028 Borrowing a Crossbow to Enforce the Law!

Inside the Chongwen Gate, in Tiemen Hutong, stands the residence of Kelkun, a Niulu Zhangjing of the Plain Blue Banner and former trusted bodyguard to Prince Raoyu, Abatai.

Not far away, two plainclothes officers from the Southern City Constabulary were staked out, keeping a close watch. Publicly arresting a genuine Manchu Zhangjing was no trivial matter. Setting aside the potential uproar it might cause, the sheer difficulty of successfully capturing the target and ensuring everyone’s safe retreat was a daunting challenge.

"Sir, this entire area is under the jurisdiction of the Plain Blue Banner. What if—"

"Then ensure there is no 'what if'."

Throughout the journey, Zhao Zesheng had tried to dissuade his superior from this reckless course of action, but his counsel went unheeded. Ever since the assassination attempt, Jiang Qingyun had seemed somewhat unhinged. In truth, his behavior had been noticeably erratic ever since their return from Chongfu Temple.

...

"Sir, Kelkun is not in the residence."

"No matter. Then seize his steward and his son. As long as we have captives, we can build an ironclad case. Do not be afraid; what is a mere Niulu Zhangjing? In the future, we shall arrest even a Dutung."

The men felt their hearts tremble.

Jiang Qingyun quickly added, "As long as he opposes the Great Qing, he is no longer a Dutung."

The men calmed themselves, steadying their nerves.

"Brothers, draw your weapons and move."

The carriage curtains were thrown aside, and the men quickly retrieved their arms from the cabin, rushing toward the front gate.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

"Who is it?"

"The Dutung’s Yamen. We have an urgent matter."

...

Two crossbowmen were the first to storm into the residence, shooting the gatekeeper at point-blank range.

"Charge! Into the inner hall to seize them!"

The twelve handpicked men, half armed with crossbows and half with short blades, swept through the former Ming-era household like liquid mercury. Soon, the sounds of brief struggle and shrill screams echoed through the air.

Jiang Qingyun stood in the courtyard with a military crossbow, happening upon a semi-naked teenage boy attempting to escape across the roof. The tiles were slick, forcing the boy to scramble with both hands and feet. Jiang closed his right eye, held his breath, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

The boy was struck in the leg and tumbled down, his skull shattering upon impact; it was clear he would not survive.

Jiang Qingyun made his way to the study to search for Kelkun’s correspondence.

"Sir, the steward, the primary wife, and the concubine have all been captured."

"Bind them, feed them a sedative, stuff them into the carriage, and let’s go. Quickly!"

...

Half a stick of incense later, the group departed at high speed. Before leaving, they did not forget to pull the gate shut behind them.

Two carriages headed in different directions; one was to return the weapons borrowed from the confidants in his father’s military camp, while the other carried the three unconscious suspects. The operatives discarded their bloodied clothing and, unarmed, strolled brazenly out through the Chongwen Gate.

Half an hour later, inside the interrogation room of the Constabulary Yamen, the jailers splashed the captives awake and immediately began the questioning.

"Who are you people?" Kelkun’s steward reacted violently, even attempting to curse them.

"Bring the branding iron."

Screams, wails, and the scent of scorched flesh filled the room. The jailers, unrestrained in their brutality, took turns with the torture, fresh blood continuously splattering against the walls.

"Madam, why not confess? It is a fact that your husband is dissatisfied with the Imperial Court and has repeatedly spouted treasonous words in teahouses and taverns."

"He will not spare you for this!"

The next second, a blood-curdling scream tore through the air.

...

Jiang Qingyun himself remained in the study, reading through the letters and books he had confiscated. Though Kelkun’s rank was not high, he was a veteran elite of the Plain Blue Banner with countless battles under his belt and had been one of Abatai’s trusted bodyguards. However, Abatai was already dead.

A Plain Blue Banner man with such a service record was bound to be deeply dissatisfied with the court. In the relatively short history of the Qing Dynasty, the ill-fated Plain Blue Banner always seemed to back the wrong side. First, their Banner Lord, Manggultai, had openly opposed Hong Taiji in the succession struggle. After ascending the throne, Hong Taiji purged the Plain Blue Banner and replaced them with his own loyalists. Later, after Hong Taiji’s era ended, the Plain Blue Banner publicly supported Hooge against Dorgon. Dorgon, venting his rage, slaughtered the Plain Blue Banner until heads rolled, effectively bleeding them dry once more.

Now, Dorgon was nearing death. Once the Shunzhi Emperor took the throne, the Plain Blue Banner would inevitably be targeted again. Of the Eight Banners of our Great Qing, the Plain Blue Banner was consistently the most unfortunate. Thus, Jiang Qingyun decided to start with them, breaking them one by one—first the Plain Blue, then the Two White Banners—to fundamentally undermine the foundation of the Qing court.

...

Jiang Qingyun was surprised to find Kelkun’s correspondence so extensive, containing several familiar names, such as Prince Ying, Ajige, and the former commander Urt, whom he had sent to serve on the southwestern front.

Reading the content brought him even more joy. Complaints, dissatisfaction, slanderous discussions, and veiled insinuations—the material was incredibly rich. Among the letters was one from a garrison colonel of the Plain Blue Banner in Jiangning, which was particularly artistic.

Jiang Qingyun picked up a brush and crossed out the name "Dodo" from the sentence: "Dodo has no hair on his lips yet occupies a high position, and his governance of the army is like flipping a pancake..." He then crossed out the word "army."

He left the two redactions blacked out to provide ample room for imagination. Who had no hair on their lips? Was it Fulin? And what was being governed like a pancake? Was it the nation?

...

What surprised him most was that Kelkun had been privately reading books from the Taizhou School that advocated for individual freedom. This was truly fascinating. The world was indeed fractured; a ruthless Eight Banners warrior who killed without blinking actually harbored a desire for such liberty.

...

Jiang Qingyun leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a weight settled on his lap; the warm, tricolor cat had come to provide emotional support.

"Meow."

Jiang Qingyun gently covered the kitten’s ears so it would not hear the inner thoughts of a schemer: "Use ambition to check ambition, use power to check power, and use the Eight Banners to suppress the Eight Banners."

Outside the study, familiar footsteps approached.

"Young Master, the Master is here," Lüzhu whispered.

Jiang Qingyun opened his eyes and stepped out of the study.

Upon seeing him, Jiang Zhongcheng was furious, his voice dropping to a low growl: "What do you think you are doing? How could you deceive me and secretly borrow crossbows from my subordinates? What were you doing with crossbows inside the Inner City?"

"Father, I captured someone."

"Who?"

"Kelkun, a Zhangjing of the Plain Blue Banner and one of the eighteen famous bodyguards of the late Prince Raoyu. I suspect him of colluding with the Ming court, and I have now obtained the evidence."

"My son, isn't it enough to be a peaceful official? Must you play with fire?"

"Father, in officialdom, where is there ever peace? If we fear this and fear that, what kind of official would I be?"

Jiang Zhongcheng was left speechless, wanting to scold him but not daring to, wanting to cry but unable to. After a long silence, he finally choked out, "From this day forward, you are the master and I am the grandson."

...

Jiang Qingyun said softly:

"The Imperial Father Regent is dying; the capital is bound to be in chaos for a while. Have the others in the residence move to my place in the Southern City. As for you, just stay in the military camp and gather more loyalists."

Jiang Zhongcheng sighed gloomily. "Do you have any silver notes? Your 'grandson' has been spending quite a bit lately."

Jiang Qingyun gestured.

"Lüzhu, come here."

"Go get 200 taels in silver notes."

Jiang Zhongcheng took the notes and departed with a mournful face. He was truly terrified; his son was becoming increasingly reckless and erratic, with every action reeking of something sinister. Borrowing crossbows to break down a door and seize someone in the Inner City—how was that any different from treason?

Fear drove him to madness. After sending the family members to the Southern City, Jiang Zhongcheng simply dressed his concubines in soldiers' uniforms and brought them into the military camp. Compared to the crime of treason, this minor impropriety was nothing at all.