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

Chapter 15 Fatal Flaw
The following day, the cleanup work began.

The commander of the Eastern City Garrison died from his injuries, and the imperial court provided compensation to his family.

Of the 17 bodyguards involved in the operation, 5 were killed or wounded, and Jiang Qingyun personally delivered the compensation money to the victims or their families.

Although bodyguards belong to the martial arts world, they are among the most legitimate members of it. Generally speaking, they have close ties with the government.

This is a force worth winning over; it is both hidden and powerful.

At the celebration banquet, Jiang Qingyun invited Jiang Deshun and his daughter to dine at the same table, which flattered Jiang Deshun so much that he got drunk.

……

early morning.

Sunlight streamed through the window paper and fell on Jiang Qingyun's face.

The first thing he saw when he woke up was two faces: a human face and a cat face.

"Young Master, you're awake?"

"Meow, meow, meow~"

Jiang Qingyun first stroked the calico cat's head, then Green Pearl's face.

Get up, wash up, and change clothes.

While changing clothes, he suddenly asked, "Green Pearl, how long has it been since you went home?"

Green Pearl's nimble movements suddenly paused, and she thought for a while before answering, "About 6 years, I can't remember exactly."

Do you miss home?

"Young master treats me very well, I already consider this my home."

"From now on, you don't need to call me 'servant,' I don't like that title."

"Yes."

"Pack your things, and come back to your hometown with me tomorrow."

This arrangement was so unexpected that Green Pearl was in a daze all day, making mistakes constantly.

Even the calico cat sensed it and quietly crouched on a high place, watching her.

……

The Ministry of Personnel.

Jiang Qingyun and Zhao Zesheng were successively removed from their posts.

"Hey, come here."

"Brother, we meet again." Jiang Qingyun smiled and handed over two taels of silver without revealing his true feelings.

"Another promotion?"

"Rank 6, remove the acting manager position."

"Hmm, not bad. Go quickly, I'll feed your horses some water plants."

"Thanks."

Today, with the Director of the Imperial Academy in the hall and the clerk Zhou Shao introducing us, everything is proceeding so smoothly.

The doctor was kind and approachable, and the process was incredibly smooth.

Zhao Zesheng was secretly alarmed. He knew how difficult it was to get into the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Office and how unpleasant the people there were, so his awe of Jiang Qingyun grew even stronger.

……

"Congratulations, Brother Jiang! From this day forward, you are a proper sixth-rank official. Your future is limitless!"

"Brother Zhou, you're too kind. How about we have a meal together?"

"Okay."

After the previous incident at the orphanage, their relationship progressed rapidly.

"Brother Zhou, are we still going to Huaziying Alley?"

"Let's go somewhere else. Last time I came back from the orphanage, I had nightmares for four days straight. Ugh."

Jiang Qingyun remained silent.
Outside Zhengyangmen, in the Dashilan commercial district, there is a medium-sized restaurant.

"Oh dear, Lord Jiang, please take the money back! You're slapping me in the face!"

Jiang Qingyun gave him a wink, and Zhao Zesheng immediately stood up, clutching the silver in one hand and putting his arm around the shopkeeper's neck with the other, and went downstairs.

……

"Brother Zhou, has anything important happened in the court recently?"

Zhou Shao poured himself a drink and said in a low voice:

"The south is hot and the army has temporarily ceased fighting. Internal strife broke out among the Ming army, and the commander-in-chief, Du Yinxi, was almost killed by his own men. The battle in Datong, Shanxi, was going badly, and the regent was furious, punishing several generals on the battlefield. It is said that the regent has also contracted typhoid fever."

"Any more?"

"The Forbidden City was under tight control inside but loose outside, and 500 garrison bannermen from the surrounding areas of Zhili secretly entered Beijing."

"Brother Zhou, what do you think?" "The Regent's faction won't be able to keep up for much longer."

"What if the Regent leads his troops back to the capital?"

Shh, watch your words. There's absolutely no way that's possible.

"why?"

"Throughout history, those who are willing to risk everything to follow the emperor are doing so for a better future. The regent is nearing the end of his life and has no sons, so who would risk their lives for something that is destined to fail? Even if the regent raises his arms and calls for help, no one will follow him."

Jiang Qingyun nodded.

"With a son, you have everything. Without a son, everything is meaningless."

"Yes."

……

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs; Zhao Zesheng had returned.

Zhou Shao stopped talking about secrets and started casually chatting about trivial anecdotes from officialdom and interesting stories from the streets.

Dining by the window is quite enjoyable.

During the conversation, the three also discussed the smallpox epidemic in the capital, and all sighed with regret.

“Brother Zhou, why don’t you come to my military headquarters and I’ll vaccinate you against smallpox? That way you can be done with it once and for all and have peace of mind.”

"The Imperial Medical Academy says the failure rate of variolation is as high as 40-50%. Are you more knowledgeable than the Imperial Medical Academy?"

"Brother Zhou, have you not heard of the ten laughable things in the capital? The prescriptions of the Imperial Medical Academy, the tea and soup of the Guanglu Temple, the prayers and rites of the Shenle Temple, the weapons of the Armory, the workshops of the Construction Bureau, the clothing and food of the Almshouse, the women of the Music Bureau, the laws of the Censorate, the school of the Imperial Academy, and the articles of the Hanlin Academy."

puff~
Zhou Shao spat out his drink on the spot, wiped his mouth, and laughed, "That's too much, that's too much."

"What I really mean is that the Imperial Medical Academy prioritizes stability, and their prescriptions have always focused on gentle tonification. They would not adopt any treatment with even the slightest risk. Therefore, variolation might not be as terrible as it seems."

Zhou Shao held the wine glass, pondering for a moment.

"I'll go back and look through some medical books. If I'm interested, I'll come find you."

After the banquet, Jiang Qingyun, as usual, slipped him a 50-tael silver note.

Zhou Shao thought for a moment:
"Brother Jiang, why don't you donate it to the orphanage for me? I... I really dare not step into that house."

“I plan to open an orphanage in the southern part of the city under the name of the Military Command and transfer the children from there. I will keep this silver note.”

"Okay."

……

After seeing Zhou Shao off, Jiang Qingyun took out two silver notes and a jewelry box.

"Zesheng, you've gone to a lot of trouble. Give the silver notes to my father, and the jewelry to my mother. My house is the second one in Zhenxian Hutong, there's a big locust tree in front of it. Go quickly and come back quickly, we'll go to Baoding Prefecture together tomorrow."

"Rest assured, sir." Zhao Zesheng bowed deeply.

Jiang Qingyun, accompanied by four guards, went to the Xikou Escort Agency outside Chongwen Gate.

The courtyard was filled with young bodyguards wielding spears and clubs.

Ah~ I found it! The archer Jiangnan, whose chest is plain and unremarkable, is still focused on shooting arrows.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) Jiang Deshun rushed over and knelt on one knee:

"I was unaware of your arrival, sir. I have failed to greet you properly."

"Chief镖师 Jiang, please arrange a quiet room. I need to speak with your daughter Jiangnan on behalf of the imperial court."

"..."

Jiang Deshun's mind went blank for a few seconds, but he still did as instructed.

Instruct your daughter:

"Lord Jiang wants to speak with you alone. It should be fine. Just be careful."

Jiangnan's face flushed red to her ears.

"Dog officer!"

"Shh, what are you saying? You mustn't think like that. Lord Jiang is young and handsome, and he has no shortage of wives and concubines. It's not that bad, it's not that bad. Don't think such things."

……

The security escort agency cleaned up a room, which was completely empty except for tables and chairs.

A moment later, Jiangnan, looking indignant, entered carrying a bow and arrows.

"My lord, I heard you were looking for me?"

"Change your clothes first!"

"what?"

"You're dressed in men's clothing and carrying a bow and arrow. How can we talk like this? There's no way we can talk! You need to straighten out your manner of speaking. Go and change into a skirt before you come to see me."

(End of this chapter)