Since the Ming Dynasty implemented the practice of literal prison, the style of "not seeking merit but seeking no fault" has begun to prevail in the upper echelons of the dynasty, and the ministers of the DPRK and the Central Government do not expect themselves to have meritorious achievements, but only hope that they can enjoy their old age in peace.
Among those who did evil for the sake of officials in history, He Yan was the most famous, and the amount of money he embezzled was innumerable, but when he was raided, why did he not even dare to move an item in Jiaqing, which is still in Prince Gong's mansion in Beijing?
The premise of was lawlessness
According to incomplete historical records, when the heyman family property was confiscated, the existing silver alone was as high as 800 million taels, and the total income of the property under his name was 300 million taels of silver, and the current assets of Hezhen were as much as 1.1 billion taels of silver.
These assets do not count the antique paintings in Hezhen's own collection, many of which are priceless treasures, so much hidden financial resources, enough to rival the amount of national treasury memory in the fifteen years of the Qing Dynasty. Washu only a minister, so why was he so "rich"?
At that time, He yan did not really enter the career path by "examination", he started from the lowest level of the guards in the Forbidden City, and climbed step by step to the position of a very popular subject.
He Yan entered the roster of officials in the Qing Dynasty during the Qianlong period, and the Qing Dynasty ruled by the Qianlong Emperor was a very strange period, sometimes the law was understandable, and sometimes it was so serious that it only talked about etiquette.
Compared with the previous Shunzhi Emperor, the Qianlong Emperor's method of venting his anger was very radical. After Fu cha's death, he began to become moody, and the Qing Dynasty's writing was particularly terrifying at that time, but any word that did not conform to the Qianlong Emperor's wishes would implicate the clan.
In the collection of poems of the Qianlong Emperor, it is not difficult to see that Qianlong regarded the Fucha clan as his confidant, and made the children born to the Fucha clan crown prince one by one, and intended to favor the Fucha clan alone.
However, the death of Yonglian, Yongzheng, and Empress Fucha brought an unprecedented blow to the Qianlong Emperor. In order to vent his unwillingness, the Qianlong Emperor threw his anger at the ministers and the people.
After the Qianlong Emperor lost his most trusted and confidant, the Fucha clan, it was difficult to find his confidant in the palace, and it was not until the middle age span of the Qianlong Emperor's reign that he met another confidant after the Fucha clan who was deeply aware of his thoughts, Hezhen.
Why can Hezhen do whatever he wants
Born into a family of eunuchs, he did not need to worry about food, clothing, shelter and transportation, even though he had no prominent background. However, Hezhen has higher ambitions, so he chooses to enter the career, but due to his unsatisfactory results many times, he finally chooses to go to the palace as a guard.
He Yan, who entered the palace as a reader, was naturally criticized by his colleagues, and most of the palace guards were not rich, that is, the sons of the Eight Banners of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and he was not popular among his colleagues at first, but fortunately, he was sleek and smooth, and gradually gained their trust.
In the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong (1773), He Yan was appointed as the minister of Guanku and was in charge of Buku. He grew his business path in Buku, which he had not studied seriously before, and in the management of Buku, he gradually had his own set of ideas and initiatives for financial management and management, and Buku was also well organized.
Qianlong was very satisfied with this and regarded Hezhen as an object that could be cultivated. Within four years, He Yan had been promoted all the way from the deputy commander of the Zhenglan Banner to the minister of military aircraft, and then to the commander of the infantry.
In addition to the smooth official routes, the Qianlong Emperor also had a very good relationship with Hezhen, and when the Qianlong Emperor went to Jiangnan for the fifth and sixth time, he brought Hezhen into a private visit to the south.
The Qianlong Emperor and Hezhen can be said to be inseparable, where there is the Qianlong Emperor, there is Hezhen, this phenomenon has a lot to do with the cleverness and wisdom of Hezhen itself, and because of his identity as a reader, the Qianlong Emperor attaches more importance to Hezhen.
As the Qianlong Emperor's love affair with He yan became deeper and deeper, he was once regarded as a confidant by the Qianlong emperor, so all kinds of transgressions of hezhen could turn a blind eye to the Qianlong emperor, all decided by hezhen.
On the one hand, because He Yan often collected wealth for Qianlong, on the other hand, He Yan did not make a major rebellion and plot against the usurpation of the throne, although He Yan already had a lot of power and influence, the Qianlong Emperor still did not intend to beat him down.
With the acquiescence of the Qianlong Emperor, He Yan became the biggest spokesman of the Qianlong period for a time, but anyone who disobeyed his words would be excluded and suppressed. He Yan also constantly expanded his sphere of influence, formed parties for personal gain, amassed money, and was not greedy for money.
Until the death of the Qianlong Emperor, the Jiaqing Emperor was officially pro-government. The Jiaqing Emperor took over the real imperial power and began to deal with the aftermath of the Qianlong Emperor's abuse of power in the later period. Among the many plans of the Jiaqing Emperor, there were many rules and regulations on governing the government, and there was one person he must kill.
The person the Jiaqing Emperor wanted to kill completely was Hezhen. From the magnates to the beggars, they all knew that Hezhen had a lot of wealth, but when the Jiaqing Emperor sentenced Hezhen to death and confiscated his property, people found that they could not imagine the greed of rich people.
Hezhen's current assets and assets to be valued are jaw-dropping, and among the many assets to be valued, there is one asset that even the Jiaqing Emperor did not dare to move without permission, although this asset belonged to the imperial family.
This asset was the "Fu Zi Monument" that Hezhen had stolen from the palace. This "Fu Zi Monument" is now located in the Gongwang Mansion in Beijing, one of the former residences of Hezhen.
The "Fu Zi Stele" was written by Kangxi and was used by the Kangxi Emperor to pray for the blessing of Empress Xiaozhuangwen. The text in the stele penetrates the stone stele, and the upper right of the inscription has the Chuanguo Jade Seal Zhenfu. He Yan coveted the meaning of the "Fu Zi Monument", so he stole it out of the palace and covered its carvings as a rockery.
The Jiaqing Emperor was helpless in the face of the appearance of the "Fu Zi Monument", after all, it was the inscription left by the Kangxi Emperor, but more importantly, he was afraid of moving the blessing and did not dare to move at will, so he left the "Fu Zi Stele" in Hezhen's mansion.
The blessing of the "Fu Zi Stele" does not protect Hezhen, and the reason can be understood without explanation - the Heavenly Dao has reincarnation, and the wicked have evil retribution.
The appearance of Hezhen was a stain on the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, and behind the corruption there were actually countless people who indulged in their behavior, and the Qianlong Emperor was no exception, and the Manchu Dynasty Wenwu of the Qing Dynasty was an accomplice to the scourge of hezhen, and all the people who were up to the court were responsible for their crimes, and their sins were irreparable.