023 When Drawing a Bow, Draw the Strongest
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“Achoo~”
Returning to the rear compound of the Military and Horse Bureau through the rain, Jiang Qingyun found himself surrounded by three women and a cat.
He half-closed his eyes and spread his arms.
Before long, a pool of rainwater had gathered around his feet on the blue bricks.
His soaked official robes and boots were stripped away and replaced with dry cotton garments. If one ignored the braid hanging behind his head, he looked every inch the dashing young gentleman of the Song Dynasty.
The women of the household also favored Song-style clothing in their daily lives.
There was little need to worry about their attire causing trouble.
It had been only five years since the Qing armies entered the Pass. Though they had established an empire, wars still raged in every direction. Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Shaanxi were all engulfed in fighting. The Yongli regime still possessed the strength to fight, with such fierce generals as Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Bai Wenxuan, and Zheng Chenggong under its command. The Qing court simply had no time to concern itself with such trifles.
Compared with the all-pervasive control of the High Qing era, the difference was like heaven and earth.
Seize this precious window of opportunity, and there was much that could be accomplished!
…
“Husband, do not be so reckless next time. You will catch a chill if you get soaked in the rain~”
Jiangnan was already dressed as a married woman, worry written plainly across her delicate features.
Green Pearl stood silently at her side. When the principal wife was present, she was a concubine. Only in the principal wife’s absence could she be herself.
Late Spring was the most calculating of them all. She wore nothing but a lotus-pink bodice, her eyes flickering mischievously.
“I am tired. I shall rest for a while.”
Jiang Qingyun’s expression remained calm as he turned and entered the inner room.
The women exchanged glances, but thought nothing of it, assuming only that he was exhausted from his duties.
The rain stopped.
In the courtyard, Late Spring began singing. Her voice was graceful and melodious, with a distinctly seductive charm.
The door opened.
“Husband, I have prepared a bowl of ginger soup.”
Jiangnan watched as Jiang Qingyun rose and drained the bowl in a single swallow. When he then fixed her with a gaze as hot as burning coals, she instantly grew bashful. As a new bride, she knew exactly what that look meant.
The calico cat half-closed its eyes and folded its ears down of its own accord.
A cat of impeccable virtue!
…
“Madam, I have nothing to do today. I should like to see your archery.”
“Please test my skill, my lord.”
If he wished to test her martial abilities, she was ready to oblige. Jiangnan changed out of her house dress and donned a black hunting outfit. Throughout the entire process, Jiang Qingyun watched without blinking.
“Husband, help me pull it tighter~ A little tighter.”
“Why wrap it so tightly?”
“The bowstring must be secured flat. Otherwise, if it catches when I draw, I will die.”
The courtyard was not large, and the target stood no more than nine zhang away. Holding a light bow and slender arrows, Jiangnan struck the red bull’s-eye again and again without even taking aim. It was hardly a challenge.
“Come. Let us go outside the city.”
The husband and wife took four guards with them. Six riders galloped south from the bureau, the streets gradually thinning behind them.
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…
The guards set up four targets twenty-five zhang away. At that distance, they appeared tiny.
Jiangnan still did not bother to aim. The bowstring snapped again and again, and the arrows flew out with shrill whistles. Every one struck its target, and two even landed squarely in the exact center of the red bull’s-eye.
The arrows’ trajectories clearly formed arcs.
“Husband, you try.”
The result was somewhat embarrassing. Jiang Qingyun struck only one of the four targets, just as his old father had once said: “His martial skills are mediocre. His only problem is a lack of practice.”
“Husband, lend me your bow.”
“Take it.”
Jiangnan took a moment to adjust to it. Her first arrow went slightly astray, but every arrow thereafter struck its mark.
“Madam, I have found several craftsmen of exceptional skill to make you a crossbow, a bow, and soft armor. A light bow is sufficient for escort work and dealing with bandits. But if you intend to enter officialdom, then when drawing a bow, draw a powerful one; when capturing bandits, seize their leader first.”
“Pardon?”
Jiangnan looked astonished. The way he spoke of officialdom made it sound like a battlefield!
Jiang Qingyun clasped his hands behind his back.
“You are now an official’s wife as well, so there are certain matters you may know. The Prince Regent is gravely ill. His death is only a matter of time. His factions may not submit meekly, so our family must prepare for the capital to become a battlefield.”
“You must protect everyone else in the household. When necessary, you must protect me as well. Ahem. After all, I am a civil official, and my skill with bow and horse is hardly refined.”
Jiangnan showed no fear whatsoever. If anything, she seemed eager to try.
She had once escorted caravans and killed men. She understood the brutal nature of this world with crystal clarity.
“Madam, what other weapons can you use?”
“Throwing knives!”
With a flash—
A finely crafted throwing knife appeared embedded in the earthen wall three zhang away.
…
Jiangnan held a spear and practiced each movement with meticulous precision: thrusting, lifting, stepping, and turning.
Jiang Qingyun lowered his voice and asked:
“Uncle Zheng, would this set of skills serve her on a battlefield?”
“With bow and spear, Madam can hold her own in single combat. So long as she is not surrounded, and does not become caught in a melee between two armies, she should be fine. I suggest replacing her arrows with armor-piercing ones.”
Jiang Qingyun pondered for a moment, then asked quietly, “Uncle Zheng, where is your ancestral home?”
“Dezhou, Shandong.”
“Are there many young men among your relatives back home?”
“There should be ten or twenty in the village, Young Master. Why do you ask?”
“Take some travel money and return home. Recruit seven or eight of your male cousins and bring them to the capital to serve as soldiers. I will not treat them poorly. They will all receive double pay. Time is short. Leave today.”
“Young Master, is something going to happen in the capital?”
“Yes. Sooner or later. Ask no more.”
…
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In the distance, a rider came galloping toward them.
“Young Master, a visitor has arrived at the Military and Horse Bureau. He says he works as a secretary in the Ministry of Personnel and that his surname is Zhou.”
“Let us return to the bureau.”
An incense stick later, Jiang Qingyun met Zhou Shao. Beside him lay a bundle and a sealed letter.
“Brother Zhou, what is the meaning of this?”
“Shh~ I came to have you inoculate me. The bundle contains a change of clothes, and this is my will. In case the worst should happen, I thought I had better make arrangements for what comes afterward~”
Whoosh—
Jiang Qingyun let out a long breath of relief.
By evening, he had personally inoculated more than twenty people, Zhou Shao among them.
Human variolation carried risks, but he had gradually worked out a few useful techniques. For instance, he selected safe, mature scabs whenever possible, extracting the material from scabs rather than fresh pustules. He dried it, ground it into powder, and stored it in a bottle. After leaving it in the soil for several days, he mixed it with clean water to prepare a liquid inoculant. This greatly reduced the danger.
…
After inoculation, people needed to rest. Swelling in the arm and a low fever were normal reactions.
If the procedure failed, the person would develop smallpox directly, though the illness generally remained mild.
Those who had come from Baoding all agreed: “Life and death are ordained by Heaven.” “It is worth taking the gamble.” “The master would never deceive us.” “Master Zhou’s life is worth more than ours.”
Ten days later—
One person had failed and developed a fever and pustules. Everyone else had been successfully inoculated.
The unsuccessful patient was transferred outside the city to the Southern Park for treatment.
Jiang Qingyun drew Zhou Shao aside to a quiet place and deliberately asked, “Brother Zhou, what if I offer this method to the imperial court?”
“Absolutely not. Heaven forbid. If some imperial relative or nobleman failed to take and truly contracted smallpox, you would be finished.”
“Ah, Brother Zhou, you are quite right.”
Jiang Qingyun immediately backed down and abandoned his plan to become a “loyal minister.” In truth, he understood perfectly well that he had merely been testing the waters.
“Younger Brother Jiang, whom have you inoculated?”
“I began with the Military and Horse Bureau, then moved on to the West Gate Escort Agency. Now I am quietly inoculating people among the nearby common folk.”
“Are there many failures?”
“One in a hundred.”
“That is already a miracle. By the way, are you inoculating people in the name of the Military and Horse Bureau?”
“No. I work through one of my subordinates, who then directs a wandering doctor who sells medicinal plasters.”
“Young Brother, you are cautious and steady in all you do. Your future is boundless.”
“One should not neglect a good deed merely because it is small~”
“Young Brother Jiang has the bearing of an ancient gentleman. Have your kitchen bring out wine and food. Tonight, I shall drink until I can drink no more.”
Zhou Shao was visibly moved.
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