The status of the emperor in the feudal dynasty was supreme. They could easily execute a person to death, punish nine tribes, etc., so the ministers would regulate their behavior and work for the emperor with peace of mind.
Nalan Mingzhu and Suo'etu were two powerful officials during the Kangxi period. They made great contributions to Kangxi's side. Both of them spent their lives fighting for power, but in the end they both failed. , Suo'etu was directly sentenced to death by Kangxi for forming a clique for personal gain, while Nalan Mingzhu died a good death, but was no longer reused by Kangxi.
What’s interesting is that after Nalan Mingzhu was imprisoned by Kangxi, he quickly asked his wife to spread the news that he was going to rebel. Why is this?
Nalan Mingzhu’s life
Nalan Rongruo Everyone should have heard of his reputation. The first poet of Manchu , Nalan Mingzhu is his father. Compared with Nalan Rongruo's talent in poetry, Nalan Mingzhu's talent is more reflected in the court.
Nalan Mingzhu was from the Manchu Zhenghuang Banner . Strictly speaking, he was somewhat related to Kangxi. He was Kangxi's cousin. After Kangxi took charge , there were two powerful ministers in the court, namely Nalan Mingzhu and Suo'etu. Their status in the court can be said to be lower than one person and higher than ten thousand people, but the reason why they were able to secure this position , it was just a method that Kangxi needed to balance the court.
At the military parade in the twelfth year of Kangxi's reign, Kangxi saw that the soldiers in the audience were high-spirited and high-spirited, which made him very happy. After asking, he found out that it was Nalan Mingzhu who was in charge of this place. It was this incident that gave him the name Nalan Mingzhu. Enter Kangxi's sight.
The real reason why Nalan Mingzhu was regarded as a confidant by Kangxi was during the peace of San Francisco. At that time, was still happy and asked to return to his hometown for retirement. Kangxi also proposed the idea of reducing the vassalage at this time, but only a few ministers in the court agreed. Kangxi's approach, most people still believe that cutting down vassals at this time will easily lead to war.
Compared with the opposition in the court, Nalan Mingzhu, who was the Minister of the Ministry of War, supported Kangxi . Therefore, after the pacification of San Francisco, Nalan Mingzhu officially became Kangxi's confidant, and Nalan Mingzhu rose to prominence and was promoted to the Ministry of Rites. Shangshu, Bachelor of Yingwu Palace.
Nalan Mingzhu’s measures after being imprisoned
After Nalan Mingzhu was appreciated by Kangxi, he became unparalleled in the court. With the strength to confront Soltu, he began a partisan dispute that lasted for more than ten years, in which there were also Kangxi used Nalan Mingzhu's hand to balance Soltu's meaning.
In order to gain greater power in the court, Nalan Mingzhu vigorously suppressed everyone from the Soltu faction. Later, as his power grew, Nalan Mingzhu did more and more excessive things. He openly sold his official position and embezzled money for disaster relief. Finally, in the 26th year of Kangxi, Yu Jackie Chan impeached Nalan Mingzhu for selling his official position and getting his title. He carefully searched the evidence of Mingzhu and put it on Kangxi's desk. After seeing it, Kangxi was furious and sent Nalan Mingzhu to prison.
Of course Kangxi knew about the partisanship between Nalan Mingzhu and Soltu. The main reason why Nalan Mingzhu was sent to prison this time was because he violated Kangxi's taboo by selling his official position and holding a title. After all, talent is the foundation of a country. Nalan Mingzhu's What you do is destroy a country.
Nalan Mingzhu did not defend himself after he was imprisoned. He knew that Kangxi was determined to step down this time. In addition, it was impossible for Kangxi to forgive the things he had done over the years, but he still had the possibility. So he immediately asked his wife to spread the news that he was going to rebel.
Most people would never think of this plan. It stands to reason that he is already in jail, so spreading such news would not be an extra level of crime. Besides, crimes like treason were a first-rate crime in ancient times. Not only would he definitely die, but also The nine clans may be killed.
The partisanship between Nalan Mingzhu and Soltu was a very important part of the court. Kangxi also hoped to see them restraining each other to stabilize the imperial power, so one of the two forces must not be too strong, and Nalan Lan Mingzhu took advantage of Kangxi's heart and asked his confidants to pretend to be Soltu's party to impeach Kangxi for treason.
In Kangxi's view, it was impossible for Nalan Mingzhu to rebel. This was a way for Soltu's party to take advantage of the opportunity to attack when Nalan Mingzhu was at a disadvantage. Once Nalan Mingzhu was convicted of rebellion, his party would definitely also will be implicated, so that Soltu's party can develop vigorously, and Nalan Mingzhu's party will fight to the death to keep Soltu's power from developing, and there will definitely be a bloody storm in the court. wind.
In order to maintain the overall situation and avoid having only Soltu's power in the court, Kangxi finally had to release Nalan Mingzhu and reinstate him to his post .
However, the difference from before was that Kangxi never reused Nalan Mingzhu again. He only gave him a false position with no power. Nalan Mingzhu knew in prison that even if he survived this time, he would not be able to do anything. I have power, so I don’t care about anything.
The ending of Nalan Mingzhu
Although Nalan Mingzhu was greedy for power, he was always loyal and unbiased to Kangxi, so Kangxi could tolerate him for so long . If the traitor had the right ability, the emperor would not care about him. Some are inappropriate, but treacherous ministers must not be greedy for power. This violates the taboos of the ruler.
Kangxi did not want Nalan Mingzhu to die. He just wanted to take back the power in his hands and give him a warning because of his increasing power. When no one supported him in pacifying San Francisco, only Nalan Mingzhu and three other people stood up to support him. , Kangxi was a person who valued affection and righteousness. After this incident, he asked Nalan Mingzhu to retire and return to his hometown. Nalan Mingzhu finally lived a wealthy and prosperous old age at home, and finally died of illness, which can be considered a good death.
However, Soltu's final ending was very tragic. He was ordered to die alive by Kangxi because he encouraged the prince to rebel. Nalan Mingzhu and Soltu were both involved in cliques and corruption, but their final outcomes were completely different. The reason was that Nalan Mingzhu knew what he should touch and what he shouldn't touch. The reason why he was able to compete with Soltu's forces was because Kangxi did it to check and balance the government.
In the forty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign, Nalan Mingzhu died of illness. Kangxi also sent the emperor's third son to pay homage. It can be seen that although Kangxi did not reuse Nalan Mingzhu later, he still had some previous achievements in pacifying San Francisco, going to Taiwan, and resisting Tsarist Russia. I am very grateful for giving him a peaceful old age.
Conclusion:
Kangxi once commented on Nalan Pearl: " You are talented, you are in charge of the important land of silk fiber, and you praise the management of the machine. Because you have been studying classics and history for a long time, you know how to blame Chen Shan in ancient and modern times. "
He thought that Nalan Mingzhu was a rare talent, knowledgeable and loyal to him, but it was a pity that some of his actions violated Kangxi's taboos, such as selling his official position to win titles.
Although the ending of Nalan Mingzhu is not so perfect, compared to Soltu who has been fighting with him all his life, it is considered a happy ending.
