Based on historical records, there are mainly the following theories: First, Chen Kangqi said in "Lang Qian Jiwen" that once Qianlong read a report and learned that the wanted criminal had escaped, he was angry and casually said In "The Analects of Confucius", "The tiger and the tiger come out of the tree." None of the guards knew what Qianlong meant, but Heshen said: "The emperor said that those who are in charge of this matter should bear the responsibility." Qianlong was very happy and asked Heshen if he had read "The Analects of Confucius" and his family background. At the same age, He Shen both played the purpose of symmetry, so he was promoted. According to this legend, two more plots emerged: One is that "The Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty" said that once Qianlong was reciting "The Analects" in a sedan chair, and suddenly forgot the following, He Shen, his follower, blurted out, thus gaining Qianlong's appreciation. . The second is that Xue Fucheng recorded in "Yongzhen Notes" that when Qianlong was about to go on a patrol, he suddenly couldn't find the yellow umbrella cover used for the ceremonial guard, so he asked who was responsible. Many guards were too frightened to say anything. Only He Shen replied loudly: "Of course the person in charge of this matter is responsible." This attracted Qianlong's attention. The second theory: Chen Zhuo (zhuō) recorded in "Miscellaneous Notes of Guiyunshi's Insights and Hearings" that in the 40th year of Qianlong's reign (1775), Qianlong went on a tour of Shandong. He likes to ride in a small cart pulled by mules, "it changes every ten miles, and it's as fast as flying." One time, Heshen happened to be following him. Probably when he was bored during the journey, Qianlong started chatting with Heshen. Qianlong asked Heshen if he had taken the imperial examination. Heshen answered honestly that he had taken the exam in the 35th year of Qianlong's reign, but he had failed. Qianlong asked him to memorize the examination articles from that year again. Heshen followed the car and memorized them as he walked. He soon recited the articles from that year verbatim. After Qianlong heard this, he said to Heshen: "Your article can actually pass the exam." It seems that Heshen's writing is not very bad, and he can quickly recite an article five years ago, which is very rare. Yes. As a result, Heshen's intelligence left a deep impression on Qianlong. The third theory is: Heshen is the reincarnation of Yongzheng's beloved concubine and has a fate with Qianlong. When Qianlong was about to turn 20, he once entered the palace and passed by a concubine of his father Yongzheng. He saw her combing her hair in the mirror. He became game and suddenly covered her eyes from behind. The concubine didn't know that the prince was behind her, so she was frightened. She picked up the comb and struck it backwards, hitting Qianlong's forehead. The next day, Queen Yongzheng saw a scar on Qianlong's forehead and asked about the situation. She was furious and thought that the concubine was teasing the prince, so she immediately had her killed. The young Qianlong was very frightened and wanted to defend his concubine, but he did not dare to do so. Hesitating again and again, he was helpless. Later, he ran to the study, dyed vermilion on his little finger, returned to the concubine's residence, and saw that she had hanged herself, but had not yet died, so he put vermilion on the concubine's neck and said: "I have harmed you! If the soul has a spirit, Let's meet again in 20 years." When Heshen attracted Qianlong's attention, Qianlong realized that Heshen looked familiar. He thought about it again and again, and remembered that Heshen's appearance was similar to that of the dead concubine. He secretly summoned Heshen to see him and asked him to come closer. Sitting on the throne, looking down at his neck, he found that the fingerprints from back then seemed to still be there, so Qianlong acquiesced that Heshen was the successor of his father's beloved concubine, and cherished him even more. There is not much credibility to this story. However, it does not seem impossible that Qianlong and Heshen's vague homosexual feelings were revealed. In the Qing Dynasty, there were many bad habits of "masculinity" in the officialdom, and Qianlong may not be immune to this bad habit. Qianlong liked handsome people, and Heshen was a beautiful man, and he was smart. It is understandable that he was extremely favored by Qianlong. Censor Qian Feng once criticized Heshen's office for being too close to the emperor's residence. What is surprising is that Qianlong's favor for Heshen did not arise temporarily, but lasted for a long time. Even though he knew that Heshen was a corrupt person, he didn't blame him. The political star Heshen continued to shine in the imperial political arena for more than 20 years.