Chapter 51

Zheng Gonggong was beaten so badly that he couldn't even tell men from women. The little eunuch who accompanied him was so dazed that he almost couldn't find his mouth to eat. It wasn't that Er Mao was ruthless, but rather that the two palm strikes Leopard Head added afterward were effective. It was thanks to Xiao Letian's mercy that these two eunuchs weren't killed.

Xiao Letian didn't want to make a big fuss, so he didn't use lethal force. For the last little eunuch who didn't go to the casino, he didn't seek retribution afterward but instead sent him 200 silver dollars to seal his mouth.

In the palace, the eunuchs who survived without being bullied were all as shrewd as monkeys. The little eunuch would never oppose money, and seeing that all the county officials were trying to calm things down, he knew the waters were too deep and didn't dare to say a word more.

The case was finally determined: the gambling addict Zheng Gonggong was beaten into a stupor for not repaying his gambling debts, which angered Leopard Head. There were over a hundred gamblers in the casino, the county magistrate's deputy Wang Hu and his dozens of constables, and several households near the scene who witnessed the incident.

With such a large group of witnesses, the palace's senior eunuch who came to investigate couldn't find any flaws. Since Zheng Gonggong was only a mid-level eunuch in the palace, no one was willing to spend much effort on him, and the whole matter was quickly dropped.

In the end, Er Mao and over a dozen children of the same age quietly left Yixian County on the palace's carriage. Becoming a eunuch in ancient China was a very shameful thing, so none of these children had any relatives to see them off.

Only Xiao Letian, hiding on the city gate tower, watched Er Mao gradually disappear into the distance, sighing, "Is what I did right or wrong? From now on, Er Mao will walk a path full of danger, and a single misstep could mean eternal ruin..."

"Why have you suddenly become so sentimental? Isn't everyone walking a path of eternal ruin?" Xiao Hexin said softly, "Is being a good citizen safe? Mr. Xiao, don't make me laugh. In your books, you've repeatedly hinted that backwardness leads to being beaten. Even if everyone becomes a good citizen, when the great revolution comes, these good citizens will also face eternal ruin..."

"Oh! You're quite something! It seems Xiao Hexin has put a lot of effort into studying my books. I'm relieved to see that the people of late Qing haven't become completely numb. As long as we properly manage the people's hearts and spirits, they can still be useful."

Xiao Hexin was one of the first batch of personal guards sent to the military advisor. They were the most deeply influenced by Xiao Letian. Although Xiao Letian didn't explain his grand plan in detail to them, these smart young men had already guessed it.

First, Xiao Letian used privately minted silver dollars and opened a foreign bank as a cover to amass a large fortune, digging a big chunk out of the backward Qing financial and tax system.

Second, he used a large amount of money to corrupt grassroots officials, gradually taking over the Qing's grassroots organizations from the county level, quietly weaving a vast network for himself.

Now, Xiao Letian was using the Er Mao incident to focus on the special group of eunuchs. He believed that within three to four years, with his financial power, he could certainly establish his own intelligence network within the imperial city.

Xiao Hexin and the other guards had discussed the military advisor's grand plans and vision many times behind closed doors. They were already in awe, and anyone who could come up with such a series of plans, with such a grand vision, must be a celestial being. Following the military advisor would definitely be the right choice.

After the Er Mao incident was peacefully resolved, Xiao Letian returned to his study and began writing again. Now, "Journey to the West" was serializing the rise of the British Industrial Revolution, the most critical part of the book. He would show the entire Qing Dynasty the power of industry.

Since 1767, the year of the Qianlong Emperor's 32nd reign, the spinning jenny, a symbol of the British Industrial Revolution, was born. From that day on, the industrial giant began to show its strength. By 1782, the 47th year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, Watt invented the steam engine, and the power of industry became unstoppable, propelling European civilization into a fast lane.

Following this was a massive transformation in European society, with railways, steam locomotives, and factories with chimneys. Western factories produced industrial goods with efficiency that the Qing Dynasty could never imagine.

Relying on the power of the Industrial Revolution, Britain began its global colonization. At that time, the Qianlong Emperor was still dreaming of being the ruler of the world.

The Industrial Revolution did not appear out of nowhere; it required centuries of accumulation in the natural sciences of a country and a nation to spark even a tiny flame.

Looking back at the Qing Dynasty, they were too lazy to even look at the outside world, let alone experience the great geographical discoveries. They didn't even acknowledge that the Earth was round. Even if the steam engine had been invented by the Chinese, it would have been smashed as a demonic object.

Writing this, Xiao Letian put down his pen, rubbed his sore wrist, and paced back and forth in the study, seething with anger at the thought of the Manchu and the corrupt scholars.

"Huniu... prepare some wine for me at noon, I want to have a couple of drinks, no writing in the afternoon, I'm going to sleep..." As Xiao Letian shouted to vent his anger, a hearty laugh entered his ears, "Who has Xiao brother upset? Are you trying to drown your sorrows in wine?"

A graceful figure flashed by the window, and Xiao Letian was momentarily stunned, "Isn't that Sister Hui? Why are you in Yixian County..."

The person was none other than Fuhui, Fuming's sister, with her trademark hearty smile.

"Why not welcome me? This is my home, can't the host come?" Fuhui teased Xiao Letian, making him scratch his head awkwardly, "How could I not welcome you, Sister Hui, I'm more than happy to see you..."

Fuhui indeed had some ambiguous feelings for Xiao Letian. This woman, who had experienced three failed marriages, was already disappointed with most men in the Qing Dynasty. These superstitious men lusted after her beauty but were all afraid of her reputation for being a widow's curse.

Fuhui, of course, knew what the gossips in Beijing were saying behind her back, mostly about being a widow's curse. She had long grown accustomed to it. Gradually, her heart turned to ashes, and she was prepared to live a lonely life.

But fate had other plans. Just when she was completely despairing, a man entered her life.

Xiao Letian was handsome, how could the former playboy of Houhai not be? Xiao Letian was also talented, how could a man who could write the extraordinary book "Journey to the West" not be?

More importantly, Xiao Letian, a second-generation foreigner raised overseas, disregarded the so-called secular rules. Just look at his attitude toward Huniu, a full-footed concubine, whom he didn't disdain. Such a "heavy taste" man was hard to find in the Qing Dynasty.

Maybe, Fuhui thought, maybe something could happen between her and this second-generation foreigner. She even had a wild thought, "Conquer me, take me away, leave this Qing Dynasty, take me to the ends of the earth, take me to every place in your book, take me away from these terrifying secular eyes..."

Fuhui's eyes were now dangerous, and she stood outside the window, looking at Xiao Letian with a dangerous aura, with occasional electric currents in the air.

How could Xiao Letian not understand Fuhui's eyes? He wasn