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

Chapter 254 The Realm of Illusion!
[There's no reflection in the mirror?]

You stared at this scene, momentarily stunned...

At the very moment you were lost in thought, the Empress, sitting naked at her dressing table, seemed to sense something. She slowly turned around, her exquisite face meeting your dazed gaze.

"Did you see that?" she asked with a light laugh.

You fell silent.

"What do you think we are?" she asked again.

You remain silent.

"Do I look like a human or a ghost to you?" she continued.

You remain silent.

However, contrary to your outward silence, your heart is in turmoil; the bold and romantic thoughts of not long ago have long since faded away...

[It's clear the Queen deliberately let you discover this strange event... But how should this strange event be explained?]

[Could it be that you've been suppressing your feelings for too long, to the point that you had a wet dream?]

[After thinking for a moment, you sensed the lustful divine power within your primordial spirit: it was still present, indicating that you had indeed had sexual relations with the Empress before, and those experiences were not your imagination.]

Then you took a closer look at the Prime Minister, who was sitting under the old, crooked tree, drinking tea and watching a play... Since the Prime Minister was still there, it meant the Empress wasn't your hallucination.

In other words, the Empress is actually a real person, but she is a spirit without a physical body, which is why her form cannot be reflected in the mirror...

Thinking it over, you felt much more at ease: "Your Majesty is joking. You possess an immortal spirit, how can you be called a ghost?"

"Primordial Spirit?"

The Empress smiled and shook her head: "While the physical body of the primordial spirit is good, it cannot provide real physical sensations... But when you were making love with me just now, did you experience any false sensations?"

【Um? 】

[Her words startled you again: It seems...that makes sense?]

[The primordial spirit is, after all, the primordial spirit; its essence lacks the real details and sensations of the physical body. Even in intimate relations, there will always be subtle, deceptive aspects that you can detect… However, recalling the delicate touch and the various reactions unique to a woman's body, you simply couldn't sense any falsehood!]

No matter how much you recall the details, you can only come to one conclusion: she is a living person! A living person with a physical body!

But current signs indicate that she cannot be in physical form...

【Doesn't this create a conflict? How can someone be both alive and dead at the same time? It's not like Schrödinger's cat...】

After much thought, a sudden inspiration struck you: "Could it be... that Her Majesty is using illusion magic?"

The Empress finally nodded slowly: "Indeed, I am a creation of illusion... Not only me, but everyone in this entire harem is, in fact, a creation of illusion..."

【…】

[You received a shocking piece of information from the Empress: she and all the concubines in the harem were created by "God Zhao Gou" using an extremely high level of illusion magic!]

However, they are not hallucinations in the conventional sense, because intangible hallucinations only exist relative to the person being affected. Their "hallucinations," however, exist between reality and illusion. While they lack physical form, they are not simply ethereal entities either… If one had to categorize them, they are actually closer to "half-finished people"!

Outsiders can see them, touch them, and even enjoy sexual relations with them... They have all the reactions a living person should have, and they even possess a true will, clearly aware of their own existence.

[If no one tells them, it would be almost impossible for an ordinary person to recognize that they are not living people!]

This is an almost unparalleled miracle of "transforming the fake into the real" and "turning the illusory into the real," and such a miracle is the work of the unfathomable "God Zhao Gou"...

Even after learning all this, and even if you had some suspicions, you're still stunned into silence: it's simply beyond your wildest imagination!

[Aren't illusions just tricks? How come "God Zhao Gou" actually managed to turn a fake into a real person? Is this still an illusion?!]

[Completely shocked, you can't help but let your imagination run wild: Since Zhao Gou's illusions can achieve the terrifying effect of "making the fake real," is it possible that this bizarre world of the Song Dynasty is actually a product of the "God Zhao Gou's" illusions...?]

[It's no wonder you guess that way, because the true nature of the Great Ming world is this: a golden light from beyond the heavens, originating from the Great Song Dynasty, fell into the real Great Ming Dynasty, and after combining with the memories of Emperor Chongzhen, it created that illusory Great Ming world!]

[Given that the Ming Dynasty was like this, it's not impossible for the Song Dynasty to be the same... Moreover, the golden light from beyond the heavens that created the "illusory Ming Dynasty" actually fell from this Song Dynasty... In other words, the golden light from beyond the heavens could very well be a creation of "God Zhao Gou"! Even if it isn't, it must be inextricably linked to him...]

Thinking about it this way, the strength of "God Zhao Gou" is a bit too terrifying. If he were the final boss you were facing, you really don't know how you would fight that battle...

"No, it won't."

The Prime Minister smiled and put down his teacup, comforting him: "If He were truly that powerful, He wouldn't have been confined to a corner of Jiangnan... The reality is that Zhao Gou not only failed to unify the North and South, but also couldn't establish a one-man rule in the court. Even Yue Fei and others dared to oppose His Northern Expedition strategy."

[“This shows that even if Zhao Gou truly possessed extremely powerful illusionary abilities, he was at most on the same level as Emperor Chongzhen; the strength of his illusionary abilities corresponded precisely to the Emperor's brute force…”]

Hearing your father's words of comfort, your anxiety finally subsided.

[Thinking about it, that makes sense. If Zhao Gou were truly powerful enough to conjure up illusions at will, then these concubines in his harem could never be "half-finished products" existing somewhere between reality and illusion... And since they are "half-finished products," it means that Zhao Gou is unlikely to have conjured up the entire Song Dynasty, thus negating his status as a "creator god"!]

You breathed a slight sigh of relief... But all things considered, "God Zhao Gou's" strength has exceeded your expectations. To deal with this incredibly powerful monster, you still need to proceed with caution...

【…】

[Your conversation with the Queen lasted a long time... Perhaps because she had already revealed her true colors to you, the Queen became increasingly open in the following conversation.]

She not only told you about the inner workings of the harem, but also a secret: because all the beauties in the harem were products of "God Zhao Gou's" illusionary magic, He was indifferent to everyone, even allowing outsiders to freely manipulate His harem...

This also answers your previous question: Why would He allow outsiders into the harem? Because the harem was just a facade!

[However, this raises even more questions: if the harem is all fake, a product of illusion, then what about the Song imperial bloodline that has spread to the outside world? Surely an illusionary creation can't reproduce?]

[In response, the Empress replied: The imperial harem can indeed produce offspring!]

["Although we are not in physical form, we exist between reality and illusion, yet we can still conceive and give birth like normal people... Otherwise, how could our bloodline be passed down?"] ["It is precisely because we can bear offspring that we can have sexual relations with meritorious officials, thereby producing a large number of Song Dynasty bloodlines, providing suitable princesses and princes for the Emperor and his ministers to marry..."]

You suddenly realize why so many descendants of the Song dynasty survived; it turns out...

【etc! 】

You suddenly paused, your brow furrowing involuntarily, because you seemed to have discovered some significant blind spot...

[So you asked with a strange expression, "You mean, all those Song Dynasty descendants are yours and the descendants of meritorious officials? Then the Emperor…"]

"The Emperor?"

The Empress replied matter-of-factly, "His Majesty has always been a eunuch!"

【you:……】

【You: 6!】

【…】

As it turns out, the power of lust could not transform Zhao Gou from an incompetent man into a capable one. This unfortunate fellow, who lost his fertility due to the "Miao-Liu Rebellion," still suffers from the same old ailment...

[His princes and princesses are not his biological children, but rather resources he borrowed from meritorious officials through illusionary arts to create offspring!]

This explains why those so-called "Song Dynasty bloodlines" possess exceptional talent in cultivating the power of lust; they are not mortals, but descendants of illusionary beings, so it's perfectly normal for them to have some special characteristics.

[However, this makes it difficult for these people to be considered "of Song imperial blood," since they have absolutely no relation to Zhao Gou...]

No! There is still a connection, because in a sense, the concubines in the harem, as illusionary creations of "God Zhao Gou," can actually be regarded as His daughters... And if these illusionary concubines are regarded as His daughters, then the offspring born from these illusionary concubines can naturally be called "Song imperial bloodlines"...

No! That's still not right!

[You scratch your head: If the concubines in the illusion are considered the daughters of "God Zhao Gou," then using his daughters as his harem... well...]

This dilemma sends a chill down your spine: He... is truly terrifying!

Whether you consider the palace maid after the illusion as "God Zhao Gou's" daughter or wife, it's all very perverse...

You really don't know how to evaluate this lustful god-emperor... In short, whether in terms of mentality or power, the current "God Zhao Gou" can hardly be called a mortal anymore...

【…】

[Next, you will continue to linger in the harem, indulging in passionate encounters with the Empress and concubines of all ranks, reveling in the ultimate pleasures of life!]

Whether they are alive or dead, real or fictional, as long as they are real people to you, that's enough.

Furthermore, Zhao Gou has only given you one month to enjoy yourself. This period is neither short nor long, so you must make the most of this rare opportunity and acquire as much lustful power as possible within this month. Otherwise, who knows when you will be able to come back again...

[A month later, amidst your deep reluctance and sighs, you received a summons from the Emperor!]

[So you finally crawled out of the gentle embrace of her, and, with the tender care of the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, dressed yourself properly. With a heavy heart, you bid farewell to the beauties of the harem and went to pay your respects to the Emperor…]

After meeting, the Emperor first asked with a smile how you were doing in the palace. Then he asked you many questions about governing the country.

Faced with these serious questions about state affairs, you also put aside the relaxed and frivolous atmosphere you had in the inner palace, and completely entered a serious state of mind to handle important matters... No matter what the Emperor asked you, you could answer fluently, and your answers always made the Emperor nod in approval.

As time went on, He began to value you more and more...

Finally, He asked you the most important question.

"In your opinion, who is right and who is wrong in the struggle between the pro-war and pro-peace factions?"

[The main event is here!]

Faced with the emperor's condescending gaze, your instinct is to blindly support the pro-war faction, praising the emperor's foresight while vehemently criticizing pro-peace ministers like Yue Fei and Han Shizhong... but the words just won't come out.

You, who are usually quick-witted, fell silent for a moment, which was uncharacteristic of you...

To be honest, the pro-peace faction is more correct. After all, the current Jin-Song situation is different from the original historical timeline. A strange "heavenly change" has occurred in the Central Plains, and all the northern people have been transformed into monsters. Once they meet the Song people, they will immediately fight to the death.

Furthermore, the Southern Song army, primarily composed of ordinary people, was no match for the mutated Jin soldiers. A hasty attack would inevitably lead to a repeat of Yue Fei's Northern Expedition from Xiangyang, or even a worse outcome, with the risk of total annihilation!

Therefore, for the people of the Southern Song Dynasty, the people of the Jin Dynasty, and the Southern Song army, advocating war and launching a northern expedition was not a wise move...

Therefore, based on your own conscience, you should not only refrain from supporting the government's pro-war ideology, but you should also painstakingly explain the pros and cons to them in order to persuade them to repent and return to the right path!

But surely Emperor Gaozong (Zhao Gou) understood this principle?

[You know, Zhao Gou was never a fool, so if he just thought about it a little, he would definitely be able to understand these incredibly simple principles... Besides, even if he couldn't understand them, didn't Yue Fei and the others explain them to him during those two hundred years?]

That had obviously been said, but "God Zhao Gou" didn't listen...

Therefore, the key to this issue is clearly not how to persuade Him to abandon the Northern Expedition, but simply to understand why He insisted on launching the Northern Expedition even though He knew it would be futile!

You once asked Yue Fei about this reason, but Yue Fei didn't answer. Now that you've finally faced Zhao Gou himself, it's time to unravel this question that has troubled you for so long...

[So you immediately bowed respectfully and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I naturally support the war effort! But... I want to know, why does Your Majesty, like Zhuge Liang, knowingly undertake the impossible in the Northern Expedition?"]

Zhao Gou paused, seemingly surprised that you would ask him a question... But after a moment's thought, he decided to tell you everything, and so he slowly began to speak: "I naturally have my reasons, and these reasons are related to the power of lust..."

"I, the Emperor, intend to launch a northern expedition against the Jin Dynasty to overcome the strong with the weak! To become the true god who unifies the North and South!"

……

(End of this chapter)