Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 728 Everyone has their own thoughts

Emperor Chongzhen asked Zhu Shenzhui whether the news was true or not. Zhu Shenzhui smiled and said that it was of course true. How could he joke about such a big thing?

Zhu Shenzhu even took out the official document of the Jinyiwei escorting Gao Yingxiang and showed it to Emperor Chongzhen. When Emperor Chongzhen saw Gao Yingxiang's name clearly written on the document and the signature to verify his identity, he could not help but burst out laughing.

As he laughed, Emperor Chongzhen's eyes became moist. Gao Yingxiang, oh Gao Yingxiang, you damned traitor! How could you have ended up like this? If it weren't for Gao Yingxiang, the bandit, how could the Ming Dynasty have been corrupted to such an extent? And he himself would not have ended up like this.

If Gao Yingxiang had not brought disaster to the world, he would have been able to concentrate on dealing with the Jiannu in Liaodong. At the same time, the Ming Dynasty would have been stable, and there would have been no rebellion by Zhu Shencui. Zhu Shencui would not have taken advantage of the situation and directly captured the capital, leading to his house arrest.

All this is due to the existence of Gao Yingxiang. Now this great threat has finally been captured. Next, Gao Yingxiang will be punished according to law. The world will be completely stable, and the Ming Dynasty will have a chance to recover and revive again.

Just when he was thinking about it happily, Emperor Chongzhen's expression became awkward again. Although this was the result, the problem was that Gao Yingxiang's failure was not caused by Emperor Chongzhen, but the result of Zhu Shenzhui. Zhu Shenzhui not only repelled Huang Taiji's invasion and won a great victory at the Great Wall, but now he also wiped out the bandit leader Gao Yingxiang. The internal and external troubles were eliminated in his hands. The world could only think that it was Zhu Shenzhui's merit as regent, and not the ability of Emperor Chongzhen.

How could he not know what the Ming Dynasty was like when he was in power? Now the Ming Dynasty has won two great victories in succession on the battlefields inside and outside the country, and even a fool can see the difference. Moreover, with these two great victories, Zhu Shenzhui's prestige and momentum will surely be greatly boosted. This is certainly a good thing for Zhu Shenzhui, but it is not a good thing for Emperor Chongzhen.

Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen felt sad. Was he really not a qualified king? When his brother Emperor Tianqi passed the throne to him, he held his hand and said, "My brother should be like Yao and Shun." But what was the reality?
This is what he has been demanding of himself since he ascended the throne. He has been working diligently every day and taking care of state affairs, but the whole country is getting worse and worse, and all kinds of problems are becoming more and more serious. Finally, even he, the emperor, has become a puppet. Is he really not as good as Zhu Shenzhui?
Many complicated thoughts surged into his mind, and Emperor Chongzhen didn't know what to say. He looked at Zhu Shenzhui with a very uncomfortable feeling.

"Your Majesty, Gao Yingxiang has been a nuisance for many years, and he is the most important figure among the bandits. His capture is of great significance. Moreover, he has been escorted to the capital. I intend to meet him before the three judicial officials execute him. I know that Your Majesty has always been upset about this person. If Your Majesty is interested, I can arrange for Your Majesty to accompany me to meet Gao Yingxiang. How do you think?"

"What do you mean?" Emperor Chongzhen asked hesitantly. What was Zhu Shenzhu's plan? Why did he allow him to meet Gao Yingxiang? Or was Zhu Shenzhu's intention something he didn't know about? Or was he hiding some other trick?
"Why do you ask this question, Your Majesty?" Zhu Shenzhui asked in return, "I know Your Majesty has hated Gao Yingxiang for many years, and has been even more worried about this man. Now that Gao Yingxiang has been escorted to Beijing, Your Majesty, don't you want to see this man with your own eyes and see what kind of person is able to dominate the eight provinces and turn our Ming Dynasty upside down?"

"I came here today with good intentions, to inform Your Majesty of this good news and to seek Your Majesty's opinion. Of course, if Your Majesty does not want to see this person, that's fine. I can go and see him myself. After seeing this person, the three judicial officials will directly execute him, and this matter will be considered over."

"This..." After hearing Zhu Shenzhui's answer, Emperor Chongzhen hesitated again. He was a suspicious person by nature. He suspected Zhu Shenzhui had other intentions at first. Now that Zhu Shenzhui acted like he didn't care, he became worried again.

After all, as Zhu Shenzhui said, Gao Yingxiang was a tyrant and a bandit that Emperor Chongzhen had been trying to get rid of for many years. He dreamed of seeing this man with his own eyes to see what kind of person was who had messed up his Ming Dynasty like this.

In addition, Emperor Chongzhen also planned to ask Gao Yingxiang in person why he wanted to be a bandit and why he had to start a rebellion? Wouldn't it be good to be a stable citizen? If it weren't for these bandits who tossed the Ming Dynasty into this state, how could the world be in this state today? How did he, as an emperor, let down the people of the world? He was so diligent and devoted so much effort, but in return he got such a result?
Seeing Emperor Chongzhen's hesitation, Zhu Shenzhui stood up and said, "I came here today for this matter. Your Majesty, please tell me how to reply as soon as possible. However, time is running out. If the three judicial officials execute Gao Yingxiang, Gao Yingxiang will never see him again. It's getting late, so I won't delay your majesty and your family's happiness. So, I'll take my leave..."

"and many more!"

Zhu Shenzhui, who was about to leave, turned around and saw Emperor Chongzhen suddenly calling him and looking at him with an inquiring look.

"When do you plan to meet Gao Yingxiang?"

"Tomorrow, I will arrange for someone to take Gao Yingxiang out of prison and bring him directly to the palace to see him."

"Where?" Emperor Chongzhen asked. "Where do you think is convenient?" Zhu Shenzhui asked in return.

Emperor Chongzhen was about to say the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but he knew it was inappropriate before he even said it, because the Hall of Supreme Harmony was the main hall for court meetings. If he wanted to meet Gao Yingxiang there, all the court officials had to be there, and there were strict etiquette. Now that he was Zhu Shenzhui's prisoner, how could Zhu Shenzhui let him meet Gao Yingxiang in the Hall of Supreme Harmony?
"Why not send him to the Qianqing Palace? Meet him here?" Emperor Chongzhen asked tentatively.

"Qianqing Palace? Sure!" Zhu Shenzhui did not reject his suggestion. He just thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"That's it. Tomorrow I will see this traitor with my own eyes in the Qianqing Palace!" Emperor Chongzhen said with a double meaning, especially the last two words "traitor" which he said with gritted teeth. Zhu Shenzhui didn't care. He smiled and nodded. So they agreed that he would come to the Qianqing Palace again tomorrow and meet Gao Yingxiang together.

After the matter was settled, Zhu Shenzhui stood up and left. After Zhu Shenzhui's figure disappeared outside the gate of Qianqing Palace, everyone present, except Emperor Chongzhen and the ignorant child, breathed a sigh of relief. The "mountain" that had been pressing on their heads had finally left.

"Your Majesty, you spoke too bluntly just now." Without outsiders around, Queen Zhou couldn't help but say to Emperor Chongzhen.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I was really nervous just now, worried that my uncle... no... the Regent would be angry." Concubine Tian was also frightened.

"What am I afraid of! I am the emperor of the Ming Dynasty! The supreme ruler! Zhu Shenzhui is only a royal family member. Even if he is the regent, does he dare to risk the world's condemnation and kill me? Besides, I am not afraid of death. If my death can serve as a warning to the world and revive the Ming Dynasty, my death will be worthy!" Emperor Chongzhen was stubborn and would not listen to any advice.

Seeing him like this, Empress Zhou and Concubine Tian secretly exchanged glances. Although they had been fighting openly and secretly for favor for many years in the past, things were no longer the same now. After Zhu Shenzhu entered the capital, they and Emperor Chongzhen became hostages under house arrest, not only themselves, but also the children around them.

Under someone else's roof, who wouldn't bow their heads? At this time, one should be more humble. How could one be like Emperor Chongzhen, who still put on the emperor's stinking airs and directly confronted others? And the person he confronted was none other than Zhu Shenzhu, the regent whose life and death depended on him. Why did he do this?

Although they were women, they also knew one thing, that is, they should bow their heads when they should, and there was no need to be so tough. If they were so tough once or twice, the other party might tolerate it, but who could guarantee that the other party would not lose his temper over time? What if they really took action? It would be fine for them, and it would be okay for them to die with Emperor Chongzhen, but what about their young children? They couldn't let this bloodline be cut off, right?
Helpless and powerless to dissuade, Empress Zhou and Concubine Tian could only sigh and shake their heads. On the contrary, the eldest prince Zhu Cilang and Princess Zhu Mianzhu showed different expressions. Although they were less than ten years old, they were much more mature than ordinary children born in the palace. Moreover, they saw the situation today clearly. Children are more sensitive than adults. Some things that Emperor Chongzhen did not care about or did not feel at all, they saw clearly from the side.

Zhu Cilang and Zhu Mianzhu discovered that this great uncle was not as ferocious as the rumors said. On the contrary, he was very easy to talk to. There was no defensive or fierce look in the eyes when he looked at them. Instead, there was comfort and gentleness. He even showed kindness to his youngest brother. These things could not be faked. The children's intuition was not wrong.

In addition, he was polite to his mother, just like he was to ordinary family members. Even his father, who had always been unkind to him, did not seem angry at all. Although there was some sarcasm in his words, there was not much malice. On the contrary, Zhu Shenzhu looked at Emperor Chongzhen with a trace of inexplicable pity, just like an elder looking at an incompetent junior, with a feeling of regret for not being able to make up for his shortcomings.

Zhu Cilang and Zhu Mianzhu, who were already somewhat sensible and had their own ideas, had only met Zhu Shenzhu for the third time today. The first two times were when he had just entered the palace and was under house arrest, and the other time was when he came to visit the harem two months ago and informed them that they could go to the Qianqing Palace to meet their father every few days.

The two times, it was the Queen Mother who received them. They just met and exchanged greetings, and were so nervous that they didn't even get a clear look at Zhu Shencui's face. Today was the third time, and it was also the first time that they really looked at Zhu Shencui's appearance carefully. They also listened to the entire conversation between Zhu Shencui and their father.

The feeling this time was completely different from the previous two times, and they not only did not have much hatred towards Zhu Shenzhui, but on the contrary, they were more curious about him. In addition, although they did not agree with Zhu Shenzhui's implicit satire of their father's point of view, they also thought about it and began to reflect on why their father could not do many things when he was in power, but Zhu Shenzhui could do them?
Could it be that their father was not a qualified emperor? Was it a mistake for him to succeed his uncle as the emperor? The two children, in their immature minds, could not help but ponder this question, and they had many doubts.

(End of this chapter)