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

Chapter 383 Consort Dong'e's Late-Night Meeting with the Grand Secretary
Suffering from both anger and injury, Shunzhi fell ill, developed a fever, and began to talk nonsense.

"Mother~"

"Our ancestors~"

Looking at the unconscious Shunzhi Emperor, Consort Dong'e, who was serving him, secretly shed tears and turned her Buddhist prayer beads, praying for the protection of all the gods and Buddhas.

Footsteps could be heard outside the hall.

The imperial physician has arrived!

After Wu Yong left, Liu Zhengzong, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, succeeded him. Although he was promoted, his actual power was greatly diminished because the Forbidden City had become an empty shell. Without the imperial family, the Forbidden City had no soul.

"Imperial Physician, how is the Emperor?"

"Madam, I must correct you on a slip of the tongue. There is no Emperor here, only Fulin."

"Yes. How is Fulin?"

"Excessive fright, extreme anger, imbalance of yin and yang, weakness of qi and blood, internal injury and fever. I will go back and prescribe a medicine."

"Imperial Physician, when can I take the medicine?"

"That's hard to say. The Imperial Medical Academy reports to the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Rites reports to the Yuquanshan Palace. Without the Grand Secretary's approval, who will prescribe the medicine?"

"But~"

"Madam, there are no 'buts'. The procedures cannot be abandoned, otherwise it will be difficult to explain if something goes wrong in the future."

……

That night, Fu Lin's fever worsened, his forehead became burning hot, and he lost consciousness.

The cold towel could no longer suppress the temperature.

Lady Dong'e was so anxious that she paced back and forth. She gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and simply walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Looking at the dark night sky, she took a deep breath.

"Help~"

The eunuchs who were monitoring the area arrived first, followed by the guards.

"Ma'am, what happened?"

"The Emperor... Fulin is dying."

Everyone was indifferent.

Consort Dong'e became anxious: "You dog slaves, aren't you afraid of following in Chengji's footsteps?"

Everyone was even more confused. Who was Cheng Ji? They didn't know him.

Consort Dong'e looked at this group of illiterate people with no choice but to give up.

Suddenly, the Third Grandfather arrived.

"What's wrong? What are you doing in the middle of the night?"

Consort Dong'e quickly stepped forward.

"Your Excellency, Fulin is dying. His status is special, and his life or death is decided by the Grand Secretary."

The Third Eunuch rushed into the hall to check on him. On the simple couch in the East Warm Pavilion, Fulin was already in a deep coma. He reached out to touch him and, wow, his skin was burning hot like charcoal.

Having spent so long in the palace, the three eunuchs knew the importance of things.

"Guards, escort the lady to the Yuquan Mountain Palace. Notify the Imperial Medical Academy to prepare the medicine first, and have her take it as soon as the Grand Secretary's edict arrives."

"As ordered."

Xuanwu Gate.

The three eunuchs watched as Consort Dong'e's carriage disappeared into the night, a strange smile on their faces.

"Steward, will a visit at this late hour disturb the Grand Secretary's peaceful sleep?"

"Hehe, hehehehe, no."

……

Yuquanshan Imperial Palace.

Dressed in light clothing, Consort Dong'e passed through two checkpoints and finally entered the unfamiliar palace, where she began to await an audience with a strange man.

A burly female servant walked in and looked her up and down.

"Madam, please change your clothes."

"Granny, is this really necessary?"

“It is very necessary. The first principle of the New Life Movement advocated by the Grand Secretary is to pay attention to hygiene. If you, Madam, are not presentable, don’t blame us for making you presentable.”

"Okay~"

Under the watchful eyes of two maids, the anxious Consort Dong'e removed all her clothing, including her shoes and socks, and stepped into a wooden tub filled with warm water.

A quick bath~
Salt into the mouth, green tea to rinse, and light makeup on the face.

Consort Dong'e's face grew paler and paler; she felt as if she had been led astray like a lamb to the slaughter.

Fu Lin~
You absolutely have to hang in there!
"Granny, when will the Grand Secretary summon me?"

"immediately."

The maid handed over a brand-new silk embroidered robe.

...It was a cool summer night.

Under the supervision of two maids, Consort Dong'e walked through a maze of turns and entered a small house.

The door was locked from the outside.

The room was brightly lit. Jiang Qingyun sat behind his desk and looked up.

"Dong'e, what brings you up the mountain so late at night?"

"Grand Secretary, please save Fulin! He's dying, and the Imperial Hospital dares not treat him without your imperial edict."

Has Fulin ever changed his mind?

"After this incident, he will surely realize his mistakes, repent, leave the secular world, and enter the Buddhist order."

"is it?"

Jiang Qingyun stood up and walked to Dong Eshi.

"Would you be willing to offer yourself as my bedmate?"

"What did you say, Grand Secretary?"

"I say, you came to my door dressed like this in the middle of the night to beg me, so you must have been prepared, right?"

"No! No!"

Looking at Dong Eshi who had retreated to the wall, Jiang Qingyun calmly and unhurriedly uttered some very philosophical words.

"As the ancients said, a scholar will die for one who understands him, and a woman will adorn herself for one who appreciates her. If you truly love Fulin, you will do anything for him without hesitation. Dong E Shi, you don't want Fulin to die, do you?"

The hands of the Western clock ticked away.

Lady Dong'e was filled with grief and indignation, torn between her inner conflict and her own conscience.

A long time~
She finally made up her mind and knelt down with a thud.

Lady Dong'e: "As long as the Grand Secretary is willing to save him, I will..."

Jiang Qingyun: "But I don't like to force myself."

“It’s voluntary.”

"Then it depends on your performance."

The saying goes, "Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai," meaning one is willing to hit and the other is willing to be hit. It's not surprising that the Grand Secretary is often personified, especially since this was done to break down Shunzhi's defenses—it was a matter of state.

The next morning.

After taking a dose of medicine, Shunzhi's fever subsided considerably, and he opened his eyes.

"My beloved concubine~"

"Your Majesty, don't be afraid, your concubine is here."

"It seems I had a dream."

Consort Dong'e lost her composure and rushed forward, wailing loudly.

If I were to describe last night's experience in a poem, it would be: "Last night the rain was sparse and the wind was strong, and I couldn't sleep to dispel the lingering effects of the wine."

What will become of Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty?
Emperor Taizong of Song would definitely resort to poison.

Fu Lin was quite pleased, finally realizing he hadn't misjudged the man.

The philosopher Aristotle once said: Love is a good medicine; it can save a man who is deeply hurt and depressed. But if the wrong medicine is taken, the trough will continue to fall.

If you add the mother's betrayal to that...
That would truly mean falling into a hell of fire and water.

……

outside the temple.

The guards watched as Zhu Youlang, limping, returned carrying the Ming Dynasty banner, displaying astonishing perseverance.

"Little Tartar, the Ming army is here again. Come out, come out now!"

"Stop playing dead, come out and fight again."

"Where are your Eight Banners soldiers? Where is your Dorgon? Where is your wild boar skin?"

Zhu Youlang used very foul language.

Fu Lin was shivering with cold and too weak to get up, so he could only let him wail and howl outside.

One hour later~
Zhu Youlang was parched and hungry, so he urinated outside the palace and returned dejectedly carrying the Ming Dynasty flag.

the next day.
They continued to knock on the gates and continue to hurl insults.

After a night of contemplation, his vocabulary for verbal attacks became noticeably richer.

"Fulin, you shameless Tartar, you have four fathers. Huang Taiji is your eldest father, Dorgon is your second father, Hong Chengchou is your third father, and Jiang Qingyun is your fourth father."

Inside the palace.

Fu Lin was so angry he trembled.

"My beloved consort, once I recover, I will practice martial arts and swordsmanship diligently every day. I swear I will kill that beast Zhu Youlang!"

(End of this chapter)