[vol. ii. p. 946.] When Haidar Kulí Khán heard of the confiscation of his jágírs around Dehlí, he represented to His Majesty, through some of the amírs at Court, that although his jágírs had been seized, he would not fail in his duty and fidelity. As stated above, censures of these proceedings were repeatedly sent to Haidar Kulí Khán without any effect. At last the complaints of the jágírdárs and the insubordination of Haidar Kulí passed all bounds, so the súbadárí of Ahmadábád was taken away from him and given to Gházíu-d dín Khán Bahádur, eldest son of Nizámu-l Mulk.
After the Ját affair was settled, Nizámu-l Mulk left Court on the 2nd Safar, in the fifth year of the reign, to provide for the government of Ahmadábád, and to coerce Haidar Kulí Khán, if he made any resistance. When he reached Ágra, some deceitful plausible letters arrived from Haidar Kulí, making all sorts of excuses. Nizámu-l Mulk continued his march till he reached the confines of Málwá. From letters which he then received from Ahmadábád, it appeared that Haidar Kulí Khán was very ill, and that he had shown some signs of insanity. According to other accounts, it appears that when Haidar Kulí Khán heard of the approach of Nizámu-l Mulk, of his being joined by 'Iwaz Khán and the armies of the Dakhin, and by Bájí Ráo, and other Mahrattas of Rája Sáhú, and of the readiness of his associates in Ahmadábád to recognize Nizámu-l Mulk, he, for the purpose of defeating that general, feigned to be sick, and gave out that symptoms of madness had appeared. Haidar Kulí sent his son to the Emperor with a letter, in which he offered his excuses, and announced his intention of waiting upon His Majesty. Accordingly he set off for Dehlí by way of Ajmír. Nizámu-l Mulk ascertained this fact when he was near the Nerbadda, seven or eight kos from Ahmadábád. He appointed Hámid Khán to act as deputy súbadár of Ahmadábád, and at the beginning of Jumáda-l ákhir turned back towards the capital.
[Text, vol. ii. p. 947.] When Nizámu-l Mulk arrived at Court, he was anxious, as a prudent minister, to show his devotion and competency in the service of the Emperor, by settling affairs of State, accumulating funds, and putting down disturbances. But there was the envy and opposition of the courtiers, especially of Kokí Pádsháh, who would interfere in ministerial affairs, and by receiving bribes and improper gifts, was bringing the Emperor into bad odour. She was strongly opposed to Nizámu-l Mulk. Lastly there was the indifference of the Emperor himself, who made no resistance to the ill repute he was falling into. For these reasons, it appeared to Nizámu-l Mulk that he could not accomplish what was right by continuing to act as wazír.
Various reasons have been assigned for Nizámu-l Mulk's second departure for the Dakhin; but I will relate the explanation which I have heard from credible sources.
At this time intelligence came to Muhammad Sháh from Persia, of the success of Mahmúd Khán Afghán over Sultán Husain Sháh, the sovereign of Írán. It appeared that the territory from Isfahán to Shíráz had passed into his hands; that the people of Isfahán had suffered great hardships; that Sultán Husain had been made prisoner, and that Prince Tahmásp, with the brothers and sons of Sultán Husain, had left the fortress of Isfahán, with the object of raising forces.
One day Nizámu-l Mulk, with the best intentions, told the Emperor that the system of farming the khálisá lands was very injurious to the country, and ought to be set aside; secondly, that the bribes which were received, under the name of peshkash, were disgraceful to the Emperor and adverse to good policy; thirdly, that the jizya upon infidels ought to be collected as in the days of Aurangzeb; fourthly, he recalled the fact that in the days of the rebellion against the Emperor Humáyún, when the realm of Hindústán passed into the hands of Sher Sháh Afghán, the Sháh of Persia had rendered great help and service, and had shown hospitality to Humáyún, when he went towards Persia. If the Emperor Muhammad Sháh were now to help the ruler of Persia in repelling the domination of the Afgháns, it would be recorded in history as a lasting honour to the House of Tímúr. The Emperor said, “Whom have I got to send on such a service?” Nizámu-l Mulk replied, “Any one of your enterprising officers whom you might send on this service would carry out your orders; or if it should please you to name me for the duty, I would strive heart and soul to accomplish it,” and he added some more professions of his loyalty and devotion.
When the Emperor consulted with other nobles of his Court on this subject, a party of them perverted the good opinion which the Emperor entertained of Nizámu-l Mulk, and set him against his wise and excellent minister. The etiquette of the Court and the discipline of the State had fallen entirely away from the proper dignified standard of royalty, and Nizámu-l Mulk desired that orders should be issued to restore it to a suitable style. This greatly irritated the courtiers—and day by day they made statements about Nizámu-l Mulk which were entirely opposed to his thoughts, and by envious malicious insinuations they poisoned the mind of the Emperor against his devoted servant. They put such injurious designs into the head of the inexperienced Emperor against Nizámu-l Mulk, that for the sake of prudence and to save his honour, he at the end of Rabí'u-l awwal, in the sixth year of the reign, got a few days' leave of absence in the name of hunting, and left Dehlí. Upon the excuse of needing change of air, he went thirty or forty kos from the capital to the side of the Ganges. There he hunted and recruited his health.
While he was so engaged, bad news arrived of the disorders caused by the Mahrattas and other insurgents in Ahmadábád and Málwá, the first of these two provinces being held in the name of Nizámu-l Mulk himself, and the other in the name of his son, Gházíu-d dín Khán Bahádur. This became the common talk, and Nizámu-l Mulk having written on the subject to the Emperor, received permission to go and restore order in his two provinces. * * Before he arrived at Ujjain, the Mahrattas heard of his approach, and taking warning departed from the river Nerbadda towards the Dakhin. The other insurgents also put a stop to their outrages.
Nizámu-l Mulk followed them to the neighbourhood of Ujjain; but when he heard that they had crossed the Nerbadda, he gave up the pursuit and fell back to the pargana of Sahúr, near Sironj, in Málwá, intending to return to Court after he had set in order the affairs of that province. While he was thus occupied, important intelligence came from the Dakhin. Mubáriz Khán, názim of the súba of Haidarábád, two years before, at the close of the war with 'Álam 'Alí Khán, came to Nizámu-l Mulk, and made great professions of zeal and devotion. Nizámu-l Mulk took an interest in him, and obtained for him from the Emperor an addition of 2000 to his former 4000, the title of 'Imádu-l Mulk Mubáriz Khán Bahádur Hizbar Jang, [and other distinctions for himself and his sons]. Mubáriz Khán had served Nizámu-l Mulk faithfully. He now gave out that he had been appointed Súbadár of the whole Dakhin, and leaving Haidarábád, he went to take possession of Aurangábád. * *