On the fourth day of October in the forty-eighth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the emperor was stationed at the camp of Gaoling Station (near today's Gaoling Town, Huludao).
More than four months ago, the 72-year-old Emperor Qianlong began his fourth eastward tour to Shengjing, which was also the last eastward tour in his life.
Because the Wensu Pavilion built by Qianlong in Shengjing a few years ago had been completed, he needed to come to Shengjing to celebrate in person this time and show his ancestors his literary achievements.
Different from the previous eastward tour, this time Qianlong started from the Old Summer Palace and stopped at the Summer Resort first. Because of the hot weather and the large number of people, carriages, and luggage, walking was inconvenient. Therefore, it was not until August 16 that, together with the Mongolian princes from the Zhuosuotu tribe who came to Chengde, they set off again to Shengjing.
At the same time, he ordered Prince Yi Yonglang to carry jade books and jade treasures (actually they should be called posthumous treasures and posthumous books, which were used by the Qing Dynasty emperors when they were the previous emperors and posthumous titles. Customized in the Qing Dynasty: Every emperor respectfully goes to the emperor to examine his concubine’s posthumous title and temple name, and orders the Ministry of Works to make a jade album and jade treasures, plus the posthumous titles of saints and empresses, and orders the jade album to be remade and engraved with jade treasures.), lead all elder brothers and the Ministry of Rites, After the officials sent by the Ministry of Industry knelt down to worship at the Ancestral Temple, they set off from Beijing on August 12th and met in Changjiatun on September 2nd.
In the emperor's tent, a minister with a delicate and handsome face, wearing an official hat with flower feathers on his head and a first-grade court uniform, was reciting the decree prepared by the Military Aircraft Department.
"Sa Zai and Min Eyuan reported to the Jiangsu Inspection and Supervisory Envoy Deng Er and five other thieves. They escaped from prison together on August 29th and were captured one after another on September 3rd. It has been stated that they were to be executed, and the details are in the record. They belong to the Inspection and Inspection Envoy. Su Song's Grain Store Director Qin Xuepu asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strictly discuss the matter..."
In the middle of the big tent, there was an old man wearing a brown lake silk cotton robe sitting. This man's hair is already gray, but judging from his complexion and facial appearance, it seems that he is well-maintained. He looks like he is only in his fifties.
He is none other than the seventy-two-year-old Qing Emperor Qianlong.
Qianlong listened quietly to He Shen, who was standing below, reciting the imperial edict he had prepared. He nodded slightly and then said: "This Qin Xuepu has really failed me in promoting him. Let Sa Zai and Min Eyuan investigate thoroughly, and if there is any Other matters of love and evil will be dealt with separately. You can draft your decree according to my wishes."
"Hey, I obey the decree." After reading the decree, He Shen and Fukang An, who stood aside, both kowtowed and led the decree.
"No gifts."
"Come on. I thank my master."
After saying this, Qianlong frowned and said to Fukang'an: "Today I received a report from Li Fenghan (Governor of Jiangnan River) that the copper ship from Yunnan to the capital sank in Jiangning. Fukang'an, You were the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, what happened to this copper ship?"
At this time, Fukang'an was only twenty-nine years old. From the thirty-sixth year of Qianlong's reign, he assisted Agui to fight the rebellion in Da Jinchuan, to the forty-sixth year of Qianlong's reign, he served as the governor of Sichuan to arrest the "throat bandits" and rectify the chaos. In these ten years, Over time, he has been known as a "famous general" in the court.
He successively served as Minister of Household Affairs, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Manchuria with Huangqi, Interior Minister, General of Jilin, General of Shengjing, and then Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, Governor of Sichuan and General of Chengdu. In the forty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign, because of his achievements in arresting bandits in Sichuan, he was promoted to the imperial minister and the crown prince's Taibao.
This year, he was ordered to return to Beijing to serve as Minister of Science and Industry. In May, he was appointed as the General Manager of Luan Yiwei, Minister of Military Parade, and General Manager of Jianrui Camp Affairs, and accompanied him to Shengjing.
Fukangan, who was standing opposite He Shen, heard the emperor talking to him and knelt down quickly.
"No gift."
Fukang'an immediately stood up and replied: "Back to my master, the copper and lead shipped from Yunnan and Guizhou to the capital are always built on separate ships in Chongqing and hired sailors. After delivery, the ships are dismantled and sold."
Qianlong said: "Is there such a thing?"
Fukang'an replied: "When I took office in Sichuan and Yunnan, I sent people to inquire about this matter. The local committee members responsible for this matter have done so. Each ship contains a lot of copper and lead, so it must be Only by thickening the plates of the hull. Therefore, a new ship is built every time.
The slave thought that there were many large ships in Sichuan that shipped goods, and many of them were solid and useful. In the future, all you need to do is choose a solid and durable cargo ship and hire the ship and related shipwrights according to the market price. There is really no need to build another one. "
He Shen across from him glanced at Fukangan and said nothing, while Fukangan seemed unaware.
"New ships are built every year, and then they are dismantled and sold after unloading the copper..." Qianlong was speechless. He knew that there must be many evils here, but at this time, corruption in the officialdom had become the norm. When the gourd is pressed, the gourd rises, and corruption incidents occur one after another in various places.
But he couldn't say this yet, otherwise how could he live up to the "prosperous age" that he and his ministers advertised?
After Qianlong's later years, he wanted to create a prosperous world, but at the same time he became very lazy in politics. Especially after he established the emperor's fifteenth son Yong Yan as the crown prince in November of the 38th year of Qianlong's reign, he no longer set up prisons and killed people because of corruption as he did when he was young. In many cases, he could only order the local governor to strictly follow the officials in the memorial.
As mentioned before, the escape of five prisoners including Deng Er from Jiangsu Province was a case where five felons in robbery were able to escape from a tightly guarded prison, pull open the bars of the cell, break the chains, and escape over the wall. Absolutely ridiculous.
The Dian Copper shipwreck he just asked about was a national event related to coinage. The ship that sank in Jiangning this time carried as much as 90,000 kilograms of copper and lead. Qianlong himself would not believe it if there was no fraud involved. But at this moment, he just asked Sa Zai, the governor of Liangjiang and Li Fenghan, the governor of rivers, to quickly find a way to salvage it.
Thinking of this, Qianlong asked Heshen again: "Heshen, you are in charge of the household department. How much copper does our Qing Dynasty transport from Japan every year?"
He Shen replied: "Master, as far as I know, our Qing Dynasty imports about two million kilograms of refined copper from Japan every year."
Qianlong nodded slowly and stretched out his right hand habitually. The eunuch on the side quickly handed a cup of warm human milk to Qianlong's hand. Qianlong took a sip and then said slowly: "Although the annual output of copper in Yunnan now exceeds ten million jins, the copper imported by Japan every year is still important to our Qing Dynasty, and we must ensure the purchase quantity."
He Shen suddenly remembered something at this time, knelt down and said: "Master, today I received a report from the Korean envoy from the Lifan Yuan. It said that a volcano erupted in eastern Japan and the disaster was very serious. I am afraid it will affect Japanese copper. transaction."
Qianlong nodded slightly: "Yes. I understand. You go down and draw up a statement and submit it. Since I ascended to Dabao, I have always strictly prohibited the sale of rice overseas, and ordered the governors of each province to inspect all key passes with strength."
"Hey." After the two kowtowed, they stood up and exited the tent.
Qianlong looked up at the two departing ministers and smiled with satisfaction. However, when he saw a stack of memorials on the desk, he sighed slightly, picked up his pen, and began to give instructions.
After saying goodbye to Fukangan, He Shen returned to his residence.
At this time, Heshen was deeply trusted by Qianlong, so he held so many positions that others were stunned. In addition to managing the Chongwen Gate Customs in the capital, acting as the Minister of the Ministry of War, managing the three treasuries of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Minister of the Lifanyuan, He Shen, as the vice president of the National History Museum and the minister of Wenyuan Pavilion, followed Qianlong on his eastern tour this time. His mission was to send the compiled "Sikuquanshu" to Wensu Pavilion in Shengjing for storage. This was also one of the celebrations of this eastern tour.
Thirty-two-year-old He Shen is tall and thin, with a delicate mustache on his lips and a very delicate and handsome face. If you change your clothes and walk on the street, people who don't know you will think you are a scholar.
After entering the house, the servants accompanying him came up and took the hat he had just taken off.
"I'll write a letter, and you'll send it back to your house in person overnight and hand it over to your father." He Shen ordered his servants.
"Hey." Liu Yin, the eldest son of Liu Quan, the steward of He Mansion, responded immediately after taking the hat and putting it on the hat stand.
Liu Quan, Heshen's steward, nicknamed Liu Baldzi. After the death of Heshen's father Chang Bao, Liu Quan once protected nine-year-old Heshen and six-year-old He Lin, accompanying them and borrowing money everywhere to live. It wasn't until He Shen was fifteen years old and could head his own household that Liu Quan became the steward of He Mansion. He Shen always regarded Liu Quan as his own relative and never called him a housekeeper.
Liu Yin didn't ask what it was. Since the master asked him to deliver a message to his father, there must be something important.
He Shen did not explain to Liu Yin. He washed his face and went to the desk to write a letter. Soon, the letter was written. He Shen put the letter into an envelope and affixed it with wax paint. After waiting for a while for the paint to dry, he handed it to Liu Yin.
"Master, do you have any other orders?" Liu Yin asked in a low voice after receiving the letter.
"Just tell him that he should consult Mr. Izumi first about what I said in the letter."
This Mr. Quanzhi is He Shen's former teacher Wu Shenglan, also known as Quanzhi. He and his elder brother Wu Shengzhi once served as teachers of Xian'an Palace. Both brothers later took refuge in He Shen, with Wu Shenglan being the most shameless.
The reason why He Shen asked Liu Yin to deliver a message to his father Liu Quan was because he was worried that the copper cargo ship in Yunnan was related to Liu Quan. He remembered that Liu Quan once mentioned to him that he wanted to get involved, but he agreed without taking it seriously.
This time the copper ship had an accident in Jiangning, and more than 90,000 kilograms of copper fell into the water. This is no small matter. If Qian Feng, who is the supervisory censor of Jiangnan Province, finds out that Liu Quan is involved, it will be troublesome.
He Shen did not interfere in the interests of the Yunnan copper mines. What he intervened in was the shipping business of Japanese copper mines.
After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the traditional copper mines left over from the Ming Dynasty had been exhausted. At that time, the copper mines in Yunnan were still in the initial development stage. The serious copper crisis caused the Qing government to be overwhelmed. The Yunnan copper mining areas were scattered deep in the mountains, making transportation very difficult. Even if the entire province of Yunnan was exhausted, it could only transport three million kilograms of copper a year. In addition, the fineness of Yunnan copper in the early stages of mining was insufficient, so starting from the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, Jiangsu began to purchase copper produced in Japan.
At this time, it only took fifteen days for a merchant ship to arrive at Nagasaki from Zhejiang. Each copper ship could carry 100,000 jins of copper. With two voyages a year, the transportation volume of twenty copper ships would exceed the amount of Yunnan copper transported to Beijing. By the end of the 17th century, there were as many as 200 merchant ships coming to Nagasaki Port to sell copper every year, and there were nearly 10,000 Chinese merchants engaged in copper trading in Nagasaki.
The large loss of copper in the island country caused the copper price in the island country under the shogunate to invert, and the continuous export also caused the domestic copper mines to face the risk of depletion.
So starting from 1715 (the fifth year of Masatoku), the Tokugawa shogunate implemented the "Shotoku New Order". It was stipulated that the number of Qing ships entering Nagasaki for trading each year was limited to thirty. Those allowed to enter Hong Kong for trade were limited to those merchants holding "letter cards" issued by the shogunate, and the annual trade volume was limited to 6,000 guan of silver and 3 million jin of copper.
In order to accumulate capital for fighting against the other three factions in the DPRK (the military attache faction headed by Agui, the Yushi faction headed by Liu Yong, and the opposition faction headed by Qian Feng), Heshen intervened heavily in various trades in Jiangnan and secretly demanded that the big people in Jiangnan Merchants must pay assistance fees to Heshen. If he didn't comply, he would send people disguised as robbers to confiscate their homes and destroy their families. No one among the big merchants in Jiangnan would dare to obey.
Therefore, He Shen took a serious step in the matter of copper sales in Japan.
It was still early at this time, so He Shen thought for a while, returned to the back room, and asked his servants to change into court clothes and put on his hat. He still had to serve the emperor. In the more than a year since he returned from Gansu, Qianlong became more and more favored by him and asked him to accompany him at all times.
When He Shen arrived outside Qianlong's tent, he saw the eunuch in charge coming over.
"My lord, the emperor is looking for you."
Heshen quickly entered the tent and came to the emperor. He was about to kowtow when he heard Qianlong say: "Heshen is exempt from courtesy."
"I thank you, Master." He Shen looked up and saw Qianlong holding a memorial in his hand with a hesitant look on his face.
"Master, what's bothering you?"
"Please take a look at the folding book Qinggui handed you."
He Shen heard the words and immediately bowed forward, took the fold from the eunuch's hand, opened it and looked at it.
This is a plea letter jointly sent by Jilin General Qinggui (son of Yin Jishan) and Ningguta Deputy Governor Anlin. The people reported above are the exiled prisoners Lin Achuang, Lu Shoushan, Pan Xiucheng, Yaning, and Jiesan. Zi and others escaped one after another, and at the same time they sent troops to arrest them.
He Shen saw two names at the bottom of the list of fugitives: Xu Shounan and Xu Funan.
This is? He Shen focused his eyes on the name and recalled it carefully. In a moment, like a flash of lightning, a name emerged in his mind.
No wonder Qianlong was unhappy, it turned out to be these two people.
However, in Heshen's memory, the two brothers were three years old and one year old when they were assigned to each other. Five years later, they are only eight and six years old now.
How on earth did they escape? There must be something hidden, or maybe someone is cooperating inside and outside.
After figuring out the connection, He Shen handed the memorial back to the eunuch. Then he said: "Master, I think this matter is nothing to worry about."
"Huh? What do you say?" Qianlong asked curiously when Heshen said this.
"I thought that the two sons of rebels, the elder was only eight years old and the younger was only six years old. Even if there was someone to help before the incident, how far could they run with two children? Qining Guta was originally It is a bitter cold place, nearly ten thousand miles away from the capital. It is difficult for the adults who are exiled here to endure the winter, let alone the two children? It is now October, in the far north, under the snowstorm, the slaves expected that the two children of the Xu family I can't survive this winter. Therefore, my master only needs to order Qinggui and Alin to send troops to guard the road and checkpoints to capture him."
Qianlong's face brightened slightly after listening to He Shen's memorial. In fact, what he was most worried about was that someone would cooperate inside and outside to rescue the two sons of the Xu family. The mastermind behind it was what Qianlong was most concerned about.
Thinking of this, Qianlong had no choice but to put the matter aside for now. Later he would draft an order to Qinggui, ordering him to strictly arrest and interrogate the relevant persons.
Putting aside his troubles, Qianlong immediately raised his brows and said to Heshen: "Tell me, how are the arrangements for next year's southern tour?"
