Qing Yao

Chapter 441 Old Master, the Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity stars are finished!
Heshen did not ride in his 36-person sedan chair to the palace, but instead chose to ride a horse.

This was his privilege, and also the glory of a subject.

Zhao An did not have this privilege, so he willingly served as Heshen's groom.

One on horseback, one on foot, they proceeded silently along the imperial road leading to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Heshen, on horseback, remained calm, his gaze fixed only on the red walls and green tiles in the distance, seemingly extremely at peace.

Indeed, it was calm.

The Marquis of Jinghai was not enough for Heshen to be so wary of. Let alone a marquis, what difference would it make if he were a duke?

Those so-called descendants of meritorious Han Chinese officials, especially the descendants of those meritorious officials who surrendered after the Qing Dynasty entered the pass, were not favored by the old master. Although they had super-rank titles such as duke, marquis, and earl, they were never eligible for core substantive positions such as Grand Councilor, Minister of the Board of Revenue, Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, and Governor-General.

The descendant of Huang Wu, the Duke of Haicheng, who presented five strategies for the platform that were even more meritorious than Shi Lang, and the current Duke of Haicheng, Huang Jiamo, is only a general in Wenzhou.

Compared to this, it's clear that Shi Lang's descendants were incredibly fortunate to have become the Manchu Deputy Commander-in-Chief in charge of household registration.

To put it bluntly, like the "hat kings" and the banner lords of the Eight Banners, the descendants of Han Chinese meritorious officials were also considered "mascots" in the old man's eyes, mere decorations.

The only descendant of a meritorious official who was deeply favored by the old master was Li Yongfang's grandson, Li Shiyao. Before Heshen rose to power, he was the old master's most favored minister. The old master praised him as "a rare talent in the world", "the most capable person", and "a rare talent among governors-general who served as governors-general and governors-general". He served as governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, governor-general of Huguang, and governor-general of Yunnan and Guizhou for a long time.

and then?
Because he looked down on Heshen, he was easily taken down by Heshen, the old master's "new favorite".

Compared to Li Shiyao's background and position, Shi Bingren, the Marquis of Jinghai who was only a deputy commander, was not qualified to be Heshen's opponent at all.

But Heshen decided to target Shi Bingren, not for any other reason than to cut off the first claw of the "conspiracy group" reaching towards him and the Grand Secretary, as Zhao An had said!
Let the bloody lesson from the Shi family teach those who are tempted to act that when he and the Grand Secretary get angry, people will die!

Even if the old master were still alive, or even if the old master were gone, Heshen would still be the absolute ruler of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhao An lowered his gaze and earnestly played the promising role of "stable boy," while mentally rehearsing every detail and every word he would use when he was about to meet the emperor, ensuring that he could deliver a fatal blow to the Shi family.

It would be very difficult to completely eliminate Shi Lang's descendants. After all, the old master was no longer as hot-tempered as he was when he was young, and he would not dig people up and grind their bones to dust at the drop of a hat. This can be seen from the fact that the literary inquisition had actually stopped.

It is an objective fact that older people are generally kind and generous.

In recent years, no princes or ministers have been completely eradicated by the old patriarch. Overall, apart from the unfortunate Taiwan General Chai Daji, whose entire family was executed, there really hasn't been another unlucky one.

However, Chai Daji's death was caused by Fukang'an, and Heshen was a Nascent Soul cultivator like Fukang'an. Therefore, as long as Heshen could fully utilize his linguistic skills to successfully provoke the heavens' wrath, he would have a good chance of eliminating Shi Bingren's family.

Just as he was pondering how to use the art of language, Heshen, who had been silent all along, called out to him, "Youlu."

"The slave is here."

Zhao An immediately reined in his horse, turned to face Heshen, bowed slightly, and showed the utmost respect.

Heshen nodded and said in a deep voice, "You should know how to respond when you see the Emperor later. It is true that the Marquis of Jinghai damaged the imperial seal, but what is despicable about him is his disrespect and contempt, not anything else. The Emperor is old and values ​​the dignity and reputation of the Emperor, and he also cherishes old friendships. You should only hint at some things and not say more."

"This servant understands, Your Excellency, please rest assured!"

Zhao An quickly agreed, knowing that Heshen was giving him some pointers.

The complaint must be made in a way that is appropriate to the situation. It should provoke the old master's anger, but it should not be too deliberate. In particular, it should not directly call for violence. The goal is to guide the old master to the conclusion that the Marquis of Jinghai deserves to die.

The timing and intensity of the heat are crucial; too much heat will have the opposite effect, while too little heat will also fail to achieve the desired result.

Knowing that Zhao An was a clever man, Heshen said no more and gestured for him to continue leading the horse.

The palace gates opened one after another, and the guards stood respectfully with their heads bowed when they saw that it was Heshen. The only sound in the vast palace was the "clatter" of horses' hooves.

Upon arriving outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Heshen swiftly dismounted, glanced back at Zhao An, and showed no hesitation, only a resolute determination to burn his bridges.

"Come on, follow me inside." Heshen led the way towards the East Warm Pavilion where the old master was, and Zhao An hurriedly followed behind, bowing. A eunuch came over to tie up Heshen's horse.

Inside the East Warm Pavilion, the old master was having his evening snack.

The old man wasn't in good spirits; his eyelids drooped, and his face was covered in age spots. Only in his occasionally opening and closing eyes did a trace of the sharpness of a former great ruler remain.

Several delicate dishes of Jiangnan cuisine and a bowl of rice porridge were placed on the small table, looking very tempting. However, the old man seemed to have little appetite, only stirring the porridge bowl with a spoon once or twice.

Two personal eunuchs served him cautiously, not daring to utter a sound, knowing their master was in a bad mood.

The old master was in a bad mood because the Imperial Clan Court had recently reported that Yiling, the eight-year-old grandson of Prince Ding'an Yonghuang, had died.

Although Yi Ling's father, Miande, and grandfather, Yonghuang, were not favored by the old master during their lifetimes, Yi Ling's untimely death still saddened the over-eighty-year-old old master.

Thinking of his sons and grandsons who had passed away one after another, the old man was overcome with grief. The pain of a white-haired man sending off a black-haired man was so intense that it felt like a heavy stone was pressing against his chest.

Longevity was a blessing bestowed upon the old man by heaven, but the price of this blessing was far too high.

Just as they were getting impatient, Li Yu whispered, "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary He is outside requesting an audience, saying he has important matters to report."

"Heshen, huh?"

Upon hearing that Heshen had arrived, the old man perked up slightly, his cloudy eyes looking outside. "Quickly, let him in."

His voice was a little hoarse, but his face showed anticipation.

Heshen practically tiptoed in, and as soon as he entered the warm chamber, he flung his sleeves and knelt down: "This servant Heshen pays his respects to Master! This servant deserves to die a thousand deaths, please punish me, Master!"

"Your humble servant Zhao Youlu pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Zhao An followed closely behind, also prostrating himself in utmost respect.

"Criminal?"

The old man was confused. He lifted his eyelids to look at Heshen, his face full of incomprehension: "What's the matter? Get up and answer me."

"Thank you, Master!"

Heshen did not get up immediately, but said with a guilty and uneasy expression, "However, this servant dares not get up, because this servant failed to manage his subordinates properly, resulting in the damage to Master's calligraphy. This servant is heartbroken and would not be able to atone for his sins even if he were to die ten thousand times!"

"calligraphy?"

The old man stopped stirring the porridge, his brow furrowed slightly, clearly not remembering the incident.

Heshen glanced at Li Yu, seemingly unintentionally. The head eunuch who had served the old master for over thirty years quickly whispered a reminder: "Master, the calligraphy that Heshen mentioned is the 'Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity' calligraphy that Your Majesty bestowed upon Zhao Youlu on New Year's Eve."

"Oh, oh, oh."

After three consecutive "ohs," the old man remembered and noticed that Heshen hadn't come in alone; there was someone kneeling beside him, but he couldn't see clearly.

Knowing that the old master couldn't see people clearly, Li Yu quickly said, "Master, the one kneeling beside the main hall is Zhao Youlu."

"oh,"

The old man suddenly realized what was going on, staring at the "human mosaic" Zhao An with his severely nearsighted and presbyopic eyes, "Fu Lu Shou, what's wrong with the names I bestowed upon you?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty,"

Zhao An quickly raised his head and held the old master's calligraphy, which had been torn in two, high above his head. He said with great distress, "Master, the 'Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity' calligraphy that you bestowed upon this servant is now broken, and the character for longevity is torn in the middle. This servant deserves to die, deserves to die!"

(End of this chapter)