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

Chapter 388 The Foolish Monk Prays for the Nation

The emperor's authority was solemn and deeply ingrained in people's hearts.

Not to mention the 17th century, even in the 20th century, the title of deposed emperor could still intimidate people.

Rome cannot do without the Pope.

The East cannot be without an emperor.

This is by no means a joke.

The existence of an emperor fills a void in the hearts of many. Without a great emperor on the throne, how would millions of subjects live?

……

Emperor Shunzhi remained calm, his hands clasped together in prayer.

"Home is like a prison, from which all afflictions arise. The monastic life is like a vast expanse, from which all good deeds increase. From now on, there will be no more Emperor Shunzhi, only the monk Xingchi."

Jiang Zhongcheng beamed and quickly put his hands together in a gesture of respect: "Respectfully seeing off the Master!"

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Youlang hid the wooden stick behind his back and sized up Shunzhi's bald head.

"Fulin, you...you really became a monk?"

"Amitabha Buddha, all past grievances are wiped clean. Take care, benefactor."

"You gave up?"

Xingchi remained silent, simply walking slowly forward.

As Zhu Youlang watched his enemy's retreating figure, he felt a hollow and sour feeling in his heart.

Outside the crowd.

The tall and imposing monk Tianji watched this scene and murmured excitedly to himself.

"Buddha! Did you see that? He really did it! He really is the Arhat riding a deer! He really is the Red-Robed Demon Lord!! He has begun to overturn the human world!!!"

……

The monk Xingchi left the Forbidden City!
The monk Xingchi walked on the wide streets of the inner city!
Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to watch.

Some knelt in worship, some wept, some remained silent, some scorned, some sighed, and some were clearly relieved.

Liu Lu, who had already been registered as a member of the Manchu banner system, knelt by the roadside, weeping bitterly.

Princess Consort Guarjia Liushu remained calm, leaning against the door watching the commotion. As the former Black Widow of the Ninth Banner, would she care about the former Emperor of the Qing Dynasty? Impossible.

Liu Lu was still wailing.

She couldn't bear to watch it any longer.

"Please stop howling."

"My lady, Master Xingchi was once the emperor of our Manchu people. It is only right for a servant to cry a few tears."

"What, are you going to rebel against the Grand Secretary?"

"Oh my, my dear aunt, what nonsense are you talking about? The Grand Secretary is the leader of the empire, the benevolent father of the Manchus, and the savior of the people of the empire. No matter what happens, I, Liu Lu, will defend the Grand Secretary to the death."

"Then why are you howling?"

“Crying for Emperor Shunzhi and being loyal to the Grand Secretary are not contradictory; both are expressions of my loyalty.”

Liu Lu spoke very seriously because that was truly what he thought.

Liu Shu was so angry she laughed.

"Neuropathy."

She left with that remark, then turned and went back.

Liu Lu stood up and looked at his wife's back.

These women's words and actions are strange. They don't seem loyal enough to the United Empire! They're acting weird and don't seem like good people!
……

The emperor's decision to become a monk caused a sensation in the capital.

The streets were deserted!
Countless people witnessed the sight of the monk Xingchi, clad in a kasaya and with a shiny bald head. The news spread like wildfire, reaching Zhili in three days, Jiangnan in six days, and the entire empire in just half a month.

The whole country was shocked!

Fortunately, no rebellion occurred.

The Manchu people in Beijing quickly accepted this fact.

The departure of Emperor Shunzhi was actually a relief for everyone; from now on, they no longer needed to suffer from personality splits.

The Flag Guard remained the first tier of the Empire's military forces, shedding its psychological burden and historical stigma, and thus completely integrated into the Empire.

The Forbidden City has returned to tranquility.

Feeling utterly lonely, Zhu Youlang would always wander around the Hall of Mental Cultivation every morning, feeling lost and dejected.

Consort Dong'e was buried in the suburbs of Beijing. Her life was pitiful, repeatedly ravaged by the two great empires.

However, her death was significant.

The wheels of history need the lubrication of blood to keep rolling forward. It is better for Lady Dong'e to bleed than for millions to bleed.

……

The monk Xingchi, who was "praying for the country," set off for Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province to practice Buddhism, escorted by 1000 soldiers from the Zhili Green Standard Army and accompanied by dozens of eminent monks.

Logically speaking, it should be safest to keep it under one's nose.

But Jiang Qingyun had two considerations.

First, by temporarily removing Xingchi from the sight of everyone in the capital, the impact could be reduced. Second, it would also allow for monitoring of anyone contacting him privately, making it easier to distinguish between loyal and treacherous individuals.

The governor of Shanxi, Wu Yong, was one of their own, so he would carry out orders without question.

The emperor became a monk to pray for the country's well-being.

This news became the hottest topic of conversation in the streets and alleys of the United Empire, generating an absurd amount of buzz. In short, the emperor's sacred cloak was stripped away.

Dark clouds loom over the city, threatening to crush it.
A massive ideological revolution is on the verge of erupting.

Jiang Qingyun, who served as the chief director of the sports meet, temporarily withdrew from "Sixteen Days of Magic Dance". With bright eyes, he tried to find a suitable entry point.

Soon, the opportunity will come.

It wasn't that God was being kind to us, but rather that there were just too many similar opportunities.

……

Qufu County, Shandong Province.

Four servants in blue robes surrounded a man who had fallen to the ground, punching and kicking him with extreme cruelty, leaving the man's face covered in blood.

"Stop hitting him, sir, please, spare my man."

A young woman in tattered clothes knelt down and begged for mercy.

Beside them was a emaciated child who could do nothing but cry and watch helplessly as his father was beaten.

“A scholar who steals is guilty of an even greater crime. Keep beating him, beat him hard.”

“Sir, he is your cousin.”

"Pah! He doesn't even deserve the surname Kong. Beat him, break his legs."

After a short while, the beaten man stopped moving.

"Alright, that's enough, let's go!"

The servants escorted the wealthy-looking man away.

"His father!"

The woman's wailing suddenly rose three octaves. Some busybodies came over to watch, and when they reached out to check, they found that the person who had been beaten was already lifeless.

……

With a murder case at hand, the county government could not shirk its responsibility and quickly convened a court session to hear the case.

Throughout history, the magistrate of Qufu County was a sixth-rank official, and the position was always held by a member of the Confucius clan recommended by the Duke Yansheng, which became a precedent.

Although the United Empire replaced the Qing Empire, there were few changes at the local level.

Because the empire was newly established, there was not enough time to change things.

The man who ordered his servants to kill someone was named Kong Qingsheng. He was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations and was extremely wealthy. He was also the nephew of the steward of the Duke of Yansheng's mansion.

Upon learning of the death, they immediately sent 100 taels of silver.

Back hall.

The trusted advisor of the magistrate of Qufu was deeply worried.

"Master, this matter is quite troublesome."

"Is it tricky?"

"It's tricky, extremely tricky. Master, the problem lies in the relationship between these two. They are legitimate cousins. For a brother to kill his brother is a serious violation of human ethics and morality. If we take it seriously, its heinousness is second only to a subject killing his ruler or a son killing his father. It is one of the ten unforgivable crimes."

"Who the hell said that?"

"As the sage said."

"Ah, I was confused for a moment. Yes, yes, what the sage said must be correct."

The county magistrate startled himself.

(End of this chapter)