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

Chapter 297 I have a question for you, so don't lie to me!

Zhu Cilang raised an eyebrow upon seeing this, and then asked:
"What, do you have something else to say?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen hesitated, his lips moved but he did not speak immediately.

But in the end, he mustered up the courage to say:
"This servant does have some things to say, but I don't know if I should say them."

Zhu Cilang said:

"Speak your mind. There's nothing you shouldn't say. If you say something wrong, I won't blame you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen cautiously replied:

"In that case, this servant will speak then. Your Highness, do you still remember His Majesty's birthday?"

What was Emperor Chongzhen's birthday?
Zhu Cilang was taken aback when he heard this, and then began to quickly search his memory for related information.

A moment later, he suddenly realized.

It seems that Emperor Chongzhen's birthday will be in three months.

Emperor Chongzhen was born on February 6, 1611, which happened to be in the first month of the lunar calendar and very close to New Year's Eve.

This resulted in Emperor Chongzhen often celebrating his birthday and Lunar New Year's Eve together.

However, Emperor Chongzhen didn't celebrate his birthday very often in his life. When he was a prince, he could spend some money to celebrate, since although the country was poor at that time, he was the younger brother of Emperor Tianqi, and his treatment in all aspects was still quite good.

Moreover, a prince's birthday celebration is not as extravagant as an emperor's; a few thousand taels of silver are enough for a celebration.

However, after becoming emperor, due to the busy affairs of state and the poverty of the country, Chongzhen had not celebrated his birthday for a long time.

In the past, when it came to his birthday, the officials would simply present a congratulatory memorial, and then Emperor Chongzhen would bestow some worthless gifts, and that would be the end of it.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang then said seriously:
"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me, what exactly happened?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen dared not continue with any more riddles and said directly:
"Not long ago, Minister of Rites Wang Jiayan requested an audience with His Majesty, saying that His Majesty's birthday is in three months and asking whether a grand birthday banquet should be held this year."

"After all, the court is now completely renewed and the country is strong. The Ministry of Rites believes that His Majesty's birthday banquet can be held in a grand manner to demonstrate the country's strength."

"But His Majesty did not agree, because His Majesty felt that holding a birthday banquet would cost a lot of money, and that it would be better to use that money for military expenses to strengthen the country's military power."

Seeing this, Lord Wang knew he couldn't say anything more, and no one brought up the matter again.

"But this servant can sense that His Majesty still really wants to celebrate his birthday, since he has never had a proper birthday banquet since becoming emperor."

"Moreover, I believe that the court is not short of money, and the national treasury has accumulated a considerable amount of savings. That is why I dared to tell Your Highness about this matter and would like to ask for your opinion."

Zhu Cilang did not answer immediately upon hearing this, but instead tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, lost in thought.

A moment later, he had made up his mind.

That means not only should this birthday banquet be held, but it should be a grand and extravagant affair, and the news should be widely publicized!
The goal was to have all the surrounding vassal states attend the birthday banquet, including Korea, various Mongol tribes, and even the Jurchens, making it a lively and festive occasion.

This was because it not only demonstrated the majesty of the imperial family, but also showcased the strength of the Ming Dynasty to its vassal states.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang then said:

"Alright, I understand. Let's go."

Zhu Cilang then stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked steadily toward the door.

Wang Chengen quickly led the way.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou were quietly awaiting the arrival of Zhu Cilang.

Although the atmosphere inside the palace seemed calm, the two people's reactions were worlds apart, creating a stark contrast.

Empress Zhou sat comfortably on the carved wooden chair, gently holding a cup of fragrant tea in her hands. The rising steam seemed to carry a sense of leisurely contentment.

She slightly narrowed her eyes, took a sip of fragrant tea, her posture elegant and composed, as if all the world's troubles were irrelevant to her.

On the other side, Emperor Chongzhen looked anxious, his brows furrowed tightly as if they were knotted into an unsolvable knot.

His eyes revealed a hint of worry, and he paced back and forth in the palace from time to time, his steps hurried and flustered.

The figure pacing back and forth cast shimmering shadows on the palace floor, seemingly a reflection of his inner unease.

In fact, there was a reason why Chongzhen was so anxious.

Under normal circumstances, arranging a marriage for the crown prince would be an extremely simple matter.

The Empress and Emperor could easily make a decision without even needing the Crown Prince's consent.

However, Zhu Cilang was quite different from the other crown princes!

In Chongzhen's mind, Zhu Cilang was the reincarnation of the True Martial Emperor, with an extraordinary and noble status, even more noble than himself, the emperor.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen really didn't know whether Zhu Cilang would accept their arranged marriage.

If Zhu Cilang refused, the situation would be very awkward. Where would he put his face as the emperor?

Just then, Empress Zhou, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

She slightly raised her head, looked at Chongzhen who was pacing back and forth, and said softly:

"Your Majesty, you've walked back and forth so many times, aren't you tired? Why don't you sit down and rest for a while?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen could say nothing more.

He then stopped, sighed softly, and slowly sat down next to Empress Zhou.

Empress Zhou took another sip of tea, the aroma spreading in her mouth, causing her to squint her eyes slightly as she savored this moment of tranquility.

Then she looked at Chongzhen again, a hint of mockery in her eyes, and said:
"Your Majesty, why are you so anxious when it's clearly about arranging a marriage for the Crown Prince? Anyone who didn't know better would think it was about arranging a marriage for you."

Empress Zhou's seemingly joking words did not bring Chongzhen any comfort.

Instead, his brows furrowed even more, and the worry on his face deepened.

Then, as if remembering something, Chongzhen tentatively asked:

"Your Majesty, what should we do if Lang'er does not agree with the Crown Princess we have chosen for him?"

Empress Zhou glanced at Chongzhen with some surprise, her eyes full of confusion, and then said:
"Probably not?"

In her view, it was only natural for the emperor and empress to arrange a marriage for the crown prince, so why would Zhu Cilang disagree?
Chongzhen, however, was not discouraged and continued:
"I'm speaking hypothetically. What if he doesn't like it or disagrees?"

Empress Zhou paid no attention to Chongzhen's expression and said directly:

"Then let's choose someone he likes. After all, it's him marrying the Crown Princess, not Your Majesty. Why make such a fuss over something so simple?"

Emperor Chongzhen was instantly speechless. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

However, Empress Zhou's words served as a reminder to him.

That means if Zhu Cilang doesn't like or is dissatisfied with the Crown Princess they choose, then he can choose for himself. In any case, as long as the Crown Princess isn't from a background like Zheng Xiaomei's, anyone else is acceptable.

However, don't misunderstand. This wasn't because Chongzhen looked down on Zheng Xiaomei's family background. Rather, in the Ming Dynasty, there were always strict regulations regarding the selection of the Crown Princess and the Empress.

That is, they must be selected from the homes of commoners or low-ranking officials. This is to prevent the power of the maternal relatives from becoming too great and thus affecting the stability of the court.

It is precisely because of this that, throughout the more than two hundred years of history of the Ming Dynasty, there has never been a case of relatives of the empress interfering in politics.

From this perspective, Zhu Yuanzhang was quite clever. He was well aware of the dangers of interference in politics by relatives of the empress, so he established such a rule early on.

A short while later, Chongzhen suddenly seemed to remember something, and then looked at Empress Zhou beside him and said:

"Empress, I have a question for you, and you must not lie to me."

Empress Zhou felt that Emperor Chongzhen was acting strangely today. She frowned slightly, her heart filled with doubt, but she didn't say anything, only nodding and saying:

"Your Majesty, please ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

Emperor Chongzhen then spoke seriously:
"When you gave birth to Lang'er, was there anything strange that happened to you?"

Something strange?

Empress Zhou was puzzled when she heard this, completely unable to understand what Chongzhen meant.

She tilted her head slightly, trying hard to recall the scene from back then.

After a moment, he said:

"There's nothing strange about it. I just had a dream before I gave birth to Lang'er. I dreamt that someone was riding a big tortoise towards me, and then, a few days later, Lang'er was born."

When Empress Zhou said this, her face was full of smiles, as if she found the dream somewhat amusing.

In her view, it was just an ordinary dream, nothing special.

The reason she remembered it so clearly was simply because Zhu Cilang was her first child.

That incident almost cost her half her life!

But when Emperor Chongzhen heard this, his expression changed instantly.

His eyes revealed surprise and excitement, because he suddenly remembered that the mount of the True Martial Emperor was a giant tortoise called the Sacred Serpent Eight Trigrams Divine Turtle.

The next second, Chongzhen slammed his hand on the table, the sound crisp and loud, echoing throughout the palace.

He said excitedly:

"That's right, that's right!"

This scene startled Empress Zhou, causing her hand to tremble slightly and nearly drop the teacup.

Finally, she hurriedly put down the teacup and looked at Chongzhen with a surprised expression, saying:

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"

Her eyes were filled with worry and confusion; she couldn't understand why Chongzhen was so agitated.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen quickly looked at Empress Zhou and said:

"Empress, I really have to thank you. If it weren't for you, the Ming Dynasty might really have perished."

When he said this, Chongzhen's voice trembled slightly, as if he were telling a major secret.

Not
What on earth is going on here?

Empress Zhou was completely dumbfounded. She stared wide-eyed at Chongzhen, utterly bewildered, not understanding what had happened.
Didn't you just say that before you gave birth to Zhu Cilang, you dreamed of a person riding a big tortoise?
Why was Emperor Chongzhen so agitated?
And how did this matter become related to the survival of the Ming Dynasty?
One thing must be mentioned here: neither Emperor Chongzhen nor Emperor Zhu Cilang told Empress Zhou about her identity as the reincarnation of the Zhenwu Emperor.

Zhu Cilang did not tell Empress Zhou because it was unnecessary.

Because as his mother, Empress Zhou was naturally on his side.

If he succeeds in his rebellion, Empress Zhou will become the Empress Dowager, enjoying endless glory and wealth.

But if he fails, she will only be the mother of a traitor, and the entire family will be implicated and plunged into an abyss of no return.

The reason why Chongzhen did not tell Empress Zhou about this matter was simply because he found the matter somewhat unbelievable.

This means that Empress Zhou only knows about Zhu Cilang's "rebellion" to this day, but does not know Zhu Cilang's "true identity".

Similarly, the dream she mentioned earlier was really just a dream she had more than ten years ago.

I never expected it to be such a coincidence, that it would be connected to the mount of the True Martial Emperor!
Looking at the somewhat surprised Empress Zhou, Chongzhen was considering whether or not to tell her that Zhu Cilang was the reincarnation of the True Martial Emperor when suddenly footsteps came from outside the door.

The footsteps approached from afar, as if treading on one's heart.

A short while later, a voice rang out:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen had no choice but to temporarily abandon the idea.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and then said towards the door:
"come in."

Although Empress Zhou was still a little dazed, she quickly came to her senses.

She quickly straightened her clothes, tucked her slightly disheveled hair behind her ears, and then sat upright in the chair, adopting a dignified posture once again.

Just then, Zhu Cilang walked in.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and Your Majesty."

Upon seeing Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou, Zhu Cilang hurriedly bowed.

"Get up. There are no outsiders here, so there's no need for such formalities."

Empress Zhou said with a smile, while Emperor Chongzhen did not speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Chengen brought over a chair, and Zhu Cilang didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly opposite him.

The next second, Empress Zhou spoke first:

"Lang'er, I called you here today because I have an important matter to discuss with you, which is the matter of finding a Crown Princess for you."

"Of course, your mother knows you are still young, but this matter is not so simple. It may take two or three years if it takes a long time. And even if we choose someone, we don't necessarily have to get married immediately."

"So the Empress Dowager thinks this matter should be put on the agenda. What do you think?"

Zhu Cilang was already mentally prepared, so he wasn't surprised when he heard this, and then smiled and said:

"This matter is left to Father Emperor and Mother Empress to decide."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen looked at Zhu Cilang with surprise, seemingly not expecting that Zhu Cilang would agree so readily.

This is completely different from what they imagined.

(End of this chapter)