Commissioner Zhao did not know the details of Quande’s background, nor did he know exactly how deep Quande’s ties to He Shen went, but he knew for certain that the relationship between Akedanga and He Shen was far closer than Quande’s.
After all, Akedanga was the Commissioner of the Lianghuai Salt Administration, a position of the third rank, while Quande was merely a Bao-yi Captain in the Imperial Household Department, a position of the fourth rank. These two titles alone made it clear who held the closer connection to Grand Secretary Heshen.
Since Commissioner Akedanga was closer to the Grand Secretary, Zhao had no reason to go out of his way to act as a hatchet man for Quande. Furthermore, this Lord Quande seemed to think quite highly of himself, looking down on a seventh-rank Commissioner like Zhao—who was deeply in the good graces of the Old Ancestor—with an air of utter arrogance. While Commissioner Zhao said nothing, he certainly took note of it in his heart.
Chapter 146