Qing Yao

Chapter 242 I'd Rather Die Than Go to the Meeting (End of Volume)
Hu Gaowang, Kuilun, and Zhu Gui.
Without the relevant personnel's resumes, it is difficult to figure out the cause and effect of the matter, and one may even be completely confused about what happened.

However, as long as we lay out the personnel files of the relevant individuals and examine what official positions they held during what period, and see which individuals they had common connections with, it will be easy to uncover the mastermind behind the scenes.

It's obvious that the mastermind behind this was Emperor Jiaqing.

Zhao An was furious. He said that how could giving gifts to his superiors lead to a prison case, and how warmly welcoming a passing general resulted in a beating? It turned out that the root of the problem lay with that bastard Jiaqing.

He was very frustrated because he had no connection with Jiaqing at all, and he really didn't know what Jiaqing was thinking to want to destroy him.

In order to get on Jiaqing's good side, he arranged for the unfortunate Wu Weiping to become a teacher at the Imperial Academy in Beijing. His aim was to find an opportunity for Teacher Wu to sneak into Jiaqing's "Prince's Residence" so that Teacher Wu could rise in status and give back to Zhao An after Jiaqing ascended the throne.

Unexpectedly, they all ended up on Emperor Jiaqing's blacklist.

It's truly a great injustice.

Afterwards, I analyzed the matter with Lao Ding, who believed that Prince Jia was probably frustrated by He Zhongtang and had nowhere to vent his anger, so he took Zhao An, the example set by He Zhongtang, as a target.

It's like being scolded by the dog owner but not daring to talk back, so you secretly kick the dog instead.

Unexpectedly, Heshen even went to great lengths to protect a mere seventh-rank lackey, which resulted in Jiaqing betraying his mentor, Hu Gaowang.

Although Kui Lun was not reprimanded by the emperor, he was not summoned by the emperor after arriving in the capital, probably to give him the cold shoulder.

I wonder how long this cold spell will last.

Moreover, Quelon's political rival, Woolana, is a relative of Heshen, so he'll probably be sidelined for at least a year.

Both the civil and military officials were implicated because of Zhao An; how could Jiaqing not hold a grudge against Zhao An?

Coincidentally, Zhao An, as if he were to die, has run off to another teacher's territory during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing to serve as an official. It's possible that both old and new grudges will be settled together.

Therefore, Lao Ding was worried that his grandson-in-law's position as the Jiang'an Grain Commissioner was not peaceful. You should know that Zhu Gui, the Governor of Anhui, was not only the teacher of Prince Jia, but also the leader of the Qingliu faction in the court. He had served as Grain Commissioner, Provincial Treasurer, Governor, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and Vice Minister. His resume was quite impressive. If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely be respected as Grand Secretary in the future.

With such a powerful figure and Prince Jia behind him, how could the grandson-in-law have an easy life?

"If soldiers come, we'll block them; if water comes, we'll dam it. At worst, I'll just avoid dealing with Zhu Gui."

Zhao An didn't take it to heart. Zhu Gui's governor's office was in Anqing, while his grain transport office was in Jiangning. The two sides kept to themselves. As long as he honestly carried out his grain transport work, what could Zhu Gui, the governor, do, no matter how powerful he was?

Furthermore, officials of the fourth rank were directly under the Ministry of Personnel, and their appointments and removals required the Emperor's personal approval. As long as Heshen, the second emperor, remained in power, Zhu Gui, the governor, would not be able to overthrow Zhao An through organizational procedures.

At most, he might tattle on things. With Heshen acting as a filter, even if Zhu Gui sent emails to the old master every day, it wouldn't make a difference.

If that's the case, what's there to be afraid of?

"Don't take this matter lightly; Zhu Gui is a formidable man."

Old Ding told his grandson-in-law Zhu Gui that behind him was the immense power of Qingliu.

Besides Zhu Gui, the governor of Anhui, another leader of the Qingliu faction was Wang Jie, a top scholar and prime minister who was also a Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, in charge of the Ministry of Rites, and was granted the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Wang Jie was so powerful that even the second emperor, Heshen, had to curry favor with him.

The old master treated Wang Jie, the top scholar whom he had personally selected, exceptionally well, appointing him as the chief tutor of the Imperial Study. If Zhu Gui was the homeroom teacher of the fifteenth prince, Prince Jia, then Wang Jie was the vice principal and dean of studies. All the princes and grandsons had to call him "Master".

Wang Jie was at odds with Heshen, and Prince Jia was also angered by Heshen. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so it cannot be ruled out that Wang Jie was also a potential member of the "Fifteenth Party".

In summary, it seems that neither Governor Zhu Gui nor Grand Secretary Wang Jie could influence you.

If Scholar Wang were to go all out, even Heshen couldn't protect you.

"This"

Zhao An's expression turned serious. Wang Jie was a capable man. In addition to the Qing government mobilizing troops from across the country to suppress the White Lotus Rebellion, Wang Jie's appeasement policy also played a key role. Many rebels were recruited and incorporated into the government army by Wang Jie. In addition, the local militia policy led by Jiaqing led to the isolation of several core groups of the White Lotus Rebellion, which ultimately led to its defeat and demise.

Officially, Wang Jie offered advice and assistance to the Manchus, making him a major enemy of Zhao An.

On a personal level, Wang Jie's actions in pacifying the White Lotus Church and disrupting Zhao An's IPO plans also made him a formidable enemy.

Whoever leads the suppression of the White Lotus Rebellion will reap huge benefits; this is beyond doubt.

Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Li Hongzhang during the late Qing Dynasty are vivid examples.

Zhao An's current schemes are all aimed at gaining control over the suppression of the White Lotus Rebellion. However, with Wang Jie, the Grand Secretary, in charge, Zhao An is unlikely to take the lead in the suppression. There's nothing he can do about it, given Zhao An's lack of experience.

Therefore, Wang Jie had to be removed, even if he was a good official, because this was not a matter of character.

Thinking about these things now is a bit far-fetched. The most urgent task is to ensure that Jiaqing's homeroom teacher will not be instructed by the students to cause trouble for him.

Zhao Anyi suggested throwing money at him, not believing that Teacher Zhu didn't love money.

Is 10,000 taels enough?
If that's not enough, add more, until your teacher, Mr. Zhu, acknowledges Zhao Youlu as an outstanding grain director of Anhui Province. It would be best if you could also introduce this director to your students.

Zhao An didn't mind clinging to Jiaqing's leg and cursing himself for being blinded by greed in the past, promising to change his ways and vow to protect Prince Jia's leadership of the Qing Dynasty.

"This isn't about money,"

Old Ding shook his head. "Zhu Gui is a famously honest official. I knew his name when I went to the capital to take the imperial examination. He is a man who has lived a solitary life and never talked about money. If you dare to give him money, he will dare to deal with you without going through the court."

This isn't meant to scare the grandson-in-law; given Hu Gaowang's example, Zhu Gui is truly capable of decisive action and turning the situation into a fait accompli.

Is it meaningful to discuss whether someone is in the wrong or not when they are dead?

Didn't a governor named Ding Baozhen in the late Qing Dynasty behead the Empress Dowager's lover?

Afterwards, the Empress Dowager could only reluctantly admit it.

Zhu Gui was also a governor, a high-ranking official in charge of a region, and he might not have been afraid to be Ding Baozhen's predecessor.

Therefore, trying to bribe Teacher Zhu is a very bad idea; it's like offering yourself a knife and asking someone to stab you in the neck.

It is true that corrupt officials were everywhere in the Qing Dynasty, but there were also a few honest officials.

Zhu Gui was one of them.

Honest officials are generally quite bold because they have no political blemishes; they are upright in their conduct and conduct.

They have enough confidence to do things that corrupt officials dare not do.

On the contrary, corrupt officials, lacking confidence, act timidly and hesitantly, worrying about this and that, and often lose their heads because of their lack of decisiveness.

“Zhu Gui is only the governor of Anhui, not the governor-general of Liangjiang with the imperial decree. He thinks he can just kill me, a fourth-rank official? If he kills me, he probably won’t be able to stay as governor.”

Zhao An did not believe that Zhu Gui, a traditional scholar-official, would dare to overstep the system and act recklessly.

"Don't gamble your life on whether someone dares to do it."

Old Ding looked meaningfully at his grandson-in-law, "The current emperor is already eighty years old. In your words, how many more years does he have left to live? If Zhu Gui were to behead you, at most you would be dismissed from your post. But don't forget that Zhu Gui was Prince Jia's teacher. If Prince Jia were to become the new emperor, wouldn't he employ his teacher? As for you, you'll die in vain, with no one to appeal your grievances to." Zhao An was stunned: "Grandfather also thinks Prince Jia has a chance to inherit the throne?"

"It's either one or the other, what do you say?"

The "choose one of two" situation that Old Ding mentioned is common knowledge. It simply means that Prince Cheng and Prince Jia must choose one of them, and the other princes have no chance of competing.

It's a 50/50 chance, the odds are very high.

Zhao An frowned slightly: "It seems we must follow He Zhongtang closely, otherwise if Prince Jia becomes emperor, my grandfather and I will be finished."

Old Ding sneered, "If Prince Jia really becomes emperor, do you think He Zhongtang can still hold his position in the court as his second emperor? I'm afraid He Zhongtang will be in dire straits even crossing the river in a clay statue."

The implication is that even Heshen couldn't protect himself, so how could he be expected to protect his "lackeys"?

"He who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term. He who does not plan for the whole is not fit to plan for a part."

Old Ding blurted out this sentence.

Zhao An asked in confusion, "What does Grandfather mean?"

“Since you have offended Prince Jia, you must not allow Prince Jia to inherit the throne under any circumstances.”

After saying that, Old Ding picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, his face resolute: "We have to bet on Prince Cheng! Only if Prince Cheng becomes the new emperor can we ensure that we are invincible."

"."

Zhao An hadn't expected Old Ding to have this idea, and couldn't help but remind him, "What if the name of Prince Jia is displayed behind the 'Zhengda Guangming' plaque in the Qianqing Palace?"

Everyone knows that the old master secretly designated a crown prince again more than ten years ago, but no one knows which prince it was.

At that time, the old master had seven living sons, among whom Yongrong and Yongcheng were adopted by collateral branches in the twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth years of Qianlong's reign, respectively, and could not be the crown prince.

Yongqi, the son of Empress Ulanara, could not be chosen as heir because his mother had been deposed.

The remaining possibilities are Yongxuan, Yongxing, Yongyan, and Yonglin.

Yongxuan and Yonglin were clearly not favored by the old master, so it was obvious to everyone that the real competitors were Yongxing and Yongyan, meaning it was a "choose one of two".

Old Ding's suggestion to bet on Prince Cheng is correct, but the premise is that the crown prince has not been determined. In that case, various methods of vying for the throne can be used to prevent Prince Jia from ascending to the throne.

However, the list of heirs has actually been decided. The crown prince was chosen more than a decade ago. No matter how fierce the struggle is now, once the list is read out, even if you, Prince Cheng, have the upper hand, it won't matter.

Similar to the case of Emperor Daoguang establishing Emperor Xianfeng, Emperor Daoguang clearly had the greatest advantage and the most supporters in the court and among the people, yet Emperor Xianfeng still won.

What can the Japanese do?
They still have to obediently submit.

"this?"

Old Ding stood there, stunned. If the name of Prince Jia was on the back of the plaque that read "Upright and Bright," then what was the point of betting on Prince Cheng?

unless
"When the emperor dies, the princes and ministers should open the secret box to determine the new emperor. When the late emperor died, it was Prince Zhuang, Yunlu, and other princes and ministers who opened the secret box to confirm the current emperor's succession. If nothing unexpected happens, the same should be done when the current emperor dies. However, if the person who opens the secret box is at odds with Prince Jia..."

At this point, Old Ding paused.

Zhao An knew that Lao Ding meant that even if the crown prince had been decided, as long as Heshen's power was great enough, he could still tamper with the emperor's will and change Jia to Cheng.

It's just a package deal for powerful officials.

It is well known that Heshen and Prince Jia were at odds, and Heshen could not simply stand by and watch Prince Jia ascend to the throne.

Therefore, this matter is still possible to carry out; it just depends on whether Heshen has the guts.

Zhao An admitted that it was theoretically possible to tamper with the imperial edict, but there was something he had to remind Lao Ding of: "The Emperor said he would only reign for sixty years. Now the Emperor has reigned for fifty-six years. If the Emperor does not pass away in four years, shouldn't he abdicate to a new emperor? If he does abdicate, who would dare to change the new emperor's position? Would Heshen dare, or would those princes with their hats dare?"

"This is troublesome."

Old Ding's brows were also furrowed. It was impossible to change the crown prince's name while the emperor was still alive, because although the emperor was old, his prestige was not diminished at all.

Let alone Heshen, even ten Heshens wouldn't dare.

The fact that the crown prince is indeed Prince Jia, and that it cannot be stopped, will be a fatal outcome for the "small loan gang".

Because the "party leader" has caught the eye of Prince Jia.

"In my opinion, instead of betting on who will become the new emperor, we should strengthen ourselves. Doesn't Grandfather know that the one with the strongest army is the emperor? No matter what, as long as our fists are strong enough and our swords are sharp enough, what can Prince Jia or Prince Cheng do to us, even if it's the current emperor?"

Zhao An believed that Lao Ding understood the principle of "one force can overcome ten techniques" better than he did.

Instead of wasting time on idle thoughts, it's better to focus our energy on key areas and strive to make them bigger and stronger.

"There are still four years before the Emperor abdicates. With Heshen and Fu Chang'an looking after us, it's no use for Prince Jia to hate me. Once we are strong enough, he will become the Emperor, and we won't need to care about him anymore."

Even when Emperor Jiaqing was on the throne, he was assassinated from time to time. If he really didn't know any better, Zhao An wouldn't mind letting him be targeted by assassins regularly when he was a prince.

Old Ding nodded, knowing that his grandson-in-law was right; all the troubles in the world were insignificant in the face of absolute power.

However, their current strength is very weak, so the governor of Anhui alone makes them feel like they are facing a formidable enemy.

He couldn't help but ask, "What if Zhu Gui really is acting on Prince Jia's orders to cause you trouble? What will you do then?"

"Grandfather, don't worry, I would rather die than go to Anqing for the meeting!"

Zhao An was serious; he was truly determined to live a life of ignominy.

Zhu Gui, aren't you Prince Jia's homeroom teacher? You're so important and powerful. I admit I can't afford to offend you right now, so can I just avoid you?

“My grandson will never leave Jiangning during his term of office. Zhu Gui can’t just go to Jiangning and find fault with things for no reason.”

As they spoke, Zhao An poured tea for Lao Ding.

Old Ding was a little worried. Zhu Gui was a provincial governor, not like Hu Gaowang, who was in charge of the education office. If he was instructed by Prince Jia to cause trouble for his granddaughter's husband, it would be difficult to deal with his granddaughter's husband given his current official position.

Zhu Gui was a second-rank governor with the title of Vice Minister of War, while Zhao An was a fourth-rank grain commissioner. Although their ranks differed by only three levels, their power was worlds apart.

The governor of a province is giving trouble to you, the grain transport commissioner; he can really find fault with you.

This is also the principle of overcoming ten techniques with one force.

"Damn it, if Zhu Gui really goes too far, I'll have someone kill him!"

Zhao An got impatient. "I'll just do something unconventional, okay?"

End of this volume.

(End of this chapter)