Successive dynasties have firmly believed in the "Mandate of Heaven", so in order to please the emperor, many people or things have written books to say "Mandate of Heaven". Especially in the early or late years of the empire, due to the turmoil and the floating hearts of the people, this could help the emperor consolidate his position, so it was favored by them. However, if he did this in the Chengping era, it would be easy to be regarded as a demon to confuse the public, and he would end up with the fate of being killed. For example, during the Qianlong period, such a thing happened.
The Qianlong Emperor ordered a severe trial of Zhi Tianbao and Zhang Jiuxiao
It happened on April 20, 1779, the forty-fourth year of Qianlong (1779), when the Qianlong Emperor was visiting the emperor's mausoleum, the guards took a pingtou civilian named Zhang Jiuxiao on the imperial road, claiming to be entrusted by master Zhi Tianbao to present the emperor with almanacs containing the 800-year-long Qing Dynasty and the 57-year reign of the Qianlong Emperor, and hoped for the emperor's favor. The Qianlong Emperor was furious after reading the almanac, ordered Zhang Jiuxiao to be imprisoned, and sent someone to arrest Zhi Tianbao, who was also severely interrogated by the university scholar Yu Minzhong and others.
After several days of interrogation by Yu Min, the case gradually became clear. According to the confessions of the two main criminals, Zhi Tianbao was originally from Gaoyi County, Directly Under the Province, and initially opened a medicine shop in Qizhou, but because of the decline of business and the closure of the shop, he turned to BaigouHe in Rongcheng County to become a foot doctor, and made a living by selling plasters. Zhang Jiuxiao, a local domestic worker in Rongcheng County, originally had no friendship with Zhi Tianbao, only because he had taken a few plasters from the latter, so he became acquainted with the other party.
Zhi Tian Leopard was originally a doctor, but liked to study divination
Since ancient times, there is no distinction between families, and people who study medicine often also study divination, many of whom are addicted to it and are difficult to extricate themselves, and Zhitian Leopard belongs to this type of person. Since childhood, Zhitian Leopard likes to study astrology and calendar, and in addition to practicing medicine, he also divinates and measures fortune for people from time to time, eliminates disasters, and occasionally fulfills the times, and gradually gets the title of "master".
As it became more and more difficult to practice medicine and make a living, Zhi Tianbao began to dedicate the book to the "Mandate of Heaven", and according to his own deduction, compiled an almanac called "The Fortune of the Great Qing Dynasty", hoping to dedicate it to the Qianlong Emperor in order to invite royal grace and give him an official and a half-post. In order to please the emperor, Zhi Tianbao predicted in the almanac that the national fortunes of the Qing Dynasty would last for more than 800 years, the Qianlong Emperor would reign for 57 years, and after him, more than 30 emperors would appear, which can be called the eternal solidity of the country and the longevity of the society.
Zhi Tianbao forged almanacs and estimated that the national fortunes of the Qing Dynasty had 800 years
In the process of Zhi Tianbao's falsification of the almanac, Zhang Jiuxiao, because he felt that being a domestic servant was not a long-term solution, begged the former to take him in as a disciple, and followed him to sell ointment to earn money, and got the consent of Zhi Tianbao. Zhi Tianbao saw Zhang Jiuxiao honestly and honestly, and felt that this person was very reliable, so after compiling the almanac, he transcribed two copies and agreed that the two would jointly present them to the emperor. Although Zhang Jiuxiao did not understand whether the prophecies in the book were true or false, he heard that the dedication of the book could be rich, so he agreed to it.
According to the agreement, the two men would present the almanac to the Qianlong Emperor on the occasion of the emperor's gurudwara. Unfortunately, Because of the leg pain, Zhi Tianbao could not walk, so he had to give the manuscript to Zhang Jiuxiao and let the latter present it alone. In order to make the emperor believe what he said, Zhi Tianbao told Zhang Jiuxiao that he had met the Shunzhi Emperor Xiansheng when he was collecting medicine at Camel Cliff, and only then did he get this almanac taught by the latter. Zhi Tianbao asked Zhang Jiuxiao to take these words to heart and relay them to the emperor when he presented the book.
For the dedication of the Zhitian Leopard, the Qianlong Emperor was furious
Zhang Jiuxiao remembered zhi tianbao's words, and then the starry night and the journey finally reached the imperial tomb as scheduled. After Zhang Jiuxiao sneaked into the imperial tomb, he knelt on the imperial road to offer a book, and was immediately captured by the guards and escorted to the emperor. After the Qianlong Emperor saw the almanac presented by Zhang Jiuxiao and heard the latter relay Zhi Tianbao's words, instead of being overjoyed, he ordered the two to be imprisoned and handed over to Min Zhong for strict trial.
After a rigorous trial, Yu Minzhong and others were convinced that this was a case in which an idle man from the jianghu used a book to say "Mandate of Heaven" and hoped for wealth, and although it had not yet caused a bad social impact, the crime was extremely serious. Yu Minzhong and others believed that Zhi Tianbao not only forged the almanac, but also falsely discussed the length of the Qing Dynasty in the book, and falsely claimed that he met the Shunzhi Emperor's eminent teachings, which was really a demon to confuse the public and the crime could not be blamed. What is even more heinous is that the book not only directly calls the name of the Shunzhi Emperor, but also sets the reign of the Qianlong Emperor to 57 years, which is suspected of slandering the previous emperor and cursing the current emperor.
The Qianlong Emperor ordered the execution of Zhi Tianbao and Zhang Jiuxiao
Accordingly, the courtiers suggested to the Qianlong Emperor that Zhi Tianbao, as the main culprit, should be executed according to the law, and Zhang Jiuxiao, as an accessory, should be executed according to the knowledge of the great rebels. After the proposal was made, the Qianlong Emperor, in the spirit of "leniency", changed the sentence of Zhi Tianbao to be a beheading decision, while Zhang Jiuxiao was to beheaded and waited for execution after the autumn, as for the forgery of the almanac, it was only burned. In this regard, Zhi Tianbao and Zhang Jiuxiao donated books to say that the "Mandate of Heaven" case ended in a tragic end.
Zhi Tianbao's writings were changed from leniency to execution, and Zhang Jiuxiao worshipped the rebels as his teachers and presented the reverse books on his behalf, and should also be beheaded according to the law. Gu Nian is a native of the countryside who is ignorant and illiterate, and his feelings are still pitiful. Zhang Jiuxiao changed from leniency to should be beheaded and executed after the autumn. Yu Yiyi. And this encyclical is known to both inside and outside the world. Thanks. See Qing Dynasty Text Prison Archives.