Preface
How could a young man who had just entered his career climb to the pinnacle of power in just a few years and become a celebrity who made the emperor favor him? What was the reason why he quickly lost power after the emperor's death, his family property was confiscated, and he finally died in Huangquan?
1. How can a petty official be appreciated by the Son of Heaven?
In the winter of 1723, He Xi, who was only 22 years old, entered the emperor's guard team through the identity of Yin Shizheng Red Banner and became a five-rank petty official. At this time, he was just one of the many guards, and he was not conspicuous.
However, the wheel of the goddess of fate quietly kicked in at this time. In the winter of that year, during Emperor Qianlong's inspection of Shandong, he accidentally noticed this handsome young man in the guards. His fair complexion, handsome appearance, and graceful riding grace made the emperor appreciate him a lot.
Emperor Qianlong rode to the edge of the guard and saw He Xi, who was wearing a mink coat and riding on a white horse with a firm expression. His delicate young appearance is the same heroic in the sunset, and his upright posture on horseback is more like a son from a famous family.
Qianlong asked the chief of the guard curiously. Knowing that he was a newly joined guard, Qianlong ordered He Xi to come over and talk to him. He Xi hurriedly dismounted humbly and bowed before the holy car.
Qianlong asked with a smile. "Long live Grandpa is wise and martial, and he must be in Shandong to inspect the people's suffering and sympathize with the famine. He Xi responded calmly. The two of them chatted back and forth for half an hour, and Qianlong became more and more satisfied with this young man. It is gratifying that a naturally beautiful teenager has such an extraordinary mind and insight.
So, he immediately ordered someone to conduct a detailed investigation and evidence collection of evidence on the young man's life experience. Soon, He Xi's life experience was presented as a holy case. It turned out that he was a native of Manchuria Zhenghongqi, and his father was a Chang Bao who had served as the capital of Fujian, and Chang Bao was quite appreciated by Emperor Kangxi during his lifetime. However, he died early, and his son He Xi was young, which made this famous family fall into the middle, and the young He Xi had to drag his sick mother to study diligently, and finally became a guard through the selection this year.
A young man from a middle-aged family can have such a humble and humble self-cultivation that is neither humble nor arrogant. The emperor valued this fair, handsome and outstanding young man even more. So, he immediately asked He Xi to do a few things.
These things were quite difficult for a small five-rank guard, but after a few days, they were properly done, and two of them even surprised the emperor, and he was overjoyed. Such a shrewd person as the emperor was pleasantly surprised by this young man, it seems that he is really talented.
The emperor realized that this seemingly handsome young man actually had extraordinary ability and mind. Three months later, he promoted He Xi, who had already won the emperor's appreciation, from a five-rank guard to a royal guard. This was a rare big leap in officialdom at that time. For a time, He Xi's name spread in the imperial city.
At this point, a 22-year-old young official, He Xi, through his talent and wit, successfully opened the door to a high position after accidentally getting the opportunity to be appreciated by the emperor, and began to show his edge. As a result, he also gained a well-known reputation - Heshen.
Second, he has repeatedly made miraculous achievements, and the pampering letter is rising step by step
In the second year after being appreciated by the emperor, He Xi, who had already won the reputation of "Heshen", ushered in the first big leap in his life. Seeing that he was able to do his job well, the emperor immediately appointed him as the right attendant of the household department, which was a great official position in the core of power in the officialdom at that time. He Shen, who was only 23 years old at the time, obtained such an important position with the youngest seniority, which surprised countless civil and military officials.
Half a year later, at the age of 24, He Shen was promoted again and was appointed Minister of Military Aircraft, entering the core decision-making circle of the emperor's most trusted advisers. Soon, he took over the responsibility of managing the internal affairs of the palace and became the chief eunuch in charge of the harem.
In just a few years, a five-rank petty official quickly climbed to such a height at the top of the pyramid, in addition to He Shen's own extraordinary ability, the more important reason is that he has won the trust and favor of the emperor. He Shen has a lively and cheerful personality and is well versed in heaven and man. Whenever the emperor gave him a task, he could always complete it skillfully, and he did many miraculous feats. Once, the emperor asked He Shen to select the most handsome palace maid in the country to enter the palace overnight. The next day, He Shen selected dozens of peerless beauties with national beauty and fragrance. The emperor was overjoyed and praised him.
Just when Heshen was rising step by step, in 1740 there was a severe drought and famine in Hebei. The emperor was furious and immediately dispatched He Shen, who was in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to provide relief to the people. In the process of serving the emperor for a long time, He Shen has already understood his heart, so he has lived up to the emperor's expectations, and has shown his extraordinary ability in this disaster relief.
Faced with the limited food in the warehouse and the large number of victims, He Shen did not panic. When distributing rice porridge for disaster relief, he sprinkled a handful of sand into the porridge in public! This move immediately aroused the dissatisfaction of fellow officials, and Ji Xiaolan asked He Shen on the spot what he was doing. In the face of questioning, He Shen did not panic, but calmly responded:
Sure enough, many of the sturdy "hungry people" turned around and left, leaving behind those who were really in shape. He Shen used this simple method to skillfully distinguish between real and fake victims, ensuring that the relief food in the warehouse could reach the people who really needed it to the greatest extent. This strategy greatly alleviated the disaster, saved countless victims, and once again made the emperor look at He Shen with admiration.
With his witty performance in this disaster relief, He Shen was once again promoted by the emperor and appointed as the secretary of the Ministry of Industry. He was also able to participate in Emperor Qianlong's nine southern tour ceremonies for more than ten years, and became the emperor's most trusted and closest confidant minister when he traveled. It can be seen that the emperor's favor and trust in him are as good as the sky.
3. Lose the favor of the monarch and quickly fall into the abyss
After serving as the emperor's right-hand man for more than two decades, He Shen had become the most powerful figure in the Qing Dynasty outside of the emperor. He not only has huge wealth, but also holds the power of the court, and needs to present the emperor's recitals every day. So the power is tilted towards the government and the opposition.
However, after the death of Emperor Qianlong and the succession of Emperor Jiaqing, the wheel of fate turned again, and He Shen ushered in a great change in his life. Because the wealth accumulated by He Shen over the years was too large, and Qianlong's domineering style and autocratic power during his lifetime, many ministers of the court and China were angry, and they complained. As a result, the newly enthroned Emperor Jiaqing completely lost his trust and favor in Heshen.
What's even worse is that He Shen's power is monstrous on weekdays, and his style of doing whatever he wants has long become a hate in the hearts of hundreds of officials. King Yongyan, who attempted to seize the heir, hated him even more and regarded him as a great trouble.
After Yongyan came to power, he immediately instructed his henchmen to constantly poke their privacy to the emperor. In the end, Jiaqing ordered the arrest of He Shen, imprisoned him, and all his family property was confiscated, shocking the whole of Beijing.
In this way, He Shen, who lost the emperor's favor, quickly fell into the abyss. He fell from the pinnacle of power and became a prisoner. All kinds of torture in prison, family members were implicated and imprisoned, everything seems to have reappeared yesterday. The emperor, who struggled with his ears and temples all day long, now regarded him as a rat crossing the street. This made He Shen completely desperate. Two years later, He Shen, who was already extremely decadent, died in prison.
The 22-year-old young man who worshiped Emperor Qianlong for the first time and was in his prime is now in Huangquan. He Shen once climbed to the top of the pyramid of power, but he failed to hold out for a month after losing the favor of the monarch. The legendary and tumultuous fate of his life is quite regrettable.
epilogue
He Shen's jaw-dropping life can't help but make people think deeply. How can a junior official who has just entered his career gain the emperor's trust and promotion through his own ability and resourcefulness? And what is the reason for his rapid loss of the emperor's favor? This must contain historical experiences and lessons that deserve our self-examination.