There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 326 Forbidden
Opioids were first introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty. Because small doses could relieve pain and stop coughing, they were used as a medicinal ingredient.

The scientific name for opium is also a transliteration of the Arabic word for opium.

The "Fushou Gao" (福寿膏) from the Ming and Qing dynasties originated from the Wanli Emperor, who did not attend court for forty years during the late Ming Dynasty. This emperor spent his days in the palace refining elixirs and taking medicine. One of the ingredients he used in refining elixirs was opium. Because he believed that this substance could strengthen the body and prolong life, he named it "Fushou Gao".

The reason why opium did not spread widely in the early Ming Dynasty was that opium was still very expensive at that time, and only high-ranking officials and nobles could afford to smoke it. Moreover, opium at that time did not have tobacco, so it was basically taken internally, and its addictiveness was not as irresistible as that of opium smoked directly.

However, due to the exceptionally long reign of Emperors Jiajing and Wanli, which lasted for sixty years, tobacco was introduced into China without proper control and began to spread widely.

And coincidentally, the channels for the spread of opium in China almost overlap with those for tobacco.

Both sides are taking two different routes:

First, it was imported from overseas to Fujian and Guangdong, and then its cultivation was promoted on a large scale in the mountainous areas of Fujian, before spreading to Zhejiang and Anhui.

Secondly, it was introduced to Yunnan from Southeast Asia and then promoted for cultivation on a small scale in the local mountainous areas of Yunnan.

Later, it was the people of Fujian who first tried to mix tobacco with opium for smoking. By the Chongzhen era, the phenomenon of mixing opium and tobacco had become quite serious. Even the Compendium of Materia Medica recorded the side effects of opium smoking.

During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Emperors Chongzhen, Kangxi, and Yongzheng all took corresponding measures. Chongzhen and Kangxi banned smoking and tobacco cultivation, while Yongzheng was more ruthless, directly banning both opium and opium.

Whether it had any specific effect is unclear, but in the first draft of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) compiled by Ji Xiaolan in the 47th year of Qianlong's reign, the work "Bencao Gangmu Shiyi" (Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica) by Zhao Xuemin, a physician from Zhejiang, included in the "Zibu·Yijia Lei" (Classified as Physicians) section, mentions:
“Opium originally came from overseas, but it has recently become popular in Fujian and Guangdong.”

What does "currently popular" mean?
In other words, during the reigns of Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng, opium was not very common due to the court's control. It was not until the late Qianlong period that opium began to spread rapidly in Fujian and Guangdong.

Similarly, in the records of the Guangzhou Customs of the Qing Dynasty.

In the 47th year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, the British merchant ship Nenz transported only 1600 chests of opium from Bengal to Macau. However, by the 4th year of the Jiaqing Emperor's reign, which is this year, the volume of opium transport and trade had reached 4600 chests.

In just eighteen years, the opium trade volume has almost tripled, not even counting coastal smuggling and locally grown opium by people in Fujian, Guangdong, and Southwest China.

So, how did opium manage to spread so quickly in China during the late Qianlong period?

It’s really hard to guess!

The Han dynasty originated in Huguang, which was not within the scope of opium cultivation and dissemination in the region. Furthermore, since the Han dynasty rose up, the Qing government had been controlling the smuggling of goods to Huguang.

If Wang Qiaosheng hadn't suddenly presented tribute from overseas, Nie Yu would have almost forgotten that he still had such an important task to do.

The First Opium War broke out forty years later, but in reality, opioid cultivation and spread were already quite severe in China at that time.

Large-scale plantings have been carried out in the mountainous areas of Fujian and Zhejiang, and it seems that the program has also been promoted in Anhui, but neither Yang Fang nor Bai Nan have reported on it.

Perhaps because the current planting area in Anhui is too small, even though the Han army has captured Huizhou Prefecture, they did not take the opium that the local people were sporadically planting in the mountains seriously.

The situation is relatively more serious in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, because these regions are poorer than Fujian and Zhejiang, and the poorer a place is, the more it desires to improve its economy.

Opioid cultivation is inexpensive, does not take up farmland on plains, can survive in the mountains, and the harvested poppies are a treasure trove.

It can be sold to pharmacies to make opium, and can also be used as a common medicine to quench thirst.

Nie Yu was familiar with the situation and couldn't be too harsh on him.

Because this was all the result of Qianlong's deliberate indulgence, Yongzheng issued an edict banning opium and tobacco. However, Qianlong lifted Yongzheng's opium ban in order to generate revenue and customs duties from opium.

How can I put it?

Although the "New Laws of the Great Han Dynasty" was very new, in order to adapt to the times and the people, it was mainly based on the "Laws of the Great Ming Dynasty" and the "Laws of the Great Qing Dynasty". Therefore, there was not a single sentence in it that mentioned the punishment of opium.

After pondering in his study all night, Nie Yu finally made his decision:
First, the cultivation of opium poppies was strictly regulated. No gentry, merchant, or commoner was permitted to cultivate opium poppies privately; violators would be executed, and their descendants would be barred from taking the imperial examinations or holding official positions for three generations. Those who had already cultivated opium poppies were ordered to destroy and bury the seedlings under official supervision within a specified period. The method of destruction was not burning; instead, the seedlings had to be naturally boiled with quicklime and salt water, as guided by the government. Afterward, any further cultivation of opium poppies required permission from the imperial court and the seal of the Prince of Han. Heavy taxes were levied on opium poppy cultivation to ensure it was unprofitable.

Secondly, all opium-based medicines could only be sold by government-run pharmacies; private pharmacies wishing to sell opium needed to apply for a license. The purchase time, price, and source of all opium-based medicines had to be recorded in the books, which were periodically audited by the government. Violations, including the illegal sale of opium, would result in the ineligibility of the seller's family for three generations to participate in the imperial examinations or attend school.

Third, those who have already used opium or poppy drugs should be immediately imprisoned for drug rehabilitation. Officials should be temporarily dismissed from their posts, and after rehabilitation, they should be demoted one rank but retained in their positions. If they relapse, they should be dismissed from their posts, and their descendants for three generations should be barred from taking the imperial examinations or holding official positions.

In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary; Nie Yu has really gone all out this time.

If we don't take drastic measures, these gentry and officials probably won't understand the dangers of opium at all. If they don't understand the dangers of opium, the common people naturally won't understand either.

Nie Yu had considered completely banning opium poppies, but that was clearly impossible. Opium was not a good thing, but opium poppies were useful.

This stuff was originally intended for medicinal use, just like Viagra is actually a heart medication, until the doctors who developed Viagra discovered its strange side effects.

Poppies aren't that outrageous, but medicine relies on them just as much. Cough syrups used in rural areas in the past, as well as the most commonly used anesthetics and sedatives in modern clinical medicine, are all derived from poppies.

The very night Wang Qiaosheng was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail, before any torture could even begin, he confessed everything about his drug sources, when he used the drugs, and how long he had been using them. It wasn't that he was spineless; rather, his addiction had kicked in.

The Ministry of Justice official in charge of the interrogation was terrified by Wang Qiaosheng's reaction. He thought the guy had suffered some kind of sudden illness. He called a doctor in to examine him, but the doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong and could only report to the Prince of Han.

Nie Yu received the report just as he was meeting with the cabinet ministers for a discussion.

Nie Yu, holding the report, said, "Weren't you wondering why I suddenly banned opium? Well, there's a case here right now. You can go to the Ministry of Justice prison and see for yourselves."

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. Soon, they were taken by guards to the Ministry of Justice's prison, where Wang Qiaosheng was placed in a single cell.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"I feel so awful, please, just let me take one puff! Just one puff, I'll give you money. I'll give you money!"

Before anyone even went inside, they heard ghostly wails and howls coming from within.

Minister of Justice Dai Yi, thinking the officials inside were trying to extract a confession through torture, strode in to stop them.

Upon entering, they discovered that the officials handling the case were talking to the doctor. When they saw Dai Yi, their superior, and several other high-ranking officials from the cabinet, they quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"Greetings, Minister Dai! And also the Grand Secretary and other ministers."

"What's going on?" Dai Yi asked directly.

The presiding official frowned and said, "I don't know. There's clearly no illness acting up, but this person is in great pain, even resorting to self-harm to alleviate the suffering. His Majesty said that this is a symptom of opium addiction, and the doctor just told me that the Compendium of Materia Medica seems to have a record of this."

The crowd looked at each other, then looked into the cell. The once well-off Wang Qiaosheng was now completely unrecognizable, disheveled and huddled in a corner of the cell, his body covered in filthy straw.

Liu Jun frowned, wanting to go up and take a closer look, but Wang Qiaosheng seemed to have heard something and suddenly got up from the ground, rushing up like a ferocious demon, drooling as he shouted, "Quick, quick, give it to me, give it to me, give me the cigarette, let me take a puff, I have silver, I'll give you silver!"

"Bang! Bang!"

While shouting, the guy kept banging his head against the prison door, even when his head was bleeding, he didn't feel any pain.

Liu Jun took a few steps back in horror. He finally understood why the king wanted to ban poppies.

Dai Yi went on to say, "Poppy opium is truly a harmful and evil substance that kills people invisibly."

Before long, the cabinet took the initiative to arrange for senior officials from the seven ministries, the one academy, and the two governorates to come to the prison one by one to observe what opioid addiction was.

The day after he finished reading it, the cabinet officially signed the imperial edict order from the King of Han, and the various departments no longer had any obstacles or doubts.

All officials of the Censorate were mobilized to conduct an internal self-examination to see if they had used opium tobacco.

After that, they checked all the officials.

Anyone who uses opium, regardless of the reason, should be arrested.

The arrests weren't carried out by government officials; instead, the army was mobilized directly. All the troops stationed in Hubei and Hunan provinces have been deployed.

The investigation, which lasted only half a month, has already yielded shocking results.

Leaving aside the two provinces of Huguang, even in Jingzhou Prefecture, right under the emperor's nose, there were nearly a hundred officials and gentry who had experience with opium use, including officials at the level of the seven central ministries.

One of Luo Dian's grandsons, however, did not believe that he had become addicted to opium.

According to his confession, his opium came from merchants in coastal Fujian, who claimed it was some kind of miraculous drug from overseas that could enhance physical strength and virility.

After reading the report, Nie Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

Although more than half of these nearly one hundred drug addicts were scholars, and a third of them had moved from other prefectures in the last two years, most of them were sons of wealthy merchant families.

This still shocked and frightened Nie Yu. At the same time, he was glad that he discovered it early. Otherwise, in a few years, this thing would probably have been presented to him, the King of Han, as a local tribute.

Of course, it is already a bit too late. As an inland province, Hubei and Hunan have already been infected with opium. So what about the southwest and Fujian and Guangdong, which are the main areas of transmission?
Fortunately, the Han army was a new type of army established by Nie Yu, and they had neither spare money nor time to smoke opium. The local militia were all civilians, and they only had enough to eat for a few years, so they had no surplus food to smoke opium.

Currently, opium can only be spread among merchants, literati, officials, and the Eight Banners masters under the puppet Qing dynasty.

Yes, there must have been opium addicts among the Eight Banners, otherwise Emperor Jiaqing would not have specifically emphasized the punishment for officials, soldiers, and eunuchs who used opium in the ban.

Only opium poppies had become a threat to the Jiaqing Emperor. Even the Eight Banners nobles were using opium, and the practice had spread to the army and the palace, shaking the very foundations of the Qing dynasty's rule.

(End of this chapter)