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

Wang Chengen hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth between the memorial and Emperor Chongzhen, his heart filled with turmoil.

But in the end, he steeled himself and went before Emperor Chongzhen, his voice trembling slightly as he said:

"Your Majesty."

Before Wang Chengen could finish speaking, Chongzhen glared at him like a powder keg had been lit, his eyes filled with anger and impatience, and shouted:

"Shut up! You can say whatever you want later, I don't want to hear it now!"

The sound echoed like thunder outside Kunning Palace, frightening the surrounding eunuchs and palace maids into lowering their heads and not daring to breathe.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen could only obediently shut his mouth and retreat to the side with his head down like a frightened little bird.

Clearly, for Emperor Chongzhen at this moment, nothing is more important than Empress Zhou giving birth.

In his heart, the safety of Empress Zhou was above all else at this moment.

Just when everyone was on edge, as if time had frozen, a loud cry suddenly came from inside Kunning Palace.

"Wow!"

The cry was clear and loud, like a bolt of lightning piercing the night sky! It instantly shattered the tense atmosphere outside Kunning Palace.

In an instant, the anxiety on Chongzhen's face vanished, replaced by ecstatic joy.

Because his child was born!
But soon, he thought of Empress Zhou, who was still struggling to give birth in the delivery room, and his heart tightened instantly, because he didn't know if she would be alright after the weekend.

Fortunately, not long after, a midwife came running out of the Kunning Palace with a happy face.

As she ran, she loudly announced the good news:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations! Her Majesty the Empress has given birth to a princess. Mother and daughter are safe and sound!"

The voice was filled with excitement and joy, as if it wanted to spread the good news throughout the entire palace.

Upon hearing this, all the eunuchs and palace maids present were overjoyed, their happiness bursting forth like a flood breaking through a dam.

They hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to Emperor Chongzhen, their foreheads hitting the ground heavily with a "thud," while shouting in unison:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the arrival of the princess!"

The sound was clear and resonant, echoing for a long time outside Kunning Palace.

Emperor Chongzhen was overjoyed, his face beaming with happiness and his eyes filled with loving kindness.

He already has three sons and three daughters, so he doesn't have a strong attachment to having more sons or daughters.

However, having a little daughter at this age is still something to be happy about!

Thinking of this, Chongzhen waved his hand and said:

"Everyone will be rewarded!"

Upon hearing this, the eunuchs and palace maids around them naturally expressed their gratitude once again.

At the same time, seeing that Chongzhen was in a good mood, Wang Chengen mustered his courage again, carefully took a few steps forward to Chongzhen's side, and then whispered:
"Your Majesty, this is an urgent message from Hanzhong, sent by the Crown Prince. Would you like to take a look?"

His voice was low and cautious, as if afraid of displeasing Chongzhen again.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen looked at Wang Chengen with surprise, his eyes filled with doubt and shock.

Then, subconsciously, I asked:

Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?

His tone carried a hint of reproach.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen nearly coughed up blood, inwardly groaning:
Your Majesty, we need to be reasonable!
I was just about to tell you, but you wouldn't let me!
But he certainly wouldn't dare say that aloud, so he could only suppress his grievances and obediently say:

"It was my fault for forgetting. I deserve to die."

At the same time, Chongzhen seemed to recall what had happened before, and for a moment he felt somewhat embarrassed.

He then reached out and took the memorial from Wang Chengen's hand.

Upon seeing this, the eunuchs who were holding lanterns nearby quickly brought their lanterns closer so that Chongzhen could see more clearly.

By the light of the lantern, Chongzhen began to read the memorial in his hand word by word.

As he read, a look of surprise and excitement gradually appeared on his face, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if he wanted to release all the joy in his heart.

"Hahaha, as expected of my son! The Ming army has won a great victory this time. Li Zicheng is dead, and the scourge of the peasant army is completely gone!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding eunuchs and palace maids immediately began to flatter him again, like a swarm of bees attracted by the fragrance of flowers.

In an instant, everyone kowtowed to Emperor Chongzhen again and shouted in unison:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

One of the more clever-looking eunuchs shouted even louder:

"Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune! The Empress has just given birth to a little princess, and now the Crown Prince has delivered the news of his great victory. This is truly a double celebration!"

When Emperor Chongzhen heard the words "double happiness," he smiled and then his eyes suddenly lit up, as if a flash of inspiration had appeared in his mind.

He increasingly felt that his newborn daughter might really be a lucky star. After all, good news from Hanzhong arrived right after she was born. Doesn't that prove anything?
This is truly an auspicious omen bestowed upon the Ming Dynasty by Heaven!
With this in mind, Chongzhen had already made a decision!
That is, he wanted to name his youngest daughter "Shuangxi" (meaning double happiness), hoping that she would bring more good luck and blessings to the Ming Dynasty!

Um.
You heard right, Emperor Chongzhen planned to name his princess "Shuangxi" (Double Happiness)!
Zhu Shuangxi!
how to say?

Thankfully, it wasn't Double Happiness.
Suddenly, in the next second, Chongzhen's eyes lit up, and he urgently gave the order:

"Quickly send someone to summon the entire cabinet and all the ministers of the six ministries! This is a momentous occasion, and I want to share in their joy!"

Logically speaking, it wouldn't be unreasonable to discuss such matters in court the next morning.

After all, it was late at night and most of the ministers were already asleep, but Emperor Chongzhen couldn't wait a moment longer.

He felt a burning flame of excitement within him, and he desperately needed to find someone to share this joy with.

It should be noted that the Ming Dynasty had been ravaged by peasant armies like locusts for years, leaving it riddled with holes and suffering endless calamities.

Although the ministers in the court were all well-read and eloquent in court, they were helpless in the face of the surging peasant army and could only watch the situation deteriorate day by day.

Who would have thought that Zhu Cilang would actually solve this thorny problem?

This was incredibly exciting for Emperor Chongzhen.

Adding to his joy, he was overjoyed tonight to have a daughter and become a father. This double happiness was like a surging tide that almost overwhelmed him.

Therefore, he couldn't wait to summon several important ministers and let them know the good news as well.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen dared not delay for the slightest and quickly bowed, saying:

"Yes, ma'am!" After saying that, he hurriedly turned and ran out.

Before long, several eunuchs and Imperial Guards set off from the palace like arrows released from a bow. They carried lanterns and hurried towards the homes of the Grand Secretariat and the six ministers.

The lantern swayed precariously in the night breeze, its dim yellow light flickering in the darkness, as if telling of the urgency of the situation.

At this very moment, midnight had quietly arrived, and the entire capital city was immersed in tranquility, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog.

The ministers in the court had already gone to bed, especially several senior officials such as Xue Guoguan.

After all, they are old and not as healthy as young people. They also have to work hard on national affairs, so they go to bed relatively early.

However, they were destined not to get a good night's sleep tonight!

Xue Mansion.

Grand Secretary Xue Guoguan was lying in his warm bed, fast asleep, snoring softly, with a relaxed expression on his face.

Suddenly, at that moment, an anxious shout came from outside the door:
"Master! Master! Wake up!"

The sound was sharp and urgent, piercing the silent night like a swift arrow.

At the same time, the maid who was warming Xue Guoguan's feet was also awakened by the sudden sound.

These two maids were both young and beautiful women who slept with Xue Guoguan and used their bodies to warm his feet.

Such was the life of high-ranking officials and nobles in ancient times; even warming their feet required maids to serve them, which they considered a symbol of status and position.

However, Xue Guoguan was quite old and his reactions were somewhat slow. It took him a while to come out of his drowsy sleep, and then he shouted somewhat angrily:
"What are you yelling about in the middle of the night!"

The voice carried a hint of anger and dissatisfaction.

But the next second, the door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang," and the loud noise echoed in the silent room, making Xue Guoguan's eyelids twitch.

Seeing this, Xue Guoguan became even angrier. His brows furrowed, his eyes widened, and the wrinkles on his face twisted together with anger.

I have a feeling that these servants are becoming more and more unruly, daring to barge in like that!

We've been too lenient with them all the time; we must teach them a lesson today!
But before he could react, the butler suddenly said with a nervous expression:

"My lord, please forgive me, but the matter is far too urgent! A eunuch has come to deliver an imperial decree, saying that His Majesty summons you late at night! He orders you to go see him immediately!"

what?
Upon hearing this, Xue Guoguan's eyes widened instantly, his previously angry gaze now filled with disbelief.

His mouth was slightly open, and he couldn't close it for a long time, as if he had heard some kind of fairy tale.

You know, recently it has been difficult for their ministers to even see Chongzhen, but now Chongzhen suddenly and inexplicably summons them in the middle of the night. What's going on?
Has something serious happened?
Xue Guoguan was filled with doubt and unease, and hurriedly asked:

"Did you tell me what it was?"

The butler shook his head upon hearing this, a helpless expression on his face:

"I just asked the eunuch who delivered the decree, but he refused to say anything."

Upon hearing this, Xue Guoguan knew that something serious must have happened, and that he was definitely not the only one summoned.

Without saying a word, he immediately prepared to get out of bed.

Seeing this, the maids nearby hurriedly stepped forward to serve him, carefully helping Xue Guoguan put on his clothes and boots.

After everything was ready, Xue Guoguan took another sip of hot tea to refresh himself. The warm tea flowed down his throat, clearing his somewhat muddled mind.

He then hurriedly walked out.

Meanwhile, the eunuchs outside the door were already getting impatient.

They stood in the cold wind, stamping their feet incessantly, their breath forming puffs of white mist in the air.

After the two sides met, the eunuch hurriedly said:

"Grand Secretary Xue, you've finally woken up! Quickly, come with me to the palace! We can't keep His Majesty waiting too long!"

After saying this, he pointed to the sedan chair behind him, signaling Xue Guoguan to get in quickly.

Clearly, they had also considered that Xue Guoguan was old and might have difficulty walking, so they specially prepared a sedan chair.

Seeing this, Xue Guoguan didn't know what to say, and simply nodded and said:

"Thank you, father-in-law."

He then got into the sedan chair.

The sedan chair swayed slightly before being slowly lifted up and heading towards the palace.

At the same time, similar scenes were also taking place in the homes of other cabinet ministers and the six ministers.

The ministers were also caught off guard by the sudden summons. They were awakened from their sleep, hurriedly dressed, and followed the eunuchs into the palace.

After a while, all the cabinet ministers and the six ministers gathered in the cabinet.

However, at this moment, everyone looked bewildered. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

Because they had no idea what was going on. Why would the emperor suddenly summon them in the middle of the night? This was completely illogical!
Xue Guoguan took a sip of the tea brought by the eunuch. The warm tea relaxed his tense nerves a little. He wanted to use the tea to refresh himself so that he could deal with what might happen next.

Just then, Zhou Shipu, the Minister of Works, suddenly looked at Xue Guoguan and asked:

"Grand Secretary Xue, what exactly is going on? Why does His Majesty suddenly summon us in the middle of the night? Has something serious happened?"

Although the sound was not loud, it was exceptionally clear in the silent cabinet.

Xue Guoguan shook his head after hearing his words, a helpless expression on his face.

"I am unaware of this matter either, but His Majesty must have something important to discuss with him since he summoned me so late at night. Let us wait patiently."

Just after saying this, Xue Guoguan suddenly noticed that Wang Jiayan, the Minister of Rites, seemed to have a strange expression on his face, as if he knew something.
Thinking of this, Xue Guoguan asked directly:
"Lord Wang, judging from your expression, do you know something? If you do, perhaps you could give everyone a heads-up!"

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to Wang Jiayan.

Under the scrutiny of everyone, Wang Jiayan gave an awkward smile.

But that smile actually perked up everyone else present.

Because they realized that Wang Jiayan definitely knew the inside story.

In an instant, several people quickly surrounded him, their eyes filled with expectation and eagerness.
"Lord Wang, if you know anything, please tell everyone quickly, so that we don't all worry!"

"Exactly, you can't keep things to yourself!"

"If we know why His Majesty summoned us sooner, we can prepare in advance and avoid making a mistake in front of the Emperor!"

(End of this chapter)