035 Concealing the Death Announcement

"To pursue the light cavalry, the heavy snow covers the bows and blades"—this was the perfect portrait of Jiang Qingyun at this moment.

He galloped his horse all the way. By the time he reached the Meridian Gate, his scabbard and bow were covered in snowflakes. Dismounting, he handed his weapons to the gate guards, including Suleda, a third-rank guard and an acquaintance from the Bordered Yellow Banner whom he had met once before. Suleda nodded slightly, his eyes conveying a silent goodwill.

"Ouch!"

The young eunuch leading the way slipped, nearly falling, but was caught and steadied by Jiang Qingyun’s quick reflexes.

"Master San, be careful."
"Many thanks, many thanks."

The two walked one after the other through the heavy snow into the towering palace complex. Jiang Qingyun quietly slipped him an ingot of silver, which the eunuch tucked away after checking that no one was around. It was their second meeting.

"May I ask your name, Master San?"
"Oh, a lowly person like me has no real name; just call me Little San."
"Master San, has smallpox been raging in the palace lately?"
"Two maids died in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, one eunuch in the Palace of Compassionate寧, and the others... well, let's not talk about them."
"The Imperial Academy of Medicine is derelict in its duties."
"In winter, people wear so many layers that the rashes go unnoticed until it’s too late."
"Are you saying the palace staff is deliberately hiding it?"
"More or less."

They left a trail of footprints across the vast plaza before heading toward the Gate of Heavenly Purity. The Forbidden City was divided into the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court was the workplace for the Emperor and high officials, while the Inner Court was where the Emperor lived and sought leisure, with the Gate of Heavenly Purity serving as the boundary. To be granted access to this gate was considered a mark of imperial favor. Jiang Qingyun’s yellow cotton armor was turned white by the snow; from afar, he looked like a soldier of the Bordered White Banner, but up close, he was clearly of the Bordered Yellow.

Inside the Palace of Heavenly Purity, it was as warm as spring.

"Jiang Qingyun, look up."

Shunzhi gazed at a face that felt oddly familiar—perhaps because of the armor, or perhaps because they were both still youths. Meanwhile, Jiang Qingyun looked upon a face that held a hint of aggression and burning ambition.

"Grant him a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You have done well in the Southern City. Preventing fires, stopping theft, planting smallpox vaccines—you are a man who gets things done."
"I eat the court's salary; I must do something for the common people."

Shunzhi listened with satisfaction. In truth, ten years later, he would not have been so pleased; at this moment, Fulin had not yet fully grasped the position of an Emperor.

"I ask you, if the Prince Regent were to die, how should the court handle the aftermath?"

"Perform the funeral rites according to protocol, granting him the utmost posthumous honors. Simultaneously, arrest and dispose of his partisans—execute those who must be executed, imprison those who must be imprisoned. Once the dust settles, then settle the accounts. Ultimately, the world belongs to Your Majesty."

Shunzhi was first angry, then pleased, then composed.

"I am still young; I still need the Empress Dowager to support me for a while."

This sentence revealed his true thoughts.

"Only you dare to say such things. The nobles of the Eight Banners all speak in riddles; I truly cannot understand when they turned into such timid, pedantic scholars."

"In reply to Your Majesty, it is merely that they prefer to avoid trouble and prioritize self-preservation."
"You are quite right."

The hall fell silent for a moment. Shunzhi stepped down from his throne, approached, and whispered:

"You came to see me in armor today, so I understand your intent. I will tell you a secret: Dorgon is already dead, and his coffin will arrive in the capital within days. Fewer than five people in the city know this. Do you understand my intent?"

"I request to concurrently hold the post of Gate Official."
"Very well. The Xizhi Gate is now under your command. I have already sent a decree from the Ministry of War to the Shanxi front, ordering Prince Duanzhong Bolo, Prince Zhuang Shuose, Prince Lizhi Mandahai, and Prince Ying Ajige to separate from the main army and return to the capital alone immediately."
"I have one request."
"Speak."
"May I have some firearms allocated from the Ministry of War to reinforce the security of the City Guard?"
"Granted. Go to the Ministry of War and collect 300 matchlocks, 200 sets of cotton armor, and 600 sets of swords, shields, and spears. I will write an order for you."

...

After leaving the Forbidden City, Jiang Qingyun’s first order of business was to demand the official gazettes reserved for officials of the third rank and above. The official in charge did not dare to hesitate and immediately agreed to have a handwritten copy delivered to the Southern City Guard office starting that day.

Afterward, Jiang Qingyun assembled fifty men and, fully armored, stormed the Ministry of War!

At the gates of the Ministry, four guards blocked his path.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

*Slap!*

Jiang Qingyun raised his hand and struck one, while his subordinates immediately rushed forward and frantically slapped the other three guards.

Arrogant! Overbearing! This was the brutal style of the Five-City Guard.

...

In the Armory Division of the Ministry of War, Hong Shizheng, the director, looked at the invading soldiers with astonishment.

"I am Jiang Qingyun, a Censor of the Censorate. I have come for weapons. Open the armory and let us choose."
"Wait, what do you mean 'open the armory and let you choose'? Did you follow the proper procedures?"
"In extraordinary times, I have no time for your bureaucratic red tape. I ask you one more time: will you give them to me or not?"
"The Armory Division has regulations! This is not your own living room!"

*Slap!*

Jiang Qingyun decisively slapped Director Hong Shizheng across the face.

"You dare hit me?"

*Slap!* Another blow, swung with full force, sent him reeling into the corner of the wall.

"Guards! Someone help!" Hong Shizheng wailed.

Jiang Qingyun was not in a hurry; he waited calmly. Outside, there was a cacophony of noise. More than thirty guards from the Ministry of War, armed with crossbows and swords, blocked the corridor, looking fierce.

"Who dares to storm the Ministry of War? Kneel!"

...

Only then did Jiang Qingyun pull out the note written by Shunzhi, presenting it first to Hong Shizheng and then to the commanding officer.

"Do you recognize this red seal? This is the Imperial Seal."
"Drop your weapons!"

*Clatter, clatter.* Swords and spears fell to the ground.

Zhao Zesheng and Zhou Cang rushed forward again, slapping the guards one by one until their own palms ached. This was what it meant to bully others by relying on power.

More and more officials from the Ministry of War gathered in the courtyard, everyone furious but afraid to speak.

"Censor Jiang, the subordinate was wrong. I will take you to the armory now."

Hong Shizheng, a nephew of Hong Chengchou, realized that Jiang Qingyun was doing this on purpose.

"Sir, the weapons are too heavy; we cannot move them."
"Then take the Ministry’s horses and hitch the Ministry’s carts."

After the commotion, the entire Ministry of War had come out, including veterans from the battlefield who glared with hostility, refusing to clear the path. Jiang Qingyun, relying on his armor, simply shoved his way through.

He left behind these words:

"The Ministry of War is not an independent kingdom. Our Censorate will deal with you sooner or later."

When the news reached the Censorate, the Left Censor-in-Chief Ning Wanwo was dumbfounded and furious. He was about to order someone to bring Jiang Qingyun to see him, but suddenly, remembering something, he held his tongue.

...

The news of Censor Jiang slapping dozens of people at the Ministry of War spread throughout the capital once again. His father, Jiang Zhongcheng, nearly suffered a stroke upon hearing it, filled with grief and indignation.

In this world, who acts like an official in such a way? Does he have a death wish?

Now, when his colleagues saw him, they looked like a young maiden spotting a lecherous master—they dared not look, only offering a sycophantic smile before scurrying along the wall.

Hong Chengchou, the Minister of War who was overseeing the construction of the "Inner City Seedling Workshop" outside the city, could only sneer. He could not understand why Jiang Qingyun insisted on jumping in his face, time and time again.

Fan Wencheng, however, understood: Jiang Qingyun was deliberately making their conflict public to completely eliminate any possibility of being dragged into Hong Chengchou’s inner-city seedling project.