In the past, there were many rumors about him, saying that Yongzheng was a usurper and described him as a poisonous father, angry mother and inaction emperor, who suppressed the Han people's thoughts through the literary inquisition and consolidated the Manchu rule. Until modern times, after many times of historical research, these legends were overthrown one after another, which made the evaluation of Yongzheng in modern times positive and praised his achievements in making great efforts to govern, innovating official management, activating the economy and improving people's living standards.
Meng Sen, a scholar of Qing history, praised: "Since ancient times, the diligent monarch has never reached Sejong. He also said, "His wisdom and diligence are beyond people's reach. ".
The history professor of Kyoto University, the capital of Japanese culture, praised Yongzheng's thrifty expenditure, saying that "the annual expenditure of the harem of Yongzheng Dynasty is less than that of the harem of Wanli Emperor of Ming Dynasty".
Shi Jingqian, a British historian, believes that Kangxi, the father of Yongzheng, was very lax in politics. At the end of his rule, he was disturbed by the dispute between Chu and Li, and the ruling ability of a typical long-lived emperor declined. At the beginning of Yongzheng's accession to the throne, the Qing Dynasty actually experienced the crisis of bureaucratic expansion and corruption, and the deterioration of farmers' living standards. As Yongzheng was in the mature stage of political experience, spirit and personality (45 years old) when he ascended the throne, he was able to accurately analyze the problems and respond boldly. At the same time, his reform includes efforts to rectify and compromise with reality (such as returning fire to the people and saving money).
Huang Renyu, a historian, believes that although Yongzheng failed to understand and solve the fundamental problem of the Third Reich in Ming and Qing Dynasties as an inward-looking dynasty, the Qing Dynasty was able to establish a ruling system that was still generally effective after running for more than a hundred years, and did not become an alien dynasty, which was attributed to the reform of Yongzheng Dynasty.