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

Chapter 384 The Sordid Affairs of the Palace

For three consecutive days, Zhu Youlang knocked on the gate and cursed in the streets every day. He had mastered the art of spiritual victory and vulgar literature without any teacher and carried it forward.

The more they curse, the more energetic they become!

The more I scold, the more accomplished I feel!
The more they criticize, the more they feel that the Ming Dynasty was far superior to the Qing Dynasty!

Since Zhu Youlang ascended the throne in Guangzhou, he had been chased by the Qing army for thousands of miles, suffering defeat after defeat, like a stray dog. When had he ever been so powerful?
The main gate of the Hall of Mental Cultivation was tightly closed.

After cursing for half an hour, Zhu Youlang walked to the gate satisfied and urinated.

far away.

The two officers in charge of surveillance were talking in hushed tones.

"That's probably all for today."

"Old Zhu's life is quite regular. He does the same three things every day: cursing, fishing, and sleeping."

……

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred.

The palace door suddenly opened.

Without a word, Shunzhi rushed out with a chair and smashed it over his head.

Zhu Youlang was caught off guard and suffered a severe blow. He staggered and fell to the ground, his clothes soaked with blood and urine. He rolled on the ground in a disheveled state, trying to avoid Shunzhi's repeated attacks.

"You beast! I'll kill you!"

Fueled by adrenaline, Shunzhi attacked with lightning speed.

Two officers who had been monitoring from a distance rushed over. They could punch the emperor three times, but hitting him with a chair was unacceptable; they couldn't afford to kill him.

"stop!"

Consort Dong'e also rushed out to stop Shunzhi.

In his rage, Emperor Shunzhi accidentally struck Consort Dong'e with the leg of his chair, injuring one of his own and further escalating the chaos.

"My beloved concubine~"

Emperor Shunzhi threw down his chair and helped Consort Dong'e up from the ground.

Unable to resist the continuous blows, Zhu Youlang finally found an opportunity and poured the remaining urine on Shunzhi's head.

Humiliation is far greater than harm.

""stop!"

Shunzhi tried to pick up the chair, but was stopped by an officer who arrived at the scene.

The imperial physicians rushed to the scene to bandage and stop the bleeding of the three noble wounded men, leaving them speechless and embarrassed.

The crowds were enormous.

A young eunuch whispered, "Steward, this is outrageous."

"That's outrageous."

The third eunuch's eyes darted back and forth. He couldn't see through Jiang Qingyun's behavior, but he was trying to figure it out. It concerned his own family's wealth and honor, so he had to think about it.

He quietly stopped someone.

"Physician Liu, how is the lady inside?"

"No comment."

"Academician Liu, it's not that I'm being nosy, but the Grand Secretary might ask about it."

"Oh, is that so? This lady has some abrasions on her face and needs to rest. It shouldn't be a serious problem; hopefully, she won't have any scars on her face?"

"Correct."

"I understand, it's very interesting, very interesting indeed."

Liu Zhengzong gave the Third Eunuch a knowing smile, which held a deeper meaning.

In the palace, things like corruption and filth are nothing unusual.

What's so strange about a Grand Secretary having affairs with concubines in the imperial harem? Just scroll back a bit, and you'll find Zhang Juzheng and Empress Dowager Li. Scroll back even further, and you'll also find Emperor Taizu of Song and Empress Xiao Zhou.

There are countless examples.

……

Just saying.

People have arrived from Yuquan Mountain.

"The Grand Secretary has issued an oral decree that the grudges between the Ming and Qing dynasties are difficult to resolve. However, the truth cannot be clarified without debate. The guards of the Forbidden City must allow Fulin and Zhu Youlang to have friendly debates and normal fights, but no one should be killed. In addition, Dong Eshi is to be summoned to Yuquan Mountain to explain the situation in person."

Emperor Shunzhi felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and stood there speechless.

Have I become Li Yu?
Dong Eshi's face turned pale, and her expression was sorrowful: "Your Majesty is seriously injured and needs someone to take care of you. May I postpone my journey to Yuquan Mountain for two days?"

Third Eunuch: "No, at most a quarter of an hour."

Lady Dong'e glanced at Emperor Shunzhi, as if she had made up her mind.

"it is good!"

The palace doors slowly closed.

Outside the hall~
Liu Zhengzong, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, coughed twice: "I would like to add a few herbs to this lady's prescription as appropriate."

Third Eunuch: "Ah~ Your medicine must be excellent."

"Father-in-law, which one is prepared for Fulin?"

"This batch..." "Shall we add a few herbs?"

"Your Excellency, please don't make things reckless. There are some things we can't do on our own without the Grand Secretary's approval."

"No, you're overthinking it. My Liu family has been imperial physicians for generations, and our medical skills are superb. Both Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Xiaozong recognized our expertise."

The third eunuch couldn't help but sneer.
The Liu family ancestors had a very wild medical style.

The sixteen characters, “He prescribed the wrong medicine, first causing the death of Emperor Xianzong, then Emperor Xiaozong, and was exiled to Guangxi,” are enough to explain everything. If Wu Yong had not been appointed as the governor of Shanxi, he would never have been able to take the position of chief minister.

"What medicine did you give Fulin?"

"A medicine for calming the mind and reducing desires."

Liu Zhengzong smiled lewdly, simultaneously fueling Dong E's anger and trying to calm Fu Lin down.

Loyalty, needless to say!

As if he hadn't had enough, he opened Zhu Youlang's furnace again.

"Dean Liu, what are you trying to do?"

"Oh dear, the Ming Dynasty has been very kind to my Liu family. I am a grateful person. Don't worry, these are some good medicines for strengthening the body."

There were faint tears in Liu Zhengzong's eyes.

Gratitude needs no words.

……

Inside the Yangxin Hall.

Lady Dong'e, her face streaked with tears, said, "Your Majesty, I will take my own life now."

As she spoke, she hung a foot-long white silk ribbon on the roof beam.

Standard hanging procedure!
Shunzhi stood aside, his face ashen, watching Dong E climb onto the stool and hang the white silk.

"No~"

Emperor Shunzhi's heartbroken shouts alerted the eunuchs outside.

A young eunuch peeked through the window and was so frightened that his hair stood on end: "Quick, save the Empress!"

The palace gates were smashed open.

A group of eunuchs rushed into the Hall of Mental Cultivation and took Consort Dong'e down from the chair that had been kicked over.

Upon hearing the news, the Third Eunuch rushed over and shouted sternly, "Someone, serve Fulin and his wife their medicine."

Shunzhi dared not struggle and gulped down a large bowl of medicine to calm his mind and reduce his desires.

Dong E struggled desperately, but the eunuch forcibly fed her a bowl of aphrodisiac medicine.

……

Yuquanshan Imperial Palace.

A sedan chair carrying Dong Eshi, whose hands and feet were bound by soft ropes, was taken to a small house. The medicine was so potent that it made her muscles and bones weak and her fighting spirit scattered.

Even the most busy prime minister couldn't help but be moved by this woman's alluring charm.

"Truly a beauty."

Behind the gauze curtain, Liu Rushi focused intently on her painting!

Half an hour later, she delivered the painting to the neighbor next door.

Jiang Qingyun shook his head: "No, this is not the feeling I want. I don't want impressionism, I want realism."

"Then, shall we do it again?"

"Never mind." Jiang Qingyun waved his hand. "I suddenly remembered someone—Chen Yuanyuan. It's said that her painting skills were the best on the Qinhuai River?"

Liu Rushi's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained unchanged.

"Tomorrow, I will secretly bring Yuanyuan over to try painting."

"it is good."

"Please advise, Grand Secretary, whether Lady Dong'e would like to stay overnight?"

"No need, send them away."

……

Therefore, Consort Dong'e was sent back to the Forbidden City intact.

The capital was in an uproar, and countless scandalous stories were born among the people.

No one criticized the prime minister's private morality; the winner takes all, which is quite reasonable.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Emperor Shunzhi looked at the grief-stricken and weeping Dong Eshi, and his heart was filled with anguish.

"My beloved concubine, what did he do to you?"

"Your Majesty, please stop asking!"

"I can't help it, I just want to know."

"I just can't bring myself to say it."

The emperor and his concubine wept bitterly, feeling that their lives had reached their darkest point.

(End of this chapter)