Qing Yao

Chapter 251 The Minister Impeaches Zhao Youlu
Last year's birthday celebrations cost over ten million taels of silver, leaving the old master in a tight spot financially.

If there were no war on the plateau, it could be maintained. After all, a considerable amount of money had been collected from the criminal prosecution, and the Royal Bank's interest income from lending in various places was also quite good. In addition, the national treasury received tens of millions in tax revenue every year. If they were frugal, it would definitely be enough.

However, once the war on the plateau began, the Ministry of Revenue initially estimated that 1100 million taels of silver would be needed, and this estimate was based on the premise that the war would end in one or two years.

If this drags on for too long, it won't be something that can be solved with just a few million taels.

Since the old master ascended the throne, he has been constantly waging war. The campaign to pacify the Dzungar and Hui tribes alone took five years and cost more than 30 million taels of silver. The two campaigns in the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan regions, which covered only a hundred miles, cost more than 70 million taels of silver. The campaign in Burma cost another 10 million taels of silver. A few years ago, the campaign in Taiwan cost more than 16 million taels of silver, and the campaign in Annam cost nearly 10 million taels of silver.
The national treasury receives 40 million taels of silver annually. If it were just about spending money on military campaigns, the court officials would have nothing to say, since it is a matter of national importance. However, the old master loved to travel and enjoy the scenery all his life. He would build a temporary palace wherever he went. There were as many as 27 temporary palaces in the four provinces of Zhili, Shandong, Jiangnan, and Zhejiang alone.

Which of these temporary palaces, where people only stay for a few days, doesn't cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver?
Each imperial tour was "sponsored" by merchants, and each time it cost millions of taels of silver.
The cost of preparing for the old master's visit to the Hangzhou Textile Bureau was equivalent to three years' worth of taxes for the entire city of Hangzhou. The tableware alone was required to be made entirely of pure gold; the tableware for a single meal was enough to feed an ordinary family for a hundred years.

The old master also loved to show off. Once, he saw a nice garden in Suzhou and had it built exactly like it in the palace, which cost more than 200 million taels of silver, equivalent to the combined annual income of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces.

Not to mention the extravagant displays of the Empress Dowager's and Emperor's birthday celebrations, which often cost tens of millions of taels of silver.

The old master especially loved crabs from the Jiangnan region and demanded that Jiangsu supply live hairy crabs to the capital every day. Jiangsu had no choice but to send express horses to deliver the crabs to the capital, costing hundreds of taels of silver every day. Many of the crabs were actually dead when they arrived, but the Imperial Household Department still made the payments.

They spend tens of thousands of taels of silver a year just on eating crabs.

The old man could only eat two at most per meal.

Back in Kunshan, two crabs cost four coins, and that's something poor people eat. Rich people don't eat this stuff; they find it too spicy.

In short, the old man was fine when he was young, but the older he got, the more he spent money, and now he has no restraint at all.

After fifty years of squandering, the national treasury is already running a deficit.

Several years ago, the old master felt that the porcelain in the palace was not exquisite enough, so he ordered the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Factory to develop new varieties. The craftsmen worked day and night to fire them, and the failed products piled up like mountains.

In total, to produce one successful masterpiece, dozens or even hundreds of pieces would be wasted. These discarded pieces eventually became the "Porcelain Mountain" of the Imperial Kiln. The Ministry of Revenue calculated that the silver was wasted on firing porcelain alone amounted to more than one million taels.

If things are done this way, where will the national treasury have any silver reserves left?

With a major military campaign about to be launched on the plateau, the old man treasured the silver even more. Otherwise, he wouldn't have supported Heshen in making the "punishment silver" a fixed amount and piloting the policy of allowing students to study in Jiangsu.

When it comes to military affairs, the old master is willing to take money from the imperial treasury and is also generous with rewards.

The Jiangsu governor, Fu Song, presented a novel idea to generate revenue by selling schools, which immediately struck a chord with the old man.

If Heshen had said that all the academies in Jiangsu and Zhejiang with hundreds or even thousands of years of history were sold off, how much revenue would that have brought to the national treasury?
It would cost at least tens of millions of taels!
With these tens of millions of taels, the Qing Dynasty's wealth would certainly surpass that of previous dynasties, and many problems could be easily solved.

The old man's thinking is very simple and realistic. As long as he can get money for the court, without endangering the long-term stability of the Qing Dynasty, and without causing any loss to the people, what is there that he can't sell?
It's not like we're saying we'll sell the school and not build it.

As long as students have a place to study, they don't necessarily have to study in the same place.

It's a pity that Sun Shiyi was appointed Governor-General of Liangjiang, otherwise the old master would definitely have sent Fusong to replace Chengzheng.

Heshen, seizing the opportunity, added the finishing touch: "Your Majesty, Fusong's memorial also mentioned that the newly built academy should be modeled after Shengjing, far away from the old city's stele forest, with the 'Sixteen Articles of the Holy Ancestor's Edict' prominently displayed in the Minglun Hall, and memorial tablets of famous officials of this dynasty erected to completely sever the influence of the former Ming dynasty on the education of this dynasty. This servant believes that this is the best strategy to secure the eternal reign of our Great Qing, and all regions should follow suit."

"Oh?"

The old man, who hadn't expected Fu Song to have such an intention, looked pleased. "This Fu Song does have some insight. It's no wonder I've cultivated him so much. The academies in the Jiangnan region are all remnants of the Ming dynasty, and they definitely need to be fundamentally improved. By imperial decree, Fu Song is to be awarded a double-eyed peacock feather and a reward of fifty taels of silver."

Well, after hearing this, even Wang Jie was speechless.

If anyone objects, Heshen might just say that he is loyal to the Ming Dynasty and wants to preserve the seeds of anti-Qing restoration among the people.

"Father, you are wise!"

Yongxing promptly presented his father with a generous gift, saying he wanted to open a teahouse in the market street, with all the proceeds to be handed over to the Imperial Household Department for national needs.

The shopping street was a commercial street set up by the old master last year for his birthday celebration, opposite the Fuhai Lake in the Yuanmingyuan. The shopping street has everything that can be found on the outside streets, including clothes, antiques, and snacks.

The stall owners were all eunuchs, and the goods were procured by the Imperial Household Department and sold at clearly marked prices, with the proceeds going to the Imperial Household Department.

The customers of the trading street were mainly concubines, princes, princesses, nobles, and high-ranking officials.

It was very lively. When the old man had nothing to do, he would wear Hanfu and go to the market. The eunuch stall owners treated him like an ordinary customer, allowing him to enjoy the life of a commoner.

It's probably also related to the fact that the old man is getting old and all the people he used to know are gone, which makes him feel very lonely and desolate.

Old people, even emperors, enjoy lively gatherings.

The Imperial Household Department invested 340,000 taels in this trading street, with daily profits varying, sometimes reaching three or four hundred taels, and sometimes only a few dozen taels. Everyone knew that the trading street wasn't about making money, but about pleasing the old master.

As long as the old master is happy, even losing several hundred taels of silver every day is no big deal.

Heshen opened an antique shop on Maimai Street, selling only the best items he had carefully selected, and his biggest customer was the old man.

The items belonging to the Grand Master would sell for at least ten thousand taels of silver to others, but the Grand Master would definitely cut the price in half.

You can't make money off the old man, no matter who it is.

Moreover, the money ultimately went into the Imperial Household Department's account, and the antiques that the old master bought were also stored there.

It's just playing house; there's no question of losing or not losing.

Yongxing's timely response immediately pleased the old master, who nodded and said, "It's rare for a child to be so thoughtful. Your father cannot go against your wishes. Hmm, I hereby appoint you as the Grand Commander of the Manchuria."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, and Prince Jia, Yongyan, was completely dumbfounded.

Because another way of saying that the General of the Manchus was in charge of the affairs of the Manchu Eight Banners was that all the major military offices of the Manchu Eight Banners were under the jurisdiction of Prince Cheng!
Isn't that the Crown Prince?
Heshen was overjoyed in Tongfu Chang'an, becoming even more certain that the name behind the plaque of "Upright and Bright" belonged to Yongxing.

"Your Majesty's compassion and leniency have exceeded all expectations in your cultivation. Your son can only be diligent and conscientious in fulfilling his duties day and night, so as not to fail Your Majesty's grace!"

Yongxing excitedly knelt down and kowtowed three times. As he stood up, he glanced at his younger brother Yongyan, a fleeting look of smugness crossing his face.

Wang Jie and the others looked at Prince Cheng differently. Who would have thought that offering a teahouse would grant them the privileges of the Crown Prince?

The old man did things in an unconventional way, making him unpredictable.

Fu Chang'an laughed and said, "When Prince Cheng's teahouse opens, we servants will definitely go to support it. Prince Cheng, please don't try to pass off Gao Mo as the pre-rain Longjing tea for us to drink."

The fact that Yongxing's brother-in-law, who was a Grand Councilor, referred to himself as a "lackey" immediately highlighted Yongxing's status as the "crown prince."

The old man did not correct him, but smiled as he looked at the rather excited Yongxing and Yongyan, whose expression did not change but whose heart was full of grievances.

“My lord, the market street is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department, and I am also a minister of the Imperial Household Department. Prince Cheng has donated a teahouse, so I should open a restaurant as well, right? You can’t refuse to come and visit, my lord.”

Heshen smiled and added to the glory.

"I like Huaiyang cuisine. You should invite some chefs from Qingjiangpu, Huai'an, to come to your restaurant. Their dishes are authentic."

The old man's forehead wrinkles gathered with laughter, and the atmosphere in the hall was very relaxed. Unexpectedly, the old man then changed the subject and began to talk to everyone about the principles of integrity, saying that the national treasury was currently in short supply, and all officials, high and low, should be frugal and could no longer be extravagant.

“Every penny and every grain of rice should be cherished. Zhang Boxin of the Kangxi Emperor once said that if one is lenient by a little, the people will benefit more than a little; if one takes a single coin, I am worthless. You should all strive to uphold this saying, for frugality is a virtue shared by all, while extravagance is a great evil!”

After surveying the assembled military officials, including the two princes with differing attitudes, the old master slowly walked to the imperial table. Upon seeing this, Heshen quickly ground ink, thinking that the old master was inspired to write another poem advising frugality. However, the old master instead wrote the three characters "清慎勤" (qing shen qin, meaning integrity, prudence, and diligence) on the Xuan paper.

"Integrity means being fair and honest, and not taking ill-gotten gains; prudence means making thorough decisions and being self-disciplined in words and deeds; diligence in government affairs means understanding the people's sentiments. If an official can achieve these three things, it will be a blessing for the emperor and the people."

After speaking, the old master ordered the Grand Council to issue an edict throughout the country to have these three characters engraved on stone and hung in government offices of all sizes as a warning.

Upon hearing the old master's words, Songyun, who had just been promoted to the Military Affairs Department, subconsciously glanced at another memorial in his hand and hesitated whether to hand it over.

Yongxing noticed Songjun's expression and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Lord Song, whose memorial is this this time?"

Upon hearing this, Heshen turned to Songjun and said, "What auspicious day it is today that the local people have reported two pieces of good news to the Emperor in a row? Lord Song, why don't you tell the Emperor?"

"This"

Helpless, Song Jun had no choice but to step forward and bow, saying, "Your Majesty, the Governor of Anhui, Zhu Gui, impeached the newly appointed Jiang'an Grain Commissioner, Zhao Youlu, for seeking fame and fortune by bringing an iron coffin upon taking office. He claimed this was a pretext for his remonstrance in Quzhou, imitating the Han dynasty official Ji An's strategy of lying down to govern, but in reality, he was using the coffin as a stepping stone to advancement. He also impeached that the grain deficit under his jurisdiction exceeded the official limit by three times, the granaries were dilapidated and unrepaired, and he was even forcing his subordinates to donate under the guise of river repair, which was in fact embezzlement. Furthermore, this official also..."

At this point, Songjun hesitated and seemed reluctant to speak.

The old man said displeasedly, "What else?"

"Furthermore, upon investigation, it was found that this official also posted the three characters 'integrity, prudence, and diligence' in the main hall, requiring his subordinates to loudly recite them ten times every morning and evening. If their voices were even slightly weak, they would be beaten and scolded. His official arrogance made his subordinates suffer immensely."

After saying that, Songjun looked at the imperial table with trepidation.

The ink on the three characters "清" (qing, meaning purity), "慎" (shen, meaning prudence), and "勤" (qin, meaning diligence) on the Xuan paper is still wet.

(End of this chapter)