Yongzheng obtained the throne legally and was succeeded by an imperial edict.
In fact, Yongzheng succeeded to the throne legally, because the imperial edicts of the Qing Dynasty were written in Manchu and Chinese, and the word "emperor" was added to them (for example, it was passed to the fourth son of the emperor). At that time, it was rumored that Yongzheng changed "the fourteenth son passed down" to "the fourth son passed down the throne". This rumor was full of loopholes.
First of all, in the Manchu text in the imperial edict, "Yu" and "十" are two completely different characters, and there is no possibility of pretense. Moreover, the word "Yu" was written as "Yu" at that time, and the word "Huang" was added in the imperial edicts. If you use a pen to change the character "十" to "Yu", it will become "passing the throne to the fourth son".
The sentence is not fluent at all. Furthermore, even if the Chinese character is changed, the Manchu character will also be changed. No, so the popular theory of changing the imperial edict from "十" to "Yu" is untenable.
Experts from the Liaoning Provincial Archives said that in the Manchu text in the imperial edict, "Yu" and "十" are two completely different characters, and there is no possibility of pretense. The Kangxi imperial edict currently in the Liaoning Provincial Archives was drawn up and promulgated to the world after Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne. It is not the authentic work of Kangxi, so the imperial edict cannot explain the problem.
Evaluation about Yongzheng:
He is really mean, but not ungrateful; he is really cruel, but not heartless. The statement that Yongzheng had no officialdom may be an exaggeration, but it is a fair evaluation of Yongzheng's governance. Yongzheng was undoubtedly a man of great personality and an outstanding figure. He is rich in emotions, strong-willed, resolute in character, sharp-eyed, and hard-working.
The new emperor Yongzheng loved the law and public welfare more than his father. No one among the emperors did more to encourage farming than he did. He attached great importance to this one of the most important arts that is indispensable to the people's livelihood. Farmers in each province are selected as the most diligent, capable, and filial by the governors of their states and counties, and they can even be named eighth-rank officials.
For a farmer to become an official, he does not need to give up his already fruitful farming and turn to the criminal industry that he does not understand.