Qing Yao

Chapter 103 You dare to take advantage of Teacher Zhao!
Loyal to the Emperor, loyal to the Qing Dynasty!

The "main theme" college entrance examination preparation ceremony at Yangzhou Prefectural School left a very deep impression on all the adults who attended the ceremony.

You may not be able to read the books, but loyalty must be in your heart. This is so well said, so very well said.

If it weren't for the time constraints, Zhao An would have definitely organized a symposium on the founding history of the Qing Dynasty, inviting a group of adults and students to talk face-to-face about how the Qing Dynasty rose to power and unified the country, and how the current Emperor Qianlong created this prosperous era, providing students with such excellent study conditions.

When discussing Yangzhou, the focus should be on the impact of the old master's six tours of Jiangnan on Yangzhou's economy and people's livelihood. As for the discordant aspects of the ten-day tour, let's not talk about them, as it's easy to make mistakes.

Zhao An was also considering whether to offer ideological education courses. As a professor at the prefectural school, the best way to achieve political success was to significantly increase the students' exam pass rate and become the leader in the province's imperial examinations.

Don't you see how quickly the professors in the prefectural schools of Jiangnan are promoted?

However, this is quite difficult and will take a considerable amount of time.

Unless Zhao An can get his hands on the provincial examination papers in advance, even if he adopts the Hengshui High School model from later generations, it will take at least two or three years to see results.

Two or three years is too long and not conducive to Zhao An's rapid growth.

Because the old man only has nine years left before he passes away.

Within these nine years, I must elevate my status to a level that is secure, at least to the rank of a regional governor, otherwise my fate will be very grim.

Jiaqing, that bastard, had no shortage of support from his godfather's men.

If you can't create miracles and achieve great success within your own business scope, then you can only resort to crooked and unethical methods.

What did the old man like most in his later years?
It all comes down to loyalty!
For the sake of loyalty, many ministers appointed by Emperor Jiaqing were dismissed by the old master, including even his son's teacher.

This shows just how important the word "loyalty" is.

Since the old master liked those who were loyal to him, Zhao An naturally had to promote the word "loyalty" in a high-profile manner and portray himself as the most loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty.

No matter what others say about him being shameless or awkward, it doesn't matter. As long as the old man is happy, that's all that matters!
Anyway, he didn't come from a legitimate background. If he didn't do it this way, how else could he get into prison through donation?
Moreover, because of the matter of the fine for crimes, he had become a "common enemy" of the Qing Dynasty's officialdom.

It is conservatively estimated that 70-80% of officials below the third or fourth rank hate him to the core, and the grassroots officials are no better to Professor Zhao.

Therefore, we must take shortcuts with even greater fanfare.

What's the difference between someone who doesn't take the shortcut and someone who's a fool who insists on suffering when there's no hardship?
He observed the officials' reactions as well. Regardless of what these adults thought, at least one of them dared not say that the prefectural school's advocacy of loyalty was wrong.

Even the prefect, a descendant of a virtuous minister, had nothing to say.

If scholars are not loyal to the emperor or the Qing Dynasty, to whom are they loyal?
This is the effect you want.

By raising the banner of loyalty and singing praises of loving the Qing Dynasty, he firmly occupies the political and public opinion high ground. Even if Zhao An's misdeeds are exposed now, he can probably still keep his official position.

Embezzlement is not a problem, forgery is not a problem, what matters is loyalty!

If He Zhongtang were disloyal, would the old master have allowed him to make money so recklessly?

If Zhao An doesn't make good use of such a simple principle, he won't be able to survive in officialdom.

Teacher Lou poured cold water on Zhao An's smugness: "What are you doing doing this kind of thing, someone who donated his way into the academy? Do you think these people can petition the court on your behalf?"

The implication was that he had long seen through Zhao An's true intentions and knew that Zhao An was creating a "persona" so that he could appear in the official gazette again and, if he was lucky, get promoted five ranks.

Unfortunately, all your efforts were in vain, because you have no vested interests with these officials. They're just bored and have nothing better to do than promote you.

These days, which official would do something that doesn't bring them any benefits?

Moreover, these officials, including that third-rank official, didn't even have the authority to submit memorials to the emperor.

Zhao An's understanding of this is that he has the news material, but there's nowhere to publish it.

If there's nowhere to publish it, nobody will know, so what's the point of doing it?

The facts are indeed the facts, but Zhao An doesn't expect these officials to help him build momentum; he already has someone in mind.

He was the provincial education commissioner.

"What I have done is not the scheming that Lord Lou thinks it is, but my true thoughts. Without the Emperor, there would be no professor like me. No one is more loyal to the Emperor or loves the Qing Dynasty more than I am."
So, Lord Lou, please don't hold any prejudice against me. It would be best if you, the Imperial Academy student, could come within a month of the prefectural examination ending at the latest; otherwise, hmph…

After saying this to Teacher Lou, Zhao An warmly invited all the adults to take a walk around the academy and have a look around.

When it's lunchtime, I'll naturally treat you gentlemen to a working lunch.

The location was Siwangting, only a short distance from Slender West Lake, and the owner was Huang Tiren, who had given Principal Zhao two hundred taels of silver as a tribute.

Looking east from the Siwangting Pavilion, you can see a cluster of three-story buildings built along the lake, which is the famous Mingyufang in Yangzhou.

In this place full of life, every day at dusk, the courtyards of every household are filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments and laughter, interspersed with games of guessing games, singing and drinking, truly a scene of peace and prosperity.

It was similar to the Eight Great Hutongs of Beijing. The official sedan chairs of the officials arrived at Siwangting one after another; no one failed to come, as this was the custom in officialdom.

Breaking the rules is bad.

When the prefect got out of his sedan chair and saw that he was dining in such a high-class restaurant, he only frowned slightly, but there was no reason for him not to go in.

Zhao An was the last to arrive, because he was in a three-person sedan chair, which was slower than a four-person sedan chair.

After stepping down from the sedan chair as if he had been released from prison, Zhao An casually called over Instructor Tong, who had followed him, and asked him in a low voice, "When I came over just now, I saw quite a few young women standing at the alley entrance. What are they doing?"

Instructor Tong immediately understood and lowered his voice as well, saying, "Sir, you may not know this, but those are all rejected young women who have nowhere to go. They have to put on makeup and dress up seductively to go out into the alleys and wander around in front of teahouses and taverns to make a living."

"Oh, a streetwalker."

Zhao An suddenly realized, "I'm familiar with this."

They were familiar not only with the streetwalkers, but also with the "skinny horses" (women who are thin and weak).

The term "slender horse" was a product of the distorted entertainment industry in Yangzhou. Because the area was full of salt merchants, who were extremely wealthy, the term "slender horse" arose around this group of salt merchants.

The girls chosen as "thin horses" were quite pitiful. They had to starve themselves from a young age to develop a thin body. In addition, they had to have "three-inch golden lotuses" (bound feet), and normal feet were absolutely not allowed.

Those who were lucky enjoyed wealth and luxury before their beauty faded, while those who were unlucky were beaten to death by the wives of wealthy families, thrown into wells, or even reduced to prostitutes.

When Zhao An came over just now, many of the women he saw at the alley entrance were rejected "thin horses" (women who had failed to be selected for the imperial examinations).

The fate of this group is tragic, and Zhao An deeply sympathizes with them, but he is powerless to change it. He can only sigh and ask Instructor Tong, "Do you know how much a 'thin horse' costs?"

"What, does an adult also want to buy a foot warmer?"

Tong Xundao's eyes changed; they became somewhat lewd.

Zhao An was naturally displeased upon seeing this, and immediately put on a stern face and snorted, "Nonsense, do I look like that kind of person? How much is one?"

"I've heard that a first-class lean horse costs over 1,500 taels, a second-class one costs 1,000 taels, and a third-class one costs several hundred taels. If you wish to buy one, I'll inquire about it for you later."

Instructor Tong was a local bigwig in Yangzhou and also served as an educational official, so he naturally knew the ropes and had connections in this area.

Throughout history, teachers have always been very gossipy about the sex industry and are frequent visitors to it.

Zhao An simply said "Oh" without saying anything else. He was genuinely just asking, because he disliked women with bound feet and would never spend money to buy a skinny woman to use as a decorative vase.

Given his current situation, the more women he has, the less safe he becomes.

Looking up at the restaurant's signboard, I was surprised to find that the name was written by Zheng Banqiao. I couldn't help but find it interesting, as if I had met a famous person.

As he stepped into the shop with his hands behind his back and was about to go upstairs, the Salt Commissioner Zheng, who was drinking tea in the hall, stood up and nodded to him.

"Why doesn't Lord Zheng go up and sit down?"

Zhao An went over to greet him and was about to invite Lord Zheng upstairs when Lord Zheng smiled and shook his head, looked around, and whispered, "Lord Zhao, may I have a word with you in private?"

"Let's talk privately" usually means that there is something important to discuss that is not convenient for outsiders to hear.

He hadn't even started his own private salt business yet, so what important things could this salt inspector possibly have to tell him?

Filled with curiosity, Zhao An followed Lord Zheng into an empty private room below the main hall. After they sat down, Lord Zheng looked at Zhao An with admiration: "The oath you led the students to take at the academy today was excellent. We scholars should prioritize loyalty to the Emperor. What use is all the studying if we are not loyal to the Emperor and the court? The motto 'To enter the Wenhua Hall in life and the Ziguang Pavilion in death' is also commendable. It is truly admirable that you have such good intentions, Lord Zhao."

He praised Zhao An at length, making Zhao An feel a little embarrassed.

Just when he thought the other party was simply praising him, the other party unexpectedly changed the subject and said mysteriously, "Lord Zhao, you've gone to so much trouble, do you think it's just so that we Yangzhou officials can praise you a little?"

"This"

Zhao An was at a loss for words, but the person opposite him smiled slightly and asked, "Does Lord Zhao want the Emperor to know about today's events?"

Ok?
Upon hearing this, Zhao An almost blurted out "I want to," but stopped himself, feigning confusion: "What does Lord Zheng mean?"

“Lord Zhao is a smart man and should understand what I mean. If Lord Zhao is willing to pay ten thousand taels, I can help you with this favor.”

After saying that, Zheng Bowen added with no small amount of confidence, "I have no right to submit a memorial directly to the Emperor, but I can hand this memorial over to someone who can speak with the Emperor. So, Lord Zhao, you have definitely spent the 10,000 taels of silver."

"."

No way, you want me to write a document for ten thousand taels of silver? Are you crazy?!

I've saved up for more than half a year and I've only managed to save 10,000 taels!
This is no ordinary trap; it's a trap with a devastating impact, one that can kill.

Zhao An was bewildered, but more than that, he doubted whether the salt inspector opposite him could actually get the job done for him.

(End of this chapter)