Chapter 83 Foxes fake tigers to make huge fortunes

What the greedy people like to do most is to undertake big projects and projects.Because the reason for the well-known project is to serve the country and the emperor. If it is done well, it will not only win the appreciation of the emperor, but also have the possibility of being famous in history.Even if you can't win the emperor's award, you can get a lot of money if you just complete it in a satisfactory manner. Sometimes a project can make people eat and drink for a lifetime.However, due to the large number of monks and the lack of meat, not all officials have such opportunities, only those with high positions and powers can get such opportunities. A symbol of official status and strength.

He Shen regards money as his life, so naturally he will not let go of such an opportunity. A series of major projects such as the emperor's southern tour, the expansion of the Summer Resort, and the expansion of the Old Summer Palace all have his shadow, and he also obtained a lot of money from it.Among them, Qianlong's 80th birthday celebration project, which made a lot of profits and satisfied the emperor, was led by Heshen. In the fifty-fifth year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong was already eighty years old.Only Emperor Wudi of Liang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of Song Dynasty and Emperor Shizu of Yuan Dynasty lived to be eighty years old among the emperors of all dynasties.Therefore, Qianlong decided to hold a grand celebration on his birthday on August 13th. The celebration project was under the responsibility of He Shen and Jin Jian, Minister of the Ministry of Industry.

He Shen knew that Qianlong attached great importance to his 80th birthday. In order to please the emperor, he displayed his superb financial management skills and took the initiative to ask Qianlong to complete the ceremony without using a tael of silver from the House of Internal Affairs.When Qianlong heard of such a good thing, he was naturally overjoyed.As for Heshen's means and how much profit he got from it, Qianlong stopped asking and let him do it. He Shen immediately started his money-raising plan under the banner of holding a birthday ceremony for the emperor.In addition to requiring merchants to donate silver, princes and ministers, children of the Eight Banners, and officials of various ministries all have to deduct a certain percentage of the salary according to the amount of the salary.Officials from other provinces deducted a quarter of the province's money for supporting the emperor as a salary for honoring the emperor.Calculated in this way, the money Heshen had amassed was beyond everyone's imagination, and it was more than enough to hold the celebration. Heshen put half of the money into his personal pocket, and only half of the money was actually used for the celebration.

In order to be grand, Qianlong's 80th celebration was held in three places, from the seventh day of July to the 22nd of July at the Chengde Mountain Resort; On the second day, he returned to the palace from Yuanmingyuan, and on August 13th, a grand ceremony was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.The celebration ended on August 21st, and it lasted for more than one month, which shows the grandeur of the celebration. Qianlong arrived at the Summer Resort on the seventh day of July. He did not celebrate his birthday wholeheartedly here. He still reviewed official documents and dealt with state affairs every day, and he was never neglected. The envoys who celebrated Qianlong's birthday still worked hard on state affairs all day long.

In order to show a brand-new look, Heshen ordered people to renovate all the buildings in the summer resort, especially the main hall of the villa, the Tanbo Jingcheng Hall, where Qianlong hosted a banquet to entertain envoys from various countries. After it was built, it was called Nanmu Hall, and the facilities displayed in it were like the imperial palace, which made Qianlong feel very cordial.On July 23, the birthday celebrations at the Summer Resort ended, and Qianlong drove back to Beijing.The emperor was traveling in the highest-standard ceremonial vehicle, which fully demonstrated the grandeur of the celebration.The Yu is six feet three inches high, three feet nine inches deep, and three feet wide.

The Old Summer Palace has also been refurbished, and He Shen ordered people to build a variety of scenic spots, stretching continuously, including artificially built pavilions and pavilions, and garden buildings modeled on Western architecture. When encountering water, there are dragon boats. A tower is built on every mountain.Where the scenery is pleasant, it is wild and interesting, with small bridges and flowing water, and where the grand atmosphere is extremely luxurious.The landscapes everywhere are scattered and dotted with many large and small stages, and various festive plays are staged in turn.Theater troupes from all over the country also came to Beijing one after another to celebrate the emperor's birthday.In addition, a large platform was also built in front of the West Fourth Archway, on which a hundred old men with white beard and hair stood, creating a scene of good fortune and longevity.

On August 13th, Qianlong's birthday came. Qianlong received congratulations from officials and foreign envoys in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Civil and military officials also put on festive costumes to add a festive atmosphere to the emperor's grand ceremony.According to the system of the Qing Dynasty, if the emperor or queen's longevity celebration is held, all civil and military officials must wear floral dresses embroidered with dragon patterns on the three days before and four days after the birthday, and envoys from various countries who come to congratulate They were arranged to wait for the arrangement of the court under the west eaves outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

When the time came, Emperor Qianlong, dressed in a dragon robe and a beaded crown, ascended to the Hall of Supreme Harmony amidst grand welcome ceremonies and music, and then held complicated and solemn ceremonies and banquets. Envoys from all over the world also brought It has its own special programs, and performs its own songs and dances to please Qianlong.After the banquet was declared over, Qianlong drove back to the palace amid the sound of kneeling and thanking all officials. Behind this grand celebration is He Shen's confident command and coordination.It is rare in history that Heshen organized such a grand event in an orderly manner. What is even more amazing is that Heshen managed it without spending a penny from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Qianlong trusted and satisfied Heshen even more.He Shen himself also used the name of the emperor to forcibly deduct the salaries of officials, and asked well-known wealthy businessmen to pay tribute to rare treasures in the name of celebrating the emperor's birthday. In fact, most of them fell into his pocket and made a lot of money from it. money.