The period when the Jiaqing Emperor ascended the throne was in the "eventful autumn" of the Qing Dynasty. In today's terms, it is that Jiaqing took over a "mess". The Qing Dynasty had begun to decline at the end of the Qianlong Dynasty, with corruption among officials and sharp class contradictions.
What is even more excessive is that in the first four years of Jiaqing's succession, the Qianlong Emperor, as the Taishang Emperor, has been secretly observing and manipulating behind the scenes. Even if the Jiaqing Emperor wanted to make a difference, he could not exert his fists and feet.
Qianlong stills
He Yan's specialization made Jiaqing feel that he was stabbed in the back
We all know that although Jiaqing did not have any outstanding talents, he was quite diligent in political affairs after he took the throne. Jiaqing was not a "star" among the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, and his most well-known initiative was "punishing and punishing".
From the late Qianlong period in the late 1940s, he began to expand his power dramatically, and he became the first powerful minister of the dynasty. He yan not only has a strong desire for power, but also has an extreme greed for money.
The corruption of the ruling clique of the Qing Dynasty is intensifying day by day, and behind the "Ten Perfections of Martial Arts" and "The World of Prosperity", there is already a crisis buried. The most important manifestation of this decay is the extravagance and erosion of the ruling clique and the corruption of the bureaucracy. He yan, who covered the sky with one hand, was the best embodiment of this situation, and he could not escape the blame.
Washu stills
After Qianlong Zen, although Jiaqing was a son of heaven, he was essentially just a subservient emperor. His pitiful appearance was recorded in the Korean "Records of the Lee Dynasty": "The emperor is happy and happy, and laughing is also laughing."
Not only that, Jiaqing also had no way to deal with Hezhen at this time, and the literature also recorded: "Since the new emperor ascended the throne, he has not wanted anything... It is also the chest that is free to act.". Especially in the second year of Jiaqing, after He yan was promoted to the first assistant, he did more as he wanted. However, his power reached its highest point, but it was also the final stage.
Jiaqing's expertise made Jiaqing feel that he was stabbed in the back and had to get rid of this as an internal problem; at that time, the Qing Dynasty was in a state of crisis, the landlord class and bureaucratic rule were becoming increasingly decayed, and the Great White Lotus Sect Uprising that shook the whole country broke out, which was a foreign worry.
At a time when the Qing Dynasty was in a state of internal troubles and critical survival, the corruption and incompetence of the Ruling Clique of the Qing Dynasty were further fully exposed, and the corrupt officials of the civil and military forces headed by He Yan made a fortune of "war wealth," which caused the Qing Dynasty's finances to be in ruins. They attack each other for the sake of profit and shirk responsibility from each other.
This situation made the contradiction between Jiaqing and Hezhen more acute. After the death of Emperor Qianlong, who was nearly ninety years old, Jiaqing held great power and the political situation began to change dramatically.
Jiaqing did his best, but he had more than enough to go back to heaven
Qianlong died on the third day of the first lunar month of the fourth year of Jiaqing; on the fourth day of the first year, Jiaqing summoned the university scholar Liu Yong and the official Shangshu Zhu Gui; on the fifth day of the first month, some people went to the impeachment and impeachment; the eighth day of the first month, that is, "the Ministry of Punishment was asked by order"; on the fifteenth day, the repetition came: "Execute according to the great anti-law Ling Chi"; on the eighteenth day, Jiaqing "gave the order to commit suicide by giving grace". It can be seen that Jiaqing has acted rapidly.
As the folk saying goes, "When Hezhen falls, Jiaqing is full", and through raiding Hezhen, Jiaqing made a fortune, and the government's financial deficit was compensated somewhat.
Jiaqing was finally pro-government. In the face of the dangerous situation, he did his best, but he had more than enough and was unable to return to heaven. In the face of history's relentless verdict, he finally failed to escape the fate of death. Such an emperor who punished corrupt officials, suppressed uprisings, worked hard to govern, and was very frugal, suddenly died in the summer resort in the twenty-fifth year of Jiaqing, leaving us with a suspicious case.
Jiaqing stills
The cause of Jiaqing's sudden death has been made public and recognized by many scholars
Folk history says that Jiaqing was killed by lightning. Legend has it that Jiaqing, who was ill but not a big problem, was recuperating in the summer resort, and one day lightning and thunder over the Rehe River, the palace was struck by lightning, and finally the Jiaqing Emperor was "struck by lightning" and died.
Officials say in the canonical history that Jiaqing died of illness, but the language is vague and secretive. It should be known that Jiaqing was still in charge of the government the day before, his body was still quite tough, and it was unlikely that he would get an acute illness, so folklore was recognized by many scholars and historians.
If Jiaqing really died "by lightning", it is understandable that Zhengshi did not dare to record it, after all, the "Ninth Five-Year Dignity was struck by lightning" was really too tragic.