The road of history is often tortuous and winding, but the choices of emperors often determine the fate of a country. Emperor Daoguang, as a generation of Ming monarchs, how did he choose his heirs back then? Why did he value the outstanding Sixth Prince, Yixun, but finally passed the throne to the mediocre Fourth Prince? What happened in the process that caused him to change his mind? Is it just a momentary emotion, or is there something hidden that we don't know?
1. Emperor Daoguang's original intention of favoring Yixun
After the Qing Dynasty was the lord of Kangxi, the royal heirs died one after another, and after the three dynasties of Qianlong, Jiaqing and Xuantong, the country has been shrouded in the dark clouds of difficult childbirth. It was not until 1831, when Emperor Daoguang was more than half a hundred years old, that he was happy that the fourth son of the emperor was born, and then five sons and six sons were born one after another. For these three extremely rare imperial heirs, Emperor Daoguang is very fond of them.
Among them, the sixth son, Yixun, was favored since he was born. Yixun has been heroic and witty since he was a child, and he has stood up in learning, far better than his brothers. Seeing this, Emperor Daoguang naturally pinned his high hopes on this. He carefully selected teachers for Yixun, and invited Zhuo Bingtian, Weng Xincun, Jia Zhen and others, who were leaders in the dynasty, to teach them in person, hoping to cultivate this brilliant young son into a generation of Ming Jun.
At the same time, Emperor Daoguang did not neglect the rest of his heirs. He arranged Du Shoutian as a teacher for the fourth son of the emperor, although Du was not as famous as others, but he was quite elegant and square, which was in line with Emperor Daoguang's expectations for the prince. As for the five sons, they succeeded to Prince Dian Ke as their heirs. In this way, the future of the three princes diverged, but it also left a starting point for the future battle for the throne.
As I get older, the gap between Yixin and Yixu becomes more and more obvious. Yixun has quick thinking, is self-versed in science, and can always speak eloquently when encountering difficulties and deep doubts. Yi Su is introverted and reticent, and it is always difficult to reach the realm of Yi Xun in terms of learning. Even in terms of martial arts, Yixin is far superior to his brother. In the face of such a decree, Emperor Daoguang suspected that the position of the prince was inevitable.
However, in Daoguang's eyes, although the throne is important to ability, benevolence, morality, propriety, and wisdom are equally important. He expected the prince to not only be wise, but also to have a benevolent heart and follow the way of etiquette. Therefore, in his investigation of Yixu and Yixun, he paid attention to measuring the embodiment of the virtues of "benevolence" and "filial piety" between the two. As the saying goes, "there is no limit to succession, but only the virtuous and capable". Whoever can better interpret the Confucian tradition will win the favor of Emperor Daoguang and thus sit firmly on the throne.
2. Yisu's breakthrough at a critical moment
In the spring of 1846, less than five years after the end of the Opium War, the first national humiliation in modern Chinese history. That year, Emperor Daoguang and the royal family went to Nanyuan to worship their ancestors. As a traditional embodiment of Manchu men's fortitude, hunting has always been an indispensable sport in the royal family. During this ancestor worship period, an important hunting activity was launched in the Nanyuan land.
For the two brothers, Yixin and Yixu, this hunt can be described as a decisive contest. Since he was a child, he has shown an extraordinary talent for riding and archery, and has repeatedly performed miraculous feats in previous hunts. In contrast, Yi Su is always lagging behind, and he is far inferior to his younger brother in terms of riding and archery. If he loses again in this hunt, Yi Su is afraid that it will be difficult to convince the public, and the storage position will naturally be impossible to talk about.
At this critical moment, Yisu's teacher Du Shoutian made a timely reminder. Du Shoutian whispered to Yi Su in advance: "Today is an opportunity to gain a foothold, and we must not miss it again." Although your riding and archery skills are inferior, you must also think of a good move, and you must not admit defeat. Hearing this, Yi Su couldn't help but wonder, and Du Shoutian immediately analyzed: "The hunting rules were set in the past, and the most advantageous thing was seen." If you can shoot the rare prey yourself, you will definitely win the emperor's admiration. ＂
Du Shoutian's words made Yi Su feel like he had been reborn. He followed the teachings of Du Lao, selected rare birds and beasts of prey in hunting activities, and did his best to hunt them. Finally, just as the army was about to be withdrawn, a rare tapir bear appeared in sight. Yisu had no way to escape, so he had to fight for his life, and with all his strength, he shot the arrows in his hand together. The arrow was so powerful that it hit the tapir bear's vital point, causing the ferocious beast to fall to the ground.
Seeing this, Yixun and the others were all amazed. They never expected that Yi Su, who was mediocre in martial arts on weekdays, would be able to be so lackey and lucky, so good at winning such an important prey. While everyone was appreciative, they couldn't help but look at Yisu with admiration. And Emperor Daoguang witnessed this scene with his own eyes, and was naturally overjoyed, and immediately commended Yisu's outstanding performance in public. Since then, Yixu's status in Emperor Daoguang's mind has naturally risen.
3. Yixi's mediocrity after his accession to the throne
Yi Su's astonishing arrows in the hunt in Nanyuan gave him an advantage in the consideration of Emperor Daoguang's heir. In February 1850, Emperor Daoguang, who was over 69 years old, died, and Yisu succeeded to the throne at the age of 20 as Emperor Xianfeng. It can be said that everything came too suddenly, and for this young new monarch, the task of reviving Zhongxing is obviously a huge challenge.
In the early period of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, he could barely cope with the double pressure of the rebel army and the foreign powers. He first suppressed the Miao uprising in Yunnan, and then used Lin Zexu to manage the mess of the Opium War and drive the British army out of Guangzhou. It was thanks to this that China's last feudal dynasty was able to survive for decades.
However, as the pressure continued to increase, Emperor Xianfeng gradually exposed his incompetent side. In 1851, an armed uprising of the Hakka people occurred in Guangxi, which spread to Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and other places. In 1853, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom peasant uprising took place. The Taiping army initially occupied only Guangxi and Guangdong, but in just a few years, it had swept through 16 provinces and approached Beijing.
Emperor Xianfeng was at a loss and at a loss in the face of these menacing peasant rebels. He ordered the formation of the "Zhenyuan Battalion", which was led by the princes in an attempt to exterminate the rebels. However, after the stubborn resistance of the Taiping army, the camp almost collapsed. As for the later Twist Army and Hunan Army, they turned a blind eye and let the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom rage.
In the face of internal worries, Emperor Xianfeng was powerless. But at this critical moment, the Western powers began a new round of aggression. In 1856, the Second Opium War broke out. The British and French forces were arrogant and rushed straight to Tianjin and Rehe, which made Emperor Xianfeng even more at a loss, and finally had to take the harem to avoid the Rehe Palace.
During his time in Rehe, Emperor Xianfeng was indulged in wine, indulgent and indifferent, completely indifferent to the fate of the country. In order to escape from reality, he also repeatedly issued decrees and ordered Buddhist events to be organized throughout the country, in a vain attempt to pray for God's protection. How could such a decadent and depraved life save the dynasty from danger? Soon, the Anglo-French forces captured the city of Beijing and razed the Forbidden City to the ground, dealing a heavy blow to the dignity of the Qing Dynasty.
Faced with the double crisis from the outside to the inside, Emperor Xianfeng's incompetence can be seen. He lacked neither the foresight nor the courage to resist the enemy, nor the prestige of a leader who would inspire the people of his country. In the end, in the Gengzi Incident in 1861, he was condemned by God and died with hatred. At this time, China has entered a deep crisis.
Fourth, the clever arrangement of Yixun's presiding powers
Emperor Xianfeng's incompetence and madness directly led to the dynastic crisis. Just when the Qing Dynasty was in a deep crisis, the sixth prince Yixun, who was valued by Emperor Daoguang but missed the throne, miraculously stepped forward and presided over the overall situation.
As early as 1856, after Emperor Xianfeng took refuge in Rehe, Yixun was ordered to deal with the government with Mu Zhang'a, a university scholar. After Mu Zhang'a died of illness, Emperor Xianfeng did not continue to appoint other ministers, but directly handed over the responsibility of the plenipotentiary minister to Prince Gong Yixun.
As the most prestigious prince of the dynasty, Yixun is naturally duty-bound. He first quickly reorganized the army, set up the "Jiyi Battalion", personally commanded the division of 10,000 people, and smashed Nanjing, the base of the Taiping Army. Subsequently, he waved his army to suppress the Hui uprisings in Huijiang, Ili and other places, and finally put down these turmoil.
However, quelling civil strife was only the first step, and Yixun's larger goal was to expel the foreign invaders. In 1860, he commanded the army to fight back against the British and French forces, which directly led to the famous "Three Stacks Victory". Although the coalition forces later occupied the city of Beijing, Yixun's stubborn resistance had dampened their spirits.
Just when the British and French forces were arrogant, Emperor Xianfeng went to the British army camp in 1861 and prepared to win the peace negotiation. Helplessly, at the negotiation site, the senile Emperor Xianfeng did not know what to do, resulting in an impasse in the peace talks. Just when the British army suspected that Emperor Xianfeng had a trick and was about to make a move, Yixun stepped forward in time to resolve the crisis.
In the end, under the maneuver of Yixun, Tongzhi also ascended the throne safely and soundly, and the British and French forces also withdrew from China. And the power has since fallen into the hands of Yixun. Especially at the beginning of Tongzhi's accession to the throne, Yixun had a "power struggle" with Heshen, who was the minister of the Yamen of the Prime Minister at the time, and finally won with Yixun. Since then, as a general with "power in hand", he has commanded the government and the opposition and presided over national affairs.
Emperor Daoguang had high hopes for it back then, and it finally came true at this time. Yixun showed his superhuman political wisdom and skill in dealing with the world, and also demonstrated his responsibility and loyalty to the country. Later generations praised him as a "famous minister of Zhongxing", and evaluated him as diligent and loyal, and he was actually half an emperor. In this way, why this candidate, who was once abandoned by Emperor Daoguang, missed the storage position, is even more suspicious.
5. The hidden story of Yixun's sweeping turmoil
Yixun performed excellently, was resourceful, and could be called the master of the Qing Dynasty. However, it was this talented and virtuous minister who was finally surpassed by his brother Yixu in the consideration of Emperor Daoguang's heir, and failed to win the throne of the crown prince. What was the reason that led to Emperor Daoguang's change of opinion of Yixun back then? What's the story behind this?
Things have to start from the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856). That year, the Taiping army had captured Nanjing, and the situation was critical. In order to enhance the prestige of the imperial family in the eyes of the people, Emperor Daoguang decided to marry the current emperor Xianfeng. After much consideration, he finally set his sights on the princess of the Murqin Xibe tribe.
At that time, Princess Mu, who was only 19 years old, was beautiful and was appreciated by Emperor Daoguang as a gentle and virtuous person, which was in line with the qualifications of the emperor's concubine. So Emperor Daoguang personally officiated for his marriage and gave Princess Mu to Emperor Xianfeng as the queen. Unexpectedly, just as the wedding date was approaching, an unexpected thing happened.
On that day, Yixun passed by the harem and accidentally caught a glimpse of Princess Mu's face, who was bathing. Although it is only a glimpse, the laws of the Qing Dynasty stipulate that if an unmarried person sees a private body in the harem, it is considered a major crime and will be severely punished. Yixun has reformed himself in accordance with the law, and he knows that he should be interrogated. However, in order to protect his younger brother, Yisu immediately concealed the matter and avoided reporting it.
Afterwards, Princess Mu's marriage was still going on as scheduled, but Emperor Daoguang learned about this secret from others. Instead of pursuing it, he scolded Yi Su, saying that he was selfish and violated discipline. If it weren't for Yixi's outstanding performance in hunting in Nanyuan, Emperor Daoguang would probably have to change the heir.
After that, Emperor Daoguang looked down on Yi Su more and more, but he had a good impression of Yi Xun. He commended Yixin for his honesty and discipline, and promised to reconsider his position if the opportunity arose. Helplessly, the emperor did not bless, and the old man of Daoguang died soon after, and before he could fulfill his promise, Yixun missed the crown prince's throne.
This turmoil that was swept away can be called the reason why Emperor Daoguang changed his mind. Yixun dared to admit his mistakes and be honest with each other, which was exactly the character that Emperor Daoguang should have in his mind. On the contrary, Yi Su did not hesitate to hide it in order to protect his shortcomings, which made Emperor Daoguang very disappointed in him. In this way, the position of the crown prince has never left Yisu, and the hidden secrets are all clear.