020 The Shunzhi Emperor Travels Incognito

West City. The Fan Residence.

Grand Secretary Fan Wencheng and his son, Fan Chengmo, were in the study, discussing secret matters in hushed tones.

"Mo'er, what is your judgment of this man, Jiang Qingyun? Is he loyal or treacherous?"

"It is difficult to say. Jiang Qingyun acts with arrogance and defiance, yet he truly shows compassion for the common people."

"Foolish! I asked if he is loyal to the imperial court; what does that have to do with the common people? Showing compassion to the masses is merely a smokescreen. The more he does so, the more it proves his hidden agenda is punishable by death."

Fan Chengmo stood stunned; his father’s teachings were in violent conflict with the Confucian classics he had studied so diligently.

Fan Wencheng sighed in frustration, wishing his son were more worldly. "Mo'er, books are meant for reading, not for navigating the life of an official. You... you... ah!"

After an awkward silence, Fan Wencheng asked again, "Someone has exposed that Jiang Qingyun has been issuing military pay to his subordinates in his own name. The time, place, and amount are all clearly documented. You are the Censor of the South City; have you heard of this?"

"He did indeed borrow some money from the Cao family's money shop."

"Anything else?"

"He has a poor relationship with the two counties of Wanping and Daxing... and he has taken two concubines."

"That is enough. I shall submit a memorial to impeach him immediately."

"Father, will people in the court not say that you are inconsistent? After all, it was you who recommended him in the first place..."

"Utter nonsense. I merely noted that his proposals had some merit and reported them to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. The recommendation was purely a fabrication by my subordinates. If you want to talk about associations, Hong Chengchou is much closer to him than I am."

...

"Mo'er, your foundation in Confucian studies is excellent. I only wish to impart one piece of advice: the official world is like a battlefield. It is a place where people are killed without a drop of blood being shed, and there are traps at every turn. If you wish to go far, you must always remember these eight characters."

"Please enlighten me, Father."

"No cliques, no factions, no selfishness, no secrets. The first two go without saying. As for the third, 'no selfishness,' it means prioritizing the imperial court and the Qing Dynasty in all matters. The fourth, 'no secrets,' means never hiding anything from the Emperor."

"I understand, Father."

"If you can achieve these four things, our Fan family will endure long and prosper alongside the nation."

...

Qianqing Palace.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang: "Fulin, what is your take on this impeachment from Fan Wencheng?"

"It is shocking."

"And do you believe it to be true or false?"

"I cannot say."

"Precisely. The difficulty of being an emperor lies in the fact that you must believe whatever your ministers tell you. Whether it is true or false, you cannot see for yourself. Forget about Sichuan or Fujian; you sit here in the Forbidden City, and you cannot even see what happens in the South City."

"Is the Empress Mother instructing me?"

"Among these accusations against Jiang Qingyun, one is critical: if he is truly using his own silver to maintain troops, his intent is indeed treacherous. If not, the other accusations are of little consequence. Which of the civil and military officials in the court does not have concubines, and who does not love silver? These are only human nature."

The Shunzhi Emperor nodded.

Suddenly, he whispered, "Empress Mother, I wish to leave the palace and take a look."

Xiaozhuang pondered for a moment and, surprisingly, nodded.

"Very well. You ascended the throne at six and have never stepped outside the palace gates. You should indeed see the prosperity of this capital and the hearts of the people with your own eyes."

...

That afternoon.

Shunzhi feigned illness to rest in his bedchamber, then quietly changed into plain clothes and left the Forbidden City by carriage.

He kept his head low until he passed the Donghua Gate.

*Hoo...*

The air outside felt free and fresh.

After turning a corner, forty plainclothes guards joined them.

"The Empress Dowager has commanded that Your Majesty may go where you please, but do not venture into narrow alleys. We shall guard you from the flanks and will never disturb your incognito inspection."

"Once we are out, do not call me Your Majesty; call me Young Master."

"As you command."

...

Shunzhi’s party avoided the main street inside the Zhengyang Gate, where they were likely to encounter officials, and instead entered the South City from the east through the Chongwen Gate.

Once through the gate, the rich, vibrant atmosphere of the South City rushed toward him.

Everything was so fresh.

So much so that Shunzhi felt a slight dizziness; he had never seen so many pedestrians, shop banners, or this magical scent of ordinary life.

"Buy a sesame flatbread."

"Buy a bowl of wontons."

"Buy a skewer of candied haws."

Shunzhi was, after all, still a child, and he was filled with curiosity about everything.

"Young Master, where shall we go today?"

"First, to the Cao family's money shop."

The guards passed the order down, and a group of plainclothes men immediately went ahead to stake out the route.

...

As they walked, Shunzhi found the South City far more interesting than the Forbidden City.

Every person here had an expression on their face—joy, anger, sorrow, or delight. The Forbidden City was different; everyone wore the same face.

The red slogans posted by the roadside were even more intriguing.

For example:

"Severely suppress all rebels in the South City!"

"Resolutely contain the spread of smallpox!"

"Little thieves, keep your hands to yourselves; if you reach out, they will be chopped off!"

Every slogan was stamped with the bright red seal of the Military and Horse Command. This filled Shunzhi with an inexplicable sense of favor toward the Jiang Qingyun he had never met.

Along the way, they encountered a patrol of cavalry from the Military and Horse Command, moving in pairs—a sight that left a very good impression.

He secretly hoped that Jiang Qingyun was innocent.

An innocent youth is always like this, afraid that beautiful illusions will shatter. Once they do, his heart and nature will change forever.

...

Suddenly...

Shunzhi was drawn to a beautiful woman leaning against a railing, waving a fan not far away. She wore a bodice underneath and a jacket over it. The young boy had never seen such allure and stared without blinking.

The woman noticed him and smiled faintly, covering her mouth with her round fan.

A courtesan loves a handsome face.

A courtesan loves silver even more.

If she could lure this richly dressed, dashing young master into the brothel for some amusement, it would be wonderful—gaining both a man and his wealth.

The pretty woman took off her jacket and began to sing a ditty, her voice as melodious as a nightingale.

Shunzhi’s heart blossomed.

In the Forbidden City, all the women were stiff and proper, their clothes as heavy as armor, their faces as stern as a judge.

...

"Young Master, let us go. We should not linger here," the guard urged in a low voice.

"Oh, very well."

Shunzhi felt a pang of regret and looked back repeatedly. He knew, too, that this was the kind of woman he absolutely could not touch.

They arrived at Dashilan.

Outside the Cao family's money shop, there was a tea stall.

Shunzhi drank his tea distractedly, his mind entirely buried under the woman’s skirt. He even felt a flicker of remorse: why was he born into an imperial family?

An incense stick of time later, two guards emerged from the shop.

They whispered, "Young Master, this is the ledger of the silver Jiang Qingyun borrowed."

Shunzhi took it and read it, instantly letting out a sigh of relief. It turned out the borrowing was done in the name of the Military and Horse Command. That was nothing; his own Two Yellow Banners were reliable enough.

...

At that moment.

A plainclothes guard pretending to drink tea suddenly stood up, grabbed a young beggar who was trying to approach them, and dragged him into an alley, throwing him far away.

The beggar’s face was covered in festering red sores.

"Smallpox!"

Shunzhi felt an instant wave of physical revulsion; his skin crawled.

Just then, the tea stall owner, holding a long-spouted copper teapot, added water to their cups and sighed.

"All the people in the South City hope that Magistrate Jiang can banish the god of plague."

"What?"

"You don't know, sir? The Emperor has sent a 'Magistrate Jiang the Just' to preside over the South City. He first wiped out the gangs, then established charity halls, and now he has invited many masters to perform a grand water-and-land ritual to suppress the plague god."

"Will it be of any use?"

"How could it not? It surely will!"

The shopkeeper’s reply was firm and forceful.

With smallpox raging, everyone was terrified. At such a time, one must grasp at even a straw of hope.