The weather was frigid, the twelfth lunar month. The only cabbage leaves available were those spoiled by improper storage, becoming rotten and white. When the cold wind blew, they turned mushy and hard, striking the face with a uniquely unpleasant sensation.
Subjected to such treatment by the 'Nihilists,' the supposedly noble Qian Long, the old dog, had considered biting his tongue to end it all. However, Qian Long was an eighty-year-old decrepit man. Even by consuming copious amounts of deer blood and ginseng, his teeth were too few and weak. After trying for half a day, he only managed to hurt his tongue, achieving no other effect. He couldn't even die if he wanted to.
Qian Long had also contemplated starving himself to death. But he could resist for one meal, or two. What about the third?
Qian Long was no hero, nor did he possess unshakeable willpower—except when it came to his insistence on going south to inspect river conservancy projects.
Qian Long managed to starve himself for a day. By the second day, he could no longer hold on.
The more Qian Long feared death, the more excessive Zhu Jinsong became.
Previously, Qian Long was merely kept in a prisoner's cart. After Qian Long started eating again, Zhu Jinsong began making frequent stops in every city they passed, parking the prisoner's cart outside the yamen for the public to view Qian Long.
Qian Long's behavior was precisely as Zhu Jinsong had anticipated.
Qian Long endured it.
Even though Qian Long knew clearly that the closer they got to the capital, the closer his death approached.
Yet, Qian Long still did not seek death, because Qian Long was afraid of pain!
Biting his tongue hurt. Starving himself caused stomach pains.
After much thought, Qian Long felt it was better to wait until they reached the capital, take a single sword stroke, and be done with it.
More importantly, Qian Long also wanted to see if it was only the people of Jinan Prefecture who supported the rebel surnamed Zhu, or if all the people under heaven supported him.
Besides, even after the fall of the Great Ming by more than a hundred and fifty years, there were still people clamoring for the restoration of the Ming and the overthrow of the Qing. Our Great Qing has only been gone for a few years. Surely, there should be a few loyal scholars who would step forward to overthrow the Ming and restore the Qing, right?
However, what he witnessed next plunged Qian Long into despair.
The rebel Zhu was not just stopping in cities; he would sometimes stop in villages and wander into them.
At such times, Qian Long could leave the prisoner's cart. His cangue and shackles would be removed, leaving only his hands bound. He would then be escorted by Ke Zhiming to wander with the rebel Zhu.
In Qian Long's opinion, this approach by the rebel Zhu was absolutely wrong. With only one guard and that dog servant Zhang Dequan, a Embroidered Uniform Guard officer responsible for guarding him, and himself with bound hands, if anyone were to act rashly and attempt regicide, the rebel Zhu would not even have the chance to escape.
The correct approach should be to bring imperial guards along. Even for private excursions, a contingent of troops should follow as backup. The rebel Zhu's behavior of separating himself from the main convoy by several miles, or even a dozen miles, was akin to seeking death.
Yet, the rebel Zhu dared to openly break away from the convoy, swaggering through streets and alleys. Not only did he wander in those villages, but he would even climb trees to chat with old farmers basking in the sun.
"This is Old Master Qian Long."
The rebel Zhu, sitting on a tree stump with no imperial dignity, pointed at Qian Long and bragged to the old farmers, "This dog is a real runner. By the time I reached the capital, he had already fled to Shenyang. When I rushed to Shenyang, the old dog had dug a tunnel and planned to escape through a secret passage."
"Good heavens, there were tens of thousands of Jurchen barbarians in Shenyang, and this old dog's concubines, sons, and daughters were there, but he didn't care about them, focusing only on his own escape. Fortunately, the Great Ming army surrounded them tightly, preventing his escape."
"Look at this Old Master Qian Long. Tsk, tsk. He usually ate ginseng and bird's nest as if they were meals and drank deer blood like water. He wouldn't be holding a golden hoe to till the land—he had his bondservants for that, why would he need to do the tilling himself?"
"You see the life this old dog lived, and then you see the life this emperor lives. To be honest, compared to this old dog, my life as emperor doesn't feel like that of an emperor."
Those old farmers were no good people either. Hearing the rebel Zhu's boasting, they would scrutinize themselves and then praise Zhu, saying, "The Emperor is truly mighty for not letting this old dog escape!"
"Exactly. Before, we thought emperors always tilled the land with golden hoes, and the Empress would make scallion oil cakes every day."
"Damn it, I'm only fifty-something, and I look like I'm over eighty. This old dog is over eighty, yet he looks younger than me. Where is the justice in that?"
"Your Majesty, you cannot let this Qian Long old dog die easily. He brought so much ruin to the common people during his six trips to the south."
"Oh, right. Has Your Majesty not had lunch yet? Please dine in our village! We don't have much, but our home-raised chickens are truly plump. I'll have someone kill one right away."
"Yes, yes. The food in the palace may not nourish you well. Look how thin Your Majesty is."
Whenever this happened, the rebel Zhu would usually choose to eat in the village and then leave some money, wine, and meat for the old farmers before departing.
Therefore, Qian Long felt deeply unbalanced.
Why?
I, the emperor, made six trips south, and it did affect the livelihoods of the people along the way, but I also exempted taxes several times. The cumulative tax exemption amounted to two hundred million taels of silver, equivalent to five years of the Great Qing's national fiscal revenue. Even if these benefits did not reach the people, shouldn't the people at least remember my kindness?
Absolutely not!
Not only did no one remember my kindness, but there were always some ambitious individuals who would jump out to restore the Ming and overthrow the Qing!
Conversely, what about the rebel Zhu?
From the time they departed from Jinan Prefecture until now, over half a month has passed, and they have passed through more than a dozen prefectures and counties. This rebel Zhu has not exempted any taxes or grain from any place. The money, grain, wine, and meat he gave to the people are not much more expensive than what the people gave him. He was always bragging with the common people, either about how wise and heroic he was, or how beautiful his empress and concubines were, or how powerful his army was. He even bragged about such things as "dreaming of a white dragon entering his abdomen" during his gestation!
As a result, while this Zhu was boasting, the old farmers listened with great interest, nodding occasionally and exclaiming in surprise. By noon or evening, they would invite Zhu to dine.
Let alone loyal scholars jumping out to assassinate him, not a single person even cursed Zhu!
Qian Long felt deeply unbalanced.
Later, seeing that Zhu Jinsong paid him no mind, Qian Long could no longer hold back. "Why? I repeatedly exempted taxes, and you people do not remember my kindness. This Zhu person did not exempt a single coin for you, and his taxes are even heavier than those of the Great Qing. Why do you not rebel against him?"
Zhu Jinsong did not reply to Qian Long's question.
Instead, the old farmers couldn't stand it.
"Someone like you is only capable of going south. What do you know about taxes?"
"Back then, I didn't have a single bit of land. I rented land from the landlord and, besides taxes, I had to pay the landlord several tenths of the harvest as rent. Now I till my own land. There are no taxes, except for the land tax, all the remaining grain is mine, understand? That tax is just a pittance!"
"The Great Ming has no corvée labor. The government hires people to do the work. Besides growing grain, I have another source of income. Can your Great Qing do that?"
These old farmers ignored Qian Long's increasingly dark expression and grew more agitated as they cursed.
"During your Great Qing's rule, I couldn't even eat a white flour bun all year round and saw no meat. Yet, under the Great Ming, with even heavier taxes, I can eat my fill, dress warmly, and eat meat whenever I want. Can your Great Qing do that?"
"Rebel against the Emperor? If we rebel against the Emperor and welcome scoundrels like you to be emperor and oppress us, are you stupid or do you think we are?"
"You fool, aren't you forgetting how your Great Qing confiscated land when they entered the passes?"
"Now I can curse the court and officials with newspapers. Could I do that during your Great Qing's time?"
"Exactly. Although I am illiterate, my children can read and read newspapers. Could I do that during your Great Qing's time?"
However, what was most unbearable for Qian Long was a man who just approached him. "Old Master Qian Long? My servant used to be called A Chang'a, from the Border Patrol of the Banner Guard. My greetings to you!"
Upon hearing this, Qian Long's heart turned completely cold.
Qian Long was not stupid.
Although A Chang'a repeatedly referred to himself as a servant and offered his greetings, there was no respect on his face. Instead, his gaze towards Zhu was filled with fanaticism, as if Zhu were his true master.
As Qian Long was both angry and indignant, A Chang'a slapped his forehead and said, "Oh no, my servant forgot. My servant is no longer called A Chang'a. My servant now has a Han name, Wu Mancang. I am a proper person, not your slave Qian Long!"
Qian Long, furious, glared at Wu Mancang and shouted, "Even if I mistreated these Han people, I never mistreated you servants! You actually want to be dogs for these Han people!"
Wu Mancang ignored Qian Long. Instead, he knelt with a thud before Zhu Jinsong and bowed, "Your Majesty, my servant has a few words to say to Old Master Qian Long. I hope Your Majesty will grant permission!"
Zhu Jinsong let out a chuckle and said, "Stand up! Since you have obtained a Great Ming household registration, you are a citizen of the Great Ming, my subject. You are not my servant, and you are not allowed to call yourself a servant anymore."
"Also, this is not the grand court assembly, so you don't need to perform such a grand bow. Please stand up and speak your mind freely. The Great Ming Law does not prohibit you from speaking!"
Wu Mancang bowed respectfully once more before standing up and looking at Qian Long, "Did you hear? In your mouth, we are servants, subject to life and death at your whim. But in the Emperor's mouth, we are people, upright people, people who can stand and speak!"
Qian Long remained silent, but Wu Mancang became emboldened. "What about the Upper Three Banners and Lower Five Banners? Which banner is not your servant?"
"Also, don't mention banner silver. When I was your servant, I could receive banner silver. But that banner silver was not enough for me to eat a full meal, because most of the banner silver never reached my hands!"
"I don't believe you didn't know about Heshen's corruption. Heshen's reach didn't extend to the Border Patrol, did it? Wasn't it you who allowed Heshen's corruption?"
"It was you, it was Yongzheng, it was Kangxi, it was you who turned everyone into ghosts. It was the Great Ming, it was the Emperor, who turned us from ghosts into people!"
"Don't say they won't rebel against the Emperor. I won't rebel either! No one in the world will rebel! Let me tell you, Qian Long, I still have the skills I learned in the Border Patrol. Anyone who dares to rebel against the Emperor, I will kill them!"
Wu Mancang cursed with great fervor, and the surrounding old farmers loudly cheered him on.
These old farmers already knew that Wu Mancang was formerly a banner man and had served in the Border Patrol.
After the fall of the Great Qing, due to his good performance on the mining site and his active reform, A Chang'a became one of the first to be successfully assimilated and released. After his release, A Chang'a was given the Han name Wu Mancang and was allocated his own land.
However, Wu Mancang was not at peace. His past experience as a Border Patrol officer had become a thorn in his side. Therefore, when he first arrived in the village, Wu Mancang openly confessed that he was formerly a banner man and a member of the Border Patrol.
Wu Mancang had prepared himself to be cursed.
However, what Wu Mancang did not expect was that the villagers did not scorn him. Instead, guided by the Farmers' Association, they instructed him on how to cultivate the land.
From then on, Wu Mancang took root in this village. The skills he had learned in the Border Patrol were abandoned. His hands, accustomed to holding sword hilts, slowly learned how to grasp hoes.
It wasn't until Zhu Jinsong passed by this village with Qian Long that Wu Mancang, who considered Zhu Jinsong a deity in his heart, intended to watch from afar, to see the deity in his mind.
After hearing Qian Long's 몇 개의 nonsensical questions, Wu Mancang could no longer sit still.
Comparing yourself to His Majesty?
What right do you, Qian Long old dog, have?
If not for the guards around Qian Long, Wu Mancang would have wanted to wring Qian Long's dog head and kick it around like a ball!
However, just as all the villagers were cheering loudly, Zhu Jinsong raised his hand and said, "I once said that all the people under heaven should be able to eat and dress warmly. I also said that the Great Ming court should stand up for the people. If, one day, the Emperor and the court of the Great Ming change, no longer stand up for the people, but instead turn around and oppress the people, then you should rebel! I permit you to rebel!"