Qing Yao

Chapter 295 I Have a Knife!

Inside the room, Zhao An carefully examined the Ebilun knife in his hand, which was made of green sharkskin from Mongolia, but had a purple scabbard.

Judging from its appearance alone, this knife is rather ordinary, and when you draw it, there is no chilling glint that makes your heart tremble.

It's quite ordinary; there's really nothing particularly remarkable about it.

Although he was unfamiliar with the knife, Zhao An was familiar with its owner, Ebilun, one of the four regents of the Kangxi Emperor.

According to Fu Chang, the Ebilun sword did not actually belong to Ebilun; it was the sword of Emperor Taizu Nurhaci. Taizu once used this sword to kill 109 Han Chinese who were without food in Liaodong, an event known in the national history as "Killing the Poor Ghosts." Before his death, Taizu bestowed the sword upon Eidu, one of the five founding ministers, and it was later inherited by Eidu's son, Ebilun.

"After Ebilun's death, this knife was taken into the Imperial Household Department. When the Jinchuan War was lost, the Emperor ordered Grand Secretary Fuheng to use this knife to execute the frontline commander Neqin. By the way, do you know who Neqin is?"

Fu Chang's gaze never left Ebilun's knife, his eyes filled with envy.

Such treatment was something he could only envy; there was nothing he could do about it, since he wasn't the emperor's biological son.

Besides the "Five Blessed Ones", who else in the Liangjiang region could be so favored by the Emperor!

Zhao An shook his head; he had no idea who Neqin was.

Fu Chang chuckled: "Neqin is Ebilun's grandson."

Zhao An was taken aback: "Does Lord Fu mean that the grandfather's knife beheaded his grandson?"

"Isn't it?"

Fu Chang excitedly told Zhao An that this Ebilun sword, along with the Emperor's imperial sword "Xiao Shenfeng," was the "Shangfang Sword" of the Qing Dynasty, and that Zhao An could cut down any official with this sword.

Because Neqin, who died by this sword, was a Grand Secretary of the Hall of Preserving Harmony and the leading Grand Councilor of the Military Council, ranking ahead of the famous minister Zhang Tingyu.

In other words, if the Ebilun knife can even cut down the "Prime Minister," what official can't it cut down!

With this weapon, the officialdom of Anhui would tremble in fear before "Five Blessings," and no one would dare to utter a word of dissent.

"Oh?"

Fu Chang's words made Zhao An draw his sword again and examine it closely. As a result, an indescribable feeling arose. Not only did the sword suddenly feel heavier, but Zhao An also felt as if his inner universe was about to be unleashed on Athena.

In short, it was incredibly satisfying.

The imperial sword, who wouldn't feel a sense of urgency in its presence!

Damn it, Zhao An is starting to wonder if he really is the old man's biological son. Otherwise, why would the old man be so understanding and supportive of him?

Those who disobey will be beheaded, those who are not proactive will be beheaded, those who are not honest will be beheaded, those who are difficult to deal with will be beheaded, those who are outrageous will be beheaded, and those who are disloyal to the Fifth Prince will also be beheaded.
With a swift and decisive crackdown, Anhui's predicament was not only resolved, but it was also forced to accept the Zhao family's control.

Instantly, Zhao An's face stopped turning yellow, his mind cleared, and he was no longer worried. He then asked Fu Chang a very serious professional question: which was more powerful, the Ebilun knife or the imperial edict flag of the governor-general?

The royal command flag was a real and special certificate of authority. It consisted of a command flag made of blue silk and a gold-lacquered linden wood plaque. Both sides of the flag were inscribed with the word "command" in both Manchu and Chinese and were stamped with the official seal. Its nature was similar to the "red-headed" No. 1 in Zhao An's previous life.

Those that start with the character "央".

Governors-general and governors who held the imperial edict were absolute figures of life and death in their localities, as they were essentially imperial envoys.

The question is, could the Ebilun sword bestowed by the old master cut down the imperial edict flag of the governor-general?

Fu Chang laughed at the question: "There are dozens of royal command flags, but only one Ebilun sword. Which do you think is bigger, brother?"

His smile suddenly froze for no apparent reason, and he said nervously, "Brother, don't lose your mind and try to use this knife to kill Zhu Gui!"

"how could be."

Zhao An was unlikely to make such a basic mistake again. He figured that if the old master delegated more power to him, he would at most tacitly allow him to behead officials below the fourth rank. If he were to actually use this knife to behead Zhu Gui, a second-rank governor, someone would probably come with a "Little Divine Sword" to chop off his head.

Ebilun's knife could not be bigger than the old man's "Little Divine Blade".

Zhu Gui was the regent minister left by the old master to his good son, Jiaqing. Unless the old master wanted to replace him, Zhu Gui would not fall.

Changing the subject: "Lord Fu, about what happened earlier..."

Before he could finish speaking, Fuchang patted his chest and declared, "I'll go through fire and water for you! Whatever you need, just say the word, brother. If I don't do it, I'm a son of a bitch!"

What a joke! The Emperor has already bestowed the Ebilun sword upon his son to back him up. If Fuchang hesitates any longer, wouldn't he have wasted most of his life as an official?

Judging from this situation, the Fifth Prince will definitely be promoted to another level after the disaster is over. If we don't support him now, when will we?

Unexpectedly, the Fifth Prince didn't want him to stand up for him, but rather to bleed him out.

"Lord Fu must know just how severe the disaster in Anhui is. Although the Emperor bestowed upon me the Ebilun Sword, the people of Anhui need life-saving money and food. Without money and food, even if the Emperor gave me the Little Divine Sword, it would be useless."

Zhao An revealed his true intentions, hoping that the top official of Fuchang, the richest province in the Qing Dynasty, would support him with two million shi of grain and five hundred thousand taels of silver.

Based on the current grain prices in Anhui, one million shi (a unit of dry measure) is equivalent to six or seven million taels of silver, and two million shi is equivalent to more than ten million taels.

However, based on grain prices in other places, it would only cost a little over two million taels, and including transportation costs, it would not exceed three million taels.

The Jiangning Provincial Administration Commission governs Jiangning and the prefectures and counties of Jiangsu Province north of the Yangtze River, all of which border Anhui Province. As long as Fuchang agrees, these neighboring prefectures and counties of Jiangsu Province can immediately transport grain in, and it will directly support the two severely affected areas of Sizhou and Fengyang, with immediate results.

The problem is that the Ministry of Revenue had previously coordinated with Jiangsu and Jiangxi to provide more than two million taels of silver to Anhui. This sum of money from Jiangsu was coordinated by the Jiangsu Provincial Administration Commission, and the Jiangning Provincial Administration Commission did not receive any notification from the Ministry of Revenue. Moreover, the transfer of such a large amount of money and grain had to be approved by the Ministry of Revenue, and it was not something that Fuchang, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, could decide on his own.

To put it bluntly, Zhao An wanted Fuchang to make an exception and bypass the Ministry of Revenue to get the money and grain to him in his time of need.

Even for disaster relief, it involves significant political risks.

If local governors and viceroys can arbitrarily allocate funds and grain within their jurisdictions without seeking permission, then what is the point of having a court?
When something happens, you governors and provincial treasurers can discuss it yourselves.

Fuchang was clearly aware of this problem. Lending 500,000 taels of silver to the Fifth Prince was no problem; it could be done privately. However, 2 million shi of grain could not be done privately; the prefectures, counties, and districts under his jurisdiction had to work together.

The commotion was too great, and if the imperial court questioned him, he would have a hard time explaining.

After all, his father wasn't the emperor.

Supporting the Fifth Prince is about gaining immense benefits from him, not about losing one's own official position.

Seeing Fu Chang hesitate, Zhao An gently put down the Ebilun sword, stepped forward and grasped Fu Chang's hands, saying with utmost sincerity, "Lord Fu, for the sake of the Emperor, you must help your brother this time. If you ever need anything in Jiangning in the future, I, from Anhui, will be there for you without hesitation!"

The pronunciation of "Emperor" was noticeably heavier.

The implication is that if you help me this time, I'll help you next time you're in trouble. If you help me and I help you, we'll all be happy.

"This"

Looking at the Fifth Prince before him, at the specially bestowed Ebilun sword, and then at the Fifth Prince's promise, Fuchang was moved. After hesitating for a moment, he finally made up his mind: "Alright, as long as you can help your brother get through this difficult time, I will sell everything I own to raise money and food for you!"

"On behalf of the people of Anhui, I thank Lord Fu!"

Zhao An bowed deeply to Fuchang from the bottom of his heart. As for how Fuchang managed to transport the money and grain in without the court's knowledge, that was Fuchang's business. He was an old bureaucrat; if he couldn't even handle something as simple as this, then he had wasted most of his life.

One has two.

If Fuchang dared to secretly transfer money and grain to Anhui without the court's knowledge this time, he will dare to secretly transport weapons to Anhui behind the court's back next time.
The Southeast Mutual Guarantee is still nowhere in sight, but the Two Rivers Mutual Assistance has begun to take shape.

After resolving this matter, Zhao An wanted to talk to the group of guards from the capital and asked Fu Chang to meet with him, since Fu Chang was familiar with matters in the capital.

He didn't meet with everyone, but rather with the second-class guard of the fourth rank who was leading the group.

After the man arrived, Fu Chang first asked with a smile, "May I ask your honorable name and where you serve in the palace?"

Before him were two provincial governors, one of whom had been bestowed with the Ebilun sword. The second-class guard, of course, dared not put on airs. He stepped forward respectfully, first slapping his sleeves in greeting, and then said, "Your humble servant is Qingyao, a second-class guard from the Eagle and Hound Bureau. His Majesty has decreed that I shall temporarily serve under Lord Zhao."

As the name suggests, the "Falcon and Hound Keeping Office" was responsible for managing the falcons and hounds needed for royal hunting. The person in charge was officially called the "Falcon and Hound President," and the managers below him were mostly members of the royal family and guards.

The system of imperial guards began during the Kangxi era. During the Yongzheng era, the quota was set at ninety people, and the Imperial Clan Court, together with the Grand Minister in charge of the Imperial Guards, selected and appointed new guards from among the imperial clan members.

Therefore, Fu Chang couldn't help but ask, "So, you are perhaps from the imperial family?"

Qingyao nodded: "To be honest, sir, I am a descendant of Prince Gong and hold the title of Feng'en General."

The first Prince Gong, Changning, was the fifth son of Emperor Shunzhi and the younger brother of Emperor Kangxi. After Changning's death, his sons succeeded him. Later, for some unknown reason, Prince Gong was demoted to Duke of Zhenguo, hence the name Cheng Gong Mansion.

Zhao An knew that Prince Gong, also known as Guizi Liu, was the son of Emperor Daoguang, but had no relation to this Prince Gong.

The title of Feng'en General was the lowest rank among the Qing Dynasty's imperial family, only slightly better than that of a leisurely imperial family member, equivalent to a fourth-rank military officer.

It seems that Qingyao is just a yellow belt who isn't doing too well, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen to work in the Eagle and Dog Bureau.

The most promising positions for palace guards were Imperial Guards and Qianqing Gate Guards. Guards from these two positions mostly rose to the first or second rank. Guards from other positions, unless they had a great opportunity, mostly reached the fourth or fifth rank.

The eight guards that Qingyao brought were all from the Eagle and Dog Keeping Office. Apart from Qingyao, who was a second-class guard of the fourth rank, there were two third-class guards of the fifth rank, and the rest were blue-feathered guards of the sixth rank.

It was said that the old master had issued an edict ordering these henchmen and guards to serve Zhao An, but in reality, it was Heshen's arrangement.

This move was simply intended to bolster Zhao An's reputation.

Even without the Ebilun sword, the mere presence of eight palace guards in yellow jackets was enough to intimidate local officials.

"Lord Qing and his entourage have come a long way from the capital, and Lord Zhao, being an honest and upright official, does not have any extra money for you. I will lend you some money on his behalf, and I hope Lord Qing will not find it offensive and will share it with the brothers."

With a smile, Fu Chang took out a silver note from his sleeve and stuffed it into Qing Yao's hand. Qing Yao looked down and his heart skipped a beat; it was a three-thousand-tael silver note.

Despite having the title of Feng'en General, his annual salary was only 110 taels, and with his wages from working in the hawk and hound office, he earned less than 200 taels a year.

This amount of money would be enough for ordinary Han Chinese, but it would be far from enough for Manchus, especially members of the imperial clan, because members of the imperial clan had a certain "airs" and it would take a lot of expenses every year to maintain this "airs".

The result is that while the facade is acceptable, the reality is that the company is dirt poor.

Those untitled members of the imperial clan were in an even worse situation; some were not even as well off as the bondservant members. As a result, there were many members of the imperial clan who were dissatisfied with the court.

Even if the three thousand taels of silver were divided among the brothers who came with him, he would still have at least five hundred taels in his pocket. This was equivalent to two and a half years' worth of salary for Qingyao, which made him extremely excited.

However, they dared not show it on their faces.

Zhao An glanced at Fu Chang, who was doing him a favor, and simply nodded without saying anything else.

If, given the nature of their relationship, a mere three thousand taels of silver is required as a token of gratitude, then their friendship is utterly worthless.

He was about to say a few words, hoping that Qingyao and his entourage of guards could maintain a good relationship with him, the acting governor, so that they could work together to do their jobs well and be worthy of the court and the people.

Outside, a commotion arose as officials from Fengyang, having received word of the situation, rushed to the post station in a great hurry.

The first to arrive was Li Yuan, the prefect of Fengyang, followed closely by Ding Musan, the general of Shouchun Town, who was so flustered that he even put on the wrong shoes.

The group of officials were stopped by the guards standing at the gate of the post station. Zhao An had instructed them not to let anyone in without his permission.

The yellow-coated men were so intimidating to the officials in Fengyang that even the prefect of Fengyang, Li Yuan, turned pale. He tried to find out what the yellow-coated men were doing there, but none of them paid any attention to him, the prefect.

Zhao An, accompanied by Fu Chang and Qing Yao, arrived at the gate. He glanced at the group of Fengyang officials with their various expressions, then fixed his gaze on Li Yuan, who was dressed in the official robes of a fourth-rank official. He said in a very calm voice, "Fengyang Prefecture, I have summoned you for a meeting. Why have you not come?"

"This"

Li Yuan was at a loss for words, and the other officials also lowered their heads. Two officials, seeing the yellow-robed officials showing great respect to the acting provincial governor who had committed a crime, knew something was wrong and couldn't help but complain about the prefect who had prevented them from attending the meeting.

Ding Musan, the garrison commander of Shouchun Town, had no subordinate relationship with the provincial governor. The reason he did not come was because he was promoted by Governor Zhu Gui after he took office and belonged to Zhu Gui's faction.

Therefore, why would he attend a meeting convened by the provincial governor, especially one who was on the verge of collapse?

Seeing Li Yuan hesitate, Zhao An snorted and casually pointed at the Fengyang Tongzhi: "According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, what is the punishment for failing to respond to a superior's summons without cause?"

The magistrate was stunned, but forced himself to say, "Your Excellency, according to the 'Regulations on Disciplinary Actions of the Ministry of Personnel,' if an official fails to respond to his superiors without cause, the superiors may request the Ministry of Personnel to propose disciplinary action, either a severe one or an investigation."

“Severe punishment” means to increase the penalty, while “investigative punishment” means to reduce the penalty.

For first-time offenders, the penalty is usually a deduction in salary and a reduction in benefits.

Those who commit repeated offenses will be dismissed from their posts and prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice.

Zhao An nodded, then suddenly asked Ding Musan, the general of Shouchun Town, whose expression was uncertain, "What crime should be imposed on those who fail to appear in accordance with military law on time?"

"what?"

Ding Musan hesitated for a long time, but under Zhao An's persistent questioning, he had no choice but to say, "According to military law, those who fail to arrive on time shall be sentenced to immediate execution."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao An roared, "Where is Qing Yao!"

Qingyao immediately stepped forward and replied, "Your humble servant is here!"

Zhao An casually waved his hand and said, "Disaster relief is like military affairs, disaster discussions are like military discussions, and ineffective disaster relief is like ineffective troop deployment. I hereby order you to behead the Fengyang Prefecture and the Shouchun General!"

"Whoo!"

Qingyao made a gesture, and several guards rushed forward and pinned down the prefect and the general, a scene that terrified the officials.

In his desperation, Fengyang Prefect Li Yuan shouted, "Zhao Youlu, what right do you, as the acting governor, have to kill me!"

"Why?"

Zhao An took the long sword handed to him by Fu Chang and displayed it to everyone, coldly saying, "Just this Ebilun sword!"

Ebilun knife?!
General Ding Musan, who was about to question Zhao An along with Li Yuan, stopped his roar that was about to come out of his throat. He stared at the long knife in Zhao An's hand with fear in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)