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

Chapter 747: Retreat to Opium and Officialdom Mysteries
{Jiaqing was actually a good ruler who maintained the status quo. Although he was mediocre, he did not cause trouble.}
{But his situation was actually similar to that of Liu Chan. At that time, the external environment did not allow a king who only cared about maintaining the status quo to sit in that position.}}

{But even in his later years, when Jiaqing's energy level had indeed declined, he always maintained a basically online state and never gave up.}
{In the last seven years of Jiaqing's reign, there was at least one military parade in six of them.}
{In the 23rd year of Jiaqing’s reign, when Ruan Yuan was the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, he asked Jiaqing if British ships could be bombarded if they caused trouble. Jiaqing initially replied, “Don’t even think about it.” Ruan Yuan soon made another memorial, asking if it really came to that, would all the artillery batteries in Guangzhou surrender?}
{After reading it, Jiaqing changed his mind and re-instructed that British ships should stay within a limited range, and that they would be allowed to be bombarded if they crossed the border.}
{It can be seen that Jiaqing still had sufficient self-correction ability until the last period.}
{Indeed, although Jiaqing took over a mess, he never messed it up. It was just that his ability was limited. But he was diligent, listened to others, and didn't make trouble, which was acceptable.}
……

Ming dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Tianmu's words and couldn't help but puff out his beard and glare.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"He's the emperor! That's what he should do!"

"Since when did being a good emperor become so demanding?"

“Diligence is what you should do!”

Queen Ma squinted her eyes and looked at him.

"When... since Chenghua, Jiajing, and Wanli, they have not attended court for years..."

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was extinguished by her words, Empress Ma thought of the "weirdos" that happened later in the Ming Dynasty.

"Jiaqing's character ranks among the best among emperors."

"Although it is useless to govern a country with good character, at least there is this attitude."

"Much better than some stupid and evil emperors."

……

[Diplomatic strategy: basically, it is a continuation of the policies of Emperor Qianlong. According to Jiaqing himself, "maintaining the status quo is of utmost importance."]

[In his “On Preserving the Status Quo” he said: “The rulers who lost their country were all unwilling to preserve the status quo.”]

[This also led to the continuation of the closed-door policy. ]

[Due to the resistance of the natural economy and the Qing Dynasty's closed-door policy, goods from Western countries such as Britain could not enter the Qing Dynasty without restrictions and occupy the Qing Dynasty's market. Therefore, Western countries such as Britain could not gain any benefits from legitimate trade with the Qing Dynasty and were in a disadvantageous position of trade deficit.]

[In order to change this unfavorable situation, Britain decided to import opium into the Qing Dynasty, completely disregarding the principles of humanity and making huge profits by selling opium that killed people.]

[In the 1757nd year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (), after the British occupied Bengal, India’s opium-producing region, they forced Indian farmers to grow opium in large quantities.]

[After that, under the auspices of the British East India Company, opium continued to flow from India to China, and the amount increased day by day.]

[In the fifth year of Jiaqing (1800), more than boxes (each weighing about to kilograms) were imported each year]

[In the 1820th year of Jiaqing (), there were more than boxes.]

[Since then, the influx of opium has increased, and the outflow of silver has also increased.]

【The decline of the Qing Dynasty began to accelerate.】

[Evaluation C level, 2 points]

……

Song Zhenzong period
Zhao Heng looked at the words "trafficking and killing" thoughtfully and said:
"This thing is definitely not a good thing."

"Otherwise Tianmu wouldn't have defined it in this way."

"trading……"

Zhao Heng suppressed the debate between Chinese and barbarians in his mind and began to think about the impact of the closed-door policy on the Central Plains as a whole.

To the outside world, the closed-door policy is actually a defensive measure.

It is to prevent the trade of overseas countries from encroaching on the Central Plains.

But this is not the real defensive power. The real defensive power should be a rich country and a strong military.

Because if the other side attacks with strength, this policy will be broken immediately.

Internally, the policy of seclusion was completely self-defeating.

Restricted the development of foreign trade and navigation.

"As one side gains, the other loses... there must be a battle!"

Zhao Heng leaned back slightly and sighed.

"If we win, everything will be easy."

"If we lose..."

Liu E, who was standing by, looked at him and waved her fan gently, saying:
"The flying snake swims in the mist, the flying dragon rides on the cloud, when the cloud ends and the mist clears, if they were like earthworms, they would lose their place."

"The cause of the eight countries has been found."

……

Qing Dynasty, Daoguang Period
Emperor Daoguang closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Starting from the first year of the Daoguang reign, the annual import of opium had reached 7,000 boxes.

From royal officials to ordinary people and even military officers, more and more people are addicted to drugs.

A large amount of silver outflowed, causing great financial difficulties.

In this situation, how can I not make up my mind to quit smoking?
This is a matter of life and death for the country!
"I wonder if Lin Zexu can..."

Daoguang was thinking about his newly appointed imperial commissioner.

"I have said everything I need to say... I hope you will live up to my trust."

"As for retreat..."

Daoguang looked at the word "retreat" in the sky.

His face was lost in thought.

Solving this policy is no easier than solving opium.

……

[Employing and identifying people: Jiaqing's ability to employ and identify people is very subtle. ]

[Within the range that he can personally touch, he is very powerful, just like Qianlong. ]

【But if it is beyond your reach, it is the same as not having it. 】

【Take one example.】

……

On the canopy.

The picture moves from top to bottom, across the Stratosphere Mountains, to Huai'an District, Huai'an City.

At this time, the turbid river water flooded farmland and houses and hit nearby rocks.

At the end of the mountain range, a group of men, women, old and young supported each other and wept bitterly as they looked at their hometown.

……

[In the autumn of the 1808th year of Jiaqing (), the Yellow River burst its banks, and the people in Huai'an were displaced. The imperial court issued an edict to provide relief.]

[Shanyang County in Jiangsu received more than 90,000 taels of relief silver that year. The county magistrate Wang Xinhan received an extra 23,000 taels by over-reporting the number of victims, and personally embezzled 13,000 taels.]

【At this time, Liangjiang Governor Tie Bao sent officials to various places to inspect the disaster relief work according to the usual practice. The official sent to Shanyang County was Li Yuchang, a newly-appointed Jinshi who had just been assigned to work in Jiangsu. 】

……

On the canopy.

An official of medium build and in his prime led three followers to check household registration and distribute relief tickets to rural residents.

Every time he arrived at a village, he personally verified the household register, the number of the elderly and children, and investigated the extent of the disaster and whether there were any omissions or false claims.

The people bowed and cried out:
"Li Qingtian!"

The scene changes.

A thin official held a wine pot, poured wine for "Li Qingtian" and said with a smile:

"Gao Yan has worked hard."

"It's freezing cold, and you go to the countryside to inspect every day. It's so tiring and hard work."

"You are new to being an official and have no experience. I am a few years older than you, so I will be open with you today."

"If you do this, you will only have an empty reputation, but no real benefit. This is not the way to be an official."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuchang took the wine glass with one hand and retorted:

"The most important thing for an official is to be honest. Taking food from the hungry is not what a parent of the people should do."

"As for the matter of withholding relief money, let the public do it as they please. I really don't dare to defile myself and deceive God!"

"But I will present it to the stage to save the people from danger and to rectify the court's laws!"

After saying that, he put down his wine glass and walked away.

……

[After Li Yuchang arrived, Shanyang County Magistrate Wang Xinhan sent his own attendant Bao Xiang to contact Li Yuchang's attendant Li Xiang to discuss how to distribute the benefits.]

[This is the rule of the Qing Dynasty officialdom. Corrupt officials cannot keep all the money. Supervisors will always get a share, big or small, based on their ability to cause harm.]

[Li Xiang, Li Yuchang's long-time attendant, told Bao Xiang, Wang Xinhan's long-time attendant, that his master had visited various villages and was shocked to see the tragic situation of the victims on the verge of death. After returning to the county to collect household registers for verification, he discovered serious corruption and was planning to submit a report.]

【Wang Xinhan immediately understood, and offered a price, asking his attendant to pass on the message that he was willing to pay 10,000 taels of silver.】

【But Li Yuchang was determined to be an honest official, so he immediately refused and reported Wang Xinhan's bribery to the Governor-General of Liangjiang.】

[Wang Xinhan was forced into a corner, so he sent Bao Xiang to negotiate with Li Xiang and the other two. As long as they killed Li Yuchang, he would not only reward them handsomely, but also find them a new master.]

[Li Xiang and others then poisoned Li Yuchang's tea and strangled him to death with a rope, faking a scene of suicide.]

[For such a major event as the suicide of a relief official, both theoretically and legally, an investigation should be immediately launched.]

【However, Wang Xinhan took the two thousand taels of silver notes to ask Wang Gu, the prefect of Huai'an, for help. Wang Gu then drafted a petition to the provincial government.】

[The governor and the provincial judge both accepted the conclusion of suicide, and the governor-general of Liangjiang, Tie Bao, also nodded in agreement, and the matter was covered up.]

【Then, Wang Xinhan notified the deceased's family to come and collect the coffin, and then recommended Li Xiang to the Changzhou Tongpan as a long-term attendant. He also recommended the other two long-term attendants and gave them a large sum of money as rewards. The matter was then settled.】

……

{Black. Really fucking black.}
{I remembered a report I came across a few days ago, that an Indian journalist who exposed the embezzlement of 12 billion rupees died tragically in a septic tank...}
{And those anti-drug mayors and policemen in Mexico... the men are miserable, the women are even more miserable...}
{There are many people in every part of the world who care about the world and want to help the people, but it is difficult for such people to stand out in this dark world.}
{Li Yuchang, for the sake of the disaster victims, even sacrificed his life.}
{Anyone who has a conscience and wants to truly serve the country will find that he can't get anything done once he enters the officialdom.}
……

Period of Jihan and Emperor Huai

These things had a huge impact on Liu Chan.

Although he is simple, he does not know nothing.

But it's so dark...

"why is that?"

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan and sighed:
"Yeah, why?"

“Because the world is polluted.”

"If you want to do something, you have to take responsibility and take risks."

"Especially when you work for the country, you often have to offend many incumbent officials."

"For example, if they wanted to build a camp and expand the army, they would find some unemployed people to fool around with, and then divide the military pay among themselves, and everyone would make a fortune."

"If an officer says, 'I won't take a salary without doing any work, but will actually build barracks and recruit and train soldiers for the country, then others will have to make less money.'"

"This will cut off someone's source of income..."

“That’s how Li Yuchang died.”

"You can be an honest official, but you can't expect everyone to follow you and be an honest official."

Liu Chan turned pale when he heard this.

"Then this... this world..."

Zhuge Liang thought back to the past dynasties and shook his head:

"Corruption began to spread during the Ming Dynasty, and by the Qianlong period it had penetrated into the bones of the Qing Dynasty."

"It looks bright and glorious on the surface, but in reality it is full of pustules and ulcers and is vulnerable to any attack."

"Therefore, for officials, sitting in office and doing nothing is the best option."

"There's only one way to solve this problem."

Zhuge Liang's eyes sparkled, and he said in a resounding voice:
"Start all over again."

……

Ming Dynasty - Longqing Period
Zhu Zaigui was sitting in a rocking chair, swaying back and forth.

"What a pity... Li Yuchang has a bad fate." "When he first entered the officialdom, he didn't have the popularity and fame of Hai Rui, and he didn't have the luck of Hai Rui."

"If you want to emulate Hai Rui and break the unspoken rules of officialdom, you will definitely end up with a bloody nose."

Zhang Juzheng was about to speak when Zhu Zaigui waved his hand in boredom and said calmly:

"I know, I understand."

"Being an official means being honest, loving the people like one's own children, and sharing the country's worries."

"That's what Li Yuchang thought and did."

"But uncle, you and I both understand that this is a clear rule stated on the table, and it is absolutely correct."

"But in this officialdom, this explicit rule has no feasibility at all. What is almost unimpeded is the unspoken rule that cannot be spoken of."

Zhu Zaigui was lying in a rocking chair, looking at Emperor Jiaqing in the sky, and said calmly:

"The people are like leeks, being harvested over and over again."

"If you don't cut it, someone else will."

"So, looking for peas in the crop of a quail, chopping the tender meat from the legs of a heron, and scraping the fat from the belly of a mosquito, this is the true meaning of being an official."

"Being honest and dedicated to public service, working diligently and loving the people are just very correct but totally unfeasible nonsense."

"Interests are the baton that guides officials' words and deeds."

"When it comes to interests, even the emperor is powerless."

"Uncle, Ming Dynasty is truly blessed to have you."

"But the roots are rotten and there is no way to fix it."

"We can only start from scratch."

Zhang Juzheng looked at the emperor who had been lazy all the time, bowed and said:

"I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"

Zhu Zaigui smiled slightly:
"Yeah…"

"You and I should also follow the example of Zhaolie Wuhou and leave a good story of harmony between the ruler and his subjects for future generations."

……

[Not long after, Li Yuchang’s uncle Li Taiqing came to claim the body]

[Later, a manuscript was found among Li Yuchang's belongings, which said, "The magistrate of Shanyang County embezzled relief funds to bribe Yuchang, but Yuchang did not dare to accept it."]

[Li Taiqing carefully checked Li Yuchang's clothes and found a faint bloodstain on the clothes that Li Yuchang was wearing when he hanged himself.]

[He quietly visited the area around Shanyang County. When the victims talked about Li Yuchang's death, they all burst into tears and said that the county magistrate Wang Xinhan was suspected of murder.]

[Li Taiqing did not return to question Wang Xinhan, but calmly took the coffin home.]

[After returning home, Li Taiqing ordered an autopsy and found symptoms of poisoning.]

[The Li family finally had a Jinshi, and they relied on Li Yuchang to bring honor to the family. But he died just after taking office. Naturally, the Li family would not let it go.]

[Back then, in Wang Xinhan's territory, Li Taiqing didn't dare to act rashly. Now that he has returned to his hometown, why would he have any scruples? ]

[The clan members immediately gathered enough money for the trip, and Li Taiqing went directly to the Beijing Inspectorate to file a complaint.]

……

{The unity of the ancient clan was fully demonstrated at this moment.}
{Why did his cousin go to file a complaint?}

{During the Qing Dynasty, women were not allowed to file complaints in public, but they could ask male family members to file complaints on their behalf, which was called "Bao Gao".}
{So the ancients had to give birth to a son even at the risk of their lives, otherwise they couldn't even file a lawsuit.}
{After Li Yuchang's death, the first victim was Li Yuchang's wife Li Lin, and Li Taiqing was the plaintiff.}
……

[People say Jiaqing is mediocre, but he is not stupid. On the contrary, he is much smarter than ordinary people in many aspects.]

[After all, he is a prince with normal body and mind and has received a strict education, unlike Sima Zhong. ]

……

Sima Zhong pointed at the sky and said: Queen, if he talks about me again!
Jia Nanfeng wiped his mouth and said: Because Your Majesty is so powerful.

Sima Zhong's eyes lit up.

……

[After receiving the petition, Jiaqing attached great importance to it and immediately summoned all the ministers to discuss the case and raised several questions of his own.]

[First of all, Li Yuchang passed the imperial examination and was appointed as an official. He was in high spirits. Why did he suddenly commit suicide? What was the reason for his suicide?]

[Secondly, Li Yuchang's three followers had no relationship with Wang Xinhan. Why was Wang Xinhan so kind as to properly settle the three of them after Li Yuchang's death?]

[Again, Li Yuchang was the imperial commissioner in charge of investigating relief, so how come he didn't leave any information or records about the investigation? What's the meaning of these few sentences he wrote?]

……

Big man.

Liu Bang watched the show with his sleeves tucked in, and when he saw this, he exclaimed:
"Hey! He's not stupid!"

“This is a very logical analysis.”

Lü Zhi held reservations. She said calmly:

"Now that the matter has come to this, the emperor will definitely investigate."

"The problem is that the emperor cannot investigate the case himself. He has to delegate this to his subordinates."

Liu Bang turned his eyes and looked at Liu Ying and said:
"Ying'er, how do you think we should check?"

Liu Ying said with a straight face:

"The Beijing officials will take the troops to investigate."

Liu Bang clapped his hands and said to Lu Zhi:

"Look! He knows everything!"

Lu Zhi gave him a fierce look.

……

[Because this case concerns the life and death of an official appointed by the imperial court, it should be thoroughly investigated and the truth should be revealed.]

【So. Jiaqing's edict was passed to Liangjiang Governor Tie Bao, who then passed it to Huai'an Prefect Wang Gu, who then passed it to Shanyang County Magistrate Wang Shenhan.】

[The Emperor said that the cause of Li Yuchang's death was suspicious and ordered you to investigate it carefully.]

……

{Wang Xinhan: No... the emperor is also my man?}
{Check yourself? This is so ridiculous that I am speechless...}
{After reporting it, I found the letter was still in my hand.}
……

Qing Dynasty and Qianlong period
Qianlong was so angry that his face turned green.

But he could only endure it.

After taking a look at the ministers in the court, he decided to deal with the business first.

……

[As it should be, this matter has been dragged on. ]

[Li Taiqing waited in the capital until the summer of the following year, but there was still no news from Jiangsu. He could no longer wait, so he went to the Censorate again to beat the drum and complain, desperately urging them to do so.]

[The Censorate refused to take the blame and passed the buck to the emperor, reporting that Jiangsu had spent a lot of time and made no progress, and the plaintiff was pressing hard.]

[The Emperor Jiaqing was furious and issued an order to the Governor of Shandong, Ji Lun, to take over the case of Li Yuchang and investigate it quickly without any mistakes.]

【Ji Lun was the governor of Shandong and had no connections with the Jiangsu officials.】

[No matter how much money Shanyang County embezzles, it can't be paid to Shandong, so there's no need to offend the emperor for something that has no benefit.]

【Therefore, after Ji Lun received the order, the truth of the matter soon came to light. 】

【Shanyang County Magistrate Wang Xinhan and Bao Xiang were beheaded, and Li Xiang and two other attendants who participated in the murder were executed by slow slicing.】

【Wang Gu, the prefect of Huai'an, was sentenced to death by hanging.】

【Jiangsu Governor Wang Rizhang was dismissed from office and became a commoner.】

【Liangjiang Governor Tie Bao was exiled to Xinjiang to open up wasteland. 】

[Li Yuchang was set up as a role model for officials by Jiaqing, who personally wrote a poem to praise him, gave him the title of prefect, adopted a son to carry on the family line, and awarded the son the title of Juren.]

[Li Yuchang's uncle Li Taiqing worked hard to redress Li Yuchang's injustice and made great contributions. He was also awarded the title of a martial arts candidate as a reward.]

[On the surface, Jiaqing's handling of the case was fair and proper, but the deeper problems reflected in the case showed that the corruption and darkness in the Qing officialdom had reached a desperate point.]

【Jiaqing's judgment on this case was also clear in rewards and punishments, and the handling was excellent.】

【But he did not seize a single point to attack the entire area.】

【The greatest advantage of Jiaqing is that he has no disadvantages. 】

[So he wanted to continue the system of the Kangxi and Qianlong eras, so he did not make more drastic changes in policies and actions, which resulted in treating the symptoms but not the root cause.]

[Evaluation C level, 2 points]

……

Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Period
Yongzheng was so tired that his teeth were about to break when he looked at the Huai'an case in the skylight.

"It's really... unbelievable... it's really lawless!"

"It's bad enough that the county magistrate embezzled disaster relief funds, but he even had the audacity to poison the relief officer!"

“It’s appalling!”

"And the magistrate's superior, the prefect of Huai'an, accepted a mere two thousand taels of silver and was able to suppress the murder case of the relief official?!"

"Is the life of an imperial envoy worth only two thousand taels of silver?!"

"And the prefect's superiors have no ability to do their jobs at all!"

"What kind of Governor-General of Liangjiang is this? All the provincial governors of the Qing Dynasty are this kind of people!"

Yongzheng paced back and forth angrily.

"no!"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

"Everyone is so lazy!"

"Want to be a lazy pig and be comfortable?"

"I don't agree!"

"You all have to work for me! Work until you die!"

"Somebody come!"

The young eunuch ran out of the door and knelt down.

Yongzheng said with a dark face:
"Gather all the ministers to discuss the matter in the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"

……

[Later influence: It is an objective fact that the Qing Dynasty went from prosperity to decline during the Jiaqing period. ]

【But to be honest, this has little to do with Jiaqing himself. 】

[Jiaqing was very diligent in his work, second only to Yongzheng. He felt uncomfortable if he didn't read the memorials for a day. He worked diligently and did not dare to slack off. He was also very frugal and did not like to travel around.]

【But by the time of Jiaqing, it was already the 19th century, and the world situation had undergone major changes.】

【The Industrial Revolution in Europe was booming, and the United States had become independent and developed. 】

[Jiaqing could not change the pattern and development trend of such a large country as the Qing Dynasty by his own diligence. ]

【Everyone has his or her own limitations of the times. 】

[Of course, Jiaqing was at least very qualified in his position, and he worked diligently to support the Qing Dynasty steadily for 25 years.]

[For a country with hundreds of millions of people and thousands of years of heavy tradition, it is like a dream to rely on one person to make a complete change in 20 to 30 years.]

[Evaluation C level, 2 points]

【Total score: 13 points】

No prize for quiz.

May I ask, “This corrupt official must be treacherous, and the honest official must be even more treacherous, otherwise how can we deal with those bad guys?!”

Which movie does this sentence come from?



(End of this chapter)