Qing Yao

Chapter 94 The Old Master is Unconventional
If you say the old man was shameless, he didn't completely destroy Yin Zhuangtu; he just demoted him six ranks.

If you say he has any sense of shame, then he openly published the story of a nobody who got promoted through bribery in a government-run newspaper. Even his grandfather, who called himself the greatest emperor of all time, wouldn't have done such a thing.

What is the true nature of the "punishment money"? Which official doesn't understand?
What message are conveyed by these two contrasting stories lying side by side in the newspaper?
It was practically like grabbing the officials by the ears and asking them, "Do you know what to do?! What? You don't know? Go read about Zhao Youlu in the newspaper! Still don't know? The protagonist on the front page of the newspaper is Yin Zhuangtu!"

This isn't reading comprehension anymore; it's a multiple-choice question with only two options.

I really don't know if it was the old master's own idea or an instruction given to the newspaper by the Grand Secretary.

The thought that his name would be known to officials all over the world from this day forward left Zhao An both amused and exasperated.

There are definitely benefits, at least this "news report" before the old man passed away is his shield, and anyone who wants to mess with him has to consider the consequences of overthrowing the example that the old man himself set up.

You should know that the old man was an extremely stubborn person in his later years, a very protective person, and a person who clung to power even on his deathbed.

To what extent was he caught? His good son, Emperor Jiaqing, actually watched the grand spectacle with him for three years, laughing all the while. It was said that he "sat with the retired emperor, and when the emperor was happy, he was happy too; when the emperor laughed, he laughed too."

Even Emperor Jiaqing had to pretend to be a filial son; how could his subjects possibly try to put eye drops on the old man?

If you dare to deny Zhao Youlu now, will you deny me next?

For the next nine years, as long as there is no rebellion, Zhao An will be as secure as a rock.

The downsides are also obvious.

As a result, except for those with high moral character, all other officials were required to collectively send greetings to Zhao Anjia's female elders.

Damn it, you, a mere ninth-rank official, pay a thousand taels of silver, how much are we supposed to pay!
Originally, the intention was to pay three to five hundred taels, but Zhao An instigated the price to three to five thousand taels. It is estimated that the spittle of officials from all over the country cursing Zhao An could fill the Slender West Lake in Yangzhou.

That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that nine years later, the old man passed away, and his successor was none other than his good son, Jiaqing, who didn't like his father at all.

The old man's biggest worry before he died was that his son would give him the temple name of Emperor Gaozong. He had said it countless times, both openly and secretly. But no sooner had he breathed his last than Emperor Gaozong was he given the temple name.

Regardless of whether the temple name issue is true or false, all the cases involving the civil inquisition, the fines for crimes, and the officials like Heshen and Fu Chang'an who served Emperor Qianlong during his lifetime were abolished after Emperor Jiaqing came to power.

It can be said that the Qianlong Emperor and his son were somewhat of alike. When Qianlong ascended the throne, he completely rejected his father, the Yongzheng Emperor, and when the Jiaqing Emperor came to power, he also completely rejected his father.

As a result, Zhao An's career will also be over.

Who told him to be the one his father helped establish?

There are ways to break this deadlock; in fact, there are at least three.

First, they pulled He Zhongtang to act first, nailing this good son into his father's coffin before Jiaqing could make a move, so everyone could happily enthrone a new emperor.

He continued to hold office, drink alcohol, and collect money.

Secondly, a surprise attack on the Forbidden City would create a scene of incense filling the air in Yanjing (Beijing).

If I'm not having a good time, then you, Emperor Jiaqing, shouldn't expect to have one either.

Third, holding a white lotus flower, he transformed into Maitreya Buddha's sole representative in the human world and personally guided the momentous anti-Qing uprising in the first year of Jiaqing's reign.

This is quite difficult because the White Lotus Rebellion had a fatal flaw: a lack of unity.

Each fighting their own battle.

During the eight-year War of Resistance against Japan, a stable command center was never established, nor was the strength of the hundreds of thousands of insurgents fully mobilized and utilized.

Zhao An isn't even a member of the White Lotus Sect yet. To transform the White Lotus Sect into a political force capable of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in a short time would be far more difficult than the surprise attack on the Forbidden City along the Grand Canal. He won't do it until the very last resort; it's too mentally taxing.

Excluding the above three options, the best course of action is to resign from the official post and find a place where no one knows you to live a life of luxury.

This clearly does not align with Zhao An's personal, albeit modest, political ambitions.

Let's take it one step at a time, make the most of the nine-year safe period to climb as high as possible, and incidentally cultivate a loyal force – that's the right path.

After putting down the newspaper, Zhao An thought for a moment, then went to the office next door, which resembled a principal's office, and asked two clerks for a pair of scissors. He returned to the room and carefully cut out the small news article about himself.

After cutting it off, I held it in my hand and examined it carefully like I was checking banknotes. I was about to put it under the glass for long-term storage, but I found that there was no glass on the table, which disappointed me and made me feel very inconvenient.

I had no choice but to pull out a volume of the "First Collection of Imperial Poems" published by the old man from the bookshelf, and randomly flip to a page to slip the report inside.

Just as he was about to close the book, his brows furrowed, and he thought to himself, "Why is the old man so careless about writing poetry?"

What does it mean to say, "Having received the mandate, why should one be reduced to a cocoon?"

"Resisting the Jin with integrity and upholding the Song dynasty is no easy task"—can such a phrase be written casually?

When our Great Qing Dynasty was founded, it was also called the Great Jin Dynasty. As a descendant of the Great Jin Dynasty, what kind of Jin Dynasty did you carry, sir?

It is true that the officials are allowed to set fires, but the people are not allowed to light lamps.

In other words, it was impossible. Otherwise, Zhao An would have at least put Qianlong in a civil prison and made an execution of his entire clan.

Little did they know that in the principal's office of Ganquan County School, Instructor Song was also reading the official gazette that had just been delivered.

After reading Yin Zhuangtu's report, Instructor Song didn't react much, because he and Magistrate Ding had just paid their fines a couple of days ago; the magistrate paid 10,000 taels, and he paid 5,000 taels.

To raise this enormous fine, he was driven to bankruptcy. He owed the money shop 1,200 taels, and by the end of the year, with interest compounded, he would have to pay back 2,000 taels.

Fortunately, the prefectural examination is about to begin, so we can at least recover some losses from the candidates and avoid too much of a loss.

Seeing that the dignified second-rank vice minister had been demoted six ranks for opposing the law, Instructor Song felt not resentment, but rather inexplicably relieved.

Looking at the report below the headline, he was so angry that he slammed the official newspaper on the table, picked up his teacup, and gulped it down.

Why?

He was angry!
I was so angry I just wanted to tear the official gazette to shreds, out of sight, out of mind.

He was still sulking when the office door was pushed open, and the county magistrate walked in, his first words being, "Have you read today's official gazette?"

"I took a look."

Instructor Song quickly stood up to offer his seat to the county magistrate, looking annoyed. "What is the court up to? How can such a person and such a thing be published in the official gazette?"

The implication is that the emperor is shameless.

They just didn't dare to say it.

Unexpectedly, the county magistrate closed the door and walked anxiously to him, saying in a deep voice, "Regardless of whether the emperor has any shame, first investigate how many of the students who were in the same year as the deceased Zhao Youlu participated in the prefectural examination this year?"

(End of this chapter)