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

Chapter 34 One whale falls, and all things come to life!

At the end of October, cold air from Siberia once again broke through the Yanshan Mountains' defenses and headed straight for Beijing.

The temperature plummeted.

Overnight, snowflakes began to fall heavily.

The various government offices in the capital were very busy. Firewood, grain, and salaries all had to be transported to Beijing via the Grand Canal, and they had to complete the stockpiling before the section of the canal in Shandong, Zhili Province, froze.

The smallpox vaccination program in Nancheng has also entered its later stages.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qingyun quietly completed the final integration of the forces of the Five Cities Military Command, including 30 civil officials, 500 cotton-armored cavalry, and 500 unofficial soldiers.

A thousand people are enough to get things done in Beijing.

If it weren't for the fact that Shunzhi was dealing with Dorgon, Jiang Qingyun would most likely not have had the opportunity to develop.

……

In early November.

Wu Yong, the Imperial Physician, frequently visited the Jiang family residence in Nancheng, and their relationship progressed rapidly.

"Brother, who's feeling unwell this time?"

"Me~Me~"

Wu Yong smiled, placed his two golden fingers on the pulse, and asked as he made the incision, "Is the smallpox vaccination in Nancheng almost over?"

"almost!"

"Make sure you tidy up the tail properly."

"Don't worry, the most important thing in life is to be consistent and honest, and to have a good reputation."

"Brother Jiang, what do you think is most important for navigating the officialdom?"

"Luck?"

"wrong.

"Noble?"

"It's about living long enough. Outliving all your rivals allows you to do whatever you want at your leisure, and you can even stand on your cane at their graves and laugh out loud. My brother, you're still young, so you might think that words like life and death are far removed from you. But once you're over 35, your thinking will change immediately, and by then, it will be too late. Like a mad horse going downhill towards a cliff, you can't change direction, at most you can only slow it down a few steps."

Wu Yong gave Jiang Qingyun a meaningful look, as if he were implying something.

Having lived two lives, Jiang Qingyun was well aware of Wu Yong's significance.

You're implying that Dorgon shielded the mother and daughter in the Forbidden City from harm, fought wars everywhere, suffered external injuries and internal strife, and was frequently ill, yet he didn't even have a son.

He's like a lamp running out of oil, dying before he even turns 40.

Hauge, who was killed, once publicly mocked Dorgon as a sickly man!

……

"Your Excellency is right. I am 17 years old this year, which is the perfect age for taking care of myself."

Wu Yong couldn't help but chuckle and rolled up his sleeves.

"Bring me pen and ink, and let me teach you some health preservation methods, old brother."

Wu Yong's calligraphy is quite good, but he is obsessed with writing only cursive script and not regular script. Perhaps this is a kind of stubbornness that comes with being a doctor.

Write and read simultaneously:

Upon first entering the enemy camp, one should proceed slowly, like a gentle breeze swaying a willow branch. As one's strength grows, one can then retreat slowly, like the receding tide. This advance and retreat, this gentle pace, must be in harmony with the principles of Yin and Yang.

With each breath, one draws upon the essence of heaven and earth.

The deeper and longer one inhales qi, the more profound the benefits to the body and mind become.

When inhaling, one must maintain a righteous and upright mind, free from evil and sway. Guard your mouth, neither speaking nor shouting. Exhale gently through your nose.

Only in this way can yin and yang be in harmony, and each find their own joy.

"Academician Wu, have you given anything to the Emperor?"

"Hush. The Emperor is young, in the prime of his life, and his body is not yet strong. Moreover, with the Empress Dowager supervising him, it is too early, far too early."

……

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky as the two sat in the pavilion, enjoying the snow and chatting.

"Brother Wu, how is the Regent now?"

"The patient had a persistent low-grade fever, was fatigued and weak, had yellowing eyes, and vomited blood intermittently. Given the rudimentary conditions in the military and the risk of catching a cold, this was both unexpected and understandable."

"But he still has tens of thousands of cavalry under his command, what if..."

“Brother Jiang, there’s no such thing as ‘what if.’ At this point, even if he wanted to usurp the throne and establish himself as emperor, his people wouldn’t follow him. Everyone wants to serve the dragon, but the dragon is already dead and has no son. His people see no hope, so naturally no one would do such a rebellious thing.”

The two raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

Drinking together in the wind and snow, discussing the court and the yin and yang, has a unique flavor.

Those who are not often in official positions may think that everyone in the bureaucracy sits upright and speaks cautiously, but that's only because they are not familiar with each other. Once they are familiar with each other and there are conflicts of interest, they will be as unrestrained as they are today.

Finally, Jiang Qingyun asked a slightly silly but crucial question: "Does the Imperial Medical Academy have spies around the Regent?"

Wu Yong smiled without saying a word and took a small sip of his drink.

"Too much, too much wine."

Jiang Qingyun also took the opportunity to back down, pretending to be slightly drunk as he helped Wu Yong stumble away from the pavilion, and then ordered two soldiers to escort his sedan chair back to the city.

Back to the room!

After drinking a cup of hot tea, his eyes cleared instantly.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang is no simple woman! Since ancient times, beauties have defeated heroes. In the future, she will be the one I need to be most wary of.

……

Nanyuan Seedling Nursery.

The itinerant doctors were overjoyed to receive their reward money. They pooled their money to buy a cartload of food and wine and feasted on it.

After a few rounds of drinks, they started talking about their future plans.

Some wanted to get married, some wanted to open a small clinic to leave behind their quack doctor status, some wanted to send money home to supplement their family income, and some even thought about going to the Eight Great Hutongs to dig deep.

Zhang Jing, who used to be very popular, remained silent and drank his wine in silence.

"Brother Zhongjing, what are you planning to do?"

"I...I want to leave the capital."

"You've been hanging around the overpass area for over a decade, making so many familiar faces. Why are you suddenly leaving?"

The honest and upright Zhang Jing looked at everyone.

His name is Zhang Jing, but his colleagues call him the miracle doctor Zhang Zhongjing, which is just mutual flattery within the industry.

"Fellow travelers, I heard something from a clerk close to Lord Jiang: the court is going to vaccinate the Manchus in the inner city."

"This is a good thing."

"What's so good about it? That's a Manchu!"

Everyone was stunned; it seemed very dangerous.

"Then we won't get involved."

"Yes, let's go to the overpass and become itinerant doctors."

“Brothers, we won’t have a choice then. If the higher-ups say one thing, we’ll have to go, whether we like it or not. If we don’t go, we’ll die.” Zhang Jing sighed. “What’s worse is that this time we’ll be working under Minister Hong Chengchou.”

Half of the people's expressions changed drastically.

The itinerant doctors in Beijing had seen a lot. They knew that when Hong Chengchou was the governor of the Ming Dynasty, he killed refugees in the northwest by the thousand and buried them by the ten thousand.

"Brother Zhongjing, aren't we in grave danger?"

"A tree dies if it's moved, but a person thrives. I'm leaving today. We've learned how to select mature seedlings and how to plant seedlings in water. We can go to Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong, or even further afield, to Jiangxi or Jiangsu. Where can't we make a living with our skills?"

Instantly, everyone became excited, as if that made sense.

……

Zhang Jing waved his hand:
"At that time, you will be the Hua Tuo of Suzhou and Hangzhou. You will be the Sun Simiao of Dezhou. I will be the Zhang Zhongjing of Northern Shaanxi. As long as we leave Beijing, we will all have a bright future."

Everyone's face turned red.

"Come on, bottoms up. Let's go right now, to where we're needed."

The next day, braving the wind and snow, the group left Nanyuan. With the reward money from the military command as travel expenses, they could easily travel hundreds of miles.

Zhang Jing spent two days in Baoding before sneaking back to the South City Military Command.

"Imperial Censor Jiang, everything has been done as you instructed."

"Can you understand my good intentions?"

"You're right, sir. Promoting medical skills in rural areas has saved countless lives, including those of the brothers in Tianqiao. You are truly the modern-day Zhang Zhongjing!"

Jiang Qingyun smiled.

"Let's not talk about the past anymore. From today onwards, you will stay in the Military Command as a clerk. You will take care of all the brothers if they have a headache, fever, or a sprain or bruise."

"Thank you, sir."

The wind and snow intensified, but Jiang Qingyun and his wives and concubines huddled around the warm kang (heated brick bed), eating hot pot and singing seductive songs. Such was the carefree life of a 17-year-old!
Suddenly, a rider arrived outside the yamen, braving the snow.

He reined in his horse and shouted:

"There is an imperial edict to summon Imperial Censor Jiang Qingyun to the palace immediately."

(End of this chapter)