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

Chapter 354 Zhang Xianzhong. Is he still alive?
After finishing a cup of tea, Li Dingguo slowly began to speak:
"Commander Luo."

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was immediately interrupted by Luo Rucai.

"Don't call me that anymore. Either call me by my name or just call me Uncle Luo."

"Things are different now than before. If we use the old way of addressing people, it could cause trouble if someone overhears us."

Luo Rucai quickly spoke up.

Luo Rucai was not joking. He was well aware of the rules and complex relationships within the imperial court. If he were to cause unnecessary trouble because of a title, it would be a loss that would not be worth it.

Li Dingguo was momentarily speechless. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke:

"Uncle Luo, what exactly happened? How did you surrender to the imperial court? Were you also captured by Zuo Liangyu?"

"And what about my godfather? How is he? Was he also captured by Zuo Liangyu, or did he escape? Where did he escape to?"

At this moment, Li Dingguo was extremely curious, and a series of questions were fired off like a machine gun.

His eyes were fixed on Luo Rucai, filled with anticipation and anxiety.

When he heard these questions, Luo Rucai was somewhat embarrassed. His face flushed slightly, and his eyes darted away.

Strictly speaking, although he betrayed Li Zicheng, he ultimately betrayed Zhang Xianzhong and may even have caused the deaths of many of Zhang Xianzhong's brothers.

And there must be some people in this group who know Li Dingguo, which makes things even more awkward.

After gathering his emotions slightly, Luo Rucai slowly began to speak:
"Contrary to what you imagine, I did not surrender because I was captured by Zuo Liangyu; I surrendered to the imperial court voluntarily."

As Luo Rucai spoke, he picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

Then he recounted everything that Li Dingguo didn't know, including how he betrayed Li Zicheng and surrendered to the imperial court.

Of course, Luo Rucai deliberately concealed the fact that he had framed Zhang Xianzhong, only saying that Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng were too close at the time, so he did not tell Zhang Xianzhong about this.

After hearing Luo Rucai's story, Li Dingguo was utterly shocked.

He hadn't expected that such a big thing would happen within the rebel army after he left, with Luo Rucai and Zhang Xianzhong actually going to join Li Zicheng.

In the end, Luo Rucai betrayed Li Zicheng and surrendered to the imperial court, becoming a third-rank military officer. He was to go to Liaodong like Li Zicheng.

The sheer volume of information left Li Dingguo feeling parched. He instinctively picked up his teacup and gulped down a large mouthful of tea, trying to calm his excited emotions.

Even though tea splashed onto the table, he was completely unaware.

Of course, at this moment, Li Dingguo was only slightly shocked, and didn't have any other major feelings.

As for blaming Luo Rucai for betraying the peasant army and surrendering to the imperial court, that's simply not true. After all, he himself surrendered to the imperial court first, so what right does he have to blame Luo Rucai for surrendering to the imperial court?
After a brief silence, Li Dingguo asked again:
"So, my godfather is still alive?"

Luo Rucai nodded:
"Of course he's alive. The peasant army is currently moving towards Sichuan, and it's a time when they need to stabilize the people's hearts, so Li Zicheng won't do anything to Zhang Xianzhong. But who knows what will happen in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo sighed slightly, his eyes dimming.

He knew that the peasant army was full of contradictions, like a volcano about to erupt.

Moreover, there were also conflicts between Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, and they were always outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds.

They are like two parallel railway tracks; although they appear to be together, they can never truly merge.

Perhaps in the end Li Zicheng really will kill Zhang Xianzhong, but these are things beyond his control.

Sensing that the atmosphere had become somewhat heavy, Luo Rucai slowly began to speak:

"To be honest, we all thought you had died in battle. Zhang Xianzhong was even saddened for a while because of this. But we never expected that you were still alive."

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo gave a bitter smile before saying:
"Originally, I didn't want to live a life of ignominy, but I was persuaded by the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty and surrendered to the court."

Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty?

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai's eyes lit up instantly, and the image of Zhu Cilang immediately appeared in his mind.

Then he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:
“You’re right. This crown prince is indeed quite capable. Even I am ashamed of myself in front of him.”

"I consider myself a hero in my own right, but when I face him, I always feel like he sees right through me. His strategy and courage are far beyond what ordinary people can match."

At this point, Luo Rucai's relaxed expression suddenly tightened, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

He subconsciously looked around. Although the hall was quiet, he could feel countless eyes watching from the shadows.

He then remembered that he was in the capital, and in the Huitongguan, surrounded by government officials, and possibly even spies from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

To openly discuss the current crown prince here is like dancing on a knife's edge; a slight misstep could lead to one's death.

However, since they had already discussed it, it would be too abrupt to end the conversation abruptly, so he quickly began to flatter Zhu Cilang:
"However, on the other hand, this Crown Prince is indeed young and promising, and he will surely become a wise ruler in the future."

"Moreover, the imperial court is becoming increasingly powerful, and various regions are gradually settling down. The peasant army is also riddled with internal contradictions, so it will be extremely difficult to maintain its position for long."

"Therefore, it is not a bad choice for us to surrender to the imperial court, after all, this peasant army will not be able to cause trouble for long."

Li Dingguo didn't speak, but simply nodded silently.

His eyes were somewhat vacant, as if he were lost in deep memories.

Through his time living in Liaodong, he increasingly felt that the strength of the Ming Dynasty was truly unfathomable.

In Liaodong, he saw the most advanced weaponry and the most powerful, well-trained army of the Ming Dynasty, which stood in stark contrast to the loosely organized peasant army, which was simply beyond the peasant army's ability to contend with.

In addition, the peasant army suffered several defeats in Henan, their morale was low, and people were in a state of panic. It was estimated that it would not be long before they disintegrated.

Thinking of this, Li Dingguo felt a complicated expression.

As a former peasant army leader, he didn't want the peasant army to simply vanish into thin air, but faced with the overwhelming power of the Ming Dynasty, he knew it was an inevitable outcome.

Moreover, to be fair, the Ming Dynasty is indeed different now than it used to be.

As economies across the country gradually recover and social order stabilizes, most people, except for some northern provinces, are living in peace and contentment, no longer worrying about basic needs.

So why would they rebel?
Thinking of this, Li Dingguo couldn't help but smile bitterly, a smile filled with helplessness and self-mockery. A moment later, as if suddenly remembering something, Li Dingguo abruptly looked at Luo Rucai and asked:
"Uncle Luo, do you know where my wife is?"

As Zhang Xianzhong's adopted son, he started his own family and career at a young age. His wife, Luo Yunsu, was the daughter of Zhang Xianzhong's former subordinates. She was gentle and virtuous, and the two had many warm and harmonious times together.

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai's face instantly flashed with embarrassment and awkwardness.

Because he truly knew nothing about Li Dingguo's wife's situation.

At that time, Zuo Liangyu led his troops to arrive, and the situation was chaotic. He made a decisive decision and resolutely switched to Li Zicheng's command in order to find a new way out. He had no time to care about such trivial matters.

Although Zhang Xianzhong later surrendered to Li Zicheng, he was already under house arrest by Li Zicheng. In addition, he was not close to Li Dingguo, so he naturally did not pay attention to the matter of Li Dingguo's wife.

Moreover, he didn't know whether Li Dingguo's wife had died in the chaos he had caused.

Thinking of this, Luo Rucai forced himself to remain calm and said in a slightly low voice:

"I really don't know anything about this."

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo's body stiffened slightly, his eyes dimmed instantly, and after a moment of silence, he let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with endless loneliness and sorrow.

In fact, he had a premonition that his wife was likely in grave danger amidst the brutality of war.

The reason for asking this question now is merely out of a sliver of hope, a desire to confirm it once again.

However, fate is always full of drama.

Li Dingguo probably never dreamed that his wife, Luo Yunsu, would miraculously survive and be properly settled in the capital along with her father!

It turned out that Zhu Cilang had made arrangements for this matter in advance. He specifically instructed the general who had gone to Shaanxi to transport flintlock muskets to carefully search for the families of Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu, and others after arriving in Shaanxi.

Upon receiving the order, the generals naturally dared not slack off in the slightest. They carefully inquired and searched along the way, and after some effort, they actually found quite a few people.

Of course, some people also tragically lost their lives in that brutal chaos, which is an irreparable tragedy.

But Li Dingguo was undoubtedly lucky, because his wife and father-in-law were both safe and sound.

However, this group of people arrived in the capital after Luo Rucai left, so Luo Rucai was naturally unaware of this matter.

After these people arrived in the capital, Zhu Cilang made proper arrangements for them. After all, Li Dingguo and others had already submitted to the court, so Zhu Cilang would naturally not mistreat them and their families.

This is also an important measure to win people's hearts and minds.

As for why he didn't send someone to tell Li Dingguo the good news as soon as he arrived in the capital?

This is, of course, because Zhu Cilang also had his own ulterior motives!
He planned to tell Li Dingguo the surprise when he came to see him, so that his family could be reunited.

If Li Dingguo did not come to see him for a long time, Zhu Cilang would not keep the matter a secret forever; he simply intended to let him find out later.

At this moment, Li Dingguo was completely unaware of this, still immersed in the grief of the possible misfortune befalling his family.

For a moment, the two sat facing each other in silence.

Another point worth mentioning is that Luo Rucai guessed one thing correctly earlier!
That is to say, there are indeed many Jinyiwei hidden in the Huitong Hall. These Jinyiwei disguise themselves as officials, military officers, or servants, hiding in various corners, like falcons, keeping a close eye on everyone here!

Of course, this also includes the actions of Luo Rucai and Li Dingguo.

In fact, right after they met, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already informed Zhu Cilang of the matter.

At the same time, the East Palace.

At this moment, Zhu Cilang was standing in front of a huge cage, looking at the things inside with great curiosity.

The cage was made of thick iron pillars, making it extremely sturdy. It was also bound with iron chains to prevent the creature inside from suddenly rushing out and injuring people.

And what was in the cage was none other than the two large tigers that Shi Lang had sent.

After the statistics were compiled yesterday, the Ministry of Rites submitted the list of tribute items to the Crown Prince's Palace.

However, Zhu Cilang was busy entertaining Zheng Zhilong and his son last night, discussing important matters such as coastal defense and attacking Japan, so he didn't have time to look at the list of tributes.

He only remembered it early this morning, and then picked it up to take a look.

The result is not clear even if you look at it, and you will be shocked when you look at it.

Good heavens, the amount of tribute this time is simply outrageous. Although the amount of gold and silver is relatively small, totaling less than 200,000 taels, there are quite a lot of other rare and precious treasures.

There were a hundred tiger skins alone, neatly stacked together, exuding a faint wild aura.

There were more than a thousand other animal skins, including wolf, bear, and fox skins, each with glossy fur and soft texture.

The deer antler and ginseng together weigh over a thousand catties. The deer antler is thick and plump, and the ginseng has many roots, clearly indicating that it is a top-quality tonic.

There were thousands of kilograms of ivory, spices, and the like!
There were countless other rare and precious treasures, which were simply dazzling.

However, Zhu Cilang only glanced at these things and quickly overlooked them. His attention was soon drawn to something else: two tigers that had been sent as tribute!

Well, when he learned that someone had sent two tigers, Zhu Cilang was actually quite happy.

Although he had been to a zoo in his previous life, the zoo was too small and there were no tigers there.

This explains why he never saw a real tiger in his previous life, only on his phone.

The curiosity and excitement of seeing a live tiger in person is unimaginable.

In addition, although it is known that the Ming Dynasty court did have special animal trainers and tiger breeding institutions, especially during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of Ming, the Leopard House and Tiger House became important places for the royal family to train wild beasts. Various kinds of wild beasts were kept there for the emperor to watch and play with.

However, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, these facilities had largely fallen into disrepair.

Even Emperor Chongzhen and Emperor Tianqi probably had never seen a tiger, let alone Emperor Zhu Cilang. But now, someone has actually sent two tigers to them.

It has to be said that this really hit Zhu Cilang's sweet spot.

Zhu Cilang immediately ordered the tiger to be brought over, which led to the scene before us.

(End of this chapter)