Di Ming

Chapter 410 "Young Tiger, how have you been? Your brother has been waiting for you for a long time!"

Seeing Ning Qingchen's interested expression, Zhu Yin smiled and said, "It is said that after the Jingkang Incident, Zhao Ji was captured by the Jurchens and taken to Wuguo City. As a result, he had many sons. These people became Jurchenized and are the ancestors of the wild boar skin. So the rumor is that the Qing Dynasty royal family are descendants of Zhao Ji... Believe it or not, I believe it."

"That's ridiculous!" Ning Qingchen laughed, revealing her gap-toothed baby teeth. "I don't believe it's such a coincidence. A simple analysis of history will show that it doesn't hold water. Zhao Ji later fled back to the south and established the Southern Song Dynasty. He even sent Yue Fei to fight against the Jin Dynasty and destroyed it. How could he possibly let his son stay in Wuguo City? Isn't that absurd?"

Zhu Yin couldn't help but roll his eyes, opened his mouth, but simply said nothing.

Suddenly, the "Emperor Taizong" in his arms kicked his little legs and laughed, bubbles coming out of his mouth. Ning Qingchen glared at the little thing, "What are you laughing at?"

"Emperor Taizong of Qing" bit his little finger and just chuckled.

Zhu Yin stroked her adopted son's head and laughed, "Look, even Zhao Jingzhong is making fun of you, laughing at your cheap aunt for being ignorant of history and for being so witty."

Ning Qingchen chuckled and said, "I won't be ignorant of history in a few years. I've already finished reading the Records of the Grand Historian and have started reading the Book of Han."

"Alright." Zhu Yin was quite annoyed by his sister-in-law. "Let's get down to business. I'm leaving Beijing for Chongqing three days from now, on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month."

Ning Qingchen frowned slightly. "So hastily? Emperor Baijin is truly inhuman and goes too far. Even if he's wary of you and is using this as an excuse to demote you out of the capital, you've just returned and made such a great contribution. Shouldn't you rest for a while? What a cruel and ungrateful tyrant."

Zhu Yin sneered: "He showed no mercy even to Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, whom he once regarded as his own family. How could he possibly treat an outsider like me? Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Life and death, thunder and rain, are all the ruler's favors. If he wants to condemn someone, he can always find a pretext. The fact that he made me a county magistrate is already thanks to the efforts of Shen Shi and others. If it were up to him, he would want to imprison me, punish me, and confiscate my property."

"Hmph, it would be good if I could just stay in Pengshui as the county magistrate and live a peaceful life. I'm afraid he'll keep causing trouble and won't let me be the county magistrate in peace."

Ning Qingchen clenched her small pink fist. "Little tiger, why should we get angry at this dog emperor? Let's just go out to sea, take over the South Seas, and establish ourselves as kings."

"Here you go again." Zhu Yin shook his head with a wry smile. "You have an escapist personality. Every time something happens, you have to go to sea to fend for yourself. Just like Zhu Bajie, when you encounter a monster you can't defeat, you have to split up the luggage and break up the group. I've said it before, going to sea to escape is only a last resort, and you can't give up unless it's absolutely necessary."

"We've made significant profits over the years, both commercially and politically. How can we just hand them over? Of course, we have to fight back!"

Ning Qingchen lowered her head, her long, thick eyelashes fluttering. "I'm just worried you'll suffer. Going to Pengshui as a seventh-rank county magistrate, and the prefect of Chongqing is Hao Yunlai, who doesn't get along with you—how can you expect to have a good life there? A vice minister suddenly becoming a county magistrate—can you handle that huge psychological gap? What if other officials kick you when you're down, deliberately humiliating you to curry favor with the emperor? Little Tiger, I'm just worried about you."

"Hehe!" Zhu Yin couldn't help but laugh. "Qingchen knows how to care about me now? That's rare. Don't worry, I'm not a fragile person. I'm someone who has weathered many storms and seen life and death. What you're worried about is nothing to me. On the contrary, it's a good thing to experience it."

He placed the sleeping "Emperor Taizong of Qing" in the cradle and continued, "Take being a county magistrate for example. At least it will allow me to gain a deeper understanding of the grassroots governance and the operational logic of local power in the Ming Dynasty. It will also help me understand the problems of this era. A prime minister should rise from the prefectures and counties, let alone someone like me who wants to reclaim the throne. Even if it's not for governing the country and bringing peace to the people, this kind of training is not a bad thing."

"Only in turbulent times can true heroes emerge. Throughout history, who among the great has ever had a smooth journey with everything going their way? Who hasn't experienced ups and downs and weathered many storms? Do you know the three realms of life? They are the states of mind."

Ning Qingchen nodded earnestly, "Of course I know. The first level is the pursuit of material security, which is the foundation of survival. The second level, of course, is the pursuit of spiritual needs, which is a higher level. The third level is the pursuit of freedom of thought..."

Zhu Yin was speechless. "Alright, stop talking."

He felt he deserved it; how could he talk about such a topic with Ning Qingchen? It was like casting pearls before swine.

"What's wrong?" Ning Qingchen stared with her big, innocent, black eyes. "Little tiger, am I wrong?"

Zhu Yin touched his forehead, frowning as if he had a headache. "What you said... isn't wrong. But we're not on the same wavelength... um, we're talking past each other."

Ning Qingchen's little face suddenly turned a bit fierce, "What do you mean by 'talking past each other like a chicken and a duck'? You're the duck..."

Realizing she had said something wrong, she quickly changed the subject, saying, "Then tell me, what are the three realms of life?"

Zhu Yin had no choice but to explain: "The first stage is loneliness and confusion, as the saying goes, 'Last night the west wind withered the green trees, I climbed the high tower alone, and gazed at the road to the ends of the earth.'"

"The second stage is perseverance and dedication, as the saying goes, 'I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets, for I am wasting away for her sake.'"

"The third realm is enlightenment, as the saying goes, 'I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, but suddenly when I turned around, I found him where the lights were dim.'"

"Life is short. If you can reach this third level, then you have succeeded."

Ning Qingchen said, "Oh, so those are the three sentences. Of course I've heard them before. I think they're famous quotes from Xu Zhimo. He experienced several relationships with women and gained a profound understanding of life before coming to this conclusion..."

Zhu Yin looked into Ning Qingchen's clear eyes, and saw that her eyes reflected the light, as if there was a galaxy in them.

He swallowed back the words he was about to say, and instead asked a completely unrelated question: "Immortal Doctor Ning, what's wrong with your new medicine?"

Ning Qingchen immediately perked up, grabbing Zhu Yin's hand with her little paw. "Little tiger, the clinical trials for the new drugs are finally complete! It wasn't a wasted trip to Korea! Let me tell you, penicillin, salicylic acid, allicin, artemisinin, quinine... no, I mean Qingchen cream, as well as alum, mercuric chloride, monadol, glucose, morphine (an anesthetic), nitroglycerin, aspirin, streptomycin, metformin, and other new drugs can all be put into clinical trials."

“Previously incurable diseases, such as tuberculosis and malaria, now have treatment options. Many patients can continue to live.”

She entered a comfortable zone in the conversation, and her eyes even became a little moist.

"In addition, I led more than 200 students to complete many surgeries and are currently compiling the 'Great Ming Surgical Encyclopedia'. Under my guidance, and after using a large number of Japanese pirate prisoners, surgeries such as neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, and orthopedics have reached the level of the early 20th century."

"I can declare to you definitively: Little Tiger, I can make the medical skills of the Ming Dynasty more than two hundred years ahead of the world! I can bring about a qualitative change in the Chinese medical system! As long as I live, the Chinese medical community will develop rapidly and hopefully reach the level of the late 19th and early 20th centuries within twenty years!"

"Really?" Zhu Yin was delighted to hear this. "Medicine is a large and systematic discipline. Can you really accomplish this goal by yourself?"

"Why not?" Ning Qingchen said with a proud look. "I am a top student from a top medical school in the 21st century, and I didn't have an ordinary undergraduate degree. Others study medicine to get a job and make money, but I study medicine purely out of interest. Because I started studying medicine at a very young age, my theoretical level was already no worse than that of a doctor when I was in college. In ancient times, theory was the most important wealth, not practice."

"However, to raise the overall level of Chinese medicine to the level of the early 20th century, national-level support is still needed. Policy, funding, education, and other aspects are all indispensable. Little Tiger, hurry up and become emperor. If you become emperor, my work will be much easier."

Zhu Yin said, "If I go to Chongqing to take up an official post this time, what will happen to your medical school? I'll be staying in Pengshui for at least two or three years."

"Move!" Ning Qingchen said. "Move to Chongqing Prefecture. Chongqing is at least a prefecture city; can't it accommodate my medical school?"

"Don't worry, the professors and students of the academy will all go with them. I'm confident of that. They won't have to worry about food and clothing, and they'll be able to learn medical skills, so they won't leave the academy. Besides, if they don't go, they won't get a graduation certificate that I personally sign."

Just as the two were talking, the bell in the room suddenly rang again.

Intelligence has arrived!
Zhu Yin stood up and walked out of the outer room, where he saw Emperor Kangxi standing there, his head covered in sweat.

"Your Majesty," Kangxi handed over a wax pill, "it was sent from the palace."

Zhu Yin took the wax pill, turned around and went into the room. He opened it and his face immediately darkened.

"Imperial Envoy and Tax Supervisor of Sichuan, Qiu Chengyun?" Zhu Yin felt the name sounded familiar, and soon remembered.

Qiu Chengyun brought disaster to Sichuan!

Historically, this was the same guy who levied exorbitant taxes and levies in Sichuan for twenty years and even caused the death of Qin Liangyu's husband, Ma Qiancheng.

During the Wanli era, the powerful eunuchs Gao Huai caused chaos in Liaodong, indirectly enabling Nurhaci to gain power. Gao Cai brought turmoil to Fujian, indirectly creating a massive pirate group in Fujian. Qiu Chengyun brought turmoil to Sichuan, indirectly triggering the Bozhou Rebellion and the She'an Rebellion.

The chaotic situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty owes much to the eunuchs sent out by Emperor Wanli. The Manchu Qing Dynasty, which seized power by luck, should truly thank these eunuchs.

It turned out that Zong Qin had secretly reported that Gao Cai had advised the emperor to have Qiu Chengyun, the tax supervisor of Sichuan, target him. The emperor agreed.

Once he arrived in Chongqing, he would have to face Qiu Chengyun's provocations. Qiu Chengyun's power in Sichuan was roughly equivalent to that of the later Governor-General of Sichuan. If he suppressed him, who knew how much trouble it would cause.

The tax supervisors like Qiu Chengyun paid bribes to be transferred to local posts. For a lucrative position like the Sichuan tax supervisor, Qiu Chengyun must have given at least 100,000 taels of silver to the Directorate of Ceremonial, who then gave tens of thousands more taels to the emperor. This is no secret. It shows how much these eunuchs extorted money when they arrived in the provinces.

"Little Tiger, what's wrong?" Ning Qingchen saw Zhu Yin's displeased expression and knew it wasn't a good thing.

Zhu Yin handed the intelligence to Ning Qingchen, then sat down at his desk to write a letter to Huya and make arrangements.

Instruct Huya to thoroughly investigate Qiu Chengyun and obtain information about him as soon as possible.

Afterwards, he wrote to Caiwei to inform her.

"Qingchen," Zhu Yin wrote in a secret letter, "go to the medical school in a few days and persuade them to move south. However, to avoid attracting attention, we should not travel together. I will go first, and you can leave in half a month."

“Okay.” Ning Qingchen agreed. “I hope that in the autumn, you, my sister, and I can spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together in Chongqing.”

She knew that if too many people left together, they would become too conspicuous. There were over six hundred people in the medical school alone.

...

The following evening, Zhu Yin went to Shen Yiguan's residence and chatted with him for a long time before leaving at 9 PM.

On the morning of the third day, the official decree came down, demoting Zhu Yin to the position of magistrate of Pengshui County on charges of killing thousands of prisoners without authorization, being tyrannical and domineering, and insulting the King of Goryeo. This caused an uproar both inside and outside the court.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Zhu Yin expressed his gratitude at the Meridian Gate and then went to the Ministry of War to hand over the Vice Minister's seal, official documents, and ivory plaque.

From this moment on, he was no longer the Vice Minister of War.

Next, Zhu Yin went to the Ministry of Personnel and received the official appointment document.

Thus, he completed his "glorious transformation" from Vice Minister of War to Magistrate of Pengshui County.

He was indeed banished to Chaozhou, a journey of eight thousand li!

Zhu Yin entered the Ministry of Personnel wearing a red official robe, but changed into a blue robe when he came out. The peacock badge on his chest, which belonged to a third-rank civil official, was changed to a mandarin duck badge, which belonged to a seventh-rank civil official.

It's quite a story, how one day a red robe can be replaced by a green one!

When the news spread, countless court officials lamented Zhu Yin's fate and felt deeply indignant.

Many officials came to Caomao Hutong to offer their condolences and comfort, but Zhu Yin refused to see them. He knew very well that the emperor was still watching him, and he couldn't associate with too many officials, lest he incur Wanli's wrath again.

The people of the capital were well-informed. Zhu Yin had returned to the capital after performing great service, but instead of being promoted, he was demoted to the position of county magistrate, which greatly angered the people of the capital. Previously, because of Hai Rui's death, they dared not speak out against the emperor, and now that Zhu Yin had been demoted, they were even more disappointed in him.

Zhu Yin's advisors, including Feng Menglong, Sun Chengzong, and Gao Panlong, also sighed deeply, becoming even more disheartened about serving as officials. "His Majesty is so harsh and ungrateful to meritorious officials, yet so indulgent towards eunuchs. He even forced Hai Rui to his death. He's only interested in neglecting his duties and greedily pursuing wealth. Where is the slightest trace of a wise ruler?"
Enough, enough. I'd rather follow my lord south than seek any more official position.

What good is it to obtain an official position if the Holy Emperor doesn't come out?

When the news reached the Marquis's residence, many servants were devastated, as if the sky were falling. Fortunately, the emperor did not confiscate the Marquis's property, and although the master was demoted to county magistrate, he was not stripped of his official rank. More importantly, his noble title remained!
If any other official had been demoted, the world would have been indifferent to their fate. But Zhu Yin's demotion garnered countless sympathies and regrets.

At the banquet inside the Marquis's residence, Zhu Yin, holding a wine cup, looked around at Feng Menglong and the others and said:
"I originally planned to recommend you all for the eighth-rank official position when I returned to the capital to report my achievements, but I was demoted for my crimes and am no longer able to recommend you."

Feng Menglong said, "The government is so corrupt that I have no desire to serve in office. I only wish that my family will follow my lord south and join the county government."

Sun Chengzong laughed heartily, "I am also willing to follow my lord south. There's no need to stay in Beijing. It's truly disheartening and chilling. Let's go!"

Gao Panlong said, "I am also willing to comply! At least governing a county can bring benefits to the region!"

Zhu Yin nodded happily, "Okay! Then let's head south together!"

That very day, Zhu Yin ordered the entire household to prepare for relocation south. However, they would not leave all at once, but in three separate groups.

Zhu Yin didn't even want to leave a single servant girl in Beijing.

...

On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, Zhu Yin, who had only been in Beijing for three days, led the first group of people out of Beijing.

Besides the Zhu family, Feng Menglong's wife, Zhuang Shu, also brought Zhu Yin's adopted daughter, Feng Yaoli, with her as they headed south. Following the custom of "a wife follows her husband," since Feng Menglong went with Zhu Yin, she naturally wanted to go as well.

In order to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion by having officials and commoners in the capital see him off, Zhu Yin set off at dawn, and by the time the sun came up, he was already more than ten miles away from the capital.

The caravan traveled along the post stations to Tianjin Wei Baqi Post Station, then boarded a ship in Linqing Prefecture, passed through customs without inspection, and continued their journey by both land and water after arriving in Jining Prefecture.

Traveling south along the canal, they changed boats again after reaching the Yangtze River in Nanjing, and continued westward along the river, passing through Hankou, Luoshan, Yiling, and Kuizhou.

After entering the Yangtze River, they changed to a "rudder cage" and boarded the Yanyu Depression, making offerings to the river god while navigating the rapids.

Along the way, Zhu Yin and his companions thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent scenery along the Yangtze River.

Because the group consisted of several hundred people, their pace was slow. It wasn't until the morning of June 30th, twenty-four days after leaving Beijing, that Zhu Yin finally saw the Chaotianmen Gate of Chongqing Prefecture.

Upon landing that afternoon, they saw the tall city gate inscribed with the four large characters "Sichuan East Circuit" and two more large characters: Ba County.

That's right, the seat of Chongqing Prefecture was the county seat of Ba County. The so-called Chongqing Prefecture city was, of course, the county seat of Ba County. Therefore, Ba County was much larger than a typical county seat, and had been a major city since the Han Dynasty. At this time, Ba County was also the administrative seat of the Sichuan East Circuit.

As soon as Zhu Yin's troops landed, they quickly attracted the attention of the patrol inspectors, and someone immediately sent a report into the city.

The imperial edict announcing Zhu Yin's demotion to magistrate of Pengshui had arrived in Chongqing a few days earlier.

As soon as Zhu Yin's post station arrived outside Chaotianmen, he heard loud gongs and drums and melodious musical instruments from inside the city. Then, a civil official in a red robe walked out of the city with great pride, surrounded by a crowd.

The people at the city gate, upon seeing this official in red robes, were all terrified and knelt down, calling him "Lord Gongzu".

The term "gongzu" refers to the common grandfather of the people. It is a respectful term used by ordinary people to address the prefect.

Needless to say, the civil official referred to as Gongzu was none other than Hao Yunlai, the prefect of Chongqing!
As soon as Zhu Yin appeared, "Master Gongzu" laughed loudly:

"Young Tiger, how have you been? Your brother has been waiting for you for a long time!"

(End of this chapter)