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

Chapter 235 The Dead Eunuch Strikes Back~
Abu Nai was shocked. The question Sony asked was exactly the same as Jiang Qingyun had predicted. Was this Jiang Anda a reincarnation of Zhuge Liang?

He took a deep breath: "Your Majesty, let's start the meeting."

"what?"

"Immediately convene a meeting of princes and ministers in the Forbidden City, and have Jiang Qingyun attend, as well as the Empress Dowager."

"what do you mean?"

“If Jiang Qingyun were a traitor, he certainly wouldn’t dare to enter the palace.”

"What if he enters the palace?"

“He will definitely go to the palace, because the Empress Dowager is the traitor. It was the Empress Dowager who deliberately framed Jiang Qingyun.”

The voice is very loud.

The logic is very self-consistent.

……

thump~
Standing behind Shunzhi, Wu Liangfu stumbled and tumbled down the steps, falling and becoming dizzy and disoriented. Before he could get up, he started howling loudly.

"Your Majesty, this servant deserves to die. This servant concealed the truth from Your Majesty."

The eunuch who was eavesdropping outside the palace suddenly felt dizzy and almost ran away, but reason told him that this was the imperial city and he couldn't escape. He could only fight to the end!
Shunzhi pointed at Wu Liangfu in horror:
"What...what are you hiding?"

“This servant deserves to die. This servant was threatened by Jiang Qingyun and dared not tell the Emperor. Jiang Qingyun is truly a traitor. He slaughtered the bannermen, interfered with the Thirteen Offices, and even sent an inside agent into the capital.”

Who is his mole?

“There are many, many, including the Third Eunuch, the head eunuch of the Qianqing Palace.”

Emperor Shunzhi fainted on the spot.

"Imperial physician! Quickly summon the imperial physician!"

When Wu Yong, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, arrived with his medicine chest, the hall was in complete disarray.

The third eunuch cried and cursed as he fought with Wu Liangfu.

"Why are you framing me, Steward Wu? Is it because I refused to sleep with you?"

"You fart."

The two rolled around on the ground.

……

Half an hour later, Shunzhi finally regained consciousness. His face was pale, his legs were weak, and his heart was racing. Just now, he had experienced the feeling of being on the verge of death.

Wu Yong, who was connected to the imperial lineage, was secretly alarmed.

A 17-year-old with the vitality of a 37-year-old—it seems the games in the Red Palace are no simple matter.

"emperor?"

Seeing Sony's concerned and tearful appearance, Shunzhi couldn't help but feel sorrow.

"Help me up."

Shunzhi sat down in a chair, looked around at everyone in the hall, and after a long while, he spoke.

"Preach my will."

"Seal off Cining Palace and forbid anyone from entering or leaving."

"Summon Jiang Qingyun to the palace immediately to attend the Council of Princes and Ministers, and send him to deliver the imperial edict."

Everyone was stunned. The emperor had actually sent one of the suspects, the Third Eunuch, to deliver the imperial decree. This was truly a brilliant move.

"Summon all members of the Council of Princes and Ministers to the palace."

“Summon all the Khorchin princes and nobles in Beijing to the palace to listen to the proceedings.”

"Arrest Wu Liangfu and everyone in the Directorate of Ceremonial."

"According to the order."

Abu Nai shouted, "Your Majesty is wise! Since the Empress Dowager is a traitor, the princes of Khorchin must also be traitors. They should all be killed!"

……

After drinking a bowl of ginseng soup, Emperor Shunzhi felt his energy and spirits improve slightly.

"Guards, prepare my armor."

With his armor on and sword in hand, he regained some of his courage.

"Sony, I am eager to know who the traitor is. If Jiang Qingyun has rebelled, I will stand with the soldiers to defend the capital and await the arrival of the loyalist bannermen. If the Empress Dowager wants to depose me, I will imprison her."

"Okay, go get ready."

Sony bowed and hurriedly left the hall.

The Forbidden City was in chaos as dozens of Western cannons were once again unearthed from the cellars and deployed throughout the city. A gloomy atmosphere enveloped the Forbidden City.

The sun was completely blocked.

……

Yuxiu Palace.

The guards stood watch at the palace gate.

Liu Bang, a native of Xuzhou, once said: "Xiang Yu, a native of Suqian, attempted to use the lives of my family members to blackmail me. This behavior is actually quite ridiculous."

Therefore, neither Empress Xiaozhuang nor Emperor Shunzhi intended to bind Jiangnan to the gates of the capital.

A young eunuch walked in carrying a food box.

"Madam, these are pastries sent by the Empress."

"Put it down, and I'll give you half to eat."

"Thank you, Madam."

The young eunuchs happily shared the food, and the delicate sweet and oily pastries filled their mouths, which were lacking in oil and salt, bringing them joy.

Taking this opportunity, Jiangnan sat down at the dressing table and tucked a small box of face powder into her sleeve. In a pinch, face powder could also be used as lime.

Underworld tactics, despicable yet effective.

……

Cining Palace.

A squad of guards rudely drove away the eunuchs and palace maids, took control of the palace gates, and prohibited anyone from entering or leaving.

Looking at this scene, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang could hardly believe her eyes.

"A rare and rebellious son, so utterly incompetent."

Sony remained respectful.

"Empress Dowager, Prince Chahar has informed you that he is preparing to depose the Emperor. The Emperor will immediately convene a meeting of the Council of Princes and Ministers, which you and Jiang Qingyun will both attend."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Sony is indeed a very loyal subject; it is truly remarkable that he can remain so impartial.

He was conflicted.
If the Empress Dowager were to commit treason, the Emperor would have no choice but to imprison her, which would crumble the court and cause strong centrifugal forces to emerge from the Khorchin tribe and even the entire Mongol Empire.

If Jiang Qingyun were to rebel and a mutiny were to break out, at least half the people in the capital would die.

There is no doubt about Jiang's capacity for large-scale destruction.

Sony looked up at the thick, leaden-gray clouds and prayed silently, "Heavens, please bless my Great Qing to get through this day without disaster or hardship. My Great Qing really cannot withstand another mutiny."

……

The Infantry Commander's Office.

The third eunuch, who was sent out by Shunzhi to test the waters, recounted the situation in the palace in one breath, with clear logic and a distinct focus.

"Third Master, please sit down and have a cup of tea."

"Minister Eun-sung, what should we do?"

"Take it easy, have some tea. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up."

Jiang Qingyun's powerful aura instantly suppressed the agitated Third Eunuch. Next, he would witness his benefactor's superb skills, rare mental fortitude, and incomparable moral character.

"Father-in-law, brother-in-law, listen up. The court is currently facing an unprecedented crisis. My wife is a guest in the palace, and I am also ordered to enter the palace to punish the traitors before the emperor."

"This trip into the palace is fraught with danger and uncertainty. Therefore, I have made the following arrangements."

“If I am not standing before you in one hour, you shall immediately take the following actions.”

"First, ignite the Wanggongchang gunpowder factory."

"Secondly, the Imperial Guards led their infantry to attack all the princely residences, killing everyone they saw."

"Third, deploy the Central Battalion of the Garrison to attack and kill people in the central government offices."

"Fourth, summon officers of the rank of captain and above from the Infantry Commander's Office and tell them that the traitors of the Ninth Banner have kidnapped the Emperor, and that I may also have been kidnapped. Then produce my warrant and demand that they respect the Emperor and punish the traitors. If they disobey, kill them on the spot."

"Remember, blowing up the gunpowder factory was the first step. The explosion at Wanggongchang was the signal to launch an attack, simultaneously targeting the Prince's Mansion, government offices, and the Forbidden City."

"In addition, send someone with my personal letter to Zheng Siwei, the general of Tongzhou Town, and ask him to lead his cavalry through Yongding Gate into Beijing to quell the rebellion. Send someone with my personal letter to my father and ask him to first massacre the Zhili Governor-General's Office, and then lead his cavalry through Yongding Gate into Beijing to quell the rebellion."

"My life and Jiangnan's life are in your hands."

Jiang Deshun, being a seasoned veteran, maintained a solemn expression and cupped his hands, saying, "Rest assured, son-in-law."

Jiang Qingyun shook her head: "I'm not reassured. Repeat it again."

(End of this chapter)