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

Chapter 30 Imperial Censor Jiang's Prestige Reigns Supreme in the Capital
After returning home, Fan Wencheng was preoccupied and asked someone to summon his son, Fan Chengmo.

"Mo'er, you can no longer stay in the Censorate."

"Father, what happened?"

Fan Wencheng calmly recounted the events that occurred in Wenhua Hall from beginning to end, word for word, as if from the perspective of a third-party observer, without anger or joy.

Then, he asked:

"Have you noticed the problem here?"

Fan Chengmo nodded, his expression grave.

……

“If Jiang Qingyun wants to climb up, he has to step on other people’s heads. Uert, Tang Ruowang, Li Zubai, and Keerkun are all his stepping stones. I estimate that sooner or later he will step on you to get to the top.”

“My son has always been cautious and dislikes money, so there’s nothing wrong with him.”

“Mo’er, you are completely wrong. It’s common practice to find fault with others to attack them. But when experts in officialdom clash, they don’t need any evidence to kill their enemies.”

Fan Chengmo wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth and no words came out.

Fan Wencheng got up and looked at the sparse shadows outside the window.

Calming Voice:

"This man's greatest strength is his ability to leverage power. Now, with a palace coup imminent, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor need ministers to help consolidate their power. Although the Regent is seriously ill, he is not yet dead. If the court were to take action against the two White Banners now, it would be too drastic and could easily trigger a mutiny, which would be disastrous. However, the court has no such concern about those under the Plain Blue Banner. Moreover, Korkun is a man full of complaints and is notoriously outspoken. Whether he is innocent or not, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor must now encourage Jiang Qingyun; otherwise, they will discourage others who are willing to support the Emperor."

“You must remember what I am about to say! I will secretly ask someone to try to get you transferred. If that doesn’t work, remember not to have any conflict with this person within two years. If he slaps your left cheek, turn the other cheek to him. If he’s still not satisfied, turn the whole cheek to him. Don’t fight. You are no match for him. Even my father is afraid of him.”

"People generally believe that advancing in one's career is difficult, but they don't realize that retreating is even more difficult."

"Jiang Qingyun's way of being an official dictates that he can only move forward and cannot retreat. If he takes a step back, he will die."

……

Chongwenmen Inner Street.

"Brothers of the Five Cities Garrison, listen to Lord Jiang's orders: arrest those who need to be arrested, beat those who need to be beaten. With imperial decree and military orders, no one needs to be afraid!"

"Whoo."

Jiang Qingyun was promoted to Supervising Censor of Zhili and Commander of the Five Cities Military Command, so he naturally intensified his suppression of the Plain Blue Banner.

The 300th soldier marched into Tiemen Hutong in a grand procession.

White banners hung in front of the mansion of Zhangjing Keerkun, and several coffins were placed quietly at the entrance.

"superior."

A group of patrolling soldiers rushed through the gate.

It rattled and clanged.

Then came a roar, "What are you trying to do?!"

……

"My lord, Korkun is resisting arrest. He is wearing heavy armor and holding a tiger spear, and he is confronting the brothers."

"Send a few crossbowmen to keep an eye on him, but don't shoot him yet."

Jiang Qingyun looked around, seemingly expecting someone to appear.

Sure enough~
Before an incense stick had burned, a large number of Manchu bannermen arrived from one side of the alley. Everyone had an angry expression and cold eyes, and many of them were carrying swords and guns.

"Sir, danger!"

"It's alright, form ranks and prepare for battle."

Heavy infantry came first, followed by archers and crossbowmen, and finally cavalry.

……

"Listen up, you people of the Plain Blue Banner! Zhangjing Keerkun is suspected of hiring someone to assassinate an official of the imperial court. Now that the evidence is sufficient, I am here to arrest him."

The people of the Plain Blue Banner on the opposite side immediately became agitated.

"You are slandering me."

"This is unfair! We're going to the Forbidden City to seek justice!"

"We absolutely cannot let him arrest Korkun Zhangjing; we cannot lose face for the Zhenglan Banner."

Looking at these indignant fellows, Jiang Qingyun felt a secret joy in his heart, but remained outwardly calm.

A man from the governor's office nearby hurriedly advised, "Lord Jiang, don't escalate the situation. For now, we should focus on appeasement. If a real fight breaks out in the inner city, it will be difficult for anyone to explain." "Alright, I'll give you face."

Jiang Qingyun wisely accepted the situation and decided to quit while he was ahead.

"I, Jiang Qingyun, am honored by the Emperor's trust and now serve as the Censor of Zhili. I can make you a promise: I will not kill Ke Erkun, nor will I use severe punishment. His case is very complicated and requires a thorough investigation."

"You must trust the imperial court. Justice will surely prevail, and fairness will never be absent."

"I will count to three. You must lay down your weapons, or you will be committing treason."

"Three, two, one."

With a whoosh, the Zhenglan Banner people in the alley collectively laid down their weapons.

Jiang Qingyun smiled. He had gained a deeper understanding of the character of the Bannermen in 1649: fierce, elite, highly organized, but even more obedient.

……

Korkun, dressed in blue cotton armor, holding a tiger-shaped spear and with a sword at his waist, stood alone in the middle of the courtyard.

"Drive! Drive!"

Jiang Qingyun spurred his horse over the threshold, raised his whip, and pointed it at Ke Erkun: "I will count to three. If you resist arrest, you will be killed without mercy."

The four crossbowmen immediately took two steps forward, half-crouched, raised their crossbows, and placed their fingers on the triggers.

Just waiting for the order, they'll poke a few holes in Korkun.

"Three, two~"

At the gate of the courtyard, someone hurriedly shouted, "Lord Zhangjing, don't give him a reason to shoot you!"

Like waking from a dream!

With a clang, Korkun dropped his beloved tiger spear, took off his ancestral helmet, knelt down in grief and indignation, and let out another roar.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

Jiang Qingyun waved his hand, and a group of people immediately rushed up, kicked him over, tied his hands and feet, pierced him with wooden sticks, and shouted: Get up!
Korkun immediately lay on his back, like a pig.

……

The gate was sealed off by the Five Cities Military Command.

The people of Zhenglan Banner just watched silently, helpless.

Suddenly, a group of women appeared ahead. They blocked the way, wailing and screaming, leaving the patrolling soldiers somewhat at a loss.

"My lord, it seems to be from Lady Korkun's family."

Which flag?

"True white flag."

hiss~
Jiang Qingyun gasped. These were remnants, absolutely remnants.

"They're all women, we can't hit them in the face. Brothers, let's use our fists and feet to beat them up!"

Half an incense stick later, a group of women who had been beaten so badly they couldn't get up appeared on the street.

Once they had power in their hands, they attacked the Manchus!

Imperial Censor Jiang's reputation was renowned throughout the capital.

……

drag!
An ordinary Chinese character, yet it shines brightly in officialdom.

Korkun was a hot potato; he couldn't be killed, nor could he be released. The only option was to bypass the Governor-General's Office and have the Three Judicial Offices take over. He was imprisoned and interrogated every three to five days as a formality.

If they misbehave, I'll beat them up.

Behind this lawsuit lies a power struggle within the imperial court. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang also wanted to take this opportunity to test whether the Plain Blue Banner belonged to the Ai family or the Duo family. She was framing you to test your loyalty.

Jiang Qingyun, a veteran deputy section chief, knew exactly what was going on; this lawsuit could be summed up in one word—delay.

If the matter is delayed until Dorgon dies and imperial power returns to Shunzhi, the three judicial departments can then make a judgment. Korkun's fate will most likely be to be demoted and sent to a local post to garrison the Eight Banners.

because,

Rule #1 in officialdom: Your boss is always right.

Rule number two in officialdom: If your superior is wrong, refer to rule number one.

(End of this chapter)