Preface
Do you know that behind the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty, there was once an important minister of the Three Dynasties, and the political struggle between him and the emperor can be called the most thrilling scene in the history of the Qing Dynasty. Who is he? Why was he finally raided by the emperor? What ups and downs did the story of this big man have?
Kangxi period: the talented Zhang Tingyu
In 1661, a young man named Zhang Tingyu was admitted to the Jinshi examination, opening a new chapter in his officialdom. This young man is not only very knowledgeable, but also extremely upright, not afraid of power, and dares to speak out. Once, Zhang Tingyu met Gao Shiqi, a confidant of Emperor Kangxi, in the south study.
On a whim, he asked Gao Shiqi with great interest: "The emperor is erudite and knowledgeable, connecting the past and the present, who is more powerful between you and the emperor?" He sharply reprimanded Zhang Tingyu for not knowing dignity and humility, and Zhang Tingyu suddenly realized his gaffe.
This incident deeply touched Zhang Tingyu, and he realized that in officialdom, it is necessary to talk less and listen more, or even be silent directly. We must always figure out what the emperor and his henchmen think, and act according to their wishes, even if the sin is great, it will be despised, and if it goes against the emperor's will, even small things will be regarded as a big sin.
Since then, Zhang Tingyu has strictly followed this criterion, he is not afraid of power, whether he is facing the emperor's relatives or powerful ministers and dignitaries, as long as he violates the law, he will mercilessly punish him. This iron-faced and selfless attitude made many officials both awe and hatred of him.
However, despite the many enemies, Zhang Tingyu's career is unusually stable, which is inseparable from Emperor Kangxi's support for him. Emperor Kangxi greatly admired Zhang Tingyu's style of acting, believing that this was exactly what he wanted to see as a court official. In fact, Emperor Kangxi had long had the idea of rectifying the dynasty and rectifying the law and discipline in his heart, but because he was the king of a country, he could not personally intervene in many things, and the appearance of Zhang Tingyu just made up for this vacancy.
His performance in the Criminal Department was exactly what Emperor Kangxi wanted but was difficult to achieve in person, and Emperor Kangxi was very pleased with what Zhang Tingyu had done, and even began to regard him as the object of cultivating a successor, hoping to pass on this talent who could inherit his own philosophy of governance to his future successor.
Zhang Tingyu's Han nationality also added a lot of points to him. At that time, China under the rule of the Qing Dynasty was in a period of sharp contradictions between the Manchus and the Hans, and in order to stabilize the political situation, the Kangxi Emperor implemented the policy of "Manchu and Han integration", trying to eliminate ethnic barriers and promote ethnic unity.
As a high-ranking Han official, Zhang Tingyu's success not only represents the rise of Han talents, but also reflects the achievements of Emperor Kangxi's "Manchu and Han integration" policy. This undoubtedly strengthened Kangxi's trust and reliance on Zhang Tingyu, making his position in the court more stable.
Yongzheng period: Zhang Tingyu's power peak
In 1722, Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, and Zhang Tingyu became the most trusted and relied on celebrity of the new monarch. In the operation of the Yongzheng court, Zhang Tingyu played a pivotal role.
The patriarch of the Three Dynasties had a particularly close relationship with Emperor Yongzheng, and the two had a very deep personal relationship. Yongzheng once said that his arm pain meant that Zhang Tingyu was sick, and he specially wrote a letter to Zhang Tingyu to express his longing. This kind of sincere friendship that transcends monarchs and ministers is the solid cornerstone of Zhang Tingyu's power.
and Zhang Tingyu are called Yongzheng's right-hand man, as well as the Manchurian bachelor Ortai. These two ministers played a pivotal role in the Yongzheng court, and their opinions often influenced the direction of the government.
However, the good times did not last long, and Ortai was finally purged by Qianlong, and the situation changed. Although Zhang Tingyu was still the first assistant, he felt Qianlong's wariness.
This change may have something to do with Zhang Tingyu's personality. As a Han minister, Zhang Tingyu has always maintained a cautious and low-key style, and has never been too ostentatious in his words and deeds. But during the Yongzheng period, his relationship with the emperor was so close that some people began to wonder if he had done anything wrong.
When Ortai was purged, Zhang Tingyu also had to rein in a little sharpness, so as not to cause the dissatisfaction of the new emperor Qianlong. After all, in an era of fierce power struggles like the Qing Dynasty, even the most powerful ministers needed to be careful about their words and actions at all times and maintain a humble attitude.
Qianlong period: Zhang Tingyu's later years
In August 1750, Zhang Tingyu, who was over eighty years old, stood at the door of his house quietly waiting for the arrival of the minister Debao, who was ordered to "raid his house". After Debao and others broke into Zhang's mansion, they searched everywhere, but found nothing but daily necessities and books. This surprised them, originally thought that the big officials would hide a lot of money, but they didn't know that they were destitute.
In fact, Debao was ordered by Qianlong to carefully examine Zhang Tingyu's letters and other documents to look for complaints against the emperor or the imperial court, but Zhang Tingyu has always been cautious, and whenever he mentions the saint, he will record his grace without disobedience. In desperation, Debao had to confiscate the calligraphy and paintings given by several generations of emperors and take people away.
The cause of this farce starts from 15 years ago, when Zhang Tingyu asked to return to his hometown for retirement, which coincided with Qianlong's indignation at the loss of his son, so he was furious and deprived Zhang Tingyu of his official title.
Zhang Tingyu was cautious all his life, although he saved his life, it was difficult to maintain dignity. It can be seen that the little people of scholars, whether they are virtuous or not, once they anger the imperial power, the consequences are tragic, and Zhang Tingyu repeatedly took risks to blackmail the saint in his later years and put himself in injustice, which is really unwise.
Emperor Qianlong's conceit and arrogance are even more despicable. He oppressed a patriarch of the Three Dynasties to such a situation, but still claimed to be a benefactor, which reflected the dictatorship of the Qing rulers.
Qianlong's dissatisfaction with Zhang Tingyu gradually accumulated, and finally after a small mistake, he used the topic to play and dismissed him from office, making the former important minister have a bleak evening. This practice is undoubtedly a betrayal and humiliation of Zhang Tingyu's years of loyalty.
epilogue
What kind of ups and downs did Zhang Tingyu, an important minister of the Three Dynasties, rise and fall? Why did his glory in the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties finally suffer such a blow during the Qianlong period? This story tells us that even the most powerful minister needs to be careful about his words and deeds at all times and maintain a humble attitude.
The wheels of history roll forward, but the weakness of human nature never changes. Let's learn from the story of Zhang Tingyu and always be vigilant and cautious not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Even the elders of the three dynasties could not escape the suppression of the imperial power, which shows that even the most powerful ministers need to maintain a humble attitude at all times and not act rashly. And Emperor Qianlong's conceit and arrogance are even more despicable. He oppressed a patriarch of the Three Dynasties to such a situation, but still claimed to be a benefactor, which reflected the dictatorship of the Qing rulers.