In China's history, there have been many corrupt officials, who have turned a blind eye to the sufferings of the people's lives, secretly embezzled a large amount of money, and enjoyed a luxurious life. However, we also know that the fate of corrupt officials is often very miserable, and their reputations are also infamous for thousands of years. The corrupt official we want to introduce today, I believe everyone is more familiar with him, he is the most influential Hezhen in the Qing Dynasty. He Yan embezzled 15 years of the state's revenue, but eventually committed suicide in prison.
The reason why He Yan was able to embezzle so much was actually very much related to the Qianlong Emperor. He Yan was originally only a disciple of the Eight Banners, but because of his shrewdness and ability to read people's hearts, he was appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor and became more and more powerful in the imperial court. He yan has held many important positions and has gained many benefits from using his position. Because He yan was very trusted by the Qianlong Emperor, some officials often bribed him with money in order to get a chance to get promoted.
And after He Yan got these benefits, he would indeed help them to say a few kind words in front of the Qianlong Emperor. Over time, Hezhen's reputation in the imperial court grew, and eventually an interest group centered on Hezhen was formed. In the early years, the Qianlong Emperor ruled the country well and did a lot of practical things for the people. Perhaps because he is old, he does not have enough energy to take care of too many things, so he only turns a blind eye to Hezhen's corrupt behavior.
After Jiaqing took office, Qianlong did not give up the power in his hands, and still held power as the emperor of the ether. Although Jiaqing was very angry about this, he had no choice. And He yan often stood by Qianlong's side and helped Qianlong pass on information. In the process, Wada will always filter out information that is beneficial to him, so as to expand his power.
Jiaqing had long been unaccustomed to what He yan was doing and had always wanted to get rid of it. Therefore, after the death of the Qianlong Emperor, Jiaqing immediately sent someone to arrest Hezhen, and at the same time sent someone to seal up Hezhen's family property. According to historical records, the amount of hezhen's family property that was seized at that time was as large as the financial income of the Qing Dynasty for 15 years, which was really shocking. Therefore, the folk have the saying that "Hezhen falls, Jiaqing is full". After entering the prison, he could not stand this huge gap, and his emotions completely collapsed, and he eventually hanged himself in prison.