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

Chapter 89 was probably an auspicious omen from heaven.
"Master, it's time to get up."

With a yawn in his mouth, Jiang Qingyun crawled out of his warm bedding; it was pitch black outside.

In late spring, she and her two maids divided the tasks, working busily but without chaos.

Change clothes, brush teeth with salt, rinse mouth with green tea, and then eat breakfast.

Every time I attend the morning court session, I feel resentful.

Jiang Qingyun thought to himself, "Once my word is law, the first thing I'll do is abolish the morning court session; the second, I'll abolish the guaranteed stipends; and the third..."
"Young Master, that's enough. You can't eat too much."

"Ah."

Jiang Qingyun rinsed his mouth and spat it out.

Get out of the house.

The guards were already prepared; they were all young men, dressed in leather robes and hats, with swords at their waists.

"Drive~"

Horses galloped, heading towards their destination—the Meridian Gate.

……

The sacred Forbidden City is no longer sacred.

Even the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the highest symbol of the empire, held no authority in Jiang Qingyun's eyes.

The morning court begins.

As usual, the first thing to do was report on military affairs in the south.

Prince Zheng, Jirhalang, won victory after victory, and the Ming army suffered a series of defeats. Even Emperor Shunzhi lost interest in celebrating; everyone felt that unifying the country was just around the corner, within two or three years.

Even after the Great Western Army merged with the Yongli Emperor, its forces only encompassed the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, and southern Sichuan. How could such a barren land nurture a formidable army?

Not to mention the countless internal conflicts within the Ming court.

Several councilors were eager to try their luck, wanting to go to the south to oversee the army and share in the military achievements.

……

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"Minister Jiang, speak."

"I was ordered to conduct corrective education on 550 bannermen with improper thoughts, and the results were very successful. Through persistent correction, these bannermen have deeply realized their mistakes, and everyone has repented and reformed. Only 5 people remain unrepentant, and I recommend that they be beheaded. The rest can be released and go home to continue to consolidate the Qing Dynasty."

"it is good."

Emperor Shunzhi was overjoyed.

He liked this approach very much, as it preserved the foundation of the Qing Dynasty while eliminating internal threats.

Now, only seven banners remain. Every single one of the seven banners of our Great Qing Dynasty is precious.

Minister of Works Jiang Hede and Prince Li Mandahai exchanged a glance and quickly stepped forward.

"Imperial Censor Jiang, it's said that the You'anmen Prison you set up is comparable to the deepest hell. The people inside are tortured to the point of being unrecognizable as human, and seven parts like ghosts. Is that true?"

"That's slander."

……

The smell of gunpowder inside the hall instantly intensified.

Fan Wencheng silently shrank into the crowd to avoid getting blood splattered on his face.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Qingyun wasn't very eager to fight today and spoke very politely.

"Minister Jiang, the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Eight Banners Commandery have all sent people to investigate, and there are detailed records of the procedures. By the way, you can consult the Secretariat."

"Your Majesty and colleagues, please examine the evidence. None of the prisoners have been tortured. These people were misled by Dorgon and went astray, but they can still be saved. I am here to heal the sick and save lives, not to kill them."

Jiang Hede was about to speak.

Emperor Shunzhi spoke first.

"I know that Minister Jiang is particularly meticulous about procedures when he is on duty. I will personally go and see after the court session ends."

"The Emperor's Holy Might."

Jiang Qingyun and Jiang Hede spoke in unison, their eyes meeting once more.

The rivalry between Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo
Internal strife within the same family~
……

The Secretariat of the Three Inner Courts.

Grand Secretary Fan Wencheng stood respectfully, eyes downcast, with Jiang Qingyun standing beside him.

Emperor Shunzhi was reviewing the case files.

The ground was piled with confessions and repentance statements from the guards imprisoned in You'anmen Prison. Each person had two copies, totaling more than 1000 sheets of paper.

Emperor Shunzhi, of course, did not look at all of them; he randomly selected 20 for inspection.

"The confession is detailed, and the letter of repentance is even more profound. Was Jiang Qingyun acting voluntarily?"

"Your Majesty, it is all voluntary."

"Minister Fan, what do you think?" "This old minister supports Imperial Censor Jiang. Here is a report on the visits to the prison by the four government offices. Your Majesty, please take a look."

Even from a distance of half a zhang, Jiang Qingyun sensed Fan Wencheng's fear of him. "No, little Jiang, am I really that terrifying?"

Perhaps sensing the gaze, Fan Wencheng's heart beat slightly faster.

Shunzhi continued reading.

He knew that these were the most convincing materials.

"No one mentioned torture. I am rather curious, Jiang Qingyun, how did you manage that?"

"Your Majesty, it is all thanks to Your Majesty's benevolence and the patient guidance of your ministers that these soldiers have indeed not lost their conscience. It is simply a matter of everyone working together."

……

The Meridian Gate was wide open.

The imperial carriage departed the palace, surrounded by a large entourage. This is the job of the Imperial Guards.

Jiang Qingyun rode his horse, following behind the imperial carriage.

All along the way, there were smiling faces, and people from all walks of life shamelessly came up to greet me and introduce themselves.

Jiang Qingyun nodded in response to all of them.

He knew all too well the true nature of these scoundrels. He was ruthless in praising the powerful and scorning the weak.

As Washington once said: "A higher virtue leads to a higher ability."

This means that in Washington, if your character is even slightly better than others, you need to compensate for that weakness with ten times the ability.

Otherwise, they could easily be forced to go back home to grow cotton.

The reason why someone of my high moral character was able to gain a foothold in the Forbidden City was entirely because my abilities were a hundred times better than those of my colleagues.

……

The crowd felt awkward, but they knew that Censor Jiang was known for his arrogance and treated all his colleagues equally, so he wasn't specifically targeting them and didn't take it to heart.

We've arrived at You'anmen Prison.

Jiang Qingyun rode his horse to the front and raised his right hand.

"His Majesty is inspecting this prison. Everything is as usual. You should do what you are supposed to do and follow the proper procedures."

The jailers were dumbfounded, but silently complied.

According to procedure, the group should now collectively repent.

"Your Majesty, I am committed to building a panoramic open-air prison that focuses on ideological correction and education."

"What do you mean?"

"Your Majesty, please come upstairs."

……

In the middle of the prison stands a three-story red brick building. Standing on the third-floor terrace, one can enjoy a panoramic view.

This is the most advanced panoramic open-air prison concept.

Emperor Shunzhi was deeply shocked.

Looking to the left, a group of shirtless flag bearers were running, packed tightly together with almost no gaps. From a distance, the formation appeared as a unified whole.

Looking towards the center, a group of shirtless flag soldiers were weeping and slapping themselves in the face.

"My dear minister, what are they doing?"

"Repent, repent for the past."

Looking further to the right, a group of flag bearers were reciting in unison, which vaguely sounded like a Confucian classic.

"My dear minister, gather the people together."

"According to the order."

……

All assembled.

Before Shunzhi could even speak...

A prison guard standing at the front of the line suddenly whispered, "Unite our will and defend the Qing Dynasty!"

In an instant, it was like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing.

The flag bearers, already disciplined and conditioned to shout, yelled themselves hoarse, their faces flushed and necks red, as if afraid they weren't shouting loud enough.

"Unite our will and defend the Qing Dynasty."

"Good, very good. To be able to transform Dorgon's remnants so thoroughly without fighting or killing, Jiang Qingyun, you are a genius of our time."

Jiang Qingyun promptly offered his flattery.

"I also find it incredible; it must be an auspicious omen from heaven."

(End of this chapter)