He Yan was a mid-level courtier of the Qing Dynasty, and because he was deeply favored by the Qianlong Emperor, he was temporarily in power and power. As a Manchurian Red Banner, he was very shrewd and capable when he first became an official, and after consolidating his position through the Li Shiyao case, he became the first red man in the DPRK.
He successively served in a number of important positions such as the third-class bodyguard and the commander of the infantry, and held dozens of important positions in the Sticky Pole Department, the Military Aircraft Department, the Bureaucracy Department, the Household Department, the Punishment Department, and the Li Fan Yuan, and also served as the chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the head of the Hanlin Academy, the chief executive officer of the "Four Libraries", the minister of the leading guards, and the commander of the infantry. He was also made a first-class Loyal Xiang Duke and a scholar of the Mandarin Temple. However, it was such a powerful minister, after Qianlong's death, but as soon as the new emperor Jiaqing first came to power, he was given death without the power to fight back. To answer this question, we need to start with the background of the imperial power system in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
※ Ming and Qing monarchies were highly concentrated?※
Since Qin Shi Huang annexed the Six Kingdoms and unified the world, the Central Plains region has established an imperial ruling order. Under a well-established bureaucracy, the emperor became the supreme presence of the state. On a practical level, however, the officials who maintained imperial rule were not always on the side of the emperor. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty launched decades of foreign wars, the central finances of the Han Dynasty dried up and had to levy taxes on the people, and the poor peasants had to sell their land and sell themselves into serfs or tenants of the Hao clan in order to survive. As a result, the Hao family class rose and controlled the dynastic government of the Eastern Han Dynasty, wei and Jin dynasties for a long time, and even the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Especially during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the top families controlled the government for a long time, and there was a saying that "the king and the horse shared the world".
After the Sui and Tang dynasties, the imperial examination system, the popularization of paper, and the southward migration of northerners triggered by several turmoil in the Central Plains gradually destroyed the social basis for the existence of the Shi clan gate valve. The spread of knowledge and the new system of electing officials led to the rise of the cold door, and the emergence of people among the people who could read and write, and were absorbed into the bureaucracy of the imperial court. These scholars, who had no family and social roots, became the most reliable helpers for the emperor to maintain imperial rule. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, this trend had gradually been completed. During the Ming Dynasty, the imperial power system was complete, and the entire courtiers represented the imperial power, but the personal power of the emperor was bound by the imperial power system. Because of this, the Ming emperor often reused the eunuchs close to him to control the government in order to suppress the restraint of the imperial system on himself.
Although the Ming emperor often appointed eunuchs to power, the power of the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty itself originated from the emperor himself, so when the Chongzhen Emperor arrived with an edict, the former "nine thousand years old" Wei Zhongxian also came to the end of his life and could not resist even a little. In the Qing Dynasty, the conflict between the emperor's personal power and the imperial power system still existed, but the Qing Dynasty had formed the eight flags system and the wrapped slaves that could be dispatched and driven by the emperor before entering the customs, and did not need to share power with eunuchs, so the emperor's personal authority was even greater than that of the Ming Dynasty.
※Washu is not a vassal in the traditional sense?※
It is precisely because of the highly centralized monarchical dictatorship of the Ming and Qing dynasties that Hezhen cannot become a vassal in the traditional sense. Previous historical rulers, such as Huo Guang, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Sima Zhao, Huan Wen, Wang Dun, Yuwen Tai, and others, or who were themselves the sons of the shi clan gate valves, had the support of a huge family group behind them, and could mobilize huge social and political resources for them to drive; or they were powerful warlords who rose to one side, received financial support from chaebols, and were in charge of the heroic soldiers who could control the world. Compared to them, Hezhen had nothing.
He yan's identity capital is the Manchurian Red Banner, but this also means that his class is naturally subject to the control of the Qing Emperor, and the Eight Banners force cannot be a help for his power to move towards the opposition. The fundamental reason that really prompted him to form unscrupulous parties for personal gain and wantonly amass wealth stemmed from the emperor's personal favor for him. The power exercised by Hezhen still essentially belonged to the category of imperial power and needed to be attached to the personal power of the emperor. Because of this, He Yan's trick could only stir up trouble next to Qianlong's ear in order to influence the emperor's views and guide him in the direction he needed.
※ Jiaqing can endure humiliation and burden?※
The rules of the power game during the Qing Dynasty were very clear to He Yan. He knew very well that once Qianlong died, then his position would also fall into a dangerous situation. Therefore, he not only vigorously restricted Jiaqing from cultivating his own cronies, but also placed his own henchmen next to Jiaqing and secretly monitored Jiaqing's every move.
As an emperor, Jiaqing also understood what kind of rules he was in, and although Jiaqing was emperor at that time, the highest power holder of the entire Qing Dynasty was still controlled by Qianlong, who was the emperor of Taishang. As long as Qianlong was still alive for one day, Jiaqing could not attack Hezhen, otherwise Hezhen could use his advantages to influence Qianlong's will toward Jiaqing. If it is not done well, Jiaqing may also lose the throne in the process of cutting out he and Yan. Therefore, the Jiaqing Emperor learned to taoguang and cultivate obscurity, and no matter what problems he encountered politically, he was left to he yan to take care of, and if he encountered someone who wrote a letter of impeachment and yan, he would reprimand him in front of others. After a long time, He yan began to trust Jiaqing and gradually let go of his guard. After Qianlong's death, Jiaqing, who had endured humiliation for four years, quickly attacked, on the one hand, contacting his teacher Zhu Jue to enter beijing to assist in the government, and on the other hand, he set up Hezhen and sent bodyguards to arrest him. Shortly thereafter, Hezhen committed suicide in prison.
In summary, it is precisely because of the highly centralized monarchical dictatorship system of the Qing Dynasty that the decisive influence of the emperor's personal power on the situation of the dynasty is determined. This also led to the natural disadvantage of Washu in the confrontation with the emperor compared to other powerful subjects in history. Therefore, when Jiaqing came to power, the defeat of Hezhen was also very logical.