After Qianlong and his men entered the tunnel leading directly out of the palace, Qianlong suddenly asked, "Have all the tunnels in the capital of Zhili been destroyed?"
He Shen, respectfully bowing, replied with a fawning smile, "Your Majesty need not worry, I personally supervised their destruction. Not a single detail has been overlooked."
Qianlong grunted and began to mock Emperor Chongzhen extensively: "Speaking of which, that Chongzhen was quite foolish. He had secret passages leading directly out of the capital within the palace, yet he refused to use them. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for my Great Qing to enter the pass."
As He Shen held up a torch to light the way, he muttered inwardly – The man, at least, died for his country after killing his wife and children. Yet, in your words, he becomes foolish? Is it clever to run away directly, abandoning the concubines in the palace like you did?
That's right, Qianlong had fled in such haste that he completely abandoned his concubines, including Shaji Fucha, who had just been secretly enfeoffed as Noble Consort Jin and was intended to be announced publicly in a few years.
The reason for waiting a few years to announce her was because Noble Consort Jin was only ten years old, and such news would sound unpleasant. Therefore, Qianlong intended to wait three to five years before announcing Noble Consort Jin's entry into the palace.
What a pity.
Qianlong sighed softly, unsure if he was lamenting the fate of his Great Qing dynasty or Noble Consort Jin.
However, as they walked, Qianlong began to notice something was amiss.
Such secret tunnels, leading directly from the palace to the outside of the imperial city, were typically known only to the emperor. Even routine maintenance could only be carried out when the emperor was absent, and it had to be supervised by the emperor's most trusted confidants, with the artisans typically being silenced.
Under normal circumstances, no one should be present in such tunnels.
The problem was that the distant end of this tunnel was already illuminated by torchlight, and within the light, human figures could be vaguely seen moving.
Qianlong couldn't help but stop and say in a deep voice, "This is not right."
Looking at the distant torchlight, He Shen also narrowed his deadfish eyes, contemplating an escape route.
However, before He Shen could devise an escape plan, the distant torchlight grew brighter, and the sound of dense footsteps echoed through the tunnel.
Qianlong's heart jolted. He wished to retreat, but the path behind them had already been destroyed – to prevent pursuers from using the tunnel, the entrances to such tunnels were usually rigged with explosives or other self-destruct mechanisms.
Qianlong, naturally, also feared that someone might discover this tunnel after the fall of Shengjing, so he had destroyed the entrance without hesitation.
Now, he had blocked his own retreat.
So, who exactly betrayed me?
Qianlong's gaze swept back and forth between He Shen and the Grand Eunuch De Quan.
Besides Qianlong himself, only He Shen and the Grand Eunuch De Quan knew about this secret tunnel. Qianlong certainly wouldn't betray himself, so that left...
With this thought, Qianlong fixed his gaze on He Shen, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "He Shen, what benefit is there for you in betraying me?"
He Shen was momentarily stunned, and upon realizing the situation, burst into laughter. With a face full of mockery, he said to Qianlong, "Your Majesty, it is truly not I who betrayed you. I have never even considered betraying you. It's just that you, my lord, still don't know who betrayed you. Our Great Qing's demise is truly not unjust!"
Qianlong was instantly enraged and was about to reprimand him, when the Grand Eunuch De Quan, who had been following Qianlong like a shadow, slowly straightened up and said, "It was I."
De Quan straightened his clothes and said solemnly, "Allow me to introduce myself to you two: I am Zhang De Quan, a humble Head Clerk of the Eastern Depot's Division of Intelligence in the Great Ming. More than half of the intelligence from the Great Qing has been transmitted by me."
Qianlong was stunned at that moment.
After countless possibilities, Qianlong never expected the Grand Eunuch De Quan to betray him. After all, De Quan entered the palace at the age of nine and had been by Qianlong's side ever since, a true confidant whom Qianlong had nurtured step by step.
With matters having reached this point, Qianlong no longer thought about escaping. He adopted a defeated attitude, standing there waiting for the Ming army from the distance to capture him, and looked at De Quan, asking, "Why? Why did you betray me?"
"You entered the palace at nine, and I have always treated you well. Aside from you being a eunuch, I treated you almost like my own nephew. I rewarded you with things I should and shouldn't have. Even a stone, if warmed with such heartfelt care for over ten or twenty years, should have become warm, shouldn't it?"
De Quan let out a scoff and looked at Qianlong, saying, "Treated me well?"
"In the twenty-second year of Qianlong, there was a flood in Xiayi. My entire family perished! My parents starved to death, and my eldest brother was beaten to death while trying to snatch a bite to eat!"
"My eldest sister, in order to let me and my younger siblings live, sold herself but only received half a catty of coarse rice. My younger brother and sister were bloated like drums when they died, they were bloated to death by Guanyintue!"
"I was lucky and survived. But when the flood subsided and I went to look for my eldest sister, she had already been defiled and killed!"
At this point, De Quan began to laugh again, tears streaming down his face, "You treated me well? You treated me well, but you never treated me as a person, only as a slave!"
"Furthermore, if you weren't so wise and mighty, how could my entire family have met such an end!"
"Peng Jiaping, Duan Changxu, Zhang Qin, Liu Yuande, do you still remember these names? Do you remember the name Tuer Bing'a?"
"Those who fought for the people are all dead, while corrupt officials who harmed the people rise higher and higher. The flood in Xiayi even became proof of your love for the people. May I ask Your Majesty, is there any such logic in this world?"
"In order to get revenge, I, De Quan, castrated myself and made my Zhang family childless, all for the chance to enter the palace and avenge myself."
"Fortunately, the moment I entered the palace, I fell under my adoptive father's tutelage, and my adoptive father happened to be the Director of the Eastern Depot – isn't that a coincidence?"
"After learning of my background, my adoptive father took pity on me, adopted me as his godson, and brought me into the Eastern Depot. Under my adoptive father's care, I gradually caught your eye and rose to my current position step by step."
Qianlong's face darkened, and he asked, "If that's the case, then you had plenty of opportunities to strike at me, so why didn't you ever act?"
De Quan scoffed again, his face contorted with a sinister expression, "Strike? Kill you? No, no, no. My adoptive father said that killing you is easy, but after killing you, it would be difficult for the Great Qing to produce another emperor as capable of ruining the country and causing disaster as you."
"Therefore, I did not kill you. I stayed by your side, served you diligently, and watched with my own eyes as you ruined the dynasty of the Great Qing."
"To be honest, Li Shiyao was able to cater to your tastes and collect the things you liked because my adoptive father guided him from behind the scenes."
"Including the transfer and instruction of those benevolent officials who cultivated the Solon tribes, there were also the shadows of our Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard behind it, all with the aim of alienating the Solon tribes from your Great Qing."
"Every time there are rebels in the world, our Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard provide them with intelligence and offer assistance whenever possible."
"Don't think we are inhumane – my adoptive father said that we eunuchs are destined to have no descendants. If we don't do these heinous deeds, should we be good people doing good deeds?"
Qianlong was instantly furious, glaring at De Quan and shouting, "Indeed, you are an ungrateful viper!"
De Quan retorted without hesitation, "Are you Jurchens any different? Among the feudal lords of the Great Ming, you Jurchens received the most benefits, yet how did you Jurchens repay the Great Ming? Huh?"
"As the biggest ungrateful viper in the world, you Jurchens still have the nerve to call this Head Clerk an ungrateful viper? This is truly the greatest joke under the heavens!"
After scolding, De Quan glanced at the torches that were now only a few feet away, and then smiled at Qianlong, "Alright, Your Majesty, this is the last time I will address you as Your Majesty. From now on, it depends on how the Emperor intends to deal with you."
As De Quan finished speaking, Ke Zhiming, holding a torch, arrived in front of Qianlong.
Ke Zhiming ignored the ashen-faced Qianlong and the nervously uneasy He Shen, but smiled at De Quan and said, "Head Clerk Zhang, you've worked hard."
De Quan laughed heartily and said, "It is my duty to serve His Majesty."
After speaking, De Quan looked at Qianlong and He Shen and said, "Please, sirs? Do you expect me to prepare imperial carriages and sedan chairs for you?"
Qianlong unexpectedly showed some mettle at this moment. With a cold snort, he led the way towards the exit of the secret tunnel.
Upon exiting the secret tunnel, Qianlong snorted again and stood there boldly, not saying a word. He Shen, however, fell to his knees with a thud, looking in the direction of Zhu Jinsong and kowtowing, "Your humble servant He Shen, pays homage to my Emperor, may he live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"
De Quan glanced disdainfully at He Shen, quickly shed his Great Qing eunuch robes, and then walked before Zhu Jinsong. Following the etiquette he had learned from his adoptive father, he bowed and said, "Your humble servant Zhang De Quan, pays homage to His Majesty."
Zhu Jinsong ignored Qianlong and He Shen, and instead instructed Zhang De Quan, "Rise. From now on, you will stay by my side."
After Zhang De Quan rose, Zhu Jinsong turned his gaze to He Shen, "Oh, Minister He!"
He Shen's body trembled, and he quickly exclaimed, "I dare not, I dare not! Although I wear the robes of the Great Qing, my loyalty lies with the Great Ming!"
As he spoke, He Shen crawled forward a step on his knees, maintaining the kneeling posture with his head to the ground, "In these years, I have relentlessly undermined the Great Qing dynasty. I have also provided equipment, money, and provisions to the rebel armies, all to hasten the restoration of the Great Ming!"
"I know that Ji Yun, Ji Xiaolan, has outstanding literary talent, and Your Majesty values education. I thought he would be useful to the Great Ming. When Qianlong wanted to kill Ji Xiaolan, I schemed with all my might to save his life, so that he could serve the Great Ming. I implore Your Majesty to see the truth."
As he spoke, He Shen was almost moved to tears by his own words, "In these years, I have embezzled eight hundred million taels of silver from the Great Qing, which not only harmed its finances but also helped Your Majesty in the anti-Qing restoration. My loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon! Heaven and Earth can bear witness!"
Zhu Jinsong ignored He Shen, who was becoming more and more excited, almost to the point of tears, and instead narrowed his eyes, looking at Qianlong, "I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Qianlong let out a cold laugh, glanced at He Shen, and said, "I have also been waiting for you for a long time. It's just a matter of the victor becoming king and the vanquished becoming the subject. Since I have fallen into your hands, whether you kill me or flay me, I will obey your will."
Zhu Jinsong said, "Look, look, you Jurchens, you always talk about killing and flaying. Do you know anything else?"
"Don't worry, I won't kill you anytime soon. I still need to keep you alive so that you can witness firsthand how your Great Qing falls and becomes the vanguard of my victory."
Zhu Jinsong then turned his gaze to He Shen, "Speaking of Ji Yun, Ji Xiaolan, I must thank you properly."