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

Chapter 61 Fishing in the Forbidden City

This was not a successful morning court session; no victory was achieved!
The above is from the perspective of Emperor Shunzhi.

When the court session ended, a young eunuch quietly stopped Jiang Qingyun.

"Lord Jiang, please wait. Please come with me."

"it is good."

Jiang Qingyun didn't ask any more questions. After all, he didn't have a lover in the palace. Apart from Emperor Shunzhi, no one else would ask to see him. He just followed the eunuch.

After several twists and turns, we arrived at the fish pond in the Imperial Garden.

……

Emperor Shunzhi was sitting there fishing.
Jiang Qingyun looked around and saw no one within 10 zhang. He immediately realized that the young emperor wanted to discuss secrets and had deliberately chosen this place.

So he deliberately made his steps heavier and took a few steps forward.

"Long live my emperor."

"Rise, my dear subject, and sit here. Do you know how to fish?"

"I have loved fishing since I was a child."

"There are fishing rods over there, help yourself."

"According to the order."

Traditional fishing involves catching fish. It seems simple, but it's actually not complicated.

Fishing in the Forbidden City is about fishing for people. It seems simple, but it's actually incredibly complex.

Fish don't talk about politics, but fishermen do.

Jiang Qingyun picked up a fishing rod from the ground, pretended to attach a non-existent air bait, and then swung his arm.

With a whoosh, the empty hook was forcefully thrown into the water.

Then they waited intently for the fish to bite.

……

Haruki Murakami once said:

In officialdom, when faced with inquiries from superiors, a wise subordinate knows to give an irrelevant answer. You ask your question, I'll answer mine.

"My dear minister, the siege of the Forbidden City by the Plain Blue Banner is something I have never heard of or seen before. Every time I think of it, my heart aches."

"Your Majesty possesses great virtue."

"I have long wanted to define Dorgon's character, but with so many important events happening in the court, I have never been able to find a good opportunity."

"His Majesty's heart is filled with the entire land of China."

The reply seemed completely irrelevant, but Shunzhi thought it was acceptable.

Jiang Qingyun was startled when his float suddenly moved. "No way, it's biting even with an empty hook? Have the fish kept in the Forbidden City become this stupid?"

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.

Looking to the side, Shunzhi's float was also moving.

……

Emperor Shunzhi was still complaining.

"I originally intended to make a ruling on the Plain Blue Banner incident in court today, but the ministers argued endlessly, and the princes and ministers of the Council of State were even more obstructive. I cannot make a decision."

"Your Majesty, I have a plan."

"speak."

"It would be better to first define it as Dorgon, and then define it as the Plain Blue Banner."

"Ok?"

"Your Majesty, Dorgon is an obstacle that Your Majesty cannot avoid after assuming personal rule, and also an obstacle in the hearts of the ministers. Once he is removed, everything will go smoothly."

"What do you think should be done, my esteemed minister?"

“His coffin was opened and his corpse mutilated for ten major crimes. The first is treason, the second is plotting rebellion, the third is treason, the fourth is heinous crime, the fifth is immorality, the sixth is disrespect, the seventh is filial impiety, the eighth is discord, the ninth is injustice, and the tenth is internal strife.”

Who will take the lead?

"Your subject has come to devise a plan."

"Where is the evidence of treason?"

"Your Majesty, I have come to search for them."

"What if the court officials object?"

"Order the imperial guards to arrest him on the spot, designate him as an accomplice, and make an example of him to warn others."

"What if the Empress Dowager also objects?"

"Before the event occurs, the Empress Dowager will object. Once the event occurs, the Empress Dowager will no longer object. When that time comes, the Empress Dowager will only firmly support the Emperor."

……

Emperor Shunzhi's expression was conflicted.

Suddenly, he turned his head and said:
"Since I am the Son of Heaven, I am naturally favored by Heaven. Today, I will fish. If I catch one first, I will obey your will. If I do not catch one, the plan will be postponed. Heaven's will cannot be defied." "Your subject will respectfully obey Heaven's will."

After the fisherman made his vow, the two stopped chatting and focused intently on the lake.

The clouds were a bit thick today, there was no sunshine, the wind was quite strong, and the lake was not calm.

Half an hour has passed~
Shunzhi's float bobbed up and down, and his palms sweated with tension.

……

"Your Majesty, the fish is served!"

Shunzhi suddenly got up and pulled hard on the fishing rod, and saw a golden carp struggling on the surface of the water.

Jiang Qingyun quickly grabbed the net and went to the railing. When the carp got close, he stretched out the net and scooped it up.

Steady and reliable~
Carp caught in the net~
Jiang Qingyun looked up at the sky and said in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, this is the will of Heaven."

Emperor Shunzhi was excited, feeling an indescribable impulse begin to swell within him, filled with boundless ambition, and eager to immediately stir up the winds and clouds of the world.

"My mind is made up, my subject, do as I say!"

"The minister obeys the order."

After the emperor and his minister left, a group of eunuchs came to pack up their belongings.

"Hey, look, the fish have already eaten all of Lord Jiang's bait."

"The fish in our Forbidden City are so clever, how could we let an outsider catch them? No way!"

……

In the imperial study room.

Shunzhi said very seriously:

"Minister Hong died for his country, and the court should commend him and provide him with generous compensation. We wish to add the title of Wenzhong to his name and announce it to the world."

"The Emperor's Holy Might."

Unexpectedly, Emperor Shunzhi suddenly laughed.

"My dear minister, you probably don't know this, but Hong Chengchou strongly recommended you in his will. To be honest, this is the first time I've ever seen him praise someone like this."

Seeing that Jiang Qingyun was clearly bewildered, Shunzhi simply ordered someone to find the memorial and throw it at Jiang Qingyun.

Jiang Qingyun took it and quickly glanced at it.

This one look was quite alarming; a chill ran down my spine, as if I were being pricked by thorns, and a cold wind was blowing in my back.

The handwriting is illegible.

The content is horrifying.

"The Great Qing cannot be without the Han Army flag for a single day, and the Han Army flag cannot be without Jiang Qingyun for a single day. Only on my deathbed did I realize that Jiang's talent was by no means inferior to mine. If the court wants to unify the world, it should rely more on this man."

Jiang Qingyun almost jumped up on the spot.

Impossible, absolutely impossible. Hyung-gu, what the hell are you trying to do?
……

No one could answer the question, so much so that Jiang Qingyun, who should have been in a good mood, became preoccupied and locked herself in her study.

dong dong dong~
"Yun'er, it's me."

Wen came in person.

"I heard from Jiangnan that you looked worried and wouldn't say anything when I asked. You just locked yourself in your study and didn't come out for most of the day. What's wrong? Have you encountered some trouble?"

“I didn’t tell them. This matter is too complicated and it’s a long story.”

Blah blah blah.

Fifteen minutes later, Wen's face turned pale.

"Why did you scheme against Hong Chengchou until his death?"

“Mother, we are of one mind, I have nothing to hide. Smallpox, variolation, Hong Chengchou, the Zhenglan Banner mutiny, it’s all connected. I have only one purpose in planning all of this: I want to seize power!”

"So even if you don't get rid of Hong Chengchou, you will get rid of other important officials of similar caliber."

"Yes. The Qing Dynasty was ruled by a small ethnic group, which seemed similar to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty on the surface, but in reality they were completely different. If I wanted to seize power, I had to stir up trouble. If things were stable inside and out and the world was unified, I would have no chance."

Jiang Qingyun smiled happily.

Wen took a deep breath:

"I understand."

"Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. Mother still says the same thing: there's no right or wrong in this world, only success or failure. The successful are always right. So, getting back to the point, I believe that Hong Chengchou's will so highly praises you for only one purpose."

"what?"

"Protect his family, especially his son, from your clutches."

Jiang Qingyun pondered for a moment and muttered to himself.

"Mother, here's the question: Does Hong Shiming know about this?"

(End of this chapter)