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

Chapter 4 "The Divine Emperor hanged thieves with hemp ropes"!
"Animal friends..."

Zhou Liang narrowed his eyes:

Could it be that... this official isn't a human, but a monster or something? Otherwise, how could the title have any effect on him?
After thinking about it, Zhou Liang still couldn't figure out the reason, so he could only hope that the following plot would reveal more information.

"Although I don't understand the reasoning behind this, the current change is clearly a blessing, not a curse. After all, the title description states [Gaining Natural Favorability from Non-Human Animals]. This proves that the official's decision to ask me to compose poetry was a good thing. Perhaps there will be some kind of benefit for me!"

Besides, didn't the official know that it was basically impossible for a three-year-old to compose poetry? Obviously he knew.

If that was the case, Zhou Liang was certain that he couldn't really let him write poetry, but had other intentions...

[You guessed it right.]

[Faced with a sudden challenge to compose a poem, how could you possibly handle it when you're caught off guard? Not to mention that you haven't even attended a private school, even if you were to use all the cultural knowledge you acquired in your past life, you wouldn't be able to compose a poem...]

[You might be able to copy a few poems, but the problem is that if you write a poem like "I urge the Heavenly God to shake himself up and send down talents regardless of their background" at the age of three, that would be too exaggerated. Or if you write something like "The Qin Emperor and the Han Emperor are slightly inferior in literary talent, and the Tang Emperor and the Song Emperor are slightly inferior in style and charm," then the Divine Emperor will directly use the "Emperor Escape: Nine Clans Separation Technique"...]

[What should I do? I can't just copy Zhang Zongchang's sloppy poems, right?]

[For a moment, sweat broke out on your forehead...]

[But at this moment, a large, invisible hand touched your head, and you seemed to see a faint ray of sunlight...]

You looked up blankly, and your gaze met that of the crouching official. A golden light flickered in his eyes, and a smile of anticipation adorned his face.

"Child, please recite the poem in your mind. Writing is a natural gift, a gift that comes by chance... This opportunity is rare, so recite it quickly!"

The poetry in my heart?

[You are confused by his strange words, but suddenly a poem emerges from your mind!]

You looked at him in surprise, his kind smile on your face, and then something clicked in your mind, and you spoke decisively...

[“Grandpa Divine Emperor strangled 100,000 intruders with hemp rope!”]

“When I dream, I often dream of the great God-Emperor… One day, I dreamed of the God-Emperor again. He had been suppressing rebels all day and looked very tired, but he still personally met with me, a poor child from an ordinary family, and kindly asked if my family had enough food and clothes…”

"It was getting late, so Grandpa Divine Emperor sent me out and asked the Imperial Guards to take me home... On the way to the main gate, I said, 'Grandpa Divine Emperor, it's getting late. You should go back and rest. You just spent the whole day suppressing rebels!'"

"Grandfather Divine Emperor shook his head. 'It's not a problem. You know, there are many unruly people who still regard the Ming Dynasty as an enemy and are causing trouble for us and the Ming Dynasty... You are a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, and your affairs are the Ming Dynasty's affairs."

"I was so excited, tears welled up in my eyes: What a wonderful Grandpa Divine Emperor!"

"Grandfather the Divine Emperor suddenly became angry and said, 'But there are rebels like Li Zicheng who want to disrupt the Ming Dynasty. They are bad people!'"

"As he spoke, Grandpa Divine Emperor took the hemp rope from the old crooked-neck tree, then looked at the dense crowd of bandits outside the city and tightened his grip on them. The hundred thousand bandits all rolled their eyes..."

"What a wonderful Grandpa Divine Emperor! From now on, I must be a good person who benefits the Ming Dynasty. I will repay Grandpa Divine Emperor's boundless kindness as soon as possible and help him hang all disloyal people and traitors!"

【"loyalty!"】

【After reading one article, the whole audience was shocked! 】

Even you couldn't hold it back...

"Great, great! He's truly a child prodigy!"

[While your parents looked shocked and horrified, the official was extremely surprised and praised you as a child prodigy!]

“Although this article isn’t considered poetry, it clearly expresses sincere emotion and a childlike innocence. It fully reflects the admiration and closeness the people of the Ming Dynasty feel for His Majesty the Divine Emperor. It also conveys a positive sense of concern for the nation and its people, and a desire to benefit the Ming Dynasty… Wonderful! Wonderful!”

"Your son can already recite such a masterpiece at the age of three. His future achievements are truly limitless. I truly admire talented people, and he just happened to be enrolled in school. How about... how about I accept him as my disciple?"

[Looking at the official's smile, your parents, still stunned by your eloquent speech, looked at each other in bewilderment...]

Your parents' brains have crashed...

Although you didn't quite understand what was going on, it was an official taking in a disciple after all, so if ordinary people could get close to him, that would be a great thing. So your parents finally agreed to take him in, and thus you had your first master in your life!

[After a simple apprenticeship, your cheerful new master not only readily registered you for school, but also paid for your tuition out of his own pocket. Thus, your enrollment was completed without a trace of confusion...]

In the 46th year of Chongzhen's reign, at the age of three, you entered the county's government-run school and became an ordinary yet extraordinary child.

"This……"

Zhou Liang was also confused by the plot, but after all, being over fifty years old and knowledgeable, he quickly sorted out his thoughts: "That article on gratitude... obviously wasn't written by me, but... the handwriting of an official!"

Zhou Liang, who had been the leader of the rebels for thirty-eight years, certainly knew that all the officials of the Ming Dynasty were endowed with certain divine powers. After all, no matter how powerful the Divine Emperor was, he could not take care of the entire Ming Dynasty. Therefore, officials at all levels possessed the divine power bestowed by the Divine Emperor. With this divine power, the officials could maintain the daily stability of the Ming Dynasty without the Divine Emperor personally taking action.

When the official stroked the young Zhou Liang's head with his big, tangible hand, he apparently used his divine power at the same time to inject this pre-written article into his mind!
"But...I have figured out the situation, but what is his motive?"

Zhou Liang scratched his head:
Just to recruit a disciple, he would go through all this trouble? Normally, as long as the official gave the go-ahead, could the common people refuse? This process is unnecessary!
Unless... he has other plans?

Thinking about this, Zhou Liang was thoughtful:
"Let me rethink it... The official became close to me because the title of animal friend took effect. So logically speaking, all his subsequent actions should be beneficial to me."

"And without letting my parents know, he gave me a pre-prepared lesson on gratitude and had me read it in public under my own name. He then called me a genius, as if he was specifically trying to package me..."

"Recruiting disciples... Enrolling students... Packaging characters..."

Zhou Liang seemed to have grasped something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He could only continue to watch the plot unfold and try to find the answer.

He believed that the official must have a serious illness to do this... Ahem! He must have his reasons!

You were confused and enrolled in school as a child, and even took an official as your teacher... Although you don't understand the situation, being able to enroll is a good thing.

So you vowed in your heart to seize the opportunity to study hard, strive to pass the imperial examination or even become a Jinshi, and become a scoundrel who can seek refuge under the Ming Dynasty... Yes, a scoundrel.

You don't want to be an honest and virtuous official, nor do you want to be a corrupt official. Even less do you want to plead for the people or rebel. Under the rule of the invincible yet incompetent Divine Emperor, rebellion is a clear death sentence. Even virtuous officials will inevitably have their property confiscated and be exiled. Being a corrupt official is a good thing, but you don't want to be one... With the word "liang" in your name, you're certainly not a bad person.

[So you only seek to survive in the Ming Dynasty, not to achieve any great things. Being a slacker in the court and living this unexpected life well is your ultimate pursuit!]

[Unfortunately, your fate is destined to be extraordinary, whether in reality or in simulation...]

[Just a few days into school, before you even began to show off your time-traveling prowess, a piece of news has already spread!]

"Three-year-old Zhou Liang eloquently wrote an essay in public on his first day of school. His words were childish, but his meaning was profound!"

Your master, the school's vice-president, has been promoting your article, "The Divine Emperor Hanged One Hundred Thousand Bandits with Hemp Rope," throughout the entire school!

Soon, your article and your reputation as a "child prodigy" spread throughout the school. Even the head teacher publicly praised your article, which was filled with kindness.

[And then, somehow, your reputation spread further and further, rising higher and higher, from the school to the county magistrate, and from the county magistrate to the prefect, the whole process was incredibly smooth...]

[Finally, the prefect awarded you five hundred taels of silver and called you the "Shaanxi Prodigy"... Then, the prefect issued an order: From now on, all official schools in the prefecture must add an extra extracurricular article, and students must memorize and write down the entire text!]

[This text is: "Grandpa Divine Emperor Hangs 100,000 Bandits with Hemp Rope!"]

[For a moment, all the students in the prefecture were surprised and wanted to know who this "child prodigy Zhou Liang" was...]

[You, inexplicably became famous...]

【…】

You sat in your master's study, staring blankly at his broad grin, the hundred taels of silver he placed on the table, and the letter of commendation personally written by the prefect.

"Disciple, this thirty taels of silver and the prefect's letter of commendation are yours... Go back and give them to your father. If you want to eat or play with anything, have him buy it for you."

[Master smiled and pushed over the thirty taels of silver and the letter of commendation. Then, as you stared blankly at him, he extended his tangible hand and grabbed the remaining seventy taels of silver, refining it instantly...]

"Remember, this is a secret between us, master and disciple. You cannot tell anyone else, including your parents... Do you understand?"

[He still smiles and looks so gentle, but you inexplicably feel a chill...]

“Yes, Master!”

You finally understood, so you bowed obediently and carefully put away the banknote and letter.

[Instantly, the chill faded, as if it were just an illusion. This place has always been filled with warmth between master and disciple...]

"You are indeed a smart kid!"

He praised you generously, then stroked your head and said with a smile, "Don't let me down. As a well-known prodigy in the prefecture, you will have many opportunities like this in the future..."

[“Yes, disciple understands!”]

……

(End of this chapter)