Chapter 18 Section 5 From taming the body to taming the heart

On the night of March 18, the forty-sixth year of Qianlong (1781), Emperor Qianlong opened a memorial under the lights of the Baoding Palace. Yin Jiaquan. Yin Jiaquan's handwriting is very beautiful, in light ink and small script, exquisite and exquisite.He submitted this paper because he wanted to "ask for a posthumous posthumous title" for his late father, Yin Huiyi, the former governor of Henan Province. Yin Jiaquan said that his father, Yin Huiyi, was a well-known academic official with outstanding moral character and touching filial piety. The emperor himself gave him a poem to praise him.Now that my father has passed away for thirty years, and he has not been granted a posthumous title by the imperial court, he feels uneasy day and night as a son.Therefore, the emperor is asked to pick two characters from that imperial poem as the "posthumous title".The old father knows the secret, and he must be grateful.

An expression of disgust enveloped the emperor's face.He has learned this Yin Jiaquan a long time ago.This person is a "Taoist", that is, the kind of person who wholeheartedly wants to be a "great sage and great sage".Since he regards sages as his aspirations, he is naturally not greedy for money, but he is very keen on vanity.When I was the chief envoy of Shandong, I once took the opportunity of meeting the emperor, and once asked the emperor to reward peacock feathers, and even joked with the emperor that if I couldn’t get the feathers, I would have no face to go home to see my wife.Qianlong felt very uncomfortable at the time, so he was not rewarded after all.

Unexpectedly, decades later, he came to ask the emperor for a reward again.This time it is "posthumous title". "The posthumous posthumous deeds are also traces of deeds." The posthumous posthumous title is the "official evaluation" made by the imperial court on the minister's life. It is a very important matter in the country's political life. It is usually presided over by the Ministry of Rites, negotiated by the cabinet, and approved by the emperor himself.If the descendants of the ministers all ask for posthumous posthumous titles like him, how decent is it?Qianlong knew Yin Jiaquan's mind at a glance.He just used this "extraordinary move" to gain the name of "filial son" for himself.If the posthumous title is successful, then his reputation as a filial son will be better.If not, the emperor would not be able to blame him for such a request out of filial piety.Because the slogan of traditional politics has always been "governing the world with filial piety".

Although he can't be punished, it is very necessary to beat him hard.Qianlong picked up the vermilion pen, and wrote behind the booklet: The posthumous posthumous title is a national code, so how can you ask for it in vain.This playbook should be handed over to the Ministry for punishment. I think you are my father's private affair, so I will forgive you.If you don't live in peace anymore, you will be guilty of no crime! An ominous atmosphere hangs between the lines. The emperor threw the folder aside and opened the next one.The handwriting is still so light but strong, unyielding, and it belongs to Yin Jiaquan again.The content is that "Wo Dynasty" has produced several famous Confucianism officials who are famous all over the world, such as Tang Bin, Fan Wencheng, Li Guangdi, Gu Badai, Zhang Boxing and so on.They practiced the teachings of Confucius in every word and deed, and set a shining example for future generations.Therefore, he suggested that the emperor let these people "sacrifice to the Confucian Temple", that is, put their tablets in the Confucian Temple, and eat cold pork with Confucius to show the meaning of "brightening the holy way".At the end of the excerpt, he also said: "As for the minister's father, Yin Huiyi, since he has been praised by the emperor for his filial piety, he is already in the discipline of virtue, and he can naturally be worshiped. Whatever the minister dares to ask for."

The emperor's face suddenly turned pale, and his thin lips trembled slightly.This is his expression of extreme anger.The emperor picked up the vermilion pen and wrote vigorously: "It's unforgivable to bark so much!" Every word is swift and powerful. It is said that "when the emperor was angry, he laid down millions of corpses".Although not that exaggerated, it is not far away.Yin Jiaquan didn't expect the consequences of his two notes at all: The imperial court immediately sent important officials to take Yin Jiaquan into Beijing.The emperor ordered the officials in Beijing and Shandong to confiscate Yin's home in Beijing and Boye, Shandong.

Like Emperor Yongzheng, Qianlong also liked to copy the homes of ministers.There is one difference between the Qianlong family copying and the Yongzheng family copying, that is, paying special attention to "violating writing".Qianlong was particularly interested in the diaries, letters, and private notes of his ministers. Every time the house was searched, he would strictly order the officials to search carefully to see if there were any "rebellious words" in them.When copying Yin Jiaquan's home this time, the emperor specially instructed that Yin's "frenzy is beyond the usual expectations", so "I am afraid that he will write rashly on weekdays".Therefore, "if there are poetry books and letters with false handwriting, they must be carefully searched and played out according to the facts."Therefore, before dawn on March 20, Ying Lian, a university scholar who received an urgent request from Liubaili the night before, personally led a large number of soldiers to Yin Jiaquan's residence in Beijing, dug three feet of the ground, and searched carefully. .

As expected by the emperor, the harvest was really rich.As a "Master of Confucianism", Yin Jiaquan not only has a rich collection of books, but also has many works.From March 20th to 22nd, Yinglian found a total of 310 sets of books, 1539 loose books, a cabinet of unbound books, 1200 boards, and a pack of 113 letters.Qianlong organized a group of Hanlin scholars to form a "reading team" to help him review word by word. In the Qianlong Dynasty, as long as one wanted to defeat a person, the safest way was to censor his writing.As a mediocre person, no one can guarantee that every word of oneself can be "one size fits all", if there is something that deviates from the "sight", then I'm sorry, you may commit a crime.After careful screening, Qianlong found dozens of "rebellious" places in all Yin Jiaquan's writings.

In the indictment announced later, the emperor said that the most erroneous part was this sentence: "When the clique is mentioned and the teaching of the father and teacher declines, can Jun'an be the only one?" Yin Jiaquan believes that it is wrong to prohibit scholars from accepting teachers and apprentices because of crackdown on cronies.Confucianism is very subtle, and the most subtle part can only be taught through apprenticeship.If all great Confucian scholars and apprentices are regarded as "cliques", and the relationship between students and teachers in the officialdom is also regarded as "cliques", it is bound to weaken the "teaching of fathers and teachers" and cause the decline of the sage's learning, which is not conducive to the independence of the imperial power. respect.

Qianlong believed that this sentence was openly contradicting Emperor Yongzheng. Cracking down on "cliques" was one of the main lines of politics in the Qing Dynasty.Since the Song Dynasty, an important way for ministers to form cronies is through the "teacher-student relationship".Due to the extremely low admission rate in the imperial examination era, the examinees were all grateful to the chief examiner who graded the papers and admitted them, and regarded them as bole bosom friends.Examiners often gain wings in this way, and students also hope to be promoted quickly in the officialdom by clinging to their teachers, so it is very easy to form hills in the court, where the same party fights the different, causing the disaster of cronies.This was one of the main reasons for the defeat of the Song and Ming dynasties.Therefore, Yongzheng and Qianlong tried every means to crack down on the "kejia" habit of ministers, that is, the habit of officials who came from the imperial examination to form a party based on the teacher-student relationship.Emperor Yongzheng once made the "Party Treatise", which opposed ministers worshiping teachers to accept students.

Qianlong said: Cliques have been a serious problem since ancient times.My emperor’s examination of Emperor Sejongxian’s "Party Theory" was a scheming for the people of the world, and he gave clear instructions. It was Yin Jiaquan who said that "when the cronies are mentioned and the teaching of the father and teacher declines, Jun'an can be the only one above all"... ... I don't know what lung intestines are? Yin Jiaquan's second biggest mistake was writing a book called "Words and Deeds of Famous Officials".The book records the good words and deeds of a series of famous officials since the early Qing Dynasty, such as Gao Shiqi, Gao Qiwei, Jiang Tingxi, and even Ertai and Zhang Tingyu of this dynasty.Qianlong designated this book as a work of great rebellion, thinking that it would encourage people's crony thinking.Because only the imperial court has the right to criticize ministers, and subjects have no right to designate who is a "famous minister" and who is "not a famous minister".If an individual can establish a standard of evaluation, it will inevitably cause disputes among ministers and their descendants.Those who are included in the list of famous ministers, their descendants and disciples will naturally appreciate their attachment and make friends with them.Those who are not listed, their descendants and accomplices will inevitably attack them.This can easily cause a split between the imperial court and scholars.The emperor said: "It is Yin Jiaquan who dares to list the words and deeds of the famous officials of this dynasty. It is a false list and absurd criticism. If you don't know how to mix it up, it will be advertised in the future, and even a door, a crony. Wouldn't it be a harm to the country? Is it a disaster for Qingliu?" This approach, like Yin's proposal in his memorial to enshrine some famous officials of Confucianism in the Confucian Temple, is definitely not what a minister should do.

Although the achievements in cracking down on cronies in the early stage were outstanding, Qianlong never took it lightly.He knows very well that although this chronic political illness disappears for a while, it will never die.As soon as the political pressure is relaxed, it will revive.The vigilance against cronies is always in the emperor's heart.Yin Jiaquan threw himself into the trap and suddenly activated the excessive defense mechanism in the emperor's mind. The appearance of Yin Jiaquan made Qianlong, who was constantly searching for loopholes in his rule day and night, discover a weak link in autocratic politics: the style of folk lectures. In Chinese history, the phenomenon of folk lectures is very common.Confucius accepted 3,000 disciples, and he pioneered folk lectures, and formally founded the Confucian school.In the Song Dynasty, a large number of academies appeared. Famous Confucian masters each used the academies as their bases to teach the sages’ minds they had realized. The style of lectures flourished unprecedentedly, and Neo Confucianism emerged and became the mainstream of Confucianism.In the Ming Dynasty, the style of lectures reached its peak.The great Confucian Wang Yangming attached great importance to lectures, believing that this is the best way to open up wisdom and spread scholarship, so he lectured endlessly throughout his life, even in the army day and night.Wang Yangming’s disciples’ greatness is the style of teachers, and they rely on academies, or make appointments in mountains and rivers, or even temples and forests, temples and scenic spots, invite friends and crowds, give lectures and debates, and give lectures almost everywhere. Do not lecture. Folk lectures have a high degree of spontaneity and strong vitality.Its purpose is to explore the true meaning of academic development and cultivate the perfect personality of scholars, instead of taking imperial examinations as the only goal like official studies.Folk lectures adhere to the principle of academic freedom, and pay special attention to the role of refutation and debate in promoting academic development.Large-scale debates were often held among the academies, and scholars from various factions gathered to attack each other, which greatly promoted the in-depth development of Confucianism.Daily teachers and students also pay attention to questioning and difficult questions. The quotations of various schools that became popular after the Song Dynasty are generally the records of questions and answers between teachers and students in academies. However, in the Qing Dynasty, the style of free lectures came to an abrupt end.Xiao Yishan said: "People in the Qing Dynasty were suspicious when they ruled from a foreign race, especially for the intellectual class. Gathering people to give lectures is like incitement, so it is deeply tabooed by the Qing court." Therefore, in the 17th year of Shunzhi (1660 Year), the imperial court issued an order strictly prohibiting scholars from forming alliances.Private private academies in various places were also transformed into government-run by the government. The original places of free academic research were reduced to preparatory institutions for imperial examinations, and the content and scale of lectures were strictly restricted.The trend of free lectures has gradually died down, and academics in the Qing Dynasty "gradually changed from academic groups to private research." However, the world has been peaceful for a long time, and the practice of free lectures has risen again in the Qianlong Dynasty.In particular, a "Taoist" like Yin Jiaquan who claims to be a Taoist thinks that he has obtained the "individual teaching of the mind" of a sage. It is a loss not to pass it on to others, so he still recruits disciples in private. It is to run between various academies and publicize their unique insights.Qianlong believed that this was a major threat to the "prosperous age". The rulers of the early Qing Dynasty opposed lectures, mainly because they were afraid that the Han people would use them to conspire and gather.By the Qianlong period, this threat had almost ceased to exist.Qianlong believed that the biggest threat to lecturing was that it was easy to breed crony tendencies.Qianlong firmly supported Taoism itself, which advocated Gangchang Mingjiao.However, he will never allow academic freedom, let a hundred flowers bloom, and freely debate the appearance of great Confucians such as Gong Xuecheng, Zhu, Lu, and Wang.As Lu Xun said, "Because once you learn something, you have to give lectures, so there are theories, there are disciples, there are sects, and there are sect disputes, this is enough for the 'peace and prosperity'."It is a common law of religion and academia that there are parties within a party and factions within a faction.Confucianism is not monolithic, and the growth points of Confucianism are also multi-sourced. Many Confucianists often regard themselves as Confucian orthodox, while others are heresy or unorthodox.Free lectures and free debates can easily lead to disputes and even conflicts between different academic factions, and officials from the imperial examination are all Confucian believers, and academic divisions can easily lead to political conflicts and struggles.For example, in the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi and Lu Xiangshan used to be like fire and water, distinguishing each other endlessly, and the court ministers were also involved, and they were divided into factions. What is right and wrong is right and wrong.In this way, "the small ones will disrupt the government, and the big ones will overthrow the clan society." Therefore, Qianlong said in the imperial decree reprimanding Yin: "In ancient times, in the name of lecturing, it led to the development of cronies. For example, in the Ming Dynasty, Donglin people gave lectures, so that the country was right and Japan was wrong. It can be used as a lesson. Yin Jiaquan turned against cronyism. , reverse right and wrong, and violate the holy system." When autocratic politics develops to the extreme, it is necessary to break the possibility of all spontaneous civil organizations and bring all social energy under political control.Scholars gathering for lectures and discussing because of gatherings are just a kind of power that the ruler cannot fully control and must be prohibited.He admonished ministers, workers and scholars, big and small, as long as they immerse themselves in Taoism and practice it.Yin Jiaquan gave lectures by himself, and asked the emperor to praise a series of famous Taoist ministers without knowing the depth, in an attempt to stir up the "orthodox" controversy and instigate the wind of lectures. How could Qianlong not be outraged?One of his purposes for setting up this prison is to severely crack down on the rising trend of free civil lectures among the people, and to wipe out in the bud all folk forces that are not conducive to autocratic rule. Having mastered Yin Jiaquan's "criminal evidence", on March 28th in the forty-sixth year of Qianlong (1781), the emperor ordered a task force headed by the university scholar Sanbao to interrogate Yin Jiaquan. The interrogation proceeded with great character.Under the emperor's instruction, the trial minister did not torture Yin Jiaquan's "big rebellion".They know that this "Taoist" and bookworm has only read books and composed essays all his life, and wants to become a great sage and "go down in history forever", so there cannot be any substantive "reactionary problems".The focus of their interrogation was Yin's family privacy. During the interrogation of Yin Jiaquan, the trial minister disregarded the face of this former "third-rank official" and "severely interrogated him and subjected him to criminal law" in order to "vent public anger and cheer people up" in order to torture "what kind of heart does he belong to?" ".Under the stick, the saint didn't stand up, and adopted the attitude of giving what he wants.Please see the following interrogation transcripts: The emperor never forgot about Yin's face-to-face begging for Hualing.So the judge first asked: You were begging for Lingzi in front of the emperor, and if you said you didn't have Lingzi, you would not see your wife and children when you went back.You are hypocritical and afraid of your wife. After all, the emperor didn't give you a feather. How did you go back? According to the confession: When I was at home, I once told my wife that I wanted to see the emperor to ask for Lingzi, so I was presumptuous at that time and asked for grace in vain. I thought I could go home with Lingzi and boast.Later, the emperor didn't reward me, and when I returned home, I felt really shy and couldn't see my wife.This is all my hypocrisy, I am afraid of my wife, it is true. Since he opened his mouth and admitted that he was "afraid of his wife" and "fake Taoism", the judge was not satisfied, and asked him about his attempt to marry an old maid in his fifties as a concubine but failed. The judge asked: Yin Jiaquan!In your book, Li Xiaonv does not write in her twilight years, saying, "I am over fifty, and I am still waiting for writing. My wife Li Gong is virtuous after hearing about it. I want a lady to help me, but Zhongnv refuses to say goodbye." and so on.Since this virgin is determined not to marry, and she is over fifty years old, why do you ask your woman to send a matchmaker to make her a concubine?Could it be that such a shameless thing was done by a decent person? According to the confession: Li Xiaonv, who I am talking about, is over fifty years old and is still waiting to write. Yuanyuan knew that there was a woman surnamed Li in Xiong County during the day, who kept her virginity and did not write.My wife wanted to hire her as a concubine, but I was a candidate in Beijing at the time, so I didn’t know about it; my wife told me, so I found out, so I wrote this article for her, to praise her, but in fact, I have never met her face .But she is over fifty years old, and if I want her to be a concubine, write it in the text. This means that I have lost my sense of shame. Having admitted that he has lost his sense of shame, the trial judge still has more pointed questions. The judge asked: "Your woman is usually jealous, so I married a concubine for you, and I want to marry this fifty-year-old woman for you. Knowing that this woman is absolutely unwilling to marry, she has gained the reputation of not being jealous."It's always you, a hypocrite, who is always used to deceiving the world and stealing fame, and your woman has also learned from you deceiving the world and stealing fame.Don't you know? According to the confession: My woman wants to seek a concubine for me. Since this fifty-year-old woman from the Li family has made up her mind not to marry, she will never be my concubine.All the things I usually do are deceiving the world and stealing my name, so my woman also learns to do this deceiving thing, and I can't escape the emperor's insight. The harshness of the trial judge is really at home.However, without the emperor's instruction, they would not dare to turn the serious place where the "national criminal" was tried into an entertainment place for laughter and cursing. So, why was Emperor Qianlong so mean to "Taoist" Yin Jiaquan? A common feature of the politics of the Kang, Yong, and Qian dynasties was the opposition to "false Taoism".The emperors of the three dynasties respected "Taoism" on the surface, but in the administration of personnel, they all adhered to the purpose of "emphasizing ability and not virtue".Those nerds who take inheriting the "orthodoxy" of Confucius and Mencius as their duty and devote themselves to "being a sage" all day long are actually dismissive. It should be said that "Taoism" is indeed divided into true and false. After the word "Taoism" became popular, the three words "false Taoism" came into being and followed like a shadow.Confucian idealism sets too high a standard, which is embarrassing for mediocre human nature, and learning to be a sage is the highest goal of Confucianism. Therefore, some people are unavoidably hypocritical and pedantic, and the lowest ones are even deceitful, which is criticized by the world.Some Taoists do not pay attention to practice, but devote themselves to dressing up as a "sage", wearing crowns, wide sleeves, straw sandals, grooming, sitting upright, coarse rice, vegetable soup, sitting quietly at home, and going out. With a broad view, others will know Mr. "Taoism" at a glance.There are also Taoists who talk about the principles of heaven on the surface, but they always put human desires first in their actions.Ji Yun has a wonderful description of this kind of person's style in the novel: "There are two school teachers who live in the village next to each other, and they all take Taoism as their own. One day, they are invited to speak, and there are more than ten students and apprentices. Fang debates nature, analyzes Desire for reason, strict words and righteous demeanor, just like dealing with a sage. Suddenly there is a breeze, blowing a piece of paper down the stairs, dancing endlessly. The disciples pick it up, and the two will seek to seize a widow's field, and they will also exchange secret business letters." The characteristic of false Taoism is that words and deeds are inconsistent, and they have not cultivated to the realm of the great sage, but they try to enter history in vain.Yin Jiaquan is suspected of hypocrisy in his conduct.His bad luck has his own side. However, things are not as simple as combating false Taoism.Behind the crackdown on false Taoism lies the Qing emperor's dislike and rejection of "True Taoism". It stands to reason that "Taoism" or "Confucianism" requires people to practice the teachings of sages, to be an upright gentleman, to be loyal to the emperor and to be filial to their relatives, which is beneficial to autocratic rule, and has been vigorously advocated throughout the ages.However, the history of absolutism developed to the Qing Dynasty, and even this "Taoism" itself became an obstacle to the expansion of the autocratic system. the reason is simple.Neo Confucianism certainly has the side of maintaining the "Gangchang", but also the side of pursuing self-improvement and requiring independent personality.The highest personality ideal set by Confucianism for scholars is not fame and wealth, but the three immortals of virtue, speech, and meritorious service, and it is to become a perfect person who stands upright. Early Confucianism highly respected human free will.Confucius said: "The three armies can seize the commander, but the common man cannot seize the ambition." Mencius said: "The rich and the noble cannot be promiscuous, the poor and the humble cannot be moved, and the mighty cannot be subdued. This is called a real man." In a word, primitive Confucianism requires its Believers can stand upright in the face of power and not be echoers.On the one hand, Confucianism requires its believers to serve the emperor as best they can, and at the same time requires them not to give up their persistence in their personal dignity and pursuit of spiritual values.On the secular level, Confucian believers are obedient to the emperor and the power order; on the spiritual level, many of them regard themselves as "sages" and pursue "beginning as scholars and finally becoming saints".I hope that I can become a person who has reached the highest and most perfect state of human beings through moral training, and is far beyond the emperor and other power holders in spirit.Yan Guang, a classmate of Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, once went out to help Liu Xiu win the world. After Liu Xiu ascended the throne, he wanted to call him an official, but he refused to accept.In the Tang Dynasty, although Tang Taizong wanted to make all the heroes of the world fall into his trap, Li Bai could still dream of being an emperor, hoping that he could "get together with Tao Zhu" after "the way of serving the king is accomplished and the righteousness of honoring relatives is completed". , Liuhou, floating five lakes, playing Cangzhou", escape the control of power. But monarchy, like a malignant tumor, is one of the most expansive things in the world, and it does not allow anything independent to exist.The exclusive nature of autocratic power drives it to perpetually strive to break through all restrictions, break free from all shackles, penetrate into every corner of society, poison every cell, until finally the whole society suffocates to death in its tight embrace.Scholars' pursuit of personality became an obstacle to monarchy in the Qing Dynasty when autocracy reached its peak. The establishment of the Qing Dynasty was different from the previous dynasties.Before entering the customs, there were a lot of slavery elements in the Manchu society.Emperor Yongzheng said: "Manchuria's customs are high and low, ranks are clean, and the status of master and servant is the strictest." Other Qing Dynasty people also said repeatedly: "The distinction between master and servant is especially strict in Manchuria." You are not comparable to the previous dynasty." The traditional Confucian monarch-minister relationship is a complete interactive relationship, "the emperor envoys his ministers with courtesy, and the ministers serve the emperor with loyalty", and both sides have their own bottom line of dignity.However, after entering the customs, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty secretly changed the "master-slave status" of Manchuria, or transformed the relationship between monarch and minister for thousands of years, turning it into a naked master-slave relationship.They demanded that, as a subject, not only should his body belong to the monarch, but his soul should also belong to the monarch, and he should not have any independent will, independent needs, especially personal dignity.Emperor Yongzheng once said bluntly that ministers must always agree with the emperor's thinking and are not allowed to have their own independent will.He said in "Party Theory": "To eradicate the source of cronyism, the whole country must unify its thinking. If you want to unify your thinking, then all standards of right and wrong must be my own." Those who like are liked, those who are hated are hated, if right and wrong are the same, then one dare not form a party.” In order to achieve this goal, since Yongzheng, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty tried every means to humiliate and attack those ministers who refused to bow their heads in front of the emperor's despotic power.Before Qianlong used the literary prison to attack the "false Taoism" Yin Jiaquan, Yongzheng used the unjust prison to attack the "true Taoism" Yang Mingshi. Yang Mingshi, named Ningzhai, was born in Jiangyin. He was a Jinshi in the 30th year of Kangxi (1691).He successively served as the Zhili patrol, the chief envoy of Guizhou, and was promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of War in the third year of Yongzheng (1725), and the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. Yang Mingshi has a strong personality and is a well-founded Neo Confucianist.Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism gave him a solid value foundation, which enabled him to be upright and honest, and to serve the public wholeheartedly in the process of being an official.When he was admiral Shuntian studying politics, he forgot to sleep and eat, "Although the heat of gold flowed, I saw him reading the papers, and the white shirt he was wearing was stained with sweat and turned into a light soap color. "; To be a road patrol in Zhili, small and big must be relatives, no prison, no hidden feelings, the villagers sang as "Bao Gong is alive". ("Stele Biography Collection Mr. Yang Ningzhai's Name and Time Biography") Based on sincerity, he has made serious philosophical reflections on the universe, society and life, and has written a lot.It stands to reason that such a courtier should be welcomed by the emperor.However, the fact is the opposite. Because he has his own opinions on many things, he can't be consistent with the emperor in everything, which often arouses the emperor's disgust. Emperor Yongzheng said that Yang Mingshi "sexually likes to gain fame and fame", and he can't be a completely tame slave because he has "self-reliance", and what he relies on is his Neo-Confucian personality. "I thought I recorded a few corrupt articles and recited a few lines from the annals", so I dared to debate with the emperor.Yongzheng reprimanded him for "only trying to sell his own false name, but not knowing the righteousness of Gangchang. Is it concerned with the administration of officials and people's livelihood? If a husband has the evil idea of ​​stealing his name, and even wants to use the name of his father as his own, he will be a rebellious son at home, and a rebellious minister in the country. Can the laws of heaven be tolerated, and his crimes be punished?" Under an autocratic system, anti-corruption is one of the most convenient ways to remove political obstacles.In order to combat Yang Mingshi's "Taoist spirit", Yongzheng deliberately created a big case and arrested Yang by taking advantage of Yang Mingshi's political opponents to report Yang's corruption and bribery.Yang Mingshi was charged with "obtaining about 80,000 taels of salt regulation silver, tax regulation silver and peace surplus silver" and accepting several gifts from his subordinate Fan Pu, and was convicted of corruption.In fact, there is no clear law on the acceptance of bad practices. It was the same in all provinces at that time before the establishment of Lianyin. Most of the income from this bad regulation was to subsidize public expenditure.Accepting a few gifts from subordinates was also a common practice in the officialdom at that time, so it was obviously a deliberate concubine to convict him. It is not Yongzheng's real purpose to label Yang Mingshi as a corrupt criminal. Yongzheng wants to discredit Yang Mingshi by handling the case, and label him as a "false Taoist" from "true Taoism", so as to make an example to others and attack the "self-righteousness" of ministers ".Therefore, he secretly instructed the adjudicator to try his best to ridicule and attack Yang Mingshi during the interrogation, trying to make Yang Mingshi appear as a "fool". Yongzheng believed that killing Yang Mingshi might make Yang Mingshi a "Bigan", so he fulfilled his wish of "killing himself for benevolence, giving up his life for righteousness".Therefore, when dealing with such "types" of Yang Ming, the important thing is not to "cure his body", but to "cure his name" and "fix his false reputation". The "ugly face" was exposed, making people around him think that he was really hypocritical and contemptible, and also made him feel ashamed and depressed.The trial judge seemed to have done everything according to Yongzheng's instructions. Not only did "a lot of people laugh when they heard about it" ("Yongzheng Dynasty Hanwen Zhu Criticism Compilation"), but also made Yang Mingshi speechless and bowed his head. plead guilty. Qianlong's interrogation of Yin Jiaquan was entirely inspired by this case.It's father and son, it's really a tacit understanding. Yongzheng's harsh and harsh treatment of ministers has already reached its peak.Qianlong came out of the blue again, and came from behind.In order to ensure the monopoly of power, Emperor Qianlong repeatedly widened the distance between the emperor and his ministers after taking office, resulting in a political situation where the emperor was above the top and the officials were prostrate below, so as to ensure that the will of the monarch was unimpeded at any time and in any field.The status of ministers in the Qianlong Dynasty was significantly lower than that in the Yongzheng Dynasty. The emperors of all dynasties looked forward to the appearance of famous, heroic and loyal ministers.For example, Yongzheng repeatedly called his courtiers Li Wei, Tian Wenjing, Longkodo, etc. as "great weapons of the country", "my heroes", "unchanged loyal and good ministers", "true sages, loyal ministers, my heroes, and good ministers of the country. A rare minister who is truly the most outstanding in the contemporary era." However, Qianlong put forward a famous theory: Although "treacherous officials" are not a blessing for the country, the appearance of "famous officials" is actually not a good thing.Qianlong believed that the rise of the minister's power would inevitably mean the decline of the monarchy. "Famous ministers" often appear when the country is in crisis and the monarch's power is not monopolized.Many famous officials have made earth-shattering deeds, helping the country to turn the tide.But at the same time, the appearance of famous ministers also explained the incompetence of the monarch and the chaos of the court from one side.For Zhang Juzheng, a famous minister in the Ming Dynasty, the merits of the historical reviews probably outweighed the demerits, but he did not take it seriously, saying: "The minister's strong words to establish authority, and retrograde behavior are not taboo, which is actually the discipline of the Bian Kingdom. Faint should not be." In order to eliminate the influence of Yin Jiaquan's "Words and Deeds of Famous Officials", Qianlong issued a special edict to reprimand Yin Jiaquan's "theory of famous officials".He said, "I think this dynasty's discipline is clean, there are no famous officials and no treacherous officials", "if the leadership is above, there will be no famous and treacherous officials in the court, and it will be a blessing to the country."If "the country waits for famous ministers to settle down, it is no longer the blessing of the country."It means that under the rule of a truly capable emperor, there should be no treacherous ministers who cause trouble, and at the same time, there should be no famous ministers who shine in the annals of history, but only slaves who obey orders and act quickly. Emperor Yongzheng was deeply sinister, but also innocent and dripping. When he was cold, he was ice, and when he was hot, he was like fire.When it is serious, no one dares to take a breath; when it is happy, sometimes it is neither big nor small.He commented on Li Wei's memorial: "Good things are good things! Those who are not happy with these things can only stay with the emperor!" Zhu Zhu's comment to Nian Gengyao said: "The meeting between the monarch and his ministers...is not always the same. The two of us... In short, the two of us will be a role model for the emperor and his ministers to know each other through the ages, and it will make the world admire and salivate!" Although he is famous for being harsh on ministers, he is also passionate about some people who throw their temper. Such as a friend, a trust that never fades.For example, Ertai and Zhang Tingyu. However, Qianlong attached great importance to the difference between monarch and ministers, always put on a superior face, and never established any personal relationships with ministers.Perhaps old age and arsenic are the only exceptions. Like his father, Qianlong always hated the minister's "good name".In the nineteenth year of Qianlong (1754), he reprimanded Chen Hongmou, the governor of Shaanxi: "If you don't think about changing your past mistakes, if you don't care about covering up when you encounter problems, and still follow the bad habit of seeking fame and reputation, you must not escape my insight. I will invite you to be lenient again." In terms of cracking down on the "habit of good name" of restricting ministers, Qianlong not only learned from his father's method of creating unjust prisons, but also made innovations. There is an unwritten political habit in traditional society, that is, after those local officials with outstanding political achievements leave office, the local officials and people often commend and commemorate them by sending umbrellas to the people, erecting monuments, and building shrines.However, Emperor Qianlong issued an order to all provinces to "destroy" all the steles of Qusi Dezheng in various places, and strictly prohibited the construction of ancestral halls for officials.Under his strict order, ancestral halls and steles built since Kang and Yong were destroyed across the country. In Yunnan and Shanxi provinces alone, there were nearly 600.Qianlong believed that the emperor should monopolize all the greatness, glory, and correctness, and leave no room for honor to others.What Emperor Qianlong needed was not standing men with capital letters, but only tools and servants. On April 17, the forty-sixth year of Qianlong (1781), the case of Yin Jiaquan was concluded.In addition to the crimes of "making comparisons to great sages, giving lectures under the guise of names, writing absurdly many books, trying to deceive the world and stealing names, falsely listing famous officials, distorting truth and falsehood, and concealing the gradual progress of cronyism", Qianlong also found Yin Jiaquan guilty of many other unspeakable crimes. The "mortal sin" forgiven: In Yin Jiaquan's book, there are four words "to be the teacher of the emperor".Qianlong laughed at his lack of study and asked the ministers to comment, "Can he be my master?" Yin Jiaquan called himself "Ancient Rare Old Man", and the second dictionary of "Ancient Rare" came out of Du's poem "Life is seventy since ancient times".Unfortunately, Emperor Qianlong also coincided with his 70th birthday. He called himself the "Emperor of Ancient Rare", and wrote "Theory of Ancient Rare" to announce to the world, monopolizing "Ancient Rare".The Yin family, who is over 70 years old, calls himself by this name, and is considered "arrogant". Qianlong admired Ming Taizu's abolition of the power of prime minister very much, and believed that this epoch-making initiative greatly improved the stability of the monarchy, and it really benefited the emperors of all generations. Xiangguo.Yin Jiaquan repeatedly referred to the great scholars as "Prime Ministers" in his writings. Qianlong criticized that the name of prime minister had long been abolished. In this dynasty, from the emperor's ancestors, Huang Kao and even me, Tai Ah was in control and the power would not change.The role of the great scholar in the court is only to record the order. Is there anything that has been supported by the great scholar? Since the Yin family has committed so many "big crimes", after repeated interrogations, the University Scholars, Jiuqing, etc., please execute Yin according to the law and Ling Chi, and relatives will sit according to the law, that is to say, all descendants over the age of 16 To be beheaded, the women in the family and their children and grandchildren under the age of 16 must be sent into slavery.However, Qianlong was a benevolent and virtuous person, and he was spared from Ling Chi by grace. Instead, he was forced to make a decision, and his relatives were also graced to avoid his fate. At the same time, all provinces were ordered to confiscate and destroy the works written or edited by Yin, and all his stone carvings and rubbings on steles and cliffs in various places were also shoveled and ground.In this regard, Lu Xun said: "His writings are really too many. There are eighty-six books and seven stone carvings that should be 'destroyed', all of which are works; there are six books that should be 'destroyed', all of which are ancient books." , but there is his preface and postscript. Although "Primary School Encyclopedia" is only a "compilation", it is included in the list of "destruction." This work involved various provinces and has been going on for half a year. Regardless of Yin Jiaquan's "true Taoism" or "false Taoism", he did not follow the law of the king.Living in any era other than Qianlong, he would enjoy his life in peace and die.Unfortunately, he met Qianlong. Everything has another side.Qianlong tried his best to expand the monarchy. Although it achieved stability for a while, it caused a more serious consequence, that is, the moral and spiritual decline of the scholar-bureaucrats in the late Qing Dynasty. Confucianism not only emphasizes hierarchical order, but also has a high standard of social justice.Social justice is the basis for the healthy development of the entire society.Throughout the ages, scholars have taken it as their duty to protect the conscience of society, and have been able to find their place in traditional society.However, Qianlong, with a tiger's eye, brutally deprived scholars of the determination to seek fame and the responsibility of guarding their conscience bestowed by Confucianism, and only gave them the task of living for rice.Since then, the group of scholars has been emptied of their souls, unable to find their place in society.本来，进入清朝之后，士节士气较之中国历史上的其他时代已经大为降低，乾隆中期以后，士大夫道德自律更为松弛。乾隆朝的大臣，虽然不乏能臣，却有一个共同的特点，那就是有才华而无思想，有能力而乏操守，除功名利禄外无所关心。在皇帝明察之下，他们老老实实，卖命效力，以图飞黄腾达。皇帝一旦放松警惕，他们就会大肆贪污，尽一切可能盗窃皇帝的家产。 乾隆之后的中国，一蹶不振，人心沦丧，在农民起义和外敌入侵面前都缺乏抵抗力，不能不说与乾隆打断了官员和士人的脊骨表里相关。