Chapter 19 The Emperor Taishang passed away

The Supreme Emperor Qianlong abdicated at the age of eighty-five and began his political training.At that time, he was still in good health, and his diet and sleep were still normal. Apart from staying in the palace and Yuanmingyuan for a few days every year, he also went to the Rehe Mountain Resort, but his energy was not as good as before. On the third day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Jiaqing (1799), with unwillingness to power and dreams of the glory of the Qing Dynasty, the aging Emperor Qianlong finally completed his eighty-nine years of life, peacefully and forever. He left the Qing Dynasty, which made him brilliant and made it difficult for him to let go.Emperor Qianlong was the longest-lived emperor in Chinese history.

Qianlong was once very proud of pacifying the size and Zhuo; he personally organized and revised the largest series of books in Chinese history, "Siku Quanshu"; Sixty years, and handed over state power to his son.But what he handed over to Jiaqing was a crumbling empire that he tossed away. Regarding the passing of this self-proclaimed perfect old man, the officials of the ruling and opposition parties and the common people reacted very calmly. In the imperial city, Yan was as usual, and there was no sign of alarm, and they all said that this is a common thing for a nearly hundred-year-old man.And now the new emperor is extremely filial and benevolent, and the Supreme Emperor is really a rare and blessed Son of Heaven.

Qianlong was in power for sixty years, and his death was a very influential event after all. The North Korean envoy made a detailed record of it: At the fifth watch on the first day of the first lunar month, the officials waited outside the gate of Qianqing.At dawn, the emperor led three ranks and above to congratulate the Taishang Emperor, but the palace was narrow, and the kings Baylor saluted inside the gate, while third rank officials and foreign envoys saluted outside the gate.After the ceremony, the ministers and others went from the upper right door to the hall of Supreme Harmony.In a few moments, the emperor came out of the Imperial Palace of Supreme Harmony to receive congratulations. Officials of the third rank and above went to foreign envoys to perform three worships and nine kowtows, just like the congratulatory ceremony before the Supreme Emperor.Emperor Gai Taishang has sometimes been dizzy since last winter, and cannot face the cloud as before.At Maoshi on the third day of the lunar new year, the Supreme Emperor collapsed and died in Qianqing Palace.On the same day when Xushi Yizhu arrived, the host and guest department transferred the payment, and the envoys of North Korea and Siam prepared to issue a big cloth, ready to be served at any time.After dusk on the fourth day of the lunar new year, the Ministry of Rites informed the Korean and Siamese envoys to go to Jingyun Pavilion to mourn with the class at three o'clock every morning, noon, and Shen.

Although Emperor Jiaqing suffered from the pain of losing his father, as an heir emperor, he was finally able to take charge of the government, let go of his hands and feet to display his ambitions, and was able to handle military and state affairs according to his own will without any fetters. This is what he has always dreamed of.The departure of Emperor Qianlong finally ended the embarrassing situation in which Jiaqing could only take over in name but had no real power, and had been carefully hiding behind his father.At the same time, a redistribution of political power is imperative.The test ahead will be very cruel, and Jiaqing has long been mentally prepared for this.

When the Supreme Emperor was alive, Jiaqing knew that Heshen took advantage of the Supreme Emperor's power to embezzle and accept bribes wantonly; but Heshen's power in the court was deeply intertwined, and he could not shake it.On the second day after Qianlong died of illness, Emperor Jiaqing, after arranging the matters related to his father's funeral, couldn't wait to order Heshen to be deprived of his post as minister of military aircraft and admiral of the nine gates, and ordered him to guard the funeral hall together with Fu Chang'an, named Filial piety is actually restricting his actions and preparing for his punishment.Xu Youwen, the Korean envoy, recorded: On the fourth day of the first lunar month, Heshen was cut off from the ranks of Minister of Military Aircraft and Jiumen Admiral, and he was still ordered to guard the funeral hall day and night with Fu Changan, and he was not allowed to enter or leave.He also called Liu Yong, a bachelor, and Zhu Gui, Minister of the Ministry of officials.Gui was slandered by Shen, and Governor Fang Jiangnan Yun.

After Qianlong's death, Jiaqing summoned Heshen and angrily reprimanded him for being domineering. Hearing this, Heshen knew that his feelings had changed, and burst into tears.Jiaqing asked calmly, "How did Huang Kao treat you?"He Shen broke down in tears: the kindness of the first emperor, the sky is high and the earth is thick, and the servant never forgets.Emperor Jiaqing said: Huang Kao has always regarded you as a minister, and cannot leave you for a moment.When the emperor abandoned the world, he left a will to let you go with him.Didn't you often say in front of Huang Kao that you would swear to repay me with death?Huang Kao treats you well, and it is also an unshirkable responsibility for you to die with your own body.It's just a little repayment to Ron, after all, he died well, and he died without regrets.

When He Shen heard this, he knew that Jiaqing was going to kill someone to silence him, and his face turned pale with fright.He knelt down in front of Emperor Jiaqing, kowtowed like pounding garlic, and wept bitterly: "The slave's family still has an old mother, wife and children. After the slave dies, the old mother has no physiology, and the wife and children will hardly have a living; the slave's death is not enough. What can they do?" What to do? A sneer appeared on the corner of Emperor Jiaqing's mouth: How can you forget your flattering words before they hit the ground?Your performance really failed Huang Kao's trust in you!After finishing speaking, he ordered Heshen to go out, and Heshen finally understood that a catastrophe was imminent.At the same time, Emperor Jiaqing also evaluated the historical achievements of Emperor Qianlong in an official form, which mentioned:

My emperor has been in the imperial examination for sixty years, the sky is far and far shaken, and the martial arts are perfect. Whenever he goes out to conquer, even the remote tribes, he will be defeated immediately.Even if there are rioters Wang Lun, Tian Wu, etc., who occasionally come out to make trouble, they are wiped out within a few months. There has never been a few years, wasting food and salaries to tens of millions of taels, but they still cannot succeed. things.The reason is that the ministers and generals who led the army did not put military affairs first, and only cared about playing with soldiers and raising bandits, so as to raise rewards by pretending to be meritorious, at the expense of public and private interests.Even in the middle of the capital, Ming Da, bodyguards, Zhang Jing and others tried their best to go when encountering military incidents.And when they return to Beijing from the military camp, even the officials who are said to be poor on weekdays will immediately prosper, and they often ask for leave under excuses. .I know all this.It can be seen that the preparations and leaders of the army deliberately delay, and they all follow the long-standing disadvantages of using this excuse to make profits.Just imagine, girdle's private wealth is all obtained by blackmailing the local government, and the local officials must take it more than once?And every time you report the situation of the battle, you get something small, that is, you falsely report your military exploits. Even if you are defeated and defeated, you always do everything possible to cover up your crimes and do not report the truth.Guessing what they meant, I always thought that Huang Kao was old, so I only reported auspicious words.However, military affairs are of vital importance and cannot be concealed a bit.They reported that thousands to hundreds of thieves were beheaded in previous reports. What is the proof?It's just an arbitrary fabrication.If there is a slight failure, it should be reported according to the facts, so as to indicate the opportunity.Wouldn't it be a big delay to cover up defeat like this and turn it into victory?It is not a day that the military camp has accumulated evils.I take care of general affairs and name verification, and only focus on time and prosperity, calming thieves and reassuring the people, but when it comes to military affairs, rewards must be punished, and I refuse to borrow a little.I hereby make it clear that all members of the army, big and small, should change their minds and try to cheer up. Before the spring order, all the suppression and handling will be completed and the local areas will be appeased.If you continue to cheat and cover up, play the same old ways, and exceed this time limit, you will have to follow the military law.Don't think that the young master can be deceived if you say what you say!

On the surface, it revealed all kinds of long-standing habits and abuses under Heshen's dictatorship, which is undoubtedly a criticism of Heshen.Moreover, combined with the series of actions that deprived Heshen of the Military Aircraft Minister and Jiumen Admiral's positions that day, and the fact that the Supreme Emperor had just passed away, Jiaqing took such a big move, and there were many smart people in the court. It soon became clear that Emperor Jiaqing had With the meaning of taking Heshen's knife, the ministers of the DPRK and China began to impeach Heshen for various illegal acts.Emperor Jiaqing also followed suit and began to liquidate Heshen.