Qing Yao

Chapter 377 Do your job well, I know what I'm doing.
It was still early in Fengyang Prefecture, but the streets inside and outside the city gates had already been cleaned and watered. A group of prefectural and county officials, dressed in their official robes, stood respectfully with their hands at their sides. The number of people present was as many as several hundred, yet there was not a sound.

Such silence was undoubtedly related to Zhao An's killing of Li Yuan, the former prefect of Fengyang, and Ding Musan, the general of Huaibei Town.

The heads of these two high-ranking civil and military officials led many officials to privately call Zhao An "Zhao the Head-Shaver".

It has a negative connotation, not a positive one.

The reason is that these officials are all corrupt and have a strong aversion to Zhao An's image as an upright and just official.

However, Zhao An has risen too high and now holds military and political power over the entire province of Anhui, making him someone these officials cannot afford to offend.

There was nothing he could do but grumble a few complaints about "Zhao the Barber" in private; he could only keep a low profile.

The welcoming crowd was led by An Deshun, the Tongzhi (assistant prefect) who was now in charge of the government affairs of Fengyang Prefecture.

The notification was sent two days ago, but the Fengyang authorities only know that the governor is arriving today, but they don't know when he will arrive.

Therefore, An Deshun led his officials to wait here early in the morning. However, by noon, the governor's entourage had not yet arrived. The staff below were naturally getting impatient, but An Deshun remained patient and insisted on standing outside the city gate, refusing to rest even when his attendants asked him to.

A servant, concerned for his master's well-being, brought over a stool for him to sit down and wait, but was instead met with a furious scolding from the master: "You scoundrel! Everyone else is standing, how can I sit! If Lord Zhao comes and sees his master sitting like this, what will he think of me!"

The servant who had been scolded quickly took the stool away, fearing that he would be beaten by the master again if he was too late.

With the magistrate setting an example, none of the other officials dared to make any "special requests." They could only stand there dumbfounded in front of the city gate, much to the dismay of the elderly clerks.

Finally, a few messengers on horseback, acting as messengers for the provincial governor, came rushing along the official road in the distance, informing the provincial governor of Fengyang that he would arrive in no more than two incense sticks' time.

Upon hearing that the provincial governor would arrive in just two incense sticks' time, the officials of Fengyang, who had been waiting for most of the day, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Many of them whispered among themselves about what the provincial governor was doing in Fengyang this time.

So far, the people of Fengyang have not been informed that the governor's visit to Fengyang is for a large-scale crackdown on salt bandits.

The main reason for this is to maintain secrecy.

The reason why the Green Standard Army's previous encirclement and suppression of Xie Hongyi and Yang Biao failed was because the people informed the salt bandits as soon as the Green Standard Army left the city, and even the guides led the Green Standard Army into the salt bandits' ambush.

Zhao An had a very apt description of this: the Green Standard Army was like the Japanese devils, the salt bandits were like guerrillas, and the guide was like Wang Erxiao, the cowherd.

In short, neither the government nor the pro-independence camp represents justice in the eyes of the people.

On the contrary, the salt smugglers were deeply loved by the people and were the natural embodiment of justice in northern Anhui.

From a profit perspective, whoever makes salt affordable for ordinary people is a good person.

An eternal truth.

Therefore, after dealing with the salt bandits in northern Anhui, Zhao An also planned to reform the salt industry and bring down the current salt price. He dared not say it would be reduced by half, but it would at least be reduced by one-third.

This involves the interests of legitimate salt merchants and also requires maintaining good relations with the Lianghuai Salt Administration to ensure that Xinglonghao can be a legitimate entity selling salt at low prices.

In addition, the fact that Xie and Yang were able to grow to such a size was not only due to the support of the people in northern Anhui, but also inseparable from the protection they received from the government.

Otherwise, they would have been shut down when they were just lone salt smugglers. How could they have gotten to the point where even the government is having a headache with them now?

Who were the protectors of the salt bandits?

Zhao An saw everyone as a potential match, so to maintain secrecy, he completely blocked the news from Fengyang. He even sent troops to set up checkpoints on several roads leading from Anqing to Fengyang, strictly checking all passersby to prevent anyone in Anqing from tipping off Xie and Yang.

The official notification to Fengyang stated that they were there to inspect the post-disaster reconstruction work, and did not involve anything else.

"Tell everyone below to keep their heads up! Anyone who loses face in front of the Provincial Governor will have their job ruined!"

An Deshun knew that his career path was now tied to that of the provincial governor, so he tried his best to show the governor the best side of Fengyang.

When the governor's entourage came into view, his eyes were filled with eagerness and anticipation. As soon as Zhao An's luxurious carriage came to a stop, An Deshun stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "This humble official, An Deshun, the Assistant Prefect of Fengyang Prefecture, along with the officials of the prefecture and county, respectfully welcomes the governor!"

"Congratulations, Lord Fantai!"

The officials, both high and low, who had been waiting so long their legs were cramping, followed suit and knelt down. They formed a dense, dark mass, with their heads pressed against the blue brick ground and their buttocks sticking up high, just like Zhao An had done in front of Lao Ding years ago.

The past events are truly vivid in my mind.

However, the one who held the umbrella back then is now the one being held by the umbrella.

However, Zhao An did not get out of the carriage. He merely lifted the curtain and glanced at the officials kneeling on the ground outside. Finally, his gaze swept over An Deshun's face, and he gave a faint "hmm" before lowering the curtain and ordering the carriage to proceed directly into the city to the temporary headquarters.

The temporary residence was a large mansion in the city personally selected by An Deshun. The owner of the mansion was a retired official who, upon learning that the provincial governor was going to stay there, naturally cooperated and moved his entire family into an inn overnight.

Although Zhao An did not say a word to An Deshun, this Assistant Magistrate An, like a steward, pulled up his trousers and jogged after the carriage. Upon arrival, without Zhao An having to speak, he directed the men to settle the governor's entourage, prepare food and wine, and properly settle the officers and soldiers of the garrison who had come with the governor.

Food, daily necessities, and drinks.
Everything was handled perfectly, so Zhao An didn't need to make any further arrangements.

Zhao An observed all of this but did not show any appreciation. Accompanied by An Deshun, he briefly toured the mansion and finally arrived at the flower hall.

Fine tea was already prepared on the table, and two pretty maids left behind by the original owner were serving them.

Judging from the figures and ages of these two pretty maids, they must be infants who would cry at any moment.

If she doesn't cry immediately, it means Zhao An's strength is either insufficient or too tight.

It was prepared by the owner of the house specifically for the provincial governor, with the aim of using it to establish a relationship with the popular young local official.

It's good to have good intentions.

Zhao Anxin accepted the suggestion and approved of the local practice, but he still maintained his principles regarding morality and conduct. Although he had needs when his two wives were not around, he mostly took care of them on his own.

I will never bother others with things I can do myself.

After all, women are a good thing, but sometimes they can be quite troublesome.

For example, if we were to take these two pretty maids as concubines today, we would have to give an explanation to their mistresses. We can't just accept their money and then turn our backs on them and criticize them for this kind of bad social trend.

When there are too many of these kinds of things, things are bound to become chaotic and disorderly.

Which startup team leader starts indulging in lavish lifestyles as soon as their business begins to take off? Besides, Zhao An now has a very high opinion of himself. He believes that given his current status and power, anyone who really wants to win him over with the lust of a woman would have to be at least a princess.

If the old master's family isn't suitable, the Wang family's will do; if all else fails, he'll take any wife under forty.

He didn't need to waste his energy on those two maids.

Seeing that Zhao An only glanced at the two pretty maids and then looked away, An Deshun quickly waved his hand, and the two maids had no choice but to silently retreat.

Seeing this, Zhao An's entourage wisely withdrew.

The only people in the hall were the provincial governor, who was sitting down to drink tea, and the cautious deputy prefect.

After taking two sips of warm tea, Zhao An put down his teacup and looked up at An Deshun, a faint smile appearing on his face: "This place is not bad."

Upon hearing this, An Deshun was overjoyed. He then took out a booklet from his sleeve, presented it with both hands, and bowed, saying, "This is a detailed list of the investigation into Li Yuan's property and the recovery of embezzled funds during his tenure, as instructed by Your Excellency. Please take a look. The total amount of silver obtained from the confiscation and sale of Li Yuan's house, land, antiques, calligraphy and paintings is over 143,000 taels, all of which has been deposited into the treasury. The remaining valuables are still being assessed."

"Oh?"

Zhao An took the booklet and casually flipped through a few pages. He saw that the numbers were clear and the items were well-organized, which showed that An Deshun had put a lot of effort and worked very hard on this matter.

The 140,000 taels matched Li Yuan's income since he became an official, and even if there was a discrepancy, it wouldn't be much. So he nodded and said, "This matter has been handled very well. Although Li Yuan is dead, his crimes are unforgivable. Apart from 50,000 taels being turned over to the national treasury, the rest of these embezzled silver should be put into the provincial treasury. This can be considered as taking from the people and using it for the people."

"Yes, my lord!"

An Deshun quickly agreed, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Excellency, during the investigation, I discovered that many officials colluded with Li Yuan in the past, and these people are still holding their positions without doing their jobs. I'm afraid this will hinder Your Excellency's grand plan to rectify officialdom and appease the people."

"Oh? Who are they?"

Zhao An became interested, put down the booklet, and gestured for An Deshun to continue.

He excels at eradicating lingering poison.

Seeing Zhao An's keen interest, An Deshun perked up and stepped forward, lowering his voice to say, "First, there's Zhou Wenkui, the magistrate of Fengyang County, and second, there's Chen Shubao, the magistrate of Fengtai County."

Zhao An raised an eyebrow: "What crimes did these two commit? Tell me the most important ones."

"My lord, Zhou Wenkui, the magistrate of Fengyang County, used to rely on Li Yuan's backing. He only knew how to exploit the people and flatter his superiors. Several months ago, our prefecture suffered a severe drought, and Fengyang County was hit hard. However, Zhou Wenkui's disaster relief efforts were slow, ineffective, and perfunctory! He misappropriated nearly half of the two disaster relief funds allocated by the province to repair his county government's back garden and private residence, causing many disaster victims in Fengyang to be displaced and many to die."

After speaking, An Deshun pulled out a document that had been prepared in advance from his sleeve. It was filled with detailed records of Zhou Wenkui's various acts of corruption and embezzlement, with the time, witnesses, and physical evidence all clearly written down. It was obvious that he had done a lot of work.

While Zhao An was reviewing Zhou Wenkui's charges, An Deshun continued, "Fengtai County Magistrate Chen Shubao is even more greedy and insatiable. Relying on Li Yuan's backing, he treats Fengtai County as his private property, levying exorbitant taxes and engaging in corruption and bribery. I have discovered that he not only interfered in salt affairs and set up private checkpoints to collect transit fees, but also resold government relief grain after the disaster, passing off inferior goods as superior ones, and even using moldy rice and chaff to deceive disaster victims while making huge profits. The people are full of resentment and call him Chen the Skinflint!"

After speaking, he presented Chen Shubao's charges.

Zhao An was furious after reading it and slammed his fist on the table: "The disaster victims are crying for food, while these people are lining their own pockets. They deserve to die!"

He abruptly stood up and shouted sharply outside, "Guards!"

Several guards immediately rushed in.

"Order men to arrest Zhou Wenkui, the magistrate of Fengyang County, and Chen Shubao, the magistrate of Fengtai County, and transfer these charges and the criminals to the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office."

Zhao An's voice was icy as he handed the "incriminating material" that An Deshun had gathered to one of his personal guards without the slightest hesitation.

"Whoo!"

Several guards immediately obeyed the order and carried out the task. The relevant documents were drafted by the accompanying provincial clerk, and once stamped, they became legal arrest warrants. After the man was handed over to the provincial judicial commissioner, even the toughest man would have to obediently confess.

With the confession in hand, Zhao An can simply affix his seal and submit it to the Ministry of Justice.

There were only two county magistrates; it wouldn't be necessary for Zhao An to submit a memorial to the old master explaining the situation in detail.

Seeing that the provincial governor acted swiftly and decisively to order the arrest, An Deshun was overjoyed. It was true that the two county magistrates, Zhou and Chen, had a close relationship with the former prefect Li Yuan and acted recklessly with Li Yuan's backing, but it was also true that they were at odds with An Deshun.

There was definitely some element of personal revenge involved.

But the provincial governor ordered the arrest without even asking any questions, which clearly shows that he had a high degree of trust in him.

According to regulations, if a county magistrate commits a crime, the prefect must report it to the higher authorities before arresting him. Zhao An's direct use of his authority as the provincial governor to arrest someone beyond his rank demonstrates his strong support for An Deshun's work.

It's practically telling you outright that as long as I'm here, An Deshun, you'll be the top leader of Fengyang from now on.

Does the meaning behind it need further explanation?
An Deshun knew his moment to pledge his loyalty had arrived!

He quickly knelt down and said, "I am deeply honored by your trust in me and your responsibility to temporarily manage the affairs of the government. I am filled with trepidation and fear that I may fail to live up to your expectations. From now on, I will follow your lead without hesitation. I will go through fire and water for whatever you command!"

A smile appeared on Zhao An's face as he personally helped An Tongzhi up, saying encouragingly, "I have seen how well you have handled your duties. The position of Prefect of Fengyang is currently vacant, so you can focus on your work. I know what I'm doing."

The words "I know what I'm doing" reassured An Deshun, making him feel much lighter.

Immediately, the provincial governor took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to him: "You must handle all the matters listed here."

what's up?

An Deshun looked down and saw three things.

The first thing he, as the Assistant Magistrate, was to fully assist Xianfeng Bank in opening branches in Fengyang and the surrounding prefectures and counties. At the same time, he was to link the salaries of the government staff in Fengyang Prefecture and the surrounding prefectures and counties, as well as the normal expenses of the government, to Xianfeng Bank.

In short, every sum of money allocated by the government, even if it was only a few dozen copper coins, had to be withdrawn from the Xianfeng Bank's accounts.

The second matter is that Fengyang should vigorously organize local militias and earnestly implement the instructions of the provincial governor regarding the organization of local militias. Local militias should be established in all counties within one year.

Both of these matters were easy to handle, but the third matter put An Deshun in a difficult position. It required him to cooperate with the soldiers to go to the countryside to "commit evil deeds".

To be precise, it meant forcibly selling salt to the people at high prices. If the people refused to buy, they would be threatened. If all else failed, a certain degree of "force" could be used, such as snatching a chicken, grabbing a goose, or harassing young women and wives.

However, they had to operate under the guise of salt bandits.

(End of this chapter)