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

Chapter 36 A peaceful Forbidden City cannot produce a qualified emperor.
The fourth day of the twelfth lunar month in the sixth year of the Shunzhi reign.

Emperor Shunzhi led all civil and military officials of the fourth rank and above in the capital to receive Dorgon's coffin five miles outside Dongzhimen.

From him down, everyone wore mourning clothes.

Dorgon's curse proved prophetic after all—"He's a sickly man, and he wants to be emperor?"

Officials from the Ministry of Rites shouted:

"Your Majesty the Regent, may your soul return."

The 14-year-old Shunzhi looked at the heavy coffin and actually knelt down, shocking everyone present.

"My father, the Regent, had an outstanding career and made great contributions to the conquest of the Great Qing. He was like my late father, always listening to my teachings and giving me earnest advice. Now that he is gone, I am deeply saddened."

As she spoke, tears began to fall.

"Issue an imperial decree to announce to the world that the regent father is posthumously granted the temple name Chengzong and shall be buried with the rites due to an emperor. I wish to bestow upon him the utmost honors."

All the ministers knelt down in unison, shouting that the Emperor was wise and benevolent.

Those from the two white flags, in particular, breathed a sigh of relief. When they saw the coffin, they all knelt down and crawled on their knees, weeping uncontrollably.

Fan Wencheng looked worried.

He didn't believe a single word that Shunzhi had just said.

The tranquil Forbidden City could not nurture a qualified emperor, but the Forbidden City, fraught with danger, did cultivate a sinister young emperor.

……

Inside the Cining Palace, it was warm and spring-like.

Empress Xiaozhuang wore only a thin Shu brocade robe and absentmindedly trimmed her beloved bonsai. She looked no different from usual, except that she had a piece of white silk cloth on her sleeve.

"How is His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has issued an edict posthumously conferring upon the Regent the title of Emperor Chengzong."

Click~
A branch of wintersweet was cut in half, ruining the bonsai.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang felt a sense of fear; for the first time, she found herself somewhat estranged from her son. No one knows a son better than his mother; she could sense the rage and fury within Shunzhi's heart.

"My son has been suppressed for so long. What kind of monstrous waves will he unleash once he takes power in the future?"

When she recalled the moments she had spent with Dorgon, her eyes reddened.

As a mother, she should hate Dorgon. But as an empress dowager, she should be grateful to Dorgon.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang turned around and went into the bedroom. After a while, she came out carrying a wooden box.

"Someone is coming."

"What are your orders from the Queen Mother?"

"I will conduct the funeral rites for the Regent on his behalf. Do not open this wooden box; burn it in front of the tomb."

"Whoo."

……

The area outside Dongzhimen was packed with people, but the scene outside Xizhimen was quite different.

The city gatekeeper saw a troop of cavalry galloping towards them, kicking up a cloud of snow, and immediately became tense.

"You are not to move or open the door. Wait for Imperial Censor Jiang's orders. Anyone who disobeys will have their entire family executed."

"Yes."

Two days ago, all nine gates of Beijing, except for Dongzhimen and Xizhimen, were closed.

All Eight Banner units in the capital were to return to their camps. No one was allowed to leave the camps at will, nor to move around or make noise within the camps. Anyone who disobeyed this order would be treated as a traitor.

Without the emperor's order, not a single soldier may be mobilized.

The two Yellow Banners even set up barricades near the residential areas of the two White Banners and stationed troops everywhere, making no attempt to conceal their vigilance.

……

Outside Xizhimen, 200 dusty, white-flag cavalrymen arrived.

“The Prince of England is here. Open the door immediately.”

"Your Highness, please forgive us. In times of emergency, the city gates must not be opened. If you have any imperial edicts or military orders, please put them in a bamboo basket and hoist them up. If not, we will have to wait for the Emperor's decree."

"What should we do, Your Highness?" the guard asked in a low voice.

"Keep urging them. Tell them that if they don't open the door, I will kill their whole family afterwards." Ajige was as arrogant as ever.

Thus, one side threatened, while the other, though speaking softly, refused to compromise.

About half an hour later, Jiang Qingyun arrived with all the troops of the Five Cities Garrison.

"Your Excellency, what should we do?"

Jiang Qingyun walked to the edge of the battlement and observed it for a while.

The more than 200 cavalrymen below the city were fully armored, with bows, arrows, spears, swords, and armor all in place. Their calm and unhurried demeanor indicated that this was an elite force that had traveled a long way back.

"Is that Ajige?"

"Yes, yes, he is indeed Prince Ying." The soldier thought to himself, "The arrogance of Imperial Censor Jiang is indeed well-deserved; he even addresses the prince by his given name."

...Jiang Qingyun strode down the city wall and summoned all his trusted subordinates.

"By imperial decree, execute the rebellious officials who have returned to the capital without permission. The man wearing the gilded iron helmet is Prince Ying, Ajige. Capture him alive if possible, and shoot the rest if possible."

"Everyone, do you understand?"

Zhao Zesheng took the lead and knelt on one knee: "This humble official obeys the order."

The others followed suit and accepted the military orders one by one.

"Archers will scale the city walls first, preparing for an ambush from the barbican. Musketeers will line up below the city walls, and after a volley of fire, they will all switch to swords. Pikemen will line up on the flanks, ready to block the enemy."

The city gate officer turned ashen-faced and trembled with fear.

"Your Excellency, what is this all about?"

"By imperial decree, suppress the rebels."

"My lord, that is a prince."

Jiang Qingyun took two steps forward, then suddenly drew his sword, turned around and slashed, causing the city gate official to scream and fall to the ground.

……

Jiang Qingyun raised his blood-dripping sword and pointed it at the soldiers on the city wall.

Lower your voice:

“Ajige has rebelled. I am here by imperial decree to suppress the rebellion. If you do not comply, your entire family will be executed.”

"Whoo."

A group of Manchu soldiers knelt down on one knee in unison.

Jiang Qingyun then poked his head out, laughing and shouting:

"Your Highness, you may enter the city. But please and your brothers dismount and walk into the city with your horses."

At the same time, the drawbridge at Xizhimen was slowly lowered.

The heavy city gate creaked open a crack, only about 3 feet wide.

Below the city walls, a guard whispered a reminder.

"Your Highness, could this be a trap?"

"Who dares to kill me? Is it that old woman or that little brat? The position of Regent should have been mine all along. Come, brothers, follow me into the city. After this is done, everyone will be promoted two ranks and rewarded with 500 taels of silver."

Having been arrogant his whole life, Ajige spurred his horse and charged onto the suspension bridge.

The other guards followed suit and rode into the city.

……

Everything in the barbican remained as usual.

But the second city gate remained closed. Sensing something was amiss, Ajige looked up but saw no ambush and heard no signal cannons.

"Open the door quickly!"

"Your Highness, please don't rush, we'll open it right away. We're a little slow because we don't have enough manpower at the city walls."

Talking!

The first city gate was closed, putting them in a precarious situation.

Ajige panicked and immediately drew his sword.

The guards also drew their bows and nocked their arrows.

Just then, the second city gate slowly opened.

"Come in!"

"rush!"

Although I don't understand what's going on, I definitely can't let myself be trapped in the barbican.

Ajige rode his horse through the city gate, which had just been opened a crack, and saw a group of musketeers and archers lined up in neat rows.

……

Standing behind the army formation, Jiang Qingyun pressed down with his right hand before Ajige could speak.

"shot."

bang bang bang~
The white-flagged knights who had just squeezed out of the city gate fell off their horses one after another.

"By imperial decree, kill the traitors!"

The spearmen on both sides strode together and stabbed the warhorses that were trying to rush out of the city gate.

Inside the barbican, arrows rained down.

Archers do not need to aim; they only need to draw their bows and release arrows to create crossfire from multiple directions.

One by one, the elite guards were struck by arrows and fell from their horses, their white armor stained with blood.

Ajige crouched awkwardly behind a horse carcass, shouting, "I am Prince Ying! I am Ajige!"

(End of this chapter)