As early as the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was the term "New Year's Day", and the ancient New Year's Day referred to the first day of the first lunar month, that is, the first day of the lunar new year. On the first day of the first lunar month of the 61st year of the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, which was the last New Year's Day in the life of the Kangxi Emperor, according to the list of invitations drawn up by the Ministry of Rites, the civil and military officials collectively entered the palace to present the New Year's greeting table to Kangxi, and then drank and feasted in the palace. Kangxi sat on the main hall, searching through the crowd with his eyes, as if looking for a person, but he did not find it, and his face was full of doubt.
Kangxi summoned Lai Du, the Rebbe Shangshu, and asked him to bring the list of congratulations drawn up by the Rebbe, and kangxi glanced at it and asked Lai Du, "Why is there no Wang Tuan on the list?" Quickly make up his name, and tomorrow let him enter the palace to give thanks. Lai Du's face was full of grievances, and he thought to himself, "Wang Tuan is a sinful person, how can he be invited?" However, in the New Year's Day, he did not dare to confront Kangxi, so he immediately added Wang Tuan's name and sent someone to inform Wang Tuan.
Who is Wang Tuan, and why can He be so cared for by Kangxi? Speaking of which, Wang Tuan entered the army in the ninth year of the Kangxi Dynasty and has been an official in the Kangxi Dynasty for more than 50 years. At this time, Wang Tuan, who was already 78 years old, was an official and a scholar of Wenyuange University, and was one of the few old ministers around Kangxi. Wang Was from the Taiyuan Wang clan and was originally from Suzhou, and his great-grandfather was Wang Xijue, the first assistant to the cabinet during the Ming Dynasty. Wang Tuan was very knowledgeable, and during his tenure as a scholar, he took great care of the students of the Cold Gate, so his official reputation was very good. In the thirty-third year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Wang Tuan served as a servant of the household department and concurrently served as a teacher of the Jing Feast, responsible for giving lectures to the princes, during which Time Wang Tuan and Crown Prince Yinrong accumulated a deep friendship between teachers and students.
Yin Rong was kangxi's concubine, and was made crown prince at an early age, but as other princes grew up, the position of prince was threatened, so Yin Rong took risks and committed absurd and rebellious things, during which time, although Wang Tuan repeatedly dissuaded the prince, the prince did not listen to his advice. In the later years of the Kangxi Dynasty, crown prince Yinrong was deposed twice and imprisoned. Wang Tuan interceded for Yin Rong many times, and Kangxi remembered that Wang Tuan was old and selfless, so he did not blame Wang Tuan. But in the sixty years of Kangxi, Wang Tuan angered Kangxi.
The Draft History of the Qing Dynasty records:
Repeat the previous incident, please release the second brother, and the language is more intense... On the fifth day of the yue, he deferred the discussion of the crime and went to serve in front of the Western Army with all the imperial historians. Because of his old age, he rebuked his son Yi Qing to atone for his father's sins.
In order to ask Kangxi to release the second brother Yinrong, Wang Tuan was agitated in the court, which angered Kangxi. Subsequently, Wang Tuan gathered 12 yushi to join hands and demanded the release of Yin Rong. Kangxi couldn't bear it any longer, and sent Wang Tou to the Northwest Army. Later, remembering Wang Tuan's old age, he asked his eldest son Wang Yiqing to replace Wang Tuan.
Under normal circumstances, Wang Tuan, as a university scholar, must have his participation in such a major event as entering the palace to celebrate New Year's Day. However, because Wang Tuan was convicted, the ceremonial staff did not dare to write Wang Tuan's name on the invitation list, so Kangxi did not see Wang Tuan that day. Unexpectedly, Kangxi still had Wang Tuan in mind, and he did not find Wang Tuan among the hundred officials, so he asked Libu Shangshu Lai to add Wang Tuan's name to it, and let Wang Tuan enter the palace the next day to thank him. Draft History of the Qing Dynasty:
On New Year's Day of the sixty-first year, the ministers expressed their congratulations, but did not list their names, and issued an order to list them in order to advance.
The next day, early in the morning of the second day of the Chinese New Year, Wang Tuan did not even eat breakfast, and he entered the palace trembling. Kangxi did not rush to see Wang Tuan, but first gave a feast in the Taihe Hall, on a cold day, let the old minister eat first, Kangxi summoned Wang Tuan to the Xi Nuan Pavilion, the two of them talked for a long time, Kangxi greeted Wang Tuan with a cold greeting, relieved, and when Wang Tuan left the palace, he was in a happy mood.
In the later years of Kangxi's life, the Kangxi Emperor had completely abandoned the deposed crown prince YinRong, but only imprisoned him in the Xian'an Palace, and never saw him again in this life. However, Wang Tuan repeatedly disobeyed Kangxi and demanded that Kangxi release YinRong, so why did Kangxi blindly appease and tolerate such a minister? There are three reasons for this:
First, as one of prince Yinrong's teachers, Wang Tuan did not change the court during Yinrong's two deposees, but continued to intercede for Yinrong. This friendship made Kangxi cherish it very much.
Second, in the later years of Kangxi, because the selection of the crown prince was not announced, the country was empty and the court was unstable. Wang Tuan asked Kangxi to release Yin Rong, in fact, in order to solve the problem of the court, and did not have selfish intentions.
Third, after Wang Tuan became a famous man, he served Kangxi for more than 50 years, and he was nearly old, and Kangxi had a lot of care for the old minister when he was about to die.
Based on the above three points, although Wang Tuan repeatedly disobeyed Kangxi's intentions, Kangxi still treated Wang Tuan very kindly. After the death of Kangxi, Yongzheng ascended the throne, and Wang Tuan told the old man to return to his hometown. In the sixth year of Yongzheng, wang tuan died at the age of 84, and Yongzheng gave him a thick burial.