Qing Yao

Chapter 65 What matters is attitude, understand?
Qian doesn't look like a dragon, which is a typical pun. If you use it in a crosstalk, you will be fined.

If Zhao An wants to use it, he has to pay extra.

Also angry.

Since Dongtai County does not regard him, a ninth-rank student, as an official, he can only give them a little shock from the demons from outside the domain.

It's your bad luck, Dongtai County. Why not come up with a pun like "Qian doesn't look like a dragon"?

What does our Qing Dynasty value most?
Wenzhi!
How to govern with culture?

Don’t talk nonsense.

No one is allowed to speak, so naturally the culture and governance flourish and the country is prosperous.

Under the literary inquisition, Confucian scholars were like slaves.

Since a poor fellow was beheaded by the Qing court for writing the phrase "talented general of the Ming Dynasty" in his article during the Shunzhi period, literary inquisition lasted throughout the Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong dynasties, reaching its peak during the Qianlong period.

Last year, an old scholar from Hunan who had failed the imperial examinations for many years was sentenced to immediate execution. The reason was that the old scholar made a living by writing petitions for others. As a result, he had seen many injustices, so he pieced together the cases he had handled and wrote a book called "Diligence for the Country".

After writing it, he immediately went to the capital to present it in the hope of pleasing the emperor and getting an official position. However, the old scholar expressed his dissatisfaction with the Qing Dynasty's system of donating money to buy officials in the book. He believed that the court's allowing the purchase of officials was a stupid thing that would harm the country and the people. As a result, Emperor Qianlong, who had promoted the business of donating officials, was displeased. He killed the old scholar's entire family for discussing state affairs.

Under such high pressure, scholars could only replace words suspected of alluding to the Qing Dynasty with other characters, or simply leave them blank to avoid accusations. The result was a distorted and illogical writing style that lacked any elegance. Later, even characters like "hu," "lu," "yi," and "di" became taboo, often with spaces left blank in books.

Emperor Qianlong was often confused when reading articles, so he issued a decree that publishers of books no longer had to use spaces to avoid taboos. However, after the books were actually engraved, the old man was unhappy again, and copywriting began to appear frequently in various places, with strings of family-wide elimination games.

An old scholar from Hunan was executed along with his entire family simply for criticizing the system of donating money to become an official. Yet, you in Dongtai County actually dared to directly say that Emperor Qianlong was not like a dragon. Hey, you should consider the consequences yourself.

To put it in a broader sense, if your Dongtai County is in trouble, the professors in the prefecture and the provincial education officials will also suffer as a result!

If things go wrong, the governor's hat will also be taken off.

To put it simply, it's easy to say.

After all, there were five people present.

One Zhao An, one county magistrate, one teacher, one instructor, and one legal advisor.

This is a big deal. It’s bad enough that Qian doesn’t look like a dragon, but your Qian demon (yao) doesn’t look like a dragon either.

How to do?
You guys discuss it among yourselves.

Don’t say that I, Zhao Xuelu, the killer star, came down to earth without giving you any chance. I can make concessions where necessary. It depends on whether you can study hard.

At this moment, Zhao An was sitting on the Diaoyutai, sipping tea leisurely in the county magistrate's study. From time to time, he would play with the magistrate's small ornaments, making him look like a county magistrate.

I feel really comfortable. I never expected that I would have such an unexpected gain from this invigilation trip.

Outside, not only was I sweating like rain, but tears were also welling up in my eyes.

County Magistrate Chen was regretting it so much that his intestines turned green. He thought he was so stupid as to set such a question.

If the matter is reported to the higher authorities, beheading would be the least severe punishment.

Deputy examiner Yang Jiaoyu and the person in charge of the county examination, Chang Xundao, were also sweating profusely. The former didn't even have the courage to stand there. He slumped down in his chair and shook from time to time, as if he had a stroke.

Teacher Chang was not in much better condition. His upper and lower teeth were chattering and he was sweating profusely, but his whole body was cold as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

The only person who remained calm was Mr. Qian, the senior lawyer hired by the county magistrate. After reading the test paper again and again, he came to the conclusion that if the test paper was sent to the higher authorities, his benefactor would be executed at the very least.

There's no point in explaining it.

“The Qian monster doesn’t look like a dragon” is clearly stated, how do you explain it?

If the explanation was useful, so many people wouldn't have died.

Far-fetched?

Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, which literary inquisition was not fabricated by him?
Besides, how could it be such a coincidence?

Dry and grand.

I can only blame my benefactor for asking such tricky questions.

He put down the test paper, frowned, and walked to the county magistrate and whispered, "Master, what happened to Xu Shukui back then cannot happen again."

The Xu Shukui that Mr. Qian mentioned was the juren from Dongtai County thirty years ago. He didn't have any special hobbies except poetry.

He wrote some poems such as "When we meet again, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, we will put half of the pot aside" and "I will spread my wings and fly to the Qing capital in one fell swoop in the Ming Dynasty."

To be honest, it is not far-fetched for Mr. Xu to give the rebels and their family a match to win.

Because this person's poems do seem to be against the Qing Dynasty and in favor of pro-Ming sentiments.

Why would the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty put Hu'er aside when they meet again?

What? The Ming Dynasty is making a comeback and wants to destroy the capital of our Qing Dynasty?
The case resulted in the death of Xu Shukui, whose coffin had not yet decayed, being disemboweled and his head cut off and displayed in Dongtai County. His son, Xu Huaizu, whose coffin had been kept at home for over a year, was also beheaded and displayed in Cangchachang, as his body was also intact.

His two grandsons, Xu Shitian and Xu Shishu, were beheaded.

Xu Shukui's sons, grandsons, brothers, younger brothers, and brothers' sons who were sixteen years old and above were all beheaded, as were those under fifteen years old, as well as his wives, concubines, sisters, and his sons' wives and concubines, who were given as slaves to the families of meritorious officials.

A true family-wide elimination game, with no one left out.

This case was also a major political achievement of Liu Yong, the then Jiangsu Provincial Education Commissioner. Thanks to this case, Liu Yong was rapidly promoted from Jiangsu Provincial Education Commissioner to the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that Liu Luoguo, who was later called a "virtuous prime minister", was a person who took advantage of other people's misfortunes.

Among those implicated and reprimanded in this case were Governor-General Gao Jin of Liangjiang, Acting Governor-General Sa Zai of Liangjiang, and Jiangsu Governor Yang Kui. The Jiangsu governor, Tao Yi, was sentenced to immediate execution by the Nine Ministers, but Emperor Qianlong reduced this to a lenient sentence of pending release. Yangzhou prefect Xie Qikun, who was delayed for half a month in handling the case, was sentenced to military service as a penance.

Dongtai County Magistrate Tu Yuelong was sentenced to 100 strokes of the cane and three years' imprisonment for failing to promptly investigate the case. Lu Yan, advisor to Jiangsu Provincial Governor Tao Yi, was sentenced to death for his "deliberate effort to eliminate a serious case."

Dozens of provincial, prefectural, state, and county officials were involved, and thousands were killed.

Thirty years is neither a long time nor a short time. This is what happened on the land right under our feet. Now another case has come out that is even worse than the Xu Shukui case. Do you think these officials in Dongtai County are not afraid?
County Magistrate Chen, who was from Songjiang, was terrified to the extreme. He instinctively wanted to survive, so a fierce gleam suddenly flashed in his eyes and he said viciously, "While no one knows about this, we should kill that guy and save him from killing us!"

Yes, there is nothing safer than killing someone to silence them.

Chang Xundao was immediately inspired after hearing the county magistrate's words: "That's right, that kid is picking on us and is trying to get us killed. Why not give him a fight to the death and kill him once and for all!"

"kill?"

Teacher Yang was the principal of a middle school after all, and it was difficult for him to accept this approach at first, but he did not say that it could not be done.

"If we don't kill this guy, we'll all be killed by him!"

Chang Xundao still had some courage. He gritted his teeth and said, "This kid came to our county alone. If he turns around and says he drowned, who would know?"

"good,"

County Magistrate Chen was deeply moved by what he heard. Just as he was about to discuss the details of silencing the witness, Master Qian shook his head and dissuaded him, saying, "Master, killing is a bad idea. A healthy person came to our county and suddenly died. The prefectural school and higher authorities will definitely send people to investigate. Dozens of students have taken the exam questions you set. If someone else finds something wrong with the questions, everything will be ruined."

"this?"

Master Qian's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over County Magistrate Chen's head: Yes, if someone is really killed, it will cause a big commotion. Who can guarantee that no one else will find out that there is something fishy?

Are they going to continue killing people? One died, two died, three died. It would be strange if the higher-ups didn't think there was something wrong with Dongtai County.

Killing is indeed a very bad idea and should not be done unless it is absolutely necessary.

There's really no way to clean up this mess.

"We can't kill him, what should we do? Are we just going to sit here and wait to die? Damn it, that little jerk wants us to have a hard time, so we can't let him have a good time either!"

Chang Xundao refused to surrender and insisted on killing the witness. County Magistrate Chen was overwhelmed by what he heard and looked at his own master for help: "Sir, is there any way to remedy this?"

"Don't panic, sir,"

Master Qian first comforted his benefactor, "In my opinion, Zhao Xuelu may not be trying to make a big deal out of this."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, County Magistrate Chen straightened up and asked anxiously, "Why do you say that, sir?"

Teacher Yang standing next to him also had his ears perked up.

"If this person really wants to harm the master, why would the master be allowed to discuss this matter here?"

Master Qian hit the nail on the head: the "informer" who wanted to harm them was drinking tea in the study instead of hiring a car to go to the province to expose them.

What does this mean?
This means that the boy doesn't want to destroy the road, but wants to gain benefits from this incident.

"Yep,"

Teacher Yang, who had been paralyzed just now, suddenly sat up with some energy and slapped his forehead: "Mr. Qian is right. This matter can be discussed. It can be discussed."

Instructor Chang also thought of this and hesitated before saying, "Does that mean this guy wants to take advantage of this opportunity to make some money from us?"

"That's how it should be."

Master Qian nodded.

"If this guy wants money, then spend it to avoid disaster?"

These words were said by Yang Jiaoyu to the magistrate.

The magistrate paused in thought and looked at Mr. Qian, "Mr. Lao, please talk to him on our behalf and tell him that we are willing to pay three hundred taels to settle this matter."

Three hundred taels?
Master Qian shook his head secretly. His benefactor was good in every way except that he was too stingy. How could such a big problem be solved with just three hundred taels?

"Three hundred taels is probably too little,"

Teacher Yang also felt that three hundred taels could not settle the matter, so he suggested that the county school could also contribute some money to make up five hundred taels.

Five hundred taels is not a small amount. The county magistrate's official salary is only ninety taels a year, which is equivalent to five or six years of county magistrate's salary.

That kid's annual salary as a ninth-rank student is only thirty-five taels. It's quite good that he has received this salary for more than ten years. Does he really want to extort a huge sum of money from him?

Although he felt that five hundred taels was too little compared to the nature of the matter, since the benefactor had made the decision, Master Qian could not say anything more and immediately went to the study to negotiate as a middleman.

Zhao An, who was already getting a little impatient waiting, didn't speak in a hurry. He just pretended to talk about this and that, but didn't say how much money he wanted.

"Master Zhao, let's be frank. Now that this has happened, and you've given my master a chance, let's be frank. How about five hundred taels?"

Master Qian, who was dizzy from being pulled around, had no choice but to offer a price, hoping to quickly settle the matter to avoid complications.

Five hundred taels?
Zhao An thought to himself, "You're just sending beggars away!" But he couldn't show his displeasure on his face. Instead, he said sternly, "Sir, why are you discussing money with me? Does this have anything to do with money? Do I look like someone who wants money? What I care about is your county's attitude. If your county doesn't realize the seriousness and consequences of this matter, then I can't let your county implicate me and suffer an unjust disaster."

Right speech.

The first round of negotiations ended here, and people from Dongtai County continued their research.

What I said is not a lie. I charge you 500 taels but take the same risk as you. Isn't this bullying?

Outside, after hearing Master Qian say that five hundred taels wouldn't be enough to deal with the other party, Instructor Chang couldn't help but get angry: "I'll hire someone to kill him for a mere thirty taels!"

"Master Chang, why are you still saying such angry words at this time?"

Master Qian glanced at the vice-principal of the county middle school with a bad temper, then turned to his benefactor and said, "Master, the consequences of this matter are too serious. I think we should add some more."

"Money is something outside of our body. If spending a little can help ward off disaster, I am willing to spend some."

Teacher Yang is in a much better mental state than before and does not want the matter to slide into the abyss because of a disagreement on the price.

County Magistrate Chen hesitated and asked, "How much do you think is appropriate?"

Who knew how much the kid wanted? In the end, it was Master Qian who made the decision, doubling the amount to one thousand taels.

This number is fine.

Zhao An was still unimpressed by the 1,000 taels and continued to speak in a high-sounding manner: "Sir, please tell the magistrate that I, Zhao Youlu, am well-read in the books of sages and philosophers, not some blackmailer!"

Coupled with an expression that kept people at a distance, he looked very righteous.

The second round of negotiations collapsed.

Helplessly, both sides had to continue the psychological game and test each other's bottom line.

Although tired, the atmosphere was much more lively than before.

If money can solve the problem, it's not a problem.

Things that can't be solved with money are really problems.

During the third negotiation, the people from Dongtai County raised the price to one thousand five hundred taels.

Although fifteen hundred taels can make an ordinary family rich for a lifetime, it is still a small amount of money in Zhao An's eyes. He was also speechless. Could it be that the lives of you, the Dongtai County Magistrate, and your family are worth fifteen hundred taels?

This had already gone on three times. If it continued like this, who knew how much longer it would last. Zhao An simply gave up pretending and laid it bare to the "middleman," Mr. Qian. "Mr. Lao, please talk to your county magistrate. Give me five thousand taels in one lump sum, and I will pretend nothing happened. Also, you must quickly destroy the papers and have the students retake the policy essays to prevent outsiders from discovering them."

After a pause, he offered another condition, "Also, I may need to do some business in your county in the future. I hope the magistrate can take care of me when that happens."

What kind of business is it? It’s the salt smuggling business.

With the protection of local officials and the ready-made logistics channels of the Qing Gang, Zhao An must of course quickly open for business.

Money is something that won't appear in your pocket on its own if you don't earn it or make some effort to get it.

The sum of five thousand taels really made County Magistrate Chen want to curse. He only earned less than three thousand taels from the county examination. If he really gave it to the black-hearted Zhao An, he would lose a lot.

Teacher Yang wanted to give it, but no matter how capable he was as a county school teacher, it was impossible for him to fill the hole for the "trouble-making" county magistrate.

What can we do? Let’s continue discussing.

Finally, after repeated persuasion from Mr. Qian, Dongtai County Magistrate Chen Youwen agreed to settle the matter with five thousand taels of silver.

The county school paid 1,300 taels of the 5,000 taels, and the county government would find a way to make up the remaining 3,700 taels from various expenses this year.

Anyway, it wasn't paid for out of the magistrate and the teacher's own pockets.

As for Zhao An’s request to “do business” in Dongtai, that was a trivial matter and did not need to be discussed.

What Zhao An wanted was cash. Five thousand taels of silver was not light in weight and he could not take it away. Therefore, Master Qian went to a money shop run by a salt merchant in Dongtai County overnight and borrowed five thousand taels in the name of the county.

It is a silver note that is easy to carry and exchange.

After receiving the banknotes, Zhao An's attitude became naturally friendly, and the Dongtai County Magistrate's expression also relaxed a lot. In order to further deepen the relationship between the two sides, both parties agreed to go to a restaurant.

Before taking their seats, County Magistrate Chen, who usually sat at the head of the table, invited Zhao Xuelu to sit at the upper table, a rare gesture. He forced a smile on his face and said, "Master Zhao, you have worked so hard to come to our county to supervise the examinations. This dinner should have been hosted by our county long ago. Please forgive me for delaying it until now."

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Zhao An sat down with a smile on his face, looking at the extremely attentive Dongtai County Magistrate, and thought to himself, what have you been doing before? You have to make a big deal out of something that can be easily solved. Isn't that just looking for trouble?

To sum up, it is you, the local official, who are ignorant.

(End of this chapter)