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Many scholars firmly believe that Yongzheng abolished the punishment of waist beheading because of Yu Hongtu's death, and made a remarkable contribution to the construction of the legal system in China's feudal era.
However, as for Yu Hongtu's death, the Qing History Manuscript Sejong Benji records that in March of the twelfth year of Yongzheng, "Wu Shu, Henan Xuezheng Yu Hongtu was beheaded with stolen goods."
Is this "beheading" a beheading, or a waist beheading? One is to cut off the head, the other is to cut off the waist, both are torture that damages the body, but the location of the chop is different, and the effect of the chop is also different. The former kills with a knife, while the latter often causes prisoners to die of pain.
Volume 141 of the Records of Emperor Shizong of the Qing Dynasty reads: In March of the twelfth year of Yongzheng, "Bing Shen, the Censorship Discussion, Yu Hongtu, a scholar of Henan, who accepted bribes for personal gain, should be decided." With the will, Yu Hongtu wrote that he would be beheaded. ”
What Yongzheng circled was the "decisive decision" drawn up by the Punishment Department, which could not be changed.
Yongzheng thorn tiger diagram
A beheading, i.e., an immediate execution of the beheading.
Checking the contents of the "Yongzheng Dynasty Living Registration" on March 12, Yongzheng sent the verdict of several people on the same day: "The decree that Yu Hongtu will be beheaded immediately; Jia Zehan, Chen Dapeng, and Ma Ze will be hanged according to the plan, and will be imprisoned for execution after the autumn." ”
Jia Zehan of Zhixian County, Linying County, served as the transfer officer, and Chen Dapeng and Ma Zesan were all participants in this fraud case. Yongzheng gave him a severe punishment, but made Yu Hongtu, who had always been cautious and derelict in his duties, the first offender.
Why Yu Hongtu should be executed immediately, Yongzheng gave a rational use:
"The study of political science is an important government for the country to revitalize talents and cultivate talents, and the relationship is very important. For more than ten years, the provincial examiners have not heard of the inferior name of being greedy and corrupt, and they are quite happy, thinking that the trial matter has gradually been eliminated. Now that Yu Hongtu has paid bribes for personal gain and suffered thousands of bribes, no one in the provinces will dare to believe in whether the results of the study and government are clarified. Gai Xuezheng and the overseer are in the same province, the advantages and disadvantages of the study of government, the governor has not been unaware of it, but because the governor has asked for a share of the fat, it will be hidden on behalf of the governor. How does the fallback know? Yu Hongtu's greed and defiance of the law, unless he encounters wang Shijun, who is impartial and upright, may not be able to participate in the performance immediately. Another example is that in the past, when Zhang Tinglu was studying politics in Henan, he was soft and good at selling his name, and he was not willing to play according to the facts. (Yongzheng Dynasty Living Registration, Yongzheng 12 march C Shen Ni Tiao)
Zhang Tinglu, who had been a lecturer at Yongzheng's side, and later the governor of Henan Xuezheng, was deposed for the dismissal of Qiu Sheng's staff. However, he was soon recalled by the Yongzheng Emperor and moved to Zhan Shifu zhan shi and libu shilang, and Yu Yongzheng was still serving as a scholar in Jiangsu in the eleventh year.
Therefore, Yongzheng said: Zhang Tinglu was transferred back, Che Jia was trained, and now he was reused in Jiangsu.
It was all a serious accident in Henan Xuezheng, but Yu Hongtu was not as lucky as Zhang Tinglu.
Zhang Tinglu was dismissed, but he was quickly activated, rather than being beheaded as arranged by the TV series "Yongzheng Dynasty".
"Yongzheng Dynasty" Yongzheng Emperor and Zhang Tingyu stills
He had a good second brother, Zhang Tingyu, who was a scholar and military chancellor of the Bohe Temple, whom the Yongzheng Emperor relied heavily on. In addition, his father, Zhang Ying, was a scholar of the Wenhuadian University of the Kangxi Dynasty and a shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and served as a teacher of the Yongzheng Emperor.
Yu Hongtu also had a father of a high-ranking official, an official to the Household Department. The Qing History Manuscript Sejong Benji records that his father, Yu Zhaosheng, was implicated by his son and stripped of his position.
Yu Zhaosheng had been a cabinet scholar since the forty-fifth year of the Kangxi Dynasty. He was good at calligraphy and painting, proficient in ink and flowers, and was deeply liked by the Kangxi Emperor, a literary enthusiast.
After Yongzheng ascended the throne, Yu Zhaosheng was made the attendant of the Household Department, and served as an assistant to Yun Xiang, the Prince of Yi of the Prime Minister's Household Department. However, he was in-laws with Li Weijun, the governor of Nian Qianyao, and was attached to Nian Qianyao.com.
Before Yongzheng asked the heavily criminal Nian Qianyao, he was the first to take Li Weijun and take him for questioning, dismissing him, raiding his home, and sentenced him to a beheading prisoner, and his wife was enslaved in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Even though the outlaw ministers Li Weijun and Nian Qianyao had been convicted and died, their supporters, followers, and loyalists, who had not been held accountable or dug up, still made the powerful Yongzheng feel anxious and stressed.
For Yu Zhaosheng, Yongzheng commented: "Has always been misbehaving", "relying on Nian Tangyao as a lackey under the door". (Yongzheng Dynasty Living Registration, Yongzheng 12 march C Shen Ni Article)
In addition, Yu Zhaosheng was in charge of the household department, and after Yun Xiang's death, he played with small cleverness and changed the rules and regulations he had painstakingly formulated, resulting in many drawbacks.
Relying on Nian Qianyao as a running dog, he betrayed Prince Yi and changed his rules.
"Yongzheng Dynasty" Yin Chan and Yin Xiang stills
Yongzheng took advantage of the Yu Hongtu incident to blame Yu Zhaosheng, who was "very hateful", "he could not teach his son on weekdays", and "with this contrarian son, would he really have nothing to see and hear and want to get rid of it" (Records of the Qing Dynasty, vol. 141).
Yu Hongtu's accident in Henan had nothing to do with Yu Zhaosheng in Beijing, so the Punishment Department only convicted Yu Zhaosheng of one crime of negligence.
Yongzheng was very dissatisfied, believing that this was "a light end, a big favor", and when Yu Zhaosheng was dismissed from his post, the Ministry of Life and Punishment handed over Yu Zhaosheng's case to the Metropolitan Procuratorate for strict investigation.
Yongzheng ordered that Yu Zhaosheng must be tried sternly and impartially, and if he still cared about his feelings and concealed it for personal gain, then he would personally try it and deal with the officials who examined him severely.
Yongzheng's ultimate goal, as it is, is indeed "unusual and personal disadvantages comparable" (Records of the Qing Dynasty, vol. 141).
Yu Hongtu's decision to beheaded was not only self-inflicted, but also had an inexhaustible relationship with the Yongzheng Emperor's hatred of Yu Zhaosheng.