Qing Yao

Chapter 338 My lord, we dare not offer gifts!
The imperial edict was issued, the disaster was effectively alleviated, and the White Lotus Sect disappeared without a trace. Zhao An had performed all he could in Suzhou and done all he could. Work required him to end his activities in Suzhou and go to Anqing to take charge of the work in the whole province.

After all, he is currently the de facto top military and political leader in Anhui, and he can't stay in Suzhou forever. Anhui is a large province with more than 20 million people, and it's not just a place in northern Anhui.

The best parts of the province are all in Huainan.

Qingyao and other guards accompanied the imperial envoy from the Secretariat back to the capital. The merits of the imperial guards were not determined by the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of War, but were evaluated by the relevant Eight Banners institutions.

The several hundred Yangzhou Green Standard Army soldiers that Hou Feng brought had returned a few days earlier. Zhao An reported to Hou Feng that they had been awarded first-class merit, and the officers below them were awarded second or third-class merit. He also gave special praise to the Yangzhou soldiers. When the rewards are given later, these people will definitely not be shortchanged.

However, Zhao An still secretly gave Hou Feng four thousand taels of silver, instructing him to give ten taels to each soldier, with the remainder going to the officers.

In short, we can't let our brothers risk their lives for Lord Zhao in vain.

Before Qingyao and the others departed, Zhao An treated them to a meal. After the meal, a sensible staff member from the imperial camp gave each of the guards three hundred taels of silver.

The cash, whether you call it a farewell gift or travel expenses, is a small token of appreciation from Lord Zhao on behalf of the people of Anhui to the guards.

The dozen or so core members of the White Lotus Sect who were captured were all taken back to Beijing by Qingyao. Zhao An didn't care whether they lived or died.

The next day, Zhao An did not personally see Qingyao and the others off, because local officials and guards should not have too close a relationship. If he were to give them a grand send-off, an imperial censor might impeach him for colluding with palace officials.

After spending another day in Suzhou, Zhao Anfang reiterated the important matters of disaster relief and reconstruction to Cui Yingxiu, the acting prefect, before ordering the departure for Anhui, the true center of power.

We're going to the provincial governor's office in Anqing, not the provincial governor's office.

Since Zhao An could not reside in the governor's office, the acting governor's office was essentially a proxy position. This position allowed for personnel adjustments within the governor's office, but the actual work location remained the governor's original office.

When Jiangsu Governor Fu Song was acting as the Governor-General of Liangjiang, he worked in Suzhou, not actually moved his office to the Governor-General's office in Jiangning.

The reason is simple: what if I can't get a permanent position? Wouldn't that be awkward?

Accompanying him were the staff of the Governor's Office who were retained, as well as the disciples of the Canal Gang who volunteered to stay in Anhui and work with Shao Jun. Previously, Zhao An had given them the identity of transport workers, but now they were directly converted into the Governor's model soldiers on the spot. They were taken to Anqing first, and their arrangements would be made after the reward documents were issued.

Logically speaking, when a new official takes office, especially a second-rank official like Zhao An who is currently enjoying the emperor's favor and holding the title of acting governor, the officials of the prefectures and counties along the way should rack their brains and do everything they can to curry favor with him.

Even if they didn't dare to openly offer huge bribes, they still had to prepare a substantial amount of gifts and allowances, right?

This is an old rule that has remained unchanged in officialdom for thousands of years.

Sitting in the carriage that he had specially ordered to be not too luxurious but definitely sturdy, Zhao An, dressed in the robes of a second-rank official, felt a little expectant. It wasn't that he was really greedy for that little bit of silver, but he mainly wanted to see the local officials' reaction, find out their background, and incidentally replenish his private treasury, which had never been able to grow.

After all, the high-interest loans from the old man and Fu Chang'an were not cheap, and the large-scale business in Anhui required huge amounts of capital. If they didn't raise more money, they might not be able to manage later.

Based on past experience, he could easily earn at least twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver along the way, and if he encountered someone eager to make progress, he might even receive a huge sum. This money could be used to pay the interest and sustain him for a while. However, as soon as they passed Mengcheng County, the first stop on their journey, Zhao An felt that something was amiss.

The magistrate of Mengcheng County was a thin old man. He and his assistants, including the county clerk and the chief clerk, were waiting at the county boundary archway early in the morning. Their etiquette in welcoming the governor was impeccable. They knelt, paid their respects, and led the way, all with utmost care.

A welcoming banquet was also prepared in the city. The dishes were not exactly delicacies, but they included chicken, duck, fish and meat, which showed that the organizers had put a lot of thought into it.

But when the banquet ended and Zhao An was respectfully escorted to his temporary lodging, apart from a few elegant official documents and a bunch of local specialties, such as sesame cakes and peanut brittle, he didn't see a trace of the gifts Zhao An had expected.

"Could this magistrate of Mengcheng County be an honest official?"

Zhao ruled out this possibility, because judging from the appearance of Mengcheng County, it was impossible for them to be more discerning than he was. He guessed that they were too timid to act rashly, or that they were afraid of attracting too much attention and wanted to deliver the goods secretly when it was late at night.

He deliberately went to bed late, but ended up yawning all the time. All he got was a servant sent by the magistrate of Mengcheng County to inquire whether the governor needed more midnight snacks.

Zhao An waved the man away, wondering to himself, "Is this bastard truly incorruptible, or does he simply not know the rules?"

Unfortunately, he didn't want to ask, and thinking that a county magistrate could only offer a small amount of tribute, he didn't take it to heart.

The next stop was Shou County, where the situation was almost exactly the same. The county magistrate flattered Zhao An so much that he embellished Zhao An's "great achievements" in Suzhou with exaggerated praise, using phrases like "Zhuge Liang reborn" and "unparalleled bravery of the Marquis of Champion" to describe him. Zhao An himself was too embarrassed to listen anymore.

However, after the magistrate of Shou County finished his flattery, the reception was still clean and efficient: a standard working meal banquet, plus several large bags of local specialty tea leaves.

As for banknotes?

what is that?
never seen it!
Zhao An's smile became a little stiff as he ate.

Next, Shucheng, Tongcheng, and Huaining.
Along the way, it seemed as if the various prefectures and counties had held a meeting in advance, and their reception of the Provincial Governor was absolutely impeccable. They were all extremely respectful to the Provincial Governor, and their words were full of sincere admiration for his decisiveness, love for the people, and fearlessness in the face of danger. However, not a single official privately or publicly handed the Provincial Governor an envelope containing a small token of appreciation.

Something is wrong.

From initial doubt to later puzzlement, and then to a vague unease, when they were only two days away from Anqing Prefecture and resting at the last post station, Zhao Andu realized something when he saw the sincere gaze of the local magistrate and a basket of local duck eggs placed in front of him!
These bastards aren't ignorant of the rules, nor are they all incorruptible, nor do they not want to give him gifts; they're just too afraid to!

Why don't you dare to deliver it?
Because Zhao An is an upright and just official!
After temporarily taking office as the provincial governor, Zhao An executed several corrupt and incompetent officials. He then lived and ate with the disaster victims, and even worked in the fields himself, sharing their hardships. Wherever he was, he always talked about being honest and upright. His image as an upright official had spread throughout the officialdom of Anhui after many rounds of fermentation.

Who would dare to bribe or give gifts to a "cruel official" who is unyielding, inflexible, and only cares about political achievements and fame, regardless of the lives of officials?

If someone dares to do that, they'll definitely be made an example of by Zhao Qingtian and dealt with.

Upon realizing this, Zhao An almost spat out a mouthful of blood onto the basket of duck eggs.

(End of this chapter)