Qing Yao

Chapter 187 We can't let the imperial physician come for nothing.

A good leader can enable a mediocre team to achieve a qualitative leap.

Because a good leader, in addition to being quick-witted, must have a sound strategic theory to guide the team.

Coincidentally, Zhao An met all the requirements.

“We must let Lord Ding go up first. He is a genuine third-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), which is incomparable to me, a mere Jinshi.”

Zhao An was well aware of his own limitations. Even though his status as a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) was a special honor bestowed by his grandfather, he was still at the bottom of the academic hierarchy.

The faster you rise in rank, the more "obvious" you become, and the easier it is for others to target you.

Therefore, it is necessary to let Lao Ding, a comrade of good quality, go up first.

In the initial stage, he can play a greater role than others.

"What we need to do now is to make a deep impression on the Governor-General. With the Governor-General's appreciation, Lord Ding can rise to a higher position with a 'diu'!"

Zhao An pointed to the roof.

Director Song understands, but he doesn't know what "diu" means. It's probably a phonetic character in the Yangzhou dialect.

丢？
For no apparent reason, Director Song had a wicked thought. In his hometown, "losing one's son" was an extremely scandalous matter.

"I understand what you mean, sir. When Governor Li was serving as an inspector in Taizhou, which is under the jurisdiction of this prefecture, he rose to prominence because the governor and viceroy valued him."

The Governor-General Li that Director Song mentioned refers to is the current Governor-General of Sichuan, Li Shijie.

In his early years, this man was a dissolute and unruly fellow in his hometown. His family spent money to send him to Jiangsu to serve as a ninth-rank inspector, specifically responsible for apprehending thieves.

As it turned out, Li Shijie had a knack for investigating cases. Somehow, he successfully solved several major cases in just one year, which earned him the attention of Zhuang Yougong, the then governor of Jiangsu. Zhuang Yougong then petitioned Yin Jishan, the then governor-general of Liangjiang, to promote Li Shijie to the rank of prefect, a fifth-grade official.

Yin Jishan certainly wouldn't refuse the governor's request, but the imperial court stipulated that a ninth-rank official who wanted to be promoted to a fifth-rank prefecture official needed not only a "guarantee" and recommendation from a high-ranking official like the governor, but also a donation to the Ministry of Personnel.

Later, the money came from the Governor-General of Liangjiang and the Governor of Jiangsu. From then on, Li Shijie entered the fast track of his official career and is now the Governor-General of Sichuan with the additional title of Minister of War.

It ranks third among the nine major provinces.

The first was the Governor-General of Zhili, and the second was the Governor-General of Liangjiang.

However, in terms of military power, the Governor-General of Sichuan, who has just experienced the Jinchuan Wars and is now in charge of the expeditionary force on the plateau, is truly number one.

"That's right! Even a ninth-rank official who bought his position can become a fifth-rank prefect through the recommendation of the governor. Why can't Lord Ding, a genuine Jinshi, be promoted on the spot? If he handles things well, he can become a prefect, let alone a prefect."

Zhao An was very confident that he could help his grandfather achieve a promotion to a higher level.

They didn't have any money, but the old man's family owned a bank.

The bank president is one of my own brothers.

Let alone 100,000 or 200,000, even 200,000 or 300,000 can be borrowed through one's own brothers.

Once you're promoted, are you still worried about not being able to pay the interest?

As for achievements, they're being worked on.

Whether it's true or not, as long as it happened, that's enough.

Isn't the image of an honest official who seeks the well-being of the people and speaks out for them more prestigious than Li Shijie's image as a "crime-solving expert"?

Some things shouldn't be thought about too much. How could Li Shijie solve so many major cases in just one year?
You have to understand that criminal investigation methods are so outdated these days that solving cases mainly relies on physical force.

It's likely that more than half of the confessions were obtained through torture.

Therefore, Zhao An felt that Lord Li might have been a corrupt official from Taizhou back then, using gangs below him to fabricate his achievements.

This is highly likely, because Lord Li had absolutely no experience in solving cases before he bought his official position.

It is like a blank sheet of paper.

If you send any junior high school student from the future to the police station to solve a major case, which one could solve it?
Even college students can't break it.

Therefore, the possibility of forgery is extremely high.

Of course, it's possible that Lord Li is a natural-born detective, a perfect candidate for criminal investigation. However, this possibility is extremely low.

Zhao An suggested, "From now on, we only need to focus on three things."

"Which three?"

Director Song listened attentively.

"First, make money; second, recruit people; third, achieve political achievements."

Zhao An's words were concise and to the point.

Director Song nodded emphatically after hearing this, agreeing that it made perfect sense.

With these three things in hand, I'm set for officialdom.

"Old Song, don't worry. After Old Ding goes up, I'll start working on things for you. Hmm, you're a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, so you can't get promoted too quickly, that would be too conspicuous. How about we get you a powerful county magistrate position first?"

Director Song is a good person and efficient in his work; it's time to plan his career path.

"Your Excellency is truly my second father!"

Old Song was so excited he almost kowtowed to Lord Zhao.

Zhao An encouraged him to follow the plan. When he felt free to move around, he invited Chunlan into the room.

A few moments later, a scream came from inside the room.

A scar on his buttock, which had not yet healed, was torn open due to excessive force, which frightened the young woman so much that she quickly pushed her husband away to bandage and apply medicine for him.

"It's alright, minor injuries won't keep me from the front lines!"

With the mindset that if it's broken, so be it, Zhao An continued to till the land.

At this critical juncture, even if Zhao Youlu were to be resurrected to catch them in the act, we would have to wait on the sidelines and let him finish his sprint first.

After plowing three acres of land, wow, it was truly a bloody battle.

It's just that the blood used for bathing wasn't that of a young woman.

Zhao An comforted himself that this was for the best; the imperial physician's arrival meant he had something to do, otherwise, since he was almost fully recovered, the physician's trip would have been in vain.

The governor's "sitting in the capital" system was noticeably slower in transmitting information than the Imperial Household Department's system. The governor only learned the next day that Zhao Youlu, who had been beaten by Kuilun, had been "promoted."

"You mean the Emperor sent imperial physicians to Yangzhou to treat Zhao Youlu's injuries and even granted him the status of a bondservant in the Imperial Household Department?"

The governor's expression was grave. If the matter was true, it meant that Zhao Youlu was indeed Heshen's man, and in that case, Governor A's plan might fall through.

In other words, he had done Zhao Youlu a favor for nothing.

To lose money or not to lose money?
It shouldn't be a loss, after all, the 17,000 taels that Zhao Youlu bribed Hu Gaowang ended up in his own pocket.

The matter of the preliminary examinations for students could not be considered cheating.

It seems I need to reconsider the tuition fee. Just as I was thinking about it, I heard some festive music and dancing outside, like a wedding.

The governor prefers quiet to activity, and this time when he came to Yangzhou, he did not stay in the accommodation arranged by the prefect, but stayed in a garden that had been confiscated from the former head merchant Jiang Chun.

Thinking it was truly a wedding procession, the governor, though annoyed, did not retaliate. Unexpectedly, the sounds of music and drumming grew closer, seemingly coming from outside the garden.

He frowned and instructed the attendant serving outside the door: "Go and see what's going on outside. If it's a wedding or a wedding, tell them to leave immediately and not disturb my peace."

"Whoo!"

Just as one of the attendants responded, an excited voice rang out: "My lord, my lord! The gentry and common people of Yangzhou have come to present you with the 'Ten Thousand People's Umbrella'!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the governor stood up abruptly. "Quickly come with me to receive the umbrella for all the people!"

(End of this chapter)