The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 713 Yongzheng’s Achievements (Part )
Big man.

Liu Bang stroked his beard and looked at the last sentence thoughtfully.

"Like a slave..."

The words are not very pleasant to hear, but the meaning behind them is worth pondering.

Looking at the emperors throughout the dynasties, even if they had a bad reputation after their death, their virtues would be passed on to their descendants.

However, some emperors had a very high opinion of themselves and were also taught a lesson by the people of the world.

Liu Bang got a rough idea of ​​the outline.

……

The period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty
Liu Heng had always been following this path, but he was in it without knowing it.

Today, the clouds have cleared and the sun has appeared.

"The imperial power is the goal, and the people's will is the guide."

Liu Qi was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said:
"Father, I don't disagree with loving the people, but how can we govern the world and win the hearts of the people if we don't have the imperial power in our hands?"

Liu Heng looked at him and smiled.

"Did Emperor Gaozu hold the imperial power when he conquered the world?"

Liu Qi was stunned.

Liu Heng continued:
"The Overlord is the king of the world. Did he unify the world?"

"The First Emperor was supreme, but the Qin Dynasty fell in the second emperor."

Liu Heng looked at the silent Liu Qi and said calmly:
"Governors of all dynasties have always claimed to put the people first, but how many of them have actually done so?"

"And who among those who truly win the hearts of the people needs to fight for the imperial power?"

"It's not that I don't want to fight, it's just that I don't think it's worth mentioning."

"He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."

"The imperial power belongs to all the people in the world."

……

Tang Dynasty and Emperor Gaozu's period
Li Shimin looked at Yongzheng and knew that this emperor had ushered in a new era.

"It is not the founding monarch who has the power to establish a country."

All means are one and a half points stronger than those of ordinary founding monarchs.

Li Yuan felt Li Shimin's secret gaze and his face suddenly turned dark.

"What do you mean?"

Li Shimin waved his hands quickly.

"Means nothing."

"what does that mean?"

"Just a token of my appreciation..."

"I'm playing a tongue twister with you here!"

Li Yuan was angry.

He slammed the table angrily!

"You must make yourself clear today!"

"Otherwise, I will abolish your position as Crown Prince!"

Li Shimin made a "tsk" sound, with an expression that said, "I don't want to say it clearly but you are forcing me to do it."

"Yongzheng's heart is like a rock, it cannot be changed."

"And you, Aye... don't have the courage to bear the filth of the world."

Li Yuan was furious.

"Why am I so impatient?"

Li Shimin looked at him, shook his head, and was interrupted by Li Jiancheng just as he was about to speak:

"Be generous and tolerant to all, and never give up when faced with difficulties."

Li Jiancheng looked directly at Li Yuan and said softly:
"Aye, you're not cruel enough."

Li Yuan understood what Li Jiancheng meant in an instant.

He avoided his eldest son's sight, sat down slowly, and said nothing.

Li Shimin hesitated and whispered to Li Jiancheng:
"Brother...you are hurting him too much."

Li Jiancheng glanced at him lightly.

"Do you think he's the kind of person who resents himself?"

Li Shimin choked.

……

[During the first six years of Yongzheng's reign, his health was always good.]

[In the winter of the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, he fell seriously ill and almost died, but he managed to survive.]

[It was not until May of the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign that his health gradually recovered.]

[The symptoms this time were mainly hot and cold, difficulty sleeping deeply at night, and irregular eating habits. 】

[The causes of these diseases have not been found.]

……

{It is probably due to staying up late for a long time and overwork.}
{At that time, it might have been considered abnormal for an emperor to have such symptoms, but today, most people who stay up late for a long time will have such symptoms, which is a sub-healthy state.}
{Another reason is that Yongzheng was already in his fifties at that time, and his health was declining.}
{According to the laws of modern statistics, this period of time is a transition period when the body's metabolism changes from fast to slow.}
{At this point, many organs in the body begin to experience long-term accumulated diseases.}
{Therefore, people between the ages of 50 and 70 are most likely to become ill or feel "he was fine yesterday, but suddenly died" and are prone to regret.}
{It is actually caused by sudden changes in body organs.}
{However, people in their early fifties usually think they are still young. Their ambition to succeed and their weakening health form a contrast. Most people even think "I have never been sick" and do not get checked, which leads to the so-called "sudden onset of illness." }
……

Ming dynasty.

"Have you seen!"

Empress Ma looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a solemn expression.

"Don't stay up late anymore!"

Zhu Yuanzhang also wanted to joke that he was "non-human"

But when he saw the deep worry in Empress Ma's eyes, he changed the meaning of the words.

"I understand. Don't worry. From now on, if you need to stay up late, let the Minister of Military Affairs do it."

"We and Biao'er should take a rest."

Queen Ma nodded, and after a moment she said:

"...We can't just leave everything to the ministers..."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a while.

"Then we'll switch shifts!"

"Tianmu has already said that you want to be a beast of burden?"

"We are giving them the opportunity to become dragons and elephants."

“It’s a blessing!”

“They’ll be grateful.”

Zhu Biao couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

But you have to say, compared to the disappearance of nine generations of a clan at any time, this is indeed a blessing.

……

[In May of the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign, Yongzheng had just recovered when Yunxiang passed away.]

【Yunxiang's sudden death made Yongzheng extremely sad. 】

【After Yunxiang's death, Yongzheng suffered a double blow both psychologically and physically. In June, he summoned Yunlu, Yunli, Hongli, Hongzhou, Grand Secretary, and Minister of Internal Affairs Zhang Tingyu and many others, and told them one thing: "If I am gone and the new emperor ascends the throne, everything will be done according to my secret decree."】

[The so-called secret decree of succession was created after Yongzheng ascended the throne. He drew lessons from the previous dynasties' struggles for the throne between princes and concubines over the appointment of a crown prince, as well as his own personal experience in fighting for the throne, and established a secret succession system.]

[The crown prince will no longer be publicly appointed, but will be appointed in secret, and the truth about who will inherit the throne will not be revealed until after his death.]

[The specific method is: the emperor personally writes two copies of the edict to appoint the crown prince, one is sealed in a brocade box and placed behind the "Zhengda Guangming" plaque in the Qianqing Palace, and the other is kept by the emperor himself.]

[In the first year of Yongzheng's reign, Yongzheng placed the imperial edict behind the "Zhengda Guangming" plaque in the Qianqing Palace.]

……

Datang.

"This is good... this is good..."

Li Shimin immediately thought of his own experience.

If I didn't know who would be the crown prince from the beginning, would my elder brother and I not have become enemies?

"Does it have some intention of establishing a virtuous person?"

Empress Changsun saw that Li Shimin was in a bad mood and changed the subject.

Li Shimin also followed the Queen's intention and said:
"Indeed, since everyone doesn't know who the crown prince is, those who are vying for the throne will try their best to show off."

“But being virtuous or not, being capable or not, these are not things that can be acted out.”

"Those ministers are not stupid. Since they don't know who will be the crown prince, they should treat everyone equally."

"Moreover, there are two copies of the secret decree. When the new king ascends the throne, they can verify each other to avoid rumors of usurpation of the throne."

"Yongzheng's system designs are indeed ingenious..."

……

On the canopy.

On the dragon couch.

Yongzheng, wearing a yellow mid-length shirt, looked pale and had sunken eye sockets.

He glanced at his two sons beside him and said in a hoarse voice:
"Summon Prince Zhuang, Prince Guo, Grand Secretaries Ortai and Zhang Tingyu, Ministers of the Imperial Guard Feng Sheng'e and Naqin, and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Haiwang..."

[On August 1735, the th year of Yongzheng's reign (), Yongzheng fell ill again and stayed in Yuanmingyuan, working as usual.]

[On the 22nd, Yongzheng's illness became more serious.]

[The fourth prince Hongli and the fifth prince Hongzhou served by the bedside without leaving.]

[At 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., his illness gradually worsened, and he quickly summoned Prince Zhuang Yunlu, Prince Guo Yunli and others to his bedroom, and announced that he would pass the throne to Hongli.]

[Zhang Tingyu had just gone to bed at home when he suddenly received the imperial edict and rushed over.]

[As soon as he entered the garden, he knew that the situation was not good. When he saw Yongzheng, the emperor was speechless.]

[At midnight on the 23rd, Yongzheng, 57 years old, passed away in Yuanmingyuan.]

[When Hongli, Yunli, Ortai, Zhang Tingyu and others sent his body to the Qianqing Palace in the inner palace overnight, due to the suddenness of the matter and insufficient preparation, Zhang Tingyu and Ortai could only ride inferior horses and mules carrying coal, and had no time to equip them with saddles.]

[Zhang Tingyu almost fell off his horse, and Ortai was injured while riding a mule, with blood all over his pants... It was a busy and embarrassing night.]

【From then on, there was no Yongzheng in the world. 】

……

{Yongzheng's death was really sudden.}
{On the 21st, Yongzheng, still holding his body, instructed the military ministers about the camel and horse affairs of the northern military camp, introduced Ningguta General Du Lai, and asked about the appointment of assistant commanders and deputy commanders.}
{He died at the age of 23. It's not an exaggeration to say that he died suddenly.}
{So, after Yongzheng's death, various theories about his sudden death began to circulate.}
{First, he was assassinated by Lu Siniang.} This legend is the most widely spread. It is said that Lu Siniang is the granddaughter of Lu Liuliang and the survivor of Lu Liuliang's case.}
{After she escaped with her mother and a servant, she studied martial arts to avenge her grandfather, and waited for the right opportunity to enter the Old Summer Palace and kill Yongzheng.}
{This legend is still widely spread. In 1981, the relevant departments of Hebei Province excavated the underground palace of Emperor Yongzheng, but stopped before opening it. There is a rumor in society that the coffin has been opened and the body of Emperor Yongzheng is headless.}
{However, this statement does not stand up to scrutiny because Li Wei was the official who handled the Lu Liuliang case, and he was the best at arresting people, so how could he let Lu Siniang slip through the net?}
{Second, died from elixir poisoning.}
{This is recorded in the "Huoji Dang". After the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign, Yuanmingyuan purchased a large amount of ore, black lead, sulfur, coal, and firewood, which were all needed for alchemy.}
{And Yongzheng did have a hobby of alchemy in his early years.}
{Another thing is that on the third day after Yongzheng's death, Qianlong ordered the expulsion of Taoist priests Zhang Taixu, Wang Dingqian, etc. from the palace.}
{Based on this, it is speculated that Qianlong wanted to cover up the fact that Yongzheng died from the elixir.}
{How could an emperor, upon ascending the throne, not rush to deal with other national affairs, but simply propose to expel the Taoists? Perhaps he was afraid of exposing the cause of the disease.}
{Third, he died of illness. However, the official books that can be found so far all state that he died of illness, but the cause of the illness is not stated, nor is there any explanation. This is also the reason why conspiracy theories emerge one after another.}
……

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period
Kangxi had a black line on his forehead.

The cause of the disease is not mentioned, obviously to avoid mentioning it for the sake of the respected person.

But what kind of things should be kept secret for the sake of the respected person?
Of course it's an embarrassing thing!
Then take a look at the things needed for alchemy recorded in the sky curtain.

"You really are... you dare to put anything in your mouth..."

Having said that, Kangxi could also understand that this was just a desperate attempt to find a cure.

"Maybe you can live longer if you don't eat this mess."

Kangxi touched the golden lotus in his hand, and a trace of confusion appeared on his face.

But it stretched out again in an instant.

This is like investing. Only when the fourth child is alive and healthy can one's own goals be gradually achieved.

It’s just life span, I can afford it!
In a trance, Kangxi felt that he was like the Jade Emperor in "Journey to the West", and the golden lotus in his hand looked like peaches.

Longevity... can it be regarded as a reward?

Kangxi fell into deep thought.

……

Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Period
Yongzheng felt quite uncomfortable after seeing his own bizarre death.

Succession to the throne was accompanied by a bunch of rumors, and death was also accompanied by a bunch of rumors.

Then after death, the grave will be dug up and the coffin will be exhumed.

Yongzheng thought this might be the retribution for digging up Lü Liuliang's grave...

it's fine!
Yongzheng adjusted his attitude instantly.

He is confident that his reward will not be bad!
Looking up at the sky, the inventory of achievements began.

……

【Emperor Shizong of Qing Dynasty, Aisin-Gioro, Yinzhen】

[Military achievements: Conquering Qinghai, the Battle of Tongbo, and the Battle of Guangxian Temple.]

[Evaluation B level, three points]

【Institutional construction: the surplus was returned to the public, the gentry was unified, the land tax was distributed according to the land, the status of slaves was abolished, the land was converted into civilians, the secret memorial system, the establishment of the Grand Council, and the secret appointment of the crown prince.】

[Evaluation S level, 5 points]

……

Later Zhou Dynasty: Emperor Shizong's reign
"That means the highest score is five."

Guo Rong looked at these two polarized evaluations and said with a smile:
"Otherwise it can still rise!"

It's strange that both Emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties did something major to reshape the Mandate of Heaven, both went against their ministers, and both loved to take elixirs.

But you can tell at a glance who is doing a good job and who is doing a bad job.

Apart from other things, the two things of secretly appointing a crown prince and the Grand Council were very inspiring to him.

“It’s this military…”

If it weren't for the opportunity to regain ground in the battle between Kangxi and Guangxian Temple, this column would clearly have scored zero points.

"Zungar..."

……

[People's Livelihood and Economy: Yongzheng's reforms were basically to focus on large enterprises and let go of small ones, with the main focus on reducing the burden on the people. ]

[For example, clearing up arrears is actually a policy aimed at the people, and the focus is on the Jiangnan region.]

[The richest province in Jiangnan is Jiangsu, which pays more than 3.5 million taels of tax silver each year, ranking first among all provinces in the country.]

[In Jiangsu Province, the three prefectures that paid the most taxes were Suzhou, Songjiang, and Changzhou. The heavier the taxes, the more debt one owed.]

[From the 1712st year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1723) to the first year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign (), Jiangsu owed million taels of tax silver in the years.]

[After Yongzheng came to power, he wanted to get the money back.]

[Jiangsu Governor Zhang Kai requested that Jiangsu be given ten years to pay off the debt, and Yongzheng agreed.]

[Later, Yongzheng found that Zhang Kai's words were empty talk, and his impression of Jiangsu became even worse. He demanded that the Jiangsu officialdom be severely rectified.]

In the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign (1728), Yongzheng sent Wang Ji, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Peng Weixin, the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, to lead more than reserve officials to Jiangsu to investigate the arrears in various prefectures and counties.

[Their mission is to recover all outstanding debts within one year.]

[This was extremely difficult. Suzhou Prefecture alone detained more than a thousand people. As a result, the entire Jiangsu Province was in a state of panic and there were signs of chaos.]

【Yongzheng thought that the matter should not be made a big deal, so he asked to stop the investigation and investigate the officials first, and deal with the arrears of the people later.】

[The investigation was not completed until the 1731th year of Yongzheng’s reign (1711). From the 1726th year of Kangxi’s reign () to the th year of Yongzheng’s reign (), Jiangsu owed a total of million taels of silver, of which million taels, or nearly half, was embezzled by officials and wealthy families.]

[Yongzheng decided that officials and wealthy families had to pay off their debts within ten years, and ordinary people had to pay off their debts within twenty years.]

【Fujian Province’s arrears were much less, only 440,000 taels, of which 330,000 taels were owed by the people.】

【Yongzheng also sent an imperial envoy to deal with this matter. In Fujian, both the arrears and the deficit were dealt with at the same time.】

【Later, there was a famine in Fujian Province and the people suffered from poor harvests, so Yongzheng stopped pursuing the arrears.】

[Shandong Province had a relatively large amount of debt, amounting to three million taels. This amount was still more than three million taels until Yongzheng's death.]

【After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, he abolished the arrears, and the people of Shandong cheered. 】

[All provinces have debts, but the amounts vary widely.]

[Those in debt included almost every social class at the time, including bureaucrats, large landowners, small and medium-sized landowners, and self-employed farmers.]

[In the process of clearing up the arrears, Yongzheng also treated them differently. The officials were considered as fraud, the landlords were considered as monopolizing, and the civilians were considered as the people's debts.]

[Yongzheng punished corrupt officials, but when it came to debts, the people owed the most, but they were not pursued too much.]

【Coupled with various policies that benefited the people, the population of the Qing Dynasty began to increase significantly. 】

[Evaluation B level, three points]

……

{Wait a minute! Isn't this a low score?}

{Is Yongzheng's people's livelihood not up to standard?}

{Fucking hell, after the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign, he kept waging wars, and lost every time he fought. If it weren't for his various systems that offset the impact of war, he would have been doomed long ago.}
{Didn't he say that he left 70 million taels of silver to the national treasury?}

{…Have you watched too much of Yongzheng Dynasty?}

{The amount of silver left in the treasury after Yongzheng's death was approximately 34 million taels.}
{Add some historical data on the statistics of the national treasury in the later years of Emperor Kangxi.}
{On April 14, the second year of the Yongzheng reign, the Governor-General of the Ministry of Revenue and Prince Yi Yunxiang reported the situation of the inventory of the Ministry of Revenue's silver vault:
"It was found that the actual amount of gold in the 61st year's sales report was 2,554 taels, 5 cents, 2.8 cents, and the deficit was 498 taels, 5 cents...

The actual amount of silver is 27,109,286 taels, 7 qian and 5 fen.

The internal deficit is 2,592,957 taels, 6 qian, 3 fen and 1 li of silver."
{This memorial of Prince Yi Yunxiang is now in the National Historical Archives. I won’t go into details about who the Thirteenth Prince was to Yongzheng.}
{Two thousand seven, three thousand four, the difference is seven million taels.}
{So Qianlong...}
{Isn't it... just a joke? You don't really think Qianlong is taking advantage of his past, do you?}

……

Qing Dynasty and Qianlong period
Old Dragon frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Is there something else behind this statement?

The situation of my succession to the throne is not much better than that of his father?

Yongyan's eyes look at the nose, and the nose looks at the heart.

How do you say this?

If you had died a little earlier, everyone would give you a thumbs up and say you are the greatest emperor of all time.

But you don’t, you are so alive!

Speaking of which, the old man Shengzu is also very capable...

So there is some explanation for the cause of Sejong's death.

Yongyan's thoughts began to wander.

I don’t know what kind of emperor I will be?
……

The source of Qianlong’s fortune was not money, but the dividends from Yongzheng’s system.

Therefore, the Kangxi and Qianlong prosperous eras make sense, because the Yongzheng period was the foundation and turning point.

As for Qianlong, in terms of ability, he has been ranked among the top five people in the past five thousand years.

But when it comes to magnanimity...it’s hard to say.



(End of this chapter)