The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 717: The emperor’s arbitrary decision-making is the family law of this dynasty!

On the canopy.

Sitting on the warm bed was a white-haired old woman in a blue coat.

The young emperor walked in from outside and said with a smile:

"Mother, your son greets you."

The old woman smiled kindly and raised her hand.

"Come and sit."

Qianlong sat on the other side with a smile, and the mother and son chatted.

As they were chatting, the old woman suddenly said:

"Emperor, I heard that there is a temple to the east of Shuntian Prefecture. It is very effective. People go there to pray for a son or daughter, and their wishes are always granted."

"But it's in disrepair and about to collapse. Can you spare some money to repair it?"

Qianlong listened carefully, and when he finished, he immediately laughed and said:

"Okay, okay, I'll fix it right away."

"Mother, I'll do it right away!"

The old woman said quickly:

"No hurry, no hurry."

Qianlong stood up, straightened his sleeves, and said with a smile:

"Mother finally spoke up, how can I not take it seriously?"

"Go here."

Having said that, he hurried out.

The old woman smiled and shook her head.

As soon as you go out.

Qianlong's smile disappeared instantly and he walked out of the palace with an expressionless face.

Then he said without turning back:
"Who allowed you to talk so much?"

"Who allowed you to gossip?"

"If you hadn't spread the gossip, how would the Queen Mother know that there was a temple in Shuntian Prefecture?"

"If you spread gossip again, watch your heads!"

The group of servants behind him immediately knelt down in panic and kowtowed.

Qianlong did not look at them either. He just turned slightly and looked towards the Empress Dowager's bedroom, and said softly:

"How many temples have you ever seen the Empress Dowager of Ningshou Palace order the Emperor to build?"

"I am filial to the Queen Mother, and all matters within the palace are subject to her orders."

"Isn't this enough?"

……

[Before Qianlong ascended the throne, he read history books and systematically summarized the political laws of past dynasties.]

On August 1735, the th year of Yongzheng’s reign (), Emperor Qianlong issued an edict:

"All state affairs are of great importance and must not be spread based on hearsay, for fear that the Empress Dowager would be upset.

If any rumors from outside are spread to the Empress Dowager, please tell me. If the matter is in line with the Emperor's wishes, I will naturally comply with it.

If there is any minor violation, it will greatly trouble the Empress Dowager and will not be helpful. Those who violate it in the future will be punished.

[Qianlong knew very well that the empress dowager might not have any intention of interfering in government affairs, but many people were trying to get things done through her.]

【So, he directly isolated the Queen Mother from politics. 】

【Stop the harem from interfering in government affairs.】

……

{Is this his biological mother?}

{…You don’t think it’s Li Jingui, do you?}

{Qianlong's mother was indeed Niuhulu.}
{It is said that Qianlong loved to spend money, but in fact, when he first ascended the throne, he was still quite frugal and did not spend much money on himself.}
{But he really is willing to spend money on the old queen.}
{In the sixth year of Qianlong's reign, the Empress Dowager celebrated her 50th birthday and returned to the Forbidden City from the Old Summer Palace in a sedan chair. Qianlong specially organized several thousand elderly people over 60 years old to kneel on the roadside to welcome her, holding flowers in their hands and shouting "Long live the Empress Dowager, long live the Empress Dowager"}
{You can't let them kneel for nothing, you have to give them money. According to the "Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty", in one day, he spent 108,700 taels of silver and 70,000 rolls of silk just to reward these old people.}
{The purchasing power of silver at that time was very high. One tael of silver was equivalent to about 300 today.}
{This money and silk is equivalent to more than 53 million yuan.}
{Half a billion yuan was spent just to organize a welcoming team.}
……

Ming Dynasty Yongle Period
"To put it more clearly, we are going to block the information from the old queen mother."

Zhu Di sneered:
"I have fulfilled my filial duty and I have also gained power."

“This book really made him understand.”

……

Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Period
"You bastard!"

A memorial was thrown in front of Hongli.

Yongzheng pointed his sword at Hongli and was so angry that he was shaking all over and unable to speak.

One hundred thousand taels!
A banquet cost one hundred thousand taels!

"You know how to dress up to entertain your parents..."

Yongzheng nodded at him twice angrily.

It's not that he wasn't angry, but he was clearly aware of his son's ability to make money.

The so-called seeing the big picture from the small details.

His son's ability is definitely extraordinary.

……

[“The emperor’s arbitrary decision-making is the family law of this dynasty.”]

[This is what Qianlong often said.]

【However, it is not easy to hold all the power. 】

[Power is the most coveted thing in the world. Once you have tasted power, no one wants to let it go.]

[Qianlong studied history and concluded that the people who posed a threat to the imperial power in all dynasties were usually the following types of people.]

[The first category: concubines and maternal relatives.]

[The second category is the emperor’s brothers and nephews.]

【The third category: eunuchs.】

[The fourth category is powerful officials.]

[The fifth category is cliques.]

[So after Qianlong ascended the throne, he planned and took steps to deal with these forces one by one to ensure that they did not pose a threat to the imperial power.]

[He cut off all contact with the harem.]

【For brothers, we give them preferential treatment in life and strict political control.】

In November of the second year of Qianlong's reign (1737), Qianlong abolished the Office of the Prime Minister and appointed Ortai, Zhang Tingyu, Neqin, Haiwang, Nayantai, and Bandi as the Grand Councilors. The former Grand Councilors, Prince Zhuang Yinlu and Prince Guo Yinli, were not among them. This established the rule that the royal family would no longer participate in government affairs.

[This system lasted for more than 120 years during the reigns of Qianlong, Jiaqing and Daoguang, and was not broken until the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi.]

【During the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi, Prince Gong also joined the Grand Council. 】

……

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period
Kangxi frowned at first.

"Cixi?"

Then came the shock!

"Cixi!"

"She is Empress Dowager Cixi!?"

"The Empress Dowager Cixi who ceded territory and paid compensation?!"

It is said that Kangxi had a good memory.

Only then did he really start to panic.

Isn't it obvious that the title of emperor is useless?

The harem is interfering in politics!
Kangxi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Take a look first..."

It's useless to be anxious.

Qianlong hasn't passed away yet.

……

Qing Dynasty and Qianlong period
Qianlong narrowed his eyes and looked at the word "Cixi".

He looked at the three words "Military Affairs Office" again.

Internal and external cooperation?

Was the previous dynasty powerful?

Out of balance...

"Humph……"

Qianlong looked very bad.

The means he left behind are enough for future generations to balance the court.

If this can cause an imbalance, doesn't it mean that the Qing emperors after him are all useless? "Each generation is worse than the previous one..."

……

Qing Dynasty, Xianfeng Period
"Cixi..."

Xianfeng had a gloomy face.

I can’t be so unlucky, right?
So Cixi is in her own palace?
But let’s calculate the time…

Xianfeng closed his eyes.

I'm afraid that's it...

"It's really... a troubled time."

……

【As for preventing eunuchs from interfering in government affairs, Qianlong’s method was to improve the system. 】

[He summarized and accumulated the management experience of past dynasties and compiled a "palace code" "The Imperial Palace Current Regulations", which made strict and detailed regulations on the management of eunuchs. ]

[If the eunuch spoke a little louder in front of the emperor, made a little more noise when sweeping the floor, or was a minute late for duty, he would be pressed to the ground and beaten with a stick.]

【At the same time, if there are any signs of eunuchs interfering in government affairs, they will be severely punished once they are discovered. Eunuchs and officials who collude with them will be punished together.】

[After taking strong preventive measures against concubines, royal family members, and eunuchs, there is only one last, more important group left.]

【Official.】

……

Cao Wei and Emperor Wen's period
"It can be seen that Qianlong had done his homework and even studied previous failed cases."

Cao Pi reached out, picked a grape and put it in his mouth.

While eating, he said to Cao Rui:
“It seems that instead of studying those successful cases, it is better to take a closer look at how they fail and what are the problems that always lead to failure.”

“This way we can better identify deficiencies and make further progress.”

Cao Rui nodded and said randomly:

"So the first step is to give up sweets."

Cao Pi looked at the grapes on the table reluctantly.

"It's okay to eat one or two skewers occasionally."

Cao Rui stopped talking.

They spoke once out of filial piety.

He didn't care whether they listened or not.

……

[In the early years of Emperor Qianlong's reign, there were approximately 20,000 civil officials and 70,000 military officials in the country.]

[Managing such a large team is a great challenge for any emperor.]

【And Qianlong also knew that among the officials, the two types of people he needed to guard against the most were powerful officials and sycophantic officials.】

……

On the canopy.

The emperor, wearing court robes, sat on the dragon throne.

The civil and military officials below kowtowed and paid their respects.

The emperor looked at his ministers with a smile on his face.

The emotions in his eyes were like an icy lake.

……

[The relationship between the monarch and his subjects has always been the main contradiction in the ancient Chinese political game. ]

[On the surface, the relationship between the ruler and his subjects is very simple: "If the ruler orders his subjects to die, they must die."]

[But in fact, what often happens is that the ruler orders his subjects to die, but the subjects kill the ruler first.]

[Emperor is also a profession with a high rate of abnormal mortality. ]

[In the history of Chinese dynasties, including the unified dynasties and those small dynasties, there were a total of 611 emperors, of whom 272 died unnatural deaths.]

[The unnatural death rate is 44%, much higher than other occupations. ]

【So, being an emperor is not that fun. 】

[The most important thing to do to be a successful emperor and avoid the loss of power is to control ministers]

……

{In ancient times, the average life expectancy of an emperor was only 39 years old.}
{But what about the common people? The average life expectancy of the Qin Dynasty people was only 20 years old, and it increased slightly in each subsequent dynasty, and was only 35 years old before liberation.}
{Living in the modern world is better than anything else. As the saying goes, "It is better to be a dog in peacetime than a man in troubled times."}
{I doubt the statistical method. Where does the data come from?}
{Our biology teacher has mentioned this. When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, medical conditions were very poor and a large number of newborns died, which lowered the average life expectancy. It was even lower in ancient times.}
{Besides, there is something called a family tree... Of course, those who are able to be included in a family tree are not too poor economically, so the average life expectancy in the family tree statistics is even a little bit higher.}
{Because in ancient times, doctors would not give you prenatal checkups, midwives would not perform caesarean sections, nobles often had inbreeding, there were no antibiotics for colds, and no vaccines for tetanus.}
{There were no street lights at night, no excavators, no electricity, no telephones, no weather forecasts, no fertilizers, no hybrid rice, no Three Gorges Dam, no heating, no air conditioning, no tap water, no navigation, no water heaters, no highways, no professional police...}
{There are only bandits and robbers, frequent wars, wolves, tigers and leopards, and only dry toilets...}
……

Big man.

"People in later generations live in a peaceful world..."

Liu Bang took a quick glance.

It is peaceful, everyone can afford to go to school, medical conditions are good, and there should be enough food.

Then there are a bunch of things that are hard to understand.

Lü Zhi looked at the words in the sky, her expression slightly relieved, and she said softly:
“No wonder these descendants always speak with a certain innocence.”

"It's good to be at peace... It's good to be at peace."

Liu Bang and Lu Zhi were silent for a moment.

In troubled times, those who have not experienced it cannot understand even one ten-thousandth of it.

……

The period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty
Founding of the Nation...

Liu Heng looked at the word "liberation" thoughtfully again.

It is said in Zhuangzi: Cook Ding was butchering an ox for Lord Wenhui.

"Li Sao" says: Although my body has been torn apart, my heart remains unchanged. How can my heart be punished?

"The Book of Rites: Sacrifice" says: "If you apply this to the East China Sea, it will be true...if you apply this to the four seas, it will be true too."

"Punish the people and punish the criminals?"

……

In the first year of Qianlong's reign (1736), Wang Shijun, an important official of Yongzheng, submitted a memorial: "The recent proposals have only been aimed at refuting the previous case, and even threatened the public. It is said that as long as the case of Emperor Shizong is overturned, it will be a good proposal."

[The gist of the article is that Wang Shijun used someone else's words to accuse Qianlong of deliberately overturning Yongzheng's case.]

【This is something that Qianlong, who "always takes the emperor's father's heart as his own and governs according to his policies," could not tolerate.】

[He scolded Wang Shijun for "making unreasonable statements and making reckless reports" and was sentenced to death with a pending execution for the crime of disrespect. He was later released as a civilian and sent back to his hometown.]

【Wang Shijun’s crime was not punishable by death, so once Qianlong killed him, the opposition stopped immediately.】

【This move by Qianlong directly confirmed his attitude of "making decisions on his own initiative". 】

[It also shows my attitude. What treacherous ministers or powerful officials are there? I alone have the final say in all world affairs! ]

【You object? Be careful with your head. 】

……

{Kill one to warn the rest, kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.}
{When Qianlong ascended the throne, he was 25 years old and had never held any position before and had no political experience.}
{According to previous sayings, this is considered a situation where the ruler is young and the country is in doubt.}
{The average age of the ministers in the court was much older than him.}
{Especially after the 13-year high-pressure rule of Yongzheng, many people became old-fashioned people.}
{But Qianlong easily controlled this group of stubborn people. Why? Because he could read and summarize.}
{…Fuck…why can I see encouragement to study here too!}

……

[If we say that the emperor of the Han Dynasty held 60% of the decision-making power, the prime minister held 40%. ]

[The emperor of the Song Dynasty controlled 70 percent, and the prime minister controlled 30 percent. ]

[The emperor of the Ming Dynasty controlled 80 percent, and the ministers controlled 20 percent. ]

【By the time of Emperor Qianlong, the emperor held 95 percent of the decision-making power, and the ministers had almost no say.】

【In terms of system, Qianlong established the emperor's authority. 】

[The princes and ministers can offer their opinions on certain matters, but they are only used as a reference for decision-making.]

[Under such circumstances, it was difficult for powerful officials to appear in the Qing Dynasty.]

……

{There is an incident recorded in the "Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty".}
{In the fourth year of Qianlong's reign, the Imperial Ancestral Temple needed repairs. The Ministry of Works submitted a memorial on the first day of the repairs, saying that the lights in the Imperial Ancestral Temple needed to be repaired first, which would cost three hundred taels of silver.}
{Three hundred taels of silver was not a lot of money for the emperor. But Qianlong was a little suspicious when he saw the figure. How could it cost three hundred taels to simply repair a few lamps? Qianlong wrote in red ink, "This lamp is just a small patch, why would it cost so much silver?"}
{The Ministry of Works was already familiar with embezzling money from royal projects. They did not take it seriously when they received an extra hundred taels of silver. They replied that this was an advance payment and that the remaining money would be returned after the construction was completed.}
{But this reply made Qianlong furious. The next day, he issued an edict, saying that according to his knowledge, the practice in previous construction projects was to estimate first and then receive the money, and the money was paid according to the amount spent. After the construction was completed, the remaining money was never returned.}
{He sent someone to check the files of the Ministry of Works, but found no record of the return. This showed that the officials of the Ministry of Works were deceiving the emperor.}
{Qianlong said: "The officials in the hall actually thought that I was not familiar with the affairs, and they made ambiguous excuses at will, which was very absurd." Because of this trivial matter of a few hundred taels of silver, Qianlong punished all the ministers in the Ministry of Works.}
{From the Shangshu to the Shilang and then to the officials, they were either demoted or fined. Such large-scale punishment rarely occurred in the history of the Qing Dynasty.}
{Qianlong's IQ and EQ are indeed higher than those of ordinary emperors.}
{This guy has kept his eyes wide open since the first day he sat on the throne, observing every performance of the bureaucracy.}
{All those bureaucratic intrigues that made other emperors look dizzy and dazzled could not escape Qianlong's eyes.}
……

Datang.

“There are pros and cons.”

Li Shimin twirled his beard and saw through the future of the Qing Dynasty.

On the positive side, this kind of autocratic rule can certainly prevent the emergence of powerful ministers, and is also conducive to rapid decision-making and centralized power to get things done, so that departments don't have to wrestle with each other for a long time.

But in the long run, this practice of pushing the monarchy to the extreme will greatly suppress the enthusiasm of ministers to participate, making them only able to run errands and do things.

If you can't invest your emotions, you will lack a sense of responsibility for your position.

If the emperor has great talent and vision, the country will certainly be well governed.

But once you encounter a mediocre emperor...

This country will go to pieces...

"Each generation of wise rulers..."

Li Shimin sighed:
"How difficult it is."

(End of this chapter)