Chaos of Ming 1628

Wang Zaijin was carried into the imperial court.

Emperor Chongzhen sat on the dragon throne, with civil and military officials below him.

Wang Zaijin, covered in wounds, cried out in anguish, "Your Majesty, that Sun Qing is truly formidable now. It's not that I can't subdue him, it's just that he genuinely intends to rebel!"

"Sun Qing privately repaired city walls, recruited refugees, and incorporated post station workers in Hejian Prefecture. He even openly resisted the imperial army and killed and wounded government soldiers."

"I have witnessed it with my own eyes: more than 30,000 refugees outside the city regard him as a god, and their guards obey only his commands. Hejian Prefecture is no longer the territory of the imperial court!"

The entire hall was filled with clamor from the civil and military officials.

Emperor Chongzhen's face turned ashen: "Sun Qing... how dare you!"

His voice was deep and intimidating: "That Sun Qing! I really didn't know he had such audacity."

"I'd like to see whether I'm more capable, or Sun Qing is more capable!"

This means they are going to send troops to attack Hejian Prefecture.

Minister of Revenue Bi Ziyan stepped forward with a stiff upper lip, his voice hoarse: "Your Majesty, I have no choice but to speak."

"The national treasury is empty, the salaries of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Liaodong are still six months in arrears, and the defense of the nine border regions is stretched thin. Right now, we really can't squeeze out any money to fight a civil war."

"If we were to wage war against Hejian Prefecture, we would need money for provisions, weapons, rewards, and compensation. The imperial court simply cannot afford it."

Emperor Chongzhen abruptly turned to look at him: "Can't you produce it?"

"Did I raise you people just to listen to your useless talk?"

His voice rose, and the heads of all the civil and military officials in the hall lowered even further.

With the national treasury empty, the decision to wage war should be made with utmost care and consideration.

Wang Zaijin lay prostrate on the ground, a cold glint in his eyes, his voice low and deep: "Your Majesty, I have a plan."

"Speak!" Chongzhen said coldly.

"Sun Qing is a member of Sun Chengzong's family. Sun Chengzong always shouts about loyalty to the emperor and love for the country, and claims he'd die for His Majesty. But now that his family has openly rebelled, how can he possibly stand idly by?"

He straightened up, his gaze intense: "Since the national treasury is empty, then let Sun Chengzong take the lead!"

"Since he claims to be loyal to the emperor, then he should show sincerity in doing so. No matter what method he uses, he must personally retrieve Sun Qing's head!" Wang Zaijin became more and more agitated as he spoke: "If he refuses, then it proves that the entire Sun family has long been in cahoots with the traitor."

A low murmur arose in the hall.

Everyone knows what kind of person Sun Chengzong is.

How cruel it is that he was criticized so much and even killed his own grandson.

Emperor Chongzhen sat on his throne, not allowing anyone to stand up and refute him, and directly said: "Issue an edict to Sun Chengzong. Have him come to the capital immediately."

Hejian Mansion.

"Have you heard? People from the imperial court have arrived. The group of refugees in the west of the city only blocked the city gate, and two of them died, and they found a place to stay."

"Of course I've heard about it. Merchants coming and going are all saying that everyone has work to do these days."

"Lord Sun also said that he would build houses for them, and that their lives would be the same as those of people in the city."

"If I had known, I would have chosen that city gate when we were fleeing. I would have been braver than them."

The refugees of Ximen—no, the common people now—were completely absorbed in Sun Qingxin's plan. After eating their porridge, everyone was busy and happy, their faces full of hope.

As for the refugees under the other city gates, that was none of their concern.

The refugees heading west of the city, whether they came after hearing the commotion or were already on their way, were all blocked outside the checkpoint.

Now we don't even have a chance to get to the city gate.

Regardless of which city gate it was, Sun Qing refused to let the refugees into the city. He would only give them one meal a day, a thin porridge.

Those who had blocked Wang Zaijin in the west of the city were given a bowl of porridge and a steamed bun each day.

Such treatment is worlds apart.

Refugees are not allowed to enter, but normal travelers, especially business people, are welcome to come and go.

As they went in and out, the topic of the west side of the city naturally came up along the way.

The refugees at the other city gates also became more interested upon hearing this.

"What they can do, we can do too."

"We can also defend the city gates."

"Hey, what are you doing picking up stones?"

"I have to do something. If anyone comes to attack the city, I'll throw stones at them."

At the foot of the wall, the refugees were initially listless. But because they dreamed of a better life, hope shone in everyone's eyes.

Now, the refugees are eager to fight back, hoping that some fool will come knocking on their door again, just like Wang Zaijin did.

Is defending a city difficult?

Now, there's no need for the guards to be deployed; the city gates can be firmly defended.

The key point is that the guards at each city gate were refugees who had fled from various disaster-stricken areas. Once the Emperor Chongzhen began his massacre, he wouldn't be killing refugees, but rather the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Once the knife is used, it will surely be condemned by future generations.

It's rare to find such tranquility in Hejian Prefecture.

Sun Qing rarely gets to enjoy the cool air in the courtyard.

Everything outside the city was proceeding in an orderly manner. With Song Xian and others watching over things, Sun Qing didn't need to worry about anything.

At most, all you have to do is hand over the blueprints that incorporate modern architecture to Su Jiuda, and he'll automatically make the rest.

A gentle night breeze was blowing. Sun Qing moved a bamboo chair and sat under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard to cool off, holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand and idly fanning himself.

The moonlight bathed him.

The backyard of the government office was very quiet, with only the occasional chirping of crickets in the corner.

Suddenly, there was a soft "snap" on the wall, and a dark figure jumped over the wall and rushed straight towards Sun Qing.

Zhang Hu and Zhao Long emerged from the shadows almost simultaneously, lunging at the intruders from the left and right.

The two men couldn't withstand more than two rounds of attacks from their opponent.

Zhang Hu was about to go up again when his figure had already swept in front of Sun Qing.

In the moonlight, I could see clearly that it was a woman.

"Miss Shen?!"

The woman was Shen Junru, her face expressionless, only pointing her sword at Sun Qing.

Yang Qingqing ran out barefoot, her skirt trailing on the ground, her face deathly pale: "Sister! Don't hurt our husband!"

"Who's your sister!" Shen Junru's face was full of disgust. She twirled her long sword and forced Yang Qingqing to take a step back.

Yang Qingqing was not to be outdone and immediately tried to fight back.

Now that she is a mother and has no weapons at her side, she can no longer harm Shen Junru.

Sun Qing hurriedly stood up and saw Shen Junru jumping around, and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that her injuries had indeed healed.

She had a terrible temper and didn't give anyone a chance to speak. Her long sword moved like a dragon, and if she hadn't deliberately held back, there would probably have been bloodshed already.

"Junru," Sun Qing called out.

But there was no reaction whatsoever.

The more Shen Junru heard Sun Qing's voice, the angrier she became, and she gradually increased the force in her hands.

Sun Qing panicked and quickly shouted, "Don't move!"

Shen Junru, who was launching a frenzied attack, stopped moving and stood still after hearing these words.

Sun Qing was overjoyed and rushed forward: "Junru, what brings you here?"

"Didn't you say you went back to Gaoyang to recuperate? How's your injury? Is it still in pain?"

He was so careful and concerned.

Shen Junru blushed, then snorted and bounced around a few times: "You tell me not to move and I won't move? Why should I? I'm not your dog."

"Okay, okay, you're not." Sun Qing coaxed him like a child. "Then sit down and answer my questions slowly."

Yang Qingqing stood frozen in place, her eyes devoid of any light.

He really couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd seen Sun Qing so happy.

Seeing the two people standing there, Yang Qingqing felt even more bitter: So he can care about people too!

So, he can coax people too!

So this is what his gentle side looks like!

Her chest felt a little sore and swollen. It was time to breastfeed her baby again.

Looking at the two people who seemed like a perfect couple, Shen Junru's smile was more like a grimace. She lowered her head, sighed, silently clutched her chest, and went back to her bedroom.

At that moment, she couldn't even tell whether it was the pain from breast engorgement or the pain in her heart.

No one knows when Yang Qingqing left.

Shen Junru had a lot to say to Sun Qing, but what came out of her mouth was an angry snort.

His face was contorted with displeasure: "You and that traitorous rebel, don't talk to me! I'm here to kill you!"

"What? You actually dared to murder your husband?" Sun Qing feigned surprise.

Yang Qingqing and her group's faces flushed instantly, and they stammered, "You... what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Who, who is your wife? It was Wang Er who married you, not me."

"So, you little rascal, you teased me like this, shouldn't you be taught a lesson?" Sun Qing grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.

It's small, soft, and very comfortable.

Shen Junru blushed furiously and struggled to escape the embrace, but she could no longer hold onto the long sword in her hand.

Footsteps echoed in the courtyard once more.

A group of people are hurrying towards us.