Under their rule, the Qing Dynasty lasted for nearly three hundred years and created an unprecedented prosperity.
Not only did it expand its territory and include Mongolia and other places in its own territory, but its population grew unprecedentedly. According to historical records, from the entry of Emperor Taiji to the succession of Qianlong, the population of the Qing Dynasty grew from 70 million to 400 million.
It can be seen that the rulers of the Qing Dynasty were very capable, and the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors who were most familiar to everyone, their grandchildren and grandchildren almost created an unprecedented prosperity of the Qing Dynasty.
But they also had their own problems, such as the Yongzheng Emperor. He cured the trend of corruption and bribery, but he imposed heavy penalties, and during his reign, the atmosphere throughout the country was very serious.
Another example is the Qianlong Emperor, who was very kind and kind to people, but he was very luxurious and attached great importance to pomp. During his reign for decades, there was a lot of extravagance and waste, and although he created the "Kangqian Prosperous Era", the Qing Dynasty also began to decline from him.
According to historical records, the elbows that Qianlong gave to the minister were not eaten by the ministers, but quietly threw them away.
Qianlong was a kind and gentle emperor
Everyone's impression of the Qianlong Emperor may stay in the TV series, such as the amiable Emperor Amma in "Huan Zhuge Ge". Although he was the king of a country, he always had a kind heart, was very lenient with his sons and women, and did not have to treat his concubines with a condescending attitude.
For example, the emperor in "Ji Xiaolan", although sometimes confused, can still remain sober, distinguish between good and bad, and administer justice for the people. In recent years, TV dramas have paid more attention to the depiction of the emperor's harem, such as "Ruyi Zhuan", depicting a gentle and amorous Qianlong.
Although the characters in the TV series added the component of portrayal, most of the stories are not true, but this also confirms from the side that the Qianlong Emperor is indeed a kind person.
Whether to children, ministers, or concubines, he was very gentle, not as cruel as his father.
This was evident from the time he first ascended the throne, because his father had laid hidden dangers before, and his relationship with his relatives was very tense, and he even tortured some brothers and sisters.
After he ascended the throne, he immediately released his uncles who had been imprisoned, and even let some talented uncles return to the imperial court to become officials again, and also tried to help them restore normal life.
Although Qianlong did this with selfish intentions, he hoped to ease relations with his uncles and let them help him handle the government. But it can also be seen that he is different from his father, he is relatively soft and kind, and he handles things more humanely and gently.
It is precisely because his personality is different from his father's that after he succeeded to the throne, the atmosphere throughout the country changed.
From the previous solemn and orderly relationship between the government and the people to the later harmonious and unified social atmosphere, this is inseparable from Qianlong's efforts.
It is precisely in this way that there is a "prosperous era of Kangqian" in the post-population, because the people live and work in peace and contentment, and their lives are thriving, which is the appearance of a prosperous world.
It is said that when Kangxi passed the position of emperor to Yongzheng, he saw the cleverness of Yongzheng's son. And Qianlong's performance did not disappoint Grandpa, he not only consolidated the foundation created by Grandpa, but also carried it forward, doing better than his father and grandfather.
In the later period, Qianlong gradually became extravagant and wasteful, and the Qing Dynasty began to decline
Although the Qianlong Emperor had many advantages and created a lot of value for the Qing Dynasty, he had shortcomings that his ancestors did not have, that is, extravagance and waste. Whether it was the Kangxi Emperor or the Yongzheng Emperor, they were very frugal, even to the point of "miserliness".
However, Qianlong did not inherit this fine tradition, perhaps it has something to do with the environment in which he lived.
When Qianlong ascended the throne, his father and grandfather had already laid a very good foundation for him, there were no internal worries, no external troubles, as long as he vigorously developed the economy, he could move toward prosperity.
Qianlong himself was also very clever, and when he took the throne, he encouraged the people to reclaim the fields, and the economy of the Qing Dynasty developed at once. Even the people lived a relatively rich life, let alone the life of the emperor.
With a good foundation and no worries about eating and drinking, Qianlong quickly forgot the ancestral precept of economy, after all, he could let everyone live a good life without saving.
In such an environment, Qianlong gradually evolved from unconventional to wasteful, and he no longer calculated the daily usage and no longer considered the cost of various activities.
Not only did he have many dishes at each meal, but he also often held various events, invited the princes and ministers to come and participate, and even went down to Jiangnan every year. You know, in the era of inconvenient transportation in ancient times, the cost of travel for the emperor was astronomical.
In this way, before Qianlong knew it, the treasury was becoming increasingly empty, and although he did not show it very obviously during his reign, it was obvious that after him, the Qing Dynasty began to decline.
In fact, Qianlong must have also discovered this problem in his later years, but it was easy to go from frugality to luxury, and from luxury to frugality. By the time he realized it, he couldn't change that.
Therefore, Qianlong was an emperor with both advantages and disadvantages, and he did lay a foundation for the Qing Dynasty, but it did add a lot of burden to the Qing Dynasty. His kind character is also a double-edged sword, and although he can communicate with the minister in a friendly manner, it is difficult to rebuke the minister's unreasonable demands.
Under the leadership of Qianlong, the ministers also began to waste extravagantly, casually throwing away their elbows
Because Qianlong liked to be lively, he often held some activities, invited princes and nobles to participate, and under his leadership, everyone became extravagant and wasteful. Some ministers' families ate and wore even better than in the palace, and Qianlong knew that he was not angry, let alone scold them.
Ancestor worship was also one of Qianlong's favorite activities, he was a filial child himself, and the Qing Dynasty developed very well under his rule.
Through ancestor worship activities, you can express reverence and care for your ancestors, and gain their blessing and protection.
Second, it can also show its national strength to show its great achievements, and successive emperors will make a lot of efforts in ancestor worship activities.
In ancestor worship, there is a traditional activity, that is, the sacrifice of killing pigs. Because in ancient times, life was relatively scarce, although during the Qianlong period, the living conditions of the people were already very good, but they could not eat meat every day.
Therefore, killing pigs means improving living conditions. The best part of the pork was given first to the ancestors, then to the emperor, and finally to the princes and nobles who participated in the event.
It is worth mentioning here the practice of pork, in order to maintain the complete shape, the cooking of pork can only be boiled in white water, and no kernels and spices can be added.
You can imagine how unpalatable the pork produced by this was, so after it was distributed to the minister, they would throw it away.
But this also shows their wasteful style, pork is a luxury for ordinary people's homes, no matter how you do it, you can eat it very happily.