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

Chapter 78 Just seeking peace of mind
The father and daughter's situation was tragic, but passersby were used to it and showed little sympathy.

Because there are countless tragic events these days, compared to the layers of new and old graves not far away, those who are alive are still doing alright.

That's how life is~
Scholars say, "To live a life of mere survival."

The common people say they live like dogs.

……

The daughter kept her head down and refused to look up.

When the father called out for the fourth time, a man making paper figures seemed to be tempted. He stepped off the main road, squatted down closer, and examined the face, wondering if the deal was worthwhile.

Tuk-tuk-tuk~
Jiang Qingyun reined in his horse and left the official road.

Upon seeing that it was an official, the man making the paper figures immediately fled.

“Sir, the girl is still young and innocent. Two sesame cakes saved her life; you are truly kind.”

Jiang Qingyun looked down at him with a friendly expression.

Do you own any land?

"I've been tagged."

"Take it and go home."

Jiang Qingyun took out a few loose silver pieces, about two taels, tossed them down lightly, and then turned his horse and left.

……

The thin girl who had been kneeling suddenly rushed over and blocked the horse's path.

The warhorse was suddenly startled, and with a kick, the girl was sent tumbling a long way.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Qingyun's guards instinctively drew their swords, while the man was so frightened that he kept kowtowing on the spot. The surrounding people fled in a panic, fearing that "when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat will also be affected."

"Sheathe your sword."

Jiang Qingyun dismounted, first calming the warhorse, then walked towards the girl who was lying about ten feet away.

"Keep your head up."

The girl's face was deathly pale, blood streaming down her forehead staining half her face. She was trembling uncontrollably, and one of her arms was weak, probably broken by a warhorse.

Her voice was very weak:
"Sir, buy me! I want to live!"

Jiang Qingyun felt that this look was familiar.

Before the time travel, a black-and-white poster for Project Hope had become a sensation across the country, featuring a mountain girl holding a pencil and writing, who suddenly looked up.

That look in their eyes is called "hope".

"Want to come with me?"

"think."

……

"I want to buy her. How much silver do you want?"

"5 taels."

"it is good."

Things happened quickly, and they were resolved quickly as well.

"Get out of the way, all of you, get out of the way."

Several constables arrived and vigorously drove away the people on the official road. Clearing the road was something they were best at.

"Welcome back to the capital, Your Excellency."

Jiang Qingyun didn't stand on ceremony. He spurred his horse and scurried down the empty street into the West Gate.

Watching the departing horse caravan, a merchant sighed with emotion.

"This girl is lucky. She's married into a wealthy family and will never have to worry about food or drink."

"A poor girl who eats two sesame cakes a day can only manage to be a maid at best."

"The maids in the mansions can eat meat and wear padded jackets. This girl may look dirty, but she's actually quite well-off. After a few years of good food, she'll be a different person."

……

As they passed the orphanage, Jiang Qingyun reined in his horse.

"Sir Shen, I found a girl outside the city. Find a doctor to treat her injuries."

"well."

Since Jiang Qingyun set the naming rules for the orphanage, this woman simply took the surname Shen and was named Yue.

Seeing that she seemed hesitant to speak, Jiang Qingyun asked.

"what happened?"

"Sir, there are already 612 babies in the orphanage."

"so much?"

"Yes. Every day when we open the door, we pick up several children. If this continues, the orphanage really won't be able to support them. With hundreds of children, they would eat a small mountain of brown rice every day."

The woman's face was filled with fear.

……

"It's alright, I'll think of another way. And who is this gentleman?"

"Me, my man."

Shen Yue felt somewhat embarrassed, nervously twisting her fingers. A widow remarrying always invites gossip behind her back. The "Bowl-Holding Arhat" was dead, and she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Jiang Qingyun entered the orphanage.

The huge courtyard was half paved with red bricks and half with mud. There were children everywhere, boys and girls, big and small, healthy and disabled.

It still lacks vitality, but it's much better than the previous lifeless atmosphere.

A familiar child ran over, but this time he didn't reach out for a hug.

But Jiang Qingyun still recognized him and picked him up.

"What's your name? How old are you?"

"My name is Shen Qian, and I am 5 years old."

"Yes, it sounds great."

……

"Sir, could you please name the baby girl you just brought?"

"Korean clothing".

"Hey, it sounds pretty good."

Jiang Qingyun was not satisfied with the courtyard.

"Move a row of trees here, put up some stone slides here, and install some swings here. And that wall, have someone paint it with whitewash, and I'll personally inscribe it."

"Don't worry about funding, but embezzlement is not allowed. Remember, it's only a short walk from Shijia Hutong to Caishikou."

"In short, we do good deeds to the end, and the orphanage accepts all children regardless of their needs.

As he spoke~
More and more children gathered around, looking up at Jiang Qingyun silently.

Someone started it, and one by one the children knelt down. Manager Shen and his helpers also knelt down, sobbing uncontrollably.

A blind child stood out from the crowd, looking bewildered.

This scene...
Jiang Qingyun's eyes reddened slightly, and then she left the orphanage.

As Zhou Shao said, every time he came to this place, he was heartbroken, but thankfully he finally stopped having nightmares.

……

By the time they returned to the mansion, it was already dark.

Flower Hall.

Wen was reading by lamplight. Green Pearl stood beside her, fanning away mosquitoes and chatting occasionally.

They used to be master and servant, now they're mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

"I've been waiting for you here, Green Pearl. Go back and rest."

"Yes."

In the courtyard, beside the stone table.

The mother and son took their seats.

"Yun'er, are you keeping a mistress?"

"Hmm. Did Jiangnan tell you?"

No. It's because you have an unfamiliar scent.

Jiang Qingyun raised his sleeve and kept sniffing, but couldn't smell anything at all.

Wen chuckled.

"Stop smelling it. Men have a poor sense of smell, while women have a very sensitive one. Apart from Jiangnan, every other woman in this mansion can smell the fragrance on you."

……

Why keep them outside?

"I'm not entirely comfortable with this woman."

"Knowing you're worried, why can't you let go?"

"Yes."

Jiang Qingyun answered very frankly.

Ms. Wen was speechless for a moment, but then she understood.

What attracts women to men?
Official rank, wealth, and good looks go without saying, but in addition to these external factors, there is actually a very crucial hidden factor—courage.

Courage can be understood as: adventurous spirit, unruliness, gender tension, aggression, wildness, and recklessness.

In short—the more dangerous, the more attractive to women.

Those who frequently hunt in primitive times know that when you charge at a mammoth wearing animal skins and wielding a stone spear, all the women in the tribe want to bear your children.

……

"Yun'er, you captured Chen Mingxia, the Grand Secretary of the National History Academy, at the morning court session. He is the leader of the Southern Party faction. I don't quite understand your purpose in doing this?"

“He jumped out and attacked me, so I had to crush him. It was that simple. I didn’t think about anything else at the time.”

Ms. Wen couldn't help but rub her forehead.

"You killed the leader of the Southern Party, and now you want to take the daughters of those Donglin scholars as concubines. Don't you find that contradictory?"

“Mother, to be honest, the Chaonan Party are all cowards who fear power but not morality. Beat up the father-in-law first, then beg his daughter. I think that works.”

(End of this chapter)