You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 101 Viewed as a Honey Trap

Hans Christian Andersen once said:
The so-called woman disguised as a man is like the Emperor's New Clothes; no one wants to expose it. Her slightly developed pectoral muscles and her vanished Adam's apple can't hide a thing.

After the meal and drinks.

Jiang Qingyun smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Highness, I apologize for offending you today."

"Oh, it's nothing, just a small misunderstanding, not worth mentioning. Let's drink."

Kong Youde waved his right hand, displaying a magnanimous and unrestrained spirit.

Wu Jinyan, standing to the side, knew in his heart: There is no such thing as becoming friends after a fight in this world. It is nothing more than weighing the pros and cons, assessing the situation, and each taking a step back.

……

Before leaving, Kong Sizhen secretly slipped a crumpled piece of paper to Jiang Qingyun when no one else was looking.

Jiang Qingyun thought to himself again: This woman is really trying to seduce me!
After everyone left~
He unfolded the paper and saw that it read: "If you are interested, meet me in the carriage five days from now, at noon, three li outside Yongding Gate."

Jiang Qingyun was confused.

Kong Sizhen was a complete stranger to him, yet she was so dissolute at such a young age. Did her father, Kong Youde, know about it? Did her fiancé, Sun Yanling, know about it?

Is it a moral decline or a deliberate trap?

Should we kindly remind Green-Haired Qianzong?

……

"Sir, are you okay?"

"fine."

Jiang Qingyun casually tossed the crumpled paper aside, rode his horse back to his residence, and rode through wind and snow, the cold seeping into his bones.

He had a dream that night.

In my dream, the ice and snow in the capital city melted, spring was in full bloom, and I rode my horse to the agreed location, where a carriage was indeed waiting.

Lifting the curtain, Kong Sizhen looked shy and bashful.

"My lord, you have shown me such great kindness that I have no way to repay you but to offer myself to you."

Bamboo shoots peeled, jade-green melons split open~
Suddenly, a group of burly men appeared outside.

Immortal jump!
Then, I woke up.

Under the moonlight~
The calico cat stared at itself in shock, awkwardly stopped stomping, and jumped down on its own.

It turned out to be a false alarm.

The next day, I slept soundly until dawn, feeling completely refreshed.

……

Wu Yong arrived at noon.

"Second brother, why are you here?"

"By imperial decree, the entire Imperial Medical Academy was mobilized to treat the officials who fell ill from the cold at the morning court session that day. I figured since it was an official business, I might as well come and check on you."

"I am fine."

Despite saying that, Jiang Qingyun still consciously stretched out his arm.

Wu Yong closed his eyes to take the pulse.

"Second brother, you don't need to close your eyes when you take my pulse. I'm not one to shy away from medical treatment, so just tell me what's wrong."

"It's a habit, and it's hard to change."

After a while, Wu Yong opened his eyes and nodded.

"Relatively healthy."

After saying that, he picked up his pen and began to write with great flourish on the paper.

Jiang Qingyun couldn't help but laugh. The phrase "relatively healthy" always felt a bit inappropriate, but he was certain that Wu Yong hadn't meant it on purpose.

"why are you laughing?"

"Nothing. By the way, did an official from the Court of State Ceremonial freeze to death yesterday?"

"Yes, there are also more than twenty people who have suffered frostbite, including some with extremely serious conditions. One or two of them already had minor injuries, and they may not be able to make it to next spring."

Jiang Qingyun sighed.

Being young, wearing a leather jacket, having a high-calorie breakfast, and having a heater—if you're missing any one of these, you might not be "relatively healthy," but rather "not very healthy."

……

After the pulse diagnosis, the two chatted and drank tea in the courtyard.

"Third brother, who designed your residence?"

"I!"

"Your residence, combined with your pulse, reveals a secret—you are very guilty and extremely wary."

Jiang Qingyun neither rejected nor agreed, but simply sighed.

"I have too many enemies, I have to be careful." "Third brother, you were being reckless."

"Ok?"

"After Li Yongfang's death, his intelligence organization seemed to vanish overnight. Where did they go? I'm sure you and I can guess. In addition to serving the needs of the royal family, the Thirteen Offices also take on some of the functions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Now that you have rashly intervened in the Thirteen Offices, I'm afraid it will bring unnecessary trouble. Third brother, in the future, you can consult me ​​beforehand about some things. We are brothers."

Jiang Qingyun cupped his hands in greeting:
"Second brother, I'm sorry. Actually, my goal is very simple, just two words—to seize power."

……

Three days later, the snow stopped.

Dangdang~
The yamen runners of the Five Cities Garrison beat gongs and shouted orders.

"Everyone is coming out to clear the snow in front of their houses."

"Sweeping snow is for yourself and for others. The southern part of the city is our home. Cleanliness depends on everyone, safety depends on everyone, and we should all walk without slipping."

"Don't be lazy, or your neighbors will talk behind your back."

The mobilization efforts were highly effective.

Merchants and residents alike mobilized to clear snow from the entire city.

In just half a day, all the snow in the alleys and lanes of the southern part of the city was cleared, and pedestrians could walk with peace of mind.

Many people in the southern city felt that the world had changed, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what had changed. In short, the Five Cities Garrison was everyone's protector.

……

The orphanage, in the courtyard.

Jiang Qingyun held a writing brush, while the monk Tianji held an inkstone. After dipping the inkstone in ink, they wrote on the white wall in one stroke: Fairness and Integrity.

"Monk, how is it?"

"Dongweng's calligraphy is superb; even if Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Cai Xiang were alive today, they would have to admit defeat."

"I'm asking about the symbolism."

"The meaning is excellent, but it's easier said than done."

"If we promote it vigorously, it might have a 30% effect, but even 30% is good. In short, some things require our strong push and cannot be expected to develop naturally."

"Master Dong, your words are becoming more and more Zen-like."

"Monk, your words are becoming more and more worldly."

Behind him, hundreds of little heads watched, unable to understand or hear anything, but that didn't stop them from watching their benefactor.

……

Jiang Qingyun discarded the largest brush and replaced it with a smaller brush to copy Zhang Ruoxu's "Spring River Flower Moon Night" on the wall.

The tide of the Chunjiang River connects to the sea, and the moon and the sea coexist.

~
Who first saw the moon by the riverbank? In what year did the river moon first shine on people?
Life goes on endlessly, generation after generation, but the moon over the river remains the same year after year.

I wonder for whom the river moon waits, but all I see is the Yangtze River carrying its flowing water.

A white cloud drifts leisurely by, while sorrow overwhelms me on the shores of Qingfengpu.

~
The river flows and spring is gone, and the river pond falls to the west.

The oblique moon sinks into the sea fog, and the Jieshi Xiaoxiang Road is endless.

I don't know how many people will return to Chengyue, but the moon is full of love.

……

The monk Tianji seemed to be deep in thought:
"Master Dong, what do you think of this poem?"

"It expresses the poet's reflections on time and the universe. What's most wonderful is that when the poet expounds on such a grand meaning, there is no sharpness or obscurity in his words! There is only tranquility, absolute tranquility!"

Jiang Qingyun's eyes gleamed.

"A single poem that stands out in the entire Tang Dynasty."

"The old man's intentions were good, but unfortunately these children couldn't understand them."

"Someone will understand it eventually. By the way, Manager Shen."

"What are your orders, sir?"

“Find seven or eight bright and healthy children to study in the Red Brick Alley. They can study during the day and stay here at night. Once they can read, they can teach others.”

Shen Yue readily agreed.

The private school in the red brick alley only accepted the children of Jiang Qingyun's subordinates. It only taught them basic Chinese characters and arithmetic, but not classical texts.

……

suddenly~
A clerk rushed in.

"Sir, something terrible has happened! Another troublemaking young man has come to the south of the city."

"Who?"

“Wu Yingxiong, the heir apparent of the Prince of Pingxi, led his troops to smash up the private restaurant at No. 13 outside Xuanwu Gate.”

(End of this chapter)