Jiaqing asked He Shen: Is there a time when **'s wealth is exhausted? He Shen responded wordlessly.
When Jiaqing questioned He Shen: Can the wealth accumulated by greed be exhausted? He Shen fell silent, speechless. In the chapter of history, during the Jiaqing period in 1796, Qianlong's fifteenth son, the outstanding Yan Yan (Yongyan), ascended the throne as emperor.
Despite the beginning of the new era, Qianlong still held real power, and key state and personnel decisions remained under his control, and even under Jiaqing's rule, the transfer of power was not completely relaxed. "
On the occasion of Qianlong's abdication, in the face of the old father of Longzhong, Emperor Jiaqing chose a trusted assistant - Quan Chen and Shen. Although the greedy nature of He Shen was not restrained by power, he became more and more arrogant under the protection of Qianlong.
For his misconduct, Jiaqing not only did not punish him, but stood aside and acquiesced, and even gave him key responsibilities, which made He Shen more and more complacent, as if he was in"Shadow Emperor"of luxury living.
However, with the death of Qianlong and the collapse of Heshen's backer, Jiaqing took decisive action and launched a stern investigation into the former favorite, pointing directly to his 20 major crimes, followed by the comprehensive deprivation of Heshen's wealth, and the power and glory dissipated overnight.
Can the huge amount of money spent on corruption be squandered? In the face of captivity, He Shen had a hint of luck and shocked Jiaqing with a word, leaving him speechless. However, the imperial power cannot be provoked, and the fate of He Shen is inevitable after all.
How did his path to power begin, and why did he anger Long Yan? **In the Qianlong era, He Shen relied on his insight into the emperor's scheming and monopolized power. On that crucial night, he tried to win the support of the prince with the jade ruyi who predicted the future, but he did not know that this would be the end of the peak of his power. "
When Emperor Jiaqing got the jade ruyi that symbolized power, he instantly understood the deep meaning behind it. However, for Quan Chen and Shen, his heart did not swell with gratitude, but instead bred deeper vigilance.
This shows that He Shen not only firmly controls the real power of the imperial court, but also intervenes in the core area of the royal family. Despite being the Son of Heaven, Jiaqing is essentially a puppet monarch who has been manipulated.
What's even more disturbing is that He Shen borrowed the hands of his cronies Wu Xinglan to fight"Organize the manuscript of the poem"Under the guise of secretly spying on his mind. In order to deal with Heshen, Jiaqing chooses to indulge in pleasure and avoid political disputes.
In the face of Qianlong's laughter, he pandered to it, and the government decree inquiry was prevaricated"Only by the will of God"。Qianlong's aging and vague speech confused Jiaqing, but He Shen was able to quickly decipher his intentions with his keen insight and familiarity with Qianlong, which made Jiaqing shudder.
In Qianlong's later years, Ah Gui, a military and political minister relied on by Qianlong, died, and the vacancy of talent shortage prompted He Shen to rise rapidly and take over the power of the first assistant. However, under the expansion of power, He Shen became increasingly arrogant, and regarded Jiaqing's confidant Zhu Qi, who had been a mentor and the governor of Liangguang, as a threat.
He Shen used his skills to spread Zhu Jue's rumors in Qianlong's ears, and successfully alienated Qianlong from this loyal man. To He Shen, the new Emperor Jiaqing seemed to be easy to control, and he began to ignore his precautions.
However, what is unknown is that Jiaqing deeply hates He Shen's arbitrariness in his heart, and lives in tension and forbearance of power struggles every day.
With his resourcefulness, Jiaqing fought side by side with his loyal partner Zhu Jue. He skillfully used the cover of the feast to gather the loyal ministers who were excluded by He Shen and jointly planned a counterattack. As soon as Qianlong died, Jiaqing made a decisive move, using the general's dereliction of duty as an excuse to quickly remove He Shen and Fu Chang'an.
On the pretext of keeping the spirit, he closely monitored the two, and at the same time secretly ordered Zhu Jue to rush to the capital at night to discuss in depth with Liu Yong and other important ministers. In this way, the tacit cooperation between Zhu Jue and Jiaqing defeated the powerful Heshen in one fell swoop.
On the fifth day of the new year, Emperor Jiaqing was unusual, showing rare activity, taking the initiative to listen to the advice of his ministers. This made Guangxing and Wang Niansun keenly capture the emperor's intentions, and they couldn't wait to write and question Heshen.
Jiaqing did not refute as usual, but accepted their twists and turns, showing a serious attitude. Regardless of whether there was a personal grudge or not, the court made a concerted effort to expose He Shen's crimes.
A total of 20 counts show his dereliction of duty and greed. On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Jiaqing decisively ordered the arrest of He Shen and sent him to the prison of the Criminal Department, and at the same time, the astonishing wealth confiscated by the house was shocking - the wealth of the He Shen family exceeded 20 times the annual income, amounting to 800 million taels!
Although the exact amount is still disputed, Ho Shen's wealth is enough to shake the treasury. Even his slave Liu Quan and the eunuch Hushitu Liu had a fortune of more than 200,000 taels, a scene that revealed a huge gap in wealth.
Back then, there was such a playful saying: "Heshen falls, Jiaqing gains." In the face of this ** whose wealth exceeds the treasury, although Emperor Jiaqing severely punished, there are still people who question that all the property he seized has not been made public.
Jiaqing skillfully used the Heshen incident to divert social contradictions and cover up the country's military and political difficulties. He took the opportunity to declare: "All injustice is caused by He Shen, and I swear to eradicate this pest for the common people." ”
Out of He Shen's old affection for Qianlong, he changed the capital crime to suicide. However, in order to prevent further turmoil, Jiaqing only severely punished the first offender in the Heshen case, and did not investigate it in depth.
In one fell swoop, behind the situation of fame and fortune was Emperor Jiaqing's sharp questioning of He Shen. On the occasion of the verdict and Shen, he personally visited the Criminal Department and lifted the veil of corruption with a spicy sarcasm: "Can you use up your huge wealth?" ”
He Shen responded wittily, claiming that the money mainly came from the travel and palace construction of the first emperor, but this statement did not change the fact that he was in power and greedy. In order to stabilize the society and stabilize the throne, Emperor Jiaqing had to kill him.
Looking back at history now, whether those defenses are true or not has become an in-depth issue for future generations.
He Shen, who was born illustriously, was a member of the Zhenghongqi Niu Cobalt Lu family, and as a bright star in the prosperous era of Qianlong, he played an indispensable role in the glorious chapter of the Kangqian period.
Despite the early death of his parents, his path to growth was not smooth, but was carefully nurtured by a loyal old man. Although he passed by the fame of the imperial examination, he inherited the glory of the third-class light car lieutenant by virtue of his father's shadow and his own talent, and more importantly, his outstanding talent and wisdom won the deep trust of the Qianlong Emperor.
Since childhood, he has been diligent in learning and proficient in Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan, and this profound language foundation has undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for his later career.
Emperor Qianlong was obsessed with the study of classics"The tiger is out of the sheng"The allusion tests the wisdom of the ministers. Only the erudite Heshen quickly grasped its deep meaning, which was the warning to the guardians in the Analects.
His quickness and quickness were greatly appreciated by Qianlong, who regarded him as a shrewd young guard. Once, when night fell, Qianlong studied "Mencius", the characters were small and difficult to read, and he lightly called and Shen to illuminate the lamp.
He Shen not only held up the lamp, but also accurately recited the emperor's perplexed chapter annotations under the light, showing amazing memory and knowledge.
On the day of Qianlong's ascension to the throne for 70 years, the mysterious Tibetan blessing of ** stunned everyone, and the Manchu civil and military were puzzled, but He Shen's unique interpretation made Qianlong praise him.
In order to compile the grand volume of the Siku Quanshu, Qianlong ordered the destruction of many classics, including the brilliant pearl "Dream of the Red Chamber", but He Shen had an extraordinary vision to preserve this treasure and allow it to pass through the years.
He Shen is not only talented, but also shows excellent skills in finance and politics. With Qianlong's extravagance in his later years, he built a large number of buildings and fought for many years, and behind the prosperity of the prosperous era was the increasing emptiness of the treasury.
In the forty years of Qianlong, under the surface of the prosperous era, there is actually an undercurrent crisis.
In the glorious chapter of the Qianlong era, He Shen won the emperor's incomparable trust with his excellent financial management skills. He is like a bright star on the **, in just a few years he miraculously climbed to the pinnacle of power, and successively took charge of the Minister of the Interior, the Manchurian Commander, the Governor of the Internal Affairs Office, the Ministry of Household Affairs and other important positions, and his promotion speed is amazing, almost beyond the achievements of a lifetime.
He accurately grasped Qianlong's will, and even though he was in a high position as a scholar and minister of military aircraft, he still humbly called himself"Minions", the respect for Qianlong has always been the same.
With his extraordinary adaptability and deep understanding of the emperor's intentions, He Shen won endless praise in Qianlong's later years.
Emperor Qianlong regarded He Shen as his confidant, and in order to consolidate the alliance, he did not hesitate to marry the most precious princess to the son of He Shen, and concluded the blood connection between the royal family and the ministers. This deep royal bond made Heshen's power rise to the sky, and he took the opportunity to dig deeper into the wealth of the people.
Although many courtiers tried to expose his greed with outspoken admonitions, Qianlong skillfully suppressed these objections. Qianlong did not favor He Shen personally, but his financial dependence made him turn a blind eye to He Shen's corruption.
Because He Shen controlled the country's money bag, made up for the deficit in the treasury, and supported Qianlong's military expansion and luxurious life. As a result, a unique system of co-prosperity was formed between monarchs and ministers.
In the TV series, He Shen is trusted by Qianlong with his image as a financial expert, playing the role of the savior of the treasury and becoming Qianlong's private person"Financial steward"。He skillfully met Qianlong's needs to tour the south of the Yangtze River without using royal wealth, which made Qianlong full of praise for his loyalty and practicality.
Although He Shen is burdened"Traitor"name, but he is dignified and personable, which is the key factor for him to win Qianlong's favor. Although Qianlong reused Heshen, it was essentially out of family considerations, and he was used as a strong supporter after Jiaqing succeeded to the throne.
He Shen, who controlled the power, lost his nature in the whirlpool of power and posed a potential threat to the throne of Emperor Jiaqing. Many ministers rushed to meet him and took refuge in him"Emperor"to secure his asylum and key positions.
Any voice that opposes him will be subtly and forcefully suppressed by him, and the former decision-maker is now the manipulator. Although Qianlong retreated into the background, the core of power was still in his hands, and most government affairs were adjudicated by Heshen.
He crossed the border to interfere in the affairs of the imperial family, and even the promotion of the title of the prince Yongxi had to be exchanged through his greed. He Shen's behavior seriously violated the loyalty and integrity of his courtiers and became a cancer of the country.
After Jiaqing ascended the throne, he did not hesitate to clear the obstacles, and all the wealth accumulated by He Shen over the years was confiscated, which not only enriched the treasury, but also drew a clear end to the change of dynasty in Jiaqing.
On the stage of the ancient dynasty, He Shen was a symbol of intelligence and authority, and his financial and political strength was unmatched. However, no matter how powerful the power is, it is only a delicate chess piece in the hands of the emperor, and once it is no longer valuable or threatens the stability of the emperor's throne, it will be ruthlessly discarded.
Although He Shen had accumulated countless treasures, they all came to naught in the end, flowing into the royal treasury, like an empty basket fishing for water, an empty joy. In this strict hierarchy, He Shen's talent was a stepping stone to the emperor's glory, but he failed to leave any happiness for himself.