Text | A brief history of said
Edit | A brief history of said
" Heshen fell, Jiaqing was full."
The story of the corrupt official Heshen is very popular. What does Jiaqing, as the person involved, think of it?
In the 15th year after Heshen's death, the historian presented the compiled "Biography of Heshen" to Jiaqing. In order to please the emperor, the biography was filled with the bad things Heshen had done.
Unexpectedly, Jiaqing would be furious: "He Shen is not without merit."
Everyone knows He Shen's reputation as " the most corrupt official in the Qing Dynasty ", but few people know how powerful He Shen is. Even Jiaqing hates him to the core. The imperial capital is willing to rectify its name.
01
The speed at which He Shen was promoted to official positions was astonishingly fast.
For ordinary people, they would be complacent if they could be promoted once every few years, but it was common for He Shen to be promoted two or three times a year. In just ten years, He Shen has served as dozens of officials, large and small, and less than half of them are heads of departments.
Why is He Shen’s promotion path so fast?
" The Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty " records an interesting saying: He Shen was favored all because of his appearance.
The 20-year-old Qianlong was still the prince, and was also called Hongli .
One day, Hongli accidentally saw a concubine of his father Yongzheng in the palace. The concubine was as beautiful as a flower, sitting in front of the mirror dressing up.
seemed to have said something interesting to the palace maid, and the concubine smiled sweetly. Hongli was fascinated by this touching scene, and couldn't help but want to step forward and tease her.
Hongli secretly covered her eyes with his hands. The concubine thought that the palace maid was joking with her, so she grabbed the comb and threw it behind her. Hongli could only let go of his hands in order to avoid it.
The concubine then saw that the prince was covering her eyes just now. This was the future Long Live Lord. Who wouldn’t want to fawn over him when he saw him? As a result, the concubine and Hongli started playing around.
Hongli's mother Niu Hulu, also known as Zhen Huan in "The Legend of Zhen Huan", happened to be passing by and saw this treasonous scene. She was worried that the palace maids eunuchs would spread the news.
If the news reaches Yongzheng, Hongli's position as prince may not be preserved.
So, Niu Hulu gave the concubine three feet of white silk as an excuse for teasing the prince and ordered her to commit suicide.
When Hongli learned that his concubine was dead, he felt guilty. He felt that he had killed her.
Then he bit his finger, put a blood mark on the concubine's neck, and said sadly to the body: "We will meet again in twenty years."
There are two opinions about the identity of this concubine.
Some people think it is Concubine Nian, but Hongli's mother was only the first concubine at that time and was not qualified to kill Concubine Nian, who had a higher status than her.
Therefore, another guess is that the concubine is Ma Jia, which is more likely.
years later, Heshen, who became a guard at Niangan, entered the palace to escort him. This was the first encounter between Emperor Qianlong and Heshen.
When Qianlong saw Heshen for the first time, he felt that he looked very similar to the concubine who died unjustly many years ago. He called the concubine's name three times to Heshen infatuatedly.
How dare He Shen respond? He could only stand motionless.
The more Qianlong looked at it, the more he felt that Heshen looked similar to the concubine, so he asked Heshen's birth date. As he thought, the year of Heshen's birth coincided with the time when the concubine hanged herself.
Qianlong opened Heshen's collar again, and a bloody birthmark was clearly visible. The position was exactly the same as the blood mark Qianlong had placed on the concubine's neck.
Combining the two, Qianlong firmly believed that He Shen was the reincarnation of the concubine. In order to make up for the mistake of killing her, Qianlong took great care of Heshen. With Heshen having such a strong tree, his career would naturally be smooth. It only took He Shen ten years for
to go from being famous as Sun Shan to becoming a highly respected official. After serving as an official for more than 20 years, He Shen had great power in both the government and the public, and few people could compete with him. It was not until Qianlong died and Heshen lost his backer that Emperor Jiaqing could give him death.
It is no coincidence that Jiaqing originally planned to concubine He Shen in Ling Chi, but after Liu Yong and others dissuaded him, He Shen was instead given a white silk silk to commit suicide at home, just like the concubine he was back then.
"A Grand View of the Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty" is not an official document. Most of the content in the book is unofficial history, and the degree of reliability is a matter of opinion. However, such a coincidence and magical thing may be more likely to be fabricated.
How could the emperor protect a straw bag and cover the sky with one hand? He Shen can sit in his position because of his true talent and practical learning.
02
The Heshen family was a middle-class family in the Qing Dynasty.
He was born into a Manchu family. His father, Chang Bao, was the deputy governor of Fujian, similar to the deputy commander of a group army, and his mother was the governor of a river, similar to the director of the Water Conservancy Commission.
The Heshen family is the Niu Colu family. This family is a serious relative of the emperor and is rich in queens.
It stands to reason that being born into a noble family and having a distinguished family, it should be much easier than ordinary people to rise to great heights. But He Shen's early experience was quite bumpy.
Heshen's mother and father died when he was 3 and 9 years old respectively. Fortunately, a servant came to protect him, so Heshen and his younger brother Helin could continue to stay in this home.
This servant is Liu Quan in the TV series, but unlike the TV series, Liu Quan is actually more than ten years older than He Shen. He Shen later expelled the stepmothers from the house and appointed Liu Quan as the housekeeper.
Not long after, He Shen was admitted to the Official School, an aristocratic school that specialized in training state cadres, so he did not have to pay tuition.
Heshen is a noble, but he is only a side branch. Both parents are dead, and his younger brother is still young. Since he goes to school, the lives of the two brothers have become a problem.
He Shen had to borrow money everywhere. During this period, He Shen experienced the warmth and warmth of human kindness, and also felt the coldness of being away from others.
He Shen asked his uncle to borrow money, but the uncle refused to show up. He had to sell off his property to barely ensure that the brothers survived.
The hard life made Heshen understand the importance of learning. He was talented and studied hard in school, and soon became knowledgeable and knowledgeable.
He Shen is proficient in , the Four Books and the Five Classics, , and is proficient in four languages: Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan. There is no book in the world that can be read in vain. Heshen will become successful in the future, thanks to the real talents and practical knowledge he has gained in recent years.
03
He Shen had excellent grades in his official studies and was a celebrity in the school. He also met the first noble person in his life here - Ying Lian .
Ying Lian has a strong background. He was one of the nine frontier officials in the Qing Dynasty. Today, he is at least a provincial leader. Yinglian has a high position but a small family.
After his son and daughter-in-law gave birth to their daughter Feng Jiwen, they both died, and Feng Jiwen, his only close relative, became Yinglian's sweetheart.
People in ancient times generally got married early. Yinglian began to look for candidates for his grandson's husband when his granddaughter was very young. For his grandson-in-law, he had two requirements: knowledgeable and outstanding appearance. Where are young people like
? Official science.
So Yinglian went to the official school to hang out when he had something to do. He noticed He Shen after only a few visits. He Shen was well-read in poetry and books, and had beautiful trees in the wind. Yinglian regarded him as the perfect candidate for his grandson-in-law.
Ying Lian looked forward to the stars and the moon, and finally looked forward to the talented and beautiful He Shen until he was 18 years old, and got his wish by marrying his granddaughter to him.
Feng Jiwen was born into a wealthy family, but she did not have the airs of a wealthy daughter, but was as gentle as jade.
After getting married, the two respected each other as guests. Feng Jiwen took care of her husband and raised her children at home, and cared deeply about her husband. He Shen cherished the beauty and cherished the jade, and respected and loved his wife.
The couple's married life came to an abrupt end when Feng Jiwen was 47 years old.. That year, He Shen's youngest son died in infancy, and Feng Jiwen fell ill due to the pain of losing his son.
Heshen was already in great power at that time, and he was busy with national affairs and corruption and bending the law all day long. When Feng Jiwen fell ill, he took half a month off and stayed at home to take care of his wife.
also held two sacrificial activities to pray to gods and ancestors to keep his wife safe. Unfortunately, God did not fulfill his wish and his wife passed away. He Shen's heart was cut by a knife and he wrote six mourning poems for his beloved.
One of the lines, "I cry today, who will give it to me next year" seems to be He Shen's prophecy of his miserable ending.
04
Heshen took part in the imperial examination at the age of nineteen. Scholars and students in ancient times rarely passed the examination in one try. Because of He Shen's talents, Rao was not on the list for the first time.
However, He Shen already had Ying Lian as his backer. Recommended by his grandfather, He Shen became a minor official and inherited the title from his father.
Three years before he entered the court, Heshen was unknown. During these three years, he worked as a civil servant and a bodyguard. He was very impressive and good at kung fu, so he was selected as Qianlong's imperial bodyguard.
He Shen's career as an official began while he was a bodyguard.
One time when Emperor Qianlong was out on a tour, the eunuch hurriedly sent a memorial from Yunnan, which probably stated that a local criminal had escaped from prison.
After Qianlong read the memorial, he quoted a sentence from "The Analects":
" The tiger came out of the coffin, and the turtle jade was destroyed in the coffin. Who is at fault?"
The tiger and the rhinoceros ran out of the cage, The tortoise shell and jade were destroyed in the box. Whose fault was it?
The group of people who followed Qianlong out were either guards or eunuchs. They had little knowledge and could not understand what the emperor was saying. They could only look at each other in confusion. Unlike He Shen, he is an all-rounder in both civil and military affairs.
He Shen understood the emperor's meaning and replied with the words in "The Analects":
"Long live the return, words are just in the casket, and the deeds are destroyed in the casket, the keeper must not ignore his fault."
It means the person responsible for guarding. People must take responsibility for such mistakes.
Qianlong just complained casually, not wanting to get a response from the people around him. He Shen's sudden answer made Qianlong's eyes light up: , are there still such talents among the guards?
During the reign of Qianlong, Manchu people were reused. In this environment of cronyism, for Heshen, he was capable enough and only missed opportunities.
accompanied the emperor on this trip. Heshen successfully seized the opportunity with his true talent and practical knowledge, and took advantage of this small matter to enter the emperor's field of vision and rise to the top.
05
Heshen had been an official for many years, and all the children in the Qing Dynasty who walked around naked in the streets knew that he was corrupt and perverted the law. Qianlong, the majestic emperor, could he be kept in the dark?
Qianlong knew Heshen was a corrupt official, so why did he keep him? In addition to being able to flatter horses and figure out the holy will, there are three main reasons.
For one, He Shen is really capable.
Qianlong once praised Heshen in public many times, saying that his ability to govern the country was the best among civil and military officials, and "no one can compare with Heshen." In his later years,
even praised Heshen: he was shrewd and smart, his words and deeds were free and easy, he could deal with any troubles calmly, no matter big or small, as long as he told him, Heshen could handle it beautifully, "It is really 大清 The pillars of it."
A certain British ambassador who was contemporary with Heshen was also full of praise for Heshen. He repeatedly praised Heshen as an excellent politician.
After Heshen's death, Jiaqing found that no one in the civil and military dynasties could take over Heshen's burden. He regretted it, but it was too late.
Second, treat He Shen as a cash cow.
He Shen loves money as much as his life. He is greedy for money and good at making money.
He is very economically savvy. With the power in his hands, he invested the corrupt money into various industries, such as buying land, buying houses, opening pawn shops, and digging coal mines. In order to make money with money, He Shen even did transnational business back then.
During Qianlong's reign, there were frequent wars. He himself also liked the Southern Tour and various national livelihood expenditures. These all required money, and how could the treasury have enough money. Where does
not come from? In Heshen's pocket.
Third, pave the way for Jiaqing.
Qianlong knew very well that his sons were all embarrassed, so he could only choose the bigger one among the poor, choose the best from the worst, and chose Jiaqing, who loved the people like a son.
In order to pave the way for his son, Qianlong turned a blind eye to He Shen's crazy money-making behavior.
Waiting for Jiaqing to take over, killing Heshen can not only replenish the national treasury, but also win over people's hearts, killing two birds with one stone. Jiaqing did exactly this. Fifteen days after Qianlong's death, Jiaqing listed 20 crimes to punish Heshen for death.
06
Jiaqing was so eager to kill Heshen, was it just because Heshen was corrupt? may not be the case. Jiaqing could not accommodate Heshen, and we have to start with Qianlong.
Kangxi was Qianlong's idol. In order to show respect for his grandfather, Qianlong made a promise when he ascended the throne that "he would not rule for more than the sixty years of his ancestor" .
He may not have thought that he would live such a long life.
60 years later, the promised deadline has come, but people are still alive. No one wants to give up after tasting the feeling of having the world in their hands, but the words have already been spoken, and the emperor is so eloquent that if he goes back on his words, he will be laughed at by future generations. What should he do now?
I guess Qianlong was very grateful to Liu Bang for inventing the word "Tai Shang Huang". Qianlong took up the job of Tai Shang Huang on He Shen's suggestion.
During the four years when Qianlong was the emperor, Jiaqing sat on the dragon throne, but the ministers handed the memorial to Heshen who was standing below, and Heshen handed it to Qianlong.
All major national affairs must go through the hands of He Shen, and the officials privately called him the "Second Emperor".
This makes the serious emperor Jiaqing so embarrassed, who can swallow this breath!
As a veteran who has been in the officialdom for many years, doesn’t Heshen know how to curry favor with Jiaqing in advance?
Do you think He Shen hasn’t tried it? When Jiaqing first became the crown prince, He Shen gave gifts to the prince, but later asked Jiaqing to use it as evidence.
Sandwiched between the old and new emperors, He Shen could only choose to side with Qianlong.
Because Jiaqing was still in its infancy and had no real power, if Heshen chose Jiaqing, he would probably be killed by Qianlong immediately. Between dying immediately and living a few more years, most people would choose the second option, right?
Therefore, the moment Qianlong took the position of Supreme Emperor, there was only a dead end for Heshen.
As for how much money He Shen embezzled, there are different opinions.
Some people say that all kinds of gold and silver treasures, houses and properties amount to more than one billion taels of silver. The confiscation of Heshen is equivalent to an increase in the national treasury's income for nearly 20 years out of thin air.
suddenly made too much money, and even the Qing Dynasty engaged in inflation and .
Some people think that Heshen only embezzled 3 million taels. If Heshen is really as mentioned above, the amount of money he embezzled is as much as the country's income from participating in politics for 20 years.
Why has the national treasury been so tight during the remaining 21 years of his reign since Jiaqing killed Heshen?
No matter how much the amount is, the fact that He Shen is corrupt is undeniable. He has been an official for decades, and he has spent most of his time plundering people's wealth and causing trouble for the government.
It can be said that he has been working hard for corruption for most of his life.
Therefore, He Shen’s death was well deserved.
07
Before He Shen died, he left this desperate poem .
"The dream of fifty years has been true, and now I have given up on the world of mortals; in the future, the water will contain the dragon's sun, and I will recognize the cigarette as my back."
What I want to express is probably: I have lived for almost fifty years, just like a dream, and now I It's time to pass away and bid farewell to the mortal world. If a natural disaster occurs in the future, I can only turn into a wisp of smoke and watch helplessly. I can no longer help the emperor share his worries.
This was his last effort to survive. wanted to use this poem to please the emperor and let Jiaqing leave him a way to survive.
There is a rather magical saying about this poem.
"The water contains the dragon" is a legend. Emperor Xia locked the dragon's saliva in a box and passed it down from generation to generation. No one dared to open it. Passed to Western Zhou Dynasty , King Li of Zhou Dynasty wanted to know what was inside, so he opened the box.
A creature named "Xuan Yu" climbed out of the box, and Xuan Yu got into the body of a little girl.
The little girl became pregnant for no apparent reason, and soon gave birth to a daughter. The girl's name was Baosi - the one in the Fenghuo Opera among the princes.
He Shen used this allusion to express that he would be reincarnated after the flood and become a woman like Bao Si, seducing the emperor and causing the Qing Dynasty to perish.
1835, the Yellow River burst its banks, the same year, Cixi was born.
08
Heshen is talented, rich, and powerful. He has outstanding looks and outstanding abilities. However, no matter how good he is, he cannot hide the fact that he is corrupt, bends the law and harms the people.
We can learn from him to work hard and love his family.
We must also remember that the only consequence of greed is regret, and perhaps, there is no chance of regret.
