There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 204 The Imperial Envoy Arrives
The twelfth lunar month of winter.

The imperial envoy selected by the Qing court to negotiate peace with the Han rebels in Jingzhou, Hubei, has arrived at the Anqing Prefecture dock by boat.

The imperial envoys were divided into two positions: the chief envoy, Liu Yong, and the deputy envoy, Ji Xiaolan. One was a Han Chinese official, and the other was a member of the Han Eight Banners.

There was no other way; negotiating peace was simply too humiliating, and Emperor Qianlong didn't even dare to announce it himself, so he had to let his good son, Emperor Jiaqing, take the blame.

Naturally, the imperial envoys negotiating peace could only be Han officials and members of the Han Eight Banners; no Manchu official was willing to go.

Whether the peace talks succeed or not, this mess is definitely not going to be resolved, and it could very well ruin my future. Only a fool would bother with such a thankless and exhausting task.

"The Governor of Anhui, Zhu Gui, along with the Provincial Treasurer of Anhui, Chen Yongfu, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, Enming, the Provincial Education Commissioner, Dai Junyuan, and others, respectfully welcome the two Imperial Envoys!"

The Governor of Anhui, Zhu Gui, personally led officials from the three Anhui provincial departments to the dock to welcome the imperial envoy.

Liu Yong was very good at handling people. As soon as he disembarked, he hurriedly went to greet him: "Lord Nanya, please rise. We are just on a mission to Jingzhou on imperial orders and are only stopping briefly in Anqing. There is no need for such a grand welcome!"

Ji Xiaolan was a beat slow to react, or perhaps it was intentional: "Master Nanya, please get up quickly, don't make this junior feel uncomfortable."

Zhu Gui said, "The proper etiquette cannot be disregarded! Lord Liu and Lord Ji are imperial envoys, and it is only right that they do so, so as not to fail to show respect to His Majesty."

The three men exchanged pleasantries, with officials from the three departments below occasionally chiming in with appropriate comments. They showed no trace of integrity or incorruptibility as they entered Anqing City amidst their laughter and conversation.

With nothing to do that day, we went to the largest restaurant in the city to welcome them back and wash away the dust of their journey.

After the banquet, they rested for the night.

The next day, morning.

Zhu Gui, accompanied by officials from the Three Departments, was in the governor's office discussing with the two imperial commissioners, Liu Yong and Ji Xiaolan, how to negotiate peace and pacify the bandits of Huguang.

Liu Yong asked first, "The Han bandits in Huguang are very powerful and difficult to control. Just how difficult are they? Does Lord Nanya know any secrets or inside information?"

Zhu Gui stroked his beard and said, "As for any hidden secrets, I don't know them very clearly, but I do have some understanding of the people's conditions under the rule of the bandits in Huguang."

"Please, Master Nanya, do not hesitate to offer your guidance!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yong dared not be negligent. As the imperial envoy for peace negotiations, the most common news about the Han traitors that he had recently received was basically ancient history.

The rest were all military intelligence reports, about how many cities the Han traitors had captured, how many Qing troops they had wiped out, and which places had been "incited" by the Han traitors to rebel.

Zhu Gui said: "First of all, the reason why the Han bandits in Huguang were so powerful and difficult to control was that they were very good at winning over the hearts of the people, not the hearts of the gentry and the wealthy, but the hearts of the poor. The Han bandits gained the support of the people by dismantling the farmland of the gentry and the wealthy and distributing it to the people."

"Moreover, although the land of the gentry was mostly divided up by the Han bandits, the Han bandits did not exhaust the resources and still left them several hundred acres of land as their private land."

"Not only that, the Han bandits only distributed land to the gentry, without plundering their wealth, and even encouraged the sons of the gentry to serve as officials and clerks under the Han bandits' rule..."

“Wait a minute,” Ji Xiaolan suddenly interrupted, frowning as he asked, “To become an official? The Han traitors wanted the sons of gentry and scholars to become officials. Would the scholars under the rule of the Han traitors be willing to do that?”

Zhu Gui shook his head: "Lord Ji, you are unaware that under the rule of the Han traitors, only the talented are promoted. Even clerks can become officials. As long as they can achieve political achievements, they can be promoted for their merits. Many of the prefects and magistrates under the rule of the Han traitors started as low-ranking clerks and then rose through the ranks."

Ji Xiaolan and Liu Yong understood. If promotions were truly based solely on political achievements and merits, then the scholars under the rule of the Han traitors would naturally not object.

Moreover, allowing clerks to become officials is no longer a matter of meritocracy, but rather a heinous act.

Even if the Han traitors were truly willing to negotiate peace and be granted amnesty, the imperial court would certainly not let them go; the execution by slow slicing and the extermination of their entire clan would be a foregone conclusion.

Liu Yong nodded: "The Han traitor is a rebel after all, and it is normal for him to be so rebellious. Please continue, Lord Nanya."

Zhu Gui continued, “The Han traitors only divided the land of the gentry, without seizing their property. They also recruited the sons and scholars of the gentry to serve as officials and clerks, thus supplementing the talent pool under their rule. As a result, although the gentry were dissatisfied with the division of their land, the Han traitors allowed them to become officials. Even if they were still dissatisfied, they had no reason to vent their dissatisfaction.”

"The Han traitors also reformed the tax law, and this new tax law can only be described as ruthless. If the gentry are divided into different classes, the new tax law of the Han traitors is to suppress the big gentry, intimidate the middle gentry, and win over the small gentry and the poor people."

"The new tax law ensured that the Han traitors could obtain stable revenue and also successfully divided the gentry. Even if the big gentry were dissatisfied, it was only them who were dissatisfied. The interests of the middle gentry were not harmed, so they would not side with them. The small gentry benefited, even if not much, they still gained something, so they would naturally support the Han traitors."

Liu Yong's expression turned solemn: "Using this momentum to win over the hearts of the people, the Han traitors have no small ambitions!"

The Han traitors have lofty ambitions, so can their attempt to negotiate amnesty and peace succeed?

After all, this peace negotiation was not only a matter for the Qing Dynasty, but also related to the attitude of the Han traitors.

If the Han traitors are unwilling to negotiate peace, no matter how much they talk, they will likely find it difficult to persuade them, and may even risk their lives on this trip.

“There’s one more thing…” Zhu Gui hesitated. Liu Yong was somewhat puzzled: “Please speak freely, Lord Nanya.”

Zhu Gui carefully considered his words before saying, "I just received this news. This autumn, the traitor Han defied the world and ascended to the throne, establishing the Han dynasty."

Snapped!
Before Liu Yong could react, Ji Xiaolan, who was standing next to him, suddenly trembled in his hand, dropped the teacup, and it shattered on the ground, scattering hot water fragments all over the floor.

Anhui Provincial Governor Chen Yongfu quickly stood up and waved: "Someone, clean this place up and serve Imperial Envoy Ji a fresh cup of hot tea."

Soon, servants came up and swept away the shards, and then a beautiful maid brought over a cup of hot tea.

The maid's eyes were extremely alluring, but Ji Xiaolan, befitting an imperial envoy, kept his eyes straight ahead the entire time, appearing like a virtuous gentleman. Only when the maid turned to leave did he quickly glance at her waist.

Chen Yongfu keenly noticed these things and secretly planned to send the person to the notorious lecherous Lord Ji in the capital that night.

Liu Yong was still thinking about important matters when, as soon as the maid left, he immediately asked impatiently, "Lord Nanya, is it true that the Han traitor has already declared himself king?"

It wasn't that he didn't trust Zhu Gui, but rather that this matter was far too significant. They had come to negotiate peace with the Han traitors, and Qianlong had even tacitly agreed to a bottom line for the peace negotiations: that the Han traitors could be granted a title of king.

But a promise is just a promise; it doesn't mean it has to be fulfilled. But the current situation is that the Han traitors still want their promise of being made kings.
They simply gave themselves the title of "King".

How can they negotiate peace now?

Zhu Gui did not answer, but instead reached into his sleeve and took out a notice: "This notice was brought back from the Han traitor's territory by a merchant at great expense. You two should take a look first!"

Zhu Gui handed over the notice, and Liu Yong took it and glanced at the contents. The contents specified the exact time and place when the Han traitor declared himself king, as well as the rewards for officials, the establishment of the Six Ministries of the Cabinet, and various government offices.

Liu Yong initially thought Zhu Gui was explaining to him that the Han traitor had indeed declared himself king, but when his gaze shifted slightly downwards, he saw something at the very end that he could hardly believe.

"If you receive orders from Heaven, you will live forever!"

Liu Yong unconsciously recited the characters in the square seal at the end.

Ji Xiaolan, who was standing next to him, was still a little confused. He glanced over and his eyes widened instantly.

"This...this is..."

Ji Xiaolan was almost dumbfounded. He couldn't possibly mistake that large seal; it was definitely the Imperial Seal of the State.

Have the traitors of the Han Dynasty become so audacious?
The imperial seal, a symbol of imperial power, was being counterfeited. Did the artisans under the rule of the Han traitors not know that counterfeiting the imperial seal was tantamount to treason?

No, the Han traitors are already rebelling. If they lose, they will be executed by slow slicing and their entire clan will be exterminated. That's not surprising!

Zhu Gui solemnly said, "Lord Liu, just as the seal on this proclamation indicates, there are still Han traitors who dare to defy the world and proclaim themselves King of Han. This attempt to appease them is practically impossible. Even if the Han traitors are willing to appease them, it must be a malicious deception."

“What Master Nanya said is true.”

Liu Yong nodded. In fact, when he heard Zhu Gui mention that the Han traitor had declared himself king, he had already changed his original intention to appease him and decided that once he arrived in Jingzhou, he would not agree to any demands made by the Han traitor.

Having learned these important pieces of information, Liu Yong did not bother Zhu Gui any further and returned to the temporary accommodations arranged for them to rest.

Liu Yong also took the notice back and studied it repeatedly with Ji Xiaolan all night. They finally determined that the seal on it was a replica of the imperial seal, made to the exact same specifications. The craftsmanship of the seal alone was undoubtedly the work of a master craftsman, and a master carver who was incredibly audacious.

Because the information they received differed so greatly from what they had gathered beforehand, it even affected the outcome of the pacification campaign. Liu Yong and Ji Xiaolan dared not linger in Anqing any longer, and after resting for a day, they took a boat and traveled along the river to Hubei.

They did not disembark or stop when passing through Jiujiang Prefecture, but only asked the Jiujiang prefect who was there to greet them to provide them with some food and water.

After drifting on the river for nearly three days, Liu Yong and Ji Xiaolan's imperial envoys finally arrived in Hubei. The two disembarked in Huangzhou and met with Huiling, the governor of Hubei, reading the edict of the retired emperor to him.

The imperial edict severely reprimanded Huiling, but after the reprimand, it ordered Huiling to continue to atone for his crimes by recruiting soldiers in Huangzhou to guard against the Han traitors and prevent them from invading Jiangnan through the Yangtze River.

There was no other way. If E Hui were still alive, Hui Ling would definitely have been taken to Beijing in a prison cart. He had done too many shady things. Even if Emperor Qianlong was concerned about the Manchu and Mongol alliance, he would not have let him off the hook.

Unfortunately, E Hui was already dead. To save the overall situation, Emperor Qianlong had no choice but to sacrifice the dead and protect the living first.

Otherwise, if Huiling is punished, what will happen to the officials of Wuchang Prefecture who fled earlier?
Even if we don't deal with them for the time being, these people will definitely overthink things. If this leads to the loss of Huangzhou Prefecture, then the matter will be much bigger.

However, since Wuchang and Hanyang are gone, someone still has to take the blame.

No sooner had the imperial envoys Liu Yong and Ji Xiaolan departed by boat than Chen Wangzhi, the Hubei Provincial Treasurer who had already gone mad, was put on a fast boat and escorted to Beijing.

(End of this chapter)