Qing Yao

Chapter 177 Fixed Salaries Are Unacceptable
The idea that accumulating wealth is to share the burdens of the emperor and father was not something Zhao An said, but something He Zhongtang said openly and honestly when questioned by officials in the first year of the Jiaqing reign.

Zhao An is simply quoting this in advance, and he is not using the "I" that Zhongtang used, but rather "we and others".

This "we" includes Principal Zhao, Vice Principal Ma, Director Tong, and all the staff members of the school.

In the future, this "we" will also include all officials in Jiangsu's education system, and even all staff members in Jiangsu's officialdom.
In short, this "we" is the group that Zhao An wants to unite.

The purpose of the unity, as he said, was to share the burdens of the old master and to do things for the Qing Dynasty.

If we don't fatten up the officials, who will do the work?

It sounds awkward, like a fallacy, but it is actually the truth.

The principal's meaning is very clear: don't be resistant to setting up a slush fund or feel sorry for the court. Set it up openly and honestly, because we are also doing things for the court by dividing the money privately.

This principle should not only be understood by those in Yangzhou, but also by the staff of the prefectural schools in Jiangning, Changzhou, Suzhou, and other places.

If everyone does this, then it's not embezzlement or misappropriation, but rather the rule.

Whoever breaks this rule becomes everyone's common enemy.

Even the old man is no exception, right?
Officials who travel thousands of miles only seek wealth, and besides, everyone has genuinely done things for the old master.

Why is it that local officials can make huge profits while we educators have to live on a fixed salary?
Once empathy is established, unspoken rules can become legitimate systems.

"My term as commissioner will be at most the second half of next year. At that time, the court may make other arrangements for me. If I am transferred to another place, the two of you will have to take on the heavy responsibilities here in Yangzhou."

Zhao An revealed the truth: Vice Principal Ma and Director Tong are his agents in the Yangzhou education sector. Otherwise, why would Zhao An be so busy feeding you all?

Vice Principal Ma and Director Tong must also know that they have already connected with Committee Member Zhao. Without Committee Member Zhao's support, the two of them would probably find it difficult to take over the school.

As for how the two of them will be promoted to professors and academic directors, that is none of their concern. Commissioner Zhao has the privilege of recommending outstanding educational talents to the Emperor.

The emperor didn't even bother to ask about the officials, one a seventh-rank official and the other an eighth-rank official.

How to keep two sets of books, and how to make them so that the Imperial Household Department couldn't find them—that's something Commissioner Zhao doesn't need to teach you step by step anymore.

There are many different kinds of names.

Even the tuition fees for students enrolled outside their registered area can be collected either openly or covertly.

They openly charge you 100 taels, and secretly ask your parents to sponsor another 50 taels for the maintenance of the school dormitory, the repair of classroom doors and windows, and for teachers to give extra lessons. Which parent wouldn't give that?

There's no need for the school to issue any official documents. When students go home for the holidays, each student just needs a notice. If a student doesn't bring any money back, the teacher will call their name and make them stand for half a day. How can parents bear to let their children suffer like this?

In short, Committee Member Zhao has many ways to deal with wealthy parents.

It's not called robbing the rich to help the poor; it's just simple market adjustment, albeit under the guise of education.

Money cannot drive local development if it doesn't circulate and move around.

The meetings that needed to be held were held, the benefits that needed to be distributed were distributed, and the necessary information was disclosed. Zhao An then spent half a day inspecting the academy with his hands behind his back. After confirming that everything was in order, he sent his two good assistants to work. He then called over Liu Xiaolou, the follower who had been idle these days, and casually pulled out a two-hundred-tael silver note from the drawer and handed it to him.

"Sir, is this?"

Liu Xiaolou had never seen such a large denomination banknote before, and he curiously squeezed it in his hand.

Zhao An smiled and told the other party to take the money to buy a courtyard house in Songjiang Prefecture in Jiangnan. It didn't need to be too big, just five or six rooms would be fine.

Considering that Zhao Youlu's parents were getting old, they needed to have convenient living conditions. Therefore, Zhao An instructed Liu Xiaolou that the location did not need to be too good, but there should be a vegetable market, a pharmacy, a rice shop, and other living facilities nearby.

Although Yangzhou is north of the Yangtze River, it is no less prosperous than the south. In ordinary areas, a single house in a residential building costs about ten taels of silver, while a house with five or six rooms and a courtyard costs a maximum of seventy taels of silver.

If there is a well, the price will be much higher, but it will not exceed one hundred taels.

Of course, luxury villas are priced differently. The courtyard house that Old Ding bought for his grandson-in-law was fully furnished and located in a prime area. Even though the owner sold it at half price, Old Ding still spent several hundred taels of silver.

The housing prices in Songjiang are roughly the same as in Yangzhou; two hundred taels of silver is more than enough to buy an ordinary house.

"Use the rest of the money to travel around Songjiang for a few days, and come back before the New Year."

Zhao An meant to let Liu Xiaolou use public funds to go on a trip and have fun.

"Hey!"

Liu Xiaolou was so happy he almost jumped for joy.

After arranging this matter, Zhao An went to Ganquan County School to find Lao Song.

The request was to ask Lao Song to help persuade Zhao Youlu's parents in Sanyanghe Village, as the two elders would need to pack up and move to Songjiang after the New Year.

There's no way to move right now because the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and we need to make sure people spend their last New Year in their hometown.

It's a bit unreasonable to force the two elders to go to Jiangnan right now.

Old Ding also said that the demolition work in Sanyanghe would have to be suspended for a while in a few days because the demolition and resettlement personnel sent by the county government would also be returning home for the Chinese New Year.

Zhao An couldn't go because he was afraid his neighbors would notice something was wrong.

"Don't worry, sir, I'll take care of this."

Old Song readily agreed, and then hoped that Zhao An, the supervisor, could give some consideration to the students from Ganquan County during the provincial examination.

"As long as it's roughly the same, I'll definitely take care of it. We're not strangers."

Zhao An agreed readily, but if Old Song knew that he had only leaked the exam questions to the students from the prefectural school who were taking the academy exam, he would probably be so angry that he would complain to Old Ding.

It's no wonder Zhao An didn't treat him as a friend. The truth is, the smaller the scope of exam cheating, the better. Moreover, he genuinely hoped that the pass rate for the imperial examinations at Yangzhou Prefectural School would be much higher than in previous years, so that it could be recorded as an outstanding achievement for him as a professor.

If the exam questions were leaked to the lower-level prefectures and counties, the competition would be fierce.

After all, the admission ratio is fixed, and Zhao An couldn't possibly not favor the academy where he would serve as principal.

After leaving Lao Song, Zhao An went to the Sihai Inn to find his two friends, Bao and Yang.

The matter with the canal gang delayed him for several days, and he didn't know if those two guys had managed to get the business license and the shop.

It was obvious that the market was somewhat sluggish. Many shops had groups of people gathered in front of them discussing the suspension of the canal. Zhao An was very concerned about people's livelihoods and found that the affected industries were mostly non-essential ones. Selling rice, oil, vegetables, and meat was not greatly affected, which put his mind at ease.

This is actually a reaction to the small-scale peasant economy.

The food and drink of the locals in Yangzhou are all provided by farmers from nearby areas.

Therefore, the disruption of the canal only affected Yangzhou's "foreign trade" and had little impact on the lives of the locals.

As we passed a hair accessory shop, three somewhat frivolous-looking young men walked towards us. One of them excitedly said to his two companions, "Have you heard? The Canal Gang has rebelled! Let's go check it out! Maybe we can pick up some stuff and make a small fortune."

His companion was stunned: "Really? There's been a rebellion in the shed? Why is there no movement in the city?"

"They haven't attacked yet. We'll see what happens when they do."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several thugs rushed out and pinned the three men to the ground. The leader was Ren Chaoyang, a member of the Cao Gang whom Zhao An knew. The young man took out a rope and tied up the three young men, cursing as he did so: "I don't know if the Cao Gang has rebelled, but I do know that you three have rebelled!"

After saying that, he shouted to his brothers, "We've captured three traitors! Let's go, take them to the yamen to collect the reward!"

(End of this chapter)