胤禔 Yìnzhī

Yunzhi, with the Rank of a Gushan Beizi

Yunzhi, with the rank of a gushan Beizi, was the first son of Shengzu. Whenever the emperor went on a tour, he went with him. In the twenty-ninth year of Kangxi he was ordered to serve as deputy to Fuquan, Prince Yu of the First Rank, against Ga'erdan. Because Yunzhi listened to slander, was at odds with Fuquan and sent memorials of his own on the side, the emperor feared he would ruin things in the army and recalled him to the capital. Before long Fuquan's army returned, and the princes and high officials were ordered to investigate. Fuquan at first meant to expose Yunzhi's faults in the army, but a stern decree came warning Yunzhi not to take a different line from Fuquan, and Fuquan then took the blame on himself. The story is in the biography of Fuquan. Edit

In the thirty-fifth year he followed the emperor on the campaign against Ga'erdan and was ordered, with the Minister of the Imperial Household Suo'etu, to command the vanguard of the Eight Banners sent ahead, the Chinese-martial firearms division, the Chahar of the four banners and the Green Standard troops, and to camp at Tuolingbulake to await the emperor. When the army of Feiyanggu, Grand General of the Western Route, was late, the matter was put to the high officials in the army, and an official was also sent to ask Yunzhi's view. The emperor then advanced on Zhaomoduo. After the victory Yunzhi stayed at Zhongtuoling to reward the troops, and was soon recalled. Edit

In the third month of the thirty-seventh year he was made Prince Zhi of the Second Rank. Edit

In the fourth month of the thirty-ninth year, the emperor inspected the dykes of the Yongding River and gathered workmen to dredge it, putting Yunzhi in overall charge. Edit

In the ninth month of the forty-seventh year, after the Crown Prince Yunreng had been deposed, Yunzhi memorialized: "Yunreng's conduct has been base and foul, and he has lost the people's hearts. The diviner Zhang Mingde once read Yunsi's face and said he would surely rise to great honour. If Yunreng is to be put to death, it need not be done by the hand of our imperial father." The emperor was angry; an edict denounced Yunzhi as vicious, stubborn and foolish, and warned all the princes not to let their people stir up trouble. Yunzhi had used the sorcery of the lama Bahan Gelong to bewitch the deposed Crown Prince; when this came out, the emperor ordered him put under guard. Soon he was stripped of his title and confined in his residence. In the fourth month, when the emperor was about to tour beyond the passes, he decreed: "Yunzhi has used sorcery against the Crown Prince and the other princes, with no thought for father, mother or brothers and no scruple in what he does. If disaster should break out while we are beyond the passes, we would not hear of it for three days; how could it be stopped?" The matter was put to the princes and high officials, and from the Eight Banners eight colonels of the guards, eight lieutenants of the guards and eighty guardsmen were sent to keep watch over him in his residence as before. The emperor further sent Beile Yanshou, Beizi Sunu, Duke E'fei, Lieutenant-General Xintai, the Commanders of the Guards Tu'erhai and Chentai, and seventeen secretaries of the Eight Banners to keep watch in turns, and again warned sternly that any negligence would be punished by the extermination of the offender's family. Edit

He died in the twelfth year of Yongzheng, and Shizong ordered him buried with the rites of a gushan Beizi. His son Hongfang inherited as Duke Who Guards the State, and died. His son Yongyang inherited as Duke Who Assists the State, but was stripped of the title for an offence. Gaozong made Yunzhi's thirteenth son, Hongshang, General by Grace, hereditary. Edit