Qing Yao

Chapter 444: Killing
Zhao An was unsure whether the old master still harbored any concern about the civil inquisition, or if so, how tense it was. Therefore, he could only "await the imperial decree."

Although the Marquis of Jinghai was a first-class marquis with a hereditary title, he had wealth and honor but no real power. Faced with the sudden influx of yellow-coated guards into his home, everyone in the manor was filled with fear and unease, as if the end of the world had come. In addition, the Marquis himself was "detained" in the military governor's office, which resulted in no one in the manor, which had more than a hundred people, being able to do anything about it. They obediently let the guards watch over them, and were terrified.

The commotion alarmed the surrounding neighbors. Those who could be neighbors with the Marquis's mansion must be nobles of the Eight Banners. There was much discussion about what had happened to the Marquis of Jinghai during the New Year, that had attracted a group of guards to ransack their house.

However, no matter how much people talked about it, no one dared to ask a single question.

Ming Antai and Qing Yao were in charge of the scene, while Zhao An rushed to see Heshen, determined to achieve a decisive victory.

Although it was already dark, Heshen did not return to his "Prince Gong's Mansion" but remained in the palace.

It's not in the imperial city, but in the palace!
Even the Crown Prince and princes are not allowed to stay overnight in the forbidden area of ​​the palace, so how could Heshen stay overnight?

There was nothing he could do; the old man spoiled him terribly.

Zhao An remembered that among the twenty major crimes Jiaqing charged Heshen with was Heshen taking a woman from the palace as a secondary wife. What did that mean?

Heshen not only slept with the old master's woman, but also brazenly brought her home as a concubine!
The Jiaqing Emperor did not say who this woman in the palace was, probably because he was too embarrassed to say, but this charge directly proves that Heshen had a lover in the palace.

And there is more than one.

It's possible that Consort Dun, née Wang, was one of them. After all, she and her father-in-law, Heshen, were not much different in age and spent a lot of time together. The old man was so confused that he couldn't see people clearly or hear what they were saying. It's hard to say that the two of them didn't exchange glances and have an affair while serving the old man.

To put it bluntly, even if the two of them just walked in and out in front of the old man, he would probably be grinning like an idiot.

Heshen could stay overnight in the palace, but Zhao An could not. Therefore, according to the rules, he handed over his nameplate at Qianqing Gate, and soon a eunuch came and led him to a small warm room where Heshen was staying.

This warm room is probably only two or three hundred meters away from the old master's east warm pavilion. It looks like it was previously used by the chief eunuchs.

"This servant greets Your Excellency!"

After flicking his sleeves in a salute, Zhao An stood up and stood silently with his hands at his sides, looking cautious and respectful.

As the old saying goes, if you want to be rich and powerful in front of others, you must suffer in private.

Heshen put down the memorial he was reading and asked Zhao Anjing, the Marquis of An, Shi Bingren, what his reply was and whether the Marquis's residence had found anything.

"Reporting to Your Excellency,"

Zhao An recounted how Shi Bingren, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, gritted his teeth and remained silent. Then, he stepped forward and carefully placed the military treatise "Wei Liao Zi" in front of Heshen.

"what is this?"

Heshen was puzzled.

Zhao An hurriedly said, "This servant found this book in a hidden compartment in Shi Bingren's study. Because there are treasonous contents in the book, this servant dared not act on his own and has come to present it to Your Excellency for review."

"Treason?"

Heshen became interested and opened the yellowed military book "Wei Liao Zi". He flipped through several pages but found nothing prohibited. When he turned to the bottom page and saw Zhang Jiayu's poem, especially the last line of the signature, he squeezed the four characters "Shi Lang Jin Shi" with a little force.

The warm room was so quiet that only the occasional crackling sound of the lamp wick popping could be heard.

Zhao An held his breath, not daring to speak first to make a judgment, because this matter could either stir up a huge wave or fall silently without a trace.

After all, the old man hasn't played the literary inquisition game for several years, and there are no standards for it; you can say you are, or you can say you aren't.

The final interpretation and judgment rights were in the hands of the old master; even Heshen's word was not enough.

Kuang Heshen himself was a staunch opponent of literary inquisitions. On the contrary, Liu, the upright but hunchbacked man who was portrayed as his adversary by later generations, made his fortune through literary inquisitions and killed many people in Jiangsu.

At this moment, Heshen's expression was undoubtedly solemn. After a long while, he put down the book "Wei Liao Zi" and said to Zhao An with emotion, "Zhang Jiayu was a loyal and righteous man. The emperor highly praised him. When the National History Museum was compiling the "Record of Martyrs of the Ming Dynasty", the emperor specially ordered that the 'Three Loyalists of Lingnan' be included in it. I remember that the emperor bestowed the posthumous title of 'Loyal and Valiant' upon Zhang Jiayu at that time."

The "Imperially Commissioned Record of Martyrs of the Ming Dynasty" is another official historical compilation project undertaken by the old master after the "Biographies of Traitorous Officials". By affirming the martyrs of the Ming Dynasty, it transforms the originally inflammatory symbol of "anti-Qing heroes" into a neutral and universal symbol of "loyal ministers", thereby dispelling anti-Qing sentiment among the people.

To put it bluntly, it was a propaganda strategy, using an extremely clever approach to resist Qing influence, thereby highlighting the legitimacy of Manchu legal principles.

Heshen changed the subject, giving a slight snort: "However, the first year of Yongli was the reign title of Zhu Youlang, the former Ming emperor. Shi Lang had already surrendered to our Qing Dynasty at that time. I didn't expect this person to be so nostalgic, actually copying Zhang Jiayu's manuscripts without reporting it. This matter is very important. The master is not asleep yet. You come with me to the East Warm Pavilion and settle things as soon as possible, so as to prevent anyone from getting involved."

After saying this, Heshen got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and took the book "Wei Liao Zi" in his hand.

"Yes, sir!" Zhao An responded and followed Heshen lightly. Although it was dark outside, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was brightly lit.

Heshen knew the old man too well; the old man was definitely not asleep right now.

Unfortunately, older people sleep much less than before; they can only manage two hours of sleep a day at most.

The old man, who hadn't gone to sleep, was listening to Li Yu read "The Story of the Stone" to him. He had been listening to it for the past few days and had almost finished reading it.

Upon learning that Heshen was requesting an audience, the old master was naturally delighted and summoned him in. He also remembered how the Marquis of Jinghai had destroyed Heshen's calligraphy and cursed him to have a long life but no good fortune, or good fortune but no long life, during the day.

Therefore, before Zhao An could even speak, the old master asked him how Marquis Jinghai, Shi Bingren, had responded.

Zhao An reported the truth. When the old master heard that Shi Bingren dared not reply, he became angry: "I haven't abdicated yet, and he dares not reply to me? He must have something to hide."

"master,"

Upon seeing this, Heshen quickly presented the book "Wei Liao Zi" and pointed out that there was a major problem with the bottom page of the book.

"Oh?"

The old man picked up a magnifying glass and examined it carefully, while Heshen and Zhao An remained silent in tacit agreement.

After a long while, the old man closed "Wei Liao Zi" and gently tapped the magnifying glass on the table, as if he was weighing something in his mind.

After a moment, he finally spoke: "Shi Lang's contributions to the platform cannot be denied. Let's not bring up these old matters. In my opinion, let Shi Bingren settle his own affairs, and let his son inherit the title of Marquis of Jinghai. This will save face for the Shi family. Heshen, you take care of this matter."

This was far from Zhao An's expectation of plunging the Shi family into utter ruin, yet he dared not directly refute the old master's decision, and inevitably felt regretful that he had worked for nothing.

Unexpectedly, Heshen spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty is benevolent and considers the merits of the Marquis of Jinghai's ancestors, which is truly a blessing for the Shi family. However, there are some things I have to say that I feel like I have a fishbone stuck in my throat. If I don't say them, I'm afraid I will fail Your Majesty's teachings."

The old man looked up at Heshen, his gaze full of gentleness: "Oh? What do you want to say to me?"

"My lord, Shi Lang's merits back then are known throughout the land. His Majesty the Holy Ancestor bestowed upon him a title and honors, showing him the utmost favor. Yet Shi Lang secretly copied the poems left behind by the traitor Zhang Jiayu and even used the false Ming dynasty's reign title. The sorrow in his words was genuine. I believe that if Shi Lang had truly submitted to our Great Qing at that time and regarded the emperor and father as heaven, why would he feel such sorrow for the loyal martyrs of the Ming dynasty?"

Heshen spoke these words very slowly, making sure the old master heard them clearly.

The implication is that Shi Lang was not a loyal subject.

"Ah."

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking about what Heshen had said.

"My master often taught me that loyalty is the most important virtue for a subject. I am stupid and often pondered what loyalty truly means. But after seeing these relics of Shi Lang today, I have finally understood."

Heshen looked up at the copy of "Wei Liao Zi" that the old master had placed on the table, and continued, "Someone like Shi Lang, who has made great contributions to our Great Qing, may not be judged by ordinary standards of loyalty and treachery. But if he harbors even a trace of concern for the previous dynasty, or a trace of reluctance to serve our dynasty, then in this servant's eyes, his loyalty cannot be considered pure."

The master's benevolence in not wanting to pursue past events shows his magnanimity. However, the title of Marquis of Jinghai has been held for six generations. Why has none of the previous Marquises of Jinghai reported this matter to the court? Was it because Shi Lang gave instructions before his death, or because the previous Marquises of Jinghai did not want the court to know about this matter?

If it's the former, then this servant can understand.

But if it is the latter, then this servant cannot help but wonder what the Shi family's true intentions were in treasuring this item generation after generation instead of burning it. How much genuine loyalty did they have towards the Qing Dynasty and their master? Could it be that Shi Lang was not the only one who felt "sorrow upon viewing it"?

The old man listened intently to these words, and Zhao An secretly gave them a thumbs up.

He and the second emperor were quite capable.

"Today, Shi Bingren openly defaced the imperial seal. Is he truly confused, or is he using this as an excuse? Is he dissatisfied with Zhao Youlu, or with the lackey Heshen, or with his master? Perhaps, as the master says, Shi Bingren is trying to find a patron to whom he is offering his allegiance."

At this point, Heshen gritted his teeth and said, "Although Your Majesty is advanced in years, Your Majesty is healthy and will surely live a long life. Even if you abdicate the throne to a new emperor in three years following the ways of Yao and Shun, how can Your Majesty really not be allowed to concern yourself with the important military and political affairs of the Qing Dynasty?"
Therefore, this servant believes that if the Marquis of Jinghai is not severely punished, someone might one day dare to overstep Your Majesty's authority and incite the new emperor to engage in acts that isolate the country from the outside world!

Upon hearing this, the old man's expression froze instantly.

What does it mean to be isolated from both China and the outside world?
Empty!

Could an old man who had been emperor for over fifty years tolerate someone usurping his power?
No, not even my own son!
A sharp glint flashed in his cloudy, presbyopic eyes.

Seeing this, Zhao An quickly added fuel to the fire, prostrating himself on the ground, touching his head to the earth, and sobbing, "My lord, what He Zhongtang said is very true! Our Great Qing only has you, my lord, as its red sun. Anyone who is not loyal to you should be dealt with swiftly, because if loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal!"

(End of this chapter)