In the first month of the fourth year of Jiaqing, Qianlong passed away. On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, Emperor Jiaqing announced Heshen's twenty major crimes and ordered his family to be confiscated. If we talk about corrupt officials in ancient China, we must not fail to mention Heshen. When Emperor Jiaqing ransacked his property, it was divided into 109 numbers. Among these 109 numbers, there were 83 No. Not appraised.
Just the one that was appraised on the 26th was valued at 223 million taels at that time. If the price of rice is one stone for every tael of silver, He Shen's small part of the property (roughly four cents) (one of them), can already purchase 223 million stone of grain. We might as well make an unreasonable conversion. If we calculate based on today's rice price, it can be calculated as 66.9 billion yuan based on three yuan per pound. This number has also been reduced due to the cheap price of rice today. What is even more frightening is that it is only a quarter.
Where did Heshen's huge wealth come from?
Heshen, whose original name was Shanbao and whose courtesy name was Zhizhai, was a native of Zhenghong Banner in Manchuria. Born in the fifteenth year of Qianlong (so even if Qianlong promoted him later, he was still in his prime), his ancestors did not have any prominent family background. His great-grandfather received the position of third-class light chariot captain because of his military merits. His father once served as the Deputy Dutong (Second Rank) and Dutong (First Rank) of the Eight Banners.
When he was in his teens, He Shen was qualified to enter the official school in Huangxihua Palace, which was also regarded as the "National School for Noblesse" in the Forbidden City. When he was eighteen years old, Feng Yinglian, the governor of Zhili, fell in love with Heshen and married his granddaughter to Heshen. It must be said that this was a forward-looking strategic investment and it can be said that it was without vision.
He Shen is proficient in six languages: Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, Korean and Uighur. He has read the Four Books and Five Classics thoroughly. He is also handsome. At the age of twenty-three, Heshen ushered in a turning point in his life. He gained the appreciation of Emperor Qianlong and was offered a position as a third-class bodyguard (full fifth rank). He could often accompany the emperor on tours and had the opportunity to respond to edicts. , and also laid the foundation for his future success.
He was a scholar by birth, and in the 40th year of Qianlong's reign, he was promoted to the imperial bodyguard, and also served as the deputy capital of a certain banner. In less than a year, he was once again promoted to Minister of Household Affairs, Minister of Military Aircraft, and Minister of Internal Affairs. Soon after, he was also commander of the infantry and tax supervisor of Chongwenmen in the capital.
He Shen can be said to hold five positions, but it is worth noting that his positions, including the Minister of Household Affairs, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Supervisor of Chongwenmen are all "fat positions" for managing, collecting, and using money, and the Minister of Military Aircraft is even more The actual prime minister, the commander of the infantry, and the chief military attache who defended the important areas of the capital. Heshen's rapid promotion and Qianlong's favor for Heshen were unprecedented and unprecedented.
He Shen's family was raised by Qianlong from the red flag of Manchuria to the yellow flag of the upper three flags of Manchuria, and became the chosen nobles.
Four years later, Heshen's Minister of Household Affairs became the Minister of Household Affairs, and the Deputy Governor was changed to the Governor. In addition to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Imperial Guard was added. In addition to the Minister of Military and Aircraft, the Minister of Political Affairs and the Minister of Political Affairs were also added. Imperial minister. The most supreme honor is that his son Fengshen Yinde was designated by Qianlong as Princess Hexiao's concubine. When they got married in the next year, Heshen became Qianlong's in-laws.
Heshen was already like this. Qianlong still felt that Heshen was not good enough, so he ordered Heshen to serve as the minister of the vassal academy and the "president of Sikuquanshu". Heshen was indeed capable in learning, but Sikuquanshu was not as good as Sikuquanshu. Waiting for work is indeed not something He Shen is capable of. In other words, it is still unknown how many books in Sikuquan he can understand.
Later, there was a Salar Muslim leader in Gansu named Su Shishisan. In the 46th year of Qianlong's reign, he launched an army against the Qing Dynasty and attacked Lanzhou. Qianlong asked Agui and Heshen to go to supervise the army. Agui was ill and unable to go, so Heshen had to go first. As a result, He Shen acted recklessly at the front and almost made things uncontrollable. After Agui left, he restored the situation and won easily. Qianlong transferred Heshen back. Logically speaking, it should be a death penalty. At the minimum, it would be a punishment or punishment, but Heshen was actually promoted? Qianlong did not reward Agui at all, but he gave Heshen another minister of the Ministry of War, which was extremely absurd. In addition, he also added a lucrative position of "managing the three treasuries of the Ministry of Households".
Two years later, the Hui rebellion in Gansu was suppressed, and the credit was again attributed to Heshen. Heshen was made a first-class duke, and in addition to the minister of military aircraft, the minister of political affairs, and the minister of the imperial court, a "co-sponsored bachelor" was added. The honorary title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Hubu was still maintained, and the Shangshu of the Ministry of War was changed to Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel.
Three more years later, Heshen was promoted from co-organizer to bachelor of Wenhua Palace. Although the Supervisor of Chongwen Sect was very rich, his position was small and low-ranking. Qianlong did not allow He Shen to continue to serve as the Supervisor. He was also dismissed from the position of Minister of Civil Affairs, but the Ministry of Revenue was still entrusted to him, and he became a "Minister of Administration" is a position above the minister.
In the fifty-third year of Qianlong's reign, Lin Shuangwen was captured by the Qing army, and He Shen was promoted from first-class baron to third-class earl and given the title of Zhongxiang. In the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign, Heshen also became a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. Such a scholar, who had never been admitted to Juren, Jinshi, or Hanlin, suddenly became the leader of the Hanlin Academy. In the second year of Jiaqing, the Supreme Emperor (Qianlong) ordered that Heshen's Minister of Household Affairs and Management was added to the Minister of Punishment. In the third year of Jiaqing, the third earl was promoted to Duke.
If Qianlong had not died in the first month of the fourth year of Jiaqing, He Shen might have been promoted.
The first reason why Heshen was so favored by Qianlong was "Siyi". The so-called "Siyi" means "preceding one's intention and carrying one's ambition". He Shen guessed what Qianlong wanted first, and at least on the surface he handled it very appropriately. He Shen never stopped what Qianlong wanted to do despite what he shouldn't do. He Shen never acted smarter than Qianlong when it came to things that Qianlong didn't want to do or didn't expect.
For example, Heshen was responsible for the corruption case of Li Shiyao, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. Li Shiyao embezzled RMB 100,000 and was ordered to be executed by the bachelor and Jiuqing. However, Qianlong wanted to protect Li Shiyao, so Heshen judged the "executed sentence" to "beheaded prisoner", which is equivalent to When the death penalty was changed to a reprieve, Qianlong readily agreed and liked He Shen's ability to observe words and emotions. After the Li Shiyao case was concluded, most of the property was misappropriated by He Shen.
The second reason why Heshen was so favored by Qianlong was Heshen's ability. Powerful ministers in all dynasties were capable ministers, and people like Heshen must also have outstanding abilities. He Shen is diligent and studious, and has an amazing memory. As mentioned before, He Shen is proficient in the languages of various ethnic groups and has a high level of education. "He is not an uneducated person, but a person who is knowledgeable and understands political skills." He is also a good hand in handling government affairs.
For example, after the Qing government sent troops to quell Gorkha's invasion of Tibet, Emperor Qianlong fully affirmed Heshen in the "Illustrated Praise of the Fifteen Heroes of the Imperial System for the Suppression of Gorkha" and other poems. He made great contributions to the management and construction of border ethnic minorities. Qianlong once said that when deploying troops in Tibet and Gorkha, all edicts were issued in both Manchu and Chinese; the edicts issued to the Dalai Lama and Gorkha were in both Tibetan and Mongolian. Very few ministers could understand Tibetan. Only Heshen could write and translate these edicts in Manchu, Tibetan, Mongolian, Chinese and other languages. As a result, He Shen became his master's only confidant and agent by virtue of his own abilities.
A few decades ago, in November of the 13th year of Yongzheng's reign, when Qianlong had just ascended the throne, Sun Jiagan, who was once known as the "crazy student", warned Qianlong that a person like him "whose words would make him famous in the imperial court" A monarch who is "saint, and the whole world sings his praises when he issues an order" must stay away from villains and ministers who make flattering remarks.
When Qianlong reached his later years, he had already completely forgotten Sun Jiagan's words. From the 40th year of Qianlong's reign, he began to reuse Heshen. Woolen cloth?
As long as someone opposes Heshen, he will definitely be severely "punished", and part of this punishment comes from Heshen, and the other part comes from Emperor Qianlong. He Shen does have a way to make people unable to find out the real evidence when "making trouble", and in the end he can only end up with a "false accusation".
For example, Yin Zhuangtu, a cabinet scholar, told Qianlong in the fifty-fifth year of Qianlong's reign that the treasury of each province was insufficient and had been misappropriated by governors and other senior officials. When Qianlong heard that he was furious, he immediately sent Yin Zhuangtu to investigate. In order to protect him, Heshen suggested to Emperor Qianlong that Qingcheng, the minister of household affairs, should be sent to accompany Yin Zhuangtu. Later, every time he went to a place, Yin Zhuangtu was constrained by Qingcheng, delaying time, and asking the people who managed the bank to quickly go to the merchants to borrow money. Every time, Yin Zhuangtu could come to check after the money was borrowed. As a result, Yin Zhuangtu lost his official position because of the crime of "false speech".
In the 51st year of Qianlong's reign, the imperial censor Cao Xibao impeached Heshen's slave Liu Quan for building a house that exceeded the regulations. Qianlong sent people to investigate. As a result, Heshen asked Liu Quan to make the house smaller overnight. As a result, Cao Xibao was punished. reprimanded.
But there was also a time when Heshen "stumbled". The governor of Shandong, Cathay, and the chief envoy Yu Yijian, both of whom were Heshen's private individuals, were caught and executed by Yu Shi Qian Feng in the 47th year of Qianlong's reign. However, this was the only time Heshen was caught. exception.
We all know that He Shen is tactful, so why did he stumble like this? It turns out that there is someone behind Qian Feng who is helping him, and this person is Liu Yong, the censor of Zuodu.
Liu Yong is the son of Liu Tongxun. Liu Tongxun also served as the censor of Zuodu and was later promoted to "Dongge University Scholar". Of course, he investigated many high-ranking officials, such as the governor of Yunnan, the governor, the envoy of Shanxi, the general of Xi'an, and the naturalized general. , Chief Envoy of Jiangsu, Governor of Jiangxi, etc., they can be said to have "illustrious military exploits". After Liu Tongxun's death, he was even given the posthumous title "Wenzheng".
Liu Yong was worthy of being the son of Duke Wenzheng Liu. He found out that He Shen was also going to send people to Shandong to instruct Cathay and Yu Yijian. He wanted to use a deceptive method, but Liu Yong asked Qian Feng to use his plan. Qian Feng first put on makeup and set off for Shandong. When he arrived in Liangxiang, not far from Beijing, he happened to see a man riding a horse heading south and remembered his appearance. Afterwards, Qian Feng continued on his way, and when he was approaching Jinan, he saw the man riding north again. Qian Feng immediately ordered his men to stop and search the man, and sure enough he found a letter written by Cathay to Heshen. The letter stated that he had borrowed the businessman's money and put it in the treasury for inspection.
The confused Qianlong not only sent Qian Feng to check the accounts, but also sent He Shen to accompany him, plus Liu Yong and Nomuqing to investigate the deficit. When they arrived at the place, He Shen immediately advocated checking all the accounts in one day, but Qian Feng asked those who had checked and those who had not checked to put seals on them and wait until the next day to check. The next day, I took out the treasury silver bit by bit and examined it slowly. Sure enough, I found that some of the silver contained "round threads and variegated colors". It was not like treasury silver, but a bit like merchant's silver. Then Qian Feng sent someone to post a notice asking the merchants to come to the treasury to collect the money. If they did not come within the time limit, the money would be confiscated. As a result, merchants flocked to the store, and the inventory immediately became "clean". Guo and Yu were escorted to the Ministry of Punishment Prison in the capital, and Qianlong ordered them to commit suicide.
He Shen hated Qian Feng because of this incident. Qian Feng also knew that He Shen had been offended, so he refused to do anything and complained to Qianlong. The Military Aircraft Department works, but I review official affairs alone in the "Old Zhilu" of the "Inner Right Gate" of the palace. He also said that the only person working in the Military Aircraft Department was A Gui. Others, such as Wang Jie and Dong Gao, only went to the "South Study Room", and Fu Changan only went to the "Building Office". When summoned by the emperor, they came out one by one and rushed to the front of the emperor to "retreat and return to their respective places."
Qianlong was furious after hearing this, and asked Qian Feng to also be assigned to the "Military Aircraft Inspection Department". This was an extremely difficult job. As a result, Qian Feng died of exhaustion in his position in just one year.
Another censor, Guan Shiming, was at a cocktail party. He didn't know whether he was drunk or just arrogant by nature. He actually said in public that he wanted to impeach Heshen. He was violently killed at home that night. This shows how arrogant Heshen was. It's a blessing that someone like Xie Zhending, who dared to beat the brother of Heshen's concubine and burned the uncle's "illegal" carriage, only lost his position as censor.
Agui can be said to be a thorn in Heshen's side, and her status is still above Heshen. Heshen often slandered Qianlong, saying that Agui was fighting in various places, regulating rivers, and investigating cases, which made Agui really exhausted and had few opportunities in the capital. Agui was able to persist until his death in the second year of Jiaqing. , and indeed he is a blessed person.
In fact, Agui is more of a soldier. Political intrigues and disputes are something that this upright general will not do, let alone do. It can be said that he hates He Shen, but he has nothing to do with He Shen. He can only stand far away from him when he goes to court. He will never communicate with him unless it is absolutely necessary. And He Shen This is one of the reasons why he did not go to the Military Aircraft Department to work, but sat alone in the "Old Zhilu" to review official affairs (just like Ertai and Zhang Tingyu did back then).
Another reason is that Heshen can review official affairs by himself without letting other military ministers know about it. This is equivalent to evading the emperor, and he seems to be exercising some of the emperor's powers. Qianlong was so blinded by him that he didn't know anything. He Shen even knew what Qianlong wanted to do and what he liked.
Relying on these powers and abilities, He Shen began to "sell his official position and win titles", and he was able to make a lot of money. Those who want to be promoted must follow his path; those who are afraid of losing or being demoted will naturally follow his path; those who do not want to be promoted and are not afraid of losing or being demoted, in order to "get reimbursement", they also need to follow his path (otherwise he may not even have enough means of living), because he can refute the accounting documents or delay the time.
In order to cling to and "repay the favor" to He Shen, the senior officials below had to ask for "repayment" from the junior officials under their subordinates; so in order to "repay the senior officials", the junior officials began to make plans for the common people. Therefore, a person like He Shen, who is corrupt at the top, can make the country's bureaucracy miserable and the people miserable. For example, in the 60th year of Qianlong's reign, Wulana, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, in order to raise money to serve Heshen, even "hanged" his "failed" county governor and whipped him.
Among the governors of the following provinces, there are also those who are unwilling to join in the troubles with Heshen and do not cooperate with Heshen, so they are prone to unexpected disasters. Fusong, the governor of Zhejiang, offended Heshen. As a result, in the 58th year of Qianlong's reign, he suddenly received an order from Qianlong to escort him back to Beijing to await trial. The charge was that he had accepted a bribe of 1,000 taels from Chai Zhen, the salt envoy to the Huaihe River. In fact, this Fu Song did not collect money. The basis is just the word "Fu Gong" on the account book of Chaizhen. And this "Fu Gong" does not refer to Fu Song, but to Fu Chang'an. Therefore, the words "give blessings of one thousand taels of public gold" are actually unnecessary. Fu Song said, "When I see the emperor, I must tell He Shen's secret completely." After He Shen knew about it, he added a few curse words to Qianlong in his confession. After Qianlong saw it, he didn't wait for Fu Song to arrive. Jing then issued an edict to kill him.
Later, in the first month of the fourth year of Jiaqing, Emperor Qianlong died. The next day, Emperor Jiaqing placed Heshen under house arrest and immediately arrested and imprisoned him. He was also listed in an edict for 20 major crimes. The whole court shouted for murder, and some civil and military officials in the cabinet even Demanded that he be put to death in Lingchi.
Later, due to the intercession of Heshen's daughter-in-law Gu Lun and Princess Xiao, Emperor Jiaqing accepted the advice of several ministers. Considering that he had served as the chief minister of the Qing Dynasty, out of the consideration of "maintaining the state system", he thought it was inappropriate He was punished in the fourth market, so the net was opened and he was allowed to commit suicide in prison.
