Qing Yao

Chapter 419 Change of Ownership of the Two Rivers
Money is a bastard, if it's gone we'll make it again.

Eight guards, five hundred taels each—this is truly a grand gesture.

These genuine Manchu Tartars who guard the old master's door are worth Zhao An's efforts.

What does "lao tie" mean?

We fought together, studied together, shared the spoils together, and even went whoring together.

Of the four major achievements, Zhao An currently possesses two: fighting side-by-side in Suzhou means he carried a gun, and receiving rewards after the war means he shared the spoils. With these two achievements, coupled with Zhao An's persona of being a loyal and righteous brother, he won't have to worry about his confession being eighteen pages long and filled with the names of his brothers when he goes to jail.

Even if it all goes down the drain, Zhao An is happy.

When it comes to investing, there's no such thing as a 100% success rate.

Upon returning to the Anhui examination hall, as soon as Zhao An returned from drinking, the resourceful steward, Qian, quickly arranged for hot water and served him ginger soup to help him sober up, taking good care of Zhao An.

As he was about to leave, Zhao An stopped him, and he quickly bowed and said, "Is there anything else you need, sir? I will do it right away!"

Zhao An didn't speak, but stared intently at Manager Qian while holding the ginger soup. This made Manager Qian's heart flutter: Lord Zhao is so young and has no wives or concubines to accompany him. He must be lonely in the capital. Could it be that the strong liquor has stirred up his passion?

With this in mind, plans naturally began to be made.

Given Lord Zhao's status, he certainly wouldn't be interested in ordinary brothels or half-closed shops, as they would be considered too dirty. There are some high-class establishments in Qianmen Hutong, but it's already the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, and he doesn't know if they're even open for business.

However, as long as Lord Zhao brings up this topic, he will search every inch of Beijing to find two tender young women for the Lord to enjoy.

Unexpectedly, Lord Zhao was not a lecherous man, and he had no interest in sowing his precious seed in Shuntian Prefecture, which was full of the smell of mutton and wild herbs. If it were Yingtian Prefecture in the south, he would probably have agreed.

After turning his gaze away from Manager Qian's face, Zhao An asked, "Qian Wen, what do you think of our Anhui Examination Hall compared to the Huguang Guild Hall and the Jiangsu Guild Hall?"

"This"

The steward honestly replied, "Your Excellency, our examination hall is in a decent location and the buildings are quite clean. However, the furnishings and amenities are indeed rather simple compared to those top-tier ones."

"simple?"

Zhao An chuckled and shook his head. "It's not simple, it's shabby. It's a disgrace to the more than 20 million people of Anhui."

The steward was confused: "What does Your Excellency mean?"

Zhao An put down the ginger bowl and said frankly, "I want to build this Anhui Examination Hall into the number one guild hall in the capital. I want everyone from Anhui, whether officials or commoners, to feel comfortable and proud when they stay here. I want people from other provinces to come in and feel envious and amazed. Tell me, how much silver do you think it would cost to achieve this?"

Is Lord Zhao planning to upgrade the examination hall into a guild hall?
Manager Qian quickly calculated in his mind that upgrading the clubhouse was not simply a matter of repairing and decorating the existing structure, but rather a large-scale construction project involving land purchase and expansion, and a comprehensive upgrade.

The project was substantial and costly.

After a preliminary calculation, he cautiously replied that if the examination hall were to be upgraded to a guild hall, the first step would be to buy all the adjacent shops, including the houses right behind the examination hall. This expense alone would not be less than five thousand taels of silver. There was no other way; the housing prices in the capital were too high.

After buying it, you have to demolish some unsuitable houses and build new ones, then connect and expand them, then decorate and furnish them, and hire cooks, servants, and so on. All in all, it will cost at least 20,000 taels.

Zhao An nodded. As far as he knew, the Anhui Guild Hall in the Qing Dynasty was actually built by the Huai Clique led by Li Hongzhang during the Tongzhi period, and it probably cost less than 100,000 taels of silver.

Prices are definitely cheaper now than during the Tongzhi era, so 20,000 taels is in line with market prices, and Qian Wen's price quote is not inflated.

However, 20,000 taels is not a small amount, which is why previous officials in Anhui were reluctant to upgrade the examination halls.

Because the needs are different.

Li Hongzhang's Huai clique intended to turn the Anhui Guild Hall into a political networking and intelligence center for the Huai clique. However, there was no Huai clique at present. The previous governors and provincial treasurers of Anhui were all "migrant officials" who had not formed interest groups in the local area, so there was naturally no need to build a guild hall.

How many people in the world can truly achieve the ideal of planting trees so that future generations can enjoy their shade?

Supply follows demand; this is an eternal truth.

"After the New Year, the provincial treasury will allocate 25,000 taels to you for expansion."

Zhao An clearly indicated his intention to upgrade the guild hall and even offered an extra five thousand taels of silver, which pleased Manager Qian. However, Zhao An then changed the subject, saying, "It's not enough for the guild hall to be luxurious. You must understand that the essence of a guild hall lies in the word 'guild.' From now on, you must put in extra effort not only to make officials and gentry from your own province willing to come, but also to open your doors wide to receive officials from other provinces, even those of lower rank, treating them with courtesy. In addition, you should make more contact with the managers of the guild halls in various provinces and turn them into your friends."

Manager Qian was completely baffled by these words.

"It's not just officials; the capital is a murky place, full of all sorts of people with their own connections. The stewards and trusted servants of princes and nobles, and the influential eunuchs in the palace—their connections are often more extensive than those of regular officials. If you want to build relationships with these people, go out for drinks and entertainment, don't skimp on the expenses; the province will reimburse you." At this point, Zhao An paused, looking at the seemingly clueless Steward Qian, and said calmly, "Do you know why officials hire Shaoxing advisors as their staff? Isn't it because these Shaoxing advisors all come from the same place, supporting each other, sharing information, forming an invisible yet ubiquitous little circle?"

"With this inner circle, officials can learn more. Without it, they'll be unaware of many crucial matters. I want you to create your own inner circle, understand?"

The term "small circle" was novel, but it was easy to understand. Manager Qian realized that the young Lord Zhao not only wanted him to manage the Anhui Guild Hall, but also to use it to build an intelligence network in the capital that included high-ranking officials and people from all walks of life.

Such things are usually done by the trusted confidants and family members of officials, such as those stationed in the capital or the provinces.

Qian Wen was so excited to be entrusted with such an important task, even though he was an outsider.

Zhao An did need Qian Wen. Don't be fooled by the fact that this guy turned the examination hall into a tertiary service point and looks like a shameless pimp who doesn't care about money. History has taught him that excellent political brokers all started as pimps.

Being flexible and shameless are essential qualities for this line of work.

I don't have any talent in this area right now, and this person has been working in the capital for more than ten years, so it's a good opportunity to use him.

If it's not up to standard, just remove it.

If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass.

"Qian Wen, you are a clerk by profession. It would be extremely difficult for you to become an official of the court if you follow the proper procedures. However, if you can handle the matter entrusted to you by me, I can send a letter to the Ministry of War after the New Year to recommend you as a candidate for garrison commander and appoint you as my Anhui garrison commander in Beijing."

"Pond official?"

Qian Wen was stunned. This was a proper official appointed by the imperial court!
The Titangguan was a military official officially registered with the Ministry of War. In ordinary provinces, he was a sixth-rank official, and in important provinces, he was a fifth-rank official.

The duties of the Provincial Supervisor were to transmit official documents between the provinces, including documents from other provinces to the relevant ministries and the documents from the relevant ministries to the provinces. The Provincial Supervisor also received and delivered imperial edicts and seals of provincial officials. The Provincial Supervisor was also responsible for handling matters related to the imperial archives.

This role served as a link between the Ministry of War and the provinces, or as a liaison officer. These officers were usually military graduates or those who had passed the imperial examinations, or they could be recommended by the governor.

Previously, the provincial officials stationed in Beijing had the positions of chief and deputy chief officials. In the fifth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, the deputy chief officials were abolished, and only the chief chief official was retained, with one person per province.

The current liaison officer of Anhui is surnamed Jiang, a military scholar. After Zhao An came to the capital, this liaison officer between Anhui and the court did not come to see him. Perhaps he was on holiday and did not know that the number one official of the province had come to the capital, or it could be due to negligence in his work, or some other reason.

In short, from this moment forward, the martial arts scholar surnamed Jiang has been dismissed from his post.

There is no reason.

The seal of the Governor of Anhui was in Zhao An's hands; he could simply write an official document, affix the seal, and report to the Ministry of War to replace the governor.

The Ministry of War, that's the territory of those four idiots.

For officials who followed the traditional path of civil service examinations, switching from civil to military service was a detour, but for Qian Wen, a clerk with no background, it was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, instantly transforming him from a clerk into an official, and even rising three ranks in quick succession, one rank higher than a county magistrate of the seventh grade.

"The position of 'Pond Supervisor' is no small matter. It is rare to find someone who is not a military graduate or military officer. I have recommended you because I think you are quite capable. If you do your job well and live up to my expectations, I will find a way to transfer you from a military position back to a civil position in the future, and actually appoint you as a seventh-rank county magistrate, or even a fifth-rank prefect. This is not just me making empty promises to you."

Before Zhao An could finish speaking, Qian Wen had already knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with excitement: "Your Excellency has shown me such high regard, I would rather die than fail you!"

"Get up."

Zhao An raised his right hand slightly, looking at Qian Wen, who was also sticking his buttocks up high, with a knowing smile on his face. Just as he was about to give some specific business guidance on how to build an intelligence network, how to win over people, and how to win people over, Xu Lin came over to report that someone had just come to the examination hall and handed a letter to the guard, saying it was for Lord Zhao.

Zhao An took the letter. The envelope was ordinary and unsigned.

Upon opening it, there was only a note inside, but it bore the familiar handwriting of Teacher Wu.

"After the start of the year, Governor Sun of Liangjiang was transferred to Sichuan as the Assistant General Fu to lead the campaign against the Gurkhas. Governor Fu Song of Jiangsu was not transferred, and the successor to Liangjiang was Shu Lin, who was at odds with Heshen. The news came from Prince Jia's banquet and should be true. I hope Your Excellency will be aware of it."

Teacher Wu's letter was clearly written in haste, but the information it revealed was no less than a bombshell.

The Governor-General of Liangjiang was Zhao An's superior.

The current Governor-General of Liangjiang, Sun Shiyi, greatly admired and thought highly of Zhao An because of his image as an honest official. He even praised Zhao An as "the most capable official in Liangjiang" to his father. His chief secretary, Teacher Lou, was a member of Zhao An's "small loan gang." Through Teacher Lou, Zhao An could not only keep a complete grasp of the Governor-General's office, but also indirectly influence the Governor-General's perception and decisions. This was undoubtedly a good thing for Zhao An, who was making great strides in Anhui.

Things have become interesting now that Shulin, who was at odds with Heshen, has suddenly been appointed as the Governor-General of Liangjiang.

(End of this chapter)