We read all the lead to present a different history.
For the Qing Dynasty, Presumably many friends will not feel strange. The Qing Dynasty was the last feudal dynasty in China's history, and its downfall was only 37 years away from the founding of New China. Among the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty, the highest appearance rate should be the Qianlong Emperor, after all, modern little girls like to be talented and domineering, and the Qianlong Emperor's six jiangnan is just in line with the human design.
▲The Qianlong Emperor's imperial dress
For sixty years from 1736 to 1795 AD, the Qianlong Emperor had been in power, but because of the ancient emphasis on "ruling the country with filial piety", the Qianlong Emperor did not dare to reign longer than the Kangxi Emperor, so he chose to abdicate on his own initiative and became the emperor for several years. However, although he abdicated in name, he actually held the power. Objectively speaking, the Qianlong Emperor was an emperor who was extremely skilled in political ability and imperial power, and during his reign five times he exempted the world from money and grain taxes and three exemptions from grain from eight provinces, which further improved the people's lives; he conquered Jinchuan, stabilized Tibet, consolidated the territory of China, and the Qing Dynasty reached the peak of prosperity in his hands.
▲ "Qianlong Hunting Map" (partial)
However, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, one of the most corrupt officials in Chinese history was hezhen. According to historical records, the total assets of Hezhen are worth about 800 million to 1.1 billion taels of silver, and if the qing dynasty's fiscal revenue is compared, the assets of Hezhen are equivalent to the total income of the imperial court for fifteen years. If he had only relied on the law-abiding acceptance of the emperor's reward and the imperial court's favors, he would never have been able to accumulate such a wealth. Some foreign media, after learning about Hezhen's deeds, also listed him as the richest person in the world in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
▲ Washu stills
Didn't the Qianlong Emperor really know anything about he had embezzled such a huge amount of silver? I don't know if I can't say it, so why didn't the Qianlong Emperor dispose of Hezhen? With just a little trick, you can make Washu spit out some silver. However, the Qianlong Emperor never did such a thing, and during his lifetime, he was extremely fond of Hezhen, and even before his death, he warned the Jiaqing Emperor not to kill Hezhen. However, the Jiaqing Emperor did not listen to this advice. Only 15 days after the death of the Qianlong Emperor, the Jiaqing Emperor imprisoned He yan in the name of twenty major crimes, and ordered that all the family property be confiscated, resulting in a total of 800 million taels of silver. The eight hundred and twenty million taels should be the remaining ones after the raiders "withheld", so experts estimate that the real assets of Hezhen are as high as eleven hundred and eleven billion taels of silver. Such a huge amount of silver instantly caused a shock in the Qing court, and finally under the advice of Gu Lun and Princess Xiao and Liu Yong and others, the Jiaqing Emperor used white aya to give death and Yan, without public execution.
▲Restoration of the Scene of the Silver Vault in the Qing Dynasty
Fifteen years later, the Jiaqing Emperor gathered a group of ministers to compile a book called "The Legend of Hezhen". These people thought that the Jiaqing Emperor's hatred for Hezhen had not been extinguished, and in order to welcome the Jiaqing Emperor, they wrote hezhen to be extremely evil and useless, but the Jiaqing Emperor not only did not praise him, but was furious and said in a very serious tone: "Although Heqing is corrupt, it is not useless." Everyone was very confused at this time, and did not understand why the Jiaqing Emperor was furious about this matter--after all, he had a deep hatred for Hezhen at that time.
▲Qing Dynasty Holy Will
It turned out that after a long imperial career, the Jiaqing Emperor finally understood the painstaking heart of the Qianlong Emperor and also understood what the imperial means were. He Yan was a man who could speak the Tao, was good at reading the emperor's mind, and put the emperor first, rather than seeking his own interests in advance by understanding the emperor's mind. Therefore, every time the emperor wanted to do something, He yan could do it properly, and even some things that the emperor was inconvenient to deal with, he yan would also do it quietly. More importantly, although He Yan was greedy for money, he would never slack off in major matters and had no ambition to rebel, so the Qianlong Emperor was very reassured about him.
▲Jiaqing Emperor's imperial dress
I have to say that a courtier like Hezhen is indeed the person that the emperor needs the most. The emperor did not sit on the throne and fiddle with everything, he also needed the support of the ministers, and Washu was willing to stand up as the sword in the hands of the emperor. He Yan had the problem of greed for money, but it was precisely because of such a handle that it was convenient for the emperor to control. When the Jiaqing Emperor killed Hezhen, in fact, he lost a staunch supporter, his power could not be used freely, and by killing Hezhen, the operation of various departments of the Qing Dynasty became a huge problem--he was also the chief scholar of the cabinet, the foreman of the military aircraft, the official Shangshu, the Hubu Shangshu, the Punishment Department Shangshu, and the Lifanyuan Shangshu, and the departments under his management were able to unite sincerely, and after his death, the ministries began to prevaricate and infighting. In addition, when Hezhen's assets were confiscated and the property was divided up by the Qing magnates, the emperor undoubtedly lost the "small treasury", and once the 800 million taels of silver were used up, the Qing Dynasty could only falter.
Resources:
"Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Volume 319, Liechuan 16", "Notes on The Living of Qianlong"
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