Qing Yao

Chapter 421 Not qualified to sit at the table
The Ministry of Rites' "New Year's Eve Gala Invitation" only invited Zhao An, the acting governor of Anhui; Xiao Shuan and Xu Lin couldn't go with him.

The banquet was held in the Qianqing Palace. Since the 25th year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, a New Year's Eve banquet has been held in the palace every year. In addition to imperial family members such as concubines, princes and grandsons, princes, dukes, and beile, officials of the third rank and above in Beijing, such as Grand Councilors, ministers of the Imperial Guard, ministers of the Imperial Bodyguard, and ministers of the Six Ministries, would also attend.

In addition, Mongolian princes and envoys from vassal states who came to the capital to participate in the New Year's Day celebrations would also attend. According to past lists from the Ministry of Rites, at least a thousand people participated in this grand banquet.

Local officials are not invited by custom, except for those invited for meritorious service or those designated by the emperor.

Zhao An was invited because of his merits; he was the only local official invited to the New Year's Eve party this year for the same reason.

There were a few people who specifically requested to participate.

The party officially started around 7 p.m. in later years. In addition to large-scale song and dance and theatrical performances in the square, there was also a grand banquet.

The current emperor loved lively gatherings when he was young, and he loved them even more as he got older. As a result, he has held countless banquets for the elderly. The Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites are very experienced in organizing such events.

The New Year's Eve party was originally held in Shufangzhai, but because there were too many people attending and Shufangzhai was too small, it was moved to Qianqing Palace.

Starting at seven o'clock, Zhao An was to depart for the palace around five o'clock because he needed to undergo a security check, a process that would take at least half an hour.

There was no other way; there were just too many people.

Xu Lin, accompanied by several guards, escorted Zhao An to the Donghua Gate of the Imperial City. Zhao An used his identification to queue for entry, while Xu Lin and his guards waited outside in a sheltered spot.

The area outside Donghua Gate was already filled with all kinds of carriages and sedan chairs of all sizes. While only a thousand people were actually allowed to enter the palace to attend the evening party, there were tens of thousands of servants waiting outside.

At first glance, it was densely packed and quite lively. If the guards hadn't specially arranged for personnel to maintain order, there would definitely have been traffic congestion.

It was still very cold today, and the wind was quite strong, feeling like tiny knives on his face. Even though Zhao An was dressed in thick clothes, he was still shivering from the cold, being from the south.

There wasn't a single familiar face in sight.

I didn't know anyone there to begin with.

The Donghua Gate was a special passage for officials and members of the imperial family to enter, while princes, grandsons of the emperor, and ministers of the Grand Council used the Xihua Gate. Therefore, the security check at the Donghua Gate took a particularly long time.

Without needing to ask about security checks, Zhao An took his ID and joined the queue on the far right, in front of a group of "Beijing gentlemen" speaking with impeccable Beijing accents.

Without a doubt, they all share the surname Aisin Gioro, and are probably the yellow-striped members qualified to attend the party.

As for Zhao An following behind, these yellow-belted lords of the capital glanced at him and then turned their heads to continue chatting, showing no interest whatsoever in Zhao An's second-rank status.

It's not that second-rank officials in the capital are worse than dogs, or that first-rank officials are everywhere; rather, the lowest rank among members of the imperial clan is Feng'en General, which is more prestigious than a first-rank official.

Regardless of whether one possesses the power of a first-rank official, a first-rank official is simply not entitled to enjoy this prestigious status.

At the palace gate, dozens of guards were busy with security checks. They were all wearing yellow jackets. Zhao An recognized one of them; he was the second-class guard, number thirty-five, who had been drinking and eating meat with Bai Kui Lao Hao the night before.

A second-class imperial bodyguard is a fourth-rank official. In a local area, that would be equivalent to the rank of a prefect who could wipe out an entire family. But in the palace, he would only be doing the work of a deputy team leader in a production team.

The head guard of the third rank was the team leader, while the minister of the upper rank was the production team leader.

However, most of the ministers of honorary titles were members of the imperial clan with noble titles, such as Duke of Zhenguo, Duke of Fuguo, and General of Zhenguo.

This arrangement was clearly intended to ensure the guards' unwavering loyalty to the royal family.

Thirty-five was busy running around. He had just finished having a yellow-sashed officer take off his shoes for inspection when he looked up and saw Zhao An looking at him from behind the line.

"Master Zhao!"

Thirty-five ran over without thinking and grabbed Zhao An in front of the yellow-belt men, "Sir, come on, let's go to the front!"

One of the men with yellow belts was immediately displeased: "Hey, who is this guy? Why is he going to the front? There's always a first-come, first-served order!"

Zhao An also felt that cutting in line was inappropriate, and was about to say that he would rather wait patiently, but Thirty-Five said to the man with the yellow sash, "Lord He is waiting to see you. Why don't you gentlemen tell Lord He?"

Upon hearing this, the man with the yellow belt froze, embarrassed and speechless.

The other men with yellow belts also turned their heads away, pretending not to see them.

Clearly, Heshen's name held immense power over these yellow-striped officials.

The idea that Heshen had to address the banner chief as a servant and kowtow to him is ridiculous; the banner chief probably wouldn't even have time to avoid Heshen!

When the guards at the checkpoint saw Thirty-Five bringing Zhao An over, one of them asked curiously, "Thirty-Five, who is this?"

“Lord Zhao from Anhui, brothers, please step in. I’ll take Lord Zhao inside.”

Thirty-five casually mentioned it, and the guards had no objections whatsoever. They didn't even search Zhao An and Thirty-five before letting them in.

Judging from Zhao An's expression, they were very curious. It seemed that they had heard Thirty-Five talk about the suppression of the rebellion in Anhui and were very curious about Zhao An, this "fierce man" who defeated 100,000 with only 800 men.

After passing through the security checkpoint, Thirty-Five pointed ahead and whispered to Zhao An that someone from the Imperial Household Department would come to guide them. He explained that there were many rules in the palace and told Zhao An to just follow the Imperial Household Department personnel and not to wander off.

The same applies after it ends.

Zhao An nodded, casually took out a silver ingot and stuffed it into Thirty-Five's hand. Thirty-Five was about to refuse when Zhao An said, "It's not for you. Treat your colleagues to a meal later and tell them that I thanked the brothers for their help."

"Sir, what are you saying? We're all in the same job; who doesn't have relatives and friends?"

Despite saying this, the silver ingots still ended up in the thirty-five pockets; one couldn't let Lord Zhao's good intentions go unrewarded.

After saying goodbye to Thirty-Five, Zhao An followed the officials who had passed through security and walked towards the "protocol point" set up by the Imperial Household Department. Although he had been to the Forbidden City in his previous life, the feeling of coming as a tourist was very different from that of coming as a guest.

How can I describe this feeling?
It's nothing more than the idea that a true man should act this way, or perhaps he loves his family and can live here, but my Zhao family can't? If you're willing to risk your life, you can think of anything!

There were also a few guards standing at the Imperial Household Department's protocol station, but they were clearly just for show; they stood there to give people a sense of authority but did not interfere with the work of the Imperial Household Department staff.

The Ministry of Rites was responsible for issuing invitation letters and notifications, while the Imperial Guard was responsible for security checks to ensure that people entering the palace would not carry prohibited items.

The Ministry of the Interior was responsible for taking the relevant personnel to the designated locations.

The official in charge of the Imperial Household Department was registering everyone's identities. When Zhao An handed over his identification and introduced himself, the official immediately looked up at Zhao An, the tense lines on his face softened instantly, and then he smiled and said, "Lord Zhao has arrived? The Grand Secretary instructed that if Lord Zhao were to arrive, we would take you directly there."

After saying this, he waved his hand and summoned a clerk, instructing him, "Take Lord Zhao over there."

"Whoo!"

The clerk bowed slightly to Zhao An: "Please, Lord Zhao!"

"Thank you!"

Zhao An politely smiled at the doctor. It was normal for the Imperial Household Department to ask for favors from Heshen, since it was Heshen's territory.

However, the Imperial Household Department was incredibly powerful, with over three thousand officially appointed officials from top to bottom, more than the number of officials in the six ministries of the imperial court. Even the inner court of the Ming Dynasty could not compare to this Imperial Household Department.

It was said to be an institution dedicated to serving the royal family, but it was more accurate to describe it as a court independent of the imperial court!
The head of the Imperial Household Department, without exaggeration, could be called a "half-prime minister" even without Heshen's power.

The officials and members of the royal family who were queuing up to register were naturally attracted by Zhao An's treatment, and then they all cast questioning glances at Zhao An, whispering like mosquitoes buzzing.

"Who is this person? He looks completely unfamiliar. Why are the people from the Imperial Household Department being so polite to him?"

"From the second rank, judging by the insignia, he's a provincial governor?"

"Which provincial governor is so young that he has been awarded the double-eyed peacock feather?"

"I forgot, there really was one."

"Who?"

"That lackey from Anhui."

"Oh, no wonder."

"."

The crowd's gazes held a mixture of envy and disdain, but without exception, they cemented Zhao An's "peace party" label.

The scribe who led Zhao An was probably a bondservant from the Imperial Household Department. He was very perceptive and led Zhao An with a humble demeanor and light steps, passing through palace gates and walking along the palace path that was swept clean of not a single fallen leaf towards the Qianqing Palace.

On the way, we encountered several groups of imperial princes coming from Xihua Gate. They were all dressed in magnificent robes and hats, laughing and joking in small groups.

Zhao An didn't know whether they were from the Aisin Gioro family or from Mongolia.

These nobles and dignitaries greeted each other and chatted about interesting things, but they didn't even bother to lift their eyelids at Zhao An, the living, breathing man who was passing by them.

Completely ignored.

Indeed, a second-rank official is nothing in the eyes of these princes and nobles.

Before long, they arrived at the Qianqing Palace, which was already brightly lit and exceptionally beautiful. A large stage had been set up in the square, where people from the Imperial Household Department and a group of eunuchs were busy working.

Tables and chairs were set up in the main hall and outside the hall. The officials who were already seated were exchanging pleasantries with each other, calling each other "this lord," "that prince," and "that nobleman," just like a happy occasion in a commoner's home.

However, Zhao An's gaze was drawn to two strangely dressed people—two officials wearing Hanfu, a style of clothing that had disappeared from China for over a hundred years.

He must have been an envoy from the Joseon Dynasty to Yanjing.

They were all around forty years old, sitting there upright and serious, silently observing the Qing officials in front of them, their thoughts unknown.

Zhao An looked away as the guide led him to the designated location.

This location is not good; it's not inside the hall, but rather under a spacious but drafty corridor outside the hall.

A "feng shui treasure land" where you shiver when the cold wind blows.

Well, they haven't even touched the threshold of the main hall yet!

Thinking about it, it makes sense. With his rank of second grade, how could he be qualified to sit in the main hall?

Even if Heshen takes good care of him, he can't break the rules.

The draft blowing through the hall made Zhao An instinctively shrink his neck and reluctantly sit down. Although there was a cushion on the stool, it was a world apart from the seats in the hall that were covered with thick brocade cushions and surrounded by warm stoves.

Looking at those princes who were talking loudly and laughing heartily, Zhao An felt like a nobody who had accidentally wandered into a high-class venue, the kind who even brought his own stool and sat at the door.

They come, the security.

Such extreme treatment is something many people never get in their entire lives.

Just as I sat down, a figure stopped in front of me. He was incredibly fat, with a belly bigger than a woman's when she was ten months pregnant, and he was holding a large pipe in his hand.

(End of this chapter)