According to the "Grand View of Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty", in the seventeenth year of Qianlong's reign, Qin Jianquan passed the Jinshi examination. During the palace examination, Emperor Qianlong had doubts about his life experience because he knew that the traitor Qin Hui was from Qinhuai in Nanjing. Perhaps he was joking with him, Emperor Qianlong asked when they met: "I heard that you are a descendant of Qin Hui, is this true?" This is indeed a language trap. It is inappropriate to answer "yes" or "no". Answering "yes" is It means admitting that you may be a treacherous minister; answering "no" means that your origin cannot be changed, and you may be guilty of deceiving the emperor, angering Long Yan, and walking around in pain. All civil and military officials in the dynasty were sweating for him.
But Qin Jianquan is not an ordinary person. He is well-read in poetry and books and has extraordinary wisdom. I saw him bowing forward without being humble or arrogant and replied: "Your Majesty, once the emperor and the court ministers. Song Gaozong was a coward, and he hired treacherous ministers; but you are a wise emperor, and you naturally hired loyal ministers!" Sure enough, Emperor Qianlong was not only not angry after hearing this, but On the contrary, Long Xin was so happy that he was selected as the number one scholar. Liang Tongshu and Weng Fanggang, who were ranked second in the same department, both became famous ministers, but they were ranked behind Qin Jianquan.
Poetry has become a Qinhuai legend
After Qin Jianquan became the top scholar in high school, he and his poetry friends went to Hangzhou to visit the West Lake. I was deeply embarrassed when I saw the kneeling iron statue of Qin Hui and his wife in front of King Yue's tomb. They were covered in filth. Poet friends also joked that his surname was Qin and he was a descendant of Qin Hui, and they insisted that he write the right inscription to record this trip. Qin Jianquan thought for a moment and then wrote: "Since the Song Dynasty, people have been ashamed to be named Hui, and I am ashamed to be named Qin when I go to the grave." He expressed his clear distinction between loyalty and traitor, which impressed everyone present. Since then, there has been a good story along the West Lake in Hangzhou.
Qin Jianquan had contacts with many celebrities in Jinling. The famous writer Yuan Mei went to Nanjing to serve as the magistrate of Jiangning County. He saw a poem inscribed on the stone wall of Yanziji: "Fishing fires only cast stars, and bells sound like water rushing to flow." When he learned that it was written by Qin Jianquan, he was very surprised. It was because of appreciation that he came to visit him personally, and they became irreversible friends from then on. They once took a swim in the Qinhuai River together, admiring the scenery on both sides of the river and seeing the golden powder and prosperity of the Six Dynasties. Qin Jianquan was so moved by the scenery that he chanted Qijue: "The golden powder is floating in the wild grass, and the girls are sleeping in the cold water every day. Don't regret the past if you are sad. The Huai River is still named Qin." Especially the last line won the great talent of Yuan Dynasty. The cheers became even more popular for a while. It is this last sentence that has more profound meaning to Qin Jianquan.
Encourage the prince to study and select outstanding talents for the country
Qin Jianquan successively taught the Hanlin Academy to compile and write, served as an examiner for the Shuntian Township Examination, the president of the Xian'an Palace Official School, and the Jingshan Official School, and was later promoted to the rank of Attendant. He taught bachelor's degree and taught his son (later Emperor Jiaqing) to study. He has served as an examiner and instructor, reading all the papers and performing his duties conscientiously. In particular, he was always meticulous in persuading the prince to study, and carefully trained and selected many outstanding talents for the country.
According to historical records, in the 24th year of Qianlong's reign, Qin Jianquan served as the deputy examiner of the Shuntian Wuxiang Examination. At that time, the imperial examination was divided into two types: civil examination and military examination. The winner of the martial examination was also called a martial examination person. Wu champion. The leader at that time was a strong man named Ma Quan. Many people disapproved of it because Ma Quan had participated in the palace examination and was selected as a martial artist, but he made mistakes. Qin Jianquan opposed all opinions and insisted on ranking Ma Quan first. Later, during the palace examination, Qianlong recognized Ma Quan. After Ma Quan reported his desire to serve the country to the Ming Emperor, he was also appreciated by Emperor Qianlong and was appointed as the number one scholar in military affairs. Later, Ma Quan became a general in the northwest frontier defense. He made many military exploits in suppressing rebellions and died heroically. Emperor Qianlong himself wrote a poem praising him.
Qin Jianquan has a famous saying about integrity: Integrity can inspire integrity. It means that an upright character can promote a clean and honest atmosphere in the country. Therefore, he has been in politics for more than 10 years. He has always been honest, self-denial, and deeply trusted by Emperor Qianlong. Perhaps because of this family background, the Qin family reached its peak in the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang dynasties, and its descendants included many important officials in the court.
In his later years, he liked painting and was especially good at bamboo writing
In the 28th year of Qianlong's reign, Qin Jianquan knew that the officialdom was unpredictable, so he retired and returned to his hometown of Jinling. Qin Chengen, the son of the governor of Shaanxi at the time, bought He Ruchong's mansion to support his father. He Ruchong was the prime minister during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, and the street in front of the door was called Dafu Di. After Qin Jianquan retired from office and moved to the doctorate, he planted four trees, cypress, catalpa, tung and eucalyptus, in the garden, which means "a hundred sons live together". The garden is named Zhanyuan, and the fragrance of books has been passed down from generation to generation. There is still a magnolia tree in the garden. Every summer, its flowers are as white as snow. It is extremely beautiful. It was planted by Qin Jianquan back then.
Qin Jianquan’s poems, calligraphy and paintings are said to be the three most outstanding works. After winning the first prize, he strived for excellence even more. He was ordered by Qianlong to rewrite the "Selected Works of Zhaoming". Bao Shichen, the famous calligraphy theorist of the Qing Dynasty, divided the calligraphers of the Qing Dynasty into five grades and nine grades in "Yizhou Shuangji", and Qin Jianquan was included in the "neng grade". In the West Room of his former residence, there are still preserved inscriptions written by Qin Zhuangyuan in four styles: Zheng, Cao, Li and Seal. Each has its own shape and spirit, which is pleasing to the eye. In his later years, Qin Jianquan enjoyed painting, and was especially good at painting bamboos and sometimes freehand flowers, which were full of vitality and became famous for a while.
As a native of Jinling, Qin Jianquan left many relics in Jinling. Especially in the south area of ????the city, there are many ink inscriptions by great scholars. The plaque on the door of the "No. 1 School in the Southeast" of the Dacheng Hall Academy of Confucius Temple was inscribed by him. Qin Jianquan, who has returned to his hometown after serving as an official, can either stay at home or travel, wandering around the landscape and gardens, and there is a sense of leisure and relaxation everywhere. Niushoushan, Sheshan, Longjiang Pass, and Wulongtan are all marked with his footprints; the Hanbi Tower in Longtan and Tao Xiang's Ice and Snow Nest all contain the chants of the number one scholar. His works are quite prolific, including the collection of essays "Qin Zhuangyuan Manuscript", poetry collections "Penglai Mountain Woodcutter Collection", "Moyun Tower Collection" and calligraphy and painting works passed down to later generations, all of which show Qin Jianquan's talent and integrity.
The descendants of the Qin family seem to have learned Qin Jianquan's legacy of loyalty to the emperor. In the "Manuscript of Qing History" published by Zhonghua Book Company, it is recorded that Qin Jianquan's daughter-in-law performed at Wende Bridge A story about "loyalty to the emperor throwing himself into the water". In the third year of Xianfeng's reign, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom captured Nanjing. His son Qin Yuezeng's wife, Bi Huanzhu, was 80 years old. In order to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty and not fall into the hands of the Taiping Army, Bi Huanzhu led his family to drown and died. It can be said that he died a heroic death. . It’s just that this period of history has rarely been mentioned, so it is rarely known!