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

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to the capital city, thousands of miles away.

On the official road outside the capital, a fast horse suddenly galloped from afar like a black lightning bolt.

The clatter of hooves sounded like the urgent drumbeats of fate. Then, the swift horse galloped through the city gates like lightning, heading straight for the palace without stopping.

This swift horse was clearly from Liaodong!

Indeed, after several days and nights of travel, news of Huang Taiji's death was finally delivered to the capital!
Logically speaking, memorials of this kind, which concern the safety of the country and have a significant impact, should be presented to the emperor immediately so that the emperor can be informed in a timely manner and make a decision.

However, the current Chongzhen Emperor is like a "retired" emperor, spending most of his time in the inner palace and hardly dealing with state affairs.

Even when attending court was sometimes required, it was merely a formality to go through the motions.

After all, under Zhu Cilang's careful governance, the Ming Dynasty was now well-organized, and the whole country was showing a prosperous scene.

Emperor Chongzhen knew his abilities were limited, and if he rashly interfered in state affairs and made another serious mistake, it would be a great loss.

In addition, he had already made up his mind to delegate power a long time ago, so he simply delegated it all at once.

Therefore, during the months that Zhu Cilang was away, Chongzhen only attended court once!

That is why this urgent memorial was sent directly to the cabinet.

At this very moment, inside the cabinet, several cabinet ministers are sitting at their desks, intently working on their tasks.

The spacious and bright cabinet hall was furnished with neatly arranged tables and chairs, and the tables were piled high with various documents and memorials.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled patterns on the floor and adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise solemn space.

Logically speaking, if the emperor didn't manage affairs, the workload of the cabinet ministers should have increased, since they would have to make all the decisions, which would definitely be more arduous than before.

But this is not actually the case. Since Emperor Chongzhen stopped interfering in politics, the workload of the cabinet has actually decreased.

All matters were handled quite quickly and appropriately.

This is because when Emperor Chongzhen was in charge, many matters were reviewed by the Grand Secretariat before being submitted to him for his final approval. This process not only consumed a lot of time but also added many cumbersome procedures.

For example, sometimes Emperor Chongzhen would be dissatisfied with the way the cabinet handled things, so he would reject the proposal again, and then the cabinet would review it again before handing it back to Emperor Chongzhen.

If they are still not satisfied, they will have to convene the cabinet to discuss it, and it will take several days to make a decision.

Then, the actual implementation will take a lot of time!

But now that Chongzhen is no longer involved in affairs, the cabinet can approve many things directly on its own, and then Chongzhen just needs to take a look.

Emperor Chongzhen generally had no objections, and the Directorate of Ceremonial would directly approve and stamp the document.

Even minor matters didn't require Emperor Chongzhen's approval; the cabinet ministers could make decisions on their own.

The cabinet would only consult with Emperor Chongzhen on matters of great importance.

In this situation, the cabinet's efficiency has greatly improved, and ministers are able to handle various affairs more calmly.

Some people might have concerns after reading this:
Wouldn't that mean the cabinet has too much power?
They could all exercise power in place of the emperor!

What if they harbor ulterior motives and do things that are detrimental to the country?

To that I can only say you're overthinking it!

Because don't forget, there are also eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs in the palace!
These eunuchs were like a group of keen observers, keeping a close eye on the cabinet's every move. As soon as they sensed something was amiss, they would immediately report it to Emperor Chongzhen.

In addition, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Western Depot, and the Eastern Depot were all monitoring the cabinet's every move to ensure they wouldn't cause any trouble.

Furthermore, these cabinet ministers are now terrified of Zhu Cilang's ruthless methods, which still haunt them, so they dare not do anything out of line.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, followed by a voice:
"My lords, an urgent dispatch from Liaodong, 800 li away!"

The sound, like a thunderclap, instantly shattered the tranquility of the cabinet.

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly put down their pens and looked up. Then, they saw Wang Chengen stride in.

However, at this time, Wang Chengen did not know what was written in the memorial, and Hong Chengchou naturally would not inform the cavalryman who delivered the message.

However, under normal circumstances, any urgent dispatch concerning Liaodong must be of paramount importance, so Wang Chengen dared not delay and ran all the way to deliver the memorial to the cabinet.

Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary Xue Guoguan quickly rose and went forward, then addressed Wang Chengen:

"Thank you, father-in-law!"

After saying this, Xue Guoguan reached out and took the memorial handed to him by Wang Chengen, and opened it without the slightest hesitation.

After a quick glance, Xue Guoguan's eyes widened instantly, as if he had seen a ghost.

But soon, the expression on his face was replaced by surprise, and then he couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Hahahaha! This is truly wonderful news! God bless the Ming Dynasty! God bless the Ming Dynasty!"

Seeing this, everyone was a little confused and didn't know what had happened to make Xue Guoguan, the Grand Secretary, lose his composure like this.

But the next second they heard Xue Guoguan say:
"Huang Taiji is dead! Huang Taiji is dead! Hahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers present were stunned, as if time itself had frozen.

Immediately afterwards, a look of ecstatic joy appeared on their faces.

After all, Huang Taiji was the emperor of the Jurchens. His death was undoubtedly a great thing for the Ming Dynasty, which meant that the Ming Dynasty's layout in Liaodong would be more stable!

Wang Chengen was also overjoyed and laughed heartily. Then, as if he had thought of something, he said excitedly:

"This is truly wonderful news! I'll go and tell His Majesty right away!"

After saying this, Wang Chengen snatched the urgent memorial from Xue Guoguan's hand without another word, and then, like an arrow released from a bow, headed straight for Kunning Palace.

The speed of the action caught the ministers present off guard!

It wasn't until Wang Chengen disappeared that the ministers realized that only Xue Guo had seen the memorial, while the others hadn't. They never expected that Wang Chengen would snatch it away like that.

Although they were somewhat dissatisfied, they couldn't say anything more in the face of the situation.

After all, this memorial was originally intended for the emperor, and logically, it should only be given to them after the emperor had read it.

However, the other cabinet ministers quickly surrounded Xue Guoguan, bombarding him with questions:
"Grand Secretary Xue, you read that memorial by yourself just now. Tell everyone what it said. Is Huang Taiji really dead? Who will be the next emperor of the Jurchens?"

Clearly, these cabinet ministers were concerned not only with whether Huang Taiji was dead or not, but also with who the next Jurchen emperor would be. After all, this concerned the future of the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong, and if someone like Dorgon or Daišan were to succeed to the throne, it would certainly cause some trouble.

Faced with the crowd's questions, Xue Guoguan shook his head helplessly and then said:

"Colleagues, I didn't even finish reading the memorial. I only saw the first few sentences saying that Huang Taiji was dead. Before I could read the rest, Eunuch Wang snatched it away."

"So I really can't answer your questions!"

Hearing this, everyone felt somewhat helpless, and a hint of disappointment appeared on their faces, but they didn't say anything more.

However, logically speaking, given the magnitude of this event, Emperor Chongzhen should consult with them soon.

With this in mind, everyone could only suppress their emotions and return to their seats.

At this moment, however, they had no heart to deal with anything else. They sat there, their eyes somewhat unfocused, their minds still on the death of Huang Taiji.

At the same time, the scene shifts to Kunning Palace.

Empress Zhou is now nine months pregnant and will be giving birth next month, so Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou have been inseparable lately.

For example, right now, the two of them are enjoying the flowers in the garden of Kunning Palace.

It's already June, and the weather is gradually getting hotter.

The garden was bathed in sunshine, a gentle breeze was blowing, birds were singing and dancing, and flowers of all colors were vying for attention. The red ones were as red as fire, the pink ones were as pink as the sunset, and the white ones were as white as snow. The various colors were intertwined and were very beautiful.

Butterflies fluttered among the flowers, and bees busily collected nectar, creating a vibrant scene.

Empress Zhou sat on a soft couch, dressed in a magnificent phoenix robe and wearing a phoenix crown, her face gentle and beautiful.

She gently stroked her belly, her face full of a tender smile, a smile as warm and gentle as the spring sunshine.

As mentioned before, Empress Zhou did not expect to become pregnant again at this age.

Now she truly has everything she needs.

Her husband loved her dearly, her eldest son was capable and filial, her other children were all healthy, and she was pregnant. In Empress Zhou's eyes, this was probably what happiness was all about.

However, Empress Zhou couldn't help but think of Zhu Cilang, who was far away in Hanzhong. After all, Zhu Cilang was going to suppress the peasant army. Even though she had made thorough preparations, Empress Zhou still had some worries.

Just then, Empress Zhou suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and couldn't help but let out a soft hiss.

"oops!"

For a moment, her brows furrowed slightly, and a look of pain appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Emperor Chongzhen, standing beside him, said with a face full of worry:

"What's wrong? Where do you feel unwell? Quickly, go and summon the imperial physician!"

His eyes were filled with concern, and his body involuntarily leaned forward.

Upon hearing this, the palace maid beside her quickly prepared to call the imperial physician.

By this time, the imperial physicians had already been divided into several groups, waiting outside Kunming Palace day and night. They only needed to call out once, and they would come to treat Empress Zhou shortly afterward.

It's clear that Emperor Chongzhen valued this child of his greatly!
Before the palace maid could summon the imperial physician, Empress Zhou stopped her, then looked at Emperor Chongzhen and said with a light smile:

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I am not that delicate. I just suddenly thought of Lang'er, so I was a little excited for a moment."

Emperor Chongzhen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Then he comforted her:

"There's nothing to worry about regarding Lang'er, so you can relax! If nothing unexpected happens, he's already arrived in Hanzhong. He's already very confident about this battle, and he definitely won't lose!"

In Chongzhen's view, Empress Zhou's worries were completely unnecessary.

After all, the Ming army had defeated the Jurchens before, let alone a peasant army.

Compared to Zhu Cilang, Chongzhen was now more worried about Empress Zhou and the child in her womb.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from afar.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Great news! Incredibly good news!"

The sound grew louder and clearer, as if carrying an irrepressible excitement.

Emperor Chongzhen immediately recognized Wang Chengen's voice, but he was somewhat puzzled:

What good news could there be at this point?

Could it be that Zhu Cilang successfully defeated the peasant army?

That's not right, the timing doesn't match at all!
Just a month ago, they received a letter from Zhu Cilang saying that the army had reached Shaanxi. So it was still uncertain whether they had even reached Hanzhong. How could they possibly defeat the peasant army and send a message back so quickly?
But apart from this matter, Chongzhen couldn't think of any other good news at the moment.

Just then, Wang Chengen finally ran up to Emperor Chongzhen.

However, because he had run all the way here, he was already panting heavily, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

Emperor Chongzhen rolled his eyes at Wang Chengen and said with a hint of helplessness:
"What's making such a fuss about?"

His tone carried a hint of reproach, but more so, curiosity.

Wang Chengen took a breath, then raised the urgent message he was carrying, and said excitedly:

"Your Majesty! Urgent dispatch from Liaodong! Huang Taiji is dead!"

what?
Upon hearing this, Chongzhen suddenly stood up, his body trembling slightly with excitement, his face filled with disbelief.

Clearly, this was completely unexpected for him; he never imagined that Huang Taiji would die at this time!
The next second, he hurriedly took the urgent message from Wang Chengen, staring intently at the secret letter and carefully reading it.

As Emperor Chongzhen scanned the text one by one, a smile of extreme excitement suddenly appeared on his face.

This secret letter was written by Hong Chengchou. In it, he said that Huang Taiji had passed away not long ago, and the Jurchens had even sent an envoy to report the death. Therefore, the news must be true!
Furthermore, after Huang Taiji's death, his son Fulin succeeded him to the throne.

Then, in his letter, Hong Chengchou briefly explained his conjecture, which was nothing more than the fact that the Jurchens chose a child to succeed to the throne because of the infighting and power struggles within the Jurchens.

However, a child who succeeds to the throne will inevitably be unable to control the overall situation, and the Jurchen people will certainly fall into chaos due to power struggles.

This is entirely beneficial to the Ming Dynasty!
At the same time, he wanted to ask Emperor Chongzhen whether they should take advantage of the instability of power within the Jurchen state during this period to stir up some trouble. (End of Chapter)