Qing Yao

Chapter 38 The most awesome flattery in history (asking for monthly ticket)
It was really difficult for Zhao An to write a birthday message for the big boss at the top.

He admitted that he was good at writing materials and reports, but he was not very good at flattery.

However, looking at the prefect's attitude, it is obvious that he wants Zhao An to take the exam on the spot, and he has no choice but to take the exam.

What to do? Whether it’s a mule or a horse, just take it out for a walk.

Helpless, Zhao An could only answer the questions.

My scalp is tingling because it is really difficult to write.

During the Qing Dynasty, memorials to the emperor were extremely particular, with incredibly strict formatting. Even the paper size and font placement were regulated. For example, words like "chao" and "guo" had to be raised one character higher, and mentioning the emperor required raising them two characters higher.

In addition, the words and expressions used in memorials during the Qianlong period must be used with great caution. It is not allowed to say that Qingfeng is illiterate, and the word "Hu" cannot be put before the word "Qing". Otherwise, it will not be flattery, but a gesture of happiness for the whole family to win the Candy Crush.

The literary inquisition did not end until Qianlong's son Jiaqing came to power. This is probably the reason why Jiaqing was given the temple name "Renzong".

Which official is not afraid of literary inquisition?

Zhao An knew some of the relevant rules, but not much. However, these were not important. What was important was how to write his birthday message.

This was just a whim of the prefect, so it might not be accepted. Even if it was accepted, he would order a rewrite, and then the formatting would be corrected by professionals.

Even if Zhao Anzhen presented the prefect with a birthday memorial without any flaws, wouldn't the prefect be suspicious? Wouldn't the legal advisors be suspicious too?
I still need to learn how to write a birthday message.

First of all, we have to get rid of the conventional clichés. During the Qianlong Dynasty, there were probably tens of thousands of officials above the fifth rank, including those in reserve. All the birthday speeches that can be thought of must have been overused. So we have to find another way, think of what others don't think of, and do what others can't do, so that this birthday speech can be valued by Qianlong.

Whenever Qianlong was happy, the prefect would benefit.

Since the prefect is happy, he must at least express his gratitude to Zhao An, right?

What can I write?

Zhao An felt so miserable in his heart, he had no idea what to write. He pretended to be thinking hard, and he almost wrote "I wish you good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains".

The prefect was also tolerant. He did not come to Zhao An from time to time like an invigilator, but played chess with Master Zhao.

It's no wonder that this Manchu magistrate is quite good at playing chess. After just a few moves, he forced Master Zhao to sacrifice his rook to save his king.

The other people in the hall were all busy with their own things and no one came to join in the fun.

The leader is here, who dares to be idle!

Finally, Zhao An thought of something and started writing immediately. Inspiration flowed out of his mind as if he had been given a cheat code. After a quick work, he handed in the paper in less than ten minutes.

After the ink dried, he pretended to be cautious and took the answer sheet to the prefect who was playing chess, and said softly, "Your Excellency, I have finished writing it. Please take a look."

"Oh, so soon?"

The governor, who had won a round, was in a very good mood. He took the answer sheet handed to him by Zhao An and began to read it. The two legal advisors, Xia and Zhao, also curiously leaned over to appreciate it together.

About a minute later, the expressions on the faces of the three people seemed to be controlled by some mysterious power from another time and space, and they all looked up at Zhao An at the same time.

"Ten, ten, ten complete martial arts skills!"

Master Xia's eyes were full of disbelief, as if he had eaten the most delicious meal in his life.

"Ten, ten, ten-perfect old man!"

Master Zhao's hands were shaking as if he had suffered a stroke. I, an old man, am still as wild as I was in my youth. I hold Huang in my left hand and Qing in my right hand. I wear a brocade hat and a sable coat, and ride a thousand horses across the plain!

"This, this, this is Sachima Engelaisi"

The Lord of the Mansion was so excited that he couldn't even speak, and even blurted out some of his native language, which he had long since stopped speaking. Zhao An?
Calm as water, with a look of indifference.

Of course, this was just an appearance. In his heart, he really enjoyed the almost worshipful gazes of the three people.

Yes, he gave the eighty-year-old Qianlong the great title of "Ten Perfect Old Man".

This title comes from the "Ten Complete Martial Achievements".

There were slight changes, as the two expeditions to Gurkhas had not yet begun, and the Qing government was currently only mobilizing troops and raising money and food.

How can one be called perfect without these two skills?
Nothing can be perfect if it is eighty or ninety percent perfect.

So Zhao An not only conquered the Jinchuan region twice, conquered the Zunghars three times, conquered the Khojas, conquered Burma, conquered Annan, and conquered Lin Shuangwen in Taiwan, but also added two more martial arts for Qianlong.

One was an uprising of the Miao people that occurred in the year Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne.

This uprising began in the 13th year of Yongzheng's reign. It was launched by the aristocratic Miao people who could no longer bear the exploitation and oppression of Qing officials and chieftains.

The rebel army used the "birth of the Miao King" as a call to action, and Miao people from all over Guizhou responded one after another, increasing the number of rebel troops to more than 400,000, and quickly expanding to various parts of eastern Guizhou and southeastern Guizhou.

In order to suppress the uprising, the Qing government mobilized tens of thousands of troops from seven provinces including Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan to suppress it. Later, it successively transferred Qing troops from Hebei, Henan and Zhejiang provinces to Guizhou to fight. However, the rebels took advantage of the favorable terrain and formed a long-term standoff with the Qing army.

This great uprising was not put down until Yongzheng's death, which made Yongzheng die with regret.

After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, he appointed Zhang Guangsi as the governor of seven provinces and the governor of Guizhou to suppress the rebellion, and only then did he successfully suppress the Miao uprising.

In terms of the number of mobilized troops, the Miao uprising is definitely among the top three.

Another military achievement was the Qingshui Rebellion in Shandong in the 39th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign. The rebellion was initiated by Wang Lun, the leader of the Qingshui Rebellion. The rebels once controlled the Grand Canal, the main artery of the Qing Dynasty's grain transport, and even threatened to move north to Beijing and Tianjin.

Although the scale of the uprising was not as large as that of the Miao people and the number of participants was not large, its impact was quite large. After all, it was an uprising that took place under the nose of the Qing court.

It is suitable for Qianlong and not cheap.

At this time, all the office staff in the government hall were shocked by the actions of the governor and the two legal advisors. Everyone's face was full of curiosity. They didn't know what this young man Zhao An had written to cause the governor to act so extravagantly.

"I wonder if what I wrote satisfies the Master?"

Zhao An is asking this question even though he already knows the answer.

“Satisfied, satisfied, satisfied!”

The prefect, who finally learned to speak, nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice, and laughed so hard that wrinkles appeared on his forehead.

This is really a treasure!
"If you submit this memorial, the Emperor will be delighted. Very delighted!"

Master Xia could not hide his excitement. He read the draft of the memorial over and over again. The more he read, the more surprised he was, and the more surprised he was, the happier he was.

Master Zhao sighed and said, "With this memorial, you will surely be highly valued by the Emperor!"

“Reuse?!”

The governor's heart was as happy as a white lotus blooming, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Zhao An was strange. He never expected that this boy could have such a genius brain.

The Ten-Perfect Old Man corresponds to the Emperor's 80th birthday, which is simply a perfect match.

Reward, you must reward.

(End of this chapter)