Chapter 79 mobilize soldiers to repair the house

After Heshen became prosperous, he became the emperor's full-time attendant. He gained the emperor's favor day by day, and his power became more and more powerful.In this way, he will have fewer worries in doing things, and become more daring.When he was building his new residence in the prime minister's mansion, he even used his authority to privately use the country's army to build the residence for him, so that he didn't have to spend a dime on labor.Even the wood, bricks and tiles he needed to build his house were mostly contributed by local officials.It can be said that He Shen built a mansion that amazed even princes and ministers without spending much money.

In addition to the insatiable greed that the world is familiar with, He Shen was also extravagant all his life, and he was not far behind in building mansions and gardens.Emperor Qianlong was very kind to him, and often gave him land to build a house, and sometimes he would be named for any reason, which made other officials very jealous but helpless. Who makes the emperor like it?In this way, under Qianlong's continuous rewards, unique and exquisite gardens have become Heshen's property one after another. In the forty-first year of Qianlong (1776), He Shen had just been promoted from imperial bodyguard and capital commander to Minister of the Household Department and Minister of Military Affairs.His first new home was built around this time.In order to express his congratulations, Emperor Qianlong specially gave him a piece of high-quality land in a prime location near the three bridges by the Shichahai Lake.This is the first time for Heshen to build his own new house, so he was very careful in the construction. He personally supervised the whole project, and had strict requirements on every detail, striving to surpass the mansions of other princes and ministers.

It was built luxuriously and luxuriously, but it became one of his crimes after his downfall.In the fourth year of Jiaqing, Emperor Jiaqing issued a decree: The nanmu house built was extravagant and its Duobao Pavilion (partition style) was made after the Ningshou Palace, and its garden decoration was no different from Pengdao and Yaotai in Yuanmingyuan. , I don't know what it is.Furthermore, according to the Hushi map, when Heshen built a nanmu house, he had the Yiren Ningshou Palace burn the pattern.The chief eunuch did not stop Chahu Shitu from entering the forbidden area to heat the sample, but let him go, and he should be handed over to the chief minister of internal affairs for investigation and discussion.Because of the quasi-copying of the report to the ministers' yamen and other officials, it was found that Xiao Delu and others were the chief eunuchs. When Hushitu entered the Ningshou Palace to make foreign affairs, he did not stop him. Money and food for two years.The chief eunuchs Dong Shiyu, Li Jinxiao, Gao Jinxi, and Deng Shizhong were fined money and food for one year.

When Heshen built this house, he even sent Hushitu to infiltrate the inner palace to make samples, and built according to the samples. Therefore, Qixi Jinzhai can still vaguely see the shadow of Ningshou Palace.The Ningshou Palace was built for the Supreme Emperor Qianlong, and it is of course forbidden for Heshen to do so.Although the censor Cao Xibao impeached him to build a house beyond the limit, Heshen was enjoying great prosperity at that time. Not only did Qianlong not pursue Heshen's violation of the limit, he even accused Cao Xibao of framing Heshen, which made Cao Xibao lose his official position.

In fact, Heshen had just moved into Zhenghuangqi at that time, and the construction of the fiefdom in Shichahai was in line with the ancestral system, but Heshen played a side ball. He himself took the opportunity to do extravagant things and built his own house beyond the limit. , indeed suspected of violation.But at that time, Heshen was very popular in the court, and even the emperor turned a blind eye. Who could do anything to him? The Heshen Mansion extends from Zhanzifang Hutong in the east to the south side of Qianhai West Street in the south, Liguang Bridge in the west, and Daxiangfeng Hutong in the north. Tianxiang Garden, Xijinzhai, Shouchun Tower and other basic buildings built by Heshen.Of course, the scale of Heshen’s house cannot be compared with that of Prince Baylor’s Mansion, but judging from the exquisite internal structure and decoration, Heshen’s mansion is definitely one of the best, and there are records in historical materials: its decorations are all things that a prince should not have. There are Heshen, and the copper street lamps are larger and more delicate.Now it is located outside the gates of Jingyun and Longzong.

The construction of these two mansions took a lot of labor and time. The remuneration of the workers alone is not a small amount, and He Shen’s shrewdness is reflected here. According to the research of historians, He Shen spent a lot of money to build the mansion. The craftsmen were not civilians recruited and imitated, but the soldiers of the infantry commanding the yamen under his control and the infantry patrolling the fifth battalion.According to research, more than 1,000 soldiers were dispatched at most.He Shen used his power to privately use the country's army to build a safe haven for himself. The only thing that can prove it is his insatiable greed and audacity.

He Shen was said to be the richest man in the world at that time, but he still did not hesitate to use the national army in order to save workers' wages, which is really too shrewd.