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

Chapter 392 Setting Fire to the Imperial Envoy

The next day.

early morning.

The fully armed guards gathered inside the courtyard.

"Greetings, Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy."

Zhou Peigong was startled.

"how?"

The captain stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and advised, "Your Excellency, you represent the majesty of the court. You must not bow your head and act subserviently at the Confucius Temple. Otherwise, the Grand Secretary will hold you accountable."

The thought of the Prime Minister's kind eyes sent a chill down Zhou Peigong's spine.

Yes~
He volunteered to come to Qufu hoping to make a name for himself, but ended up making a fool of himself.

……

"Gentlemen, please allow me a moment to consider this further."

Zhou Peigong retreated to his room and pondered deeply.

On one side is the leader, and on the other is a saint. Both are absolutely correct, and neither can be offended. What should be done?
After a long time~
He barely managed to come up with a not-so-ideal idea, quickly wrote a letter, and summoned four flag guards.

"Return to the capital immediately and meet with the Grand Secretary in person."

"As ordered."

Everyone knows that the Flag Guard is loyal only to the Grand Secretary.

Before the dignified and solemn gate of the Confucius Temple, more than a dozen elders of the Confucius clan were already waiting. When they saw Zhou Peigong, they revealed lewd smiles.

Zhou Peigong was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Thank you for your help."

"This old man doesn't sleep much and is used to getting up early. But Your Excellency, did you sleep well last night?"

"Okay, I also had a dream."

"What dream?"

“A sage appeared to me in a dream and said that Confucianism has gone astray.”

The elders looked at each other in bewilderment.

Why doesn't the sage appear in our dreams as his direct descendants?

"Perhaps your actions have disappointed the sage."

……

The clan elders immediately flew into a rage.

"Be bold!"

“You are clearly blaspheming the saints, you are clearly lying.”

“Zhou Peigong, you are not allowed to enter the Confucius Temple today. You have wasted your time reading the classics.”

Faced with the threat of being stripped of his citizenship, Zhou Peigong was secretly delighted and immediately lifted the corner of his robe.

"Disciple Zhou Peigong respectfully pays homage to the great sage and holy teacher."

Afterwards, he walked around the Confucius Temple and knelt down to pay homage to Confucius from four directions, making sure he was not disrespectful.

Only after being enveloped in a sense of security did he return to the inn.

"Someone, post these notices everywhere."

"As ordered."

More than a dozen notices bearing the official seal of the imperial envoy have appeared in Qufu.

The whole city was in an uproar!

When Duke Yansheng Kong Xingxie learned of this, although he was furious, he dared not order the notice to be torn down, because the bright red imperial seal was sacred and inviolable.

The two sides exchanged magical attacks.

One side is right, and the other side is also right.

……

The day.

Kong Xingduo, the magistrate of Qufu, turned himself in.

"Your Excellency, please forgive me, but this case is not due to any favoritism or perversion of justice by this county; there is another reason behind it."

"is it?"

"Regarding the case of Kong Qingsheng killing Kong Qingfu, the county was unaware that the two were cousins ​​during the trial. Kong Qingfu was at fault for stealing food, so it was normal for the landowner Kong Qingsheng to reprimand him."

"You've certainly pushed it away cleanly."

“Your Excellency, I truly knew nothing of this relationship.”

"If you knew, how would you solve the case?"

“The killing of a brother by his brother is a tragedy of human relations. If this is known, this county should impose a severe sentence.”

Kong Xingduo, the magistrate of Qufu, argued vehemently and insisted on his claim.

Zhou Peigong could not directly use torture, so he ordered the man to be temporarily imprisoned. At the same time, he sent people to secretly arrest the scholar Kong Qingsheng, attempting to break through the evidence chain by taking a roundabout approach.

However, when the guards arrived, they found that Kong Qingsheng had hanged himself at home.

Zhou Peigong was furious and ordered the arrest of Kong Qingsheng's family. Duke Yansheng Kong Xingxie was also furious, believing Zhou Peigong to be a cruel official who had arbitrarily forged an imperial edict.

Two years ago, when I watched the military parade at the Meridian Gate, the first thing I saw was a statue of a saint.

Six months ago, news came from the capital that the Grand Secretary had instructed Huang Zongxi, the Minister of Rites, to promote the fundamentalist Confucianism.

What does this mean?
This demonstrates that the core of the United Empire was Confucianism and respect for Confucius.

……

That night, around midnight.

As the sleazy night watchman gradually disappeared into the distance.

Zhou Peigong got up and stretched, then threw the candle onto the quilt, which quickly caught fire.

About fifteen minutes later~
The fire intensified.

He rushed out of the house barefoot, clutching the imperial envoy's seal.

"Someone is coming."

"Fire!"

When the soundly sleeping guards were awakened, their first reaction was not to put out the fire, but to don their armor.

The captain, watching the flames already reaching the rooftops, roared, "Attention everyone! Listen up! The scoundrels of Qufu have rebelled! Protect the Imperial Envoy as he leaves the city. If he encounters any obstacles along the way, kill them all, regardless of whether they are officials or civilians!"

"As ordered."

The flag guards nocked their arrows and drew their swords. Just as they escorted Zhou Peigong out of the courtyard, they encountered a group of civilians from the city who had come to put out the fire.

"Fire arrows!"

A hail of arrows rained down, and the fire brigade turned tail and ran.

Zhou Peigong lay prone on the horse's back.

When they reached the city gate, they encountered a group of armed servants carrying torches.

"Your Excellency, please don't panic, it's a misunderstanding, it's a misunderstanding."

They were met with a precise volley of arrows. The servants, unable to withstand the casualties, abandoned their torches and disappeared into the darkness.

The guards acted decisively, killing anyone they encountered along the way, and quickly took control of the city gates.

The suspension bridge slowly lowered.

Zhou Peigong and his entourage hurriedly fled out of the city gate and headed towards Yanzhou Prefecture.

……

When the news reached the Duke of Yansheng's residence, Kong Xingxie turned pale with fright, trembled all over, and became delirious.

The imperial envoy was burned!
This charge is too terrifying; no dynasty could tolerate it. If investigated, even a dignified Duke Yansheng like himself would not be able to withstand it.

This has really blown things up.

Soon, the clan elders also arrived.

At the scene, the most senior member of the family, the third grandfather of the Duke Yansheng, asked anxiously, "Where is the Imperial Envoy?"

"Ran."

Why didn't you stop them?

"The imperial envoy's guards are all Bayara, each one with the courage of ten thousand men, and the underlings can't stop them."

The one who answered was the commander of the Qufu city garrison, who was also the head of the household guards of the Duke of Yansheng.

"Oh no, there's no way to turn things around."

"Quickly send someone to bring back the imperial envoy and apologize."

"How foolish! Sending people to chase after them now would be tantamount to confirming our crime of arson and murdering the imperial envoy."

The mansion was in complete disarray.

Suddenly, Duke Yansheng Kong Xingxie, as if possessed, asked a question of exceptional caliber: "Uncles and lords, who set the fire?"

The elders of the clan instantly switched to loyalty mode.

"It has nothing to do with me."

“I swear by the Temple of Confucius, I didn’t do it.”

"How could we, the descendants of a sage, commit such an evil deed that would exterminate nine generations of one's family?"

……

The next morning.

"Take this letter to the capital and be sure to deliver it to the Grand Secretary in person."

"This is a matter of great importance, and speed is of the essence. If it is delivered within 7 days, each person will be rewarded with 50 mu of land. If it is delivered within 5 days, each person will be rewarded with 100 mu of land."

"Thank you, sir."

The four trusted family members, each riding two horses, left Qufu and headed straight for the capital!
Although Kong Xingxie was young, he did not make a mistake in this matter.

Speed ​​is an attitude!

When faced with matters of principle, never try to be clever.

in the mean time.

Upon receiving Zhou Peigong's secret letter of complaint, Chief Minister Chiang Kai-shek did not hesitate for even half a day. He immediately mustered 2000 Banner Guards and 4000 New Army soldiers and rushed to Qufu.

How can fundamentalist Confucianism be promoted without rivers of blood and mountains of corpses?
(End of this chapter)