Mystery of sudden death
As for the death of Yongzheng, it is recorded in the "Ju Zhu" of Yongzheng Dynasty in the archives of Qing Palace that in August of the 13th year of Yongzheng (A.D. 1735), Yong Zhengdi lived in Yuanmingyuan. On August 18, he consulted with ministers to deal with minority affairs. On August 20, he summoned several local officials in Ningguta, and the next day he was still working normally, indicating that he was in good health.
But on August 22nd, he suddenly fell ill. That evening, Yongzheng, who was dying, announced that he would be handed over to his son Gan Long. The next day, 58-year-old Yongzheng swallowed his last breath in Yuanmingyuan.
Yong Zhengdi's sudden death was recorded so simply by the Qing government without explanation. This is easy to arouse people's speculation.
Advocate Dan medicine
Yongzheng became interested in Dan medicine before he became emperor. He once wrote a poem "Burning Dan": "Draw sand as medicine, pine and cypress around the cloud altar. The furnace contains yin and yang fire, both inside and outside. " It can be seen that Yongzheng had considerable research and interest in alchemy in his early years.
After Yongzheng proclaimed himself emperor, he admired Zhang Boduan, the founder of Nanzong, and named him "Ziyang Real Person". Yongzheng especially praised Zhang Boduan for inventing the essentials at that time.
At least from the fourth year of Yongzheng (A.D. 1726), Yongzheng often ate a kind of Dan medicine called "Ji Ji Dan" refined by Taoist priests. From his comments on Tian Wenjing's memorial, we can know that he felt it was effective after taking it, and he also gave Dan medicine as a gift to E Ertai, Tian Wenjing and other ministers.
Secret alchemy
Yongzheng, while engaged in Taoist activities, began to secretly raise fire in Yuanmingyuan to make an alchemy.
The work file of the Qing Palace is the account book of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which records the daily necessities of the palace and discloses some information about Yongzheng alchemy. The earliest record is the eighth year of Yongzheng (A.D. 1730). The main contents are as follows: 1 1 month 17. On the day, Liu, the general manager of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the ambassador of the Imperial Palace, ordered that 750 Jin of Sang Mu and 200 Jin of white charcoal be sent to Yuanmingyuan Village. On the seventh day of December, Liu Chuanling sent the iron brazier cover with a diameter of one foot eight inches and a height of one foot five inches, red furnace charcoal 100 kg, to Yuanmingyuan Village. 1February 15, Liu and Si Deacon Shi Lizhong issued an order together: 12 ounces of mineral silver, 50 kilograms of black charcoal and 65,438 kilograms of good coal were sent to Yuanmingyuan Village. 1February 22nd, Wang Hai and Li Jinzhong sent a message together: Xiu Qing Village of Yuanmingyuan is smelting silver, and it needs 500 kilograms of white charcoal and 500 kilograms of cinder coal.
Xiu Qing Village mentioned in the archives is located in the southeast corner of Yuanmingyuan, close to mountains and waters. This is a good place for secret activities. According to the archives, more than 2,000 kilograms of firewood and coal were sent to Xiu Qing Village in more than a month. The fuel used for heating and cooking in the palace of the Qing Dynasty was rationed, and there was a special account book, which was never recorded in the life record. At the same time, it is Yongzheng's confidant who handles this matter, and Liu is the general manager of Yongzheng Medical. The "mining silver" and "melting silver" in the archives are the necessities of an alchemist. It can be concluded that from the end of the eighth year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng began to make an alchemy in Xiu Qing Village of Yuanmingyuan.
Experts found from the work files that during the five years from the eighth year of Yongzheng to the thirteenth year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng issued a 157 bill to transport the items needed for alchemy to Yuanmingyuan, of which 234 tons of coal was used for alchemy alone, and there were a large number of mineral products such as silver, copper, black lead and sulfur, so it is conceivable that Xiu Qing Village was an alchemist a few years later.
Take Dan medicine
At that time, there were several Taoist priests who made an alchemy for Yongzheng in Yuanmingyuan. The most important ones were Zhang Taixu and Wang Dinggan. They did not live up to Yongzheng's expectations and really made furnace after furnace of so-called elixir.
Yongzheng ate the Dan medicine refined by the Taoist priest and felt good about himself. He not only ate the Dan medicine himself, but also gave some of it to officials he trusted.
In March and April of the twelfth year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng awarded Dan medicine twice, and the work file records:
The first time was on March 2 1 day. Hai Wang, the minister of the interior, handed over four boxes of Dan medicine, and according to Yongzheng's will, they were awarded to acting general Chalang, lieutenant Zhang Guangsi, counselor Mu Deng and prefect Fan Ting respectively.
The second time was on the first day of April, Hai Wang, Minister of Interior Affairs, handed over a box of Dan medicine, which was packed in a box and given to the ministers of Ouchi rank according to the will of Yongzheng.
These two gifts were sent from Yuanmingyuan and handed over by Hai Wang, the director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It can be seen that these royal "pills" were extracted from the imperial blast furnace in Yuanmingyuan.
Poisoning by Dan medicine
In fact, lead, mercury, sulfur, arsenic and other minerals used in alchemy are toxic, which has considerable harm to the brain and five internal organs.
Before Yongzheng's death 12 days, it was recorded in the work file: "Chen Jiuqing, the eunuch in charge, and Wang Shougui, the eunuch in charge, jointly sent a message: 200 Jin of cow tongue black lead will be used in Yuanmingyuan."
Black lead is a toxic metal, which can cause death if taken in excess. 100 kg of black lead was transported to Yuanmingyuan, where Yongzheng died suddenly soon. Historians believe that this is not an accidental coincidence, but directly proves that Yongzheng's death may be caused by Dan medicine poisoning.
With the excavation and research of Yongzheng's archives, the statement that Yongzheng died in Dan has been paid more and more attention and recognition by some historians. Because according to the archives of Qing Palace, Yongzheng did take Dan medicine for a long time. Then the toxic components of Dan medicine accumulated in his body for a long time and finally broke out, which led to his sudden death. This is very possible, and many experts have made detailed inferences about it through their works.
Scholars have generally noticed that Qianlong, the son of Yongzheng, exposed many flaws in dealing with alchemists. On the second day after Yongzheng's death, Qianlong, who had just acceded to the throne, ordered the expulsion of alchemists Zhang Taixu and Wang Dinggan. If they didn't cause catastrophic disasters, why did Gan Long lose his temper at such an extraordinary moment and issue an imperial edict specifically for two little monks?
In the imperial edict, Qianlong also emphasized that Yongzheng liked "fire training", but it was just a game, and he didn't take Dan medicine. If you really didn't take Dan medicine, why explain it?
On the same day that the Taoist priest was expelled, Qianlong also warned the eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting in the palace not to spread "gossip" indiscriminately, so as not to make the Empress Dowager unhappy. Yongzheng has just died. What's the "scandal"? Why did Empress Dowager Cixi listen to Upset? All this makes people speculate that Yongzheng died of taking poisonous Dan medicine and at the hands of an alchemist.