#305 - Qing 40: Heshen Must Die!!

Old man Qianlong is dead at last, leaving the Jiaqing Emperor finally free to... rule his own empire. His first order of business: destroy the man who's been pilfering it all for years. There's just one catch – once the second most powerful man in China is gone, how much of his rot across the government goes with him? The story of Heshen's fall, and the emperor who chose triage over scorched-earth. Time Period Covered: ~1799 CE Major Historical Figures: The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796] The Jiaqing Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Yongyan) [r. 1796–1820] Heshen [1750–1799] Fuchang'an [1760–1817] Zhu Gui [1731–1807] Major Works Cited: Backhouse, E., and J.O.P. Bland. Annals and Memoirs of the Court of Peking. Jones, Susan Mann, and Philip A. Kuhn. "Dynastic Decline and the Roots of Rebellion" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Rowe, William T. China's Last Empire: The Great Qing.