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

Chapter 28 Using a Crossbow to Enforce the Law!

Inside Chongwenmen, at Tiemen Hutong.

The residence of Kerkun, the current head of the Zhenglan Banner Niru Zhangjing, who was a trusted bodyguard of Abatai, the former Prince of Yu County of Qianrao.

Not far away, two plainclothes officers from the South City Military Command were lying in wait, keeping watch.

Publicly arresting a legitimate Manchu officer is no small matter. Leaving aside the uproar it would cause afterward, the very question of whether the arrest could be successfully carried out, and whether everyone could leave safely afterward, is a major challenge.

"Sir, this area is entirely within the defense zone of Zhenglan Banner. What if—"

"So let's not be afraid of any unforeseen circumstances."

Throughout the journey, Zhao Zesheng tried to dissuade his father from his reckless behavior. However, his advice was ineffective.

Ever since the assassination attempt, the adult has become somewhat deranged. In fact, Jiang Qingyun's behavior became clearly out of control after returning from Chongfu Temple.

……

"My lord, Korkun is not in the manor."

"It's alright, then arrest his steward and son. As long as we arrest them, we can make it an ironclad case. Don't be afraid, what's a mere Niru Zhangjing? In the future, the Commander-in-Chief will arrest them without hesitation."

Everyone who heard this felt their livers tremble.

Jiang Qingyun quickly explained, "If he opposes the Qing Dynasty, then he is no longer the Commander-in-Chief."

The group calmed down a bit and regained their composure.

"Brothers, grab your weapons and get to work!"

The carriage curtain was lifted, and everyone quickly grabbed their weapons from the carriage and rushed to the front gate.

"Dong Dong Dong~"

"Who is it?"

"It's urgent at the Governor's Office."

……

The first to rush into the mansion were two crossbowmen who shot and killed the gatekeeper at close range.

"Charge! Go to the inner hall and arrest them!"

Twelve carefully selected elite soldiers, half armed with crossbows and half with short knives, stormed into the residence of the former head of the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty, moving like mercury across the ground.

Soon, short bursts of fighting and screams rang out.

Jiang Qingyun was standing in the courtyard with a crossbow in his hand when he happened to see a half-naked boy of about ten years old trying to escape from the roof. Because the tiles were slippery, he could only use his hands and feet.

He closed his right eye, held his breath, aimed, and then pulled the trigger.

The boy on the roof was shot in the leg with an arrow, rolled down and fell. It was clear to everyone that he was going to die; his brains were spilled out.

Jiang Qingyun went to the study and searched through Ke Erkun's correspondence.

"My lord, the steward, the legal wife, and the concubine have all been apprehended."

"Tie him up, give him some medicine, stuff him in a carriage and take him away. Quickly!"

……

Half an incense stick later, everyone quickly left.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to close the door.

The two carriages headed in different directions. One was to return weapons borrowed from his father's trusted confidant in the army. The other carriage was crammed with three unconscious suspects.

The operatives discarded their blood-stained clothes and, completely unarmed, swaggered out of Chongwen Gate.

Less than half an hour later.

In the prison ward of the Military Commandery, the jailers splashed water on the man to wake him up and quickly began the interrogation.

"Who are you people?" Korkun's butler reacted violently, even wanting to curse.

"Apply the soldering iron."

Screams, wails, the aroma of charred flesh~
The jailers were ruthless, taking turns to torture the prisoners, and fresh blood kept splattering on the walls.

"Madam, confess now? It's true that your husband is dissatisfied with the court and has made outrageous remarks in teahouses and restaurants on many occasions."

"He won't let you get away with this."

The next second, a bloodcurdling scream shook the heavens and the earth.

……

Jiang Qingyun himself was in his study looking through the letters and books he had copied back.

Korkun was not a high-ranking official, but he was definitely a veteran elite of the Plain Blue Banner, having fought countless battles, and was one of Abatai's trusted bodyguards at the time.

However, Abatai is already dead.

A Man of the Plain Blue Banner with a resume like Korkun's must have been very dissatisfied with the imperial court.

In the relatively short history of the Qing Dynasty, the unfortunate Plain Blue Banner always seemed to choose the wrong side. First, its banner chief, Mangultai, openly opposed Huang Taiji during the struggle for the throne. After Huang Taiji ascended the throne, he purged the Plain Blue Banner and replaced it with his cronies.

Later, Huang Taiji's era came to an end.

The Plain Blue Banner openly supported Hauge and opposed Dorgon. Dorgon retaliated by slaughtering many members of the Plain Blue Banner, purging them once again.

Now, Dorgon is dying.

Once Shunzhi came to power, it was clear that the Plain Blue Banner was about to be persecuted again.

Of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty, the Plain Blue Banner was the most unlucky.

Therefore, Jiang Qingyun decided to start with the Plain Blue Banner and destroy them one by one, first targeting the Plain Blue Banner and then the two White Banners, fundamentally undermining the foundation of the Qing Dynasty.

……

Jiang Qingyun was surprised to find that Korkun's correspondence was so extensive, and that several familiar names were among them. For example, Prince Ajige, and Uert, the former commander whom he had sent to serve in the Southwest Army.

Upon reading the content, I was even more delighted.

The content is extremely rich, including complaints, dissatisfaction, unfounded remarks, and insinuations.

One of the letters, addressed to the garrison commander of Jiangning in Zhenglan Banner, is particularly rich in artistic elements.

Jiang Qingyun picked up his pen and crossed out "Dodo" and then "army" from one of the sentences: "Dodo is young and in a high position, and he manages the army like a pancake."

The two blacked-out areas are to give everyone ample room for imagination.

Who doesn't have a beard? Is it Fu Lin?
What can be cured as easily as making pancakes? The country, perhaps?
What surprised him most was that Ke Erkun actually read books by the Taizhou School that advocated for individual freedom in private, which was quite interesting.

The world is indeed fragmented; a ruthless general of the Eight Banners who killed without hesitation actually liked that kind of freedom.

……

Jiang Qingyun leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes slightly.

My knees suddenly felt heavy, and my warm calico cat was there to provide emotional support again.

"Meow~"

Jiang Qingyun gently closed the kitten's ears, preventing it from hearing the ambitious man's thoughts—"Use ambition to curb ambition, use power to curb power, and use the Eight Banners to suppress the Eight Banners."

Familiar footsteps sounded outside the study.

"Young master, the master has arrived," Green Pearl said softly.

Jiang Qingyun opened his eyes and walked out of the study.

Upon meeting him, Jiang Zhongcheng angrily lowered his voice and demanded, "What are you trying to do? How could you secretly borrow crossbows from my men without my knowledge? What are you doing borrowing crossbows from the inner city?"

"Father, I've arrested someone."

"Who?"

"Korkun, the Zhangjing of the Plain Blue Banner, was one of the eighteen guards of Prince Raoyu in his heyday. I suspect he was colluding with the Ming court, and I have now obtained evidence."

"My son, wouldn't it be better to be a peaceful official? Why do you have to play with fire?"

"Father, there's no such thing as a stable official position. If you're always afraid of this and that, what's the point of being an official?"

Jiang Zhongcheng was speechless; he wanted to curse but dared not, and he wanted to cry but could not.

After a long pause, he finally managed to utter a single sentence.

"From now on, you are my uncle, and I am your grandson."

……

Jiang Qingyun said softly:

"The Regent Prince is dying soon, and the capital is bound to be in chaos for a while. Have everyone else in the household move to my place in the south of the city. You yourself should stay in the military camp and cultivate more trusted confidants."

Jiang Zhongcheng sighed softly, "Do you have any banknotes? Your grandson has been spending a lot lately."

Jiang Qingyun waved.

"Green Pearl, come here."

"Go and get 200 taels of silver."

Jiang Zhongcheng took the silver notes and left with a mournful face.

He was genuinely terrified that his son was becoming increasingly reckless and outrageous, with everything he did exuding an evil aura.

They actually used crossbows to break down the inner city gates and arrest people. How is that any different from treason?

Fear drove him mad.

After sending his family to the southern city, Jiang Zhongcheng simply dressed his concubine in a soldier's uniform and brought her into the military camp. Compared to the crime of treason, this minor transgression was nothing.

Gentlemen, please save your precious monthly votes for me, not for my fellow writers. Their character is as bad as their writing style, so don't be fooled by them.

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(End of this chapter)