In ancient Chinese history, the most talked-about ** must be Heshen. How this scholarly and once honest and honest ** fell step by step in the swamp of power and wealth, and finally became the huge rich recorded in the history books, it is still embarrassing. If we look at it from a modern perspective and take a calculator to convert Heshen's wealth into cash one by one, you will find that this person who has long been annihilated in the long river of history is still financially strong and can still compete with the top ten richest people in the world today.
So, what is the story of this traitor who gave Emperor Qianlong a headache, his talent and ambition, his decay and depravity?Let's explore this magnificent legend together.
He Shen, a Manchu, was born in the Yongzheng Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty. He was born into a scholarly family and loved to read since he was a child. When he was 3 years old, his mother died in childbirth, and when he was 9 years old, his father died of illness, and He Shen suffered the pain of losing his relatives since he was a child, which made him more attentive to his studies, and worked diligently with the heart of a child, aiming to change his fate through the imperial examination.
He Shen was diligent and studious, and was proficient in the Manchu, Han, Mongolian, and Tibetan languages at an early age, and was familiar with the subset of scriptures and histories, especially the "Four Books and Five Classics". This kind of knowledge was not uncommon among the scholars at that time, but what stood out about He Shen was that he also mastered Chinese, Mongolian and Manchu.
Such outstanding language talent laid a solid foundation for him to climb to a high position in the court in the future. At the age of 20, He Shen was selected as a jinshi and was elected to serve as an editor in the Hanlin Academy. Soon, the newly enthroned Emperor Qianlong personally reviewed the articles of the editors of the Hanlin Academy, took a fancy to He Shen's writing, and promoted him to the rank of scholar.
The Bachelor of Waiting was an important civil official at the emperor's side, mainly responsible for reading the recitals to the emperor and drafting documents. With his fluent language skills, He Shen quickly pleased Emperor Qianlong and won the emperor's favor. Qianlong often asked He Shen to read or explain classics to him, and the two often discussed the theory of a hundred schools of history, and Qianlong relied heavily on this young talent.
Soon, He Shen was promoted to the rank of squire and became the emperor's right-hand celebrity. At that time, Heshen was diligent and honest, and won the trust of his colleagues.
When He Shen was serving as a waiter, a pen post named An Ming gave him a gift, hoping to recommend him to his superiors and get promoted. He Shen is upright by nature and is not affected by An Ming's gift, but he still recommends to his superiors based on An Ming's talents, so that An Ming can be promoted as he wishes.
An Ming is grateful for He Shen's justice. But the good times didn't last long, and An Ming's father died soon after. According to the regulations at that time, ** relatives had to go home to keep filial piety when they died, and An Ming was afraid that he would lose the official position he had just obtained. In order to keep his official position, An Mingmi did not mourn and continued to work.
This decision ended up miserable for Heshen. Someone reported to the emperor that An Ming's secret was not mourning, and Qianlong was furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation. He Shen was considered derelict in supervising and was also implicated and demoted to two levels of official position.
This unjust case has dealt a big blow to He Shen. He originally intended to reward An Ming's talent, but he was dragged down and demoted by An Ming. He Shen also began to reflect that talent and honesty may not necessarily be reused by the emperor, and more skills and vision are needed. This became a turning point in his later changes.
The Qing Dynasty's punishment of ** has always been very severe. After this turmoil, He Shen deeply felt that if he could not obtain the emperor's trust and support, his career would stop. So he began to give advice to the emperor, and he was more proactive in handling government affairs, not only working diligently, but also paying attention to the overall interests and taking into account all aspects.
Gradually, He Shen became the emperor's confidant minister. One spring, when the uneven distribution of military salaries in the Eight Banners caused a commotion, He Shen suggested adjusting the military salary algorithm and strengthening barracks training, which effectively quelled the turmoil. Qianlong relied on him even more.
In the case of the scholar Li Shiyao, He Shen played a key role. He extorted a confession through torture, so that Li Shiyao's housekeeper confessed to the master's ** crime and successfully solved the case. Qianlong was overjoyed, promoted He Shen to be the secretary of the household department, and became a red-top member in charge of the country's financial power.
He Shen, who leaned towards the government and the opposition, also began to accumulate his own wealth. He used the power in his hands to control commerce and salt administration, and colluded with local ** to trade power for money. The wealth accumulated by He Shen is beyond the imagination of the general **. He owned a huge amount of gold and silver, acquired large tracts of land and property around the city of Beijing, and also collected countless precious antiques, calligraphy and paintings.
For a time, the relationship between He Shen and Qianlong became closer and closer, and he had the right to speak on almost all personnel arrangements in the cabinet. If the ministers of the court and the central government want to be reused by the emperor, they must first open up the relationship with the mountain of Shen. Zhang Jie, the steward of the Heshen family, is the first person to serve in the court.
The cronies around Heshen also benefited, and they colluded with businessmen to transfer benefits, and they each accumulated countless wealth. The smell of decay in the court became heavier and heavier, but the emperor turned a blind eye to it. In Qianlong's eyes, He Shen is not only talented and effective, but also very good at observing words and emotions to cater to the emperor, which is simply a model**.
Time flies, and He Shen has been in power for decades, and his wealth has accumulated to a terrifying point. According to the "Qing History Manuscript", his family property is rich, **more than 190,000 taels, and ** is even more countless. In cash alone, it is as high as more than 300 million yuan. In addition, Heshen owns a huge amount of real estate around Beijing. He forcibly seized private houses or bought land from ordinary people at low prices, and the real estate alone was worth hundreds of billions of yuan.
He Shen also has a large collection of gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings. Among them, there are many national treasures. If you evaluate these collections with a modern eye, their value is immeasurable. A scholar at that time once said that the wealth of the Heshen family was almost equivalent to the total financial income of the Qianlong Dynasty in 10 years.
Such arrogant wealth finally aroused Qianlong's vigilance. In 1785, Qianlong summoned He Shen to inquire about military salaries, and He Shen replied that he was not asked, Qianlong was furious, and immediately confiscated his seal letter and dismissed him from his post and confiscated his home. The amount of confiscated goods piled up on the streets for miles, and the amount of gold and silver treasures was staggering. Only then did Qianlong suddenly realize that the confidant minister he had single-handedly supported was actually a super-rich man, and he had been kept in the dark by him.
Qianlong, who was immersed in anger and couldn't extricate himself, soon passed down an edict and ordered He Shen to hang himself. At the last moment of his life, He Shen may have remembered his ideals when he was born as a scholar, his integrity and honesty had been corrupted by power, and he had been in officialdom for decades, and finally ended up in such a bleak end.
Countless people rejoiced at the death of He ShenThose who are light are light and peaceful. **After death, the world will be peaceful.
He Shen's life is a triumphant song of power and money, and it is also a tragedy of human fate. We should not simply judge a person's life, but look at the context and social circumstances that led to his fall. Everyone has two choices, go to the light or step into the dark. Only through inner reflection and vigilance can we avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and let history never repeat itself.