What kind of person is Qianlong's younger brother Hongday? Why did he do so many ridiculous things, but Qianlong didn't have any temper with him? Behind this seemingly contradictory question lies a fascinating story. As a generation of Ming monarchs, Qianlong is naturally surrounded by some maverick cronies. And Hongyang is such a different character. His absurd behavior is ridiculous, but Qianlong is surprisingly indulgent and tolerant of him. What did Hongtian do to make Qianlong so tolerant of him? Is he a traitor who is extremely clever but pretends to be stupid, or is he a simple but different idiot? What kind of secret does Qianlong's special treatment of Hongyang hide? Let's find out.
A life of the Rainbow Event
The prince of Hongday was born in a humble background, and his biological mother Geng was originally a palace maid with a low status. However, he enjoys a favor that is difficult for the rest of the princes to achieve. This stems from a special reason: since he was a child, he was regarded as his own by Qianlong's biological mother Concubine Xi, and Concubine Xi even had some preference for Hongday. As a filial son, Qianlong naturally understands the principle of "mother's order, do it", and is extremely tolerant of Hongday.
During the Yongzheng Dynasty, Hongday performed well and was praised by Yongzheng himself as "the smartest person among the princes". Whether it is reading and literacy, or the ability to do things, Hongday has been highly praised. Not only did his reading performance far surpass Qianlong's, but his writing style was also far better than Qianlong's tens of thousands of poems. For the tasks delivered by Yongzheng, Hongday can always complete them perfectly. Such an outstanding performance made Yongzheng have high hopes for him.
However, what is puzzling is that after Qianlong's accession to the throne, Hongday's behavior began to become more and more "absurd". He not only held a "live funeral" for himself, but also beat ministers on the street, robbed money bureaus, etc., all kinds of behaviors are ridiculous. What is the reason for this extremely smart prince to suddenly "change his face"?
In fact, what Hongyang did was not without a purpose, but out of a kind of far-sighted strategy. He saw clearly that he had no chance to be on the throne, so he decided to pretend to be "ridiculous" to cover up his edge and avoid arousing Qianlong's suspicion. At the same time, this "out of tune" behavior also keeps him away from the center of power and will not be co-opted by other ministers. What's more, the tragedy that befell the third brother Hiroshi made him wary of the power struggle and determined to be cautious. It is precisely because of this kind of scheming that Hongyang will feign madness, but he has never really posed a threat to Qianlong's imperial power.
A big inventory of absurd behavior
Among the series of absurd acts, the most impressive is the fact that Hongyang held a "living funeral" for himself. In 1727, Hongyang set up a mourning hall and a coffin in the mansion, sat on the mourning hall and chewed offerings, and directed the maids to cry and mourn. Not only that, he specially issued a funeral post for this purpose, inviting ministers to come to "mourn". Although the ministers felt ridiculous, they did not dare to slack off, so they could only go to accompany this farce, feeling sorry for the "money" that had been wasted in vain.
Although Hongtian made a lot of nonsense on weekdays, he also turned the tide at a critical moment and saved Qianlong from danger. According to history, once Qianlong's imperial expedition was encountered, and the palace was flooded by heavy rain. At the critical juncture, Qianlong only had Hongtian by his side, and the ministers were scattered by the water. In the face of the surging tide, Hongtian didn't say a word, lifted Qianlong and ran to the high ground, and the two almost drowned. Fortunately, Hongyang's infinite strength saved Qianlong. This incident made Qianlong trust Hongday even more.
Hongday's disregard for Qianlong's majesty did not stop there. Once, Qianlong and his ministers held a court meeting that lasted from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., during which they did not eat. Seeing that the ministers were hungry, Hongtian complained loudly, "When will it be finished?" I'm going to have a meal first." After that, he strode away, leaving all the other ministers stunned. As if he hadn't seen it, Qianlong continued to hold the court meeting, turning a blind eye to Hongday's rudeness.
This series of crazy acts is all challenging Qianlong's authority, which is staggering. However, Qianlong surprisingly connived and appeased all the time and never punished him heavily. Why, exactly? What kind of secret is hidden in this? Let's wait and see.
The hidden motive of faithful Protector
On the surface, Hongyang's absurd behavior seems incredible, but behind this lies a kind of far-sighted conspiracy. At the beginning of Qianlong's ascension to the throne, Hongday realized that he had no chance of the throne, so he decided to avoid suspicion and stay away from the center of power. He pretended to be "insane" precisely to avoid arousing Qianlong's suspicion. This kind of behavior did have an effect, and the ministers stayed away from him and did not co-opt the party.
In addition to avoiding suspicion and incognito, another major reason for Hongtian to pretend to be crazy and stupid is to cover up his extraordinary wisdom. In fact, since he was a child, Hongyang was evaluated by his teacher as "the smartest person among the princes". Whether it is reading and literacy, or his ability to do things, he is far superior to Qianlong and has high hopes. If the performance is too outstanding, it will inevitably cause Qianlong's jealousy. Therefore, Hongyang chose to feign madness in order to eliminate the threat.
In addition to the above reasons, the tragedy of the third brother Hongshi is also an important reason why Hongshi is so cautious. Hongshi was suspicious of Qianlong because of his excessive ambition, and was eventually imprisoned for the rest of his life. This has become an unforgettable lesson for Hongday, which makes him wary of the struggle for power, and he is always cautious and never steps on the old path of the third brother. It is precisely because of these various schemes that Hongtian will pretend to be "arrogant" again and again, but his sincerity has never left his loyal protector to Qianlong.
It was on the basis of this careful calculation and foresight that Hongday was able to never pose a real threat to Qianlong's imperial power under the superficial madness. His "wildness" is just a carefully woven mask that hides his inner supreme loyalty to his brother the emperor. This seemingly contradictory but implicit wisdom is the unique way that Hongyang uses to protect the Lord.
The deep reason for Qianlong's connivance with Hongyang
One of the important reasons why Qianlong was able to tolerate and tolerate Hongday's absurd behavior was because of Empress Dowager Xi's doting and protection. Empress Dowager Xi is Qianlong's biological mother and has a special love for him. Since Hongtian was a child, Empress Dowager Xi has regarded him as her own, and she has a faint preference for him. It is said that Empress Dowager Xi had dreamed of Qianlong several times and asked him to treat Hongtian well. As a filial son, Qianlong obeyed his mother's orders.
In addition to his mother's doting, Qianlong's absolute obedience to the Empress Dowager Xi was also a major reason for his tolerance of Hongday. Empress Dowager Xi, as the regent, had a great influence on Qianlong when he was a child. When he grew up, although Qianlong had succeeded to the throne, he was still extremely filial and obedient to his mother. Empress Dowager Xi has always favored Hongday, coupled with her admiration for her mother, Qianlong naturally will not kill Hongday, but chooses to be lenient and appeased.
Finally, Qianlong knew that once the power struggle between the brothers began, it would be an endless and tragic civil war. His third brother Hongshi is a lesson from the past. Hiroshi was eyeing the throne and ended up being imprisoned for the rest of his life. Although Qianlong repeatedly tolerated Hongday's nonsense, he never posed a real threat to his imperial power. Rather than fighting and hurting him, it is better to be lenient to avoid civil strife, which is also a major reason why Qianlong treated Hongday.
It can be seen that the reason why Qianlong indulged Hongday is not a single reason, but is composed of multiple factors such as his mother's doting, his own filial piety, and avoiding civil war. This not only shows Qianlong's wisdom as a generation of Ming monarchs, but also reflects his filial piety to his mother as a son. It was these admirable qualities that made him take what he wanted, and finally maintained the situation of the government and the opposition.
The other side of the real is hard to distinguish between the real and the fake
Although Hongtian made a lot of nonsense in the Qianlong Dynasty, he has always contained the true character of a hero in his bones. It is reported that once Qianlong encountered a dangerous obstacle when he drove his own expedition, and the palace was flooded by a violent storm. At the critical juncture, Hongtian didn't say a word, lifted Qianlong and fled to a high place, both of them were saved from death. If it weren't for Hongday's infinite strength, wit and bravery, Qianlong would definitely be unable to escape. This scene of heroic protector makes people see the true side of Hongtian hidden under the wild exterior.
In addition to his martial arts, Hongyang also has outstanding literary talents. It is said that tens of thousands of poems in Qianlong's life are far inferior to Hongday. Whether it is writing, diction, or handling government affairs, Hongday has shown outstanding talent. Yongzheng once praised him as "the smartest person among the princes". It can be seen that in fact, Hongtian is very intelligent, and it is only out of some scheming that he pretends to be crazy to hide people's eyes.
Contrary to the general image, Hongtian lives a rather bohemian life in private. He not only married more than 70 wives and concubines, but also often traveled with the concubines and indulged in wine. Once, he stayed in a concubine's room for more than 40 days in a row, and he was lascivious day and night. The debauched life he lived caused an uproar in the government and the opposition, but Qianlong still connived at him and forgave him. It can be seen that the reason why Qianlong tolerated Hongday is likely to have some other hidden secrets.
It can be seen that the image of Hongday is quite three-dimensional and multi-faceted. He seems to be crazy and foolish on the surface, but in fact he has extraordinary wit and bravery, and he once tried to protect Qianlong at critical moments; On the one hand, he is coquettish and talented, but on the other hand, he is elegant, lustful, and dissolute. It is this two-sided character of heroes and madness, righteous gentlemen and bohemians, that constitute the three-dimensional and mysterious character of Hongday.