The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 356: A True Loyal Minister! (Requesting subscription and votes)
Osaka, True Covenant Church.

Iwakura Tomomi, wearing a carefully preserved "antique kimono", sat quietly in the Japanese-style room in the backyard of the church. The cup of tea in front of him had long lost its heat. He also looked a little uneasy, constantly looking out the door, as if anxiously waiting for something?
He was a noble, which sounds powerful, but he was actually a poor man. His salary was only 150 taels of rice, which was 150 bags of rice. The specific weight of one tael was not fixed, but it was roughly the amount of tribute that a territory with a rice output of one koku could collect in a year. The amount of tribute collected by the lords in Japan was also not fixed. For Iwakura, his 150 taels of rice was 20,000 kilograms of rice, which was enough to keep him from starving, but it would definitely make life difficult for his whole family.

Moreover, it has been endlessly "tightened" from generation to generation, and there is almost no possibility of promotion or salary increase. It is almost impossible, not completely impossible!

If a minister like him who could barely make a living wanted to get a promotion and a raise in salary, there was only one possibility, and that was to overthrow the Qing Dynasty!

However, the Japanese imperial court was not powerful enough to overthrow the shogunate. It could only let others overthrow the shogunate and reap the rewards while the imperial court followed behind and ate some soup.

If you want to drink more, you have to grab every bit of power you can get!
Of course, you must also act with caution. If you are not careful, you may lose your life.

After the Tokugawa shogunate was defeated by the coalition forces of Britain, the United States, France and Qing, it was already in a precarious situation. All the knowledgeable people in Japan knew that the war to overthrow the shogunate was about to begin!
There is a high possibility that Japan will fall back into the Warring States Period!
For middle and lower-ranking court nobles like Iwakura, this was an opportunity to give it a try.

Suddenly, there were footsteps outside the door, and then the door to the entrance was opened. Two figures walked in. Iwakura Tomomi just took a look. They were a man and a woman. The man was strong and powerful, wearing a black robe. Although the woman was wearing a kimono, she was a Japanese-Western mixed-race, which was extremely rare in Osaka. There were still some such mixed-races in Nagasaki, because the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office in Japan would provide prostitutes for the foreigners on the island. If contraception was not done properly, it was inevitable that
So although this mixed-race Chinese and foreign woman is beautiful, she is looked down upon by others.

The poor but noble Iwakura noticed that the woman and the black-robed man were holding hands and seemed very intimate. He immediately smiled kindly and nodded slightly to the Japanese-Western mixed-race Inako. Then he bowed to Hong Daquan and said to him in Japanese: "I am Iwakura Tomomi, the emperor's attendant. I have come here by order. I have something to ask you."

Inako quickly translated Iwakura's words into Chinese.

Hong Daquan clasped his fists, then sat cross-legged in a dignified manner, and said with a smile: "Master Iwakura, I am the cousin of His Majesty the Heavenly King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and I am Hong Daquan, the president of the Japan branch of the God Worshipping Society!"

Hong Daquan's lies were quickly translated into Japanese.

Iwakura was startled and whispered, "So you are the cousin of Hong Tianwang. I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I wonder why Hong Tianwang sent you to Japan?"

His words were translated into Chinese by Daozi.

Hong Daquan had a solemn and sacred face: "I came to Japan to spread the True Covenant by the order of Heavenly Father and to find the descendants of Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father recently appeared in the dream of the Heavenly King, saying that there are descendants of Heavenly Father in Japan, who are carrying the mission of Heaven and need the help of our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Lord Iwakura, do you know who the descendants of Heavenly Father are?"

It was early in the morning, the sky was just getting light, and the huge church was dark, with only light coming from a Japanese-style room in the backyard.

Hong Daquan sat cross-legged on the tatami, his upper body naked, revealing large, solid muscles. Daozi's clothes were half undressed, revealing her snow-white skin. She looked respectful, lying on the tatami, with her hands on the ground, and bowed deeply to Hong Daquan, with her forehead pressed tightly against the tatami. Her back was exposed in the flickering lights, looking white and delicate, with beautiful lines and a slender waist.

Hong Daquan suddenly stood up, strode behind her, knelt down again, pressed her back with one hand, tore open her kimono with the other, and then hugged her again: "For the last time!"

Daozi just grunted and said softly, "Sir, you are so... so kind. Daozi will definitely miss you in the future."

Although Hong Daquan claimed that he loved wine and not women, he was as strong as an ox and extremely powerful. That was why Inako, a Japanese-European mixed-race girl who originally lived in Nagasaki and made a living as a gynecologist and midwife, followed him wholeheartedly.

However, Hong Daquan had other plans for her, and he whispered in her ear: "Don't miss me from now on. When you get to the Heavenly King's Palace, you will be the Heavenly King's woman. You must treat me like you treat me, and be wholeheartedly devoted to the Heavenly King. You must never have any second thoughts!"

"Hai!"

Daozi agreed, her face slightly red, her eyebrows and eyes like silk, and she said respectfully: "I will definitely serve the king wholeheartedly in the future!"

"Well, that's right!"

After a long while, Hong Daquan exhaled heavily, turned Daozi over, and lifted her messy hair, revealing a face that looked half Chinese and half Western. "I will help you raise your daughter. Let her take my last name, and she will be called Hong Gaomei from now on."

An expectant expression flashed across Daozi's face, and she asked softly, "So she will be a noble in the future?"

"Haha, I am a noble, and she is a noble! So, you don't have to worry about her future. When she grows up, I will definitely marry her into the Heavenly Kingdom Marquisate as my principal wife!"

Hong Daquan agreed verbally, but in his mind he was calculating: "This woman is quite charming and has some Western taste, which is very rare. Xu Yuegui said that when Hong Xiuquan came to Shanghai for a private visit last time, he wanted to find a foreign woman, but unfortunately he didn't get his wish. If I send this rice to him, he will definitely know my loyalty. If he can summon me to Tianjing for an important position, my skills will be put to good use!"

"Sir, I will remember your kindness to my mother and me forever!"

Tears sparkled in Daozi's sunken eyes. She murmured, "If I can be favored by the Heavenly King, I will definitely repay your kindness." Hong Daquan gently wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "Why are you crying? The Heavenly King is the emperor of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and he has real power. He is equivalent to the emperor and shogun of Japan! Do you understand?"

"Yeah!" Daozi nodded again.

At this time, a rooster crowed outside and the sky had become much brighter.

Hong Daquan propped up the tatami with his palms, let go of the rice and stood up.

Daozi got up quickly, without putting on his clothes. Instead, he walked to the side of the room, opened the wardrobe, took out Hong Daquan's robe, and then walked back to Hong Daquan with the robe and helped him put on his clothes.

While Hong Daquan was putting on his clothes one by one under Daozi's help, he whispered, "Remember, the destination of the ship I booked for you is Xiaguan Port in Tianjing. You must not get off the ship in Shanghai or Guazhou, lest you fall into the hands of King Luowu and King Yangdong. You must get yourself to the Heavenly King's Palace!"

"Hai."

Daozi responded softly again.

"Welcome back to your palace, His Royal Highness Prince Wu!"

Suzhou, Shuyuan Lane, inside the gate of the Prince Wu's Palace. Luo Yaoguo, who had just returned from Shanghai, had just stepped out of the carriage when he saw Su Sanniang and a large group of officials, female officials, and guards from the palace kneeling down to greet him.

Luo Yaoguo hurried forward and helped Su Sanniang up. Then, looking at his wife who had just given birth, he said happily, "Sanniang, you've worked so hard!"

Su Sanniang smiled and said, "Luckily, I have fulfilled my mission and given birth to a son for the prince!"

Su Sanniang gave birth to a son for Luo Yaoguo 20 days ago, when Luo Yaoguo was still on his way from Japan to Shanghai. However, after arriving in Shanghai, Luo Yaoguo knew the good news immediately.

But now that he heard Su Sanniang say this with his own mouth, he still couldn't stop smiling.

Seeing Luo Yaoguo burst into laughter, the officials, ladies-in-waiting, and guards who were still kneeling below shouted together: "Congratulations, His Royal Highness the King of Wu!"

Luo Yaoguo laughed loudly: "Rewards, everyone will get rewards!"

"Thank you, King Wu, for living five thousand years!"

Everyone shouted in unison again.

Luo Yaoguo supported Su Sanniang and walked to the lobby of the palace, asking, "How is Xiuying?"

Su Sanniang smiled and said, "It's fine. She will be able to give birth in three or four months. She was going to come out to kneel and greet me, but I told her to sit still in the room to avoid disturbing the fetus."

"Okay." Luo Yaoguo nodded repeatedly, "Sanniang, you are so thoughtful. Come on, take me to see my son!" As he spoke, he laughed again, "Hahaha, I finally have an heir!"

Su Sanniang smiled and said, "Since Your Highness likes children so much, why not marry a few more princesses? I see there are a few good female officials in the palace, why not?"

Luo Yaoguo waved his hands and said, "Sanniang, let's talk about this later. Now let me see my son. He only needs you to serve him tonight. You and Xiuying have to give birth to a few more children for me!"

Su Sanniang laughed softly and said, "You only know how to bully me and Xiuying."

As they talked, they walked into the palace hall. A 30-year-old, busty wet nurse came up with a plump white baby in her arms. Su Sanniang immediately took her son who had just finished feeding and was sleeping soundly, and brought him to Luo Yaoguo with a smile as if showing off her merit.

Luo Yaoguo quickly took the child in his hands, looked at him again and again, liked him more and more, and finally said with expectation: "He will definitely see a thriving new China, why not name him Luo Xinhua!"

(End of this chapter)