The emperor had supreme power, but with the development of the dynasty, the absolute monarchy also changed, the power of the prime minister was constantly weakened, and the power of the emperor was continuously strengthened, thus forming a situation of high concentration of imperial power.
As the saying goes, if the name is not right, it is not smooth, since ancient times, the throne has been the object of contention for the descendants of the royal family, whether it is a prince or a princess, whether it is a prince or a queen, whether it is a foreign relative or a powerful courtier, they all have a very strong desire for the throne, so that for the throne, you are dead or alive. But no matter who it is, after inheriting the throne, it needs to have a suitable reason, otherwise it will be rebellious and committing chaos.
Although the Qing Dynasty was the last feudal dynasty in China, the desire of the princes for the throne was also very large. In particular, the nine sons of the Kangxi Period seized the throne, although the Yongzheng Emperor eventually inherited the throne, but historians have many doubts about the historical facts of this period. It was in this way that the Yongzheng Emperor created the system of "secret storage". The Qianlong Emperor, under this system, successfully inherited the throne.
However, the world is unpredictable, although the Yongzheng Emperor established a "secret reserve" system, but also could not resist the temptation of the throne, there are always people who want to seize the opportunity to seize the throne and become a monarch on the top.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the Xianfeng Emperor did not reign very long, which also led to a very turbulent political situation in the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, before the xianfeng emperor died, he made it clear that he would pass on the throne to his only son, Zaichun. But we all know that the Tongzhi Emperor who succeeded to the Xianfeng Throne was very young and had no ability to run the affairs of the Qing Dynasty, and moreover, the Xianfeng Emperor had no ability when he was in power, let alone his son, who was only a few years old?
At this time, Emperor Xianfeng's younger brother, Prince Gong Yixuan, became the greatest threat to Emperor Tongzhi.
At this time, if Yi Xian dared to overthrow the will of the Xianfeng Emperor and inherit the throne, it would be a challenge to orthodoxy. In the context of such an era, neither the Manchu officials nor the Manchurian people would agree to Yi Chen's approach, and would definitely punish him with the ancestral family law and the Eight Banners Army.
More importantly, if Cixi had not been in power, then the Xianfeng Emperor's eight ministers would have taken action when they were in power. Not only will it keep Yi Xun out of power, but it will also drive him out of the center of power. Even if the eight ministers did not have power, Empress Dowager Cixi, who represented the imperial power, could justifiably control the power of the Qing Dynasty in the name of the mother and son between the empress dowager and the emperor.
In addition, Yi Chen's power is also limited. At the beginning, Yi Chen, who was very capable, almost became the heir to the throne, but because he did not have his own power, he eventually rubbed shoulders with the throne. What's more, after Xianfeng succeeded to the throne, not only did he not reuse YiXun, but he was also excluded from the eight ministers.
Later, although Yi Chen was used by Empress Dowager Cixi to launch a coup d'état, this coup was a "double-edged sword".
After the success of the coup, Yi Xun was appointed as the King of Parliament, and he reused the Han bureaucracy, set up foreign affairs, and suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was a moment of prestige; on the other hand, the coup overthrew the Xianfeng Emperor's eight ministers, and invisibly touched the interests of the Manchu nobles. For Yi Xun, this is a very big problem, so Yi Xun is actually not as powerful as imagined.
Especially when Yi Chen had a conflict with Empress Dowager Cixi, Yi Xun had no power of his own.
Once, one of Cixi's ministers wanted to go out from the main gate of the palace to do something. In the Qing Dynasty, the main gate was a dedicated passage for the emperor to enter and exit, and the minister violated the rules of his ancestors, so the guards did not let him go out. However, Empress Dowager Cixi liked this minister very much, so she asked Yi Xun and the Punishment Department to execute the janitor, and as a result, Yi Xian categorically refused.
In response, Empress Dowager Cixi said very angrily, "What are you?" Do you dare to confront me? Yi Xian also said breathlessly, "I am Prince Gong." After hearing this, Empress Dowager Cixi was even more annoyed and said, "Then I will revoke your position as Prince Gong!" Yi Xun was enraged and responded, "Although you have revoked my position, you cannot change my identity as the son of the former emperor!" ”
It can be seen from this that Yi Zhi was still very arrogant in front of Empress Dowager Cixi.
Empress Dowager Cixi, relying on the imperial power of the little emperor, had been making excuses and using another of Emperor Xianfeng's younger brothers, YiZhen the Prince of Alcohol, to suppress Yizhen. In the end, not only did Yi Xian get rid of all his positions, but he also swept Yi Xun to the end.
So, what kind of relationship did Empress Dowager Cixi have with Yi Xuan?
In 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor was seriously ill at the Rehe Palace, so he summoned Zaiyuan the Prince of Yi and Duanhua the Prince of Zheng. Subsequently, the Xianfeng Emperor issued an edict: "The eldest son of the Emperor Zaichun is made crown prince." He also let Zaiyuan, Duanhua and other eight ministers wholeheartedly assist the new emperor and manage all the affairs of the country, which is the famous "Eight Ministers".
The Xianfeng Emperor died of illness after dealing with these things, because the Xianfeng Emperor was not reused whether before his death or after his death, which also made Yixun feel very aggrieved. As a result, Yi Xun and Cixi launched a coup d'état together, thus controlling the power of the Qing court, not only becoming the king of the parliament, but also firmly controlling the military machine in his own hands.
Although Yi Xun and Cixi became allies in this coup, the relationship between them did not last long. We all know that Cixi is not a weak woman, but a very strong woman. In their relationship with Yi Chen, many contradictions arose between them, and when Cixi realized that she could not control Yi Xuan, she thought of taking away the power in Yi Chen's hands.
In the middle of the recital, Yi Zhi was impeached, and Cixi was relieved of all his duties, but there was a request from the chancellor to let Yi Xi retain the right to enter and leave the inner courtyard. When Yi Xian and other ministers forced Cixi's favorite eunuch An Dehai to die, Cixi hated him even more, and the relationship between the two broke down. It wasn't until Yi Chen's death that the fight ended completely.
In 1898, after the great incident of the Tsarist Forcible Occupation of the Brigade, the Guangxu Emperor summoned the princes and ministers to speak of the dangers of the times, "taking the change of the law as an urgent task" and determined to reform. Yi Xuan "silently" did not answer. Soon, Kang Youwei wrote to the system bureau to determine state affairs, and Yi Xun also expressed his opposition. Soon, Yi Chen became seriously ill, and on the tenth day of the first month of April, Yi Chen died of illness at the age of sixty-seven.
As the saying goes, the most difficult thing for a person to overcome in this life is himself, and throughout Yi Chen's life, he finally lost to himself.
Resources:
["Bitter Destiny of Heavenly Son: Xianfeng Emperor Yixuan", "Qing History Manuscript , Later Concubine Column Biography", "Qing History Manuscript Volume 221"]