Qing Yao

Chapter 450 I Will Do My Part for the Eight Banners

Look beyond the surface.

Zhao An, who was always on edge, would never believe that this was an accidental case of embezzling wages. He believed that the root cause was simply that the Governor's Office's lax management of household registration and wage payment procedures allowed someone to exploit the loopholes.

Instead, they viewed this as a typical case of exploiting the old patriarch, disrupting the Qing Dynasty's production order, and potentially even undermining the very foundation of the Eight Banners system.

It is highly likely that this was a premeditated and targeted organized act.

For an official, the most important quality is sensitivity.

Several questions immediately came to mind.

First, how many regular guards are there in the Eight Banners at present?

Second, how many loopholes exist in the current household registration and salary payment system?

Third, how much truth did the old man Niu Hulu who pleaded for mercy tell, and was he a "beneficiary" or a collaborator of Zhang Changbao's embezzlement of money and grain?
It's not hard to understand why non-Manchu people would make a living by impersonating Manchus; there are countless examples of people impersonating public officials in any era, so there's not much to say about it.

But the Manchu people who were actually public officials not only showed indifference after the incident, but even traded their family bloodline and the laws of the court, just to plead for the imposter. What does this show?
This shows that some Manchus have long lost their reverence for their own identity and responsibilities!

This shows that the "banner system," which was the foundation of the Qing Dynasty's rule, was losing its sanctity and binding force!
How could Zhao An, whose household registration had just been transferred from the Imperial Household Department to the Manchu Eight Banners, tolerate this?

A sense of shame stemming from a perceived loss of status.

We must strike hard.

He's trying to steal his father's money right under his son's nose! Seriously?!
Fourth, why did Niu Hulu's men arrive as soon as Zhang Changbao was discovered and captured? Does this mean that someone inside the Commander-in-Chief's office tipped them off immediately?
Fifth, the fact that the incident did not raise sufficient alarm among the relevant officials within the banner suggests that there was resistance to the old master's teachings within the Eight Banners, or that the thinking within the Eight Banners had never been unified, leading to such an absurd act of fraudulent claiming of property for ten years.

There is no sixth.

Zhao An hadn't thought of anything yet; he would have to sit in his office and seriously summarize before he could come up with the sixth and seventh.

In short, this matter should not be viewed simply, but rather elevated to a higher level. It is about being responsible to the Qing Dynasty, to the old master, and also to one's own work.

If I don't know, I don't care. I won't be doing this for more than a few days anyway.

If you know something but don't dig deeper, he can escalate others' accusations, and others can just as easily escalate theirs against him.

If we don't crack down hard on things like exploiting the Qing Dynasty and undermining its foundations, how can we live up to the old master's trust?

If everyone did this, would the Qing Dynasty still exist?
Those who work in the same industry are the most hateful.

Although the people present did not understand the words used by Deputy Commander Zhao in his accusations, it did not stop them from being so frightened that they knelt down on the spot.

Because the anger on Deputy Commander Zhao's face was clearly visible.

If this matter truly involves shaking the stability of the Qing Dynasty, who would dare to protect it?
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the officer in charge of the seal office was so angry that his beard trembled. He pointed at the old man from the Niohuru clan and cursed, "Mukton, are you senile? How can you forgive such a serious crime as deceiving the emperor and receiving a salary without authorization because of some small favor? I'm not trying to be mean, but your family is a prominent Manchu family that has produced many important figures. How come you've lost all sense of shame now!"

The Mukton family was indeed a prominent Manchu family and had produced many important figures, but the old man was implicated because of his father's misfortune and was only a captain before retiring.

"What the Commander-in-Chief says is very true. This case is of great importance and cannot be regarded as a simple case of embezzlement. I am willing to thoroughly investigate this case and give the Commander-in-Chief and the court an explanation!"

Commander Fan had no choice but to step forward, given that Deputy Commander Zhao had just earned the reputation of being the old master's number one lackey. If Deputy Commander Zhao were to seize this opportunity to launch an endless campaign against the embezzlement of wages, who could possibly withstand that?

What was the reaction of the Niohuru family members?

You'll regret it.

Zhao An ignored them and coldly stared at Zhang Changbao, who was kneeling on the ground trembling: "He has been impersonating a Manchu and embezzling imperial grain for ten years. Now that he has been caught red-handed, Zhang Changbao, what do you have to say?"

Zhang Changbao was already terrified, kowtowing repeatedly: "My lord, spare my life! I was confused for a moment, bewitched by a demon. Please, my lord, spare my life, considering how well I have served the elders of the Niu Hulu family over the years!"

"Do your best?"

Zhao An snorted angrily, "What kind of heart do you have? You have the heart to embezzle all the money and grain from the imperial court!"

He turned to ask Commander Fan, "The facts of this case are clear, and the evidence is conclusive. According to regulations, how should it be handled?"

Commander Fan hurriedly replied, "Your Honor, the law stipulates that those who fraudulently obtain rations shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled three thousand li. The ill-gotten gains shall be confiscated. Those involved shall also be severely punished without exception."

The second half of his statement sounded rather guilty; strictly speaking, he was one of the people involved, since the salaries were paid from his hands.

That's how it's handled normally.

However, Zhao An, who had just experienced the major case of raiding the Jinghai Marquis's mansion, did not want to handle it so simply. He wanted to use this incident to further enhance his image as a capable official.

What is a capable official?

A capable official is not one who can handle major cases and accomplish great things, but one who can turn small matters into big ones.

Those who know how to create opportunities even when they lack them.

After ascending the throne, the old patriarch was dissatisfied with the Eight Banners' customs and repeatedly made great efforts to rectify them. He even expelled two-thirds of the Han Bannermen from the Bannermen's ranks. His purpose was not only to purify the Eight Banners' bloodline but also to change the decadent state of the Eight Banners over the past century and restore the glory of the Eight Banners at the beginning of the dynasty.

Unfortunately, several attempts to rectify the situation yielded little result, which became a major worry for the old man.

If you have a mental illness, you need to seek medical help.

Thinking of this, Zhao An's expression turned solemn, and he said to Commander Fan in a deep voice: "That's not enough! These parasites are eroding the foundation of our Great Qing and corrupting the spirit of our Eight Banners!"
His Majesty has often admonished us that the affairs of the banners are fundamental and must not be neglected! Today we have captured one Zhang Changbao, and who among you dares to say that there are not ten, a hundred, or even a thousand Zhang Changbaos!

How many Manchus have colluded with thieves and swindlers to seek profit here? How much state-owned money and grain has been lost over the years?

In your eyes, embezzling funds and grain is a minor matter, something that can be dealt with leniently. But in my eyes, no matter is insignificant in the Eight Banners. Only by keeping the Emperor's teachings in mind at all times, neither letting the guilty go unpunished nor punishing the guilty, and addressing problems early and at their smallest, can we nip them in the bud and prevent a thousand-mile dike from collapsing due to an ant hole!

These righteous and stern words made Commander Fan and Commander Na break out in a cold sweat.

"This case cannot be handled according to usual procedures. The perpetrators must be detained immediately. Other banner officials may not care, nor can they handle it, but the Manchus of the Bordered Yellow Banner must immediately conduct a ten-year retrospective investigation, checking household registrations door-to-door, and arresting every fraudulent claimant they find!"

Zhao An was serious. He angrily flung his sleeves and said, "I will write a memorial right now and report this matter to the Emperor in detail. I want to see just how many swindlers, how many traitors, how many corrupt officials who steal the Emperor's grain, and how many disloyal dogs who are not loyal to the Emperor are hiding in my Eight Banners!"

(End of this chapter)