"Yongzheng Emperor".
The Yongzheng Emperor (born Yinzhen 胤禛 December 13, 1678 - October 8, 1735) was the fourth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1722 to 1735.
A tough and hard-working ruler, Yongzheng was bent on effective government at minimum expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military force to preserve the dynasty's position. Suspected by historians to have usurped the throne, his reign was often called despotic, but efficient, and vigorous, albeit much shorter than the famous reigns of both his father the Kangxi Emperor and his son the Qianlong Emperor, his sudden death was probably brought about by his constant workload. Yongzheng continued an era of continued peace and prosperity as he cracked down on corruption, waste, and reformed financial administration.
In 1712 the Kangxi Emperor removed his second son, Yinreng, as successor to the throne and did not designate another one. This led to further division in Court, which was long split among supporters of Yinzhi, Yinzhen, Yinsi, and Yinti, the 3rd, 4th, 8th and 14th Imperial Princes, respectively. Of the princes, Yinsi had the most support from the mandarins, though often for unaltruistic reasons. Prior to this, Yinzhen was a supporter of the Crown prince. By the time of the old Emperor's death in December 1722, the field of contenders had been reduced down to three Princes after Yinsi pledged his support to the 14th prince Yinti (Yinzhen's brother by the same mother), Yinzhi, Yinti, and Yinzhen.
At the time of the Kangxi Emperor's death, Yinti, as Border Pacification General-in-chief (撫遠大將軍), was away on the warfront in the northwest. Some historians say this was to train the next Emperor in military affairs; others maintain that it was to ensure a peaceful succession for Yinzhen. It was Yongzheng who had nominated Yinti for the post, and not Yinsi, whom Yinti was closely affiliated with. This post was seen as an indication of Kangxi's choice of successor, as the position of Crown Prince had been vacant for 7 years.
The official record states that on December 20 1722, the ailing Kangxi Emperor called to his bedside seven of his sons and the General Commandant of the Peking Gendarmerie, Longkodo, who read out the will and declared that Yongzheng succeed him on the imperial throne. Some evidence have suggested that Yongzheng had made contact with Longkodo months before the will was read in preparation for succession by military means, though in their official capacities, frequent encounters were only to be expected. Folklore has is that Yongzheng changed Kangxi's will by adding strokes and modifying characters. The most famous one said Yongzheng changed fourteen (十四) to "to four" (于四), others say it was fourteen to fourth (第四). Whilst this folklore had been widely circulated, there was little evidence to support the view, especially considering that the character "于" wasn't widely used during the Qing Dynasty, i.e. on official documents, "於" is used. Secondly, Qing tradition insists that the will be done in both Manchu and Chinese, and Manchu writing is much harder, and in this case impossible to modify. Much doubt, however, still arises when the Manchu version of the will was lost somewhere along the way, and the existing will in Chinese that is preserved in the Chinese Historical Museum was only issued two days after Kangxi' death. Some historians gave the theory that Yongzheng did not change the will, but rather forged a new one.
As the first official act as Emperor, Yongzheng released his long-time ally, the 13th prince Yinxiang, who had been imprisoned by the Kangxi Emperor at the same time as the Crown Prince. Some sources indicate that Yinxiang, the most military of the princes, then assembled a group of special task Beijing soldiers from the Fengtai command to seize immediate control of the Forbidden City and surrounding areas, to prevent any usurpation by Yinsi's cronies. Yongzheng's personal account stated that he was emotionally unstable and deeply saddened over his father's death, and knew it would be a burden "much too heavy" for himself if he were to succeed the throne. In addition, after the will was read, Yinzhen wrote that the officials (premier Zhang Tingyu, Longkedo and Yinzhi) and the Prince Cheng led the other Princes in the ceremonial Three-kneels and Nine-Salutes to the Emperor. On the next day, Yongzheng gave out an edict summoning Yinti back from Qinghai, bestowing upon their mother the title of Holy Mother Empress Dowager the day Yinti arrived at the funeral.
In the first major comprehensive biography of the Yongzheng Emperor by Feng Erkang, the author put the Yongzheng succession in perspective. Feng wrote that there were some suspicious signs from the lost wills and the dates released, but the majority of evidence points to Yinzhen succeeding the throne legitimately, albeit with some political and military manoeuvering deemed necessary by the situation. The 8th prince Yinsi had throughout his life been amassing support of the officials by bribery, and his influence had penetrated the Fengtai command. Furthermore, Feng suggested "although we are not yet altogether certain on what happened with the succession, and which side is correct, it is reasonable to think that Yongzheng's political enemies manipulated all suspicion behind the will in an attempt to put a dark image on Yongzheng; Imperial Chinese tradition had led certain schools of thought in believing that Yongzheng's whole reign can be discredited simply because his succession of the throne did not come as a will of his father, the Emperor and ultimate decision maker in China." He further suggested that Kangxi had made a grave mistake by letting his sons become major players in politics, especially under the condition that the position of Crown Prince was empty, and that a bloody battle of succession, including a possible usurpation, is the inevitable result of the Imperial Chinese institution and history. Therefore it would be an even bigger mistake to judge a ruler solely on the way he came to power. Certainly, the Yongzheng emperor made sure that his successor would have a smooth succession when his turn came.
The first few years of Yongzheng's reign saw an increase in partisan politics. Yinsi had wanted to use his position to manipulate Yongzheng into making wrong decisions, while appearing supportive. Yinsi and Yintang, both supporters of Yinti for the throne, had all of their titles rid, languished in prison and died in 1727.
After he became Emperor, Yongzheng censored the record of his accession and also suppressed other writings he deemed inimical to his regime, particularly those with an anti-Manchu bias. Foremost among these was the case of Zeng Jing, a failed degree candidate heavily influenced by the seventeenth-century scholar Lü Liuliang. In October 1728, he attempted to incite Yue Zhongqi, Governor-general of Shaanxi-Sichuan, to rebellion. He gave a long list of accusations against Yongzheng, including the murder of the Kangxi Emperor and the killing of his brothers. Highly concerned with the implications of the case, Yongzheng had Zeng Jing brought to Beijing for trial.
Yongzheng is also known for establishing strict autocratic rule in the time period. He disliked corruption and punished officials severely when they were found guilty of the offence. In 1729, he gave an edict prohibiting the smoking of madak, a blend of tobacco and opium. During Yongzheng's reign, the Manchu Empire became a great power and a peaceful country, and he furthered strengthened the Kangqian Period of Harmony (康乾盛世). He created a sophisticated procedure for selecting successor in response to his father's tragedy.
Yongzheng was known for his trust in Mandarin Chinese officials. Li Wei and Tian Wenjing were both used to govern China's southern areas. Ertai also served Yongzheng's in governing the southern areas.
He was also known for removing the power of the princes over the other five banners and uniting the eight banners under a central authority - himself, through the "Act of the Union of the Eight Princes" or "八王依正".
The Yongzheng Emperor ruled the Qing Empire for only thirteen years. He died suddenly at the age of 58 in 1735. Legends hold that he was actually assassinated by Lu Siniang, daughter of Lü Liuliang whose entire family was believed to have been executed for literacy crimes against the Manchu Regime. More realistically, he might have died due to an overdose of medication he was consuming at the time due to his ardent belief that it would prolong his life. To prevent the succession crises faced by himself thirteen years ago, he ordered that his third son, Hongshi, who had been an ally of Yinsi, to commit suicide. He was succeeded by his son, Hongli, the Prince Bao, who became the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty under the era name of Qianlong.
He was interred in the Western Qing Tombs (清西陵), 120 kilometers/75 miles southwest of Beijing, in the Tailing (泰陵) mausoleum complex (known in Manchu as the Elhe Munggan).
1678 births | 1735 deaths | Qing Dynasty | Qing Dynasty emperors
Yongzheng | Emperador Yongzheng | Yongzheng | 옹정제 | Yongzheng | Yongzheng | 雍正帝 | Yongzheng-keiseren | 雍正帝
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It uses material from the "Yongzheng Emperor".
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