Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 2.pdf/322

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Yin-hsiang
Yin-jêng

of Ho Ch'o [q. v.]. This, however, seems improbable because Yin-ssŭ [q. v.] was the only prince with whom Ho Ch'o was really intimate, and because Ho died before Yin-hsiang rose to prominence. What seems more likely is that Ho bought books for Yin-ssŭ and that, after the latter was condemned, they came into the possession of Yin-hsiang. At all events, the collection was dispersed after the death of Tsaiyüan (see below), part of it going to the Hai-yuan ko library (see under Yang I-tsêng).

The palace of Yin-hsiang (known as I-wang fu 怡王府), situated in Mei-cha hu-t'ung 煤炸胡同, Peking, was relinquished by the family after his death and converted in 1734 into a monastery named Hsien-liang ssŭ 賢良寺. The family then moved to T'ou-t'iao 頭條 hu-tung, east of the present College of Chinese Studies, where the Ming-shan t'ang was located. It was here that Lord Elgin (James Bruce, see under Yeh Ming-ch'ên) and his entourage resided during his stay in Peking from October 27 to November 9, 1860.

Hung-chiao's branch of the family resided, after about 1730, in a palace located east of the present Peking Union Medical College. Since 1864 the palace has been known as I-wang fu.

The sixth Prince I, Tsai-yüan 載垣 (d. 1861), was a great-great-grandson of Yin-hsiang. He had the confidence of the reigning Emperor Wên-tsung and played an important role in his Court. In 1860, after Kuei-liang [q. v.] had failed in his diplomatic mission to detain the British and French Allies at Tientsin, he, assisted by Mu-yin (see under Su-shun), was sent to Tungchow to renew the negotiations there. From the 14th to the 17th of September he held conversations with Parkes (see under Yeh Ming-ch'ên), representative of the British High Commissioner. But on the 18th the negotiations broke off and Tsai-yüan ordered the arrest of Parkes and his party, thus bringing on retaliatory measures by the Allies (see under I-hsin). Tsai-yuan followed the Court to Jehol (see under I-chu) where he, Su-shun [q. v.], and several others were entrusted by the Emperor with great responsibilities. During the coup d'état of Empress Hsiao-ch'in [q. v.] in 1861 he was punished by being ordered to commit suicide. The Princedom I was discontinued for three years and then passed to Hung-chiao's branch of the family.


[1/170/13a; 1/226/11b; Ch'ing Huang-shih ssŭ-p'u, 3/15a (see under Fu-lung-an); 5/33/2b for Wu Pang-ch'ing; Ching-shih fang-hsiang chih (see bibl. under Ulgungga), 4/23a, 24a, 38a; T'ieh-pao [q. v.], Hsi-ch'ao ya-sung chi, passim; Ch'ou-pan I-wu shih-mo (see under I-hsin), Hsien-fêng, chüan 60–68; Lu Hsin-yüan [q. v.], I-ku t'ang hsü-pa, 1/2a.]

Fang Chao-ying


YIN-jêng 胤礽, June 16, 1674–1725, Jan. 27, one-time Heir Apparent to the throne, was the second son of Emperor Shêng-tsu (see under Hsüan-yeh). His mother, Empress Hsiao-ch'êng (孝誠仁皇后, Feb. 4, 1654–1674), was a niece of Songgotu [q. v.]. She was married to the Emperor in 1665 and in 1669 gave birth to a son who died in infancy. She herself died on the day that Yin-jêng was born and her death was greatly lamented by the Emperor. Perhaps in deference to her memory, or because she was descended from a noble family, her son, Yin-jêng, was proclaimed Heir Apparent (January 26, 1676) and was brought up as such. The Emperor himself taught Yin-jêng to read, and from the age of six (sui) onward the child had for his tutors such scholarly officials as Chang Ying, Li Kuang-ti, Hsiung Tz'ŭ-li and T'ang Pin [qq. v.]. He studied both Chinese and Manchu, was an able horseman, and was skilled in the use of the bow and arrow. In the years 1696 and 1697, when the Emperor twice led the expeditionary force against the Eleuths (see under Fiyanggû), Yin-jêng was both times made regent to look after affairs in Peking. But even before the Emperor returned to the capital is 1697 he was informed that Yin-jêng was associating with men of evil character and indulging in immoral practices. When the Emperor returned, he ordered the execution of several of the officials involved.

Nevertheless the prince remained in has father's favor and was given a garden named Hsi hua-yüan 西花園, near the Emperor's own villa, Ch'ang-ch'un yüan (see under Hsüan-yeh). When Yin-jêng set out with the Emperor on a projected tour of South China in 1702, he took ill at Tê-chou, Shantung, and his granduncle, Songgotu, was summoned to look after him. The Emperor abandoned the journey and returned to Peking. Before long rumors were afloat that Songgotu was too active in promoting the interests of the Heir Apparent with the consequence that in 1703 Songgotu was imprisoned, and there died. As Yin-jêng gradually fell into disfavor, several of his brothers begin to form cliques, in the hope of taking his place.

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