The Yongzheng Emperor has ruled the Qing Empire for thirteen years before dying suddenly in 1735 at age fifty-six.
Legend holds that he was assassinated by Lü Siniang, daughter of Lü Liuliang, whose family reportedly was executed for literary crimes against the Manchu Regime.
Another possible reason was that he had been a lover of Lü Siniang; Lü was the real mother of the Qianlong Empeor, but Yongzheng had refused to allow Lü to be the queen.
In reality, it is likely his death was the result of an overdose of the medication he was consuming, which he believed would prolong his life.
The Yongzheng Emperor's family life seems to have tragic undertones.
Of the fourteen children born to him and his Empress and consorts, only five are known to have survived to adulthood.
To prevent the succession tragedy which he had faced, he ordered his third son (Hongshi, an ally of Yinsi) to commit suicide in 1727.
He had also put in place a system to choose his successor in secret.
Yongzheng wrote his chosen successor's name on two pieces of paper, placed one piece of paper in a box and had the box stored behind the stele in the Qianqing Palace.
He then kept the other copy with him or hid it.
With his passing, the ministers were to compare the paper in the box and with the copy Yongzheng had.
If they were deemed identical, the person whose name was on the paper would be the new emperor.
His son Hongli, Prince Bao, had been adored both by his grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor and his father.
Some historians argue that the main reason why the Kangxi Emperor had appointed Yongzheng as his successor was because Hongli was his favorite grandson.
He felt that Hongli's mannerisms were very close to his own.
As a teenager, he was very capable in martial arts, and possessed a high literary ability.
After his father's succession in 1722, Hongli had become the Prince Bao.
Like many of his uncles, Hongli had entered into a battle of succession with his older half-brother Hongshi, who had the support of a large faction of court officials, as well as Yinsi, Prince Lian.
For many years the Yongzheng Emperor had not appointed anyone to the position of Crown Prince, but many in court had speculated his favoring of Hongli.
Hongli had gone on inspection trips to the south, and is known to be an able negotiator and enforcer.
He has also been chosen as chief regent on occasion, when his father was away from the capital.
Even before Hongli's succession is read out to the assembled court, it had been widely known who the new emperor would be.
As a favorite of his grandfather, Kangxi, and his father alike; Yongzheng had entrusted to the young Hongli a number of important ritual tasks to him while Hongli was still a prince, and included him in important court discussions of military strategy.
Hongli thus becomes the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty under the era name of Qianlong, which means "Lasting Eminence".
The Yongzheng Emperor is interred in the Western Qing Tombs, one hundred and twenty kilometers (seventy-five miles) southwest of Beijing, in the Tailing mausoleum complex (known in Manchu as the Elhe Munggan).
