On the fourteenth day of the first month of the thirtieth year of Daoguang (1850), the Daoguang Emperor died, and on the twenty-sixth day of the first month, the fourth son of the emperor, Yixuan, officially succeeded to the throne, with the next year (1851) as the first year of Xianfeng. Just as the Xianfeng Emperor was immersed in the joy of contending for the throne, the sixth son of the emperor, Yi Bi, was very bitter, and he changed from a brother of equal status to a courtier, and had to make a deferential attitude in order to protect himself.
The Xianfeng Emperor competed for victory and had great power, but he also knew that he was far inferior to the sixth brother, and he had obtained the throne by hypocritical and disgraceful means. Therefore, he was very uneasy about Yi Bi and took the necessary measures to restrict Yi Bi.
The Xianfeng Emperor defeated Yi Bi with "RenXiao" and flaunted "RenXiao" after succeeding to the throne. Therefore, as an emperor, you always have to make an example, show kindness to your brothers, and show a tolerant attitude towards the sixth brother Yi Bi. In fact, just like Yi Bi's mentality, it is also a curved meaning, showing ren only "showing", and the actual meaning is far from renye.
We know that the Daoguang Emperor clearly pointed out in his will and testament that "the sixth son of the emperor, Yi Bi, was made a prince.". However, after the Xianfeng Emperor ascended the throne, he did not express his position, in fact, he did not want to admit it, and the purpose was to deliberately suppress Yi Bi and want to see whether Yi Bi was respectful or disrespectful to himself.
It was not until two years later, when the Xianfeng Emperor saw that Yi Bi was indeed obedient to him at every turn, and did not find any action, that he reluctantly issued a decree to show his recognition of his princely title.
Two months before the canonization of the prince, the Daoguang Emperor's Feng'an Ceremony was held, and the Daoguang Emperor's spiritual throne was promoted to the Taimiao Temple with the temple number of "Xuanzong", and Yi Bi had no reason to live in the palace, so Xianfeng immediately sent him out of the palace. The mansion that Xianfeng pointed out to Yi Bi was the residence of the Qianlong Dynasty scholar He Yan, and after He Yan was raided, this mansion was given to Wang Yongxuan of Qingjun and the ten princesses of Qianlong. After the princess's death, the house was all returned to Yong Xuan, and after Yong Xuan's death, he was stripped of his knighthood for sin, and this house was not in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and has been idle.
Since Yi Bi moved in, it has been known as prince Gong's mansion. The backyard of the palace is the living quarters of Prince Gong, and the plaque in the main hall is "Ledao hall", which has the same name as the Ledao Hall of Qixiang Palace in the Forbidden City. Behind the mansion is the palace garden.
The Xianfeng Emperor pointed out that Prince Gong lived in this magnificent building, mainly because King Gong was indeed qualified, because there was only one prince with the same title. In addition, in addition to this idle palace, there is really no suitable residence for Prince Gong. Let Prince Gong live in the mansion where He yan and Yong Xuan lived, it is not that the Xianfeng Emperor still has good intentions.
Xian Feng also had too many things that he did not have good intentions towards Yi Bi, and when Yi Bi was just crowned prince, Xian Feng did not have good intentions and let him do something that he was extremely unhappy about.
In July of the second year of Xianfeng, Emperor Xianfeng's master Du Wasian died of illness, and he was only a co-founder scholar, and Xianfeng posthumously awarded him the title of Taishi,posthumously promoted to the rank of university scholar, and gave him the highest courtesy name of "Wenzheng" (文正). He was also promoted to his father Libu Shangshu and his son to be a servant of the Ministry of Works, and soon promoted to the rank of Minister of Military Aircraft. The Xianfeng Emperor also personally made sacrifices and sent coffins. This kind of favor is absolutely not a second person in the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, in the "Qing History Manuscript Du Shoutian Biography", it is openly written that this kind of "ornamental classic is incomparable for a while".
Interestingly, the Xianfeng Emperor not only personally sacrificed the sacrifice, but also ordered Yi Bi to send Du Shengtian's coffin back to his original hometown in the name of the prince on behalf of Xianfeng. Ming Ming Du Wastian was Yi Bi's failed political enemy, but his coffin insisted on the failed Yi Bi, and Xian Feng was cruel enough to treat Yi Bi like this.
Yi Bi was forced to return from the funeral for Du Shoutian, and Xian Feng gave him a Hechun Garden and asked him to move in. He Chun Garden was an abandoned garden in the Yuanmingyuan, and Yi Bi was rewarded for Du Shengtian's funeral, which was a second humiliation. Moreover, to make him live, so that he can stay away from the court, away from the kings and ministers, is the side of the royal bed, and it is not allowed to be involved in the meaning.
Yi Bi understood the meaning of the fourth brother, and also said that he would no longer ask about the affairs of the DPRK, but just read honestly and be a nominal prince for the rest of his life. Because, since the Yongzheng Dynasty, in addition to the concubines are not allowed to interfere in political affairs, an unwritten family law has been added, that is, the crown prince is not allowed to participate in the major politics, unless in an extraordinary period, when the son has a will to break his rules.
In April of the third year of Xianfeng, it had been two months since the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom peasant revolt had captured Nanjing, and the Qing government's finances were extremely difficult, and the national treasury was extremely empty. The Taiping Rebellion broke out at xianfeng dengji, and the two-year civil war had already spent all the national treasury silver, and when Nanjing was captured, the national treasury only had 227,000 taels of silver, which was not enough for even a month's military expenditure.
Without military expenses, there is no way to fight a war ahead, and Gui Liang, who was then the Shangshu of the Military Department, said that the Silver Treasury Shangshu of the Guangchu Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs had three large golden bells, which could still be accommodated and changed to help the military supplies. Xianfeng heard the music, that is, sent a staff responsible for casting the golden bell. Guiliang was Yi Bi's father-in-law, so he put Yi Bi in charge of the melting of the Golden Bell and the change of money.
This was the first matter of some practical significance that Xian Feng had sent to Yi Bi in the past few years since he came to power, and when Yi Bi received this errand, he was also sincerely afraid, and quickly went to the performance to say that he would do the errand in a down-to-earth manner and live up to his expectations.
After Yi Bi led the staff to verify, it was cast and cast, and the gold was 27030 taels. In the days when the Qing government was so urgent to suppress the uprising, a prince did not hear about the important affairs of the country, but let him melt three golden bells, Yi Bi still regarded it as a big thing, and he was afraid of it, showing how much the Xianfeng Emperor was wary of his competitors three years ago, and Yi Bi, a prince who was both literate and martial, was in an extremely dangerous political situation in the early years of Xianfeng.