Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 113 The Prime Minister is like Yao and Shun!

【Encourage auspiciousness? 】

Seeing the older generation of Ming Dynasty scholars bravely charging the tower, the Korean and Japanese people, who had just enjoyed the Prime Minister's favor for a few years, were eager to try their hand at it...

【arrange! 】

In the seventy-seventh year of the Chongzhen reign, just days after the discovery of Cao Wei's abdication in Xuchang, Ning Bufan, then serving as the governor of Korea, sent two auspicious reports to the capital.

One was from the people of northern Korea, who stumbled upon the ruins of Pyongyang, the capital of the Goguryeo era. They also unearthed a stone tablet within the ruins. After careful examination, it was discovered that the tablet contained information about the fall of Goguryeo to the Tang Dynasty.

[The stele reads: Local people must be loyal to the Holy Lord of the Central Plains, who has conquered this territory. They must never betray him in the future... The Holy Lord of the Central Plains is the sun!]

The people of Goguryeo should regard the sun as their core and unite closely around the Central Plains Sun, allowing Goguryeo to forever bathe in the light of the Central Plains Sun, thus making Goguryeo an eternal kingdom of light!

[Yes! Love! (Goguryeo accent!)]

This is the first auspicious item. The second was unearthed in southern Korea. It is also a stone tablet, but it is not from Goguryeo, but from Silla.

This stone tablet, dating from the Silla era, depicts the Tang dynasty's help in annihilating Goguryeo and Baekje. The Silla king lavishly praised the Tang dynasty's boundless kindness to its vassal states, declaring Silla's eternal loyalty to the Tang dynasty a true honor.

[Green onion! Layer! (Silla accent!)]

Seeing the Koreans' loyalty, the Japanese in the four neighboring provinces were stunned. Then they suddenly realized: Soga...

In the 78th year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the people of the Jiuzhou Provincial Administration Office accidentally unearthed a gold seal. After expert identification, it was confirmed to be the "Seal of the King of the Wa Nu Kingdom" bestowed upon the King of Wa by Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty!

Along with the golden seal, a stone tablet was also unearthed. It read: "Wa has been a vassal state of the Han Dynasty since ancient times. The people of Wa should unite closely around the Han Emperor. If the King of Wa obstructs or attempts to invade the Han Dynasty, the people should 'overthrow the superior with the inferior' and resort to military rebellion to save Wa!"

[In the same year, the people of the Honshu Provincial Government accidentally unearthed the remains of an ancient castle. After identification by experts, it turned out to be Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle!]

[Some documents were unearthed from the ruins of Azuchi Castle. After careful examination, it was discovered that they were written by Akechi Mitsuhide, the instigator of the Honnoji Incident!]

The document states: "Rebellion is a fine traditional art of the Japanese nation. If your ruler displeases you, you should launch the Honnoji Incident like I, Akechi Mitsuhide, did... Use swords, fire, and cannons to take his head! Open his mind or broaden his heart!"

【Respect the emperor and punish the traitors (crossed out) Respect the virtuous and punish the emperor! 】

【Return of Imperial Rule (crossed out) Take it! 】

[Board! Carry! (Japanese accent!)]

【…】

"Father! No more hesitation! We must strike hard!"

In the Imperial Palace, Zhu Cilang, who had served as Crown Prince for nearly seventy years, knelt before the Divine Emperor with an agitated heart, kowtowed repeatedly, and pleaded, "That traitor surnamed Zhou has revealed his true colors! His auspicious message of persuading the Emperor to ascend the throne is known to everyone from the four islands of Japan to Xi'an Prefecture!"

"These unruly people must have accepted 500,000 taels of silver from Zhou Liang. I implore Your Majesty to swiftly enforce justice and bring all the evildoers to justice!"

[But no matter how much he pleaded, the Divine Emperor on the dragon bed remained motionless, not even his expression changing in the slightest...]

[After a long while, the Divine Emperor slowly spoke.]

"These auspicious signs of persuasion were spontaneously performed by ignorant common people and have nothing to do with the Prime Minister..."

[“Father!”] [Zhu Cilang was so angry that he puffed his beard and glared: “How can you speak for an outsider?”]

"Even if none of these auspicious signs of succession were perpetrated by Zhou, then his suppression of the royal family members couldn't be false, right?"

"I've also read the history books. Before plotting rebellion, those treacherous usurpers would suppress the previous dynasty's royal family, thereby weakening the power of the royal family... The Zhou thief has already defrauded you of power, and now he's slashing our land, leaving us in a state where we can barely afford to eat! Isn't this treason?"

"Do you have to wait until Zhou leads his troops into the Forbidden City and forces the emperor to abdicate before you believe he's plotting a rebellion?!"

Zhu Cilang weeps with every word, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably...

The Divine Emperor remained calm: "Do you think the Prime Minister is a fool? I am at the peak of my power, how could the Prime Minister harbor the intention of rebellion? Okay, withdraw."

"Father!"

This attitude completely ignited Zhu Cilang's anger, causing him to exclaim in shock and anger, "As the ancients said, judge by deeds, not by heart! Regardless of whether Zhou the thief has the intention to rebel or not, his actions are irrefutable evidence that he is a traitor!"

"Besides, how do you know he doesn't have any intention of rebellion? He might not have any intention of rebellion, but it's unlikely that he doesn't have any intention of rebellion... What if he does? It's better to kill the wrong person than to let him go!"

Hearing this, the Divine Emperor finally grew serious, but not to the Prime Minister, but to the Crown Prince: "Are you trying to say it's a false accusation?"

"Remember, I am not Zhao Gou, and you can't be Qin Hui!"

【"go out!"】

The Divine Emperor's rebuke finally woke Zhu Cilang from his state of fabricating accusations. He finally remembered: the father before him was no longer the easily influenced Zhu Youjian of the past. He was now a true god, towering above all mortals!

[In the eyes of a true god, his own son is nothing more than a slightly special mortal...]

Zhu Cilang felt a sudden pang of sadness in his heart, and without saying anything more, he stood up and left with tears in his eyes.

He never understood his father. Just as he couldn't understand why his father, who had always cared about the people, would suddenly massacre the people of the world, he also couldn't understand why his father trusted the fellow countryman who had invaded the country, and even preferred to denounce his own son to protect a royal lackey who had committed treason...

【…】

In the seventy-eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, the emperor, displeased with the crown prince and the other princes, confined members of the imperial clan to the various palaces in the capital. They were forbidden to leave without the emperor's order! Those who disobeyed were thrown into the imperial prison and executed by the Embroidered Uniform Guards!

[That year, the Emperor issued a decree to the world: The Prime Minister has no intention of rebelling. No matter how auspicious the signs are bestowed by Heaven, I do not believe the Prime Minister is plotting a rebellion!]

"The Prime Minister was ordered to serve in times of crisis, and he has the spirit of Zhuge Kongming, governing the country without partiality... Moreover, the Prime Minister has always lived a simple life, with no extra wealth, so he is naturally flawless!"

"I absolutely do not believe that the Prime Minister has any intention of usurping the throne!"

"Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty has long since declined in virtue, and it is only thanks to the Prime Minister that we have achieved today's prosperity. Both I and the common people share in the Prime Minister's kindness... If the Prime Minister truly has his eyes on the throne, why should I begrudge the title of Emperor?"

"If the Prime Minister is willing, I would like to follow my brother, Emperor Xizong, and retell the stories of Yao and Shun with you!"

【The Prime Minister is like Yao and Shun! 】

……

(End of this chapter)