it alone. This is also the goal pursued by the kings of all dynasties since Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, and the power must be in the hands of one person.
However, once the crown prince is established, the time is short, and it will not be in the way, but after a long time, the problem will come.
The prince did a good job, he could take charge of himself and control the court, but if he didn't do it, the emperor couldn't sleep well. The prince's performance is too poor, if he doesn't control the court, he will be regarded as incompetent and unsuitable to be the emperor.
What's more, once the crown prince is established, the other princes will also find the target and direction of attack, just like when Wang Luo attacked Emperor Kangxi for not teaching in the court. Except for one or two princes who are trying their best to assist the prince, which of the rest of the princes is not holding power and making trouble, watching the prince's jokes?
On the one hand, Emperor Kangxi really did not make a good choice, and he was still carefully observing which prince should be appointed as the prince. On the other hand, I don't want the prince in my mind to repeat the mistake of abolishing the prince Yinren.
Two
This is also the reason why the war in the northwest broke out again, and Ma Qi's suggestion that the elderly emperor should make another crown prince was rejected!
Because Emperor Kangxi felt that although he was old, he would probably have no problem if he worked for another ten or twenty years. After all, at this age, he can still test his swordsmanship with Hongli, who is a teenager, and he doesn't fall behind, and his body is really tough.
However, when he was 69 years old, when he held the Qiansuo banquet for the second time, he was stunned by a dead eagle that Lao Bayinyu had dropped, and this faint never got up again.
It was also at this time that Wang Ling, the teacher of the abolished prince Yinren, once again made a statement, hoping that Emperor Kangxi would seize the time to set up the fourth Yinzhen as the prince in case of accidents. However, what is unexpected is that Emperor Kangxi knew that he was seriously ill, but he still rejected Wang Liang's suggestion, and even dismissed him from his post and asked him to return to his hometown.
If it is said that he refused to establish a prince in the early stage because his body was still strong and he didn't need it for the time being, but at this time, he was obviously bedridden, but he still refused to establish a prince, why is this?
You must know that Emperor Kangxi is seriously ill, although he hides it from everyone, but in fact, everyone knows that he is more than lucky.
For example, when Wang Luo found the fourth Yinzhen mansion, the first sentence was:
"Fourth master, the emperor is dying......"
After Lao Ba Yinyu was removed by Emperor Kangxi, he left the palace and also told Lao Jiu Yinyu and Lao Shi Yinyu:
"Huang Ama, it looks like you can't survive this winter. ”
Even Wu Sidao could figure out Emperor Kangxi's thoughts, and analyzed to the fourth Yinzhen that the emperor was not in good health, and he couldn't afford it, so he made such an arrangement.
Three
However, the princes below have already been surging in the dark tide, either alone or in a group planning the final battle for the heir, why can Emperor Kangxi still be calm?
The first is the old fourteenth Yinyu, who went against the wishes of the old eighth, and was anxious to win a battle, just to add some military merits to himself. And pinned his hopes on the victory of the battle, Emperor Kangxi could quickly recall him back to Beijing and face the saint to receive the reward. Because since ancient times, there has almost never been a prince to go out to lead troops to fight, and the reason is that on the one hand, he is afraid of three long and two short, and on the other hand, he is afraid that the prince will be highly meritorious.
Yes, looking through the twenty-four histories, I have never heard of the old emperor sending the prince to fight when he was ill?
Therefore, if the old fourteenth Yinyu wants to win the throne, the first step is to make meritorious service, and the second step is to return to Beijing. This is also the reason why he deliberately sent Oro Dai back to Beijing to give birthday gifts, not to his own mansion, but to Lao Bayinyu's mansion.
With his understanding of Lao Bayinxi, as long as Oro Dai went with the birthday gift, plus he deliberately revealed to Yabuqi that he had written a false letter. will inevitably anger the old eighth, as long as he makes a move on his birthday, then he will give the fourteenth yinyu a chance to lead the troops into Beijing to redress his grievances, so as to determine the ownership of the throne.
At this point, he coincided with Lao Bayinxi's idea, or they could play together. It's just that Lao Ba Yinyu is a little more confident, after all, he is in charge of the household department and does not supply grain and grass to Lao Fourteen Yinyu, even if he leads troops into Beijing, he is not his opponent!
Therefore, after the Dead Eagle incident, Emperor Kangxi saw through the thoughts of several of them, so he tried his best to remain calm:
"The guilty, the innocent, God knows, and I know. ”
Four
Since Emperor Kangxi knew that the other princes were eyeing the throne, and he favored the fourth elder brother Yinzhen, why didn't he quickly announce that he would pass on the fourth elder brother Yinzhen while he could still move, and wait for the time when there was only one breath left?
I (Yang Jiaofeng) thinks, except that Emperor Kangxi is extremely greedy for power, and extremely confident in his physical condition, and is unwilling to give up power until the last moment. is also because he has another test for the candidate in his mind, Lao Siyinzhen, because there is still a pockmarked tendon between the two of them.
What is this pockmarked tendon?
It's Zheng Chunhua!
Zheng Chunhua was originally the concubine of Emperor Kangxi, but later because he got involved with the crown prince Yinren, he was demoted to the Huanxi Bureau. Later, the crown prince Yinren wanted to execute her, but it was the thirteenth Yinxiang who secretly saved her, and before he was imprisoned, he handed it over to the fourth Yinzhen.
You must know that when the thirteenth Yinxiang was imprisoned in the Zongren Mansion, one of the charges was to secretly execute Zheng Chunhua, which was a crime announced by Emperor Kangxi in court.
But now, Zheng Chunhua is not dead, he is still hidden by the fourth Yinzhen, what is this?
This is the sin of deception!
When Wang Liang, the teacher of the abolished prince Yinren, found the old fourth Yinzhen mansion, he specially mentioned that Zheng Chunhua hid in the old fourth Yinzhen mansion, not only he knew, but the eighth Yinzhen also knew:
"They've been pretending not to know, just to pinch this card, and wait for the time to play it and put you to death!"
And what is the so-called timing of the old eight Yinxi?
When Emperor Kangxi announced that he would pass on the throne to the fourth Yinzhen, no matter whether Emperor Kangxi was alive or not, as long as Zheng Chunhua was still there, the crime of bullying the monarch could kill him!
Five
This is one of the most important reasons why Emperor Kangxi did not establish the prince in advance, and waited until Zheng Chunhua committed suicide in humiliation before making arrangements for succession!
So, Zheng Chunhua's affairs in the old Siyinzhen Mansion are very secretive, how did Emperor Kangxi know about it?
Big brother, he is the emperor, and he is an emperor who is extremely greedy for power, he was pro-government at the age of 14, he was captured at the age of 16, and he was leveled at the age of 20...... Therefore, as far as spying on his courtiers is concerned, his intelligence network is much more powerful than that of other princes.
In this regard, Wang Zhu himself said:
"I'm a man who has run out of oil...... Since the crown prince was deposed for the second time, I have taken poison several times, and I have not died even if I look closely. ”
It is difficult for a person who wants to take poison and commit suicide to succeed, not to mention that Long Keduo is idle at home, and when he is the most depressed, Emperor Kangxi can know that he became a treasure knife in order to repay the arrears. The fourth Yinzhen pursued the arrears of the household, so energetic, Emperor Kangxi knew that he missed three big fish.
In addition, Emperor Kangxi analyzed the personality characteristics of each prince to the fourth Yinzhen before his death, and he could be so accurate, which required a lot of intelligence to pave the way.
Therefore, a tacit thing that everyone knows, how could Emperor Kangxi not know!
Since he knows that Zheng Chunhua is in the fourth Yinzhen mansion, how should he remind the fourth Yinzhen, and when will he remind him that this numbness, that is, Zheng Chunhua, has to be removed?
This has to mention a key person sent by Emperor Kangxi - Wang Luo!
I, Yang Jiaofeng, even suspect that Emperor Kangxi looked at Wang Jiao so closely, and he was afraid that he would commit suicide, and one of the most important reasons was that his mission was not completed, and this mission was to get rid of Zheng Chunhua.
Six
So, there is a new question, why do you have to get rid of Zheng Chunhua, you have to do it, and can't the fourth Yinzhen do it himself?
Absolutely!
However, no matter what, Zheng Chunhua used to be the concubine of Emperor Kangxi, the kind he took with him when he went hunting in Rehe, and he was still the little mother of the fourth Yinzhen in name. If he did it, he couldn't say it reasonably, which was one of the reasons why the old thirteen Yinxiang didn't dare to do it at the beginning.
Moreover, before the fourth Yinzhen became the emperor, he was also trying his best to maintain his image. If he personally got rid of Zheng Chunhua in his own house, it would inevitably chill the hearts of those who helped him do secret things, which was not conducive to his seizure of the throne. Later, the fourth Yinzhen got rid of those who did secret things in the house, and it was also after ascending to the throne that he was foolproof, so he killed the killer.
Therefore, after Zheng Chunhua was eliminated by Wang Xuan, he still pretended to ask Gao Wuyong, didn't there be any sign in advance?
Gao Wuyong also said:
"In the afternoon, Master Wang came and said something to Grandma Zheng, who kept crying behind closed doors, and then she didn't know anything. ”
Moreover, if Emperor Kangxi knew that the fourth Yinzhen attacked Zheng Chunhua in order to win the throne, he would inevitably leave a bad impression.
However, why did Wang Zhuo have to attack Zheng Chunhua?
It's very simple, he has a grudge against Zheng Chunhua, after all, Prince Yinren was abolished, and a big reason is Zheng Chunhua. No matter how hard Wang Luo tries, his label is the teacher of the abolished prince Yinren, and the teacher avenges the apprentice, which is justified.
However, he helped the fourth Yinzhen get rid of Zheng Chunhua, could he get out of the way?
Seven
If you want to explain this problem, you must first explain another question, that is, when did Emperor Kangxi make up his mind to imply that Wang Luo get rid of Zheng Chunhua?
No matter what you say, Emperor Kangxi has feelings for Zheng Chunhua, and he is known for his benevolence, so he doesn't want Zheng Chunhua to die. Otherwise, after the Rehe Incident, he would not just let Zheng Chunhua have a fetus and be demoted to the Huanxi Bureau.
In other words, as a last resort, he didn't want Zheng Chunhua to die like this, so he turned a blind eye to the matter of Lao Si Yinzhen protecting her.
Wang Luo took poison several times to seek death because of the abolition of the prince, but he was stopped by Emperor Kangxi, why did he stop him?
Because the time has not yet come!
Before the start of the Qiansu banquet, Wang Luo had a conversation with Emperor Kangxi, when he asked him about the prince. But Emperor Kangxi didn't pay attention to him, but asked him if he had taken the medicine he gave last time:
"Did I give you the medicine? This medicine needs to be heated, and if the heat is not met, the medicine will not work......
Why did Emperor Kangxi say such a call inexplicably?
In fact, it seems that they are talking about Wang Yu's condition, but in fact, they are talking about the prince, on the one hand, this fire refers to the fact that it is not yet time to set up another prince, and now the prince is established, and the effect of the medicine is not good. On the other hand, it also means that Wang Luo can't die now, and he still has to complete one thing before he can die.
This is also why, usually Wang Zhu was stopped by the people sent by Emperor Kangxi, but after he humiliated Zheng Chunhua to death, he took poison again, and the people sent by Emperor Kangxi did not stop him.
Before his death, Emperor Kangxi removed the positions of Lao Si Yinzhen, Lao Ba Yinzhen, Zhang Tingyu, Ma Qi and others. According to Wu Sidao's analysis, this is to open the way for Xinjun to prevent them from betting on the wrong treasure and incurring death. At the same time, the new monarch ascended the throne and reinstated their officials, which made it even more emperor's grace.
Eight
And Wang Liang's label is the person who abolished the prince, and he is old, and it is impossible to leave it to the new monarch, at this time, remove him from his post and let him return to his hometown, to put it bluntly, it is to remind him that the time has come, you can get rid of Zheng Chunhua, and die.
It can be said that the reason why Emperor Kangxi has not established the prince for a long time is that Zheng Chunhua is the key factor. Once Lao Bayinyu uses her to make a fuss, even if Emperor Kangxi is still alive, he can't do anything.
As long as she lives, let alone the fourth Yinzhen, even the thirteenth Yinxiang is a crime of bullying. Moreover, when the crown prince Yinren rebelled, Zheng Chunhua was also one of the factors, if he was protected, wouldn't this just mean that the fourth Yinzhen and the thirteenth Yinxiang were also involved, and they were still members of the princelings at that time.
This is also the reason why Emperor Kangxi refused to release the old thirteen Yinxiang until his death, because once he did this, the consequences were very serious:
First, if the old thirteen Yinxiang is released, it is equivalent to informing the old eight Yinzhen in advance that the throne is about to be passed to the fourth Yinzhen. After all, at that time, Lao Bayinyu controlled most of the forces in the capital, and even Long Keduo was drawn to his side.
And when the fourth Yinzhen went to visit the thirteenth Yinxiang and raised his worries, saying that even if the throne was passed to him, he would not be able to keep it, so the thirteenth Yinxiang said:
"As long as I'm outside, how many soldiers and horses they have, they don't dare to make trouble!"
Once the old thirteen Yinxiang is released, he is so righteous again, the old eight Yinzhen will immediately make a fuss about Zheng Chunhua, let alone help the fourth Yinzhen to seize the throne, it is difficult to say whether he can get out of the way.
Nine
What's more, not letting the thirteenth Yinxiang come out is also the secret weapon left by Emperor Kangxi to the fourth Yinzhen.
Why?
As long as the old thirteenth Yinxiang is still locked up in the Zongren Mansion, it is easy for the old eighth-year-old Yinxiang to ignore him when he strategically seizes the throne. Therefore, after Emperor Kangxi became seriously ill, Lao Bayinyu focused on how to win over Long Keduo, and ignored the Fengtai camp:
"The Fengtai camp is our people in charge, I think there, no need to ...... What is there to worry about. ”
In fact, it is true, even if the old thirteen Yinxiang ran to the Fengtai camp with a few people, Cheng Wenyun still didn't buy it, and he didn't even kneel and salute:
"Thirteenth Master, as far as the lower officials know, aren't you in the Zongren Mansion? It's so late today, what business do you have to come to my Fengtai camp?"
Even if the old thirteen Yinxiang took out the gold medal order arrow, Cheng Wenyun still wanted to give it a go, but fortunately, the old thirteen Yinxiang recognized three old subordinates in advance, and promoted them on the spot. Otherwise, the old thirteen Yinxiang would not be able to take over the Fengtai camp at all, and it would be the same for whoever came.
In other words, the thirteenth Yinxiang's side is a secret weapon deliberately left by Emperor Kangxi to the fourth Yinzhen, and it cannot be used casually until the critical moment.
Some people say, is Emperor Kangxi old and confused, why bother with all this effort, just remove Cheng Wenyun from his post in advance?
Because in doing so, we will return to the problem discussed at the beginning of this article, which is tantamount to establishing a new monarch in advance. Not only will it cause a crazy counterattack from Lao Bayinyun and his gang, but the emperor must make it clear what mistake Cheng Wenyun made to remove him?
If they don't do it, they will jump over the wall in a hurry, directly raise troops, and join forces with the old fourteen Yinyu, then the world will really be in chaos.
Ten
Just like after the "Dead Eagle Incident", Emperor Kangxi did not pursue it, in the final analysis, he was afraid that this situation would occur, which was also the result he did not want to see.
You must know that at the beginning, the crown prince Yinren dared to rebel under the condition that the time was not yet ripe, not to mention the old eight Yinren who almost occupied the right time and place at this time.
Therefore, Emperor Kangxi, who was on his deathbed, just secretly sent someone to pull Long Keduo, who was still watching left and right, to his side, and took out two holy decrees. One is held by Zhang Tingyu, as long as Long Keduo is close to Lao Bayinyu, he can take other people's heads. The other can ensure the prosperity of the Tong family, as long as Long Keduo supports the accession of the fourth Yinzhen.
Unless Long Keduo is a fool and can predict what Emperor Yongzheng will do after he ascends the throne, otherwise, a person who understands will also choose the second holy decree and directly enjoy the merits of support.
After all, there are many members of the Eight Masters Party, even if Long Keduo violates the holy decree and supports Lao Bayinyu to ascend the throne. Even if he was not liquidated later, in front of the new emperor, he had to rank below Lao Jiu Yinyu, Lao Shi Yinqi and others, and the gains outweighed the losses.
Having said so much, Emperor Kangxi worked hard, and the transmission of the position was so complicated, so suspenseful, and left many hidden dangers for Emperor Yongzheng, what is it for?
For fame!
Just like deliberately designed the prince Yinren to raise troops, in the final analysis, he didn't want to bear the infamy of abolishing the prince:
"If I depose the crown prince again, then after thousands of generations, how will the history books comment?"
When he finally made up his mind to force the prince to raise an army, he also found a reason to comfort himself, that is, he could not live because of his own sin:
"Then the ancestors and ancestors are in front, and the annals of history are behind, and they can't complain. ”
Therefore, Emperor Kangxi's arrangement before his death is too poisonous, the good people do it themselves, and the bad people are all you!
Of course, because of space, there are three characters that we haven't mentioned, including the undercover agent of the fourth Yinzhen who was placed next to Emperor Kangxi, without them, the throne may not be inherited smoothly.
On this issue, we will talk about it in the next issue, look at "Yongzheng Dynasty" from a different perspective, you will find more fun, please pay attention if you like it!