My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 416 Pardoning the guilty officials, exiling them to the North Pole under the pretext of giving them important positions!

"What is your opinion on the memorial submitted by Left Censor-in-Chief Fu Min requesting a pardon for Xie Jishi, Li Fu, Sun Jiagan, and other upright officials?"

It was late April of the first year of the Qianlong reign. The area around the Yuanmingyuan Garden in Beijing was lush and green, with birds chirping incessantly.

As Emperor Qianlong listened to government affairs at the palace gates, he heard an increasing number of new proposals.

The Manchu official Fumin took the initiative to plead for leniency for Han officials such as Xie Jishi, Li Fu, and Sun Jiagan, who were punished for forming cliques and abusing their power during the Yongzheng reign. This is one example.

In response, Man Min wrote in his memorial that although these people were arrogant and rebellious, they were actually loyal to the emperor and spoke frankly.

Hongli knew that Fumin, who came from a scholarly background, was one of the Manchu officials who sympathized with these Han officials who dared to speak frankly and offer honest advice.

However, he also knew that Fumin, as his former Manchu tutor and even Yongzheng's former tutor, dared to do this not out of sympathy for these individuals, but rather to take the initiative to further pardon a group of ministers who had been severely punished by Yongzheng in order to win over the hearts of the people in the new dynasty.

Although Xie Jishi, Li Fu, and Sun Jiagan were not afraid of death, strictly speaking, they were not true gentlemen. They each had their own thoughts and were not simple innocents. Otherwise, they would not have been famous throughout the world. Moreover, there have never been many good people in politics.

But he was the emperor, and he didn't choose people based on whether they were virtuous or wicked, but rather on whether they were useful.

Since Xie Jishi, Li Fu, and Sun Jiagan have become famous throughout the land for defying the previous emperor, they have value to be exploited.

In particular, now that a land survey is to be conducted in the south, the middle and lower-class scholars, who represent the lower and middle-class landlords, are more willing to believe that the emperor's land survey and crackdown on the large landlords is all for the long-term stability of the country.

That's why Hongli raised this matter when he held court at the palace gates.

By doing this, he was actually sending a signal that he intended to pardon the three men.

However, although Hongli sent such a signal, what he really wanted was to use the pretext of pardon to send these three people to serve as officials in more remote and isolated places.

He had no intention of bringing back Xie Jishi and Li Fu, who had already been exiled, to become opinion leaders and disrupt the court.

He even planned to send Sun Jiagan, who was still serving in the capital at the Ministry of Revenue's treasury, out as well.

Because these three people are all the same: they are not greedy for money or afraid of death, but they love fame and the same old tricks of forming cliques and eliminating dissidents.

Although most officials in the court today also have the problem of protecting each other, at least none are as typical as these three.

These three men were willing to risk their lives for the sake of forming cliques and suppressing dissent, and for the sake of their reputation. The reason why Yongzheng did not kill them was because they were not greedy for money, did not commit any heinous crimes, and had a good reputation among the people.

Therefore, Hongli released them to prevent them from forming cliques and suppressing dissent, and also to utilize their lack of greed and fearlessness to ensure that the new policies were not over-implemented or perfunctorily executed in the local areas.

He had even made plans.

Xie Jishi was instructed to continue north to Yaksa, where he would serve as a patrolling imperial censor.

Li Fu was sent to Miaotun as the Imperial Censor of Agricultural Settlements, responsible for planting new grains and cabbages.

Sun Jiagan was appointed as the Granary Attendant in Erkou City, Hanhai, to manage the grain reserves and trade in the Hanhai area.

Even Lu Shengnan, he planned to reinstate as an imperial inspector to continue his inspection and investigation north of the Wudi River, in order to determine whether to implement a feudal system or a county system in these areas in the future.

According to the Treaty of Nerchinsk, the eastern section of the border between the Qing Dynasty and Russia was mainly defined by the Outer Khingan Mountains, while the division of the territory between the Qing Dynasty and Russia and the Udi River was still under discussion.

The Outer Khingan Mountains are not a single mountain range, but rather consist of two branches, one in the south and one in the north. The southern branch is roughly located south of the Udi River, while the northern branch extends north of the Udi River and further north to the eastern tip of the Chukchi Peninsula. Therefore, the specific extent of the area under discussion can be interpreted in different ways.

If the southern branch of the Outer Khingan Mountains is taken as the boundary, the area under discussion is mainly the river valley area south of the Udi River and north of the southern branch mountain range;

If the northern branch of the Outer Khingan Mountains is taken as the boundary, the area under discussion would encompass a large region of the southern Chukchi Peninsula, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the Pacific coast of Siberia in later generations.

This will undoubtedly lead to some trouble in the future.

As an emperor who aspired to secure more resources for his descendants, Hongli would naturally only recognize the latter, namely the northern branch of the Outer Khingan Mountains as the boundary, and in the future, he would completely turn this disputed area into the territory of the Qing Dynasty.

In this way, the Qing Dynasty would have territories along the Arctic Ocean coast.

Therefore, Hongli sacrificed Lu Shengnan under the guise of granting a pardon and bestowing grace, sending him to investigate the area north of the Udi River, in what would later become the southern Chukchi Peninsula and the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Anyway, isn't Lu Shengnan a proponent of feudalism? Having experienced feudal life in northern Mongolia, he can go and investigate areas that have neither feudalism nor county systems, but are inhabited by primitive tribes and need to be redeveloped to see what kind of system is suitable for those places.

Lu Shengnan will undoubtedly become the first imperial envoy representing the central dynasty to visit the disputed region.

He's destined to be remembered in history. Doesn't that count as being given an important position?

Isn't this a display of imperial grace?

However, since these people had offended the retired emperor, it was inappropriate for Hongli to directly pardon them. He needed the support of the entire bureaucracy to form public opinion, and it would be better if the bureaucracy proposed it first.

In this way, Hongli could act on public opinion, and only after obtaining the Emperor Emeritus's gracious edict could he reluctantly grant the request and pardon these people.

That's why Hongli asked his ministers for their opinions at this time.

When Hongli raised this matter during his court audience and asked for the opinions of his ministers, it indeed excited many officials who sympathized with Xie Jishi, Li Fu, Sun Jiagan, and others, especially the Qingliu faction.

However, while many court officials were excited, not all of them dared to stand up and speak out about this matter like Fumin did.

They feared that the emperor would consider them accomplices of Xie Jishi and Li Fu.

After all, they had already witnessed how cunning this new emperor was.

"Are you afraid that I secretly believe you are all in cahoots with Xie Jishi and Li Fu, which is why you are so suspicious? Am I the kind of emperor who is so prone to suspicion?"

Seeing that no one had stepped forward for a long time, Hongli coldly questioned the court officials.

At this moment, Xu Ben, the Grand Secretary and Minister of Works, pursed his lips but still resolutely stepped out of the court: "Your Majesty, I agree with the proposal of the Grand Censor. Li Fu, Xie Jishi, and Sun Jiagan may be arrogant, but they are indeed courageous and insightful, daring to speak out and offer advice. They are upright and outspoken ministers. If they can be pardoned and given important positions properly, the new dynasty will surely be even more prosperous!"

“A country with honest ministers will not perish; Li Fu and others, though deserving of death for a hundred crimes, dared to speak out as honest ministers, which is why the Emperor Emeritus suppressed his wrath and did not sentence them to death; Your Majesty also risked danger to plead for them, all for the sake of today!”

Ban Di, the Vice Minister of Works, echoed this sentiment.

"Although Li Fu and others formed a faction, they were not truly disloyal. They were suspected of disrespecting the emperor because of their stubbornness. However, the Emperor Emeritus was as benevolent as the heavens and spared their lives. All of this was so that Your Majesty could do what they could not do today!"

"Your Majesty, I dare to presume! To pardon Li Fu and the others would open up channels for free speech throughout the land, benefit Your Majesty's discerning judgment, and ensure that no one dares to deceive the Emperor!"

……

Soon, more and more court officials, after hearing the words of Xu Ben and Bandi, began to muster up the courage to stand up.

Hongli nodded after hearing this: "Well said! It is not that I cannot tolerate ministers who offend me. I will ask the Emperor Emeritus for his opinion before we discuss this matter."

"Our master is truly benevolent!"

"Your Majesty is full of grace!"

Many court officials praised Hongli for this, some even with tears in their eyes.

It is clear that Li Fu and others held a very important place in their hearts.

Emperor Qianlong had to admit that those who dared to contradict the emperor were always more likely to gain the respect and favor of officials and scholars.

Regardless of ethnicity.

Even among many Manchu nobles and officials, Li Fu and others were role models in their eyes, and they all hoped that Li Fu and others would be pardoned.

Hongli then met with Yongzheng and explained the matter to him.

After hearing this, Yongzheng nodded: "I didn't kill them because I wanted to spare them for you. As the saying goes, too much rigidity leads to breakage. You seek unity through struggle, but you can't just rely on struggle. You should also try to resolve their resentment with some acts of forgiveness."

“What Ama said is true; the son has already figured out how to use them.”

“Li Fu, my son plans to send him to a more humid coastal area further north to cultivate land.”

"Xie Jishi, my son plans to send him to Yaksa to inspect the situation of the Mongols and Russians colluding there."

“Sun Jiagan, my son plans to send him to Hanhai to manage the granary and grain trade, so as to prevent a large amount of border grain from being lost to foreign countries every year.”

Upon hearing this, Yongzheng stood there in astonishment for a long time.

(End of this chapter)