As we all know, as the last feudal dynasty in my country, there were a total of 12 emperors in the history of the Qing Dynasty. However, do you know which of these 12 emperors had the most bumpy road to the throne?

As we all know, as the last feudal dynasty in my country, there were a total of 12 emperors in the history of the Qing Dynasty.

However, do you know which of these 12 emperors had the most bumpy road to the throne?

Regarding this issue, there must be many friends who are interested in history who will say: Of course it was Emperor Yongzheng! After all, Emperor Yongzheng once experienced nine sons vying for the throne. The scene should not be too intense. Who else would be more strenuous than him?

That’s right! It was him, the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty - Aixinjueluo Yinzhen (Emperor Yongzheng) .

In such a dangerous situation as "Nine Sons Seizing the Heir", fortunately, he won in the end and successfully ascended the throne.

So, how did Emperor Yongzheng win?

In the final analysis, the reason why Emperor Yongzheng was able to defeat his brothers and successfully ascend the throne was, in addition to his own hard work, also inseparable from the two men behind him - Nian Gengyao and Long Keduo .

These two people help Yinzhen wholeheartedly, and they help him win in the chaotic situation of "nine sons seizing the direct descendants".

Logically speaking, after such a number one hero ascends the throne, what awaits him should be a very popular minister with unlimited glory.

However, in just two or three years, Nian Gengyao and Longkodo these two great heroes met the tragic end of death and imprisonment one after another.

Could it be that Emperor Yongzheng burned the bridge when he crossed the river? Or is there another secret?

To understand this matter, we have to start with the "nine sons seizing the legitimate sons"...

It is worth mentioning that in this "nine sons seizing the legitimate sons", Nian Gengyao and Longkodo They all unanimously placed their "treasure" on the fourth elder brother Yinzhen, who was very unpopular at the time, and there was a hidden meaning in it.

First, let’s get to know Nian Gengyao.

html In the 1st year of his reign, Gengyao was born in the Xianghuang Banner of the Han Army and came from a family of officials.

Nian Gengyao's father Nian Xia Ling once served as an official in the court, from Bi Tie Shi to Huguang Governor, and then to Taifu. He was also a high-ranking official at that time, which was amazing!

And his elder brother Nian Xiyao also served as the minister of the Ministry of Industry in the imperial court, and his background was considered to be very good.

Ever since Nian Gengyao married the granddaughter of the eminent scholar of the dynasty, his life was like a mess, and his official career was smooth sailing. At the age of 31, he became the governor of Sichuan, a proper official in the border areas, and established a government office.

After that, he was promoted one level and became the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, taking charge of the military and political power in the western region.

It is said that Nian Gengyao served in the Sichuan-Shaanxi region for many years and mainly did two things:

First, he built many post stations to prepare for commuting support in future wars.

Second, he assisted the Fourteenth Prince Yinqi who was fighting in the northwest at that time.

Speaking of this, I am afraid many people will ask: Wasn’t Nian Gengyao a member of the fourth elder brother Yinzhen? Why did he go to assist the fourteenth elder brother Yinzhen?

Actually, the help mentioned here should be enclosed in double quotes!

is not so much an "assistant" as he is secretly monitoring the Fourteenth Prince. His purpose is to find ways to prevent the Fourteenth Prince from winning battles and making military exploits on the front line.

Originally, the Fourteenth Prince stayed away from the capital, as if he had lost the advantage and initiative in the fight for the throne of the Crown Prince. This series of actions by Nian Gengyao is enough to show that he laid the foundation for the successful succession of the later Emperor Yongzheng. contribution.

From this point of view, with Nian Gengyao's family background, there is no need for him to be devoted to this "unpopular" fourth elder brother Yinzhen, but why should he help him like this?

Regarding this question, I believe that friends who have watched " The Legend of Zhen Huan " can probably find the answer from it!

In "The Legend of Zhen Huan", the arrogant and domineering Concubine Hua, whose status is second only to the queen, is actually based on Nian Gengyao's biological sister, Concubine Nian.

In other words, Emperor Yongzheng is Nian Gengyao's brother-in-law. Since he is his own brother-in-law, who can Nian Gengyao help if he doesn't help him?

Secondly, let’s take a look at Longkoduo.

Longkodo, whose full name is Tongjia Longkodo, is a man with a yellow flag in Manchuria, and has a distinguished background.

You must know that Tong Jia's was a well-known surname during the Qing Dynasty and was a noble family for generations.

In history, "Tong Jia" has been described in three words: Tong Banchao. means that almost half of the ministers in the imperial court are from the Tong Jia family.

Take Longkodo's father Tong Guowei as an example. Tong Guowei once served as a minister of the bodyguard and was granted the title of first-class public servant.

There is another very important reason why Tong Guowei's status is so high: Tong Guowei married his sister to Emperor Shunzhi, and this sister gave birth to Emperor Kangxi. Then, he married His daughter married Emperor Kangxi.

said this, I believe everyone is a little confused!

In short, Tong Guowei was not only the uncle of Emperor Kangxi, but also the prospective father-in-law of Emperor Kangxi. It was a close relationship.

Therefore, Longkoduo, like Nian Gengyao, is a person with a good background, a strong background, and superior resources.

Longkodo initially served as a first-class guard in the palace. Within a few years, he was promoted to the commander of the infantry command yamen, which is also known as the nine-men admiral.

This is a crucial position. According to the current situation, at least he must be the commander and public security director of Beijing!

This shows how much Emperor Kangxi trusted him.

So, why did Longkodo, who was born in such a noble family and was deeply trusted by Kangxi, choose his fourth elder brother Yinzhen among many princes?

Regarding this issue, it seems to be more complicated than Nian Gengyao...

First of all, his father took the lead and Yinzhen actively tried to win over him.

At that time, Longkodo's father Tong Guowei had a long-standing conflict with the prince Yinfeng, so he fell to the side of eighth prince Yinhu who was also a favorite to win the throne.

However, Tong Guowei was still not sure. He believed that he still couldn't put all his eggs in one basket, and at least left a way out for his family.

So Tong Guowei encouraged his son Longkoduo to side with his fourth brother Yinzhen.

Looking at the fourth elder brother, he thinks that Longkodo is the commander of the infantry and has military power, so he is obviously worth winning over!

Secondly, there is a brotherhood between Yinzhen and Longko.

The fourth elder brother Yinzhen was born to the imperial concubine Wu Ya, but Wu Ya was born as a palace maid and had a very low status.

Therefore, Yinzhen was not brought up by his mother when he was a child, but was sent to the palace to be raised by the queen. It happened that the queen at that time was Longkodo's sister.

So, Yinzhen and Long Keduo have been playing together since childhood, and their relationship is really good!

In addition, I would rather have a chicken head than a phoenix tail.

In the battle for the throne in the last years of Kangxi, after Prince Yinfeng was deposed, the two most popular contestants were the eighth prince Yinhu and the fourteenth prince Yinfu.

Don’t think about it, there will definitely be a lot of talented people around them. If Longkodo chooses one of them at this time, even if he succeeds in seizing the throne in the future, what will Longkodo have? What about the big deal?

However, choosing the fourth elder brother Yinzhen is different!

After all, the fourth prince was considered an unpopular player at the time and was weak. If Longkodo helped him successfully succeed to the throne, he would be a proper "chicken head" and the biggest contributor, wouldn't he?

Fortunately, Nian Gengyao and Longkodo made the right bet in the end, and both became the great contributors to Yinzhen's succession to the throne, and their relationship was once so good that it was unusually good.

So, how good is their relationship, and what caused them to fall out faster than turning the pages of a book?

After successfully succeeding to the throne, Emperor Yongzheng (Yin Zhen) did give Nian Gengyao and Longkodo very generous political rewards...

Nian Gengyao's "death grant" path

Nian Gengyao quickly took over the original The position of General Fuyuan belongs to the fourteenth elder brother Yinzhen, who is in charge of military power. Since Nian Gengyao was stationed abroad all year round, he maintained correspondence with Emperor Yongzheng.

Moreover, Emperor Yongzheng often called him a "benefactor".

So, to what extent did the always cold Emperor Yongzheng pamper Nian Gengyao?

Let’s take a look at these words in the letters that make people get goosebumps:

“I miss you very much”, “I really don’t know how to hurt you”, “I really miss you”...

Liang A big old man with a big beard, haha! Those who don’t know may think they are having sex!

Looking at Longkodo, let alone his status.

Longkodo was named the Minister of Prime Minister Affairs by Emperor Yongzheng. No matter what the occasion, even in very formal official documents, he was always called "Uncle Longkodo", so affectionately.

In addition, Emperor Yongzheng even praised Longkodo as "the meritorious minister of the Holy Ancestor Emperor", "my meritorious minister", "the good minister of the country", "the rare minister who is the first and the best in the contemporary era"...

In general, Emperor Yongzheng just wanted to express one meaning: My Nian Gengyao and Long Keduo are great!

It stands to reason that the relationship between their monarch and his ministers is so close, shouldn't it be time for them to rise to the top?

What happened in the middle that caused the boat of their friendship to capsize?

Time goes back to Yongzheng for three years...

It is said that one day, a strange phenomenon happened in the sky: The sun and the moon merged together, five stars connected .

means that the moon and the sun appeared at the same time, and there were five stars connected together, which was very strange.

Nowadays, people just watch the excitement, take photos, and post to Moments about such astronomical sights.

However, it was not possible at that time!

In the feudal period, everyone believed that this situation was an "auspicious sign" . According to the rules, the ministers should express their congratulations to the emperor, and at the same time praise the emperor. It was because of his ability in governing the country that such a scene occurred.

Of course, Nian Gengyao is no exception!

In Nian Gengyao's above list, he also praised Emperor Yongzheng's benevolence, love for the people, wisdom and martial prowess. But among these words of praise, one word seemed very special:

Originally, This word from " Zhouyi " should be "working day and night" .

means that a person is busy from morning to night, very hard and diligent, and it is also very suitable for Emperor Yongzheng.

But Nian Gengyao wrote it as "be diligent at night and work hard in the morning" . In our opinion,

is just a reverse order, so there shouldn't be any big problem.

If it is used in the official context at that time, the problem with this word is not at all:

At that time, the meaning of "working hard in the morning and working hard in the evening" specifically means that the emperor praised you in the morning, and in the evening You have to study and understand it carefully, and alert yourself to see if there are any shortcomings or inappropriateness, and take warnings.

Once the word is turned upside down and becomes "work in the evening and work in the morning", the meaning becomes a little subtle! The meaning became that you should be more vigilant and do enough homework at night so that you can deal with the emperor the next morning.

Underneath, it is inevitable that people will feel that this person is not kind to the emperor and has the intention to go against him.

In fact, this kind of thing can be big or small, the key depends on whether the person reading the letter cares...

So, does Emperor Yongzheng care about it?

I'm sorry, He cares very much, very much, very much!

Emperor Yongzheng not only cared about it, he also held on to this matter and refused to let it go!

In Yongzheng's view, Nian Gengyao "relied on his own merits and showed his disrespect, and his fallacies were definitely not unintentional". This means that Nian Gengyao is not a careless person, nor would he make such a low-level mistake, and this is by no means an unintentional mistake on his part. Moreover, Nian Gengyao deliberately disrespected him just to show his ability.

Faced with Emperor Yongzheng's "begging" for an explanation, Nian Gengyao was completely confused: My emperor, this is a clerical error. I wrote it wrong. How can I explain this!

Emperor Yongzheng was straightforward, couldn’t he explain it clearly? Then let’s not talk about it.

immediately ordered the replacement of all senior officials in Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces, directly removing Nian Gengyao's influence in these three provinces.

Immediately afterwards, Yongzheng dismissed Nian Gengyao from his post as governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, took away his title of Fuyuan General, and drove him to Hangzhou to become a general.

It stands to reason that there is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. Hangzhou is still a pretty good place!

In fact, the position of General in Hangzhou is quite high. If there is any difference, there is only one: Gengyao's military power is no longer there!

However, before Nian Gengyao could react, the situation of "everyone pushed against the wall" began...

In the court, the ministers all stood against Nian Gengyao overnight, and there was a series of memorials attacking him. Continuously.

Among them, the most unexpected thing for Nian Gengyao was that his confidant Zhili Governor Li Weijun actually issued three memorials in a row and slapped him with a lot of "hats".

Li Weijun said in the memorial: html In the 1st year, Gengyao "used his power to gain power, recruited power and took bribes, excluded party members and partisans, abused military merit, embezzled national funds, killed innocent people, and harmed good people.".

How much hatred is there! In every case, no one can escape the death penalty.

However, Emperor Yongzheng did not react after reading the excerpt. He just calmly called Nian Gengyao in front of him and asked him to explain everything.

are equally confused and unable to explain.

Emperor Yongzheng still followed the old rules: You can’t tell, right? Then don’t talk about it, don’t be an official anymore, just stay in Hangzhou!

Therefore, Emperor Yongzheng arranged for Nian Gengyao to be an "idle Zhang Jing " in Hangzhou.

To put it bluntly, Nian Gengyao was put under surveillance and placed under house arrest in Hangzhou.

However, keeping him under house arrest is not an option after all. What should we do?

Emperor Yongzheng thought of a cruel trick: he did not say anything himself, but ordered the governors of various places to discuss it.

You must know that the governors in various places are not very good. They are all old fools and famous wallflowers. If Nian Gengyao falls into their hands, don't think about what will happen to him!

Following the wishes of Emperor Yongzheng, these clever governors tried their best to finally convict Nian Gengyao of the death penalty.

Of course, thinking of Nian Gengyao's past merits, Emperor Yongzheng spared him some dignity and did not behead him in public, but allowed him to commit suicide.

html After Gengyao died in the first year, Emperor Yongzheng ordered that all his family properties be confiscated, and his children should be dismissed from office and exiled.

Longkodo's road to "imprisonment"

After Longkodo served as the infantry commander for several years, he gradually felt that the relationship between himself and Emperor Yongzheng was a bit awkward. He heard the emperor calling him uncle every day, which felt inappropriate.

Therefore, Longkoduo proposed to Yongzheng that he should resign from his official position.

At that time, Emperor Yongzheng did not object or persuade him to stay, but just said: Since this is the case, then it is up to you!

Until the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, the Russian mission wanted to hold a negotiation on border and economic affairs with China's Kyaktu on the Sino-Russian border. Yongzheng thought for a long time and sent his uncle Longkodo there.

However, the negotiation lasted for more than a year, but there was still no result, so the imperial court sent envoys to bring Longkodo back to Beijing.

Could it be that the negotiations were not going well and Emperor Yongzheng wanted to punish himself?

don’t know!

In short, as soon as Longkodo entered Beijing city , he was taken to the sky prison and locked up.

It was not until later that Nian Gengyao realized that he and Nian Gengyao were incompatible and had been charged with more than ten crimes.

Moreover, among all the crimes involving him, there is one of the most serious crimes: private possession of jade documents originals .

The so-called "jade certificate" is the royal family tree. According to the regulations at the time, no one was allowed to read the royal family tree except for members of the clan. Even if it was needed for official purposes, it had to be approved by the emperor.

So, why did Longkodo hide the jade ultimatum privately?

In fact, Longkodo has no special meaning, it is just a collection hobby of his!

Therefore, he not only opened it and read it, but also took the jade ultimatum home and collected it.

If it was before, given his good relationship with Emperor Yongzheng, maybe nothing would happen if he came back.

However, since Longkodo resigned from his official position and the negotiations failed, the relationship between the two has become somewhat awkward. Therefore, Emperor Yongzheng seized on this and charged his uncle Longko with a crime of "disrespect".

The so-called "disrespect" means a crime that is so heinous that it can never be forgiven.

Since then, Longkodo has been imprisoned in a house near Changchun Garden in the western suburbs of Beijing and sentenced to life imprisonment.

A year later, Longkodo died of illness.

In summary, some people may say: Isn't this a typical example of Emperor Yongzheng's burning of bridges and killing rabbits?

No!

We must not draw premature conclusions about anything. Do you know how Nian Gengyao and Longkodo committed suicide in private?

As the number one contributors, Nian Gengyao and Long Keduo fell down on seemingly insignificant details in a very short period of time. In the end, one of them was sentenced to death and the other was imprisoned. There is no doubt that Emperor Yongzheng was deliberately making things difficult and looking for excuses to get rid of them.

In fact, these things are not as simple as they seem!

In fact, the two things of "writing typos" and "collecting jade ultimatums" are not enough to convict them. They can only be regarded as a trigger for their demise. What really caused their rapid downfall was the following two things Reason:

First of all, Nian Gengyao and Longkodo must have problems themselves...

First, they are arrogant.

Take Nian Gengyao as an example. While Nian Gengyao was the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, he also received the title of General Fuyuan, which inevitably made him feel elated.

After all, only the fourteenth prince Yinqi had ever held such a title. Now that he has obtained it, isn’t he just the same as a prince?

Therefore, when Nian Gengyao was writing documents, he also began to use edicts to issue orders to officials at the same level as himself, with a condescending attitude.

Under normal circumstances, anyone who receives an imperial edict from the emperor must burn incense and kowtow, and either kneel or stand respectfully to look at it, but Nian Gengyao is different. Not only does he not kowtow, he also dares to sit on a stool. Look!

Let me ask you, if these things reached the ears of Emperor Yongzheng, what would he think?

Second, be arbitrary.

htmlIn the first year, Gengyao and Longkoduo, relying on their great achievements, once did the stupidest thing, which was also the most taboo thing for emperors: Personnel issues were dealt with as they pleased.

When they select cadres and subordinates, they always follow their own likes and dislikes and act arbitrarily. Even important positions such as governor, chief envoy and admiral, they dared to appoint and remove without authorization, completely ignoring the rules and regulations of the court.

Third, the relationship with colleagues is tense.

Regarding this problem, Nian Gengyao is the most serious.

Logically speaking, there are many colleagues in the court, so it’s okay to not get along well with ordinary people. However, Nian Gengyao went against the officials around Emperor Yongzheng. Wasn't this seeking death?

For example, Sichuan Governor Cai Jue was recommended to Emperor Yongzheng by Nian Gengyao, and he soon became Yongzheng's confidant. Originally this was a good thing, and he might be able to help him at a critical moment.

But Nian Gengyao seemed to have his head caught in the door. He once thought: You are recommended by me, so you must listen to me in everything!

Therefore, Nian Gengyao once proposed to Cai Jue that he wanted to mint money in Sichuan, but Sichuan did not produce lead at all, so Cai Jue rejected it.

It was precisely because of this trivial matter that Cai Jue completely offended Nian Gengyao. So, he found an excuse and quickly dismissed Cai Jue on the spot.

With the attitude of "those who follow me will prosper, and those who go against me will perish", in a few years, Nian Gengyao has offended all the cronies around the emperor!

The above points are the problems between Nian Gengyao and Longkodo.

As for why the two of them were dealt with in this way, Emperor Yongzheng actually had his own considerations...

First, in order to consolidate autocracy and eliminate hidden dangers.

During the feudal society, the most important thing was the monarchy's autocratic centralization of power, and this was especially true for Emperor Yongzheng. His desire for power was very strong, and one of the things he hated most was that his ministers were good at wielding power.

In the TV series " Yongzheng Dynasty ", Emperor Yongzheng ordered the generals and sergeants in the palace to take off their armor, but no one responded. Instead, Nian Gengyao gave the order, and all the soldiers complied.

We will not investigate whether the plot in the play is true or false for the time being, but the meaning is still expressed clearly: Emperor Yongzheng at that time obviously felt that he was not being taken seriously by others and that his power was neglected.

Second, in order to combat cliques and maintain stability.

Friends who are interested in history all know that in the "Nine Sons Seizing the Heir" incident that occurred in the last years of Kangxi, on the surface several elder brothers were fighting for power, but in fact it was not that simple.

Behind these brothers, there are different political interest groups, which is what we call "clique warfare." It can be said that this battle for the reserve turned the entire court upside down and into chaos. Of course, Nian Gengyao and Longkodo were among them.

Therefore, after Emperor Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he also disliked the "clique fighting" that formed parties for personal gain.

Third, in order to punish corruption and rectify officialdom.

There is no doubt that among Nian Gengyao and Longkodo, which one did not make a lot of money by accepting bribes?

For such a typical "big tiger", if Emperor Yongzheng didn't fight them, who would he fight?

Therefore, for all this, we cannot blame Emperor Yongzheng for being ruthless and burning bridges. We blame Nian Gengyao and Longkodo for bringing it upon themselves.