Chapter 7 Chapter Six: The Reformed Emperor Yongzheng

After the death of Emperor Kangxi, the forty-five-year-old fourth son of the emperor, Prince Yong Yinzhen, came to the throne.However, what is interesting is that since Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, for nearly three hundred years now, the question of whether Yinzhen's ascension to the throne is justified has never stopped in the historian circles and even among the people, and it seems to have become an eternal mystery. There are three theories about Yongzheng's succession: the theory of succession by edict, the theory of usurping the throne by changing the edict, and the theory of usurping the throne without edict.

1. The posthumous edict succession theory is based on three grounds: (1) Yongzheng was trusted by his father, Emperor Kangxi, and sent him to the Temple of Heaven to perform the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, indicating that Kangxi intended to let Prince Yong inherit the throne before his death. (2) Evidenced by Kangxi's posthumous edict. "Records of Emperor Zuren of the Qing Dynasty" records: On November 13th in the sixty-first year of Kangxi (1722), Kangxi was seriously ill, and seven princes were summoned, including Prince Cheng, Prince Yunzhi, the seventh son of the emperor, Chunjun Wang Yunyou, and the eighth son, Belle Yunyu. Brother monk Shu Longkoduo came to the imperial couch and said: "The fourth son of the emperor, Yinzhen, has a noble character and is deeply inferior to me. He will surely inherit the great order and succeed me to the throne, that is, the emperor's throne."

(3) There is "Kangxi Legacy" as evidence. "Kangxi's Legacy" is now in China's First Historical Archives. The legacy says: "The fourth son of the emperor, Yinzhen, has a noble character and is deeply respected by me. He will surely inherit the great order and follow me to the throne, that is, the throne of emperor." 2. Change the edict and usurp the throne Those who hold this view believe that: (1) Although Yinzhen had a good impression in Kangxi's eyes and asked him to worship the heavens on behalf of the Temple of Heaven, it does not prove that Kangxi intended and had a will to let him succeed.

(2) Kangxi's last edict on the day of his death was false, because such an important decision, since he told the seven elder brothers and Longkodo about the succession, why didn't he announce it to the person involved—the successor Yinzhen?Therefore, some scholars believe that the announcement of the edict was fabricated out of thin air and fabricated after Yongzheng succeeded to the throne. (3) "Records of Qing Sheng Emperor Ren Ren" also contains: On November 13th in the 61st year of Kangxi, the fourth son of the emperor Yinzhen heard that he was summoned to Kangxi's bedside three times to greet him, but Kangxi did not tell him these three times. Isn't it strange that he inherited the throne?So some scholars believe that this proves that Kangxi did not declare to the seven princes that Yinzhen would succeed him in his will.

(4) After the death of Kangxi, why did Longkodo alone announce to Yinzhen the will of the fourth son of the emperor to succeed to the throne?And the princes and ministers and other brothers were not present when the Kangxi edict was announced?This also makes some scholars believe that Kangxi's edict is false. (5) After the sad news of Kangxi's death came out, the nine gates of the capital were closed for six days, and the kings were not allowed to enter the National People's Congress unless they were ordered, which raised the question of "Yongzheng coup". (6) "Kangxi's Last Edict" was naturally finalized and approved by Kangxi before his death. It should have been announced in public immediately after Kangxi's death on the 13th day. Why was it announced on the 16th day?Obviously this record is suspected of forgery.

(7) After research by Qing history experts, "Kangxi Yizhao" was revised with reference to the edict issued on November 21st in the fifty-fourth year of Kangxi (1715). (8) After Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he killed Nian Gengyao and Longkodo, and killed or imprisoned many brothers, which seems to be suspected of "killing people to silence their mouths". Among the above-mentioned theories about the succession of the imperial edict, the main one is the theory of usurping the throne, which believes that Yongzheng usurped the throne of his compatriot, the fourteenth brother of the emperor Yunti.The reasons are:

(1) Kangxi's intended successor was the fourteenth son Yunti, and he was appointed as the general of Fuyuan, so that he could make military achievements, hold military power, and establish prestige in order to prepare for succession. (2) As soon as Kangxi died, it was rumored that the Yongzheng party altered Kangxi's edict "passed to the fourteen sons" and changed it to "passed to the fourth son".It is said that Kangxi issued an edict before his death, calling Fuyuan General and fourteenth son Yunti, who was far away in Xining, to return to Beijing urgently to succeed the throne, but was held back by the infantry commander Longkodo and changed it to "pass to the fourteenth son." ".This rumor is not a historical fact, because, if Emperor Kangxi really had a will to "be passed on to the fourth son", then:

First, at that time the traditional Chinese character "yu" was written as "yu", and it was difficult to change the character "ten" into "yu". Second, at that time, the standard of address was "Huang Mouzi", and there was a "Huang" character between "Yu" and "Si", which could not be changed at all. Third, Manchu is the national book of the Qing Dynasty. Such an important edict should be written in both Manchu and Chinese. How can Manchu change "ten" to "yu"? (3) Did Yongzheng change his name?Some people think that "Yinzhen" (the original name of the fourteenth son of the emperor) was established in Kangxi's posthumous edict, and because "Yinzhen" and "Yinzhen" are similar in shape and pronunciation, Yinzhen replaced it.Later, the name of "Jade Document" was changed.Yongzheng also ordered his fourteenth brother to change his name to Yunti, which is the theory of "changing the name of Yuji".The academic circles have different views on Yongzheng's name change.There is also a reform that holds that the fourth son of the emperor is called Yinzhen, and the fourteenth son of the emperor is called Yinzhen. When Yongzheng became emperor, he ordered the fourteenth younger brother to change his name to Yunti to avoid taboo.

In short, before the death of Kangxi, the fourteenth son of the emperor, Yunyu, said that there was a reason for the incident, but there was no evidence.Kangxi did not establish a reserve in his later years, and Kangxi did not establish a "reserve" before Yongzheng ascended the throne, so it cannot be said that Yongzheng's succession was "usurpation". 3. The theory of seizing the throne without edict Based on the fact that Yongzheng followed the imperial edict to succeed to the throne, there are many contradictions that cannot be explained clearly, and it is difficult to justify the theory. However, there is insufficient real and powerful evidence for Yongzheng to usurp the throne by changing the imperial edict, so some people think that Yongzheng seized the throne without an edict.Yongzheng came to the throne because he won the battle for the throne. This battle for the throne was either overt or covert, hidden or visible, for more than forty years. Failed, the Huangsi elder brother party won.

Yongzheng succeeds to the throne, is it correct?Or inverse?History leaves no records, history is the record of the victors.The official history will no longer record Yongzheng's reversion to the throne, and Kangxi did not establish a will to inherit the throne during his lifetime, nor will he leave any documents that hint at the succession of the throne. However, since the death of Kangxi and the succession of Yongzheng to the throne, there have been rumors that the throne came from usurpation. For this reason, Yongzheng personally wrote a book-"Dayijue Milu" to refute various rumors and want to defend himself. Washing is not white.

Wind and dust sorting and proofreading. In Yongzheng's "Dayijue Milu", he "seeked his father", "forced his mother", "killed his brother", "slaughtered his younger brother", "greedy for money", "easy to kill", "alcoholism", "sexual lust" , "good flattery", "letting flattery" and other ten crimes, conduct self-defense and promulgate to the world.However, things backfired, trying to cover up the truth, self-defeating, more and more dark, leaving many vivid and tortuous historical stories. So, is Yongzheng's above-mentioned crime established?Let's break it down: 1. Did Yongzheng poison his father to death? There is a saying: Kangxi was poisoned to death by drinking ginseng soup sent by Yinzhen.This statement is based on ethics, jurisprudence, and reason, which is contrary to emotion and unreasonable.From the analysis of the specific environment and surrounding conditions at that time, it seems unlikely. 2. Did Yongzheng force his biological mother to death? "Da Yi Jue Mi Lu" said: "Ni Shu added me in the name of forcing my mother." It seems that Yongzheng's theory of "forcing his mother" was very popular at that time.Yongzheng's biological mother Wu Ya gave birth to three sons: Yinzhen, Yunzuo (died at the age of five), and Yunti.According to legend, after Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, Yunti was transferred back to Beijing and imprisoned. His mother wanted to see Yunti, but Yongzheng refused.Seeing that her own son Yunzhen was imprisoned, Wu Ya could not be angry as the empress dowager?At that time, it was natural for people to associate the death of Yongzheng's biological mother with his imprisonment of his younger brother. 3. Did Yongzheng slaughter his brothers? On the day Emperor Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he faced dissatisfaction and challenges from his brothers.At that time, there were fifteen princes at the age of 20. Yongzheng's elder brother Yunti, second brother Yunfeng, third brother Yunzhi, fifth brother Yunqi, seventh brother Yunyou, eighth brother Yunyu, ninth brother Yunyu, ten Younger brother Yun (礻wo), twelfth younger brother Yunxuan, thirteenth younger brother Yunxiang, fourteenth younger brother Yuntian, fifteenth younger brother Yunxuan, sixteenth younger brother Yunlu and seventeenth younger brother Yunli. Eldest elder brother Yunti, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, was confiscated for offending his father when the crown prince was abolished, and was secluded in the mansion.Emperor Kangxi sent Baylor Yanshou and others to guard in turn, and gave strict orders that those who were negligent would be punished by the family.For Yongzheng, Yunti had long been a dead tiger and was nothing to worry about.Yongzheng twelve years (1734) died. The second elder brother Yunfeng, the crown prince deposed by Emperor Kangxi, was confined in Xian'an Palace.Yongzheng was still worried. On the one hand, he was named the king of Lijun, and on the other hand, he ordered to build a house and garrison troops in Zhengjiazhuang, Qixian County, Shanxi, and moved Yunfeng to house arrest.He died in the second year of Yongzheng (1724). The third elder brother, Yunzhi, is a person who is not keen on the throne and only devotes himself to compiling books.After Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he dispatched Yunzhi to Zunhua as Kangxi mausoleum on the grounds that "Yunzhi and the prince were always on good terms".Yunzhi was unhappy and complained in private. After Yongzheng found out, he deprived him of his title and imprisoned him in Yong'an Pavilion in Jingshan.Yongzheng ten years (1732) died. The fifth younger brother, Yunqi, did not form a party or fight for the crown. After Yongzheng came to the throne, he still cut his titles with excuses.Yongzheng ten years (1732) died. The seventh younger brother Yunyou died in the eighth year of Yongzheng (1730). The eighth younger brother Yunhu is the most outstanding and talented of the Yongzheng brothers.After Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he regarded Yunhu and his followers as thorns in his eyes and thorns in his flesh. Yunhu knew it in his heart and was always worried.In this regard, Yongzheng played a double-faced game: first made Yunyu the prince, and Yunyu's Fujin said to those who went to congratulate: "What is there to congratulate? I am worried that I will not be beheaded." In Yongzheng's ears, he drove Yunhu's Fujin back to her natal family.Soon, Yongzheng ordered Yunhu to kneel in front of the Taimiao for a whole day and night, and then cut off his royal title, surrounded him with high walls, and changed his name to "Aqina". The word "Aqina" means "pig".Yunhu was tortured and finally killed. The ninth younger brother Yunyu, who formed a party with Yunyu, was not tolerated by Yongzheng. He was stripped of his yellow belt, cut his clan status, arrested and imprisoned, and changed Yunyu's name to "Seth Hei", which means "dog". Convicted of twenty-eight counts, he was taken to Baoding and ordered the governor of Zhili to confine him.Yunyu was tortured in Baoding Prison, and finally died of "abdominal disease in a seclusion".Legend has it that he was poisoned to death. The tenth younger brother Yun (Yunwo) was also hated by Yongzheng because of the party's attachment to Yunsi. The twelfth younger brother, Yunxuan, served as the commander of the Manchuria of Xianghuang Banner in the last years of Kangxi. He was very popular, but he did not form a party to seek a position.When Yongzheng first succeeded to the throne, Yunyu was granted the title of Lujun King.Soon after, he was demoted to a beizi lower than Baylor with excuses, and he was not given to a real noble. Soon, he was demoted to a prince again. After Qianlong succeeded to the throne, he was promoted to a prince. The fourteenth younger brother, Yunti, was born in the same mother as Yongzheng, but because the other party was with Yunsi, and it was rumored that Kangxi was ordered to inherit the throne as "Yinzhen" before his death, the two became sworn brothers.When Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he was not allowed to enter the city to mourn the funeral, and then he was ordered to guard his father's Jingling in Zunhua, and then his father and son were imprisoned around the Shouhuang Palace in Jingshan.After Qianlong succeeded to the throne, he was released. The fifteenth younger brother Yunyu, after Kangxi's death, Yongzheng ordered him to guard Jingling. There are three people who are better off, namely the thirteenth brother Yunxiang, the sixteenth brother Yunlu and the seventeenth brother Yunli.Yunxiang, who was named Prince Yi by Yongzheng, was extraordinarily trustworthy; Yunlu, who was adopted by Prince Zhuang Bo Guoduo, succeeded him as Prince Zhuang; Yunli, who was named King of Guojun by Yongzheng, was promoted to Prince and took charge of management Fanyuan affairs, successor to the Zongling of the clan mansion, in charge of the household department.Yunxiang and Yunli joined the "Prince Yong's Party" in their early years, so they were highly valued. After Yongzheng came to the throne, he was not only mean and ungrateful to his flesh and blood compatriots, but also merciless to ministers. The prominent examples are Nian Gengyao and Longkodo. Nian Gengyao, courtesy name Lianggong, was a man of the Han army with a yellow banner.Since he was a child, he has been playing with guns and sticks, and he is not at ease in studying. His father is so old that he is eager for his son to become a dragon. He hired several teachers for him, hoping that he can study hard, and he will be named on the gold list in the future.Later, he finally invited a gentleman capable of writing and martial arts, and only then did Nian Gengyao calm down.Under the education of this gentleman, Nian Gengyao studied both civil and martial arts. After a few years, he also learned a whole body of skills. He took the imperial examination and won the Jinshi.However, Nian Gengyao's aspirations are not here. He is active by nature and likes to make friends with heroes from the forest. With his martial arts and talents, he gathers many brothers around him. Later, Nian Gengyao made friends with the fourth prince Yinzhen, and became Yinzhen's confidant ever since.In the forty-eighth year of Kangxi (1709), after Yinzhen was crowned as Prince Yong, he married Nian Gengyao's younger sister as his concubine Fujin.Nian Gengyao was the governor of Sichuan and the general of Dingxi in Kangxi, and he had military exploits in Qinghai-Tibet.In the sixty-first year of Kangxi (1722), Emperor Kangxi died of illness and was succeeded by his fourth son Yinzhen.Since Yunti, the fourteenth son of Kangxi, was Yongzheng's rival for the throne, when Nian Gengyao was the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Yunti was in Xining as a general of Fuyuan.In order to prevent accidents, Yongzheng secretly ordered Nian Gengyao to monitor Yunti nearby.In this way, although Yunti was dissatisfied with Yongzheng's succession to the throne, he was restrained by Nian Gengyao and could not mobilize the army to seize the throne eastward. Longkodo, a Manchurian inlaid yellow banner, his father is the first-class Duke Tong Guowei, and his sister is Empress Xiaoyiren of Kangxi.In the later years of Kangxi, Longkodo served as the secretary of the Lifan Academy and the commander of the infantry.In the process of Kangxi's death and Yongzheng's succession to the throne, Longkodo's contribution was to prevent the princes who stayed in Beijing from rebelling.Kangxi had many sons, and these people formed factions, and they all united on the issue of opposing Yongzheng's succession. Yongzheng was very isolated in Beijing at the time.Longkodo was the commander of the infantry at that time, commonly known as the admiral of the Nine Gates, with more than 10,000 soldiers under his command, and was responsible for defending the emperor and maintaining law and order in the capital.Because he supported Yongzheng, under the deterrence and suppression of the army in his hands, many brothers did not dare to make trouble. Thanks to Nian Gengyao on the outside and Longkodo on the inside, Yongzheng ascended to the throne smoothly.At the beginning of his succession to the throne, he praised Nian and Long a lot, and his favor was unusual.Nian Gengyao was appointed as the General of Fuyuan, who controlled the frontier defense, personnel and financial power of the entire Northwest region, and directly participated in the decision-making of major government affairs in the DPRK and China.Yongzheng even disregarded the relationship between the monarch and his ministers, calling Nian Gengyao his "benefactor" and saying, "Not only do I rely on my family's rewards, but my descendants and all the subjects of the world should be grateful. Also, if you have a slightly different heart, you will not be a subject of our dynasty."He even used his attitude towards Nian Gengyao as the criterion for judging the loyalty and filial piety of his descendants and subjects.Long Kedo was appointed Minister of Prime Minister Affairs, involved in handling major affairs, and was Yongzheng's right-hand man in the central government.Yongzheng praised him as "a loyal minister of the emperor, a hero of my country, a good minister of the country, and a rare minister who is truly the first and outstanding in the contemporary era." But the good times don't last forever. After only two years or so, Yongzheng changed his face, saying, "Recently, Nian Gengyao has acted like a domineering person, flaunted adultery and accepted bribes, and I hate him very much." It is easy to pursue meritorious deeds, difficult to succeed, easy to succeed, difficult to keep merits, easy to keep merits, and difficult to end meritorious deeds." Obviously implying that he will not end well.Sure enough, Nian Gengyao was soon ordered to hand over the order of General Fuyuan and transferred to General Hangzhou, and threatened: "If you betray me, I don't know how God will punish you." Although Nian Gengyao did not "fail" him, Yongzheng still Unyielding, he withdrew his official position and announced his ninety-two major crimes, saying that his ninety-two crimes could have Nian Gengyao executed more than thirty times, but he was extrajudicially merciful and made him "Self-cut" (suicide), and beheaded his son's wealth, and the rest of the sons over the age of fifteen were exiled to the extreme side of the army. While rectifying Nian Gengyao, Yongzheng also laid hands on Longkoduo.Although Longkodo was awarded the first-class public, the minister of the Ministry of officials and the Taibao, etc., he was still convicted of 41 major crimes and ordered to build three houses outside Changchun Garden and be imprisoned forever.In June of the sixth year of Yongzheng (1728), Longkodo died in the forbidden place. For Yongzheng, Nian Gengyao and Long Keduo were "the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog cooks; the flying birds are exhausted, the good bow is hidden".For themselves, they know how to advance but not retreat, know how to show but not hide, and if the extreme comes, it will lead to disaster. From the treatment of his brothers and close ministers, we can see the duality of Yongzheng's character. He said one thing and did another thing, and made another secret.Of course, as a politician, when we evaluate Yongzheng's merits and demerits, the main focus should not be his temperament and character, nor whether his acquisition of the throne is legitimate, but should be based on his understanding of Chinese history and human civilization. what contributions have been made. The first year of Yongzheng (1723) was the 80th year of the Qing Dynasty's entry into customs, and many social conflicts were intricate and deeply accumulated.Yongzheng ascended to the top in his prime, in the prime of life, with extensive knowledge, rich experience, fortitude and determination, and made a lot of achievements.Kangxi's government was lenient and benevolent, and Yongzheng was strict and fierce.Yongzheng reigned for thirteen years, and his most important feature was "reform". It can be said that Yongzheng was a reforming emperor.Its reform measures mainly include: 1. To rectify the administration of officials Kangxi governed and flaunted tolerance and benevolence. In his later years, due to stroke, officials were lax, and corruption had become a common practice.During Yongzheng's long-term political life, he saw clearly the maladministration of Kangxi in his later years, so in the first month of the first year of Yongzheng (1723), he immediately promulgated eleven decrees in a row, ordering civil and military officials at all levels not to secretly It is not allowed to take bribes and accept entrustments privately; it is not allowed to lose money in the treasury, and it is not allowed to take money in private; Officials suffer from the people; it is not allowed to bend the law arbitrarily.Strict admonition: If you do not change your ways, you will be severely punished for serious crimes. In February, it was also ordered that all the officials who were short of money and food should be dismissed immediately to recover the stolen goods and not stay in their posts. In March, the governors of all provinces were ordered to report the names of the behind-the-scenes guests to the Ministry.Officials on business trips are forbidden to connive at their subordinates to blackmail the local area, and then ask the successive officials of the hall to make up for the more than 2.5 million taels of silver that was short of inventory in the household department. Then set up the Examination Office to conduct audits and rectify revenue and expenditure. In this year, dozens of officials at all levels were dismissed from their posts and their homes were ransacked, many of them were officials of the third rank or above. Li Xu, a Suzhou weaver who was related to Cao Xueqin's family, was also dismissed from his post and ransacked his home because of the economic deficit.Regarding this reform, "Manuscripts of Qing History Shihuo Zhi" said: "At the beginning of Yongzheng, the income was greatly increased." Xiao Lian has almost become a custom, and those who are greedy for appetite will change their faces." This shows the effectiveness of Yongzheng's rectification of officials. 2. Establishment of a confidentiality system What is secret fold?A secret is a secret, and a fold is to write a memorial on a folded white paper, with an envelope on the outside.There were memorials in the Kangxi Dynasty, and the Yongzheng Dynasty established a secret memorial system to improve it. Only officials authorized by the emperor were eligible to submit memorials.In the Kangxi Dynasty, there were more than 100 officials with memorial affairs, and the number increased to more than 1,200 in the Yongzheng Dynasty. The contents of the memorials were almost all-encompassing, such as wind and rain, social public opinion, official privacy and family secrets, etc. Through the memorial, the emperor can directly talk to the officials, so as to better understand and master the actual situation below.The Yongzheng Dynasty's handling procedures for the operation of memorials stipulated that "the cabinet ministers are not allowed to hear about it."This avoids the intervention of the cabinet ministers, especially the officials who inform each other and supervise each other, which strengthens the emperor's autocratic power. 3. Set up a military aircraft department Yongzheng established the Military Aircraft Office as an institution to assist the emperor in decision-making and administration, and it was located on the north side of the Longzong Gate in the Forbidden City.There is no fixed number of ministers of military aircraft, as few as two and as many as nine.Main responsibilities: meet with the emperor every day, discuss and deal with important military and political affairs, and issue instructions to various departments and localities in the name of face-to-face decrees; draft official documents according to the decree, and send them directly by the imperial court. The words "opened by a certain official somewhere" were received and sent by the Victory News Office of the Ministry of War; the official documents were transcribed and preserved, that is, the memorials reviewed by the emperor were copied, and this system allowed a large number of files to be preserved. In the early Qing Dynasty, there were three important military and political institutions: one was the political affairs office; the other was the cabinet; the third was the military aircraft office.The Deliberative Office originated from outside the customs and was mainly composed of princes and nobles.Later, a cabinet was established, military affairs were assigned to the Political Affairs Department, and government affairs were assigned to the cabinet.The power of the Political Affairs Department gradually weakened and was abolished in the Qianlong period. After the establishment of the Military Aircraft Department, important military and political affairs belonged to the Military Aircraft Department, and general government affairs belonged to the cabinet. The power of the Military Aircraft Department was far above the cabinet. outside of the aircraft.Only a bachelor and minister of military aircraft has certain real power.The prime minister of the cabinet exists in name only.The cabinet of the Ming Dynasty had certain restrictions on the imperial power. For example, edicts were drafted by the cabinet and issued by the cabinet, and the cabinet ministers had the right to refute the edicts.The establishment of the Military Aircraft Department brought the autocracy of imperial power to the extreme—the imperial power was not allowed to be sidelined, nor was it allowed to obstruct the will of the ministers. 4. Reform the soil and return it to the stream In the ethnic minority areas in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei and other provinces, the hereditary chieftains are mainly under the jurisdiction.Yongzheng implemented the system of "reforming the land and returning it to the local people", that is, to abolish the Tusi system, and set up prefectures, departments, prefectures, and counties in the above-mentioned areas, and appointed "liuguan" with tenure rather than hereditary to manage.This reform hit the chieftain's hereditary privileges and interests, eased the burden and disasters of the southwestern minorities, and promoted the social, economic and cultural progress of this area.The ethnic issues in the Southwest were resolved by the time of Yongzheng. 5. Standing on the ground In the past, land and people were taxed separately in China.After the 50th year of Kangxi (1711), it was implemented that "in a prosperous age, people will never be given more money", but people born before have to pay Ding Yin.Yongzheng implemented the system of Dingyin apportioning people's land per mu, legally abolishing the poll tax and reducing the burden on the poor and landless.In addition, the social population increased rapidly. By the time of Daoguang, China's population had exceeded 400 million, and the contradiction between more people and less land began to become prominent. 6. Abolish the low-ranking system In ancient China, there was a system of humble nationality.The lowly status refers to the "untouchables" who do not belong to the scholars, farmers, industry, and businessmen. It is passed down from generation to generation and cannot be changed.This kind of people can't study imperial examinations, and they can't be officials. This kind of pariahs include lazy people in Zhejiang, Lehu in Shaanxi, Danhu in Guangdong, Bandang and Shishi in Anhui, beggars in Jiangsu, etc.According to legend, the idle people of Shaoxing are descendants of sinners in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The men were engaged in frog hunting and soup selling, while the women were matchmakers, selling pearls, and prostitution.Lehu in Shaanxi and Beijing, after Zhu Di, king of Yan in the Ming Dynasty, launched troops to overthrow the regime of his nephew Emperor Jianwen, punished the wives and daughters of officials who firmly supported Emperor Jianwen into the Jiaofang Division and served as official prostitutes.The status of Bandang and Shishi in Anhui is even more miserable than that of Lehu and Laomin. If there are two surnames in the village, one surname is all the other surname's Bandang and Shishi. They are like slaves. If there is a slight discrepancy, everyone can beat them.Yongzheng ordered the expulsion of these humble registries left over from history, opening them up for the people, and reorganizing them into official households. 7. Establish a secret reserve system The question of the successor of the emperor of the Qing Dynasty was not institutionalized before Kangxi.After the death of Emperor Taizu of the Qing Dynasty, Dorgon lost his mother when he was young because of the tragedy of the concubine's death due to succession to the throne; An eight-year-old child succeeded to the throne, and it was very lucky that there was a wise monarch in the Qing Dynasty; A problem that has not been solved for hundreds of years.Use the heirloom system?Although sibling disputes can be avoided, there is no guarantee of optimal choice. The lessons learned from the Ming Dynasty have already been used as lessons learned.Use the prince system?The lesson of Kangxi's failure, Yongzheng has personally experienced the pain.Finally, Yongzheng came up with a way, which is to establish a secret reserve, that is, to put the edict of passing the throne into a sealed brocade box and store it behind the plaque of "Fairness and Brightness" in Qianqing Palace.This is a major reform of the establishment of the reserve system. It not only facilitates the selection of princes, but also prevents the princes from competing for the reserve position, and relatively guarantees a smooth transition of the succession to the throne. Yongzheng not only inherited the historical heritage of Emperor Kangxi, but also reformed Kangxi's bad governance in his later years, linking the past and the future, and prepared the conditions for the prosperity of Qianlong.It should be said that Yongzheng had been in power for thirteen years, with outstanding achievements, but he died suddenly just when his achievements were beginning to bear fruit. Yinzhen died suddenly in Yuanmingyuan on August 23rd in the thirteenth year of Yongzheng (1735).Because the book does not contain the reason, the government and the public have different opinions on the mystery of Yongzheng's death.In summary, there are mainly two types: 1. Lu Siniang's plot to assassinate Books such as "The Thirteen Dynasties of the Qing Palace" and "The Legacy of the Qing Palace" all have records that Yongzheng was assassinated by Lu Siniang.Legend has it that Lv Siniang is the daughter of Lv Liuliang, who was slaughtered after being killed because of the literary inquisition. The Lu family was either executed or exiled to the army. Only Lv Siniang escaped with her mother and a servant.Lu Siniang concealed her name and hid among the people. She studied martial arts with a teacher and was highly skilled. Later, she flew into the deep palace and chopped off Yongzheng's head. 2. The theory of elixir poisoning Yongzheng was interested in Taoist priests and elixirs, and specially rebuilt Taoist temples for Ziyang Taoists.He also invited Taoist priests Zhang Taixu and Wang Dingqian to practice alchemy in the Old Summer Palace in order to seek panacea and immortality.Three days after Yongzheng's death, his son and new emperor Qianlong ordered the expulsion of Zhang Taixu and other Taoist priests, and strictly ordered them not to reveal a single word in the palace.Emperor Qianlong's attitude towards the Taoist priests in the Old Summer Palace made people think that this may be related to the death of the elixir refined by his father, a Taoist priest.Jin Liang (Sihou), a close friend, said in "The Wai Ji of the Qing Emperor Shizong Collapse": "But Shizong's collapse was caused by the practice of elixir according to legend, or there may be a reason." Professor Yang Qizhui also believed that Yongzheng "died from being poisoned by elixir".Some scholars believe: "This statement is quite reasonable, but it is really an inference and cannot be a definite contribution." Regarding the cause of Emperor Yongzheng's death, there are also theories of being hanged by a court lady, being poisoned to death by the conspiracy of Cao Xueqin and Zhu Xiangyu, and dying of apoplexy.In short, there are different opinions, but they all lack direct evidence.Perhaps, it is an eternal historical mystery. Emperor Yongzheng's life left many topics for people.The mystery of succession and the cause of death have always been confusing, but in terms of history, his reforms are praised by later generations.He not only inherited the historical heritage of Emperor Kangxi, but also reformed Kangxi's bad governance in his later years, enabling the Qing Dynasty to move forward and preparing conditions for the prosperity of Qianlong.The three dynasties of Kang, Yong, and Qian were not only the heyday of the Qing Dynasty's historical development, but also a heyday of the Chinese Imperial Dynasty's historical development.