Qing Yao

Chapter 468 Old Liu, you need to be more ambitious!
Liu Yong, the 73-year-old Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, felt quite aggrieved because he had to go out of his way to "present an award" to a governor in his twenties.

Heshen was very efficient. Upon returning to the Grand Council, he drafted the imperial edict to promote Zhao An to the position of acting official and sent it directly to the Ministry of Personnel through the "VIP" channel for immediate processing.

Zhao An's official title was "Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, concurrently Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Governor of Anhui and other places, Military Commander, and concurrently in charge of grain and provisions."

It sounds pretty cool; the abbreviation is Anhui Governor.

Su Ling'a, the Minister of Personnel, was one of the core members of Heshen's faction. Upon seeing that the imperial decree was to promote his fellow "partner" Zhao An to a higher official rank, he would have immediately ordered the Ministry of Personnel to expedite the relevant procedures without hesitation. He would have all the best new equipment, such as official robes and court beads, taken away for free.

After all the formalities were completed, a new problem arose: who would present the award?

It would be inappropriate for Minister Su to be of such high status. Last year, the position of Minister of Personnel was held concurrently by Sun Shiyi. After Sun Shiyi went to Liangjiang to take up his post, the position of Minister of Personnel has been vacant. Logically speaking, it would be most appropriate for Lin Ning, the Manchu Vice Minister, to deliver the imperial edict. After all, Zhao An is now a Manchu bannerman and, in addition to being the Governor of Anhui, also serves as the Deputy Commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner Manchu Army.

According to regulations, the award ceremony for banner officers of a certain rank is handled by the Manchu Vice Minister, while that for Han officers is handled by the Han Vice Minister.

The problem is that Lin Ning has caught a cold and has diarrhea these past few days and is on sick leave at home. There's no other way, so this task has to fall to Liu Yong, the Han official.

The task assigned by Minister Su was one that Lord Liu had no choice but to accept.

Sitting in the sedan chair on his way to the Manchu Governor's Office of the Bordered Yellow Banner, Liu Yong held the imperial edict in his hands, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings, especially the vinegar bottle.

As the son of former Prime Minister Liu Tongxun, Liu Yong comes from a distinguished family. His talent, integrity, and experience are all top-notch.
He served as an official for decades, working diligently, but his official rank fluctuated. He had successfully formed his Nascent Soul ten years ago, but his cultivation level had declined instead of increased after ten years. Now he was just a mid-stage Core Formation Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he was constantly scolded by his father as a good-for-nothing, useless and incompetent. He said that no one else would hire him.
In short, it was incredibly humiliating!
Then look at Zhao Youlu, a man who bought his way into the Imperial Academy. Relying on Heshen and his own little bit of cleverness, he not only got the position of a second-rank governor in his early twenties, but was also promoted to the Manchu Deputy Commander by the old master. He was given a yellow riding jacket, a special title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), and a double-eyed peacock feather.
Comparisons are odious; how can Lord Liu find peace of mind?

It wouldn't be so bad if the Governor of Anhui was a second-rank official. Although he was a regional official, he was still a local official and not as important as officials in the central government. But the "reward of a court horse" was an honor that many veteran officials longed for!
Lord Liu never aspires to be carried by two men in the Forbidden City; he just wants to ride a horse back home!
The very treatment he so desperately wanted was so easily given to a young man. Who wouldn't be furious? Wouldn't they be envious?

Then he thought about how he still had to shamelessly "present awards" to people. If he wasn't afraid of falling, Lord Liu might have stomped a big hole in the sedan chair.

No matter how frustrated or unwilling he was, the sedan chair was finally placed on the ground, and a servant outside announced, "My lord, we have arrived."

After calming himself down and forcibly suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Liu Yong straightened his official robes, held the imperial edict, and got out of the sedan chair with a blank expression.

Inside the Governor's Office, Zhao An had already received Heshen's notification, and the incense table and other offerings had been prepared long ago. He was waiting in the main hall with Vice Commander Fan and others. They were quite surprised to see Liu Luoguo, the old man, who had ridiculed him quite a bit on New Year's Eve in the Qianqing Palace with Fatty Ji.

Zhao An had kept track of the score between the two, so he certainly wouldn't be going to settle accounts with Liu Luoguo right now. He would first accept the imperial decree with utmost respect.

There's not much to say about the ceremony of receiving the imperial decree; just follow the procedure. Zhao An only needs to appear exceptionally excited.

The ceremony ended, and everyone stood up.

After receiving the imperial edict from Liu Yong and seeing the several brand-new official robes of a second-rank official, Zhao An, no matter how restrained he was, couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

Commander Fan and his men were perceptive enough to shower Zhao An with flattery, like a gentle spring breeze. Seeing Zhao An's triumphant air, and reflecting on his own years of humiliation serving him, Liu Yong couldn't suppress his bitterness. He cupped his hands in a sarcastic gesture and said, "Lord Zhao, congratulations! This imperial gift of a court horse is an extremely honorable honor. Lord Zhao is truly favored by the Emperor. However, the roads within the palace are not as easy to traverse as those in the provinces. Lord Zhao, you must be extremely careful when riding in the future, lest you become overconfident and your horse stumble."

He made no attempt to hide his sarcastic or unsettling tone.

He's over seventy years old, is it really necessary?
However, Liu Luoguo's words had a hidden meaning.

The officials in the surrounding military headquarters all thought that Liu Yong was jealous of the young Deputy Commander Zhao, but Zhao An understood a different meaning.

Clearly, Liu Luoguo had probably guessed who the crown prince was. Otherwise, given his cautious attitude towards Heshen, how could he suddenly change his ways and dare to mock him, Heshen's number one lackey, to his face?

Even if you don't respect the monk, you still have to respect the Buddha.

On the surface, however, he remained calm and smiled, bowing as well, and said, "I appreciate Lord Liu's reminder. His Majesty has bestowed upon me the court horse as an encouragement for officials to serve the country diligently. Although I am not very talented, I know that the only right thing to do is to fulfill my duties and repay the Emperor's kindness. As for whether the roads in the palace are easy or difficult to traverse, I need not trouble Lord Liu with that."

"I believe my riding skills are passable. Not only can I handle the palace's bluestone paths, but I can also navigate more rugged and difficult terrain. Unlike those who only know how to ride in sedan chairs, I can manage on flat roads, but the slightest bump makes me dizzy and disoriented."

"Humph!"

Seeing that Zhao An didn't hold back at all and retorted directly, Liu Yong's face instantly turned ugly, and he was speechless for a moment.

Zhao An ignored him and turned to his subordinates, ordering, "Disperse and return to your posts."

"Whoo!"

The crowd responded in unison and withdrew, none daring to glance at Liu Yong, whose face was ashen.

Turning to look at Liu Yong, who was seething with resentment, Zhao An smiled slightly and said, "Lord Liu, now that the decree has been delivered, please return. I will not keep you here for a meal."

With things already said to this extent, what was the point of Liu Yong staying any longer? He angrily turned and walked out of the yamen, leaving his entourage who had followed him in a miserable state.

The reward money I was about to receive is gone!

According to the market rate, each person should receive at least four or five taels of wedding money.

Just as Liu Yong was about to cross the threshold of the Governor's Office, Zhao An suddenly remembered something and called out to the slightly hunched back, "Lord Liu, as the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and heroes beget heroes. I remember Lord Liu once praised me for being able to get a free meal at the gate of the Qianqing Palace at such a young age. I wonder when Lord Liu will be able to paint in the Ziguang Pavilion like your father and serve in the Grand Council?"

(End of this chapter)