Qing Yao

Chapter 306 Lord Zhao, Governor!
The old man didn't hear what Wang Jie was saying. He saw his own handpicked top scholar glaring at his favorite minister, Heshen, with a hostile expression.

In the past, Wang Jie and Heshen often argued like this, sometimes to the point of red-faced arguments. Heshen had slandered Wang Jie in front of the old master many times because of this, but each time the old master would just laugh it off and let it go, never giving Heshen his wish.

Over time, Heshen realized the old master's unique protectiveness towards Wang Jie and gave up the idea of ​​causing trouble for Wang Jie. Unexpectedly, Wang Jie was a stubborn man who insisted on confronting Heshen, no matter the occasion, leaving Heshen extremely frustrated and helpless.

In the Qing Dynasty court today, no one except Wang Jie dared to compete with Heshen in this way, so officials who opposed Heshen regarded Wang Jie as the leader of the Qingliu faction.

Some outsiders, such as the princes of the imperial clan, saw it clearly and privately said that the old master kept Wang Jie around to check Heshen. They believed that if the old master were gone one day, with Wang Jie around, Heshen's life wouldn't be much better.

It's quite possible that Wang Jie will be the one to kill Heshen in the future.

These words, however, would not be spoken to Heshen. Under the old master's decades-long suppression, the princes of the hats lived a life less comfortable than ordinary members of the imperial family, and had no say in the court.

It's true that the old master protects Wang Jie, but today Wang Jie went too far, publicly saying that the old master was confused and cursing Heshen as a second emperor. The old master overheard this, which made Heshen ecstatic. He realized that this was a perfect opportunity to drive Wang Jie out of the court, and if he missed it, he would miss it forever.

The pressure was on Ji Yun, who was truly caught in a dilemma.

To be honest, how could the old man not be angry about what Wang Jie just said without thinking?
With Zhu Gui in trouble and Wang Jie also implicated, who in the court would dare to challenge Heshen in the future? Even if Heshen wasn't the second emperor, he would still be.

To be honest, Heshen would definitely make things difficult for Grand Secretary Ji. Given Heshen's standing in the old master's heart, ten Ji Yuns couldn't compare, so he really couldn't afford to offend him.

Haven't you noticed that Ji Yun has been keeping a low profile all these years? Besides, Li Yu and Song Jun are present; even if he doesn't say anything, the other two will.

Weighing the pros and cons, Ji Yun, who dared not bear the crime of deceiving the emperor, still chose to tell the truth and carefully bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, just now Wang Jie said that even if Your Majesty is confused, it is not up to He Zhongtang, this... this second emperor, to run the Qing Dynasty."

"Two emperors?"

The old man was stunned, then his cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp light as he looked at Wang Jie.

Clearly, he was extremely dissatisfied with Wang Jie's outrageous remarks.

Wang Jie knew he had said the wrong thing, and without hesitation, he knelt down on the ground, looking as if he was at the mercy of the old man.

Although the person was kneeling, their neck was stiff, giving the impression of being very stubborn.

Or rather, they were unconvinced.

Seeing this, Song Jun sighed inwardly and reluctantly said, "Your Majesty, Wang Jie misspoke just now, but was truly worried about the affairs of the country. I hope Your Majesty will forgive him!"

This shows that they are willing to risk offending Heshen to plead for Wang Jie.

Heshen glanced at Songyun, snorted inwardly, knowing that Songyun was still not on his side, and thought that he would have to find an opportunity to drive this person to the border in the future.

The Grand Council currently has six ministers. Apart from Prime Minister Agui, who is not at work, only Fu Chang'an and Heshen are "in cahoots". They originally thought they could win over Songyun to their side and form a three-to-two power structure in the Grand Council.

Unlike Wang Jie, Dong Gao was not "extreme." He at least maintained a superficial harmony with Heshen and dared not confront him in public. As a result, Wang Jie was powerless in the Grand Council, and the Grand Council fell completely into Heshen's hands. Now it seems that the three-to-two situation has been reversed.

Song Jun was actually on Wang Jie's side!
Heshen had to be vigilant. He couldn't touch Songjun for the time being, but he had to get rid of Wang Jie's bad temper no matter what.

This is a perfect revenge for the time when his crony, Shandong Governor Guotai, was brought down by Wang Jie's scheme!
The old man ignored Songjun and, with a sullen face, stepped into the duty room with Li Yu's help.

When Ji Yun entered the room, he glanced at Wang Jie with a guilty look. Because he loved meat, he was particularly fat, much wider than Wang Jie, and the fattest person in the room, making him seem so out of place.

He always had a big pipe in his hand, which was quite interesting to look at.

Wang Jie didn't blame Ji Yun for not covering for him, the top scholar, because no one would dare to lie about this. If anyone was to blame, it was Ji Yun who was too emotional and spoke without thinking.

"master!"

Just as Heshen was about to speak, the old master waved his hand, slowly sat down, and looked coldly at Wang Jie, saying with displeasure, "You said I'm confused, and that Heshen is a second emperor?"

Even now, Wang Jie didn't apologize. Instead, he straightened his back and gritted his teeth, saying, "If I have offended His Majesty's wrath by denouncing the traitor Heshen, I am willing to accept the death penalty!"

"presumptuous!"

Wang Jie's unyielding stance infuriated the old man, who slammed his hand heavily on the bed: "I've employed Heshen for twenty years, how dare you label him a traitor! If Heshen is a traitor, then I've been a fool for the past twenty years!"

This slap not only startled Song Jun, but also made Ji Yun, who was standing next to him, kneel down in fright. He silently prayed that Scholar Wang would not talk back to the old man again, otherwise this matter would not be able to be resolved.

Heshen was secretly pleased, hoping that Wang Jie would continue his "head-to-head" confrontation with the old man, and then pack his bags and go back to his hometown in Shaanxi.

The head eunuch, Li Yu, stood respectfully to one side. Having served the old master for many years, he knew that serving the emperor was like walking on thin ice. The only way for a servant to protect himself was to kowtow more, speak less, and always wear a smile, no matter who it was.

The Grand Council's duty room wouldn't tolerate a eunuch uttering a single word. If he dared to speak up for Wang Jie, Heshen could make him wish he were dead without the old master even lifting a finger.

Wang Jie thought to himself, "Grandpa, aren't you just a fool? Otherwise, how could you have allowed a traitor like Heshen to control the government for twenty years?"

Even if he had ten times the courage to be the top scholar and prime minister, he wouldn't dare to speak his true thoughts.

Not knowing how to defend themselves, they could only remain silent.

Heshen, of course, couldn't resist kicking a man when he was down. Seeing that Wang Jie remained silent, he quickly knelt down and said tearfully, "This servant is utterly loyal to his master. Wang Jie says this servant is the second emperor, which is clearly an attempt to exterminate this servant's entire family!"

As he spoke, he crawled two steps on his knees to the old master's side. "If Master thinks I am wrong, please remove me from all my official positions. If Master thinks I am not wrong, then Wang Jie is framing a loyal official. Please, Master, do justice for me!"

We must relentlessly pursue and attack, determined to make Wang Jie suffer a major setback this time.

Her aggrieved expression was genuine, with tears welling up in her eyes.

"You get up first."

The old man frowned, wanting to reach out and help Heshen, but alas, he was old and frail, his movements were slow, and his body was no longer as strong as it had been in his youth.

Li Yu reacted quickly and stepped forward to help Heshen up, whispering, "Lord Heshen, the master wants you to stand while you speak."

"Master, this servant...this servant..."

Heshen stood up, his face contorted with extreme grievance, so convincingly portrayed that it was almost flawless. The old man felt a pang of sadness, knowing full well Heshen's unwavering loyalty and that he could never be a "second emperor." Wang Jie's words were indeed excessively arrogant. The old man himself couldn't list all of Heshen's virtues; in short, neither the old man nor the Qing Dynasty could do without Heshen.

Simply put, Heshen could get money, but could Wang Jie?

In addition, Wang Jie said that he was confused, so the old man wanted to teach Wang Jie a lesson, but seeing Wang Jie's firm appearance, he was also a little reluctant.

If Wang Jie wasn't taught a lesson, Heshen would definitely have something to say about it.

These were all his loyal subjects who had served him for many years. The 81-year-old patriarch was more sentimental and soft-hearted than anyone else. Moreover, there was a reason why he had protected Wang Jie for so many years.

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, Ji Yun's voice came out: "Your Majesty, I have just thought of a historical allusion."

The old man turned his head curiously: "What story is it?"

Ji Yun hurriedly said, "During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, Bao Zheng argued with Renzong many times, often spitting on Renzong's face. However, Renzong never got angry, nor was he angered by Bao Zheng's impassioned words. Therefore, people say that Renzong was a benevolent ruler."

After speaking, Ji Yun didn't dare to look at the gaze Heshen was shooting at him.

Even a fool could tell that he was using the stories of Emperor Renzong and Bao Zheng to exonerate Wang Jie.

Why did Grand Secretary Ji suddenly dare to go against Heshen? It was because he suddenly realized that if Wang Jie was dismissed from his post and removed from court, then if Heshen ever caused him trouble, there would be no one to speak up for him.

The principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" applies.

With Wang Jie holding the line and drawing Heshen's "firepower," Grand Secretary Ji's job would be much easier.

The problem is that Ji Yun had always been Heshen's subordinate in the court, and the two had no conflict of interest and got along well in private. So why was he afraid that Heshen would cause him trouble?

The reason lies in the "Yongxianlu" that was placed on the old master's bed in Yanbo Zhishuang Hall just now.

It was Prince Cheng, Yongxing, who "revealed" to the old master that Ji Yun had privately deleted the record of the old master's birthplace in the "Yongxianlu" without authorization, and Heshen's faction had placed their bets on Yongxing.

Why would a prince like Yongxing, who doesn't usually get involved in things, cause trouble for Ji Yun?

Was this at the behest of Heshen?
Ji Yun didn't know, but he knew that as long as Wang Jie was in the Military Affairs Department, Heshen wouldn't be able to control everything, thus indirectly protecting himself.

No matter what, even Song Yun, who had just joined the Grand Council, knew to speak up for Wang Jie. It was a bit unreasonable for him, the Minister of Rites and Associate Grand Secretary, to "stand by and watch someone die."

"You say Wang Jie is Bao Zheng, then if I don't forgive him, I wouldn't be a benevolent ruler like Emperor Renzong?"

The old man gave a slight snort, his face still showing anger, but in his heart he wanted to go along with it and give Wang Jie a small punishment, firstly to make him reflect on his actions, and secondly to make Heshen feel better. So he coldly said, "Wang Jie is arrogant and disrespectful to the emperor. He shall have his double-eyed peacock feather removed and his salary deducted for one year!"

Wang Jie was awarded a double-eyed peacock feather a few years ago for his meritorious service in pacifying Taiwan. He was also included in the imperial painting "Portraits and Eulogies of Twenty Meritorious Officials in the Pacification of Taiwan" by a court painter, along with twenty other meritorious officials.

The double-eyed peacock feather is a great honor for a subject. Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, only a few dozen people have been granted this honor. Now, having it taken away is more upsetting than a year's salary, but Wang Jie can only kowtow and express his gratitude, daring not to raise any objections.

Ji Yun and Song Jun both breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, as they considered this to be the best possible outcome.

Heshen was unwilling to let the old man raise his hand high and then let it fall gently. His purpose was to take this opportunity to expel Wang Jie from the Grand Council, not to strip him of his official rank or reduce his salary. The problem was that the old man seemed to know what he was thinking and casually picked up the memorial on the table and started reading it.

This forced Heshen to swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"master,"

Li Yu handed the magnifying glass he was carrying to the old man.

The old master took the document and began to read it. At first, he frowned slightly but didn't seem to care much. However, after seeing Fu Chang'an's blue annotation attached to the back of the document, he slammed it heavily on the table and said unhappily, "I sent Zhu Gui to Anhui to train him so that he could be of great use in the future. But not only did Zhu Gui fail to do his job well, but now the White Lotus Sect is calling him a scoundrel. It's simply laughable."

Judging from the old man's tone, he was only annoyed that Zhu Gui had handled things poorly and made a mess of things in Anhui, but he did not believe that Zhu Gui had any connection with "Zhu Gui".

Heshen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, although Zhu Gui has a reputation for integrity, his lenient administration has led to the growing prevalence of the White Lotus bandits. Moreover, with such a severe disaster in Anhui this year, Zhu Gui, as the governor, cannot escape blame and has even concealed the truth. Therefore, this servant believes that Zhu Gui should be immediately dismissed from his post, investigated, and handed over to the Ministry for questioning."

If they can't get Wang Jie, they can only get Zhu Gui.

Taking down Zhu Gui would be a major victory for Heshen as well.

After a slight pause, he cautiously continued, "Your Majesty, given the severity of both the disaster and the banditry in Anhui, I believe we should follow the precedent set by Tian Wenjing during the reign of Emperor Shizong and appoint Zhao Youlu as acting governor of Anhui to concentrate resources, funds, troops, and provisions for disaster relief and prevention of unrest."

"No!"

Wang Jie couldn't help but voice his opposition. He had just spoken rashly in a moment of passion because of this matter. Although he had been stripped of his peacock feather and fined a year's salary, Wang Jie was still not afraid of Heshen.

Unexpectedly, the old master raised his hand to interrupt Wang Jie, glanced at Heshen, and said indifferently, "Issue my decree that Zhu Gui should immediately resign as governor and return to the capital to continue serving as vice minister of the Ministry of Rites."

"Whoo!"

Heshen reluctantly agreed, truly unaware of what the old master was thinking. He had just lightly punished Wang Jie, yet he hadn't dismissed or investigated Zhu Gui.

Sending Zhu Gui back to Beijing to take up his post as governor appeared to be a demotion, but in reality, it was a way to protect Zhu Gui.

Heshen could not possibly fail to see this.

Heshen could see it, so how could Wang Jie not see it? Therefore, he sighed and did not insist on his own opinion.

The matter concerning Zhu Gui is settled.

"Your Majesty, since Zhu Gui has been summoned back to the capital, who is the capable governor of Anhui to assume this important responsibility?"

Having had his hopes dashed twice by the old master, Heshen was unsure of the old master's intentions and dared not recommend any more of his lackeys.

Unexpectedly, the old master got up and said to Heshen, "Since you have cited the old precedent set by Emperor Shizong to ask me to make an exception for personnel appointments, I will not refuse you, Heshen, and will grant your request to appoint Zhao Youlu as acting governor of Anhui. However, you should know that Tian Wenjing used to submit memorials every three days. Zhao Youlu should follow Tian Wenjing's example."

Upon hearing that the old master had approved Zhao Youlu as acting governor of Anhui, Heshen was overjoyed. However, the old master suddenly changed his tone and said, "If anything goes wrong in Anhui, I will not only take Zhao Youlu's head, but I will also hold you, Heshen, accountable!"

(End of this chapter)