Qing Yao

Chapter 387 My lord, this is not in accordance with regulations.

Zhao An's guilt was written all over his face. He was truly sorry to the old master, who had not only come all this way for such a trivial matter, but had also made him look so haggard.

He looked like a senior disciple who had no idea what He Jinyin was up to, with a scruffy beard and large dark circles under his eyes.

The note was light, but it felt incredibly heavy in the hands of the academic official who was on the verge of tears of joy; his hands trembled slightly with excitement.

The torment and suffering of the past two weeks, as well as all the bitterness and grievances, were swept away like a whirlwind.

My mind instantly became incredibly clear, and I felt much more relaxed.

"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir!"

The gratitude of the students and faculty was heartfelt and evident on their faces.

Having obtained the approval document, and knowing that the education and military sectors were unrelated, and considering that the penalty interest was increasing daily, the Education Commissioner naturally couldn't afford to waste any more time and hurried back to Anqing at a speed of thirty miles per hour.

He was afraid that if he returned too late, the 60,000 taels would not be enough to repay the debt.

Watching the old master's carriage disappear into the distance, Zhao An pursed his lips thoughtfully. After a moment, he led Yang Xiaoshuan and the others to continue helping the villagers at the foot of the mountain to chop firewood.

Suppressing bandits is important, but understanding the people's plight is equally important.

The provincial education commissioner spent three days traveling non-stop from Fengyang back to Anqing. Upon entering the city, he went straight to the provincial treasury office without even returning to the provincial education commissioner's office.

The provincial treasury was naturally located within the provincial governor's office. Although the eighth-rank official in charge of the treasury was of low rank, he was directly responsible to the provincial governor, a typical example of a low-ranking official with great power.

To some extent, the power of this eighth-rank provincial treasury ambassador was equivalent to that of the finance minister in later times.

This important institution had already been thoroughly purged by Lao Song. Not only was Ambassador Ku replaced, but half of the accountants were also replaced, including some of the "students" that Lao Song brought from Yangzhou.

The sudden arrival of the provincial treasury master surprised the busy treasury staff. Treasury Ambassador Wu Bingzheng quickly put down his official duties and led his men to pay their respects. Unexpectedly, the treasury master helped him up and then stuffed a slip of paper into his hand, saying urgently, "This is a note approved by the provincial governor. Please handle it as soon as possible. Thank you, thank you."

The repeated "thank you"s stunned Ambassador Wu and the staff behind him; for a few breaths, no one could react.

Why is the third-rank official in charge of education so polite to these grassroots staff members, not daring to put on any official airs?
The reason for this is, of course, that they want to get the money as soon as possible, fearing any further complications.

Ambassador Wu, realizing what was happening, quickly took the note and said respectfully, "Sir, please have a seat!"

Another staff member who knew the proper etiquette came over to serve tea to the academic official.

Although Ambassador Wu was in charge of the treasury, the actual business was handled by an old accountant who had worked in the provincial government for thirty years. With a wave of his hand, the old accountant came over and took the slip of paper with both hands to examine it carefully. At first, his expression was normal, but as he looked at it, his brows slowly furrowed.

"how?"

Ambassador Wu lowered his voice and asked the old accountant.

The old accountant looked at the provincial education commissioner who was picking up his teacup to quench his thirst, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Please wait a moment, sir, allow me to check."

"Check it out" refers to verifying the authenticity of the handwriting and the seal on the note. Only after both are verified can the "payment" be made.

This is a standard procedure that cannot be omitted. Therefore, no matter how urgent the matter is, the academic affairs officer can only wait patiently.

It wasn't intentional harassment; in the fifteenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, a minor official in Henan deliberately imitated the handwriting of the provincial governor and secretly forged the seal of the provincial governor, successfully extracting more than 70,000 taels of silver from the provincial treasury.

The old accountant gestured to his colleagues inside to bring out the "Compilation of Regulations for Treasury Withdrawal" and the "Imperial Seal and Talisman Files," and began to compare them item by item.

What started as a comparison by one or two people gradually turned into a comparison by several people, who were also whispering among themselves. This made the academic official, who was holding a teacup, feel uneasy.

Time passed slowly, and the old accountant was still exchanging opinions with his colleagues in hushed tones. Ambassador Wu, feeling strange, also came over. After listening for a few minutes, his expression suddenly turned serious. After exchanging a few words in hushed tones, he finally steeled himself and approached the apprehensive Provincial Education Commissioner, saying in a very respectful tone, "The handwriting and seal on the note you brought, Your Excellency, have been compared and are indeed undoubtedly those of the Provincial Governor."

call!
Upon hearing this, the academic official, who had been anxiously waiting, felt a huge weight lifted from his chest. However, just as the weight was lifted, Ambassador Wu abruptly changed the subject, looking troubled: "However, the format and regulations of this document do not conform to the rules. According to Article 5 of Chapter 3 of the 'Regulations for the Provincial Treasury,' anyone withdrawing more than five thousand taels of silver from the treasury must use specially made stationery from the Provincial Treasury, and there is a fixed format for this document."

As they spoke, Ambassador Wu placed the note in front of the Provincial Education Commissioner and pointed to it, saying, “Your Excellency, this note is on ordinary paper, not the special stationery for the Provincial Treasury. Furthermore, the wording is brief and does not specify the exact purpose of the funds or the method of reimbursement according to the ‘Regulations of the Provincial Treasury.’ I cannot process the withdrawal of the funds for Your Excellency.”

"what?"

The provincial education commissioner abruptly stood up, his voice changing drastically, "What do you mean the format is wrong! This is the provincial governor's personal edict! How dare you disobey the order? You have some nerve!"

"Sir, calm down!"

The intimidating presence of the provincial master made Ambassador Wu sweat profusely even in the dead of winter. "It's not that I'm unwilling to do it for you, sir, but that's simply the rule! You may not know, sir, but since Lord Zhao took office, he has established several strict regulations for the provincial treasury. Anyone who doesn't follow these regulations will be expelled from the treasury at best, and beheaded or imprisoned at worst. The document you brought is indeed irregular. If I were to violate the rules and do it for you, I would most likely lose my head afterwards!"

"How is it against regulations? Didn't you just say that the handwriting on this note is indeed the Provincial Governor's own, and the seal is genuine? Since everything is genuine, it should be processed. Are you not even going to follow the Provincial Governor's instructions?"

The academic official was so anxious he was about to flip the table.

"I understand your meaning, Your Excellency, but this proposal is indeed against the rules. Please don't make things difficult for me; I also have elderly parents and young children to support."

Ambassador Wu, who was very responsible, did not want to refuse to handle the matter for the old master, but the rules were there and he could not disobey them.

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. The governor's note is genuine, and so is I. Just do it directly. Why are you being so stubborn!"

The academician was panting, never expecting the people in the provincial treasury to be so "dogmatic".

No matter what he said, Ambassador Ku insisted on one thing: things must be done according to the rules.

Either you, Master, go to the Provincial Governor to reissue a compliant silver note, or you can go back and wait for the Provincial Governor to return before proceeding.

The provincial education commissioner couldn't take it anymore. The debt collectors from the Xianfeng Bank were driving him to the brink of suicide. He had no time to waste any longer.

In a fit of anger, the teacup was ruined again.

The two sides argued and their voices grew louder and louder, eventually alerting Old Song, the director of the provincial governor's office.

Upon hearing the news, Old Song first bowed to the Provincial Education Commissioner, then questioned Ambassador Wu about why he had argued with the old master. After understanding the reason, he was also in a dilemma, holding the note from the Provincial Governor that had been identified as "non-compliant".

After much deliberation, I had no choice but to ask the Provincial Education Commissioner for his opinion: "How about Your Excellency put this note in the provincial treasury for now, and I will send someone to Fengyang to reissue a compliant one for you?"

(End of this chapter)