Qing Yao

Chapter 112 Granting a Scholar-Official Status

"Father,"

Kneeling on the ground, Yongyan was so frightened by his father's appearance that he couldn't speak, and his body was visibly trembling.

"Father, please calm down! How could my fifteenth brother dare to be disloyal and unfilial to you!"

The eleventh prince, Yongxing, immediately knelt down, looking terrified. Whether he truly felt this way, outsiders could not know.

"Your Highness, please calm down. Don't frighten Prince Jia."

Having successfully provoked the old master's anger, Heshen now plays the good guy.

"He is unfilial! I told him to go see Yonglian, why didn't he go? What do you mean by 'a younger brother paying respects to his elder brother is against etiquette'? What's wrong with me telling him to pay respects to his own elder brother!"

The octogenarian grandfather has a temper like a child, which can flare up at any moment; he's practically ready to pluck his beard and blow his whiskers.

"My lord, please have a bowl of tea to calm down, and let me say a few words to Prince Jia."

After serving the imperial tea to the old master, Heshen quickly turned to the frightened Fifteenth Prince and said, “Prince Jia, this is not right of you. Crown Prince Duanhui was secretly established as the crown prince by the emperor in his early years. This is a matter of official status and is known throughout the world. Therefore, Prince Jia, you are not paying respects to your elder brother as a younger brother, but as a subject paying respects to the emperor. This is in accordance with the proper etiquette. How could you be so confused, Prince Jia? Quickly apologize to the emperor.”

"Yes, yes, Heshen is right. That's exactly what I meant. A subject should pay homage to his ruler, not a younger brother to his elder brother."

The old man looked pleased that Heshen still understood him, but when he saw Yongyan, who clearly didn't understand what he meant, he couldn't help but feel annoyed again.

"Your subject, your subject,"

Just as Yongyan, who had somewhat recovered his senses, was about to apologize to his father, his eleventh brother Yongxing spoke up, saying, "Father, I am willing to go and pay respects to our eldest brother on behalf of my fifteenth brother!"

Unexpectedly, the old master glanced at Yongxing and grunted, "I sent Yongyan, not you. What are you doing getting involved?"

Yongxing's straight back bent down again as he spoke.

Heshen, who was standing to the side, frowned as well, feeling that something was amiss. He couldn't understand why his master insisted on having the Fifteenth Prince pay respects to Yonglian, the Crown Prince who had been dead for over fifty years.

After scolding the eleventh prince, the old man looked at the fifteenth prince. Although he didn't lash out again, he was still fuming. "I'm not senile yet, and you're already disobeying me! If I really become senile, will you, Prince Jia, even despise me?"

"Father, I dare not, I dare not!"

Not being good with words, Yongyan didn't know how to appease his father, so he could only kowtow three times, the sound of which made even Heshen feel sorry for him.

"alright,"

Perhaps it was Yongyan's honest appearance that softened the old man's heart as a loving father. He put down his teacup, slowly raised his right hand, and waved it, saying, "If you dare not, go and see your elder brother for me tomorrow."

"Yes, Father Emperor."

Yongyan agreed, but dared not get up.

Heshen glanced at the old master and said to the two princes, "Prince Cheng and Prince Jia, the master has asked you to rise."

The old man didn't say a word.

Silence means consent. Yongxing and Yongyan then both stood up, the former standing respectfully beside their father, while the latter remained standing still.

After calming down for a while, the old man looked up and asked Heshen, "Sun Shiyi wrote to me saying that Zhu Gui is qualified to be the governor of Sichuan. What do you think?"
Heshen hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Zhu Gui's writing is excellent. He has served as the provincial governor in Fujian and Shanxi before, so he is familiar with local affairs. However, he has no experience as the governor of a province. Moreover, the court will be using troops in the snowy areas next year, and the governor of Sichuan has a very heavy responsibility. I am afraid that Zhu Gui may not be able to handle this position."

Yongxing did not react to these words, but Yongyan, who was standing there with his head down, subconsciously raised his eyebrows and then snorted inwardly, knowing that Heshen was preventing his teacher from becoming a regional governor.

Thinking about how he had been scolded by his father for no reason and accused of being disloyal and unfilial as a son, Yongyan felt even more aggrieved.

This feeling of injustice naturally brought to mind the seventh-rank official whom the emperor had said was inferior to him.

What's your name?

Yes, Zhao Youlu!
You bastard, you think you're so loyal?
Zhao An, who was serving as an assistant examiner in Yangzhou, was completely unaware that he had ended up on the blacklist of Emperor Jiaqing, whom he wanted to curry favor with, and that it was Heshen who had put him on the list by mistake. If he had known, he would probably have been both amused and exasperated.

The old master listened to Heshen the most. When Heshen objected, he said, "Then let Li Shijie continue to serve as the Governor-General of Sichuan. He was meritorious in pacifying Jinchuan in his early years and is a capable person. With him behind us, Fukang'an and the others can have no worries."

After saying this, he probably thought that Zhu Gui had been serving in Beijing since the forty-first year of Qianlong's reign as Yongyan's teacher, and after more than ten years, it was indeed time for him to be released and given some experience so that he could better assist the new emperor in the future.

He then asked Heshen for his opinion.

Seeing that his master had unexpectedly decided to let Zhu Gui gain experience, Heshen could not object. He said, "The governor of Anhui, He Yucheng, came to the capital to celebrate the 80th birthday on the orders of the master, but he died of illness on the way. Now the position of governor of Anhui is vacant. This servant thinks that Zhu Gui can go to Anhui to take up the post of governor."

"Alright,"

The old man nodded with pleasure, "Have the Grand Council draft an imperial edict to send Zhu Gui to Anhui."

After speaking, he glanced indifferently at the fifteenth prince, who was bowing his head and looking guilty, and then looked at his stingy son, the eleventh prince, standing beside him. He couldn't help but sigh, "In my fifty-five years on the throne, I have seen countless loyal ministers and filial sons, but this is the first time I have seen someone who regards loyalty to me and the Qing Dynasty as the primary principle of official education. The saying 'To enter the Wenhua Hall in life and the Ziguang Pavilion in death' is well said. Well, hmm, it is rare that a mere seventh-rank official has such feelings for me. What was his name again?"

Heshen hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, call him Zhao Youlu."

"Zhao Youlu?"

The old man felt the name was somewhat familiar, but he was getting old and didn't remember things very well, especially in the last two years.

Heshen quickly reminded him that this was the same person who had voluntarily paid 1,000 taels of silver as punishment and had been promoted five ranks by the old master.

"So it was him,"

The old man laughed, his age spots crinkling into a mound. "No wonder he can be said to enter the Wenhua Hall in life and the Ziguang Pavilion in death. Zhao Youlu's studies have not been in vain, nor has he failed my promotion. Heshen, have the Ministry of Rites write these ten characters on the gates of official schools throughout the country. From now on, all scholars of our Great Qing should take this as their aspiration. By the way, in which year did Zhao Youlu become a Jinshi? Have I met him before?"

"."

Heshen was stunned by the old master's question: "Master's amnesia is getting worse and worse. If this continues, one day I'm afraid even I won't be able to remember it."

After regaining his composure, he quickly replied, "Reporting to Master, Zhao Youlu was not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) through the proper channels, but rather obtained his degree through purchasing a degree from a prestigious institution."

"Born through donation to obtain a prison sentence?"

The old man was also taken aback for a moment, then said dismissively, "I think this person who donated to become an official is no worse than a scholar who passed the imperial examination. This year is my birthday, so I will make an exception and grant him the title of Jinshi."

(End of this chapter)