The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1667 Chase and Escape

Su Zixuan now finds Wang Yan very displeasing.

No, it's because she's disliked Wang Yan ever since his artillery fire rendered the Qing Dynasty, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the foreigners speechless.

Because Wang Yan's eldest daughter-in-law is Liao Xuan, this nameless wild girl who appeared out of nowhere, not Su Zixuan!

She was the first person she met, Wang Yan, and fell for his charm, even investing herself in him. Before she knew it, a young woman appeared in Wang Yan's life, and before she knew it, the two of them were married.

So much so that now, when the fruits of victory were reaped, Liao Xuan had directly become Empress, while she, who had been busy and troubled for so many years, could only become Imperial Noble Consort. Compared to the Empress, it was like heaven and earth...

She knew before that Wang Yan was definitely a ruthless person who could hold his own, after all, the Heavenly Kingdom had the power to sweep everything away at that time, but Wang Yan was like a nail stuck in Huoshan, impossible to pull out or remove.

The most painful thing in the world is that you could have!
In fact, Su Zixuan didn't care too much about things like Empress or Imperial Noble Consort. After all, having spent so much time together, she knew that Wang Yan was definitely not the kind of person who would forget old friendships or mistreat her.

What upset her was that after working so hard for so long, it seemed like she hadn't accomplished anything and had even missed the chance to become the first wife and have a son.

According to Wang Yan's theory, her revenge had certainly been taken. Although the Manchu imperial family still existed, it was essentially finished, with no successor to the throne. The bureaucratic system had also collapsed, and those former bigwigs had lost their authority, fleeing beyond the Great Wall like dogs, and were being driven further north.

What's even more ridiculous is that they didn't dare to sabotage Wang Yan, as evidenced by the fact that he took over the capital almost completely. Aside from the lack of valuables, everything else in the palace was intact. Even some large pieces of furniture were preserved perfectly; they hadn't been chopped up for firewood.

The same was true of the imperial palace in Shengjing; they were driven away, but dared not set fire to or cause damage.

Because they knew that Wang Yan's large army driving them away and his elite troops launching a surprise attack were two different things. Right now, Wang Yan was toying with them like he was playing with dogs, watching them wander like homeless dogs with nowhere to go. But if they really angered Wang Yan, the situation would be different.

At the same time, we must not overlook Wang Yan's infiltration. They have tried every means to plant people around Wang Yan and assassinate him. Wang Yan directly infiltrates the region, so how could he not have people around him?

It's a two-way street. If you respect me, I'll give you a break. If you don't respect me, then you'll really suffer.

In fact, Wang Yan was too lazy to bother with them, because he couldn't eliminate them all. Below the royal family were the Eight Banners, and within the Eight Banners were ranks, then there was the distinction between Manchu and Han, and over a hundred years later there were the Heavenly Marks. There were many problems involved.

They even went so far as to kill everyone involved. After more than two hundred years of intermarriage, there were still many people with so-called bloodlines. Even if there were no purebreds back then, the theory of bloodlines still existed.

It's mainly a matter of mindset.

As education becomes more widespread and time goes by, those with sound minds will accept the transformation of their thinking and be able to genuinely face the issue of ethnic integration. The remaining idiots are insignificant and nothing more than clowns...

Seeing Wang Yan playing with the child, Su Zixuan said, "Do you really want to let them go? There are many forests and medicinal herbs in the Northeast, and who knows how many mines there are. Boss, that's a good place. If you want to do construction, you will definitely need those things. We can't just let them get away with it for nothing, can we?"
"To the north are the Russians, to the east the Japanese, and there are also foreigners. If they use the resources of Northeast China to gain power, or simply run off to enjoy a better life abroad, they'll still be eyeing us with their ulterior motives, ready to cause trouble at any opportunity. How disgusting would that be? It's better to nip it in the bud now and prevent future problems."

Wang Yan chuckled: "I knew you couldn't resist. The third brother has already advanced towards Shengjing and is driving his men towards Jilin. They're making arrangements and waiting for you to return. You've also finished your postpartum confinement, and you've been practicing the kung fu I taught you diligently. Your body is recovering well. Go to the Northeast by yourself. Once you get there, the third brother will cooperate with you and arrange for a deputy general to take your orders. Whether you can take revenge or not depends on yourself."

"Really?"

"How could you ask such a stupid question?" Liao Xuan pouted. "Honey, I think we should reconsider. If she goes there like this, I'm afraid she'll endanger the lives of our brothers in the army."

"The lieutenant isn't stupid; he won't obey orders that lead to his death."

Su Zixuan listened to the two of them making fun of her and laughed lewdly: "Say whatever you want, anyway, when I go there this time, I will definitely kill that person, and from now on I will obediently be my Imperial Noble Consort in this palace."

"I haven't been slacking off, so why should you, my little wife, have the right to shirk your responsibilities?"

Wang Yan certainly wouldn't let women hide in the background; in fact, fully unleashing women's productivity was extremely crucial. Of course, in reality, women's productivity has never been suppressed.

After all, daughters of wealthy families were a minority; most were working-class people, so how could they not work? The saying "men plow, women weave" fully illustrates the importance of women in production. Plowing the land was certainly more tiring, but raising silkworms, reeling silk, and spinning were no easy tasks either.

It's just because men and women are physiologically different; men's are heavier than women's, but in practice, both are very tiring.

Industrial development, on the other hand, increased the value of women's labor, leveling the playing field for both men and women in some jobs, or rather, enhancing women's labor capacity.

With industrial development and advancement, the social and labor division between men and women naturally needs to be redistributed, hence the saying "women hold up half the sky."

Previously, Liao Xuan was in charge of women's affairs, but now that the Chinese Begonia Leaf organization has been basically unified, the workload has naturally increased. Wang Yan has assigned all matters related to women and children to Liao Xuan. Don't be fooled by Liao Xuan's current leisurely schedule; it's only because she's having dinner with the Heavenly King's family today that she's had a break. Otherwise, she'd be working tirelessly, burning the midnight oil as well.

Su Zixuan had just given birth not long ago, and she had been helping Liao Xuan out since she had nothing else to do. They were all family, and they were quite capable, so she could always do more for them.

In the future, Wang Yan plans to entrust matters such as maternal and child health to them...

Having received Wang Yan's assurance, Su Zixuan arranged for a wet nurse overnight, packed her bags, and after having breakfast with Wang Yan the next morning, she led a portion of Wang Yan's guards out of the capital, riding swiftly towards the northeast.

She was really impatient, afraid that the Manchu royal family would run away.

They rode at breakneck speed all the way, and when they arrived at their destination, they entered Shengjing together.

"Sister-in-law, this dragon throne isn't as comfortable as the one in the capital."

In the imperial palace of Shengjing, Su Zixuan sat on the dragon throne upside down, while Jiang Wuyang stood below the steps, his sleeves tucked in and a smile on his face.

Although he didn't achieve much in battle, the authority he cultivated by controlling his troops was undeniable. And because of the nature of war, a single mistake could lead to death, which caused him to become more composed and less impulsive.

Su Zixuan swung his legs on the dragon throne: "Hey, third brother, sitting on the dragon throne is a serious crime, you'll be beheaded." "Sister-in-law, don't scare me. I sat on it when we were in the capital. My eldest brother even said that if I liked it, he would make me a dragon throne and put it in my palace so I could sit on it however I wanted. He also said he would make me several dragon robes so I could wear them however I wanted."

"So you're really going to actually wear it?"

"Sister-in-law, I appreciate your advice, but I'm not stupid." Jiang Wuyang shook his head repeatedly. "I know my older brother probably doesn't care, but I've had quite a few children in the past few years. I'm afraid my future children might do something reckless. It's better not to get involved in these things."

"As long as you know, it doesn't really matter whether it's the dragon throne or the dragon robe. Your older brother really doesn't care. You don't know, when we first entered the city and the accounts came out, and he said we were short of money, your older brother was willing to open the palace to the public. He said he'd sell tickets so people could come in and visit, and for ten yuan you could walk to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and for a hundred yuan you could sit on the dragon throne..."

Jiang Wuyang laughed: "These are the things that Big Brother doesn't care about the most. Based on my understanding of Big Brother, he has probably already made up his mind. When the time is right, he will definitely do it."

"The main hall in front is basically useless. I think his suggestion is really good. You don't know how expensive such a large palace is. This would be a subsidy and we could even make a lot of money. It was just that Lord Chen and the others collectively rejected it. Especially the matter of sitting on the dragon throne. They argued so much that the roof beams almost fell off."

The dragon throne is not something anyone can sit on; it is not merely a chair, but a supreme symbol of imperial power in the feudal monarchy. If just anyone could sit on it, the emperor's majesty and sanctity would be lost.

But what Wang Yan wanted to do was weaken the influence of the imperial power. He held the real power in his own hands, and he didn't care about the influence of the imperial power.

The two chatted for a few minutes before finally getting down to business.

Jiang Wuyang said, "Sister-in-law, the Manchu royal family is retreating towards Changbai Mountain. Scouts report that foreigners are following them. I don't know if they're going to run away with the foreigners. The situation here is good. We'll slowly push forward to Jilin and then stop. Here are 20,000 men for you. I'll have my deputy general assist you."

I was originally planning to go back quickly, but since my sister-in-law has things to do, I'll stay here and handle some official business to help her out.

“Go back. A pack of stray dogs, what trouble can they cause? Even if they number in the tens of thousands, they are not a threat.”

“That won’t do. It’s better to be prepared than not. If something happens, how will I go back to see my brother? Anyway, we need people here, so I’m not in a hurry to go back. It’s settled then.”

Jiang Wuyang stopped arguing with Su Zixuan and immediately summoned his deputy and staff officer. He explained the situation of the Manchus' escape to Su Zixuan and handed over military power to her.

He didn't leave because, besides handling political affairs in Shengjing, he also needed to arrange supplies for this large army. After all, an army on the move can't just leave whenever it wants; so many people are essentially like a locust swarm passing through. Without sufficient supplies, wherever they go, they'll be ravaged. As the old saying goes, bandits pass by like a comb, soldiers pass by like a brush, and officials pass by like a shave.

Su Zixuan didn't waste any time either. She'd gone through all that trouble for these very things. She immediately led her troops into battle.

She wasn't good at leading troops, but fortunately, Wang Yan's soldiers were all excellent. Although they usually advanced slowly, layer by layer, there was plenty of time for training. Now that it was time to be fast, they were truly fast.

Su Zixuan was quite courageous, and directly led three thousand men on horseback to give chase...

A large, imposing procession marched briskly through the snow-covered landscape. It stretched as far as the eye could see, with no end in sight.

People's cheeks were red from the cold, and some even had cracked and oozing pus, but that was the least of their problems. Some people even collapsed in the snow while walking, and those around them would squat down to look at them. After seeing the person smile, they would sigh silently and continue to follow the group numbly.

Some people would walk along and suddenly run into the woods. Immediately afterwards, someone on horseback would chase after them, shouting and yelling. After a series of gunshots, the person would be tied up and dragged away, as a deterrent to the numb followers.

Many people had no choice; they never intended to come. They only regretted not running faster during the war…

Unlike these people, even though the journey was difficult, they had a large carriage with luxurious carpets and a stove inside, which was warmer than spring.

Just then, the carriage door opened, and a rush of cold air rushed in.

Emperor Xianfeng drank his medicine soup while being served by Empress Dowager Cixi, watching the people who entered.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?" His voice was weak, but calm. He was already showing signs of exhaustion, yet he had managed to stay alive until now.

Yi sighed and said, "A messenger came from behind saying that pursuers are coming. This time is different from usual; they are advancing very fast and are only three days' journey away. Now they might only have two days left..."

Empress Dowager Cixi paused, her hand holding the spoon still, and after a few moments she continued to feed Emperor Xianfeng his medicine.

After swallowing the medicine, Emperor Xianfeng chuckled, but when he opened his mouth to speak, it turned into a cough.

After fiddling around for a while, he chuckled again, "What, scared?"

Before Empress Dowager Cixi could speak, Yi sighed again: "We overestimated Wang Yan's good intentions, thinking we could gain a foothold in the Northeast. Now it seems we should have gone overseas with the foreigners, rather than being captured and humiliated here."

"Your Majesty, aren't there foreigners following us? After we cross Changbai Mountain, there's a sea outlet there, and their warships are anchored there..." Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but interject.

Emperor Xianfeng laughed even harder: "You guys are really stupid. You think you can avoid humiliation by going overseas with foreigners? Once we're abroad, we're just monkeys, there to make a fool of us. I was hoping to have a place here and live a peaceful life, but it turns out they have no intention of letting us off the hook..."

Their actions were certainly not a mindless choice, but rather a decision made in accordance with Wang Yan's consistent style of doing things. The fact that they launched countless assassination attempts, yet Wang Yan never arranged for anyone to kill them, shows that Wang Yan didn't value their lives.

Furthermore, before attacking the capital, despite having the strength to resolve the issue much earlier, they deliberately delayed according to the original plan, allowing them ample time to escape. From this perspective, Wang Yan did not completely trap them or attempt to seize their two-hundred-year-old wealth.

Taking all factors into account, they concluded that Wang Yan had no intention of wiping them out completely and was unwilling to invest too much energy in them...

　I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind readers who have given me generous support through tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and those who have been reading quietly!

　　(End of this chapter)