Chapter 2 2. The story behind the plaque

The family law of inheriting the imperial throne in Ming and Qing Dynasties is: the father dies and the son succeeds, and the brother ends up with the younger brother.The fourteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty in Beijing, ten after Emperor Yongle who were "followed by father and son", and three who were "successful after brother and brother"—Emperor Zhengtong was captured and succeeded by his younger brother Zhu Qiyu, Emperor Zhengde had no sons after his death, It was inherited by the emperor's cousin Zhu Houcong (cong), the Emperor Jiajing. Emperor Tianqi had no sons after his death, and was inherited by the emperor's younger brother Zhu Youjian, the Emperor Chongzhen.Of the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty, two obtained imperial power through coups: one was Zhu Dijing's "Battle of Jingnan", which seized imperial power from his nephew Emperor Jianwen; the other was Zhu Qizhen's "Nangong Restoration" from His younger brother, Emperor Jingtai, regained the imperial power.

Among the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty, none of them seized the throne through a coup.Some people say: What about Cixi's Qixiang coup (Xinyou coup or Beijing coup)?This coup is to control the imperial power, not to seize the imperial power.Zhu Di's military coup in the Ming Dynasty, the war was cruel and the losses were heavy.The reason is that Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang had both gains and losses in the design of the system: the gain was that he entrusted the princes to various places as vassal kings, which really played a role in strengthening the branches and maintaining the fundamentals; the loss was that the branches were strong and threatened the fundamentals——Central regime.For this reason, the Qing Dynasty summarized the historical experience and lessons of the Ming Dynasty's seizure of imperial power through a coup:

"In the Ming Dynasty, the feudal vassals divided the land but did not tin (commonly known as "gift") the land, the nobles did not come to the people, and the food and wealth did not manage affairs. It was a lesson from corrections, so the great disasters of Du Han and the end of Jin Dynasty had good intentions. However, it only has a false name and a rich salary. Talents cannot see themselves (xian), and knowledge and courage have no facilities. The defense is too strict, and the legal system is increasing day by day. Go out of the tomb of the city province (xing), please promise later, the two kings will not meet each other See." ("History of Ming Dynasty Five Kings" Volume 120)

The Qing Dynasty took advantage of the feudal vassal system of the Ming Dynasty, which was the "three nos": "Dividing the feudal system without tinning the soil, ennobling the ranks without being close to the people, and living with the salary without governing affairs." Requirement: "Inside assists in politics, and outside leaders do it." (Volume 215 of "Manuscripts of Qing History Zhu Wangyi") The succession to the throne of the Ming Dynasty adopted the heirloom system, and there was no need to secretly establish a crown prince.The Qing Dynasty did not use the system of heirs, and succession to the throne was a big headache.The imperial succession of the Qing Dynasty went through four periods:

First, the nobility referral system.The choice of the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Taizu Nurhachi, Taizong Huang Taiji, and Shizu Fulin were all selected by the noble meeting.Nurhachi and Huang Taiji were the elites of the world at that time, and they were the heroes of all walks of life.The princes and nobles of Manchuria jointly promoted Nurhachi as Kundulun Khan.The ascendance of Huang Taiji and Shunzhi was the result of serious discussions, repeated deliberations, mutual coordination, and political balance among the kings and ministers of Baylor.Although Shunzhi ascended to the throne at the age of 6, it is Prince Rui Dorgon who really holds the real power.Dorgon was a hero in the competition among the four political forces of Qing Dynasty, Nanming Dynasty, Peasant Army and Mongolia.

Second, the emperor's will system.Emperor Shunzhi began to change the succession of the throne to the testamentary system.The nobility referral system for succession to the throne in the Qing Dynasty was only practiced in the Taizu and Taizong dynasties.Emperor Shunzhi is critically ill, how to inherit the throne?At that time, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was still alive, and she had experienced the four dynasties of Tianming, Tiancong, Chongde, and Shunzhi, with high prestige and power.Before Emperor Shunzhi died, the Empress Dowager and Emperor Shunzhi discussed that the 8-year-old prince Xuanye would inherit the throne.The advantage of this testamentary system of succession to the throne is that it avoids competition and massacres for the throne and ensures a smooth transition of the successor to the throne. The disadvantage is that compared with the nomination system of nobility, it weakens the chances of nobility to participate in decision-making.Later, when Emperor Kangxi established the crown prince, he also invited courtiers such as academicians and ministers to present their opinions, which was a bit like a "public opinion poll".The system of succession to the throne in the Qing Dynasty was only implemented for two generations - Shunzhi and Kangxi.After Emperor Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, it was changed to a secret reserve system.

Third, the secret storage system.Emperor Yongzheng concluded from Emperor Kangxi's two establishments and two abolitions of the crown prince Yinreng that the drawbacks of enshrining the crown prince were implemented, and the secret establishment of the crown prince was implemented. The emperor determined the heir to the throne during his lifetime, but did not announce it publicly.The advantage of establishing a secret reserve is the "three avoidances" - avoiding the prince's arrogance, avoiding courtiers forming a party, and avoiding fratricide.

Fourth, Yizhi established a storage system.It is the Empress Dowager Cixi's "one-person decree" that determines the succession to the throne. Here I will focus on the story of the secret reserve. What is a secret reserve?The secret establishment of the crown prince means that the emperor of the current dynasty writes the name of the chosen crown prince and prince, puts it in a box, and puts it on the "upright and bright" plaque in the Qianqing Palace.After the death of the emperor, the officials of the court took down the secret storage box in Qianqing Palace, opened it in public, and announced it to the public.

How many times did the Qing Dynasty secretly establish a reserve?Some people say that there are four dynasties - Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang, but in fact there are only two dynasties, namely Yongzheng and Daoguang, because Emperor Jiaqing was abdicated by Emperor Qianlong.The biggest flaw of the secret reserve is: the selection of the heir to the throne is operated by the emperor alone in the dark.At the beginning, Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty wanted to make King Fu, the son of Concubine Zheng, as the prince, but was opposed by the officials and gave up. He successively staged court farces such as the "stile attack case", "Hongwan case" and "moving palace case".This shows that there was a little different voice at that time.The Qing Dynasty secretly set up a reserve, but there was no difference, which was prone to disadvantages.For example, Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty secretly appointed Xianfeng as the prince, improperly selected a candidate, and made a big mistake. This is a vivid example of the defects of the secret reserve system.

How many times has the box been placed on the plaque?Emperor Qianlong used it once when he succeeded to the throne.Emperor Jiaqing's succession to the throne was conferred by Emperor Qianlong in the conferring ceremony in front of all his ministers.When Emperor Daoguang succeeded to the throne, he did not find the secret storage box behind the plaque of "Uprightness and Brightness", but later found it in a small box at the waist of the eunuch accompanying Emperor Jiaqing.When Emperor Xianfeng succeeded to the throne, when Emperor Daoguang was critically ill, he summoned the Zong Ling of the clan's mansion, the ministers of the imperial court, the minister of military aircraft, and the minister in charge of the internal affairs office to "declare a decree, and the fourth son of the emperor, Yi Chi, was established as the crown prince." (Volume 476 of "Records of Xuanzong of the Qing Dynasty") Emperor Tongzhi was the only son, so naturally he did not have a reserve.Emperor Guangxu and Emperor Xuantong "decided with one word" for Cixi because they changed the ancestral system.Therefore, the secret storage box behind the "Fair and Bright" plaque was actually only used once.It can be said: The secret storage box behind the "Fair and Bright" plaque has only been used once, and it is not as lively as it is portrayed in movies, TV or some books!