These three words made a generation of powerful and oppositional He Shen desperate. Qianlong, the Ming monarch, knows everyone's favor and trust in Heshen, but why did Qianlong leave such an incomprehensible edict when Heshen was dying? Could it be that Qianlong had already seen through He Shen's greed? Or do these three words mean something else? He Shen was rich and powerful in this life, but why was he so desperate when he was dying? What kind of secret is hidden in these enigmatic three words? Let's unravel this mystery together.
Qianlong's favored power leaned towards the government and the opposition
There are thousands of palaces, and in the civil and military forests, all of them are ranked. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong held power for more than ten years, and he was wise and martial, and he was actually a generation of Ming monarchs. There are several cronies under his command, and the closest relationship and most respectful status is none other than He Shen, who once covered the sky with one hand.
He Shen's original surname is Shanbao, and he was born in a noble family in Beijing. He was naturally handsome and intelligent, and was deeply favored by his father and enrolled in the Royal Key College. Unfortunately, fate teased him, his parents died when he was a teenager, and he once had a difficult life, barely surviving by selling his ancestral property. Fortunately, He Shen was diligent and studious, performed well in the academy, and was valued by his teachers, and was finally appreciated by Emperor Qianlong.
When Qianlong saw Heshen, he fell in love with his beauty, handsomeness, and quick thinking; Nayan is a guard, and often bathes in grace. Within a few years, He Shen was promoted from a small position to a chief of internal affairs, holding an important position, which can be described as a spring breeze and pride. Since then, He Shen has been on his side, and whenever the state has listened to his opinions in advance, most of the relevant personnel have been controlled by He Shen. It can be seen that it weighs heavily in Qianlong's heart.
Emperor Qianlong, who was already old at the time, gradually became tired, coupled with singing at night, indulging in wine during the day, and state affairs were even more neglected. So He Shen leaned towards the government and the opposition, specializing in the United States, and his life was in his hands, and he almost became the second person in power, and he spoke wildly, and the government and the opposition were shocked. Although Ji Xiaolan, Hesheri and other favored ministers were extremely favored for a while, they were also difficult to look forward to and Shen Xiangbei, which shows the respect of their status in the court.
Although the ministers at that time secretly had a lot of complaints about Heshen, they were afraid of his power and no one openly opposed it. What's more, some corrupt officials deliberately slapped Heshen's ass in order to make a profit. As a result, He Shen's power outside the palace is also increasing day by day, rentier billions, rich in the world, and becoming a generation of powerful and wealthy.
Corruption and depravity sink deeper and deeper
At first, although He Shen was alert and decisive, he was a scholar and an honest and honest person. However, the temptation of power and money made him gradually degenerate and fall into the quagmire of corruption step by step.
During the Yongzheng period of Qianlong, He Shen got a glimpse of it when he investigated the corruption case of Li Shiyao. He saw that he was also an official, and his family had a lot of money and lived a carefree life, while he himself was poor. Since then, he has developed a greedy heart and secretly coveted it. Soon, in the name of investigating the case, he extorted the people's money and was insatiable.
Then, He Shen took advantage of Qianlong's favor and his own power to make a lot of money. He withheld money and food, withheld money, forcibly bought and sold goods, and even extorted money, and his methods were despicable and shameless. Sometimes when the army suppressed uprisings, he took the opportunity to collect money; Sometimes, they use their power for personal gain. What's more, he falsely claimed to intercede by the emperor's side, extorted money from officials in various places, and put all their money into his own pocket.
In order to cover up his corruption behavior, He Shen also tried every means to crack down on dissidents and frame Qingliu. He used his power in the court to frame many upright ministers, resulting in many loyal and good people being ruined by the Zhulian family. All of a sudden, the whole court and the central government respected him, and they couldn't stop worrying.
He Shen is greedy and excessive, and he takes credit for himself. He not only undermined the official system, but also corrupted the rule of officials, bringing heavy disasters to the country and the people. However, Emperor Qianlong obeyed him and turned a blind eye, which made his greed more and more intense. In the end, He Shen's corruption was shrouded in countless grievances and became the target of everyone in the government and the opposition.
Jiaqing succeeded to the throne and Shen fell
In the sixty years of Qianlong Kangxi, Emperor Qianlong died and Emperor Jiaqing succeeded to the throne. This change had a decisive impact on the fate of He Shen.
Emperor Jiaqing was in the prime of life, and at the beginning of his tenure, he began to rectify the rule of officials and eliminate the old evils. As the widow of Qianlong, He Shen is naturally ranked first to be purged. Emperor Jiaqing knew that He Shen was greedy and too swaggering during his reign, so he was wary. Soon after ascending to the throne, he ordered someone to check the origin of He Shen's family property.
After a thorough investigation, Heshen's corruption was fully exposed. It was found that he had illegally amassed a staggering amount of money, which was simply a mountain of gold. Not only did he spend extravagantly, he also took huge bribes. What's more, with the help of the emperor's kindness, he dared to run rampant in the township, doing evil, and committing heavy crimes, which is really hard to write.
Seeing the ironclad evidence of corruption and corruption, Emperor Jiaqing was furious, and in anger, he immediately dismissed He Shen from all his positions in the court, seized his huge family property, and served him in prison, preparing to bring him to justice. The government and the opposition were in an uproar, but seeing that He Shen had been arrogant for a long time, it was also a great crime to suffer such a fate today.
It is true that He Shen covered the sky with one hand in the later period of Qianlong's reign, seized power alone, and did all the tyrannical and obscene things. But he leans towards the government and the opposition, is arrogant and lascivious, and it is difficult to write, and he really deserves it. Especially after the death of Emperor Qianlong, as a relict minister, he should lead by example, but he did not repent and still went his own way, which is indeed an unforgivable sin.
Faced with such a murderous fate, although He Shen was once ruthless, he quibbled that he was not guilty. But Emperor Jiaqing had already made a decision and vowed to thank the world with his death, and He Shen was finally defeated and tortured.
Qianlong's strange move on his deathbed
During He Shen's interrogation in captivity, a puzzling thing happened. Emperor Qianlong rewarded him with a "life-saving edict", on which only three words were written: "Keep the whole corpse".
Qianlong has always been very fond of He Shen, which is obvious to all. Even when He Shen was imprisoned under Emperor Jiaqing, Emperor Qianlong still remembered their past feelings and issued an edict demanding that "the whole body be kept". These three words have caused countless speculations and discussions.
Some people believe that this is the last mercy of Emperor Qianlong, and he can't bear to execute Heshen, an important minister. Some people also say that Emperor Qianlong asked Emperor Jiaqing not to maim Heshen's body as a last pity. There is also speculation that there is another meaning in this, perhaps implying something.
However, judging from the results, this edict did not change the fate of He Shen. Although Emperor Jiaqing did not have the bodies of Ling Chi and Shen, he still sentenced He Shen to be hanged, and was finally executed by the street murderer. After seeing this edict, He Shen became even more desperate and painful, because he thought that it once again proved Qianlong's preference for him, and his heart was full of self-blame and remorse.
He Shen originally had a glimmer of life, expecting Emperor Qianlong to be gracious, but when he saw this edict with only three words, he suddenly lost all hope. In the end, in despair, He Shen committed suicide with injustice, ending his life of power and wealth.
This peculiar edict of "leaving the whole corpse" became the last mystery of He Shen's life, triggering endless speculation and inference. However, these three words did not change the fate of He Shen's destruction in the end, but instead plunged him into the abyss of despair before his death.
The trajectory of life under the canopy of power
He Shen's life can be described as a microcosm of power. He came from poverty and was appreciated by Emperor Qianlong for his outstanding talent; Later, because of his good service, he was quickly promoted to a favored minister, covering the sky with one hand. However, power and wealth brought him great temptation, which gradually caused him to degenerate and corrupt, to behave immorally, and finally to make a great mistake and be severely punished.
At first, He Shen came from a humble background and his family was in the middle, but he was diligent and studious, and was deeply appreciated by Emperor Qianlong. Qianlong regarded him as a favored minister and entrusted him with great power, so that he reached the point of leaning towards the government and the opposition in the court, which can be described as turning over as a serf and singing. It's a pity that this hard-won power made He Shen lose his way and gradually became a mediocre and corrupt cool official.
During the reign of He Shen, he embezzled and plundered, deducted military salaries, and defrauded donations to accumulate wealth. What's more, he also cracked down on dissidents, framed Qingliu, and his crimes were too numerous to mention. Such an act not only corrupted the rule of officials, but also brought heavy disasters to the country and the people. The most distressing thing is that He Shen knows what he is doing, but he still does his own thing without regrets.
Although Emperor Qianlong was once favored, after Emperor Jiaqing took power, He Shen's crimes were still confessed by ironclad evidence. Facing the fate of hanging, Emperor Qianlong issued the last edict of "leaving the whole corpse", which may be the last bit of pity. However, this pity did not save He Shen's fate, but made him even more desperate and painful before he died.
end
He Shen's life trajectory confirms a truth: power is a double-edged sword, giving people opportunities and temptations. He Shen was originally a scholar, but he gradually degenerated under the temptation of power, and finally made a big mistake and was severely punished. His life experience is a microcosm of the abuse of power.