At that time, Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, tried his best to win the favor of Concubine Yang Guifei. After knowing that she liked to eat lychees, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty ordered the opening of a thousands-mile post road from Lingnan to the capital Cha

At that time, Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji tried his best to win the favor of Yang Guifei . After knowing that she liked to eat lychees, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty ordered the opening of a thousands-mile post road from Lingnan to the capital city of Chang'an In order to ensure that the lychees would not change when they arrived in the capital, a large number of thousand-mile horses were prepared on these post roads, running day and night, just to deliver the lychees quickly, thus leaving the " Riding a Red Dust Concubine Laughing, No One Knows" The poem "Lychee comes " became famous all over the world.

In the Qing Dynasty, Aixinjueluo Yinzhen, also known as Yongzhengemperor, actually did such a thing once, but it was not for his noble concubine, but for one of his generals - Nian Gengyao .

At that time, Nian Gengyao was stationed in Xi'an, serving as the general of Fuyuan and the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi. Emperor Yongzheng showed meticulous care for Nian Gengyao, not only caring for him and his family, but also Nian Gengyao's wrist and arms. If his wife was ill or if she got sick, Yongzheng would repeatedly inquire and give her medicines.

As for rewards, rare treasures and delicacies were sent over from time to time. Once, in order to give Nian Gengyao lychees to keep their delicious taste, he even ordered the post to be sent from the capital to Xi'an within six days. I don't know, Did Yongzheng think of Concubine Yang's story at this time?

However, such a seemingly favored general was sentenced to death by Emperor Yongzheng in less than a year. His glory and wealth disappeared in an instant, and he ended up with his family and his family destroyed.

Why is this?

Some people must have curled their lips and said, "The birds are hidden, the rabbits are dead, and the dogs are cooked." But is this really the case? Today, let’s talk about the story of Nian Gengyao, the first general of the Yongzheng Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty.

1. Nian Gengyao was brought under the banner of Xianghuang because of his sister.

Some people say that Nian Gengyao was the servant of Emperor Yongzheng when he was hiding in his residence. In fact, this is not the case at all.

During the Ming and Qing wars , Nian Gengyao's great-grandfather Nian Yousheng's family was taken into the flag by the Qing army and subordinated to the Han army's Xiangbai banner. Later, when Emperor Kangxi named Yongzheng Prince Yong, he also Nian Gengyao's sister married him. In the first year of Yongzheng's reign, Nian Gengyao's sister was promoted to the imperial concubine of , that is, the noble concubine of Emperor Dunsu. As a result, Nian Gengyao's family belonged to the imperial concubine led by Yongzheng. Under the yellow flag .

In fact, for Nian Gengyao, at this time, he was already the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi and a high official in Xinjiang.

Gengyao studied since childhood and concentrated on his official career. In the 39th year of Kangxi (1700), he was promoted to Jinshi, changed to Shujishi, and was appointed as a reviewer of the Hanlin Academy. He entered the Hanlin Academy at the age of 21 and became a reviewer of the Hanlin Academy at the age of 26. As an imperial envoy, he served as the examiner of the Sichuan Provincial Examination. Soon he was promoted to a cabinet bachelor of the third rank, and was given the title of Minister of Rites.

Regarding this position, Zhang Tingyu, who was a Jinshi in the same ranking as Nian Gengyao, did not become a cabinet bachelor and minister of rites until 7 years later. Therefore, Nian Gengyao must be very powerful.

In the forty-eighth year of Kangxi (1709), he was promoted to governor of Sichuan and became a feudal official. At this time, Nian Gengyao was less than thirty years old.

Nian Gengyao burst into tears of gratitude for Emperor Kangxi's special appreciation and exceptional promotion. In the memorial, he repeatedly stated that he had "received favor in three generations through a mediocre fool" and must "try his best to repay".

Nian Gengyao lived up to Kangxi's expectations. He repeatedly made military exploits. Whether he was providing logistics at the rear of the army or commanding at the front, Nian Gengyao was always at ease. He was smart in managing affairs, measured and measured, not alarmed when encountering difficulties, and had a set of self-contained rules and regulations for running the army. Kangxi relied heavily on him and was "not ashamed to ask" Nian Gengyao in everything.

In the 60th year of Kangxi (1721), 42-year-old Nian Gengyao went to Beijing to pay homage. Emperor Kangxi gave him a bow and arrows, and he was promoted to governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, becoming an important official in the western border. In this year, the fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi, Yongzheng's younger brother Aixinjueluo· Yinzhen was the general king of Fuyuan.

Therefore, it seems from these things that Emperor Kangxi pointed out Nian Gengyao's sister to Aixinjueluo Yinzhen, then Prince Yong, as the side of Fujin. It cannot be said that there is no deep meaning.

If you think about it, Longkodo was Yongzheng's maternal uncle, and Nian Gengyao was Yongzheng's brother-in-law. These two people eventually became Yongzheng's right-hand men when he ascended the throne. This cannot be said to be a coincidence.

However, Aixinjueluo Xuanye, as the smartest emperor of the generation, although he had arranged everything, he never expected that Nian Gengyao and Longkodo would eventually become a stalker of Emperor Yongzheng.

For Nian Gengyao, he was successful at a young age and became a feudal official in his 40s, dominating the country. The main reason was that he came from Emperor Kangxi. Without Emperor Kangxi, he would not have everything he had. As for Emperor Yongzheng, he could become the emperor. , it is relying on his own strength. Without himself, it is still unknown whether he can become the emperor.

Therefore, when Emperor Yongzheng called Nian Gengyao his benefactor in the excerpt, Nian Gengyao took it seriously without any humility. It was precisely based on this mentality.

2, Nian Gengyao in the Northwest War.

In fact, in the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi (1718), Nian Gengyao had already shown some things that made Yongzheng uncomfortable. On 60's birthday, Nian Gengyao not only didn't send any gifts, he didn't even send a congratulatory letter. Similarly, when Emperor Yongzheng's son Aixinjueluo Hongshi got married, he didn't receive any words from him.

For this reason, Emperor Yongzheng wrote a letter to reprimand him, thinking that he had no master-subordinate friendship. Moreover, he also accused him of only stating his title when writing to himself, not calling him a slave. "If you live up to the emperor today, you will live up to the prince tomorrow" with ulterior motives and an intention to frame himself.

For this reason, Yongzheng took some precautions and asked Nian Gengyao to send all his sons, brothers and nephews over ten years old to the capital to serve Nian Yaoling.

However, with the accession of Emperor Yongzheng to the throne, the relationship between Nian Gengyao and Emperor Yongzheng began to become closer again.

In October of the first year of Yongzheng (1723), the leader of the Qinghai Heshuote Mongolian tribe Luobu Zangdanjin took advantage of General Fuyuan Yinqi's return to Beijing to launch a rebellion in an attempt to control the Qinghai-Tibet area, which made the already peaceful area The situation in the northwest is once again turbulent.

For Yongzheng, who had just come to power, the rebellion of Luobuzangdanjin was a big test.

At this time, Yongzheng had just ascended the throne, and he had not yet gotten rid of the doubts of the kings and ministers about his usurping the throne. At the same time, everyone believed that his ability could not resolve this crisis anyway, so they all wanted to see Emperor Yongzheng's jokes.

Therefore, Yongzheng ordered Nian Gengyao to take over as the general of Fuyuan and sit in Xining to command the counter-rebellion. He could only win but not lose. If he failed, the position he had just won as emperor might really be lost. Yongzheng personally sat in the capital to command. As a result, a new organization, the Military Aircraft Division, was created to coordinate and support Nian Gengyao in fighting this battle.

But how did Nian Gengyao do it?

In the Yongzheng Dynasty, there is such a description, saying that Nian Gengyao's hundreds of thousands of troops surrounded Luobuzangdanjin, but the army of Luobuzangdanjin could not be found. Later, Emperor Yongzheng's counselor Wu Sidao Mr. Wu personally went to the military camp and pointed out the "darkness under the lamp". Nian Gengyao seemed to suddenly realize that he quickly attacked and completely defeated Luobuzangdanjin and won the Northwest War.

The meaning of this paragraph actually means that Nian Gengyao disregarded the current economic distress of the court in the early days of Yongzheng's accession and the urgent need for victory, supported his own troops in the northwest and embezzled military expenditures.

This historical fact is one of the 92 major crimes of Nian Gengyao later.

At the beginning of the second year of Yongzheng (1724), Nian Gengyao ordered the generals to "separate routes and go deep into their lairs." In just half a month, armies from all walks of life leaped thousands of miles and defeated the rebels.In particular, General Fenwei Yue Zhongqi , the admiral of Sichuan, showed great bravery. He led his troops in a mad pursuit and went straight to the enemy's hole. The bandit leader Luo Bu Zangdanjin was able to escape in a hurry and disguised himself as a woman. In the end, Luobuzangdanjin led more than two hundred defeated soldiers and defected to the Jungar tribe's Cewang Alabutan, and they never recovered from the fall.

3. Nian Gengyao after becoming a famous general.

In the northwest battle, General Nian's reputation spread throughout the country and everyone knew it.

Emperor Yongzheng was indeed grateful to General Nian. Regardless of his status as emperor, he called Nian Gengyao his benefactor in a disgusting manner, " I really don't know how to love you, so I can show my face to the gods of heaven and earth. When Xining was in crisis, one day I am afraid that I will be upset and frightened, and I will feel sorry for you and use the word leisure. I understand that you love me with all your heart. In short, I fully understand how you treat me, so I appreciate your sincerity. God, in this way, you know that our monarchs and ministers are not ordinary people who come without reason. I am really glad. ”

At the same time, in order to stabilize the northwest, Yongzheng gave Nian Gengyao great power of appointment and dismissal. In the jurisdiction of Nian Gengyao, "civilian officials from governors to prefectures and counties, and military attachés from towns to thousands of commanders" were all appointed and dismissed by Nian Gengyao. For other areas, all the people recommended by Nian Gengyao were given priority by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War. It was called the "annual election" at that time.

Nian Gengyao used this opportunity to exclude dissidents and appoint private individuals, forming a "Nianji" clique. In fact, Nian Gengyao is also a scholar. He has forgotten about the incident of and Wu Sangui .

Nothing else. Under Yongzheng's grateful favor, Nian Gengyao swelled. He forgot his identity and that all his powers were given by the emperor. He seemed to really regard himself as Yongzheng's benefactor, and Nothing to worry about anymore.

He is like a spoiled child, arrogant and domineering.

In the Dudu Mansion in Xi'an, Nian Gengyao made it look like a royal court. He ordered civil and military officials to work every five and ten days. Four-cornered dragons were also painted on the camp gate and drum hall. He called giving things "ci" and "dining" when eating. ", the treat is called a "banquet", making oneself look like the emperor.

In October of the second year of Yongzheng (1724), Nian Gengyao came to Beijing to see his Majesty for the second time. This became a turning point in his life from prosperity to decline.

When they were at the border, the Mongolian prince and his father-in-law Abao had to kneel down and worship Nian Gengyao when they saw him. On the way to Beijing, he actually ordered the commander of the capital Fan Shijie , the governor of Zhili Li Weijun and others to kneel down to pick him up and see him off. After

arrived in Beijing, in order to show his attention and honor, Emperor Yongzheng ordered all civil and military officials to go out of the city to greet him. Officials from the princes, clansmen and below had to kneel down to greet him. Nian Gengyao also sat calmly and sat in the "imperial yellow rein". The tall horse passed by safely without even a glance. The princes and ministers dismounted and greeted him, but he just nodded and ignored them completely.

What's more, Nian Gengyao was arrogant in front of Yongzheng, "sitting on the ground with no one to show courtesy".

If Nian Gengyao had only offended Yongzheng before, his arrogant and domineering demeanor in the capital immediately aroused the public indignation of the scholar-bureaucrats in the capital, and he offended the entire bureaucracy.

This is very troublesome.

4, Nian Gengyao who put Emperor Yongzheng in a dilemma.

In fact, even at this time, Emperor Yongzheng did not want to do anything to Nian Gengyao.

Faced with the impeachment of Nian Gengyao in the DPRK, on ​​November 15, the second year of Yongzheng's reign, Yongzheng took advantage of the rumor that "Yongzheng's reward for his troops was Nian Gengyao's idea" and accused Sang and Huai, saying: "I He's not a three-year-old child, so he still needs Nian Gengyao's guidance! Is it because Nian Gengyao is strong enough for Chen Zuo that I reward him?" "Nian Gengyao's talents are more than enough to be a general or governor. But how can he have the intelligence of an emperor? ”

In fact, there is another reason, that is, Emperor Yongzheng believed that these impeachments were just the "Baye Party" headed by the eighth son of the emperor, Aixinjueluo Yinhu. After resurrecting, he wanted to use Nian Gengyao's affairs to make a fuss, and the purpose was still to gain his own throne. Therefore, he flatly rejected these people's memorials.

However, in order to remind Nian Gengyao, in late December of that year, Yongzheng wrote a paragraph in Nian Gengyao's report about the preservation of the names of meritorious officials: " Mortal ministers strive for merit, and success is difficult; success is easy. , It is difficult to keep merit; it is easy to keep merit, but it is difficult to make mistakes in the end. If you rely on merit to make mistakes, you will turn your kindness into enmity. This is always the case with heroes. First, they rely on their masters to prevent the slightest delay and prevent them from being in danger; When you see an opportunity, you are not willing to take the dangerous path; the three ministers must avoid suspicion and do not send you to a dead end. I, the king and my ministers, encourage you and be careful with these words. It was a reminder as well as a warning, hoping that he would restrain himself and stop misbehaving, so as not to bring disaster to himself and also bring trouble to the court.

It can be seen from these words that Emperor Yongzheng really didn't want to kill him, and even for the sake of Ba Ye, and in order not to fall into Yinhu 's trap, Emperor Yongzheng was not willing to kill Nian Gengyao. , killing Nian Gengyao is a crime of not knowing people, and a crime of killing a hero.

According to logic, Nian Gengyao should have been honest by this time. However, for ordinary people, it is really difficult to change a kind of character development. In a careless way, he made another mistake.

In March of the third year of Yongzheng's reign, a celestial phenomenon of "the sun and the moon uniting, and five stars in a row" appeared in Beijing. Governors and ministers from all over the country sent congratulatory messages. Nian Gengyao also sent a congratulatory message, but unexpectedly he wrote "work in the morning and be alert in the evening". "Be alert at night and work hard in the morning".

"Work hard in the morning and be diligent in the evening" is what Emperor Yongzheng himself said when he praised himself, saying that he worked hard every day and was strict with himself. The word "nian gengyao" was wrongly written, which violated the taboo of Emperor Yongzheng. He said "nian gengyao" Yao was not a careless person. His congratulatory form was written like this on purpose. He was unwilling to use the four words "working day and night". He felt that he was not worthy of this word. This was "relying on one's own merit and showing off". No disrespect intended."

Immediately afterwards, someone in the court said that there was a prophecy spread among the people that "the emperor will leave Sanjiangkou and Jiahu will be the battlefield". Emperor Yongzheng began to be suspicious, and he immediately made a series of personnel transfers in the northwest frontier. Nian Gengyao's troops Yue Zhongqi was promoted to General of Fuyuan and Governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and Nian Gengyao was transferred to General of Hangzhou.

He said in the edict to transfer Nian Gengyao, "I think that if you claim the title of emperor, it will be a destiny, and I will not be able to stop it; if you are unwilling to do it, you will not be able to control thousands of my troops." "Sanjiangkou makes people call themselves emperors", which is quite sarcastic. It means that it depends on whether you can become emperor in Hangzhou.

However, even at this time, Emperor Yongzheng did not want to kill him.

However, Emperor Yongzheng could no longer control the situation. Faced with Nian Gengyao's fall from favor, the entire court at that time was in a state of excitement. Everyone added insult to injury, and everyone wanted to step on him. Governors, princes and ministers from all over the country came forward one after another. A memorial was made to impeach Nian Gengyao.

Emperor Yongzheng demoted Nian Gengyao again and again, and finally he was demoted eighteen levels and sent to work as a gatekeeper outside Hangzhou. He was finally released to the capital and imprisoned. A piece of tribute.

At the same time, Nian Gengyao was drafted 92 major crimes, namely: 5 crimes of treason, 9 crimes of deceit, 16 crimes of transgression, 13 crimes of madness, 6 crimes of specialization, 6 crimes of taboo, There are 4 counts of cruelty, 18 counts of greed, and 15 counts of corruption.

At this time, Emperor Yongzheng was completely in a dilemma. To kill him, people said that he killed heroes and left a bad reputation, and he really didn't want to kill him. After all, Nian Gengyao had done a lot for him. His sister, himself The most beloved Concubine Nian is still in the palace. What's more, he is not an emperor who is being blackmailed.

If he doesn't kill him, he will violate his daily decision to rectify the officialdom and affect the overall situation of the court. This Nian Gengyao is too disappointing.

5, Zhang Tingyu added the last straw.

In "Yongzheng Dynasty", there is such a plot. The Yongzheng Emperor, who was in a irritable mood, summoned his close confidant Zhang Tingyu. ·Yinxiang , the only minister who can express his thoughts.

What is strange is that Zhang Tingyu, who believes in "a thousand words are worth a thousand words, is worse than a moment of silence", did not remain silent at this time.

With three clever sentences, he completely destroyed Emperor Yongzheng's illusions. The first sentence is: The governors of all provinces have spoken in Shangzhezi. This matter should be settled. Your Majesty is rectifying the administration of officials, and Nian Gengyao alone embezzled more than 4.6 million taels of silver, not to mention that there are many There are 9 crimes of disrespect, 10 crimes of domineering, and a total of 92 crimes.

This article is actually a threat to Emperor Yongzheng. What that means is that everyone in the country is watching you, how dare you show personal favoritism? Do you really want to be alone? So, if you don't kill Nian Gengyao, no one will believe in all your reforms, and the New Deal will be in name only. Then, your ambitions will turn into water. This move is very powerful, and it just hits Emperor Yongzheng's worries.

In the second sentence, although the court has a system of discussing crimes, the merits and demerits balance out, and Nian Gengyao still deserves to die.

This one is a direct showdown. In other words, even close relatives like Zhang Tingyu stood on the opposite side of Emperor Yongzheng in this matter. Does Emperor Yongzheng still dare to confront the entire bureaucracy? At this time, the imperial power had already lost to the party struggle. It is estimated that at this time, Emperor Yongzheng once again realized the threat of party struggle in the court. Therefore, he soon began to liquidate the "Baye Party". This is a story later.

In the third sentence, Zhang Tingyu used rumors to instigate Emperor Yongzheng. He said, I heard that Nian Gengyao was demoted to Hangzhou as a gatekeeper, and he actually sat proudly wearing the yellow mandarin jacket given by the emperor, so he was still wearing the yellow jacket. What is the purpose of displaying the mandarin jacket under the city gate and flaunting it in the busy city? It is nothing more than to show off his merits in the northwest and to show the world that "the birds are gone and the bows are hidden". If this person is not eliminated, the emperor's sage will be tarnished.

This is very vicious, associating whether or not to kill Nian Gengyao with the emperor's sage is no less than a heavy blow to the fame-loving Emperor Yongzheng.

At this time, Nian Gengyao was undoubtedly dead.

On December 11th of the third year of Yongzheng's reign, half a month after the death of Concubine Nian, the minister of bodyguard Marsai and the infantry commander Aqitu came to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment and announced the death penalty to 46-year-old Nian Gengyao.

It is said that Nian Gengyao was reluctant to commit suicide at that time. He wanted to see Emperor Yongzheng before he died. He wrote to Yongzheng and begged: "Today I am fully aware of my sin. I beg my master to spare me. I am not old and can stay here." This dog and horse will slowly serve the master." He may have thought that Yong Zheng was just scaring him.

However, after Yongzheng received Nian Gengyao's letter, he replied: "After you committed suicide, if you had any intention of being wronged, then the Buddhist books say that if you fall into hell forever, your sins will not be erased even though thousands of kalpas will be done."

Later, after being imprisoned, Cai Jue, whom he had framed, continued to scold him, and he committed suicide...