"Accumulating wealth is for the sake of relieving the Emperor's anxieties." These words were not originally spoken by Zhao An; they were boldly declared by Grand Secretary Heshen when challenged by officials in the first year of the Jiaqing reign.
Zhao An was merely quoting them in advance, though he substituted the "I" used by the Grand Secretary with "we." This "we" included Principal Zhao, Vice President Ma, Director Tong, and the entire staff of the Prefecture Academy. In the future, this "we" would expand to include every official in the Jiangsu education system, and eventually, every functionary in the Jiangsu government.
In short, this "we" was the collective Zhao An intended to unite. And the purpose of this unity, as he claimed, was to ease the burdens of the Old Ancestor and serve the Great Qing. If you don't fatten up the officials, who will do the work? It might sound twisted, even like sophistry, but in reality, it is the truth.
Chapter 177