Preface
Emperor Kangxi, one of the longest-reigning emperors in Chinese history, is full of legends in his later years. On the occasion of Kangxi's death, he asked a man by name to accompany him to the funeral, a move that attracted widespread attention and speculation.
It was not until Yongzheng succeeded to the throne that it was gradually revealed, and people suddenly realized that the wisdom of his father, Emperor Kangxi, had already exceeded imagination. So, what kind of untold story is hidden behind this?
1. The rise of Roncodo
Long Keduo was born in the Tong family, a family that played a pivotal role in the Kangxi court. His father Tong Guowei was Kangxi's maternal uncle, and his sister became Kangxi's queen. It can be said that Long Keduo has been a relative of the emperor since he was a child and has received special care.
In the twenty-seventh year of Kangxi, Long Keduo, who was only in his early twenties, was awarded the position of a first-class guard and began to serve by the emperor's side. Since then, he has been working silently in the DPRK and China, and has gradually become Kangxi's most trusted confidant.
Roncodo's path to the top has been smooth sailing. In the fiftieth year of Kangxi, he was promoted to the governor of Jiumen and became the commander of the entire Qing Dynasty forbidden army. This position not only controlled the guarding and access control of the nine gates of Beijing, but also meant that he held great power and could dispatch troops at will.
It can be said that Long Keduo's power is unmatched in the DPRK. He is not only a relative of the emperor, but also Kangxi's most trusted confidant. Such a status naturally made him enjoy a high prestige in the court.
Second, Kangxi's last moments
However, when Kangxi was sixty-eight years old, his physical condition was not as good as before. Years of illness have severely eroded his body, and his days are numbered.
At this critical moment, Kangxi made a puzzling decision. He successively issued two edicts, asking Long Keduo, the most favored and trusted minister of the court, to accompany him to the funeral. What are the reasons for this?
Naturally, Roncodo was also very confused. As Kangxi's most trusted confidant, he couldn't figure out why he was named and asked to accompany the funeral. Have you really done anything wrong over the years?
As a result, Roncodo could only seek foreign help. He finally chose the fourth elder brother Yinzhen as the object of his intercession. As Kangxi's nephew, Yinzhen is naturally worried about what happened to Long Keduo.
3. Yinzhen's intercession
Although Yinzhen is an honest man, he also understands that if Long Keduo is really named by Kangxi and asked to accompany the funeral, it will be difficult for him to survive. After all, Long Keduo is an important minister of the entire imperial court, and if something happens to him, it will definitely cause a bloody storm.
So, Yinzhen decided to intercede in person. He first confirmed whether Long Keduo really had any major crimes, and after getting Long Keduo's assurance, he went directly to see Kangxi.
In the process of pleading, Yinzhen on the one hand counted Long Keduo's achievements over the years, and on the other hand, he also expressed his concerns. He hoped that Kangxi would be able to take back this edict and save Long Keduo from death.
Surprisingly, Kangxi did not show any displeasure at Yinzhen's request. Instead, he quickly withdrew the edict and spared Roncodo from being buried. This made Yinzhen wonder, did Kangxi already have other plans?
Fourth, Kangxi's arrangement
Just when Yinzhen was still wondering, Kangxi made another shocking decision. He summoned Roncodo and promoted him to the rank of Minister of Destiny.
This is a kind of reuse and trust in Roncodo. As a minister, Long Keduo can not only continue to play his role in the court, but also become an important assistant to the heir to the throne.
And in front of Kangxi's bed, it was Yinzhen who had been serving left and right. This made Yinzhen finally understand that Kangxi's operation was to send a loyal minister to himself.
It turned out that Kangxi had long seen Long Keduo's loyalty, so he specially asked him to accompany the funeral by name before he died. This is a test for Long Keduo, and it is also an arrangement for Yinzhen.
In this way, Kangxi not only ensured Long Keduo's loyalty, but also paved the way for Yinzhen's succession. It can be said that this is the last layout of a sophisticated emperor before his death.
Fifth, Yongzheng's disposal
Just after Long Keduo was reused by Kangxi, Yinzhen also officially succeeded to the throne and changed the country name to Yongzheng. And Long Keduo has also become one of Yongzheng's most important assistants.
In the third year of Yongzheng, Long Keduo was appointed as the secretary of the ministry, and was also crowned as the Taibao. It can be said that his position in the DPRK has reached its peak.
However, this high position did not allow Roncodo to maintain the humility he deserved. Instead, he began to become more and more proud and conceited. He even openly stated that as the Admiral of the Nine Gates, he could mobilize an army of 20,000 at any time without fear.
This arrogant attitude naturally caused Yongzheng's dissatisfaction. In the third year of Yongzheng, Long Keduo was removed from the post of commander of the infantry army. Subsequently, Nian Qianyao's case also became an opportunity for Yongzheng to attack Long Keduo.
In the fourth year of Yongzheng, Long Keduo was dismissed from Shangshu's position and sent to the frontier to deal with some affairs. This is a denunciation and punishment for him.
However, Yongzheng did not let go of Long Keduo. During the raid of his mansion, he unexpectedly found the royal secret scroll that Long Keduo had hidden, the jade. It was a great sin, enough to cost Roncodo his life.
As a result, Yongzheng ordered Long Keduo to be arrested and returned to Beijing, and began to interrogate him harshly. In the DPRK, many people also began to impeach Ronkodo, hoping that he would be sentenced to death.
Sixth, the ending of Roncodo
Under this pressure, Roncodo finally survived. Although Yongzheng didn't want to be charged with indiscriminate killing of heroes, he finally imprisoned Long Keduo near Changchun Garden.
Just a year later, the once powerful minister died in captivity. It was a tragic ending. However, looking back on all this, it is not difficult for us to find that there is actually a foresight of Kangxi hidden in this.
First of all, Kangxi deliberately asked Long Keduo to accompany the funeral by name before his death, which was a test of his loyalty. In this way, Kangxi not only ensured Long Keduo's loyalty, but also paved the way for Yinzhen's succession.
Secondly, Kangxi's reuse of Long Keduo was also to send a loyal minister to Yinzhen. In this way, Yinzhen has a reliable assistant after ascending the throne, which is conducive to him stabilizing the situation.
In the end, Kangxi's treatment of Long Keduo is also a warning to Yongzheng. He didn't want Yongzheng to favor Long Keduo too much, and he didn't want the Tong family to grow again. That's why he made such an arrangement on his deathbed.
It can be said that Kangxi's operation is to bring the emperor's heart to the extreme. He not only paved the way for his heir, but also made important arrangements for the future development of the Qing Dynasty.
Such wisdom and foresight are admirable. Even before his death, Kangxi still did not relax his control over the government, but in this way, laid a solid foundation for the future of the Qing Dynasty.
epilogue
Looking back on Kangxi's arrangements before his death, people can't help but sigh that this generation of Ming monarchs who created the prosperous era of Kangqian still did not relax his control over the government even at the last moment of his life.
Through this ingenious way, he not only ensured Long Keduo's loyalty, but also paved the way for Yinzhen's succession, and also gave Yongzheng a warning, reminding him not to favor any courtier too much.
The wheels of history are rolling forward, but these lessons are always worth thinking about and learning. Only by always remembering our responsibilities can we gain a foothold in this complex world and make due contributions to the country and the nation.