At that time, the young father, Emperor Shunzhi, only cared about Concubine Dong E, and this concubine E soon added a new member to the emperor and became the fourth prince. Prince.
The fortune and misfortune of the royal family──The infectious disease of the century “smallpox” has become the key
Emperor Shunzhi, who was in his prime, contracted smallpox at the age of 23.
The “epidemic disease of the century” in the Qing Dynasty was smallpox. Manchurians are not immune to smallpox, so they regard smallpox as a natural enemy. Once infected, nine and a half out of ten people will die. When the Ming army was defeated in the battle with the Qing army, they would deliberately drop patients infected with smallpox on the road that the Qing army must pass to prevent the Qing army from pursuing. In addition, when North Korea fought against the Qing army, there are also records that the brave Qing army did not dare to fight because they were afraid of smallpox!
The Qing court had strict control over smallpox. The government had a special health department called “Chapozhangjing”. , the little prince Kangxi also wants to be quarantined out of the city. There is also a temple altar in the palace dedicated to worshiping the “Pox God Empress”.
Emperor Shunzhi had eight sons, the eldest son died very early, the most beloved fourth son passed away in less than four months, Concubine E was too sad and in poor health to have no more children, and the youngest prince also died. Just a baby. When Shunzhi was critically ill, he hesitated whether to establish the elder second son Fuquan, or the third son Xuan Ye who had suffered from smallpox?
The country has just been established, and there are many crises. Emperor Shunzhi once considered passing it on to his elder nephew, but the empress dowager and his trusted missionaries kept persuading him, and he finally chose Xuanye, who had suffered from smallpox, as the prince.
Emperor Shunzhi died of smallpox, but Kangxi was established as the heir to the throne because of smallpox
How did Kangxi, who lacked the care of his parents, develop good emperor qualities?
Why did Emperor Kangxi, who was never loved by his parents, be famous among the emperors of all dynasties? Who taught him when he was a child? It was his grandmother who taught him when he was a child, that is, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang at the time. At the age of 32, she assisted the six-year-old Shunzhi Emperor as a queen mother and was very influential in government. She cultivated with all her strength and strictly demanded Kangxi’s words and deeds with the “emperor’s norms”, and she did not relax even in the sitting posture of the life section. Kangxi loved learning since he was a child, and he was proficient in classics, calligraphy, and archery. Grandma often said that he was more serious than the scholars who took the imperial examinations. His erudition and versatility made foreign priests admire him.
His grandmother hoped that he would become a “generous, benevolent, gentle and respectful” emperor, and this has become the portrayal of Kangxi’s life! From a short story, it can be seen that his self-demand is very high!
When Kangxi was nine years old, a general presented a very peculiar yellow parrot with a gold cage. Kangxi not only returned the gift, but also severely reprimanded the general. The nine-year-old little emperor has been alone, observing Kangxi’s life, and has no interest in those pleasures and ostentation. His diligence and frugality are also among the top in Chinese history.
The relationship between the grandparents and grandchildren is very good. When the grandmother was seriously ill, Kangxi stayed around day and night for thirty-five days, taking care of the diet, dispensing medicine and nursing. Your deep kindness is something that I will never be able to repay in my life.
In fact, Emperor Kangxi was unusual since he was a child. When he was six years old, he and his brothers greeted his father, Emperor Shunzhi, and his father asked each child to talk about what they wanted to be when they grew up. The second elder brother Fuquan said: “My son is willing to be a virtuous king and assist the emperor Amali in the country.” Ama is the father of Manchurian. It was Xiao Xuanye’s turn and he replied confidently: “I would like to follow the example of Emperor Ama and be a hero in Vega.” Emperor Shunzhi stared at the child who hadn’t seen him a few times. The grandmother was also very surprised and asked: “Third elder brother, why do you have such an idea?” He said: “Master Meng said that everyone can be Yao and Shun. The emperor Mama, the ministers and grandchildren want to follow the example of the emperor Ama and become the hero. Don’t you just do what the sages say?”
The eight-year-old Emperor Kangxi had just ascended the throne. His grandmother, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, asked him what he wanted after becoming emperor. His answer was: “May the world be peaceful and peaceful, the people be happy, and enjoy the blessing of peace.” He is very clear about the heavy responsibility of being a monarch, and he has used his legendary life to practice it.
The portraits we usually see are from Kangxi’s middle-aged or later years. How about the young ones? The official historian described that “the sky is magnificent, the spirit is radiant, the eyes are hanging from the sun, the dragon is long and the moon is standing, and the ears are loud”, which means that the person is tall and handsome, with bright eyes, a high nose, big ears, and a loud voice. The Dutch mission also recorded that the emperor was thirteen years old, of medium height, fair, and modestly dressed.
In addition, the leader of the North Korean envoys told the North Korean king that the twenty-nine-year-old Emperor Kangxi was “big and beautiful”, meaning he was tall and handsome. He was dressed in a black leather suit. He was young and handsome. He was definitely more eye-catching than today’s royal family and stars. !
There are certain etiquettes for envoys to meet with the emperor, and the emperor has a certain distance from them, which may be a rough outline. However, a few missionaries often walked around the palace because of the emperor’s appreciation, and they left the most direct records. The French priest named Bai Jin described Emperor Kangxi: “He is mighty and majestic, well-proportioned, slightly taller than ordinary people, with regular facial features, and his eyes are larger and more energetic than ordinary people of his own nationality. The tip of his nose is slightly rounded and hooked. .Although there are marks left by smallpox on his face, it doesn’t affect his handsome appearance.”
Do we have a new understanding of the longest reigning Emperor Kangxi?
For more articles, please click the series of “Emperor Kangxi, the Holy Patriarch of the Qing Dynasty”.
