Abstract
This article examines the political and social networks that bound officials in the Qing bureaucracy and their role in concealing abuses and bribery, as well as the Yongzheng Emperor`s attempts to inculcate proper political behavior and bureaucratic accountability. The essay begins with a brief discussion of the state of affairs in Fujian and Taiwan under officials appointed by the Kangxi Emperor. It then turns to the Yongzheng Emperor`s efforts to revitalize what he perceived to be a moribund bureaucracy in the region through the pursuit of a case of corruption. The trial that resulted from a censor`s accusation revealed a complex web of patronage, manipulation, malfeasance, and mutual recrimination among officials and provides us a glimpse into the workings of Qing field administration under pressure from a reformist emperor. The corruption case in Taiwan was important to the emperor not on its own merits, but as an object lesson in proper political behavior and bureaucratic accountability.
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