Hongshi

Hongshi
Born (1704-03-18)March 18, 1704
Died September 20, 1727(1727-09-20) (aged 23)
Spouse Lady Donggo
Lady Zhong
Lady Tian
Issue Yongshen
Full name
Aisin-Gioro Hongshi
(愛新覺羅·弘時)
House Aisin Gioro
Father Yongzheng Emperor
Mother Consort Qi
Hongshi
Traditional Chinese 弘時
Simplified Chinese 弘时

Hongshi (Manchu: Hungši; 18 March 1704 – 20 September 1727) was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. The third surviving son of the Yongzheng Emperor, Hongshi was banished from the imperial clan in 1725, ostensibly for his support of his uncle Yunsi, who was a political rival to his father. He died in disgrace in 1727. He was posthumously restored to the imperial clan.

Early life

Hongshi was born in the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the third son of Yinzhen (Prince Yong), the fourth son of the Kangxi Emperor. His mother was a Han Chinese woman surnamed Li (the later Consort Qi) who was a secondary consort of Yinzhen.[1]

Yinzhen ascended the throne as the Yongzheng Emperor in December 1722. In his father's early reign, Hongshi is not recorded as having played any major role in court politics. Unlike his younger brother Hongli, who was awarded the title of a prince, Hongshi never received a noble title. Between 1722 and 1726, Hongshi became associated with his uncle Yunsi, who was also the biggest political rival to his father. Shortly after Yunsi was accused of crimes by the Yongzheng Emperor in 1725, Hongshi was banished from the imperial palace. The Yongzheng Emperor also wrote that Hongshi should "go be Yunsi's son if he wishes to," suggesting that Hongshi had an especially close relationship with Yunsi, and that the emperor was deeply troubled by their closeness.[1]

While Hongshi was forbidden to enter the Forbidden City, unlike his disgraced uncle Yunsi, he was not jailed. He was instead placed under the supervision of his uncle Yuntao, the 12th son of the Kangxi Emperor.[1] After his banishment, Hongshi did not show any remorse. In April 1726, the Yongzheng Emperor, deeply angered, ordered Hongshi's name removed from the imperial family records (玉蝶), marking Hongshi's expulsion from the imperial clan, and, by extension, the renunciation their father-son relationship.

Death and rehabilitation

In September 1727, the Yongzheng Emperor was said to have forced Hongshi, then 23, to commit suicide by hanging himself, although there are no definitive historical records on the circumstances of Hongshi's death. A popular theory was that Hongshi was forced to death by the Yongzheng Emperor due to the latter's own prolonged struggle against his brothers for the throne and their attempts at sabotaging his policies after he became emperor. However, in contrast to the Yongzheng Emperor's brothers, Hongshi was never well established politically in his own right, he did not take part in any military campaigns nor was he tasked with any significant assignments at court.[1]

Some historians remain deeply skeptical of the Yongzheng Emperor's motive to kill Hongshi, reasoning that he could have also simply placed him under house arrest or exiled him and achieved the same ends. Moreover, Yunsi and his associates had been largely rounded up and neutralized by the time of Hongshi's death; even if Hongshi were 'set free', he would not have nearly enough political clout to achieve a coup d'état on his own. Nevertheless, Hongshi's death would make Hongli the presumed heir for the remainder of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign (their younger brother, Hongzhou, did not seem to be interested in fighting for the throne).[1]

Shortly after the death of the Yongzheng Emperor in 1735, the Kangxi Emperor's 16th son Yunlu (允禄) wrote a memorial to the newly enthroned Qianlong Emperor (Hongli) asking Hongshi to be rehabilitated and restored to the imperial clan. The Qianlong Emperor restored Hongshi into the Aisin Gioro family records shortly thereafter, remarking that Hongshi was "young and reckless" but that "many years have passed since his demise" and as such harsh treatment was no longer necessary. The Qianlong Emperor also said that he still felt "brotherly love" towards Hongshi. Apart from some generic comments and a reference to Hongshi's association with Yunsi, neither Yinlu nor the Qianlong Emperor referred to any specific crimes committed by Hongshi; it is therefore still somewhat of a mystery under what circumstances the Yongzheng Emperor decided to disown and banish him.[1]

In popular culture

In the Eryue He novel Yongzheng Emperor, later adapted to the critically acclaimed television series Yongzheng Dynasty, Hongshi was shown to have plotted against his younger brother Hongli (the future Qianlong Emperor) for succession to the throne, at the instigation of Yunsi. The novel and the television series also suggest that the Yongzheng Emperor himself ordered Hongshi to commit suicide.

Family

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "雍正杀子疑案". Sina. November 27, 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, February 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.