Chapter 41

As the rooster crowed and the red light rose in the east, the ancient capital was bathed in the morning light of autumn, tranquil and peaceful.

The birds sang melodiously, and the morning light was blinding. Qingying silently got out of bed, dressed neatly, and walked out of the room. The trees rustled, and a gentle breeze blew. He took a deep breath of the fresh, cool morning air and began his morning exercise in the courtyard.

This was a residence in the northern suburbs of the capital, where Qingying and Xueruoli had been living for nearly two months. According to the plan, Qingying was supposed to travel north to Russia in mid-August, but due to the sudden outbreak of war between China and Japan, Queen Victoria, citing "chaos and the rise of bandits," asked him to wait until the situation stabilized before heading to the Russian Empire. Helpless, Qingying and Xueruoli could only continue to stay in the capital, consuming the provisions and grain provided by the Qing government.

In his previous life, with video games, the internet, and Japanese adult films as his daily entertainment, Qingying rarely exercised during his free time in college, leading to a weak and flabby body that could barely run a few steps without complaining. After traveling through time, the entertainment activities of this era were still hard for him to accept. Out of boredom, he unknowingly developed the habit of going to bed early and exercising in the morning.

Whenever Qingying exercised in the morning, Xueruoli would finish her morning routine and run out the back door to buy breakfast on the street. After entering September, the weather gradually turned cold, and Xueruoli's attire changed from a simple dress to a qipao. However, her clothing, like her name, was always as elegant as snow and as pure as frost.

"Official Gazette! The latest special edition of the Official Gazette, hastily produced overnight in Shuntian Prefecture!" A young voice suddenly broke the morning tranquility on the street. Xueruoli, holding a lunch box and about to return, looked in the direction of the voice. She saw a teenager of about 13 or 14 years old shouting loudly while holding a large stack of newspapers, his enthusiasm undiminished by the sparse crowd. Xueruoli glanced at the newspapers in his hand, feeling a bit curious. The Official Gazette in the capital was usually published at the end of the month, so why was it hastily produced overnight today?

Although the literacy rate in China at this time was shockingly low, this area near the imperial city was home to few illiterate people. After the teenager's shout, almost all the passersby turned their attention to him. Seeing this, the teenager felt a bit proud and loudly proclaimed, "Yesterday at noon, our Great Qing Beiyang Fleet decisively defeated the Japanese fleet, sinking six Japanese ships and killing thousands of Japanese. The detailed account of this battle is all here, don't miss it!"

"What? The Beiyang Fleet won?" Hearing the teenager's words, the crowd was first surprised, then their expressions became varied. For over a month since the war began, there had been no news after the "great victory" at Yashan. Everyone was tense and concerned about the front-line situation. The fact that Shuntian Prefecture had hastily produced a special edition of the Official Gazette overnight was a clear sign that it was not a defeat! With this thought, the crowd surged forward, generously opening their wallets, and surrounded the teenager, leaving no room for him to move.

In the crowd, a small figure was also trying to push forward, which was Xueruoli. Due to her small size and lack of strength, after a while, she was still at the outer edge of the crowd, making no progress. Just as she was at a loss, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her: "What's wrong? Why haven't you gone back yet?"

Feeling a gentle hand patting her head, Xueruoli frowned slightly, displeased, and said, "I've told you many times not to touch my head, or I won't grow tall! By the way, why did you come out?"

"Why did I come out? Why do you think I came out? Look at the time, why haven't you gone home yet?" Qingying glared at Xueruoli, vigorously rubbing her head, causing her black, shiny hair to become disheveled. Xueruoli whimpered, looking like a bullied white rabbit: "There's a special edition of the Official Gazette being sold here, and I wanted to buy one to read."

"Special edition?" Looking at the crowd squeezed together, Qingying's face showed a puzzled expression. He narrowed his eyes, thinking for a moment, and suddenly realized that today was September 19th in the Gregorian calendar!

Could it be that this special edition of the Official Gazette is the final result of the Battle of the Yalu River?

With this thought, Qingying was greatly moved and could no longer contain his excitement. He rushed forward, pushing his way through the crowd. Having experienced many Spring Festival travel rushes in his previous life, Qingying's crowd-pushing skills were already highly refined. In no time, he disappeared into the crowd, leaving only his words echoing in the wind:

"Xueruoli, go back first. I'll come as soon as I buy the Official Gazette!"

Seeing Qingying easily push his way into the crowd, Xueruoli felt defeated. She stomped her foot in frustration, picked up the lunch box, and dejectedly returned to the residence.

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At the end of the 19th century, China's newspaper industry was still in its early stages, far from the myriad of newspapers that flooded the market in later times. The special edition of the Official Gazette that Qingying now held was hastily produced overnight in the capital. Due to the use of wooden movable type, the printing quality was far from satisfactory: the characters were tilted, the ink was smudged, and there were many errors. However, the content was rich and novel, refreshing to read.

The cover featured a grand sea battle illustration. A few strokes were enough to stir the heart and evoke deep emotion. Opening the first page from right to left, the text was accompanied by vivid illustrations, and Qingying couldn't help but marvel at the writing. The authors of the Official Gazette, steeped in the eight-part essay tradition, were all erudite and talented. If placed in the modern era, they would undoubtedly be top-tier writers on popular websites!

At some point, Xueruoli also came over, her black, gem-like eyes gazing at the newspaper. Seeing her serious and focused expression, Qingying smiled and gently stroked her head as usual. The warmth and softness of her head in his palm suddenly made him feel a strange emotion.

What exactly was the relationship between him and Xueruoli? Like friends, like master and servant, like brother and sister, and like lovers. When she learned that he would be staying in the capital for a long time, her face lit up with a smile that could outshine the morning glow. And when he realized that this little girl had developed a dependence and affection for him, a surge of warmth and passion welled up in his heart. Her cheerfulness, her cuteness, her grace, and her gentle nature all made his heart tremble, making him want to protect her for the rest of his life. Qingying was a bit confused: had he fallen in love with Xueruoli, or was he projecting his feelings for Shixia onto her?

Feeling Qingying's hand on her head again, Xueruoli couldn't help but wriggle her body and mumble, "Rude person, rude person. You're just a 12-year-old idiot, yet you dare to bully me." Although she complained, the smile on her lips clearly showed that she enjoyed Qingying's actions. After nearly two months of living together, the foreign prince, who had been pampered since childhood, had never treated her like a servant. Instead, he had always been kind and caring, which made Xueruoli, who had been raised with traditional Confucian values, both surprised and delighted. At 17, she had reached the legal marriage age in this era, and the seeds of love in her heart were beginning to sprout and grow. Compared to the old and ugly Beiyang commander, the young and handsome Qingying was much more acceptable to her!

Sitting quietly in the study, Qingying and Xueruoli occasionally turned the pages, the sound of the pages rustling. After a long time, Qingying closed the newspaper and found that his body was slightly sore. He stretched his stiff body, his face showing excitement and enthusiasm. With the addition of the "Brandenburg," the Beiyang Fleet lived up to expectations: in the Battle of the Yalu River, they sank six Japanese warships. Although the casualty figures in the Official Gazette were likely exaggerated, it was certain that the Beiyang Fleet's losses were far less than those of the Japanese.

Since the Beiyang Fleet was not severely damaged and the main force remained intact, the Japanese army, intimidated by the Beiyang Fleet, would not dare to land in Shandong and attack Weihaiwei from both land and sea as they did in history. This modernized navy, which had taken a whole generation to build, would be preserved, and the fate of the 20,000 civilians in Lushun would be changed by this victory. If the Beiyang Fleet had the courage to sail out again, the Japanese plan to land in Taiwan might be abandoned due to their inability to control the sea. Winning this battle would greatly strengthen the Qing court's position. Even if they still lost territory on land as in history, the final peace treaty would not be the 230 million taels of silver in the Treaty of Shimonoseki!

He had changed and created history, fully integrating into this world, no longer an outsider from another parallel universe!

Pushing open the wooden door, he looked up to see a clear blue sky and leisurely white clouds. A few geese flapped their wings, flying south, occasionally playing and chirping. Looking at the smiling Xueruoli beside him, Qingying felt a surge of emotion and, as if possessed, took her soft, white hand. Xueruoli's whole body felt as if it had been struck by lightning, her face flushing red. In the morning light, she looked like a fairy, as beautiful as a poem.

A strong wind blew, and their clothes fluttered. Qingying suddenly felt an indescribable lightness, as if the sandbags tied to his legs had been removed, or as if a mountain weighing a thousand jin had been lifted from his shoulders.

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