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

Chapter 253 is all good news!
At the end of the cabinet meeting, Chiang Ching-yun repeated his old tune once again.

"Gentlemen, the Qing Dynasty belongs to the Emperor, but it also belongs to us. If the Qing Dynasty falls, we will certainly not have a good end. We must work together to overcome the current financial crisis. I beg you."

"We will follow the lead of the Chief Minister."

When the meeting adjourned, Jiang Qingyun asked Zu Dashou to stay behind.

"Ancestor, how has your health been?"

"Not bad. I'm easygoing and don't like to meddle in other people's business. I estimate I can live for another three to five years."

"I can't do it. I worry too much. The position of Grand Secretary seems glamorous, but it's actually a hot potato."

"He who can do it should work harder."

Silence fell in the room.

Jiang Qingyun drank tea, and Zu Dashou also drank tea.

After a while~
"Ancestor, what do you think of your nephew?"

“San Gui has been clever since he was a child.”

"King Pingxi Hu holds sway over the southwest, commanding 100,000 elite troops, making him a veritable shield for the empire. I have always admired him greatly. It is said that a nephew is like his uncle, but unfortunately I was born too late to witness the grandeur of General Zu's campaigns in Liaodong."

……

Zu Dashou opened his eyes wide, seemingly angry.

"The Grand Secretary is joking. How can a defeated general speak of bravery?"

"No, heroes are not judged by victory or defeat. Starting a business is difficult and fate is unpredictable. Therefore, the victor is not necessarily a hero, and the loser is not necessarily not a hero."

Zu Dashou remained silent.

"Senior, what do you think of Hong Chengchou?"

“He is the prime minister of the central government, while I am just a mere military man. The difference in status between us is like heaven and earth.”

"Since you are unwilling to speak, then I will speak. Hong Chengchou is guilty of heinous crimes, too numerous to mention. He has neither public nor private morality. He is a beast in human skin. In the five thousand years of history, he is a rare and ugly creature."

"Does the Grand Secretary despise traitors?"

A hint of hostility crept into Zu Dashou's eyes.

Jiang Qingyun slowly got up and walked to the window.

"There are always many things in life that people can't help. Even a man of great talent like Xu Shu had no choice but to surrender to Cao Cao because his mother was captured. However, he never offered Cao Cao a single strategy and died silently. He left behind a famous proverb for posterity: 'Xu Shu entered Cao Cao's camp and did not utter a word.'"

Zu Dashou was taken aback, and his emotions were slightly agitated.

Jiang Qingyun continued to talk while still looking out the window.

"Hong Chengchou, who came from the countryside, rose to the highest rank of official and was the most powerful minister. Logically speaking, he should have died in the Battle of Songjin, but he was unwilling to die and instead humbly sought to survive, just like an ant. This is also a matter of human nature."

"If he had remained silent like Xu Shu, he would have at least upheld the last line of human decency. But he was restless and still wanted to make a name for himself. After the rebel army captured the capital, it was he who took the initiative to offer advice and persuade Dorgon to take control of the Central Plains."

"Frankly speaking, neither Emperor Taizong nor Dorgon expected someone of Hong Chengchou's stature to truly serve them. It was like Cao Cao treating Xu Shu with courtesy, spending a fortune to buy his horse's bones."

“But Hong Chengchou shamelessly offered advice. Who is he? He was once the Grand Coordinator of the Ming Dynasty, second only to the emperor. No one understands the weaknesses of the Ming Dynasty better than him.”

"Humans can be so shameless, it's unprecedented."

Zu Dashou stood up, bowed deeply, and then left silently.

Jiang Qingyun did not turn around, but kept looking out the window at the bamboo forest with his hands behind his back.

……

3 days later.

Jiang Qingyun drafted a "list of those who colluded with bandits," with the criteria being: those who entered officialdom before the 10th year of the Chongzhen reign and held a rank of fifth grade or above, and those who surrendered to the Qing and held a rank of fourth grade or above.

There were 300 eligible people, but Jiang Qingyun crossed out more than 70 of them, which was considered a special pardon, and they cannot be touched for the time being.

The next day.

The Infantry Commander's Office, following the list, raided homes and arrested people.

All males, regardless of age, were sent to the dungeon for secret sentencing.

All female relatives were handed over to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution).

All of his family property was confiscated.

More than 200 families were executed in one fell swoop, and the number of Han officials in the capital was reduced by more than half, which shocked the people who heard about it.

This incident did not cause much of a stir among the bannermen in the inner city, firstly because there was no public execution, and secondly because almost all those arrested were Han officials.

The central government offices were completely emptied.

A thorough review is the first step in correcting an overcorrection!
……

South of the city, at the Chiang Kai-shek residence.

Lady Wen returned to the capital from Daming Prefecture.

"Mother, are you getting used to it?"

"Good, I'm looking forward to you having a son soon." "Mom, that's not difficult, after all, I'm still young."

"By the way, prominent families in Jiangnan have been sending people to the capital, wanting to offer their daughters as your concubines."

"Reject all."

"Yun'er, I heard that you have recently killed many Han officials."

"Yes."

"But many of them have never opposed you."

"Mother, these people seem neutral, but they could side with the enemy at any moment. They might suddenly attack me. These Han officials even want me to fall more than the Manchu officials, because they can accept a foreign superior, but they can't accept their own kind."

Wen nodded slowly.

“Mother, I have two more things to tell you. First, the capital of Zhili will be moved from Daming Prefecture to Baoding Prefecture, and my father will become the Governor-General of Zhili. Second, Jiangnan Province will be divided in two, with Jiangsu and Anhui no longer under each other's jurisdiction. I plan to appoint Zhu Guozhi as the Governor of Jiangsu to stir up trouble.”

Wen was instantly startled.

"Is another wealthy household in Jiangnan behind on their payments?"

"Yes, the arrears have become more and more serious year by year. I suspect that these wealthy families in Jiangnan have hidden a lot of land."

"You want to kill someone?"

"Yes."

Wen hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Jiang Qingyun simply brought it up.

"Mother, please feel free to speak if you have any doubts."

“Yun’er, killing won’t solve the problem. There are few good people among the noble families, gentry, and clerks. But since ancient times, imperial power has not extended to the countryside. Without these people, we really can’t collect taxes and grain. If you kill all these people, the order below the county level will collapse, and it’s hard to predict what will happen next. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Every pond has silt, and you can’t clean the silt out completely.”

"Mother, don't worry, I'm not Li Zicheng!"

"Do you have any other ideas?"

Jiang Qingyun smiled but did not answer.

"Yun'er, do you really believe in Huang Zongxi?"

"of course."

Ms. Wen looked suspicious, but her son spoke with absolute certainty.

……

Commerce in the capital began to flourish, and pedestrians flocked to the city.

Everything seems to be moving in a positive direction. Just as the Prime Minister said, let's forget the past and look forward together!

The mansions of the bannermen have generally become larger, their ranks have generally become higher, their crops have grown taller, and their lives are getting better and better.

At the entrances of alleys within the inner city, bright red notices were posted one after another, all of them containing good news.

The Manchu people living nearby would glance at the good news when they passed by the alley entrance. They would feel good when they saw the good news in the morning and sleep soundly when they saw the good news again at night.

For example:

“The Prince of Pingxi defeated the Ming army, and the Yongli Emperor was trapped in the Shiwan Mountains, or fled into Burma.”

"The south had a bumper harvest, and the Tongzhou granary was overflowing with grain, so they were forced to brew wine."

"The Cabinet requests that 1500 million taels of silver be allocated specifically for the renovation and construction of the inner city."

"The ban is lifted immediately, and 49 bathhouses, teahouses, restaurants, brothels, and theaters are planned to be built in the inner city for the enjoyment of the people."

The news posted today is exceptionally good.

"At the suggestion of Grand Secretary Jiang Qingyun, the Cabinet drafted the plan, which was approved by the Emperor. The second plan to raise the crop prices of all loyal Eight Banners farmers in the capital in the tenth year of the Shunzhi reign will be implemented. Prices will rise across the board! By 1 tael!"

"At the suggestion of Grand Secretary Jiang Qingyun, the Cabinet drafted a plan, which was approved by the Emperor, to expand the Beijing Army Primary School based on the original official school. Admission is free, and all boys under the age of 8 in the capital city, regardless of whether they are bannermen or commoners, can enroll."

Everyone was excited. "Damn it, the good days have really arrived!"

……

Ironically, ever since he brutally suppressed the Beijing Incident, Jiang Qingyun seemed to have become a different person, and he never again harassed the Manchu people in the inner city.

More and more Manchus believe that Chiang Kai-shek's previous "retrogressive behavior" was because he was really sick, his madness was acting up, and he couldn't control himself, which is why he was so tyrannical.

Tyranny was not his intention!
Forgive him!

The Stockholm Theory has once again demonstrated its power.

The Manchu people of the capital have collectively chosen to forgive the Grand Secretary! They have chosen to love and respect the Grand Secretary!

……

Amidst a deluge of good news, Jiang Qingyun convened another cabinet meeting with the topic of "strictly maintaining the purity of the bloodline of the Eight Banners descendants."

This is a long-forgotten topic, and now that it's being brought up again, it's natural to come up with new ideas.

(End of this chapter)