The dream of fifty years has come true, now I have to give up and thank Hongchen. His day was filled with water and dragon sun, and he recognized the cigarette as his back body.
Translation: The fifty-year dream seems to have come true, and I am leaving this world today. If I can overturn the fate of the royal family in the future, my reincarnation must be a woman.
The desperate poem he left behind has exhausted the efforts of countless historians, especially followers. People focused this poem on Heshen's predecessor and successor, saying that Heshen's predecessor was Ma Jia, Qianlong's beloved concubine, and her successor was the empress dowager Cixi, who was despised by the world.
Extended information:
Death Poem:
On the 18th day of the first lunar month of the fourth year of Jiaqing, Emperor Jiaqing sent ministers to the place where Heshen was imprisoned to "reward" him A piece of white silk made him commit suicide. When He Shen saw Bai Ling, he knew that his death was coming.
He couldn't help but lament that his miserable life and his family's fortune were as rich as the royal family, but ended up in such a tragic end. This time, he was imprisoned and experienced the bitter tastes of desolation, desolation, hunger, punishment, and pain.
Especially on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which is the Lantern Festival, He Shen naturally thought of the joyful times at home in the past years, when he was leisurely and contented and enjoyed himself while being served by everyone.
"The dream has been true for fifty years, and now I have to let go of the red dust. In the future, the water will contain the dragon and the sun, and the cigarette will be left behind." After finishing the poem, He Shen picked up the white silk and put it around his neck. He hung himself from a beam and ended his life at the age of 50.
Since Heshen's death, various interpretations of his fatal poem have all developed in this direction, and ultimately they are all aimed at turning Heshen into Cixi. Although these statements are fantasies, they also reflect people's hatred of Heshen and the later Empress Dowager Cixi.
Political Achievements:
Heshen held an important position in the Qing Dynasty's foreign affairs. British envoy Macartney admired Heshen's diplomacy very much. When He Shen first became an official, he was smart, capable, and honest in government. He consolidated his position through the Li Shiyao case.
Emperor Qianlong favored him and married his youngest daughter, the Tenth Princess, to Heshen's eldest son Fengshen Yinde, making Heshen not only powerful but also a relative of the emperor. As his power grew, his selfish desires also expanded. He took advantage of his position to form parties for personal gain, amass money, and used bribery, persecution, intimidation, violence, kidnapping, etc. to win over local forces and attack political opponents.
In addition, Heshen also personally operated industry and commerce, opened 75 pawn shops, set up more than 300 large and small banks, and had business dealings with the British East India Company and the Guangdong No. 13 Bank. He became known as the "King of Corrupt Officials" and "King of Corruption" with overwhelming power and wealth.
He Shen was also the richest man in the world in the 18th century, surpassing Meyer Rothschild at the same time. The Qing deliberation forces in the DPRK, represented by Emperor Jiaqing, Qian Feng, the censor, Liu Yong, the academician, Fan Zhong, the editor of the Hanlin Academy, Wang Jie, the military minister, Dong Gao, the minister of household affairs, and Zhu Gui, the minister of rites, impeached He Shen many times. , but both He Shen can turn danger into safety.
Although corruption is his biggest fault, his talent should still be recognized. Some people rank him, Liu Yong and Ji Xiaolan as the three major central halls during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
Although neither Liu Yong nor Ji Xiaolan joined the Military Aircraft Department, Liu Yong was promoted to Tirenge Grand Bachelor (first grade), and Ji Xiaolan was promoted to associate bachelor (first grade). According to the rank standards, they are called The nave is reasonable. "Manuscripts of the History of the Qing Dynasty" said that "a great scholar cannot be a real prime minister unless he is also in the military department."
So it is okay to call him Liu and Ji as the middle hall, but the prime minister has nothing to do with it. Although he accumulates money, he is really good at managing money. The previous presidents were dismissed because they were unable to do so. After that, since he had to spend money to do things, he had to rely on He Shen to get money.
Literary achievements:
Heshen read a lot in his life. Qing history records that Heshen loved to read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Spring and Autumn", and was proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics. In his early years, he was very fond of Zhu Xi's ideas. Agree. Although he later believed in realism, he still loved to hang out with literati in his spare time.
And "A Dream of Red Mansions", one of the four famous works, was preserved because of He Shen. He often wrote poems with Emperor Qianlong, and He Shen knew the style of Qianlong's poems very clearly.
In order to cater to Qianlong, Heshen worked hard to learn and write poetry, and achieved great attainments.
He would occasionally show off his research on poetry in front of Qianlong, and even regarded himself as a "scholar" in his spare time. Heshen's poems were in line with Qianlong's aesthetic taste. Qianlong often ordered Heshen to compose poems on the spot to replace himself. In He Shen's collection of poems, "Jia Le Tang Poems Collection", there are many poems written under the orders of Emperor Qianlong, from which we can see He Shen's calligraphy attainments.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Heshen