The Kangxi Emperor deposed his heir twice, and the son who followed him hid the next heir's name behind a palace plaque

In the ninth month of 1708 the Kangxi Emperor announced the crimes of his crown prince, Yinreng, had him seized and deposed him. He restored him, and in 1712 deposed him again and confined him in the Xian'an Palace. He named no new heir. His sons formed factions; the eighth son, Yinsi, had the backing of three brothers and senior ministers. In the eleventh month of 1722 Kangxi fell ill at the Changchun Garden, sent his fourth son, Yinzhen, to perform the sacrifice to Heaven, and died that night at 69. Yinzhen became the Yongzheng Emperor. In the eighth month of 1723 he told the princes and ministers that the succession "last year in the eleventh month" had been settled in haste by a single word. He had written his own heir's name, sealed it in a box, and placed it behind the plaque reading "Upright and Bright" above the throne in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. In 1726 Yinsi was stripped of rank and renamed Akina; his ally Yintang was also renamed. Both died in confinement that year. Historians still dispute whether Kangxi meant Yinzhen to succeed^†. In 1778 the Qianlong Emperor, the son named in the box, restored both brothers' names and clan status. Later Qing emperors kept the method, with one copy behind the plaque and one carried by the emperor^†.