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

Chapter 98 Shunzhi's Intervention

The late-night snack was plentiful.

Fried chicken, eight-treasure duck, braised shiitake mushrooms, coiled dragon vegetables, stir-fried prawns, frog legs, bamboo shoot chicken breast, frozen ginger and vinegar fish, and several jars of rice wine.

Everyone praised Song Er as a great cook!
Song Er was beaming with pride.

Jiang Qingyun did not drink alcohol because he had to attend court in a few hours and needed to keep his mind absolutely clear.

After eating my fill, I went back home and took a nap.

Yin hour three quarters.

He was awakened.

"My lord, it's time to go to court."

……

It was pitch black outside. Jiang Qingyun got up with a grumpy mood and went about her routine of washing up, drinking tea, and eating breakfast.

The Jiangnan region is noticeably plump, making it appear even more graceful.

I'm counting down the days; I'm due to give birth soon.

"Husband?"

"what happened?"

"How about we house that nun in our mansion? We have some spare rooms."

"No, it's an eyesore."

"Husband, do you really dislike the Hong family's younger sister in the north room?"

"I don't like it; it's a tragic fate."

Jiangnan sighed softly; she knew the reason behind it.

"Since you've brought her up, I'll take this opportunity to give her a few instructions: don't let her interfere in anything in the manor, except for that small courtyard. Once she gives birth, I'll move her out."

"Yes."

……

As Jiang Qingyun stepped outside, the biting cold wind instantly refreshed him.

The guard team is already waiting.

"Zhou Cang".

"exist!"

"Today, the You'anmen Prison is recalling prisoners for re-education. You will personally oversee this."

"As ordered."

"There is one more thing. I would like to ask Sun Yanling, the commander of Tianyou Army, to visit Youanmen Prison."

"What if he doesn't want to?"

“Just tell him that if he doesn’t go, the Prince of Dingnan will definitely kill him with his own hands.”

"I understand."

……

While officials and gentry in the capital generally preferred to ride in sedan chairs, Jiang Qingyun favored horseback riding. The group galloped wildly along the main street outside Zhengyang Gate, overtaking many blue-brimmed sedan chairs along the way.

Familiar roads, familiar street scenes.

The area outside the Meridian Gate was unusually lively, with significantly more people than usual. Even Sony, who had been ill for a long time, had come.

Today's morning court session is special, with an expanded scale, and all officials of the seventh rank and above in the capital are required to attend.

"Is Lord Suo well?"

"Oh, Brother Qingyun, it's been so long! I've missed you so much."

"I recently acquired a tiger skin. I will send someone to deliver it to your residence another day. It will be just right for keeping warm."

"No, no, this is absolutely not allowed."

The two greeted each other politely, as if they were old friends reunited.

suddenly~
Jiang Qingyun said in a low voice, "The return of the Third Prince to the capital has caused quite a stir."

"is it?"

"The Tianyou Army caused trouble in the south of the city, but I managed to subdue them. Fortunately, no one was killed."

"Let's make a big deal out of a small one, and a small deal out of a small one." Sony patted Jiang Qingyun's hand. "The Three Princes were Han Chinese princes personally appointed by Emperor Taizong. They were loyal and brave, fighting all the way from Liaodong to Guangxi. If I may be so bold as to say something out of the ordinary, they are doing better than most Manchu bannermen."

"That's because the imperial court is in dire need of capable people."

Sony smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

……

suddenly~
The thunderous sound of horses' hooves followed behind, and the clamor rushed towards us.

The two turned their heads and saw a group of Mongolian princes in Beijing riding into the Meridian Gate. They were all fat and strong, and their voices were loud.

"I suspect a good thing is on the horizon."

"What good thing?"

"The Emperor has deposed the Empress, and the Empress's position is vacant, which is not a good thing. With the Empress Dowager's words, our Emperor will most likely still marry a Mongolian woman as his Empress, since the Manchus and Mongols are one family."

"I see." ……

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, below the imperial steps.

The officials from the capital, both civil and military, lined up in two neat rows outside.

There were so many people attending the morning court session today that only officials of the second rank or above were allowed to enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Others were not qualified to enter the hall and could only stand in the square and feel the cold wind.

Jiang Qingyun wore a mink vest close to her skin, which was warm and cozy.

But some of his colleagues weren't so lucky; they were shivering from the cold.

"Lord Wang, why are you trembling?"

"It's cold."

"Aren't you wearing a fur coat? How can you be so incorruptible?"

"I'm still cold even though I'm wearing it."

"So you didn't eat breakfast?"

"Yes, I never eat before going to court, for fear that the smell might harm my health. Before I go out, I hold a piece of ginseng in my mouth to maintain my energy."

Jiang Qingyun didn't say anything, thinking to himself, "You loyal subject, you're going to freeze to death. I'm not that stupid. I get up in the morning with a bowl of mutton noodles and a plate of meat patties. Food is what gives me energy."

The morning court session today was extremely long.

Jiang Qingyun looked around and saw many familiar faces in the group, such as Yang Guangxian, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and Sukesaha, a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue.
They smiled and greeted each other.

Imperial guards patrolled the area, checking discipline and appearance.

If anyone behaves improperly before the emperor, the guards will be punished.

But today the wind is howling, some ministers have runny noses from the cold, some have turned pale, some are coughing incessantly, and some are huddled up in a ball.

If everyone behaves improperly before the emperor, it is equivalent to no one behaving improperly before the emperor.

……

Someone exclaimed:

"Snowing."

First, small snowflakes fell from the sky, which quickly turned into a heavy snowfall, falling down in a soft rustling sound.

This is even worse.

To make matters worse!

As the heat in Jiang Qingyun's body gradually dissipated, she gently stomped her feet to warm up.

The others were in even worse shape; they were freezing to death.

Everyone craned their necks, gazing at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, hoping to hear the eunuch shout, "Court adjourned!"

Another half hour passed, and the morning court session was still not over.

……

The ranks were in disarray, and the ministers were simply overwhelmed.

They stomped their feet together, stomping harder and harder.

Unfortunately, the snow on the ground was too thick, and no matter how much he stomped, it made no sound and had no effect on reminding Shunzhi.

The imperial guards patrolling back and forth all had snot running down their faces, their hands tucked into their sleeves for warmth, and they walked with a hopping and skipping gait. From a distance, they looked like a beggars' guild meeting.

Thump~
A fourth-rank official from the Ministry of Rites fell from grace.

After a while, another compiler from the Hanlin Academy collapsed.

In the midst of chaos~
Suleda, a second-class imperial bodyguard from the Bordered Yellow Banner, handed Jiang Qingyun a delicate brass hand warmer.

This is a timely help!
……

After another half incense stick's time, they heard someone shouting from behind.

"Oh no, it's freezing!"

"Lord Wang of the Court of State Ceremonial is dead."

Jiang Qingyun squeezed through the crowd and saw a person lying flat on the snow, their face as cold as ice.
In the capital, the living standards of officials below the fifth rank in the low-ranking government offices were generally not very good, far inferior to those of county magistrates in the provinces, and even inferior to those of clerks.

With freezing cold and starvation, it's no wonder people die.

The saying "impoverished officials in the capital" is not a joke; they were genuinely poor.

The guards came and dragged the stiff body away.

……

The morning court session is still ongoing.

The Mongol princes inside the hall were sweating profusely with anxiety, while the first and second-rank officials were so embarrassed they wanted to disappear into the ground.

Shunzhi's voice was very loud.

"I agree to marry the daughter of Choerji, the Duke of Zhenguo of Khorchin Mongol, as my new empress, but she must not be carried in through the Great Qing Gate (Meridian Gate)."

Zhenguo Gong Chuoerji:

"Your Majesty, according to ancestral rules, the Empress is entitled to be carried into the palace through the Great Qing Gate."

“I know. But my previous empress also came from your Borjigit family. I have already given you that honor.”

(End of this chapter)