On the fifth day of June in the thirty-third year of Qianlong (1768 AD), Yangzhou Salt Institute, the newly arrived Lianghuai salt transport envoy You, swearing away, gave a memorial to Emperor Qianlong who was far away in the capital and reported it. His work experience.
However, this seemingly simple government report contains murderous intentions!
"Last year, Pufu asked Yu to mention the Wuzi Gang for quotation, and still ordered the merchants to pay three taels of silver for public use, and a total of 278 taels of silver for storage and transportation Zero. During Puff’s tenure, he spent more than 85,000 taels in total, and the remaining more than 190,000 taels are left. Please submit them to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for investigation."--- "Records of Qing Emperor Gaozong. Volume 812"
Yangzhou and Lianghuai are transferred to the Salt Transport Department, the Secretary Office
What does it mean?
That is to say, his previous salt transport envoy Pufu, last year (the 32nd year of Qianlong), had asked the court to agree to receive this year’s salt money into the Yanyuan’s vault in advance, and the amount was as high as two. There are more than 178,000 taels. Except for the more than 85,000 taels he used, I turned over the remaining salt-introduced bank silver, totaling more than 190,000 taels, to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is considered to have completed the task of this year’s salt industry tax. .
On the seventh day of June, Emperor Qianlong, who was reviewing memorials in the Hall of Yangxin, could not help but become suspicious after reading this report by You Baishi. He realized a very serious problem and his wallet was touched. Yes, someone hacked his money.
Because according to the Ministry of Households, they did not have the record of the Yangzhou Salt Institute pre-preparing salt; and most importantly, except for Yuba Shi, none of the previous salt convoys in the two Huaihe Rivers had ever used salt privately. Cited money.
Qianlong himself calculated an account. Since the eleventh year of Qianlong (1746 AD), the salt import system was reformed and allowed to sell part of the salt import quota for the second year in advance this year. The annual quota was 200,000 to 200,000. It ranges from 400,000 yuan. If each citation is calculated by three taels of silver, then from the eleventh year of Qianlong to the thirty-second year of Qianlong, the income from the pre-extracted salt cite should be more than ten million taels.
Silver, is the base currency of the Qing Dynasty
Salt Yin, a license for salt merchants to sell salt in the Qing Dynasty
But in fact, let alone Qianlong himself, even the head of the household did not see this huge sum of money.
"Why is it that this item should be used for salt administration, etc., has not been used for private action? It is really shocking. Because the Minister of Military Aircraft was asked to check the household files and did not create a report and dispatch a number of documents. It is obvious that there are ambiguities, and private business has eroded the sentiment and malpractice. Moreover, since the eleventh year of Qianlong’s quotation, the quotation has ranged from 200,000 to 400,000 a year. If calculated by three or two, the amount of silver in the past 20 years There should be more than two million."---"The Record of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty. Volume No. 812"
After the account was clear, Emperor Qianlong was furious and immediately ordered Zhangbao, governor of Jiangsu, to go there. Yangzhou investigated the matter, but Zhangbao's investigation resulted in the shock of Emperor Qianlong.
Over the past two decades, the salt transportation of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Company has pre-extracted more than 10,900,000 taels of salt. Excluding the more than 4.67 million taels of tributes and the various expenses of the salt court over the years, it is unexpectedly There are still more than six million taels of silver that has not been put into the warehouse.
"Checked the quotations of various merchants over the years, and made a total of more than 1.9 million taels of surplus silver. It is said that over the years, the total amount of tribute and preparation of missions has been more than 4.67 million taels. , There are still unpaid surplus silver of more than six hundred and tens of thousands of liang."---"Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty. Volume Eight Hundred"
乾隆写真
The result ofwas very painful to Qianlong, who was extremely short of money. There were too many places to spend money in the Qing Dynasty. What's more, the soldiers on the southwest front line were still waiting for the royal court's military payment (the Qing-Burma War).
In anger, Qianlong issued an imperial decree, not only to trace the silver greeted by the two Huai salt transport envoys since Qianlong's eleven years, but also Yangzhou salt merchants to pay back this more than ten thousand taels of silver, otherwiseHead down, life is not guaranteed!
" Chuanyu Zhangbao, etc. will be investigated by funds. Except for the official funds stated in the package, the remaining profits of each businessmen have not paid more than six hundred and hundreds of thousands of taels, and the merchants will be substituted for salt All improper expenditures in government affairs, etc., should be tracked out and returned to the public, and should be investigated and handled according to the number. Until the previous salt administration, etc., such arbitrarily invaded fertilizers, it was verified that there were items that should be pursued. Under the name of the merchant, etc., the compensation will be divided according to the number. Then the Yanzheng will be in office for a long time, and there must be some places such as Lianghuai, etc., which will make the merchants live and profit. The merchants should confess one by one and tell them all. If there is ambiguity, in the future, once I find out, the only question will be the business." --- "Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty. Volume 812"
Sacred decree, Yangzhou salt merchants are panicked. The rhythm of bankruptcy!
What should I do with "The Meeting of Giant Salt Merchants" painted by the Qing people?
At the critical moment, a person stood up and took all the guilt on his own. He was one of the general merchants of Yangzhou salt industry who was cited as a confidant by Qianlong, and Jiang Chun, who was given the title of chief commissioner by Emperor Qianlong.
Jiang Chun, a businessman, what is his ability to be cited as a confidant by the emperor? He was a confidant of the emperor, and why did he unite the salt transport envoys of the Lianghuai and Yangzhou salt merchants to deceive Qianlong? Isn't he afraid of being decapitated, or being punished by the nine tribes?
Jiang Chun, whose name is Yingchang, is called Heting, and is also called Guangda. A native of Jiangcun, Shexian County, Huizhou Prefecture, Anhui Chief Envoy of the Qing Dynasty, he was cited as a confidant by Qianlong, and his identity and wealth Are inseparable.
can become one of the general merchants of Lianghuai Salt Industry, in addition to own business in the market, but also benefit from the gift of the court. However, Huizhou merchants are Confucian merchants. After they have wealth, it is the nature of Huizhou merchants to open up their contacts in the officialdom and make good connections in the literary world.
Wang Chaozong based on Jiang Chun in "The Great Qing Salt Merchants"
The prosperity of Yangzhou Wharf
正Because of this, Emperor Qianlong visited the south of the Yangtze River. As long as the place where money was spent, the government would push Jiang Chun to the front desk and let him solve it.
But receiving the emperor is a arduous task, and the size should be stable, otherwise, the consequences will be worrying.
Qianlong's south tour, in addition to the thought of traveling in the mountains and rivers, also brought more political considerations. Therefore, in order to complete the reception work, in addition to satisfying Qianlong's desire to speak, it must also cooperate with Qianlong's politics Make a show.
Only, in the 16th year of Emperor Qianlong (1751), Emperor Qianlong made his first southern tour. Forty-four years have passed since the forty-sixth year of Kangxi (1707). During the period, because of Yongzheng's attack on luxury, the provincial governments in Jiangnan have long lost their regulations for receiving Kangxi.
Jiang Chun, who has no reception experience, had to bite the bullet and draft all the reception matters.
How did he do it?
He did not listen to Qianlong’s own request of "力屏浮华" . Instead, he called "The local civil and military officials dressed in court uniforms, bowed down with senior citizens, gentry gentry, and sanctuary to welcome him, 80 years old. The above-mentioned old men and women wear yellow cloth or yellow silk outer jackets, hold high incense in their hands, and kneel together, and set up dragon boat lanterns in the river to create a grand scene of alley dance and ya song "①" to welcome the holy driver.
Qianlong Southern Tour Scenery painted in "Wan Hu Chaotian Picture Scroll"
Part of "Wan Hu Chao Tian Picture Scroll"
is the plan for this pick-up, coupled with the status of the general merchant of Lianghuai Salt Industry, let Jiang Chun enter Qianlong's eyes.
After that, the three southern tours in the 22nd year of Qianlong, 27th year of Qianlong, and 30th year of Qianlong were all prepared by Jiang Chun, and each time he could think of different thoughts and play different tricks. , So that Qianlong was very happy, Long Yan Joy, satisfied Qianlong's vanity.
It was these four southern tours. Qianlong remembered Jiang Chun, and successively gave Jiang Chun the official posts of Feng Chen Yuanqing and chief envoy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He also called Jiang Chun a doctor of Guanglu and praised the peacock. Ling.
Because he could play, Qianlong cited Jiang Chun as his confidant.
"Sweeping away the old ring in spring, doing hard work, and adding grades from Xiyan, Byrne is generous, not to be described." --- "She County Chronicles"
Since he has an official position and became a confidant with the emperor, why did Jiang Chun cheat Qianlong with the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy and other general merchants?
The image of Qianlong in the "Great Qing Salt Merchant"
The problem is here!
Everyone knows that the Huizhou salt merchants in Yangzhou are rich in the world, but they can’t say anything!
Because they are rich, they have become the fat in the eyes of officials in Yangzhou. Everyone wants to rip a piece of meat from them, let alone their direct managers, the two-huai salt transport agent. .
Moreover, as a Confucian Huizhou businessman, there is another characteristic, that is, he likes to build gardens, hold poetry fairs, and make friends with literary friends, all of which cost a lot of money.
In addition, the Huizhou salt merchants have to feed back the hometown of Huizhou, building bridges and paving roads in their hometowns and building academies, which is another huge expenditure.
In this way, silver is not enough.
Of course, during Qianlong's four southern tours, the Huizhou salt merchants headed by Jiang Chun invested as much as millions of silver, plus the amount of silver donated to the court.
No matter how large the financial resources are, it cannot withstand such a consumption. Therefore, the pre-extracted salt introduction system implemented in Qianlong's 11th year of reform has allowed Huizhou salt merchants who spent money to see the operating space to make up for their losses.
Not only them, but also the salt transport envoys of Lianghuai appointed by Emperor Qianlong also found a shortcut to get rich.
The two sides hit it off, each takes what they need!
Part of "Wat Chaotian Picture Volume"
Part of "Wat Chaotian Picture Volume"
05588 Someone has to ask again, why didn’t the newly appointed salt ambassador of the two Huai Rivers, Yu Bashi, integrate with the salt merchants? Is he incorruptible as an official?
Of course not. The cause of
is very simple, because after Yubashi took office, he did not sell the pre-extracted salt from the thirty-four years of Qianlong to the salt merchants. Instead, he directly went to the salt merchants to pay bribes and was rejected by the salt merchants.
And the salt merchants also hold something in their hearts. In addition to the general merchant Jiangchun Jian in the Emperor's heart, the Lianghuai Salt Industry, that is, the successive salt transport envoys and other officials of the salt court, plus the Yangzhou salt merchants, have formed an interest. group.
Before You Baoshi, there was also a brother-in-law of Emperor Qianlong who served as the salt transport agent of the Lianghuai. He was called Gao Heng, the younger brother of Emperor Huixian, and had a very harmonious relationship with salt merchants. The businessmen are the biggest backer in the capital.
Therefore, the salt merchants didn't put Yubashi in their eyes at all. From their standpoint, Yubashi must follow the rules of Lianghuai.
Akzhan
, based on Yuba in the Salt Merchant of the Qing Dynasty, and Jiang Chun, who has always been humble, also criticized Yuba's behavior. For the common interests of the salt industry in the two Huaihe Rivers, he did not take the initiative to convince Youba to be soft.
It’s just that no one thought that Yubashi didn’t even think about selling the pre-extracted salt when he failed to ask for bribes. He turned around and informed Qianlong. The two Huai salt administrations lasted more than 20 years. The unspoken rules between officials and businessmen were thus broken.
In order to prevent the salt merchants from being annihilated, Jiang Chun under great pressure took all the guilt of cooperating with officials at all levels of the salt institute and embezzling silver.
In the face of the emperor’s anger for pursuing the silver owed, he took the spirit of the elderlyIt took most of the back payment and saved the salt merchants in Yangzhou.
"The male (Jiang Chun) is completely in charge. When the court heard, he only drew his head to provoke the crime, and there is no traction. , Special pardon. Other officials of the salt administration, Xian Fuou knife, and the public and the group merchants return by graciousness."------"Xiaocangshanfang Collection"
The prosperous scene of the shipment from the salt field to the cargo ship in the "Salt Law of Lianghuai"
End:
The Lianghuai quotation case is one of the three major corruption cases in the Qianlong Dynasty .
After checking it out, Qianlong did not kill the salt merchants. He just relaxed the time limit for the payment, and did not force the salt merchants to immediately take the cash, but pay it back in ten years.
In addition, the two southern tours in the forty-fifth year of Qianlong and the forty-ninth year of Qianlong were still picked up by Jiang Chun. The salt merchants in Huizhou paid for both the silver used, but they couldn’t make up for themselves. The loss.
Of course, the sequelae of the case cited by Lianghuai are far more than that for Jiang Chun!
The eighty birthday of the Empress Dowager in the thirty-sixth year of Qianlong, the 38 years of military service in Jinchuan, the forty-seven years of the Yellow River embankment, the 53-year suppression of the Lin Shuangwen Uprising in Taiwan, etc. , Jiang Chun both led the donation and the amount was as high as nine million taels. ②
In the 36th year of Qianlong and the 50th year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong suddenly took out three hundred thousand taels and two hundred fifty thousand taels from his own banknotes of silver, and loaned them to Jiang Chun in the form of rewards. , As its operating capital.
Is the emperor’s money so easy to get? Jiang Chun knew the emperor's intentions and turned in all the profits he earned and had to become Qianlong's personal financial officer.
徽商商训
In the fifty-fourth year of Qianlong (1789 AD), Jiang Chun, who was under pressure, passed away at the age of sixty-nine. Before he passed away, The sale of part of the family property returned Qianlong’s fifty-year domestic loan.
Even if you are the general merchant of Lianghuai salt industry, and the world is rich, how can you afford to export like this? After Jiang Chun's death, the Jiang family’s family will fall. "On the day of death, the family has no wealth "③
And in the fourth year after his death, that is, the fifty-eighth year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong took a pension in the name of a private garden of the Jiang family as the royal property, but made his adopted son. Royal financial officer.
"Jiang Guangda has served as the general merchant for many years, and he still contributes to public affairs. Today, Nianyi's stepson live in a difficult situation, so he can be more self-reliant. Jiang Guangda has an old Kangshan Garden, and his family is unable to repair. Dong Chun was instructed to make all merchants buy fifty thousand taels of silver as a public property, and the two will be rewarded to Jiang Zhenhong (Jiang Chun's adopted son) for operation without any interest rate. Jiang Guangda's old loan of 250,000 taels was paid. In addition, I set aside fifty thousand taels for the free funds to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the interest rate is increased as usual. The bank borrowed from him may wish to make the payment calmly. Jiang Zhenhong has this one hundred thousand taels as working capital, and the Yi family's livelihood will gradually become more abundant, to show Compassionate." --- "The History of Two Huai Salts"
惠商家族
Wang Lang said:
Jiang Chun is the Qing Dynasty An outstanding representative of Huizhou merchants in the middle period, his achievements, whether financial or fame, were undoubtedly the highest among Huizhou merchants in the Qing Dynasty. People at that time called him "Crown of Salt Merchants, and it was said that he was handed over to the emperor with cloth. "④
However, his experience also tells us a truth. In the age of imperial power, thunder and rain are all graces. Making friends with the emperor is just an extravagant hope. You have not been beheaded. Besides being lucky, you have to thank yourself. Existence value.
At the same time, Jiang Chun's wealth change also revealed a subtle message to us. Under Qianlong's rule, the Qing Dynasty had already exuded a faint of decay in the prosperous age.
And the Huizhou salt merchants, who are known as the richest in the world, although they have the wealth of the world, they are still bound by the times and become a royal tool for making money..
Daqing is out of date in the world!
Note:
①《Wanhu Chaotian Picture Scroll》
②The number and amount of donations are based on Jiaqing’s “Lianghuai Salt Law”.
③Yuan Mei, "Xiaocang Shanfang Collection"
④ "She County History"
[I am Jiangdong Wanglang, I will bring you a different historical vision! Stick to originality, please follow me if you like me! 】
Qing Dynasty map in the fifty-third year of Qianlong
