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

Chapter 283 The West Lake Debate—What is Civilization?
West Lake.

Jiang Qingyun looked at the slightly murky lake water without feeling disappointed, but just stared at it in a daze.

The guards stood at a distance, not daring to disturb his thoughts.

suddenly~
"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, Elder Mr. Huang has arrived."

Jiang Qingyun turned around and saw a thin but arrogant old man staring at him from five zhang away, with no intention of greeting him.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

Huang Zongxi remained silent.

The same goes for Jiang Qingyun.

The two remained in a silent standoff.

……

Liu Rushi came over and bowed in greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Huang!"

Huang Zongxi was slightly shocked. As a member of the Donglin Fushe Society, he naturally knew Liu Rushi.

"you?"

"Yes."

Liu Rushi maintained a respectful yet assertive attitude and directly acknowledged the relationship.

Huang Zongxi's eyes revealed contempt and sarcasm.

"Mr. Huang, the Grand Secretary would like to invite you to go boating on West Lake to discuss national affairs."

Huang Zongxi snorted, adjusted his crown slightly, and then strode towards Jiang Qingyun.

"stop!"

"Search him."

Sure enough~
The guards searched Huang Zongxi's arms as he struggled and found a sharp steel awl.

……

Jiang Qingyun waved his hand, signaling the guards to release the stubborn old man.

"When you were young, you avenged your father by stabbing Xu Xianchun, a member of the eunuch faction, with an awl in court, causing a sensation. What, do you want to repeat the same trick?"

"Yes!"

Where did you go in the past few years?

Zhoushan.

"Why are you back again?"

"I don't want to associate with a bunch of insects anymore."

Would you like to go boating with me on West Lake?

What if I say I don't want to?

"Come on, tie him up and put him on the boat."

"you dare!"

Jiang Qingyun burst into laughter.

"Come with me on the boat obediently. You row, and we'll have a chat."

……

The small boat slowly left the shore. Jiang Qingyun sat at the bow, while Huang Zongxi rowed at the stern, creating an extremely eerie scene.

"I have long admired Mr. Huang's talent and learning, and I am very pleased to meet him today."

"Hahahaha~"

"why are you laughing?"

"I laugh at the Grand Secretary for being so young and ignorant, yet pretending to respect learning."

“How come you see?”

"Do you really acknowledge my research findings?"

"of course."

"Really?"

"It's true."

"Then let me tell you, the most important achievement of my scholarship is—the ruler is a scourge to the world!"

Huang Zongxi laughed loudly.

After a while~
"Are you done laughing?"

"Haven't you finished laughing? Does the Grand Secretary still acknowledge my scholarship?"

"I completely agree!"

The four words struck Huang Zongxi like a thunderclap from a clear sky, leaving him momentarily dazed and wondering if there was something wrong with his ears.

"What did you say?"

"I say, you're right, feudal autocratic rulers are the biggest bastards in the world!"

……

Huang Zongxi stared intently at Jiang Qingyun, showing no interest in rowing. The small boat drifted aimlessly on West Lake, like a dead fish.

"who are you?"

"I am the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet, and my name is Jiang Qingyun."

"why?"

"Why what?" "Why do you have this idea?"

"Why can't I have these thoughts? Just because you're well-educated? Just because you're smart? Just because you see things clearly?"

"Tell me, what exactly is your purpose?"

Faced with Huang Zongxi's angry questioning, Jiang Qingyun avoided answering and instead started a new topic.

"Mr. Huang, do you think there is still hope for the Ming Dynasty?"

Huang Zongxi shook his head.

"why?"

"The Ming Dynasty's fate has run its course, and the hearts of the people have been lost. Even if a celestial being descended to earth, he could not restore the Ming Dynasty."

Jiang Qingyun nodded.

Reaching this consensus is crucial; otherwise, it's better to kill than to use.

What kind of world do you think the ideal world would be?

"Replace the laws of one person with the laws of the whole country. The monarch should relinquish power, the cabinet should provide checks and balances, culture should be diverse, society should be prosperous, thought should be tolerant, and the people should be confident."

Do you want to achieve such a society?

"Of course I do."

"Then come with me to the capital. I will give you power, and you can do whatever you want."

Jiang Qingyun had expected Huang Zongxi to be shocked, excited, and to repeatedly verify the truth.

To everyone's surprise, he was surprisingly indifferent.

"Thank you, Chief Minister, but I am old and powerless to help."

"Old man, I gave you a chance to realize your ambitions, but you didn't take it. What are you doing writing those pretentious theories? To show off your great knowledge? To show off your concern for the country and its people? To show off your lifelong reputation for integrity?"

……

Faced with the scolding, Huang Zongxi simply threw down the oar, closed his eyes, sat cross-legged at the stern of the boat, and looked like he would let you scold and insult him.

Jiang Qingyun's expression gradually turned cold.

“Mr. Huang, a few days ago, I sent a doctor to cure your diarrhea.”

"Thank you, Chief Minister, for the medicine."

"Mr. Huang, I just killed over a hundred members of the Donglin Party."

"The Grand Secretary wields immense power; with the hilt of a knife in his hand, it wouldn't be surprising if he killed another thousand people."

"Huang Zongxi, I think you are not as good as Qian Qianyi or Chen Mingxia."

"fart."

Huang Zongxi glared at him angrily.

"Huang Zongxi, you are nothing but a shameless old man who seeks fame and fortune. Your courage has been scared away by the Eight Banners soldiers. Chen Mingxia is a true villain, and you are a hypocrite. The world is ruined because of hypocrites like you."

"You fart."

Enraged, Huang Zongxi rushed over, only to be smashed into West Lake by Jiang Qingyun's sword sheath.

Thump~
It stirred up a huge splash.

The guards on the shore stirred, but the Prime Minister had given prior instructions that no one was allowed to disturb the conversation, so they could only watch silently.

……

Huang Zongxi was struggling in West Lake, but Jiang Qingyun showed no intention of helping him. Instead, he squatted on the boat and made sarcastic remarks.

"Is the water cold?"

"You corrupt official, you'll get what's coming to you!"

Glug glug, the curses were swallowed back by the lake water.

Several dozen breaths later~
Huang Zongxi finally managed to grab onto the gunwale, looking utterly disheveled. It wasn't that he couldn't swim, but the water was too smelly, both fishy and foul, with a stench reminiscent of horse manure.

The Eight Banners garrison raised horses nearby and treated West Lake as a dumping ground.

"Huang Zongxi, are you afraid of death?"

"Nonsense! I once spent all my family fortune to organize the Shizhong Camp. I once served as Prince Lu's envoy to Nagasaki Island to seek reinforcements. I traveled everywhere just to resist the Qing Dynasty. Ten members of my family have died fighting against the Qing Dynasty."

"Since you're not afraid of death, why don't you dare to leave the mountain?"

Huang Zongxi stared intently at Jiang Qingyun, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence from his throat: "Because ideals are just ideals, they are simply impossible to achieve!"

"why?"

"After reading three thousand years of history, all I see is fame and fortune. One dynasty falls, another rises. I see no hope. I don't think I can do it, and I don't think you can either."

Jiang Qingyun extended his hand.

Huang Zongxi was taken aback.

"Grab me, I'll pull you up."

……

Huang Zongxi lay panting in the cabin, soaking wet, the glaring sunlight shining on him as the small boat rocked back and forth in the dirty lake water.

Huang Zongxi: "You have already reached the highest position in the court, what are you after?"

Jiang Qingyun: "Ten years of drinking ice cannot cool the burning passion. A thousand years of darkness can be illuminated by a single lamp."

Huang Zongxi remained silent.

Jiang Qingyun took a deep breath.

"My name is Jiang Qingyun. I want to conduct an unprecedented large-scale social experiment on this land. Success will make me famous throughout history, and failure will also make me famous. The chariot is already racing, and ahead are only insects. Are you willing to get on the chariot and race forward with me?"

(End of this chapter)