Abstract: The case of Peng Jiaping is usually regarded as an example of literary inquisition，but the reality is that his death was deeply related to tofactionalism at that time. As a trusted follower of Li Wei，Peng was in the vanguard of the factional fighting between Li Wei and Eertai，both who were ministers to Emperor Yongzheng. Peng’s experience from promotion and prominence to his fall from grace and death，was closely related to factional struggle，especially the growth and decline of Eertai’s faction. However, in the end it was Emperor Qianlong’s behind the scenes machinations that were decisive. This demonstrated the variety of methods the emperor used to control divisive factionalism. Relying on numerous unpublished archives，this article reveals Peng’s true experience as an official，and the complicated relationship between Peng，the Emperor, and the Eertai’s faction. The article also shows that the so-called literary inquisition perhaps was just a method for the emperor to attack and eliminate the influence of factionalism.