During the Qianlong period, He Shen, the finance minister of the Qing Dynasty, was a brilliant and clever figure. He is good at managing money and making money. Some say that he has more wealth than the treasury. Of course, this is just an exaggeration, but his wealth is indeed unmatched.
One day, Emperor Qianlong summoned He Shen and asked him, "He Shen, I heard that your family's money is piling up, and even you can't count how much it is. With so much money, can you spend it all?"This question, in fact, Qianlong is hinting at He Shen too much, but he expresses it in a humorous way.
When He Shen heard this, he was shocked, he knew that this was Qianlong's warning to him. But he was worthy of great intelligence, and immediately replied: "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. The money of the ministers is not to be spent, but to be protected. ”
Qianlong asked suspiciously: "Protection?."What to protect?He Shen smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you know that the world is not peaceful now, and thieves are rampant. The minister hid the money to prevent theft!”
When Qianlong heard this, he couldn't help laughing. Although he knew that He Shen was quibbling, he was also impressed by his wit. He said, "Heshen, you are such a wonderful person. Well, I'll believe you this time. So, Qianlong did not pursue the matter of He Shen again.
However, this matter does not end there. A few years later, Qianlong died and was succeeded by Jiaqing. Jiaqing had long been tired of He Shen's greed and decided to find an opportunity to rectify him.
One day, Jiaqing brought up that question again: "Heshen, your family's money is piling up, can you really spend it?"He Shen was stunned when he heard this, he didn't expect Jiaqing to mention this matter. But he still replied calmly: "Your Majesty, the minister's money is not for spending, but for protection. ”
Jiaqing sneered and said, "Protection?."Who are you protecting?It's you!He Shen's face changed, but he still insisted: "Your Majesty, you are wrong. The minister protects the court and the country. The minister hid the money to prevent anyone from stealing the state's property”
When Jiaqing heard this, he couldn't hold back anymore and shouted: "Heshen, you are still quibbling!."All your money was stolen from the state!You have committed a heinous crime, and you still want to get away with it?When He Shen heard this, he knew that he could no longer quibble, so he could only bow his head and admit his guilt.
In the end, Jiaqing ordered Heshen's house to be raided and all his property confiscated. It is said that these properties were enough to cover the taxes of the Qing Dynasty for ten years. He Shen thus became the richest ** in history.
This is the story of Heshen, a story full of wisdom and greed. It tells us that no matter how smart a person is, as long as he is greedy, there will always be a price to pay one day.