vrcanaries Chapter 132 Yinzhen's Shattered Dream of Becoming Crown Prince
Chapter 132 Yinzhen's Shattered Dream of Becoming Crown Prince
"In addition, there is a ten-year age gap between the Fourteenth Prince and the Fourth Prince. As the saying goes, there is a generation gap every three years. So, it is only three generations apart between these two brothers. Therefore, it is natural for the Fourteenth Prince, who is a very young child, to play with the Fourth Prince, who is not often seen."
"However, there are not many historical records about the Fourteenth Prince Yinzhen's personal abilities, mainly because his emperor brother had compiled them in advance, so we can only find some indirect evidence."
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: ...
For example, the Ninth Prince Yinzhen once commented on him: "Yinzhen is exceptionally intelligent and possesses both talent and virtue, surpassing all my brothers." (Collection of Documents: Cases of Yinzhen and Yinzhen)
"Furthermore, starting from the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi's reign, Kangxi would most likely take his fourteenth son with him when he went out."
“In ordinary life, some princes could obtain Emperor Kangxi’s permission to enjoy the privilege of drawing on official property. However, this privilege was limited to a period of time, usually one year. Whether it continued depended on whether their fathers wanted to grant it.”
"Among the many princes, there was not only one, but only Yinzhen did not stop for seven years, from the fifty-fourth year of Kangxi's reign to the sixty-first year."
"Moreover, given Kangxi's fondness for good-looking people, the fourteenth prince, Yinzhen, should also be quite handsome."
"So here, the fourteenth prince is still a child loved by both his father and mother, and he receives relatively good treatment compared to other princes."
A scion of a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty: Actually, his father treated many of the princes quite well!
A skilled farmer in the Song Dynasty: He loved deeply when he was in love, and hated deeply when he was in a bad mood.
A romantic and talented scholar from the Song Dynasty: It seems having many children is a real hassle!
……
"Unlike the introverted and aloof Fourth Prince Yinzhen, the Fourteenth Prince is likely to be more straightforward. After all, his mother, Consort De, is quite favored, and he was raised by her side since childhood. In addition, his father dotes on him, so it is not surprising that he developed such a personality."
"The year the Crown Prince was deposed, the eldest prince's shady actions led to the eighth prince being suspected and convicted by Emperor Kangxi. It was at this time that the fourteenth prince approached the ninth prince and said: Let's protest together!"
"So before the Eighth Prince was arrested in the court, the Fourteenth and Ninth Princes stood up and said: The Eighth Prince has no such intention, and we, his subjects, are willing to protect him."
"However, judging from the fact that Kangxi wanted to kill the fourteenth prince alive, this kid must have sworn an oath and said something provocative to make his father so angry that he wanted to kill him."
A spoiled brat from the Tang Dynasty: "This kid's a bit dim-witted; looks like he's really living in a pretty good environment."
A wealthy merchant from the Ming Dynasty: He and his myna bird are really that close? ???
A farming whiz in the Song Dynasty: I'm a little curious about what oath he swore? Was it something like risking his life?
……
"As we mentioned before, Emperor Kangxi always valued family ties, so in his eyes, the fourteenth prince had even sworn oaths to protect his brothers."
"Although he was very angry at the time, Kangxi was actually comforted and felt that his youngest son truly cared for his brother."
"Therefore, in the later conferment of titles upon the princes, the fourteenth prince became a Beizi at the youngest age."
"After that, he became closer to Lao Ba. As the saying goes, it is more precious to offer help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade."
"When the Eighth Prince was in trouble, the Fourteenth Prince not only did not abandon him, but also risked his life to protect him. The Eighth Prince must have been quite moved."
"Later, some people speculated that the fourteenth prince might have been involved in political maneuvering, but at that time, the fourteenth prince was still a young boy and did not even have a title."
"Given these conditions, it's difficult to participate in the struggle for the throne. Perhaps it's because they don't want to see their childhood friends imprisoned, or it's a matter of loyalty."
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: It's hard to say!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Upstairs! That's hilarious!
Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty (retired): But this emperor, knowing full well what the struggle for the throne would be like, still longed for royal kinship?!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...
Lin Ke sighed. Why couldn't the Fourteenth Prince just be a good younger brother to his brother? Why did he have to get involved in the struggle for the throne!
"However, the Fourteenth Prince also participated in the struggle for the throne. For example, he had contact with Cheng Wance, a protégé of Li Guangdi, a Han Chinese bureaucratic leader."
According to the "Collection of Documents: Memorials of Dai Duo": "...When the Fourteenth Prince met him, he was treated with a high seat and addressed as 'sir'."
"Meanwhile, news gradually spread in the court that the Fourteenth Prince was courteous to scholars and officials. Perhaps from this point onward, the Fourteenth Prince had officially joined the struggle for the throne."
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: It's obvious that these sons are being raised very well, and they've all developed ambitions!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Having a child who is too outstanding is also a kind of trouble, hahaha!
Emperor Zhao Zhen, the most benevolent ruler in history: Alas! I wish I had this kind of trouble!
……
"And the fourteenth prince also had his opportunity. In the fifty-fourth year of Kangxi's reign, Galdan's nephew Tsewang Arabtan rebelled against the Qing and invaded Tibet."
"After Kangxi learned of this, he first sent a group of people to quell the rebellion, but due to the hasty preparation, the entire army was wiped out. He then mobilized the Eight Banners troops stationed in Gansu, the Mongol troops, and the Green Standard Army from Sichuan and Shaanxi to gather more than 100,000 men."
"However, due to the complexity of the army's personnel, the selection of the Grand General has to be made from a member of the royal family."
"Among the princes at that time, only the fourteenth prince was capable of the job. After all, the eldest and second princes were imprisoned, and the eighth and thirteenth princes had fallen out of favor. The others were mediocre and were not considered."
"As for the fourth brother, his military ability is limited, and only the fourteenth brother is capable of leading troops."
"Moreover, compared to the third son who is both literate and skilled in martial arts, the fourteenth son has the advantage of being young and physically strong."
A scion of a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty: Good heavens, there are practically no competitors! The third son, in the end, lacks communication skills and is unable to coordinate effectively.
A soldier from the Song Dynasty: Indeed, only the fourteenth prince is left!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: We're already in the mid-to-late game! Those who were supposed to be eliminated have already been eliminated!
……
"Therefore, in the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign, the fourteenth prince was appointed as the Grand General of Pacification of the Far East. This was seen by many in the court as a hope for seizing the throne, and even Yinzhen himself harbored such a hope."
"Alas, just look at Fusu. How could the Crown Prince be sent to a foreign land? Besides, you're not even the Crown Prince yet! Looking at it this way, it's not that the preferential treatment Kangxi gave to his son was normal. No wonder he would have ambitions."
Fusu of Qin: Don't mention it.
"And Yinzhen, being the younger brother of our fourth son, is indeed superstitious about fortune telling. For example, as soon as he arrived in the Northwest, he sought out Zhang Kai, a famous local fortune teller, to calculate his birth chart."
"However, the fourteenth prince was also fooled. Zhang Kai had already been bribed before meeting him, so in the end, the fourteenth prince only heard nice things, and even heard nice things about him being on his way to becoming the emperor. Anyone would be confused in that situation."
"On another note, the fourteenth prince only fought for five months before recovering Tibet. From then on, the title of the fourteenth prince, 'Great General King,' quickly spread throughout the Northwest."
"Yinzhen was also summoned back to the capital in November of the sixtieth year of Kangxi's reign. Upon his return, the Ninth Prince commented: 'The Emperor is clearly not going to let the Fourteenth Prince succeed...' (Collection of Documents: The Case of Yinzhen and Yinzhen)"
"It is evident that at that time, Emperor Kangxi did not intend to choose his fourteenth son, Yinzhen, as his successor."
"Furthermore, Emperor Kangxi never rewarded the fourteenth prince for his reconquest of Tibet. He only bestowed upon him the title of Grand General Prince, but in reality, he was still a Beizi (a lower-ranking prince). You should know that there were several older brothers who were princes above him."
"Why should the fourteenth prince, who is the lowest-ranking prince, be the crown prince? Moreover, after the fourteenth prince returned to the capital, Kangxi asked him to go to the front line. What emperor would send his heir thousands of miles away in his later years?"
“He’s not stupid. How could someone hold power for over sixty years? So from this perspective, Kangxi didn’t favor the fourteenth prince as the next emperor.”
First Emperor, the Great Fool, Zu Long: ...
A纨绔 (playboy) from the Song Dynasty: Actually, he's had a pretty good life. The emperor is his own brother, and his mother is a favored concubine. I don't understand why he had to fight for the throne!
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty said: "Many princes' ambitions were fostered by their fathers!"
……
"Sigh, we also have to talk about Kangxi. Why didn't he establish an heir earlier, which led to the struggle for succession among the princes? I think the father was largely to blame!"
"The fourteenth prince, Yinzhen, soon reached the final stage of his life."
"As soon as Yongzheng ascended the throne, the fourteenth prince was also summoned back. As a result, he caused a great disturbance at the funeral hall and stood there motionless at a distance."
"So the scene became so awkward. It was only because his older brother was broad-minded that he came down to save face for both of them. But this guy wouldn't listen. At this point, Lao Ba came over to persuade him. Goodness, as soon as Lao Ba spoke, he knelt down inside."
"No one present knew whether he was kneeling to Kangxi or Yongzheng, or why the Eighth Prince's words were effective! In short, the Eighth Prince was caught in the middle, and the Fourth Prince was unusually patient with his younger brother."
"But the fourteenth prince just doesn't give us any face. Especially after Consort De, Uya, passed away, the fourth prince even bestowed upon the fourteenth prince the title of Prince of the County. But to our surprise, the fourteenth prince showed no gratitude at all, and instead was furious."
"In the end, he was stripped of his title and imprisoned on Jingshan Hill. He was not released until the Qianlong era. He died peacefully at the age of sixty-eight."
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: His own brother treated him well, but based on this attitude alone, even brothers wouldn't treat him well!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: Just based on his temper, even if he gets the position, it won't work. He might end up making a mess of things!
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: If my own brother were the emperor, wouldn't I be able to walk sideways? Only an idiot would act like him!