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

Chapter 180 Carrying a Coffin into Battle!

inner city.

Near the sea warehouse, which was specially used for storing grain, there is a time-honored coffin shop that is said to have been open for more than 300 years, longer than the reign of the emperor.

Jiang Qingyun walked into the shop and saw a calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall: "Live in a good house, die in a good coffin, then you've lived a worthwhile life."

Having lived two lives, I am filled with emotion.

The shopkeeper, seeing that a distinguished guest had arrived, hurriedly came to greet him.

"I'm going to war with a coffin! Help me pick one out."

"Please have a seat, sir. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."

The shopkeeper quickly picked out a black cypress coffin, which was made of thick wood and had an impressive appearance. He also kindly gave it eighteen copper nails and a small iron hammer as a gift.

Jiang Qingyun circled the coffin once and immediately made a decision:

"That's it."

"Alright, time to raise the coffin."

Amidst the sound of firecrackers, the workers shouted "Raise the coffin!" and carried the coffin to the shop entrance. The entire process was surprisingly free of any sense of bad luck.

That's very professional!

……

With everything settled, Jiang Qingyun casually asked, "Shopkeeper, what do you think death is?"

"Yes, sir, it means home."

"And what if they're still alive?"

"It's a long trip."

How long have you been running this shop?

"Three hundred and fifty-four years, eight months and five days, and I am now the eleventh generation successor."

"Your little shop has witnessed countless historical events."

"Your Excellency, our shop has indeed served some important figures."

"for example?"

"When the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was still a prince, he bought a fine nanmu red coffin from a small shop. After he became emperor, he certainly didn't use it."

"Yan Song, the Grand Secretary, once bought a red coffin made of nanmu wood from a small shop, but he was exiled and died in his hometown in Jiangxi, so it was probably never used."

"Yu Qian, the Junior Protector, also bought a black cypress coffin from a small shop, but in the end, alas, it was never used."

Before Lord Hai Rui submitted his memorial, he saw a cedar coffin in a small shop. The coffin was short and narrow, and a person could not lie down in it at all. It was a low-quality product, but Lord Hai insisted on buying it. In the end, it was sold to him for six qian of silver. You know what happened after that. He never used it.

Jiang Qingyun patted the heavy coffin lid.

"Shopkeeper, I understand. In other words, most people work for nothing their whole lives."

"Your Majesty, it's clear."

"How much do you want?"

The shopkeeper held up three fingers.

"30 taels of silver, no bargaining."

……

The yamen runners from Shuntian Prefecture led the way with gongs, followed by 40 patrol soldiers carrying a coffin, with Jiang Qingyun riding behind on horseback, as they circled the Forbidden City.

"With the nation in peril, Imperial Censor Jiang, loyal to his country, is setting off on his campaign, carrying his own coffin."

The significance of carrying a coffin into battle lies in demonstrating resolve.

It can also be understood as a performance.

Although Imperial Censor Jiang's name is known to everyone in the capital, it still needs to be frequently reinforced.

The ultimate goal is to make everyone remember that there is only one Imperial Censor Jiang in the capital, just as there is only one emperor in the capital.

Wherever the coffin went, crowds thronged, creating a vibrant and bustling scene.

The Manchu people watching felt a sense of admiration. They remarked that Imperial Censor Jiang was a bastard, but also a bastard with a lot of guts.

At least he dared to charge forward!
Some idle Manchus openly stated that if Jiang Qingyun died on the front lines, his reputation would be completely reversed, and from then on, no one would say a bad word about him.

If Jiang Qingyun were to die a heroic death, he could become a half-step Martial Saint.

The Manchu bannermen in the capital had good intentions, but Jiang Qingyun executed them in a strange way.

……

Shuncheng Prince's Mansion.

The gate was tightly shut, and the place was deserted. The steward stood on the wall on a ladder, and after watching the lively coffin procession pass by, he hurriedly reported to Lekedehun, who was practicing archery in the garden.

"Master, it is that Lord Jiang who wants to lead the army with his coffin."

Lekedehun's expression was mocking. He silently drew back his bowstring and aimed at the faintly visible target in the distance, muttering, "They don't trust their own people, but they trust outsiders. I'm telling you this now, within three years, it will be the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

Having said that, he released his grip, and the arrow struck the bullseye.

"Your Highness is a master archer."

"Tell the opera troupe to listen to 'Yue Fei's Three Arrows Terrify the Jin Camp' tonight."

"Yes."

……

The sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Several small, locked wooden boxes have appeared on the desk in the Qianqing Palace.

Shunzhi used a key to open the first red wooden box and took out the note inside.

The first one is:

"On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month in the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign, Lekedehun cursed the court for its unfair personnel appointments, predicting that it would be defeated by the Ming army and that the Northern and Southern Dynasties were imminent. He called himself Yue Fei and indulged in debauchery with the actors kept in the Prince's mansion, during which he often expressed his resentment."

There are a few more pages that record the words and actions of other councilors and ministers during their confinement.

The second blue wooden box was opened.

"On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month in the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign, in the morning, Jiang Qingyun purchased a coffin in the inner city and boasted that he would carry the coffin into battle, which caused a sensation at the time."

"In the afternoon, he went to the Imperial Horse Administration to demand 300 high-quality thoroughbred horses aged three years old. Because he was in a hurry to ask for them, the Left Secretary of the Imperial Horse Administration failed to obtain the relevant documents and was repeatedly slapped by him."

"In the afternoon, Wu Yingxiong entered Jiang's residence. The two chatted intimately for 2 minutes. The content of their conversation is unknown."

"In the evening, he briefly met with Ao Bai and Zhou Shao at a teahouse in the south of the city, during which he dismissed the servants. Late at night, he stayed at his wife's place, whispering to each other, and turned off the lights at midnight."

Shunzhi locked all the small wooden boxes again.

"Someone is coming."

"The slave is here."

“Send it back to the Directorate of Ceremonial.”

"Whoo."

……

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is no longer what it used to be. The courtyard has been renovated and is heavily guarded. Everyone needs a waist tag to enter and exit, and people are not allowed to visit each other's rooms.

"Greetings, Chief Steward Wu."

"San Gouzi, what are you doing at the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs?"

"Reporting to the steward, it was His Majesty who ordered me to deliver these wooden boxes."

"Just leave it there. Oh, and remember this: the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is a place with rules. Don't look around aimlessly, don't go into rooms without permission, put your things down and leave quickly. Understand?"

"This servant is sensible, this servant will take her leave."

With a wave of his fat hand, Wu Liangfu dismissed the Third Eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, not daring to show the slightest disrespect in his words or actions.

Two weeks ago~
Wu Liangfu found an excuse to publicly beat to death the Left Director of the Imperial Household Department, and also impeached and dismissed the Right Director of the Imperial Household Department, the Manchu official.

He reorganized the thirteen government offices, dividing each supervisory office (department, bureau) into left and right departments. The left department director was a eunuch, and the right department director was a member of the Upper Three Banners.

The Left Assistant Secretary was the most respected.

The budget has skyrocketed.

Everyone knows the Thirteen Offices; the Chief Steward enjoys the Emperor's favor and all his wishes come true.

……

Of course, there are times when things don't go smoothly.

No sooner had the Third Eunuch left than Eunuch Qiu, the Left Secretary of the Imperial Horse Administration, arrived, his face swollen like a pig's head.

"Master Steward, you must stand up for me! That Jiang Qingyun actually slapped me across the face in front of so many people from the Imperial Stables! Waaah!"

"Why are you disobeying him?"

"Master Steward, he demanded 300 top-quality horses right off the bat, and I didn't refuse, but I did ask him to go through the proper procedures with the imperial court."

"Procedure? Does he need to follow any procedures? The fact that he's standing there is the procedure!"

Wu Liangfu was furious and couldn't help but tell his confidant what was on his mind.

(End of this chapter)