Forbidden city of Beijing (Cố Cung): Part 2
The Càn Thanh Palace has often been the place witnessing intrigues, assassinations, and betrayals during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Moreover, above the throne, on the folding screen, there is always a horizontal plaque inscribed by Emperor Thuận Trị ( Shunzhi ) that reads: « Bright and Upright. » There is also a commendatory comment praising it from his successor, Emperor Kangxi. This is a wonderful structure, transcending ancient and modern times, radiant and eternal, worthy of being a model for future generations. But unfortunately, behind this plaque, there were many underlying conflicts and power struggles within the palace.
During the 500 years of reign of the Ming and Qing dynasties, many incidents occurred in this palace. First of all, there was the story of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming dynasty (1507-1567), who was notoriously licentious and cruel beyond description, nearly suffocated by palace maids. Taking advantage of his deep sleep and avenging his paranoid behavior, the maids conspired to strangle him with a rope on the dragon bed. However, because one maid in the group betrayed them to the empress, the emperor was saved. All the maids, including the favored consort of the emperor, were immediately executed.
Then Emperor Taizong of the Ming dynasty (1582-1620), known as Zhu Changluo, suddenly died one month after ascending the throne. It was suspected that he was either sexually abused or poisoned. This caused the court to fall into a power struggle. This case is known as the Hongyuan Case because before his sudden death, the emperor had taken medicine. Finally, the penultimate emperor of the Ming dynasty, son of Ming Guangzong, Zhu Youxiao (1605-1628), known by the era name Tianqi, became entangled in the Di Gong Case. Taking advantage of the young age of the emperor, a consort of his father (Emperor Wanli), Li Xuanzi, deliberately controlled Zhu Youxiao. She intentionally stayed in the Qianqing Palace and demanded the emperor to confer upon her the title of Empress Dowager so that she could govern the court. Facing strong demands and opposition from the officials, Emperor Tianqi (Zhu Youxiao) issued an edict forcing her to leave the palace and live elsewhere, where she died a few weeks later in a fire. Ultimately, she did not die along with her daughter. Through this event, everyone noticed the emperor’s involvement, despite opposition within him. Historians often collectively refer to these three cases under the name « The Three Late Ming Cases (Vãn Minh Tam Án) »
During the Qing dynasty, there were two important events. Although Kangxi was regarded as a great emperor in Chinese history, he also faced difficulties in appointing a crown prince due to the struggle for the throne among his sons. Initially, he appointed Yinreng as crown prince at the age of two, but later Kangxi changed his mind and chose the 14th prince, Yinzhen, as his successor. He secretly hid behind a plaque with the four characters « Guang Ming Zheng Da » a box containing an edict « Transfer the throne to the 14th son, » meaning to pass the throne to the 14th prince because Yinzhen was the prince he favored. According to legend, when Kangxi was seriously ill, Yinzhen was on a campaign in the Xinjiang region. Prince Yinzhen took advantage of the opportunity to take the box and altered the edict from « Transfer the throne to the 14th son » to « Transfer the throne to the 4th » son » by removing the character « ten. » Thanks to this, Yongzheng became emperor. According to popular discussion, Yinzhen also fled to the garden to observe Kangxi’s illness after previously giving Kangxi a bowl of ginseng soup. Historians believe Yongzheng bears some responsibility for Kangxi’s sudden death, and this remains a mystery and a topic of speculation among people.
Just after ascending the throne under the name Yongzheng, he immediately eliminated or exiled all those who had the potential to oppose him. After his coronation, to avoid disputes over succession—something he understood well and knew to be difficult in power struggles—he devised a clever method by writing the decree naming the heir in two copies: one sealed and kept in a box behind the plaque inscribed « Guangming Zhengda, » and the other he carried on his person. When he was about to pass away, the decree in the box could be retrieved and compared with the one he carried to identify the rightful successor to the throne. This way, no resistance could arise. This method of appointing the crown prince remained effective until the reign of Emperor Xianfeng, but since Xianfeng had only one child, Tongzhi, with Empress Dowager Cixi, the method lost its effectiveness. To consolidate her regency, Empress Dowager Cixi abolished this method by successively enthroning the « child emperors, » namely Guangxu and Puyi.