Chapter 20 Prelude to large-scale turmoil in the second quarter

The first reason is that the emperor is old. In the fair world, there are only white hairs, and the heads of the nobles are never spared.Although he is the son of heaven, he can decide the life and death of all people in the world, and he can move mountains and fill seas to rebuild the world, but Qianlong could not delay the coming of his old age for a minute. Among the emperors of all dynasties in China, Qianlong can be said to be the one with the best health.He was born with a strong body and a lot of energy, mainly from his mother's good inheritance.In the eighth year of Qianlong's reign (1743), during his eastward tour, he hunted on the way, using a bow of nine strengths (bow models are divided into twelve strengths, and bows with more than eight strengths are hard bows).After the age of sixty, "although the strength of the bow gradually decreases, it is not less than three or four strengths."Although he has been working hard all his life, he has never had a serious illness, and he can be regarded as healthy until old age.

However, no matter how good the genetics are, they cannot resist aging.Although he repeatedly claimed to be "spiritually pure", in fact, after middle age, his body inevitably showed various signs of aging.In a poem written in the 60th year of Qianlong (1795), the emperor himself noted that since the 20th year of Qianlong (1755), that is, after the age of 45, his hearing in the left ear has declined.In the 40th year of Qianlong (1775), after the age of 65, the vision of the left eye also decreased significantly. ("The left ear is hard of hearing for forty years, and the left eye is not clear for twenty years. Those who are in line with today's common people (open one eye and close the other eye) are written as "Joking Language.") Qianlong Forty Five years (1780) and seventy years later, his physical decline became more obvious.

Montaigne said, "Old age has so many defects and stupidity, and is so easy to be ridiculed. The best harvest an old man can get is the kindness and love of his family. Command and awe are no longer his weapons", although there is no People dared to laugh at the emperor, but Qianlong himself felt more and more ridiculous.After the age of seventy, "what happened yesterday is often forgotten today; what is done in the morning is not remembered at night."It often happens that "the emperor's breakfast has been provided, but in a short while, he asks for breakfast again. The eunuchs dare not say that they have made progress, and the emperor is not aware of it. It is obvious that he is aging and forgetful." There are two kinds of cool hats and warm hats, from the emperor down to the subjects, and they are replaced on the same day.Once the emperor returned to Beijing from Rehe, the weather was a little cold, so the emperor put on a warm hat, and all the officials followed suit.After a few days, the weather became warmer, the emperor wore a straw hat again, and the ministers were busy changing their hats.The emperor wondered why the ministers changed back and forth like this. After careful consideration, he suddenly realized, and said with a wry smile: "I don't blame the ministers, it's because of my old age."

Energy is also clearly lacking.It turned out that when the military affairs were urgent, from waking up at five o'clock in the morning until twelve o'clock in the evening to read the information just delivered, the brain was running at high speed and never tired.At this time, only one or two hours in the morning can be said to be clear and able to handle complicated political affairs.After this period of time, life has already entered a state of half-sleep and half-awake, no matter how much you use your will to force it, you can't mobilize your energy.After the forty-ninth year of Qianlong (1784), the emperor suffered from insomnia. "Yinchu has been lazy to sleep, and Yinzheng is always awake." ("Five Collections of Imperial Poems of Emperor Gaozong of Qing Dynasty" Volume 10 "Shaoshui") often."

The more people who have tasted the joy of youth so heartily, the more difficult it is to withstand the pain of withering in old age.When I was young, my brain was as clear as a mirror, I could never forget to read books, and I knew everything about directors.For every single government, Qianlong was able to draw up all the materials from the twenty-four histories in his mind, the emperor's testaments, and the ministers' memorials, and quickly integrated, compared, processed, and refined them, and obtained accurate and brilliant results in the first time. in conclusion.In his later years, this mirror has been foggy, and what can be seen can only show a specious outline.The mountains of information that used to pile up in my mind have lost their indexes, like a scattered warehouse. If I want to find something, I can only trudge through it with one foot and one foot. More often than not, it takes a lot of effort and time to turn this warehouse into darkness, and it still goes up to Qiongbi and down to Huangquan, and the two places are gone.The light of the spirit used to be able to illuminate ancient and modern times, thousands of miles across, but now it can only remember memorials and some particularly important events within three to five days. The brain is like a machine that has been used for too long, and all parts have been excessively worn out , They can only barely bite each other, the precision of processing is greatly reduced, and errors occur one after another, so the accuracy of handling political affairs is greatly reduced.

The emperor has no retirement system.In his later years, Qianlong's energy, health and wisdom were only a fraction of what he was when he was young, but his tasks and responsibilities were still the same.Like a sick and disabled old cow, it still has to pull a heavy cart, and it will overturn sooner or later. With the physical aging, the emperor's psychology and personality have also undergone obvious changes. Psychologists say that when people get old, due to the degeneration of body functions, their personality tends to change from extroversion to introversion, and from active to passive.When you are in your prime, you are ambitious and usually face the world with a proactive attitude.After entering old age, the feeling of powerlessness is getting worse day by day, so we often deal with foreign objects with a defensive attitude, seek stability and fear chaos, and tend to become passive and easy-going.

Although the emperor had poor eyesight in middle age and had presbyopia in his later years, he still refused to wear reading glasses when reviewing chapters and reading books.The ministers contributed many flower mirrors, but he "screened them but could not use them".And because of this, he wrote a "Ji Yu": "Half seeing is half seeing, and half hearing is half not listening. Although this common saying is reasonable, it is dual-purpose Chinese and French Shun Jing." It means that nothing can be perfect. , and there is no need to be too discerning.He has poor eyesight in one eye, and he is happy to open one eye and close the other eye because of this, which is in line with the "golden mean" of "holding dual purposes".Although this poem was written as a temporary joke, it actually profoundly reflected Qianlong's change of mind from his early observations to his later years.

Facing the memorials like hills, the emperor felt more and more overwhelmed.He began to repeatedly emphasize that when local officials reported the situation, the language should be concise, and from time to time he severely reprimanded the relevant officials for "disturbing and disturbing" the trivial matters.This has never happened before. The emperor in his prime often scolded the officials for not knowing the details.After the forty-ninth year of Qianlong (1784), in order to adapt to his physical condition, the emperor's time for dealing with government affairs was greatly shortened.In September of that year, he used the name of "Excellent Family Veteran" to invite officials of the third rank and above who were over 70 years old to enter the court after sunrise.After October of the fifty-sixth year of Qianlong (1791), this regulation was extended to all officials in Beijing, "It is not too late to write all the documents at Maozheng."

The emperor, who was fierce and ruthless in his early years, became more and more lenient in his later years.He is no longer as he was in his early years.On the contrary, he is happy to be kind, happy to forgive others, and happy to hear the voice of gratitude and praise from others.In the middle and early Qianlong period, he was more cautious in rewarding his ministers.In the thirty-ninth year of Qianlong (1774), the admiral Chang Qing was awarded a silver medal for each soldier for his meritorious service in beating the bandits.Such a trivial matter was actually reprimanded by Qianlong.Qianlong said that this award was excessive and "extremely hateful".However, in his later years, he often carried out unprincipled and excessive rewards.That is to say, "rewards should be generous, and never make hardworking people a little subdued." ("Qianlong Life Notes") Jiaqing later said: "In recent years, the emperor's examination of the emperor's birthday is high, and all things are generous. If there is a report in the army, if there is a small victory, it will be rewarded; if it delays military affairs, it is nothing more than a leather feather. In the middle of the day, if there is a little work, the scriptures will be rewarded. Although there are repeated reminders, there are those who are dismissed and punished severely, and no one is punished." ("Records of Qing Renzong")

The old emperor tried his best to be concise in handling government affairs, but he wanted to be quiet.Avoiding "annoyance" and reducing troubles have become a major principle of the emperor's handling of government affairs, which was unimaginable in his prime.He hopes that local officials will not take the initiative to provoke conflicts in the local area, focus on the big picture, and let go of the small ones, so as not to disturb the people or cause trouble.When correcting the tendency of officials to expand the literary prison, the emperor said that too much emphasis on writing would "disturb Luyan" and "has a lot to do with the management of officials and people's livelihood."The pressure on folk religion has also eased.In the forty-eighth year of Qianlong (1783), Hao Shuo, the governor of Jiangxi Province, reported that he had cracked a folk religious case. All the people in the case gathered together to eat vegetarian food and chant scriptures. The case was serious and the emperor suggested severe punishment.Hao Shuo thought that this report would be rewarded by the emperor, but unexpectedly, he was criticized by the emperor: "Since the concubine has been found out, the scriptures and other documents should be burned, and there is no order to eat fast and chant the Buddha, so that he can repent, and there is no need to pass the time." The pursuit of things will cause nuisance and annoyance. When there are such cases in various provinces and places, if they are really cult followers and those who violate the words and sentences, they should strictly investigate and deal with them, and exterminate the roots; All the testimonials of the witnesses in the case will be confided and released, and the scriptures and files will be destroyed.” Since then, ordinary folk religious cases are no longer regarded as serious cases, and those who eat fast and recite the Buddha The devout men and believers can move freely again, and it is unavoidable that "everyone is grateful for the grace of the emperor".

Since the thirteenth year of Qianlong (1748), the emperor has always been strict in approving death row prisoners.From the forty-eighth year of Qianlong (1783), the emperor returned to the previous tolerance and kindness.In the forty-ninth year of Qianlong (1784), the emperor exempted more than 6,000 death row prisoners since the forty-seventh year of Qianlong (1782).In the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong (1792), more than 8,000 death row prisoners from the fifty-fifth year of Qianlong (1790) were exempted from death. While relaxing the French Open, Emperor Shi En's handwriting is even more ambitious.At the end of Qianlong's period, the finances were not very affluent, and the emperor did not feel distressed when he reduced or exempted taxes.In the fifty-fifth year of Qianlong, the emperor generally exempted more than 27 million taels of money and grain from the world; in the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong (1794), the general exemption of money and grain from eight provinces; Seventeen million taels of grain.The so-called "emperor's grace is mighty", and the whole country celebrates it. Of course, the sun that is gentle on the common people is also gentle on the officials.For some corrupt officials who appeared in his later years, Qianlong often procrastinated without punishment, or condoned them with the excuse of "not doing too much".For example, in May of the fifty-second year of Qianlong (1787), many ministers of civil and military affairs at home and abroad were dismissed for more than ten times in a row but still remained in their original posts. ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty") When the North Korean envoy described the changes in Qianlong's political style in his later years, he said: The emperor has been quite tired in recent years. He has been involved in politics more often, and always suffers from favoritism in dealing with affairs. If there is too much grace, the punishment will be lighter;Civil and military dramas, and the relaxation of the legal principles, are quite worrying to those with knowledge. ("Records of Joseon Lee Dynasty") Although he had never been to China, Hegel had a deep understanding of Chinese-style autocratic politics.In China, he said, the emperor should be "the 'soul' of the empire in constant action, always alert and naturally lively." "If the emperor's personality were not of the above-mentioned kind—that is, thoroughly moral, industrious, full of energy without losing his dignity—then everything would fall to pieces, the whole government would dissolve, and become A state of insensitivity." This passage is almost a verbatim description of the political situation in Qianlong's later years.In autocratic politics, the emperor is the nerve center of the entire country, and the state of mind of the bureaucracy is the magnification of the state of the emperor alone.Not only the death of a person, but also the change of the mood of the same ruler can cause a fundamental change in the appearance of the country.The emperor's diligence and progress, through the layers of bureaucratic system, finally reached the society where only 10% may be left.However, the emperor's laxity and laziness will be magnified layer by layer by the bureaucratic system, reaching the grassroots level, and it will be magnified ten times and a hundred times. Since the emperor likes to be quiet and doesn't want to cause trouble, the local officials are of course more happy to sit back and relax.After the forty-five years of Qianlong (1780), laziness spread rapidly in the political circles of the Qing Dynasty.The emperor felt a headache for Shanji's memorial, and the officials couldn't avoid the trouble of copying.When encountering official business, they shifted the blame layer by layer, and transferred the criticism layer by layer: "Regardless of the importance of the matter, the subordinates are criticized at every turn. If you don't get along with the matter." ("Donghua Lu of Qianlong Dynasty") It is an important duty of local officials to sit in court and deal with civil disputes. However, the officials in the later years of Qianlong "suffered from sitting in court all the year round" and tried every means to evade it: "All petitions from the people are delivered to the house for approval, and no trial is delayed all year round. Xiaomin was so dragged down that he went to prosecute, and his superiors approved the investigation, but he was repeatedly urged." That is to say, if the common people file a lawsuit, he does not hold a trial, and the delay lasts for a year.The common people can't wait, "leapfrog petition", the boss asked, he didn't bother to answer.There are also officials who hate the common people for "jumping the ranks to petition" and causing trouble for themselves, so they try to crack down on the "petitioners": "If you hate the people and go to court, you must be punished, and the case is still not a trial." ") In the official examination system of the Qing Dynasty, there were deadlines for dealing with many political affairs.In the later years of Qianlong, it became more and more common for officials to be overdue, and being punished for this became one of the main reasons for officials being punished.A few examples can be seen from the Qing Dynasty archives "Qianlong Like Inscriptions": Xu Hao, the magistrate of Gaolan County, Gansu Province, was punished 23 times during his tenure, 13 of which were due to delays in handling affairs.Zhang Hongsui, magistrate of Liuyang County, Hunan Province, was punished 11 times, and delay accounted for 4 times.Ding Ting, the magistrate of Chang'an County, Guangdong Province, received 9 punishments, 5 of which were delayed. In the forty-third year of Qianlong (1778), a robbery occurred in Jiangling County, Hubei.A group of rural hooligans robs the home of a wealthy widow nearby. The widow recognizes the robbers and reports the incident to the police.The evidence in this case is conclusive, the matter is clear, and it is easy to deal with.However, although Tang Tingfang, the county magistrate at that time, sent people to catch the two suspects, he was too lazy to interrogate them and released the suspects on bail.The four county magistrates who took over successively "none of them strictly investigated" within 10 years. outside".For such a small case, five magistrates have been changed, but the case has not yet been closed.After Qianlong heard about it, he couldn't help being very annoyed, saying: "It shows that the official administration in Hubei has been extremely slack." The Hubei incident is not isolated.In February of the fifty-third year of Qianlong's reign (1788), a robbery case occurred in Jianchang County, Zhili Province, by bandits Ma Shi and others. Two years after the incident, the magistrate still did not close the case, saying that the clues were complicated and could not be understood at the trial.The emperor was very annoyed when he heard this, and ordered the prisoner to be taken to Shandong Province for a trial in person, and the principal culprit was found out in less than a month.The emperor said: "It can be seen that the old habits of other provinces are largely the same." This is the case in other provinces, and the atmosphere in the capital is also the same.The wind of playing football and wrangling is prevalent, and a trivial matter often cannot be dealt with for several months. "Although there is a limited time limit for handling affairs in the six departments and other yamen, the censors of various departments will report, but those who are involved in the two departments often shirk each other, and the investigation is not considered necessary. Congregate. He refuted and investigated the incidents in other provinces, and every time he refuted the matter, or even repeatedly refuted it repeatedly, and the back and forth were delayed. Over the years and months, he did not restrict and strictly urge." ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty" Volume 135 one) In addition to laziness, another manifestation of slack in the political style is softness.Since the emperor respects benevolence and is unwilling to kill people, there will naturally be more and more good people among the officials.When they deal with cases, they "intentionally reduce all the proposed cases". ("Qianlong Hadith") What's more, even serious cases of robbery and robbery "have been accommodated by many people, and they have become fierce and stubborn without knowing how to punish them." ("Qianlong Shangyu Document") The local officials who were caught among the parties concerned only wanted to make peace.They "fear the people, the prison, and the servants. They neither want to be judged quickly, nor do they want to be too white." ("Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty") If the economic principle of dictatorship politics is exploitation and extraction, then the secret of operation is control and oppression.The emperor controls the bureaucracy, and the bureaucracy oppresses the whole society.Once the high pressure is relieved, the social order will inevitably rebound violently.With the abolition of the bureaucratic system, social security deteriorated rapidly in Qianlong's later years. In Qianlong's later years, the population pressure became more and more serious, and social conflicts and crises accumulated deeper and deeper.The bureaucratic system is inactive and the country is in a semi-paralyzed state, which just provides opportunities for the rapid development of conflicts and crises, the most obvious manifestation of which is the emergence of a large number of homeless people and the formation of organizations. From the thirty-ninth year of Qianlong (1774), a large number of refugees from various provinces entered Sichuan under the pressure of survival, and homeless organizations called "Gulu" appeared in various parts of Sichuan.Most of them are homeless vagrants, in groups of three or four, gathering and dispersing now and then.Qianlong described the formation of these gangs of homeless people: "There is a kind of strong and lazy people who do not do business. They form groups of three or five, and dozens of them form the party. Occupying places, living in ancient temples and abandoned pavilions, extorting money and rice from villages and villages, meeting weddings and funerals, begging for wine and food, dissatisfied with their desires, roaring wantonly, setting fire to robbery, and threatening with words. Villagers are afraid of them like tigers Even relying on the crowd to rob, commit adultery, conspire to kill, commit all kinds of evil, and all kinds of harm are too numerous to enumerate." (Qianlong Dynasty Zhongzhu Commentary) After the forty-sixth year of Qianlong (1781), because local officials "blindly follow the rules and fear, all the local No cheer", the activity of "啯噚" reached its climax.According to the "Suppression and Catch Files": "In recent years, there have been more than a hundred gangsters in each city in Sichuan Province. They often harass Sichuan, and they have the name of shed head. They wear hats, sit in sedan chairs, and ride horses. They snatch adulterers during the day. No one's land. Officials in the whole province don't hear about it, soldiers and civilians don't ask about it, and even state and county officials are full of grunts, such as Dazhu County's official called a tiger and other words." In Wuchang, Hubei, in the later years of Qianlong, there appeared a family entrenched in the mountainous area and specialized in robbery for a living. ("Qianlong Shangyu File") The social security in Shanxi is also quite unstable. "The people are still aggressive, they are addicted to alcohol and wear swords, they fight over things, and they wield their blades at every turn. It is not a day that they have accumulated habits." Pirates along the southern coast are becoming more and more rampant.In the fifty-second year of Qianlong's reign (1787), the pirates were more than ten miles away from Xiamen, "without restraint, robbing warships".In the fifty-eighth year of Qianlong (1793), he landed on the island country and set fire to robbery.In the sixty years of Qianlong (1795), the emperor summed up the reasons for the formation of pirates in the south and said: "In recent years, in Fujian Province, the government has been extremely abolished... In Haikou, bandits are still haunting, and even Wuhumen is close to the provincial capital, and the pirates That is to say, they parked there for many times without any fear, so that the traders got wind of it, and it was all caused by the governor of the province and others being careless on weekdays." The prelude to large-scale social unrest has been played slowly.