Regarding Yongzheng's succession to the throne, there have always been two opinions in the historical circles, one is that Yongzheng is the legitimate monarch who was passed on to the throne by Kangxi on his deathbed; The other believes that Yongzheng's succession to the throne was a usurpation of power. The latter usurpation theory has been studied by scholars such as Meng Sen, Wang Zhonghan, Xu Zengzhong, and Yang Zhen, which has provided more and more solid evidence. In the winter of the sixty-first year of Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi "occasionally felt the wind and cold" after hunting in Rehe and Nanyuan, lived in Changchun Garden to rest, and ordered the emperor's fourth son Yinzhi to go to the Temple of Heaven to perform the winter solstice ceremony. In the early hours of November 13, his condition deteriorated and he died suddenly overnight. It is said that his last words were succeeded by the fourth son of the emperor, Yinzhi, that is, Emperor Yongzheng. The official letter is conclusive, and there seems to be no doubt. But at that time, rumors spread in the society that Yongzheng was usurping the throne. Earlier seen in the record of the "Great Righteous Jue Mystery Record", which said: "The first emperor wanted to pass on the unification to Yunyu, when the holy bow was uncertain, he issued a decree to summon Yunyu to come to Beijing, and its purpose was hidden by Long Keduo, and on the day of the first emperor Bintian, Yun Yu could not be given, and Long Keduo passed the decree, and then established today." "The original legend of the Holy Ancestor Emperor was that the fourteenth elder brother Yunyu gave the world, and the emperor changed the word 'ten' to the word 'Yu'." "The Holy Ancestor Emperor was seriously ill in Changchun Garden, and the emperor entered a bowl of ginseng soup, but somehow, the Holy Ancestor Emperor collapsed, and the emperor ascended the throne, and the general Yunyu was transferred back to captivity. The queen mother wanted to see Yunyu, the emperor was furious, and the queen mother was killed on the iron pillar. The plot of Yongzheng's seizure of the throne mentioned here is twists and turns and bizarre, which is very different from the official record. On the one hand, the official document cannot be fully trusted, because it was written after Yongzheng ascended the throne, and naturally there will be no traces of usurpation. On the other hand, folk rumors should not be fully believed, because most of these rumors come from the mouths of Yongzheng's political enemies. The mystery of Yongzheng's succession to the throne became confusing and became a mystery for the ages. For example, it is impossible to rewrite the theory of the testament. Because of the writing format of the Qing Dynasty, Yunyu wrote "the fourteenth son of the emperor", and Yinzhi wrote "the fourth son of the emperor", the first word "emperor" cannot be omitted, and it is impossible to change the edict. But denying this folk rumor does not exclude Yongzheng's pretentiousness. There are indeed many doubts about Yongzheng's succession. This public case is confusing and has become a mystery for the ages. In Kangxi's later years, because of the abolition of the crown prince, the court was uneasy, and the storage position had been vacant for ten years. But Kangxi seems to have regarded the fourteenth son of the emperor Yunyu as his successor. At that time, the Dzungar invaded Tibet, the Qing reinforcements entered the city and were defeated, and the military situation on the Western Front was urgent. In the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi, Yunyu was appointed as the general of Fuyuan and led the army to the west. In this campaign to aid Tibet, a large number of troops were dispatched and the tasks were heavy. At that time, the candidate for the crown prince was waiting to be determined, and Kangxi gave Yunyu this important appointment, which should belong to it, probably to test and exercise Yunyu's talent. In order to establish the prestige of Yunyu, the military dispatch ceremony was solemn and of very high specifications, and Kangxi "personally saluted the hall". Yun Yu can be used to use the yellow flag and call the general king. There were a group of princes, county kings and several of Kangxi's beloved grandsons who went out with Yunyu. Kangxi attached great importance to Yunyu's talent, and said to the Mongolian prince: "The general king is my prince, and he is indeed a good general, leading the army. knows that he has the ability to lead soldiers, so he orders the heavy responsibility of life and death. You should follow the instructions of the great general king, whether in military affairs or in matters of great or small importance, and if you can work sincerely, it will be no different from my face-to-face instructions. ("General Fuyuan's Recital") After Yunyu went to the front line, Kangxi cared for him very much, and asked him repeatedly, telling him, "Ama and Eniang are in good health...... I haven't taken a single dose of medicine since last year,...... I no longer need the support of others when I go to the kang, and I don't need to put the horse on my horse when I ride a horse", "My white hair and white beard have turned a little blue, don't tell anyone about this" ("Manchu Zhu Yu"). Yun Yu was rewarded with food and goods as many as 16 times in the two years of the front line, including glasses, snuff bottles, and Kangxi's used belt. Yunyu's sons were also taken by Kangxi to Rehe for "benevolent training", so that they "often leaned around the knees of the emperor" ("Manchu Zhu Pi Fold"). Yunyu's son Hongchun married his daughter, and Kangxi took care of it himself, rewarding him with money and makeup. Kangxi gave Yunyu military power, and the relationship was very close, which gave people the impression that Yunyu would be the successor at that time. Therefore, the ninth son of the emperor, Yun Yu, said that Yun Yu was "smart and peerless", "both talent and virtue are complete, and my brothers are inferior", "The fourteenth master is now sending troops, and the emperor takes it very seriously, and the crown prince must be him in the future" ("Literature Series, Yun Yu Yun Yu Case"). Even the envoy of worship at that time said: "The fourteen kings have supported their troops outside, and they have made great achievements many times, and all the hearts of the people are salty." ("Yan Xinglu") contrasts these accounts with Yongzheng's comments on Yunyu's appointment as a general after he seized the throne. Yongzheng said: "(Kangxi) knows that Yunyu is useless in Beijing, and he is stupid and not quiet, so he really uses this to expel him" ("The Mystery of Dayi Jue)"). According to this statement, Kangxi would send a foolish and unquiet son to serve as a general, treating military affairs as child's play, which is not credible, and it is Yongzheng's slander in order to destroy Yunyu's image. The sinologist Shi Jingqian, who knows Chinese history best, has put "Yongzheng Dynasty's Great Righteous Jue Fan" on the shelves of Nanxiang Academy, he is the emperor of the Yongzheng Dynasty, and the fourth master in the Qing Dynasty, what kind of monarch is he? How Kangxi passed on the throne to Yongzheng, according to the official book, is also full of flaws, and there is no way to justify it. The earliest was the edict in August of the first year of Yongzheng: "Holy Ancestor...... On November 13 last year, the plan was decided in a hurry. There is no mention of the person who heard the death. In October of the fifth year of Yongzheng, the edict said: "On the day of the promotion of the imperial examination, I summoned all my brothers and Long Keduo to meet and issued an edict to deal with me with the unification. Among the ministers, there is only one more person who undertakes the decree. "There is a record of the princes and Long Keduo listening to the last orders. In September of the 17th year of Yongzheng, in order to refute the rumors of seizing the throne, Yongzheng wrote "The Mystery of Dayi Jue", describing the situation of Kangxi's deathbed, which was extremely detailed and specific: "Before the winter solstice in November of the 61st year of Kangxi, I was ordered by the emperor to worship the southern suburbs. When the emperor did not hesitate to take the test, he was quietly photographed in Changchun Garden. …… On the thirteenth, the emperor summoned me to the fasting place. Before I arrived at Changchun Garden, the emperor ordered Prince Cheng Yunzhi, Prince Chun Yunyou, Aqina (i.e., Yun Xi), Seth Hei (Yun Yu), Yun Yu, Yun Yu, Prince Yi Yunxiang, and the former Li Fan Yuan Shangshu Long Keduo to the front of the royal bed, and said: The fourth son of the emperor is of noble character, and he will be able to inherit the great unification and succeed me to the throne. At that time, Prince Zhuang Yunlu, Prince Guo Yunli, Beile Yunyi, and Bei Ziyunyi were waiting outside the palace. And I galloped to greet him, and the emperor told me that because of the increasing symptoms, I comforted him with tears. At night, the dragon rode the guest. I mourn and cry, I really don't want to live, Long Keduo is the emperor's edict. I was shocked when I heard it, and I fell to the ground. Prince Cheng and others kowtowed to me and advised me to mourn. I started to take care of big things. There are many problems in this passage: 1. The important situation of Kangxi's succession should have been disclosed at the beginning of Yongzheng's accession to the throne, and why was it delayed until seven years later. Second, Yongzheng has always emphasized that he did not know that he would inherit the throne before Kangxi's death, "I have no intention of taking the throne, and I am really bitter." On November 13 of the previous year, the imperial examination began to make a decree, but I didn't know it. If I know it, since there is no other reason, after the emperor will be in the sky, he will proclaim the decree to me" ("The Cabinet of the Lord"). According to the "Mystery of Dayi Jue", Yongzheng rushed to the sickbed eight hours before Kangxi died, and Kangxi was still able to speak, "The emperor's examination is due to the increasing symptoms", why did Kangxi not reveal to Yongzheng that it had been passed on to him. What a big deal is this? Did Kangxi forget? Or is it a secret from Yongzheng? None of this makes sense. And the brothers who had heard Kangxi's face to pass on the throne and Long Keduo did not say a word, until after Kangxi's death, "Long Keduo is the emperor's testament", the situation is bizarre. 3. Long Keduo is the "only minister" who inherited the edict, but in the edict of the fifth year of Yongzheng, it is said that "on the day of the ascension of Emperor Shengzuren, Long Keduo was not in front of the emperor, nor did he send anyone close to the emperor" ("Donghualu"), the preface and the afterword, contradictory. Fourth, Yongzheng said: When Kangxi died, Prince Guo Yunli (the seventeenth son of the emperor) also "waited outside the palace", but Long Keduo said: "On the day of Emperor Bintian, the minister returned to the capital first, and Prince Guo was on duty (referring to the palace), and when he heard that something was wrong, he met with the minister on Xizhimen Street, and told the emperor that he was on the throne. It can be seen that Yunli is not "waiting outside the palace", he heard that Kangxi died, rushed to Changchun Garden, met Long Keduo on Xizhimen Street, and heard that Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he was very frightened, and fled home. 5. According to Yongzheng, "On the day of the promotion of the imperial examination, when I was grieving, Seth Hei (Yun Yu) suddenly came to me, sat opposite me, arrogant and rude, and his meaning was unfathomable" ("The Mystery of the Great Righteous Jue"), "When the Holy Zuren Emperor Bintian, Aqina (Yun Xi) did not mourn, but leaned on the pillar outside the courtyard, meditated independently, assigned affairs, and completely ignored and did not answer, and his grievances can be known" ("Qing Shizong Records"). Yun Xi and Yun Yu's behavior is not like they listened to Kangxi's last words eight hours ago, but like Kangxi has just passed away and is angry when he hears the news of Yongzheng's accession to the throne. It can be seen from this that the so-called eight people were instructed by Kangxi to pass on the throne to Yongzheng is very suspicious, and it is likely to be forged seven years later. The problem can also be seen from the reaction of the imperial family to Yongzheng's succession. Yongzheng has many brothers, and only the thirteenth son of the emperor Yunxiang supports Yongzheng's succession. The fourteenth son of the emperor, Yunyu and Yongzheng, were born to a mother, and the two were mortal enemies for the throne. Yun Yu was transferred back to Beijing from the army to mourn, clashed with Yongzheng's quarrel, and was imprisoned forever. The eighth son of the emperor Yunci and the ninth son of the emperor Yunyu are Yongzheng's sworn enemies, they have great power and wide influence, and they are not satisfied with Yongzheng's usurpation, and resist Yongzheng's key targets, and to Yongzheng's fourth year, Yunci and Yunyu were persecuted to death. After the death of the two, Yongzheng renamed them Aqina (dog) and Seth Hei (pig), which shows the depth of hatred. The tenth son of the emperor, Yun Yan, was a party of Yun worship, and he was imprisoned forever in the second year of Yongzheng. The third son of the emperor, Yunzhi, also opposed Yongzheng's succession, and Yongzheng said that he was "attached to the party with Aqina, Seth Hei, and Yunyu" ("Qing History Manuscript"). His son Hongsheng couldn't get used to the actions of the fourth uncle, and Yongzheng reprimanded him for being "fierce and stubborn, helping his father to abuse". Imprisoned with his father. Yunqi, the fifth son of the emperor, was a timid and fearful person, but his son Hongsheng was also dissatisfied with Yongzheng and was cut off from the world. The twelfth brother of the emperor, Yunyi, the king of the county, was demoted to Beizi in the first year of Yongzheng because he was "not grateful for the service". The other brothers were younger and were not involved in the struggle for the throne, so they were preserved. Yongzheng's biological mother, Concubine De, folk rumors, said that she touched the pillar and died, although there is no exact evidence, but Yongzheng and Yunyu gave two biological sons, fighting to the death for the throne, the younger son was imprisoned for life by the eldest son, she died after Kangxi Yunyu was imprisoned "did not drink or eat", died soon after, the cause of death may be related to the struggle for the throne and the brother wall. Even Yongzheng's eldest son Hongshi (the third elder brother) was dissatisfied with his father's actions and protested, Yongzheng actually broke off the father-son relationship with him and ordered him to be Yunxi's son. "On February 18 of the fourth year of Yongzheng, it was decreed: Hongshi is a person who must not stay in the palace, and he is the son of Ling. Ordered Yun to remove the yellow belt from the sin, and the name of the jade has been removed, how can Hongshi not remove the yellow belt, and then remove the yellow belt, hand it over to Yun You, and let him restrain and support him" ("Yongzheng Dynasty in the Palace"). In the fifth year of Yongzheng, Hongshi further offended with several other royal brothers and was given death by Yongzheng. In the early years of Yongzheng, this bloody massacre within the royal family was caused by Yongzheng's usurpation and caused a collective struggle within the royal family. Those who know a little about the situation inside and outside are not upright and upright, and there are many people who are not convinced. Therefore, Yongzheng said, "The ministers in the court are fooled by Prince Lian (Yunxi), but they think that I am too harsh." For Yi Baohu, that is, when I repeatedly issued edicts, I examined the expressions of the people, and did not try to take Prince Lian as wrong" ("The Cabinet of the Edicts"). Therefore, there are many royal families and ministers who were killed by Zhu Lian in the Yunji and Yunyu groups. Even the historical materials of North Korea say that "the Qing Emperor (referring to Yongzheng) was a self-holy, how harsh the government, and hundreds of former Kangxi ministers died" ("Chinese Historical Materials in the Records of the Li Dynasty of Joseon"). If Yongzheng belonged to Kangxi and was a legitimate successor, it was hard to imagine that such a powerful opposition force would be gathered, which would provoke everyone to rebel and leave their relatives, leaving only a lonely family. If Yongzheng seizes the throne and uses cruel means to dispose of his brothers and sons, he cannot but be condemned by his conscience. Later, Qianlong said: Yun Xi and Yun Yu "are eager to steal, and sincerity is inevitable." and the Emperor Kao Shao Deng Dabao, resentment and slander, and all the things, especially no obvious traces of disobedience. In his later years, the imperial examination repeatedly told me about it, and I was unhappy." This obviously revealed Yongzheng's shame and anxiety, so Qianlong ascended the throne and quickly rehabilitated Zhaoxue for his brother, uncle, clan, and ministers involved in the case. Yongzheng's behavior is also abnormal. He kept saying that he was the most loved and filial son of Kangxi, but after he ascended the throne, he seemed to be very afraid of Kangxi's undead. Kangxi has been living in Changchun Garden, which was the largest and magnificent royal garden at that time, Yongzheng abandoned it, set up a new residence, built a large number of buildings, expanded the Old Summer Palace, as his own living palace. Kangxi often went to the Rehe summer resort, hunted, practiced martial arts, received Mongolian princes, and Yongzheng often accompanied his father to Rehe. But in the thirteen years since he ascended the throne, he has not been to the Lodge of Refuge once. The mausoleums of Shunzhi and Kangxi are all in Zunhua Malanyu, east of Beijing. The situation here is majestic, the ground is open, and then called "Dongling", Yongzheng refused to be buried with Kangxi, went to Yi County, southwest of Beijing, and built another "Xiling", as if he was deliberately avoiding Kangxi. It must be known that although Yongzheng Xiong is very strategic and knowledgeable, but the superstitious thought is very strong, he said: "The things of ghosts and gods, that is, the principle of heaven and earth, can not be ignored occasionally, all small and hilly, large and Chuanyue, there is no god and the lord, so we should respect and respect things", "I believe in the induction of heaven and man" ("Donghualu"). If a person who believes in the destiny of heaven and gods does something sorry for his father and brother, he will have a ghost in his heart, and he will stay away from his father's ghost no matter how he lives, entertains, or buries. Although this is not direct evidence of the seizure of the throne, if other evidence can be established, it can also be regarded as circumstantial evidence. There are many doubts about Yongzheng's succession, it is likely to be a usurpation, due to the rewriting of history, the destruction of archives, now it is difficult to find more conclusive evidence, the axe sound candle shadow, is a mystery that is difficult to solve through the ages. Of course, even if the usurpation is true, it cannot erase Yongzheng's historical merits. It should be said that it is not uncommon for the feudal ruling class to kill each other in order to compete for power. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attacked and killed his son, Tang Taizong slaughtered his brother to force his father to kill his son, Wu Zetian killed his son, even wise monarchs often use conspiracy and cruel struggle to open up the way for themselves and consolidate their position, Yongzheng is not an exception. Yongzheng, as the supreme ruler, he has outstanding talents, diligent in government affairs, insight into the situation, serious work, strict with the emperor, with vigorous and resolute means to correct the shortcomings of Kangxi in his later years, corruption and public practice, and the implementation of the "unity of the land", "envy to return to the public", "change the land and return to the stream" policy, reduce the burden of the people, promote economic development, and consolidate the unity of the country. Yongzheng reigned for thirteen years, strictly rectified and reformed, and laid the foundation for the future Qianlong prosperity.