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

Chapter 222 The struggle for the position of chief steward has always been the case.

Wu Liangfu forced a smile.

"Hey, hey hey, Third Eunuch, have you ever heard of Yongli?"

"It seems to be the reign title of the Ming Dynasty's pseudo-emperor, right?"

"You've seen a lot and are very knowledgeable."

"I wouldn't dare. I often walk around the Qianqing Palace and occasionally overhear the adults talking about it."

"Do you know where Yongli is now?"

"In Yunnan."

How far is it from Yunnan to the Forbidden City?

"South of the colorful clouds, it is far away at the edge of the sky."

"Then how do you think these Yongli coins ended up in the Forbidden City?"

"This servant doesn't know. I believe whatever the steward says."

……

These Yongli Tongbao copper coins are well-made, made of thick materials, with clear characters, and the surface is even free of burrs and scratches.

To put it mildly, this matter suggests that there was a spy within the Forbidden City.

On a grander scale, it's simply unimaginable.

After about several dozen breaths, Wu Liangfu finally made up his mind. He poured all the money in the copper basin onto the table and carefully searched through it.

"One, two, three, four... twelve, nineteen."

He actually found 19 silver coins issued by the "Yongli regime", including 2 silver ingots and 17 copper coins.

The three eunuchs stood respectfully with their hands at their sides.

Wu Liangfu, however, displayed an extremely strong will to survive and the courage to make a difficult decision. Like a wild boar caught in a trap, he bit off his injured leg.

"Someone is coming."

"What are your orders, Steward?"

"Immediately notify the guards of the Forbidden City and ask them to seal off the thirteen government offices and thoroughly investigate the spies."

"Whoo."

Half an hour later, Shunzhi looked at the Yongli coins and flew into a rage.

The guards of the Forbidden City stayed up all night, conducting a thorough search of the thirteen government offices, the eunuchs' quarters, and the palace maids' quarters. Eunuchs and palace maids were constantly being taken away by the Censorate and subjected to severe torture in order to trace the source of the money.

Another 81 Yongli Tongbao coins were found during the search.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Enraged, Emperor Shunzhi slapped Wu Liangfu twice across the face on the spot.

Wu Liangfu was beaten until his mouth and nose bled. He dared not cry out, but just kept kowtowing. He knew that today's incident had indeed touched the royal family's sore spot.

No dynasty or era could tolerate this.

"Wu Liangfu, you dog! I wish I could tear you to pieces! What kind of place is the Thirteen Offices? How could Yongli's Embroidered Uniform Guard have infiltrated there?"

"This servant deserves to die."

"I'm giving you one last chance. You must learn from this mistake and root out all the corrupt people in this palace. If you fail to do so, next time, I will personally rip your head off."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. This servant will take care of it immediately. This servant needs some manpower."

"Please choose whatever you like."

"Whoo."

Wu Liangfu got up. He knew that the emperor had not completely lost hope in him, but he absolutely could not test the emperor's last bit of patience.

……

In the square, eunuchs lined up.

Wu Liangfu was filled with murderous intent.

"Third Grandfather."

"The servant is here."

"I need a group of people to help me identify the other eunuchs and palace maids in the palace. You are one of them, but can you prove your innocence?"

"Reporting to the steward, this servant is innocent. This servant gave half a tael of official silver at the time."

"Then go find it now."

The eunuch quickly picked out the silver ingot that was significantly different in weight and shape from the large pile of silver coins. "How can you prove it?"

“I cut it from a whole silver ingot. The remaining half is still where I live.”

Wu Liangfu took the silver ingot and examined it repeatedly.

The gap looked like it had been chewed by a dog, with jagged, interlocking teeth.

"Go and fetch it; if it matches, it will prove your innocence."

"Whoo."

Watching his hurried departure, Wu Liangfu's eyes were filled with resentment. He was now certain that he had fallen into a trap set by someone else, and San Gouzi was one of the people who dug it!
……

The Third Eunuch, walking briskly, felt a little regretful. He hadn't been able to kill his enemy in one move today; Wu Liangfu was truly a difficult person to deal with.

They walked several dozen feet further.

Suddenly, he froze in his tracks, as if struck by lightning.

broken!

In this unexpected incident, he distanced himself too much; the missing silver ingot was rare, and the evidence was airtight. No suspicion is the biggest suspicion!

He forced himself to return to his room, suppressing his fear.

The guards had just searched the silver ingot when it lay on the ground, its chipped edge jagged and uneven. The guards hadn't dared to keep the silver, fearing that the ingot might contain the seal of the Imperial Guard.

Don't say it's impossible.

With two silver ingots placed before you, who can tell clearly which one belongs to the Ming Dynasty and which one belongs to the Qing Dynasty?
Outside~
"Third Eunuch, hurry up! The head steward is pressing us urgently."

The third eunuch grabbed the herbal tea on the table and gulped it down. The fear in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by madness.

The struggle for control has always been like this.

He silently prayed: "May Chiang Kai-shek bless me to pass this test smoothly. If it comes true, I will worship Chiang Kai-shek for the rest of my life."

……

Yawn~
Just as Jiang Qingyun was about to leave, she suddenly sneezed loudly.

"Husband, drive carefully, it's cold outside."

"It's alright. Perhaps it was because of my frenzy last night that the windows weren't sealed tightly enough, allowing a slight draft. Madam, I'm leaving now."

"Husband, be careful."

Jiangnan watched him disappear into the alleyway, then went back to find the carpenter to repair the window.

Yawn~
Jiang Qingyun sneezed loudly again while still on horseback. He thought to himself, "Someone must be cursing me behind my back." It wasn't surprising; in the capital, there were at least 80,000 to 100,000 bannermen cursing them.

Whatever~
If curses were effective, many people in history shouldn't have lived past 20.

The truth is, they lived longer than anyone else.

Whether in terms of the length or breadth of their lives, they are far ahead!

Even hundreds of years later, when ordinary people's graves are destroyed and their descendants die out, the bloodline of these bastards will still continue! Their incense offerings will still be far ahead of others!

Damn~
……

"Drive~"

Jiang Qingyun spurred his horse, and the warhorse instantly accelerated, its hooves flying and snow mist billowing up.

half an hour later
The majestic Zhengyang Gate revealed its vague outline.

The sky was pitch black, and light snow began to fall.

Outside Zhengyang Gate, five battalions of armored soldiers had been assembled for half an hour. Their swords and spears were like a forest, and they wore white helmets and armor. At first glance, they looked like the revolutionaries that Ah Q had seen in the county town, who claimed to be avenging Chongzhen.

……

The warhorse neighed and reared up.

Jiang Qingyun saw many things in their eyes: obedience, respect, confusion, fear, and a hint of doubt.

The so-called "Cleansing the Banners" campaign was actually about appointing a group of Bannermen to eliminate another group of Bannermen. Objectively speaking, this was an extremely difficult task.

But the greater the challenge, the more exciting it is.

A true man, if he cannot live to eat from nine tripods, then he should die to be cooked in nine tripods.

Jiang Qingyun shouted loudly:
"Brothers of the Infantry Commander's Office, you are all excellent. The actions of the past few days have fully demonstrated your loyalty and your capabilities."

"Now, go door to door and notify all officials of the fourth rank and above, princes and ministers in the capital, to escort them to court."

"start to act."

(End of this chapter)