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

Chapter 41 Prelude to a coup!

Soon, the three characters "Changchun Garden" written by the Prime Minister were carved into a golden plaque and hung on this small garden carefully built by the Ministry of Works.

[And when Changchun Garden was completed in December, it was finally time to put the finishing touches on the project you had been preparing for six months...]

[December 23, the 73rd year of the Chongzhen reign, was the day before the Divine Emperor's 89th birthday.]

[Although the Divine Emperor generally only celebrates birthdays that fall on the 10th, and does not usually celebrate birthdays in other years, since you, as the Prime Minister, insist on taking the initiative to celebrate His birthday, then all officials must naturally hurry to prepare gifts, lest His Majesty think we are not loyal enough...]

[After all, there’s a saying: I may not remember who gave me a gift, but I remember clearly who didn’t!]

[In order to maintain their relationship with the Divine Emperor, their protective umbrella, and to express their loyalty, they had to do it...]

You knew this all too well, so the day before the Divine Emperor's birthday, you secretly sought out Lu Zhongcheng. This Jinyiwei Commander-in-Chief had been with you for six months, and thanks to your deliberate attempts to make friends with him, you had already become familiar with each other.

[And just when he thought you were going to buy him another drink, you changed your usual friendly and approachable attitude and spoke in a serious and low tone...]

"Brother Lu, are you loyal to His Majesty?"

[As soon as these words came out, Lu Zhongcheng's pupils shrank!]

[Although he had long known that you had a purpose in deliberately befriending him, when the day of the showdown finally arrived, he found that he was still not as calm as he had imagined...]

"Loyalty! Of course I am loyal! My loyalty to Your Majesty is evident to all!"

[He began to express his loyalty in a somewhat hesitant manner.]

You immediately clapped your hands and said seriously, "Alright! For His Majesty, I need you to do two things for me!"

"First, before tomorrow's birthday banquet, send a trusted confidant to the Fengtai camp to mobilize three thousand elite soldiers! Remember, these soldiers must be the elite of the Jinyiwei. They must be absolutely loyal and possess divine power comparable to that of all the officials in the capital. This way, we can immediately blockade the capital and ensure that no official escapes!"

"Otherwise, they're very likely to become desperate and forge an imperial edict to call in troops from the Beijing camp to engage in a melee with us! Once the two armies engage, no matter who wins or loses, it will be difficult for us to clean up the situation..."

【ah? ! 】

Even though Lu Zhongcheng had been mentally prepared, he was still startled by you. Fear filled his eyes: "Brother...Brother, are you...are you planning a rebellion?!"

"Rebellion? Who is rebelling against whom?"

You sneer.

"Your Majesty has appointed me Prime Minister, granted me the power to establish a government and establish a new government, and has also ordered me to hold the reins of power, just like Yi Yin, Duke Zhou, Zhang Taiyue, and others."

"And now, these officials dare to look down on me, pretending to obey my orders for new policies and reforms, but secretly disobeying them. Isn't this disobeying the decree of Your Majesty?"

"If so, they are the traitors! If you help me take down all the officials, it won't be a rebellion, it will be a great achievement!"

Your righteous words, one after another, gradually suppressed Lu Zhongcheng's fear, which made him think: It seems that this is indeed the truth...

[But this is, after all, a matter of mobilizing troops to blockade the capital. This kind of thing has always been a slippery slope that cannot be touched. If you get involved, your future will either be bleak or you will be doomed!]

[Success is good, but what if you fail? ]

"Success is revolution, failure is rebellion...hasn't it been like this since ancient times?"

You noticed his hesitation and offered him an offer of temptation: "...Brother, although I'm about to launch a new policy, my foundation is shallow and I have no one to rely on...If you help me capture the capital, who else can I rely on if not you?"

"Brother, although you are already the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, that's the limit of your position. You won't be able to rise any higher. The Emperor's personal guards may be of high rank, but the Emperor is a true god incarnate. How can they be of any use on a daily basis? They are nothing but a waste of time."

"You're only in your forties, a prime time for you to make great achievements... If you help me, who else could take on the position of Minister of War?"

[Minister of War?!]

Upon hearing these four words, Lu Zhongcheng's eyes lit up: "As you said, with the Divine Emperor now on the throne, the Jinyiwei Commander-in-Chief, while prestigious, has absolutely no work to do on a daily basis, and there's no point in being promoted... And what man hasn't dreamed of becoming a general or a prime minister?"

"You're just a makeshift team right now. If he helps you seize power, it would be like following the dragon! When a new dynasty is established in the future, why wouldn't he be promoted? And you've promised him the position of Minister of War..."

[“Success is revolution, failure is rebellion…”]

He silently recited these words...

"Okay! I will secretly transfer three thousand elite soldiers."

He gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind...

Seeing him agree, you couldn't help but smile: "Okay! That's the first thing settled then! As for the second thing..."

You whispered something to him, and Lu Zhongcheng was shocked again after hearing it!

Even though he has decided to side with you, this matter is still too taboo... He couldn't help but say: "Brother, let's ask His Majesty for instructions..."

"Ask for instructions? Do you really think Your Majesty is unaware of our actions?" You shook your head, saying nothing more.

Lu Zhongcheng also seemed to have realized something and stopped talking, only nodding seriously...

[At the same time, the Divine Emperor, who was sitting quietly in the Imperial Palace, suddenly smiled and called over the eunuchs.]

"Go, send invitations to the heads of the cabinet and the six ministries, telling them that I will be hosting a small birthday banquet tomorrow at Changchun Garden, a gift from the Prime Minister. They must all be present."

"Yes, long live!"

【…】

When the Divine Emperor sent a notice to your residence announcing his visit to Changchun Garden, you couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: It seems my guess was correct. He has indeed been keeping an eye on everything...

"You're actively cooperating with me this time... I think I've passed the test!"

[You feel delighted at the thought of starting a new political reform and bringing hope to the people of the world who have long been trapped in corruption.]

[But there's still one last step left. You can't celebrate until the net is closed...]

【…】

"What? His Majesty is holding a birthday banquet at that guy's Changchun Garden tomorrow?! And he's invited all of us to attend?!"

Upon hearing this bombshell news, the cabinet and the heads of the six ministries were all shocked!

Everyone had been preparing for the birthday banquet for a long time, but they had always assumed it would be held in the Imperial Palace as per tradition. It turned out to be held in the newly built Changchun Garden this time. This was quite unexpected...

[What surprised everyone even more was the Divine Emperor's order: All chief officers must be present!]

If the first piece of news was merely surprising, then the second piece of news is truly terrifying!

Ever since His Majesty suddenly appointed a "Prime Minister" in March, signaling his intention to reform the government and eradicate all corruption, everyone has been living in constant fear, fearing His Majesty would take direct action to arrest someone.

[What's puzzling is that this is all talk and no action. His Majesty, aside from howling dryly, hasn't taken any action at all, as if he had never issued the decree...]

Over time, everyone relaxed their vigilance, believing that His Majesty was still sentimental and unwilling to kill his loyal subjects... After all, while they weren't good people, they were absolutely reliable when it came to loyalty. It was understandable that His Majesty was reluctant.

[But now, His Majesty suddenly wants everyone to gather together and squeeze into the tiny Changchun Garden. This is problematic no matter how you think about it!]

[“Lord Chen! What should we do?”]

The Minister of Revenue panicked and asked the Prime Minister, Chen Shuxue, "If Your Majesty intends to seize us at this moment..."

Chen Shuxue remained silent, only the Minister of Works rebuked him unhappily, "What are you panicking about?"

"Your Majesty has been invincible since his ascension to godhood. If He truly intends to attack us, nothing we do will be of any use."

The Minister of Personnel also frowned and said, "That's what I mean. We may seem to hold great power, but in reality, we are just little brats who rely on Your Majesty to bully others. If Your Majesty truly intends to take us down, everything we have will be a castle in the air and will collapse in an instant..."

[Again, don't worry, because there's no point in being anxious.]

"This is an open conspiracy. If we don't go, we'd be disobeying the emperor's orders... So we have no choice but to go, even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire."

The Minister of War sighed, "We rose to power because of Your Majesty, and we will surely fall because of Your Majesty... This is the fate of rootless duckweed."

After hearing his colleagues' words, the frightened Minister of Revenue finally collapsed.

[Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. With such a fierce tiger among tigers, your life and death, wealth and honor, all depend on his whims...]

[But, is there anyone who is really willing to let others manipulate their lives at will? ]

"Minister Lin!"

[The Chief Minister of the Cabinet, Chen Shuxue, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke in a low voice: "You are the Minister of War. If His Majesty so desires, you have the authority to mobilize the troops of the Beijing Camp..."]

The Minister of War's eyes widened: "Master Chen, are you saying... forged imperial edict?!"

[When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked! ]

Chen Shuxue nodded, his tone heavy, and said, "This journey may be dangerous. Although we are powerless to resist Your Majesty's might, we might as well take some revenge..."

"We'll forge an imperial edict for you to support the king. You give it to your confidant... If we're not back by noon tomorrow, he'll take the edict to the Beijing camp and mobilize troops to come to the capital to support the king... Whether it succeeds or not, it doesn't matter. Even if I die, I'll splash Zhou's face with blood!"

【His face is ferocious! 】

【…】

(End of this chapter)