Qing Yao

Chapter 233 How did I get promoted five levels in a row again!

In Yangzhou, on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, there are still fourteen days until all government offices, large and small, officially reopen.

The closing time for each government office varied; some closed on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, while others didn't close until the 25th or 26th.

All in all, the shortest holiday is over twenty days.

This is more humane compared to later generations.

However, this was a perk for officials; ordinary people didn't have such good treatment. Generally, after the sixth day of the lunar new year, they would have to work hard to make a living for the year.

Today, Zhao An is treating everyone.

The venue for the dinner was Huamanlou, which Vice Principal Ma had arranged for him on New Year's Eve.

This place is considered a four-star hotel in Yangzhou. It wasn't rented; Vice Principal Ma bought it directly from the owner in the name of the school.

The boss took the money and left, while all the employees were retained, and all future expenses would be borne by the prefectural school.

The main building is a three-story building with a large courtyard with dozens of rooms behind it. It integrates catering, accommodation, and conference reception. There are also several decent brothels not far away. If you need anything, you can order takeout directly, which saves a lot of risk.

Because the restaurant is located on the shore of Slender West Lake, you can see the lake as soon as you open the window.

It's a lake-view room.

Nominally, Huamanlou was a designated hotel for receiving leaders and guests at Yangzhou Prefectural School, and it was a fixed asset of the school, but the actual user was the principal.

Because of the Lunar New Year, the property rights have not yet been transferred. Vice Principal Ma's point is that since the principal has made great contributions to the development of the academy, this restaurant must be transferred to the principal's name through the tax office. This can be considered as a small token of appreciation from all the staff of the academy to the principal for leading them to prosperity.

“You all know I am an honest and upright official. What do I own? Nothing! Even the house I live in is a government-owned property of the prefectural school. Now you're transferring a restaurant worth several thousand taels of silver to my name. This isn't for my own good, it's to harm me! If people find out about this, how am I supposed to explain myself?”

Zhao An took the issue of corruption very seriously, so he refused Vice Principal Ma's offer and instead instructed that the property rights of the restaurant be transferred to his wife, Ding Wanqing.

Who is Ding Wanqing?

Vice Principal Ma had never heard this name before and had no idea that the principal actually had two ID cards and two wives.

Zhao An didn't explain, which puzzled Vice Principal Ma. He cautiously said, "If Your Excellency is unwilling to register this restaurant under your name, I think it would be better to register it under Your Majesty's name."

This lady refers to Luo Chunlan, the widow of Zhao Youlu. Officially, Luo Chunlan was Zhao An's wife, and it was also Luo Chunlan and her daughter who were transferred from civilian to slavery by the Imperial Household Department.

Ding Wanqing, Zhao An's legal wife, did not have any legal status, and even their marriage certificate was secretly obtained by Old Ding.

Lacking legal status, Ding Wanqing naturally did not enjoy any of the conveniences and benefits that came with being an official's wife.

This is also where Zhao An feels guilty, so he wants to turn this guilt into material things to make up for it to Wanqing.

Therefore, upon hearing Vice Principal Ma's suggestion, he immediately retorted with displeasure: "Since I became an official, I have always maintained an honest and upright character and have never used my position to seek personal gain for my wife or any of my relatives. You should all have seen this. What is the difference between you registering the restaurant under your wife's name and registering it under my name? Are you only happy if you can label me a corrupt official?"

"Please calm down, my lord! That was absolutely not what I meant!"

Vice Principal Ma was scolded and dared not offer any more suggestions. He reflected on himself: "The professor said to put me under whose name I wanted to work, so why should I worry about things that don't concern me?"

Seeing that Vice Principal Ma's attitude was upright, Zhao An said meaningfully, "Your intentions are good, and your starting point is good, but as officials, besides bowing more and speaking less, we must also pay attention to our influence. We should avoid trouble in advance if possible, otherwise, if anything goes wrong in the future, these things may become a noose around our necks."

"Understood, Your Excellency understands!"

Vice Principal Ma nodded while reminding himself to quickly transfer all the assets under his name to his relatives, lest something go wrong and they find out and take everything away.

This is actually the realization of the saying "a cunning rabbit has three burrows".

Zhao An was satisfied with Hua Manlou, but regretted that it couldn't be put up for display.

If a sign is displayed, its full name should be "Imperial Appointment to Inspect the Grand Canal and Jiangsu Provincial Education Commissioner's Office".

It sounds quite sophisticated.

Neither of these positions were entitled to have their own independent government offices. Even if they were, theoretically one should be in Huai'an and the other in Jiangyin, which had nothing to do with Yangzhou.

This is the drawback of having too many part-time jobs while having too little work experience in your primary job.

The guests invited on the sixth day of the lunar new year were on a list compiled by Vice Principal Ma. They were mainly officials in charge of seals and assistant officials from various local government offices in Yangzhou, as well as the chief officials of various institutions.

In any case, all officials of the eighth rank and above in Yangzhou City received invitations specially delivered by Imperial Censor Zhao.

It wasn't that Zhao An was extravagant, but rather that it was a matter of officialdom.

It's okay not to invite them on ordinary days, but you absolutely must invite them during the Lunar New Year.

Not only Zhao An invited them, but other officials did too. The day before yesterday, Zhao An attended a banquet hosted by Prefect Fang, and yesterday it was Salt Commissioner Zheng Bowen who invited him.

If ranked by rank and power, the first person who should be invited is actually Akdang'a, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai. However, Lord Akdang'a returned to the capital before the Lunar New Year to reunite with his wife and children, and he will not be back until after the Lantern Festival at the earliest.

This does not violate the rules, because officials who are not local leaders are allowed to visit relatives and friends during the period when the government office is sealed.

The Salt Administration Office was independent of the local government system and was in charge of salt-related affairs, not local matters. It was only natural for Lord A, the God of Wealth, to take advantage of his annual leave to return to the capital.

You should know that Lord A did not return empty-handed. I heard that there were more than twenty ships loaded with local specialties, and who knows how much he would have to offer as tribute to the princes and nobles when he arrived in the capital.

No part can be neglected.

Rather than saying that Lord A was using his annual leave to return to the capital to visit relatives, it would be more accurate to say that his cronies in the capital were waiting for him to come and give them gifts.

Since the third-rank salt commissioner of Lianghuai was "out of office," the first person to invite him to dinner was naturally the fourth-rank prefect.

Zheng Bowen, the Salt Commissioner, who was also a seventh-rank official, was ranked second because his position as commissioner was also an inspection commissioner on behalf of the emperor, which was incomparable to local officials such as magistrates, sub-prefects, and county magistrates.

As the newly appointed Imperial Inspector of the Grand Canal, Zhao An was ranked third. Since he had an office there, he decided to hold a grand celebration.

After all, hosting a dinner during the Spring Festival can be seen as an opportunity for officials to exchange feelings, or for various government departments to meet and get to know each other so that they can carry out their work in the future.

Zhao An didn't invite his cousin Wang Defa's family, firstly because they weren't officials, and secondly because Zhao An spent the entire first day of the Lunar New Year at his cousin's house with Wanqing.

Wanqing was also sensible and followed the proper etiquette for a daughter-in-law, without putting on airs at all because she was the granddaughter of the county magistrate. Zhao An saw this and was naturally pleased. During the evening routine, he specially extended the time by five minutes as a reward.

The gift I brought to my uncle wasn't very expensive. I also gave my uncle and aunt each a red envelope containing 100 taels of silver, and another red envelope containing 50 taels of silver to my cousin's son.

In truth, Zhao An could easily have given his uncle three to five thousand taels of silver, but he didn't. Although his uncle also worked in the tax office and was a minor figure, he was honest and hardworking, the kind of person who was a key technical employee in the unit. Giving him so much money at once would only make his uncle worry about his nephew's official career. Moreover, Zhao An only wanted his uncle's family to live a comfortable and peaceful life and didn't want them to be involved in any major events with him, causing them anxiety and worry.

The uncle clearly didn't expect to get anything in return from his nephew who was an official; his words implied that he hoped Zhao An could be a good official who served the people.

On the second day of the lunar month, Zhao An from the Caobang (Grand Canal Gang) went to have dinner with Ding Jiu, Xu Lin, Ye Zhigui, and others. During the meal, they mainly discussed the specific plans for the development of the Caobang this year, as well as the possibility of taking over the businesses of the head gang that had been suppressed.

Zhao An intended to take everything, whether it was illegal or illegal, but he gave up the opium den to Zhao Dehan, the magistrate of the provincial council.

Anshun and Sun Rui were in charge of the business. Zhao An required them not to buy any more girls abducted by human traffickers, not to engage in bullying or monopolizing the market, and to avoid injuring people as much as possible, even if "force" was needed in the business.

The second and third groups plan to draw people to work on route operation and construction.

Zhao An did not tell Ding Jiu and the others about the training for the time being, because Lao Ding needed to count how many personnel the armed forces under Ganquan County had after he started working at the yamen, and then dismiss those personnel and replace them with selected canal workers.

That is, first train some people in the name of the government, and then use these people as the backbone to train more people.

Building houses for the canal workers and solving the problem of education for their children were also the two most important tasks that Zhao An supervised in the fifty-sixth year of Qianlong's reign.

Old Ding has already found two plots of land for Zhao An. Zhao An asked Ding Jiu to find two knowledgeable people to take a look and then discuss with the local builders how to build the houses well and quickly.

Since this was the first time he had invited local officials to a large-scale dinner, Zhao An personally oversaw the menu, which included eight cold dishes, sixteen hot dishes, and four desserts, for a total of eight tables, with ten guests at each table.

In addition, ten banquet tables were set up to entertain the officials' entourage.

Red envelopes were also prepared in full; each official and attendant received five taels, while each sedan chair bearer and coachman received one tael.

Officials were given a special allowance based on their rank; those of the fifth rank and above received a golden rat as a gift, plus one hundred taels of silver.

Those of rank below fifth grade and above seventh grade were all given a golden rat, but no festival gifts were given.

There was no tribute for those below the seventh rank, because their rank was not as high as Zhao An's. So it was Zhao An, the official, who gave them red envelopes, fifty taels each.

The total cost of this meal was at least three thousand taels of silver.

The main piece is a custom-made gold rat, with a market value of 160 taels of silver.

Sending out five would amount to nine hundred taels.

Vice Principal Ma meant that since the principal was representing the academy in hosting the event, all expenses should be reimbursed by the academy.

Zhao An insisted on paying for it himself, for no other reason than that he had money now.

Although the total proceeds from the crackdown on the gangsters and criminal elements within the Grand Canal gang were not tallied due to the Lunar New Year, the seized cash amounted to more than 200,000 taels of silver, and dozens of properties were sealed off, conservatively estimated to be worth over one million taels.

Even if the old master knew that he had taken more than three thousand taels of this money to entertain guests, he wouldn't say anything.

How to distribute the profits from these industries was also the purpose of Zhao An's invitation to the dinner.

The spoils will definitely be divided among the government offices, and the local strongmen of Yangzhou Prefecture and Jiangdu County and Ganquan County will also get a share. We also need to take care of Ah Caishen and Censor Zheng, who are qualified to submit memorials to the old master. However, it is not easy to talk about the distribution of spoils openly, so we can only coordinate it privately.

The first guest to arrive was Mr. Zhao Dehan, a member of the military commissioner's garrison with whom they had a close working relationship before the New Year. Mr. Zhao not only came himself, but also brought along officers of the rank of battalion commander, lieutenant commander, and sentry officer from the Yangzhou garrison.

Along with his entourage of thirty or forty people, they gave Zhao An a great deal of face.

Zhao An, all smiles, went downstairs to greet him personally and handed him a red envelope without saying a word.

The officers, who had already made a fortune, were all smiles as they received their red envelopes, looking at Lord Zhao as if he were a family member.

On the civil service side, the Salt Administration sent out six invitations, but only three people actually came: one was the deputy envoy Ma Weijun, another was Wu Desong, the chief clerk who had secretly obtained three thousand salt permits for Zhao An, and the third was Song Jian, the transport judge.

Old Ding and Old Song were certain that Magistrate Zheng of Jiangdu County had also arrived early. Because he had almost gotten himself into trouble last time by making a rash greeting without knowing the situation, Magistrate Zheng was still feeling lingering fear.

The three officials from the prefecture arrived together, and the salt commissioner Zheng Bowen arrived shortly after them.

With the addition of the school officials, hundreds of people gathered together, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Wishing you prosperity and a happy new year – these greetings are always delightful.

The restaurant manager came over to ask Lord Zhao whether the banquet should begin. Seeing that it was almost time, Zhao An smiled and told the kitchen to prepare the dishes, while he invited the relevant people to take their seats according to the list.

Who sits in the head seat, who sits in the second seat, and who sits with others are all details.

While Vice Principal Ma was busy inviting people to sit down, Director Tong, who was on duty at the prefectural school, rushed into the Flower Pavilion with a group of people. Before Zhao An could ask any questions, a guard in a yellow jacket appeared from behind Director Tong, then held up a scroll of imperial edict and shouted, "Imperial Censor Zhao Youlu, receive the edict!"

The shout startled all the officials inside the building.

Zhao An swiftly stepped forward, flapping his sleeves, and knelt down on the ground with utmost respect, saying, "This servant Zhao Youlu is here!"

The guard, a third-class guard of the fifth rank, glanced at Zhao An with an air of superiority before unfolding the imperial edict and reading it aloud: "The Grand Canal is vital to the nation's survival, and the canal transport in Jiangnan is especially crucial to the people's livelihood. The Imperial Censor Zhao Youlu, loyal and dutiful, has investigated and punished the canal gangs and traitors, purged the villains, brought peace to the region, and further educated the common people with the teachings of the Emperor, promoting good customs and morals. He is truly a virtuous minister who shares my burdens."
I hereby exceptionally promote you to the rank of Jiang'an Grain Commissioner, a fourth-rank official, and bestow upon you a yellow riding jacket. All your previous appointments are retained. I hope you will be even more diligent and hardworking, working tirelessly day and night, to ensure that the grain transport administration is efficient and the people are honest and kind, and to live up to my intention in selecting you.

Admire this! "

After the guard finished reading the imperial edict, he bent down and handed it to Zhao An. However, his expression changed, and he smiled broadly, saying, "Congratulations, Lord Zhao, on your promotion to Grain Commissioner!"

"Huh? Ah! Ah!"

Once he regained his senses, Zhao An quickly accepted the imperial edict, kowtowed, and shouted his gratitude to the old master and his eighteen generations of ancestors, promising to contribute to the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty.

The guard waved his hand, and immediately his attendant brought up a brand-new yellow jacket.

The officials inside the building were all stunned by the imperial decree: Five promotions in one go?!
Vice Principal Ma had already cleverly come up to invite the guards and their entourage to a feast. The guards were not polite and chuckled as they followed Vice Principal Ma to sit at the main table.

As a result, the prefect, who was originally sitting in the chief seat, refused to sit there and insisted on giving the chief seat to the guard from the capital.

The back-and-forth of invitations and refusals perfectly exemplifies the etiquette and culture of officialdom.

As Zhao An held the imperial edict and gazed at the yellow robe with surging emotions, Zheng Bowen, the censor seated at the head of the second table, quietly rose and approached Zhao An with a fawning smile, saying, "Congratulations on your promotion to Grain Commissioner, Lord Zhao! This is a small token of my congratulations; please accept it."

After saying that, he took out a five-hundred-tael silver note and stuffed it into Zhao An's hand.

This meal was a bit of a rip-off. I received a golden rat worth over a hundred taels, but gave away five hundred taels, so I lost more than three hundred taels.

For Imperial Censor Zheng, who loved money more than anything, this was truly a painful blow.

(End of this chapter)