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

Chapter 221 Wu Liangfu, ambushed~
Exhausted, with no ammunition left, and feeling weak, Jiang Qingyun was overcome by a heavy drowsiness and quickly fell asleep.

When I woke up again, it was already midnight.

A small oil lamp was lit inside the room, serving as a makeshift nightlight.

"you're awake?"

"Ah."

Jiangnan coiled around her like a water snake, yet she showed no signs of fatigue; one could only say that her martial arts background made all the difference.

"Are you tired?"

"Yes."

"Then, can I share your burdens?"

Jiang Qingyun nodded.

"Someone, light the lamps."

The maidservant sleeping outside found some white candles as thick as a bowl and lit six of them, finally illuminating the room.

Jiang Qingyun: "Go and rest in the right wing room. Come back when it's light."

"Yes~"

……

"Madam, it's hard to do anything in life, and it's even harder to do something great. Now, I want to do something unprecedented, but one person's strength is ultimately limited. So I need a group of like-minded subordinates. They must unconditionally trust me, admire me, obey me, and carry out my ideas to change the world."

"My lord, do you want to be the emperor?"

Jiang Qingyun shook his head.

"No, they are similar in some ways, but they are definitely not the same thing."

"Master?"

“I can’t say for sure right now. Maybe it’s a role that combines secular imperial power and ideal religious authority. Only by doing that can I change the world according to my own ideas.”

"Then, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just think of the orphanage as a school. Put more effort into training a group of qualified subordinates for me."

"I am willing, but I don't know what to teach them?"

"Pen and ink are at your service."

Jiangnan grinds ink, and Jiang Qingyun holds the brush.

Half an hour later, a short play, "The Survival Record of Wu Mantun," which incorporated elements from various sources, was completed.

It incorporates many famous works, such as "Dragon Beard Ditch", "Xiao Erhei's Marriage", "The White-Haired Girl", "Oliver Twist", "Wuthering Heights", "The Count of Monte Cristo", and even "Madame Bovary".

Jiang Qingyun yawned.

"You look at it first, I'm going to catch up on some sleep."

Jiangnan was so engrossed in watching it that after watching it once, she still wanted more and watched it again.

The main storyline follows the life trajectory of Wu Mantun's family, farmers in the Yimeng Mountains, from being refugees to becoming small landlords, and then back to being refugees again. The story is full of ups and downs, with moments of touching emotion, excitement, anger, disappointment, passionate moments, moments of enlightenment, and moments of indignation.

……

The rooster crowed three times, but it was still not dawn.

Jiang Qingyun woke up.

"Husband, this is so beautiful."

"Do you see anything?"

"I don't know how to say it either."

"Say whatever you want, based on your own intuition."

"The Wu family was very hardworking and skilled at brewing wine. They were also quite lucky, so they became wealthy. After they became wealthy, internal conflicts arose within the Wu family. The county magistrate coveted their wealth, bandits in the mountains set their sights on them, neighbors were jealous of them, and even family members turned against each other. In the end, the Wu family fell from grace. Husband, is there still a part left unwritten?"

"Yes, there's no need to complete it for now. Go to the Nancheng Orphanage and find a few children to try rehearsing. They need to fit the characters and be fully engaged in the performance. The expenses should come from their families. Rehearse seriously, as this play will be very important in the future."

"Don't worry, my husband, I understand."

"You really understand?"

"Educate the people."

Jiang Qingyun pulled Jiang Nan into his arms.

"We'll just say to outsiders that we're training an opera troupe for our household, to cover our tracks."

"Understood, I am ill."

Jiangnan smiled slyly.

……

Also on this quiet night, just five hours ago.

Forbidden City.

The Directorate of Ceremonial was brightly lit. Today was payday for the palace maids and eunuchs of the Forbidden City.

The corpulent chief eunuch Wu Liangfu slumped in his chair, propping his feet up on the table, which held a large copper basin.

Dang rang~
Clang~
The eunuchs and physicians of the thirteen government offices lined up to throw silver ingots into the basin.

Eunuch Qiu of the Imperial Horse Stables smiled obsequiously: "Chief Steward, this is a gift for you."

Wu Liangfu jumped up in a flash:
"Hey, I don't like hearing that. This money isn't for me. It's clearly a pool of money that everyone chipped in to build a life-saving pond. If anyone gets sick, or if something happens to someone's family, we can take some money from this pond to save them."

"The steward is right, this servant is not good at speaking."

Qiu Gonggong immediately gave himself a very light slap on the face.

Wu Liangfu continued to stand with his legs crossed, gazing at the roof, and said with deep emotion:

"Don't take my words lightly. Everyone gets sick sometimes. If you get sick, who will go to the Imperial Hospital for medicine? It will definitely be me, the Grand Eunuch, but can I go empty-handed? Even if I chew my tongue until it's raw, wear down my teeth, and bang my head until it's broken, I still can't get those big shots at the Imperial Hospital to help me! Those imperial physicians only care about money. Without money, who would prescribe medicine for us lowly eunuchs? Besides, the medicine at the Imperial Hospital is very precious."

"Yes Yes."

The eunuch De, the director of the Imperial Ceremonial Affairs Bureau, threw a small ingot of silver into the copper basin.

……

After the rank-holding eunuchs finished throwing their coins, it was the turn of the unranked junior eunuchs. They threw in copper coins, which jingled incessantly.

With his eyes closed, Wu Liangfu felt that this was the most beautiful and melodious sound in the world, even more melodious than the moans of young women.

In fact, everyone knows that you can only believe three-tenths of what Steward Wu says. It's true that he will help find medicine at the Imperial Hospital, but he's extremely unscrupulous.

That month ~
If a eunuch falls ill, half of the pool is emptied.

When two people fall ill at the same time, the pool is completely emptied.

If there are three people, then they have to share the drink.

If there are four people, they should still share the drink.

Two winters ago, 11 young eunuchs in the palace caught a cold. As a result, Chief Eunuch Wu threw two doses of medicine into a large pot to boil.

It's bland and watery, but better than nothing.

Our Chief Steward Wu has done an excellent job in the area of ​​not being concerned about scarcity but about inequality.

……

Looking at the overflowing copper basin, Wu Liangfu casually asked, "Has everyone been here?"

"Reporting to the steward, one more is still needed."

"Who?"

"The Third Eunuch, a seventh-rank chief eunuch of the Qianqing Palace."

Wu Liangfu's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he slammed his hand on the table, causing the copper coins overflowing from the basin to roll onto the ground.

"That beggar brat, how dare he defy me, the head steward! I'll strip him of his dog!"

Before the words were even finished...
There was a knock at the door.

"Manager, it's me."

The third eunuch, covered in sweat, entered, clutching half a silver ingot in his hand.

"Steward, I've made it as fast as I can! Here's a tael of silver."

Wu Liangfu accepted the silver.

"That seems like too much, doesn't it?"

"Not much, exactly one ounce."

Wu Liangfu nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, if you say one ounce, then it's one ounce. Oh, why are you all sweaty? Oh, and you even cut your hand?"

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

"Are you deaf?"

……

"Steward, what... what is this?"

The old man spoke with trembling hands, his eyes were fixed, and he extended a trembling finger.

Wu Liangfu looked in the direction he was pointing and was instantly horrified, his hair standing on end.

Yongli Tongbao!

Once there is one, there will be two; once there are two, there will be countless.

Sure enough, he discovered even more Yongli copper coins and Yongli silver ingots.

As if struck by lightning, Wu Liangfu took a deep breath, raised his head, and stared intently at the Third Eunuch, as if there was another person hidden beneath his skin!

Despite the fierce stare of his superior, the Third Eunuch showed no fear.

Innocent, bewildered, calm~
(End of this chapter)