A step ahead

     Heshen should be considered the greatest corrupt official in history. Let's set aside the folk rhyme "When Heshen fell, Jiaqing feasted," and look at the list of confiscated items. Aside from gold, silver, jade, and other precious treasures, there were 1,000 gold and silver ingots, 2 million taels of placer gold, 9.4 million taels of pure gold, and 9.4 million taels of silver. Adding to this the various banks, pawnshops, antique shops, and land converted into cash, the total amount was approximately 800 million to 1 billion taels of silver, equivalent to ten years of the Qing Dynasty's fiscal revenue. Emperor Jiaqing sentenced him to death on 20 charges at the age of 49.

    As a favorite minister of Emperor Qianlong, Heshen's fate was probably expected by Qianlong. He simply left this opportunity for his son (Jiaqing), allowing him to also use it to rectify official corruption and acquire a fortune in real estate. Frankly speaking, in this process of inheriting his father's position, Heshen was merely accumulating wealth for Jiaqing. No matter how greedy he was, the spoils would ultimately remain with the emperor. Perhaps Heshen's actions were all observed by Emperor Qianlong. He simply didn't want to touch Heshen, probably because of the long-standing relationship between the emperor and his subject. Or perhaps Heshen, skilled at reading people, could still handle some discreet tasks for Qianlong.
    Heshen, from a poor family, was a member of the Eight Banners and spent his days idly, becoming a notorious rogue in the area. In the thirty-fourth year of Qianlong's reign, Heshen, in his early twenties, served as a minor official in Qianlong's court. One day, as Qianlong was about to travel by sedan chair, whether recalling some unpleasant political matters or noticing the lack of preparation for the sedan chair's ceremonial procession, he angrily asked, "If a tiger or rhinoceros escapes from its cage, whose fault is it?" Everyone was speechless upon hearing the emperor's rebuke. Only Heshen replied, "Is it not the fault of the clerk?" Qianlong's question used a sentence from the *Analects*, and Heshen's answer cleverly incorporated a line from the *Four Books*. Emperor Qianlong was delighted, and soon Heshen became the Grand Master of Ceremonial Guards and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Bodyguards.
    Perhaps because Heshen understood Qianlong's mind, he always said what Qianlong wanted to hear. Thus, from the thirty-fourth year of Qianlong's reign, he became an unshakeable favorite minister, eventually wielding immense power. Perhaps Heshen was destined to lack the loyalty of Huo Guang of the Western Han Dynasty, and could only suffer a fate similar to Shi Chong of the Western Jin Dynasty. Heshen understood Qianlong's mind and was also capable. He thought he could understand the emperor's thoughts, and conversely, that the emperor could see through Heshen's heart.
    As one of the creators of the "Kangxi-Qianlong Prosperity," Qianlong was also a wise ruler. Perhaps the reason he dared to employ Heshen was because he was merely greedy, without political ambition. Imagine if Heshen were Wu Sangui, Ao Bai, or Nian Gengyao, would Qianlong have kept him around? I think not. A wise emperor might tolerate the existence of a corrupt official, but not a traitor. Furthermore, the greedy are also accumulators. In that feudal era where assets couldn't be transferred, the actions of a corrupt official undoubtedly meant consolidating scattered wealth into one place, essentially transferring the father's wealth to the son through others.
    Heshen was a temporary custodian and depositor of wealth. Ultimately, a father's possessions belong to his son, and the same goes for a subject's; moreover, Heshen's greed was common knowledge. Besides, even at the height of his power, Heshen formed cliques and cultivated personal relationships, with his cronies throughout the court. Even his servant, Liu Quan, built a house exceeding the permitted size. As a favorite of Emperor Qianlong, Heshen believed that with Qianlong's favor, he could be arrogant and corrupt. He was wrong, because what everyone else saw, Qianlong also saw. Moreover, Qianlong was not the emperor forever; there was a crown prince who would succeed him years later. Heshen was the first to know that Jiaqing was to succeed to the throne. He immediately presented Jiaqing with a jade ruyi (a type of scepter), signifying his support. However, Jiaqing had already heard that Heshen was a corrupt official and didn't give him any credit. He only refrained from openly confronting Heshen because his father was still alive.
    This shows that Heshen was merely a cunning and manipulative strategist, not a wise man. He lacked Lü Buwei's foresight and Fan Li's magnanimity. Therefore, he could only become like Shi Chong of the Western Jin Dynasty, extravagant and wasteful. Heshen used such corrupt and illegal means to control the government for over twenty years. It wasn't until after the sixtieth year of Qianlong's reign, when Qianlong became the retired emperor and Jiaqing ascended the throne, that his crimes were gradually exposed. His impending doom was not far off. In the first month of the fourth year of Jiaqing's reign, Qianlong died. That very month, Emperor Jiaqing suddenly ordered Heshen's arrest and imprisonment. He was interrogated by princes and ministers, and his home was ransacked. Later, convicted of 20 crimes, he was forced to hang himself.
    A powerful minister thus abandoned the wealth he had cherished throughout his life, dying naked. Heshen's wisdom sealed his fate. Heshen was Emperor Qianlong's favorite minister; Qianlong turned a blind eye to his corruption and continued to favor him. Was it that Qianlong was unaware, or that he couldn't bear to punish Heshen? Heshen's wisdom throughout his life was merely a series of cunning schemes; he may have only perceived Qianlong's benevolence, failing to see Qianlong's superior strategy. When Qianlong was choosing his heir, and when Qianlong abdicated to become the Retired Emperor, if Heshen had been wise enough to dissipate his wealth and withdraw from public life, he might have had a peaceful end. Qianlong saw through Heshen, and Heshen was, in fact, the Heshen Qianlong saw through. He was a man obsessed with power and wealth.
    Thus, Heshen became a pawn, Qianlong was the strategist, and Jiaqing was the player. As for the vested interests, due to the strategist's meticulous planning and the player's stance, fame and fortune both went to the player. And the "chariot" that once galloped across the battlefield became a sacrificed piece because it was necessary to protect the "king."