In order to prevent a dynasty from declining, the emperor will be particularly cautious when choosing his successor. In other words, when Kangxi considered the successor to the throne, he was not considering who the next generation would be, but who the next two generations would

During the period of feudal rule, the biggest thing in the country was the change of power. In order to prevent a dynasty from declining, the emperor will be particularly cautious when choosing his successor. Once the selected heir is not qualified for the position of emperor, the dynasty will fall into an irreversible situation.

As a Holy Lord, Emperor Kangxi was naturally very cautious when selecting his successor. He finally selected his fourth son Aixinjueluo Yinzhen as his successor, which was also the result of his careful consideration. In the end, it was the emperor's grandson Hongli who made Yongzheng stand out from all the princes.

In other words, when it comes to the issue of successor to the throne, Kangxi did not consider who the next generation would be, but who the next two generations would be. Regarding this period of history, both official and unofficial histories emerge one after another. Even after Qianlong became emperor, the succession crisis still did not stop.

Game of Thrones

During the feudal period, the observation of the stars never stopped. From the perspective of rulers, when major changes occur in the country, there will definitely be signs. Therefore, activities such as stargazing and divination became an important way for emperors to predict the fate of their country.

Even Emperor Kangxi, who was the only emperor throughout the ages, did not dare to completely abandon such activities. Especially regarding the selection of the successor, which is a major event related to the rise and fall of the great qing empire , emperor kangxi also hoped to receive revelation from heaven to ensure the great qing long-term peace and stability.

Since Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne at a young age and at a time of internal and external troubles, the hardships he experienced were incomparable. When he came to the throne, Emperor Kangxi faced a series of problems such as Obai fighting for power and rebellion, San Francisco supporting soldiers and self-respect, Prince Zhu San rebelling against the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty, etc., so that he could not sleep well.

After taking over the power, Emperor Kangxi faced enemies such as Taiwan's intrusion on the southeastern coast and the Galdan rebellion that hindered the development of the Qing Empire. In addition, Tsarist Russia also wanted to take advantage from time to time. It can be said that Emperor Kangxi spent his entire life solving the internal and external troubles of the Qing Dynasty.

In order to allow his descendants to enjoy peace, Emperor Kangxi not only led many military campaigns in person, but also worked diligently and loved the people. Going to bed at three o'clock and getting up at five o'clock was the normal life of Emperor Kangxi. Although the treasury was ultimately empty, what was returned was a large and stable country.

In his later years, Emperor Kangxi naturally had to consider the issue of the successor to the empire. However, as an emperor with many descendants, it is not easy to choose the most suitable successor.

According to records, Emperor Kangxi had 35 sons in his life, 11 of whom died in infancy. This means that he must choose a successor from the remaining 24 sons. Among them, the nine most competitive sons were all involved in the struggle for power. This was the "Nine Sons to Seize the Right".

In the end, Emperor Kangxi selected his fourth son Yinzhen as the heir to the throne. What people didn't expect was that this decision regarding the fate of the empire had nothing to do with the fourth prince. Instead, the other two people played a key role.

The key to ascending the throne

The first key figure that finally made Emperor Kangxi decide to appoint the fourth prince Yinzhen as his successor was Yinzhen's prince, the grandson of Emperor Kangxi, and later Emperor QianlongAisin Gioro Hongli . The encounter between grandfather and grandson also has an intriguing legend.

According to legend, when Prince Yong Yinzhen saw the flowers blooming in his palace, he begged Emperor Kangxi to come and enjoy the flowers. Emperor Kangxi was in a good mood at that time, so he went to Prince Yong's mansion to enjoy the flowers for half a day. Naturally, Yinzhen and his family were accompanied during this period.

While playing, Emperor Kangxi saw a young man who always accompanied Prince Yong Yinzhen. This young man was so heroic and extraordinary that Emperor Kangxi asked him who this young man was. And this young man was Hongli, the later Qianlong Emperor.

Due to the large number of princes, Emperor Kangxi had as many as 97 grandchildren. The son still cannot recognize them all, and many of the emperor's grandchildren are even rarer to see. The reason why Hongli left a deep impression on Emperor Kangxi was because Emperor Kangxi saw the shadow of his own youth in him.

So Emperor Kangxi called the emperor's grandson to him and asked him some questions about governing the country. Unexpectedly, the teenage Hongli answered questions fluently, which surprised Emperor Kangxi. After that, people brought Hongli's birthday and horoscope back to the palace.

After returning to the palace, Emperor Kangxi immediately called his most trusted fortune teller to divine Hongli's fate, but did not tell him whose birthday it was. After some calculations, the fortune teller did not inform the emperor of the results. It seemed that there was something unspeakable.

Emperor Kangxi saw the fortune teller's hesitation and told him to just say it. So the fortune teller informed Emperor Kangxi of his conclusion: If you are a woman, you will probably become a prostitute in the future; if you are a man, you will be extremely smart and successful, but you will eventually run out of money and become poor.

Hearing such an answer, Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he asked again: "What if I was born in an emperor's family?" Wise Holy Lord, like your Majesty, you have a long life, and wealth in the world is not worth mentioning. ”

After receiving such a reply, Emperor Kangxi took this grandson to his side and cultivated it carefully. Although it was only a short three years, it also made Hongli feel the art of the emperor. Rather than saying that Emperor Kangxi passed the throne to the fourth prince, it is better to say that he passed the throne to this grandson.

Second Fortune Telling

After the death of Emperor Kangxi, the fourth prince Yinzhen became the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. This was Emperor Yongzheng. Although Emperor Yongzheng only reigned for 13 years, he quickly lifted the Qing Empire out of poverty and accumulated a large amount of wealth. Emperor Yongzheng also became the link between and the prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong .

It was precisely because Emperor Yongzheng accumulated huge wealth that Emperor Qianlong had enough capital to become the " perfect old man ". During the period, he made six trips to the south of the Yangtze River, spending countless silver coins, all of which were attributed to Emperor Yongzheng.

When Emperor Qianlong visited Suzhou on his first southern tour, a fortune teller caught his attention. I saw a sign hanging on this fortune teller's stall, which read: " Only natural disasters are counted, not man-made disasters." He closed his eyes and said nothing when someone asked him for divination, which was not like an ordinary fortune teller at all.

So Emperor Qianlong was full of curiosity about this fortune teller, so he walked over to find out. As soon as he passed by, the fortune teller suddenly said: " Gao Gao Shang is destined to die soon, and Riliu Yong will get back three years. " After that, he packed up the stall and turned around to leave.

As soon as these words came out, Emperor Qianlong was shocked. At this time, Emperor Qianlong had been in power for nearly sixty years. The fortune teller's implication was that Emperor Qianlong should pass the throne to his descendants, otherwise his life would be shortened by three years. When Emperor Qianlong realized that he already knew his identity, he sent his men to hunt him down.

However, when these people were looking for traces of the fortune teller, he had already disappeared. Emperor Qianlong finally chose to pass the throne to his prince Yongyan , who became Emperor Jiaqing. He himself became the Supreme Emperor for three full years and enjoyed a peaceful old age.

Conclusion

As the saying goes, "Those who are in authority are confused, but those who watch are clear". When a person is in an environment, he is often unable to step out of the environment and examine the situation from God's perspective. Even the emperor is no exception.

Therefore, many people who see the situation clearly will use "God's will" as a rhetoric to persuade the highest ruler to accept their suggestions, and at the same time prevent the emperor from becoming jealous of them. In this process, the fortune teller naturally wore a mysterious veil.