Liu Yong is the well-known "Liu Luoguo'er" because he is "loyal to the emperor, loving the people, and honest" as an official, and is deeply loved by the people. Stories about him are widely circulated. Contemporary film and television dramatists also understand the people's desire for upright officials, so Liu Yong became one of the most "photogenic" ministers in the Qing Dynasty (the other two are He Shen and Ji Xiaolan). Under the arrangement of the playwright, he and the corrupt official He Shen became mortal enemies and happy enemies. He Shen always seemed clumsy in front of him, often self-defeating, trying to scheme against people but only to be schemed against. Emperor Qianlong loved and hated him, and was a little helpless. This character has entrusted too many ideals and aspirations of the Chinese people. He is the embodiment of wisdom and justice. Even his hunchback makes people not only not aware of its ugliness, but also becomes his iconic feature. In fact, Liu Yong on the screen does not completely coincide with Liu Yong in history. Many aspects from his image to his deeds come from the playwright's imagination.
To answer this question, we must first understand the standards for selecting scholars and officials in the Qing Dynasty.
In feudal society, official selection has always been based on "body, words, writing, and judgment" as the primary conditions. The so-called body, that is, the body, requires correct facial features and a dignified appearance, otherwise it will be difficult to establish official authority. The so-called speaking means clear articulation and clear language, otherwise it will hinder the management of affairs. The so-called book means that the handwriting must be neat and beautiful, so that the superior can read his written report. The so-called judgment means quick thinking and clear judgment, otherwise things will be misunderstood and people will be harmed.
Among these four standards, "body" ranks first and is the most important. Because it is so important to observe and observe, it cannot but be emphasized.
Liu Yong is from a major in science and technology, so he must pass the exam successfully in the four aspects of "exercise, speech and writing". Therefore, it is almost certain that Liu Yong will not be a "Luo Guo'er". As early as 1996, Mr. Jiang Weitang pointed out this point by writing a special article "An Examination of Liu Yong's Nickname "Luoguo"" in the "Beijing Evening News".
There is also a circumstantial evidence that can illustrate certain problems from the side. According to the system at that time, those who failed in three subjects in the General Examination could still take the "big selection" in one subject. This subject does not examine articles, but only looks. The standard is the eight characters "Tongtian Guanri Shen Jia Yu", which uses the shape of the characters to describe the body shape and appearance. "Tong" refers to a rectangular face, "Tian" refers to a square face, "Guan" refers to a person's big head and straight body, and "Ri" refers to a straight body with moderate height and weight. The above four characters are good characters, and those who match them may be selected; "Shen" refers to an abnormal body, "A" refers to a big head but a small body, "Qi" refers to a tall shoulder, and "Yu" refers to a small head but a big body. These four words are bad words. If you have one of them, you will lose the election. It can be seen that the officials in the Qing Dynasty paid great attention to the appearance of the candidates, so even if Liu Yong was not handsome, he was not physically disabled.
Of course, there is a reason for the title "Liu Luoguo". Historical records record that Emperor Jiaqing once called Liu Yong "Liu Tuozi", which shows that he was indeed somewhat hunchbacked. However, Liu Yong was already 80 years old at the time, so it was inevitable that he would be hunched over, which is understandable. It would be inaccurate to conclude that Liu Yong was a "Luo Guo" when he was young.
It can be seen that in terms of image, the Liu Yong in history is not consistent with the Liu Yong in folk legends and literary and artistic works. So, from the perspective of acting as an official, was Liu Yong in history as honest, capable and unafraid of power as described by the playwright? Was he really able to make fun of the corrupt official He Shen in front of Emperor Qianlong? Calm and relaxed?
Liu Yong was born in the Liu family in Zhucheng, Shandong. This family was a prominent family at that time, and many people entered official careers through the imperial examination. Liu Yong's great-grandfather Liu Bixian was a Jinshi during the Shunzhi period, his grandfather Liu Ji (qǐ) was a famous upright official in the Kangxi Dynasty, and his father Liu Tongxun was a famous official of his generation. He was an official at Dongge University and a military minister. He was an honest and courageous official. Emperor Qianlong said that he " He is quick-witted when faced with problems, his temperament becomes strong again, he has the style of an ancient minister, and he never loses integrity throughout his life."
Liu Yong grew up in a family that has been scholarly for generations and prides itself on advancement in the imperial examinations. It goes without saying that he received a good education since childhood. Later, he became the vice president of Sikuquan Library, which proved his profound knowledge. But for unknown reasons, Liu Yong, who was full of knowledge, has not taken the imperial examination for a long time. At least there is no record of him taking the imperial examination before the age of 30. It was not until the 16th year of Qianlong's reign (1751) that the 33-year-old Liu Yong participated in the joint examination and the palace examination as an Enyin Juren because of his father's relationship. Hanlin Academy Shujishi is a preparatory qualification for the Hanlin Academy. They are generally selected from Jinshi with excellent scientific examination results, and then study in the Shuchang Hall. Those who pass the examination at the end of the term are awarded the Imperial Academy editorship. Although the salary of the Imperial Academy in the Qing Dynasty was relatively low, as the literary attendants around the emperor, they were known as "noble and noble", and "most of the prime ministers and assistants of the Qing Dynasty were chosen from this position." Moreover, if a minister wants to receive the posthumous title "文" from the emperor after his death, he must be from Hanlin. Therefore, in the Qing Dynasty, those who entered the imperial service through imperial examinations were particularly interested in those who came from Hanlin. It should be said that Liu Yong had a good start in his official career.
Capable and promising, he served everywhere
Starting from the 21st year of Qianlong (1756), Liu Yong was sent out to serve as a local official. For most of the next 20 years, he served Mainly serving as local officials, from academic administration, prefect, to governor on the one hand. When he was a local official, he basically inherited his father Liu Tongxun's upright, capable, and resolute acting style.
He did his best to rectify the long-standing abuses in the examination room and bad habits in the officialdom, and did a lot of practical things for the people. "Zhucheng County Chronicles" praised him: "He tempered his moral integrity and led his subordinates uprightly. When he became the prefect of the academy, he refused to give bribes and refused to take any bribes. He dared to act when encountering problems and had no scruples. At the same time, officials looked at him with fear." , he also spared no effort to implement Emperor Qianlong's will, banned books, established literary prisons, arrested party members, and actively promoted cultural repression policies.
Liu Yong served as the admiral of Anhui academic affairs and the admiral of Jiangsu academic affairs. The academic governor is the education chief of a province, similar to the current director of education, but the difference is that the academic governor is not subject to the control of the local chief executive and carries out various affairs independently, and the governor cannot infringe on his duties. Only under special circumstances when the academic administrator leaves office, the governor can temporarily take charge of his affairs. Academic administration can also directly submit letters to the emperor to reflect local conditions and govern people's customs.
Before Liu Yong went to Anhui to take up his post, Emperor Qianlong specially summoned him and gave him a poem. Among them was the sentence "Haidai has a high family status, and Yingzhou has a new Hanlin", which meant that he hoped that Liu Yong could not disgrace his family lintel and achieve something. Make a difference. Before taking up the post of Jiangsu Academic Affairs, Emperor Qianlong still sent poems to Liu Yong, which shows that he had high hopes for Liu Yong. Liu Yong did not disgrace his mission and was very serious. According to the notes of the Qing Dynasty: "In the past, Prime Minister Liu Shi'an inspected the country and studied Jiangsu. He was serious and stern, and he was intimidated by the large number of people." Liu Yong served as admiral of Jiangsu's academic affairs twice, nearly 20 years apart. It becomes peaceful and soothing, but seriousness remains the same. For example, when Liu Yong took the Jiangsu academic administration exam for the second time, he took the exam in Yangzhou. Because of the strict control, many people who wanted to cheat and get through did not dare to enter the exam.
In the thirty-fourth year of Qianlong's reign (1769), 51-year-old Liu Yong was awarded the prefect of Jiangning. Counting from the time when he became a Jinshi in the 16th year of Qianlong (1751), Liu Yong has been in officialdom for 18 years. Speaking of which, Liu Yong's official career was not smooth. As early as when he was an editor at the Hanlin Academy, his father Liu Tongxun was convicted for something. Liu Yong was implicated and dismissed from his post, and he was imprisoned together with his brothers. Later, Liu Yong was sent to serve as an academic scholar in Anhui and Jiangsu. Because of his outstanding performance, he was appreciated by Emperor Qianlong and promoted to the prefect of Taiyuan Prefecture in Shanxi Province. Liu Yong's father, Liu Tongxun, went to Shanxi in the 22nd year of Qianlong's reign (1757) to investigate the embezzlement case of the envoy Jiang Zhou. In the 24th year of Qianlong's reign (1759), he went to Shanxi to investigate the embezzlement case of General Baode and gained a good reputation. Liu Yong also lived up to the great trust. Within a few days after taking office, he cleared up all the difficult cases left by his predecessor, and was praised by both the government and the people. Just when Liu Yong moved to Jining Road due to his political achievements, the case of Duan Chenggong, the former magistrate of Yangqu County, Shanxi Province, was discovered. Liu Yong almost lost his life for negligence. Later, the imperial court favored him and ordered him to serve in the military station for a year to atone for his sins and return to Beijing. Later, he spent two years in an idle institution called "Book Repair Office". It can be seen that during this period, Liu Yong's official career was not very "prosperous".
Liu Yong was able to serve as the prefect of Jiangning after committing a serious crime. It is said that he still benefited from his father. At this time, Liu Tongxun was in charge of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice as a bachelor, and was relied upon by Emperor Qianlong as a close minister. Therefore, on the occasion of Liu Tongxun's seventieth birthday in the 33rd year of Qianlong's reign, Emperor Qianlong not only wrote a plaque to express his congratulations, but also favored Liu Yong as a candidate for the prefect. The next year, Liu Yong was awarded the title of prefect of Jiangning Prefecture.
Liu Yong also cherished this opportunity very much, "he is quite famous as a Qingjie, and his reputation is spread all over the country. All women admire his character and friendship, and even Bao Xiaosu compares with him." The Tanci "Liu Gong'an", created in the early years of Jiaqing, is mainly adapted from the story of Liu Yong who resolved suspicious cases and made decisions for the people when he was the prefect of Jiangning. Although it is inevitably mixed with the imagination and exaggeration of the Tanci artist and hearsay. , may not all be true records, but it shows that Liu Yong did have political achievements and political voice during his short one-year term as the prefect of Jiangning. He was a rare and capable official. The famous poet Yuan Mei also praised Liu Yong in a poem: "When I first heard about taking Danyang, the officials were all in uniform. The light wind blows for a year, and the joyous wind attracts all the young and old. The first move robs people, and the hard work saves people. "Hold your strong shoulders and cover your soft sleeves." This means that after Liu Yong arrived in Jiangning, he was strict with his subordinates so that they did not dare to show off their power, and he cared about the people to save them from trouble. He was not afraid of offending his superiors but fearing that the people would suffer.
After that, Liu Yong moved to Jiangxi, Shaanxi, and Jiangsu. In the forty-fifth year of Qianlong's reign (1780), Liu Yong was appointed governor of Hunan. His full official title was governor of Hunan and other places, supervising military affairs and controlling various towns. He was also in charge of food and wages, stationed in Changsha, and also in charge of military and civilian affairs, becoming a veritable official of the feudal frontier.
During his tenure in Hunan, Liu Yong continued his previous style of inspecting warehouses, surveying and repairing city walls, rectifying officialdom, and suppressing rebellions. In less than two years, Liu Yong's political achievements were remarkable.
"Biographies of Qing History" says of him: "In his remaining years in office, he inspected warehouses, surveyed and repaired city walls, eradicated the bad habits of his family members who were sitting in the province, subsidized the victims of disasters in Wugang and other prefectures and counties, and even prepared Canggu and mined cave salt. "All the important things he has done have been listed." "Hunan Tongzhi" also praised Liu Yong for doing everything "convenient for the people" during his time in Fu Hunan.
In the forty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign, Liu Yong was transferred to Beijing as the censor of Zuodu and was ordered to work in the South Study. At that time, He Shen was very popular, so Liu Yong "resigned himself to the situation, but only entertained it with his comedy". This shows another side of Liu Yong as a person and an official. Liu Yong was a scholar-bureaucrat with a sense of social responsibility, and he was also a member of the officialdom. He also had to act according to the rules of the officialdom, including dealing with his superiors and colleagues in a tactful way.
Generally speaking, when he served as a local official and was able to take charge of his own affairs, he mainly showed his diligent and upright side, "for a while he was known as Yama Luo Bao Lao"; after entering Beijing, he happened to meet He Shen who favored Qianlong and was good at exerting authority. Rejecting dissidents, Liu Yong had no choice but to keep silent and tolerate humor and ambiguity.
Funny and ambiguous, the situation has no choice
Liu Yong's official career was quite smooth in the first few years after he entered Beijing. He became the co-organizer of the bachelor's degree, the official minister, and the chief master of the study room. During this period, he also dealt with A difficult case. The party involved in this case, Cathay, was the governor of Shandong, and his father, Wen Shou, the governor of Sichuan, was Liu Yong's old superior. More importantly, Cathay's backstage was Ren Shen, a celebrity of Emperor Qianlong.
In April of the forty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign, the imperial censor Qian Feng accused Shandong governor Guotai of being arbitrary and plundering money in the name of paying tribute to the emperor. He subordinated dozens of state and county warehouses such as Licheng and Yidu. Serious deficit. Emperor Qianlong attached great importance to this matter and ordered He Shen, Liu Yong and Qian Feng to go to verify it.
Cathay is a native of Manchuria with the White Banner, and his surname is Fucha. Cathay Pacific and Heshen had a close relationship. Therefore, Heshen immediately sent his family to report the news after receiving the news that Cathay Pacific and others were to be investigated, which gave Cathay Pacific time to misappropriate other funds to make up for the shortfall. On the way to Shandong, He Shen also threatened Qian Feng with words. According to Qian Yong's "Luyuan Conghua", Liu Yong was well aware of the relationship between Heshen and Cathay, so he often discussed countermeasures with Qian Feng in secret. After arriving in Licheng County, Shandong Province, He Shen said that there was no need to conduct a thorough check, but only to randomly check dozens of warehouses, and he got up and returned to his residence first. Qian Feng asked that the warehouse be sealed first and then completely unsealed the next day. It turned out that the silver taels in the treasury were "mostly made of round silk and variegated silver." After interrogating the treasury officials, we learned that the silver taels were borrowed from various shops to top up the supply. Therefore, notices were issued asking all shops to come forward to claim the goods, "with a loud shout: If you are late, you will be sealed and stored in the official position." So merchants came to claim them one after another, and the treasury was emptied.
In this matter, Liu Yong supported Qian Feng from beginning to end, and his attitude played a vital role in the final revelation of the case. Obviously, Liu Yong supported Qian Feng and at the same time offended He Shen. From this incident, we can see that Liu Yong still retains his "righteousness".
In the following years, Liu Yong seemed to be always making mistakes and being criticized. Qianlong was obviously not satisfied with him. At the beginning of the 52nd year of Qianlong's reign, Liu Yong was not only reprimanded for leaking the contents of his conversation with Emperor Qianlong about Ji Huang and Cao Wenxian (zhí), but he also lost the post of bachelor he was supposed to be awarded.
In August of the 52nd year of Qianlong's reign, Emperor Qianlong entrusted Liu Yong to preside over the worship ceremony at the Confucian Temple. Because he did not perform the prescribed bow ceremony, he was impeached by Debao, the minister of Taichang Temple.
In the summer of the 53rd year of Qianlong's reign, Liu Yong concurrently served as the governor of the Imperial College. It happened that students in the preliminaries for the provincial examination were given to the officials. He was impeached by the imperial censor Zhu Delin, and Liu Yong was punished. From the end of February to the beginning of March in the 54th year of Qianlong's reign, the masters of the upper study room who were responsible for the prince's education were not admitted due to continuous rain. Emperor Qianlong was very angry when he learned about this situation. Liu Yong was punished particularly severely. He was demoted to the rank of Minister and no longer worked part-time in Nan Study. Emperor Qianlong also issued an edict specifically for this purpose, to the effect that because Liu Yong was the son of the great scholar Liu Tongxun, and because Tongxun had served the court for many years, he favorably promoted Liu Yong. However, Liu Yong was quite diligent in his official duties, but when he took up the post of academic administration, he no longer took things seriously, and his official reputation as governor of Hunan was average. When he entered Beijing as a minister, he was even more ambiguous in handling matters. I was kind-hearted and did not condemn him. I thought he would be grateful for the grace and work diligently. I didn't expect that the masters in the study were absent from work for seven days and Liu Yong turned a deaf ear. He also said that Liu Yong was unable to fulfill his duties, which was disloyal to the country and unfilial to his father. His fault was so serious that it really cannot be forgiven. It should be said that the wording is quite harsh.
In the fifty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign, Liu Yong was the examiner of the general examination that year. Due to improper arrangements and hasty marking, there are many illegal and unqualified papers. According to regulations, Liu Yong and others must be fined for at least 10 years. Although Emperor Qianlong treated him leniently, Liu Yong was still "strictly reprimanded."
In the first year of Jiaqing, because the post of bachelor had been vacant for a long time, Dong Gao, the Minister of Household Affairs, was added as a bachelor, while Liu Yong, who had more seniority, was excluded. Moreover, in the edict, he once again criticized Liu Yong for "never being willing to serve with sincerity." He gave an example that the emperor once asked Liu Yong whether the newly elected prefect Dai Shiyi was qualified for the job, and Liu Yong responded "fairly well." But Dai was originally very mediocre and was definitely not qualified for the job. It can be seen that Liu Yong paid no attention to Quan's selection of people on weekdays, and just responded with ambiguous words. Ask him to "examine his heart and reflect inwardly, and be more ashamed and motivated".
In the second year of Jiaqing, Liu Yong was awarded the Bachelor of Tirenge, but he still accused him of "never being willing to work hard and being lazy", and said, "There is no one to promote him to this position." It can be seen that its evaluation. Of course, the above two edicts in the early Jiaqing year still represent the opinions of Emperor Qianlong.
Liu Yong seems to have changed. The edges and corners of his life are no longer visible, and his diligence in doing things is no longer visible. During this period, Liu Yong showed more humor and sophistication. Records from the Qing dynasty record that once while having dinner at a military aircraft, a colleague mentioned the story of prime ministers dining in the hall during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Liu Yong immediately said: "But if the people don't have palace excrement, why should the prime minister have dining hall?"
The reason why we take the trouble to list Liu Yong's "misdeeds" during his time as an official in the court is to explore why there is such a big difference between the same person before and after.
We believe that fundamentally it was determined by the political climate in the court at that time.
There is a significant detail in the TV series "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo": Qianlong asked Heshen, are you a loyal minister or a treacherous minister? He Shen replied, I will not be a loyal minister, nor a treacherous minister. What I want to do is make you happy and make you happy. As a result, Qianlong was very satisfied with Heshen's answer. This plot is probably just an imagination of the screenwriter, but it should be said that the playwright's grasp of Qianlong's mentality is relatively accurate.
Emperor Qianlong had a theory of "no famous ministers in this dynasty". He said that because of the strict discipline of the court, there were no famous ministers in this dynasty and no treacherous ministers. The purpose of what he said was to attribute all honor to the Holy Lord. Everything the ministers did that was beneficial to the people was all due to the Holy Lord's will. Therefore, he ordered that activities that would make officials famous, such as building moral monuments for local officials and sending umbrellas to the people, were prohibited. The old Qianlong was even more complacent, showing off his "perfect martial arts", and his desire for power and vanity became more and more inflated. At this time, he did not need famous ministers around him, but only servants who acted loyally and regarded the emperor's right and wrong as right and wrong. .
In addition, at that time, the court was surrounded by nightclubs, Heshen wielded power, colluded with party members, controlled government affairs, and excluded dissidents. It was difficult for upright people to make a difference. The censor Cao Xibao once wanted to punish Heshen by participating in the impeachment of Heshen's slave Liu Quan, but he was framed and dismissed. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why when Liu Yong was a local official, he did some things to promote benefits and eliminate disadvantages, but when he came to the emperor's side, he made no achievements and was only obedient. Perhaps from the perspective of adapting to the rules of the officialdom and protecting oneself, Liu Yong's constant small mistakes, repeated reprimands, and discrediting himself were not necessarily a smart move.
At that time, there were still many people who held office in a funny way. For example, the same is true for Emperor Jiaqing's teacher Zhu Gui. It is said that when he was visited by his disciples and old officials in his later years, what he said had nothing to do with politics and were all humorous.
These officials, who are known for their integrity and uprightness, are still like this, which shows the official atmosphere at that time. Emperor Qianlong was too smart, so his ministers had to pretend to be ignorant; Emperor Qianlong's reputation was too good, so his ministers had to be "mediocre". This reminds people of the relationship between Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, and Xiao He, the prime minister. As the number one hero of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He helped Liu Bang conquer the world. He continued to work conscientiously and served as an official with integrity, so he had an excellent reputation among the people. This made Liu Bang very worried, so he found an excuse to arrest Xiao He. Although he finally released Xiao He because of his old relationship, Xiao He learned his lesson after being released from prison and no longer cared about his reputation. He also engaged in land enclosures and corruption. Several pieces. The people were very dissatisfied, and some people complained to Liu Bang, but Liu Bang laughed it off and stopped pursuing it.
On December 25, the ninth year of Jiaqing, Liu Yong passed away at his home in Hutong, Lv City, Beijing at the age of 86. On the day of his death, he was on duty in the South Study Room, held a banquet to entertain guests in the evening, and "died sitting upright at night." "Xiaoting Miscellaneous Records" records that when Liu Yong died, it was said that his "nostril drooped by more than an inch", which coincides with the Buddhist meaning of being good at liberation. In any case, Liu Yong can be regarded as dying without illness, dying in good condition, and with complete merits and deeds.
Qianlong, Liu Yong, He Shen, and Ji Xiaolan are the "happy enemies" who have often appeared on the TV screen in recent years. They may be a group of Qianlong, Liu Yong, and He Shen, or a group of Qianlong, Ji Xiaolan, and He Shen. . What is the relationship between them historically?
Liu Yong and Qianlong There are many folk legends about the relationship between Liu Yong and Qianlong. For example, Liu Yong is the godson of the Empress Dowager, so he is Qianlong's godbrother. There is also the legend of "He Shen makes trouble, long live Liu Yongshen". This legend has also been incorporated into the traditional cross talk "Official Fight". In short, Liu Yong is described as a character who is not even afraid of the emperor and dares to tease him. Of course, these things have no basis and cannot happen. They just reflect the good wishes of the people. So, what is the relationship between Liu Yong and Qianlong in history?
As mentioned above, Liu Yong was the son of the great scholar Liu Tongxun. His early advancement and disgrace in the officialdom was largely related to the misfortune of his father. Liu Tongxun was a trusted minister of Emperor Qianlong, so in general, Qianlong was relatively caring about Liu Yong during this period. Liu Yong was sent to serve as a scholar in Anhui and Jiangsu, and Emperor Qianlong sent poems to him, which shows his concern and expectation. Later, Liu Yong was sentenced to death for the Yangquzhi County Duan Chenggong deficit case. Qianlong also looked at Liu Tongxun's face and gave him a lighter sentence and reinstated him.
Of course, as a member of the officialdom, Liu Yong himself also paid great attention to maintaining a good relationship with Qianlong. In the autumn of the forty-second year of Qianlong's reign, Liu Yong, who was then the academic administrator of Jiangsu Province, petitioned Emperor Qianlong to publish Qianlong's "Imperial New Yuefu" and "Full Rhyme Poems" so that they could be circulated throughout Jiangsu Province. Provincial publication. This suggestion naturally made Emperor Qianlong feel very comfortable. After a period of time, Liu Yong's official position was also promoted rapidly.
After Liu Yong entered the court and became an official, although he was repeatedly reprimanded by Emperor Qianlong for being lazy and ambiguous in his duties, his official position was relatively stable. It is said that in the 60th year of Qianlong's reign in Jiaqing, there was a "fight for a big treasure".
According to a report given to his monarch by a North Korean official who attended the Zen throne ceremony at that time, Emperor Qianlong refused to hand over his seal when he was about to receive congratulations. Liu Yong stopped the officials from congratulating the new emperor and went inside to ask the Supreme Emperor Qianlong for help. Ask for Dabao. "After half a day's hard work, the soldiers came out with the big treasure and began to give congratulatory gifts." If this record is true, it proves that Liu Yong still maintains a "straightforward" style in important matters and is not blindly ambiguous. At the same time, it was also vaguely seen that Liu Yong, who had been the chief master of the study for a long time, seemed to have a closer relationship with Xinjun Jiaqing.
Liu Yong and He Shen The relationship between Liu Yong and He Shen has always been the focus of people's attention. People are accustomed to describing the relationship between the two as loyalty and treachery, and incompatibility. Indeed, Liu Yong did not follow He Shen, but basically adopted a solitary approach. Xu Youwen, a petitioner in North Korea, said, "He Shen has been in power for decades, and all the internal and external ministers have moved away. However, Wang Jie, Liu Yong, Dong Gao, Zhu Gui, Ji Yun, Tie Bao, Yu Bao and others have finally refused to adhere to "But from the previous analysis, we can already know that when Liu Yong took office in Beijing, he first adjusted his official strategy, changing from upright and upright to funny and ambiguous, so it was impossible to have a tit-for-tat confrontation with the powerful He Shen. . However, it is worth noting that after Emperor Qianlong "Dragon Controls the Guest", Liu Yong, who was already a bachelor of Tiren Pavilion, actively participated in the handling of Heshen and played an important role in it.
The day after the death of Emperor Qianlong, Emperor Jiaqing immediately seized the positions of Minister of Military Affairs and Admiral of the Nine Gates from Heshen, and restored Liu Yong to the post of chief master of the study room, and was on duty for consultation at any time. Subsequently, governors and governors of various provinces and governors impeached Heshen one after another, demanding that Heshen be punished with lingchi. However, Liu Yong and others suggested that although Heshen had committed a heinous crime, he had served as a minister of the previous dynasty and had to save face for the previous emperor. Please follow the rules and order him to commit suicide to save his body.
In order to prevent someone from using the Heshen case to retaliate and avoid the case from expanding, Liu Yong and others promptly made suggestions to Emperor Jiaqing to properly deal with the aftermath. As a result, on the second day after Heshen was executed, Emperor Jiaqing issued an edict stating that the Heshen case had been settled to appease people's hearts.
After the Heshen case was over, Liu Yong was given the title of Taibao by the Crown Prince, which shows that Emperor Jiaqing affirmed him. The handling of the Heshen case was highly praised by people at the time. It can also be seen that Liu Yong did not vent his personal anger due to official duties, but fully demonstrated the style of a leader of ministers.
Liu Yong and Ji Yun If Liu Yong and He Shen are on opposite sides, then his relationship with Ji Yun is quite harmonious. Ji Yun came from the sect of Liu Yong's father Liu Tongxun, and the two had a friendship of senior brother and junior brother. University scholar Yinghe recorded in his "Enfutang Notes" that Ji Yun and Liu Yong had a very good relationship. Ji Yun was quick in thinking and Liu Yong could write well, so Ji Yun often asked Liu Yong to write couplets for him. For example, "The ups and downs of officialdom are like gulls, and the collection of books about life and death is like silverfish" is a poem that Ji Yun liked very much. He used this poem as an elegiac couplet during his lifetime. After Ji Yun passed away, Liu Yong wrote it down and presented it as an elegiac couplet.
Liu Yong and Ji Yun both collected inkstones, and they would often give them to each other and sing in harmony. In the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign (1792), Liu Yong gave an inkstone to Ji Yun, who was serving as the imperial censor of the capital, and specially wrote an inscription on it: Ji Yun liked my 黻(fú) Wen inkstone, so I gave it to him. The book is written with an inscription, "The stone structure is meticulous and the stone bones are strong. I gave it to the censor of the capital to write a memorial. This inkstone is worthy of this man." This was a legend at the time. Jiang Shiyi (yuè) also wrote about this inkstone:
How many noble people live in the south of the city, and the singing and dancing are prosperous and not as good as the brocade.
Who can see Kongzhai commenting on the history of inkstones, with his white head facing two ministers.
In the eighth year of Jiaqing (1803), Liu Yong once again gave Ji Yun an inkstone, saying: "Send me an ancient inkstone and receive a Korean manuscript. The inkstone is of simple, mao and melancholy style, like the literary style, "That's why." Ji Yun also recorded: Liu Yong gave me an inkstone with the word "Heshan" on the left side. He thought it was from the Song Dynasty, but I didn't think so. But Liu Yong also said, "Zhuan Zhuxiang relies on only a few people from Su, Huang, Mi and Cai. Does Biwu know that there was a Wei in the Song Dynasty?" The general idea is that antiques imitated from the Song Dynasty are generally claimed to be Su Dongpo, Mi Fu, etc. How could something belonging to a human being pass off Wei Liaoweng's name? Ji Yun admitted that what Liu Yong said, "it can be said at once."
In the ninth year of Jiaqing, Liu Yong passed away at the age of 85. After his death, he was given the title of Taibao to the crown prince and given the posthumous title of Wenqing. He was enshrined in the Xianliang Temple and ordered to be buried.