In the turbulent court of the Qing Dynasty, the name of He Shen was like a cold star, and its light eclipsed almost all power seekers.
His life, as if engraved with a tragic song intertwined with greed and power, has become a never-ending cautionary story in history.
He Shen, who was hailed as the first person in the Qing Dynasty at the time, failed to escape the reincarnation of fate after all, and the gold and silver treasures he had desperately accumulated became the stone bricks that paved his way to Huangquan in his last moments.
In the context of the feudal hierarchy of the Qing Dynasty, He Shen's birth did not predestined him to future glory.
He was born in an ordinary family in the Eight Banners of Manchuria, although he did not have a prominent magnate, but because of the military exploits of his ancestors in history, he had a respectable family title - Baturu.
This name is like a symbol of family glory, indicating that He Shen has extraordinary blood flowing in his body.
In that era of valuing bloodline and background, He Shen's background has paved a different path for his life journey.
The family's military exploits have achieved their status in society, and also provided more opportunities and choices for Heshen.
When he was young, the family did not bask in the glory of the past, but focused on investing in the education of future generations, a forward-looking move that undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for Heshen's later political success.
He Shen's ingenuity began to show itself as a child. He is not only the center of hope in his family, but also shows his talent for learning in outside educational institutions.
His family sent him to the Xian'an Official School, which was not only the cradle of the Qing Dynasty's cultivation, but also the holy place for the children of the Manchurian aristocracy to be educated in that era.
Here, He Shen came into contact with the wider world and saw the complexity and excitement inside and outside the imperial court.
During his study at Xian'an Government School, He Shen was like a piece of jade to be carved, and his inner potential was gradually shining under the cultivation of teachers.
Not only did he read the Four Books and the Five Classics, but he was proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but more importantly, he learned how to navigate complex interpersonal relationships.
The accumulation of these skills and knowledge plays an indispensable role in his future entry into the first place, and even become an important minister in the court.
In addition, He Shen also met many classmates and friends who would have a pivotal position in the imperial court in the future.
These networks played a huge role in his later career as a scholarly student, and it can be said that he learned not only book knowledge, but also how to steadily climb the ladder of power.
He Shen's educational experience, especially his studies at the Xian'an Official Academy, laid a solid foundation for his later political career.
He not only absorbed the essence of knowledge, but more importantly, learned to use this knowledge to survive and thrive in the power field.
It was this experience that made He Shen grow from an ordinary child of the Eight Banners of Manchuria to the "No. 1 ** of the Qing Dynasty" who later shook the Qing Dynasty government and the opposition
He Shen's career is like a rapidly rising channel, he is in action step by step, and every step seems so steady and fast. By chance, He Shen was favored by Emperor Qianlong.
In the court, Emperor Qianlong asked a difficult question to his courtiers, and everyone was cautious, lest they make a mistake.
And He Shen relied on his wisdom and courage to answer boldly, not only skillfully answering the problem, but also winning Qianlong's appreciation.
Emperor Qianlong followed the prestige, and saw that He Shen was personable and talented, and he couldn't help but praise him greatly. Since then, the trajectory of He Shen's life has changed dramatically.
Soon, he was promoted from an ordinary imperial guard to the imperial minister, and soon after, he took on important positions such as the head of the household department, the minister of military aircraft, and even the minister of the interior at a rapid pace.
In such a heyday, Heshen's power was almost invincible, and he was nicknamed the "Second Emperor" by the people of the time.
His power is so great that he can influence almost every decision of the government and affect the country's economic and political direction.
He Shen's economic acumen is equally awe-inspiring. Under his careful management, the revenue of the Ministry of Internal Affairs increased dramatically, and the treasury of the imperial court was full as a result.
However, his thirst for wealth was not satisfied.
In private, He Shen used his power to amass wealth and expand his treasury by all means. His home was filled with gold, silver and jewels of unknown origin, and the accumulation of these riches even shook the entire imperial court.
His behavior not only caused a commotion among the people, but also made many ministers in the court more and more jealous of him.
In that era when money and power were supreme, Heshen was undoubtedly the most successful model. His greed and pursuit of power seem to have become the most vivid portrayal of officialdom at the end of the Qing Dynasty.
However, just like the ancients, the tree was a big man, and Shen's huge wealth and power also laid the groundwork for his future overthrow.
He Shen's greed seems to be an abyss of insatiability, and he played the role of an uncrowned king in the heyday of the Qing Dynasty, wielding the supreme power in his hands as he pleased.
In this game of power, he is not only a shrewd player, but also a greedy reaper.
His power is like a double-edged sword, one side maintains the majesty of imperial power, and the other side secretly erodes the wealth of the country.
He Shen was in charge of the Qing Dynasty's economic lifeline, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and he had the power to approve every expenditure and control every account.
In his hands, the silver taels of the treasury seemed to have turned into flowing water, and what flowed was the countless private vaults that he had carefully planned.
His younger brother He Lin also took advantage of He Shen's power and rose all the way to become a prominent figure in the court.
He Shen was not satisfied with just bringing his relatives with him, he even promoted his servants to the rank of officials, allowing them to collect treasures for themselves in other places and contribute to their wealth.
Under his arrangement, whether it was precious jade, magnificent silk, or strange exotic treasures, they were all sent into his mansion one after another.
He Shen's home was filled with countless gold, silver, jewelry, and priceless treasures.
Rumor has it that in the depths of his mansion, there was a special treasure trove, which was filled with all kinds of gold and silver treasures, some of which were rare even for the emperor.
He Shen loved these riches not only because of their value, but also because they were a testament to his power and wisdom.
However, Heshen's pursuit of wealth has never ended. His greedy hand stretched out longer and longer, and even began to interfere in the judicial trial, for the sake of treasure, he could turn black and white upside down, bend the law and abuse power.
In his opinion, there is nothing that money cannot buy, and even law and justice are so vulnerable and powerless in the face of money.
It was this greed and abuse of power that eventually led to the downfall of Heshen.
When Emperor Qianlong died and Emperor Jiaqing ascended the throne, Heshen's huge wealth and the crimes he committed became a tool for the new emperor to rectify the dynasty and demonstrate his prestige.
He Shen's treasures and power eventually became the shackles of his life, locking him firmly to the pillar of shame in history.
The death of Emperor Qianlong, for He Shen, is tantamount to the collapse of the sky. The Emperor Taishang, who had sheltered him and indulged him for a long time, left him with boundless panic and impending bad luck.
Emperor Jiaqing's accession to the throne means the arrival of a new era, and for ** like He Shen, it also means that the bell of reckoning has been ringing.
At the beginning of Emperor Jiaqing's accession to the throne, in the face of this powerful and greedy former relic, he was determined to sweep away this moth in the court in one fell swoop.
Therefore, when the early morning sun had just sprinkled the palace walls, Emperor Jiaqing ordered a thorough search of Heshen's mansion. They flocked to see a seemingly empty mansion, which made them stunned.
However, as smart as Jiaqing, he knows Heshen's cunning and scheming. So he commanded: "Take a hammer and chisel the pillar." ”
As if to confirm a legend, when the sound of a hammer was heard, accompanied by the flutter of dust, pieces of yellow gold rolled out of the pillars, like a gold mine hidden in the soil suddenly unearthed.
This was just the beginning, and the subsequent search found an astonishing number of gold and silver treasures, and even in the rockery, the Kangxi Emperor wrote a blessing tablet for the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang - this treasure representing the glory of the imperial power and ancestors was also privately hidden by He Shen and used to pray for his wealth and longevity.
However, in the end, it became ironclad evidence of Heshen's greed.
He Shen's life is an interweaving of power, wealth and human greed, and his story becomes a mirror in history, allowing the world to witness where a person will eventually go if he indulges in power and greed.
The ending of He Shen is not only a warning to him personally, but also a warning to everyone - in the game of power, there is no eternal winner, and greed will eventually reap its own consequences. Just like the chiseled pillar, what is hidden is not only **, but also the corruption and sinking of an era.
When He Shen committed suicide by hanging himself on the night of the Lantern Festival, he left the world with not only the mountains of wealth, but also stories that have been passed down through the ages. With his life, he reminded the world: a gentleman loves money and takes it in a good way; If you lose your path, you will end up with nothing.