The
Yongzheng Emperor ( , Manchu: Hūwaliyasun Tob, Mongol:Nairalt Töv Khaan; 13
December 1678 – 8 October 1735), born Yinzhen ( )
was the fourth emperor of the
Manchu Qing Dynasty
, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1722 to 1735. A
hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an
effective government at minimum expense. Like his father, the
Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used
military force in order to preserve the dynasty's position.
Suspected by historians to have usurped the throne, his reign was
often called despotic, efficient, and vigorous. Although
Yongzheng's reign was much shorter than the reigns of both his
father, the Kangxi Emperor, and his son, the
Qianlong Emperor, his sudden death was
probably brought about by his workload. Yongzheng continued an era
of continued peace and prosperity as he cracked down on corruption
and waste, and reformed the financial administration.
The Prince Yong
Yinzhen was the fourth son of Kangxi to survive into adulthood, and
the eldest son by Empress
Xiao
Gong Ren, a lady of the Manchu Uya clan who was then known as
"De-fei". Kangxi knew it would be a mistake to raise his children
inside the deep palaces alone, and therefore exposed his sons,
including Yinzhen, to the outside world, and gave a strict system
of education for them. Yongzheng went with Kangxi on several
inspection trips around the Beijing area, as well as one trip
further south. He was the honorary leader of the Plain Red Banner
during Kangxi's second battle against Mongol Khan
Gordhun. Yinzhen was made a
beile (貝勒, "lord") in 1689 and
then successively raised to the position of second-class prince in
1698.
In
1704, the Yangtze
and Yellow Rivers
saw an unprecedented rush of flooding. The
economy and livelihood of people around these areas were severely
harmed. Yongzheng was sent out as an envoy of the emperor with the
13th Imperial Prince
Yinxiang to deal with
relief efforts in southern China. The Imperial Treasury, having
been drained by unpaid loans by many officials and nobles, did not
have sufficient funds to deal with the flooding; Yongzheng had the
added responsibility of securing relief funds from the wealthy
southern tycoons. These efforts ensured that funds were distributed
properly and people would not starve. He was given the peerage
title of a first-class Prince, the
Prince Yong (雍親王) in
1709.
Disputed Succession to the throne
Please refer to the article on the Kangxi
Emperor for background details.
In 1712 the Kangxi Emperor removed his second son,
Yinreng, as successor to the throne and did not
designate another one. This led to further division in Court, which
was long split among supporters of
Yinzhi,
Yinzhen,
Yinsi, and
Yinti, the 3rd, 4th, 8th and 14th Imperial Princes,
respectively. Of the princes, Yinsi had the most support from the
mandarins, though often for unaltruistic reasons. Prior to this,
Yinzhen was a supporter of the Crown prince. By the time of the old
Emperor's death in December 1722, the field of contenders had been
reduced down to three Princes after Yinsi pledged his support to
the 14th prince Yinti (Yinzhen's brother by the same mother).
At the time of the Kangxi Emperor's death, Yinti, as Border
Pacification General-in-chief (撫遠大將軍), was away on the warfront in
the northwest. Some historians say this was to train the next
Emperor in military affairs; others maintain that it was to ensure
a peaceful succession for Yinzhen. It was Yongzheng who had
nominated Yinti for the post, and not Yinsi, whom Yinti was closely
affiliated with. This post was seen as an indication of Kangxi's
choice of successor, as the position of Crown Prince had been
vacant for 7 years.
The official record, which could have been modified by Yongzheng
himself for political purposes, states that on 20 December 1722,
the ailing Kangxi Emperor called to his bedside seven of his sons
and the General Commandant of the Peking Gendarmerie,
Longkodo, who read out the will and declared that
Yinzhen succeed him on the imperial throne. Some evidence have
suggested that Yinzhen had made contact with Longkodo months before
the will was read in preparation for succession by military means,
though in their official capacities, frequent encounters were only
to be expected. Folklore has it that Yongzheng changed Kangxi's
will by adding strokes and modifying characters. The most famous
one said Yongzheng changed fourteen (十四 →
shísì) to "to
four" (于四 →
yúsì), others say it was fourteen to fourth
(第四 →
dìsì). Whilst this folklore had been widely
circulated, there was little evidence to support the view,
especially considering that the character "于" wasn't widely used
during the Qing Dynasty, i.e. on official documents, "於"
(
yú) is used. Secondly, Qing tradition insists that the
will be done in both Manchu and Chinese, and Manchu writing is much
harder, and in this case impossible to modify. Furthermore, princes
in the Qing Dynasty are referred to as the Emperor's son, in the
order which they were born. (Ex.: "The Emperor's Fourth Son"
Chinese:皇四子) Therefore, there are much doubt to the theory of
Yinzhen changing the will to ascend to the throne.
Yinzhen chose an
era name that was similar
in sound to his given name, and 1723 was to be the first year of
the
Yongzheng era. As the first official act as
emperor, Yongzheng released his long-time ally, the 13th prince
Yinxiang, who had been imprisoned by the
Kangxi Emperor at the same time as the Crown Prince.
Some sources indicate
that Yinxiang, the most military of the princes, then assembled a
group of special task Beijing soldiers from the Fengtai command to seize immediate control of the
Forbidden
City
and surrounding areas, to prevent any usurpation by
Yinsi's cronies. Yongzheng's personal account stated that he
was emotionally unstable and deeply saddened over his father's
death, and knew it would be a burden "much too heavy" for himself
if he were to succeed the throne. In addition, after the will was
read, Yinzhen wrote that the officials (premier Zhang Tingyu,
Longkedo and
Yinzhi) and the Prince Cheng led
the other Princes in the ceremonial Three-kneels and Nine-Salutes
to the emperor.
On the next day, Yongzheng gave out an edict
summoning Yinti back from Qinghai
, bestowing
upon their mother the title of Holy Mother Empress Dowager the day Yinti arrived
at the funeral.
In the first major comprehensive biography of the Yongzheng Emperor
by Feng Erkang, the author put the Yongzheng succession in
perspective. Feng wrote that there were some suspicious signs from
the lost wills and the dates released, but the majority of evidence
points to Yinzhen succeeding the throne legitimately, albeit with
some political and military manoeuvering deemed necessary by the
situation. The 8th prince Yinsi had throughout his life been
amassing support of the officials by bribery, and his influence had
penetrated the Fengtai command. Furthermore, Feng suggested
"although we are not yet altogether certain on what happened with
the succession, and which side is correct, it is reasonable to
think that Yongzheng's political enemies manipulated all suspicion
behind the will in an attempt to put a dark image on Yongzheng;
Imperial Chinese tradition had led certain schools of thought in
believing that Yongzheng's whole reign can be discredited simply
because his succession of the throne did not come as a will of his
father, the emperor and ultimate decision maker in China." He
further suggested that Kangxi had made a grave mistake by letting
his sons become major players in politics, especially under the
condition that the position of Crown Prince was empty, and that a
bloody battle of succession, including a possible usurpation, is
the inevitable result of the Imperial Chinese institution and
history. Therefore it would be an even bigger mistake to judge a
ruler solely on the way he came to power. Certainly, the Yongzheng
Emperor made sure that his successor would have a smooth succession
when his turn came.
Reign Over China
18th century painting of the Yongzheng
Emperor in Costume
In December 1722, after succeeding to the throne, Yinzhen took the
era name of "Harmonious Justice" (雍正 →
yōngzhèng), effective 1723, from his peerage title
"harmonious" (雍 →
yōng) and "just, correct, upright" (正 →
zhèng). It has been suggested that the second character of
his era name was an attempt to cover up his illegal claim to the
throne, calling himself "justified". Immediately after succeeding
the throne, Yongzheng chose his new governing council. It consisted
of the 8th prince
Yinsi, the 13th prince
Yinxiang,
Zhang
Tingyu, Ma Qi, and
Longkodo. Yinsi was
given the title of Prince Lian, and
Yinxiang was given the title of
Prince Yi, both holding the highest positions in
the land.
Continued battle against Princes
As the nature of his succession is deeply clouded, Yongzheng saw a
challenge in all his surviving brothers. Yinzhi, the eldest,
continued to live under house arrest and Yinreng, the former Crown
Prince, died two years into his brother's reign - though they were
both imprisoned, not by Yongzheng, but by Kangxi himself. The
biggest challenge was to separate Yinsi's party (consisting of
Yinsi and the 9th and 10th princes, and their minions), and isolate
Yinti to cut their dominance. Yinsi, who had nominally held the
position of President of the Feudatory Affairs Office, the title
Prince Lian, and later the office of Prime Minister, was
held under close watch by Yongzheng.
Yintang was sent to
Qinghai under the pretext of military requirement, but in
reality fell within Yongzheng's trusted protégé Nian Gengyao's territory. Yin'e, the
10th Prince, was rid of all his titles in May 1724, and sent north
to the Shunyi area. The 14th Prince
Yinti, his
brother born to the same mother, was placed under house arrest at
the Imperial Tombs, under the pretext of watching over their
parents' tombs.
The first few years of Yongzheng's reign saw an increase in
partisan politics. Yinsi had wanted to use his position to
manipulate Yongzheng into making wrong decisions, while appearing
supportive.
Yinsi and Yintang, both supporters
of
Yinti for the throne, had all of their
titles rid, languished in prison and died in 1727.
The case of Nian and Long
Nian Gengyao was a supporter of
Yongzheng long before he succeeded the throne. In 1722, when he was
summoning back his brother
Yinti from the
northwest, he appointed Nian to fill in the position. The situation
in Xinjiang at the time was still very much precarious, and a
strong general was needed in the area. After several military
conquests, however, Nian Gengyao's greed for power grew. Nian
reputedly wanted to be level to Yongzheng himself. Seeing the
situation unfold, Yongzheng issued an Imperial Edict demoting Nian
to the general of the Hangzhou Commandery. Continuing to be
unrelenting of his outlook, Nian was given an ultimatum, after
which he committed suicide by poison in 1726.
Longkodo was commander of Beijing's armies at the
time of Yongzheng's succession. He fell to disgrace in 1728 and
died while under house arrest.
After he became emperor, Yongzheng suppressed writings that he
deemed unfavorable to his regime, particularly those with an
anti-Manchu bias. Foremost among these was the case of Zeng Jing, a
failed degree candidate heavily influenced by the
seventeenth-century scholar
Lü
Liuliang. Zeng had been so affected by what he read that he
attempted to incite Governor-general of Shaanxi-Sichuan, Yue
Zhongqi to rebellion. The general promptly turned him in, and in
1730 the case reached Yongzheng Emperor. Highly concerned with the
implications of the case, Yongzheng had Zeng Jing brought to
Beijing for trial. The emperor's verdict seemed to be an exhibition
of the benevolence of the Confucian sovereign: He ascribed Zeng's
actions to the gullibility and naivety of youth, taken in by Lü's
abusive and overdrawn rhetoric. In addition to this, the emperor
suggested that Lü's own original attack on Manchus was misplaced
because the Manchus had been transformed by their long-term
exposure to the civilizing force of Confucianism.
Yongzheng is also known for establishing strict autocratic rule in
the time period. He disliked corruption and punished officials
severely when they were found guilty of the offence. In 1729, he
gave an edict prohibiting the smoking of
madak
, a blend of tobacco and opium. During Yongzheng's reign, the
Manchu Empire became a great power and a peaceful country, and he
furthered strengthened the Kangqian Period of Harmony (康乾盛世). He
created a sophisticated procedure for selecting successor in
response to his father's tragedy.
Yongzheng was known for his trust in Mandarin Chinese officials.
Li Wei and Tian Wenjing were both
used to govern China's southern areas.
Ertai
also served Yongzheng's in governing the southern areas.
Military expansion in the northwest
Like his father, Yongzheng used military force in order to preserve
the dynasty's position in
Outer
Mongolia. When Tibet was torn by civil war during 1727-28, he
intervened militarily. Upon intervention, he left behind a Qing
resident (the
amban) backed up by a military
garrison to pursue the dynasty's interests. For the Tibetan
campaign, Yongzheng sent an army of 230,000 led by
Nian Gengyao against the
Dzungars who had an army of 80,000. Due to the
geographic reasons, the Qing army though vastly superior, couldn't
engage the mobile enemy. Eventually, the Qing engaged the enemy and
defeated it. This campaign cost the treasury at least 8,000,000
taels of silver. Later in Yongzheng's reign, he would send another
small army of 10,000 to fight the Dzungars. However, the whole army
was completely annihilated, the Qing Dynasty nearly lost control of
the Mongolian area. Luckily, a Qing ally, the Khalkha tribe would
defeat the Dzungars.
Overall, after the reforms of 1729, the treasury increased from
1721 of 32,622,421 taels to about 60,000,000 taels in 1730,
surpassing the record set during Yongzheng's father, Kangxi
Emperor's regime; however, the pacification of the Qinghai area and
the defense on the borders area was a heavy burden. Just for the
borders, 100,000 taels was needed each year. The total military
cost added up to 10,000,000 taels a year. By the end of 1735,
military spending have used up half of the treasury and the
treasury rested at 33,950,000 taels. It is because of this heavy
burden that Yongzheng Emperor considered making peace with the
Dzungars.
Death and Succession
The Yongzheng Emperor ruled the Qing Empire for thirteen years
before dying suddenly in 1735 at the age of fifty-eight. Legend
holds that he was assassinated by Lü Siniang, daughter of
Lü Liuliang, whose family was (reportedly)
executed for literary crimes against the Manchu Regime. Another
reason had been a lover with Lü Siniang,Lü was real mother of
Qianlong but Yongzheng
refuse Lü be the
Queen. In actual fact it is
likely his death was a result of an overdose of the medication he
was consuming that he believed would prolong his life.
Yongzheng Emperor's family life seems relatively sad. Of the
fourteen children born to him and his Empresses and concubines,
only five are known to have survived to adulthood.To prevent the
succession tragedy faced by himself, he ordered his third son,
Hongshi, who had been an ally of
Yinsi, to
commit suicide. His son Hongli, the Prince Bao, then became the
fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty under the era name of
Qianlong.
Yongzheng
Emperor was interred in the Western Qing Tombs
(清西陵), 120 kilometers/75 miles southwest of
Beijing, in the Tailing (泰陵) mausoleum
complex (known in Manchu as the Elhe
Munggan).
Family
Consorts
- Empress Xiao Jing Xian (? -1731)
of the Ula Nara Clan (Chinese: 孝敬憲皇后; Manchu: Hiyoošungga Ginggun
Temgetulehe Hūwanghu)
- Empress Xiao Sheng Xian (1692 -
1777) of the Niohuru Clan (Chinese: 孝聖憲皇后; Manchu: Hiyoošungga
Enduringge Temgetulehe Hūwanghu), mother of Hongli (Emperor Qianlong)
- Imperial Noble Consort Dun Shu (年贵妃), sister of Nian Gengyao, bore three sons and a daughter,
none of which survived.
- Imperial Noble Consort Chun Yi (懿贵妃) of Geng, mother of
Hongzhou
- Consort Ji (齐妃) of Li, mother of
Hongshi
- Consort Qian (谦妃) of the Liu clan, bore Yongzheng's youngest
son
- Imperial Concubine Mau of the Song clan, bore two
daughters
- Worthy Lady Wu
Sons
- Honghui (弘暉)，端親王
- Hongyun (弘昀), died young
- Hongshi(弘時)
- Hongli(弘曆) (Qianlong
Emperor)
- Hongzhou(弘晝), Prince He和恭親王
- Hongpan
- Fuhe (福宜), died young
- Fuhui (福惠)，懷親王
- Fupei (福沛), died young
- Hongzhan (弘瞻)，果恭郡王
- (弘昐), died young
Daughters
Legacy of the Era
Although his name is seldom included in reference, Yongzheng was an
inseparable part of the era known as the
Kangqian Period of Harmony, where
China saw continued development. China's CCTV-1 broadcasted one of
the best-rated TV Series in Chinese history on Yongzheng in 1997,
focusing on his positive image, and his tough stance on corruption,
a contemporary issue.
Notes
- Schirokauer, 243
See also
Treason by the Book
Flying guillotine
References
- Feng, Erkang. "Yongzheng Biography" (《雍正传》), China Publishing
Group, People's Publishing House. Beijing: 2004. ISBN
7-01-004192-X
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