Yongzheng in history was an outstanding politician who was brave in innovation and diligent in governing. He reformed and rectified the long-standing abuses in Kangxi's later years, swept away the decadence, made the administration clarified, the rule stable, and the treasury full. , the people’s burden is reduced. Yongzheng's father, Kangxi, could be said to be a man of great talent and strategy. He pacified the three feudal lords, unified Taiwan, stabilized the border areas, and laid a solid foundation for the unified Qing Dynasty. However, in his later years, Kangxi developed the idea of ????saving time and effort in government due to the "peace and prosperity". During this period, his principle in handling government affairs was that it is better to do less than to do more. As a result, corruption such as fraud, pandering, whitewashing, and exaggeration has become rampant among bureaucrats in both the government and the public, and has directly threatened the survival of the "prosperous age." As a result, the burden of punishing corruption and rectifying officialdom fell on Yongzheng's shoulders.

In the thirteen years that Yongzheng was in charge of the government, it can be said that he governed the world with a pragmatic spirit. As soon as Yongzheng ascended the throne, he carried out resolute punishment and purge of corruption and decadence. He bluntly told the civil and military officials: "I hate the word 'falsehood' the most in my life." "I hate false reputation the most." This "hate" and "evil" clearly express his criticism of hypocrisy, fraud and other corrupt practices. manner. False reports are common in feudal official circles. Because there is a so-called official who is skillful in officialdom, who can often gain the appreciation of those kings who are eager for great achievements through deception and flattery, and reap benefits from it. However, this approach did not work for Emperor Yongzheng who governed the world and prospered the country with a pragmatic spirit.

There was such a bad habit in the official circles of the Qing Dynasty. When civil and military officials from various provinces first took office, they almost always tried their best to describe how bad the local government was. After a few months, they would report it. He said that through vigorous rectification, the situation has improved, so as to show his talents and political achievements. Yongzheng said that he had seen too many reports of this kind and was tired of reading them. "They are only half credible."

Yongzheng always pointed out the exaggeration in the ministers' memorials unceremoniously. and make sharp criticisms. In July of the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign (1726), Suolin, the supervisory censor who inspected Taiwan, said: "Taiwan's local officers and soldiers will train strictly and strive for excellence to ensure peace in the maritime territory for thousands of years." After reading this exaggerated report, Yongzheng warned: The most important thing in everything is to be pragmatic, and only a good official can be regarded as neither bullying nor hiding. "Whitewashing, pandering, praising, and copying bad habits are absolutely prohibited." Zhu Zao, the governor in charge of the Yellow River in Shandong, Henan, once received an edict from Yongzheng: "Why be so exaggerated about trivial matters in the local area?" If it is not true, it will be difficult to believe everything.” Yongzheng warned all officials that false reports would lose the emperor's trust in the future.

The problem of exaggeration and whitewashing is particularly prominent in the memorials about agricultural harvests due to rain, snow, floods and droughts. For such distorted reports, Yongzheng often squeezed out the moisture in them through rhetorical word games. Shi Wenzhuo, the governor of Henan Province, reported that nine out of ten locust disasters in all states and counties in the province have been eliminated. By questioning other officials in Henan, Yongzheng realized that Shi Wenzhuo's report was not the truth, so he sharply criticized Shi Wenzhuo and said: If you are not deceiving the emperor, you are being deceived by your subordinates! However, this old problem of Shi Wenzhuo is hard to change. After he was transferred to the governor of Gansu, he still repeated his old tricks. In the summer of the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign (1726), there was a severe drought in Gansu. There was a light rain in July. Shi Wenzhuo quickly reported that a good harvest was in sight. This was all the result of the emperor's respect for heaven and love for the people. Yongzheng looked impatient and wrote: "After this drought, how can we hope for a good harvest? I am really tired of seeing such whitewashing." Yongzheng was like this. He could tell who was telling the truth at a glance. , who is patting the horse*, and is always very rude to those who pat the horse*.

Yongzheng also did not let go of general and vague memorials. In April of the 10th year of the Yongzheng reign (1732), Liu Yuyi, the governor of Zhili, reported that there was sufficient rain in his area in March. After reading it, Yongzheng criticized him for "the report was very vague" and "unclear and untrue", and instructed him to report the rainwater situation in each state and county in detail in the future, and not to make a confused account. In the leap month of the same year, Xie Min, the governor of Jiangxi Province, made two statements. One said that the winter snow was sufficient and the spring rains were moderate; the other said that the wheat harvest was not as good as in previous years. Yongzheng read the reply carefully and said: Since the rain has always been sufficient, why the wheat harvest has been reduced? There must be one untruth in both of them, so I need to understand the answer. Yongzheng hated formalities and presented "auspicious valleys" to local officials. He issued edicts many times to prohibit them.

In the autumn of the tenth year of Yongzheng (1732), there were two rice plants with one stem and two ears in Xinning County, Guangdong. Customs Supervisor Mao Keming specially reported it. Yongzheng criticized him: I have repeatedly issued edicts that all Jiahe Ruigu need not be submitted. No need to report, why do you specialize in such false and unreal matters?

In the Qing Dynasty, officials of all sizes, from the central to the local level, all had the bad habit of deceiving superiors and concealing information from subordinates. In order to put an end to deceit and mutual deception in the officialdom, Yongzheng repeatedly reminded internal and external officials to handle everything personally and not to trust subordinates to do anything. In the autumn of the third year of Yongzheng's reign (1725), Mianyang, Hubei Province suffered a flood. Governor Famin reported the situation of setting up a tent factory to cook porridge and provide relief. Yongzheng warned him: "As long as you handle these matters diligently, you must not listen to the subordinates' orders." "Deceit." In the Qing Dynasty, there were no express provisions in the law, and most of them were cases. Because the cases were flexible and changeable, investigators could make them at will. Clerks who inspected files often quoted quotes out of context or deleted them after accepting requests or bribes. Get rid of the surrounding words and only take out the middle few words, or avoid the important and take the light, and use it casually. In response to this shortcoming, Yongzheng ordered the Xingbu Yamen to "personally draft" all "draft cases" to avoid being deceived by clerks.

In the later years of Kangxi, the bureaucratic habits of the high-ranking officials in the Qing government were very serious. These people held high positions, but they were full and had nothing to do all day long. The civil and military ministers often agreed with the emperor's orders and discussions without taking any action. It is difficult to see a scene where people speak out and argue in detail and argue with reason. Yongzheng lived in the vassal residence for more than forty years, and he was very aware of the bad habits of courtiers who lived like monks ringing the bells every day, and even failed to ring the bells. Soon after he ascended the throne, he issued an edict to strictly rectify this habit. He pointed out unceremoniously: Nowadays, when the nine ministers of the imperial court are at work, when they discuss matters, they often "pass the blame without saying a word". Some pretend to be asleep, and some chat in the open air until they need to come up with ideas. At that time, they encouraged one or two new officials from the Department of Science and Technology to speak and express their position, and then everyone "joined together to try to take responsibility." What is the benefit of having courtiers discuss matters like this? Yongzheng ordered the important ministers in the court to express their own opinions when discussing matters and not to wait and see.

Yongzheng believed that the habit of trying to please everyone and being tactful and sophisticated in official circles was the most abominable. He pointed out that this bad habit was actually "the great stupidity of the country, and it is nothing more than a hindrance to government and corruption of customs." Train civil and military officials to have backbone and be courageous and upright when serving as officials. One day in June of the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign (1726), Yongzheng summoned the civil and military officials in Beijing to the Qinzheng Hall and gave an instruction: Now looking at the events agreed upon by the courtiers, most of them are unreasonable. The reason is nothing more than "the principle of deliberation" "Everyone has their own selfish motives." As a prince, we don't need to say anything first because of the ministers we have now; for those ministers who have just been promoted, and because they are already experienced ministers, why do we need to keep silent while doing the axes? And for those with deep seniority, A veteran, I know very well that the first shot is the first, and I don't give my own opinion. In the end, I ended up with the reputation of "discussing according to public opinion" and respecting others.

In order to completely change this bad habit of waiting and watching each other, Yongzheng announced that from now on, the princes and ministers who discuss matters will be divided into three groups. In the end, if the opinions are unanimous, the draft will be finalized according to this opinion; if the opinions are not exactly the same, the ministers will discuss it separately. "In this way, not only will there be no blame-shifting, but everyone will be able to come up with their own opinions." Yongzheng tried to establish a divided discussion system so that those who discussed the matter would have to say something but not have to say it, thus depriving speculators of the opportunity to echo.

In his later years, Kangxi only had 7 million taels of silver in the national treasury, and the mighty Qing Empire was actually empty. After Yongzheng's hard work, the number suddenly increased to 50 million taels. This was the result of Yongzheng's "reviving the decadent trend of hundreds of years" and rectifying the administration of officials. And the key figure who laid the real economic foundation of the "Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties" and served as a link between the past and the future was naturally Yongzheng. We can see the whole picture from Yongzheng's edicts, which embody a lot of effort.

A memorial is a confidential document unique to the Qing Dynasty in which high-ranking officials report to the emperor. The emperor personally gives instructions in ink and sends it back to the person who submitted the memorial for execution. This is a strict administrative instruction transmission system that began around the 20th year of Kangxi. At that time, the General Secretary only had 137 close officials with this qualification, and the content of the memorials was very limited, so there was no strict memorial system. During the Yongzheng Dynasty, the scope was expanded, and the number of officials qualified to write memorials reached more than 1,200, and the memorials were comprehensive. During Yongzheng's reign, he handled more than 192,000 various title books, an average of 14,700 per year, and personally approved more than 41,600 memorials. Some of the comments were more than 1,000 words long, which was more than the contents of the memorials themselves. The number of comments he wrote in the memorial reached more than 10 million words.

He works until late at night almost every day, and only rests on his birthday a year. It can be said that he has a lot of things to do every day. He once said: "In one day, there are twenty or thirty memorials, sometimes as many as fifty or sixty, of the memorials of civil and military officials from various provinces. I personally read and wholesale them all. I never hesitate to give them, and no one praises them." Around." Yongzheng selected some of the memorials he reviewed and compiled them into the "Yongzheng Zhu Pi Edict". The bound book is half a meter thick and contains more than 7,000 memorials. This is a true record of a diligent king who was diligent in government affairs. Throughout history, from the first emperor of Qin, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang to Kangxi, no one could compete with Yongzheng in terms of diligence.

Wu Guanjie, the prefect of Yanzhou, Shandong Province, received an edict, ordering him to serve the government diligently and conscientiously. Wu regarded the emperor's edict as a treasure and asked a craftsman to carve it on the screen door of the government office lobby. He asked the emperor to order all provinces to publish the edict so that the imperial edict could be kept high. Yongzheng criticized such people who deliberately flattered people: "You are not a super talented person. It is enough to take care of your duties. There is no need for such catering. I don't like all these things." Nian Xiyao, the governor of Guangdong, went to Yongzheng to deliver the order orally. Nian Xiyao wrote a note to thank him, saying that the emperor's edict was not only thorough and thorough, but also as accurate as a god. After reading it, Yongzheng commented: "It's a cliché to write, but there is always something from your heart." Huang Zhijun, a scholar in Fujian Province, wrote an excerpt praising "the emperor's grace". Yongzheng replied: "Everything is about practice, not words and language. I really hate reading the inscriptions on the holy scriptures."

Huguang Governor Yang Zongren set up social warehouses and other matters, Yongzheng Zhu commented: "Every province The customs and sentiments of the people are different, how can we do the same thing? You should always act with sincerity and act accordingly." Zhu Bizhong said to Hubei Governor Ma Huibo: "Everything I say is based on people and circumstances, and is expedient. . Ministers should not follow my temporary instructions to others to confuse their own opinions." Suolin, the supervisory censor who inspected Taiwan, said: "Strict training by local officers and soldiers in Taiwan can ensure peace in the maritime territory for thousands of years." Yongzheng warned: "The most important thing in everything is to be pragmatic. Only those who do not bully or conceal are good officials. Whitewashing, pandering, praising, and copying bad habits are absolutely prohibited."

Henan Governor Shi Wenzhuo reported that nine out of ten locust disasters in various states and counties in the province have been eliminated. Yongzheng discovered through questioning that the report was untrue, and severely criticized him: "You are either deceiving the emperor, or you have been deceived by your subordinates." After Shi Wenzhuo was transferred to the governor of Gansu, he still used the same tactics. There was a severe drought in Gansu in the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign. After a light rain, Shi Wenzhuo hurriedly reported that a good harvest was in sight. Yongzheng was very impatient after seeing this, and wrote: "After this drought, how can we expect a good harvest? I am really tired of seeing such whitewashing."

Shaanxi Governor Martai reported this Good weather depends on the emperor's blessing. Yongzheng used a red pen to underline the word "Hongfu" and commented: "Relying on Hongfu, such clichés are really tasteless. I have repeatedly warned all officials at home and abroad not to make pandering words. My mouth is dry, but you are still Don't you have eyes and ears to do this?" After Liu Yingding was promoted to Sichuan Chief Envoy, he wrote a note to thank him, saying that he was short-sighted. Yongzheng commented: "I am really disgusted by such empty words that contradict my words." It snowed in Shaanxi, but Governor Wuge did not report it in time. When the emperor asked, Wuge replied, "It is difficult for me to take the blame for my ignorance." Yongzheng crossed out the word "ignorance" with a red pen and was very angry: "I deeply hate such false and deceitful talk. If you This ignorant person is used as a minister of the border, so what about my ignorance? It is better to be honest and never have such empty words again."

Fujian Governor Huang Guocai said in the memorial that he wanted "strength." "Pursuance", Yongzheng commented next to these four words: "It's all in these four words". Yongzheng wrote in an edict to Zhang Kai, the governor of Jiangsu: "Those who serve as officials must make a difference, 'only carry out practical administration with sincerity, attach importance to public service and forget selfishness, and handle state affairs as if they were personal affairs." The imperial court set up "convention offices" in various states and counties across the country, and called on farmers to preach the "Holy Edict and Guangxun" on the first day of each month. Tian Wenjing, the governor of Henan and Shandong Provinces, reported different opinions based on the facts. He said that the farming work was busy and monthly propaganda was really not enough. He suggested calling the people to preach as appropriate during the slack season. He said "no" to something the emperor had already approved. Yongzheng wrote and commented: "This memorial is commendable and cannot be criticized."

Although Yongzheng valued Tian Wenjing, he scolded him because of his frequent memorials: "You send people to memorialize too frequently, why bother?" It's useless to waste time and money, and I feel troubled even though I have so many things to do every day." Yongzheng gave clear instructions to Ningxia Taoist Echang in Zhu Bizhong: "When there is something that should be reported, it should be reported several times within a month; if not, it should be reported. There is nothing to report, even if there is no news for several years, I will not blame you." Zhang Dayou, the governor in charge of grain transportation affairs, hopes that the imperial court will allow the use of post horses to report on water transportation matters.

Yongzheng replied: "If there is an important memorial, it can be delivered by post horse; for ordinary memorials, such as a certain ship passing a certain lock, not only should not be sent by post horse, but also can be dispensed with." Nian Xi, governor of Guangdong Yao presented three documents. Yongzheng read them and found that the matters discussed in the documents had already been reported to the ministries. He then commented: "What has been reported to the ministries, why bother to report it again? Isn't it the case in Guangdong Province?" You have nothing to report, but you have to find something to report. I have traveled such a long distance to send someone to deliver such a useless memorial. I wonder what your intention is?"

Shi Liha, the governor of Guizhou, asked your Majesty to see you. I hope you can. Reporting local affairs face to face and listening to the edict, Yongzheng gave instructions: "The road is very far, so there is no need to travel in vain. I will come to see you again, but it will only be my instructions to encourage you. If you can follow it with strength, I will see you again." "This is the time." Gan Ru, the chief envoy of Guangdong, came to invite your majesty to see you. Yongzheng was almost anxious and said: "What you have reported is really ignorant. I instruct you not to seek fame or small favors." I have been given this order many times, but you do not have the strength to obey it, but you always ask for an audience just for the sake of vanity. You travel thousands of miles like this and miss your job. I really don’t understand what you mean.”

I’m not sure. For matters that were under control, Yongzheng often asked local officials who were familiar with the situation to discuss and make decisions. Kong Yuxun, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, submitted a memorial to the emperor on the issue of land use. Yongzheng wrote in the memorial: "I don't know the local situation well, so it is difficult to issue an edict." Yue Zhongqi led troops to attack the rebellious Junggar tribe and asked for instructions on how to march and use troops. Your Majesty, Yong Zheng severely criticized him and said: "I am thousands of miles away, how do I know the specific local situation? This is all a matter that your general handles according to the time and place. How can I have the wisdom to give you an order?"

Ortai, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, dared to implement the edict that was not completely suitable for local conditions and raised different opinions. Yongzheng praised him and said: "Ortai is an official for the country." And Shen Tingzheng, the governor of Yunnan, For blindly catering to the edict, Yongzheng severely rebuked him: "Shen Tingzheng is an official for Shen Tingzheng."

Yongzheng once appointed a man named Zhou Ying to lead the army in Tibet. Later, he found that this man was mediocre and impetuous, so he frankly He said to the minister: "It is a big mistake to use this person in this matter. It is really my fault." There was a Taoist priest named Wang Jun in Zhejiang who wanted to donate 40,000 taels of silver to build the West Lake project. Yongzheng instructed: "Let him donate. If he doesn't donate, I won't let him go easily. His reputation as an official over the years has been too bad. Let him contribute money to eliminate disasters." When Yongzheng found out that he was taking the crown and taking the throne. , made an unimaginable comment: "This is unreasonable, I made a big mistake! I misremembered my name. Wang Jun had a very good reputation as an official, and I mistook him for Ma Zhonghua. I am ashamed of my fault. I am ashamed."

Yongzheng’s Zhu Pi did not always have such a domineering tone. There are many memorials where his consideration and forgiveness are touching. After Qinghai was pacified, Yongzheng wrote a reply to Nian Gengyao: "I have learned from your true feelings. I also miss you very much, and I also have some court affairs to discuss with you." Lan Yanzhen, the commander-in-chief of Taiwan, wrote a memorial to Nian Gengyao because his name was taboo. After changing the taboo, Yongzheng Zhu criticized, "No need. I like your name very much." After Nian Gengyao was overthrown, Kong Yu went to plead guilty because he was afraid of being implicated in what he had done in Nian. Yongzheng replied: "How can I not blame you for such a small mistake? I don't blame you. All the sins of Nian are that I didn't know people well and mistakenly favored bandits. I have taken the blame for myself, so how can I hurt innocent people?"

Yongzheng often wrote a reply on the greetings of his ministers and ministers: "I am well. How are you?" "I am very well. How are you?" Some of the replies are so good that you can't believe it. This is what the Supreme Emperor said. "Li Zhiying is really not a human being. It's a big joke, a big joke." "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" "I gave it to him. I laughed so hard. He is a real martial artist." "Good thing, good thing. After reading this memorial Those who are not happy to be rewarded are not the emperor. "There are also those who complain, "I am so angry and depressed, and my pain cannot be described in words." "There is no way to describe my pain." Although Yongzheng cannot be described in words. He is said to be a holy king, but his emotions, anger, sorrow, and joy, which are common to ordinary people, are expressed more vividly.

"In the history of China's chapter system, the Yongzheng dynasty was the most colorful era, and the emperor's clever and effective use of Zhu Pi was unprecedented." Read Yongzheng's imperial edict and comment. A real Yongzheng, understand a real Yongzheng.

Meng Sen, a scholar of Qing history, praised: "Since ancient times, there has been no emperor as diligent as Emperor Shizong." He also said, "His wisdom and diligence are really difficult for others." "Yongzheng had no officials in his dynasty. "This statement is too absolute and unconvincing, but it is a sincere evaluation of Yongzheng's governance.

Looking at the excerpts of Yongzheng's imperial edicts and looking at the thirteen years that Yongzheng was in charge of the government, it can be said that he governed the world with a pragmatic spirit. "Since ancient times, sages and sages have all governed with practical policies, and the worst thing is false reputation." Yongzheng's powerful words fully reflected his pragmatic thoughts. Yongzheng was well aware of the old saying that "what goes up leads to action". Throughout his life, he always set an example to inspire the country and worked hard to carry forward the past and open up the future. This was not only the first among the ten emperors of the Qing Dynasty, but also the first among the more than 200 emperors in ancient times. Yongzheng carried out reform and rectification of the long-standing abuses in the later years of Kangxi, sweeping away the decadence, clarifying the official administration, stabilizing the rule, filling the treasury, and lightening the people's burden. His pragmatic and truth-seeking spirit in governing the country laid a solid social and economic foundation for the development of the early Qianlong period. Although there is no word "Yong" in the "Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties", we must not ignore the unique role of Yongzheng's real existence and his great contribution. Yongzheng is the founder of the prosperous era. From this we can say that it is only fair to call the "prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong" as "the prosperous age of Kangxi, Yongzong and Qianlong".