Chapter 5 Section 1 Victims of Political Reform
Emperor Kangxi's evaluation of the words "blessed people" came true very quickly.In the second year after Kangxi finished speaking this sentence, Niu Hulu, Qianlong's biological mother, was named Concubine Xi because of Yongzheng's accession to the throne, and later promoted to Noble Concubine Xi.After Qianlong ascended the throne, she became the empress dowager again, with the title of "Queen of Xiaoshengxian".
What makes her feel even more blessed is that her son Qianlong is the famous "Emperor of Dutiful Son" in Chinese history.His affection for his mother was deep and natural.After ascending the throne, he was busy with state affairs, and he still insisted on "three days to greet, five days to serve meals, and caring for his mother's daily life" as before. ("Emperor Qianlong and His Era")
Qianlong, who had just ascended to the throne of God, paid great attention to frugality in his daily life, and even refused his courtiers to offer tribute to him during the New Year and festivals.But every time his mother celebrated her birthday, he would make a fuss and never care about money.Especially in the sixth year of Qianlong (1741), the empress dowager's fiftieth birthday, the emperor followed Kangxi's practice on her fiftieth birthday, and organized many elderly people over the age of sixty to "look and kneel" on the side of the road when the empress dowager returned to the palace from the Yuanmingyuan. Receive", at the end of the day, only to reward those who kneeled and received, it cost 100,000 taels of silver and more than 70,000 bolts of silk.As for the 60th birthday and the whole birthday after that, in order to please the Empress Dowager, Qianlong spent money like water, doing extravagant things. ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty")
The old lady has a strong body and likes to be active.Every time Qianlong went on tour, he had to take the old lady with him for sightseeing, which was called "The Empress Dowager An Yu went on tour".The old lady is also "never tired of it. No matter how old she is or how far away she is, she always travels happily. The waiters along the way are naturally very thoughtful and courteous, but it is always more hard work than resting in the palace garden." Much more. Maybe because she doesn't like the lonely and rigid pace of life in the palace, she would rather follow her son to travel around and play in mountains and rivers." ("Emperor Qianlong and His Era") Qianlong's name of "pure filial piety" is impressive in the annals of history.
But one thing, Qianlong never took it lightly, that is, the Queen Mother was never allowed to touch his authority a little bit.
On August 26th in the thirteenth year of Yongzheng (1735), that is, the third day after he ascended the throne, he issued an edict, warning the eunuchs and maids in the palace:
All state affairs are of great importance, and rumors are not allowed to be heard, for fear that the empress dowager will be upset.The empress dowager is kind, caresses me, and has a sincere heart. If there is any knowledge, is there any reason not to tell the mother and child?But how do outsiders know about the government affairs that I and the kings and ministers handle?It should be played and heard by the mother, who has already heard it.During the imperial confinement, anyone who speaks foreign words is nothing more than eunuchs and so on.There are many mistakes in the rumors in the market.Pretend or falsely spread it to the Empress Dowager, and tell me that I know what it is, as if it fits the heart of the Emperor's examination, and I will naturally follow it;You strictly enforce the edict, and afterward, anyone who goesssip outside and report to the inner court for no reason is a person who violates the law.Chen Fu and Zhang Bao are the people sent to serve the Empress Dowager, and they are responsible for it, and let them know. ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty")
To put it bluntly, it is to insulate the Queen Mother from politics and eliminate any possibility of her interfering in the government.
Facts have proved that the emperor was prescient.Although precautions have been taken, unhappiness is still inevitable.Once, when chatting with Qianlong, the Empress Dowager mentioned that there is a temple in the east of Shuntian Mansion that is very effective, but it has been in disrepair for a long time and is about to collapse. Qianlong asked Qianlong to allocate some money to repair it.When Qianlong heard this, he immediately agreed with a smile on his face.But when he turned around, he issued a strict decree and severely reprimanded Zhang Bao and Chen Fu, the eunuchs beside the queen mother: "Zhang Bao is confused and ignorant of affairs, and Chen Fu has served the ancestors for many years. How many temples have been built by the ancestors? I respect the rites and respect, and all affairs within the palace are subject to the orders of Yi, how can it be filial to obey and build temples?" Although they will not be severely punished for the sake of the Queen Mother, it is not an example under the statement: "In case of such incidents later, Chen Fu and others should not stop, act lightly, and cause more troubles. I will never forgive them lightly." ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of Qing Dynasty")
On the surface, this strict decree was issued to the eunuch, but in fact it was addressed to the queen mother.Since then, the wise old lady has a long memory and never dares to do anything against the law of the ancestors. The relationship between mother and child in the Qianlong Dynasty ended perfectly in the ideal state of "mother's kindness and son's filial piety".
It was not that Qianlong was too harsh on his mother, but that he knew the importance of preventing the passing of time.From the first empress dowager, Lv Zhi, to Emperor Qianlong's grandmother, Empress Xiaozhuang, there have been almost every generation in history that mothers and empresses have monopolized power and foreign relatives have disrupted politics.The embankment of a thousand miles is destroyed by ant nests; people have no long-term worries, but they must have near-term worries.Qianlong knew very well that the queen mother may not have the heart to interfere in politics, but if a precedent for the queen mother to influence state affairs is set, many people will inevitably wait for the opportunity to enter."Long raising" the queen mother by himself, with double respect and courtesy, is also likely to make the relatives of the queen mother arrogant and run amok.Once the queen mother and relatives have formed a certain political power, it will be very difficult to deal with it at that time.
The first principle throughout Qianlong's political career was monopoly of power.He said: "Those who are in power, do what the superiors do, and don't be too powerful."
In a word, autocratic power is the power to exploit the world, and its selfishness determines that it is coveted and spied on all day long. "The emperor takes turns and will come to my house next year." All capable people covet this power.Therefore, the nature of autocratic power is inherently high-pressure, exclusive, and hostile to all alien forces, and it must be established on a strict hierarchical order.If the ruler can firmly grasp the power, so that the monarch, the minister, the father, the son, and the son, that is to say, maintain a strict order of sharing in the power chain, the world can have long-term peace and stability.Once the game is lost, the highest power is invaded or split, and the order of benefit sharing becomes chaotic, the country will inevitably fall into disorder, and various forces will be killed.In other words, if a piece of fat is firmly bitten by the head wolf, the wolf pack is usually quiet, and each wolf will eat in order of status.On the contrary, if the alpha wolf is not strong enough and the bite is not tight enough, the wolf pack will inevitably blow up the nest.
Therefore, the first requirement of autocratic politics is that the ruler must "bite the fat", monopolize power, and effectively eliminate any opposition forces and power pretenders.
It is not easy to truly achieve monopoly.In Chinese history, due to the emperor's age being too young or too old, lack of personal ability, abnormal physical condition, and excessive trust in certain political forces, the imperial power was embezzled, the "Tai Ah reversed", and the world was in chaos. Thousands of times.
In order to achieve monopoly, Qianlong took all possible measures.
In addition to the mother and relatives, the royal family is also the focus that the emperor must guard against.Throughout the ages, the royal family has been the most sensitive person who is most likely to influence the government and trigger political wars.This disadvantage was especially serious in the Qing Dynasty.During the rise of the Qing Dynasty, the most important thing was the power of the family.Fighting brothers, father and son soldiers in battle, from Nurhachi to Huang Taiji, those brothers and sons who were like wolves and tigers competed for their lives in the process of fighting for the emperor, and also formed a political tradition in which relatives and nobles hold great power.There are fierce struggles in almost every generation within the Aixinjueluo royal family, which seriously affects political stability.Outside the pass, there is a fight between Nurhachi, Shuerhaqi, and Chu Ying's brothers and sons, and there is a conflict between Huang Taiji and the Four Great Baylors.After entering the customs, there was a struggle between Shunzhi and Dorgon, and Yongzheng and his brothers killed each other.
As soon as he ascended the throne, Qianlong made a long-term decision to completely change the aristocratic political tradition of the Qing Dynasty and exclude any royal figures from the core of power.
Most of the ten Qianlong brothers died young when they ascended the throne, leaving only two younger brothers, Hong Zhou and Hong Luo.
As mentioned above, Qianlong and Hongzhou were the same age, they lived together since childhood, ate and lived together, studied with the same teacher, and had a strong brotherhood.Qianlong once said: "(Hong Zhou) and I have been together since we were children until now, and we have been together for a long time. It is exactly the same." Is it possible to carry it all?" ("Leshantang Wenchao Preface") During the half year when Hongli was brought into the palace by Kangxi, the two brothers missed each other. .
But once Qianlong ascended the throne, the relationship between brothers changed immediately.The distinction between monarch and minister overwhelms brotherhood, and the sense of precaution overwhelms love.As strong as his desire to be a "filial son", Qianlong hoped that he would be recorded in history as a benevolent "elder brother of the emperor", but this was not easy to achieve.
Qianlong was never stingy with his two younger brothers in terms of money and titles, and he was also kind in his daily interactions. Poetry and drinking, there is almost no day", a generous and kind brother demeanor.But political power never let them get involved, and often reminded them not to intervene in politics: "Time to add training, not to interfere in political affairs, to preserve reputation." ("Xiao Ting Miscellaneous Records")
In the imperial family, "Brother Yiyi" is actually impossible.Tianhuang nobles often have many natural defects, which are easy to violate the strict etiquette.For a while, Hong Zhou was not used to the fact that his elder brother, who ate, lived and played with him, suddenly became an unattainable "superior".Once, the emperor ordered him to invigilate the examination of the Eight Banners in the palace. The examination began, and the emperor sat there for a long time.Hongzhou carelessly invited the emperor back to the palace for dinner, saying that it would be fine to have me here.The emperor was afraid that the disciples of the Eight Banners would be stubborn and bold, and some would dare to cheat, so he nodded, but he still sat there and wanted to observe for a while.Seeing that his words didn't work, Hong Zhou became upset and lost his temper and said to the emperor, "Don't you even believe me, are you afraid that I will be bribed by them?"
It seems very normal today for brothers to say such things.But in the era of autocracy, speaking to the emperor like this is already treasonous.After hearing this, the well-mannered emperor retreated away without saying a word.
After the emperor left, Hongzhou finally understood Wei'er and realized that he had made a big mistake.The next day, he went to plead guilty to the emperor.Qianlong said to him: "Yesterday, if I answered one sentence, and the two sides contradicted each other, you would be smashed to pieces. Although your words are not pleasant, I know that you are friendly in your heart, so I forgive you. Be careful in the future and don't say such things again." It's gone." Only then did Hong Zhou realize that he had escaped a catastrophe, and he couldn't help but sweat. ("Emperor Qianlong and His Era")
As the former prince and now the emperor's younger brother, Hong Zhou has an arrogant and domineering personality.Once, he had a quarrel with Naqin, the minister of military aircraft, and beat him in public with his fists.Qianlong was well aware of the shortcomings in Hongzhou's character, so he kept using things to beat them, in order to prevent them from getting worse, and make him recognize the status of emperor and minister, so as to avoid making bigger mistakes.Once, Hong Zhou and Hong Luo went to the palace to greet the Empress Dowager. When the mother and son were chatting, they accidentally knelt down on the rattan mat next to the Empress Dowager's throne.This trivial matter violated the emperor's taboo, because this rattan mat was where Qianlong usually sat on his knees.Qianlong accused them of "arrogant etiquette" and "kneeling and sitting in front of the empress dowager".Because of this trivial incident, Hong Zhou was fined for three years. ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty")
Born as a younger brother, he was honored on the surface in the era of autocracy, but in fact he was a "political pariah" who was born incapable of touching political power.Although they are full of energy and talents, their mission in life is only to "eat and wait to die".After these setbacks, Hong Zhou fears politics like a tiger. In his prime, he spends all day doing nothing in the palace, drunk and dreaming, and gradually becomes psychotic.He often plays a special game, which is to practice his own funeral.He sits high in the courtyard pretending to be a dead person, and the guards and attendants of the palace set up all kinds of ghost vessels, offering sacrifices and crying for sacrifices, while he himself eats the offerings while watching the crying faces of his family and attendants for entertainment. Playing until you die of old age in your sixties is considered a good end.
Another younger brother, Hongluo, was not so lucky.When Qianlong came to the throne, the younger brother was only two years old.For this young brother, Qianlong took great care of him.Because Prince Yunli's family property is rich but has no descendants, the emperor specially ordered Hongluo to inherit his property.However, Hongluo, who was spoiled and spoiled since he was a child, has many personality flaws, especially his willful greed for money, which was often disliked by Qianlong.Because he knelt down to the wrong place to greet the queen mother, Hongluo was punished by the emperor for all his faults.After such humiliation, Hongluo became depressed and became seriously ill because of it. He died soon after, at the age of thirty-two. ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty")
He was so strict to his brothers, and of course the emperor was even more stern about other royal families.When Yongzheng just passed away, Qianlong complied with his will and took his uncles, Prince Zhuang Yunlu, Prince Guo Yunli, and academicians Ertai and Zhang Tingyu as Ministers of Gu Ming, to form the "Prime Minister's Office", a temporary institution in front of the imperial court.After the mourning period ended, Qianlong withdrew this temporary institution and restored the Military Aircraft Office, with Ertai, Zhang Tingyu and others as the Minister of Military Aircraft, but Prince Zhuang Yunlu and Prince Guo Yunli were excluded. The system of the Military Aircraft Department has gone through the Qian, Jia, and Dao dynasties for more than 120 years, and it was not broken until the Cixi period.
The royal nobles had a very good impression of Qianlong, because he easily won the support of the entire royal family by restoring the reputation of Yongzheng's political opponents.But the sudden interruption of the tradition of relatives and nobles intervening in politics made them think that the new emperor was more ruthless than the old emperor.Since the time of Nurhachi, relatives and nobles have been used to holding great power, but now they are suddenly allowed to have nothing to do, and it is inevitable to talk strange things and complain.
During the Kangxi period, Hongxi, the son of the deposed prince, and several uncles and brothers of the same generation often came to the home of Prince Zhuang, who was unemployed, to discuss government affairs and vent their dissatisfaction.Qianlong, who had many eyes and ears, quickly caught the news.After observing for a period of time, he decided to attack them in advance to prevent them from causing serious trouble.In October of the fourth year of Qianlong (1739), he announced the removal of Prince Zhuang's double salary on the grounds of "forming a party for private interests and acting secretly".Hong Xi, the son of the former prince, was deposed as the prince and placed under house arrest forever. One of the charges was that he thought he was the son of the former Eastern Palace, and his intentions were unquestionable. It seems that he wants to wait for the emperor not to use it, and keep it for himself"; the second charge is that he once asked someone to tell his fortune, how old the current emperor can live.Several other uncles and brothers were also punished separately. ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty", "Notes on the Daily Life of Qianlong Dynasty") This move completely extinguished the royal family's resistance to the emperor.
In order to thoroughly implement the principle of prohibiting relatives and nobles from interfering in politics, Qianlong not only sacrificed family affection, but also paid the price of friendship.
In his youth, Qianlong had a best friend and his best classmate in school, named Fu Peng.This person is Cao Xueqin's cousin, the prototype of King Shui Rong of Beijing Jing, a descendant of Yue Tuo, one of the eight iron hat kings in the early Qing Dynasty, and the hereditary king of Pingjun.
This man was early-witted and extremely intelligent. He was liked by Kangxi when he was very young, and he was brought into the palace to study.For the emperor's grandson, this is an extraordinary favor, let alone other ordinary princes and grandchildren.When Hongli was in school, he was selected by Yongzheng again and became the prince's classmate.Yongzheng admired him very much. In the eleventh year of Yongzheng (1733), when he was only 25 years old, Fupeng was appointed as "walking in the military aircraft office", and he was the youngest military aircraft minister in history.At that time, the Qing army was defeated in the battle with Junggar and Mongolia, and a general was urgently needed to clean up the mess.Yongzheng, both civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, did not take a fancy to him, but he just took a fancy to the 25-year-old Fu Peng, and ordered him to be the general of Dingbian, and drove to the border.This man's talent is evident.
Heroes cherish each other.Having been classmates for six years, Hongli had a very good relationship with this classmate, and called him his "confidant".In his youth, he wrote many poems expressing his appreciation, admiration and miss for this classmate.He said that "although he is young, he has profound knowledge", "when talking about political affairs, he is as good as a pearl and a feather".
After Qianlong succeeded to the throne, he immediately called Fupeng back to Beijing to assist in running the Prime Minister's Office.It seems that the emperor appreciates and relies heavily on this old classmate, and his political future is limitless.
But as the emperor made up his mind to eradicate the old habit of the imperial family meddling in politics, Fu Peng's fate was unexpectedly decided.Later, he only managed the affairs of Zhenghuangqi and Zhengbaiqi, but he never made much use of them.
As a man, dedicating himself to politics is the most honorable pursuit in traditional society.But Fuppen became a victim of his best friend's political reforms and ruined his life's political career.In November of the thirteenth year of Qianlong (1748), Fu Peng died of illness at the age of 40.The emperor's decree stated: "Pingjun Wang Xuanli has a long history, and he is diligent in writing. I am deeply saddened to hear that I have died of illness. I specially sent my elder brother to bring tea and wine to drink, and I stopped court for two days." ("Qing Gao") Zong Shilu)
For a county king, this is a special courtesy, which shows that the emperor has an unspeakable guilt for this former classmate.
In Chinese history, Qianlong was also one of the most successful emperors in preventing eunuchs from interfering in politics.Eunuchs are a special group that is most likely to disrupt political order, especially in the Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties.On October 11th in the thirteenth year of Yongzheng (1735), Qianlong, who had just ascended the throne for two months, couldn't wait to beat the eunuchs.He issued an edict, mentioning that during the Yongzheng period, some eunuchs did not abide by the established etiquette and arrogantly arrogant.For example, Su Peisheng, the fourth-rank eunuch in front of Yongzheng, "in the past, in front of my brothers, he would half-kneel to pay his respects, or held his hand to ask questions, and even sat side by side with Prince Zhuang to talk, which was impolite." When the Prince and the others were attending the Qing banquet in Kyushu, Su Peisheng and the others were eating and drinking there. Yi and the others not only could not avoid it, but also continued to sit and eat together, and the elder brother and the others also coveted their appetites and had a meal with them. I bowed down, After sitting down for a while, I will no longer have dinner in Kyushu."
Qianlong said sternly in this edict: "Eunuchs and others are fools in the countryside. They are extremely humble and humble. It is inappropriate for them to enter the palace and give them rank... You should carry your own weight and be respectful and careful." , always in fear, the concubine will almost always receive the emperor's grace, and will be exempted from crimes... Afterwards, the eunuchs and others will abide by the system and abide by their names... Ordinarily, when receiving princes and ministers on official business, they must be polite and respectful, and their words must be cautious, and they must not be arrogated That is, when walking in the market, you must not speak out against your parents... The person who is promised to be insulted will take a heavy responsibility. When it comes to accepting the elder brother of the inner court, etc., you must be solemn and respectful, and you must not be obedient." ( "Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty")
In the early Qing Dynasty, the court code system was not complete. In order to effectively manage eunuchs, Qianlong summed up nearly a hundred years of management experience and ordered the compilation of "court law codes"-"Current Regulations in the Imperial Palace" and "Guochao Palace History".In addition to specifying the eunuch's rank, duties and treatment in detail, it also made detailed and strict regulations on the management and punishment of eunuchs.According to this regulation, eunuchs will be severely punished by corporal punishment ranging from 20 boards to 60 boards for quarreling, drinking and making trouble, gathering people to gamble, carelessly burning candles, making loud noises, snoozing and missing shifts, making mistakes and damaging property until the leave is overdue, and being late for duty. Boards vary.The eunuch made a slight mistake and was often beaten to a bloody mess.
Although Qianlong, who was naturally emotional, had established good personal relationships with many eunuchs, but once the eunuchs made mistakes, he would never forgive them.In the summer of the sixteenth year of Qianlong (1751), when he was changing his summer clothes, a sewing needle hidden in the cuff of his arm was scratched by the eunuch because the eunuch did not check carefully. Cai Xunjiao was sentenced to one month, 100 lashes, and hard labor after serving his sentence.One night in the forty-third year of Qianlong (1778), the emperor woke up in his sleep and asked about the time. He found that the young eunuchs Chang Ning and Huo Jisalai who were sitting on watch at night in the palace were dozing off due to sleepiness, and immediately ordered them to be dragged out. Heavy duty forty boards.There are countless similar cases.
Qianlong was even more merciless in attacking the signs of eunuchs interfering in politics.In the thirty-ninth year of Qianlong (1774), the eunuch Gao Yuncong leaked the appointment and dismissal files to the ministers of the current court. Emperor Qianlong was very angry. Shang Shu Cai Xin, Minister of Internal Affairs Ying Lian and other senior officials were severely reprimanded, Zuo Du Yu Shi Guan Bao, servants Jiang Ciqi and Wu Tan were dismissed, and eunuch Gao Yuncong was immediately executed.
Due to constant vigilance and perseverance, the eunuchs never posed any interference or threat to the imperial power in the sixty years of the Qianlong Dynasty.