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

Chapter 62 Shameless!
West City, Hong Mansion.

The entrance was draped in white mourning clothes, displaying the utmost solemnity and honor.

This mansion was quite lively a few days ago, with envoys from the palace bestowing silver, colleagues from various departments offering condolences, and former subordinates sighing with regret.
After the funeral, the area in front of the Hong residence was deserted and few people came and went.

No matter how important you were in life, you can't escape this rule—when the wife dies, guests flock to the door. But when the master dies, not even ghosts come to visit.

The Hong family has now experienced firsthand what it means to be forgotten once someone leaves.

Those who frequently hold official positions know that it's not so much that people become indifferent after leaving office; sometimes, the tea gets cold even before the person leaves.

……

But today, a rare guest has arrived.

Two knights led a carriage slowly to the door.

The gatekeeper hurriedly went to greet him:

"you are?"

Zhou Cang: "Lord Jiang Qingyun, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, invites Young Master Hong to come over for a chat. This is the invitation!"

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The doorman dashed inside to report.

A short while later, Hong Shiming came out, followed by a young woman.

"Young Master Hong, who is this gentleman?"

"My sister wishes to attend the banquet with me."

"Please get in the car, Mr. Hong and Miss Hong."

The carriage moved at a moderate pace and soon arrived at Bingmasi Hutong in the southern part of the city.

Jiang Qingyun bought all the houses in the alley and also occupied a vacant piece of government land for free, which he used to expand his mansion and the residences of his confidants.

Safety is of paramount importance.

Arrogance is not madness or madness, but rather a proactive attack that walks the edge of the rules after correctly recognizing one's own strength and the general trend of the court. The purpose of the attack is to seize power.

……

When passing by the orphanage.

"Stop, stop the car."

When Hong Shiming got out of the car, his eyes were red. It wasn't an act; he could easily find sadness these days.

"Child, take this."

He slipped a silver ingot to the snotty-nosed boy at the door.

The snotty-nosed boy clutched the silver and ran back to call for the manager.

By the time the woman in charge arrived, the carriage had already gone far away, and she could only sigh that there were still kind people in the world.

Now, she feels both happy and worried.

The good news is that the living environment has greatly improved and the food is guaranteed.

The worry is the population explosion. People from far and wide come to abandon their children, whom they can't raise, at the entrance of the orphanage, just to increase even the slightest chance of survival.

When we first moved here, the orphanage only had a little over a hundred people; now it has more than three hundred, and will soon exceed five hundred. Reaching one thousand or two thousand is only a matter of time.

Funds will eventually run out.

The woman in charge, holding a healthy baby girl she had just found, muttered to herself, "You rascal, you've become an Arhat in heaven, and now you're living the good life."

……

Chiang Kai-shek's residence.

"Your nephew greets Your Highness, Aunt."

Upon seeing Ms. Wen, Hong Shiming immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face, looking pitiful.

"Get up quickly, good boy, sit down and have some tea."

Wen also sighed.

Jiang Qingyun had been observing Hong Shiming ever since he entered the room.

Having lived two lives, his judgment of people was incredibly accurate. Yet, he couldn't detect any trace of acting in Hong Shiming's performance.

"Brother Shiming, please accept my condolences. How is your family doing?"

"The whole family is in a state of panic and tries to stay indoors as much as possible."

"Why is this?"

"My father made too many enemies during his lifetime because of the smallpox vaccination campaign. If it weren't for the imperial court's posthumous title of 'Wenzhong,' my family would probably have been..."

At this point, Hong Shiming suddenly got up from his chair and knelt down with a thud.

"Brother Qingyun, save me!"

Jiang Qingyun quickly got up and helped him up.

"Mother, you go back to your room first. Brother Shiming and I will have a long chat."

"Alright." Madam Wen got up and left the flower hall.

Before leaving, she looked at the woman in mourning clothes standing with her hands at her sides outside the flower hall and asked meaningfully, "Who is this?"

"My younger sister, Hong Tao, is sixteen years old."

"Hong Tao has met his aunt and Imperial Censor Jiang."

Mr. Wen nodded, smiled, and left.

……

Only Jiang Qingyun and the Hong siblings remained in the flower hall.

"Brother Shiming, are you familiar with your father's 'Letter of Blood and Tears to the Emperor'?"

“I only found out a few days ago when an uncle from the Ministry of War came to offer his condolences. I am ashamed to say that I was not by my father’s side when he was besieged by the rebels. I only regret that I could not die with my father.”

“If you had died at the hands of the rebels that day, your father would have died with regrets. You are the sole descendant of the Hong family, and your father would have risked his life to protect you.”

The question and answer session seemed calm on the surface.

Jiang Qingyun, however, also took in the expressions and reactions of the brother and sister.

Hong Shiming's face showed guilt, sorrow, inner turmoil, and confusion. Hong Tao, on the other hand, showed sorrow, confusion, and a hint of impending martyrdom.

……

“Your father’s last letter strongly recommended me to the court, and his words were excessive. I am ashamed,” Jiang Qingyun said quietly. “Your father was a magnanimous prime minister and held no grudge against me at all.”

The brother and sister both knew perfectly well that the so-called resentment referred to Jiang Qingyun's refusal to agree to a marriage alliance.

"I never expected that my father would still be thinking about recommending Brother Qingyun to the court before he died. Perhaps it was because he was a rare talent and had a selfless heart."

Hong Shiming suddenly turned his head.

"Little sister, come here."

Hong Tao walked into the flower hall with neither arrogance nor servility.

"Kneel down."

The brother and sister knelt down again.

Jiang Qingyun was at his wit's end and could only continue acting.

"Oh dear, Young Master Hong, get up! Why do you have to do this? Why do you have to do this?"

“Brother Qingyun, I am willing to offer myself as your bedmate and serve you by your side.”

"But I already have a wife and concubines."

……

“Lord Jiang, my sister doesn’t want any title or status. She only asks that you protect the Hong family. That would be the greatest kindness you could ask for. Father, he can rest in peace in the afterlife.”

"No, no!" Jiang Qingyun retreated step by step, and hurriedly refused, "The Hong family is a prominent family in Nan'an, Fujian. How could they be my slaves? If you miss me because of the things you see in the capital, you can go back to your hometown in Nan'an. Why should you grovel in the capital?"

These words are perfectly reasonable.

The Hong family is a powerful local clan with land, manpower, and money. They have also intermarried with many other prominent local families, making their relationships extremely complex and intertwined. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them local tyrants.

Seeing that the two were silent, Jiang Qingyun made a move to leave.

Thirty-six strategies, walking is the best strategy.

This game is unbreakable!
The brother and sister were dressed in mourning clothes, their posture humbled to the dust. With Hong Chengchou's "last will and testament recommending" them, they could not risk the wrath of the world.

This isn't a question of whether someone is ruthless or not; it's about the basic moral values ​​of everyone in this era.

……

Hong Shiming crawled a few steps on his knees and grabbed Jiang Qingyun's boots.

“Brother Jiang, we can’t go back to our old home in Nan’an either. Because my father was captured and surrendered to the Qing in the Battle of Songshan, our clan has long since publicly severed ties with our branch of the family. We have nowhere to go if we leave the capital.”

"Please, have pity on my brother and me."

"Little sister, quick, kowtow to the master."

Jiang Qingyun was instantly at her wits' end. She was completely bewildered, like she'd stepped on a piece of chewing gum. She couldn't hit it, and she couldn't scold it.

Just as his mind was racing.

Suddenly, two women entered: Green Pearl and Late Spring.

……

Green Pearl smiled radiantly:

"Young Master, the banquet is ready. You and Young Master Hong can eat and chat at the same time."

"Alright, alright. Brother Shiming, let's eat first. Oh, don't worry, the Hong family will be fine. I'm in charge of the Five Cities Garrison."

Jiang Qingyun decisively exerted his strength and forcibly dragged Hong Shiming up.

Two men walked in front, and three women walked behind.

(End of this chapter)