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

Chapter 342 The Embroidered Uniform Guards in Shenyang!

Upon seeing this, everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

However, most people believe that the slap was indeed delivered by Huang Taiji. They speculate that there may have been some conflict between the father and son, and then Huang Taiji slapped Hauge.

The reason for this misunderstanding is that the mark on Hauge's face is not very obvious, making it impossible to tell from which direction the shot came from.

Besides, who would have thought that Haug would slap himself?
The next second, people started whispering among themselves.

"What exactly did Hauge do to anger His Majesty so much?"

"Could it be that he did something utterly rebellious, which is why His Majesty couldn't help but strike him?"

"Could it be because of the throne?"

The moment those last words were uttered, they drew the attention of everyone present, and the speaker was none other than Jirhalang.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Jirhalang realized that he had said the wrong thing.

He first gave an awkward laugh, and then said:

"Please don't mind me, everyone. I just misspoke. Now that His Majesty has woken up, I'll take my leave."

After saying this, Jirhalang quickly turned and ran away!
He really couldn't stay in this place any longer!
The others were initially speechless, but then suddenly stopped caring.

Because they knew that Huang Taiji had not made the matter of succession clear, nor had he named Hauge as his successor. Otherwise, given Hauge's personality, he would be strutting around like a madman by now!

After all, in everyone's mind, Haug has always been a man who loves to show off his joy and happiness.

Even Dorgon and Dayuer secretly breathed a sigh of relief, clearly they thought so too.

Immediately afterwards, Dorgon said with a smile:

"Gentlemen, now that His Majesty is safe and sound, let us all go back first."

Upon hearing this, the others also felt it was inappropriate to stay any longer, and they left together.

Even Fan Wencheng left with them, but unlike the others, Fan Wencheng felt that what had just happened was not so simple.

Because Fan Wencheng walked relatively slowly, by the time he arrived at the palace gate, the other princes had already left.

Just as he was about to get into the sedan chair to return home, someone suddenly stopped him.

"Mr. Fan, my master invites you."

The servant lowered his head, his tone respectful and humble.

Fan Wencheng immediately recognized the man; he was a servant of the Hauge family, whom he had met before.

Although he didn't know what Hauge wanted to see him about, Fan Wencheng quickly nodded and said:
"lead the way".

Fan Wencheng then got into the sedan chair and headed towards Hauge's palace.

Before long, Fan Wencheng arrived at Hauge's palace, but Hauge was busy with something and did not appear immediately.

Seeing this, Fan Wencheng was not in a hurry and patiently waited while drinking tea.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Haug came in from outside in a great hurry.

However, Haug had already changed his clothes by this time, and even the money rat tail behind him was wet. It was obvious that Haug had just taken a bath!

Upon seeing Hauge, Fan Wencheng immediately prepared to bow.

But before he could bend down, Hauge stopped him.

Hauge said with a smile:

"Mr. Fan, there's no need for such formalities. You're an old acquaintance of mine, so there's no need for such politeness!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Wencheng immediately replied:

"In that case, I thank Your Highness!"

The two then sat down.

Haug went straight to the point:
"Mr. Fan, I've called you here today to discuss with you in detail the matter of the Ming Emperor's birthday celebration."

Fan Wencheng hurriedly asked:
"May I ask Your Highness, has His Majesty issued an edict ordering us to abandon our previous plan targeting the Ming envoy?"

Hauge smiled and shook his head, saying:

"Mr. Fan, you misunderstand. His Majesty agreed after hearing about this matter, but said that it must not affect the current relationship between the Ming Dynasty and our Qing Dynasty under any circumstances."

“Apart from this point, Mr. Fan can do whatever he wants, and the previous plan can continue.”

"After all, His Majesty also despises those Ming envoys!"

Fan Wencheng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but the next second he pretended to glance at Hauge's face casually.

Perhaps because he had just taken a shower, the handprint on Hauge's face became more and more obvious, and even the five finger marks were clearly visible.

The shape looks a bit unusual, as if it wasn't made by someone else, but rather as a mark left by oneself.

But that's strange. Why would Hauge slap himself?

Fan Wencheng was filled with doubts, but he did not ask, because he knew that such things were impossible to talk about.

Then, at that moment, Hauge suddenly asked out of the blue:
"Mr. Fan, have you ever thought about what the future holds?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Wencheng immediately shuddered.

Because the meaning of this sentence is so obvious; it carries both a threat and an attempt to win someone over.

But with the current situation unclear, Fan Wencheng dared not answer this question, so he could only say:

"Your Highness, whether now or in the future, I will always be loyal to the Qing Dynasty."

Hearing this, Haug didn't know what else to say.

In fact, Hauge has always valued Fan Wencheng highly because Fan Wencheng is intelligent, resourceful, courageous, and capable of handling various matters with ease. He is indeed a rare talent.

Therefore, Hauge has always had the intention of winning over Fan Wencheng.

This desire intensified, especially after receiving the edict of succession!
Moreover, Hauge was confident that as long as he showed the edict of succession to Fan Wencheng, Fan Wencheng would definitely stand on his side!
But
Thinking of the oath he had sworn before Huang Taiji, Hauge ultimately lacked the courage to do so.

After all, Fan Wencheng's most loyal supporter was still Huang Taiji. If he were to inform Huang Taiji of this matter, and Huang Taiji were to become disappointed in him and strip him of his right to inherit the throne, then it would be a great loss!
Thinking of this, Hauge smiled and said:

"Since Mr. Fan has said so, then I am relieved."

"Furthermore, His Majesty has already said that everything regarding the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty's birthday celebration will be decided by you, sir, and all the gold and silver treasures in the national treasury will be at your disposal."

Fan Wencheng quickly bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, I obey! I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

After saying this, Fan Wencheng took his leave.

Even as he sat in the sedan chair on his way back, Fan Wencheng was still somewhat shaken. He felt that Hauge had acted very strangely that day.

The slap mark on his face and the ambiguous words left him puzzled.

After thinking about it for a long time, Fan Wencheng still couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.

Time flies, and the next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

That morning, just as the sun was rising above the treetops, a Jurchen official approached Li Dingguo.

However, Li Dingguo only glanced at the other party briefly, and an overwhelming sense of disdain welled up in his heart.

Because this person, judging from his deliberately dressed appearance and his slightly obsequious speech, was clearly a Han Chinese!
Of course, you could also call him a traitor!
Upon seeing Li Dingguo, the man immediately clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and said:
"I hope you are well, sir."

The sound was quite shrill and piercing, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, causing the military officers behind Li Dingguo to frown.

One of them couldn't help but sneer and say:

"The Jurchens are really something, actually sending a traitor to see us, it's outrageous!"

The moment the word "traitor" was uttered, the Jurchen official's face instantly turned ashen, as if he had been doused with cold water.

At the same time, he couldn't help but curse Fan Wencheng in his mind.

How did this thankless and arduous task end up on his shoulders?

But he quickly resumed his fake smile, as if nothing had happened, and continued to speak with a smile:

“My lord, you misunderstand. I have never served as an official in the Ming Dynasty, so how could I be considered a traitor? I am just an ordinary citizen who only became an official after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty.”

"So strictly speaking, I am not a traitor."

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo sneered inwardly and decided not to dwell on the matter any longer.

In his view, arguing with such a shameless person was pointless.

So he said directly:
"Enough with the nonsense. What brings you here today? Is the tribute ready and you about to depart?"

Upon hearing this, the Jurchen official's face once again beamed with smiles, and he hurriedly said:

"My lord, you misunderstand. The reason I came to see you today is not because the tribute has been prepared, but because something has changed."

"To be honest, His Majesty the Great Qing has ordered that, in order to demonstrate the friendship between the Great Qing and the Great Ming, the tribute should be doubled as a sign of sincerity!"

Ok?
Li Dingguo was somewhat surprised when he heard this.

Because he hadn't expected the Jurchens to be so generous this time, voluntarily doubling the tribute.

It should be noted that in his original imagination, the Jurchens might make things difficult for the tribute, or even pretend to be poor to reduce the tribute. However, he did not expect that the Jurchens would take the initiative to request that the tribute be doubled.

Is there some kind of conspiracy or trickery involved?

Immediately afterwards, the Jurchen official continued:
"However, because these tributes are so rare, including some priceless treasures and rare local products that grow deep in the mountains and forests, it will take three to five days to prepare them. During this time, adults will need to wait patiently for a few days. Once the items are ready, we will set off immediately."

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo had some doubts, but he couldn't very well refuse.

After all, on the surface, the Jurchens did indeed seem to be very sincere this time.

So he nodded slightly.

"In that case, let's stay a few more days!"

Having gotten the answer he wanted, the Jurchen official stopped talking and turned to leave.

However, after that person left, the people around Li Dingguo immediately started discussing the matter amongst themselves.

"My lord, I have a feeling that something is not right about this matter. Why would the Jurchens be so kind as to offer more than double the tribute? This might be a trap they have set, just waiting for us to fall into it."

"My lord, I also feel that there is something fishy about this matter. Perhaps the Jurchens are trying to lull us into a false sense of security with these tributes and then do something underhanded behind our backs. We must not let our guard down."

However, faced with everyone's concerns, Li Dingguo smiled and said:
"Don't worry, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. There won't be any problems with this."

"As long as the Jurchens don't dare to kill us, we will definitely be able to complete our mission successfully!"

Hearing this, although everyone still had some doubts, they didn't say anything after seeing Li Dingguo's determined eyes.

Of course, there are reasons why Li Dingguo is so confident.

That is, before he set off, the Ming Dynasty had made all the necessary preparations to ensure that nothing would go wrong.

After all, this was Chongzhen's first birthday celebration, and the entire court, from the emperor to the civil and military officials, attached great importance to this event and made careful plans and arrangements.

It is no exaggeration to say that no matter what methods the Jurchens used, they were all under their control.

In the blink of an eye, it was evening again.

The night was cool and still. All the candles in Shenyang had been extinguished, and only soldiers patrolling the streets moved about.

Li Dingguo had just woken up when a chill suddenly ran down his spine.

The chill didn't come from the night wind, but rather from some kind of silent surveillance.

The next second, he suddenly opened his eyes. In the darkness, he saw a dark figure standing at the window, his body as straight as a pine tree, with half of a weapon gleaming coldly visible at his waist.

"Who?"

Li Dingguo gave a low shout and reached for the short knife under his pillow with his right hand.

Having spent years fighting on the battlefield, he has developed a keen sense of awareness, and can wake up instantly at the slightest disturbance, even when he is fast asleep.

Upon seeing the man in black suddenly appear, his first thought was that this man must be an assassin sent by Huang Taiji.

The next second, Li Dingguo broke out in a cold sweat because he couldn't feel anything; there was nothing under the pillow.

He then remembered that when they entered Shenyang, they had already removed their weapons and armor!

Just as Li Dingguo was wondering what to do next, the man in black spoke first, his voice low and deliberately hoarse.

"My lord, please do not be alarmed. I am not a Jurchen, but a member of the Imperial Guard deployed by the court in Shenyang."

Jinyiwei?
Li Dingguo was slightly taken aback. Although he came from a peasant army, he had long heard of the reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But Shenyang had already fallen into the hands of the Jurchens, so how could the Embroidered Uniform Guard be here?
In fact, at this time in the late Ming Dynasty, due to Huang Taiji's strict defense, the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not have much of an impact in the Liaodong area.

This situation only changed after the Battle of Songjin.

Zhu Cilang ordered the reorganization of the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) in Liaodong, sending them to infiltrate Shenyang to gather intelligence.

These were ruthless individuals handpicked from piles of corpses, their identities more closely guarded than a shroud. Only Hong Chengchou, Zu Dashou, and Zhu Cilang knew their true identities.

After all, the fewer people who know their identities, the safer they are!

(End of this chapter)