bookrebus Chapter 222: The good-natured Qianlong, who used both kindness and force; in fact, he was completely
Chapter 222: The good-natured Qianlong, who used both kindness and force; in fact, he was completely
From Qianlong's actions, it can be seen that he really disapproved of his father Yongzheng in his heart.
Of course, in addition to his disagreement with his father Yongzheng, Qianlong's actions were also intended to win over the hearts of the royal family.
Qianlong pardoned Yin'e and Yinzhen to convey to the royal family that he and Yongzheng had different opinions. He even released Yinzhen, who posed a great threat to the throne, proving that he was more merciful than his father Yongzheng.
But is this actually the case?
No, Qianlong's move was also intended to win over the hearts of the royal family. You must know that Yin'e and Yinzhen had been imprisoned by Yongzheng for more than ten years, and they had long lost their original political influence.
In particular, Yinzhen posed almost no political threat to Qianlong, so Qianlong released him. This not only demonstrated his generosity, but also won the hearts of the royal family. It was a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
Similarly, pardoning dead people like Hongshi, Yinsi, and Yin'er is a good deal with no cost. Now that they are dead, their political influence has long disappeared.
If it cost some money for Qianlong to confer titles on Yin'e and Yin'zhen after releasing them, then pardoning the dead people such as Hongshi, Yinsi and Yin'er was almost zero cost. It not only demonstrated Qianlong's benevolence, but also won the hearts of the royal family. This deal was more cost-effective than pardoning Yin'e and Yin'zhen.
Especially when Qianlong pardoned Yinsi and Yin'er, the Qianlong era was already at its peak, and Qianlong believed that his achievements had far surpassed those of his father Yongzheng.
Qianlong said at the time that if he did not stand up to speak for Yinsi and Yin'er, no one in the future would dare to pardon Yinsi and Yin'er.
Therefore, Qianlong's pardon of Yinsi and Yin'er not only added luster to his prosperous era, but also demonstrated his generosity, won the hearts of the royal family, and highlighted Qianlong's courage.
Therefore, Qianlong did not agree with his father Yongzheng in his heart. He then pardoned all the people his father Yongzheng hated in order to win people's hearts and demonstrate his own kindness.
At the beginning of his reign, Qianlong publicly accused Yongzheng's close confidant and important minister, Henan Governor Tian Wenjing. However, Tian Wenjing had died long before Yongzheng's death. In other words, Qianlong publicly accused a dead man and called him a cruel official.
Of course, Tian Wenjing was indeed one of some officials who disregarded the lives of the people for the sake of political achievements.
However, Tian Wenjing made great contributions to Yongzheng's new policies, which is why Qianlong kept holding on to Tian Wenjing, a dead man, at the beginning of his reign.
The main reason is that he wanted to express to the world that he was different from his father Yongzheng. If Tian Wenjing were still alive, he would never use a cruel official like Tian Wenjing like Yongzheng did. This shows that after Qianlong ascended the throne, he wanted to emulate Kangxi and practice benevolent governance.
Indeed, throughout his life, Qianlong claimed to be a model for himself after his grandfather Kangxi, but he added the strictness of his father Yongzheng to the basis of his grandfather Kangxi. However, in his heart, he did not approve of Yongzheng, so he used his father Yongzheng to highlight his own leniency. It is no exaggeration to say that he was stepping on his father Yongzheng to show himself.
Emperor Qianlong can be regarded as the happiest emperor in the entire Qing Dynasty: although his mother was not of high birth, because of his own hard work, he was not only valued by his father Yongzheng, but also favored by his grandfather Kangxi. He was raised by his grandfather until his death.
Therefore, Qianlong really "let his father down". A series of actions made his father Yongzheng leave a bad reputation in history, and fulfilled his reputation as a benevolent and righteous monarch. It's just that Qianlong's benevolence was more hypocritical than that of his grandfather Kangxi.