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

Chapter 165 Honor Murder, Mass Execution

"Bring Wulinzhu to the hall!"

"Mighty~Wu~"

The roars of the soldiers standing solemnly on both sides of the hall shook the roof tiles, causing mud to fall in a flurry.

Jiang Qingyun looked on in astonishment.
They stood tall and straight, their eyes shining, heads held high and guns raised.

As if to say:

My lord, if all court trials in our great Qing government were as rich in plot and captivating as today's, it wouldn't matter if our pay was a little lower.

Jiang Qingyun shook his head.

Before transmigrating, if I encountered a paid hardware/software modification case, the written record would be meticulous and detailed. I've never seen anything like it.

……

Just a quarter of an hour into the interrogation, Wulinzhu broke down, tears welling in her eyes as she shook her head violently.

"Sir, I can't say it, I really can't bring myself to talk about those details."

“You audacious shrew, you do it, but you can’t say it. Come on, put her in the leg clamps.”

"Vice-Constitutional Secretary, wait a minute."

The deputy commander of the Plain White Banner tried to dissuade him again, but was met with a cold glance from Jiang Qingyun, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

His voice immediately softened.

"After all, she was a Manchu woman."

"A Manchu woman? Her husband is fighting a bloody battle on the front lines, possibly dying at any moment, and she's having an affair at home. Deputy Commander-in-Chief, tell me in front of everyone, does such a woman deserve to be a Manchu?"

The deputy commander-in-chief was unable to utter a single word.

Zhu Guozhi quickly tried to smooth things over.

"The Vice-Chancellor is right. If they don't behave, we still need to use some form of punishment."

……

The clamps pulled and yanked, causing screams of agony.

Faced with immense pain, any semblance of restraint vanished; the process of giving a statement was faster than giving birth to three children, completed in one go.

By putting the two testimonies together, it was discovered that the steps of the illicit affair matched perfectly, and Jiang Qingyun had won another victory.

"How about it?"

"Incredible, what a perfect trial."

"These two statements were recorded separately, and their authenticity can withstand any scrutiny. Gentlemen, please sign them as witnesses."

To think that the trial is over is to greatly underestimate Jiang Qingyun's abilities.

Second interrogation!!
First, ask Chang Er if he has had affairs with other Manchu women.
Then, she asked Wulinzhu if any of her familiar neighbors or women were having affairs with outsiders.
After a thorough and satisfying ordeal, two long lists were produced.

That's all for now, no further expansion.

On the same day~
The original document was sent to the Forbidden City.

Three copies of the attachments were made and sent to the Censorate, the Plain White Banner Commander's Office, and the Council of Princes and Ministers, respectively, immediately causing a huge uproar.

……

inner city.

A story in the form of a cheat sheet spread wildly in the market, and countless morally corrupt people borrowed and copied it in private. The book was called "The Heart of Ulinzhu".

Privately made notes and official records are definitely different, with many embellishments and exaggerations.

Most people who borrow books will add their own unique touches, also known as personal additions, to the book when copying it.

That's how it is in the literary field.

Although readers can't help but criticize the author for inserting personal opinions, when it comes to writing themselves, they will just as readily pour their own personal opinions into the book.

The cheat sheet eventually turned into a thick book.

A few days later, Wulinzhu's house was smashed up by crazed readers.

……

early morning.

The emperor and his ministers, the civil and military officials, and the Manchus and Han people all agreed that such criminals should be severely punished as a warning to others.

This time~
Surprisingly, it was the cowardly Fan Wencheng who led the charge.

"Our soldiers are fighting bravely on the front lines, while their wives and concubines are having affairs in the rear. To put it mildly, this undermines morale; to put it more seriously, it threatens the very foundation of the nation."

Ao Bai went even further to the core of the problem.

"What I'm more worried about is that it will pollute the pure bloodline of the Eight Banners. If we mess things up like this, who will be able to tell whose son is born?"

Chaos erupted instantly.

We're all men, who isn't afraid of this kind of thing?

"Quiet, quiet."

The head eunuch, Wu Liangfu, repeatedly shouted, trying to stop the frenzied discussion in the hall, but no one paid him any attention. When it came to matters concerning offspring, the eunuchs seemed particularly helpless.

Inside the hall~
The Manchu officials reacted extremely strongly, displaying panic, rage, and worry. In contrast, the Han officials remained much calmer.

"Do you Han people have any clever ideas?"

"Foot binding."

"Could foot binding prevent this?"

"Yes, she is very capable. People with bound feet can't walk far. Ulinzhu can climb walls and run because she has big feet."

"Hiss, you Han people really know how to do things."

"Profound and extensive, truly profound and extensive."

The Han officials were beaming. Several old scholars, in particular, were eager to give a lecture on the spot, sharing their insights from decades of research on "three-inch golden lotuses."

Emperor Shunzhi turned and left, leaving behind a single sentence as he departed.

"Hand it over to the respective banner commanders' offices for strict and swift action!"

……

This is a case that concerns the vital interests of all the bannermen.

The Governor's Office worked very hard to investigate the case, and similar cases were discovered in various banners, involving anywhere from dozens to hundreds of people.

This time, from the Council of Princes and Ministers to the various banner governors' offices, there was an unusual disregard for personal feelings.

"Anyone who commits adultery shall be poisoned."

In just ten days, more than 900 Manchu women and more than 400 bondservants were secretly executed.

The clerk at the money exchange, Chang Er, was just an isolated case.

The main force of the adulterers were actually bondservants. These people lived in the inner city and frequently entered and exited the master's residence, a typical case of being in a favorable position.

The bannermen were rude, while the bondservants were gentle.

The flag bearers were clumsy, while the coat-wearers were agile.

The bannermen were bad at comforting, but the bondsers were very good at talking.

Bannermen often went out to fight, while bondservants stayed at home to guard the gates.

They raided our base!
The escalation of the "adultery case in the capital" led to a stifling atmosphere in the inner city, fostered family conflicts, and resulted in a continuous occurrence of various vigilante cases.

Many flag bearers began to have unfounded suspicions about their children. If they looked very similar to their children, they would feel at ease, but some of them did not look alike at all.

Many new graves have appeared in the mass graves outside the city.

……

"Tell me, how many men have you had affairs with?"

Ding Elu, the banner chief of the Plain Yellow Banner, hung his wife, Wulinqiu, from the roof beam and beat her severely, simply because their son looked too different from him. A neighbor saw this and "kindly" reminded him of something.

“You are Wulinzhu’s sister. If your sister is that kind of person, you must be that kind of person too.”

Wu Linqiu vehemently denied it.

Eru waved his whip like a windmill.

Seeing that his wife refused to confess even under death, he hardened his heart, grabbed his son and beat him severely, causing his son to bleed from his mouth and nose and fall unconscious.

"If you don't tell me, I'll beat this bastard to death."

“Eru, you wild boar, you’ve been possessed by a demon, it’s your own flesh and blood, you’ll go to hell.”

Wu Linqiu continued to curse.

That night~
She was put down by E'lu and thrown onto the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while.

Late at night, feeling utterly hopeless, she went to the kitchen, boiled a pot of water, and poured it over the person lying on the kang (a heated brick bed).

The pig-like screams shocked the neighbors.

The neighbors, unaware of what had happened, rushed in and saw Eru rolling on the ground like a hairless pig and Ulinqiu laughing incessantly.

Immediately, the patrolling soldiers arrived and took the entire family away, dead or alive, and handed them over to the Forbidden City the next day.

Matters within the two Yellow Banners must be handled by Emperor Shunzhi himself; no one else has the right to interfere.

The "boiling water murder case" has once again shocked Beijing.

……

The Prince Keqin's Mansion.

One after another, horse-drawn carriages filed in.

Prince Zheng, Jirhalang; Prince Li, Mandahai; Prince Shuncheng, Lekedehun; Prince Zhuang, Shuo Sai; and Prince An, Yue Le, all arrived one by one.

The room is sealed off, with doors and windows closed.

Everyone looked solemn.

Mandahai was the first to speak:
"Gentlemen, the capital is in chaos. No fewer than 2000 Manchu women and children have died in adultery cases. Never before have our Eight Banners been so chaotic and disorderly. I believe that Jiang Qingyun is the highest-ranking spy from the Ming court infiltrated into our Great Qing."

"Gentlemen, let's purge the court of corrupt officials."

(End of this chapter)