Qing Yao

Chapter 473 I'll be the dealer, you all bet.

The "that man" that Buyandalai mentioned was none other than Prince Yongxing, the eleventh son of the current emperor and the "prospective crown prince" in charge of the Eight Banners of Manchuria.

Logically speaking, it was common knowledge in the court and among the people that Prince Cheng Yongxing had an excellent relationship with Heshen, while Zhao An was known to everyone as Heshen's lackey. Therefore, in everyone's eyes, the real mastermind behind the reorganization of the banner system was Heshen.

Given this, it makes no sense for Buyandalai to ask Prince Cheng, who is very close to Heshen, to intervene.

However, Buyandalai's family background was undeniably illustrious. His great-grandfather was Ebilun, one of the four regents of the Kangxi Emperor. His grandfather, Yinde, served as a minister of state affairs and a chief bodyguard. His father was one of the five meritorious officials, alongside Zhaohui, Mingrui, Shuhede, and Yue Zhongqi. His elder brother, Fengsheng'e, was also a painter in the Ziguang Pavilion. Apart from his uncle Neqin's branch, which had declined, the rest of the family had deep roots in the court and their influence was not to be underestimated.

With this background, coupled with Prince Yongxing's reputation for valuing the old Manchu system and cherishing his subordinates, Buyandala was confident that his petition would persuade the prince to intervene. Even if he couldn't make things difficult for Zhao An, he could at least curb this "unhealthy trend" among his subordinates.

Without delay, Buyandalai immediately ordered several trusted lieutenants, including Chaohar and Muketu, to head straight for Prince Cheng's residence.

After being informed of their arrival at the Prince's residence, the group was led to the flower hall to wait.

Buyandalai straightened his clothes, carefully considering his words, determined to make the prince feel the seriousness of the situation and the damage that Zhao An's frequent stripping of people's banner status had done to the foundation of the Eight Banners.

However, the others were unaware that Prince Yongxing was in a bad mood at that moment.

Two days ago, Li Yu, the chief of the emperor's close attendants, came to the Prince's residence to convey an imperial edict, pointing out that Prince Cheng, who was in charge of the Eight Banners Manchu affairs, was too lazy in his duties and did not care about the affairs under his charge. In layman's terms, if Prince Cheng didn't take care of his duties, he should stop occupying the position.

Yongxing also had his own difficulties. He knew about the reorganization of the Manchu banner affairs of the Bordered Yellow Banner, but the Manchu commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner was Heshen, and the person in charge of the reorganization was Zhao Youlu, who was promoted by Heshen. If he stepped forward and took over the power of reorganization, what would Heshen think of him?

Anyone who didn't know better would think that he, Prince Cheng, had fallen out with Grand Secretary He.

The wise choice was to turn a deaf ear and let Heshen do as he pleased, since Heshen's support was his biggest asset in his climb to the top.

Furthermore, Yongxing felt uneasy about the Emperor's appointment of Mian'en as the new Commander of the Nine Gates.

At present, many officials in the capital believe that Yongxing is the crown prince. Besides Yongxing being granted the title of prince, he also has two brothers-in-law, Fukang'an and Fuchang'an, and a brother-in-law who is also a prince.

Heshen's attitude towards Yongxing was extremely close, leading many to believe that Yongxing was the true crown prince. Otherwise, how could someone as shrewd as Heshen be so close to this man?

As long as the crown prince is chosen from among the living princes, the candidates are Yongxing and Yongyan, and everyone knows this.

Regarding lineage, Yongxing's birth mother, Lady Jinjia, although of Korean bondservant origin, was a Noble Consort second only to the Empress. Yongyan's mother, Lady Weijia, was also a Noble Consort, but she was also a Han Chinese bondservant who rose through the ranks.

Therefore, both Yongxing and Yongyan have foreign blood.

Compared to his younger brother Yongyan, who was only an apprentice in the Grand Council, Yongxing was in charge of the Manchu Eight Banners, a position that had always been reserved for the crown prince.

Therefore, from any perspective, Yongxing has the upper hand. So, before the official results are announced, Yongxing just needs to keep a low profile.

There are many ways to understand "韬光养晦" (taoguang yanghui, meaning to conceal one's abilities and bide one's time). Yongxing's understanding was to not interfere in anything and not ask about anything.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor sent Li Yu to reprimand him. Li Yu privately revealed that Prince Cheng should be determined to revitalize himself, eliminate long-standing problems, and not be too lenient, otherwise he would fail the Emperor's expectations.

The implication is that Prince Cheng, you can't keep being a hands-off leader forever; it's time for you to step in and make your presence felt.

How should we make our debut?

Just as he was pondering this, the First Commander Buyandalai and others requested an audience, mentioning the recent changes within the banner and expressing considerable dissatisfaction. Yongxing hesitated for a moment before ordering them to be brought before him.

"This servant greets Your Highness!"

After Buyandala and the others entered the study and paid their respects according to etiquette, Buyandala took the lead in recounting how Zhao An used the pretext of "discussing the crime money" to amass wealth, how he promoted Taiping to be a "backbone," and how he cruelly stripped Mingshan and five other Zuo Ling of their ranks, causing panic and resentment among the people of the banner.

"Your Highness, Zhao Youlu's actions, though seemingly aimed at reforming the banner system, are in reality undermining the very foundation of our Eight Banners. If this continues, where will the dignity of the banners be? How can the hearts of the Manchu people be at ease? We have no choice but to implore Your Highness to uphold justice and stop such reckless actions to reassure the people!"

After Buyandalai finished speaking, the Zuo Ling (military leaders) including Chaohar and Muketu quickly echoed his words.

Yongxing sat upright, listening expressionlessly, and then told Buyandalai and the others to go back first, saying he would take some time in the afternoon to visit the Governor's Office.

Upon hearing this, Buyandalai and the others were overjoyed, because Prince Cheng's visit to the Governor's Office was itself sending a strong signal.

Yongxing kept his word and actually made time to go to the Governor's Office that afternoon.

When they arrived, the usually quiet yamen was filled with many officers lining up to submit their self-criticisms. Rather than submitting self-criticisms, they were simply curious to see what was going on, since they knew that the First Commander Buyandalai and his men had complained to Prince Cheng.

Zhao An also learned about this matter; it was reported to him secretly by Commander Fan. However, he didn't take it to heart and continued to work as usual.

Upon learning that Prince Cheng's sedan chair had arrived, he put down his work, straightened his clothes, and went out to greet it.

The staff members inside the yamen, unaware of the situation, looked on with suspicion and uncertainty, wondering why this "General Commander" of the Eight Banners had suddenly come.

Surrounded by guards and attendants, Yongxing slowly entered the main hall of the Commander-in-Chief's Office. His gaze swept over the officials of all ranks standing solemnly below, finally landing on Zhao An, and he said in a deep voice, "Zhao Youlu!"

"The slave is here!"

Zhao An quickly stepped forward and knelt down.

"Your recent efforts to rectify the affairs of the Bordered Yellow Banner have been swift and decisive, eradicating long-standing malpractices with remarkable results. I hope you will continue your efforts, disregard rumors and personal feelings, and ensure that the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner is thoroughly reorganized and its former glory restored. If there are any stubborn individuals, regardless of their background, they shall be severely punished according to the law. I will take charge of everything with you!"

After saying this, Yongxing smiled and stepped forward to help Zhao An, who was kneeling, up. He said encouragingly, "Go ahead and do your job in the banner with confidence. I trust you to handle things."

Without even glancing at the officers and lieutenants whose faces had changed, he turned and left.

"This"

The group of Manchurian officers and government staff looked at each other, creating a very amusing scene.

Zhao An was definitely following behind Prince Cheng to see him off. After the prince's sedan chair had gone far away, he thought of something and whispered to Xu Lin beside him, "Go and ask around with Qian Wen to find out which is the biggest gambling den in the capital."

Xu Lin perked up at this: "Sir, would you like to gamble a few rounds?"

"I have no interest in gambling,"

Zhao An smiled mysteriously, "However, I am interested in being the bookmaker."

(End of this chapter)