Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/565

 swords. Thus it was largely owing to Lungkodo's military power that Yin-chên was able to wrest the throne while his opposing halfbrothers looked helplessly on. In the meantime, Yin-chên's henchman,, was keeping watch over [禵, q.v.], the prince who had military power and who in reality is the one supposed to have been designated heir-apparent.

Lungkodo was highly rewarded for his assistance to Emperor Shih-tsung, for on the very day that the latter ascended the throne, he was appointed one of four men to supervise all affairs of state, including funeral preparations for the deceased Emperor. He was given the title Chiu-chiu 舅舅, or Maternal Uncle [of the Emperor], and on the following day was permitted to succeed to the dukedom vacated by his father. The Emperor justified the title, Chiu-chiu, on the ground that once during his infancy he had been cared for by Lungkodo's sister, the above-mentioned Empress Hsiao-i. Early in 1723, Lungkodo was made president of the Board of Civil Office and was given, in addition to his dukedom, the hereditary rank of a Ch'ing-ch'ê tu-yü which went to his eldest son. A younger son was made commissioner of the Imperial Equipage Department. In April 1723 Lungkodo and Nien Kêng-yao were both given the title of Grand Guardian. In a secret order to Nien Kêng-yao, issued in that same year, the Emperor praised Lungkodo as loyal and able; and in 1724 he ordered him to adopt one of Nien's sons. Later in 1724, after Lungkodo had been given the concurrent post of president of the Court of Colonial Affairs, he and Nien were both granted the double-eyed peacock feather, and costumes and saddles reserved for Princes of the Blood of the first and second degrees. In these and other ways the Emperor showered special favors on the two men.

By 1725 Emperor Shih-tsung felt so secure on the throne that he could ignore his former henchmen. But Lungkodo and Nien were not aware of this and still regarded themselves as in the Emperor's favor. Perhaps they had indicated some disapproval of the Emperor's cruel treatment of his former opponents (see under and ), or perhaps they presumed too much on their intimacy with him. They might even have disclosed to outsiders some details of the Emperor's illegal succession. In any case, the Emperor decided to do away with men who might one day embarrass him. Early in 1725 Lungkodo was released from his command of the Gendarmerie. In May Nien was severely reprimanded for a minor error in the wording of a memorial, and from then on he was charged in quick succession with one crime after another.

In July Lungkodo was also involved in Nien's case. As president of the Board of Civil Office he was one of the high officials charged with advising the Emperor on the punishment that should be meted out to Nien for each of the crimes with which he was charged. In one instance the punishment recommended was found too lenient, and Lungkodo was blamed. Later the punishment for another crime was found to be too severe, and Lungkodo was held responsible. He was charged with trying to confuse the Emperor about Nien's case and was punished by having his title and additional hereditary rank taken from him. Though he was permitted to retain his offices and his dukedom, he was ordered to redeem himself by serving at Alašan 阿拉善 (in present Ninghsia) as supervisor of the building of forts and the cultivation of land—works which were part of the preparation then under way for the conquest of the Eleuths. On Lungkodo's recommendation, submitted in 1726, irrigation ditches were later constructed and a large area of farm land was reclaimed.

In the meantime another blow fell on Lungkodo. It seems that he had been ordered to testify against certain opponents of the Emperor, but had refused to comply. The Emperor punished him by bringing charges of corruption against him. A servant in Lungkodo's house was charged with having received bribes and was executed. Several officials reported that they had sent Lungkodo bribes. Consequently he was dismissed from all offices except his dukedom, but was again allowed to redeem himself by serving on a commission that was sent to demarcate the boundary between Mongolia and the Eleuths, along the Altai Mountains, and then to negotiate with a Russian commission about the boundary between Siberia and Mongolia. The commission included, besides Lungkodo, and Earl Ssŭ-ko 四哥 (四格, member of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner) In 1727  was added to the commission to negotiate with the Russians. Lungkodo was head of the Chinese Commission when it began the Conference in July, but he was soon 553