Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 391 Ming Chen
At dusk in the Gu Mansion in Kunshan, the lights in the attic of the side courtyard were brightly lit, and a group of scholars gathered

In the main hall of the attic, tea cups and cakes were placed on the table. Gu Xianjian, Xia Zhixu, Xia Wanchun, Zhang Kuan, Yin Zhilu and more than ten other scholars were sitting in the room.

The Qing Dynasty had occupied Jiangnan for nearly five years. At this time, all the gentry and common people in Jiangnan had shaved their heads, but the dozen people in the hall all wore buns, and no one shaved their heads.

If they were discovered by the county government, I'm afraid everyone in the place would be regarded as traitors and arrested and imprisoned.

A group of gentlemen drank tea and exchanged their recent news.
Nowadays, almost everyone in Jiangnan has shaved their heads, and those who wear hair are very conspicuous. In order to keep their hair, these people usually stay indoors.

Almost everyone in the field had a Ming Dynasty title, Gu Xianzheng was a Juren, Xia Zhixu was a Zhusheng, Yin Zhilu was a Jinshi.
These people usually live in seclusion, like lonely ghosts, and only at night do they truly come alive.

Everyone was talking when the door suddenly opened with a bang. Chen Zilong was holding a scroll in his hand with an excited look on his face. He walked in and said loudly:

"Everyone, great joy, great joy, His Royal Highness the Regent has ascended the throne."

Everyone in the room was stunned when they heard this. A hint of joy flashed across Xia Zhixu's face, and he said

"Has His Royal Highness Lu Jianguo ascended the throne? When did this news come out?"

Chen Zilong's face was solemn, and he said

"Brother Yuanchu, this is absurd. In the Ming Dynasty, there is only His Royal Highness Prince Lu. How can there be a Lu Regent?"

"It is Gui, the regent. Gui was proclaimed emperor in Guangjing on the first day of September after being persuaded by the governor-general of the eight southern provinces and all the civil and military officials in the court to ascend the throne. The reign was changed to Yongli. Our Ming Dynasty finally has a wise ruler again."

Everyone in the room suddenly stood up after hearing this. Gu Xianzheng spoke

"Is the news correct?"

"There is no mistake. The news of His Highness ascending the throne spread throughout the eight southern provinces last month."

"The Emperor's accession edict has been published in Xingming Times and will be distributed to the whole country."

"This is the Enthronement Map that I bought today for ten taels of silver. Soon, the news of Your Majesty's enthronement will surely spread throughout the world."

Chen Zilong was excited. Lu Jianguo was stationed in Zhoushan, which was only a stone's throw away from Nanzhili.
After Emperor Longwu was killed, a group of Ming-supporting gentry in Jiangnan, Fujian and Zhejiang once regarded Lu Jianguo as the orthodox of the Ming Dynasty. Even Chen Zilong and several others in the room were given official positions by Lu Jianguo.
But at this time, no one in the field reacted to what Chen Zilong had just said.
Zhu Lang led his army to a great victory over the Qing invaders in the southwest of Fujian and Zhejiang. Although the Qing government tried to cover it up, the news still spread quickly throughout Jiangnan.

After the news of the victory in the south spread to Jiangnan, the pro-Ming gentry in various places regarded Zhu Lang as the orthodox ruler of the court.

Even the Qing court no longer paid attention to Lu Jianguo on Zhoushan Island, but instead focused on the Guangdong Provincial Court in the south.
This is a time of chaos. The one with the strongest army and the most powerful horse will be the king. If you can't win on the battlefield, no one will recognize you even if you are the third prince of Zhu.

Moreover, Zhu Lang's identity was already very legitimate. Although Lu Jianguo had not yet surrendered, it could be said that in the eyes of the world at this time, there was no doubt that the Ming Dynasty was legitimate.
In the original trajectory, Chen Zilong would have instigated the rebellion of the Qing Dynasty's Susong Admiral three years ago, and at the same time connected with Zhang Mingzhen and other Lu Jianguo troops on Zhoushan Island, intending to cooperate internally and externally to raise an army to recover Jiangnan

Although Chen Zilong and his people were of high moral integrity, they acted very rashly. Before Chen Zilong and his people started their uprising, the news of the uprising had already spread throughout the prefectures of Suzhou.

The Qing government learned the news and dispatched troops in advance to capture Chen Zilong and others. However, the Zhoushan Navy, which was responsible for the capture, encountered a storm on the way and most of the ships capsized.
This uprising, which Chen Zilong had planned for several years, was suppressed by the Qing government before it even started.
After Chen Zilong's uprising failed, he first fled to Gu's family, but the entire Gu family was wiped out. Then Chen Zilong fled to Hou Qi Zeng's family, but the Hou family took him in despite the danger, but they were also wiped out.
All parties in Jiangnan tried their best to rescue him, but Chen Zilong was eventually captured by the Qing government. After being arrested, Chen Zilong also refused to kneel and drowned himself during the escort.
After the failure of the Suzhou Uprising, the Qing government began to arrest traitors in Jiangnan. Now Gu Xianzheng, Xia Zhixu and dozens of others in the room were listed as traitors and were killed by the Qing government afterwards.
Chen Zilong was supposed to have revolted and died for his country three years ago, but after the Guangdong court invaded Zhejiang, the Ming and Qing sides stationed troops in Zhejiang to confront each other, and a large number of soldiers were transferred to Jiangnan by the Qing court.

Jiangnan is now full of soldiers. Chen Zilong has not been able to find an opportunity to start an uprising in recent years. He has to hide in various places in Jiangnan and wait for an opportunity.

In the lobby, several tables were cleared, and Chen Zilong carefully spread out the scroll in his hand.
When the scroll was unfolded, the words "Han and Hu cannot coexist, and we must be prepared for the Central Plains" were written at the beginning. This scroll was the collection supplement published by Xingming Times.
A group of scholars gathered in the room, leaning over the table by the light of the lamp. They read the enthronement edict written in tiny characters word by word, and then looked at the list of posthumous ancestor in the back.
The gentry were all excited at first, but after reading the list of names to be honored, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became dull.

Gu Xian was looking at the names of his familiar teachers and friends on the list of people to be honored, but he sighed.

"Your Majesty commends loyalty and righteousness, and never forgets my loyal and adopted son from Jiangnan"

"Brother Zhongyi and Brother Yongzhan are now enshrined as virtuous men and their names are recorded in paintings. If you two knew about this in the afterlife, you would smile."

Xia Yunyi, courtesy name Zhongyi, and Hou Dongzeng, courtesy name Yuzhan, were both included in the list of officials to be posthumously honored on the Jiangshang throne.
A young man in a long shirt in the room, with red eyes, suddenly bowed to Chen Zilong and said:

"When my father died for his country, all he had in mind was the Ming Dynasty."

"Now that the emperor has ascended the throne, our Ming Dynasty has been revived. My nephew would like to bring the emperor's portrait back home, place it before the emperor's spirit, and worship it every day. Please don't give it to me, Mr. Chen."

The young man bowed down after he finished speaking, and Xia Zhixu beside him also bowed down and begged

Xia Zhixu is Xia Yunyi's brother, and the young man is Xia Yunyi's son Xia Wanchun
Chen Zilong was hesitant when he heard this. When he bought the scroll, he had already decided to treasure it in his home.
But at this moment, looking at the two people with sincere expressions, Chen Zilong could only sigh and agree to this matter.

At this time, everyone in the room was in a depressed mood. Who could risk being beheaded and keep their hair for five years in the Qing territory without a huge hatred for the Qing?
Chen Zilong saw that the atmosphere was dull, but suddenly he spoke

"Your Majesty has ascended the throne, and the Ming Dynasty will continue to prosper. This is a great joyous event. Why are you so depressed?"

"Although we are in a foreign land, we are still loyal to the emperor. Why don't we worship the emperor's portrait and congratulate him on his accession to the throne?"

Gu Xianzheng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he immediately said

"Brother Wozi is right. Although we cannot be in the imperial court, we are still subjects of the Ming Dynasty. How can we not congratulate His Majesty on his accession to the throne?"

Everyone in the room was delighted to hear this. Gu Xianzheng brought a robe and a scarf from his house, and everyone in the room started to put on their clothes.
A group of gentry hung a scroll of the enthronement in the middle of the room, and then stood in a row on the left and right of the hall, bowing and paying respect.

"Chen Zilong, a military official of the Chongzhen Dynasty, congratulates His Majesty on his accession to the throne. I hope His Majesty will launch an early northern expedition to drive out the Tartars and restore our Ming Dynasty."

"The Chongzhen Emperor invited the prefectural magistrate Gu Xianzheng to congratulate His Majesty on his accession to the throne. We hope that His Majesty will launch an early northern expedition to drive out the Tartars and restore our Ming dynasty."

"Xia Zhixu, a student of the Chongzhen Dynasty, congratulates His Majesty on his ascension to the throne..."

Chen Zilong actually held a higher official position. When Tang and Lu were fighting for the throne, Lu's regent appointed Chen Zilong as the Minister of War, in charge of the grain transport of seven provinces. Emperor Longwu also appointed Chen Zilong as the Left Vice Minister of War and the Left Censor-in-Chief.

At this time, Chen Zilong and the others in the room concealed the official title granted by Lu Jianguo and only used the title of Chongzhen's court, which was to show their respect for the Guangdong Provincial Court.
The scroll published by Xingming Times depicts Zhu Lang leading officials to worship the Altar of Heaven and Earth when he ascended the throne in Guangzhou

However, these images mainly show the process of enthronement, which is intended to show the majesty and style of the court, but the faces of the people in them cannot be seen clearly.
At this time, everyone in the room looked solemn, kneeling down to salute the blurred figure wearing an imperial robe and crown on the scroll.

Everyone in the room was very serious, taking turns to kowtow to a scroll. From an outsider's perspective, it actually seemed like a joke.

But this is the most meaningful thing that the gentry in the room have done in the past few years.
As the Qing Dynasty occupied Jiangnan for a long time, the people in Jiangnan had gradually become accustomed to the Qing Dynasty's rule and had become indifferent to the issue of shaving their heads.

When the Qing army first occupied Jiangnan, uprisings broke out in various parts of Jiangnan, but in recent years, news of uprisings in Jiangnan has become less and less.

When Gu Xianzheng and others gathered a few years ago, there were as many as 50 or 60 scholars wearing their hair and holding official seals. However, as time went by, some people shaved their heads and left the party, either because of the current situation or because they felt that it would be difficult for the Ming court to recover Jiangnan.

Now, there are only a dozen people in the room who still insist on keeping their hair. No one knows whether there will be fewer like-minded people at the next gathering.
It is often said that whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world, but the hearts of the people are like water, and they are also the easiest to change.

Chen Zilong and other scholars took turns kneeling to congratulate him. After they finished their greetings, they all looked excited.

Although they were just bowing to a scroll, and although no one would even know about their bowing, after everyone stood up, they felt that the world was completely different.
Previously, they were just a group of lonely ghosts, but now the court has been established and all the ministers in the world have submitted to them. These remaining ministers in Jiangnan have a king again.

After everyone in the room stood up, they excitedly exchanged the intelligence they had recently gathered. This was also the most important purpose of their monthly gathering.

Everyone was talking to themselves when the door opened again.
Gu Tiankui looked solemn, and was about to speak when he entered the room, but when he saw the people in the room, he was also stunned. Obviously, he did not expect that there would be so many people in the room.
Gu Tiankui stopped talking, bowed to everyone, and then hurried to Gu Xianzheng's side and whispered, "Father, I have something to report to you. Please go to the side hall."

Gu Xian had just drunk some wine, and his face was slightly red at this moment, but he said casually

"We are not outsiders here, just speak directly if you have anything to say, there is no need to be shy"

Gu Tiankui was speechless as he looked at the gentry in the room, some chatting and cursing, some drinking and singing.
He has been traveling with Xu Fuyuan and others these days, and he also knows Xu Fuyuan and others' style of doing things.
If he dared to leak the news in front of so many people today, Liu Guoxuan would probably chop him to death tomorrow.
Gu Tian spoke again

"These are some private family matters. I don't want to disturb you uncles. Please go to the side hall."

Gu Xian was looking at his eldest son, who had a serious expression on his face, and his brows were slightly frowned.
Gu Xianzheng apologized to Chen Zilong and the others in the field, and then followed Gu Tiankui out of the room.
Gu Xianzheng was not away for too long. Half a minute later, he returned to the room, but Gu Tiankui had disappeared.

Gu Xianzheng walked back to the room, casually answered the questions of the people in the room, and then his expression was normal and he talked with everyone. However, after Gu Xianzheng returned to the room, he stopped drinking.
An hour later, the gathering ended as scheduled. After asking Chen Zilong to purchase the scroll of enthronement, everyone left for home under the cover of night.

In the dark room of Gu's courtyard, Chen Zilong walked into the room and looked at Xia Zhixu and Xia Wanchun in the room with a puzzled look on his face.
He had just boarded the carriage to return home, but before he left the street, the servants of the Gu Mansion caught up with the carriage and asked Chen Zilong to return home.
Chen Zilong looked at Gu Xianzheng in the room and was about to ask, but at this moment the door suddenly opened and Gu Tiankui led two men in black into the room.

Chen Zilong saw the leading man with a look of surprise on his face and immediately said

"Brother An Gong, why are you here?!"

Chen Zilong certainly knew Xu Fuyuan. Chen Zilong and Xu Fuyuan were both from Huating, Songjiang. They co-founded several societies and raised an army in Songjiang to fight against the Qing Dynasty.
The two have known each other for decades and are close friends who can entrust each other's relatives.

Xia Zhixu was also surprised when he saw Xu Fuyuan. They sat down in the room and talked about their experiences after escaping from Songjiang.
When Chen Zilong heard that Xu Fuyuan had been appointed as the governor of Suzhou and Songjiang by the imperial court, his eyes lit up. Chen Zilong's reaction was exactly the same as Hou Qizeng's.

"Mr. An, is the imperial court planning a northern expedition?"

They had just learned of the emperor's accession to the throne, and at this time Xu Fuyuan, the governor of Songsusong, had sneaked back to Suzhou. What else could it be except the Northern Expedition?

Upon hearing this, Xu Fuyuan's expression straightened and he said in a deep voice:
"Yes, I returned here on the order of the imperial court to obtain silk products from Jiangnan, to accumulate funds for the imperial court, and to prepare for the Northern Expedition."

Xu Fuyuan's real purpose of sneaking back to Suzhou this time was to set up a business in Jiangnan and obtain Jiangnan silk goods.

Now that Nanzhili was controlled by the Qing court, if they wanted to obtain a large amount of Jiangnan silk goods, they could only rely on the help of Jiangnan gentry such as Chen Zilong.
Chen Zilong was a leader of several societies and a famous scholar of the Fu Society, with a reputation throughout the world.

If the Hou family can connect the two prefectures of Suzhou and Songjiang, then Chen Zilong's network of relationships can connect the entire Jiangnan area, which is extremely critical to the court's plan.
Although Chen Zilong also knew the importance of money and food, when he heard that Xu Fuyuan sneaked back to the Nanjing Division in Jiangnan just for business matters, a trace of disappointment flashed across his face.

Xu Fuyuan looked serious as he looked at Chen Zilong and the others and suddenly said

"Brother Wozi, are you still willing to serve the court?"

"Of course, Lord An, if you have anything to ask, just tell us and we will do our best to help you."

Chen Zilong, Gu Xianzheng and others responded one after another, but Xu Fuyuan said in a deep voice

"Okay, in that case, please shave your head first, Brother Wozi!"

Chen Zilong's expression suddenly changed when he heard this.

"As Ming ministers, how can we shave our heads and become captives? I'm sorry I can't obey your order."

In order to keep their robes, Chen Zilong and his companions refused to shave their heads for five years, even at the risk of being arrested at any time.
If they shave their heads now, what difference will there be between them and those treacherous traitors who defected to the enemy before!

Xu Fuyuan remained unmoved and spoke

"I have served as an official in Fujian Province with Governor Zhang for several years. The Qing court is very likely to have known my identity, but I cannot show up in public in Qing territory."

"The amount of silk goods needed by the court is huge, and the person handling it must be absolutely reliable. The purchase of silk goods must be in public. If Brother Wozi does not shave his head, who will take care of the business?"

Seeing that the others were silent, Xu Fuyuan spoke again.

"The eight southern provinces are poor. Your Majesty worked very hard last year to open up a sea route to Japan. Now the court is in urgent need of silk and cloth from Jiangnan, and we are selling them to foreign countries for profit."

"If we can get one more load of silk from the south of the Yangtze River, the imperial court will be able to march north one day earlier and save the people of the Central Plains from disaster."

"Wozi, you are the governor of Yingtian appointed by the emperor, don't you even want to obey the emperor's decree?"

Chen Zilong was stunned when he heard this and said

"Your Majesty also knows my name?"

"Of course I know, otherwise why would His Majesty choose Brother Wozi!"

Xu Fuyuan looked at Chen Zilong, who looked excited, but his eyes flickered.

Although it was a personal appointment, Chen Zilong was recommended by Xu Fuyuan. Zhu Lang vaguely remembered Chen Zilong's name, so he also approved it.

Chen Zilong knew that this was the order from the palace, and finally made up his mind and agreed to shave his head.
In the secret room, Chen Zilong knelt on the ground in his robe, while Xu Fuyuan held the imperial edict in his hand and read it in a deep voice.

"Chen Zilong, the military official, is resolute and honest, and is capable of great responsibility. He is specially appointed as the governor of Yingtian, and appointed as the right censor of the Supervisory Office, and is in charge of the finances and personnel of the various prefectures in Nanzhili."

"Your servant Chen Zilong obeys your order."

Chen Zilong knelt before the imperial edict, and Liu Guoxuan stepped forward and began to shave Chen Zilong's hair. Strands of hair fell to the ground, and the hair on Chen Zilong's head was quickly shaved off, turning it into a golden rat tail.

"Specially appointing Yan'an magistrate Gu Xianzheng as Changzhou prefect"

"Specially appoint the student Xia Zhixu as the prefect of Huzhou"

"Specially appoint the student Xia Wanchun as the co-magistrate of Jiaxing"

Gu Xianzheng and the other two came forward one by one to receive the order, and then they were also shaved off their hair.

Chen Zilong was reluctant to shave his head before, but after shaving his head, Chen Zilong no longer hesitated and said

"The Taihu Prefectures are rich in silk floss, so it is not difficult to buy silk goods."

"But the Qing government had suffered a series of defeats at sea before, and at this time the coastal prefectures of Southern Zhili had very strict maritime bans."

"It was easy to transport silk from Jiangnan within the Qing court, but it was very difficult to transport it to the south."

Upon hearing this, Xu Fuyuan also spoke directly

"Brother Wozi, just purchase silk goods in Jiangnan. After purchasing the silk goods, you only need to transport the silk goods to Ningbo. The court will make arrangements later."

In the dim secret room, the candlelight flickered, and the bright yellow flame seemed to burn through the darkness in the room. Chen Zilong, Xu Fuyuan and others gathered under the lamp and began to make intensive preparations.
(End of this chapter)