After the Qing army entered the customs, it began a two-and-a-half-century reign. From its initial prosperity to its eventual decline, this history is full of twists and turns. As the last feudal dynasty on the mainland, the Qing Dynasty created the prosperous Kangqian era in its heyday, but after the death of the emperor, how much wealth did he leave to his descendants?
Emperor Kangxi, known as the first emperor of the ages, his dominance is very important. As a monk in Shunzhi, Kangxi ascended the throne from an early age and became the longest-reigning emperor in mainland history. He ascended to the throne at the age of eight, and with the assistance of four auxiliary ministers, he began to govern at the age of sixteen. Kangxi's life was full of ups and downs, and he was almost spent in war. In order to consolidate his power, Kangxi first eliminated the threat of Aobai, then quelled the rebellion of the three feudatories, thwarted Geerdan's rebellion, and finally recovered Taiwan.
These feats are enough to prove Kangxi's strength. However, in his later years, Kangxi was caught up in the dispute between the prince for the throne, and his benevolent government led to corruption among officials and an increasingly empty treasury. After Kangxi's death, Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, and the treasury was less than 8 million taels of silver. Faced with this situation, Yongzheng felt extremely sad. Although Kangxi made mistakes, his merits still outweighed his mistakes. His most outstanding contribution is to maintain the unity of the country, provide the basic conditions for the rapid development of the country, and lay a solid foundation for the prosperity of peace.
After Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, although the Qing Dynasty was still beautiful on the surface, it had begun to rot on the inside, like a rotten peach with a gorgeous appearance. Faced with less than 8 million taels of silver left by the emperor and the corruption of officialdom, Yongzheng couldn't sleep at night. In order to change this situation, Yongzheng implemented a series of effective reform measures to deal with the financial difficulties and political corruption of the late Qing Dynasty.
In the field of finance, he sorted out the chaotic financial files, strengthened tax supervision, and effectively put an end to waste and corruption. In terms of fighting corruption and advocating clean government, Yongzheng punished corrupt officials with strict laws and punishments, and strictly supervised the selection and appointment of officials to ensure the integrity of the government. Economically, he promoted the progress of agriculture, improved water conservancy facilities, popularized agricultural technology, and encouraged the development of handicrafts and commerce, thereby increasing the country's economic power. Militarily, Yongzheng reformed the army and improved the combat effectiveness of the army. At the same time, he also strengthened the management of local governments, ensuring social stability by strengthening the system of governors and quelling local unrest.
These reforms have achieved remarkable results, with a full treasury, political clarity, social stability, and economic prosperity. With the efforts of Yongzheng in the thirteenth year, the treasury increased from less than 8 million taels to 60 million taels. However, due to Yongzheng's cruel methods, killing his brothers and ministers also left him with a bad reputation. In the end, Yongzheng was overworked and died on the throne. It was his diligent efforts that brought the Qing Dynasty back to strength. Qianlong's succession to the throne went smoothly, there was no fighting, the world was peaceful, and with the large wealth left by Yongzheng, the treasury was still abundant. However, when Jiaqing succeeded to the throne, why did the treasury become empty again?
Qianlong was very diligent in the early days, and under his leadership, the country once again became rich and strong, and there was a situation of Qianlong's prosperity. However, in his later years, Qianlong began to spend extravagantly, consuming a large amount of silver from the state treasury. This profligacy manifested itself on many levels, including the lavish life of the court, the large-scale collection of antiquities, the vast construction project, and frequent foreign military expansion.
The lavish lifestyle and frequent banquets and hunting in the court greatly depleted the treasury. The passion for antiquities has led to huge sums of money being spent on the acquisition of works of art and the documentation of them. In addition, during the Qianlong period, there was a large construction project, such as the Summer Palace, and military interventions in Xinjiang and Tibet, all of which required huge financial expenditures.
This unbridled profligacy eventually placed a heavy burden on the state finances, resulting in Jiaqing facing an empty treasury and economic embarrassment when he succeeded to the throne. Excessive consumption in the late Qianlong period was not only a significant sign of the decline of the late Qing Dynasty, but also had a profound negative impact on the country's economic and political stability. By the time Jiaqing succeeded to the throne, the treasury was almost empty. However, Qianlong left Jiaqing with one person, that is, He Shen, and this huge wealth made Jiaqing rich all of a sudden.
He Shen, formerly known as Niu Hulu and He Shen, was a powerful minister from the late Qianlong period to the early Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, and a famous corrupt official in history. His wealth has accumulated to an unimaginable extent, and there is even a saying that "He Shen fell, and Jiaqing was full", which shows the huge wealth of his wealth. He Shen's wealth mainly comes from his embezzlement and bribery. During his tenure in a number of important positions, he took advantage of his power to amass wealth on a large scale. Not only did he accept bribes from officials, but he also sought personal gain by manipulating imperial court engineering projects and foreign trade. Heshen's property includes a large amount of land, real estate, gold, silver jewelry, antique calligraphy and paintings, etc., and its value is incalculable.
According to historical records, when He Shen's house was raided, the property confiscated from his home was piled up, including a large amount of gold, silver, pearls, agate, coral, precious stones and various precious cultural relics. He Shen's wealth even exceeded the reserves of the Qing state treasury, and after his family property was confiscated, some of it was filled into the state treasury, some was used by the Jiaqing Emperor to reward meritorious officials and officials, and some was used to fill the void in the treasury. He Shen's embezzlement was extremely rare at the time, and his wealth reflected not only the degree of personal greed, but also the corruption of officialdom and the lack of oversight mechanisms at the time. He Shen was eventually executed by Emperor Jiaqing for corruption, and his story became a negative teaching material for later generations to warn officials about their integrity and self-discipline.
The trajectory of the Qing Dynasty's rule reflects the aura of glory and prosperity, but also intertwines the clouds of turmoil and predicament. At the end of its glorious years, the Qing dynasty witnessed brilliant achievements in political reform, extravagance and profligacy at court, and social unrest caused by the highly controversial Ho Shen. This history is an indelible page in the annals of Chinese history, which allows us to reflect deeply on how the decisions of rulers led the fate of the country, and how the tide of history drove the progress of society in the change of dynasties.