vrcanaries Chapter 121 The Deposed Crown Prince
Chapter 121 The Deposed Crown Prince
Lin Ke continued, "Although Kangxi was frantically hinting to Li Guangdi to reinstate the crown prince, Li Guangdi did not want to get involved, so he could only pretend not to know."
"And something unexpected happened in the court: many ministers with military backgrounds recommended the Eighth Prince as the Crown Prince."
"Kangxi refused, but the ministers of this military merit group seemed to disregard the emperor's wishes and insisted on making the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince."
"Kangxi had no choice but to rely on his years of prestige to forcibly reinstate the crown prince, using the excuse that it was the result of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang appearing in his dream. I think the ministers at that moment were probably thinking: I'll just watch you put on a show!"
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...
"Actually, at this time, although the Eighth Prince had a good reputation in the court and among the people, he had already been eliminated from Kangxi's heart."
"And the crown prince was already thirty-six years old that year. In other words, it's not a good thing for an emperor to live too long! Take His Majesty the Pig, for example, Li Longji!"
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: ...
Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty: ...
"Then Kangxi activated his 'forget everything' skill, persuading his ministers to forget about the Crown Prince's deposition and pretend it never happened. He then persuaded the Crown Prince to forget about what happened in the court. Finally, he appeased the other princes and bestowed titles upon them, but at this time he skipped over the Eighth Prince."
"To be fair, he was indeed a bit cold-hearted towards the Eighth Prince. He once said that his birth mother was of lowly birth and that he was a cunning and treacherous person since childhood."
"In short, the crown prince has been reinstated, but can a broken mirror be mended? Can the rift between this father and son truly be eliminated?"
"Obviously not. Kangxi was petty and vengeful, a trait that could be seen in Yongzheng and Qianlong, and naturally the Crown Prince would inherit it. The ministers who supported the Eighth Prince were naturally remembered by him."
"Therefore, the Crown Prince began to build his own power, but this power was still built on the remnants of his maternal family's influence. The way these people formed cliques was by drinking and partying. They were quickly discovered by the Eighth Prince's faction and reported to Kangxi."
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty: You're petty, your whole family is petty!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: This crown prince has no brains! He's given someone a huge handle on him!
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Before I could even cause any trouble, I was reported by the other party!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...The Crown Prince is muddle-headed!
……
"And this list includes names like Tuoheqi, Liang Jiugong, and Qi Shiwu. Among them, Liang Jiugong was Kangxi's chief eunuch. Doesn't this list mean that Kangxi is being told that his personal eunuchs have all been bribed by the Crown Prince? Aren't you afraid that the Crown Prince will rebel?!"
"At this point, we must also add the Crown Prince's words: 'Throughout history, has there ever been a Crown Prince who reigned for forty years?'"
"This crown prince is really confused. He knows his father is suspicious, so he's doing this to make sure his father won't suspect him! That's why the people on this list are in such a miserable state."
"Tuoheqi was crushed to ashes, Liang Jiugong was imprisoned for life, Qi Shiwu was nailed to the wall and died in excruciating pain, and so on, among other inhumane methods."
"Then in the fifty-first year of Kangxi's reign, Kangxi deposed Yinreng for the second time. Compared to the first time, he was much more stable. Perhaps he could see that the crown prince was indeed incapable of inheriting the throne."
"As for the Crown Prince, he has also been completely relieved of his burden and feels no pressure. After all, he is already thirty-nine years old. If he were to continue as the Crown Prince, he would not only have to face his father's suspicions, but also the covetous eyes of his other brothers. Anyone would be anxious in that situation!"
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: After serving as the crown prince for over thirty years, it's really hard to endure that long!
A farming expert in the Tang Dynasty: I'm not wary of other people's schemes. It would be so much better to be a rich prince with plenty of food and drink!
A spoiled brat from the Song Dynasty: Upstairs, that's the kind of life I want to live, sponging off my dad for the rest of my life!
The father of a certain纨绔 (playboy) in the Song Dynasty: !!!
……
"However, Yinreng's life after being placed under house arrest was not bad. Kangxi did not forget this son and often sent him food and drink. Even when he was in the border region to escape the summer heat, in addition to the concubines and princes, he specifically instructed that a portion of the fresh fruit sent to him should be reserved for Yinreng."
"When Emperor Kangxi prayed for blessings, he would select several princes every year, but Yinreng was the only one who was always chosen. So perhaps we can see from this that although he was disappointed in this child, his love for him never disappeared."
"However, it reminds me of the time when Zhu Qizhen was imprisoned. Yinreng also had thirteen children during that period, so in a way, he also had a large family!"
"Moreover, after Yongzheng became emperor, he did not retaliate against this former crown prince; on the contrary, he took good care of him."
"This former crown prince was one of the better-off among the nine princes vying for the throne."
"Finally, the Qing Dynasty's system for establishing an heir apparent also disappeared with the deposition of this crown prince, and Yongzheng began to use the method of secretly establishing an heir apparent to determine the candidate."
"So in a sense, Yinreng was also the last crown prince in history."
General Judy, the Northern Expeditionary General: Unless absolutely necessary, I have nothing to do with Zhu Qizhen!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: They really have a lot of children! They have nothing else to do but make babies!
A playboy from the Tang Dynasty: This Emperor Yongzheng is quite a good person! And it's good that Yinreng is still alive and well!