Qing Yao

Chapter 442 Zhao Youlu, go ask him.

Fortune and prosperity are gone, and the character for longevity is torn apart!
Zhao An's eight words precisely struck the old man's most vulnerable and sensitive spot.

The old man is eighty-two years old this year.

At this age, nothing matters as much as the country, civil administration, or military achievements; nothing compares to the tangible benefits of "fortune, prosperity, and longevity."

Enjoy good fortune, maintain your position and rank, and most importantly, live a long life!
Why did court officials dare not mention the word "old" in front of the Emperor Qianlong after the fortieth year of his reign, and even dare not write the word "old" in their memorials? It was because the Emperor Qianlong was averse to the word "old"!
Like ordinary people, the elderly gentleman cared deeply about his lifespan. To this end, he established the "Feast for a Thousand Elders." On the surface, it was to showcase the prosperity of the Qianlong era, but in reality, it was to celebrate "longevity" as a national auspicious sign, hoping to move Heaven to extend his own lifespan and enjoy blessings throughout the world.

Unlike emperors of past dynasties who were obsessed with alchemy and taking medicine to achieve immortality, the old master was obsessed with writing characters such as "福" (fortune) and "寿" (longevity) to "pray for blessings and long life." He especially loved writing huge "福" and "寿" characters to reward his officials.

In the old master's view, this was not only a favor to his subjects, but also a way to accumulate good fortune and longevity for himself.

In the palace, porcelain, jade, and architectural decorations bearing the patterns of fortune and longevity are everywhere!
In order to become the longest-lived emperor in history, the old man practiced Tibetan Buddhism and had high monks perform rituals and chant longevity sutras for him.

That's not enough!

Therefore, the old emperor decided to abdicate in favor of the crown prince after sixty years on the throne. In addition to not daring to exceed the reign of his grandfather, Emperor Kangxi, he also worried that a long reign would bring divine retribution. Therefore, he wanted to achieve a rule without changing the era name by having the emperor serve as a retired emperor.

Quietly, no shooting.

This is similar to the common practice of elderly people who are reluctant to celebrate their birthdays, fearing that a grand celebration would remind the King of Hell that they have been forgotten in the mortal world.

In short, the old man's obsession with and pursuit of longevity had reached an extreme.

Aside from not taking the elixir of immortality, I've done everything I could.

Therefore, to the old man, Zhao An's phrase "the character for longevity is cracked in the middle" was even more vicious than cursing Emperor Qianlong to die and be reincarnated early!

"This servant was honored by His Majesty's grace in elevating my banner and bestowing upon me a title. Today, I went to the banner commander's office to handle the matter of being elevated. However, I did not expect that Shi Bingren, the deputy commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner and Marquis of Jinghai, would make things difficult for me in every way and do everything he could to humiliate me!"
The Marquis of Jinghai believed that his humble origins disqualified him from being ranked alongside a descendant of a meritorious official. The servant, enraged, argued with him. Unexpectedly, the Marquis of Jinghai, in a fit of madness, tore up the calligraphy bestowed upon him by his master, a symbol of longevity and abundant blessings!

As soon as Zhao An finished his bitter complaint, without even needing Heshen's signal, the head eunuch Li Yu quickly stepped forward, took the calligraphy piece torn in two from Zhao An's hands, and carefully placed it on the table in front of the old master.

Even with his failing eyesight, the old man could clearly see the huge characters.

The three characters "福禄寿" (fortune, prosperity, and longevity) that I wrote with good wishes on New Year's Eve have now been broken in two!
On one side are the two lonely characters "福禄" (fortune and prosperity), and on the other side is the broken character "寿" (longevity).

Some have good fortune but no longevity, others have longevity but no good fortune!
"Bah!"

Like a tiger whose tail has been stepped on, the old man suddenly sat up straight, his thin, bony hand slamming down on the table with thunderous fury, causing the porridge bowl to spill.

"Is the Marquis of Jinghai cursing me to die young?!"

The emperor's accumulated power over fifty-seven years made the air in the warm pavilion seem to be instantly sucked out, solidifying to the point of being suffocating.

The eunuchs and palace maids were all silent with fear.

"Please calm down, Master!"

Heshen thumped his head three times, and when he looked up, his voice was full of fear and self-reproach. "It is all my fault! As the Manchu Commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner, I have failed in my duty, which led to Shi Bingren committing such a disrespectful act against the Emperor. I deserve to die a thousand deaths. I beg Your Majesty to punish me severely!"

"This servant failed to protect the imperial treasure, and deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

Zhao An followed suit, banging his head three times until he was dizzy.

Looking at the favored minister Heshen kneeling on the ground to beg for forgiveness, and the "Fu Lu Shou" (representing fortune, prosperity, and longevity) that had won his favor on New Year's Eve, the old man stood up tremblingly.

"Master, please slow down."

Li Yu stepped forward and helped the old man up.

The old master waved for Li Yu to stand aside, then, supporting his aged body, slowly approached Heshen and Zhao An, and even tried to bend down to help Heshen. "Master!"

Heshen dared not let the old man help him up; what if he fell? He quickly got up and helped the old man up.

"What does this have to do with you? Why are you blaming yourself so much?"

Looking at Heshen's swollen forehead, the old man looked distressed.

"master."

Heshen kept sobbing, but still took the blame upon himself, since Shi Bingren, the deputy commander, was his subordinate.

“I have said that this has nothing to do with you, Heshen. I am not so senile as to hold you, Heshen, responsible.”

The old man casually pointed at Li Yu and said, "Bring a stool for He Zhongtang."

"Whoo!"

Li Yu quickly went to fetch a soft-padded brocade stool.

Zhao An, on the other hand, continued to kneel.

Heshen dared not sit down, but instead supported the old master for a moment, and murmured, "Master, on the way here, besides feeling apprehensive, there is something else that I cannot understand and do not know whether I should speak of it."

"We've been ruler and subject together for over twenty years, and our children are in-laws. What's there to say or not say?"

The old man lifted his thin, withered hand and pressed Heshen down onto the stool.

Heshen dared not struggle. He carefully sat down to calm himself, speaking slowly and choosing his words carefully. "This servant is thinking that Shi Bingren is not a stupid person. He has received the emperor's favor and inherited the title of Jinghai. How could he not know that the imperial gift represents the emperor's majesty? How could he not know that damaging the imperial seal is such a great crime of disrespect?"

"Um,"

The old man, who was leaning against Heshen, nodded slightly as he listened, "Go on."

"But Shi Bingren did just that, and in full view of everyone in the Governor's Office. I dare to speculate that Shi Bingren's actions were either out of his mind or he had some other motive."

Heshen paused deliberately after speaking, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Zhao An, who was kneeling on the ground with his buttocks sticking out, not daring to move an inch.

"That makes sense. Heshen, what do you think Shi Bingren is after?"

Perhaps feeling that leaning on Heshen would be too much for the favored minister, the old master slightly raised his hand to Li Yu, who then quickly handed him a dragon-headed cane.

The old man took it and placed his hands on the dragon-head cane. If it weren't for the dragon robe he was wearing, his thin appearance would have made him look a bit like an old man from the Green Gang in later generations.

Heshen said in a low voice, "This servant feels that it is wrong and unreasonable for Shi Bingren to humiliate Zhao Youlu and damage the master's calligraphy. Such disrespect for the master's decree and such humiliation of the minister whom the master has just promoted are truly unacceptable."
Such unbridled arrogance... this servant feels that the Marquis of Jinghai is deliberately putting on an act for someone else? Or perhaps he thinks that the Qing Dynasty is about to change, hence his fearlessness?

Ok?
Zhao An was startled by Heshen's words. Good heavens, he's half as good at making a mountain out of a molehill as I am.

"Is the world about to change?"

The old man's heartstrings were also stirred. He stared at the imperial desk, and for no apparent reason, the increasingly composed figure of Prince Jia, Yongyan, flashed through his mind, along with the officials in the court who were subtly leaning towards the "Prince's Residence," and the whispers in his ears advising him to enjoy his old age.
Why did Shi Bingren, a former official who surrendered, suddenly go crazy?

The old man seemed lost in thought, his mind heavy with worries, and slowly moved toward the imperial desk, leaning on his dragon-headed cane. Upon seeing this, Heshen quickly lifted his buttocks, feigning concern and anxiety, lest the old man accidentally fall.

Fortunately, the old master successfully moved to the imperial desk, gently put down his dragon-headed cane, and then looked at Zhao An, who was lying there and dared not move: "Zhao Youlu, go and ask the Marquis of Jinghai for me whether my calligraphy is his stepping stone or a pledge of allegiance to someone."

(End of this chapter)