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

Chapter 259 Openly Undermining Wu Sangui's Foundation

South City.

Clubhouse No. 13.

The beautiful female manager, Qian Lihua, personally served the dishes, tea, and wine with great attentiveness.

Jiang Qingyun laughed and said, "Could you say that you and the young master became friends after a fight?"

"The Grand Secretary is making fun of me."

Qian Lihua's cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkled, and she smiled charmingly.

Teasing Wu Yingxiong, he simply poured himself two glasses of wine.

"Manager Qian, drink this cup as an apology to you."

"How dare I? All the mistakes are my fault."

After a glass of wine, Qian Lihua's apparent inability to hold her liquor caused everyone to burst into laughter.

No matter the occasion, there are always beautiful women at drinking parties; beautiful women accompany drinks, and the more you drink, the better.

Today's meal is hosted by Wu Yingxiong, with Xia Guoxiang, Liu Xuanchu, Wang Jinbao, and Zhang Yong in attendance.

The real intention behind the drinking was not the wine; both the host and the guest had their own ulterior motives.

……

After several rounds of drinks, the group became increasingly unrestrained and dissolute.

Taking advantage of her drunkenness, Qian Lihua sat on Jiang Qingyun's lap, sometimes coquettish and sometimes charming, her big, bright eyes seeming to speak volumes.

In the sweltering summer heat, with only light clothing, after a brief intimate moment, Jiang Qingyun found herself slightly moved.

Qian Lihua was incredibly shrewd, and her underhanded tactics became increasingly frequent.

Wu Yingxiong suddenly asked, "Grand Secretary, is there still no news of the Empress Dowager?"

"Ying Xiong, you're drunk!"

Wu Yingxiong blinked and said no more.

Jiang Qingyun pointed to a man who was engrossed in eating and asked, "Who is this general?"

The person immediately put down their chopsticks and stood up.

"This humble general is Wang Jinbao."

"Sit down, sit down, I've heard of you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jinbao was stunned.

"I saw your name in the Ministry of War's battle reports. You and Commander Zudu led 3000 elite cavalry in a surprise attack on Yunnan and won a great victory. General Wang, you are truly a valiant general."

"Thank you, Chief Minister."

Wang Jinbao was flattered and overwhelmed.

Jiang Qingyun had one arm around the beauty and the other holding a wine glass.

"Have a drink."

Wang Jinbao quickly stood up and pressed the rim of his wine glass down.

……

Qian Lihua joked, "How can a general drink from a small cup? He should use a large bowl."

"Go get it."

Jiang Qingyun slapped his hand, and Qian Lihua immediately stood up.

Wang Jinbao didn't hesitate at all; he picked up the large bowl and gulped it all down, showing great generosity.

"General Wang is from the Northwest?"

"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, this humble general is from Guyuan, Gansu."

"Since ancient times, Shaanxi and Gansu have produced strong soldiers. General Wang, would you like another bowl?"

"I will obey my orders."

With such urging to drink, both parties were willing to give and receive, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere at the table.

Wu Yingxiong looked puzzled, Xia Guoxiang seemed thoughtful, and Liu Xuanchu looked worried.

Jiang Qingyun saw this and suddenly had a plan.

"What is General Wang's current position under the Prince of Pingxi?"

Liu Xuanchu's mind went on alert, but he smiled and said, "General Wang is now the Right Battalion Commander. His Highness admires him greatly and has told me many times that he will be promoted to deputy commander once he has made some military achievements."

"Vice general? Admiral!"

The table fell silent instantly, everyone staring intently at Jiang Qingyun.

……

Wang Jinbao looked shocked.

Zhang Yong, one of his subordinates standing nearby, was even more stunned.

Wu Yingxiong immediately tried to smooth things over: "Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue, the Grand Secretary has had too much to drink."

Everyone burst into laughter. After they finished laughing, Jiang Qingyun spoke slowly.

"The court is in dire need of talent. Wang Jinbao, a military general under the Prince of Pingxi, is brave in battle and loyal to the country. It is proposed to promote him to the position of Commander of the Green Standard Army in Sichuan. The imperial decree will be sent to Kunming within three days."

The room fell silent once more.

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

Liu Xuanchu was both surprised and frightened. What a brilliant scheme!
Zhang Yong was filled with envy.

Jiang Qingyun laughed and said, "What? Do you think your official rank is too low?"

Wang Jinbao seemed to wake from a dream, picked up the wine jar in front of him and gulped it all down, then knelt on one knee, his face as red as blood.

"This humble general thanks the Grand Secretary for his great kindness!"

"It's just because I admire talent. Get up and eat your food."

"Whoo."

Looking at the excited Wang Jinbao, Jiang Qingyun laughed heartily, while the others felt a mix of emotions.

……

After the show ended, Jiang Qingyun didn't leave. He found Qian Lihua quite attractive and decided to take advantage of her for amusement. Qian Lihua used all her charms and flattery, which added to the enjoyment.

He lies drunk on the lap of a beauty, and when awake, he wields power over the world.

Men conquer the world, women conquer men.

Hearing the melodious chirping of larks coming from the private room upstairs, the chefs and waitresses of Club No. 13 beamed with joy; for them, this was a good thing.

Life is short and the path to officialdom is unpredictable. Having lived two lives, Jiang Qingyun naturally had fewer constraints, making him carefree and decisive in his actions.

However, Wu Fang and his group were very unhappy after leaving the guild hall.

Wu Yingxiong: "His move was too vicious."

Liu Xuanchu: "Yes. If Your Highness refuses this appointment, Wang Jinbao will surely resent it and become disloyal. Cutting off someone's path to officialdom is more serious than killing their parents."

Xia Guoxiang: "We definitely have to accept it. If the prince wins him over and bestows generous rewards upon him, it will be equivalent to extending the prince's influence to Sichuan."

Liu Xuanchu sneered.

Xia Guoxiang was slightly displeased.

Wu Yingxiong suddenly slapped his forehead: "I know! This year, the military budget allocated to my father has increased from 300 million taels to 400 million taels, but I only gave him a 30 tael kickback. He is warning me."

Liu Xuanchu: "Your Highness, hurry up and finish it for him."

Wu Yingxiong looked annoyed, mainly because he had spent a lot of money buying intelligence from all over the past few months, and he was short of money.

Liu Xuanchu: "Your Highness, Chief Minister Jiang is cunning and ruthless, but we all know he has no loyalty to the Qing court. If he wants money, we'll give him double. Compared to Your Highness's great cause, what is silver?"

Xia Guoxiang suddenly sneered, "Lord Liu, you have quite the nerve. Didn't we come to the capital just to demand silver? If Emperor Chongzhen had been able to produce a mountain of silver back then, would we be in this situation today?"

"Okay, don't say any more."

Wu Yingxiong stopped the infighting in time. One was a top strategist, and the other was his brother-in-law. They couldn't do without either of them.

……

The next day.

West Gate.

The people who were waiting to leave the city to work and earn money to support their families could no longer wait.

"Sir, why isn't the door open yet?"

"The imperial court has ordered that the city gates not be opened today, and the entire city will be searched for wanted criminals. You should all return to your homes and not wander around."

Chenshi.

Five battalions of infantry, the garrison of the nine gates, the Ministry of Justice, and the Tongzhou Green Standard Army, totaling 15,000 men, launched a thorough search of the capital.

They went from house to house, searching inside each home.

The order was vaguely conveyed: a city-wide manhunt for a pampered noblewoman, about 40 years old and 4 feet 8 inches tall, with a reward of 500 taels of silver.

Jiang Qingyun personally oversaw the search and arrest operation at the Infantry Commander's Office.

"Your Excellency, these are the compiled files."

"I don't want to watch, you tell the story."

"Yes. Two months ago, plainclothes officers from the Detective Bureau, acting on a tip, searched an abandoned house in the southwest of the capital and found items suspected to belong to Empress Dowager Li. Last month, under my strict urging, officers from the Ministry of Justice discovered two men suspected to be Empress Dowager Li's personal guards in the southern part of the city. After a fierce battle, the two suspects were killed."

"Wait! Suksaha, I have a question. Why didn't she run?"

"This humble official suspects that Empress Dowager Li is colluding in private."

"She still wants to change the world?"

"Yes."

Jiang Qingyun nodded, acknowledging the guess.

Suksaha continued his analysis: "I believe there are still many dissidents in the capital. If it weren't for their protection, the Empress Dowager would not have been able to escape until today."

(End of this chapter)