Chapter 26 He Shen who takes care of the overall situation

One of the important reasons why Heshen has been appreciated by Emperor Qianlong for a long time is that Heshen is flexible and has a sense of the overall situation. As a politician, the probability of facing major events is of course high, and how to deal with it and how to deal with it is naturally a matter of ability.Most of these problems that arise are very complex, and it is difficult to divide them with simple yes and no.At this time, decision-makers need to have a sense of the overall situation, be able to look at a specific issue from a large perspective, grasp the internal contradictions of the thing itself, outline the key points, make judgments as soon as possible and decisively issue corresponding decisions.If you get entangled in details, it will only affect the process of handling things.Some matters that need to be dealt with urgently still need specific analysis of specific issues, and we must not apply them mechanically.In other words, you must be tactful and flexible in doing things, have a sense of the overall situation, and be able to be flexible.

Emperor Qianlong paid special attention to this point when it came to employing people. He never examined a person from a momentary event, but considered whether he was suitable for a certain position from the method and skills of dealing with problems.There were many famous scholars and academic figures in the Qianlong Dynasty, such as Wang Chang, Lu Wen, Wang Mingsheng, Qian Daxin, Yu Xiaoke, Weng Fanggang, Lu Xixiong, Yu Ji, Shao Jinhan, Gui Fu, Sun Xingyan, Wang Niansun, Duan Yucai, Zhu Yun, Yao Nai, Peng Yuanrui, Dou Guangnai and others have never been reused because Qianlong had doubts about the political talents of literati, or he did not believe that they could make great achievements in politics.

The most famous one is Ji Xiaolan, a literary master of a generation, who was in charge of the overall compilation of the "Siku Quanshu", which made Emperor Qianlong's literary prosperity flourish, and was Qianlong's consultant in cultural education.It is such a person who is admired by everyone and relied on by the emperor, but his official career development has not been satisfactory for decades.In the eyes of Emperor Qianlong, although Ji Xiaolan is full of economics, she is only a scholar-type talent after all. This type of person lacks the ability to manage the world, and is often entangled in the specific details of affairs without seeing the big picture, so he should not be entrusted with a big responsibility.

In April of the 33rd year of Qianlong (1768), when Ji Xiaolan moved to the magistrate of Duyun, Guizhou as usual, Emperor Qianlong kept Ji Xiaolan in the capital on the grounds that he was not the director, and awarded him the fourth-rank title as Zuo Shuzi.At that time, Emperor Qianlong's reason was still very aboveboard: the role of drama may conceal good talents.In April of the 50th year of Qianlong (1785), Yuanwai Lang Haisheng beat his wife Wu Yashi to death.At that time, Ji Xiaolan was the censor of Zuodu. He was reprimanded by Emperor Qianlong for neglecting to observe the case.Because of this, Ji Xiaolan has been in the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate since then, and has never entered the office of the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Industry, which is more transactional and high-status, let alone the position of a bachelor. up.

He Shen is different. He is tactful and flexible in doing things. Although he is a scholar, he is not restrained in his actions.This is not only reflected in the handling of daily affairs, but also in the handling of corruption cases of local officials such as Li Shiyao.The emergence of a series of major cases in the mid-Qianlong period has various reasons, but the decisive reason is that the salary is too small, while the entertainment has increased significantly, so it is often not enough.In the Qing Dynasty system, the annual salary of first-rank academicians was only about 180 taels of silver, which was less than that of the harsh Ming Dynasty, so it was hard to guarantee that they would not be corrupt.Therefore, at the beginning of the implementation of this system, some people raised objections: if the salary is poor, the honest will not be able to benefit themselves, and the greedy will cut down the common people; Does it foster integrity and fame?Although some officials suggested increasing the salary to stop the corruption of ink, unfortunately, Kangxi still forced it.

During the Kangxi period, officials had to socialize and entertain, and their salaries were small, so corruption was always very prevalent.It was precisely in view of this situation that Yongzheng made substantial reforms to the inherent salary system, adding money to support honesty for local officials.The so-called honesty bank is to take the vast majority of the money spent by the chief treasurer of each province, and distribute it to local officials at all levels according to the official rank and the complexity of government affairs, as their private life and government affairs.The purpose of implementing this reform was to stop the extortion and extortion of the subordinates by the superior yamen at that time, and the private expropriation of the people by the state and county magistrates, thereby alleviating social conflicts.The essence is to make the gray income transparent.

Although the imperial court no longer pursued it, the silver taels received by officials actually decreased.Take the governor's office in Henan as an example. The original regulations and regulations were no less than 200,000 taels. After the implementation of the Yanglian silver system, in the third year of Yongzheng (1725), only 28,900 taels remained. Year (1732) was reduced to 20,000 taels.In the Qianlong period, Emperor Qianlong adjusted the amount of money to support Lian and reduced the amount of money for the governor to support Lian. At this time, the relevant funds for the governor of Henan were only 12,000 taels.In this way, the reputation of raising honesty and money is in vain, and the expenses of officials have to be maintained by apportioning or extortionate collection from lower levels, so that those who support honesty are in the name, but those who are not honest are in fact.

That’s not to mention, local officials at all levels have to bear the annual tribute to the court and local temporary needs. Of course, officials cannot create wealth by themselves, so these burdens eventually fall on the people’s heads, or embezzle public funds.In the process, local officials did not forget to reap benefits.In this way, it is inevitable that the government will be corrupt and corruption will prevail. In fact, the local finances have long been unable to make ends meet, and they are living beyond their means.So it is not surprising that Li Shiyao's corruption has occurred.

Of course, Emperor Qianlong knew the reasons for Li Shiyao's case. Therefore, he was very contradictory in dealing with Li Shiyao's corruption. He must deal with Li Shiyao's corruption seriously so as to warn the rest of the officials and punish the increasingly serious corruption problem. , but also to be lenient with this person who pays tribute to him every year, so as not to block his way of making money.He Shen has always been good at guessing the emperor's mind, and it can be said that he has a very clear grasp of Emperor Qianlong's mind.Qianlong ordered him to handle the case, probably because of this consideration.He Shen is very aware of the stakes in this. Although Qianlong intends to let Li Shiyao go, He Shen has to do enough to prevent people from being caught.Therefore, while he was trying to clarify Li Shiyao's case, he did not execute Li Shiyao immediately in strict accordance with the provisions of the Qing Dynasty, but proposed a punishment proposal of beheading Li Shiyao.Although many ministers expressed dissatisfaction with this, he still insisted on beheading the supervisor, leaving Emperor Qianlong with room for flexibility, and was finally approved by Emperor Qianlong.

In order to prevent Emperor Qianlong from being too unsightly and thus affect the great changes in the officialdom across the country, Heshen controlled the situation very well. It was Heshen who made Qianlong very comfortable with this matter, so Heshen was increasingly favored by Qianlong after that. Special pet.