In the Qing Dynasty court drama "The Legend of Zhen Huan", Zhen Huan experienced countless twists and turns, and finally became the master of the harem. When the emperor died, she could have allowed her biological son Hongyu to succeed to the throne, but unexpectedly, she nominated her adopted son Hongli to the throne. This decision has caused numerous speculations and questions. Why did Zhen Huan do this? What is the reason? How did Hongli use his scheming to finally obtain the throne? Let's find out.
The deep reason why Zhen Huan gave up her parent-child Hongyi to succeed to the throne
After Yongzheng's death, the government and the opposition were paying close attention to Zhen Huan's movements. As the master of the harem, she should support her own flesh and blood to inherit the unification. However, Zhen Huan surprised everyone, but gave up the throne to her adopted son Hongli. This decision has puzzled many people, but what are the reasons for this?
First of all, there are some doubts about Hongyi's life experience, and it is difficult to convince the public. Although he is the son of Emperor Yongzheng, Zhen Huan has not yet entered the palace as a concubine when she was pregnant with him. This called into question Hongyi's royal lineage, and if he succeeded to the throne, it would inevitably trigger opposition from the ministers of the government and the opposition and turmoil in the court.
Secondly, Hongyi was still young and lacked experience in governance. At that time, he was only four years old, and even if he ascended the throne, the government would be in the hands of eunuchs and ministers, and it would be difficult to stabilize the country. In contrast, Hongli is over the age of the weak crown, has rich experience, and is more qualified to inherit the throne.
Moreover, Zhen Huan knows that the harem is dark, and she does not want Hongyi to be involved in it and be hurt. Passing him over to the Guojun Mansion will not only keep the glory and wealth, but also stay away from right and wrong grievances and live a stable life. This is Zhen Huan's deep love for her son.
In the end, Zhen Huan's decision was also to avoid opposition from the ministers of the government and the opposition. If we insist on supporting Hongyi, it will inevitably trigger suspicion and backlash among the powerful ministers of the DPRK and China, which will be extremely unfavorable to the start of the new dynasty. In contrast, Hongli's background is undoubtedly and has won the support of many courtiers, which is more conducive to the stability of the new dynasty.
To sum up, Zhen Huan gave up her son Hongyi to succeed to the throne, not only out of protection for her son, but also for the sake of political stability. Her decision, although it made people sigh, was the wisest choice under the circumstances.
Hongli has a black heart and paves the way for his ascension to the throne
Hongli has been well aware of his non-descendant background since he was a child, and he has been neglected in the palace. In order to change his fate, he waited for the opportunity and used various means to pave the way for himself to ascend the throne.
First of all, Hongli has been ingratiating himself with the emperor and Zhen Huan since he was a child. After Zhen Huan was assigned to Ningyuan Town, Hongli made a special trip to visit Broken Yuxuan to express his longing for Zhen Huan to the emperor. This move not only won the emperor's appreciation, but also made Zhen Huan look at him differently.
Secondly, in order to eliminate the threat of the eldest son, Hongli made calculations against the third elder brother. As the eldest son of the emperor, the third elder brother should be the most qualified to inherit the throne. However, Hongli secretly instigated the emperor to severely punish the third elder brother's small mistakes, which led to the third elder brother being dismissed from the position of his son, and he never had a chance to ascend the throne.
The most important thing is that Hongli constantly tests Zhen Huan to ensure that he can become the prince. Once, Hongli praised the sixth elder brother for being smart and clever in front of Zhen Huan, suggesting that the sixth elder brother might be elected as the prince. Zhen Huan was keenly aware of his intentions, and tactfully said that he would not let the sixth elder brother succeed to the throne. Hongli relieved himself and was sure that he would be Zhen Huan's final choice.
In this process, Hongli showed extraordinary scheming and the city. He unscrupulously removed obstacles and prepared himself for his eventual ascension to the throne. And Zhen Huan also saw through his ambitions, but did not obstruct him, but connived at what he did.
Zhen Huan chose a stable path for Hongyi
Although Zhen Huan gave up letting her biological son Hongyi inherit the throne, she did not ignore Hongyi. On the contrary, she carefully arranged a stable life path for Hongyi.
First of all, Zhen Huan let Hongyi pass on to the Guojun Palace. This not only allows Hongyi to inherit the glory and wealth and live a good life, but more importantly, it keeps Hongyi away from the whirlpool of court right and wrong and power struggle.
We all know that the court is dark and the court is sinister. If Hongyu really ascends the throne as emperor, he will definitely be involved in endless party power struggles. And after passing to the Guojun Palace, Hongyi can live a stable and peaceful life, free from being implicated in right and wrong.
Secondly, Hongyi's succession also eliminated Hongli's suspicion of him. Although Hongli finally won the throne, he was always wary of Hongyi, the prince who came out of the prince. If Hongyu is still in the palace, he is Hongli's biggest threat. And once Hongyi left the palace, Hongli naturally put his mind at ease and no longer had doubts about him.
In the end, Hongyi's succession also made him "recognize his ancestors and return to his ancestors" and inherit the incense. According to the old rules, a person without an heir could not stand a tablet, and his wife would be looked down upon and discriminated against. And after Hongyi succeeded to the Guojun Wangfu, he became the heir of the Guojun King, and he could inherit the incense and worship the ancestors. This not only gave Hongyi a foundation, but also worthy of his biological father Yunli.
In general, Zhen Huan chose a stable path for Hongyi. She not only kept Hongyi's wealth and glory, but also kept him away from court disputes, and gave him a foundation and belonging. This is undoubtedly a loving mother's deep love and careful arrangement for her son.
The new pattern of the court after Hongli ascended the throne
After Hongli succeeded to the throne, the power map of the palace underwent a major adjustment. As Emperor Xinke, he began to take full control of the government, and at the same time set about purging dissidents and establishing a new ruling order.
First of all, Zhen Huan's status has changed dramatically. Before Hongli ascended the throne, she was the lord of the harem and leaned towards the opposition. But once Hongli succeeded to the throne, she became a helpless queen mother, and she no longer had real power in the palace. However, Hongli still has respect for her, after all, she single-handedly pushed him to the throne.
Second, Hongli began to eradicate dissidents on a large scale. He first stripped Prince Heng of his title of prince and stripped him of his powers. Prince Heng has always been Hongli's fierce rival and has repeatedly disagreed with him. Now that he has lost the position of prince, his prestige and influence have naturally diminished.
Then, Hongli dismissed Zhang Tingyu and other ministers who opposed his succession. These people once openly opposed the establishment of "Huangkou Xiaoer" as a reserve, and now they have been severely punished, which can be said to be their own fault. Hongli's move is undoubtedly a warning to the ministers of the DPRK and China that no one should challenge his authority.
At the same time, Hongli also set out to reuse his henchmen. He not only reused Ji Xiaolan, who had helped him, but also supported the loyal old eunuch Li Si as the head of the Internal Affairs Office and took charge of the harem. This is undoubtedly to consolidate his power in the harem.
In the end, Hongli also assigned his cronies to various important posts to ensure that the power of the DPRK and China was firmly in his hands. For example, he stationed Zhang Sheren, who was loyal to him, to the household department to monitor the every move of the household department Shangshu.
In general, as soon as Hongli came to power, he set out to reform, comprehensively purged dissidents, and installed his own cronies in the core of power. Through this series of personnel transfers, he initially established the ruling order of the new dynasty and laid a solid foundation for his long-term rule.