In the later years of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, the famous "Nine sons seized the first-in-law" incident occurred. In the end, the fourth son of the emperor, Yinzhen, won the fraternal battle and succeeded in succeeding to the throne, becoming Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. To talk about the heroes around Yongzheng, this person must not be missing, that is, the thirteen elder brother Yinxiang.
Although Yinxiang is not the same mother and brother of Yongzheng, the two have a deeper relationship than the same mother and brother. Yinxiang wholeheartedly assisted Yongzheng, and Yongzheng also cared for his younger brother. However, after Yongzheng ascended the throne, he ordered the grave of Yinxiang's mother to be excavated. Yongzheng and Yinxiang have a deep brotherhood, why did he do such things after he took the throne?
To understand this, we must first figure out why Yongzheng and Yinxiang's relationship is so good. Everyone knows that Yongzheng actually has a same mother and brother, the fourteenth eldest brother Yinxuan, but the brotherhood is not deep. This is because Yongzheng's biological mother, Wuya clan, had a low position when she gave birth to Yinzhen, so she was not qualified to raise Yinzhen. And when she gave birth to Yin禵, she was already a concubine De, so Yin禵 was brought up by her personally. As a result, Yongzheng's relationship with his biological mother and brother was very distant.
As for Yinxiang, he was two years older than Yinzhen. At the time of birth, he was also raised by Defei Wuya because of the low status of his biological mother. Later, when Yinxiang reached the age of studying, Kangxi asked Yinzhen to teach him arithmetic. According to Yong Zheng’s recollection, he and Yinxiang’s past were mentioned: “Recalling the old age, tending to serve the court, gathering together in the morning and evening. Longer, obeyed the emperor’s order, taught his younger brother arithmetic, discussed daily affairs.”
Through the memories of Yongzheng, it can be seen that he missed the days of teaching his thirteenth brothers arithmetic very much. But people will grow up in the end, and as the prince, there are many involuntary. Kangxi had many sons, and most of them were very capable, so each coveted the throne.
When the crown prince Yinfeng was abolished for the first time, the princes saw hope and actively participated in the seizure. In this struggle, Yongzheng's most powerful opponent was Lao Ba Yinhu. After the abolition of Yinhu, the ministers of the DPRK also recommended Yinhu one after another. The result was counterproductive, leading Kangxi to hate Yinhu and eventually canceled his inheritance qualification. So those who supported Yinhu turned to support the fourteenth elder brother Yinhu.
In this situation, Yinxiang always stood by Yongzheng's side. Even though he was imprisoned by Kangxi for a period of time and suffered from poisonous sores in the middle, he still asked about his fourth brother from time to time. For Yongzheng, Yinxiang is undoubtedly more intimate than his mother and brother Yinqi.
So after he took the throne, Yongzheng appointed Yinxiang as Prince Yi and formed a team that he trusted the most. At that time, Yin Xiang was also the Minister of Prime Minister's Affairs, in charge of affairs such as the Huikao Office, the Construction Office, and the Ministry of Households. Yongzheng even said: "I really rely on Wang Yi to praise and rise to peace, Wang Shi can assist me in the peace of the world. It is said that the encounter of the saint kings and virtuous officials has been met for thousands of years, and it is now obtained between the emperors of this branch."
Yongzheng trusts Yinxiang 100%, and Yinxiang is absolutely loyal to Yongzheng. In that case, why does Yongzheng order to dig Yinxiang's mother's grave again? On the surface, people might think that Yinxiang must have made some mistake, and Yong Zheng punished him in this way. In fact, it was the opposite. Yongzheng did this just to commend Yinxiang's achievements.
Everyone knows that there are many emperors and concubines in the ancient times, but not everyone has the qualification to bury the tomb. Those who can bury the emperor's mausoleum either have a high status in the harem or are very favored. And Yinxiang's biological mother, Zhang Jia, has not been favored for a long time, otherwise Yinxiang would not be brought up by Concubine De. Zhang Jia's name was not chased by Kangxi as a "Min Fei" until her death. Due to her background, she failed to bury the Emperor's Mausoleum, but was buried in the concubine's bed.
After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he gave Yinxiang immense power and status, but he felt that this was still not enough. In order to commend and motivate his thirteen brothers, Yongzheng decided to call his biological mother the noble concubine Jingmin Emperor, and together with his biological mother, Empress Xiao Gongren (named after death), he buried Jingling underground palace.
Therefore, Yongzheng's order to dig Yinxiang's mother's grave was not to punish him, but a kind of grace. Yinxiang naturally understood the imperial brother's intentions. In order to be grateful, he had to work harder for Yongzheng. However, Yinxiang has always been in poor health. Eventually, due to overwork, he died of illness in Yongzheng eight years at the age of 44.
(seeExamination of documents "Drafts of Qing History" and "Records of Qing Shilu")
