There is a scene in "The Harem" in which Yong Zhengdi celebrates Nian Gengyao's birthday with a family banquet after Nian Gengyao's achievements. There was a dish that Yongzheng usually liked at the banquet, and Yongzheng gave it to Nian Gengyao. As a result, Nian Gengyao was also interested in this dish. He asked Su Peisheng, a celebrity around the emperor, to help him. A seemingly ordinary thing has laid the foundation for Nian Gengyao's death. When Nian Gengyao was sent to prison, he never defended himself. Why doesn't he bow his head like Yongzheng at all?

We have all heard the saying that a sly rabbit dies and a running dog cooks. Accompany you like a tiger. When you are around a monarch, you must know that both the monarch and his subjects know that you can stay in the court for a long time. Obviously, Nian Gengyao thought he owed too much to the Lord, and Yongzheng could treat him no matter what he did. Because, in Nian Gengyao's mind, he made great contributions to Yongzheng, and he deserved any treatment. And his sister Nianfei is the toast of the emperor, and Yongzheng will take care of Nianfei's face. It is also inevitable that Nian Gengyao, who doesn't know the way of monarch and minister, will be sentenced to death.

One more thing, as a courtier, Nian Gengyao is either arrogant or wants to rebel. Before Yongzheng ascended the throne, Nian Gengyao followed Yongzheng. So, in Nian Gengyao's view, he and Yongzheng have deep feelings. No matter what Yongzheng does, he will consider the friendship between them. Obviously, at this point, Nian Gengyao is a bit overreached. When it comes to interests, Yongzheng even showed no mercy to his brother. Not to mention him. It is precisely because of Nian Gengyao's unclear self-positioning that he fell into the abyss.

So, it's not that Nian Gengyao doesn't plead or defend, but that he didn't straighten his position at all. He always thought that Yongzheng would pity their friendship, and Yongzheng would understand his mind. Unexpectedly, his attitude angered Yongzheng, so in 1726, Yongzheng ordered Nian Gengyao to commit suicide in prison. Maybe until his death, Nian Gengyao didn't know what mistake he had made.