Qing Yao

Chapter 437 You Humiliated Me?

The Bordered Yellow Banner was indeed the banner where the old man's household registration was located; this was confirmed back in the time of Emperor Shunzhi.

Starting with Emperor Shunzhi, the emperor himself and his descendants were all registered under the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner.

This means that among the current population of 300,000 Manchus of the Bordered Yellow Banner, nearly 200 are direct male descendants of Emperor Shunzhi.

These two hundred male descendants of Emperor Shunzhi all had, to some extent, the right to inherit the throne of the Qing Dynasty.

The head of the Eight Banners, truly deserving of the title.

The old man transferred Zhao An's household registration from the Imperial Household Department's public servant register to the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner, which theoretically conforms to the common sense concept of tracing one's ancestry and changing household registration.

Of course, the correct understanding should be that Zhao An was promoted from a servant to a servant directly under the master.

However, cognition is relative and is often not determined by objective facts, but rather involves a certain degree of subjective initiative.

For example, Zhao An believes that the old master's arrangement to raise the flag was a preparation for him to be recognized as a member of the clan. Logically, there is no problem with this. If all the conditions are right, this matter can be explained independently.

It's similar to a marketing company in later generations using large-print advertisements with small-print descriptions.

He was so excited that he didn't know what to say for a moment when he held the bright yellow imperial edict.

The seventy-year-old minister, Jin, who delivered the imperial edict, was filled with mixed feelings. Having been in officialdom for decades, he had never seen anything so absurd.

A man who had just assaulted the officer in charge of the garrison, now suddenly rose through the ranks to become a member of the emperor's personal guard and was even granted the hereditary title of Third-Class Light Cavalry Captain. No matter how you look at it, this whole thing seems absurd, leaving people both amused and bewildered.

This is truly a rare occurrence in the more than one hundred years since the founding of the Qing Dynasty.

But what can he do?

He could only force a smile and hand the imperial edict to the person in charge. Then he nodded slightly to Fu Chang'an beside him, and turned back to report with a hint of worry that was not easily detected.

"Hey, good lad!"

Fu Chang'an's expression was quite interesting. He suddenly patted Zhao An, who was still in a daze, on the shoulder and said with a smile, "This time we're officially brothers from the same banner."

Brothers under the same banner?

Zhao An, who was used to focusing on the key points, subconsciously looked at the four idiots: Hmm, we might really be brothers!
Fu Chang'an was definitely joking; how could someone of his status possibly address Zhao An as a brother?

However, the Bordered Yellow Banner was the head of the three banners personally commanded by the emperor. Zhao An's promotion to this banner was of great significance. To put it bluntly, it was no longer just that he was favored by the emperor, but that he was firmly in the emperor's heart.

On a smaller scale, he could later look down on those lower-ranking bannermen beggars, lackeys of the Imperial Household Department, and dapper Han officials with immense pride and swagger, saying, "Do you have any 'heaven-reaching' markings on your faces? No, why are you wasting your breath talking to me! You disagree? The Yongding River isn't covered, so go swim in it if you dare!"

In short, the Manchu ID card of the Bordered Yellow Banner is really important. No matter when, as long as you show this card, even a red light will turn green instantly.

"It is all thanks to the Grand Secretary's protection and His Majesty's grace that this humble servant...this humble servant truly..."

Zhao An nearly burst into tears.

"Alright, stop calling me 'servant',"

Fu Chang'an smiled and asked Zhao An to stand up, his tone intimate, "Now that you are also a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner, you will have to consider the occasion when you refer to yourself as a servant. You and I are servants in front of the Emperor, but in front of outsiders, we are masters."

That's half right and half wrong.

That's right. In front of the old master, Zhao An and Fu Chang'an were servants even though they were both illegitimate children. But in front of outsiders, Fu Chang'an was the master, and Zhao An was not.

At least for now, I'm not qualified to be a master.

Why did Fu Chang'an say that?

Isn't it just an attempt to further bind and lock down their fellow "brothers" in the same banner?

"Before Your Excellency, I am always a servant!"

Zhao An's response was so simple and direct, showing absolute respect to the four idiots.

It's exploded outside!
The news of Zhao An's elevation to a banner and ennoblement swept through the entire Imperial Household Department like a whirlwind and spread outside the Forbidden City at an astonishing speed.

"Have you heard? Zhao Youlu, who beat up Quande, not only got away with it, but the Emperor even promoted him to the Bordered Yellow Banner! My goodness!"

"Not only that, I heard he was also awarded the hereditary rank of Third-Class Light Cavalry Captain! That unlucky fellow Quan De, on the other hand, was exiled as a slave!"

"What? This...how is this possible! Quande was beaten!"

"Hey, you don't understand, do you? You have to consider the owner before beating a dog! Quan De was blind and ran into a brick wall! But Lord Zhao is favored by the Emperor!"

"Tsk tsk, from a bondservant to a Manchu of the Bordered Yellow Banner, that's a meteoric rise. Well, brothers, we'd better be respectful to him when we meet in the future."

"."

Various discussions, exclamations, jealousy, and speculations fermented in all units under the Imperial Household Department. Regardless of whether the old master's handling of this matter was fair, in the eyes of everyone in the Imperial Household Department, Zhao An had already become the "Yue Family Army" that was "easier to shake a mountain than to shake Yue Family Army".

With the imperial edict already issued for Zhao An, relevant personnel will handle the matters of elevating him to a higher rank and bestowing a noble title.

Since Zhao An was not a member of the imperial clan, the matter of bestowing titles was not under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Clan Court, but rather under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of Personnel was responsible for bestowing titles upon civil officials, while the Ministry of War was responsible for bestowing titles upon military officials.

Zhao An was a second-rank official who served as the acting governor of Anhui and the provincial treasurer. As a civil official, he should have been under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel according to regulations. However, his title was conferred based on his military achievements in suppressing the White Lotus Rebellion, so it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of War would complete the formalities before submitting them to the Ministry of Rites for verification. Only after the Ministry of Rites had verified the series of documents, certificates, and subsidies for the conferment of the title would they be issued.

The problem was that the Ministry of War wouldn't open for business until the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, so Zhao Anxian handled the household registration transfer matter first.

Household registration transfers can be processed because the Imperial Household Department and the Eight Banners' Commander-in-Chief's Office are not formal government agencies. Therefore, unlike government departments, they do not take long holidays. Both units have staff on standby at all times to ensure that tasks assigned by the palace are completed as soon as possible.

The official in charge of assisting Zhao An in transferring his household registration was Wu Ya, the same official who had assigned Zhao An the "Bidai" (a type of official title).

When Wuya saw Zhao An again, she felt as if she had been in another world. It was as if the staff at the household registration office had just recorded all of Zhao An's family information, and then a phone call came from above saying that the entire Zhao family's household registration had been transferred to the Beijing Municipal Government Office.

After busying himself for half an hour, he finally finished stamping all the household registration transfer documents that Zhao An needed, then put them into a cowhide bag and respectfully handed them to Zhao An. After that, he volunteered to take Zhao An to the Manchu Governor's Office of the Bordered Yellow Banner to handle the household registration transfer.

This is a trivial matter that Fu Chang'an certainly doesn't need to get involved. I wonder what the Four Fools are up to right now; they're probably going to find Heshen.

After all, the old master's sudden promotion of Zhao An to a banner and a noble title was a bit puzzling, and Heshen had to explain it to him.

The Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, as the emperor's personal banner, was located inside Andingmen, in a rather large area. Over the past century, due to overpopulation, this area has become extremely crowded, and many historical sites from the Ming Dynasty have been demolished to build new houses for the bannermen. The Governor-General's Office was actually not far from Xihuamen; it only took about ten minutes by carriage.

The staff of the Governor's Office, who had been notified in advance, quickly invited Zhao An in. The household registration office under the Governor's Office was responsible for handling matters related to the transfer of household registration, and the person in charge was a third-rank assistant commander.

Of course, the specific work wouldn't be done by a third-rank official like Zhao An; it was handled by two old men, Tang A and Wu Ya, on his behalf.

Zhao An only needed to drink tea and chat with the commander.

During the conversation, I learned that this military officer's ancestor was Fan Wencheng, a founding hero of the Qing Dynasty. However, the Fan family was originally a Han Chinese Bordered Red Banner, but during the Kangxi era, they were transferred to the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Manchus.

The Imperial Household Department had specifically sent people to Yangzhou to handle Zhao An's conversion from civilian to slave. There were no problems with the registration in all aspects. In addition, it was an imperial decree from the old master that elevated him to a higher status. The people in the household registration office dared not even make things difficult for him, let alone neglect him.

Soon, a flurry of stamps were applied, and Zhao An, thinking the formalities were complete, prepared to take his leave. However, the officer surnamed Fan said there was one last step in the process.

It requires the seal of the deputy commander in charge of household registration, stables, and grain supply in this banner for confirmation.

Where is the Deputy Commander-in-Chief?
He stayed home and didn't come to work. He doesn't live far away, and Commander Fan just sent someone to invite him. He should be able to get there in no time.

Zhao An smiled and nodded, then with a flick of his sleeve, a hundred-tael silver note appeared in front of Commander Fan. He said, "The Emperor is blessed, and everyone benefits from it." Commander Fan smiled and accepted the note.

They are all people who know how to conduct themselves.

Continuing to chat with Zhao An, the deputy commander-in-chief, who had rushed from home, arrived shortly afterward.

"The Marquis has arrived!"

Fan, the military commander, hurriedly stood up and introduced that this deputy commander was also a descendant of a famous person. He was Shi Bingren, the sixth-generation descendant of Shi Lang, who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and led troops to attack Taiwan.

Why is he called a marquis? Because Shi Bingren inherited the title of Marquis of Jinghai from his ancestor Shi Lang, which is a full fourteen ranks higher than Zhao An's third-class light cavalry captain!

Dukes, marquises, and earls are all of the highest rank, so how did Shi Bingren become a deputy commander of the second rank?
That's easy to understand; the position doesn't match the rank and honors.

In the Qing Dynasty, being a marquis of a higher rank did not automatically grant you a high-ranking official position like a first-rank minister or a second-rank minister. Nobility titles simply provided you with subsidies in addition to your salary; they did not mandate that you become a high-ranking official.

If you're not capable, it's normal not to give you an official position.

Furthermore, by the time it came to Shi Bingren, he was already the sixth-generation Marquis of Jinghai, neither a scholar nor a warrior, so it was already quite good that he was assigned a deputy commander in charge of household registration.

The most famous descendant of Shi Lang is Shi Shilun, who played the role in "The Case of Judge Shi". However, it was not Shi Shilun who inherited Shi Lang's title of "Marquis of Jinghai", but Shi Bingren's ancestor Shi Shifan.

Apart from the branch that inherited the title in the capital, the rest of the Shi family lived in Fujian, where they were a well-known and influential clan.

Although Shi Bingren was a second-rank official of the same rank as Zhao An, who was acting governor, Shi Bingren was a marquis of a higher rank. According to the rules, Zhao An should have paid his respects to him. However, for some reason, Zhao An only gave Shi Bingren a slight bow and did not intend to perform the proper ceremony.

On the way there, Shi Bingren had already been informed of Zhao An's identity by the scribe who had come to fetch him. In addition, given the rumors circulating in the capital these past few days about the "rising star," Shi Bingren had no reason to antagonize Zhao An, since he was now just a leisurely marquis with no real power.

However, Zhao An's refusal to bow displeased the idle marquis, though he did not show it on his face and simply nodded to Zhao An.

"Sir, all the formalities have been completed, and we are just waiting for you to affix your seal."

Canling Fan presented the completed formalities and the old master's imperial edict to Shi Bingren. Shi Bingren casually took them and sat down at his desk. Instead of immediately using his seal, he opened the documents and examined them carefully.

I looked at the imperial edict first, then the household registration records.

Routine procedure, impeccable

Zhao An wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, all the paperwork was in order and the seals were in order. He could look at it however he wanted. Did he dare to disobey the imperial decree and refuse to do it?

The reason he refused to bow to Shi Bingren was simply because he was disgusted by Shi Lang, Shi Bingren's ancestor.

Or perhaps, I was disgusted by a shameless movie from my past life.

The practice of glorifying a traitor as a national hero and regarding the Qing Dynasty, a colonial dynasty that colonized China, as the legitimate dynasty is disgusting.

Purely objective, not personal.

The reason for not paying respects to Shi Lang's descendants is due to this mentality, not because I actually have a problem with Shi Bingren.

Unexpectedly, after flipping through a few pages, Shi Bingren suddenly looked up and asked Zhao An why there was no detailed information about his ancestors in the household registration book.

When Zhao An was converted from a commoner to a slave, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent people to handle his household registration transfer procedures, but only Zhao Youlu himself, his wife Luo Chunlan, and his daughter Luo Xiaoxiao were listed. Zhao Youlu's parents were still listed as "commoners," that is, Han Chinese.

This arrangement was actually to give Zhao An a chance to perform well later. If he performed well, he could turn his parents from Han people into slaves.

Therefore, the household registration book does not contain detailed information about Zhao Youlu's parents or his grandparents.

Zhao An explained the situation truthfully.

Upon hearing this, Shi Bingren pointed with a troubled expression to the blank space in the register for Zhao An's ancestors and said, "Lord Zhao is a member of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, which is the emperor's personal banner. According to the banner's rules, Lord Zhao must fill in at least three generations of his ancestors in detail."

The conversation went like this: the Emperor's favor of raising a banner was certainly granted by the Governor-General's Office, but it was hoped that Zhao An, the person involved in the banner raising, would "send back" the materials to Yangzhou so that the local household registration department could supplement the detailed information of his ancestors for three generations. Only then could the Governor-General's Office stamp and confirm the documents; otherwise, it would be against the rules.

The process was correct; it wasn't intentional obstruction.

“If Lord Zhao is too busy with official duties to handle this matter, I can write an official document and send it to Yangzhou. There is no need for Lord Zhao to handle it personally.”

Lord Shi was quite kind, knowing that Zhao An might be returning to Anhui in a few days and wouldn't have time to go back to his hometown of Yangzhou.

"Since these are the rules of the banner, we should act in accordance with them."

Zhao An nodded and walked lightly to Shi Bingren's desk. "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Marquis."

"it is good."

Shi Bingren nodded slightly, picked up his brush, and began to write on the official paper used by the Governor's Office. Zhao An watched attentively from the side, when suddenly he turned slightly to the side, his arm accidentally brushing against Shi Bingren's right arm that was holding the brush.

The sudden touch caused Shi Bingren's pen to tremble, and the direction of his pen strokes changed. A drop of ink fell precisely onto the old master's decree elevating Zhao An to a higher rank and title.

As luck would have it, the drop fell on the name Zhao Youlu.

"oops!"

Zhao An exclaimed in surprise, his face instantly filled with anger. "My lord, what do you mean by this? Are you disdainful of my humble origins and unworthy to be a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Manchus, and thus humiliating me in this way?"

(End of this chapter)