My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 234 Emperors cannot cultivate immortality, but Emperor Chongzhen could!
In addition, Zhu Cilang felt that the reward given to Zuo Liangyu was not enough, so he decided to give Zuo Liangyu another surprise.

That was to appoint Zuo Liangyu's son, Zuo Menggeng, as a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and to serve in the Eastern Palace.

However, Zuo Liangyu's son was not very capable, so this position was just a nominal one, intended to express recognition and trust in Zuo Liangyu.

This would make him even more devoted to serving the court.

After all, judging from the current situation, Zuo Liangyu is still very valuable!

In addition, Zhu Cilang planned to issue the imperial edict using the normal procedure this time.

That is, first send these two reports of victory and his own rewards to Zuo Liangyu and Wang Qiaonian to the cabinet.

Then, the cabinet ministers would discuss the matter according to the imperial decree, propose their opinions on how to handle the memorial, attach them to the memorial, and submit them again. This process was called "drafting proposals".

Then Zhu Cilang reviewed the contents of the cabinet's draft proposal, and wrote his instructions in red ink. If he agreed, the draft proposal would be implemented; if he disagreed, he could propose revisions or directly reject the proposal for re-drafting.

This process became known as the "approval of official documents."

Imperial approval was a crucial step in the emperor's decision-making process, reflecting the emperor's ultimate decision-making power.

Once the imperial edict was approved and approved, it would be copied by a special official to form an official decree or imperial edict.

After the copying is completed, a specialist will proofread it to ensure that the content is accurate. Finally, the emperor's jade seal will be affixed, and it can then be issued and implemented.

Zhu Cilang did this simply to restore everything to normal procedures.

Emperor Chongzhen used to hate this process because most of his imperial edicts were rejected by the cabinet, which made him feel very embarrassed.

However, of course, the root cause was that Chongzhen was unable to control the cabinet.

But now...
Such a thing doesn't exist!
Unless the cabinet ministers are completely out of their minds, they would never dare to reject the imperial edict.

Just as Zhu Cilang had guessed, after receiving the report of victory and memorial from Wang Chengen, the cabinet held a brief discussion and then unanimously approved it.

At first, some of the cabinet ministers were not entirely convinced that Zuo Liangyu could have made such a contribution.

After all, they had heard a lot about Zuo Liangyu before and knew that he had always been an arrogant and fierce general, and that he was already showing signs of becoming a warlord.

Unexpectedly, Zuo Liangyu suddenly became the pillar of the Ming Dynasty in Henan and made such great contributions, which is truly unbelievable.

They suspected that Zuo Liangyu might be exaggerating his achievements again in an attempt to fraudulently obtain rewards from the imperial court!
However, after seeing Wang Qiaonian's report of victory, they knew that it was most likely true.

After all, although they didn't know Zuo Liangyu, they knew Wang Qiaonian very well and knew that Wang Qiaonian would never collude with Zuo Liangyu.

This means that this is true, and Zuo Liangyu really did make such a great contribution!

Therefore, the cabinet ministers no longer disagreed with Zhu Cilang, but directly agreed to his decision.

After all, to be honest, they also hated bandits like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong to the core.

Because wherever these guys went, they would slaughter all the local gentry, officials, and members of the royal family.

This is practically equivalent to waging war against all classes in the entire country!

This also includes officials like them.

This is probably why the gentry group of the Ming Dynasty in history was unwilling to help Li Zicheng, but was willing to help the Jurchens settle in the Central Plains.

Thus, by noon that day, everything was ready, and the imperial edict was immediately sent to Henan and Anhui.

The imperial edict to Henan concerned bestowing titles and rewards, while the edict to Anhui concerned allocating grain and silver.

In addition, the headline of the Daming Daily for the next few days was also about this matter.

In short, the goal is to let the whole world know two things.

The first thing is that the imperial court has the absolute ability to defeat the bandits and restore peace to the whole country.

Secondly, the imperial court will never mistreat any minister who is loyal to the country!

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the past few days, princes and nobles from the imperial family who live relatively close to the capital have been arriving in Beijing one after another with their relatives.

The number ranges from a few hundred to over a thousand.

However, Zhu Cilang did not choose to meet with them, but planned to wait until all the other members of the imperial clan arrived in the capital before meeting them together.

Then he instructed Zhu Yujian to settle them properly. Princes and dukes were settled directly in the capital, while the others were settled in the new city outside the capital.

Although the new city is not yet fully completed, it can at least guarantee the basic living conditions of the royal family members living here, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

That day, just as Zhu Cilang finished court and was about to return to the Eastern Palace, Li Ruolian rushed in to report:
"Your Highness, the leader of Wudang Mountain has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang was taken aback at first, then laughed.

Previously in Liaodong, Zhu Cilang 'revealed' his identity to Chongzhen. At that time, he promised Chongzhen that he would teach Chongzhen how to cultivate immortality after returning to the capital.

Of course, calling it cultivating immortality is not entirely accurate; to be precise, it was simply teaching Emperor Chongzhen a set of exercises to strengthen his body.

However, on his way back to the capital, he was 'attacked,' and then there were matters such as collecting overdue taxes and the arrival of members of the imperial family in the capital, which caused delays.

He only remembered this matter about ten days ago, and then ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to search around the capital to see if there were any famous Taoist temples or Taoist priests.

After some investigation, he was somewhat disappointed.

Although there are indeed many Taoist temples near the capital, and many Taoist priests live there, without exception, these Taoist priests are all incompetent, or to put it more bluntly, they are just people who are just getting by.

After careful consideration, Zhu Cilang finally decided to invite the current leader of Wudang Mountain down the mountain.

There are two purposes to doing this.

The first purpose was to have him keep Chongzhen company and teach him Tai Chi or something, so that Chongzhen wouldn't interfere in state affairs.

Even if he insists on comparing Chongzhen to an immortal, that's fine!
how to say?

Although emperors are generally not allowed to cultivate immortality, Emperor Chongzhen was clearly an exception.

If Emperor Chongzhen had pursued immortality, it would have only brought benefits to the Ming Dynasty, not harm!

The second objective, of course, concerns religion.

It should be noted that Catholicism is currently flourishing in the Ming Dynasty.

Every Sunday, a large number of officials go to Catholic churches to participate in Mass, which is one of the most important religious ceremonies in Catholicism.

Although the Ming Dynasty did not have the concept of Sunday, the missionaries still managed to calculate the specific date based on the time.

Moreover, many people participated, including many high-ranking officials in the imperial court, and even Bi Maokang and Song Yingxing.

Zhu Cilang couldn't easily stop this kind of thing.

Firstly, the Ming Dynasty was a relatively open country that did not prohibit religious beliefs or force anyone to choose a religion.

Secondly, when they went to pay homage, they would sometimes exchange academic questions, including those about firearms, which would be beneficial to the country's future development, so Zhu Cilang didn't bother with them.

But he felt that he couldn't let things continue like this, and that other religions had to come in to check and balance Catholicism.

The first thing Zhu Cilang thought of was Taoism!

After all, the Ming Dynasty imperial family had always revered Taoism, and Zhenwu the Great was even regarded as the main god, enjoying the worship of the Ming Dynasty imperial family.

At this point, having the leader of Wudang Mountain step in would be the best option.

As for Zhu Cilang himself, although he did not believe in any religion, if he had to choose one, he would naturally choose Taoism.

After a moment of reflection, Zhu Cilang did not rush to meet the head priest, because he suddenly realized that today seemed to be Sunday, the day when Catholics participate in Mass.

At this time, officials and ordinary people who believe in Catholicism would probably gather at the Catholic church.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang looked directly at Li Ruolian and gave her instructions:

"Take him to the Catholic church for a while first, then bring him to see me."

Although Li Ruolian didn't know what Zhu Cilang wanted to do, she still replied respectfully:

"My minister obeys."

Li Ruolian then turned and left.

Zhu Cilang also returned to the Eastern Palace.

About an hour later, Li Ruolian arrived at the East Palace again, with a Taoist priest with an otherworldly air standing behind her.

This Taoist priest was none other than Master Chongxu, the contemporary leader of the Wudang School.

However, the Taoist priest did not seem happy at this moment, and his face was full of gloom.

Ultimately, it was because he had just witnessed a ceremony that greatly shocked him.

He saw a huge church where many officials and common people had gathered and were holding a strange ceremony.

And the object of their worship was a god called 'God'.

To be honest, this made Master Chongxu feel very uncomfortable.

In his view, foreign gods are nowhere near as good as Chinese gods, so why would these officials and ordinary people worship foreign gods?

After making a few inquiries, he became even angrier.

Because that so-called Catholic Church actually forced officials and ordinary people to believe in God alone, and even forbade them to worship their ancestors, which he found utterly absurd.

This made him very angry, and even now his anger had not subsided.

Just then, Li Ruolian, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned around to whisper a reminder:
"Taoist Master, you are about to meet His Highness the Crown Prince. You should try to control your emotions, otherwise you might offend him."

Upon hearing this, Master Chongxu quickly nodded.

"Thank you for reminding me, sir!"

He then closed his eyes to control his mind, and when he opened his eyes again, he quickly regained his previous calm demeanor.

Before long, they met Zhu Cilang in the back garden of the Eastern Palace.

"Your Highness, the person has been brought here."

Li Ruolian said respectfully.

Zhu Cilang nodded, then waved his hand, indicating that Li Ruolian could leave.

After bowing once more, Li Ruolian withdrew.

Then, Zhu Cilang looked at the Wudang Mountain leader in front of him.

He was slender and looked to be about sixty or seventy years old. He exuded an aura of detachment from the world, as if he were out of place in this mortal realm.

The Taoist robe he wore was a soft light blue, and the thin fabric swayed gently in the breeze, like the mist floating in the mountains.

A deep blue silk sash adorned her waist, resembling the deep night sky. A jade pendant hung from the sash, its translucent and warm material carved with ancient Bagua (Eight Trigrams) patterns, reflecting a soft glow in the sunlight.

Her hair was neatly tied up, with a simple wooden hairpin securely threaded through the bun. In the sunlight, a few strands of silver hair peeked out, like shooting stars twinkling in the night sky, adding a touch of mystery.

A wisp of white beard swayed gently in the wind, like a silver ribbon, highlighting his antiquity and solemnity, inspiring awe in all who beheld him.

how to say?

Judging from his appearance, this sect leader looks like a hermit master.

If this were a martial arts novel, he would be a supreme martial arts master.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang smiled and said:

"You must be the head of Wudang Mountain, Taoist priest?"

Upon hearing the question, Master Chongxu bowed his head respectfully and replied:
"I am Chongxuzi, the head of Wudang Mountain. Greetings, Your Highness."

He was a monk, and he didn't even have to kneel before the emperor, let alone the crown prince.

So he simply bowed slightly as a gesture of respect.

Of course, Zhu Cilang didn't care about that, and just smiled and said:
"Master, you've come a long way, please have a seat."

As Zhu Cilang spoke, he made a gesture of invitation.

Master Chongxu didn't stand on ceremony. Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Zhu Cilang's face and froze instantly.

Zhu Cilang's face suddenly gave him a very familiar feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where he had seen it before, and for a moment he was somewhat lost in thought.

Zhu Cilang naturally noticed this as well, and then asked with some confusion:
"Daoist Master, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Master Chongxu came to his senses and then said in a surprised tone:

"May I ask, Your Highness, have we met somewhere before?"

Zhu Cilang shook his head:
"No, I have never seen you before. If you have never been to the capital in your life, then you should not have seen me either."

Master Chongxu was even more puzzled.

Logically, that should be true, but he still felt that Zhu Cilang's face was too familiar.

Suddenly, in the next second, his pupils dilated instantly, and he finally remembered where he had seen this face before!
He met him in a Taoist temple on Wudang Mountain!
It is worth noting that two portraits of Zhenwu the Great have always been enshrined in Wudang Mountain.

One of them is a portrait of Zhenwu the Great that was redrawn after Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor, ascended the throne.

When Zhu Di ascended the throne, in order to deify himself, he replaced all the portraits of Zhenwu the Great in the world with his own, and even Wudang Mountain was no exception.

Even the statue of Zhenwu the Great on Wudang Mountain has been replaced with one of Zhu Di.

There's no way around it; sometimes even divine authority has to yield to imperial power.

As for the second portrait of Zhenwu the Great, it is a portrait of Zhenwu the Great that has been passed down since the Song Dynasty.

The origin of this portrait is unknown; some say it was painted by a famous artist from the Song Dynasty.

Some say that Emperor Zhenzong of Song saw it in a dream and then commissioned a painter to paint it.

Regardless of the version of events, this portrait of Zhenwu the Great has been enshrined in Wudang Mountain for hundreds of years and is generally considered to be what Zhenwu the Great should look like.

The portrait of the True Martial Emperor bore a striking resemblance to the prince before him, with nine-tenths of the original image.

That's why Master Chongxu felt he had seen it somewhere before and had a very familiar feeling about it.

Thinking about this, Master Chongxu felt it was somewhat unbelievable.

However, he didn't think about it that way after all; he just suddenly felt closer to Zhu Cilang in front of him.

Of course, Zhu Cilang had no idea what the Taoist priest was thinking.

He only felt that the Taoist priest's gaze towards him had suddenly changed.

However, even if Zhu Cilang really knew, he probably wouldn't believe such an outrageous thing.

He would only think that the old Taoist priest was saying such things to curry favor with him.

However, this is probably just a subtle coincidence. Zhu Cilang just happened to look like the Zhenwu Emperor in that portrait!

Of course, that's not important!

Zhu Cilang asked again:
"Taoist Master, you must have already witnessed the scenes of those ministers and common people going to worship the Western gods, right?"

Upon hearing this, Master Chongxu's expression immediately turned cold again, and he then cupped his hands and said:
"Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but these deities are not the gods of our Chinese nation, so how could they protect the people of our Chinese nation?"

"It is truly unacceptable for officials and ordinary people to worship a Western deity like this!"

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded:

"To be honest, Daoist Master, that's what I actually think too."

"However, our Great Ming Dynasty has always respected religious freedom, and we cannot force people to believe in other religions."

"So I want you to stay in the capital and promote my Taoist culture to rival those foreign religions. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Master Chongxu was first taken aback, and then suddenly became excited.

It's important to understand that while Taoism flourished throughout the Ming Dynasty, this flourishing was not without its hierarchical and temporal variations.

The dynasty did indeed prosper for several decades when Zhu Di became emperor, but it soon declined again.

Then, when the Jiajing Emperor became obsessed with Taoism, it flourished for several decades before declining again.

Even now, although the Ming Dynasty still revered Taoism, its influence was much weaker and could not be compared with that of the past.

As the leader of a Taoist sect, he naturally hoped to attract more believers.

Thinking of this, Master Chongxu quickly said:
“Your Highness, if that is the case, I will do my utmost.”

Zhu Cilang nodded and continued:

"To be honest, recently my father has become somewhat obsessed with seeking immortality and enlightenment."

"I originally wanted to find a few Taoist priests nearby to keep my father company, but they were all incompetent, so I went to great lengths to invite you here."

"I hope that you can promote Taoist culture while also practicing Zen and seeking the Tao with your father."

Upon hearing this, Master Chongxu's excitement became even more overwhelming.

He originally thought the Crown Prince had summoned him because the Crown Prince was interested in Taoism, but he never expected that the one who was truly interested in Taoism was actually the current emperor.

Doesn't that mean everything is settled?

After all, who in this world is greater than the emperor?

As long as the emperor believed in Taoism, wouldn't it be an easy thing to promote Taoism?
Just as Daoist Chongxu was lost in thought, Zhu Cilang suddenly spoke up again, asking:
"Taoist Master, do you think it's really possible for a person to cultivate themselves into an immortal?"

Upon hearing this, Master Chongxu immediately became tense.

In his view, this was a life-or-death question!

If he says he doesn't believe it, wouldn't that be going against his own beliefs?

But if he says he believes it, that doesn't make sense either!

Let's not talk about things far away, let's talk about things closer to home!

The Jiajing Emperor was obsessed with seeking immortality for decades, showing off all sorts of techniques and elixirs, but in the end, he returned to dust.

How should he answer this question?

Just as Master Chongxu was wondering how to answer Zhu Cilang, Zhu Cilang suddenly laughed.

"Enough, enough. I was just asking casually. You're worrying too much, Daoist."

"However, there are some things I must make clear to you. That is, you only need to teach your father some simple exercises to strengthen his body."

"If Father asks you for elixirs, come to me. I will have the imperial physicians prepare some nourishing pills for you, and then you can present them to Father."

"In general, we should stop bringing out those so-called elixirs that can make you immortal."

"If it were true that one could become an immortal by consuming a few pills, Emperor Jiajing would have become an immortal long ago!"

Zhu Cilang's words were quite clear: he did not believe that anyone could cultivate to become an immortal, so it was best for Daoist Chongxu not to try to fool Chongzhen with such a thing.

With nothing else to do, he could simply accompany Emperor Chongzhen in practicing exercises to strengthen his body.

Master Chongxu was a clever man, and he immediately understood what Zhu Cilang meant.

However, he was not afraid; instead, he felt relieved.

As a Taoist priest, he naturally believed that gods existed in the world, but he did not actually believe that humans could cultivate themselves into gods.

If that were the case, wouldn't Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han have become immortals?
There is actually no contradiction between the two.

If the emperor wanted him to help him cultivate immortality, he might even be afraid.

But if it's just about playing boxing with the emperor and taking some nourishing pills, then he has nothing to worry about.

Thinking of this, Master Chongxu quickly said:
"Your Highness, rest assured, I know what to do."

Zhu Cilang nodded.

"In that case, go see your father. He has been waiting for you for a long time."

Without hesitation, Master Chongxu bowed and took his leave.

Immediately afterwards, Li Ruolian led Daoist Chongxu directly into the palace.

Meanwhile, Emperor Chongzhen had already received the news and was waiting in the Imperial Garden.

Upon seeing Emperor Chongzhen, Daoist Chongxu quickly flicked his whisk, cupped his hands, and said:
"This humble Taoist priest, Chongxuzi, greets His Majesty the Emperor."

Emperor Chongzhen smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Taoist Master, you're too kind. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Emperor Chongzhen then invited Chongxu to sit down, and then dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs around him, leaving only him and the Daoist Chongxu.

After everyone had left, Chongzhen cut to the chase and asked:
"Taoist Master, have you already met with the Crown Prince?"

Master Chongxu hurriedly replied:

"Your Majesty, I did indeed see His Highness the Crown Prince before I came here."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly, then asked, seemingly with a hidden meaning:

"So when you met the Crown Prince, did you notice anything different about him? Or was he different from other people?"

Clearly, Chongzhen wanted to ask Daoist Chongxu if he had realized that Zhu Cilang was the reincarnation of the True Martial Emperor.

After all, in his view, this Master Chongxu was the head of Wudang Mountain, and he should be able to perceive Zhu Cilang's true identity, right?
For some reason, when he heard this, Master Chongxu suddenly thought of the striking resemblance between Zhu Cilang and the portrait of the Song Dynasty's Zhenwu Emperor.

(End of this chapter)