Yongzheng, as a great emperor, is so eye-catching, and the merits and demerits of the Millennium are so secretive on Yongzheng. How did he get the throne? What are the advantages and disadvantages? How did you die? Let's briefly discuss Yongzheng's life together.

One: Introduction

Yongzheng, Aisingiorro? 6? 1 Yin Zhen, the fourth son of Emperor Michelle Ye of the Qing Dynasty (that is, Kangxi), was buried in the Qing Imperial Mausoleum after his death. Yun Jian, the head of posthumous title Jingtian, has the inscription Wu Yingming, Kuan Renxin, Sheng Daxiao, Cheng Xiandi, and the hall number Sejong.

For Yongzheng, history has always been mixed. Some people say he is a great talent, while others say he is a bad emperor. What did Yongzheng do during his reign?

Two: Yongzheng's achievements

During the reign of Yongzheng, Kangxi reformed and rectified the accumulated evils in his later years, swept away the decadent wind, cleaned up the bureaucracy, stabilized the rule, enriched the national treasury and reduced the burden on the people. The main achievements were as follows. One: spread the land into acres. This is an important tax reform. China has had a fixed tax since ancient times, and adult men, whether rich or poor, have to pay poll tax. Yongzheng carried out reforms, spread the per capita tax into mu, and determined the tax amount according to the number of mu. More land is paid, less land is collected, and no land is collected. It means "spread your money to the ground", and the poll tax is cancelled in one fell swoop. This measure is beneficial to the poor, not to the landlords, and it is a major reform in China's fiscal and taxation history. Two: waste and return to the public. In ancient China, silver and copper were used as money. When collecting taxes, silver and copper are lost in exchange, casting, preservation and transportation, so there is a certain surcharge when collecting taxes. This kind of surcharge, called "consumption envy" or "fire consumption", has been levied by local counties as extra income for local offices and officials. Consumption envy can't set the amount of levy, and counties will have to levy heavy taxes if they want to do whatever they want. Some will take one or two taxes and spend five or six dollars, which is a heavy burden for ordinary people. Yongzheng implemented the policy of "envy returning to the public" and changed this additional tax into statutory tax and fixed tax, which was managed by the governor. Tax revenue, in addition to office expenses, is used as a "pension fund", which greatly increases the salary of officials. In this way, it not only lightens the burden on the people, but also ensures the implementation of a clean government. Therefore, Yongzheng said, "Since the promulgation of this law, the administration of officials has been a little bit clear, so there is no need to reinvent the wheel." Three: change the soil and return to the flow. China, southwest and other areas inhabited by ethnic minorities implement the chieftain system, and their positions are hereditary, and they only accept knighthood in the Qing Dynasty in name. Toastmasters are arrogant. This system has hindered national unity and the development of regional economy and culture. After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he abolished many chieftains in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan and Hunan, and changed to a state-county system consistent with the whole country. "Returning home" is a serious struggle. Many chiefs resisted, and Yongzheng resolutely sent troops to suppress them. Although innocent people were also involved in the counter-insurgency war, it did harm ethnic minorities. But in the long run, "returning home" is a progressive measure, which attacks and limits the separatist regime and the privileges of chieftain, and is conducive to the economic and cultural development of ethnic areas. Four: the founding military department. It is a symbol of the peak of centralization in ancient monarchies, and its merits and demerits remain to be discussed. The military department fought Gerdan in the northwest of Yongzheng, and the Qing Yongzheng further concentrated power in the hands of the emperor through the military department. As the secretary team of the emperor, the military department advised the emperor, wrote documents and managed government affairs, which was "neglected by the military". It is characterized by dealing with political affairs quickly and secretly. The minister of military affairs directly deals with all localities and ministries, understands the local situation and conveys the emperor's will. And its appearance made the emperor dictatorial, increased mistakes, and hindered the emergence of capitalism in China.

Three: Yongzheng's fault

If so, Yongzheng committed many crimes. One: tyranny and cruel repression. Yongzheng's repressive measures were very severe. No matter what the specific circumstances, anyone who resists the official will be punished as treason and beheaded. Even when resisting arrest, some people "* * * are in the same place, although they are not hands-on, but watching from the sidelines is the same evil * * * and they are all determined to win." For private secret associations, officials are instructed to "visit irregularly, get the first blame, uproot and break off relations forever." Suzhou handicraft workers demanded higher wages, went on strike and called for rest, Yongzheng severely punished them, and erected a monument to call for rest forever. During the Yongzheng period, literary inquisitions became more and more frequent. Wang was beheaded for "flattering" Nian Gengyao, Justine was slaughtered for showing his body in public, and Lu was punished before the army for talking about current politics. Two: emphasizing agriculture and restraining business. Yongzheng abided by the creed of valuing agriculture over commerce. He said: "agriculture is the most important thing in the world, and workers and Jia are at the end." People who work more in the market plant less crops in the fields. If a group tends to be a worker, then there will be more producers of things, and if there are more things, it will be difficult to sell and the price will be low. It is because there are many people chasing the end that it is not only harmful to agriculture, but also harmful to industry. " The policies formulated according to this theory are bound to be detrimental to the development of industry and commerce. He also believes that mining is "absolutely infeasible". Because mining will tempt people to leave the farm to pursue the final business, and miners gather in one place, which is easy to make trouble. 3. Diplomatic mistakes. Although Yongzheng is as wise and decisive as Kangxi, his world vision is not as good as Qianlong's. At that time, more and more foreign businessmen came to China to trade, but Yongzheng banned Chinese businessmen from going abroad to trade, and set up various obstacles, claiming that "the sea ban is strict but not wide, and there is no good policy." Later, at the repeated request of coastal provinces, although the sea ban was slightly relaxed, there were still various restrictions. Especially for overseas Chinese businessmen and workers who have lived in foreign countries for a long time, "those who fail to return after the deadline are willing to emigrate and are not allowed to return to the mainland." At that time, advanced western countries were encouraging overseas trade, while China, even an outstanding monarch, lacked a world vision, restricted foreign exchanges and became a laggard in the international trend.

Four: Yongzheng succeeded to the throne

The problem of Yongzheng's succession to the throne is the research object that historians talk about. There have been two opinions in academic circles. One is that he was succeeded by Kangxi's testamentary edict, which is a legal inheritance; One thinks that Kangxi did not give him the throne, and Yongzheng seized the throne by imperial decree. Since Yongzheng tampered with history and destroyed archives after he acceded to the throne, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that his imperial edict usurped the throne. It is an eternal mystery that the axe sounds like a candle, but judging from various signs, there are indeed many doubts about his succession. One: It is doubtful who Kangxi stood on before his death. In his later years, Kangxi abolished the prince, and the philosophers fought for the position, which made the position unclear. History books say that Long Keduo is the only minister who cares about his life, while other imperial edicts say that Long Keduo was not in command when Kangxi died, and the emperor's seventeen sons waited on him outside his bedroom when Kangxi delivered the imperial edict. Other historical data prove that Li Yin was on duty in the palace, not outside the bedroom of Changchun Garden, and so on. Therefore, it is doubtful whether there is such a scene of near-death inheritance. Two: who is the crown prince is also confusing. At that time, due to Junggar's invasion of Tibet, Kangxi appointed Yin Gui, the fourteenth son of the emperor (read the second sound of Ti), as General Fuyuan, joined forces to aid Tibet, and granted him great power to use the yellow flag. Generally, the king said that Kangxi should be interested in grand etiquette and extremely high specifications. Kangxi praised Yin Gui's talent. "The general is my prince. He is really a good general, leading the army and knowing that he can lead the troops. " . Many people also regard Yin Gui as their successor. For example, Yin Gui, the ninth son of the emperor, said that Yin Gui was "smart and peerless" and "has both talent and morality, and my brother is not as good as me"; "Fourteen master invasion now, the emperor attaches great importance to. This crown prince must be him in the future. " . However, Kangxi died suddenly in Changchun Garden, and Yongzheng colluded with Longkeduo, who was in charge of the military power in the capital Ayumi Tokitoh, and seized the throne. However, Yin Guiyuan was in Qinghai, beyond his reach, so the emperor's dream became empty.

Five: the death of Yongzheng

And how did Yongzheng die? There is no conclusive evidence in history. As for the death of Yongzheng, it is recorded in the "Ju Zhu" of Yongzheng Dynasty in the archives of Qing Palace that in August of the 13th year of Yongzheng (A.D. 1735), Yong Zhengdi lived in Yuanmingyuan. On August 18, he consulted with ministers to deal with minority affairs. On August 20, he summoned several local officials in Ningguta, and the next day he was still working normally, indicating that he was in good health. But on August 22nd, he suddenly fell ill. That evening, Yongzheng, who was dying, announced that he would be handed over to his son Gan Long. The next day, 58-year-old Yongzheng swallowed his last breath in Yuanmingyuan. Yong Zhengdi's sudden death was recorded so simply by the Qing government without explanation. This is easy to arouse people's speculation. As a result, various statements about the cause of death of Yongzheng came into being. There are three versions of folklore. One: At that time, there was a chivalrous woman named Lv Siniang, whose father and grandfather were both killed by Yongzheng because of the literary inquisition. In retaliation, Lv Siniang cut off Yongzheng's head. Therefore, when Yongzheng was buried, he had to cast a golden head. And this golden head belongs to the museum of the Qing Dynasty. Two: Cao Xueqin, the author of A Dream of Red Mansions, has a lover named Joo Sang wook, who is the embodiment of Lin Daiyu. Joo Sang wook was later occupied by Yongzheng and became a queen. Cao Xueqin missed his lover, mixed into the palace, and conspired with Joo Sang wook to poison Yongzheng with Dan medicine. There is also a rumor in unofficial history that maids colluded with eunuchs and strangled Yongzheng with ropes. But it's a legend after all. It's strange. The "official" conclusion is that Dan medicine is advocated. Dan is a cultivation method of Taoism for immortality. The elixir, that is, elixir, is made of natural minerals such as lead sand, sulfur and mercury by Taoist priests and fired with a furnace tripod. According to legend, you can live forever after taking this Dan medicine. Yongzheng became interested in Dan medicine before he became emperor. He once wrote a poem "Burning Dan": "Draw sand as medicine, pine and cypress around the cloud altar. The furnace contains yin and yang fire, both inside and outside. " It can be seen that Yongzheng had considerable research and interest in alchemy in his early years. After Yongzheng proclaimed himself emperor, he admired Zhang Boduan, the founder of Nanzong, and named him "Ziyang Real Person". Yongzheng especially praised Zhang Boduan for inventing the essentials at that time. At least from the fourth year of Yongzheng (A.D. 1726), Yongzheng often ate a kind of Dan medicine called "Ji Ji Dan" refined by Taoist priests. From his comments on Tian Wenjing's memorial, we can know that he felt it was effective after taking it, and he also gave Dan medicine as a gift to E Ertai, Tian Wenjing and other ministers. In fact, lead, mercury, sulfur, arsenic and other minerals used in alchemy are toxic, which has considerable harm to the brain and five internal organs. Before Yongzheng's death 12 days, it was recorded in the work file: "Chen Jiuqing, the eunuch in charge, and Wang Shougui, the eunuch in charge, jointly sent a message: 200 Jin of cow tongue black lead will be used in Yuanmingyuan." Black lead is a toxic metal, which can cause death if taken in excess. 100 kg of black lead was transported to Yuanmingyuan, where Yongzheng died suddenly soon. Historians believe that this is not an accidental coincidence, but directly proves that Yongzheng's death may be caused by Dan medicine poisoning. So this generation of great emperors, who died at the age of 58, suddenly abandoned the golden palace and lay in the Tailing underground palace forever.

Six: Conclusion

History is very complicated, and the history infected by politics is even more complicated. It takes time to determine what the facts are and what the merits and demerits are.