Qing Yao

Chapter 273 I'm late!
Yingzhou Prefecture and its neighboring Fengyang Prefecture are both areas severely affected by drought. Last month, Jing Daoqian, the acting provincial governor of Anhui, went to Fengyang to provide on-site guidance for disaster relief.

Jing Daoqian was the seventh provincial governor of Anhui, who moved from Jiangning to Anqing in the 25th year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. He rose through the ranks from a county official to the prefect of Anqing, and repeatedly served as the acting circuit intendant of Huiningchi and managed Wuhu Pass. He was deeply trusted by the governor, Zhu Gui, who submitted a memorial recommending him for promotion to the Shandong Denglaiqing Circuit.

However, due to the severe drought in Anhui this year, Zhu Gui suggested to the court that Jing Daoqian should not go to Shandong for the time being, but instead temporarily serve as the Anhui Provincial Governor to assist the Governor in comprehensive disaster relief.

This was also Zhu Gui's little scheme. If Jing Daoqian made meritorious contributions in disaster relief, he would most likely be able to take up the post of Governor of Anhui, ending the two-year vacancy of the governorship of Anhui.

After taking office, Jing Daoqian took it upon himself to clean up corruption and promote integrity. He knew that the key to disaster relief was to rectify local officialdom. Only when local officials were clean could the distribution of disaster relief grain be ensured. Therefore, during his local inspections, he recommended honest officials such as Cui Yinghuai and Li Ruheng, and impeached and removed dozens of corrupt officials.

The matter of Zhao Youlu, the Grain Commissioner, concealing deficits under the guise of opening granaries to relieve the people and privately selling grain to merchants at high prices was reported to Governor Zhu Gui by Jing Daoqian after receiving relevant accusations.

Zhu Gui was furious when he learned of this. He immediately submitted a memorial to the court impeaching Zhao Youlu and also personally went to Yingzhou to guide disaster relief efforts.

When they arrived in Yingzhou, it was already late March. Along the way, local crops had all withered and died due to lack of water, and the bark of the trees on both sides of the road had been stripped off. It was hard to see any green at all. Many people had no choice but to travel together to unaffected areas to beg for food in order to survive.

Data reported by Anqing, where the provincial capital of Anhui is located, as well as Luzhou, Huizhou and other places, indicate that at least hundreds of thousands of disaster victims have flocked to these areas, causing a sharp rise in prices in unaffected areas and a deterioration in public security.

The prefect of Luzhou urgently reported to the governor that if more disaster victims flooded into Luzhou, then Luzhou, which was not a disaster area, would also become a disaster area.

Furthermore, intelligence indicates that the White Lotus cult, which disappeared in Anhui more than a decade ago, has resurfaced and is taking advantage of the situation to incite disaster victims to rob and exploit wealthy households, showing signs of an uprising.

It is said that Liu Zhixie, the chief disciple of Liu Song, the leader of the White Lotus Sect, who escaped back then, has succeeded him as the sect leader. During the more than ten years he was on the run, he developed tens of thousands of believers in Henan, Hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi. At the same time, he created new doctrines, claiming that "the Red Sun Calamity is over, and the White Sun will rise." He promised that all those who joined the sect would be "allocated land and exempted from taxes," attracting a large number of poor farmers to join the sect.

Hong Bao, a member of the White Lotus sect who was previously arrested by the government, not only confessed that the White Lotus sect had joined forces with the salt bandits in Huaibei, but also mentioned that Liu Zhixie had bought a boy named Wang Shuangxi in Bozhou and tricked the followers into believing that this Wang Shuangxi was a descendant of the Ming Dynasty, "Niu Ba," and that he would help him reclaim the country.

The characters “Niu Ba” combined with “Zhu” clearly indicate that Liu Zhixie intended to use the Ming dynasty to rally believers against the Qing dynasty. At the same time, he also pointed out that Liu Xi’er, the adopted son of his master Liu Song, was the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha and would protect and assist Niu Ba in the future.

However, Liu Zhixie did not receive the support of Song Zhiqing, another senior disciple of Liu Song. According to Hong Bao's confession, Song Zhiqing established Li San Xiazi as "True Maitreya" in Henan and Li San Xiazi Zi Mao'er as "Niu Ba". At the same time, he created a new religion called Xitian Dachengjiao, which had tens of thousands of followers.

In recent years, the name "Niu Ba" has appeared frequently in reports from various places. Last year, Sichuan reported to the court that a branch of the White Lotus sect had recruited Wang Yinghu, the leader of the Yuan sect, and his master Ai Xiu and others to spread the rumor that "Maitreya Buddha was reincarnated in the Zhang family of Wuying Mountain in Henan and helped 'Niu Ba,' also known as the Zhu family, to start a rebellion."

The imperial court ordered Sichuan to arrest Wang Yinghu, Ai Xiu, and others, but the news may have leaked, and Wang, Ai, and others fled into the mountains, making them difficult to find.

Overall, the White Lotus sect had more than a dozen branches in various places, all of which used the term "Niu Ba" to bewitch people and all of which established a so-called "true Maitreya". However, they were independent of each other and did not belong to each other. They were a typical loose group and could hardly pose a threat to the Qing Dynasty's rule.

In the words of some officials, these are just small-scale operations and are unlikely to amount to much.

As long as it doesn't go too far, some officials don't even take the White Lotus Sect seriously.

However, this time the White Lotus Sect has resurfaced in Anhui, which is also facing severe disasters with hundreds of thousands of refugees. If the White Lotus Sect makes use of these hundreds of thousands of refugees, who dares to say that it will not recreate the glory of the Red Turban Army in the past?

Therefore, Zhu Gui increased disaster relief efforts on the one hand, and issued orders to various places to send more officers and soldiers to set up more checkpoints to prevent refugees from leaving and to keep them "enclosed" as much as possible.

While this "circle" significantly reduced the number of migrants leaving the area, it had a dire consequence: migrants who left to escape famine might have a chance to survive, but those "circled" could only wait to die.

Because there was no food.

Zhu Gui was not unaware that many people would die in his circle, but as the prefect of Luzhou said, if the refugees were allowed to flow out, the entire Anhui province would become a disaster area.

If the people of an entire province become refugees, and the White Lotus sect further incites them, it could truly shake the foundations of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhu Gui understood the bigger picture better than anyone else.

To this end, Zhu Gui not only mobilized the Green Standard Army in Anhui to surround and ensnare displaced people, but also, in his capacity as governor, issued orders to various localities, instructing local gentry to organize militias to assist the government in "maintaining" order.

The so-called militia were recruited by local gentry who funded and provided food to recruit able-bodied men to defend their villages and ward off thieves in place of government troops. Some of them also accompanied the army on expeditions.

During the Kangxi era, the establishment of local militias was briefly permitted, but it was later banned.

Zhu Gui's bold move to restart the militia training alleviated the pressure of displaced people in Anhui to some extent, but to address the root cause, this measure could not be sustained for long without sufficient food.

Unless the government troops can kill all the disaster victims.

As a leading figure among the upright officials, Zhu Gui obviously wouldn't do such a thing, nor would he dare to. His only option at the moment was to do everything in his power to provide disaster relief. However, given how things had developed, Zhu Gui, as the governor, couldn't escape blame either.

The disaster situation in Anhui had already become apparent at the end of last year. At that time, local officials pointed out that the disaster situation might worsen next year and reminded the higher authorities to take early precautions to avoid being caught off guard.

Zhu Gui, however, did not take these officials' "warnings" to heart, believing that there would be widespread rainfall after the New Year, and that there would be no disaster at that time.

Unexpectedly, the disaster situation in Anhui after the Lunar New Year has developed to such a severe extent.

As the governor, Zhu Gui felt very guilty about this.

Upon arriving in Yingzhou, Zhu Gui immediately listened to the reports from Yingzhou officials on the disaster situation, and then, despite the fatigue of the journey, went to inspect the nearby disaster-stricken areas.

Attracted by the villagers queuing to fetch water in a village, Zhu Gui got out of the car and discovered that the villagers were using only a pond with water that was only knee-deep.

The local officials told the governor that this pond was the only water source for more than 20 miles around, and that there were thousands of people living in this area.

With far more monks than porridge, villagers were only allowed to take two scoops of water a day to survive; watering the land was out of the question.

As for how the people make a living, the village head didn't say, nor did he dare to.

They were relatively close to the prefectural city, so they could still receive some relief from the government and barely survive. Further away, the mass graves were filled with bones dug up everywhere.

Looking at the pond in front of him, filled with decaying grass and foul stench, Zhu Gui fell into deep thought. He then walked to the edge of the pond, took a ladle from a villager who was fetching water, scooped up half a ladle of water, and was about to drink it.

Upon seeing this, the prefect of Yingzhou quickly stepped forward and pulled the governor aside, whispering, "Your Excellency is of noble birth; you cannot drink this water!"

"If the common people can drink it, why can't I?" Zhu Gui raised his hand to stop him, slowly bringing the half-ladle of muddy water to his mouth. Before even drinking it, he smelled a foul odor, and then took a sip in front of everyone.

After a long while, he frowned, feeling a foul odor emanating from his mouth, throat, and even stomach. The extreme nausea almost made the governor vomit.

However, the villagers who were fetching water were stunned by what they saw. Several white-haired old men suddenly knelt down, and then one by one, the villagers knelt on the ground, looking devoutly at the governor who was holding half a ladle of water.

Zhu Gui choked up, gently poured the water he hadn't finished into a villager's bucket, and called out to the villagers, "I'm late, I'm late!"

It was late at night in the Yingzhou Prefectural Government Office, but the lights were still on in the Governor's room.

Inside the room, there was a quilt, a mattress, and several tattered books.

This is what Zhu Gui insisted on during his forty years as an official; no matter where he went, he only carried these three things.

At this moment, Zhu Gui was writing a memorial to the court, requesting the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds and grain for disaster relief, and also requesting the court to exempt most prefectures and counties in Anhui from taxes and grain next year, so that the people could recuperate.

On the wall hangs the five maxims, "Cultivate the mind, respect the body, be diligent in your work, be humble, and be sincere," personally inscribed by Zhu Gui. These five maxims are also hung in the study of his student, Prince Jia, Yongyan.

When Zhu Gui served as Yongyan's tutor, in addition to Confucian classics, he secretly taught Yongyan the art of governing officials, bypassing traditional classical studies. He even wrote a book called "The Precious Mirror of Governance" for Yongyan, which was full of analyses of cases of emperors throughout history eliminating powerful ministers.

When the old master noticed Zhu Gui's unusual behavior and summoned him for questioning, Zhu Gui used the excuse of lecturing on "The Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era." Although the old master was somewhat dissatisfied, he ultimately did not destroy the book "The Precious Mirror of Governance and Peace," which is still on Yongyan's desk today.

There was another person in the room, Zhu Gui's eldest son, Zhu Xijing.

Zhu Xijing passed the provincial examination in the forty-fourth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. For some reason, Zhu Gui did not allow his son to continue to participate in the metropolitan examination, but instead kept him by his side to gain experience. Zhu Gui also did not seek an official position for his son, and Zhu Xijing always served as his father's advisor.

After finishing his memorial to the court, Zhu Gui instructed his son to send it out. However, just as the memorial was sent, his family in Anqing sent a secret letter from the capital by fast horse.

The secret letter was sent by Prince Jia, Yongyan. In it, Prince Jia told his teacher that the Emperor had ordered Fuchang, the Provincial Treasurer of Jiangning, to investigate whether the accusations against Zhao Youlu made by his teacher were true. At the end of the letter, Prince Jia inquired with some concern whether the accusations against Zhao Youlu were indeed true.

After reading the secret letter, Zhu Gui casually handed it to his son.

Zhu Xijing hurriedly looked at it carefully, and after reading it, he frowned slightly and said, "Father, the Emperor has ordered the Jiangning Provincial Administration Commissioner to investigate Zhao Youlu's matter, which seems to indicate that he does not believe your accusations."

Zhu Gui shook his head: "I picked ginseng from Zhao Youlu, and in principle, the court should send someone to thoroughly investigate."

The implication is that the emperor's arrangement was not problematic, as it was in accordance with the local avoidance system established at the beginning of the dynasty.

If the case involves an official of the governor level, then the officials in the province where the governor resides must recuse themselves, and the emperor must appoint a governor-general, governor, or minister-level official from a neighboring province to conduct a thorough investigation to prevent local cover-ups.

The case of Wang Danwang, the governor of Zhejiang, was initially tried by Chen Huizu, the governor-general of Fujian and Zhejiang, who was a neighboring state.

Zhao Youlu was not a governor, but only a fourth-rank official in charge of grain transport in Jiang'an. The person who impeached him was his superior, the governor of Anhui. Therefore, according to the system, the preliminary review could be conducted by officials from neighboring provinces at the level of provincial governor or provincial inspector.

Zhu Gui was not worried that Jiangning Provincial Governor Fuchang would protect Zhao Youlu, because Fuchang, as a banner official, had no connection with Zhao Youlu and there was no exchange of benefits between them.

Moreover, Zhao Youlu's crimes were indeed proven. After receiving the report, Anhui Provincial Governor Jing Daoqian immediately found the informant, who was a minor official in charge of the grain depot. His testimony was all true; otherwise, he would not have used the impeachment method of "removing ginseng," which could have harmed himself, to deal with Zhao Youlu.

If Fuchang personally audits the treasury and interrogates the accusing official, the case will become clear. At that time, Zhao Youlu will either die or be exiled to Ningguta.

Zhu Xijing knew that his father had evidence of Zhao Youlu's crimes, so he was not worried that Zhao Youlu would get away with it. He was just worried and said, "Father, the Prince seems a little anxious. He is worried that you will not be able to bring Zhao Youlu down. Should you write a letter to comfort the Prince?"

Zhu Gui pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote sixteen large characters: "Neither happy nor angry, silent and prudent, listen attentively to show trust," and ordered his son to send them to Prince Jia the next day.

He then picked up the now-cold teacup and said in a deep voice, "Disasters have always been said to be natural disasters and man-made calamities, but man-made calamities are even worse than natural disasters. Take Zhao Youlu, for example. As the grain transport commissioner, he took advantage of the disaster to amass wealth and cover up deficits. If such corrupt officials are not eliminated, when will the governance of our Great Qing be able to change?"

Zhu Xijing hesitated for a moment, then said, "Father, there is something I don't know if I should say."

Zhu Gui said unhappily, "You and I are father and son, what is there that should or shouldn't be said?"

Zhu Xijing nodded slightly and boldly said, "Father, in my opinion, the root of today's corruption lies entirely with the Emperor. Once the system of granting silver for punishing crimes was implemented, the corruption in the bureaucracy has become like a river flowing downhill and is difficult to control. If we want the bureaucracy to be clean and efficient, I think only the ascension of a new emperor can bring about a cleansing."

After saying this, he felt somewhat apprehensive, because what he said was rather disrespectful.

Unexpectedly, his father agreed and praised him, saying, "That's right. The Emperor has become senile and has long lost his former vigor, which has led to corruption in the government. People like Heshen and Fu Chang'an have wreaked havoc on the court, and the people are suffering terribly. Fortunately, it is now the fifty-sixth year of Qianlong's reign, and there are only four years left until the sixtieth year."

He paused briefly, then said bluntly, "If I am not mistaken, the new emperor four years from now will surely be Prince Jia!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xijing was stunned: "Father, how can you be so sure?"

Zhu Gui smiled faintly: "Everyone says that Heshen is like a worm in the Emperor's belly, knowing everything the Emperor is thinking. But they don't know that the one who truly understands the Emperor's mind is not Heshen, but your father."

"If Prince Jia were to ascend the throne, it would indeed be a blessing for the nation, however..."

"But what?"

“I observe that Prince Jia is kind and benevolent, but his leniency leads to a lack of discipline. To reform the bureaucracy, the emperor needs to be strong, and I fear that Prince Jia will not be able to do so.”

"Indeed, Prince Jia is too lenient, but I have already thought of ways to reform the bureaucracy."

"Who is your father?"

“In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary; only by restarting the literary inquisition can official corruption be rectified.”

Zhu Gui's words resonated deeply.

(End of this chapter)