Qing Yao

Chapter 293 The Gift of Ebilun's Knife
At Heshen's residence, Su Ling'a, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet who had recently been appointed Minister of Personnel, was discussing with Heshen the list of people to accompany him.

Su Ling'a's original surname was Tatara. He was a Manchu from the Plain White Banner. As early as the sixth year of the Qianlong reign, he became a secretary in the Grand Secretariat after passing the imperial examination for translation. However, until the fiftieth year of the Qianlong reign, when he was almost seventy years old, he was still serving as an assistant secretary in the Ministry of Personnel, a low-ranking official position.

Just when Su Ling'a was about to retire, his luck turned around in his old age. He was immediately favored by Heshen and promoted to Vice Minister of War. Two years later, he was transferred to Minister of Revenue, and now he has been appointed Minister of Personnel. Heshen firmly controls the Ministry of Personnel and decides the career prospects of officials below the second rank in the Qing Dynasty.

The reason is that Su Ling Asheng's two daughters were both exceptionally beautiful. His eldest daughter married the son of Guotai, the governor of Shandong, who was forced to commit suicide in the forty-seventh year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. His younger daughter married Fengshen Yimian, the son of Helin, the younger brother of Heshen.

In other words, this Minister Su was related to Heshen's brother by marriage.

Because of this connection, Su Ling'a's fortunes changed in his old age, and he became a key member of the party, second only to Fu Chang'an, who was a Grand Councilor.

Half of the list of accompanying officials has been drawn up. There are three concubines who will accompany the emperor, one of whom is Consort Dun, Heshen's "mother-in-law," who is also the birth mother of his daughter-in-law, the Tenth Princess.

Regarding the princes, Su Ling'a believes that the eighth prince, Prince Yi, Yongxuan, and the eleventh prince, Prince Cheng, Yongxing, should accompany the emperor, while the other princes need not go.

In reality, they did not want the fifteenth prince, Prince Jia, Yongyan, to accompany them, but they could not make it too obvious, so even the seventeenth prince, Yonglin, did not have to go.

Unexpectedly, Heshen shook his head and said, "The master instructed that Mian'en and Mianning should go to the Summer Palace together this time. Mianning is still young, how can a father not accompany him?"

"In that case, let Yongyan accompany the emperor."

Su Ling'a nodded and wrote Prince Jia's name on the list, then asked with some doubt, "There are so many imperial grandsons, why does His Majesty specifically choose Mian'en and Mianning to accompany him? Your Excellency, is there some intention behind His Majesty's move?"

"intention?"

Heshen frowned slightly, wondering what Su Ling'a was referring to.

Seeing this, Su Ling'a put down his brush and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, what I mean is, will His Majesty follow the example of the Ming Taizu?"

The story of Emperor Taizu of Ming refers to the fact that after the death of his son, Crown Prince Zhu Biao, Emperor Taizu of Ming passed the throne to Zhu Biao's son, Zhu Yunwen, instead of passing it to any of his other sons; that is, "passing the throne to his grandson, not his son."

“Your Excellency, Mianning is still young, but what about Mian'en? He might very well be the next Zhu Yunwen. His father Yonghuang’s death was something His Majesty deeply regretted. It’s hard to say that His Majesty doesn’t have the idea of ​​passing the throne to his grandson.”

The death of Yonghuang, as Su Ling'a mentioned, occurred in the thirteenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. At that time, Empress Xiaoxian passed away, and the old master issued an edict ordering the eldest prince, Yonghuang, to receive the coffin as the eldest prince. However, during the mourning period, Yonghuang and his third brother, Yongzhang, did not show enough grief and were severely reprimanded by the old master, who said that the two were improper and did not understand etiquette.

Subsequently, it was explicitly stated that the two sons' eligibility to be designated as heir apparent was revoked.

From then on, Yonghuang became depressed and died young less than a year later. The old master felt extremely regretful afterward and transferred his guilt towards Yonghuang to his two sons, Mian De and Mian En.

Miande was Yonghuang's eldest son and the old master's eldest grandson. In the thirtieth year of Qianlong's reign, he inherited the title of Prince Ding of the Second Rank. Unfortunately, in the forty-first year of Qianlong's reign, he was stripped of his title for associating with officials and was instead granted the title of Prince Beizi of the Second Rank.

His younger brother, Mian'en, was appointed Commander of the Right Wing Vanguard in the thirty-fourth year of Qianlong's reign. In November, he took charge of the Firearms Battalion. He successively served as Commander-in-Chief, Infantry Commander, Commander of the Jianrui Battalion, Tiger Spear Battalion, and the Eight Banners of the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Guard. In the forty-first year of Qianlong's reign, he took over the title of Prince Ding from his elder brother, Mian De.

He is currently the only grandson of the emperor who holds military power over the Imperial Guards.

If the old master hadn't placed high hopes on this "second grandson," why would he have allowed a grandson to surpass his uncles and take command of the Imperial Guard?

From this perspective, it's not impossible for Mian'en to become the second Zhu Yunwen. After all, Zhu Yunwen wasn't the eldest grandson back then, and the fact that the old master specifically requested him to accompany the emperor this time shows how important Mian'en is to the old master.

"impossible."

Heshen shook his head, denying his in-laws' bold guess. As everyone knows, the old master will abdicate and become the retired emperor in three years. Since ancient times, the retired emperor and the emperor have always been father and son, not grandfather and grandson.

Even if the old master was confused, he would never do such a thing. Besides, in the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign, the old master had already secretly placed the crown prince behind the plaque of "Upright and Bright".

Although Mian'en commanded the Jianrui and Huqiang Battalions at the time, he did not receive the title of Prince Dingjun from his brother Mian De until three years later. How could someone who did not even have a title possibly surpass his uncles to become the heir to the empire?

Immediately, a sudden thought struck Heshen: the princes Yongxing and Yongyan, who were made crown princes in the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign, did not seem to have titles at the time. Moreover, he had heard the old master mention Mian'en more than once this year, showing great importance to this "second grandson of the emperor" and revealing his intention to promote him to the rank of prince. This made Heshen feel uncertain.

Since the old man celebrated his 80th birthday last year, his behavior has been truly unpredictable, sometimes even Heshen couldn't figure him out.

If Su Ling'a's guess is correct, the old master intends to pass the throne to Mian'en, which is definitely not a good thing for Heshen, because he has placed his bets on Prince Cheng, Yongxing.

If Mian En wins, it means that all of He Shen's previous "investments" have gone down the drain.

Just as he was frowning, the steward Liu Quan brought out a "postal parcel" delivered by express horse from Anhui and asked his master to open it.

The package was sent by Zhao Youlu, who had recently been acting as the Provincial Governor of Anhui.

Out of curiosity, Heshen opened the package and found a record of Zhao Youlu's observations on the disaster in Anhui. What he wrote made Heshen's hair stand on end and he found it hard to believe. Heshen angrily said, "The disaster in Anhui is so serious, yet Zhu Gui is still concealing it. What is he trying to do!"

Su Ling'a picked up the book and flipped through a few pages. She was also shocked by the hellish scenes described inside. Then she exclaimed with delight, "This record of what I saw and heard must be sent to the Emperor immediately. Your Excellency, whether we can capture Zhu Gui depends on this!"

These words were like a wake-up call. Upon closer inspection, this record of events was not merely a firsthand account of the disaster in Anhui; it was practically a death warrant for Zhu Gui. Heshen was overjoyed and immediately ordered Liu Quan to prepare a sedan chair so he could enter the palace at once.

After exchanging a few words with Su Ling'a, Heshen changed his clothes and went to the front yard. The sedan chair bearers were already waiting. Just as he was about to get into the sedan chair, Fu Chang'an's sedan chair stopped at the door.

Sweating profusely, Fu Chang'an emerged from the sedan chair and, seeing Heshen also about to go out, hurriedly asked, "Lord He, in this sweltering heat, where are you going?"

Heshen stopped and turned to look at Fu Chang'an, puzzled, "Why aren't you guarding the Grand Council? What are you doing here?"

"You can see for yourself, sir."

Fu Chang'an, fuming as if someone owed him money, handed the newly received letter of apology to Heshen, saying, "That Zhao Youlu has caused us a lot of trouble this time."

"What trouble?"

Heshen took the letter of apology and eagerly opened it. Before he could finish reading it, his expression changed, and he stared intently at Fu Chang'an: "Besides you, who else has seen this letter?"

“Songjun went to the Ministry of Revenue to handle some business, and I was the only one who looked at it. I felt that this matter was troublesome, so I came to discuss it with you, Lord He.”

Fu Chang'an complained that Zhao Youlu was simply acting recklessly. He said that even a Grand Councilor should not do such a thing, let alone someone who was only an acting provincial governor.

Back then, Liu Tongxun, the chief military minister, was ordered by the old master to supervise the river works. During the investigation, he discovered that a local county magistrate was extorting money from the people, which led to the dikes falling into disrepair and breaching.

Liu Tongxun was furious and wanted to execute the county magistrate on the spot. However, in the end, Liu Tongxun followed the normal procedure and reported the matter to the local governor.

According to the laws of the court, even the Grand Councilors did not have the power to execute officials on the spot. If it was necessary to execute the county magistrate who had broken the law, the governor would have to carry out the execution with the imperial decree.

Liu Tongxun could have used his position as "Prime Minister" to execute the county magistrate on the spot, but that would have been a serious infringement on imperial power. If he had done so, the old master's impression of him would have changed. Yet Zhao Youlu, a mere acting provincial governor, did something that even Prime Minister Liu Tongxun dared not do. This wasn't just looking for trouble; it was like stirring up a hornet's nest with a bamboo pole—it was courting death!
It's fine if you, Zhao Youlu, are courting death, but damn it, what are you going to do about the 100,000 taels of silver you owe me?
Fu Chang'an is angry about this, and stuck on this.

How can I get insurance?
Is it not going to be safe? Ten thousand taels of silver just going to be thrown away for nothing?
After much deliberation, they could only let Heshen make the decision.

"Lord He, what do you think is the best way to handle this matter?"

Seeing that there was ice in Heshen's sedan chair, Fu Chang'an quickly reached out and wiped his face vigorously.

This weather is awful, it's so hot it's practically unbearable.

Heshen glanced at the letter of apology in his hand, then at the "Record of Disaster Situation" placed in the sedan chair. After a moment, he made up his mind and ordered Fu Chang'an to return to the Grand Council immediately and pretend that the incident had never happened.

Fu Chang'an said "Oh," and asked, "Does Lord He mean to suppress this memorial?"

Heshen nodded: "Don't let anyone else know for now."

Fu Chang'an scratched his head and muttered, "We can suppress it, but if a county magistrate dies, even if we don't report it, someone else will. When the emperor asks, Lord He, we'll be in a very passive position."

"I know. Just hold this memorial for five days. I'm going to the palace to see the Emperor now."

Heshen, not wanting to waste time on this纨绔子弟 (spoiled brat) Hefu Chang'an, went straight into the sedan chair and told the sedan bearers to hurry up and go to the palace.

"Ai!"

Seeing that Heshen had left, Fu Chang'an was completely bewildered, wondering why Heshen was in such a hurry to go to the palace. Helpless, he could only ask someone from Heshen's residence to bring him a bowl of iced porridge. He slurped down a few mouthfuls before sheepishly returning to the Grand Council.

He felt quite uncomfortable because he felt that Heshen always treated him like a child.

No matter how you look at it, he is still a dignified high-ranking official.

Why would Heshen underestimate him so much?

When Heshen entered the palace, the old master was playing chess with Consort Dun, the birth mother of the tenth princess. Consort Dun was a bondservant of the Plain White Banner, surnamed Wang. Her father was Wang Sige, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department and Commander-in-Chief. Her uncle was Yongbao, a secretary in the Imperial Household Department. Her brother, Baning'a, was sent by the old master to serve as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works in Shengjing because his sister was favored.

According to popular belief, the old master and Consort Dun were Heshen's in-laws.

Therefore, upon seeing her "father-in-law" arrive, Consort Dun hurriedly instructed her maid to serve Heshen a cold drink.

"Why are you here in this sweltering heat instead of staying at home?"

Seeing that Heshen's forehead was covered in sweat, the old master felt sorry for him and with a gesture, a eunuch handed Heshen a brocade stool.

Heshen did not sit down, but stepped forward and presented the disaster report that Zhao An had mailed to him. He said with grief and indignation, "Master, the people of Anhui are even resorting to cannibalism. How can this servant stay at home? I am extremely anxious!"

"What? Cannibalism!"

The old man was startled by Heshen's words, and the chess piece in his hand fell onto the chessboard with a "thud." He then snatched the disaster area travelogue that Heshen handed him.

Consort Dun quickly handed over a magnifying glass.

The old man read it word by word, sentence by sentence, and the more he read, the more shocked and angry he became, because the account was too horrifying, and it was something that Zhao Youlu had seen and heard with his own eyes and ears.

It was like a journey, but instead of heaven, it was hell.

Prior to this, Anhui authorities had not provided any detailed reports on the disaster, let alone such alarming news.

Enraged, the old man overturned the chessboard on the table: "This is my Qianlong era of prosperity! Outrageous! Outrageous! What kind of prosperous era devours people!"

The 81-year-old patriarch was truly enraged; his body was visibly trembling, which frightened Consort Dun.

“My lord, incompetent officials like those in Dingyuan County are even more hateful than corrupt officials. They must be executed to appease public anger, and how can we face the victims of the disaster if they are not killed! These incompetent officials not only harm the people, but also the court, and even you, my lord!”

At the height of his grief and indignation, Heshen knelt down and kowtowed, lamenting, "Your Majesty, the severity of the disaster in Anhui is secondary. Since ancient times, great disasters have always been accompanied by great chaos. This servant fears that the White Lotus Society will take advantage of the chaos to incite the people. If such a great upheaval occurs, how much money, grain, and military force will the court need to quell it? And all of this is due to the court's poor personnel management, which has resulted in incompetent officials filling the local areas and disregarding the lives of the people! In this servant's opinion, Your Majesty must take drastic measures, otherwise Anhui will be finished!"

"That's right, that makes sense. Heshen, order Zhao Youlu to chop up this Dingyuan County for me, and slaughter a whole bunch of them!"

The old man slammed his hand on the table in anger, "What use are such muddle-headed officials to me!"

Heshen looked troubled: "My lord, Zhao Youlu is only temporarily serving as the provincial governor. He has no royal authority and has no right to deal with such an incompetent and muddle-headed official."

"No rights?"

The old man's cloudy eyes suddenly flashed. "Go, bring me my precious sword, Ebilun."

"Whoo!"

The eunuch standing by quickly went to fetch a knife.

Soon, a long sword that looked unremarkable was brought over.

The old man pointed at Heshen and said, "Send someone to deliver this Ebilun knife to Zhao Youlu by fast horse. Tell him that I said, whether it is an incompetent official, a corrupt official, or a muddle-headed official, cut them all down for me. Cut them down boldly, I am here!"

"Whoo!"

Heshen took the precious sword, his face filled with grief and indignation, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he absolutely had to protect Zhao Youlu, but rather that he was forced to do so.

A thousand-mile-long dike was destroyed by an ant hole.

Zhao Youlu is the "ant hole" in this situation. We absolutely cannot let him get into trouble in Anhui, otherwise countless people will want to see him and Heshen make a fool of themselves.

"Furthermore, by imperial decree, all bandits, horse thieves, secret societies, vagrants, and religious cult members in Anhui who are found guilty of serious crimes and whose actions resemble treason shall be executed on the spot by Zhao Youlu with an Ebilun knife. Afterwards, a report shall be submitted to the Ministry for verification. Other ordinary theft cases shall be handled in accordance with the old precedent."

The old man finished speaking in one breath, then slowly sat down, his anger dissipating. "In short, Anhui must not be allowed to descend into chaos. If Anhui falls into chaos, I will not only hold others accountable, but I will also take Zhao Youlu's head."

(End of this chapter)