When it comes to Nian Gengyao, most people's first reaction is that the brother of the Chinese concubine in "The Legend of Zhen Huan" is a famous general and a powerful military minister during the Yongzheng period. How powerful is his power? Looking at Concubine Hua's arrogance and domineering attitude, we can see that she relied not only on the emperor's easy-to-change favor, but also on the support of the forces behind her family. But for a general who was so appreciated and loved by two emperors, his wife and children were still treated like this by Yongzheng after his death, which is also very sad.
From Kangxi’s appreciation
Why was Nian Gengyao so favored? The line of sight also starts from the Kangxi period. During the Kangxi period, Nian Gengyao was promoted repeatedly because of his talents, thus winning the favor of Emperor Kangxi and becoming a feudal official. Faced with the favor shown to him by Emperor Kangxi, he did not feel arrogant about the favor. Instead, he expressed that he would do his best to repay the emperor's favor by saying, "I am a mediocre fool and I have been favored for three generations." After arriving in Sichuan, he first set an example and resolutely achieved "Be willing to be indifferent and show no favoritism". His loyalty to the monarch and his numerous achievements made Emperor Kangxi trust and use him more, and at the same time, he assigned more people. Tasks and opportunities were given to him. With more and more opportunities and increasing rights, he also had the opportunity to participate in one of the most famous historical events of the Qing Dynasty, the Jiulong Seizure of Heirs.
Yongzheng's original intention was to be his right-hand man
In the incident of "Kowloon seizing the legitimate son", he chose to side with the fourth prince Yinzhen, who later became Emperor Yongzheng. This dispute has appeared in many TV dramas. The more classic ones such as "Bu Bu Jing Xin" or "Palace" all use "Kowloon to seize the legitimate son" as the thread to support the plot. Needless to say, it is tragic. At the peak of the intrigues in the court, the eighth prince Yinzhen was also very powerful, so Nian Gengyao's joining the team was not only a great help to Yinzhen, but also a big step in his life. risky chess.
Fortunately, the Fourth Age Party won in the end, and Nian Gengyao also gained the trust and reliance of Emperor Yongzheng because of his correct choice during the dispute and his special assistance to Emperor Yongzheng, and he and Emperor Yongzheng's uncle Longkodo Together they became Emperor Yongzheng's right-hand man. After Emperor Yongzheng secured the throne, Nian Gengyao took charge of all affairs in the western region and became Yongzheng's trusted agent on the western frontier. Later, Nian Gengyao pacified the Qinghai War and became famous in both the government and the public. Yongzheng wrote in Zhu's memorial to him: "I have learned from your true feelings. I also miss you very much, and I also discuss some court affairs with you." ?And because of his thorough planning and unexpected victory, he was promoted to the first-class Duke. Nian Gengyao's father was also named the first-class Duke, plus the title of Taifu. He was also ordered to convey his will and write an edict. At this time, he was powerful in the northwest, and he could participate in Yunnan government affairs, and he was unparalleled for a while.
Yongzheng believed that he was lucky to have a frontier minister like Nian Gengyao. If the country had more such generals to maintain peace, it would surely prosper. So he regarded him as his "benefactor" and told him in front of Nian Gengyao. Later, he felt that his reward was not enough, and told the people of the world that respect for Nian Gengyao should not only extend to himself, but also to the descendants of the royal family and all the people, otherwise it would be contrary to the emperor's order. At this time, Nian Gengyao was at the peak of Yongzheng's favor. However, in the world's major events, if they are divided for a long time, they will be reunited, and if they are united for a long time, they will be divided. The same is true for people when their power reaches its highest peak. It was also the pride of this period that made him arrogant and arrogant, and gradually began to be hated and guarded against by Yongzheng.
The fall of a generation of generals
One of the turning points was when Nian Gengyao calmly accepted the worship of the princes and the people when he returned to Beijing from the frontier. Countless rumors and rumors made Yongzheng's The dignity of the emperor was deeply wounded. This time he changed from the previous high praise for Nian Gengyao in Zhu Yu. Tell him that as a minister of the king, it is easy to get a chance to succeed, but it is difficult to succeed; it is easy to succeed, but it is difficult to keep the credit; it is easy to keep the credit, but it is difficult to stick to it. If fault is caused by merit, it will inevitably lead to this always being human.
The second turning point was that Nian Gengyao made a mistake that all kings would never allow: forming a party for personal gain. He used his power to get everyone he recommended successfully hired.
In addition, a group headed by him was formed around Sichuan, acting like a "king". He even did something like "reject those who dissent and recommend those who follow him". This incident can be said to be the most powerful evidence when he was later accused by Yongzheng. The third turning point is his unsatisfied greed. After Yongzheng came to power, he relied on his reputation as accompanying Yongzheng to the throne and his solid position in the court to engage in corruption and bribery. He no longer had the integrity that he insisted on during the Kangxi period. But after a country experienced such a major civil strife, Yongzheng's most important thing was to help the people severely punish corrupt officials and enrich the national treasury. Therefore, this third turning point can be said to be the trigger for Nian Gengyao's ruin.
After Nian Gengyao's death, his wife and children were treated like this by Yongzheng
After a series of turning points and Nian Gengyao's various "cooperation", Yongzheng finally couldn't stand it anymore and decided to Pull it down from the high position little by little. First, he dismissed his memorial, and later entrusted Cai Jue, who was falsely accused by him, to a prominent position, making him a sharp weapon against Nian Gengyao. Finally, he made a big fuss in Nian Gengyao's congratulations, saying that he relied on his own merits and showed disrespect, and even directly denied his military exploits in Qinghai. Later, he was transferred to Hangzhou and ordered to hand over the seal of Fuyuan General. He also pursued the victory and replaced Nian Gengyao's cronies. At this point, everyone in the court naturally saw that Nian Gengyao was gone and turned their sides one after another, exposing his various crimes and evil deeds.
In the end, after Yongzheng removed all his official positions and escorted him back to Beijing, the ministers listed Nian Gengyao for ninety-two crimes. But after all, he had made great military exploits and had great prestige among the people, so Yongzheng had been struggling with what crime to sentence him to so that it would not affect his image as a virtuous king. Just at this time, a tiger came to the capital, hurt many people, destroyed many houses, and was later stabbed to death by the combined efforts of officers and soldiers. Yongzheng took the opportunity to connect Nian Gengyao with the tiger, and in the name of God, after expressing his reluctance and extrajudicial mercy, he allowed him to commit suicide.
After Nian Gengyao died, Yongzheng wiped out the rest of the party, and Nian Gengyao's family were all dismissed by Yongzheng and sent into the army. Yongzheng was even more merciless in his treatment of his direct blood relatives. His wife and children were all executed directly. Only the eldest son survived. Later, in order to avoid disaster, the Nian family changed their surname from "Nian" to "Sheng". This was the most brutal sentence in the Qing Dynasty where most blood relatives were exiled.
You cannot lose your sense of proportion and original intention as a human being despite temporary glory. Nian Gengyao lost his sense of proportion, which ultimately led to the disaster of killing people and destroying his family. Accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger. Whatever you do, you must remember it and never forget your original intention. Only then can you always succeed.