Qing Yao

Chapter 138 Officials Must Have Principles
The old man's actions were incomprehensible to most people.

The whistleblower was transferred to the capital to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, while the accused was given the position of Inspector of Education.

It looks a bit off.

Is this report effective or not?
Useless!

This was not Zhao An's analysis, but rather a collective analysis by Mao Danian, the magistrate of Jiangyin County, and other officials who learned of the matter.

Not only was it useless, but the old master Hu Gaowang also lost.

Why did we lose?

On the surface, the position of Jiangsu Provincial Education Commissioner and the Vice Minister of War are of equal rank. It would be better to be transferred from a local position to the capital than to be transferred to a local position. However, the position of Education Commissioner is a high-ranking official in a local area and is only responsible to the emperor.

The Vice Minister of War was the deputy head of the ministry, overseen not only by the Han Minister of War but also by the Manchu Minister of War, and above them were the Grand Councilors in charge of military affairs.

When it comes to specific military affairs, it involves the Eight Banners Commander-in-Chief's Office, the Governor-General, General, and Commander-in-Chief at the front line. Therefore, it is almost impossible for the Vice Minister to interfere in the affairs of the ministry and the military. He is mostly used as an official to raise money and grain, and at most he has some right to make suggestions on personnel matters.

To put it bluntly, unless one is appointed as a governor-general or provincial governor with the title of Vice Minister, the position of Vice Minister of War is merely a formality.

Compared to the officials in charge of education in a province, the perks they get are pitifully small.

Furthermore, appointing a seasoned scholar who had served as an academic official since entering public service to a position in the Ministry of War not only seems inexplicable but also somewhat laughable.

Needless to say, Master Hu has truly shot himself in the foot this time.

On the contrary, Zhao Youlu, who was reported, was not only not dismissed from his position as professor of Yangzhou Prefectural School, but was also given the additional title of "appointed to supervise and assist in the administration of education in Jiangsu". What does this mean?
This means that Zhao Youlu is not only the top leader in Yangzhou's education sector, but also shoulders the responsibility of inspecting the education undertakings of various prefectures in Jiangsu.

What kind of inspection will it be?
Play freely.

It should be the first time in the Qing Dynasty that a seventh-rank official was appointed to inspect the education administration of a province. The old master really gave him a huge advantage.

In addition, the supervisors of education, like the provincial education commissioners, could directly submit memorials to the emperor, a privilege reserved for officials of the fourth rank and above (excluding censors).

In other words, if Zhao An has any good ideas he wants to report to the old master, he no longer needs to go through someone else to "relay" them; he can just send the old master a letter directly.

With such a comparison, Professor Zhao has clearly won.

Even the most obtuse Jiangsu officials knew that Committee Member Zhao was the one favored by the Emperor and had a bright future ahead of him.

Hu Gaowang's transfer order came down a few days ago. When he received the order, the old master sighed with disappointment, then silently told his family to pack their things and leave Jiangsu, where he had worked for two years.

He didn't even accept the farewell gifts that his subordinates should have given him.

Leave quietly, without taking away a single cloud.

This approach may have been influenced by the old master's pride.

Before Zhao An's release order and the order to serve as acting commissioner arrived in Jiangyin, the news was sent back ahead of time by County Magistrate Mao Danian, who was "sitting in Beijing".

Since the matter involved the county where the magistrate lived, the "sitting in the capital" naturally found out the details clearly, and even learned that there were influential officials and high-ranking officials in the court behind the matter.

Upon learning that the situation had taken a turn for the better, Magistrate Mao naturally changed his previous "neutral" and wait-and-see attitude. He quickly led people to the prison to personally welcome Commissioner Zhao out of jail and immediately arranged for Commissioner Zhao to take a bath and change clothes.

In this freezing weather, people definitely need to go to the bathhouse to take a bath. With just one word from the county magistrate, the bathhouse became Zhao's private domain.

The entire venue was booked.

Zhao An was thoroughly enjoying himself soaking in the steaming hot pool.

After thoroughly cleaning and grooming myself, I called over a bathhouse attendant for a thorough scrubbing session, which resulted in at least a pound of mud balls falling off.

After changing into a clean set of underwear, the official robes that the old master had ordered to be stripped off were brought over.

It was delivered by Teacher Lou.

During this period, Teacher Lou did not visit Zhao An in prison, not because he felt that Zhao An could not turn things around, but because he was sent by the old master to Songjiang to deal with the local examination cheating case, and he was busy for more than half a month before returning.

He had originally intended to visit Zhao An, but his wife, who had been with him for decades, was seriously ill, so he couldn't spare the time. After changing into his official robes, Zhao An wanted to find a mirror to see how thin he had become. Glass mirrors were already common during the Qianlong era, and the bronze mirrors used in the past had long been obsolete. Unfortunately, the service at this bathhouse was lacking; they hadn't even provided a mirror for their guests to wear.

Without a mirror, I could only ask Teacher Lou how I looked now, whether I looked radiant or still haggard.

Teacher Lou answered truthfully, saying that she looked thin and not particularly energetic, but she did look very excited.

It was a standard, conventional answer, consistent with Zhao An's current state.

"My lords, please have some tea!"

A sharp-eyed waiter brought over a teacup that had been brewed long ago. Zhao An casually picked up a bowl of tea and gestured for Teacher Lou to sit down and talk.

"That old bastard surnamed Hu has been transferred away by the imperial court. Who will the court send to be the old master of Jiangsu?"

After becoming a supervisor, Zhao An became more concerned about who his new boss would be. If it was someone as stubborn as Hu Gaowang, then he would have to change his approach and not just use money to pave the way.

Teacher Lou said that the imperial court had not appointed a new Jiangsu provincial education commissioner, and this year's provincial examination was being managed by the governor.

The new academic administration is not expected to arrive until next year.

The Jiangsu governor was Fu Song, who had won the old master's favor two years ago by using deception. Now he was also acting as the governor-general of Liangjiang, making him the most powerful person in the Liangjiang region.

The General of Jiangning was only ranked higher than the Governor-General of Liangjiang in terms of the order of his memorials; his actual power was far less than that of the Governor-General of Liangjiang.

Because he was acting as an agent, Fu Song did not actually work in the office of the Governor-General of Liangjiang in Jiangning, but in the office of the Governor-General in Suzhou.

Upon hearing the name, Zhao An knew he was a bannerman, possibly even one of the three upper banners of the Manchus, otherwise he wouldn't have served as both governor and acting governor-general.

After taking a couple of sips of tea to moisten his throat, Zhao An asked about the thing that had been troubling him while he was in prison.

Where did the 17,000 taels he gave to Hu Gaowang go?

Quite nervously, I asked Teacher Lou, "Is there any possibility that this money will be returned to me?"

The result greatly disappointed him.

The money wasn't taken away by Hu Gaowang, but it was handed over to the governor's office by this noble and virtuous master, which meant it ended up in the pocket of Governor Fusong.

Teacher Lou meant that Zhao An should forget about the money and just consider it money to avoid trouble.

What could Zhao An do? He couldn't very well write to the old man asking for help to ask Fu Song for money.

I might want it, but I'd definitely transfer it directly to the old man's account.

There's no need to offend the governor for 17,000 taels of silver.

The most urgent task is to adjust his mindset and see how much benefit this supervisor can bring him.

Just as they left the bathhouse, Magistrate Mao of Jiangyin politely invited Committee Member Zhao to dinner. Accompanying Magistrate Mao was a seventh-rank official.

Without needing Magistrate Mao's introduction, this seventh-rank official took the initiative to introduce himself, revealing himself to be Guo Dongyang, a professor at the Changzhou Prefectural School.

County Magistrate Mao and Professor Guo warmly invited Committee Member Zhao to dinner. Unable to refuse their hospitality, and being colleagues, Zhao An naturally had to give them face.

After getting into the carriage arranged by Magistrate Mao with Teacher Lou, he whispered to Teacher Lou as soon as the curtain was lowered, "How much silver should I accept from Magistrate Mao and Professor Guo later? I haven't been an official for long, and I don't quite understand some of the official rules, especially in this area. I'm still a bit confused. Lord Lou, you must give me some pointers."

He had a look of eager curiosity on his face.

It's a good thing.

It's not about how much money you have, but about the pricing standards.

You can send money upstairs without following the standards, the more money the happier you are, but you'd better follow the standards when receiving money downstairs.

Because not every official is as open-minded and willing to invest as Professor Zhao.

(End of this chapter)