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

Chapter 324 Huang Zongxi's Transformation
The dance ended~
Liu Shu walked over gracefully, knelt down with her legs together, and poured wine for the Grand Secretary.

"sit."

"I don't dare."

"sit down."

"Yes."

Jiang Qingyun carefully examined the beautiful woman so close to him. Her brows were furrowed, her neck was slender, and her posture was tense. It was clear at a glance that she was a well-mannered young lady who never overstepped her bounds.

My gaze shifted slightly downwards, and I noticed that his neck was covered in fine beads of sweat.

Continuing downwards, it undulates slightly.

Continue down~
……

"Prime Minister, let me pour you some wine."

The wine glass handed to her trembled slightly, like the undulating thoughts of a young woman.

Jiang Qingyun took it and said it all in one sentence.

"Have you adapted well to life in Beijing since moving from Suzhou?"

"Everything is fine."

Where do you live now?

"The room in the southwest wing of the mansion is a temporary accommodation arranged by the madam."

"Oh?"

"Mother asked the Second Madam to lead me to pay my respects to the Madam and the Old Madam."

"Ah~ There are too many people and too much gossip in the mansion, it's not very convenient. Courtyard No. 13 is divided into east and west sections, the east side is yours, you can move over in a few days."

"Yes."

Liu Shu's heart raced, and fine beads of sweat evaporated rapidly as her skin warmed up.

Ah ~
Ah ~
That moment is finally coming.

But to her surprise, Jiang Qingyun stood up and straightened his clothes.

"It's late. Come with me back to the mansion. Get in the car in fifteen minutes."

……

At the gate of the courtyard.

The riders were numerous, while the carriage waited quietly.

Liu Shu lifted the carriage curtain, bowed, and then climbed into the carriage, sitting obediently next to Jiang Qingyun, looking weak, bewildered, and embarrassed.

"Ah."

A quarter of an hour is plenty of time for a man to change clothes, but it's far too short for a woman like Liu.

"Prime Minister, we've arrived."

"Go back."

Jiang Qingyun left with a remark, then walked to his wife Jiangnan's courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Liu Shu returned to her small courtyard in a daze. As soon as she pushed open the door, Liu Rushi and a group of servants hurriedly stood up. Their expressions changed from expectation to surprise and disappointment in an instant.

"You all go down."

"Yes."

After the servants left, Liu Rushi quickly asked.

"Do you have?"

"No, no."

"why?"

"You're asking me? How would I know?"

"You're the person involved, of course I have to ask you."

"The Grand Secretary is also involved. Why don't you go and ask him yourself? It would be perfect for enjoying a quiet evening reading with a beautiful woman by your side."

"Shu'er, you~"

Liu Rushi's eyes were slightly red, and she hesitated to speak. After a long while, she silently left the room.

……

North bank of the Yellow River.

The 700 scholars who had been sentenced to exile to Chongming Island happened to walk to this spot and were filled with fear as they looked at the turbid and enormous waves of the Yellow River.

"Let's get on board."

"Sir, this won't do, the waves are too big."

"The bigger the wind and waves, the safer the journey. That's just how the Yellow River is. It's alright. Get ready, we'll all board the boat in a bit."

The candidates' legs went weak and their hearts trembled.

The Green Camp commander in charge of escorting the goods was excited; he was about to complete the mission, and the reward afterward would be quite substantial.

A large ship successfully made its way to the shore after a difficult journey.

The springboard wobbled precariously.

"Go, hurry up and go up!"

The candidates refused no matter what.

The boat captain gave the commander a look, and the commander understood immediately, picking up his whip and lashing out.

"I'll beat you to death, I'll beat you to death."

He deliberately aimed his whip at the handsome face of the scholar, leaving a bloody welt with each lash. That's how military officers are; they're ruthless, and their hands are even more ruthless.

The candidates used both their hands and feet to climb up the plank.

The boat captain shouted urgently:

"Hey, don't look down, look forward!"

Before the words were even finished, someone fell into the water, creating a huge splash.
The head appeared briefly, then was swallowed up the next second.

"Gentlemen, listen to my instructions, keep your eyes forward, crawl, crawl, crawl slowly."

The boat captain made a mistake and started shouting commands.

It took a full hour for the remaining scholars to finally board the boat, except for the four who had fallen into the water.

……

Even a large ship can't fit 700 people, but it's a mission, so we have to cram them in even if we can't.

The sailors frantically pushed people into the hold, even using their arms and kicks to make the most of the space.

"It's too crowded."

"Help! I can't breathe!"

The boat captain hurriedly shouted:

"Gentlemen, please bear with us a little longer, we'll be at shore soon."

The large ship slowly moved away from the shore.

The Green Camp commander quickly mounted his horse.

"Turn around, run! Everyone, get running!"

"My lord, it's still early."

"I'm treating everyone to drinks today. Whoever falls behind can just stand aside and watch."

Under the commander's coercion and enticement, the soldiers had no choice but to jog and quickly moved away from the riverbank until the boat was out of sight.

……

at this time.

The boat captain revealed his ferocious face.

"Brothers, are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Abandon ship, see you on the north bank."

"As ordered."

The six sailors quickly took out gourds, tied them to their bodies, turned over the sheepskin raft, and jumped into the Yellow River.

Not long after~
The cabin has started to leak.

"Help me."

The scholars in the hold hurriedly fled to the deck, causing the ship to lose its balance and capsize rapidly. The entire group of scholars fell into the Yellow River, with almost none surviving.

The boatman glanced back at the capsized boat and felt relieved. Then he rowed frantically, battling the treacherous Yellow River.

Bet your life!

Once ashore, one can collect 100 taels of silver; if one doesn't reach the shore, one's family can collect 150 taels on their behalf.

……

Six miles from the ferry crossing lies a small town.

Qian Zong suddenly noticed a dull ache in his right hand, making it difficult to hold the wine.

The taxi driver who was eating and drinking at the same table noticed.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

"I don't know what's wrong, but my wrist hurts terribly."

"Sir, you really don't know why?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Oh dear, those scholars are all reincarnations of the God of Literature. You've struck the God of Literature, you'll be punished by heaven."

"Really? Is it true or not?"

Qian Zong panicked, feeling the pain in his wrist getting worse and worse. In a short while, he couldn't even hold chopsticks anymore.

The wine doesn't smell good anymore, and neither does the meat.

He got some ointment from a passing quack doctor, and bought a pig's head, yellow paper, and red candles. He knelt in the temple for half the night before he could finally feel at ease.

A few days later~
Clutching the 100 taels of silver reward, he kept lamenting, "I can't afford to offend the God of Literature in the heavens." As a result, his wrist ached for a full half month.

……

After careful consideration and thorough investigation, Huang Zongxi ordered the first 700 impoverished candidates with no connections to be drowned in the Yellow River. 1000 candidates failed the imperial examination.

The execution of the remaining 300 scholars with some family connections was temporarily suspended to prevent a backlash from their families scattered across various regions.

They are considered hostages.

When the time is right, we'll uproot it completely!

When a great Confucian scholar like Huang Zongxi, who had both studied and fought in battles, got ruthless, he was far ahead of the competition, always saying "we can't be soft-hearted."

It has been proven that if a scholar manages to survive a dangerous situation, there is a high probability that he will undergo a transformation.

Because they believe they are practicing lofty ideals.

Killing people is as easy as mowing grass!

Heart as hard as a rock!
Huang's disciples, who entered the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate, upheld their master's beliefs and carried out an organized massacre of traitors, both big and small, in the capital.

Murder is justified!
The search of the property was well-documented!

Retribution is ruthless!

Huang Zongxi also wrote letters to scholars he knew scattered across the country, calling on them to come to the capital to participate in the grand event, defend Confucianism, purge heretics, and restore order to the world.

Unbeknownst to many, Confucianism began to develop into a religion!

"Home" simply means professional and knowledgeable.

The word "teaching" has been imbued with mystery and worship.

(End of this chapter)