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

Chapter 114 New Year's Eve Palace Banquet, Northern Uprising

Censorate.

"Chief Justice, let's talk in private."

The two walked to a secluded pavilion in the back of the government office and stopped.

"Chief Censor, didn't you always tell me to consult with you before doing anything?"

"Correct."

"I understand, Your Excellency. There is an important matter at hand."

"Say it!"

"Liu Zhengzong, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Wei Xiangshu of the Hongwen Academy are preparing to impeach your subordinates."

"Wei Xiangshu, a commoner?"

"Correct."

"This traitorous bastard."

My first reaction to Ning Wan was anger, because he was a Grand Scholar of the Hongwen Academy.

……

“Imperial Censor Jiang, it’s not that I’m criticizing you, but you’ve been too high-profile and aggressive in your actions, making too many enemies. The ministers of the Council of State are all high-ranking and powerful; offending them will cause you a lot of trouble.”

Ning Wan said he was heartbroken.

Jiang Qingyun smiled.

"why are you laughing?"

"Please forgive me, Your Excellency, but I have a bold idea."

"Go ahead and speak."

"Why not take this opportunity to wipe out the Northern Party?"

Ning Wan stared intently at Jiang Qingyun.

"Are you confident you can win? What if you get impeached first and lose your job?"

"Don't worry, Your Excellency. If the evidence is not conclusive, the witnesses will turn against you."

Ning Wan paused for a second, then burst into laughter.

"Brother Jiang is truly a Zhao Zilong of officialdom. Good, good! Our Liaoning Party has a worthy successor."

Jiang Qingyun smiled slightly, thinking to himself, "You've painted a pretty big picture, trying to coax me into helping you fight on the front lines."

"Will the Grand Secretary and Minister of Works, Chiang Hede, hold a grudge?"

"Tonight, I will personally visit his home. Rest assured, within the Liaodong Party, anyone who betrays us is everyone's enemy."

Ning Wanwo's eyes flashed with a fierce light; he would absolutely not tolerate anyone handing a knife to his political enemies at this time.

……

December 27th.
Prince Li's Mansion.

All members of the Second Anti-Chiang Kai-shek Alliance held another meeting.

Apart from the three princes who governed the state, most of the others were former Ming officials who had surrendered to the Ming dynasty and were from the north.

Liu Zhengzong was from Anqiu, Shandong, and served as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Xie Sheng, a native of Dezhou, Shandong, served as the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

Wei Xiangshu was a native of Weizhou, Shanxi, and served as a junior compiler in the Hongwen Academy.

Liang Qingbiao was a native of Zhen Ding, Zhili Province, and served as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

Wait ~
A gathering of distinguished individuals.

Prince Duanzhong, Bolo: "Vice Minister Liu, what are the attitudes of the Prince of Pingxi and the Prince of Dingnan?"

Liu Zhengzong cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I personally visited the Prince of Pingxi and the Prince of Dingnan, and both princes are willing to stand up as witnesses."

Xie Sheng, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate: "I have a question. If I tell the truth, these two princes will also be implicated. Don't they have any concerns?"

"They all told the same story: the Five Cities Military Command was backing up the black shops in the South City and bullying the meritorious soldiers on the front lines. The soldiers under the Prince could no longer tolerate it and fought back."

Everyone nodded.

……

Prince Li, Mandahai, then asked, "And what is Fan Wencheng's attitude?"

Wei Xiangshu sighed, his expression helpless: "This humble official is incompetent. Grand Secretary Fan's attitude is ambiguous, seemingly both in favor and against."

“That guy surnamed Fan is a real old codger.” Mandahai slapped the thick stack of evidence on the table. “Everything is ready, except for the final push. When do you all think would be a good time to impeach him?”

"Your Highness, things can change in the long run. It's better to act sooner rather than later."

"But it's the end of the year now, and all the government offices are on holiday. The next morning court session won't be until after the fifteenth of the first lunar month." "Wait another half a month? What if the news leaks out?"

"Why not set it for New Year's Eve, when the palace will host a banquet and all the princes and ministers will be present?"

"Wouldn't that spoil the celebration in the palace?"

……

The oldest member of the Censorate, Xie Sheng, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, stood up shakily.

"Your Highnesses, my colleagues, I would like to say a few words."

Everyone was silent.

"Happy New Year's Eve! We're going to puncture the boil in public, which will have a big impact and a wide reach."

"However, Jiang Qingyun is very good at leveraging power. He may seem reckless, but he is actually meticulously planning and will strike decisively. I think we should pay attention to the rules when we impeach him."

"I'm all ears."

"When impeaching Jiang Qingyun, we cannot all rush in at once. We must act like we do in war, employing both orthodox and unorthodox tactics, with a main force and supporting forces. Furthermore, the princes are like the commanders-in-chief who sit in the center of the army and cannot easily step into the fray. We are the ones who should fight the battle."

The three kings who were in charge of governance were secretly pleased, as they had never wanted to get involved.

……

As the group left Prince Li's mansion in sedan chairs, they happened to encounter a 10-man patrol team belonging to the Five Cities Garrison.

The patrolling soldiers consciously stood to the side of the road to make way, watching the sedan chairs depart one by one.

Liu Zhengzong and Xie Sheng, who were riding together in a green sedan chair, lifted the curtain and saw this scene.

The two discussed:

Was it a coincidence?

"Probably so. With the New Year approaching, the military police are patrolling the city very frequently."

"Will Jiang Qingyun send someone to monitor the Prince's residence?"

"It's one thing for him to fight with us, but he wants to fight with the State Councilor? No way."

Both of them were quite old and found it hard to believe that there could be such a daring person in the world.

It was normal for Han officials to fight each other.

It's quite normal for Manchu officials to fight each other.

A Han official fighting a Manchu official—that's probably a bit crazy.

Previously, Jiang Qingyun's handling of the Dorgon remnant case was a special privilege granted by the emperor, a one-time event with no precedent. Essentially, it was the emperor using Han officials to check Manchu officials, not a reversal of priorities.

……

next day~
These dozen or so officials, all from northern China, held another private gathering.

All of them were former Ming officials who had surrendered to the Ming dynasty, and they skillfully brought the "factional strife" into the new dynasty. It can only be said that the Qi Party, Chu Party, Zhe Party, Eunuch Party, and Donglin Party experienced periods of decline and integration, but none of them truly disappeared.

Since we were all on the same side, the conversation became quite explicit.

“We northerners must unite as one and fight against those former officials from Liaodong.”

“We can take advantage of the Council of Princes and Ministers to first defeat Jiang Qingyun, then defeat the Liao Party, and then the court will be ours.”

"It's only natural for northerners to help northerners."

Everyone chatted animatedly, making no attempt to hide their excitement.

“The Prince of Li, the Prince of Jingjin, and the Prince of Duanzhong sent us to charge into battle, so why can’t we use their banners to show off our own power?”

A group of people laughed.

In terms of cunning, the three princes combined are no less than a minor official.

In short, it's hard to say whether the King of State or the Northern Party were the ones who were using each other.

……

Wei Xiangshu deliberately asked:
"Senior Xie, when did you say that when impeaching Jiang Qingyun, the princes should not easily get involved, and that we should be the ones to take the lead?"

"Little Wei, do you really not understand?"

"I would be grateful for your guidance, senior."

"I said this only to reassure the three councilors. When the time comes, even if they stand on the shore and refuse to go into the water, we will drag them in."

"Yes, take advantage of the Council of Princes and Ministers to catch the old party in Liaodong off guard."

After hearing these words~
Liu Zhengzong, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was so excited that his white beard stood on end. The position of Minister of Personnel was within reach, and he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life.

He raised his glass:
"At the New Year's Eve palace banquet, we northerners will rise up together to make a grand occasion and awe the court."

"cheers!"

(End of this chapter)