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

Chapter 206 An Emperor's Wrath Causes Rivers of Blood
Outside Yongding Gate.

Banners fluttered, red carpets were laid out, wise men gathered, and righteous men filled the gate.

Prince Zhuang, Shuo Sai, stood before the officials, wearing a brand-new royal robe with a dragon motif, his hands behind his back, clearly displeased.

Jiang Qingyun is late!
It's such a short distance, and you're a full fifteen and a half minutes late!
In officialdom, etiquette is the essence; arriving late is the privilege of those in power, and the longer one is late, the greater the difference in rank.

"Someone is coming."

"The slave is here."

"Send out scouts again, to investigate further."

"Whoo."

……

The next moment~
A rider galloped up, shouting from a distance of a dozen paces away: "Report! The General has been assassinated! The General has been assassinated!"

Shuo Sai shuddered and dashed toward a nearby warhorse, climbing onto its back.

"Quickly, follow me to quell the rebellion."

Dozens of riders followed him in a chaotic manner, and some of the military officers present also mounted their horses and followed, leaving only some civil officials standing there bewildered in the wind.

There's a good reason why Shusai was so excited!

He was terrified of being mistaken for the mastermind. Emperor Shunzhi already disliked him, and if he were implicated in the assassination of the Grand General, he feared he would have to go down to join Mandahai.

The warhorse galloped, the wind whistling past our ears.

Shuo Sai was conflicted at this moment. He both hoped that Jiang Qingyun would die suddenly and feared that he would die suddenly. The main reason was that he himself did not want to die.

Fifteen minutes later~
He could vaguely see imperial guards wearing yellow jackets in the distance.

"I am Prince Zhuang, I am Prince Zhuang, where is Vice-Governor Jiang?"

……

When Shuo Sai saw Jiang Qingyun, even though he was mentally prepared, he was still shocked by the terrible state of the man. He was wrapped up like a dumpling and lay weakly on the back of his warhorse.

Shusser's tone was high-pitched and urgent:

"Who was responsible for the assassination of a high-ranking official right under the emperor's nose?"

"Is there anything wrong, General?"

"Have you caught the assassin?"

Jiang Qingyun remained silent.

Jiang Bei, standing nearby, bowed and said, "Your Highness, we have captured one alive."

"What about people?"

"Academician Wu is treating his injuries."

"Good, good, whatever you do, don't let the assassin die. If he dies, there will be no way to verify the story. You must preserve the witnesses, you absolutely must."

Jiang Qingyun knew that every word Shuo Sai said was aimed at a specific purpose.

He was actually trying to clearly tell himself: the assassination had nothing to do with me! I have nothing to hide! Don't get me into this mess!
The convoy slowly returned to Beijing.

The atmosphere was very awkward.

The military commander, Yabulan, looked like a starving man whose spirit had been drained. He was hunched over and almost burst into tears on the spot. It was all over; his promising future was ruined.

It was he who suggested "stopping the march and going to the river to check the troops' appearance."

To put it mildly, it's dereliction of duty.

To put it more broadly, there is suspicion of assassination.

He tried several times to approach Jiang Qingyun to explain, but the guards were very wary, and he was bad at talking, so he couldn't find an opportunity.

……

An awkward atmosphere prevailed outside Yongding Gate.

Minister of Rites Fan Wencheng and Minister of War Chen Zhilin looked at each other, unsure whether to fire the prepared cannons and firecrackers or not.

Does setting off firecrackers imply sarcasm?
Does not firing a cannon also imply a sarcastic tone?
Being an official is tough!
He pondered and pondered every day, fearing that he might misunderstand the signals his superior was sending, or even more so that he might send signals that his superior would misunderstand.

Sometimes people are so distressed that they even envy those with facial paralysis or who are mute.

Fan Wencheng grabbed a person in charge.

"Go and ask the general himself, whether to fire the cannon or not?"

As Jiang Qingyun listened to the trembling official from the Ministry of Rites explain his purpose, he shakily extended his right hand and cut downwards.

That's it!

……

Crackle, boom boom boom~
The booming of cannons finally added a touch of celebration.

Jiang Qingyun deliberately dipped his feet in the stirrups, then, taking advantage of a patch of overgrown mud, he lost his footing and spectacularly fell from his horse. The biggest risk of falling from a horse is that if you land on the ground with your feet still in the stirrups, the horse will drag you to your death.

Therefore, horse riders must remember to step on the stirrups shallowly, just with the toes, and never step on the arch of the foot. Good habits will benefit you for life, while bad habits will cause trouble sooner or later.

Everyone was stunned.

Many people ran over to help him up, and many others jumped up and down in place.

A roughneck in the Ministry of War actually shouted, "Oh dear, Lord Chiang has fallen from grace!"

He shouted very loudly.

Minister of War Chen Zhilin rushed over like a whirlwind and slapped him hard across the face on the spot.

"Fall off your horse! Not fall off your horse! You're being fined a month's salary. Go back and study hard."

The rough draft covered his cheeks, looking bewildered.

His colleagues around him gloated as they explained the difference between "falling off a horse" and "falling from a horse."

In short, the farce has come to an end.

Jiang Qingyun was helped into the carriage.

To everyone's surprise, the main gate of Zhengyang Gate was wide open, a sign of the highest honor.

The carriage passed through this city gate, a symbol of imperial majesty.

The imperial guards accompanying the emperor were not smiling; they were very frustrated. Their triumphant return home, which was priceless, had been ruined by an assassin who appeared out of nowhere.

Damn assassin.

Damn politics.

……

The guards carried Jiang Qingyun, who was wrapped in gauze, into the Hall of Supreme Harmony in a soft palanquin. He looked very miserable.

The smile on Shunzhi's face vanished abruptly, his complexion turning first white, then black, and finally a dark reddish-black.

Emperor Shunzhi flew into a rage:

"Under the emperor's nose, in the most desirable district, in broad daylight, an assassination attempt on a high-ranking general of the imperial court?"

"The Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, the Shuntian Prefecture, the Zhili Province, and all the Eight Banners Commander-in-Chief's offices, all go and investigate this case for me. You must solve it within 30 days. If you fail to do so, I will strip you of your official hats one by one."

"Reverse, reverse!"

"I think the capital city needs a good cleaning up."

"Retreat."

The officials shrank back and left the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Once outside the Meridian Gate, their expressions brightened again, and they gathered in small groups to analyze the ultimate impact of the assassination attempt on the court.

Some are happy, some are sad.

Jiang is a total jinx. His return to Beijing means everyone's good days are over. Bloodshed and chaos are already on their way.

……

The emperor and his ministers were speechless and choked with emotion.

"Your Majesty, I am fine."

"My dear minister, do not speak. Rest well. I will send you the best imperial physicians and the best medicines."

Emperor Shunzhi's eyes reddened as he looked at the weakened "Zhang Tang"—no, clearly "Huo Qubing"—and finally understood Emperor Wu of Han's feelings.

It breaks my heart.

Although he had a lot of questions, such as, how exactly did you defeat Li Dingguo? And how did you recover the lost territory within six months?
But now is not the time to ask questions.

"Wu Yong, is his arrow wound serious?"

“It was extremely dangerous; it was just an inch away from piercing the heart. But I am willing to sign a military pledge to save Lord Jiang’s life.”

Wu Yong's expression was solemn. He believed he had not lied, and that a distance of one inch could be interpreted in many ways.

Emperor Shunzhi calmed his mind.

"By imperial decree, Wu Yong is in charge of the Imperial Medical Academy and is deeply favored by me. He shall be granted the hereditary title of Yunqiwei."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Wu Yong".

"The minister is here."

"I have a detached palace in Yuquan Mountain where I can recuperate and recover. It will be very beneficial for me. Select a few people to go with me and keep me company day and night."

(End of this chapter)