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

Chapter 280 Enko's Abuse of Power, All for the Pursuit of a Complete Sweep

The second batch of suicide squads consisted of members of the Zhili Green Standard Army. Five days later, due to their greed and corruption, most of them died at the hands of the third batch of suicide squads.

The third batch of suicide squad members were Manchurian soldiers. Five days later, due to their greed, half of them died at the hands of the fourth batch of suicide squad members.

The fourth suicide squad consisted of imperial guards wearing blue-tasseled hats; due to their greed, a third of them died at the hands of their own men.

As usual, each group of people responsible for the raids only handled their own tasks, and all reports were sent to Zhou Shao's desk, where he was solely responsible for compiling the data.

Zhou Shao then reported to Jiang Qingyun.

No drafts are kept, no archives are maintained, and confidentiality is maximized.

The first person on Jiang Qingyun's list of trusted individuals is Zhou Shao!
……

"Grand Secretary, the results of the house search are in."

"How about it?"

"shocking."

"Old Zhou, you'll get used to it."

Zhou Shao looked on with emotion, and after taking his seat, he made himself some tea.

"Prime Minister, what are your plans regarding these 85 mu of fertile land?"

"Establish collective farms."

"Similar to the military camp system that Sun Kewang implemented in Yunnan and Guizhou?"

"Pretty much. I want to set up a farm management office and hire short-term farming workers. My idea is to abandon traditional intensive farming and adopt extensive, large-scale agriculture."

Zhou Shao immediately sensed the key issue: "Prime Minister, are workers and land tied together? For example, how many acres of land are associated with one person?"

"No!"

Jiang Qingyun immediately rejected the idea.

"The head of the farm corresponds to a fixed farm, and the other workers are each responsible for a process. They work on a mobile basis and are never tied to each other. The Jiangnan region has a relatively surplus of labor, so we can hire them temporarily to save costs."

"Prime Minister, in this case, the output of the collective farms may not look good."

"It's alright, we can handle it."

……

After Zhou Shao left, Jiang Qingyun summoned Zhou Cang.

Has Huang Zongxi arrived?

"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, not yet. The messenger says the person has arrived in Hangzhou, but is ill and cannot proceed for the time being."

"Really sick?"

"A doctor checked it, and it's real."

Jiang Qingyun thought to himself that using Huang Zongxi was a crucial step. He needed to use Huang to create a logically complete ideological system and also to use him as a channel to win over loyal officials of the Ming court.

The civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty who have survived to this day are all talented people who can govern the country. They have read books, fought in wars, shed blood, and witnessed the sinking of China. Their values ​​and integrity have been repeatedly tempered by the cruel reality.

They were no longer traditional Confucian scholar-officials.

This is a group of chosen talents.

……

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

"Prime Minister, there's one more thing~"

"speak."

"Before Qian Qianyi was executed, Liu Rushi visited him in prison. She stayed for a quarter of an hour under the supervision of the prison guards. During this time, Qian Qianyi gave her a letter, and Liu Rushi left in tears."

"What letter?"

"do not know."

Jiang Qingyun lowered his head and thought for a moment. Saving the world was certainly important, but personal needs could not be ignored. The left and right sides were expanding too much, so it would be better to go along with his second brother's call.

"Send a sedan chair to Canglang Pavilion to pick up Liu Rushi. Also, inform the headquarters that I need to go to Hangzhou and will depart tomorrow."

"As ordered."

As soon as the military order was issued, the headquarters was in a flurry of activity.

Scouts were dispatched to inform the prefectures and counties along the route to prepare in advance, and the Hangzhou government was notified to make preparations for receiving them.

At the same time, preparations began for the fleet, the horse team, the provisions, and the ceremonial guard; everyone was extremely busy.

Night~
When the sedan chair entered the imperial envoy's residence, Liu Rushi, who stepped out of the chair, felt a mixture of anticipation, hesitation, and embarrassment.

"Madam, please~"

The guard pushed open the door.

Liu Rushi wore light makeup and simple white clothes, looking like a willow in the wind. As soon as she entered the room, she met Jiang Qingyun's eyes, who was working on his official business at his desk.

……

"This humble servant greets the Grand Secretary."

"Hmm, sit down. Have all the funeral arrangements for Qian Qianyi been made?" "Fortunately, the Changshu County government sent people to assist, and he has been laid to rest and a monument has been erected in his memory."

"If I kill him, will you hate me?"

"Do not."

Is it that you dare not hate, or that you truly do not hate?

"I don't hate him. He really shouldn't have lived on."

"Liu Rushi, it's remarkable that you can understand this. I think what sets you apart from the other seven beauties of Qinhuai is that you understand righteousness and the big picture. By the way, I'm going to Hangzhou tomorrow, would you like to come with me?"

Liu Rushi looked up, her expression sorrowful.

"I am willing!"

Jiang Qingyun nodded slightly and continued to handle official business.

Liu Rushi, who had taken the initiative to go to the side room to remove her mourning clothes and change into simple dresses, stood quietly to one side, serving him with writing brush and ink.

What makes Liu Ru so remarkable is her self-awareness. She knew she was like a vine, and if she couldn't cling to something, she would soon die.

Historically, this was also the case; after Qian Qianyi's death, she was forced to commit suicide by the Qian family.

At some point, Jiang Qingyun put down his brush.

"What are you thinking?"

"Please forgive me, Grand Secretary, I was just worried about Shu'er."

"Oh, she must hate me so much right now, right?"

Liu Rushi remained silent; this was a difficult question to answer.

"What a pity~"

Liu Rushi shuddered in fright. The words "what a pity" were terrifying to contemplate, and she dared not think about them any further.

Jiang Qingyun realized he had misspoke and decided to clarify things.

"How about this, after I finish what I'm doing, I'll arrange her marriage. That way, I can put my mind at ease."

"Thank you for your kindness, Chief Minister."

Liu Rushi bowed in greeting, overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

Jiang Qingyun casually asked, "By the way, did Qian Qianyi leave any last words?"

He left me a letter of divorce.

"Ok?"

"He wanted to persuade me to serve you in exchange for your release from prison."

Jiang Qingyun glanced at Liu Rushi, who was blushing, and finally felt relieved. He got up and stretched.

"It's late, serve me to rest."

"Yes."

Liu Rushi took a deep breath; what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

……

noon the next day.

Outside the temporary residence, civil and military officials and gentry who came to see him off knelt on the ground.

"Respectfully seeing off the Grand Secretary."

Jiang Qingyun felt refreshed as he looked at the group of resentful people.

"Gentlemen, before we go to Hangzhou, I can tell you some good news: the imperial court will hold special examinations in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, selecting 500 scholars from each province."

Instantly, the atmosphere at the scene was ignited.

The gentry, who had been harboring resentment, were so excited that their faces turned red, and they knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

Resentment? It doesn't exist.

I am grateful, especially grateful.

Jiang Qingyun walked onto the ship's side and waved frequently.

The cheers were like waves, one after another. Liu Rushi, who had entered the cabin ahead of time, heard them clearly and was secretly delighted.

……

Board.

"Mom, are you seasick?"
“I’m fine. I just have a question. Isn’t it too much to admit 500 candidates from a single province? I remember your maternal grandfather saying that during the Ming Dynasty, the entire country only admitted fewer than 1000 candidates.”

“Mother, the struggle ahead will be fierce. I am preparing for this by building up my talent pool. It is better for me to use scholars than for them to be used by others.”

As Jiang Qingyun spoke, the corners of his mouth turned up, his smile slightly cruel.

"Yun'er, who are you referring to as 'others'?"

“All my enemies. As you know, scholars will be loyal to whoever gives them official positions, so I will not leave them to my enemies.”

(End of this chapter)