"Sir, Heshen is going to be in trouble." Du Xiaoyue said excitedly.
Xiang Nan nodded.
Hiding a national jade seal privately, even if it is fake, is a serious crime and shows the intention of treason. He Shen made such a big mistake, even if he is the emperor's favorite, he may not be able to survive this time.
"Heshen, take out the big seal." Qianlong said again.
He Shen nodded quickly, ran into the study room and took out the imperial seal.
After Qianlong took it, he looked over it several times.
He also discovered that the jade seal was fake and could not be the real jade seal passed down from the country. However, its shape, specifications, and calligraphy are exactly the same as those of the Chuanguo Jade Seal.
It is four inches in diameter, with five dragons as a button on the top, and the seal script of insects and birds on the bottom, which reads "Order from heaven, longevity and longevity". One corner was still covered in gold.
This imitation of the jade seal is so realistic that even if it is fake, He Shen had ulterior motives if he kept it privately instead of presenting the seal to the court.
"Heshen, how do you want me to punish you?" Qianlong sighed.
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die for my crime. Please show mercy, Your Majesty. Please forgive me." He Shen kowtowed frequently.
I regret that I was obsessed with accepting this square jade seal that day, otherwise there would be no disaster today.
"He Shen, I also want to be merciful. However, you secretly kept the national jade seal with ulterior motives and committed a heinous crime. If I don't punish you, others will say that I favor you." Qianlong sighed and said, "Okay, you go first. Let’s reflect on it in prison.”
"My slave, thank you, Lord, for your kindness. Thank you, Lord, for your kindness." Heshen kowtowed repeatedly.
Since the emperor didn't say he wanted to kill him, he still had a chance to survive.
…
In the evening, Xiang Nan came to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.
"Ji Xiaolan, you can do it. You have locked Shen and I in this place. Are you satisfied now?" He Shen couldn't help but sneered when he saw Xiang Nan.
"Master He, you forced me to do this." Xiang Nan sneered, "Actually, I don't want to fight you to the death. I know that the emperor values you, loves you, and treats you as his only friend.
So even if you take bribes, even if you form a party for personal gain, even if you control the government, even if you hide the jade seal secretly, the emperor will never kill you.
So I don't want to waste my efforts. In the last case of embezzlement of grain for disaster relief in Yancheng, I have found evidence of your corruption. Originally, I could have spread this evidence and asked the censors to intervene against you, but I did not do that.
But what about you, Zhao Zhao is going to kill me. You first slandered "A Dream of Red Mansions" as an anti-book, then made me, Ji Xiaolan, guilty of secretly possessing the anti-book, and then asked Chen Weiyuan to spread rumors, slander and ruin my reputation.
What makes me most angry is that you accepted three ancient paintings from me before and promised to help me get Xiangyun back. But then you helped Chen Weiyuan fight a lawsuit and took Xiangyun back.
I know you are not for Chen Weiyuan. You don't take a mere bookseller seriously. The reason why you helped him was to harm me, to make me lose my close friend and suffer for the rest of my life.
Since you are so vicious, don't blame me for being rude. "
When He Shen heard what he said, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He should not have offended Xiang Nan in the first place, which led to today's disaster.
"Ji Xiaolan, tit for tat, I caused you to go to jail, and you also caused me to go to jail, let's make it even, okay?" He pondered for a moment and said, "From now on, if I don't mess with you, you will too. Don’t mess with me, okay?”
"My lord, let's wait until you get out of prison." Xiang Nan said with a smile.
…
Suddenly, Xiang Nan was called into the palace by the emperor.
"Ji Xiaolan, you are amazing. He Shen was arrested just yesterday. This morning, there were dozens of memorials concerning him." Qianlong pointed to a large stack of memorials on the table.
"Your Majesty, this fully demonstrates how unpopular He Shen is." Xiang Nan nodded.
"Yes, you all hate Heshen, saying that he is corrupt and bribery, and that he enriches his own pockets. But apart from these, what other faults does Heshen have? Does he control the government, does he form a party for personal gain? Look through the history books, and you will find ministers like this, How much?" Qianlong curled his lips and said.
"Your Majesty, He Shengui is the chief assistant of the military and is also in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He has committed corruption, accepted bribes, and enriched himself. This is already a huge crime.
It is said that the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam is crooked, and He Shen is corrupt, but the officials below him can be clean. What goes up works and what works below will lead to corruption, harming the public and enriching private interests.
In the Yancheng disaster relief food case, He Shen's evidence was as high as more than two million taels of silver. This is just the filial piety of Yancheng.
Our Qing Dynasty has 22 provinces, 215 prefectures, and more than 1,300 counties. How much filial piety will there be? I'm afraid Heshen's family property has exceeded the annual income of the Qing Dynasty.
Your Majesty, when you came to the throne, the national balance was sixty million taels. As of now, the national bank balance is less than 10 million taels..."
"That's enough!" Qianlong shouted, "Ji Xiaolan, I summoned you today not to talk to you about military affairs, nor about the economy and people's livelihood. I just want to ask you one thing, let Heshen go."
Qianlong said and cupped his hands towards Xiang Nan.
"Your Majesty, how dare you act like a lowly minister like this?" When Xiang Nan saw this, he hurriedly stepped aside.
To be honest, Xiang Nan felt a little happy watching Qianlong beg him. But he also knew that Qianlong was just showing off.
If he really accepted the courtesy from him, he would probably be thrown into jail along with He Shen.
"I also know that the emperor should not ask his ministers, especially his ministers, to do things that are against the laws of the court." Qianlong sighed, "But I have to ask.
I have been the emperor for so many years, and I only have a friend who can talk to me. He Shen understands my thoughts and thinks of me in every matter.
Unlike you, who teach me every day, this is not allowed, that is not allowed. I'm so confused by you all. Only when He Shen is by my side can I be in a good mood.
But you, Ji Xiaolan, want to beat him to death now, and you won’t let him go after you bite him to death. Once He Shen dies, I will be alone. I have no choice but to beg you.
Ji Xiaolan, don’t you like that Xiangyun? I will give her to you. I also asked He Shen to return those three ancient paintings of yours to you. I beg you, please spare He Shen's life. You Ji Xiaolan don’t want me to be alone, right? "
"Your Majesty, since you have said so, what else does Ji Xiaolan have to say?" Xiang Nan sighed and said, "I promise you."
Qianlong nodded.
"Come here, order Shuntian Prefecture to arrest Chen Weiyuan immediately and retry the divorce case." He immediately issued an order, "He Shen will be demoted two levels to retainer and fined for three years."
"Ji Xiaolan, do you think it's okay for me to arrange this?" After Qianlong finished issuing the order, he looked at Xiang Nandao.
"The Emperor Qiangang is arbitrary, how dare I say anything?" Xiang Nan bowed quickly and said.
"Humph, Ji Xiaolan, you've got the advantage of being a good boy." Qianlong rolled his eyes at him, "This time He Shen is in trouble, and so am I. It's just you."
"I don't dare."
