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

Chapter 290 Princess Jianning Assassinates Chiang Kai-shek~
inner city.

Wu Yingxiong's residence.

His trusted confidant, who had just arrived from Yunnan, knelt down and begged.

"Your Highness, let's go quickly."

"No, I will stay for my father's great cause."

"Your Highness, while Jiang Qingyun is still too busy to deal with this, hurry up and escape from the capital. This is someone else's territory; if they want to kill you, it's just a matter of a word."

"No, I have a very close personal relationship with Premier Jiang. He is an exceptionally rational person."

"The prince is about to start an uprising."

"There's still time on March 3rd next year."

"Your Highness, if you don't leave now, it will really be too late."

Faced with his confidant's questioning, Wu Yingxiong firmly shook his head. He would not reveal that he had already secretly contacted Taiyuan, Chahar, and even Shengjing.

Wu Yingxiong understood politics better than his father. He believed that the current priority should be to contact all available forces, such as the Mongols, Shanxi merchants, Li Dingguo, Zheng Sen, and even the Thirteen Families of Kuidong and the former members of the Donglin Party.

They joined forces to destroy the Qing dynasty (and Chiang Kai-shek), which led to a period of numerous warlords rising to power.

……

After dismissing his trusted confidant, Wu Yingxiong moved to the room of his wife, Princess Jianning.

Princess Jianning is applying makeup in front of the mirror.

Wu Yingxiong walked behind.

"Princess, let me draw your eyebrows."

"Hey."

Princess Jianning smiled gently and handed over the eyebrow pencil.

The greatest pleasure in the boudoir is painting eyebrows, but at this moment, the couple were burdened with worries.

"Husband, is there any news from the Summer Palace?"

"The Emperor is under house arrest, but he is well-fed and clothed and his treatment is decent. It seems that his life is not in danger for the time being."

"Is he trying to coerce the emperor into commanding the feudal lords?"

"Correct."

"What are the Prince of Pingxi's plans?"

“Alas, my father has always wanted to send troops to defend the emperor, but the journey from Kunming to the capital is thousands of miles long and supplies are difficult, so he has been unable to make up his mind.”

"I can't understand why the Eight Banners of the capital would follow Jiang Qingyun so wholeheartedly?"

"It's not necessarily because they're completely devoted."

"Ok?"

“Coercion and deception—my sworn brother is quite adept at politics.”

"My husband, will you leave the capital?"

"Maybe."

Wu Yingxiong answered absentmindedly.

Princess Jianning nestled in his arms, speechless for a moment. Although they were a political couple, they had developed quite a bit of affection for each other over the years.

Suddenly, a servant came to report.

"The Grand Secretary requests an audience."

"Quickly, open the middle gate, I want to greet you personally."

……

The main gate of the Prince's Mansion was wide open.

Wu Yingxiong smiled broadly and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"The presence of the Grand Secretary is an honor to my humble abode."

"Brother Yingxiong, I am hungry and thirsty on my way to inspect the capital, so I have come to your residence to ask for a cup of tea."

"Please~"

The two entered the mansion hand in hand, smiling broadly.

A large number of armored soldiers went ahead and skillfully took control of various parts of the courtyard, either on guard or patrolling.

Jiang Qingyun feigned a scolding: "Nonsense, this is my sworn brother."

Wu Yingxiong quickly dissuaded him, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. It's only right that the Grand Secretary has necessary protection when he travels."

Jiang Qingyun seized the opportunity to back down, no longer scolding them, and the two walked into the flower hall chatting and laughing.

Princess Jianning suddenly turned around and came in.

"Greetings, Grand Secretary."

"Princess free of charge."

Wu Yingxiong smiled and said, "Princess, please bring some of the Pu'er tea that my father sent."

"Yes, Grand Secretary, please wait a moment."

……

"What important matter brings the Grand Secretary here today?"

"It's nothing much. Recently, there have been rumors in the capital that the Prince of Pingxi is about to raise an army to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming."

"That's a complete rumor."

"I don't believe it either. If the Prince of Pingxi were to rebel against the Qing and restore the Ming now, wouldn't that be repeating the same mistakes of the past?"

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Yingxiong, given the current situation, with the Prince of Pingxi commanding 100,000 elite troops, don't you have any ideas?"

"Yes!" "Oh? Tell me quickly?"

"My father hopes that the court can allocate four or five prosperous prefectures to him to alleviate the worry of insufficient military funds in Yunnan and Guizhou."

"What has the Prince of Pingxi taken a fancy to?"

"Dongting Plain?"

"No."

"The area around Chengdu?"

"Neither."

“Then let’s have an enclave! For example, we can designate some prefectures and counties in Jiangnan as the exclusive domain of Father, and Father can send civil officials to the enclave. The money and grain produced in the enclave each year can be transported to Kunming, but no troops can be stationed there.”

"That's not a bad idea."

"The Grand Secretary agreed?"

"I am not against it in principle, but I need to consider it for a few more days."

As they were talking, Princess Jianning came in carrying a very exquisite tea canister.

"I have met the Grand Secretary."

"No need for formalities, how could I trouble my younger brother and sister-in-law?"

"My tea skills are rudimentary, please forgive me, Grand Secretary."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."

Princess Jianning actually boiled water and brewed tea on the spot, which puzzled Jiang Qingyun.

Half an hour later~
Princess Jianning served tea and then left, leaving behind a beautiful silhouette.

Jiang Qingyun laughed and said, "Brother Ying Xiong is very fortunate."

"You flatter me, Grand Secretary. I, Wu Yingxiong, can make a statement to you today: my father has absolutely no intention of coveting the Nine Tripods. He has always told me that a person should know his own limitations. He would be content with becoming a hereditary prince who lives a carefree and happy life."

"Who can argue with that? I'm living in constant fear and trepidation every day now."

"Prime Minister, have you ever considered retaking the position?"

Wu Yingxiong made an upward gesture.

Jiang Qingyun smiled and shook his head.

……

"Prime Minister, please have some tea."

"What kind of tea is this?"

"Pu'er tea, though a rural tea from Yunnan, has a unique flavor."

"is it?"

Jiang Qingyun picked up the teacup and slowly scraped away the tea leaves floating on the surface. He glanced at Wu Yingxiong out of the corner of his eye and saw that Wu Yingxiong's expression was normal, but he still dared not let his guard down.

"Yingxiong, is this tea good?"

"good."

"The color of this soup~"

Wu Yingxiong smiled.

"Prime Minister, are you worried that the tea is poisoned? I'll switch with you!"

As he spoke, he deftly switched the two teacups, picked them up and drank, taking two sips in a row.

Jiang Qingyun shook his head.

"You misunderstood me. I just don't like drinking tea with a cloudy color."

Wu Yingxiong joked, "Brother Qingyun, you now have the air of Cao Mengde."

"is it?"

"suspicious."

After saying that, Wu Yingxiong laughed heartily and even picked up another bowl and drank a couple of mouthfuls. Seeing his frankness, Jiang Qingyun felt a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, brother."

"It's alright, you and I~"

Suddenly, Wu Yingxiong's expression changed; he clutched his stomach, sweat beading on his forehead.

Jiang Qingyun felt a chill run down his spine, quickly rose from his seat, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Wu Yingxiong could no longer sit still. He cried out, "The tea... the tea is poisoned!"

Thump~
He collapsed onto the floor tiles, convulsing uncontrollably.

……

A large number of armored soldiers rushed into the flower hall.

"Grand Secretary, are you alright?"

"Seal off the Wu residence and arrest everyone."

"As ordered."

When the soldiers sealed off Wu's residence, conflicts broke out between the two sides. Wu Yingxiong had raised dozens of assassins, and these men put up a fierce resistance.

When a suicide squad encounters an armored soldier, death is inevitable.

"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, the entire search has been completed. 22 people were captured and 34 were killed."

Flower Hall.

Jiang Qingyun squatted down, looking at Wu Yingxiong whose pupils had already dilated, and was filled with emotion.

"Brother, you made a mistake in choosing a wife. But don't worry, I will avenge you!"

(End of this chapter)