On his deathbed, Emperor Yongzheng solemnly warned Emperor Qianlong: "I will never kill Zeng, and my descendants will not pursue killing with their slander in the future." However, as soon as Emperor Qianlong succeeded to the throne, he ordered this man to be executed despite his father's will. Who was this man who was told by Emperor Yongzheng not to kill? What crime did he commit that made Emperor Qianlong so impatient to put him to death? Why did Emperor Yongzheng intercede for him on his deathbed? What kind of secret is behind this?
The dilemma faced by Emperor Yongzheng at the beginning of his accession to the throne
On December 8, the 61st year of Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi, who had reigned for more than 60 years, died in Changchun Garden at the age of 69. According to the edict of Emperor Kangxi, his fourth son Yinzhen inherited the unification. However, this succession arrangement caused an uproar in both the government and the opposition.
In Kangxi's later years, the princes launched a life-and-death battle for the throne. As the appointed heir of Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Yongzheng should have ascended to the throne logically, but several of his brothers complained about it. Especially the eighth elder brother Yinxi, he is the number one political enemy of Emperor Yongzheng, and he has been plotting to seize the heir as early as Kangxi's later years. Now that Kangxi has died, the eighth elder brother Yinxi has united with his henchmen and spread rumors everywhere, claiming that Emperor Kangxi was poisoned by Emperor Yongzheng, and the heir selected by Emperor Kangxi during his lifetime was not Emperor Yongzheng.
The rumor-mongering activities of the eighth elder brother Yinxi have caused a lot of discussion among the government and the opposition, and people are panicked. The people became suspicious of the newly enthroned emperor, and the foundation of Emperor Yongzheng's rule was seriously shaken. And the "Eight Masters Party" headed by the eighth elder brother Yinxi has intensified its efforts to stir up trouble in the court, opposing Emperor Yongzheng everywhere, and even openly questioning the legitimacy of his succession.
Emperor Yongzheng was well aware of the predicament he was in, however, just when he was anxious, his biological mother and younger brother added fuel to the fire at this juncture. Emperor Yongzheng's biological mother, Concubine De, has always favored her youngest son Yinxiang, and has a lot of complaints about Emperor Yongzheng's succession. After Kangxi's death, Concubine De should have accepted the title of Queen Mother in accordance with the etiquette system, but she insisted on refusing, which undoubtedly provided a pretext for the government and the opposition, making more people question the legitimacy of Emperor Yongzheng.
And Emperor Yongzheng's younger brother, the fourteenth elder brother Yinxiang, is even more blatantly eyeing his throne. Yinxiang relied on the favor of his mother, Concubine De, arrogantly and domineering in the court, openly challenging the authority of Emperor Yongzheng. He even unleashed cruel words, threatening to regain the throne that belonged to him.
Under the internal and external troubles, Emperor Yongzheng was like sitting on pins and needles. On the one hand, he has to find ways to consolidate his throne, and on the other hand, he has to deal with the government and deal with the provocations of the Eight Masters, which is tantamount to a two-front battle. In Kangxi's later years, the government became increasingly loose, the government was corrupt, and the armament was slack, leaving Emperor Yongzheng with a mess full of holes. Emperor Yongzheng slept all night, exhausted his efforts, handled government affairs, rectified the rule of officials, and even the eunuchs around him said that "the emperor has worked too hard for the country".
Just when Emperor Yongzheng was in internal and external difficulties, a shocking case was secretly played on his desk. The protagonist of this case is Zeng Jing, who was told by Emperor Yongzheng not to kill. And the person who exposed this case was Yue Zhongqi, the governor of Sichuan-Shaanxi, an important town in the southwest. In the secret compromise, Yue Zhongqi claimed that the case was very important and not trivial, and he did not dare to be arbitrary, so he could only implore the emperor for a holy judgment.
Yue Zhongqi, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, played a shocking case
Emperor Yongzheng had just put down the rebellion of the Eight Masters and was about to start rectifying the government, when a letter from Yue Zhongqi, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, surprised him. Yue Zhongqi said in a secret compromise that a shocking case had recently occurred in the Sichuan-Shaanxi region, and the stakes were very important and not trivial, and he did not dare to be arbitrary, so he could only implore the emperor for a holy ruling.
Emperor Yongzheng attached great importance to Yue Zhongqi's performance. Although Yue Zhongqi is not his confidant, he is also an important minister, in charge of Sichuan-Shaanxi, an important town in the southwest. The fact that such a governor actually said that a shocking case had occurred, and that he did not dare to deal with it without authorization, shows the seriousness of the situation.
It turned out that not long ago, Emperor Yongzheng had just defeated the "Eight Masters Party" led by the eighth elder brother Yinxi, Yinxi was imprisoned, and his henchmen were also exiled to the Quartet. But these losers were not willing to admit defeat, they fled all the way, spreading rumors everywhere, saying that Emperor Yongzheng killed his father and seized the throne, and now he wants to kill his brother and biological mother, which is simply heinous.
In the Sichuan-Shaanxi region, there was a scholar named Zeng Jing, who was immediately overjoyed after hearing these gossips. It turned out that although Zeng Jing was born in the Han nationality, he hated the Manchu rulers since he was a child. He believed that the Manchus seized the Han nationality and enslaved and oppressed the Han people. When he grew up, Zeng Jing came into contact with the ideas of Lu Liuliang, the pioneer of the anti-Qing Dynasty and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty, and hated the Manchu rulers even more.
For many years, Zeng Jing has been engaged in anti-Qing and Ming restoration activities in Sichuan and Shaanxi, but with little success. Although the rule of the Qing Dynasty was also turbulent, it was generally stable, and some of Zeng Jing's small actions could not shake the Qing Dynasty at all. Now that he heard that Emperor Yongzheng was such a senseless and faint monarch, Zeng Jing suddenly felt that God help me, the Qing Dynasty has run out of energy, and it is a good time to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty!
However, although Zeng Jing had great ambitions, he was only a scholar and had neither money nor soldiers. If he really wants to raise the banner of opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty, he will definitely not be able to rely on his own strength. So, Zeng Jing hit the idea to Yue Zhongqi, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi.
Although Yue Zhongqi is the governor of one party, he is not Yongzheng's confidant. Emperor Yongzheng had his own cronies and loved generals, such as Nian Qianyao and others. Once the interests of Yue Zhongqi and these people conflicted, Emperor Yongzheng would definitely not be on his side. Zeng Jing felt that Yue Zhongqi should not have a good impression of Emperor Yongzheng, and maybe he could win him over to fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty.
So, Zeng Jing wrote a letter to Yue Zhongqi, in which he incited him, saying that he was a descendant of Yue Fei, Yue Fei was a national hero who fought against the Jin people, and now "the Central Plains is sinking, Yi Di is taking advantage of the void, stealing artifacts, and overturning", it is a good time for Yue Zhongqi to make contributions, hoping that he can inherit the will of his ancestors, drive out the Tartars, and restore China.
After Yue Zhongqi received the letter, he was shocked. Although he didn't have a good impression of Emperor Yongzheng, as a governor, he knew best that the foundation of the Qing Dynasty had not reached the point of exhaustion. No matter how mediocre Emperor Yongzheng is, he categorically does not dare to make a mistake. What's more, although his surname is Yue, he may not really be a descendant of Yue Fei, even if it is, it was hundreds of years ago, how can there be any reason to inherit the will of the ancestors?
Yue Zhongqi immediately ordered Zeng Jing to be arrested, and the matter was reported to Emperor Yongzheng, asking the emperor to decide. He was afraid that someone would catch him and endanger his future and life.
Emperor Yongzheng's handling of Zeng Jing's case
After Zeng Jing was escorted to Beijing, Emperor Yongzheng ordered him to be interrogated severely. Under some torture, Zeng Jing finally confessed to her crime. He admitted that he did write a letter inciting Yue Zhongqi to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, but he argued that he was just confused for a moment and had no real intention of rebelling.
Emperor Yongzheng listened to Zeng Jing's confession and sneered. In his opinion, Zeng Jing is just a "delirious person", and there is nothing to worry about at all. What really worries him is the anti-Qing forces behind Zeng Jing.
It turned out that although Zeng Jing was only a scholar, his anti-Qing and Ming restoration ideas were influenced by Lu Liuliang and others. Lü Liuliang was a famous anti-Qing warrior in the late Ming Dynasty, who once contacted the peasant rebel army, vowing to drive out the Tartars and restore the Ming Dynasty. Although Lu Liuliang has been dead for many years, his ideas have been widely circulated among the people and have become the spiritual banner of opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Yongzheng was well aware of the harmfulness of Lu Liuliang's thoughts. In his opinion, although Lu Liuliang and others have become ancient, their thinking is the root of the anti-Qing Dynasty and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty. If these ideas were allowed to spread, the Qing dynasty's rule would inevitably be shaken.
As a result, Emperor Yongzheng ordered the opening of the literary prison to thoroughly investigate all those related to Lu Liuliang. Anyone who disseminates Lu Liuliang's ideas will be arrested and brought to justice, and severely punished. For a time, a large number of literati and scholars were arrested, imprisoned, sent to the army, and even beheaded for public display. The government and the opposition were in a panic, and no one dared to mention Lu Liuliang's name again.
At the same time, Emperor Yongzheng adopted a strategy of opening up the net to Zeng Jing himself. He did not punish Zeng Jing, but ordered him to parade around and confess his sins in public to show the emperor's grace.
This decision greatly puzzled the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty. In their opinion, Zeng Jing committed the crime of rebellion and deserved to be punished with death, why should Emperor Yongzheng be so magnanimous?
But Emperor Yongzheng had his own plans. The reason why he let Zeng Jing go was not because of kindness, but because Zeng Jing was insignificant at all. In the eyes of Emperor Yongzheng, Zeng Jing was just a pedantic scholar, and he couldn't set off any big winds and waves at all. The real threat is the thinking of Lu Liuliang and others. As long as these thoughts are eradicated, Zeng Jing and his ilk are like dragons without a leader, and there is nothing to be afraid of.
However, although Emperor Yongzheng let Zeng Jing go, he did not completely relax his vigilance. He secretly sent people to monitor Zeng Jing's every move and keep abreast of his movements at any time. At the same time, he also ordered someone to thoroughly investigate Zeng Jing's background to see if he had other comrades.
What Emperor Yongzheng didn't expect was that although Zeng Jing was only a scholar, he had many supporters among the people. Most of these people were Han Chinese, who were not Manchus, and they were deeply sympathetic to Zeng Jing's plight, believing him to be a righteous man who asked for the people's life.
When the news reached the ears of Emperor Yongzheng, he was immediately annoyed. He realized that although Zeng Jing was just a small person, there might be a bigger force behind him. If these forces are not eradicated in time, they will inevitably lead to catastrophe in the future.
As a result, Emperor Yongzheng intensified his surveillance of Zeng Jing, and at the same time stepped up the investigation of the forces behind him. He wanted to eradicate all the forces that opposed the Qing Dynasty and restored the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop, so as to prevent future troubles.
In this way, on the one hand, Emperor Yongzheng opened a literary prison to eradicate the ideological influence of Lu Liuliang and others, and on the other hand, he strengthened the monitoring and control of Zeng Jing to prevent him from causing further trouble. At the same time, he also secretly investigated the forces behind Zeng Jing and was ready to strike at any time.
Under the iron-fisted policy of Emperor Yongzheng, the anti-Qing and Ming restoration forces gradually disappeared. Although Zeng Jing was able to save his life, he also lost his freedom and became a pawn in the hands of Emperor Yongzheng. And those forces that supported Zeng Jing gradually disappeared under the blow of Emperor Yongzheng.
Emperor Qianlong's decision after his succession to the throne
On the eighth day of August in the thirteenth year of Yongzheng, Emperor Yongzheng died at the age of fifty-eight. According to the edict of Emperor Yongzheng, his fourth son Hongli inherited the unification and was Emperor Qianlong.
On the occasion of his death, Emperor Yongzheng specially instructed Emperor Qianlong not to kill Zeng Jing. He said: "I will not kill him, and my descendants will not seek to kill him in the future." ＂
The reason why Emperor Yongzheng had such an entrustment was because he knew that although Zeng Jing had the heart to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, he was only a scholar after all, and he had no real talent. Even if he is allowed to live, he will not be able to set off any strong winds and waves. What's more, Zeng Jing has already confessed his guilt in public, the emperor's grace is mighty, if he is killed again, it will make the people of the world chill and affect the emperor's prestige.
However, after Emperor Qianlong succeeded to the throne, he did not fully obey his father's orders. On the one hand, he ordered Zeng Jing to be escorted to Beijing to retry the case, and on the other hand, he set off a huge literary prison throughout the country, severely punishing all those involved with Zeng Jing.
This decision shocked the Manchu civil and military forces. They didn't understand why Emperor Qianlong was so impatient to put him to death before he died, when Emperor Yongzheng told him not to kill Zeng Jing on his deathbed?
In fact, Emperor Qianlong did this because of his own considerations. First of all, although Emperor Yongzheng once spared Zeng Jing's life, Zeng Jing committed the crime of rebellion after all, and this crime cannot be cleared. Even if Emperor Yongzheng opened the net at that time, it was also the emperor's grace, which did not mean that Zeng Jing was innocent.
Secondly, Emperor Qianlong knew very well that although the forces against the Qing Dynasty and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty were somewhat reined in under the blow of Emperor Yongzheng, they did not disappear completely. Although Zeng Jing is only a scholar, he has many supporters behind him. These were Han Chinese, not Manchu, and they were deeply sympathetic to Zeng Jing's plight, and even regarded him as a hero of the resistance against the Qing Dynasty. If Zeng Jing is left alone, it is tantamount to giving these people a spiritual leader, and it will inevitably cause endless disasters in the future.
Moreover, Emperor Qianlong also needed to take this opportunity to establish his prestige. He has just succeeded to the throne, and he needs an opportunity to stand up. If he is kind to a thief like Zeng Jing, then the people of the world will inevitably think that he is a weak and incompetent dumb king, thus shaking the foundation of his rule.
Finally, Emperor Qianlong also wanted to take this opportunity to completely eradicate the ideological roots of the anti-Qing Dynasty and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty. He knew very well that although the ideas of Lu Liuliang and others were hit in the Yongzheng period, they did not disappear completely. If it is not eradicated as soon as possible, it will inevitably make a comeback in the future and become a major problem for the Qing Dynasty.
Therefore, Emperor Qianlong made up his mind to deal a heavy blow to the anti-Qing and Ming restoration forces at the beginning of his succession. He ordered Zeng Jing to be escorted to Jingshi to retry the case. At the same time, he also raised literary prisons throughout the country, severely punishing all those involved with Zeng Jing.
For a time, a large number of literati and scholars were arrested, imprisoned, sent to the army, and even beheaded for public display. The government and the opposition were in a state of panic, and no one dared to mention the matter of opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty.
Although Zeng Jing was forgiven by Emperor Yongzheng, in the eyes of Emperor Qianlong, this did not offset his crimes. After some trial, Zeng Jing was finally sentenced to death.
Emperor Qianlong eradicated Zeng Jing, not because Zeng Jing slandered Emperor Yongzheng, but because Zeng Jing's crime was already established. Although he was forgiven by Emperor Yongzheng, this does not mean that he is innocent. The reason why Emperor Qianlong wanted to kill Zeng Jing was to give a warning to the anti-Qing and Ming restoration forces, and also to consolidate his own rule.
Under the iron-fisted policy of Emperor Qianlong, the forces opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty were dealt a heavy blow again. Those who supported Zeng Jing were either killed or exiled and disappeared from sight. The ideas of Lu Liuliang and others were also completely eradicated in the literary prison.
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Emperor Qianlong's approach, although contrary to the Yongzheng Emperor's will, consolidated the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Under his rule, the Qing Dynasty entered a period of unprecedented prosperity, becoming one of the most powerful empires in the world at the time.