View source for Yinxiang, Prince Yi

{{Short description|Prince of the Qing dynasty}}
{{family name hatnote|Yinxiang|[[Aisin-Gioro]]|lang=Manchu}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Yinxiang
| title        = Prince Yi of the First Rank
| image        = Yinxiang.jpg
| image_size   = 200px
| caption      = Portrait of Yinxiang
| succession   = [[Prince Yi (怡)|Prince Yi of the First Rank]]
| predecessor  = ''None''
| successor    = [[Hongxiao, Prince Yi|Hongxiao]]
| reign        = 1722–1730
| succession1  = [[Grand Council (Qing dynasty)|Chief Councillor]]
| reign-type1  = In office
| reign1       = 1729–1730
| predecessor1 = ''None''
| successor1   = [[Marsai]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1686|11|16|df=y}}
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1730|6|18|1686|11|16|df=y}}
| death_place  = 
| burial_place = Tomb of Prince Yixian of the First Rank, [[Laishui County]]
| father       = [[Kangxi Emperor]]
| mother       = [[Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin]]
| spouse       = Lady Joogiya
| spouse-type  = Consorts
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* Hongchang
* Hongdun
* Hongjiao, [[Prince Ning|Prince Ningliang of the Second Rank]]
* Hongqin
* [[Hongxiao, Prince Yi|Hongxiao]], [[Prince Yi (怡)|Prince Yixi of the First Rank]]
* Princess of the Third Rank
* Princess of the Third Rank
* Princess Hehui of the Second Rank
}}
| house        = [[Aisin-Gioro]]
| full name    = *Yinxiang (1686–1722 & after death) (胤祥)
*Yunxiang (1722–1730) (允祥)
| posthumous name = Prince Yi Zhongjing Chengzhi Qinshen Lianming Xian of the First Rank (和碩怡忠敬誠直勤慎廉明賢親王) (full version)<br>Prince Yixian of the First Rank (和碩怡賢親王) (simplified version)
}}

{{Infobox Chinese
| title = Yinxiang
| c = 胤祥
| p = Yìnxiáng
| w = Y'in-hsiang
| altname = Yunxiang
| c2 = 允祥
| p2 = Yǔnxiáng
}}

'''Yinxiang''' (16 November 1686 &ndash; 18 June 1730), formally known as '''[[Prince Yi (怡)|Prince Yi]]''', was a [[Manchu people|Manchu]] prince of the [[Qing dynasty]]. The thirteenth son of the Kangxi Emperor, Yinxiang was a major ally of his brother Yinzhen (that is, the [[Yongzheng Emperor]]) during the latter's struggle for the succession of the throne. He was made a ''qinwang'' (first-grade prince) during Yongzheng's reign and became one of his closest advisors. He died eight years into the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor and was memorialized with top honours by the emperor. When he died, his title was granted "iron-cap" status and became perpetually inheritable without a lowering of rank, one of the only twelve such princes in Qing dynasty history.

==Early life==
Yinxiang was born in the [[House of Aisin-Gioro|Aisin-Gioro clan]] as the 13th son of the [[Kangxi Emperor]]. The emperor had some 55 recorded consorts. Yinxiang's mother, Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin, was the daughter of the military commander Haikuan (海寬) from the [[Eight Banners|Bordered White Banner]]. By the same birth mother, Yinxiang had two sisters, both of whom were younger than him. Yinxiang's mother died when he was 14, so he was raised by [[Empress Xiaogongren|Consort De]], the biological mother of Yinzhen (the future Yongzheng Emperor). This meant that he had an especially close relationship to Yinzhen from a young age.

Yinxiang was schooled in the arts and classics by Fahai, the second son of Tong Guogang, the maternal uncle of the Kangxi Emperor. Fahai was also the imperial tutor to [[Yunti, Prince Xun|Yinti]], the 14th prince who was born to the same mother as Yinzhen. Both of Yinxiang's sisters died young shortly after being named ''hesuo princess'' and wedded respectively to Mongol princes. Yinxiang was a favorite of Kangxi from a young age. He accompanied his father on four inspection tours to the south. However, in 1709 when Kangxi bestowed noble titles to his various sons, Yinxiang was not among the recipients; his younger brother Yinti, however, was named a ''beizi''. There is no explanation given in primary sources as to why Yinxiang was not granted a title in spite of seemingly being a favourite of his father.

During the succession battle among Kangxi's sons, Yinxiang was imprisoned by the Kangxi Emperor for 10 years. The historical record makes nearly no mention of Yinxiang between 1712 and 1722. It seems like during these years he did not achieve anything remarkable, but did nonetheless conceive several children.

==Yongzheng era==
When the Kangxi Emperor died in 1722, Yinzhen succeeded to the throne as the [[Yongzheng Emperor]]. In the same year, Yinxiang was granted the title "[[Prince Yi (怡)|Prince Yi of the First Rank]]" (怡親王); this Prince Yi peerage was one of the Qing dynasty's 12 [[Aisin Gioro#Iron-cap princes and their descendants|"iron-cap" princely peerages]]. His personal name was also changed to "Yunxiang" (允祥) to avoid [[naming taboo]] because the Chinese character for "Yin" (胤) in "Yinxiang" is the same as the one in the Yongzheng Emperor's personal name "Yinzhen" (胤禛).

Yunxiang was a staunch supporter of the Yongzheng Emperor, and he worked tirelessly to assist the emperor in administering state affairs despite suffering from poor health. Soon after Yongzheng ascended the throne, Yinxiang was named overseer of the three vaults of the [[Hu Bu|Ministry of Revenue]]. In 1725, Yunxiang was sent to oversee the water issues in [[Zhili Province]], including flood control and transport. He was still constantly affected by ill health when he returned to [[Beijing]] later.

Yunxiang died in June 1730 and was granted the posthumous name of "Zhongjing Chengzhi Qinshen Lianming Xian" (忠敬誠直勤慎廉明賢), so his full posthumous title became Prince Yi Zhongjing Chengzhi Qinshen Lianming Xian of the First Rank (和碩怡忠敬誠直勤慎廉明賢親王). The Yongzheng Emperor praised Yunxiang in his eulogy edict and declared a mourning period of three days, during which imperial court sessions were not held. In the edict, the Yongzheng Emperor also granted an exception by allowing Yunxiang's name to be reverted to "Yinxiang".<ref>(越日，復諭舉怡親王功德，命復其名上一字為「胤」，配享太廟，諡曰賢，並以「忠敬誠直勤慎廉明」八字加於諡上。) ''Qing Shi Gao'' vol. 220.</ref>

==Succession of Prince Yi==
Prince Yi was elevated to an "iron-cap prince" level peerage, that is, the title was to be perpetually inheritable by his successors. Yinxiang's sixth generation descendant [[Zaiyuan]] was a regent during the reign of the [[Tongzhi Emperor]] and was ousted in a coup.
{{further|Prince Yi (怡)#Members of the Prince Yi peerage}}

== Family ==
'''Primary Consort'''

* Primary consort, of the [[Joogiya|Joogiya clan]] (嫡福晋 兆佳氏)
** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 20 April 1707 – 4 April 1726), 2nd daughter
*** Married Fusengge (富僧額) of the Manchu [[Irgen Gioro|Irgen-Gioro clan]] in February/March 1723
** Hongdun, Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒 弘暾; 29 January 1711 – 24 August 1728), 3rd son
** [[Hongjiao]], [[Prince Ning|Prince Ningliang of the Second Rank]] (寧良郡王 弘晈; 17 June 1713 – 9 September 1764), 4th son
** Princess Hehui of the Second Rank (和碩和惠公主; 16 November 1714 – 2 November 1731), 4th daughter
*** Married Dorji Septeng (多爾濟塞布騰; d. 1735) of the Mongol [[Khalkha Mongols|Khalkha]] [[Borjigin|Borjigin clan]] on 6 December 1729
** Hongkuang (弘㫛; 30 January 1716 – 20 February 1722), 5th son
** [[Hongxiao, Prince Yi|Hongxiao]], [[Prince Yi (怡)|Prince Yixi of the First Rank]] (怡僖親王 弘曉; 23 May 1722 – 11 May 1778), 7th son
** Shou'en (綬恩; 12 October 1725 – 27 August 1727), 8th son

'''Secondary Consort'''

* Secondary consort, of the [[Gūwalgiya|Gūwalgiya clan]] (側福晉 瓜爾佳氏)
** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 22 August 1703 – 23 February 1776), 1st daughter
*** Married Sakexin (薩克信) of the Jinjili clan (津濟里) in May/June 1721
** Hongchang, Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒 弘昌; 14 December 1706 – 3 June 1771), 1st son
* Secondary consort, of the [[Fuca clan]] (側福晉 富察氏)
** ''Third daughter'' (14 December 1710 – December 1711/January 1712)
* Secondary consort, of the Usun clan (側福晉 烏蘇氏)
** Hongqin, Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒 弘昑; 24 September 1716 – 28 February 1729), 6th son

'''Concubine'''

* Mistress, of the Šigiya clan (石佳氏)
** ''Second son'' (12 November 1708 – 30 March 1709)
* Mistress, of the [[Nara clan]] (那拉氏)
** Amuhulang (阿穆瑚瑯; 6 May 1726 – 5 May 1727), 9th son

==In fiction and popular culture==
* Portrayed by Zhou Haodong in ''[[Legend of YungChing]]'' (1997)
* Portrayed by Wang Hui in ''[[Yongzheng Dynasty]]'' (1999), ''[[Li Wei the Magistrate]]'' (2001) and ''[[Li Wei the Magistrate II]]'' (2004)
* Portrayed by Tian Zhenwei in ''[[Palace (TV series)|Palace]]'' (2011)
* Portrayed by [[Yuan Hong (actor)|Yuan Hong]] in ''[[Scarlet Heart]]'' (2011)
* Portrayed by [[Chen Xiao]] in ''[[The Palace (2013 film)|The Palace]]'' (2013)
*portrayed by Wang An Yu in ''[[Dreaming back to the Qing Dynasty (2019 series)]]'' (2019)

==See also==
* {{section link|Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty|Male members}}
* {{section link|Ranks of imperial consorts in China|Qing}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{cite book|last=Zhao|first=Erxun|author-link=Zhao Erxun|title=[[Draft History of Qing]] (Qing Shi Gao)|year=1928|location=China|volume=220}}
* {{cite ECCP|title=Yin-hsiang}}

==External links==
*[http://www.oldbeijing.net/Article/200606/20060627174955.shtml Yinxiang: How did he become involved in the fight for the throne?]

{{Chief Councillors of the Qing dynasty}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yinxiang, Prince Yi}}
[[Category:1686 births]]
[[Category:1730 deaths]]
[[Category:Kangxi Emperor's sons]]
[[Category:Manchu politicians]]
[[Category:Grand Councillors of the Qing dynasty]]
[[Category:Prince Yi (created 1722)]]