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

Chapter 127 Sun Yanling is not allowed to touch you

The room was warm and cozy, but no one came to greet us.

Jiang Qingyun thought for a moment, then closed the door and deliberately coughed twice in the hall. Sure enough, a soft laugh came from inside.

Following the sound, they lifted the curtains and veils, and finally found the person in question.

Kong Sizhen was seen leaning against the couch, dressed only in an apricot-colored undergarment, looking like a fox—lazy yet cunning. Two personal maids were also in the room, dressed only in scarlet undergarments.

The affairs of wealthy young ladies are never kept from their maids, and of course, there's no way to hide them.

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, a personal maid is like half of a young lady's bound feet. Can a person hide what they're doing from someone with bound feet?

……

A maidservant walked over with her head down.

"Sir, shall we wash up?"

"Ah."

Jiang Qingyun removed his official hat and sword and threw them on the table. Then, he naturally opened his arms, and two maids, one on each side, skillfully helped him remove his armor.

Kong Sizhen stood up, gently pulled out the gold hairpin, and her long black hair was instantly freed from its restraints, flowing smoothly down.

They walked down from their lodgings step by step.

Only then did Jiang Qingyun realize that she was wearing anklets, bracelets, and armlets.

"My beloved, I miss you so much~"

Can't stand it!
Jiang Qingyun immediately pushed aside the maid who was in the way and seemed to be coiled around him like a snake, picked up Kong Sizhen horizontally, and threw her onto the bed.

……

After a long time.

Jiang Qingyun lay on his back, not wanting to move at all.

Two maids took charge of tidying up and brought hot water to help wipe the surfaces.

Kong Sizhen lay prone:

"Jiang Lang, I'm leaving tomorrow."

"I'm very busy, so I won't see you off."

"Is Jiang Lang really that heartless?"

A fleeting romance cannot be made public.

"I really want to go to the Forbidden City with you again. Winter isn't ideal, but summer would be perfect for boating in the Imperial Garden~"

Jiang Qingyun glanced at the maid.

"It's alright~ They're all household servants."

What's going on between you and Sun Yanling?

"Our marriage is arranged by our parents and the matchmaker; we will get married next year."

"Aren't you afraid?"

puff~
Kong Sizhen laughed, laughing so hard she bent over backwards.

“I’ve been with him before, but I don’t like him.”

"why?"

"Sun Yanling is a daredevil on the battlefield, but a gentleman in bed. He treats me like a princess, and you treat me like a princess."

Just then, a maid brought over a bowl of medicinal soup.

"Miss~"

Kong Sizhen took it and gulped it down.

"what is this?"

"A contraceptive soup."

……

"Are you really going to marry him?"

“The marriage was arranged by my parents and the matchmaker. How can I go back on my word? I, Kong Sizhen, am not the kind of person who despises the poor and loves the rich.”

Jiang Qingyun was speechless for a moment.

You're traditional, yet incredibly open-minded. You're open-minded, yet incredibly traditional. There are no truly defined, stereotypical people in this world.
"I'm really leaving tomorrow."

I wish you a safe journey.

"Jiang Lang, don't you want to cherish these last moments? Perhaps you'll never see me again in this lifetime."

Kong Sizhen suddenly sat up, her eyes wide, looking very angry.

The contrast between a sweet girl and a girl is always the most striking.

"Jiang Lang, tell me, between me and your wife, who is more beautiful?"

"You are slightly inferior."

"Come on, hold this scoundrel down."

Two maids climbed up with smiles on their faces, standing like door gods, each holding down one of the arms.

……

Half an hour later~
Jiang Qingyun prepared to leave.

"Jiang Lang, don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

"After I leave, Sun Yanling is not allowed to touch you."

After a while, Kong Sizhen laughed so hard she was bent over, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe there were such unreasonable people in the world.

Back at his residence, Jiang Qingyun felt slightly unwell as he dismounted. After a moment's thought, he decided to give Jiang Bei some instructions. "Jiang Bei?"

"grown ups?"

"Remember, while singing opera is good, it shouldn't be overdone, otherwise it will affect your martial arts skills."

"My subordinate understands."

"In a few days, I will find a gentle and virtuous woman to be your concubine."

"Thank you, sir."

Jiangbei was overjoyed; following his brother-in-law, he was sure to succeed.

"Sir, what about me?"

Zhou Cang looked on longingly.

"how old are you?"

"I can do it."

"Okay, let's arrange it all at once."

……

The next day.

They saw him off outside Yongding Gate.

The four kings' guards were fully armored, their ranks impeccable, and their banners fluttering. The cavalrymen simply stood there silently, exuding bloodlust, cruelty, and intimidation.

The soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison were no match for the Four Kings' Guards. In a fair open battle, a two-on-one fight would surely result in a crushing defeat, a three-on-one fight might be possible, and a four-on-one fight might offer a chance of victory.

Military strength is now the weakness of Chiang Kai-shek's small group.

This will continue for a long time to come.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people in Beijing, anyone who dared to directly seize military power would surely die. The only option was to take a roundabout approach and try to gain control of Tongzhou Town.

Drums sound.

……

A cannon shot.

Columns of cavalry passed by in single file.

Jiang Qingyun spotted Sun Yanling at a glance. He was wearing green helmet and armor and had just been promoted to guerrilla general, all thanks to Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's imperial decree that promoted him beyond his rank.

Sun Yanling was arrogant and proud. His fiancée was the Empress Dowager's goddaughter. With this powerful connection, his future rise to prominence was a certainty.

Seeing his smugness, Jiang Qingyun felt quite gratified and lowered his head slightly.

Sun Yanling was even more smug upon seeing this. He followed a carriage and whispered to the people inside. Needless to say, Kong Sizhen was sitting inside.

Wu Sangui's strategist Liu Xuanchu bowed respectfully from afar.

Others assumed he was bowing to Prince Wu Yingxiong, but Jiang Qingyun knew he was actually bowing to himself.

"Master Jiang."

"This humble official pays his respects to the Prince."

"Let's skip the formalities. From now on, we'll weather the storms of the capital together."

Wu Yingxiong stared expressionlessly at his father's guards as they departed into the distance.

He had a premonition that he would hardly be able to leave the capital in his lifetime. The life of a hostage seemed glamorous, but it was actually not easy.

……

When the show ended.

Jiang Qingyun approached Wu Liangfu.

"Chief Steward Wu, I have something to ask His Majesty."

"Just wait."

Wu Liangfu, with his buttocks tucked between his legs, took small steps to walk under the yellow umbrella, whispered a few words to Shunzhi, and then came over.

"Go~"

Jiang Qingyun walked to the yellow umbrella.

"Your Majesty, I request that you inspect the Royal Guild Hall outside Donghua Gate."

"Oh? It's finished?"

"Yes."

"Well, I have nothing to do today, so I might as well go and take a look."

The construction took less than a year, which would have been incredibly fast in ancient times.

The main reason was that Jiang Qingyun put a lot of pressure on the Ministry of Works, repeatedly emphasizing four words: "at all costs."

As it turned out, there were many intelligent people among the craftsmen; they simply lacked the opportunity to showcase their talents and take charge. When Jiang Qingyun forced the Ministry of Works to delegate some of its administrative authority to the construction craftsmen, the construction speed began to accelerate miraculously.

We can trust the power of the masses.

……

It also verifies a counterintuitive viewpoint:
The level of handicrafts in the early years of a dynasty often far surpasses that in the late years.

Weapons from the early Ming Dynasty were superior to those from the late Ming Dynasty. Weapons from the early Qing Dynasty were superior to those from the late Qing Dynasty.

Jiang Qingyun was even surprised to find that, with the metallurgical forging techniques of the early Shunzhi period, the quality of the forged matchlock guns was perfectly acceptable, only the design was somewhat lacking.

Western missionaries once recorded in their diaries that the Tatars who invaded the Central Plains were keen to set up arsenals in various places, as if they wanted to turn the empire into a huge arsenal.

Driven by the war, the Eight Banners nobles were willing to invest huge amounts of manpower and resources in military-related handicrafts and established a complete production system.

(End of this chapter)