During the Qing Dynasty period, " Kangxi and Qianlong Prosperity " appeared. This prosperous era can be said to be the peak stage of the development of the Qing Dynasty. It also allows us to see how prosperous the feudal dynasty was. The creation of this prosperous era also experienced three dynasties, namely Kangxi , Yongzheng , and Qianlong .
But in fact, in the influence of everyone, people usually think that only Kangxi and Qianlong in this prosperous era were ignored. One of the reasons was that Yong Zheng's tenure was too short and he died without any effect. However, the real history was that Yong Zheng's tenure was 13 years old, and his reign was not short compared to other emperors in history! So why do people always have the illusion that Yong Zheng has been in office for a short time? The reason is that the comparison object is wrong.
Kangxi reigned for too long, and Yongzheng succeeded to the throne in middle age
I believe many people have heard of the "Nine Sons Fighting the Throne" incident during the Kangxi period. Because Kangxi had more sons, and even more capable ones were not a few. In addition, the crown prince was later deposed, and the position of heirs was vacant, so many princes participated in this battle for the throne. Emperor Kangxi also knew that his sons were fighting for each other, but he did not stop them. As long as they did not violate the regulations or his bottom line, they would let them fight, after all, it would be beneficial to the princes' growth faster.
. Among the many camps, the one who won the final victory was the fourth prince camp, which was later Emperor Yongzheng. . Even if he became the last winner, he did not succeed immediately. He had to wait until Kangxi was willing to abdicate or his health could no longer rule. However, he did not expect that Kangxi was a long-lived old man. He had been in power for 60 years since he ascended the throne at the age of eight. This lasted for more than half a century!
When Yongzheng officially ascended the throne, he was already 45 years old. You should know that in ancient times, it was already considered his old age, because the average life expectancy of the ancients was far lower than that of now. It was already a normal life expectancy in the age of forty or fifty. If you live longer, you can be called longevity.
So Yongzheng ascended the throne at this age was destined to not be in power for too long, unless he could live to the age of seventy or eighty. Objectively speaking, this is unlikely. Kangxi lived to be 69 years old, while Yongzheng barely lived to the age of 57. Although he had been in power for 13 years, it was normal to be more or less than the emperors of other dynasties, but compared with his father and son, it was really inferior.
Lifespan is not long, which is difficult than Kangxi and Qianlong
Because of the short lifespan, Yongzheng would not be too long, but he was sandwiched between the two emperors Kangxi and Qianlong. People often compare Yongzheng with these two emperors. Kangxi reigned for sixty years, and Qianlong was the same. He lived to be 89 years old. In order to show respect for Emperor Kangxi, he took the initiative to abdicate the throne when he was less than his reign, and chose to abdicate the throne to his son, which was later Jiaqing emperor.
But even so, Emperor Qianlong did not completely give up power, and he was in power behind the scenes for more than three years until his death. Therefore, Qianlong's actual reign lasted for more than 63 years. From this time comparison, Yong Jing really has no way to compare with Kangxi and Qianlong. So it is not that Yong Zheng's tenure lasted for a short time, but that we have found the wrong comparison object. If you compare other emperors, you will not have such an idea, and you will not have a similar mentality.
Then someone may say that although Yong Zheng’s tenure has not been short, it is indeed much worse than the two emperors of , Kangqian and Qianlong . So what achievements did he have in the "Kangqian and Qianlong Prosperity"? Or are he doing more political achievements than these two people? In fact, although Yong Zheng's tenure was short, he played an important role in the development of the Qing Dynasty and the creation of the Kangxi and Qianlong era. It can even be said that he was the middle leader and builder.
worked hard to govern, and was the most diligent emperor
Many people don’t know that Yong Zheng took care of his throne after " Nine Sons Fighting the Throne ", and strictly demanded himself. He only slept for four hours a day, often reviewed memorials until late at night, and he had to ask about major and minor affairs in the court one by one. He would carefully read and annotate any memorials presented by ministers. Sometimes the annotation of a memorial can reach tens of thousands of words.
When I was in the daytime, I discussed with the ministers many national issues and the formulation and implementation of policies. According to records, the articles written by Yongzheng during his lifetime, there were as many as millions of words, and the number of words reviewed by memorials was as many as tens of millions. Just from these words, we can see how serious and hardworking Emperor Yongzheng worked on weekdays.
In addition, Yongzheng also focused on politics and economy to comprehensively rectify the society of the Qing Dynasty at that time. was the first political system. He cracked down on corrupt officials, formulated new laws, regulations and standards, and established Military Affairs Office for the discussion and formulation of military and national affairs. The establishment of this institution also represented the peak of the centralized system of the feudal dynasty in China.
The second is in terms of economy. He sent people to check the deficits and count the treasury and silver. At the same time, he believed that if the country wants to prosper and become strong, it must have money. All economic development is the top priority. therefore introduced a series of policies to develop people's livelihood, including tax principle , which effectively reduces the burden on farmers, and at the same time liberates productivity in a short period of time. In the long run, tax revenue is increased.
It was Emperor Yongzheng's actions that almost doubled the treasury silver of more than 20 million during the Kangxi period. At the same time, the overall social order also stabilized, and the border was relatively stable. There was no large-scale war at home and abroad, which laid a good foundation for peace and peace during the Qianlong period.
Later, someone made a metaphor. If the Kangxi and Qianlong eras were compared to a tree, then Kangxi was the one who planted trees, and Yongzheng was the one who raised trees. When Qianlong arrived, he was the one who "sitted for his success". It can be seen that although Yongzheng's position was not very long, his achievements were recognized by many people. Because of his efforts, he became the recognized "most diligent" emperor.
Conclusion
It’s a pity that Emperor Yongzheng failed to live long. He died at the age of middle age at present. There are many questions about his death. The official Qing Dynasty history books do not record a clear cause of death, which means that Yongzheng died of a bad life, not to look at external publicity.
However, there are always causes of illness whenever death is caused, but the historian did not record it. This is inevitable that some people may speculate that there is another hidden truth in Yongzheng's death. Some say that taking the so-called "immortal pill" caused by poisoning. It is a bit said that it was too tired to die suddenly, but it was not confirmed in the end. However, it is undeniable that he was indeed a wise monarch, laying a good foundation for the glory of the Qing Dynasty.
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