Qing Yao

Chapter 425 The Princes of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity

The cultivation level of the Nascent Soul Great Perfection is indeed impressive!

He was able to become the second emperor of the Qing Dynasty not only because of the old master's favor, but also because his own cultivation had broken through to a terrifying level!
Their ability to seize every opportunity is unmatched by any prince or minister in the palace!

The phrase "to protect the Qing Dynasty, to increase the salaries of all officials, and to prolong the life of the Emperor" not only successfully brought his lackeys to the center stage, but also effortlessly turned the flattery of the fat old man Ji who was supporting Yongyan into his own achievement.

One word: I'm impressed!

The kindness of the Grand Secretary was a bit unexpected, turning Zhao An, who was watching the show from the corner, into the protagonist in an instant, without any psychological preparation.

All eyes in the hall turned to him once again.

Lord He, you are truly something.
With his heart pounding, Zhao An dared not be negligent in the slightest. He tried his best to suppress his nervousness and quickly walked from the stove to the center of the "stage". While respectfully kneeling and bowing to the old man on the throne, he racked his brains to think of a way to deal with the situation.

How does one uphold the law to protect the Qing Dynasty? How does one increase the salaries of officials? How does one extend the lifespan of the old master?
"Your humble servant Zhao Youlu pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Knowing that the old man was getting old and his hearing wasn't very good, Zhao An deliberately raised his voice.

Heshen chuckled and whispered in the old man's ear, "My lord, you have good fortune, you have longevity, and this 'prosperity' is kneeling before you."

“Oh, Youlu, yes, yes, I saw him before.”

The old patriarch, in high spirits, nodded slightly. Heshen hurriedly told Zhao An to stand up and speak. This image of the old patriarch as a spokesperson was seen by the officials in various ways: some were happy, some were disdainful, some were waiting to see the building collapse, and some even wished the building would be demolished immediately.

"Zhao Youlu, Heshen said your name corresponds to the 'Lu' in the 'Fu Lu Shou' (Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity) stars. I find it interesting. Tell me, how will you safeguard the fortune of the Qing Dynasty, increase the salaries of all officials, and prolong my life?"

The old man spoke slowly, pausing twice, and even Ah Gui, who was closest to him, had difficulty understanding some of the words, but this did not prevent Heshen from conveying them accurately.

Like a broken record.

This question seems casual, but it's actually difficult to answer. If you answer superficially, you'll appear mediocre and waste the opportunity Heshen gave you. If you answer too much, you'll seem pretentious and become a laughingstock.

Among the officials sitting inside and outside the main hall, at least half were officials who came from the imperial examination system. There were probably a lot of top scholars, second-place scholars, and third-place scholars, and there were so many Hanlin scholars that you couldn't sweep them all up with a broom.

Therefore, it is indeed difficult to please the old man without being laughed at by these PhDs and graduate students.

Looking at Zhao An, Prince Jia, Yongyan, sat behind his desk with his eyes downcast, seemingly indifferent to everything before him. However, when Zhao An stood in the center of the stage, the future master of the Qing Dynasty subconsciously clenched his fingers into two fists, then slowly released them with a soft hum, and forced a smile onto his face.

When the Emperor laughs, he laughs; when the Emperor cries, he cries.

In short, he did whatever his father, the Emperor, did.

This was guidance given to him by his teacher, Zhu Gui, ten years ago.

At this moment, Teacher Zhu was sitting about three meters away from the entrance of the main hall. There was no expression of dissatisfaction with Zhao An on her face, and even her gaze towards Zhao An was so gentle.

In contrast, Teacher Hu Gaowang silently picked up his glass and took a sip of wine.

Although Heshen took away Teacher Hu's position as the provincial education commissioner, the root of the problem lay with Zhao An. Now, Teacher Hu, relegated to a lowly post in the Ministry of War, could hardly help but resent Zhao An.

Seeing Heshen deliberately "praising" Zhao An again, he felt even more depressed.

Ji Yun, whose limelight had been stolen by Heshen, exchanged a knowing look with Liu Yong beside him, both of them waiting to see what would happen.

Why?

What kind of education could someone who donated their prison sentence possibly have?
Most of the time, they were just clowns flattering the old master. Even if they pleased the old master, they were making a fool of themselves in the eyes of all the princes and ministers in the hall.

Heshen looked at Zhao An with confidence, because no one knew better than him that "Zhao Youlu" was not someone who had gotten lucky by flattering others, but rather a shrewd and extremely intelligent person.

The fact that he was charged a thousand taels of silver for his crime back then already proved that this kid's mind was far beyond that of an ordinary person!

Therefore, how could we waste the opportunity we've given ourselves?

Although the fourth fool, Fu Chang'an, wore an encouraging smile, he was not as calm as Heshen. He was secretly sweating, worried that Zhao An would "drop the ball" at the crucial moment.

If you perform well, getting promoted from acting to permanent is just a matter of a word, and the three million taels will still be borrowed.

Only a fool wouldn't fleece a fat sheep that's delivered right to his door!

This is normal human psychology.

The higher one's official rank, the higher one's income; and the higher the income, the more timely the interest payments will be deposited into the account. Therefore, for the sake of those huge interest payments, Fu Chang'an was determined to promote Zhao An to a higher rank.

Anyway, no matter how high this kid's official rank becomes, he's nothing more than a lackey of him and Heshen.

Agui and the other Grand Councilors all wore smiles, but their eyes held curiosity, clearly wanting to know whether the dog Heshen had promoted actually had any real talent.

The princes were simply there to watch the spectacle; after all, they were just there to act as mascots, serving as a backdrop to highlight the harmonious nature of the Aisin Gioro family.

Zhao An made a move!
"Your Majesty's inquiry fills me with trepidation!"

After bowing slightly, Zhao An began to "answer the questions".

"Your servant's name is Youlu, which means that my parents hoped I would receive a salary from the court and bring glory to our ancestors! However, I believe that the source of all the wealth in the world lies with the Emperor, its foundation lies with the state, and its use lies with the common people. The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, who governs the people on behalf of Heaven. Therefore, the Emperor's happiness is the happiness of the world; the Emperor's longevity is the longevity of the country."

Ai!
The first one to catch my eye was the idiot Fu Chang'an: Wow, this kid's got some skills.

The princes and ministers were also "amazed" by Zhao An's opening remarks, and many officials who had originally hoped to see Zhao An make a fool of himself showed surprise.

Zhao An's opening remarks were, in essence, about focusing on the key points and highlighting them.

The most important figure in the Qing Dynasty was the Emperor. Therefore, as long as you connect all the events of the Qing Dynasty with the Emperor and highlight his importance, even if the examiner doesn't like it, they will still have to give you a passing grade.

This is called correct treatment through earthquake.

Well, even if there's nothing more to it, a perfect essay still gets 60 points out of 100.

There must be more below!
Taking advantage of the brief pause after the opening remarks, Zhao An carefully organized his thoughts, and with a calm and unhurried manner, displaying a composure that seemed somewhat incongruous with his age and experience, he spoke in a clear voice:

The Book of Documents says: "Heaven has no favorites, but only assists the virtuous." Your Majesty has reigned for more than fifty years, and your civil and military achievements are unparalleled throughout history. You are a perfect emperor, unprecedented in history!

The Emperor's virtue moved Heaven, and Heaven bestowed blessings upon our Great Qing, granting us favorable weather, abundant harvests, and national peace and prosperity.
In my humble opinion, this is the foundation of preserving good fortune!

To swear to protect the Emperor with one's life is to safeguard the eternal fortune of our Great Qing Dynasty!

I understand. Applause.

Fortunately, Zhao An had memorized several classic quotes from books on his way to the capital; otherwise, he wouldn't have known anything, not even what the Vice Minister said.

The answer to the first question was quite brilliant, so brilliant that Fatty Ji almost spat out the mouthful of wine he had just taken a sip: "Fuck your mother!" Hunchback Liu's cheeks twitched, and he looked incredulous.

Leaving aside the reactions of the princes and ministers, Heshen definitely looked like he had struck gold.

Zhao An's answer is full of classical allusions and has an extremely grand vision. It makes it clear that the essence of guarding the Qing Dynasty is to protect the old master with one's life. How could the old master not be happy with this answer?

I was so happy that I almost took a magnifying glass to take a closer look at what Youlu actually looked like.

"As for increasing the salaries of officials,"

Zhao An continued to perform.

He spoke eloquently: "This humble servant believes that the salaries of all officials are due to the Emperor's trust and support! The Emperor's wisdom and enlightenment have ensured that the virtuous are in office and the capable are in their positions, so that everyone can give full play to their talents and be content with their roles."

"Officials who receive their due salaries should diligently and conscientiously serve the king, making our Great Qing Dynasty prosperous and our people strong. In doing so, the salaries of officials should also be increased, and the salaries of servants should also be included!"

The core of this answer is to elevate "increased salary" to the level of governance, emphasizing that as long as the patriarch is fair in rewarding and punishing, all officials will do their best to serve, and when the country has money, salaries will definitely be increased.

In short, whether the salaries of officials increased or decreased was entirely in the hands of the old patriarch.

This further emphasizes the importance of the old man.

This time, even Agui slightly raised his eyes to look at Zhao An, while glancing at Heshen with some doubt, probably wondering when Heshen's judgment of people had become so good.

The Zhao Youlu in front of me is much better than the Guotai of yesteryear.

The gazes of Ji and Liu, the fat and thin pair, changed drastically when they met again. They were no longer laughing at each other, but instead became very serious.

"That's well said. So how can I prolong my life?"

The old man's face was beaming so broadly you could stick a flower in it.

Heshen encouraged Zhao An to continue with a look of strong approval in his eyes.

Because "extending lifespan" was what the old man cared about most.

No matter how well you answer the two questions above, if you don't answer this question well, you will fail completely.

"Your Majesty, the benevolent live long!"

Those three simple words immediately caught the old man's attention. The princes and ministers who were nearby all saw the old man lift his buttocks, as if he wanted to go over and listen more carefully.

What does this mean?
This shows that Zhao An accurately grasped the old man's point of happiness. The phrase "the benevolent live long" was not only tempting to the octogenarian, but also seemed like an "objective" evaluation of his life.

"His Majesty is in excellent health and works tirelessly despite his many duties. This is a blessing from Heaven, a condition that cannot be achieved through ordinary methods of maintaining health. Only the benevolent can prolong his life!"

After reiterating the key point, Zhao An changed the subject: "His Majesty's benevolence extends throughout the world, and his grace benefits all people. The people of the world are all grateful for His Majesty's grace and pray for His Majesty day and night. In my humble opinion, this desire of the people is the supreme elixir for prolonging life!"

This humble servant wishes to use my unassuming name, 'Youlu,' as a pretext to pray that Your Majesty may live as long as the heavens, enjoy boundless blessings, and live a thousand years of eternal life!

After saying this, Zhao An knelt down again without hesitation and kowtowed deeply to the old man.

Seeing this, none of the princes and ministers dared to remain seated. They all shouted in unison, and the hall was instantly filled with blessings of "May you live as long as the heavens and enjoy eternal life."

"My lord, Zhao Youlu said that all the people in the world are praying for your long life. Heaven is moved by the hearts of the people, and you will surely become a centenarian emperor!"

Heshen's "centenarian emperor" also accurately grasped the old man's happy point. Overjoyed, the emperor couldn't help but tremble as he stood up, pointing at Zhao An kneeling on the ground and happily saying to Heshen, "This Zhao Youlu, you recommended him well. He answered my three questions very well. I am very happy. I must grant this child's wish, and grant you, Heshen's wish, to be a centenarian emperor."

A centenarian emperor?

Fatty Ji glanced at Heshen and thought to himself that a centenarian emperor was impossible. Don't forget that the emperor will abdicate in three years. Hmph, by then there will be a centenarian retired emperor, but there may not be a sixty-year-old Heshen.

The officials who had previously been looking on to see Zhao An make a fool of himself now had to put away their contempt and start to look at him more closely.

Yongyan's two teachers were secretly surprised: this boy has such quick wit and eloquence, it seems he is not a flatterer, they had underestimated him.

Liu Yong's lean face remained expressionless, but a hint of seriousness flashed deep in his eyes.

The more the Emperor praised him, the more disgusted Yongyan felt, but he remained calm on the surface, looking at his father with extremely filial eyes and beaming smiles along with his brothers.

Fu Chang'an was overjoyed. Although Zhao An's performance was a credit to Heshen, it also proved that Fu Chang'an had a discerning eye!
Good lad, your fourth master is definitely going to lend you those three million taels!
There are plenty of officials who know how to play the straight man. Su Ling'a, the Minister of Personnel and father-in-law of Heshen's younger brother, saw the old man laughing so happily, so he took the opportunity to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Youlu is sincere and quick-witted. His name also coincides with the auspicious omen of the three stars gathering today. This servant dares to ask Your Majesty to bestow a piece of calligraphy to celebrate this grand occasion?"

Su Butang was born into the Manchu Plain White Banner, which was one of the three upper banners. It was a glorious thing for him to be a servant.

Heshen glanced at the old Su Ling'a with a hint of appreciation; the old man, in high spirits, would certainly not be stingy with his calligraphy.

After the word "accurate" was given, Eunuch Li spread out the Xuan paper, and Heshen personally ground the ink.

What calligraphy should be bestowed upon him?

The old man rested one hand on the table and held a calligraphy brush in the other. After thinking for a few breaths, he put down his brush.

The hall was completely silent; everyone held their breath and stared intently at the throne.

Zhao An was also curious, wondering what kind of calligraphy the old master would bestow upon him.

It would be better if it just said "My good son!"

The final answer was the three characters "福禄寿" (Fu Lu Shou).

I must say, the old man's calligraphy is really good. Every stroke contains power and shows the demeanor of an emperor. In particular, the character for "longevity" conveys a sense of enduring longevity.

Then the old master whispered a few words to Heshen, who immediately took the calligraphy of "Fu Lu Shou" (福禄寿, meaning fortune, prosperity, and longevity) and walked up to Zhao An, smiling slightly. "Zhao Youlu, His Majesty bestows upon you the three characters 'Fu,' 'Lu,' and 'Shou' today. I hope you will remember his words today and live up to His Majesty's expectations!"

"This humble servant kowtows in gratitude for Heaven's grace!"

Zhao An knelt down excitedly and kowtowed. After getting up, he carefully took the old master's calligraphy from Heshen's hands, and then... and then!

Then he gently held the calligraphy above his head with both hands and spun around in a 360-degree circle.

A comprehensive display, an incredibly exciting and proud display.

However, rather than showing off the old master's calligraphy, Zhao An was actually showing off himself to everyone in the Qianqing Palace.

Ladies and gentlemen, listen up! Starting tomorrow, I will be the Prince of Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity!
The eve of the Lunar New Year in the fifty-sixth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign was as warm as a spring breeze.

(End of this chapter)