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

Chapter 29 Behold my Wenhua Hall AOE
After finishing his shift, Zhenglan Banner Niru Zhangjing Keerkun saw a group of people gathered at his doorstep, discussing something.

Upon seeing the person in charge return, Yi Qiding quickly came over and bowed.

"Master, something has happened at your residence. You should go back and check on it quickly."

Korkun stared at the corpses scattered on the ground, his blood cold. He picked up his son's body and let out a roar like a wounded beast.

The case quickly escalated.

News of the incident at the residence of the banner's commander spread like wildfire throughout the entire Zhenglan Banner defense area, and every household entered a state of readiness for battle.

The flag bearers even spontaneously organized patrol teams.

This triggered a series of chain reactions.

The Bordered White Banner, located north of the Plain Blue Banner's defense zone, kept sending people to inquire about the reason, while the Bordered Blue Banner to the west quickly reported to the imperial court. The Military Command and Shuntian Prefecture also took similar actions.

……

The instigator, Jiang Qingyun, the commander of the Southern City Garrison, finally succeeded. He entered the inner city through Xuanwu Gate with physical evidence and confessions, heading straight for the Censorate.

He follows the rules very well and reports to his superior first.

Left Censor-in-Chief Ning Wanwo was so frightened that he almost died on the spot. He trembled for a long time before finally stamping his foot and saying, "Come on, follow me into the palace."

The guards at the Meridian Gate were rather rigid.

“You may enter, but he may not.”

"I guarantee he'll be fine!"

"I'm sorry, but these are extraordinary times, unless there is an imperial decree."

Ning Wan took a deep breath and instructed, "You stand here, I will go and request the Emperor's decree."

Having said that, he took the confession and evidence and ran into the Meridian Gate.

With nothing else to do, Jiang Qingyun set his sights on the guards.

"Brother Guard, are you under the Bordered Yellow Banner?"

"Nonsense, look at my nail color."

"My younger brother is Jiang Qingyun, the commander of the Southern City Military Command, and we belong to the same banner."

"Hiss, it's you! I am Suleda, a third-class imperial bodyguard."

"Nice to meet you."

"What's going on outside that the Grand Secretary would bring a mere sixth-rank official like you into the palace?"

"Brother Su, there's a secret I'm only telling you. The Zhangjing (chieftain) of the Plain Blue Banner, Korkun, is plotting a rebellion, and I've caught him red-handed. Right now, only the two of us from the Yellow Banner are reliable."

Suleda nodded; he agreed with the last sentence.

Otherwise, the current situation where the sons of the two Yellow Banners are responsible for the entire palace guard would not exist.

……

"A royal decree has been issued, summoning Commander Jiang of the Southern City Military Command to the palace." A young eunuch came to deliver the decree.

"The situation is extremely critical, Brother Su, let's be prepared for battle."

Jiang Qingyun uttered a remark and swaggered into the Forbidden City.

The young eunuch bowed and led the way with small, quick steps.

"Please take good care of me, Father-in-law."

The young eunuch nervously tucked the silver ingot into his sleeve, glancing left and right. His demeanor clearly indicated a severe lack of experience in accepting gifts and a poor reputation within the palace.

"Father-in-law, where are we going?"

"Go to the Wenhua Hall."

"What to do?"

"Many high-ranking officials in the court are already in the Wenhua Hall. How dare I, a mere servant, ask about such important military matters?"

Silence, walking.

As they approached the Wenhua Hall, Jiang Qingyun casually asked, "Have we not yet inquired about your name, sir?"

"Call me Third Eunuch, Lord Jiang. We've arrived."

……

Inside the Wenhua Hall~
Several high-ranking officials gathered, their expressions tense and varied.

Jiang Qingyun, a minor official of the sixth rank, had to kneel before everyone he met, which was quite embarrassing.

Fan Wencheng's face was ashen.

"Jiang Qingyun, how dare you confiscate the home of a Manchu officer without imperial decree? And even kill someone? Are you trying to rebel?"

"Guards, remove his official hat."

Two guards entered, their hands resting on their sword hilts. "Wait! Grand Secretary Fan, your son, Fan Chengmo, is the Imperial Censor patrolling the southern city, my superior. He witnessed the entire interrogation of the assassin and even signed the document. If I were to rebel, would your Fan family be an accomplice?"

"Be bold!"

"It is clear that it was the Plain Blue Banner Secretary Korkun who secretly ordered the assassination of the official. All the evidence and testimonies are complete. What are Grand Secretary Fan's intentions in being so eager to arrest his subordinate?"

Sony waved goodbye.

The guards silently left again.

During the argument, Jiang Qingyun noticed something strange: Fan Wencheng appeared angry, but was actually calm. This indicated that Fan Wencheng was doing this intentionally, simply to distance himself from Jiang Qingyun.

Since that's the case, we can't let you succeed. We need to find a way to keep Fan Chengmo pinned down in the south city and prevent him from escaping.

……

Hong Chengchou spoke up: "I am asking the question, you answer it."

"Yes."

"Do you have irrefutable evidence that Korkun ordered the assassination?"

"There is the assassin's signed confession, Lady Korkun's signed confession, and Korkun's treasonous letter."

Beside me, Ning Wan suddenly slapped her forehead, looking full of apology.

"Oh dear~ I haven't had a chance to take it out yet. Sorry, sorry."

Another old fox.

Fan Wencheng's face darkened after reading the confession, especially after seeing his son's handwritten signature.

However, he did not become angry or embarrassed.

This also proves Jiang Qingyun's judgment: making the conflict public and drawing a clear line meant he didn't want to be dragged down by himself in the future.

Even 21st-century phased array radars are not as vigilant as the one surnamed Fan.

Hong Chengchou: "How can you prove that you didn't confess under torture? You should know that under the three-wooden cant, a confession can come out however you want."

Jiang Qingyun: "There's no way to prove it."

The hall fell silent instantly, and many pairs of eyes were fixed on Jiang Qingyun's face, their expressions complex.

……

"As you gentlemen know, this is a critical moment. Nothing else matters except ensuring the stability of the Qing Dynasty. I, Chiang Kai-shek, adhere to one principle: better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."

"Besides, the Zhenglan Banner has a history of misconduct, and I dare not take any chances."

"If Korkun is truly wronged, the court can secretly reward him in some way to appease him. Both thunder and rain are acts of imperial favor. If he is a loyal minister, he can endure the injustice; if he is a treacherous minister, he will step forward on his own."

The Wenhua Hall fell silent once more.

Standing at the most advantageous high ground in the Qing Dynasty, Jiang Qingyun unleashed a wave of area-of-effect (AOE) damage. Everyone instantly lost 20 HP, but there was nothing they could do.

Hong Chengchou nodded.

"What Lord Jiang said makes sense."

Others nodded.

"It does make sense."

Left Censor-in-Chief Ning Wan thought to himself, if Jiang Qingyun were capable, bringing him into the Censorate would definitely make him a formidable figure. With that kind of ruthlessness, it's a shame he's not a censor.

……

The wall has ears.

Next door, separated only by a wooden board, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang listened quietly, accompanied by eunuchs.

Her definition of Jiang Qingyun is:
Bold, ruthless, domineering, eloquent, adept at leveraging power, ambitious, shrewd, and eager for promotion.

The mother and son need such people most right now. In the future, when they will overthrow Dorgon, eliminate the remaining factions, and consolidate imperial power, they will also need such warriors to lead the charge.

As for whether it will be needed in the future, it can be abolished at any time.

That's just how realistic our Qing Dynasty is.

……

Jiang Qingyun didn't even get to see Emperor Shunzhi; he received the imperial decree in the Wenhua Hall.

The eunuch's delivery of the imperial edict was delivered with dramatic intonation:

"It is destined to be carried by heaven, the emperor decreed."

"Jiang Qingyun, the commander of the Southern City Garrison, acted rashly and made some mistakes. However, his eagerness to protect his lord is understandable. Effective immediately, he is appointed as the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, in charge of the Garrison of the Five Cities. Due to his age and lack of experience, his rank remains that of a sixth-grade official. He is hereby awarded a yellow riding jacket and 100 taels of silver from the imperial treasury."

"I hereby order~"

(End of this chapter)