The minister was given death, enjoyed a severed head, and the emperor let him go.
The Qing Dynasty was prevalent, especially in the early years of Qianlong. Some scholars exclaimed: "Three hundred years of Qing history, how much? In fact, the climax of ** did not occur in the harshest Qianlong Dynasty, but in the early years of the Qianlong Dynasty.
However, in the craziest period, Qianlong released an old minister who should have been tortured, this old minister was named Yin Jiaquan, who died in his seventies. Why did Qianlong make such a decision?
It turned out that before he was executed, he calmly ate two pieces of meat and three glasses of wine.
During the Qing Dynasty, there was a scholar named Yin Jiaquan who compiled a book called "The Complete Book of Primary Schools". However, this book was listed by Qianlong as "**."
Surprisingly, Yin Jiaquan's father, Yin Huiyi, served as the governor of Henan and the servant of the Ministry of Officials during the Yongzheng period, not only as an official, but also as a famous thinker and Confucian scholar, and Zhang Boxing, Lu Longqi and Tang Bin were known as the "four sons of the Kangxi Dynasty".
Moreover, Yin Huiyi is also a well-known filial son. When he was an official, all good governance would be attributed to his mother; When he retired and returned to his hometown, he started charities such as Yixue and Yitian, claiming that they were carried out under the guidance of his mother.
When his mother passed away, Yin Huiyi chose to follow the ancient method of "sleeping on a bitter pillow" and was deeply immersed in grief. This move of his had a profound impact on his son Yin Jiaquan, making him also famous for his filial piety.
Wan Jiaquan has been brilliant since he was a child, has read poetry and books, and is even more outstanding than his father. After the middle lift, he entered the officialdom, first in the official department, and then because of his outstanding performance, he was transferred to the Dali Siqing of the Beijing Division.
Although his life is not outstanding, his diligence has always been praised by people. He personally compiled the "Encyclopedia of Primary Schools", which was highly praised by Qianlong.
Although there are some personality shortcomings, such as Yin Jiaquan always claiming to be a personal descendant of Confucius**, and even claiming to be a descendant of Mencius, this kind of verbal arrogance has caused a lot of criticism and cynicism, but he himself seems to be unconcerned.
Despite not having any grand political ambitions, Mr. Wan has been very diligent and rarely made mistakes during his time in office. In the year of his retirement, this ordinary retired ** caused a sensation in the court
Back in the forty-sixth year of Qianlong, the momentum of ** has turned from prosperity to decline, but Yin Jiaquan, who returned to his hometown, caused a confusing *** case - his father's title case.
Qianlong went out on a tour, passing through Baoding, Hebei Province on the way back to Beijing, and Yin Jiaquan, who was retired at home at this time, learned of this and had a strong desire in his heart, hoping to meet Qianlong.
However, due to Yin Jiaquan's ordinary official position, he could not meet Qianlong, so he came up with an ingenious method. He personally wrote two letters and asked his son to present them to Qianlong.
The first letter was sent to Qianlong on March 18 for his late father, Yin Huiyi, who was furious when he read it.
You Yin Jiaquan! It turned out that Yin Jiaquan said in the recital that his father Yin Huiyi had been dead for more than 30 years, and he showed great filial piety during his lifetime, and even won the emperor's praise, so he hoped that Qianlong could imitate the way he gave Lu Longqi a special nickname, and also gave his father a nickname.
Yin Jiaquan was calculating two possible outcomes in his mind: if Qianlong agreed, his name as a filial son would be confirmed; If Qianlong did not agree, he would have been given at least one chance to be summoned and boast among his neighbors that he was still favored by the emperor.
However, his calculations were wrong. Qianlong was experienced and had already seen through his cleverness, so he was even more angry. Qianlong has always looked down on Taoists, and even hates those poor and sour ministers who are full of empty words.
In addition, Qianlong was not aware of Yin Jiaquan's heart. remembers that when Yin Jiaquan was still in the Shandong Domain, he asked Qianlong for Peacock Feathers, and said that without Peacock Feathers, he would have no face to go home to see his wife.
Qianlong was dissatisfied with his behavior, and finally did not reward him with a peacock feather.
Whether or not a minister can receive a nickname after his death, and what is a nickname, is an extremely important matter, and it is usually decided by the cabinet and then by the emperor.
However, Yin Jiaquan asked for a nickname on the grounds of his filial piety, and if his request was approved, then every minister could ask for a nickname for his relatives in the future, so what binding effect are the rules that have been set?
Considering this, Emperor Qianlong decisively instructed: "The nickname is a major national event, how can you ask for it at will?" Your recital should be handed over to the Sixth Division, but because of your filial piety, this punishment will be waived. ”
However, Wan Jiaquan was not discouraged by this, and submitted the recital again.
This piece of music has obviously been carefully considered, starting from Lu Longqi's ability to enshrine in the Temple of Literature, and all the way to Tang Bin, Zhang Boxing, and even his father Yin Huiyi, who all believe that they should have the qualifications to enshrine the Temple of Literature.
However, when Qianlong saw this, he was furious, originally thought that Yin Jiaquan was a reasonable person, but he didn't expect him to be even more excessive, Qianlong immediately waved his pen and wrote a book, severely accusing him: "Barking recklessly, the crime is unforgivable!" ”
On the same day, Qianlong summoned the Minister of Military Aircraft and issued an order to dismiss Yin Jiaquan and escort him to Beijing. Hearing this order, Yin Jiaquan almost fainted, but what was worse was that the Son of Heaven was angry and moved his whole body, and all Yin Jiaquan's property in Boye's hometown and the capital was confiscated.
Qianlong particularly emphasized that the cultural materials such as poems, books, and letters preserved in Yin Jiaquan's home were of great importance and must be carefully examined. In the early morning of 20 March, the ministers went to Yin Jiaquan's house according to Qianlong's will, and after two days of searching, a total of 1,000 books were found.
Two more commissioners then reviewed the "arrogant handwriting" in these books. The progress of the matter is obvious, Qianlong obviously intends to punish Yin Jiaquan, not just write a letter to ask for a seal for his father.
After Qianlong returned to the Old Summer Palace, the next day the scholars and the Criminal Department began to interrogate Yin Jiaquan. In the course of this intense and serious interrogation, people finally understood why Qianlong was so angry.
During the interrogation, the inquisitor asked many tricky and outlandish questions, which caught Wan off guard and exposed his false Taoism. The inquisitor's caustic behavior was actually carrying out Qianlong's orders.
Historically, many emperors first suppressed the atmosphere of lecturing in the struggle against partisans. Therefore, if someone calls himself Mr. Daoxue, he will often get himself in trouble.
And Yin Jiaquan came out at this critical moment, he not only advocated lecturing, but also asked for many ** titles, which made Qianlong very angry.
The cause of Yin's death was not due to other items found in his home, but because of the 131 "arrogant handwriting" found in his home. These handwritings became evidence of the crime.
One of them is particularly serious, he imitated Zhu Xi's "Words and Deeds of Famous Ministers" to compile a book called "Words and Deeds of Famous Ministers", which listed many famous ministers in the early years of the Qing Dynasty, such as Gao Shiqi, Gao Qiwei and others.
However, Emperor Qianlong believed that the Qing Dynasty was strong at this time, and it was inappropriate to over-promote famous ministers or traitors. His logic is easy to understand, if there are traitors in the court, then the emperor is mediocre and incompetent; If there are many famous ministers in the court, then the emperor is incompetent and needs the assistance of famous ministers.
Therefore, from Qianlong's point of view, he very much disliked this kind of behavior of promoting famous ministers.
Yin Jiaquan was arrogant, imitating Mencius to call himself "the emperor's teacher", Qianlong ridiculed his shallow ignorance in the court, and he brazenly called himself an "old man", which was a challenge to Qianlong's authority.
After all, Qianlong was celebrating his 70th birthday recently, and he named his birthday "Gu Xi Tianzi", and also wrote "Gu Xi Shuo", taking this term as his own.
However, Yin Jiaquan actually challenged Qianlong's authority at this time, which was undoubtedly a big taboo, and his crime would only aggravate.
There was once a famous minister who became a prisoner overnight, and he ate only two pieces of meat and drank three glasses of wine before leaving. However, although on April 17, the 46th year of Qianlong, after repeated interrogations by the cabinet and scholars, he was finally sentenced to death.
What is even more heartbreaking is that according to the law at the time, all of his family members would also be sentenced together. However, before the execution, Qianlong forgave him, changed the sentence to hanging, and exempted his family from punishment, which is still puzzling to this day.
Qianlong's change of decision began on the night before the execution. In prison, Yin Jiaquan knew that he had not turned around, but he also noticed that Qianlong had pardoned his family, which made him breathe a sigh of relief for a while.
He worked hard for the country and the people all his life, but the final outcome was so tragic that people can't help but feel deeply sorry. Just as he was filled with grief, footsteps were heard outside the cell.
It turned out that the jailer had come with a sumptuous meal, not only wine, but also meat. Looking at his dying meal, Yin Jiaquan remained calm, he knew that after being imprisoned, he had been reflecting on his actions, and he also understood why Qianlong was so angry.
He blamed himself deeply in his heart, knowing that he had betrayed Qianlong's trust, and if it weren't for Qianlong's generosity and kindness, his family's lives might not be guaranteed. Thinking of this, he felt even more ridiculous about his actions.
He was grateful for Qianlong's kindness and showed a look of undaunted death. Yin Jiaquan looked at the last meal that Qianlong had prepared for him, and although it was only a meal before he died, he felt extremely satisfied and grateful.
The jailer looked at him, only to see that he picked up the wine glass unhurriedly, and the shackles collided with the wine glass with a crisp sound, and he raised his head and drank three glasses of wine in one go. The aroma of wine was so fragrant that he couldn't help but smack his lips.
After drinking, he picked up his chopsticks again, took a bite of the ham meat, chewed it slowly, and finally picked a piece of fat meat on the plate.
Time passed quietly, and after Yin Jiaquan had a full meal, he carefully sorted out his tableware in an orderly manner. The jailer came in to clean up the dishes and also reported his "abnormal" behavior to Qianlong.
After listening to this, Qianlong pondered for a moment and decided to meet Yin Jiaquan again. He believes that although Wan Jiaquan behaves strangely, he is not an incorrigible person. At least his performance in prison gave Qianlong a new understanding.
In his later years, Qianlong paid great attention to fame, and he didn't want to lose the reputation of harsh old ministers because of Yin Jiaquan's affairs. Qianlong wanted to give Yin Jiaquan another chance to see if he could grasp it.
When he learned that Qianlong was going to meet him, Yin Jiaquan's mood was very complicated, he was both excited and nervous, and he understood that this was a sign of Qianlong's willingness to be tolerant of him. Therefore, he gave full play to the eloquence of the literati and praised Qianlong incomparably.
Qianlong couldn't cry or laugh at Yin Jiaquan's sycophancy, and most of his original anger was also dissolved by his sleek sophistication. Qianlong commented helplessly: "With your sleek character, I'm afraid you can live to be a hundred years old." ”
This sentence surprised Yin Jiaquan, and he immediately understood that this was Qianlong's proof of forgiveness for him. He was grateful, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Qianlong to thank him. Qianlong waved his hand to signal him to retreat, Yin Jiaquan left the hall in fear, and when he walked out, he found that the wet clothes on his body had been dried by the cold wind.
This story is recorded in "Spring Ice Room Wild Ride", and it is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, but what is certain is that Yin Jiaquan was spared Ling Chi and his family was released.
After the turmoil caused by his father's request subsided, all of Yin Jiaquan's clerical writings were destroyed, and four tiled grass houses and 36 acres of land in his hometown were sold and confiscated, and family properties in other places could not escape the fate of being sold.
This incident triggered by his father's request for sealing finally ended with him being imprisoned, his family property confiscated, his works destroyed, and his family being affected, which can be said to be a very eye-catching case in the Qianlong period at that time.
Although Yin Jiaquan became a poor man because of this, in any case, the kindness of Emperor Qianlong allowed him to save his life. However, Qianlong's favor was not out of personal tolerance for Yin Jiaquan, but out of consideration for the social atmosphere at that time and his own reputation.
In fact, Yin Jiaquan's life and death were not important to Qianlong.
Qianlong warned Taoists not to challenge the authority of the emperor, otherwise the end would be cruel. sparing Yin Jiaquan's life in exchange for the name of virtue is worth it for him. However, Wan Jiaquan's life did not last because of this, and he died before the spring flowers bloomed the following year.
During the Qianlong period, ** occurred frequently, and many civil and military generals died as a result, and the cruelty was unique in the 300 years of the Qing Dynasty. Why did Qianlong want to prosper***
Does he want to use power to stifle freedom of speech?
Emperor Qianlong, young and promising, had great ambitions, and wanted to continue to carry forward the glorious glory left by the previous emperor. Politically, he adopted a strategy of "combining leniency and severity", on the one hand, to rectify the rule of officials, and on the other hand, to clearly stipulate various rules and regulations, and to appease the royal clan that had been attacked and oppressed during the Yongzheng period.
Economically, he built water conservancy and rewarded land reclamation, which made the society show a prosperous scene. However, while serving the country wholeheartedly, Emperor Qianlong also took measures to revitalize the country.
Although Emperor Qianlong was not the initiator of ***, this system reached its peak during his reign. In response to this problem, the Qing Dynasty created a new position of censors, whose main task was to censor "arrogant handwriting" in published books.
With the passage of time, during the period of Emperor Qianlong, ** became more and more serious, and there was even a situation where he was arrested after catching the wind. The main reason for Emperor Qianlong's implementation was to strengthen the centralization of power and ideological control.
As soon as Emperor Qianlong succeeded to the throne, he couldn't wait to execute Zeng Jing in the "Lu Liuliang Case", Zeng Jing had advocated the idea of opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty during the Yongzheng period, although Yongzheng killed Lu Liuliang, but left Zeng Jing with his life.
Zeng Jing thought that he had escaped and could enjoy his old age in peace, but after Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, he and Zhang Xi were sentenced to Ling Chi.
In the thirty-second year of Qianlong, Qi Zhouhua publicly published many books and articles in support of Lu Liuliang, which made Qianlong very angry. Although the Lü Liuliang case ended Qi Zhouhua's life, the turmoil caused by it did not stop, but continued to ferment in the following decades, which also made Qianlong's censorship of books and texts more severe.
In"Nanshan case"Qianlong took the opportunity to wrongfully and kill Cai Xian, a 71-year-old lifter, on a large scale, and implicated as many as 24 people. Then, in the forty-second year of Qianlong, another bizarre thing happened"Word through the case", the number of people implicated was huge, and all the relevant clerical works were destroyed.
In this period of frequent occurrence, Qianlong arrested and executed anyone who might affect the stability of the country and those who propagated anti-Qing and Ming restoration.
This made him suspicious, like"Cup bow snake shadow"So so.
In the forty-four years from the sixth year of Qianlong to the fifty-third year of Qianlong, according to the records of the "Qing Dynasty *** file", a total of 53 *** cases occurred, and these cases involved almost all over the country, bringing a panic and uneasy atmosphere to the society at that time.
At this time, even Yin Jiaquan, who was in the third grade, failed to see Qianlong's sensitivity and severity towards words. Although his original intention of asking for the seal for his father is understandable, after being gifted by Qianlong once, he still did not give up and put forward the second request for the seal, with sincere words and heartfelt feelings.
However, how could Qianlong tolerate him? Yin Jiaquan's misfortune is not an exception, his misfortune just represents the epitome of the people who died because of the *** case during the entire Qianlong period.
An in-depth analysis of the Qing Dynasty's book "Spring Ice Room Wild Ride" written by Li Yuerui and Kong Lingsheng reveals the cruelty and secrets of this historical period. The book was published in 2013 and has important reference value for understanding the society and history of the Qing Dynasty.