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

Chapter 27: Shifting the blame to Zhenglan Banner!

"Husband, are you alright?" Jiang Nan asked anxiously.

"Ah~ a close call."

The two assassins lying at his feet, one dead and one wounded, were gone. Jiang Qingyun walked over and pressed the blade against the wounded man's throat.

Why did you want to assassinate me?

"You corrupt official, the Axe Gang won't let you off the hook. You won't be so lucky next time."

Jiang Qingyun seemed to be deep in thought, then pressed down with his blade, ending the assassin's life.

Quit your mouth!

Jiangnan, standing to the side, had a complicated expression, but she knew it was not the right time to ask any more questions. She would wait until they returned to the manor to discuss it further.

……

The number of soldiers kept increasing.

Jiang Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glad that he had been cautious.

The armor on his chest was damaged, presumably from the axe thrown during the first attack. It's clear that giving a speech in public is an extremely risky thing.

"Brothers of the Military Command, listen to my command: search the entire city for the assassin."

"Yes."

The scene was a mess.
Jiang Qingyun found Zhao Zesheng and whispered, "No matter what, you must bring back a few people for me today."

Zhao Zesheng instantly understood and knelt down on one knee to accept the order.

Zhou Cang, who was standing nearby, also understood.

This is like the thief crying "stop thief!" and stirring up trouble. The meaning may not be accurate, but the logic is sound.

About half an hour later~
The Western City Military Command has arrived.

One hour later~
Daxing County and Wanping County also dispatched their yamen runners, shouting and making a ruckus, arresting people everywhere.

As the winds of change swept through the southern city, heroes from all corners of the land emerged in droves.

……

The officers from the West City Garrison were the most active and the loudest, but they didn't arrest anyone.

The officials in Daxing County arrested seven suspects, while those in Wanping County arrested twelve. The suspects included men, women, and children of all ages, and their only commonality was that they all possessed some wealth.

Jiang Qingyun had to accept this favor, feeling like he was being played for a fool.

Yan Mou has escaped!

But he was shot in the back with an arrow.

It was truly remarkable that he managed to escape; it was all thanks to the gang members' resourcefulness in managing to stuff him into a latrine cart and get him through the city gate. Of course, he was safe, but infection was inevitable.

As a result of this incident, the Axe Gang temporarily disappeared from the southern part of the city, and its leaders voluntarily withdrew from Tongzhou Wharf.

In short, this matter has a significant impact.

Everyone in Beijing knows it.

……

Meanwhile, Jiang Qingyun, at the center of the storm, was not idle for a moment, interrogating the six "suspects" his subordinates had captured overnight.

Zhao Zesheng had been an official in Nancheng for a long time and knew the situation very well. He arrested only those who were homeless, without family, or relatives, a group of shady characters.

This kind of person is best framed.

Give me the whip.

Screams like those of a pig being slaughtered echoed from the prison cell.

The crowd stared at the seemingly out-of-control adult, completely bewildered.

After being whipped dozens of times~
"Brothers, keep beating! We must find out who's behind this."

"Yes."

……

Jiang Qingyun brought over a chair and personally took charge of the scene.

Zhao Zesheng hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Sir, who do you think sent the assassin?"

"It was most likely the work of forces within the banner."

"what?"

"Yes, there's a conspiracy-driven anti-emperor group hiding within the Eight Banners. These people are very well concealed, holding high official ranks and having many followers. Cough cough, but I can't tell you the source of this intelligence, do you understand?"

Zhao Zesheng nodded solemnly.

He recalled the rumor of the adult's chance encounter with the emperor. Ah, so that's how it is~
Jiang Qingyun took in the changes in his expression and wrote "Zhenglan Banner Niru Zhangjing Keerkun" on the table with his finger dipped in tea.

Then he patted him on the shoulder and left meaningfully.

Go back home and go to sleep.

Seventeen is the age when you need to take care of yourself.

……

The interrogation continued until dawn the following day.

Fan Chengmo, the imperial censor patrolling the southern city, Wu Jinyan, the magistrate of Daxing County, and Shang Zhou, the magistrate of Wanping County, were invited to listen to the suspect's confession.

The suspect, beaten bloody and barely breathing, recalled his crimes:

"...Lord Ke'erkun, the commander of the Zhenglan Banner, gave me 100 taels of gold and asked me to find an opportunity to kill Lord Jiang Qingyun. I don't know what grudges exist between the two of them, that's all I know..."

The three were terrified and wished they could become deaf.

Korkun and Uert are good friends! They fought side by side and shared a life-or-death bond.

Fan Chengmo was particularly shocked. Only now did he understand why his father had repeatedly warned him to be careful of Jiang Qingyun and to transfer to another unit as soon as possible to leave the vortex of Nancheng.

Zhao Zesheng nodded.

The jailers immediately dragged the man away and pulled another one over.

"...My lord, I confess. I accepted 30 taels of silver from Tan Er to help him kill someone, but I didn't do it. Please spare my life..."

"...Sir, I was blinded by greed and accepted 10 taels of silver from Tan Er to keep watch for him..."

In the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the four suspects confessed everything.

Zhao Zesheng respectfully walked over, holding the confession covered with fresh handprints.

"Lord Fan, Lord Shang, Lord Wu, please take a look. If there are no errors, please sign your names here."

……

Fan Chengmo was startled and quickly waved his hand: "No, no, I cannot sign. This matter was handled by your Lord Jiang and has nothing to do with me."

The county magistrates Shang and Wu also chimed in.
Zhao Zesheng's official rank was relatively low, so he couldn't force the three officials to sign the papers.

He could only laugh awkwardly.
"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. My master will be here shortly."

His words, instead of being a good thing, actually reminded the three of something.

The three men immediately sprang up from their chairs and headed straight out, eager to leave this place of trouble. Zhao Zesheng tried to stop them, pulling and tugging at each other, and they followed each other in this chaotic manner all the way to the prison gate.

……

At the prison gate.

Under the sunlight, a figure blocked the passage for those leaving prison.

Zhao Zesheng exclaimed with delight, "My lord, you've finally arrived!"

Jiang Qingyun was not wearing official robes, but rather hunting attire with a sword at his waist, as he walked step by step into the prison.

The passage was narrow, forcing the three of them to retreat repeatedly.

"Censor Fan, you are the Imperial Inspector on patrol, a high-ranking official dispatched by the Censorate to supervise the military affairs department. How can you possibly think of standing aside? Or do you not accept the testimony?"

"Lord Jiang, this is utterly shocking! Korkun Zhangjing is a trusted and beloved general of Prince Raoyu. This...this~"

“Imperial Censor Fan, Prince Raoyu, Abatai, is dead. Why don’t you go down and invite him up to testify that Korkun is loyal to the Qing Dynasty and the Emperor?”

Fan Chengmo remained silent.

He was rendered speechless. Every word Jiang Qingyun uttered was a trap, and he dared not respond.

……

Jiang Qingyun's tone was sinister as he handed over a calligraphy brush:
“Imperial Censor Fan, you either sign as a witness, or sign to indicate that you do not approve of my actions. I can tell you that everything that happened yesterday and today will be reported to the Emperor. Right and wrong will eventually be settled.”

"Time is tight and the task is heavy, please proceed, you three?"

Fan Chengmo took the brush, which seemed to weigh a ton, and wrote with a sigh, "The above testimonies are all things I heard with my own ears. Fan, Inspector of the Censorate."

The other two people, with long faces, wrote it down.

Zhao Zesheng, watching from the side, was filled with excitement and marveled at how awesome his father was.

"Thank you for your hard work, you three."

"Farewell, farewell."

The three men, as if being chased by ghosts, hurriedly left the prison.

(End of this chapter)