Qing Yao

Chapter 453 Don't be afraid, Your Excellency, I'm here!
Fu San, who always looked down on himself and even publicly said that he was only fit to manage the old master's accounts, was to be granted the title of king. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Heshen.

In terms of lineage, Heshen was far less noble than the Fucha family; in terms of military achievements, Heshen was not even a hair's breadth behind Fusan; in terms of rank, Heshen was a first-class duke, and Fusan was also a first-class duke; in terms of power, not to mention that Fusan held the power of the Eight Banners army, even his good-for-nothing younger brother Sifu held the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, forcing Heshen to associate with such insignificant people.

Therefore, as long as Fu San wins the battle on the plateau and returns to the capital, he will be able to surpass He Shen based on his past merits. Even Prime Minister A Gui will probably have to step aside. If the old master were to grant Fu San a title of king, what role would He Shen play in the court?

You might as well retire early!
Moreover, Heshen had once tried to harm Fukang'an through Fu Ning, the provincial governor of Gansu. How could Fukang'an not be aware of this?

Given this Third Master Fu's vindictive nature, the old master might not dare to do anything to Heshen while he was alive, but if the old master were gone, wouldn't he retaliate against Heshen?

At this moment, Heshen felt as uneasy as he had when dealing with the important minister Agui and the old favorite Li Shiyao. But he was confident of winning those two times. This time, however, he not only felt uncertain, but also had a strong sense of fear.

Fortunately, Heshen was Heshen; his momentary loss of composure lasted only a very short time before he forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, put on a smile again, strode forward, deftly flicked off his horse-hoof sleeves, and bowed with a loud "clack-clack," saying:
"Your humble servant Heshen congratulates Your Majesty on your great feat! The General's unprecedented achievement is truly a testament to Your Majesty's wisdom and discernment in recognizing and employing talent. It is also a sign of Heaven's blessing upon our Great Qing and the prosperity of our nation!"
Those Gurkha clowns, upon hearing that the Great General's heavenly army has arrived, must have already terrified Lasha. This servant believes that the Great General will surely return victorious, spreading the prestige and military might of our Great Qing far and wide!

These words were spoken with utmost sincerity, revealing not a trace of anything amiss.

The four idiots nodded repeatedly: "Old He is reliable. When Third Brother comes back, I'll treat you to a feast and a toast."

Dong Gao and Peng Yuanrui were not surprised at all, knowing that Heshen was a very shrewd man. Even if he was at odds with Fukang'an, he would not show it in front of the old master.

Although the title of the Zhangjia National Preceptor was "National Preceptor," he was actually a lama who recited longevity sutras for the old man. If it weren't for the fact that he represented one of the four Gelug schools on the plateau and had some influence there, the old man would not have treated him with such courtesy.

At this moment, he's just like a decoration, smiling and silent.

The old master, who was in high spirits, was even more pleased to hear his most trusted servant say the same thing, and gestured for Heshen to stand up and speak.

Heshen smiled and stood up, naturally standing in front of Fu Chang'an, Dong Gao, and the other two, as if he had always been in the hall.

In high spirits, the old master discussed some Buddhist teachings with the Grand Preceptor Zhangjia before the Grand Preceptor bowed and took his leave. After the Grand Preceptor left, the old master looked at Heshen, who was chatting and laughing with Fu Chang'an and Dong Gao: "It's not your turn to be on duty today, so why did you decide to come to the palace?"

Heshen quickly wiped the smile off his face and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this servant has come to report a matter."

"what's up?"

The old man gestured for Heshen to come closer to speak, but they were a bit far apart, so it wasn't very clear.

Heshen hurried to the imperial desk, took out Zhao An's memorial, and presented it to the old master: "Your Majesty, Zhao Youlu, the deputy commander of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, has mentioned that the banner's affairs are in disarray, and there are many malpractices in terms of population and finances. He earnestly requests that a thorough investigation be carried out starting with the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner in order to revitalize the banner's affairs and consolidate the foundation of the nation. This servant believes that this is a wise and prudent suggestion for governing the country, and therefore presents Zhao Youlu's memorial for Your Majesty's wise decision."

When the old man opened the document, Li Yu presented him with a magnifying glass.

After reading the memorial, the old man's smiling face immediately turned gloomy: "It is impossible for a Han bannerman to impersonate a Manchu for ten years without anyone cooperating or protecting him!"

Seeing that the old master had immediately grasped the key information, Heshen hurriedly said, "This servant believes that this case is a good opportunity to rectify the affairs of the banners. Why not start with the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner and thoroughly investigate the cases of fraudulent claims and empty salaries in each banner?"

The old master did not immediately agree, but instead closed the memorial and looked at Heshen: "How many parasites like Zhang Changbao do you think there are in the Eight Banners?"

"This servant dares not speak presumptuously,"

Heshen carefully considered his words, "But this servant remembers that during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, a thorough investigation was conducted, and over three hundred people were found to have fraudulently claimed the privileges within the Plain White Banner alone. More than sixty years have passed since then."

The old man closed his eyes for a long time before slowly saying, "Since I ascended the throne, I have repeatedly ordered the rectification of the banner affairs, but I did not expect that the banners are still so corrupt. Now, even the matter of embezzling ten years' worth of taxes has emerged, which shows that the banner affairs are extremely chaotic! Heshen, I ask you, if we really want to investigate this matter, where should we start?"

"Your Majesty, I believe we should start from three aspects."

Without hesitation, Heshen said, “First, investigate the banner register. Anyone who impersonates another or falsely reports the population shall be severely punished. Second, investigate the funds and grain. Anyone who fraudulently receives, over-receives, or abuses their power shall be ordered to pay back the money within a specified period. Third, investigate personnel matters. Anyone who engages in favoritism, malpractice, or forms cliques shall be dismissed and investigated.”

The old man nodded slightly after hearing this, but said, "Do you know how many people will hate you, Heshen, after such an investigation?"

Heshen replied without hesitation, “This servant knows that this matter will offend people, but that is precisely why we must investigate. The Bordered Yellow Banner is the emperor’s personal army. If this place is filled with chaos and corruption, wouldn’t the other banners be even worse? If this continues, what will become of the Eight Banners’ fighting strength? What will become of the foundation of our Great Qing?”

"good."

A hint of approval flashed in the old man's eyes for Heshen. "You handle this matter. I'm giving you authority. No matter who's involved, you must investigate thoroughly."

"This slave accepts the order!"

He Shen was secretly delighted to have received the old master's approval to relinquish power. However, after leaving the palace, he did not return to his own residence but instead had the sedan chair bearers take him directly to the governor's office.

Inside the Right Wing Commander's office, Zhao was putting on a show of going to work. Even though the various documents and reports on his desk had already been processed by his subordinates, he insisted on leaving a pile of them on his desk and even opened a few of them and placed them in front of him with great seriousness.

When no one was around, he secretly drew a map of the capital based on his observations over the past few days. When someone came, he would put on the act of carefully reviewing official documents.

Heshen entered without being notified, so he almost discovered that Zhao An was secretly drawing a map.

"I was unaware of Your Excellency's arrival; I have failed to greet you properly."

A flustered Zhao An quickly stood up and bowed. "Sit."

Heshen did not sit in Zhao An's deputy commander's seat, but instead casually sat opposite him.

"Your Excellency, has His Majesty approved the investigation?"

Zhao An asked softly, not forgetting to carefully cover the secretly drawn map with an official document.

"Approved. You'll be in charge of handling this matter. You can decide which people to transfer and just send me a note later."

Heshen's voice was noticeably low, and he looked as if he had something on his mind.

Zhao An, sensing something amiss, took the opportunity of serving tea to Heshen to ask softly, "Is something troubling Your Excellency? May I ask if this servant may share your burden?"

He glanced at Zhao An, sighed, and gestured for Zhao An to close the door. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "His Majesty said today that if General Fukang'an achieves a victory, he will be rewarded with a princely title."

"A king?"

Zhao An was startled.

What's surprising isn't that Fukang'an was granted the title of Prince, because historically, Emperor Qianlong did indeed grant Fukang'an the title of Prince of the Second Rank, but that was a posthumous honor, not an honor bestowed upon him while he was still alive!
It's only the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong's reign. If I remember correctly, Sanfu'er still has three years to live. There's no reason for him to be granted the title of prince.

Could it be that my "unauthorized intrusion" caused the timeline to change?
"A king granted to a person of a different surname? Since the Three Feudatories, there has been no precedent in this dynasty. His Majesty's favor towards General Fu is truly extraordinary."

Zhao An was speechless for a moment, and could only express his utter shock and terror.

“If His Majesty truly bestows the title of Prince upon Fukang’an, then the Fucha family will not only enjoy undiminished imperial favor, but will be the most favored family in the entire dynasty.”

Heshen's tone was bitter, and there was a clear hint of resentment and unwillingness, as well as a touch of jealousy.

Zhao An expressed his understanding, as the discord between Heshen and Fukang'an was common knowledge in the court and among the public.

That Sanfu'er was arrogant and domineering, relying on his military achievements and the emperor's favor to never take Heshen seriously. However, Heshen had always been able to contend with him by relying on his resourcefulness and political skills, as well as the emperor's favor which was no less than that of Sanfu'er. But if Fukang'an were to be made a king, Heshen would probably no longer be able to contend with him.

"The central hall,"

Regardless of whether the matter of being granted a princely title was true or false, Zhao An's current task was to reassure Heshen, "Fukang'an spends most of his time leading troops in the field and is rarely in the capital. Your Excellency really need not worry too much."

The implication is that even if Fukang'an were granted the title of king, he would be leading troops in the field year-round, so what was there for you, the "second emperor" who held power in the central government, to fear?

No matter the dynasty, even the most favored ministers are at the mercy of others once they are far from the central government.

So there's absolutely nothing to worry about.

If they really want to make someone a king, then so be it. It's like the sky is going to rain or a mother is going to remarry. What else can you do?

Who can blame him when the old man is known for his unpredictable and capricious nature?

"There's no need to worry too much?"

Heshen shook his head, his brows furrowed. "Fukang'an has already led his army to Lasha. In this battle, the Gurkhas will undoubtedly be defeated. Once the highland war is over, I ask you, where in this world will Fukang'an need to personally lead his army?"
Burma and Annam are pacified, the Dzungar Khanate has long been wiped out, and the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan regions are now a thing of the past. With no war in the world, what use is Fukang'an if he doesn't return to the capital? If he does return, do you think I'll ever have a peaceful life?

These words were absolutely heartfelt; he truly regarded Zhao An as a confidant, otherwise he wouldn't have spoken so frankly.

Zhao An was speechless when asked the question.

Heshen was absolutely right. Once Fukang'an, who had no war to fight but held military power and was also a prince, turned his attention back to the capital, how many people would become his allies?

And who will be the first to be hit?

Therefore, Heshen's concerns were justified. If he, the "second emperor," had no peace, how could Zhao An, the vicious dog under his command, possibly have a good life?

It's a chain reaction, one link leading to another.

The room was very quiet.

Heshen was preoccupied with his own worries, and Zhao An was also anxious.

After a long pause, a fierce glint flashed in Zhao An's eyes. He then bent even lower and said in a voice that only Heshen could hear, "Your Excellency, what if there is war in the world at that time?"

(End of this chapter)