In 1768, a blank letter was sent to Ji Xiaolan's in-law, Lu Jianzeng. Except for the blank space, the letter contained only some tea and salt. When the news reached Qianlong's ears, he was furious and asserted: "What a bold man, this is a capital crime!."Subsequently, more than 100 people were implicated and more than 20 were beheaded. Lu Jianzeng, a celebrity, was also involved.
Lu Jianzeng, born in 1690, has been an official for generations, and he was also admitted to the Jinshi and started his career. The appearance is mediocre, the stature is short, but he is rich in learning and five cars, open-minded and cheerful, and has a reputation for being famous at home. His grandson Lu Yinwen married Ji Xiaolan's eldest daughter, and the two families had a deep friendship. In 1736, Lu Jian served as the salt transport envoy of Lianghuai, governed Yangzhou, and did good deeds for the local people. However, his good deeds attracted the framing of some ** filthy officials, which angered Emperor Qianlong, and was finally sent to the army. Eight years later, the truth was revealed, and Lu Jianzeng was rehabilitated, returned to his official career, and once again served as the envoy of the two Huai salts. In 1762, Lu Jian returned to his hometown and lived a reclusive life.
However, in Qianlong's view, the "Two Huai Salt Case" that Lu Jian was involved in was huge in scale, with an amount of more than 10 million silver taels, which was the largest corruption case in the Qing Dynasty. Lu Jianzeng became one of the most important suspects, and the Qianlong Emperor ordered a detailed investigation of his property**. This incident is known in the history books as the "Two Huai Salt Case", and it became the most prominent corruption case in the Qing Dynasty officialdom.
Faced with Qianlong's investigation, Ji Xiaolan was anxious when she learned the news. He didn't dare to disobey the emperor's order, so he sent a special letter to his in-law Lu Jianzeng, which contained only tea and salt. This action sounded the alarm for Lu Jianzeng, who quickly asked his family to transfer his property. Ji Xiaolan flexibly used the words "check" and "salt" to help each other with witty words, and achieved this legend.
Qianlong was shocked to learn that Lu Jianzeng's property had been transferred, and ordered a thorough investigation. Ji Xiaolan was under house arrest because she did not write a word because she reported the letter. In the end, Qianlong personally wrote on his case file: "Ji Yun lightly attacked Urumqi. "His life was saved, but Lu Jianzeng was hanged in prison.
The "Lianghuai Salt Case" exposed the sinister nature of officialdom, and the severe punishment of Emperor Qianlong caused more than 100 people to be convicted and more than 20 people to die. Among them, Ji Xiaolan reported the news to save his life, while Lu Jianzeng was the victim of the biggest corruption case in the Qing Dynasty.