mesbooks Chapter 134 Desperate 3
Chapter 134 Desperate 3
Lin Ke continued, "And in that year, Yinxiang, who was only twenty years old, suddenly developed a carbuncle on his leg. He was sick for two years, so his health was sometimes good and sometimes bad, and like his brother, he died young."
"As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. In the past, when the princes were favored, Yinxiang would have been ranked among the top few, but now he has lost favor in the blink of an eye."
"In the fifty-first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the old emperor once gave out a large amount of money as a reward. Even the imperial guards received some, but Yinxiang received nothing."
"If the fourth brother knew this, he would be heartbroken. Besides, his maternal family isn't particularly prominent, so his finances have become very tight."
"Under these circumstances, apart from his good brother Yinzhen who still treated him as before, everything else changed for Yinxiang, so he gradually became depressed."
"However, I think the reason why Yinxiang was disliked by Kangxi was very likely related to the deposition of the crown prince. Perhaps it was a case of displaced anger!"
"But Emperor Kangxi was actually capable of doing such a thing!"
A scion of a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty: These two have a really good relationship!
An official of the Ming Dynasty said: "What is most commendable is that even when he was down on his luck, he was still treated with the same devotion as before."
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Emperor Kangxi treated his son terribly! He was constantly out of favor!
……
"Finally, in the sixty-first year of Kangxi's reign, the old emperor passed away. In other words, Yinxiang's winter was over. I wonder what Yinxiang was thinking on the way to escort Yinzhen to inherit the throne?"
"But if it were today, Yongzheng would say: Thirteenth Brother, this is the empire I conquered for you, and your good fortune is yet to come! Hahahaha!"
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: ...
"After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he immediately appointed Yinxiang as the Minister of General Affairs and bestowed upon him the title of Prince Yi. See what a true brother he is!"
"It was precisely because the fourth prince became emperor that Yinzhen became a professional doting brother."
"For example, after the fourth prince was granted the title of Prince Yi, he gave the thirteenth prince 230,000 taels of silver. However, Yinxiang felt it was not right and refused directly. It was only after much persuasion from the fourth prince that he finally accepted 130,000 taels of silver."
"Even though the thirteenth prince had no worries about money, his domineering fourth brother still felt it wasn't enough and proposed to bestow the title of Prince upon his son. However, Yinxiang felt that such an honor would violate precedent, so he refused again!"
In the end, Yongzheng could only give the thirteenth prince an annual increase of 10,000 taels of silver in salary, citing his noble character and integrity.
"Yongzheng was indeed a man who loved with a passion that made him want to live and hated with a passion that made him want to die. Although Kangxi described him as capricious, he truly doted on those he loved!"
"Yinxiang was often jokingly referred to as the Executive Vice Emperor in later generations, and that's not wrong. The power that the fourth prince gave to his thirteenth brother was considerable."
"Yongzheng once said: As for military affairs and water conservancy projects... all matters, big and small, in the palace and government, are handled by the Prince alone."
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Good heavens, this division of power is amazing! There's even such brotherhood in the royal family!?
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: I knew we were close, but I never imagined we were this close. Why don't I have brothers like this?
Prince Yi of the Qing Dynasty, Yinxiang (moved): Fourth Brother, you are too good to me!
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: That's a must!
……
"However, after experiencing Kangxi's favor and subsequent neglect, Yinxiang no longer dared to hope for anything."
“In his heart, his fourth brother had become the emperor. He always remembered the difference between the emperor and his subjects. For example, many of his suggestions were never expressed publicly, but were only discussed with Yongzheng in private.”
"However, I think that deep down, Yinxiang still relies on his fourth brother. No matter what gifts he receives or what memorials he reads, he gives them all to Yinzhen. Even after gaining power, he remains humble and cautious. How could the fourth brother not dote on his younger brother!"
"However, Yinxiang's actions may also be due to the hurt he suffered at the hands of Kangxi, after all, Kangxi was known for his quick temper."
"As mentioned before, the thirteenth prince's health has been fluctuating since he developed a carbuncle. In addition, his diligent work in government made him prone to health problems."
"So in the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, the thirteenth prince fell seriously ill, which lasted for several months. The fourth prince was extremely anxious in the palace, burning incense and praying every day, wishing he could take his place."
"However, the thirteenth prince, who was seriously ill, was still diligent in his duties, such as disaster relief, surveying river channels, and reorganizing the army. I think it is possible that the thirteenth prince died from overwork!"
A Han Dynasty official: Doing so much work, how can I not be tired!
A spoiled brat from the Tang Dynasty: That's why I don't like doing work!
A young man from a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: My brother is so tired, the emperor must be even more tired!
A prince of the Tang Dynasty: ...Wouldn't that mean an emperor would die from overwork?! That's terrifying!
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: ...
Hearing this, people from all different timelines felt their scalps tingle. This person was really working too hard. If he was sick, he should have taken a break!
Lin Ke silently thought to himself: No wonder he's called the "Liver King".
"The thirteenth prince truly lived up to his reputation as the 'Desperate Thirteenth Prince.' In the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, his leg ailment had already affected his health, yet he still tirelessly surveyed the terrain day and night in order to control the floods."
"Yongzheng was also anxious, but he couldn't persuade him otherwise. He could only promote a physician to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and order him to stay by the side of the thirteenth prince to serve him in case of any unforeseen circumstances."
"Unfortunately, the thirteenth prince fell seriously ill on the fourth day of the fifth month of the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign, and ultimately died young at the age of forty-five."
"As for why the thirteenth prince worked so hard, perhaps he wanted to prove to the world that he was a good person who could govern the country and bring peace, and not the disloyal and unfilial person that Kangxi described. Alas, Kangxi left too many children with a shadow."
"Emperor Yongzheng once commented on Yinxiang: 'My thirteenth brother is the best person in the entire universe.' This shows that the bond between the two brothers is something that you probably can't find in any history book."
"And the thirteenth prince was drawing his mausoleum in the last days of his life, and he warned his family members never to overstep their bounds, as the emperor's favor was another matter."
When Yongzheng received news of the death of his thirteenth son, he was overcome with grief. Instead of following the thirteenth son's last wishes, he built him a mausoleum far exceeding the specifications for a prince. Furthermore, he did not avoid using the emperor's name, but instead restored the name from Yunxiang to Yinxiang, and added the posthumous title of Xian, with the words "loyal, respectful, honest, upright, diligent, cautious, and honest" added before the posthumous title.
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: My goodness, this emperor really dotes on his younger brother. Not every emperor would do something like this!
A schoolteacher in the Song Dynasty: This fourth son is clearly a man of deep feelings and true character!
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty said: "The only person who could make him do this is his younger brother."
……