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

Chapter 310 The First Precise Screening

Zhou Peigong choked on a piece of sesame seed cake, his face turning red as he coughed desperately.

"Quick, drink some water."

After drinking half a bowl of water, he stretched his neck and laughed awkwardly.

"Please excuse my poor attempt to impress you, brother."

"It's alright." Yao Qisheng looked at him with a smile. "Brother, you haven't answered my question yet."

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it any longer, Zhou Peigong decided to make a decision and repay the kindness of the meal.

"Having searched through historical records, I have never seen such a large-scale selection of candidates for the imperial examinations. Therefore, there are only two possible outcomes: one, an overabundance of successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations, leaving no one with an official position; two, a continuous process of attrition, where the best are weeded out."

"What a wonderful concept of survival of the fittest."

Yao Qisheng instantly felt that he had met a kindred spirit.

"Is that what you think too, brother?"

"Exactly!"

"The rampant use of the imperial examination system is unprecedented. Brother Yao, are you aware of the overall situation of the court?"

How could I possibly know?

After leaving the pancake stall, the two went to a teahouse and sat for half an hour. They chatted more and more and felt that they had known each other for a long time.

When leaving.

Yao Qisheng held Zhou Peigong's hand.

"Brother Zhou, I have a word to offer."

"please say."

"From this day forward, we must be careful with our words and actions, and we must keep our thoughts hidden. The imperial court is no different from other places; one wrong step and we will be crushed to pieces."

"Take care~"

"Take care~"

……

Too many people will lead to chaos.

After the provincial scholars arrived in the capital, conflicts arose constantly. From accommodation to shopping, to tea drinking and wine-drinking, disputes based on personal feelings were commonplace.

They banded together by their hometown ties, engaging in insults and even physical fights.

The wait for the imperial examination was long and agonizing. Instead of receiving the examination schedule, the candidates received the first notice from the Ministry of Rites—to cut off their queues!
"The New Life Movement?"

"Cut off the braid?"

The scholars were in an uproar upon hearing this, with many discussing the matter. Few supported cutting off the queue, most were neutral, but there were also quite a few who opposed it.

Youanmen Grand Hotel.

The candidates argued from morning till night, almost losing control.

Zhou Peigong hid in the small house without saying a word. He felt that he seemed to understand something. Cutting off the queue was just a test, and a steel knife was behind it.

Soon, each province spontaneously elected its own representatives.

A restaurant in the southern part of the city.

Representatives of candidates from all provinces gathered together.

"The Minister of Rites has arrived!"

Dressed casually, Huang Zongxi strode into the house, put his hands behind his back, and smiled as he looked around at everyone.

"My name is Huang Zongxi."

The room fell silent; everyone gasped in shock.

……

Due to the limited speed of information dissemination, the news of Huang Zongxi's appointment as a high-ranking official in Beijing did not spread completely.

Most people are unaware of this.

All they knew was that Huang Zongxi was the leader of the anti-Qing resistance army in Zhejiang, a senior figure in the literary world, and a very prominent person.

Huang Zongxi calmly observed the expressions on everyone's faces.

There was flattery, astonishment, shock, suspicion, and disdain.

"Gentlemen, it was wrong for the Qing court to use a small clan to bully a large country. Now, the Shunzhi Emperor has realized his mistake, deeply repented, and voluntarily relinquished imperial power, allowing the Grand Secretary to preside over all central affairs."

The crowd was in an uproar.

Many people are learning this for the first time.

After all, just a few months ago they were merely ordinary scholars, and the court's crucial information did not reach their ears.

Huang Zongxi took off his hat, revealing his forehead, and smiled:

"You gentlemen have studied the classics extensively; you should uphold justice for Heaven and Earth and secure a future for the people. Are you still reluctant to cut off the queues (pigtails) on the back of your heads?"

Everyone felt slightly ashamed.

An awkward banquet came to an end.

The disagreement arose the following day.

More than 4200 candidates silently cut off their queues; however, 800 refused, arguing that they had not seen the imperial edict ordering the cutting of queues. "Since ancient times, imperial power has been supreme."

"Yes, as long as there is an emperor in the world, then the emperor has the final say. No matter how powerful the Grand Secretary is, he cannot override the imperial power. This is not only the law of the court, but also the rule of the world."

……

3 days later.

Huang Zongxi personally went to the new army camp in Baoding Prefecture, where he met Jiang Qingyun from a watchtower in a corner of the drill ground.

"Greetings, Grand Secretary."

"Come, take a look at my new army."

Huang Zongxi took the telescope and carefully observed the new army training below. He had also organized a righteous army, but he didn't have much battlefield experience and only knew a little about military affairs.

"The army is disciplined, its soldiers are of good character, and morale is high. Is the Grand Secretary planning to mix heavy infantry and musketeers?"

"Yes."

"These soldiers' formation change is fairly standard, but I'm still worried."

"They lack battlefield experience and are just a bunch of show-offs."

"Yes. After the death of the Hongguang Emperor, there were countless rebel armies in Jiangnan, but they collapsed at the first encounter with the Eight Banners troops. Theory is no substitute for practice. Grand Secretary, let them see blood."

"almost."

After discussing military matters for a while, Jiang Qingyun suddenly changed the subject.

"What? Someone doesn't want to cut their queue?"

"The Grand Secretary was a genius; he found various reasons to refuse to cut off his queue."

"There's no shortage of idiots in the world. What are you going to do with these 800 people?"

"Leave no one alive, execute them all."

Jiang Qingyun was greatly surprised. He stared at Huang Zongxi and laughed, "I only realized today that Elder Huang also has ruthless methods."

"The Prime Minister is joking. I simply cannot bear to see these despicable insects surviving in this world. If they continue to live, what are Shi Kefa, Xia Wanchun, Chen Zilong, and the countless other people who perished?"

"Mr. Huang, you've gone too far."

"what?"

"You can try a different approach, such as an accident."

……

Summer Palace.

Emperor Shunzhi was like a caged young beast; he grew taller and more intelligent, but the iron cage itself did not grow, and his sense of confinement increased day by day.

He was accompanied only by a few concubines on a daily basis.

The breeze of Kunming Lake could not dispel the gloom in the young emperor's heart, and he could only find solace in his daily sexual relations with his concubines.

late at night.

Consort Tong, Emperor Xuan Ye's birth mother, sobbed softly.

"what happened?"

"Today is my brother's birthday."

The emperor and empress looked at each other, speechless and choked with emotion.
Jiang Qingyun ordered the execution of a large number of Manchu noblemen, including Tong Guogang. What was even more terrifying than the act itself was that the executioners were ordinary bannermen.

When Emperor Shunzhi learned the news, he could hardly believe his ears. He then fell ill and was unable to get out of bed for half a month.

The Qing emperors, having lost the support of ordinary Eight Banner soldiers, were far inferior to Emperor Xian of Han.

Because the Han Dynasty truly had a group of loyal ministers.

And what about yourself?

Shunzhi felt that his life was bleak and he could not see any hope. He was surrounded by eyes and ears, and the monk Tianji would occasionally come to visit him.

But Emperor Shunzhi didn't want to give him a friendly look.

……

The next day, early morning.

Emperor Shunzhi, who was suffering from insomnia, was awakened by the noise.

"Who's making the noise?"

"Your Majesty, many scholars have come from outside, saying they are here to visit the garden."

"That makes no sense."

Emperor Shunzhi angrily took off his sword and stormed out of his bedchamber, only to bump into a large group of scholars who looked like tourists.

"You guys still have braids~"

Emperor Shunzhi was extremely excited.

The crowd stared at the young man in the dragon robe, exchanging bewildered glances. They had been given the honor of visiting the royal gardens by the Ministry of Rites, but they never expected that the emperor actually lived there.

For a moment, both sides were stunned.

After a hundred or so breaths, a thin scholar from the crowd suddenly knelt down and said, "Jin Shengtan, a scholar from Suzhou Prefecture, pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

(End of this chapter)