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

Chapter 53 Abbess, Save Me~
Jiang Qingyun looked up, and Li Shuotai also looked up. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other.

Hehe ~
hehehe~
"Minister Li, I believe you."

"Then, brother, you won't pursue the matter of Korkun?"

"Yes. But may I ask you, Your Excellency, what is your relationship with Korkun?"

"I am not actually familiar with him, but I have a distant cousin who married the second cousin of Korkun's family. That's the connection."

"A close relative."

"For this little thing, my cousin comes to my door every few days, kneeling and crying. I really can't do anything about it."

Jiang Qingyun waved his hand magnanimously.

"I understand, I understand very well."

"So this matter is... over and done with?"

"Turn the page!"

……

With the business settled, Jiang Qingyun grabbed Li Shutai's sleeve.

"Brother Li, please don't refuse today. Let's go to the Eight Great Hutongs."

"No, no, absolutely not."

Li Shuotai repeatedly declined, as if there were "anti-Qing and pro-Ming elements" hiding in the Eight Great Hutongs, and he was particularly determined not to go.

In the end, Jiang Qingyun released him with a regretful expression, and looked at his departing figure with a disdainful smile.

There are two reasons:

First, Li Shuotai married an extremely ugly woman from the Aisin Gioro clan, who had a very low status in the family. If he dared to go to the Eight Great Hutongs, he would be forced to kneel on a washboard and get slapped when he got home.

Second, when Korkun was released and returned home, he joined the Zhenglan Banner rebels and became a living corpse.

This is nobody's fault but theirs.

I did not do anything.

That afternoon, Li Shuotai sent someone to deliver the land deed for a villa located in the western suburbs of Nancheng, as well as a contract of indenture.

Things could go wrong if we wait too long; let's get this done quickly.

As long as Jiang Qingyun doesn't persist in his pursuit, Ke Erkun will be able to get out of prison smoothly through Li Shutai's efforts.

He lost his official position, but at least he kept his life.

……

To solidify the stereotype of him as a "womanizer," Jiang Qingyun hurriedly rode his horse to the western suburbs of the southern city the next day to inspect the place.

The villa is not large, but it is exquisite and simple.

There are two sweet water wells and a grape trellis in the courtyard.

There was a swing under the grape trellis, and sitting on the swing was a beautiful woman dressed in a black robe, with bright features, fair skin, and a round face.

As Lee Sol-tae described, she was dignified and charming.

It's hard for those who haven't seen it all to imagine that the adjectives "dignified" and "charming" can both be used to describe one woman, but that's the truth.

Because of her elegance, she is charming.

……

The two entered the house one after the other and closed the door.

The woman bowed in greeting.

"This humble servant, Liu, greets my lord."

"How old are you, young lady? Where are you from? Are you married?"

Jiang Qingyun sat in his chair and asked in an official tone.

It's nice to be a little decadent sometimes.

"I am 22 years old. I have been destitute since childhood, without parents or any home of my own. I was adopted by a kind-hearted wealthy man in Yangzhou. He found someone to teach me music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and I was virtuous and faithful. But because of the war and the hardships of the world, I cut my hair to show my resolve and entered a nunnery several years ago. Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, I was bought and settled here."

"I ask you, did you do this voluntarily?"

"Yes~"

……

Jiang Qingyun stood up, walked to Liu Shi, and took off his hat.

A fair-skinned, round bald head instantly came into view.

Liu's originally lowered eyelids lifted up at this moment, and she looked at the man in front of her with a gaze that seemed to be "preparing to be martyred".

Her whole body trembled slightly.

What is your full name?

"My name is Liu Zhangtai, and I have never had any private contact with strange men."

Jiang Qingyun took off his sword and threw it onto the table with a clatter, then picked up Liu Shi and carried her horizontally.

"My lord, please have pity on me."

The voice of the person in her arms was plaintive, like a willow swaying in the wind, truly light and boneless, smooth as butter.

The reins of 20 years of advanced education snapped. Forget deputy section chiefs, forget censors—in this situation, there's only one word: "Master, save me."

……

Simone de Beauvoir once said: "A woman's greatest weapon is weakness. The more gentle she is, the more deadly she becomes. The weaker she is, the more deadly she becomes."

Liu's performance was completely genuine, without any hint of pandering, and she vividly portrayed the inner world of a woman struggling in the chaos of a changing dynasty.

Helpless, weak, and submissive.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Jiang Qingyun was clear-headed, yet felt a sense of loss. This trip across the Tongtian River was exhilarating, and he obtained the "True Scripture of Pleasure".

"Cultivation is in the heart, not in the place. If you are willing, you can cultivate yourself even in the midst of the mundane world."

"Yes."

Jiang Qingyun's gaze was drawn to a cheap wooden statue around Liu's neck.

"This is?"

“It was left to me by my master when I was practicing in the nunnery. I have worn it around my neck all these years, and seeing it reminds me of him.”

……

Jiang Qingyun got up and got off the bed.

Liu Shi still clutched the bedsheet, her eyes lowered, showing no intention of getting out of bed to serve him.

Jiang Qingyun didn't take it to heart. After dressing himself properly, he turned around, lifted the quilt, and found a blood-stained white silk handkerchief, stuffing it into his sleeve.

"I have some knowledge of Buddhism. I believe that the more one is in the secular world, the more one can cultivate the mind of a monk. You should cultivate diligently here. If you need scriptures, calligraphy tools or the like, you can ask your maid to procure them."

"I will come to see you when I have free time."

……

Push the door open, then close it again.

Jiang Qingyun gave instructions to the maids and servants in the courtyard.

"You all take good care of Master Liu. Her daily expenses will be covered by the household. I will send someone to manage this tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

The three of them lowered their heads and looked meek.

After a while, Liu went out of the house and sat on the swing again, her heart as still as water, calm and undisturbed, as if nothing had happened.

A 22-year-old woman is different.

……

Inside Yongding Gate.

A newly opened training ground in the South City Military Command.

The patrolling soldiers need to practice various subjects for an hour and a half every day, with military discipline alone taking up half an hour.

Discipline is everything.

Obedience is our duty.

Jiang Qingyun stood on the platform with his hands behind his back, silently reciting two poems.

"The Willow of Zhangtai"
Willow of Zhangtai, Willow of Zhangtai
Are those memories from the past still there?

Even though the long branches hang down as before,
One should also break the hands of others.

"The Willow of Zhangtai" Part Two
Willow branches, fragrant season,
It's hateful that every year brings farewells.

A single leaf falls on the wind, suddenly heralding autumn.

Even if you come, how can I bear to break you?
……

"Zhangtai Liu" is actually the name of a ci (lyric poetry) title.

Legend has it that during the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty, a scholar named Han Hong fell in love with a famous courtesan named Liu. Later, due to war, Chang'an fell to the enemy, and the woman cut her hair to become a nun. However, she was still abducted by a foreign general and taken as his concubine.

After Chang'an was subdued, Han Hong wrote the above poem in response, and Lady Liu wrote the following poem in reply.

The two were reunited.

The person who named her "Liu Zhangtai" based on this story was clearly no ordinary person; the name sounds too contrived.

……

Li Yongfang was the top intelligence chief of the Later Jin dynasty, and he was present in every city that fell in Liaodong.

Li Lutai is his son. Can the son of an intelligence chief be an intelligence chief?
On the surface, after Li Yongfang's death, the Qing imperial family took control of the secret intelligence agency. Li Shuaitai continued to serve in the military.

But who can guarantee that?
A woman who offers herself up is hard to judge in terms of her quality.

The quality of a man who comes to you is even more uncertain.

If you're ugly, it's simple.

One swift cut.

But this woman, ironically, is extremely delightful.
Jiang Qingyun silently reviewed the events of the day and decided to permanently keep Liu Zhangtai outside the mansion and completely exclude him from her network of relationships.

Occasionally, I'm fortunate.

(End of this chapter)