At this time, Nian Gengyao was ambitious, completely in a state of flattered narcissism, and then made many things beyond the scope of his duties, which eventually aroused the vigilance and jealousy of Yongzheng, leading to the destruction of his family. Prosperity and decline, destruction.
Nian Gengyao's fall from grace and subsequent fall from the horse was triggered by his second visit to Beijing in October of the second year of Yongzheng. On the way to Beijing, he asked Commander-in-Chief Fan Shijie and Zhili Governor Li to kneel down to see him off. When I arrived in Beijing, I was greeted by officials below princes in the suburbs. Nian Gengyao passed by safely on horseback without looking. The princes dismounted to meet him, and he just nodded. What's more, in front of Yongzheng, his attitude was arrogant and he didn't tease anyone. Yongzheng was awarded military service shortly after he entered Beijing in 1920. It is widely rumored that Beijing has accepted Nian Gengyao's request. It is also said that A Ling (a member of the Huangbazi Ginza Group) and others have also listened to the words of Nian. These words greatly hurt Yongzheng's self-esteem.
After Nian Gengyao returned home, he received an imperial edict from Yongzheng, in which there was a passage about the hero's honor: it is easy to fool a mortal minister, but difficult to succeed; It is easy to succeed, but it is difficult to keep working; It is easy to keep one's job, but it is difficult to achieve it in the end. ..... If you build on your merits, you will betray your kindness, which has always been human. In this Zhu Yu, Yongzheng changed the previous praise tone and warned that Nian should be cautious and independent. Since then, Nian Gengyao's situation has plummeted.
Analysis of the reasons why Nian Gengyao fell out of favor and was convicted can be summarized as follows:
First, arrogance. Nian Gengyao's arrogance is getting worse and worse. He is arrogant and domineering in official contacts: he gives objects to subordinate officials to kowtow to the north; The official documents sent to governors and generals are all parallel prose, but they are good at addressing the places where teasing orders are made, and treating the same officials as subordinates; Even Fu Bao, the king of Zasak County, Mongolia, would bow down when he saw him.
The imperial guards sent by the imperial court should have been given preferential treatment, but they were kept around in 2000, acting as slaves to tease and guide before and after, and using them as whips to hit the ground. According to the system of the Qing Dynasty, when the imperial edict reached the place, the local officials should receive the imperial edict, kneel down and knock on the gift, and beg for holy peace. But the imperial edict of Yongzheng went to Xining twice, and Nian Gengyao couldn't make him read the imperial edict.
What's more, he once presented Yongzheng with the engraved "Liu Memorial" at his own expense. Yongzheng intends to write his own preface, but he hasn't written it yet. Nian Gengyao drafted an article by himself, asking for Yong Zhengdi's consent. Nian Gengyao also ran amok in front of Yongzheng, making the command sit in the basket, and no one was polite to him. Yongzheng is very unhappy.
Second, form parties for personal gain. At that time, when selecting civil and military officials, everything recommended by Nian Gengyao was given priority, so-called teasing the year and choosing the place. He also rejected dissidents and appointed private individuals to form a clique headed by him, with officials from Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan as the backbone, including officials from other regions. Tang Shi in Jixian County, written in the novel Legend of Heroes of Children, refers to Nian Gengyao, saying that he is a general of seven provinces, and ridiculing that he has 100,000 soldiers, 1,000 soldiers, like clouds and counselors like rain. These are artistic exaggerations, which are quite different from the actual situation, but they also show that Nian Gengyao has great influence.
Seeing Nian Gengyao gaining momentum and expanding power, many people who hung out in officialdom rushed to the door. And Nian Gengyao is also a person who pays attention to cultivating folk forces. Every time he has a profitable job, he has to put in his personal cronies, tease dissidents and recommend people to go. For example, he impeached the governor of Zhili, teased him as the governor's land, and recommended his private Li. Zhao Zhiyuan lost his official position, so he turned to Nian Gengyao and gave him jewelry worth 202,000 yuan. Nian Gengyao took advantage of the opportunity of entering Beijing in the second year of Yongzheng to bring Zhao to Beijing, and begged for introductions four times to ensure that he could take advantage of it. Ge, the Jiangsu provincial judge who was demoted by the annual review, also sent all kinds of precious antiques twice, so Nian Gengyao promised to stay with him in the future. In addition, Nian Gengyao also took the opportunity of joining the army to make his unmarried domestic slaves, Sang Dingcheng and Wei Zhiyao, become the official positions of Zhili Taoist priest and acting lieutenant respectively.
Third, greedy for money. Nian Gengyao took bribes and embezzled money and grain, amounting to millions of yuan. In the early years of Yongzheng, it was an important reform measure to rectify bureaucracy and punish corruption and perverting the law. At this juncture, Yongzheng will not let go easily.
Yongzheng punished Nian Gengyao step by step. The first step was before and after Nian Gengyao left Beijing in November of the second year of Yongzheng. At this time, Yongzheng had made a decision to attack Nian Gengyao. The Zhu Yu that Nian Gengyao received after he left Beijing was a hint to him.
The second step is to say hello to relevant officials. One is Yongzheng's cronies, asking them to draw a clear line with Nian Gengyao and expose the misdeeds of Nian in order to save themselves; First, people Nian Gengyao doesn't like, let them know that the emperor wants to punish Nian Gengyao and make them stand firm; First, people with ordinary relations with Nian Gengyao should be vigilant, alienate and get rid of Nian Gengyao, and don't stand on the wrong side. This is for Nian Gengyao's public treatment.
The third step is to point the finger directly at Nian Gengyao and pull him out of Xi 'an's lair.
In the first month of three years, Yongzheng's dissatisfaction with Nian Gengyao began to become public. In 2000, Shaanxi Governor Hu Jiheng was ordered to participate in the performance of Jin Nanying in Shaanxi Post Road. Yongzheng said that this was the practice of appointing private individuals and disorderly forming cronies in 2000, and it was not allowed to play.
Nian Gengyao once participated in the killing of Jiang Xingren, the governor of Sichuan who threatened the magistrate, and Cai was dismissed from office. After the trial, he was given a suspended sentence. Nian Gengyao's private Wang Jinghao was appointed Governor of Sichuan. By this time, Yongzheng had made up his mind to attack Nian Gengyao. After Cai Wei was escorted back to Beijing, Yongzheng did not agree to imprison him with the punishments, but specially summoned him. Cai Wei stated that he was framed for fighting Nian Gengyao when he was in office, and also played various situations in which Nian Gengyao provoked greed and violence. Yongzheng immediately issued a letter: Nian Gengyao participated in teasing Cai Wei. If he is brought to justice, people will think that I listened to Nian Gengyao before killing him. In this way, Nian Gengyao took charge of the court. Therefore, Yongzheng not only failed to punish Cai Wei, but promoted him to Zuodu suggestion and became an effective tool to deal with Nian Gengyao.
In March of the third year of Yongzheng, the so-called land of teasing the sun and the moon, the land of five-star joint beads appeared, and ministers congratulated them in succession. Nian Gengyao also congratulated Yongzheng on his hard work day and night. However, the handwriting in the table was scrawled, and it was mistakenly written as teasing sooner or later. Yongzheng seized on this and said that Nian Gengyao was not a careless person. This time, he deliberately didn't put the word "teasing in the morning and evening" in my ear. I think this is his self-reliance and shows disrespect, so I am between permission and disapproval for his meritorious military service in Qinghai. Then Yongzheng replaced officials in Sichuan and Shaanxi. First of all, Nian Gengyao's confidant Hu Jiheng was removed from his post, and Tanner, the agent of Sichuan magistrate, was transferred back to Beijing, so that he could not have an accident during his term of office. In April, Nian Gengyao was dismissed from the post of Governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and was ordered to hand over the seal of General Fuyuan and transfer to General Hangzhou.
The last step is to order Nian Gengyao to commit suicide. After Nian Gengyao was transferred, officials at home and abroad knew more about the situation and exposed his crimes. In the name of treating courtiers condescendingly, Yongzheng deprived Nian Gengyao of his official position, and in September of that year, he ordered Nian Gengyao to be arrested and sent to Beijing for joint trial. 1February, the court minister presented the trial results to Yongzheng, listed 92 major crimes for Nian Gengyao, and requested the establishment of standardized punishment. The charges are as follows: 5 crimes of disobedience, 9 crimes of bullying, 16 crimes of trespassing, 13 crimes of arrogance, 6 crimes of monopoly, 6 crimes of avoiding engraving, 4 crimes of maltreatment, 18 crimes of greed and 15 crimes of erosion.
Yongzheng said that more than 30 of these 92 paragraphs should be put to death and beheaded, but considering Nian Gengyao's outstanding merits and fame, his reputation as a general in funny years was well known throughout the country. If he is punished, I'm afraid people all over the world will not accept him. He is bound to be notorious for being ruthless and killing heroes, so he expressed pity, gave him a jail sentence and made him commit suicide. All the officials in Nian Gengyao's fathers and brothers were dismissed, and the first-in-law descendants sent troops into exile, and their property was copied into the officials. The all-powerful young general was finally discredited.
In the TV series "Yongzheng Dynasty", after Nian Gengyao lost power and influence, it was estimated that Yongzheng would not let himself go, and he might end up dead, so he gave his next of kin a huge silver ticket to let him fly away with two pregnant Mongolian concubines and hide the folk, so as to continue the family's incense. This plot is not in line with historical facts, because at this time, Nian Gengyao not only had no children, but also had more than one son. There is also a story in Yongzheng dynasty that Nian Gengyao committed suicide in Chengmendong, Hangzhou, under the surveillance of another favorite of Yongzheng, which is also inaccurate. In fact, he died in Beijing.
Why Yongzheng killed Nian Gengyao has always been controversial in the history circle. Some people say it is because they want to rebel, while others say that Nian Gengyao participated in the battle for the throne between Yongzheng and his brothers, and Yongzheng did it while covering his mouth. We might as well analyze these statements:
It's hard to make a decision when you're rebellious.
There is a view that Nian Gengyao died because he became emperor himself. During the Qianlong period, scholars mentioned in Yong Xian Lu that Zou Lu, a Nian Gengyao, landscape and herdsman, had discussed this matter. Some scholars hold this view that being an emperor is the most unbearable thing, so you are doomed. The book Anecdotes of Qing Dynasty records that Nian Gengyao teased the audience at that time and persuaded them to rebel after he fell out of favor and was seized of military power. After a long silence, he looked at the sky at night and sighed in awe: it's really disharmony. When I start to change, I will save the land. It shows that in 2008, there is indeed the heart of claiming the emperor. It is only because of the uncoordinated ridicule that the minister will save the land. In fact, this statement is not fully based.
In the feudal era, the most important thing is to pay attention to birthright, and the righteousness of the monarch and the minister cannot be violated. To be a courtier, you must abide by the way of courtiers and not do anything beyond your duty.
What Nian Gengyao did really caused great dissatisfaction and some doubts of Yongzheng. Nian Gengyao was originally in a high position, but he was arrogant, broke the law and disobeyed the minister's way. It will inevitably arouse the eyebrows of ministers and the dissatisfaction and suspicion of the emperor. Yongzheng is a man with strong self-esteem and likes to show himself. Nian Gengyao's claim to credit and power will make the emperor fall into a dominated reputation, which Yongzheng can't tolerate and Yongzheng hates most. Yongzheng was not afraid of Nian Gengyao's intentions. He rectified Nian Gengyao step by step. By 2000, he could only submit, and he had no ability to resist or even defend. Only the imaginary Yongzheng can look at the mutual affection of the past and show the grace outside the law. Therefore, he can't resist. Yongzheng once said: It is really unnecessary to tease me not to guard against Nian Gengyao. As for Nian Gengyao's conspiracy, it is obviously an accusation against Luo Zhi in 2000, which neither shows that he will rebel in 2000 nor shows that Yongzheng really believes that he will rebel.
Judging from Nian Gengyao, he has always been loyal to Yongzheng, and even at the last minute, he has always had great illusions about Yongzheng.
On the way to being demoted as a general in Hangzhou by the governor of Gechuan and Shaanxi, Nian Gengyao imagined that Yongzheng would change his decision, so he stayed in Yizheng, Jiangsu Province and sat tight. As a result, Yongzheng was very angry When Nian Gengyao was transferred to Hangzhou as a general, he wrote a thank-you letter: Don't be sad to tease this scene. For god's sake, if I fail you, the devil take the hindmost; If you let me down, I don't know how God will punish you! ..... You this scene, from the days of your minister, no matter my way, always sarcastic articles, duplicity tone, plus I heard gossip, blame the hero's name. I have to take care of me, but I can't take care of your Minister's Day. It's just that the first sentence I took in the future generations of the world is. In fact, Di Yongzheng's Zhu Pi has sent a very clear signal: he has made up his mind to get rid of Nian Gengyao eventually.
Until Nian Gengyao received the imperial edict to kill himself, he refused to start work, still dreaming that Yongzheng would pardon him on the date of birth. However, Yongzheng has made up his mind to avoid torture at the end of the year and commit suicide with his surname, which is particularly compassionate. Therefore, even if he dies, he should be Doby, so that Nian Gengyao will have no chance to live. How can a minister who wants to rebel have such unrealistic fantasies about the emperor? Look at the last imperial edict of Yongzheng to Nian Gengyao: If you feel a little wronged after teasing yourself, the Buddhist book says that people who will go to hell forever, even if they are robbed, can't eliminate your sin. When Di Yong was alive, Yongzheng also preached with Buddhists, so that Nian was completely convinced and did not dare to blame the emperor for his death.
There's a reason for killing people.
There is also a view that Nian Gengyao participated in the activities of usurping the throne in Yongzheng, and Yong Zhengdi was suspected or even killed after he acceded to the throne. Not only unofficial history, but also some scholars hold this view. It is said that Emperor Kangxi appointed fourteen sons of Yin to inherit the throne, and seized the throne by imperial edict, in which Nian Gengyao also participated. He was ordered by Yong Zhengdi to gather troops in Sichuan to stop the emperor's fourteen sons, so that he could not fight for the post. At the beginning of his reign, Yong Zhengdi was kind to Nian Gengyao. In fact, he played hard to get. When the time was right, he was accused of Luo Zhi, killed the donkey and executed the insider Nian Gengyao. Some people disagree with this, mainly because when Yong Zhengdi ascended the throne, Nian Gengyao was far away in the northwest, did not participate in the imperial edict, and may not know the inside story. But objectively speaking, Nian Gengyao did have the function of blocking Yin Guidong's advance during his term of office.
Yong Zhengdi's tampering with the testamentary edict to seize the throne has been explained in many works, and Mr. Yan Chongnian's Talk about the Twelve Emperors also has a systematic summary, which is self-evident. Opinions vary, and no one can agree. Yongzheng acceded to the throne, there are indeed many doubts. After he acceded to the throne, he successively disposed of the original most capable assistants, Nian Gengyao and Rondo, which made people more suspicious that this was a guilty conscience and a criminal. Of course, this can only be regarded as a reasonable presumption, which is not supported by conclusive data. So this suspicion is said: there is a reason for teasing, and there is no evidence. land
Regardless of the real motivation of Yongzheng's determination to get rid of Nian Gengyao. From Nian Gengyao's own point of view, his death really deserved it. He is self-reliant, arrogant, arrogant, ignorant of humility and self-protection, does not obey the official's way, and does things beyond the official's duties, which is unacceptable to public opinion; Moreover, it is illegal for him to plant a frame-up for personal gain, accept bribes and make public affairs. He is completely unscrupulous, which is not allowed by the national law and is also hated by Yongzheng. This is a hero's taboo, and it will certainly not have a good end. Therefore, according to the draft of Qing history, the dragon and the year relied on their own power and had no scruples. As a blessing, they were told by the ancient saints.