Qianlong wrote the word "Zen", which actually contains two meanings. One refers to Buddhism, and the other refers to abdication. The other ministers did not guess Qianlong's thoughts. Only He Shen knew that Qianlong wanted to abdicate. If he died, then his good days would come to an end, so he was very scared and his face naturally became ugly.
During Qianlong’s reign for decades, He Shen has always been his favorite official; and He Shen’s promotion from a small guard to the position of the central hall relied on his careful thinking. . Heshen knew how to figure out Qianlong's thoughts. He knew Qianlong's likes and dislikes very well, so he could become Qianlong's most trusted favorite. Qianlong was also very clear about what Heshen did, but he turned a blind eye. Close one eye, because it is really difficult for him to find a subordinate who understands him so well.
Of course everyone gets old sometimes, and the same goes for Qianlong. He was already thinking about his time to abdicate. So he summoned his ministers and wrote the word "Zen" in public, asking them to guess what the meaning was. However, the ministers around him seemed to have no other ideas besides praising Qianlong's handwriting, so they all laughed together. However, Heshen couldn't laugh, and even wanted to cry. He knew that Qianlong definitely did not mean "Zen" in Buddhism, but should mean "abdication".
Heshen knew that his good days would soon come to an end, because Qianlong was hinting that he wanted to abdicate in favor of his son and become a happy emperor. In fact, Heshen's glory and wealth have always been closely related to Qianlong. If Qianlong fell, Jiaqing, who succeeded him, would definitely not be so polite to him. After all, Heshen had long been reviled by the world, so he would be so polite. frowning face.