In feudal society, the emperors who have the throne to inherit are also headaches for the selection of successors, so the inheritance system of the eldest son came into being and was passed on from generation to generation.
However, Emperor Xuanye of the Ancients, who was not a concubine or a long man, was not loved by the Shunzhi Emperor, but was able to inherit the unification. So, what exactly did he succeed with?
Young Kangxi (stills from "Kangxi Dynasty")
Xuan Ye was Shunzhi's third son, and his birth mother Tong Jia was not favored by Shunzhi. Why? Because at that time, Shunzhi was in love with Concubine Dong. When Xuan Ye was four years old, Princess Dong gave birth to a son, Aiwu and Wu, who was immediately regarded as the "first son" by Shunzhi. Unfortunately, the little prince died within a few months. Aizi's death caused Princess Dong'e to become ill and died. After Dong Efei's death, Shunzhi sought death and sought life, staged dramas such as committing suicide and renunciation, and soon fell seriously ill. It is conceivable that when Xuan Ye was a child, Shunzhi had no intention of caring for him at all.
Xuan Ye (stills from "Kangxi Dynasty")
The important weight that made Xuan Ye win in the end was that he was loved by his grandmother Xiaozhuang as soon as he was born. Why does Xiaozhuang like him so much? Legend has it that before Xuan Ye was born, one day, the birth mother Tong Concubine went to xiaozhuang to ask for peace, and xiaozhuang saw that concubine Tong felt that she had an auspicious sign, and the child born must have a great blessing. When Xuan Ye was born, there was a strange fragrance floating above the palace, and five colors of light filled the palace, and everyone called it the sign of Chery. Therefore, after Xuan Ye was born, Xiaozhuang paid special attention to the growth of this grandson, strictly required him according to the standards of the emperor, and also sent his maid Su Ma Lagu to teach him specifically.
Xiaozhuang (stills from "Kangxi Dynasty")
Let's take a look at what competitors Xuan Ye had at that time? Shunzhi had eight sons in his lifetime, the eldest son and the fourth son died early, and the fourth son was the son of Concubine Dong mentioned above, if he did not die early, the proper heir to the throne would have nothing to do with Xuan Ye. The sixth son, the seventh son, and the eighth son were all too young to be competitive. In fact, there are only two sons Fuquan and five sons Chang Ning left, these two competitors. The birth mothers of these two were not favored like Xuan Ye's birth mothers. For these three princes, Shunzhi did not have special feelings. One day, the brother went to ask Shunzhi for peace. Shunji asked them what kind of person they would like to be when they grew up. Fuquan said, I would like to be a virtuous king. Xuan Ye said that he was willing to emulate his father. This surprised Shunzhi and he valued Xuan Ye relatively.
Xuan Ye also had a winning weight that was that he had to pass smallpox. At that time, medicine was not developed, and smallpox was an incurable disease. After Xuan Ye got smallpox, he miraculously came back to life. At that time, many people believed that this was a blessing from the heavens, and Xuan Ye was the chosen son. The Shunzhi Emperor asked the German missionary John Tang about the issue of the heir, and John Tang chose Xuan Ye because Xuan Ye had smallpox and had immunity.
In the end, based on the strong support of Empress Xiaozhuang, the blessing of smallpox, coupled with his own intelligence and ambition, Kangxi, as the third son, was able to inherit the unification.