Chapter 32

Wang Shizheng, as the oldest member of the Hanlin Academy, always considered himself the leader of the Qingliu faction. Although everyone merely humored him because of his age, he genuinely believed he was a pillar of the Qingliu.

The Qingliu, in ancient China, referred to the collective body of scholars who participated in political discussions both in and out of the court. They had little money or military power, but they had a sharp tongue. This tongue was the public opinion of ancient society, and right and wrong were all in their words, as the common people trusted them deeply.

The late Qing government, aside from the external factor of foreigners, was composed of three political forces. The largest was the Manchu noble group, the second was the Han minister-led local governor-general group, and the third was the so-called opposition Qingliu.

In real history, Empress Dowager Cixi maintained her unshakable position and controlled the vast empire until her death by skillfully balancing these three forces. It wasn't that Cixi had great talent, but rather that she had seen through the social structure of the time and controlled the entire empire with a light touch.

Regarding the foreigners, the word was "sell" — sell the country with all one's might. If they wanted money, give it to them; if they wanted land, cede remote and uninhabited areas, and no one would feel the pain of losing tens of thousands of square kilometers.

However, after the Taiping Rebellion, the Han ministers, who had gained significant military power, became a growing headache for the Qing government. They couldn't dare to fight them, and they couldn't ignore them either, as it would keep them awake at night. After much deliberation, a few smart people turned their attention to the Qingliu.

The Qingliu had no money or power, but they had a sharp tongue. They were the media and the experts. These scholars, well-versed in Confucian classics, could forcibly bind morality to everyone. If Zeng Guofan wanted to rebel, would he not fear the eternal condemnation? Would his descendants still want to serve under the sage? As for those fence-sitters, would they not fear the stigma of being traitors?

To Xiao Letian, this idea was a joke, but in an era where Confucian thought firmly controlled people's minds, once these moral kidnappers targeted someone, they would be left with nothing but skin and bones.

As a result, Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan did not dare to rebel, Li Hongzhang did not even dare to think about it, and Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi were loyal ministers to the Qing. Were they really loyal? In their lives, had they never once thought of overthrowing this corrupt and incompetent empire?

The facts proved that under the moral coercion of the Qingliu, the increasingly powerful Han minister-governor class never entertained the idea of rebellion until the end, and even the Beiyang military leaders did not dare to think about it. For example, Yuan Shikai, who obediently served as a loyal minister until the Southern revolutionaries had destabilized half the country, then forced the imperial family to abdicate, and even gave the imperial family a favorable policy at the end.

The strength of the Qingliu in the late Qing is evident from this. This is why Wang Shizheng could freely insult Xiao Letian at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, knowing that his insults would only be encouraged and not punished. But today, Wang Shizheng was taken aback because he had just read the latest shocking chapter.

"Gentlemen, today I bring you bad news... that fame-seeking traitor, that shameless fraud, his book has actually entered the palace!"

At the Taibai Tower in the southern part of Beijing, a place where Wang Shizheng, the old Hanlin, often gathered with his colleagues, in the top-tier private room on the second floor, the old Hanlin reported a devastating piece of news with a face full of sorrow and anger. Their virtuous emperor, the Tongzhi Emperor, was about to be corrupted by a villain.

"Shameful, truly shameful, this is a crime. Who brought such writings to the emperor's attention? They should be executed by slicing! If the emperor is misled by these heretical ideas, we will be sinners for all eternity..." The old Hanlin slammed the table and cursed, and the people in the private room looked as if they had lost their souls.

"Submit a memorial, we should join forces to impeach this traitor and demand severe punishment from the court. If we are not enough, we will join with other officials, and we will take turns impeaching him until he is punished..."

"But this Xiao Letian is not one of our Qing Dynasty. The foreigners have recognized his identity. If we make a big fuss, won't we offend the foreigners?"

"Oh, what are you afraid of? Have you not read his writings carefully? This man has exposed the foreigners' secrets and their ugly deeds. I don't believe the foreigners won't be angry..."

"That's good, if so, count me in..."

In no time, the private room had formed an alliance, and more than ten old Hanlins gathered around Wang Shizheng, ready to write a memorial to impeach Xiao Letian. In their eyes, the emperor could be replaced, the dynasty could change, but the Confucian governance and the imperial examination system must remain unchanged.

As they were discussing, a young woman in her twenties timidly walked into the entrance of the Taibai Tower, leading a fair-skinned boy of about seven or eight years old. In that era, women were not allowed to enter public places like teahouses, taverns, or theaters unless they were courtesans or powerful women who had reserved the place. Poor women generally did not dare to enter such places.

At first, the innkeeper thought she was a woman in distress and quickly sent a waiter to the kitchen to bring a bowl of rice. But to his surprise, the woman was not begging for food; she insisted on seeing Wang Hanlin.

"Sir, may I ask if the Hanlin Academy's Wang Shizheng is dining here? I... I am looking for someone..." The woman was dressed very simply, with patches on the edges, but her features suggested that she would be a beauty with a little makeup.

The innkeeper, who had the sharp eyes of someone who ran a tavern in the capital, immediately sensed that something was amiss.

"Madam, what is your relationship with Wang Hanlin? I need a name to announce you, as I cannot disturb the guests' meal without a reason."

The woman looked up at the second floor with a sad expression, as if she knew Wang Hanlin was dining there. "Please, sir, tell him that his old acquaintance, Chun Shisanjie, has come to see him after seven years..."

This one sentence, though not loud, quickly silenced the first-floor hall. Not only the old innkeeper but also the diners were intrigued.

This was definitely not a relative. If it were a distant relative, they would have gone directly to Wang Hanlin's home, and the gatekeeper would not have driven them away. The fact that she had come directly to the tavern indicated that she was a troublemaker.

The innkeeper, seeing the woman's determined gaze, knew that this matter could not be resolved easily. If he did not announce her, who knew what might happen. He quickly rushed upstairs and stood at the door of the private room, saying with a smile, "Excuse me, gentlemen, there is a woman with a child outside who wants to see the old Hanlin. She says her name is Chun Shisanjie and that she is an old acquaintance from seven years ago..."

"An old acquaintance? Chun Shisanjie? I've never heard of her. Is she mistaken?" Wang Hanlin opened the door and looked down, then shook his head. "I don't know her. Has she said what she wants?"

Before the innkeeper could return, Chun Shisanjie, pulling the boy, had already entered the hall. She rushed to the center and knelt down with the child. "Quick, quick, bow to your father..."

The obedient boy immediately started banging his head on the ground. "Father... I'm hungry, I want to eat buns..."

The moment this mother and son spoke, the entire Taibai Tower erupted. The diners were so shocked that they jumped up. Although it was not a sin for Qing scholars to be promiscuous, it was rare for one to abandon his son. If this became public, political enemies could easily use it against him.

"Where did you come from, you insolent woman, daring to slander an old man like me..." Wang Shizheng was so angry that his beard and eyes were trembling. He was truly innocent. Although he was not a saint, he was not senile and remembered all the women he had been with.

The old Hanlin was about to rush downstairs, but the other officials in the room stopped him. "Brother Huizhi, you must not. After so many years in politics, can't you see that this is a setup to tarnish your reputation?"

Wang Shizheng, in his confusion, did not see the plot, but the others did.

"Who are you, insolent woman, to dare to slander a court official? Do you not know that this is a capital offense? Retreat immediately, or your clumsy extortion will not fool me. If you do not leave, you will not be able to leave..."

The authority of officials over commoners in that era was unimaginable to modern people. Although the Hanlin was a high-ranking but powerless official, he still intimidated the guests in the hall, who dared not speak. Wang Shizheng, regaining his composure, remembered that he had never met this woman, and his confidence returned.

"Take my note and go to the Shuntian Prefecture to have them send someone here! This is outrageous, truly outrageous..."

Perhaps the old Hanlin's threat to report the incident to the authorities frightened the woman. She suddenly hardened her resolve and cursed.

"Wang Shizheng, I misjudged you. You used sweet words to redeem me, promising to buy a house and support me for life. I gave birth to this child for you, but when you returned to the capital, you abandoned me. How can you not even want your own son..."

At this point, Chun Shisanjie, no longer caring about the consequences, stood up and pointed at Wang Shizheng, shouting, "You despicable man, if you are so heartless, don't blame me for not remembering old times... You say I am a liar? Then tell me, do you have a black mole on the inside of your left thigh? Do you have a birthmark the size of a wine cup on your back? And do you snore when you sleep on your back? Is what I said true or not..."

At that moment, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck. The entire Taibai Tower went mad, and even the chef in the kitchen dropped his wok. The woman's words were so confident, was she really imitating him?

Wang Shizheng, as if he had seen a ghost, pointed at the woman, trembling and unable to speak. "You... you... are you human or a ghost..."

This sentence, like cold water poured into a pot of oil, made the Taibai Tower boil over.

"Brother Huizhi! Is what she said true? Oh, how could you be so foolish? Bring that woman to the private room immediately..." As the Hanlins' attendants rushed down to grab the woman, they frightened the little boy.

"Wah... I'm scared, I don't want a father, don't catch me, I don't want buns anymore..." The little boy, who had never seen such a scene, sat on the ground and kicked his legs, crying. Chun Shisanjie, kneeling on the ground, hugged the child and begged for mercy.

"Men and women, fellow countrymen, save us, we don't want to die, give us a way out, wah..."

Wang Shizheng's eyes went black, and he almost fainted. He thought, "This woman is too vicious. When did I ever say I wanted to kill you? You are deliberately smearing me."

However, no one knew that in the window of the private room on the second floor, a piece of paper had been torn, revealing a black lens. At that time, very few people in the Qing Dynasty recognized this thing as a camera.

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The story continues with the unfolding drama and the hidden camera capturing the scene.