Chapter 249

【Heshen also founded the "Yinzui Silver" (Silver for Redeeming Crimes) system.】

【He memorialized Qianlong for approval, stipulating that officials who committed crimes such as dereliction of duty, embezzlement, or bribery could pay a sum of "Yinzui Silver" to redeem their crimes, with the amount varying according to the severity of the circumstances.】

【Once this precedent was opened, it was equivalent to giving corrupt officials a "free pass"; as long as they paid money, they could be safe.】

【And these "Yinzui Silver" did not enter the national treasury for the most part, but flowed into the "Guangchu Division" of the Imperial Household Department controlled by Heshen or his private pocket.】

【This system became his sharp weapon for accumulating wealth and completely corrupted the officialdom of Qianlong's later years.】

In the Heavenly Screen's scene, a corrupt official is shown kneeling in the hall, trembling.

The official in the hall (Heshen's party member) reads: "You embezzled 50,000 taels of treasury silver, which should be punished by beheading according to the law."

"However, the Emperor is benevolent and allows you to pay 80,000 taels (Yinzui Silver) to redeem your crime."

The corrupt official acts as if he has been granted amnesty, quickly letting his family carry over silver boxes.

The silver boxes are sealed, but they are not sent to the Ministry of Revenue, but carried toward the deep courtyard of the Imperial Household Department.

【Heshen also controlled the tribute channel.】

【Treasures and specialties offered to the Emperor by local officials and vassal states had to pass through Heshen first.】

【He often selected the most essential and precious parts for himself, and only the second-rate ones were sent to the palace.】

【Even novelties like clocks and instruments offered by Western envoys were often intercepted by him.】

【In Qianlong's later years, his energy was failing, and he trusted Heshen extremely, often turning a blind eye to this.】

The scene gradually becomes clear, with dazzling tributes piled up.

Heshen stands with his hands behind his back, as if strolling in his own warehouse, casually picking up a pearl the size of a chicken egg: "The quality of this is okay, keep it for playing."

He points to an exquisite chime clock: "This mechanism is clever, put it in my study."

The eunuchs skillfully pack the things he has taken a fancy to and transport them to the He residence.

Only some of the remaining ones are packed and prepared to be sent to the palace.

【Operating like this for more than twenty years, the wealth Heshen accumulated reached a terrifying number that made all previous giant corrupt officials pale in comparison and made everyone in later generations dumbfounded.】

The Heavenly Screen begins to display the tip of the iceberg of his confiscation list, every number seemingly a heavy hammer hitting the hearts of viewers of all worlds:

【Estimated parts: 5.8 million taels of pure gold, over 2 million taels of raw gold sand, 9.4 million taels of silver ingots, 1,000 gold and silver ingots each...】

【Treasures: 10 large pearls from Guilin, over 230 pearl bracelets, 10 large red rubies, over 40 small red rubies, over 40 blue rubies, jade horses, jade Buddhas, jade chimes, jade Ruyi, crystal jars, coral trees, enamelware, famous porcelain, ancient bronze, famous calligraphy and paintings (including many masterpieces from the Jin and Tang dynasties)... countless, many of which are unique items not even found in the Imperial Palace.】

【Real estate and land: 1 imperial garden, 20 pavilions, 1 newly built one (imitating the layout of the Ningshou Palace!), 75 pawnshops, 42 silver shops, 13 antique shops, 2 jade warehouses, 2 silk warehouses, 2 foreign goods warehouses, 1 fur warehouse, 1 glassware warehouse... over 8,000 qing of land.】

【Total converted to silver: Conservatively estimated at over 800 million taels! At the highest estimate, it can reach 1.1 billion taels!】

【Comparison: During the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty, the annual revenue of the national treasury was about 70 million taels of silver.】

【This means: The family property of Heshen alone was equivalent to the sum of 11 to 15 years of national fiscal revenue during the peak of the Qing dynasty! It is truly wealth rivaling "ten nations!"】

In the Heavenly Screen's scene, it is no longer simple mountains of gold and silver, but displays of various forms of wealth:

Maps of continuous manors and fields, and "He" brand shops lined up in prosperous markets.

Clusters of warehouses in deep mansions specifically used to classify and store treasures (jade warehouses, porcelain warehouses, fur warehouses...)

And the "800 million taels" astronomical figure that finally converged and seemed to be able to crush the sky.

The diversity of his wealth, the completeness of his system, and the huge amount far exceeded any previous corrupt official, reaching the "art" and "philosophy" level of corruption.

【When Emperor Qianlong was on the throne, he was not completely unaware of Heshen's corruption.】

【But out of considerations such as slackening in his later years, enjoying Heshen's service and flattery, and using him to balance the court (especially to check the military noble group led by A Gui), he always favored him without fail.】

【There was even a joke: "Emperor Qianlong turns a blind eye, Heshen is busy counting silver."】

In the scene, the elderly Qianlong listens to opera in the Old Summer Palace, Heshen serves him carefully on the side, handing over ginseng soup.

Qianlong glances at him, his eyes complex, finally turning into a faint sigh, continuing to listen to the opera with his eyes closed.

【However, the mountain will fall.】

【On the third day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Jiaqing, Retired Emperor Qianlong passed away.】

【Emperor Jiaqing, Yongyan, who had endured for many years, took action vigorously during his father's funeral.】

【On the eighth day of the first lunar month, he issued a decree to dismiss Heshen and arrest him.】

【On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, he announced Heshen's twenty major crimes and granted him death in prison, retaining his whole corpse, which was considered to be taking care of the royal face (his son was a son-in-law).】

【His son Fengshen Yinde was exempted from death and stripped of his title because of the Princess. His huge party members were liquidated one by one.】

In the scene, before Qianlong's spirit, Emperor Jiaqing has a blank expression.

Subsequently, the imperial guards surround the He residence, and the Gongwang Mansion, which used to be bustling with visitors, instantly turns into a prison.

Heshen, in prison, receives the white silk, his face ashen, and finally hangs himself, at only forty-nine years old.

His family property was all confiscated.

【Confiscating Heshen's family property filled the national treasury that had been exhausted by Qianlong's late-year extravagance and years of war.】

【Folk proverbs said: "Heshen falls, Jiaqing eats his fill."】

【This "Second Emperor" used his lifelong corruption to pay for his old master Qianlong's "Ten Complete Martial Achievements" and extravagant life.】

【And he sent a generous "enthronement gift" and "stability maintenance fund" to his new master Jiaqing, whom he once looked down upon.】

The scene ends with the scene of the Ministry of Revenue silver treasury being filled again, and the people in the streets whispering and chanting that spicy folk song.

Heshen's huge wealth finally returned to the "state" in this ironic way.

【Total corruption assessment: 800 million to 1.1 billion taels of silver! Equivalent to 15 years of national annual revenue during the peak of the Qing dynasty!】

【This amount is huge, not only unprecedented, but I fear it will also be unrepeatable.】

【His corruption is no longer an individual act, but has formed a huge interest group and wealth black hole parasitic on the body of the empire.】

【His existence is the most extreme monster inevitably produced by power without restriction under feudal autocratic imperial power.】

【Reason for ranking: The ultimate benchmark for corruption amount, the peak form of power rent-seeking.】

【With one person's corruption, rivaling 15 years of tax revenue of a country.】

【His corruption methods are "clever," his system is "perfect," and his amount is "magnificent," which can be called a "miracle" and "pillar of shame" in the history of corruption in China and abroad.】

【Heshen ranking first is indisputable and well-deserved!】