The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 32 What does it mean to be in control?
Yinyou sat down at the desk and drank only half a cup of tea when he saw Su Peisheng coming in person.

"Replying to the Fifteenth Master, our master said that after you get off duty, please don't rush back to the palace, and go to Zhimeilou on Meishi Street outside Qianmen for a drink. Our master also said that he specially invited the Thirteenth Master to accompany you." Su Peisheng was a guy with a lot of information tools all over his body. He finished his words in one breath, and Yinyou heard every word without missing a single word.

According to the official rules of the Qing Dynasty, after Yinyu, the assistant prince, took office, everyone from the six officials in the hall to the doctors in the ministry had to take turns to contribute to the banquet and take the initiative to welcome Yinyu.

Generally speaking, a welcoming banquet will last for at least three days and at most half a month.

It is impossible that Kangxi was unaware of the shady reception practices in the officialdom. However, just like the tributes of ice and charcoal from various provinces, Kangxi knew about it but pretended not to know.

As the saying goes, people travel thousands of miles to become officials just for the sake of power and wealth.

The emperor has enough hungry soldiers, let alone the officials at all levels who hold real power over government affairs.
When people are around, the friendship is there; when they leave, the tea gets cold.

The basic principle of "if you don't use your power, it will expire" was prevalent in official circles at all levels of the Qing Dynasty.

However, the fourth brother was a freak. When he took office, he proactively declined all invitations to dinner.

Even though the officials of the Ministry of Revenue saved a lot of money from the contribution, no one was grateful to the Fourth Brother. Instead, they all hated him to the core.

There is a classic line in the old movie "1942": If you don't take it and I don't take it, how can Commissioner Geng take it?
The fourth brother put on a cold and aloof look, so how could the officials of the Ministry of Revenue dare to carry out the corrupt tricks of welcoming guests?
Yinyou was not a young boy who had never seen the world, so he naturally would not let the fourth son bear the stigma of being hypocritical.

"Su Peisheng, go and tell my fourth brother that I crave the roasted lamb leg from your Prince's Mansion the most. I want to eat that!" Yinyu noticed that Su Peisheng wanted to persuade him again, so he spoke before him and said, "It's settled."

"Yes." Su Peisheng bowed respectfully and retreated.

Until Su Peisheng walked out of the gate of the archives clearance room, he suddenly turned his head to look in the direction of Yinyou's office, then sighed heavily and exhaled a breath of foul air with his face up to the sky.

The eunuch who came with him mistakenly thought that Su Zongguan was unwell, so he quickly supported his arm and asked in a low voice: "Godfather, what's wrong with you?"

Su Peisheng glanced at the young eunuch and said calmly, "I, your godfather, am in a good mood today, so I will teach you to be a good boy. Listen carefully, if you can avoid offending this gentleman inside, try not to offend him. Otherwise, you will definitely end up in trouble, understand?"

The young eunuch actually didn't understand at all, but he nodded frequently like a chicken pecking at rice, smiling and saying, "Son, I understand."

"You understand nothing!" Su Peisheng put his hands behind his back and turned away.

Although the young eunuch was completely confused, he did not dare to delay at all. He spread his legs and followed Su Peisheng's steps.

Not long after Su Peisheng went back, he came back again and told the fourth brother what he had said, and simply held a welcoming ceremony for Yinyou in the Prince's Mansion.

After Yinyou sent Su Peisheng away, he couldn't help but smile. The fourth brother was in the light, and he was in the dark, which gave him the strategic advantage of being a prophet.

The fourth brother took the opportunity of the welcoming banquet to find out Yinyou's background and see what kind of person he is.

Hehe, there is no way!

What the fourth brother never dreamed of was that during the darkest period of Yinyou's official career, he once served as the deputy director of the Management and Utilization Department of the Provincial Archives.

To be honest, the core of archives management is three points: classification and archiving, proper storage and easy access.

Why does the Ministry of Household Affairs’ file clearing room need so many people?
Isn’t it just that the unscientific file management leads to disorganization?

In Yinyou's department, there were only ten formal staff members, including three directors, one chief and two deputy directors, but he managed the province's archive management work in an orderly manner.

The archives of the Ministry of Revenue are so numerous that most people would not know where to start.

However, Yinyou knew clearly that the fourth brother was most concerned about recovering the silver owed by the Ministry of Revenue.

"Wulin, go find Wanyan, the chief official, and ask him to bring me all the debt lists in the Ministry of Revenue."

The Ministry of Revenue was the fourth son's base, and Yinyu had no intention of building a clique in the Ministry of Revenue, so he could only handle official business impartially. Archives management is no small matter, and those who are capable will be promoted, and those who are not will be demoted.

The head of the Manque Hall in the Nandangfang was named Wanyan Zhong. He had worked in the Ministry of Revenue for more than twenty years and could be considered a genuine veteran.

After Wulin conveyed Yinyou's first order, Wanyan Zhong felt extremely difficult and scratched the back of his head in anxiety.

Because, just the day before yesterday, a large section of the wooden shelves storing files in the archives room collapsed inexplicably.

According to the rules, such major events should be reported.

However, Wanyan Zhong was afraid of being punished, so he lost his good job and deliberately concealed the fact.

Wanyan Zhong's wishful thinking was going on: after the new wooden shelf was carried in, the files would be put back in their places and no one would know about it.

On this side, the overturned files have not yet been completely sorted out.

However, Yinyou issued another order, asking for the list of debts owed within the Ministry of Revenue, so Wanyan Zhong had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to see Yinyou.

"I am Wanyan Zhong, the head of the South Hall of the Qingdangfang Office, and I wish to greet the Fifteenth Master." Wanyan Zhong was afraid of angering Yinyou, so he did not dare to call himself a lowly official.

However, Yinyou had not yet been granted a title and established a palace. He lived alone outside the palace and was temporarily affiliated with the Bordered Yellow Banner Manchu.

It is understandable that Wanyan Zhong, who was born into a Manchu bondservant family of the Bordered Yellow Banner, considered himself a slave.

"Wanyan Zhong, I must see the list of debtors in the Ministry of Revenue today." Yinyou certainly didn't know what happened in the file clearing room, but he just wanted the list.

Wanyan Zhong was so anxious that cold sweat broke out on his back. It was obvious that he couldn't trick him.

Before Yinyou could wait for Wanyan Zhong's reply, his mind suddenly changed and he instantly realized that something had happened in the archives.

Most people think that a new official taking office is a good opportunity to establish his authority.

However, the Ministry of Revenue was the fourth brother's territory, and Yinyou was not here to cause trouble.

Different ideas will definitely lead to different positions.

"Wanyan Zhong, there are no outsiders here. You can tell me any difficulties you have. But, I have to say it in advance. If you want to continue to deceive, don't blame God for treating you unfairly, understand?" Yinyu was sitting on the Diaoyutai, not afraid that Wanyan Zhong would not bow his head.

To be honest, Wanyan Zhong was able to work in the Ministry of Revenue for more than 20 years because he had a backer.

However, as long as Yinyou brought the trouble to the attention of the fourth brother, no matter how powerful Wanyan Zhong's backers were, they would not be able to keep his position.

In the Ministry of Revenue today, who doesn’t know that the Fourth Brother is cold-blooded and ruthless?
Wanyan Zhong hesitated for only a moment, then his knees softened and he knelt down at Yinyu's feet, saying in a trembling voice: "I was blinded by greed and shouldn't have acted on my own..."

Yinyou picked up the teacup, sipped the tea, and listened carefully to Wanyan Zhong's confession.

Kangxi wanted to pretend to be a benevolent monarch, so he was particularly lenient towards his ministers who committed crimes, and the Qing Dynasty's administration became corrupt.

It is no exaggeration to say that the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty was already filled with corrupt officials.

After Wanyan Zhong finished speaking, Yinyou thought to himself, this idiot, how can he hide the truth?
Yinyou dared to conclude that the fourth brother already knew about this.

However, the fourth brother pretended to be ignorant, obviously wanting to see how Yinyou would deal with the matter.

(End of this chapter)