Heshen

Heshen of the Manchu Niohuru clan, was an official of the Qing dynasty who was favoured by the Qianlong Emperor. Born Shanbao , his given name was later changed to Heshen. His courtesy name was Zhizhai . He was a member of the Plain Red Banner, and known as the most corrupt official in Chinese history. Heshen was born as the son of a Manchu military officer and was selected to go to the most privileged school for Manchu aristocratic boys. He lost his mother when he was young and it was said he and his younger brother had a hard life under his stepmother. However, it was reported that Heshen was an excellent student, knowing several languages including Mandarin, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan. In 1772, he began work in the Imperial Palace, assigned as an imperial bodyguard and was stationed at the gates to the Forbidden City.

Reports suggest that Heshen had an attractive appearance, with fair skin and thick, red lips. This invoked rumours of the reasons behind the emperors fascination with this man. It was said that when the Qianlong Emperor was still a young prince, he accidentally ran into the room of an imperial concubine as she was putting on her makeup. As a young prince with a childish nature, Qianlong decided to play a prank on the imperial concubine, tiptoeing up from behind then scaring her. The concubine jumped at the sudden shock and as she turned and hit Qianlong . This was a direct breach of imperial protocol, and the action was witnessed by a passing lady of the court. The imperial concubine was then demoted, and in the face of this sudden humiliation, committed suicide by hanging herself. Qianlong, in his guilt, bit his finger and left a bloody mark on her neck so he would recognize her even in her next life. The incident made a profound impression on Qianlong. It is reported that he found He

Source: Wikipedia