Chapter 30 Chapter Three

Before passing on the throne, the old emperor was only worried about one thing, that is, everything has advantages and disadvantages.Elder Brother Fifteen has an overly honest personality, and seems to lack a little bit of wit and tact, or a little bit of "consonance" that can be understood if he lacks a little bit.For example, after becoming the "emperor", Qianlong was not very sure whether he knew how to deal with the relationship with him, the "overlord". Although it has been prepared for sixty years, when the abdication ceremony was held, Qianlong still had hidden worries in his heart from time to time: Although the name of "abdication" is so grand, it is not without risks after all.From ancient times to the present, no supreme emperor is happy: Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan of Tang Dynasty was forced out of the throne by his son Li Shimin with a knife before he was enough emperor. After being the lonely supreme emperor for nine years, he died quietly.Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty became the Empress Dowager, and lived in fear of his son's suspicion every day. The ministers and friends around him were exiled one by one. In the end, he was put under house arrest by his son and died in depression.The other overlords in Chinese history, such as Song Huizong, Song Gaozong, and Ming Yingzong, were all tragic figures, and they all ended up very tragic.

Therefore, while holding the abdication ceremony, Emperor Qianlong has made countless preparations to ensure that he will not fall into the prisoner's situation: Before he abdicated, he made it clear that he would only entrust the emperor with daily tasks such as receptions, meetings, sacrifices, and ceremonies. You should still teach me personally, and the heir emperor will listen to my teachings day and night, and in the future, he will know what to follow and make no mistakes. Wouldn’t it be a blessing for the world.” When receiving North Korean envoys after he abdicated, he clearly declared to all countries: "Although I have returned to power, I will still handle major issues."

He stipulated that after he abdicated, he still called me, and his decree was called "imperial decree". Ministers of civil and military affairs and high-ranking officials should ask for instructions from him before they go to Beijing to see their majesty... Although he spent huge sums of money to build Ningshou Palace before he abdicated, he did not move out from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which symbolizes imperial power, after he abdicated. , the most Anji. Now that the political training is as usual, I should still live in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and everything is appropriate."

In a word, even though he abdicated, he still showed everywhere that he was still the lord of the country. The old emperor, who had held power all his life, loved power like his own eyes, was overly defensive, and was so attached to it that he almost lost his composure. Facts have proved that the old emperor was overthinking.It wasn't until after he really abdicated the throne that Qianlong discovered that the successor he had chosen should actually get full marks. In his prime, the bloody Emperor Si is smarter than he imagined, and he is very clear about his position and role.He is very respectful as the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, going to bed early and getting up early every day, diligently reading all the memorials, commuting to and from get off work on time, earnestly attending every event he should attend, but never making any decisions or issuing any orders, Don't judge anything.He very appropriately positioned himself as the personal secretary of the old emperor, and he followed the same principle in everything: "Listen to the emperor's punishment."

In the records of the Korean envoys, Jiaqing's appearance of keeping a low profile is vividly described on paper: "(Emperor Jiaqing) has a peaceful appearance, feasts and plays all day long, and does not wander his eyes at the beginning. He sits on the Supreme Emperor. You also laugh. There is something to know here.” When giving the banquet, Jiaqing “sat by the emperor’s side, only watching the emperor’s movements without turning his attention.” "Drafts of Qing History Renzong Benji" also records: "When you first meet with political training, you are respectful and respectful."

It is often said that old age means wisdom and sophistication, but old age actually means irreversible degeneration of body and spirit.No matter how wise and great a person is, they cannot avoid the damage of aging to their intelligence and personality.Emperor Qianlong was resolute and shrewd throughout his life, but in his later years, like any mediocre old man, he was extremely afraid of death.In other words, he is more afraid of death than ordinary old people.When I was young, I was very happy, but in my old age, I only like to listen to auspicious words.He is especially afraid of words, utensils and news related to death, thinking that these will bring bad luck and inauspiciousness.In February of the second year of Jiaqing (1797), Jiaqing's first wife, Empress Xi Tara, died of illness.Emperor Jiaqing was very sad.Jiaqing and Sitara have been married for more than 20 years, and their relationship is very good. Once they break up, the pain can be imagined.

However, Emperor Si knew very well the psychology of the Supreme Emperor.After he ascended the throne, he made a decision alone for the first time: he ordered the Ministry of Rites to handle the queen's funeral in the simplest and fastest way. Although there was a great funeral, the emperor only stopped court for five days and wore plain clothes for seven days.The emperor also specially ordered the ministers, because "I serve the holy and compassionate day and night (I serve the Supreme Emperor day and night)", "I will carry on the next day and night, and everyone will get auspicious (try to create an auspicious atmosphere in everything)", and those who are in the seven days of the funeral Inside, the ministers who came to see the Supreme Emperor should not wear mourning clothes, but ordinary plain clothes.

According to the records of the time, during the seven days of the national funeral, Emperor Jiaqing never walked all the way to the Qianqing Palace, in order to prevent the bad luck of the funeral from being brought to the place where the Supreme Emperor usually passed by.When the emperor went to the queen's mourning hall, he went in and out of the Cangzhen gate, not the garden gate.When going to libation, he went all the way to Yongsi Hall before changing into plain clothes, once back to the palace, he immediately changed back to regular clothes, and the eunuchs with him also wore Tianqing gowns, without any dejection. "Besides, the emperor can control his feelings with righteousness, and he is not too sentimental, and his imperial appearance is as usual."

Intentionally or not, the Supreme Emperor would call He Wen over and ask him how the emperor was feeling, and whether state affairs were being delayed because of his wife's death?After hearing the report from He Arsenic, the Supreme Emperor closed his eyes and nodded slightly. His son was so "sensible", Qianlong's heart was soon relieved.He continued his sixty-year political career as before, with little change in his life.The entire Qing Dynasty also quickly understood that the so-called "Jiaqing first year" was nothing but "the sixty-first year of Qianlong".

Of course, regrets are always there.In the final stage of his life, Qianlong's greatest regret was that he was caught in a war that he could not win.That is the battle to put down the White Lotus Rebellion. At the junction of Shaanxi, Sichuan and Hubei, there is a famous virgin forest called Nanba Laolin.This place has high mountains and dense forests, "the high mountains and long forests stretch for thousands of miles, and the scenery is so lush that there are no people inhabited in the sun." ("Three Provinces Frontier Defense Overview") This is not suitable for human habitation.However, from the middle of Qianlong period, a large number of refugees poured into this forest, felled trees to build houses, and opened up wasteland for farming.These refugees came from a wide range of sources, not only from Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and the three provinces, but also from Guangdong, Hunan, Anhui, and Jiangxi. "Bringing the family and reclaiming the land, there is an endless stream." The conservative estimate of these immigrants is more than 100,000, and some people say there are more than one million. ("Three Provinces Frontier Defense Overview")

The emergence of a large number of immigrants shows the severity of population pressure in the middle of Qianlong.The remaining mountainous areas at that time were not suitable for farming, because these deep mountains and old forests were steep, the land was barren, and they could not maintain water and soil. The soil was depleted quickly, and the labor and harvest were out of proportion.Living in the old forest is extremely difficult: "Felling wood to support the rafters, covered with thatch, only shelters the wind and rain. Borrowing miscellaneous grains and stones as seeds, harvesting for several years, pawning the mountain land, and gradually building earthen houses for several boards, otherwise they will still move to other places. That’s why they’re collectively called shed dwellers.” As difficult as it is, people still enjoy it.This shows that the potential of the social system of the Qing Dynasty has been tapped to the limit, and the population problem still cannot be solved.Another massive peasant uprising was imminent. The place where refugees live together has always been a hotbed of folk religion.The White Lotus Sect, which was severely cracked down by Qianlong in other places, quickly grew here. "Those who learn to teach, join the other party, do not carry goods and food, wear clothes and eat, and do not distinguish between themselves." This kind of cheap utopia has great appeal to poor immigrants who lack food and clothing. Karma, not at all happy.Qianlong had just completed the Zen ceremony and announced that he had become a "perfect man through the ages". On the seventh day of the first month of the first year of Jiaqing (1796), the White Lotus Sect uprising broke out.The uprising broke out at the junction of Shaanxi, Sichuan and Hubei, and quickly spread to the five provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Henan, and Gansu, involving a total of 204 prefectures, prefectures, counties, departments, and Wei. In the past few years when he was the Supreme Emperor, all of Qianlong's remaining energy was spent on suppressing the uprising.In just three years, 100,000 troops have been mobilized, and 70 million taels of salary have been spent.Although "you are working hard every day" and constantly dispatching troops and generals, the flames of the uprising are burning more and more vigorously. It was the first time in Qianlong's 60 years in power that he was so helpless.According to unofficial history records, one day after the court was over, Emperor Jiaqing and He Wen came to see him. "As the arsenic arrives, the emperor (referring to Emperor Qianlong) sits facing south, and Renzong (referring to Emperor Jiaqing) sits facing west, (this is the same as summoning his ministers and workers every day). Arsenic knelt for a long time, and the emperor closed his eyes as if sleeping soundly, murmuring He murmured something, but Shang (Emperor Jiaqing) tried his best to listen, but he couldn't understand a word. After a long time, he suddenly opened his eyes and said, "What's his name?" Arsenic replied, "Gao Tiande, Gou Wenming (both names of the leaders of the White Lotus Sect) The emperor closed his eyes again and recited non-stop. When the time shifted, when he came out, he didn't ask a word, and he was shocked. The next day, he secretly summoned arsenic and asked, "You called the right one the day before yesterday. What did the emperor say? What did you say?" What is the explanation for the six characters?' Arsenic said to him: 'The emperor recited the secret mantra of the Western Regions. If you recite this mantra, the person who is evil will die without illness even if he is thousands of miles away. What a disaster. The servant heard that the emperor held this curse, and knew that the person who cursed it would be a bandit and a fierce chieftain, so they used the names of the two.'" ("Chunbing Murano Cheng") Mr. Dai Yi commented: A powerful and wise monarch, helpless to the peasant uprising in his later years, chanted a mantra alone, intending to defeat the enemy. This kind of behavior typically reflects the mental state of a lonely old man with a faint will, and others can hardly understand it. . In fact, the suppression of this uprising cost the Qing Dynasty 20 million taels of silver in the end, equivalent to five years of fiscal revenue of the Qing government at that time; There are more than 400 officers in the army.It can be said that it was this uprising that completely tore off the last veil of the "prosperity" and declared the end of the Qianlong prosperity.The Qing Dynasty lost its vitality in this war, and it has never recovered from a setback, and it has never had the glory of the past. It was during the war that the life of the Taishang Huang came to an end day by day. Since entering the third year of Jiaqing (1798), there has been no abnormality in the body of the Supreme Emperor.At the end of the twelfth month of the third year of Jiaqing, the eighty-nine-year-old Taishang Huang caught a mild cold.The new year is approaching, and no one cares about it.On the first day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Jiaqing (1799), the emperor, the kings Baylor, and ministers of the second rank and above came to pay New Year greetings to the Supreme Emperor according to the usual practice, and the emperor could still receive the gift from the throne as usual.Unexpectedly, on the second day of junior high school, his condition worsened, his body organs showed signs of failure, and he fell into a coma. At 7:00 a.m. on the third day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Jiaqing (1799), the Supreme Emperor completed his 89-year long life journey. The day before his death, he also wrote a poem "Wang Jie", hoping for the early news of the victory of the White Lotus Sect.In his will, he still couldn't forget this last unfinished business: "Recently because of the suppression of the religious bandits in Sichuan Province, he worked hard to raise funds and was eager for victory. Running around and ganging up with the party, you can also count the days to complete the capture, and the success will be imminent."