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

Chapter 348 Empress Zhou is pregnant, and Chongzhen feels he's back to his old ways!
At first glance, he thought the prince was nothing special, just a pampered young man.

But after chatting for a few minutes, he discovered that this young master was really deep and unfathomable, like a bottomless pool, which made even a seasoned veteran like him, who had been navigating the world for many years, feel a little scared.

His keen insight seemed to reveal nothing, a level of maturity far beyond what a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy should possess.

Fortunately, he surrendered to the court with complete sincerity this time, otherwise he wouldn't even know how he died.

Thinking of this, Luo Ru quickened his pace and hurriedly left the place that filled him with awe.

That night, the moonlight was as clear as water, shining on the glazed tiles of the palace and giving them a silvery glow.

Having nothing to do, Zhu Cilang paced around his study for a while before finally deciding to go see Emperor Chongzhen and tell him about Luo Rucai.

He was worried that if Emperor Chongzhen suddenly decided to kill Luo Rucai, the matter would become difficult to handle.

This will not only discourage the peasant army, but may also trigger a series of unnecessary troubles.

Meanwhile, inside the Kunning Palace, the flickering candlelight created a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou were sitting on the couch, chatting softly.

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze would occasionally drift to Empress Zhou's belly, his eyes filled with anticipation and tenderness.

Well, what was bound to happen has happened!

After a period of continuous efforts, Empress Zhou became pregnant again!

This was undoubtedly great news for Emperor Chongzhen.

Because soon, Emperor Chongzhen would become a father again, and with his birthday approaching, it was truly a double celebration!
These two happy events were truly a cause for great joy for Emperor Chongzhen at the moment.

Empress Zhou looked at Emperor Chongzhen, who was smiling at her, and her eyes were filled with happiness.

After all, she never expected to have another child. In her opinion, she was not young anymore, and being able to become pregnant again was a pleasant surprise.

Of course, Empress Zhou is only thirty-one years old now, in the prime of her life, but in ancient times at this time, she was already considered middle-aged.

Immediately afterwards, Empress Zhou gently touched her belly, feeling the faint pulse of life within, then smiled and looked at Chongzhen, saying:
"Your Majesty, do you think I'm carrying a boy or a girl this time?"

Her voice was soft and melodious, like a nightingale singing in a valley.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen smiled kindly and said:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will love you whether it is a boy or a girl."

Empress Zhou smiled gently, a smile as beautiful and captivating as a blooming flower.

Just as the couple's affection deepened and they were immersed in a blissful atmosphere, an untimely sound suddenly rang out, shattering their tender moment.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience, saying he has something to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen frowned in displeasure, and the corners of his mouth, which had been turned up, instantly drooped down.

He was enjoying this tender moment with Empress Zhou when he was suddenly interrupted by Zhu Cilang, which naturally displeased him.

Empress Zhou, however, reacted quickly. Knowing that Zhu Cilang's late-night request for an audience must have something important to discuss, she hurriedly said:
"Your Majesty, Lang'er has come to see you so late, he must have something important to discuss with you. You should see him. I will return to my palace and wait for you."

After saying this, before Chongzhen could speak, Empress Zhou, supported by several palace maids, slowly rose and walked into her bedchamber.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't know what to say, so he casually straightened his clothes before speaking:

"Let the Crown Prince in!"

A moment later, Zhu Cilang walked in.

Of course, Zhu Cilang also knew about Empress Zhou's pregnancy at this time, about ten days ago.

Empress Zhou was feeling unwell at the time, so she summoned the imperial physician for a diagnosis, which revealed that she was three months pregnant.

When Zhu Cilang learned of this news, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Well, it was indeed a bit of a surprise, since Zhu Cilang hadn't expected that Chongzhen would give him another brother or sister at this time.

However, upon closer reflection, this matter is not actually strange, because Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou were not very old at the time. In later generations, they would be considered to be in their prime, and it would be normal for them to become pregnant and give birth.

Of course, Zhu Cilang didn't really mind having a few more younger brothers and sisters. As long as Chongzhen didn't cause trouble and stayed obediently in the harem, who cared how many children he had?
Anyway, these younger brothers and sisters will all be sent overseas to be feudal kings in the future.

This was also a plan he had formulated long ago: to enfeoff members of the royal family overseas, which would both avoid power struggles within the country and expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

After Zhu Cilang entered, he looked around and found that only Emperor Chongzhen was sitting there, while Empress Zhou was nowhere to be seen.

A sense of doubt welled up in his mind, and he immediately asked:
"Father, where is Mother?"

Chongzhen then said directly:

"Your mother said she was a little tired, so she went inside to rest."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded, then walked straight to the opposite side of Chongzhen and sat down with a thud.

Just then, a young eunuch carefully carried over a delicate tea tray with a steaming cup of tea on it.

The young eunuch bowed slightly, gently placed the teacup in front of Zhu Cilang, and said softly:
"Your Highness, please have some tea."

Zhu Cilang reached out and picked up the teacup, blew on it gently, and then took a sip.

The warm tea flowed down his throat, instantly dispelling the chill and warming him up.

Setting down his teacup, Zhu Cilang looked at Emperor Chongzhen and said:

"Father, Luo Rucai has arrived in the capital."

Luo Rucai?
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen's previously impatient expression immediately changed. His eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in them, and he asked:

"Is that Luo Rucai, the leader of the peasant army?"

Zhu Cilang nodded:
“It’s him! He just arrived in the capital this morning, and I already met him this afternoon and chatted with him.”

His tone was calm and steady, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen became even more interested. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, and said:

"So what are you going to do with him? You're not going to leave him in the capital, are you?"

Zhu Cilang smiled upon hearing this and said:
"Given his status, staying in the capital won't end well for him. Let's send him to Liaodong as planned."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, secretly agreeing in his heart.

After all, even if a peasant army leader were kept in the capital, he himself wouldn't feel at ease. Although these people had surrendered, who knew what other thoughts they might have in their hearts?

Just then, Chongzhen seemed to remember something and looked at Zhu Cilang, asking:
"Speak! What do you want me to do?" Chongzhen knew in his heart that if this matter were really that simple, Zhu Cilang would not have come to see him tonight.

Zhu Cilang didn't intend to keep them in suspense and then said directly:

"Although the imperial court had already issued an edict that as long as the peasant army surrendered, they would be forgiven, Luo Rucai was still a little scared, fearing that the emperor would not forgive him."

"So when he came this time, he brought more than a dozen peasant soldiers with him. Of course, I have already inquired about them. They are all poor people. His purpose in doing this is to let Father Emperor know why they rebelled, and then he hopes that Father Emperor will spare him out of consideration for these poor people."

So that’s it!
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly understood. Finally, he narrowed his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.

In his view, Luo Rucai's actions were unnecessary. After all, the emperor's word was law, and the imperial edict had already been issued. How could Luo Rucai possibly be punished?

But then he thought about it again and suddenly realized that Luo Rucai's concerns were not without merit.

After all, when faced with life and death, everyone will be cautious.

Thinking of this, Chongzhen nodded and said:
"In that case, I shall see them. It will put their minds at ease. The morning court is in two days, so let's hold it there."

Emperor Chongzhen also hoped that this meeting would demonstrate the court's tolerance and magnanimity to the world and further stabilize the situation.

Seeing that things were going smoothly, Zhu Cilang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and said:

"If that's the case, then I'm relieved."

But as soon as he said this, Chongzhen rolled his eyes at him and said:

"What, did you think I would get angry and just kill him? Do you think I'm that unreasonable?"

Zhu Cilang smiled somewhat awkwardly, because he had actually thought about it before.

After all, the peasant army had been surrendering and rebelling repeatedly in the past few years, and he worried that Chongzhen might make a wrong decision in a moment of impulse.

However, it now seems that I was overthinking things, because Chongzhen was very clear-headed and would not let the previous events affect the overall situation.

Just as Zhu Cilang was about to take his leave, Chongzhen suddenly said:

"By the way, hasn't Zheng Zhilong returned yet?"

Zhu Cilang was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and said:

"We haven't received any news yet, mainly because the distance is too far and it's not very convenient to transmit messages. However, I don't think there will be any problems."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was not comforted; instead, he became quite worried and said:
"Let's hope so. If something goes wrong along the way, it will be a real problem."

It was normal for Emperor Chongzhen to have such concerns, after all, his birthday celebration this year was of extraordinary significance to the Ming Dynasty. It was not only an important opportunity to demonstrate the strength and prestige of the Ming Dynasty to the outside world, but also a key moment to unite the people and stabilize the situation.

If something goes wrong at this time, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Compared to Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Cilang had little to worry about, since he had the matter largely under control and there shouldn't be any unexpected problems.

If we're talking about risks, it's probably something unexpected might happen at sea, but Zheng Zhilong would likely have considered that.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang immediately offered words of comfort:

"Father, rest assured, there will be no mistakes in this matter. As soon as there is news from Zheng Zhilong, I will immediately send someone to report to you."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly, but there was still a hint of worry in his eyes.

Zhu Cilang didn't say anything more and then left the palace.

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

Early that morning, while it was still dark, Luo Rucai and a dozen or so farmers got up.

Afterwards, they all began to wash up and change clothes. Even the children were woken up early in the morning and, urged by the adults, obediently put on their brand-new clothes.

Luo Rucai learned yesterday that the emperor planned to summon him today, and that the summons would take place in the palace.

This was undoubtedly an exciting moment for Luo Rucai.

So Luo Rucai barely slept last night; his heart was filled with excitement and fear.

Although he had already received Zhu Cilang's promise, the Crown Prince was the Crown Prince and the Emperor was the Emperor, and he didn't know if the Emperor would really do as the Crown Prince said.

Of course, this is because Luo Rucai was unaware of the current strength of the Ming Dynasty's Crown Prince. If he had known, he probably wouldn't have been so worried.

As for the other dozen or so farmers, they were all very excited when they learned that the emperor wanted to summon them, but they were also a little scared.

After all, they had all followed Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng in their rebellions. Would the emperor really forgive them?

But there's no use thinking about it now; they can only take it one step at a time.

After getting dressed, they followed the Imperial Guards to the palace.

Meanwhile, the ministers who were preparing to attend court also began their preparations.

Before long, all the ministers gathered in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Everyone was somewhat surprised when they saw Chongzhen appear on the dragon throne.

After all, the emperor hadn't attended court for a long time, so this was a rare occasion.

According to custom, everyone greeted the emperor in turn, and then each reported on their official duties.

However, nothing major has happened in the Ming Dynasty recently, and everything is proceeding according to plan, so there's not much to say.

Emperor Chongzhen sat quietly on the dragon throne, listening attentively to the reports from each minister.

After a moment, Chongzhen suddenly spoke:
"My beloved ministers, I have received news that Luo Rucai, the leader of the peasant army who surrendered to the court in Shaanxi, has come to the capital. Today, I would like to meet with him and ask him why he rebelled."

Upon hearing this, the ministers present all changed their expressions, a hint of surprise and doubt flashing in their eyes.

Because they really didn't know that Luo Rucai had come to Beijing.

But thinking about it, who would care about a peasant army leader?
But these words could not be spoken aloud, after all, they still had to maintain a certain level of etiquette and respect in front of the emperor.

The next second, Wang Chengen's shrill voice rang out:

"Summon Luo Rucai to come before me!"

Immediately afterwards, Luo Rucai led a dozen or so farmers slowly into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Their steps were somewhat heavy, and their faces showed a hint of tension and unease.

The officials were all somewhat surprised, because behind Luo Rucai were more than a dozen people dressed as peasants, including men and women, young and old. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that Luo Rucai had brought his whole family with him!
(End of this chapter)