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

Chapter 123 This official will not plead guilty; this official has only lost.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Jiang Zhongcheng and his wife returned to Tongzhou.

The fourth day of the first lunar month, at the drill ground in the south of the city.

On the empty training ground, 600 patrol soldiers, 200 Shuntian Prefecture constables, 100 cavalrymen of the Two Yellow Banners, and 100 Han soldiers of the Two Yellow Banners stood in neat formation.

When Jiang Qingyun stepped onto the command platform.

Thousands of people knelt down on one knee in unison, shouting:
"Greetings, Vice-Premier Jiang."

……

Soldiers had already brought over a grand chair, and Jiang Qingyun sat down, looking around.

"By imperial decree, arrest the treacherous officials who have formed cliques within the court."

"I now order you to disrupt the order on the spot, mix up the various government offices, and form small teams of 50 people each. The people from Shuntian Prefecture will be responsible for maintaining order, the people from the Military and Cavalry Bureau will be responsible for confiscating property, and the people from the Two Yellow Banners will be responsible for suppressing resistance."

"Whoo."

Half an hour later, 20 teams were formed.

Jiang Qingyun nodded.

The guards went down and began distributing arrest warrants.

"Officers from Shuntian Prefecture, the Military Command, and the Cavalry Battalion, please meet now for a discussion. We will begin our operation in one incense stick's time!"

That's all~
Jiang Qingyun then returned to the warden's small building.

It's so cold outside, but it's so comfortable inside.

"Gentlemen, let's begin."

"Okay, let's wait for good news."

Inside the room, key officials from the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Shuntian Prefecture were already waiting.

Also present was Oboi, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, who came on behalf of Emperor Shunzhi to supervise the proceedings.

……

When I'm bored, all I can do is drink tea.

During work hours, it's not suitable to do other entertainment, so we can only drink tea cup after cup.

Jiang Qingyun was drinking a health tea made by his second brother, Wu Yongkai, which was said to nourish both yin and yang.

I'm 19 now; my health is important and I need to take care of it. If I'm not healthy, let alone turning the world upside down, I'll have a hard time even with a woman.

"Brother Jiang, congratulations on becoming a third-rank official."

"Brother Ao, thanks to you."

"This tea you're drinking isn't commonly seen, is it?"

"Good tea. I'll have someone deliver some to your home another day."

hahaha~
The two laughed heartily; male friendship is that simple.

"Brother Ao, is there any news about those remnants of the Plain Blue Banner who have sided with Zhu Youlang?"

"They'll all die sooner or later."

"The imperial court is still benevolent."

Ao Bai opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He knew that Jiang Qingyun was referring to the elderly, weak, women, and children of the Plain Blue Banner who were still living in the southeast corner of the inner city.

No one wants to touch this bloody scar.

Dilemma.

……

Outside, the sound of drums rang out.

The 20 arrest teams, in high spirits, filed out and ran in all directions.

Breaking down doors, arresting people, and ransacking homes—all in one operation.

Most of the arrested officials were mentally prepared; their faces were ashen, their hearts were calm, and they silently boarded the prison vans without uttering a word.

Fifty-two people from northern China who had served as officials in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty but later defected to the Qing government and continued to serve as officials in Beijing were thrown into You'anmen Prison.

The list was jointly drafted by Li Shuaitai, Minister of Justice; Ning Wanwo, Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate; and Fan Wencheng, Grand Secretary of the Secretariat.

Afterwards, Emperor Shunzhi reviewed it.

Jiang Qingyun was only responsible for execution, and tried to avoid potential risks.

……

The interrogation began around noon.

Li Shuotai was on the left and Jiang Qingyun was on the right, and they interrogated each other one by one.

"Xie Sheng, do you admit your crime?"

"I am innocent. I have only lost and I accept my bad luck. But you Liao people should not be so smug. You will have your day sooner or later."

Li Shuotai sighed and glanced at Jiang Qingyun.

"next."

~
Unsurprisingly, after a round of interrogations, nothing was gained. The group either remained silent, cursed loudly, wept, or shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

As Xie Sheng said, it was just a loss.

……

Sweating profusely, Li Shutai had no choice but to temporarily leave the courtroom. He pulled Jiang Qingyun to the back of the hall.

"Vice-Commissioner Jiang, shall we use torture?"

“No. The law does not apply to high-ranking officials; you should understand this principle, Minister Li.”

"Of course I understand, but what can we do if we can't get a confession?" "What instructions have you received from the palace?"

"It is necessary to win the hearts of the people, curb the factional strife, and withstand the test of the imperial court."

"give it to me."

"you?"

"Correct."

Li Shuotai suddenly recalled the more than 500 confessions from Dorgon's remnants last year.
The entrance to You'anmen Prison.

The group boarded carriages and sedan chairs and left one after another. During the Lunar New Year, no one wanted to linger in such an unlucky place as prison, except for Li Shuotai.

……

"go in."

"Humph~"

Former Left Vice Censor-in-Chief Xie Sheng rolled his eyes and walked into the windowless interrogation room, which was very simple and contained only a chair.

After the jailer locked the door, the room fell into darkness.

"Trying to play mind games with me?"

Xie Sheng was disdainful. He took a deep breath, unleashed the ultimate techniques of a Confucian disciple, and sat in deep thought. He treated the prison cell as a study, slowly savoring the classics.

Zhu Xi attained enlightenment in the bamboo grove, Wang Yangming attained enlightenment in Longchang, so why can't I attain enlightenment in prison?

Half a day passed quickly.

The jailer brought food.

After finishing his meal, Xie Sheng meditated for another hour before becoming sleepy.

……

At that moment, the cell door was suddenly opened, and a jailer with cotton stuffed in his ear walked in carrying a gong.

Bang~
A gong rang out, startling Xie Sheng, who had just fallen asleep, and made his heart tremble.

"***, get out."

The jailer smiled and continued banging the gong.

Xie Sheng cursed, so he banged on him.

Xie Sheng didn't curse, but he still knocked.

An hour later, another jailer came in carrying a brazier and placed it directly in front of Xie Sheng.

From darkness to light, Xie Sheng was in great pain. He had stopped cursing and was just struggling to persevere with his eyes closed.

……

Two hours later.

The jailer walked unsteadily out of the cell and to his colleague who was changing shifts.

"It's your turn."

The sound was so loud that the person changing shifts was startled.

"What the hell are you yelling about?"

"What did you say? I can't hear you!"

"Are you fucking deaf?"

Two hours later, the person taking over the shift also had a ringing in their ears. Because the small hut had no windows, the sound of the gong echoed back and forth.

so repeatedly.

Eighteen hours have passed.

Xie Sheng collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, clutching the jailer's trouser leg.

"Please, let me get some sleep."

The jailer ignored him and simply placed the gong next to his ear and banged it loudly.

Amidst the piercing sound of the gong, Xie Sheng continued to convulse.

……

"Minister Li, I am truly grateful to you."

"no need thank me?"

"That woman."

"Which woman?"

"Nun Liu is an absolute beauty. Where did you find her?"

"Is it really that good?"

"To put it simply, this nun is the perfect vessel for worldly cultivation and the ideal match for bedroom pleasures. I love her dearly and find her extremely delightful."

Lee Sol-tae looked somewhat embarrassed and turned his head slightly away.

It's not because of anything else, but because he really hasn't had this experience!

He married an extremely ugly woman from the Aisin Gioro clan with a violent temper. This woman was irritable and jealous, and even the maids in the mansion were bought according to the standard of a 3-foot waist.

Li Shuotai was at his wits' end.

What's infuriating is that bastard Jiang Qingyun is still rambling on and on, describing things vividly.

The famous philosopher Sigmund Freud once said: "The world is a giant play, and it is difficult for us to distinguish who is the master and who is the slave."

(End of this chapter)