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

Chapter 85 The Imperial Study: Encountering a Test of Death
Jiang Qingyun was overjoyed, but he kept his expression strictly under control.

"I remember."

"Since that day, the Secretariat has received a total of 124 memorials from officials of the third rank or above in the capital and local governors, as well as more than 1500 voluntary memorials from Manchu bannermen in the capital. My dear minister, guess what they said to me?"

"I can't guess."

Shunzhi sneered and turned around.

"Among them are more than 30 memorials and more than 500 petitions, arguing that the court should grant Dorgon posthumous honors and boasting about this traitor's achievements. It's utterly outrageous. Come with me to the Imperial Study."

……

Next to the Imperial Study~
The petitions piled up like a mountain, and Jiang Qingyun buried himself in them, reading them diligently. He flipped through the pages extremely quickly, seemingly reading ten lines at a glance, but in reality, he was pondering countermeasures.

What a golden opportunity!
Shouldn't we take this opportunity to slaughter them in the capital, leaving nine out of ten houses empty?
An hour later, Shunzhi returned.

"My dear minister, have you finished reading?"

"Yes."

"What do you think?"

Jiang Qingyun looked up and noticed that Shunzhi's eyes were very anxious, his hands were clenching and unclenching unnaturally, and his tone seemed a little insecure.

moment.

Alarm bells rang in Jiang Qingyun's mind, and he swiftly overturned all the words he had prepared beforehand.

……

"This matter is of great importance. I am merely a fourth-rank official and dare not make any rash comments."

"Speak! I will pardon you."

Jiang Qingyun noticed again that Shunzhi was clearly a little impatient.

"I have overstepped my bounds. The Eight Banners system is the foundation of our Great Qing, and the Eight Banners members are the cornerstone of our Great Qing. Every life of an Eight Banners member is precious. If we can avoid killing them, we should do our best to learn from past mistakes and save lives."

"How do you treat illnesses and save lives?"

"Admonition, education, and screening. If these people truly realize their mistakes and repent, they can still continue to serve the court. Of course, the only option for the very few die-hards is to behead them."

"Who will take responsibility?"

"I would gladly die ten thousand times over."

"What about the local governors and the generals at the front?"

"Your Majesty can take advantage of this great victory in the south to recall them to the capital for discussions. Afterwards, they can remain in the capital and, after careful consideration, gradually demote them to commoners."

"I understand, my subject, you may leave."

……

After Jiang Qingyun left, a figure emerged from behind the hall.

"Your Majesty, did you hear that?"

"Ah."

"Can you rest assured now? Jiang Qingyun is not the kind of subject you're worried about."

"I hope so."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's expression was indescribable. Ever since Emperor Shunzhi assumed power, the relationship between mother and son could never be the same again.

She believed that Jiang Qingyun was a cruel official and should be discarded as soon as possible.

Emperor Shunzhi believed that Jiang Qingyun was a rare upright and loyal minister. Even if he was a cruel official, he was still a famous minister like Zhang Tang, not a ruthless minister like Zhou Xinglai.

The mother and son argued endlessly, which eventually led to this test specifically designed for Jiang Qingyun.

……

“Fulin, Jiang Qingyun was right about one thing.”

"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

"The Eight Banners system is the foundation of the Qing Dynasty. There is no Qing Dynasty without the Eight Banners. I know that some people in the capital have wronged you and have been disloyal to you, but that is all in the past."

"The Three Princes of Shun and the Prince of Pingxi were merely generals of the Ming court; they were granted titles of nobility upon surrendering. Look at Zhu Youlang, he's practically a homeless dog, yet he clings to the title of Prince of Qin and refuses to let go. Sun Kewang, on the other hand, is the successor to Zhang Xianzhong's mantle and the de facto ruler of Yunnan and Guizhou."

"An emperor's heart should be as broad as the ocean, able to accommodate people, all kinds of people."

"Yes."

Emperor Shunzhi remained calm. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang observed this and understood, so she changed her approach.

"Fulin, you began your studies at the age of three, read extensively throughout the land, and are well-versed in Han culture. Do you think there will ever be a court where everyone is of one mind and there are no conflicts?"

"Definitely not."

"That's right. So, struggle is unavoidable. The Ming court had internal strife, and so did our Qing court, but the struggles are not the same. Do you know the difference?"

Shunzhi remained silent.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang continued her narration:

"It lies in the bottom line and the scope of the impact."

"Our Great Qing Dynasty fought without breaking apart, keeping the conflicts within the scope of a very small number of people. At most, a few princes and generals died. But the Ming court had no bottom line in its internal strife. They would even deliberately sacrifice tens of thousands of soldiers for the sake of internal strife."

“Fulin, your mother does not object to you purging some of the Eight Banners nobles, but it must not be expanded.”

"I know!"

……

When Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang left the Imperial Study and returned to Cining Palace, Li Shuotai, the Minister of Justice, was already waiting in the hall.

"Your subject pays respects to the Empress Dowager."

"Get up, we're all family, no need to be so polite."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang had a warm smile on her face, and she was kind and approachable.

After some pleasantries, we finally got down to business.

"I have already explained to the Emperor on your behalf. It was Korkun's family who asked me to intercede for him, and I wrote you a note of leniency. You wouldn't dare refuse to release him. No one will hold you accountable for releasing Korkun."

"I have remembered."

"Minister Li, do you think there's something wrong with Jiang Qingyun?"

"I say no."

"You are Li Yongfang's most outstanding son, and I trust you."

"Although Jiang Qingyun is young, he is shrewd and experienced, seemingly with decades of experience in officialdom. He is domineering, arrogant, and lecherous, and likes to be the one to dominate others, but I have not found him to have any rebellious words or deeds."

"Sure?"

"determine."

"Go back."

"Yes."

Li Shuotai silently withdrew from Cining Palace, wiping away his sweat. He resolved to try his best to secure a post as a governor-general outside the capital, and not get involved in the mess in the capital.

……

A bloodless confrontation has temporarily come to an end. Jiang Qingyun, relying on his amazing sense of smell and keen intuition, has narrowly escaped a major crisis.

He did two things without stopping.

The first thing he did was arrange a fourth-rank official position for his godson, Hong Shiming, in Fujian, concurrently serving as the prefect of Quanzhou. This was a move with profound implications, allowing the young man to return to his hometown to serve as an official.

The second thing was to build more than 60 courtyard houses inside Yongdingmen, giving priority to the resettlement of subordinates' families. Because they were all made of red bricks, they were known locally as the Red Brick Alley.

Both of these matters were targeted and purposeful.

Hong Shiming is a ticking time bomb; keeping him around is dangerous and disgusting, so he's being kept out of the loop.

Let him gain some military merit, and then arrange for him to be a high-ranking official like the provincial governor in Guangxi or Hunan. At that time, he will be perfectly positioned on the counter-offensive route of the Great Western Army.

Let him die at the hands of the Da Xi army, so that he won't leave behind a reputation for "biting the hand that feeds him".

Incidentally, it also allows us to probe the true nature of the Hong family.

The purpose of the second thing is clearer.

By placing subordinates' families in positions of authority, and by employing both rewards and punishments, it is possible to maintain the cohesion of the small group.

"Yuan lost the world because of his leniency."

Jiang Qingyun knew that he could never rely solely on emotions and loyalty to manage a small group that was constantly growing.

(End of this chapter)