Qing Yao

Chapter 281 He's already in the ministry?
Songjun was a Manchu translator. Due to his competence, he was highly appreciated by the old master. At the age of thirty, he was promoted from a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue's Treasury to a second-rank official in the Cabinet and concurrently served as Vice Minister of Rites. For the next few years, he handled trade with the Russians in Kulun. He had no prior conflicts with Heshen.

Therefore, his words drew attention from Dong Gao, Peng Yuanrui, and Liu Yong, who were also in the hall.

Clearly, Songjun was preventing the old master from bestowing honors upon Zhao Youlu.

Zhao Youlu is a typical example established by Heshen through the practice of awarding bribes for crimes.

One should consider the owner before beating a dog; Songyun's actions clearly showed that he was going against Heshen.

Heshen did not expect Songyun to speak up and stop him. He frowned slightly but had nothing to say for a moment, because Songyun's suggestion was based on the correctness of the procedure.

Cao Zhenyong and Moergenge's secret report was covert, while the overt investigation was carried out by Jiangning Provincial Governor Fuchang, who was ordered to thoroughly investigate Zhao Youlu's grain-related case. Only when both the overt and covert investigations yielded results favorable to Zhao Youlu could the matter of rewarding him be discussed.

Otherwise, if we reward them now, but Fuchang's investigation results are different, what should we do?

The imperial court can't just change its orders every morning and evening.

Although the old man was a bit senile, he was still quite lucid at this moment and felt that Songyun's words made sense. He then remembered the disaster in Anhui and turned to ask the Ministry of Revenue what measures they had taken to deal with the disaster in Anhui.

The de facto head of the Ministry of Revenue is Fu Chang'an. Previously, when Sun Shiyi, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, reported the severe disaster in Anhui, the old master had instructed the Ministry of Revenue to raise funds and grain for disaster relief.

Although Fu Chang'an was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, the actual business of the Ministry was handled by the Han Minister Dong Gao and several Manchu and Han Vice Ministers. Most of the time, Fu Chang'an did not sit in the Ministry of Revenue. Recently, he was mainly responsible for procuring military supplies for his brother Fu Kang'an's army.

The expedition of the army to the plateau was a major event that the old master attached great importance to. Moreover, it was an army led by his own third brother, so Fu Chang'an, as the younger brother, naturally spared no effort.

The terrain on the plateau is complex. If the army is defeated due to the lack of military supplies, not only would Fu Chang'an be unable to bear the consequences, but even Heshen would not be able to withstand them.

However, the army's needs for money and provisions were a bottomless pit. The Ministry of Revenue was already severely in debt, and it was currently robbing Peter to pay Paul. Even so, it could not guarantee the army's needs. Fortunately, Fu Chang'an came up with a clever idea: he had his Tongzhou money shop lend 278 million taels to the Ministry of Revenue at an agreed annual interest rate of 1.9%.

This not only solved the urgent need for military supplies but also allowed him to make a fortune. It must be said that Fu Chang'an was truly a master at business.

Heshen knew about this and scolded Fu Chang'an for being too greedy, even wanting to make money from the imperial court, but he couldn't do anything about this "Fourth Blessing".

Who can blame them when "Four Lucky Ones" are now more favored than him and the Grand Secretary?

Fu Chang'an was not in the palace at the time, and he was not in charge of the disaster relief work in Anhui. The one who presented the memorial was Dong Gao, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Dong Gao's response plan was threefold: first, to allocate funds and grain from Jiangxi and Jiangsu to support Anhui; second, to suspend the transport of Anhui's grain to the north this year and instead provide local disaster relief; and third, to have Anhui's local officials organize the people to help themselves.

It is quite satisfactory.

"The Ministry of Revenue plans to allocate 1.2 million taels of tax revenue from Jiangxi this year and 1.4 million taels from Jiangsu for disaster relief in Anhui. In addition, 400,000 taels of customs revenue from Wuhu will be handed over to the Anhui provincial treasury. At the same time, Jiangsu and Jiangxi are ordered to transfer 800,000 shi of grain from the Ever-Normal Granary to Anhui."

Given that over 700,000 shi of grain that Anhui was supposed to deliver to the capital this year had already been distributed to disaster victims by Zhao Youlu, the Jiang'an grain commissioner, Dong Gao suggested that it would be better to simply stop the amount of grain that Anhui was supposed to deliver this year. This would reduce the burden on the people of Anhui and also reduce losses.

After all, transporting grain from Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces to Anhui for disaster relief requires taking into account manpower, transportation costs, and the expenses incurred by laborers along the way.

The cost of transporting one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain to the disaster area is three shi of grain, which is really not worthwhile.

Song Jun, Peng Yuanrui, and Liu Yong all nodded in support of Dong Gao's plan, believing that a three-pronged approach would effectively alleviate the disaster in Anhui.

Heshen listened attentively and then asked, "If the grain transport from Anhui is stopped, what will happen to the capital?"

Dong Gao said helplessly, "We can only ask Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong provinces to share the burden a little more this year."

This was a last resort. While the disaster victims in Anhui were important, the million Manchu bannermen in Beijing were also crucial. In previous years, the grain tribute was allocated to each province, but now that Anhui's portion of the tribute was missing, it meant a significant food shortage for the Manchu bannermen.

The only solution is to levy more taxes in the canal-adjacent provinces that have never been affected by the disaster.

Heshen felt that doing so might trigger a popular uprising, because he knew very well that if the court increased the tax by one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain, it would become three shi of grain when it reached the lower levels, with each level of the system exploiting and passing through the hands of others.

Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are wealthy enough to manage, but Shandong is not much better off than Anhui. Excessive taxation could easily drive the people of Shandong to take risks and lead to banditry.

Two years ago, the Yellow River breached its banks, causing disaster in some prefectures and counties in Shandong. At that time, some disaster victims looted government offices, and the imperial court had to send troops to suppress them.

To be on the safe side, Heshen wanted to discuss with Dong Gao whether there were any other options, but the old master simply nodded and said, "Let's do it this way. The Grand Council will draft a specific procedure and issue it out."

"Yes, master."

Heshen responded from the side, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Youlu submitted a memorial to the court while awaiting punishment."

The old man, who had already gotten up to leave, casually remarked, "Is he trying to seek justice for himself?"

Heshen shook his head and said, "That's not it."

"If he doesn't protest his innocence, what does he want to say to me?"

The old man became interested and slowly sat down again.

Heshen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Youlu has submitted ten disaster relief measures to the court."

"Ten methods for disaster relief? What are they?"

The old man gestured for Heshen to continue.

Heshen then briefly explained the ten disaster relief methods proposed by Zhao Youlu: First, the distribution of grain and porridge should be differentiated; second, work should be used as a form of relief, organizing disaster victims to repair water conservancy and transport grain and fodder, exchanging labor for food, and avoiding fostering laziness and wasting money.

Third, local authorities were ordered to organize the disaster victims into groups, led by respected elders, to prevent them from being misled by the White Lotus cult; fourth, local governments were instructed to guide the disaster victims to migrate to unaffected areas; fifth, the gentry and common people were mobilized to participate in disaster relief; sixth, it was essential to ensure that the fleeing disaster victims had work and food; and seventh, the imperial court issued an edict exempting Anhui from taxes this year, allowing the people to recuperate.
All ten disaster relief measures are targeted and can be implemented immediately.

Even Liu Yong, who was listening to this method, couldn't help but nod in approval.

The old man's attention, however, was drawn to the White Lotus cult, and he asked Heshen curiously, "Was the Hunyuan Sect that rebelled in Linqing back then the White Lotus Sect?"

Heshen gave an affirmative answer.

The old man's expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Dong Gao and Song Jun: "Have there been any reports from Anhui about the White Lotus cult recently?"

"This..." Dong Gao and Song Jun exchanged a glance and both shook their heads, because the Grand Council had not received any reports of the resurgence of the White Lotus Rebellion in Anhui.

"Zhao Youlu knew about the White Lotus cult activities in Anhui even in Jiangning, so why didn't Anhui report this to me?"

Since ascending the throne, the old patriarch has been particularly wary of folk associations and organizations, and has made a fatal amendment to the criminal law, stipulating that any gathering of three or more people who are not relatives or friends and form a sworn brotherhood is considered treason.

The White Lotus Rebellion was a major concern for the old master, as it had launched a large-scale uprising in Shandong in the thirty-ninth year of Qianlong's reign, nearly disrupting the grain transport.

Many cases of White Lotus sect members plotting rebellion had been uncovered in various places before, which kept the old man on edge.

Unexpectedly, the White Lotus sect resurfaced in Anhui, but the local authorities in Anhui did not mention it at all. If it weren't for Zhao Youlu's ten methods of disaster relief mentioning the need to be wary of the White Lotus sect, the old man would still be completely kept in the dark.

"What's wrong with Zhu Gui? The drought in Anhui is so severe, and he didn't even report it to me. It was Sun Shiyi who reported it. And the White Lotus Sect too, Zhao Youlu didn't report it, so is Zhu Gui just going to keep quiet about it?!"

The old man was clearly furious, which frightened Dong Gao, Peng Yuanrui, and the others so much that they dared not utter a sound. They were all puzzled as to why Zhu Gui knew about it but did not report it.

Heshen was secretly pleased. The old master had always treated Zhu Gui differently, but Zhu Gui had concealed the truth about Anhui and failed to report it, which was undoubtedly a crime of deceiving the emperor.

Just as he was about to take the opportunity to sow discord among Zhu Gui and bring him down completely, so that no one would speak up for Yongyan again, another memorial was submitted to the Grand Council.

It was a special report from Fuchang, the provincial governor of Jiangning.

However, the report did not mention the investigation results, because Ambassador Fan Wentong, who exposed Zhao Youlu's theft of grain from the granary, was killed.

"People are dead?"

The old man was taken aback at first, then his face turned extremely cold. “Fuchang had just arrived in Fengyang when Fan Wentong was murdered. Is it because someone doesn’t want me to know the truth, or is Anhui in such a chaotic and lawless state right now?”

The voice was extremely shrill.

Dong Gao and the others remained silent, all feeling that the situation in Anhui was rather complicated.

Who wanted to kill Fan Wentong? And who would benefit from his death?
Zhao Youlu?
Song Jun's heart skipped a beat, but then He Shen's words reached his ears: "Master, this servant believes that Fan Wentong was killed because someone didn't want you to know the truth. But this servant believes that this person is definitely not Zhao Youlu. Fu Chang's memorial clearly states that Zhao Youlu has never left Jiangning since taking office and has never even met Fan Wentong."
Cao Zhenyong's secret memorial also stated that Zhao Youlu had not stolen or sold grain from the granary for profit, and that local people, grain merchants, and boatmen could all testify to this. Therefore, it seems that Fan Wentong was falsely accusing his superior. If that's the case, why would Zhao Youlu do something so foolish as to try and cover it up? In my humble opinion, someone was worried that Fan Wentong would implicate him, so they resorted to this underhanded tactic.”

Although Heshen did not say it explicitly, everyone present could tell that what he actually meant was that Zhu Gui, the governor of Anhui, was killing people to cover up the crime.

The analysis is also very reasonable.

Although Fu Chang's memorial did not make a definitive statement, there was not a single word unfavorable to Zhao Youlu throughout the entire text. Therefore, it seems that Fu Chang mostly believed that Zhao Youlu was innocent.

If Zhao Youlu was framed innocently, what role did Zhu Gui, the governor of Anhui who impeached him, play?
He might not be a great traitor.

The old man understood Heshen's meaning perfectly well, but instead of slamming his fist on the table and ordering the officials to arrest Zhu Gui and bring him to the capital for questioning by the Ministry of Justice, he turned his gaze to Liu Yong: "Liu Yong, what do you think of the matter in Anhui?"

Liu Yong's address to the old man was a bit of a headache. Fan Wentong's death was clearly a cover-up, and there were only two possible culprits: Zhao Youlu, who was the one who had his ginseng removed, and Zhu Gui, who had removed the ginseng.

Both of them had a motive to kill Fan Wentong.

If Zhao Youlu had indeed committed illegal acts, he would certainly have wanted Fan Wentong dead. If he had not committed any illegal acts, then Zhu Gui, who rashly submitted a memorial impeaching Zhao Youlu, should have been hoping for Fan Wentong's death.

The nature of knowing and not knowing is worlds apart.

However, neither of them had any motive to commit this heinous act.

As Heshen said, killing Fan Wentong was a foolish act that was like trying to hide something obvious.

What a wise person would not do.

What do you call Liu Yong?
If they say Zhu Gui did it, what will happen to Prince Jia?
If Zhao Youlu did it, Heshen would definitely not let him off the hook.

Who did that?!

Fu Chang's memorial clearly stated that Fan Wentong was strangled and then hung from the roof beam, clearly a murder.

Liu Yong, quick-witted, said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the most important thing in Anhui right now is disaster relief. As the saying goes, disaster relief is like putting out a fire. Everything else can wait.”

A conciliatory answer that avoids offending either side.

Heshen snorted inwardly. On the surface, Liu Yong seemed to be avoiding offending anyone, but in reality, he still favored Zhu Gui.

Because whether it was Cao Zhenyong, Fu Chang, or Sun Shiyi, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, they all said that Zhao Youlu was a good and honest official. But Zhu Gui always contradicted him. It was Zhu Gui who impeached Zhao Youlu, and it is even more likely that Zhu Gui discovered that Fan Wentong had made false accusations and was afraid of being implicated, so he chose to kill him to silence him. Therefore, the blame should fall on Zhu Gui.

In the end, Liu Yong's attempt to smooth things over and delay things only benefited Zhu Gui.

Seeing that the old master still seemed unwilling to take down Zhu Gui, Heshen had no choice but to say, "Master, Fan Wentong had been under the watchful eye of Jing Daoqian, the acting governor of Anhui, but he was killed right under Jing Daoqian's nose. This servant believes that Jing Daoqian is implicated in this matter."

Let's settle for second best and take down Jing Daoqian first.

Jing Daoqian was originally to take up a post in Shandong, but Zhu Gui petitioned the court to retain Jing Daoqian as the acting governor of Anhui on the grounds of assisting the governor in disaster relief. In reality, Zhu Gui wanted Jing Daoqian to become his right-hand man in Anhui.

Could Heshen help Zhu Gui achieve his goal?

The governor and the provincial treasurer are both important officials in their respective provinces, and there is no reason for them to benefit Yongyan's faction.

The old patriarch glanced at Heshen and finally responded, ordering that Jing Daoqian be reinstated to his original post, effectively relieving him of his acting governorship. He also ordered Fuchang to continue the thorough investigation and uncover the truth behind Fan Wentong's death.

This decision was in line with Heshen's wishes. Heshen was overjoyed and boldly said, "Master, Zhao Youlu has been stripped of his official rank by Zhu Gui and is currently awaiting trial at the Grain Transport Office. I believe he has a good understanding of disaster relief and has served as the Grain Transport Office for several months. Such talent is rare. Why not let him do some work for you as the Grain Transport Office and benefit the people of the region? It is not appropriate to just keep him locked up for trial."

"It is somewhat inappropriate, Heshen, draft an imperial edict."

The old man straightened up slightly and said, “I hereby appoint Zhao Youlu as the acting provincial governor of Anhui, concurrently in charge of the Jiang’an grain transport and the Huiningchi-Taizhou circuit. All his previous concurrent posts shall be handed over, and the Ministry of Personnel shall select and appoint other officials. I also want to convey to Zhao Youlu that, as I said, disaster relief is important, but preventing chaos is even more important.”

Before he finished speaking, Liu Yong's eyes practically popped out of their sockets; he was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred!
When has our dynasty ever had a provincial governor in his early twenties?
(End of this chapter)