Qing Yao

Chapter 466 A High-Ranking Official Rewards a Horse

The old man really couldn't remember.

After the New Year, the old man's forgetfulness worsened significantly. For example, he would have just eaten but then call for another meal not long afterward. He was also particularly prone to flying into a rage over trivial matters, but this anger usually came and went quickly, followed by long periods of silence and exhaustion. Sometimes he could even sit there motionless for half an hour.

Strangely, although the old man couldn't remember which prince or which minister had come to pay their respects that day, or what he had said or done, he could recount events from decades ago in great detail.

The other day, when the old master was looking at an old painting in the Sanxitang collection, he suddenly burst into tears and murmured to himself. At one point, he said he missed the late Empress Fucha and the many princes. At another point, he said he was sorry to Empress Nara and the Empress Dowager, and blamed himself for being unfilial.

Li Gonggong was completely bewildered by what he heard, but dared not utter a single word about it to anyone.

The good thing is that, apart from his poor mental state and occasional mental lapses, which make him look frail and old, the old man actually has a decent appetite every day and enjoys his food, unlike other elderly people who can't eat much.

Someone at the Imperial Hospital said privately that as long as the old man eats normally every day, he should be able to live for another ten years without any problem.

Of course, these words could not be allowed to reach the old master's ears, because the old master was determined to create a miracle of becoming an emperor for all time and to win the glorious title of "Centenarian Emperor".

He's only eighty-two. Even if he lives for another ten years, he'll only be ninety-two. Isn't that cursing the old man?

Seeing that the old master had forgotten again, Heshen, though used to it, couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Master, Zhao Youlu was indeed serving in Anhui before, but Your Majesty, recognizing his talent, specially summoned him back to the capital for an audience before the New Year. After personally examining him, Your Majesty bestowed upon him the additional title of Deputy Commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner Manchu, allowing him to stay in the capital for a while longer. That's why Your Majesty instructed me to properly reorganize the affairs of the Bordered Yellow Banner, and I've had Zhao Youlu temporarily handle that."

Heshen's words were nine parts true and one part false, but the eunuch Li standing nearby dared not point out the "one part false."

My father-in-law knew perfectly well how his nephews and grandnephews had obtained their official positions and how the businesses in their hometown had been run by them.

"Oh, that's how it is."

Upon hearing Heshen's words, the old man looked as if he had just realized something. "Yes, yes, I remember now, there was such a thing. Look at my memory, alas, the older I get, the less I remember, the more confused I become, useless, useless indeed."

"My lord, you are so busy with important matters that it is inevitable that you will forget some small things. Even the sun in the sky is sometimes obscured by clouds."

While gently comforting the old master, Heshen carefully observed the old master's expression. Seeing that the old master's eyes were indeed a little clearer, he quickly seized this fleeting opportunity and pressed on while the iron was hot, saying, "Master, speaking of Zhao Youlu, he has indeed been very dedicated to reorganizing the banner affairs this time, and he has used ingenious ideas!"

Not only are they decisive and efficient, but they also know how to educate and guide.
One of the lieutenants under his command, Taiping, had previously neglected his duties and committed some offenses. In my opinion, he would have been severely punished long ago. However, Zhao Youlu did not simply deal with him. Instead, following the old precedent set by his master, he made Taiping pay silver as punishment and ordered him to write a profound self-criticism to reflect on his actions.

At this point, Heshen paused deliberately, lest he speak too quickly and the old master miss his words. After the old master nodded, he continued, "Master often says that governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; everything requires careful consideration. One must address both the symptoms and the root cause. Zhao Youlu's methods of learning from past mistakes and curing the disease are quite good in my opinion. He has not only put the reorganization of the Banner Affairs into practice, but also let the people below know that the purpose of Master's reorganization of the Banner Affairs is not to punish anyone, but to let the people below know the fundamental strength of our Great Qing and understand Master's good intentions. He is truly a capable man."

After giving Zhao An high praise, Heshen then took out Taiping's letter of self-criticism.

The old man was curious about the term "apology letter" and reached out to take it, but his fingers trembled so badly that he couldn't hold it steady after two attempts. Frustrated, he gave up and asked Heshen to read it to him.

How is Heshen pronounced? There is no intonation or high passion; it is pronounced in a very flat tone.

"Your humble servant, Taiping, humbly submits this memorial of profound repentance: My ancestors followed the emperor into the Central Plains, and should have upheld their traditional virtues of riding and archery. However, in recent years, I have gradually become tainted by Han customs, spending my days in teahouses and theaters, completely forgetting the old Manchu traditions. Even worse, in order to appear cultured, I privately pawned my ancestral bow and arrows, exchanging them for Han calligraphy and paintings to hang in my hall, utterly forgetting the teachings of our Holy Ancestor on Mandarin and riding and archery."
Whenever I think of this, it feels like a bucket of cold water has been poured over my head. When my Eight Banners first entered the pass, 30,000 elite troops could defeat Li Zicheng's 200,000-strong army. Now, among the million Bannermen in Beijing, we can't even find 3,000 skilled archers. If this continues, in the event of war, won't we repeat the mistakes of the Ming dynasty's garrison troops, who collapsed at the mere sight of the enemy?
"This servant's crime lies not in neglecting banner duties, but in forgetting his roots! Not in indulging in pleasure, but in forgetting his ancestors! This servant is willing to donate three years' salary to rebuild the archery range and lead the banner's sons in training for ten days each month. If anyone is ever seen pawning or selling weapons or neglecting riding and archery again, he will surely be punished with eighty strokes of the military rod according to ancestral rules. I would rather suffer infamy today than face my ancestors with shame in the future."

Zhao An personally polished Taiping's letter of self-criticism, which was exactly eight hundred words long. To accommodate the old master's hearing and reaction time, it took Heshen about ten minutes to read the whole thing.

It was clearly visible to the naked eye that when Heshen read the line "30,000 elite troops can defeat Li Zicheng's 200,000-strong army," the old man's half-closed eyelids trembled slightly.

As the line “Among the million Manchus in Beijing, not even three thousand skilled archers could be found” was uttered, the old man’s withered fingers, which were draped over the brocade quilt, suddenly clenched the bright yellow satin.

Even before the words, "I'd rather be cursed today than face my ancestors with shame tomorrow," had faded, the old man's chest visibly heaved. "Master, what do you think of Taiping's letter of self-criticism?"

Heshen certainly noticed the change in the old man's expression, but he still had to ask.

"Well written and insightful! Every sentence hits the nail on the head, speaks to my heart, and strikes right at the heart of our Eight Banners!"

The old man was as excited as if he had found a kindred spirit. “The sin lies in forgetting one’s roots, in forgetting one’s ancestors, Heshen. These are words that cut to the heart. How many of these good-for-nothing lackeys still remember how their ancestors conquered the country on horseback?”

Overwhelmed with excitement, the old man couldn't help but cough.

"master,"

Eunuch Li quickly offered some ginseng tea, but the old master irritably pushed it away. After a while, he said, "And there's that three thousand taels of silver for redemption. A captain can take out so much silver to redeem himself. What does that mean? It means he has the sincerity to repent and knows to return the embezzled and misappropriated money to me. He's a hundred times better than those honey-tongued scoundrels who don't give a penny!"

At this point, the old man's face flushed with excitement. Pointing at Heshen, he ordered, "This Taiping is a man of courage, shame, and the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Since he has sincerely repented, I will not hold it against him. Issue my decree to give him the rank of captain. No, I will grant him the title of guard of the Qianqing Gate, so that he will serve me more often in the future. Let those incompetent bannermen see what a bannerman should be like."

"The slave obeys the order!"

Heshen quickly kowtowed, feeling a weight lifted from his heart. With the old master's reward, Taiping's "backbone" was now established.

The stalemate over the proposed silver tael that was currently under his control could be broken through smoothly with the help of this "horse bone," and his authority could be completely established in the Bordered Yellow Banner through Zhao Youlu's hands.

Just as he was about to return to the Grand Council to draft an imperial edict, a young eunuch quietly entered with a memorial in his hand and whispered a few words to Eunuch Li. The latter quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, Prince Jia has submitted a memorial to be presented."

"Yongyan?"

The old master was somewhat surprised. The fifteenth prince usually didn't come to the palace unless summoned, nor did he submit any memorials. Before he was sent to the Grand Council to learn and work, he basically only "moved around" in his residence. It was rare for him to write to his father, the emperor, about anything. Why was he making an exception today?

He then ordered Li Yu to read the contents of the memorial aloud.

Heshen must also be curious about what kind of memorial Yongyan submitted.

Li Yu dared not delay and quickly opened the memorial to read it. Unexpectedly, the content was that Prince Jia praised the Bordered Yellow Banner for its initial success in rectifying discipline, and commended Deputy Commander Zhao Youlu for his capable work and courage in taking on responsibilities. He also suggested that the experience be summarized and promoted to other banners.

Before Li Yu could finish reading, Heshen was filled with questions, not understanding why Yongyan, who had always been at odds with him, would ask for credit for Zhao An.

Does he genuinely believe Zhao An did the right thing, or is he trying to curry favor, or does he have some deeper motive?
Heshen was well aware of the conflicts and struggles between Zhao An and Jiaqing's mentors, Hu Gaowang and Zhu Gui. If it weren't for Heshen's intervention, Zhao An would probably have been killed by these two teachers long ago, and he wouldn't have achieved his current glory.

Heshen couldn't immediately figure out the reason, but he felt that Yongyan's memorial had come at the perfect time, so he immediately seized the opportunity and said, "Your Majesty, even Prince Jia has recognized Zhao Youlu's merits, which shows that this man is indeed dedicated and capable, and can be entrusted with great responsibilities."
Previously, the Governor of Anhui had been acting as Zhao Youlu. This servant believes it would be better to appoint him to the post, allowing him to bring the Bordered Yellow Banner affairs to a reasonable level before returning him to Anhui. This way, important local affairs will not be neglected, and the court's impartiality in personnel selection will be demonstrated. What does Your Majesty think?

"Oh,"

The old man stroked his thinning, graying beard with some effort, and looking at Heshen, who was wholeheartedly praising his lackeys, a rare, hearty smile appeared on his face.

He raised his withered old hand and waved it gently, then said with a smile, "Although the governor is an important official in charge of the region, I always choose people based on their ability, not their seniority. And since you are someone Heshen can rely on, how could I possibly disrespect you?"
Furthermore, it's rare that Yongyan has also petitioned for Zhao Youlu's reward, so I can't refuse my son's request. Therefore, I'll grant Heshen's request and add another court horse as a further favor, making it easier for him to travel back and forth.”

(End of this chapter)