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Qing court dramas based on Yongzheng have been very popular in recent years, and the dramas we are familiar with such as "The Legend of Zhen Huan", "Yongzheng Dynasty", and "Step by Step Shocking" are all based on the story of Yongzheng. Yongzheng was the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the winner of the famous "Nine Sons Winning the Throne", a dramatic experience that gave it a mysterious temperament, and Yongzheng was famous for his diligence and set many records.
It is said that Emperor Yongzheng tasted a cup of excellent tea in the people during a private visit to Weifu, but after returning to the palace, he killed three people because of this incident. What's going on?
A private interview with WeService found corruption
During Yongzheng's private visit to Henan Weifu, he passed by a teahouse, and the store seemed to be dressed extraordinarily, looking like a dignitary, so he took out the best tea.
After tasting this cup of tea, Yongzheng felt that this tea was fragrant and immediately praised it. I felt that the taste was very similar to the tea that was often drunk in the palace, so I asked the store about the price of tea.
When he learned that this tea only cost 500 wen per catty, Yongzheng's brows furrowed slightly, and some doubts arose in his heart.
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He knows very well that the tea used in the palace, whether it is picking, making or transporting, requires a lot of manpower and material resources, and its cost is far from comparable to ordinary tea on the market, so the price is naturally much higher.
Back in the palace, Yongzheng immediately summoned Sheng An, the head of the Internal Affairs Office, Qin Yongan, the eunuch, and Xue Ji, the imperial merchant who was in charge of palace procurement, to meet and ask them to report in detail on the purchase of tea in the palace in recent years.
The officials trembled and presented the accounts and samples one by one. Yongzheng personally compared and found that although the tea used in the palace was of high quality, the price was much higher than that in the teahouse, and some were even several times or even ten times higher.
So Long Yan was furious and ordered the three to be killed as an example.
This discovery made Yongzheng deeply shocked and angry, and he realized that there must be something behind this, someone took advantage of his position to enrich his own pockets and engage in corruption. Yongzheng knows that although tea is small, it is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, and it is also related to the integrity and justice of the imperial court.
Yongzheng personally took command and dispatched capable generals to conduct in-depth investigations, not only to find out the corruption in tea procurement, but also to expose a series of corruption cases in other fields.
Rectify corrupt officials and corrupt officials
During the Kangxi period, due to frequent wars, lenient governance, and the filling of officials' private pockets, the treasury was seriously empty. In the later years of Kangxi's later years, as the emperor grew older, his attention to government affairs gradually weakened, which also led to the intensification of corruption in officialdom.
Yongzheng has taken an extremely strict attitude towards corrupt officials and adopted a series of measures to rectify corrupt officials and corrupt officials. Once corrupt practices are discovered, they will be severely punished regardless of their status.
Fire consumption to the public: Fire consumption, also known as "consumption of envy" and "envy", refers to the local officials in the collection of taxes, under the pretext of the loss of silver in the process of casting, an additional part of the tax collected from the people.
But fire consumption has become a means for officials to accumulate wealth, and some local officials will demand that fire consumption be as high as 50% or more. Yongzheng ordered that this part of the loss be handed over to the state treasury as public funds, which effectively stopped the corruption of local officials.
Dispatch of Ministers: Yongzheng sent ministers to the local government to clear up the deficit, and these ministers were directly under the imperial court, not affected by local forces, and were able to carry out their tasks more fairly.
When officials were found to be corrupt, Yongzheng first removed him from his official position and then demanded that he compensate him for all the proceeds of corruption. This practice blocks the possibility of corrupt officials continuing to infringe on the interests of the people, and ensures that the embezzled amount can be recovered.
Clearing the deficit: Before Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, the local government of the Qing Dynasty generally had unclear accounts and unclear revenues and expenditures. Some officials have taken advantage of their power to enrich themselves by falsely reporting accounts and embezzling public funds, resulting in a large deficit in the government's accounts.
Emperor Yongzheng ordered a comprehensive inventory of the accounts of all local governments in the country, requiring that all accounts must be clear and clear, and there must be no concealment or falsification.
For local governments that are found to have a shortfall, the relevant officials are required to make up the shortfall within a limited time. If officials fail to make up the shortfall, they face severe penalties, including dismissal, demotion, and even criminal penalties.
Establishment of the Huikao Prefecture: Officials in the Qing Dynasty often took advantage of their positions to falsely report accounts and embezzle public funds in the process of reimbursement and use of funds, which can be said to be a common phenomenon in officialdom. However, if this continues, it will inevitably form an undesirable trend, which will lead to an empty treasury over time.
To address these issues at their root, a robust audit mechanism must be put in place to ensure that all financial records are subject to independent third-party review.
To this end, he set up the "Examination Council", which conducts a detailed audit of the financial records of various ministries and institutes to ensure that every expenditure is based on evidence and that there is no false reimbursement. In fact, the function of this body is somewhat similar to that of a modern audit institution, which checks all accounts and ensures financial transparency.
The winner of the Nine Sons
"Nine sons to seize the heir" was the most fierce imperial battle in history, when Emperor Kangxi had 24 sons, of which 9 participated in the struggle for the throne.
Yinzhen adopted a low-key and forbearant attitude in the process of seizing the heir, which allowed him to maintain a relatively neutral position in the battle between his brothers.
Yongzheng received the support of some important ministers in the court, such as Nian Qianyao and Long Keduo, which laid the foundation for his position in the court.
In addition, he also worked hard to maintain a good relationship with his father, and won Kangxi's trust through practical actions, such as taking the initiative to take on the affairs of Nanken, showing super personal ability.
The most important thing is that Yongzheng also brought Nian Qianyao, who had military power, under his command, to enhance his military strength.
During the entire period of seizing the throne, the emperor's eldest son Yinren was made the crown prince twice, but was deposed twice for misconduct.
The Eighth Elder Brother Yinyu formed an alliance with the Ninth Elder Brother Yinyu and the Tenth Elder Brother Yinyu, forming a strong competitive force. But in the end, Yongzheng succeeded in winning the throne, and inherited the throne with the support of Long Keduo and others.
After Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he liquidated his former rivals to varying degrees, and some princes were degraded or placed under house arrest, such as the eighth elder brother Yinyu and the ninth elder brother Yinyu; And the thirteenth elder brother Yinxiang became an important assistant to Emperor Yongzheng.
The most industrious emperor
Yongzheng is known for his diligence, and the most intuitive embodiment of Yongzheng's diligence is that during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, he reviewed a large number of twists and turns. Emperor Yongzheng got up at about four o'clock in the morning every day, slept only about 4 hours a day, and spent almost all of the rest of his time working.
Emperor Yongzheng invented and popularized the secret folding system, which allowed officials at all levels to report directly to the emperor on local conditions, which could reduce distortions in the transmission of information and allow the emperor to understand the actual situation more directly. He discussed various issues with his ministers for a long time, and did not rest until late at night.
"A cup of tea, three lives", behind this seemingly simple story, actually contains Yongzheng's deep insight and resolute determination for national governance.
During the reign of Yongzheng, he not only strictly investigated corruption and rectified the rule of officials, but also implemented a series of reform measures, such as "apportioning the land into the mu" and "returning the fire consumption to the public", which greatly reduced the burden on the people and promoted social and economic development. Its political deeds laid a solid foundation for the prosperity of Kangqian, and the story of Yongzheng has also become a good story sung in the mouths of later generations.
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