Chaos of Ming 1628

What was the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? To put it bluntly, he was just a lackey of Wei Zhongxian.

Now, the dog has been beaten to death.

Of the remaining dogs, some climbed the wall, some climbed the tree, and only two escaped.

The people's anger did not subside. The countless times they had been wronged by the eunuch faction continued to fuel their fury. The scholar who had first spoken out stepped forward again: "In this great eunuch rebellion, how many officials throughout the land have remained steadfast in their principles?"

As soon as he shouted, others immediately chimed in, "Why not make a scene?"

Even Lao Yu laughed heartily, downed half a gourd of wine, and shouted, "We were harmed by the treacherous eunuch Wei, yet we may still be remembered for a thousand years!"

"Let's fight!"

The group burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Sun Qing knew that things had reached a point of no return. How could Song Xian not know that his identity was fake? Now that Sun Qing's identity had been publicly revealed, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and stand on the opposite side of the eunuch faction, where he might still have a glimmer of hope.

"Then let's go all out!" Sun Qing shouted, raising his arms.

With Sun Qing's words, the people were no longer afraid and roared with excitement.

With the Embroidered Uniform Guards either dead or wounded, and unable to find them to vent their anger, the magistrate of Jiaohe County, a lackey of the eunuch faction, became their target.

He then turned to the yamen runners who had oppressed the people during the Ping era and gave them another beating.

After the fight, I still need to find out which week it was to settle the score.

Zhou Ji cried out that he was wronged. He had never intended to harm Sun Chengzong's descendants from the beginning. It was all the work of the captain. But now he had become a rat crossing the street.

When the crowd started making a fuss, Zhou Ji, who was already timid, was so frightened that he was out of his wits and hid everywhere.

Unable to find them anywhere, he beat the constables again, until they revealed several hiding places: the stables, the ditch, they had searched everywhere.

Sun Qing then called out, "Everyone, please disperse!"

When Sun Qing spoke, no one disobeyed. Those around him, already resentful, saw no point in lingering any longer.

The crowd dispersed with a commotion, and Botou became more spacious. Only Old Yu remained, holding a stone in his hand. Seeing that Sun Qing was unharmed, he threw the stone on the ground and chuckled.

All that could be heard were the cries of agony from the Imperial Guards and yamen runners who had been beaten half to death.

"That's great!" Old Yu said excitedly. "Young master, please wait a moment while I go to the restroom and I'll be right back."

This is the first time I've ever seen someone think about going to the toilet after things have escalated to this point.

"Ouch!"

A loud shout came from the outhouse, and Old Yu ran out, pulling up his pants, his face pale: "There's something in the outhouse!"

Sun Qing cautiously stepped forward and exclaimed, "Isn't this Lord Zhou?"

Zhou Ji was huddled in the latrine, only his head sticking out, his face ashen. Seeing someone, he cried out, "Grandpa, spare me! Grandpa, spare me!"

The county magistrate was terrified.

At least there was one survivor, so the sky wasn't completely falling. Sun Qing still managed to find a few people to pull the person out of the latrine.

Post station.

With such a major incident occurring in Jiahe County, who wouldn't know about it?

When Sun Qing returned to the post station, it was already past noon. He had barely stepped inside when the postmaster rushed over: "Young master, there are several people waiting for you inside."

Nodding sideways, Sun Qing pondered to himself, "If they were looking for trouble, they wouldn't be so secretive. A riot just broke out in Botou; the people who have arrived are probably either Sun Chengzong's confidants or the brave men who just stepped forward."

Stepping inside, the two were seated in the tea room.

Hearing the noise, he quickly turned around, stood up, and bowed deeply to Sun Qing.

The elder spoke first, his voice steady: "I am Meng Zhaoxiang, courtesy name Yunji, a native of Jiahe in this county. I am now fifty-two years old."

After he finished speaking, regret shone in his cloudy eyes, and he reached out to stroke his beard.

Although this man is quite old, he has an extraordinary air about him and acts with an official demeanor, suggesting that he has served in the imperial court.

Although Sun Qing was well-versed in history, he could not possibly know the past and origins of every single person.

A younger man nearby quickly stepped forward to flatter him: "Young Master Sun, although Mr. Meng is currently retired at home, it is out of necessity."

"When the eunuch faction was in power, Mr. Meng once served as an official in the capital. He was dismissed from his post simply because he refused to build a shrine for Wei Zhongxian and refused to wrong the Six Gentlemen of Donglin."

After saying that, he shook his head repeatedly: "It's a pity the world is so unfair!"

Sun Qing pondered for a moment: "With treacherous officials in power, we are merely trapped in our own self-imposed prisons, willing but powerless!"

Despite Sun Qing's calm demeanor, he secretly slipped his hand into his sleeve, his heart pounding with anxiety. This official from the capital seemed to have a fairly good relationship with Lao Yu; he wondered what his connection was with Sun Chengzong.

Looking at this younger man, Sun Qing was secretly alarmed, wondering if he was also an official in the capital.

Seeing Sun Qing's questioning look, the man quickly stepped back and bowed, saying, "Young Master Sun, I was so overjoyed that I forgot to introduce myself."

"My name is Su Jiuda, a native of this county, and I have wasted thirty-eight years of my life."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head, as if he felt ashamed.

Sun Qing suddenly looked up, staring intently at the man, scrutinizing him closely.

Throughout history, countless loyal and virtuous officials have been suppressed by treacherous ministers, but talented individuals who are not given the opportunity to shine are rare. Su Jiuda was one of them.

The extant "Complete Map of Jiaohe River Channels" was hand-drawn by Su Jiuda himself. He also devised a complete water management plan, writing two major articles on water conservancy that have been passed down through the ages. The surviving "Strategies for Current Affairs in the Capital Region" is comprehensive in its scope.

During this brief moment, Meng Zhaoxiang noticed that he was distracted and quickly said something kind: "Young Master Sun, although Xiao Su has no official rank, he is very talented."

"He used his own money for disaster relief, even built a small-scale dike, and..."

Meng Zhaoxiang went on and on, praising Su Jiuda to the skies.

Sun Qing suddenly laughed out loud, his voice clear and bright, without a trace of sarcasm, and asked sincerely, "If that's the case, why did you fail the imperial examination ten times?"

Meng Zhaoxiang, Su Jiuda, and Lao Yu all stood there dumbfounded, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Ha!" Su laughed self-deprecatingly, "That corrupt official has seized the river channel and exploited the people. I simply cannot tolerate it any longer."

"Even though I am ostracized by the eunuch faction, I will not change my original intention."

The atmosphere instantly relaxed after such open and honest words were spoken.

Meng Zhaoxiang sighed, "The eunuch faction controls the imperial examinations and officialdom, deliberately suppressing scholars from humble backgrounds who speak out against the ills of the time. Alas! That's why, even with his talent, Xiao Su has no way to become a minister."

Sun Qing acknowledged Sun Qing's talent.

Looking at the two men again, Sun Qing bowed and asked with a smile, "Speaking of which, I haven't yet thanked you both for your help earlier."

After saying this, he was about to bow.

The two men rushed forward to help Sun Qing up, one on each side, and said hastily, "You are a descendant of the Grand Marshal, how can we accept your bow?"

"Compared to what the Grand Commander has done for the people and the border troops, we are as insignificant as ants."

"Moreover, as the son of the Grand Marshal, you resolved the refugee crisis in Jiahe County in less than ten days upon your arrival. We should be the ones paying our respects to you."

Sun Qing frowned slightly.

Meng Zhaoxiang suddenly smiled: "Young master, we should apologize to you."

"Upon first hearing that the Sun family members were actually currying favor with the county magistrate and throwing a lavish banquet to entertain the local gentry, we both gave you a good scolding in private."

"Yes!" Su said with a face full of shame, "After all, those who went to the banquet were all traitors who colluded with the eunuch faction."

"Disasters and wars occur every year. The number of refugees is increasing. We are worried about this, but we never expected that there would be such a solution."

Sun Qing truthfully replied, "I didn't actually do anything. The money all belonged to the local gentry. They were charitable and generous, and I was simply taking from the people and using it for the people."

"Good, good!" the two hurriedly echoed. "What a generous and charitable person! Normally, getting them to donate anything is like scraping oil off a chicken's feet—it's extremely rare."

"But there's something I don't understand," Meng Zhaoxiang said, his face full of doubt. "Even though the local gentry are generous with their gifts, they can't be easily fooled about what day of the week it is. You know, Xiangmanlou is theirs."

"That's why I thanked him for his fine clothes at the entrance of the post station." Sun Qing didn't hide much from the two of them: "To be honest, if it weren't for his efforts, I would be just an unknown person, and how could I have invited so many people?"

The two men's eyes widened in shock, their voices trembling: "They...they actually wanted to..."

By utilizing Sun Qing, an unknown figure, they could eliminate the formidable Sun Chengzong.

After the initial shock, he burst into laughter, shouting, "These lackeys have finally met their match! How satisfying!"

"But Young Master Sun, is the Grand Coordinator aware of this matter?" Meng Zhaoxiang suddenly turned to Sun Qing and asked, "When I was an official in the capital, the Grand Coordinator and I had a long talk that lasted all night. Given your exceptional abilities, why didn't he mention it at all?"