Qing Yao

Chapter 137 Lord Zhao, congratulations on your promotion!
Zhao An never expected that Hu Gaowang, the Provincial Education Commissioner, would later become the teacher of the Jiaqing Emperor. It was truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple!
Although he was promoted by the old master, he was still on Prince Jia's side at heart.

Who could blame them when Prince Jia's name was placed behind the plaque that read "Upright and Honorable"?

There's no way to find a ladder to climb up and change the name.

Theoretically, it was impossible to implement, because Jiaqing was the one whose throne was passed down to him by his grandfather before his death, not the one chosen by the ministers after his death.

If the ministers had discussed it together, perhaps the decision could have been changed on the spot.

Since Jiaqing was already the inevitable heir to the creditor's estate, Zhao An had always wanted to help Jiaqing get rid of Heshen in the future and settle his debts as well.

Who would have thought that before Jiaqing's leg hair could even be seen, his elementary school teacher had already made him look like this.

It's a miscarriage of justice, a true injustice.

"Do you have any connections or people who can help you? If so, I will try my best to contact and arrange things for you."

Teacher Lou felt even more bitter than Zhao An. He was just a staff member in the Education Bureau who enjoyed the treatment of a seventh-rank official. He had no real power, let alone the ability to influence the second-rank Education Commissioner.

Moreover, the memorial impeaching Zhao An had already been sent out, so there was truly nothing more that could be done.

He couldn't very well ask his mentor, Sun Yat-sen, for help with Zhao An's mess.

If it were any other situation, Teacher Lou might have shamelessly written a letter, but Zhao An's bribery was a fact, and the evidence was undeniable. How could he possibly bring himself to tell Sun Yat-sen?

The thought that Zhao An would most likely lose his official position made him feel even more bitter than gall.

"I've already sent people to make arrangements, Lord Lou. Don't worry, even if I lose my position, I'll find a way to return your 100,000 taels."

Zhao An felt sorry for Teacher Lou, whom he had "kidnapped," so he didn't make things difficult for him. He only asked the other party to help him clear out the cell, change his chamber pot to a clean one, and bring him some toilet paper.

The rest is not important to Zhao An at the moment.

As long as we don't starve to death, that's fine.

No matter how corrupt Jiangyin County was, it wouldn't dare let a scholar awaiting trial die in its prison.

As an academic official, Teacher Lou was certainly capable of handling these matters. He immediately informed the prison as requested by Zhao An, and soon a jailer came to take care of it for Zhao An, even bringing over a new quilt.

Trapped in prison, Zhao An could do nothing but wait for news, each day feeling like an eternity.

The local education authorities were also waiting for news, for the emperor's reply regarding the memorial.

Although Zhao An was a seventh-rank academic official, his personnel file was jointly managed by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites. Master Hu could temporarily control him by virtue of his power as an imperial envoy, but in theory, Zhao An was still a professor at Yangzhou Prefectural School as long as the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites did not issue any official "documents".

This means that Zhao An is currently only being held in a detention center and will only be transferred to prison after he is sentenced.

The case is now in the stage of being transferred to the court for judgment.

In the Qing Dynasty, the proper term for this was "listening to the audience" or "waiting for the audience".

There was much discussion within the education administration about Zhao An's actions. Many officials believed that the old master was using "Zhao Youlu" to rectify the atmosphere of Jiangsu's "education sector" and ensure that the fundamental national undertaking of the imperial examinations would not be "polluted" by any external factors.

However, some officials saw that the old master's actions were risky.

As everyone knows, Zhao Youlu was a lucky guy who was promoted by the emperor and specially granted the title of Tongjinshi. He was arrested by the old master for bribery just a few days after becoming Tongjinshi. What would the emperor think?
Who doesn't hate Zhao Youlu?
If it weren't for Zhao Youlu, would everyone have been so passive in the matter of negotiating the fine for crimes?

But who would dare to touch Zhao Youlu at this critical juncture?

Haven't you seen Heshen amassed a fortune through the "negotiation of punishment money"? By taking action against Zhao Youlu, who set a good example with this practice, isn't that a slap in the face to Heshen?

He Zhongtang's words carried more weight with the Emperor than those of a prince!

Only a master like him would have the courage to do this; other academic officials, or even governors and viceroys, might not have dared to do it.

Therefore, most officials believed that the emperor's handling of this matter should be fifty-fifty.

The old master might end up shooting himself in the foot.

What outsiders can think of, family members will naturally think of as well.

The "elder brother" who led Zhao An to the Imperial Academy that day was actually Hu Bingwang, the grand-nephew of the old master. He was also worried about reminding his uncle, the emperor, of a possible overreaction.

The great-uncle remained unmoved, not even uttering a single word about Zhao Youlu to his grand-nephew. He simply stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing thoughtfully northward.

A month ago, a student from the north sent him a letter, asking his master to help him vent his anger.

This student studied the Five Classics with him from the age of seven to thirteen until the thirty-ninth year of Qianlong's reign, when he was ordered to oversee the Hubei Academy, and the students were then taught by Zhu Gui, a lecturer, and Xie Yong, the vice minister of the Ministry of Works.

This student is none other than the former Fifteenth Prince, now Prince Jia.

As the prince's first teacher, Hu Gaowang had no reason to refuse his student's request. Besides, this Zhao Youlu was truly outrageous, turning the prefectural school in Yangzhou into a marketplace.

Treating reading as a business transaction—isn't that a disaster for the country?

Dealing with Zhao Youlu was a matter of responsibility to the country, and also a matter of personal support for Prince Jia, a student.

As Prince Jia's tutor, Hu Gaowang was naturally part of the Fifteenth Prince's faction, leaving him with no choice. The Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office was located in Suzhou, and in theory, a definite letter should arrive within three or four days. However, seven or eight days passed without anyone from the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office arriving, which made Zhao An uneasy. He vaguely felt that the Provincial Judicial Commissioner who had benefited greatly from him might have "abandoned" him.

The possibility is great.

The Provincial Judge was a third-rank official, while the Jiangsu Provincial Education Commissioner was a second-rank official. It was unreasonable for a third-rank official to compete with a second-rank official, especially since they were from completely different systems. The Provincial Judge didn't know how to intervene, so his decision to ignore the matter was understandable.

In officialdom, what matters is real interests. Past relationships may exist, but if you put the person involved in a difficult position, then those past relationships will vanish like smoke in the past.

Instructor Tong went to Yangzhou to find Manager Shi, and then Manager Shi sent someone to the capital. The round trip would take at least twenty days. If something unexpected happened along the way, it could take a month or two.

Zhao An, who adapted to the environment, knew that it was useless to overthink all day, so he simply stayed quietly in prison.

As time went on, something felt off. It was already the end of November and there was still no news. Old Ding and the others hadn't come to see him, and Teacher Lou seemed to have disappeared.

It was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and there were only twenty-two days left until the New Year. The Jiangyin prison was so cold that it made people shiver. If Zhao An hadn't been so strong, he probably would have fallen seriously ill.

That day, Zhao An sat alone on the ground as usual, staring blankly at the vent above his head. His braids had long since become matted due to neglect, and the smell was extremely unpleasant, so strong that it pungented the top of one's head.

The faint sound of firecrackers could be heard outside; judging by the date, today seems to be the Laba Festival.

Thinking back to how Old Ding had originally planned to have his eldest granddaughter marry into the family on the 26th of last month, but the groom was now stuck in this hellish place, Zhao An couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.

It's not that Lao Ding didn't come to see him, because he was a local official, and both the Ming and Qing dynasties stipulated that local officials were not allowed to leave the county town except for important matters.

So how could Lao Ding possibly have come all the way to Jiangyin to see him?

Even if you can't come in person, sending a relative will do.

I'm your future grandson-in-law!
I have no idea what Lao Ding is doing.

Zhao Anxin thought that if he could get out, Old Ding would try to find ways to help him out. But if he didn't do anything, then he shouldn't blame Old Ding for ruthlessly tormenting his eldest granddaughter on their wedding night.

Thinking of this, I subconsciously glanced down and swallowed hard for no reason.

It's freezing cold, and the little birds are freezing too, but they have nowhere to warm themselves. Sigh.

He sighed, scratched his head, which was a little itchy, probably because there were quite a few lice and fleas in the prison who had made their home on his head.

As I scratched, I felt like I had pinched something, so I quickly squeezed harder, and then I heard a faint "snap" sound above my head, which sounded particularly crisp and was very relaxing.

A quick scratch with my fingernail revealed a well-fed flea.

He flicked it casually, like flicking a cigarette butt, but suddenly footsteps came from afar.

Zhao An didn't pay attention; the jailers often wandered around the cells aimlessly.

But as they listened, something seemed off, because the footsteps were getting closer and closer, and they didn't sound like just one person's footsteps, but rather the footsteps of several people.

Puzzled, he turned around and looked out of the cell. There was a seventh-rank official he didn't recognize, two men who looked like clerks, and a jailer that Zhao An had seen before.

"What are you waiting for? Open the door!"

The one who came was Mao Danian, the magistrate of Jiangyin County. After signaling the jailer to open the cell door, this magistrate, who had not appeared since Zhao An was imprisoned, did not mind the filth and stench of the cell at all. He went directly to Zhao An, who was sitting there, and knelt down with a flick of his sleeve: "Your humble servant Mao Danian greets Commissioner Zhao!"

Upon seeing this, the clerk and jailer outside the prison also knelt down.

"."

Zhao An was a little confused by this situation, and after a while asked Magistrate Mao, "What did you call me just now?"

"Lord Zhao, you may not know this, but I have just received news from the capital that His Majesty has promoted you to be the Inspector of Education in Jiangsu! Congratulations, Commissioner Zhao!"

Magistrate Mao's smile was as radiant as spring flowers.

"What committee member?"

Zhao An was still completely bewildered: Did the Qing Dynasty have such an official position?
Yes, there really is!

"Committee member" was not a formal official position in the Qing Dynasty. It was a temporary staff member who was temporarily appointed and did not have any rank. Instead, the rank depended on the previous official title of the staff member being appointed.

If the appointed official is a high-ranking regional official, then he/she would be a first or second-rank commissioner.

If the person appointed is a sixth or seventh-rank official, then he is a sixth or seventh-rank committee member.

Although committee members do not have a fixed rank, they wield considerable power, as they are also known as imperial envoys.

As is customary, those who serve on committee positions are promoted after handing over their duties.

Therefore, Magistrate Mao, being sensible, preemptively assumed the role of a subordinate official.

After hearing Magistrate Mao's explanation, Zhao An said "Oh," knowing that the Grand Secretary must have been involved in this matter. While feeling relieved and happy, he couldn't help but think of Hu Gaowang, who had caused his imprisonment. So he casually asked Magistrate Mao, "Does the old master know about this matter?"

As a result, Magistrate Mao informed him that the old master had received an imperial decree the day before yesterday to go to the capital to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Ok?
What kind of move is this old man making?
(End of this chapter)