Qing Yao

Chapter 198 Lord Zhao Refuses Gifts
The Imperial Censor, acting on behalf of the Emperor, toured the country and had the authority to submit special reports. Although his position was low, he wielded great power.

Therefore, local officials passing through the area had to be sensible, because these local officials all had "business" dealings with the canal transport and were all subject to the supervision of the canal inspector.

The Gaoyou Grand Hotel, where Imperial Censor Zhao stayed, was a designated hotel for the Gaoyou Prefecture government to entertain superiors and passing officials. In terms of luxury, it was the most luxurious hotel in Gaoyou.

Zhao An's original intention was to avoid alarming the local authorities, travel light, and simply find a small inn outside the city to make do, so as to minimize expenses, since it seemed that none of the expenses for this trip could be reimbursed.

While the public doesn't feel the pinch, those who spend their own money inevitably feel the pain.

However, when Guo Lian, the prefect of Gaoyou, learned that the newly appointed imperial censor was passing through Gaoyou, he disregarded his own high rank as a fifth-rank prefect and personally led a group of people to "block" the censor's procession outside the city.

The "blocking" was so enthusiastic that even Imperial Censor Zhao felt embarrassed to offend them, and Prefect Guo even brought up the imperial system.

The expenses for the censor's travel, including food, lodging, and other necessities, are arranged by the local authorities. How can the censor be expected to pay for them himself? If the court finds out that Gaoyou has neglected the censor and hasn't even provided him with a proper reception, where will Prefect Guo put his face? And how will he respond to the court about this matter?

In short, it is good for censors to be frugal, but they should not break the rules of the court.

Zhao Anyi thought it made sense, and had no choice but to follow Prefect Guo's arrangement, ordering the group to turn and enter the city for the night.

Upon alighting from the carriage, a magnificent three-story brick and wood hotel came into view. He couldn't help but frown slightly and said to Prefect Guo, who had already alighted from his sedan chair and come to the side, "Prefect Guo, this place is far too luxurious. As an imperial inspector in charge of local affairs, is it not appropriate for me to stay here?"

"Oh, what's inappropriate about it! Lord Zhao, please don't overthink it. All officials from this prefecture stay here, and everyone is treated equally. The prefecture has not given you any special treatment."

Prefect Guo was from Shanxi, spoke with a strong sense of humor, and looked just like Guo Da, the comedian from Zhao An's previous life, making him quite comical.

Since we're already here, it would be a waste of time and effort to find another place besides this luxurious hotel.

Zhao An stopped thinking about it and led everyone to their accommodation.

As an imperial censor, he naturally stayed in the best room, and his entourage and soldiers were also well taken care of by the authorities in Gaoyou.

Zhao An was satisfied. Not long after settling in, he ordered a notice to be posted at the hotel entrance.

The proclamation stated that this censor was an incorruptible official who regarded gold and silver as dirt. Therefore, no official or clerk was allowed to offer him gifts along the way, and all kinds of illicit practices were strictly prohibited. Anyone who tried to give him a gift would be either scolded and kicked out, or impeached in a memorial to the emperor.

His tone was very stern.

As soon as the notice was posted, the hotel staff immediately forwarded its contents to the state government.

The prefectural government office was instantly abuzz with discussion. A junior official who had just joined the office praised the contents of the proclamation and said to his colleague, "This Imperial Censor Zhao is definitely a rare and incorruptible official!"

A senior clerk who had worked in the prefectural government for nearly thirty years smiled and said, "I don't think so. This Censor Zhao is clearly trying to accept gifts. If he really didn't want them to be given, why would he issue this notice? Isn't this just a blatant attempt to cover up his wrongdoing?"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized what was happening, but this matter had nothing to do with them, because they were not qualified to give gifts to the censor.

The three officials qualified were the prefect, the assistant prefect, and the judge.

The three officials already knew that Imperial Censor Zhao had posted a notice stating that he would not accept gifts, but the three officials were of one mind: gifts must be sent, and they must be generous gifts.

Unfortunately, Gaoyou, an important town along the canal, had a dirty hand when it came to the grain transport.

However, instead of deducting money from the canal workers, they found ways to extract money from the canal grain.

The method was to use various means to collect more grain when levying taxes from the people, and the "surplus of silver and rice" obtained each year was about 50,000 taels.

The adults made money, and so did the lower-level officials and clerks; their methods were mostly to kick someone when they were down.

It involves deliberately kicking the grain forcefully when it is being passed through a container to compact the grain and extract more from it.

Although the imperial court stipulated that if any irregularities such as skimming or mishandling occurred during the collection of grain tribute, the prefectures and counties would investigate and punish them severely. If any favoritism or concealment was found, the grain commissioner would be severely investigated and punished.

The problem is that everyone, from top to bottom, is siphoning money off the grain transport funds. Who will punish them? Who will investigate and punish them?
This is no longer the behavior of individual officials, but the behavior of the entire bureaucratic system surrounding the Grand Canal. To completely clean it up, all the officials would have to be killed.

The problem is, if all the officials are killed, who will work for the imperial court?
This is a dead end.

Who can guarantee that newly appointed officials won't be corrupt?

Having a dirty past and worried about trouble from the newly arrived imperial censor, the only option was to find a way to deal with this censor.

Gift-giving is the only tactic employed by the authorities in Gaoyou.

What kind of generous gift should we give to Censor Zhao to ensure that he won't report us to the court?

The three officials discussed it and found a shrewd restaurant staff member to ask Zhao Yushi what his zodiac sign was while serving him.

Zhao An didn't think there was any "trickery" involved; he just assumed the waiter was curious and casually mentioned that he was born in the Year of the Rat while wiping his face.

The next day, Prefect Guo came and presented him with a five-pound golden rat.

It looks brand new, clearly made overnight by craftsmen.

At that time, the gold-silver ratio was one to ten, meaning one tael of gold could be exchanged for ten taels of silver, and one jin of gold was about sixteen taels of gold. Therefore, this was a gift of nearly a thousand taels.

This far exceeds the normal gift money exchanged between officials; it's definitely a level above what's expected.

Looking at the large golden rat, Zhao An didn't know what to say. He didn't know whether to accept it or not. After a while, he muttered, "Actually, I was born in the Year of the Ox."

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This put Prefect Guo in a very awkward position. Could he really give Censor Zhao another large golden ox? That would come at a high price.

There was no time to rush it, because Imperial Censor Zhao was about to set off for Huai'an.

With a determined effort, he sent another three thousand taels of silver to Censor Zhao.

It wasn't a bribe, but a polite farewell.

The Imperial Censor Zhao's entourage set off, and no sooner had they left than the proclamation refusing gifts was torn down by the prefect's order.

He happily tore it off, and Imperial Censor Zhao took both the gold and the silver notes. Unless he broke the rules and was shameless, the inspection report would definitely not mention anything about Gaoyou.

Inside the car, Zhao An was only thinking about one question: why, even though he had posted a notice stating that he would not accept gifts, the local officials still insisted on giving him gifts.

Could it be that he didn't express his meaning clearly?
You have to understand that he really didn't want to accept gifts. In the end, all the gifts he accepted were just hard-earned money from the people, and those who gave gifts would ultimately pass the cost onto the people.

For every extra ounce he collects, the burden on the people increases by an extra ounce.

If Prefect Guo took out the golden rat and the silver notes, the other party would definitely think he was dissatisfied with Gaoyou if he didn't accept them. It was almost the New Year, and he couldn't let the other party spend the New Year in fear.

Moreover, Zhao An's trip north to Huai'an was intended to "take care of" the canal transport office, not to take down all the local officials.

He could still distinguish between the primary and secondary enemies.

The main enemy must be defeated, while the secondary enemies can be won over.

Once the main enemies are dealt with, you can then focus on the secondary enemies who are unwilling to be won over.

The ultimate goal is to have no enemies, only friends.

Therefore, adhering to the principle of maintaining harmony, Zhao An had no choice but to accept the gift for now, intending to return it the following year. To prevent other officials from giving him inappropriate gifts, Zhao An did not order a public notice to be posted when he arrived in Baoying County.

That evening, Wen Jixiang, the magistrate of Baoying County, brought a thousand-tael silver note to pay a visit to Imperial Censor Zhao.

The magistrate's income was less than that of the prefecture, and Baoying was not a wealthy county like Ganquan or Jiangdu. One thousand taels was already a large sum for the magistrate.

Magistrate Wen is also a descendant of a famous person; his ancestor was Wen Tianxiang, a well-known national hero of the Southern Song Dynasty.

However, there's nothing to discuss about this; regardless of whose descendants they are, they are all slaves of a conquered nation now.

Those who were stubborn had no descendants left.

"I appreciate Lord Wen's kind intentions, but I absolutely cannot accept this silver note!"

Zhao An resolutely refused to accept the money, no matter what reason Magistrate Wen gave him.

Left with no other option, Magistrate Wen said, "Knowing that Lord Zhao is an honest and upright official, I should not give him this money. However, this money is not for you, but is a donation from me on behalf of all the gentry and common people to the prefectural school."

What statement?
There's a saying about it.

Under the leadership of Imperial Censor Zhao, this year's Yangzhou preliminary examination for children was not only successfully held, but also achieved the best results in history. As a resident of Yangzhou, the magistrate of Baoying County felt extremely proud and therefore had to express his gratitude for the achievements of the prefectural school.

This thousand taels is a guarantee fund donated by Baoying to the prefectural school for students to prepare for the provincial examination next year. Even if it's just to buy more calligraphy brushes and more paper for the students, it would be good.

Education has always been a field that Zhao An has attached great importance to. Since Magistrate Wen donated the money to education, he, as a professor at the prefectural school, must accept it.

Of course, it was for the students, so we should also thank Magistrate Wen on their behalf.

That day, Magistrate Wen personally accompanied him to a simple meal at the Baoying Hotel. The meal was not very lavish, and the county paid less than two hundred taels of silver.

Zhao An was very satisfied with the meal because the chef at Baoying Grand Hotel was hired from Qingjiangpu in Huai'an. The chefs there specialized in cooking for the government, and their skills were superb.

After a hearty meal, they set off from Baoying. The procession now included a carriage, which contained local specialties that Baoying had gifted to Committee Member Zhao and his entourage.

Zhao An didn't care about these things and instructed the garrison commander to distribute them to the Green Standard Army brothers. The soldiers were so happy that they praised Lord Zhao from the bottom of their hearts once again.

The most fitting way to describe the soldiers' thoughts is: "Following Lord Zhao means living a life of luxury."

After passing Baoying, the car entered the territory of Huai'an.

With the integration of Huaiyang, the living standards of the people along the way were roughly the same, and they did not appear to be too poor. In some places, brick and tile houses appeared frequently.

The fields are all vast plains, giving people a sense of boundless horizons and expansive sea and sky.

Of course, this may be because Zhao An's research route was along the canal, and the canal, as a major commercial artery, created countless towns along its route, resulting in higher income levels for the people living on both sides of the canal.

If you go deeper inside, you might see a completely different scene.

No matter how much exaggeration there is about the Kangxi and Qianlong era's prosperity, there were always some relatively wealthy areas.

Even a wrecked ship has three pounds of nails.

Censor Zhao stopped his investigation again.

This survey did not focus on canal workers or ordinary people, but rather on merchants who were forced to remain on the canal.

The merchants were already driven to the brink of madness by the interruption of the canal. Upon hearing that it was the Imperial Inspector sent by the court who knew about the situation, they naturally gathered around to complain.

"I am here on behalf of the Emperor to inspect the canal transport, to hear the truth, not lies!"

Zhao An set the tone for this research and interview: to hear the truth.

This is a clever rhetoric; there's only one situation in which customers won't dare to tell the truth.

That is, fear of the government.

Which government agency?

It was the Grand Canal transport office.

As a result, under Zhao An's deliberate guidance, the merchants' long-suppressed anger was immediately directed at the canal transport office, achieving the effect Zhao An desired.

The numerous complaints from the merchants quickly became "dirt" for Zhao An when he went to Huai'an. If the canal transport authorities weren't so stubborn, they naturally wouldn't have discussed this dirt.

But if they're stubborn enough to stick their necks out, then these incriminating materials will have to be presented to the old man.

As soon as the team arrived in Huai'an, staff from the Grand Canal Transport Office, who had been notified in advance, came to greet them.

It's possible that the fact that Censor Zhao specifically contacted the canal workers along the way caused dissatisfaction within the canal transport authorities. In particular, the statement that "everyone will be saved when Censor Zhao arrives" made the canal transport authorities seem like major villains.

Therefore, the welcoming ceremony seemed perfunctory, and the staff lacked basic respect for Zhao An, the Imperial Inspector of the Grand Canal. Even Commander Hou and his men couldn't stand it. If it weren't for Inspector Zhao's intervention, they would have definitely taught those minor officials a lesson.

“Huai’an is the territory of the Grand Canal Administration. When we go to someone else’s territory, we have to do as the Romans do. We just need to listen and observe more, and we don’t need to say much.”

These words were meant for Ren Chaoyang. After entering the city, Ren Chaoyang needed to contact the Huai'an branch of the Canal Gang to inquire about the situation of Sun Rui and others.

Zhao An was worried that Sun Rui and his men might have been killed by the canal transport authorities.

Because the person was handed over to Huai'an Prefecture on charges of kidnapping, and the prison conditions were terrible at that time, it was not unusual for a few people to die.

If someone dies, Zhao An, as the young leader of the Yangzhou branch, must take a firm stance, otherwise he won't be able to explain it to the branch.

If we want people to be alive, then we must heed the governor's advice and achieve victory against the enemy under the principle of peace.

Zhao An, the Imperial Inspector of the Grand Canal, did not have a dedicated office, so he was assigned to live in the Grand Canal Office in Huai'an.

On his way to the Grand Canal Administration Office, Zhao An paid special attention to the structure of Huai'an City and discovered that it was much larger than Yangzhou City and consisted of three interconnected cities, including a new city, an old city, and a linked city.

This city layout makes attacking Huai'an very difficult. Unless a large number of engineers are mobilized for demolition operations, it is impossible to quickly breach the city by artillery attacks alone.

Back in the Ming Dynasty, Huai'an was not captured by the Qing army, but rather the Ming general Liu Zeqing, who was stationed there, voluntarily abandoned it, which resulted in Yangzhou, the rear of the city, losing its protective barrier.

As they approached the Grand Canal Administration Office, a large number of people suddenly appeared ahead, creating a lively scene. There were also many soldiers maintaining "order" and preventing the people from getting close to the Grand Canal Administration Office.

However, the onlookers refused to disperse, crowding around the government office and causing a major traffic jam, which naturally blocked Zhao An and his party.

What happened up ahead?

Zhao An lifted the curtain of the carriage and asked the staff of the canal transport office who was leading the way.

Just as the staff member was about to reply, a familiar voice rang out from ahead: "Ding Chengen, the magistrate of Ganquan County, kowtows with tears streaming down his face before the Governor-General, begging that the Governor-General, in consideration of the well-being of the people of Huaiyang, negotiate a fair price with the transport merchants and dredge the Grand Canal so that merchants from the north and south would no longer be stranded in the Jianghuai region. If this is approved, I am willing to accept the punishment of incitement and die immediately!"

After kneeling for half a day, Old Ding fainted on the spot after finishing his speech, still clutching the "Memorial to the Grand Canal Administration on Mediation of the Canal Incident" written in his blood.

(End of this chapter)