Abstract: In the reign of Emperor Qianlong,corruption was the order of the day,and severe measures were adopted to punish corrupted officials.The case of Huang Mei(who was magistrate of Pingyang County,Zhejiang Province) was not so complicated but underwent complexed processes.While handling this case,Cao Wenzhi,Minister of the Board of Revenue,and Dou Guangnai,Educational Administrator of Zhejiang Province,vied with each other in making advantage of public opinion to add to their political weight,and molded varied copies of popular will.The case was finally closed,but the complexed process itself showed that there existed proper soil for the spread of corruption and that the function of corruption-punishing mechanism of Emperor Qianlong was rather limited.

Key words: The reign of Emperor Qianlong, Huang Mei Case, public opinion, mold