Preface
This breathtaking change of fate is He Shen. He Shen, a poor scholar born in a poor family, once relied on his sweat and wisdom to climb to the peak of power step by step, and was favored by the emperor. However, it didn't take long for him to be defeated, his wife was separated, and his family was ruined.
Such evil deeds naturally attracted the dissatisfaction of the successor emperor Jiaqing, and he immediately launched a liquidation of He Shen after he ascended the throne.
1. How can a poor scholar with no power climb to the top of power
1. From a humble background, he is dedicated to the imperial examination
He Shen was originally a declining nobleman, his family was in the middle of the road, and his ancestors were originally prominent for a while, but they slowly declined. He Shen, who is a son, grew up in a poor family, but he is also literate. He was diligent and studious, and often immersed himself in hard study, and was known as the "reader".
He Shen wanted to change his destitute fate and regain the glory of his family through the imperial examination. But he failed to take the examination examination repeatedly, and he failed again and again, which made him stubborn and almost want to give up.
2. Throw your pen from Rong and make military achievements
When he felt that the imperial examination was hopeless and depressed, He Shen simply gave up his identity as a Confucian scholar and chose to put pen to paper. Perhaps due to his family roots, he was soon promoted to an elite general in the army with his bravery and wisdom.
At this time, the Qianlong Emperor had just succeeded to the throne, and in order to consolidate the foundation of the dynasty, he was fighting everywhere to quell the rebellion. He Shen's army also traveled with the emperor, specializing in clearing out bandits and bandits.
In a battle to annihilate the Han bandits, He Shen fought hard with the enemy for three days and three nights, and still did not flinch when his head was broken and bloodied, and finally defeated the enemy's main force. His courage and determination and outstanding military exploits deeply moved the Qianlong Emperor, who inspected the front line.
3. Get the emperor's attention and start accumulating contacts
Emperor Qianlong personally summoned He Shen, who had made great achievements, and saw that he was dignified, witty and intelligent, and admired his talent, so he kept him by his side to make documents. He Shen worked hard and had strong writing skills, won the trust of Emperor Qianlong, and gradually became a celebrity around the emperor.
Around the emperor, He Shen was well-informed and slowly made friends with many officials in the court. He was helpful and calm, and gradually established contacts and accumulated his own power.
Emperor Qianlong also trusted He Shen very much. He Shen went from a down-and-out scholar to finally achieved his work from the dragon under the command of the emperor. He successfully climbed to the position of confidant, rich and powerful.
2. Father-son feud, Xiangqi Sheng
1. The prince is jealous, and the traitor despises it
After He Shen gained power, his greedy nature was gradually revealed. He constantly stole money from the people, embezzled public funds, and even openly accepted bribes and gifts from officials in front of the emperor.
This caused the dissatisfaction of Prince Jiaqing. He thought that a foreign minister was so greedy that it was intolerable. But the old father still trusts this traitor so much, which makes Jiaqing very angry.
And He Shen also saw it. He knew that the emperor's trust in him had surpassed that of the crown prince. was worried that the crown prince would be unfavorable to him after he ascended the throne in the future, and even found an opportunity to liquidate himself, so he secretly began to plan to abolish the prince Jiaqing and set up another confidant as the emperor.
2. The old emperor died, and Jiaqing ascended the throne
Unexpectedly, when He Shen was about to implement this plan, Emperor Qianlong's dragon body was abnormal. The medical officers tried their best, but they could not continue the life of the old emperor. When everyone was desperate, Qianlong died and ended his life.
Prince Jiaqing finally ascended to the throne as he wished, becoming the new master of this ancient country. And He Shen, who was once breezy and calm, faintly rose a trace of regret and fear in his heart at this time.
He regretted underestimating the prince before, and could have co-opted him and gained his support. And now it's too late, and the prince has become his new top boss.
3. The body is discredited, and the wife is separated
1. Liquidation of sins and confiscation of property
Sure enough, after Jiaqing ascended the throne, he immediately began to liquidate He Shen's past criminal acts. Under his order, He Shen soon fell into the hands of the government, and for a while, the sound of cold bells rang out, and He Shen was captured and imprisoned.
Then there was a wanton raid of his house and property. The wealth obtained by He Shen over the past few decades of embezzlement is simply shocking, and it is equivalent to the income of the state treasury for 15 years! Emperor Jiaqing was furious when he saw the enormous wealth.
2. Ling Chi was executed, and his wife was separated
He immediately ordered the shackles and Shen to parade through the streets. People were insulting and insulting, and the former celebrity fell from the peak to the bottom overnight, and became a prisoner.
In order to prevent future troubles after He Shen's death, Emperor Jiaqing showed no mercy and ordered Ling Chi to execute He Shen. He Shen couldn't even save the whole corpse, and ended his life in extreme pain. His wife and children were dismissed, and he had no place to live.
3. When a beauty returns to her hometown, one decision is the best of both worlds
After He Shen's death, the eight young and beautiful concubines he left behind became hot potatoes. Most of these concubines were sent by He Shen to bribe officials to curry favor with themselves. All of them are graceful and luxurious, beautiful and moving.
The official in charge of handling the rest of Heshen originally thought that Jiaqing would take over these pretty and bewitching beauties like his father Qianlong. Unexpectedly, Jiaqing was unmoved, he thought that as the Son of Heaven, he had seen too many beauties. Why bother to tarnish the innocence of the royal family for the sake of momentary selfish desires.
So, Jiaqing made an unexpected decision. He ordered that the concubines' belongings be returned to their rightful owners, and that they be released back to their hometowns. This wise decision immediately moved the government and the opposition. Jiaqing not only showed a generous and benevolent character, but also stabilized the situation that could be turbulent.
Fourth, commenting on loyalty and treachery, future generations should be aware of it
1. Loyal or traitorous, each has its own opinion
In this political struggle in the officialdom, the completely different fates and fates of He Shen and Jiaqing make people inevitably wonder -- should He Shen be judged as a loyal minister or a traitorous villain? This is a rather controversial issue.
Those who hold a positive attitude believe that He Shen was originally a down-and-out scholar, and step by step with his own efforts and bravery, he climbed to a high position and was favored by the emperor. He worked diligently to help the emperor pacify the world and help the country become prosperous and powerful. All these show his loyal and patriotic side.
Critics pointed out that He Shen later became greedy, looted the people's money, and used autocratic power to make fortune, which poisoned the reputation of the prince. All kinds of acts are already a corrupt and greedy traitor. These two opinions are one and the same, and each has its own opinion, making it impossible to decide which judgment is more accurate.
2. The lust for power leads to depravity
But the trajectory of He Shen's life has a clear and easy to see inspiration for us. That is the temptation of power, which can easily make a person lose his mind and go down the evil path of crime.
At first, the young He Shen may really have the heart of a patriot to save the world. But once he gained power, greedy lust quickly eroded his mind. Perhaps he didn't even realize when he had changed his nature and became hateful.
None of us can ignore such historical lessons. In the face of the temptation of power, we must always maintain rationality and bottom line. Only in this way will we not repeat the mistakes of the past and fall into the abyss of sin and filth.
3. Power is illusory, and there are successors
Of course, the fate of He Shen is also a warning to us that power is short-lived and illusory after all. When he lost the protection of the emperor, he was no longer beautiful, and he was defeated in an instant, and he never recovered.
And those who were once oppressed and exploited by him took the opportunity to take revenge and liquidate, and let the evil consequences of power return to himself. This shows that no one can monopolize power if it harms others and harms itself, and it will eventually be reincarnated. We should not be too obsessed with power.
As soon as He Shen died, there were naturally other successors to replace him. The situation soon returned to calm, and things in the world were still running and developing. This illustrates the alternation of power, which does not stagnate with the passing of a person. Each of us will eventually sleep in the earth, and the high position will be short. So there is no need to hurt each other for power, and there is no need to be too afraid or admire it. We just need to play our part and live our lives well.
Fifth, the misfortune is a disaster, and the ending is embarrassing
1. The official career is turbulent and unpredictable
He Shen and Emperor Jiaqing can be described as a legendary grievance and hatred in the officialdom. At first, He Shen went from a down-and-out scholar to climb to the pinnacle of power step by step with his own efforts, and was favored by the emperor.
Later, he was confused by power, stupid and greedy, and finally retreated after losing the protection of the emperor. He didn't realize that the waning of power would come so quickly. In the end, he was reduced to a prisoner and died a miserable death.
However, his fate also gives people food for thought. Once upon a time, he was in power and opposition, rich enough to rival the country, and even the Son of Heaven sighed to himself. became a prisoner overnight, his wife was separated, and his reputation was shattered. It can be seen that the officialdom is fickle, and the blessings and disasters are unpredictable.
epilogue
He Shen has experienced amazing ups and downs in life, and he is also a typical epitome of officialdom political struggle. It reminds us that power is nihilistic after all, and what really matters is to stick to the bottom line of morality.
If a person loses himself, indulges in pleasures, and deviates from morality and law. So even if he is in power for a while, he can't sleep for a long time; Even if his wealth is monstrous, he will eventually bring about his own destruction. Because harming others and oneself and violating the principles of heaven will be punished.
In life, moral sincerity is the right way. The lesson of the Harmony is precisely this immutable truth.