Preface
In the pages of history, there is a famous minister, who is greedy and shrewd, controls the authority of the imperial court, and controls the fate of hundreds of millions of people.
When Emperor Jiaqing asked Quanchen and Shen: "Can you spend all the money you are greedy for?" Perhaps he didn't expect how He Shen's answer would leave him speechless.
He Shen's answer may be mockery, or self-deprecation, but in that shining court, it is like a sharp blade, revealing the truth of power.
Let's travel back in time to explore the breathtaking, shocking stories of He Shen and the thrilling conversation between him and Jiaqing.
Illustrious background, start a career
Manchurian Niu Hulu Heshen, formerly known as Shanbao, was born in 1750. Since he was a child, he has lived a life of worry-free food and clothing, which is also thanks to his ancestors who once made a lot of military exploits under Nurhachi, and won the hereditary title of third-class light car captain.
He Shen's father, Chang Bao, was honest and honest, and was appreciated by Emperor Qianlong and promoted to the deputy capital of Fujian. In such a family environment, He Shen received a good education since he was a child, and went to the Xian'an Palace official school, which was also a holy place for the children of powerful people to study during the reign of Qianlong.
= Although his family background is illustrious, he still seems a little out of place in this hierarchical official school. But when he was a teenager, He Shen was not bothered by these, but worked hard, hoping to climb to a high position step by step with his own skills.
Sure enough, when He Shen was 15 years old, his father Chang Bao unfortunately passed away. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to him, because he had no relatives to rely on from then on. In order to gain a foothold in this harsh officialdom environment, He Shen had to learn to observe words and emotions and advance and retreat cautiously.
It was at this time that He Shen's fate took a turn. At the age of 18, he was favored by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Yinglian, and married the other party's granddaughter. This marriage paved the way for He Shen's future career.
With Yinglian's support, the 23-year-old He Shen soon became a third-class guard with access to the palace, which also provided him with the opportunity to come into contact with the emperor. During a trial of a case, Qianlong actually quoted a passage from the "Analects", but only He Shen could take over the conversation. As a result, Qianlong was greatly appreciated and promoted He Shen to a first-class guard.
Since then, Heshen's career has been smooth sailing and he has been promoted rapidly. He not only followed Qianlong closely when he was a royal guard, but also carefully understood the emperor's likes and dislikes, and used this as a bargaining chip for promotion.
Secretly plotting, step by step
Qianlong was a person who loved to write poetry, and He Shen began to work poetry and songs. When he found out that Qianlong was also fond of studying antique calligraphy and painting, he hurriedly sent people to collect various cultural relics of the previous dynasty in order to win the emperor's favor.
These tricks of Heshen did work. In 1776, at the age of 27, he was promoted to the head of the household from the second grade, and was responsible for all matters of Qianlong's eastern tour. During this tour, He Shen tried his best to make it magnificent and satisfy Qianlong's vanity. Qianlong also appreciated him more and more.
In March of that year, Qianlong allowed He Shen to enter the Military Aircraft Department to discuss matters. Eight months later, the emperor gave him an extra gift and raised the flag color of the Heshen family to the positive yellow flag. In addition, he was given the privilege of riding horses in the Forbidden City and was in charge of the affairs of the officers and soldiers of the Three Banners.
This is undoubtedly something to be proud of for such a man who has become a military aircraft leader before the age of 30. But He Shen did not choose to show off his achievements, but deliberately hid his edge, still flattering and lowly to face the saint, in order to win Qianlong's trust.
Every time the Queen Mother is born, he will not only use a lot of money to decorate, but also personally carry the phoenix sedan chair for the Queen Mother with the guards. In the eyes of the Queen Mother, it is undoubtedly a great honor for the Minister of Military Aircraft to personally carry the sedan chair for herself. So she was even more fond of Heshen.
However, these actions of He Shen were not out of good intentions, but hidden calculations. He concealed from Qianlong and used the power in his hands to carry out large-scale corruption and frantically plunder wealth.
The wanton accumulation of wealth is staggering
According to reports, the total value of Heshen's family property found by Emperor Jiaqing was as high as 800 million taels of silver, which was equivalent to the total financial revenue of the Qing Dynasty in ten years. Although this figure is difficult to believe, from the information that can be found so far, it is clear that He Shen has indeed accumulated a large amount of illegal wealth.
In 2009, the director of the Rugao City Museum in Jiangsu Province claimed to have found a document from the inventory of the Heshen family's property that year. Although the authenticity of the document needs to be verified, it can be seen that a total of more than 3 million taels of silver, 40,000 taels of gold, and some antique jewelry were found in Heshen's home.
If you add more than 120,000 acres of land, various properties and pawnshop silver in his name, the total value is about 10 million taels of silver. Although this is far below the rumors of 800 million, it is staggering enough.
After all, during Qianlong's reign, the highest income of the treasury was only 70 million taels. Therefore, at that time, Emperor Jiaqing asked He Shen, "Can you spend all the money you are greedy for?" "
Regarding this issue, He Shen once made a quibble. He said: "I am a member of the Qing Dynasty, and all this money actually belongs to you, the emperor." In addition, he also defended that all this money was to serve the former emperor Qianlong, and if there was no such stolen money, how could Qianlong go to the south of the Yangtze River to enjoy himself?
After listening to He Shen's answer, Emperor Jiaqing was speechless. As a favored vassal during the Qianlong period, He Shen did have a large amount of legal property given by the emperor. For example, after finding the precious ink treasure of the Southern Tang Dynasty for Qianlong, he received a reward of 2,000 taels of silver.
But in addition, He Shen also used his power to carry out a large number of illegal enrichment activities. He first proposed the "guilty money" system, which made a lot of money by having negligent officials pay fines in lieu of punishment.
Many of these silver taels from improper sources flowed into He Shen's pocket. He also often used his position in the DPRK to accept huge bribes from local officials in exchange for inside information and asylum. Some local officials even did not hesitate to use a lot of manpower and material resources to curry favor with Heshen.
In addition to using his power for personal gain, He Shen also engaged in some relatively legitimate business activities, such as leasing out a large amount of land acquired by his family. The pawnshops, grain stores, kilns and other industries he founded also brought him a steady stream of wealth.
It can be said that He Shen has completely indulged in the desire for money, and is unscrupulous in his crazy money-collecting behavior. It's no wonder that Jiaqing is so surprised by his wealth.
The desire for power is inflated, and the end is bleak
He Shen's windfall did not last long. In 1799, Qianlong died and Jiaqing ascended the throne. The new emperor did not trust He Shen at all, so he took the opportunity to thoroughly investigate his crimes.
Jiaqing didn't really want to raid his house, but wanted to find an excuse to get rid of this powerful man. Because he was worried that as long as He Shen was still there, the people of the world would only know He Shen, but not the new emperor.
In the end, most of Heshen's family property was seized and confiscated. However, even so, Jiaqing is still not at ease, believing that there are still many hidden treasures that have not been unearthed. So, he strictly ordered the minister in charge of raiding the house, Sa Bin Tu Song, to continue to dig deep into Heshen's family.
But that's not what Jiaqing intended. He just wants to get rid of the powerful man Heshen completely, and he doesn't really care about those wealth. So, when Sa Bintu said that he could not find out all of He Shen's assets, Jiaqing reprimanded him instead.
In fact, the reason why He Shen was able to occupy such a prominent position in the Qianlong Dynasty was not only because he was good at currying favor with the emperor, but also because he held great power and "guided the country" in the military aircraft. When Qianlong was dying, he entrusted many military and political affairs to He Shen.
And when Jiaqing just ascended the throne, he had to endure Heshen's huge influence in the court. Therefore, he can't wait to get rid of this "thorn in the side". In the end, He Shen was forced by Jiaqing to commit suicide.
He Shen's body was hastily taken by his son and cousin to Jixian County, Hebei Province for burial. From a powerful minister to a criminal, his final fate can be described as very bleak. As Jiaqing said, if you don't get rid of Heshen, the people of the world will only know Heshen, but not the new emperor of yourself.
epilogue
He Shen's life experience is undoubtedly quite legendary. From an obscure petty official to a corrupt official who eventually became a powerful and oppositional official in the Qing Dynasty, his ups and downs in his life trajectory are really amazing.
From the tragic fate of Heshen, we can't help but think, what can power and money bring to people? Can blindly pursuing them really bring happiness and achievement? I believe that this problem has been bothering many people.