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Although ugly in appearance and with great intentions, Yan Jingming: Do not fear the powerful, straighten out the household department, and investigate and handle the quartermaster case

author:The old king talks about history

Yan Jingming, Zi Danchu, Shaanxi Chaoyi people. After becoming an official, he was known for his integrity. It is particularly famous for its financial management.

In the early years, Yan Jingming participated in the "big pick" of selecting ZhiXian and teachings by virtue of his status as a person. As a result, the "chief provocateur" did not hire him because of his ugly appearance.

Later, Yan Jingming studied diligently and diligently, and finally entered the priesthood and became a Shujishi of the Hanlin Academy. After the closure of the museum, he became the head of the household department and was known for his shrewdness and competence.

First, rectify the household department and eliminate its accumulated shortcomings.

In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), Yan Jingming was reused as Hubu Shangshu. Yan Jingming, who once served in the transfer department, is well aware of the cattiness inherent in the household department. This time in charge of the household department, he is determined to eliminate its accumulated shortcomings.

Although ugly in appearance and with great intentions, Yan Jingming: Do not fear the powerful, straighten out the household department, and investigate and handle the quartermaster case

Yan Jingming, who is determined to eliminate the accumulated evils of the household department (stills)

At the beginning of his term of office, Yan Jingming personally inspected and consulted the accounts. As a result, the staff, who are mainly Manchus, do not know the storage and profit and loss of the treasury, and even the accounts cannot be read or calculated. The account of the household department, which is related to the lifeblood of the country's finance and economics, is actually managed by such people!

Subsequently, Yan Jingming, who was full of emotions, immediately wrote to the Guangxu Emperor:

"Most of the full staff do not know how to make plans, and the power of the officials is half entrusted, so the power of the officials is open, and the wealth is fraudulent and fraudulent, and if they want to be a fundamental and clear plan, they must not participate in the use of Han members in the north and south archives and the three libraries."

At that time, the Qing government, which was financially embarrassed, also had an urgent demand to rectify the fiscal and tax expenditures, and naturally agreed to Yan Jingming's request.

Although ugly in appearance and with great intentions, Yan Jingming: Do not fear the powerful, straighten out the household department, and investigate and handle the quartermaster case

The Guangxu Emperor who agreed to Yan Jingming's request (stills)

After Yan Jingming checked the accounts, he checked the three libraries. The so-called "three libraries" refer to the silver, satin and pigment warehouses under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Households. As a result, Yan Jingming found that the silk and pigment libraries were chaotic and disorderly.

Moreover, many items have been moldy and cannot be used, and the incoming and outgoing accounts are even more unfinished and insufficient to cope. The problem of the silver warehouse is even greater, the big scale is in, the small scale is out, and the balance weight is abnormally unequal, which can be described as a lot of drawbacks.

Although ugly in appearance and with great intentions, Yan Jingming: Do not fear the powerful, straighten out the household department, and investigate and handle the quartermaster case

Unbalanced balance (picture)

Therefore, Yan Jingming expelled a group of clerks and impeached Yao Xiaoyuan, Dong Junhan, Yang Hongdian, and Qi, who were known as the "Four Great Kongs" and were formerly officials in the household department. After being verified by the imperial court, all four were severely punished by "dismissing their posts and returning home."

Second, do not fear the powerful and the powerful, investigate and handle military expenditure cases.

After Yan Jingming rectified the household department, he found many shady scenes in the household department. Among them, the military expense reimbursement case in Yunnan Province is the most eye-catching.

Reimbursement of military expenses has always been a way of embezzlement between reimbursements and household officials and scriveners. In order to accept bribes, the relevant personnel of the household department have enriched their own pockets and vigorously coordinated and cooperated.

As early as half a year before Yan Jingming entered the capital to take charge of the household department, the relevant personnel of Yunnan Province had already passed through the military aircraft Zhang Jing and Zhou Ruiqing, the secretary of the Taichang Temple, to form wang Wenshao and Jing Lian, the military aircraft ministers who acted in charge of the household department. Because the "dotting fee" (130,000 taels) requested by the Household Department was too high, the military expenditure in Yunnan could not be reimbursed for a while.

Although ugly in appearance and with great intentions, Yan Jingming: Do not fear the powerful, straighten out the household department, and investigate and handle the quartermaster case

Wang Wenshao (left) and Jing Lian (stills)

When they learned that Yan Jingming was about to take charge of the household department, the bribes and bribes quickly ended the military expenditure accounts in Yunnan with a "point fee" of 80,000 taels of silver.

Under the influence of Yan Jingming's vigorous rectification of the household department, the officials began to expose some chronic diseases of the household department.

First of all, Yushi Chen Qitai exposed the fact that Zhou Ruiqing, the secretary of the Taichang Temple, and the officials of the Household Department had accepted bribes in the Yunnan military expense reimbursement case. When the imperial court ordered the officials to review, Yushi Hongliangpin further participated in the relevant personnel and called for a strict investigation and punishment of the Yunnan military expense reimbursement case.

Although ugly in appearance and with great intentions, Yan Jingming: Do not fear the powerful, straighten out the household department, and investigate and handle the quartermaster case

Yushi Chen Qitai (stills)

At the same time, due to the unclear accounts of the Hubu and the confusion of the Three Libraries, Yan Jingming also pointed the spearhead at Jing Lian and Wang Wenshao, who were originally Hubu Shangshu. Therefore, the Qing government appointed Yan Jingming to join the Criminal Investigation Department to try the case.

After Yan Jingming participated in the case, there was a result soon. Dozens of officials, large and small, were punished accordingly. For example, the military aircraft ministers Jing Lian and Wang Wenshao were demoted, and Wang Wenshao was expelled from the military aircraft department.

In addition, Hubu Shilang Chongli, Gongbu Shilang Weng Tonggong, and Bingbu Shilang Kuirun were also demoted or punished because they had the responsibility of negligence or had certain connections.

Third, the nickname "Wenjie" is respected by people.

Yan Jingming, who had outstanding political achievements, was honored as a scholar of Dongge University in the eleventh year of Guangxu (1885) and continued to manage the household department.

After the Qing Dynasty was severely damaged by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Twist Army, Yan Jingming was able to live within his own means and try to maintain a balance of use, which was a master of financial management.

Later, Yan Jingming strongly opposed Empress Dowager Cixi's rebuilding of the Qingyi Garden and was dismissed from his post and retained. Guangxu thirteen years (1887), shortly after his reinstatement, he returned to his hometown.

Although ugly in appearance and with great intentions, Yan Jingming: Do not fear the powerful, straighten out the household department, and investigate and handle the quartermaster case

Yan Jingming (like)

In the eighteenth year of Guangxu (1892), he died in his residence in Shanxi. The imperial court posthumously awarded him the title of Crown Prince Shaobao (太子少保) with the courtesy name "Wen jie".

Hu Linyi once said: "Yan Jingming is not proud of his appearance, but his heart is full of heroes." In the name of the name, the intention is right. ”

Main references: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty: Liechuan 225