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

Chapter 59: Peace and prosperity abound!
Auspicious sign? Saint?

[Looking at this jade seal before me, which seems to release a certain allure, listening to the endless flattery of the Tatar Khan beside me, and thinking about the peaceful and prosperous era you have created over the past ten years, where everyone lives and works in peace and contentment, the Ming Dynasty is strong and the people are prosperous, and everywhere is a scene of vibrant vitality and all things competing for development!]

[And the Divine Emperor in the Forbidden City, whose divine power is gradually fading and rapidly aging...]

Gradually, a sense of ambition inevitably emerged: Is this really my destiny?

[The Divine Emperor's virtue has long since fallen out of favor with his position. You are the highly sought-after commander-in-chief. The day you ascend to the position of Prime Minister, the entire Ming Dynasty, including the two capitals and thirteen provinces, will be calling for your name...]

"You should hold a grand birthday celebration for the Divine Emperor! If you cannot save the Ming Dynasty from his brutal rule, then let the Ming Dynasty burn!"

[You, overwhelmed with emotion, couldn't help but reach out your tangible hand towards the jade seal...]

【Do not! 】

You suddenly paused: "Don't I want to be a loyal minister like Zhuge Liang?"

[When you think of this, the heat in your heart quickly subsides, and your expression becomes calm.]

【If you say it, you must do it! 】

[You promised the Divine Emperor that you would be his loyal subject for the rest of your life...]

You smiled, ordered someone to take the seal, and said earnestly to the Tatar Khan, "How can I be a saint? I'm truly ashamed of this title. I've only done some minor work!"

"Besides, how has the world improved because of me? It's all thanks to Your Majesty's grace and kindness! The Imperial Seal should be presented to Your Majesty!"

"As for the idea of ​​heaven being there, I don't believe in it. For me, there are only two suns in the sky. In my heart, there is only one sun: Your Majesty!"

【"loyalty!"】

Great Khan: ...

【What can I say？】

Seeing your loyalty to your loyalty, the Khan was stunned for a moment before quickly changing his tune: "Yes, yes! It should be presented to His Majesty!"

"There are no two suns in the sky, and in my heart there is only one sun, Your Majesty!"

【"loyalty!"】

【…】

"Your Majesty! During this Northern Expedition, I accidentally discovered the imperial seal of the Yuan Dynasty. This is an auspicious sign!"

“As the saying goes, auspicious signs accompany the birth of a saint. Naturally, there is only one saint in the world today, Your Majesty. It is fitting that this offering be made to Your Majesty!”

[In the Forbidden City, you respectfully presented the Imperial Seal to the stunned Divine Emperor...]

[God Emperor:...]

[No... Why did the bait I used get returned to me?! What kind of fish is this?!]

The Divine Emperor was stunned for a long moment, his gaze fixed on you as you lay prone on the ground, as if trying to discern any trace of disloyalty from you. However, no matter how hard He looked, He only saw your utter loyalty...

[After you finished presenting the treasure and stood up to leave, the Divine Emperor looked at the precious jade seal in his hand, and a nameless anger gradually rose in his eyes!]

【"boom!"】

[The jade seal fell heavily to the ground, breaking off a corner!]

The Divine Emperor's eyes were red. He didn't want to believe, and couldn't believe, that you were a truly loyal minister! If there truly were such a loyal and righteous person like Zhuge Liang, then why didn't he appear before the 17th year of Chongzhen's reign, but at this very moment?

[You didn't show up when you were supposed to, and you showed up when you weren't supposed to! Isn't this just like Duke Ai of Lu finding a unicorn during his hunt in the west?!]

[“No!!! You can’t be Qilin! And I am definitely not Duke Ai of Lu! I must reveal your true identity!!!”]

"Continue!" He roared with bloodshot eyes, like a wounded dragon! The old eunuch, who was kowtowing beside him, shuddered at the words and hurriedly said, "Yes! Long live!"

【…】

In the eighty-seventh year of the Chongzhen reign, you subdued the rebellious Tatar tribe. However, considering they hadn't done anything particularly bad this time, and that they had slumped down quickly, you didn't punish them too harshly, only ordering them to continue their nomadic life on the grasslands.

You even took into consideration their difficult lives, and so you expanded trade along the Great Wall, encouraging the Han Chinese in the Central Plains to trade with the Mongols. However, you also severely punished those who arbitrarily raised prices, ensuring fair trade between the two sides.

[In addition to trade, you also helped them cultivate land in areas suitable for farming, thereby harvesting large amounts of food to meet their needs. After all, nomadic life is not easy, and in terms of productivity, agriculture is still higher than animal husbandry.]

As for further reforms... there's nothing you can do about that. Since there's no industrialization right now, no matter how hard you try, you can't actually control these millions of square kilometers of grassland. At best, you can only indirectly manage them. That's the upper limit of the agricultural era.

Even so, the lives of the impoverished herders on the grasslands soon improved significantly. As a result, your fame spread throughout the tribes, and the herders enthusiastically praised you as a "living bodhisattva" greater than the "Heavenly Khan"!

You simply smiled at this, and then declared to them: All of this is due to the Divine Emperor's kindness, so you must repay His Majesty well... In short, His Majesty's kindness is not over yet!

【Well-reasoned and convincing! 】

However, we are not fools. What is your merit is your merit. So, although we say, "Your Majesty's kindness is not enough," in our hearts we say, "The Prime Minister's kindness is higher than the sky, and deeper than the sea!" ...

【…】

In the eighty-eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, considering the Yellow River's frequent flooding, you decided to control it.

You mobilized the people on both sides of the Yellow River to dig out as much silt as possible during the dry season and repaired the Yellow River levee.

[This was originally a good thing, but the following year, an unexpected incident occurred...]

In the eighty-ninth year of the Chongzhen reign, when the Yellow River flood season began, the familiar yellow water did not appear. Instead, clear water appeared!

"The Yellow River is clear? This is a sign of a saint's reign!"

The people on both sides of the strait were immediately astonished, and a related saying quickly spread: "When the Yellow River clears, a sage will emerge!" But who in the world today deserves the title of sage?

【God Emperor? 】

[Come on, this thing had basically only negative effects during its reign. As long as everyone is not blind, they will definitely be able to tell who this saint corresponds to!]

"Of course it's Prime Minister Zifang!"

People marvel at your great achievements, one after another: punishing corrupt officials, cracking down on wealthy merchants, equalizing land distribution and exempting grain taxes, promoting the integration and exchange between the grasslands and the Central Plains, and taming the Yellow River... If you are not a saint, then who is?

As everyone praised him, the topic gradually veered off: "When Dayu controlled the floods, his merits were immeasurable, so Emperor Shun abdicated the throne to him, a story that will be passed down through the ages... In my opinion, Your Majesty should follow Shun's example and pass the throne to the prime minister of Zhou!"

"That's right! When Your Majesty ascended the throne, the late Emperor said: 'My brother should be like Yao and Shun!'"

“The late emperor is like Tang Yao. Tang Yao abdicated to Yu Shun, just as the late emperor abdicated to Your Majesty. Now that a sage has been born, Your Majesty should naturally abdicate to the Prime Minister of Zhou, Dayu…”

"Yes! Moreover, the Zhu family has been guilty of corruption for a long time. I observed the stars at night and found that the Emperor's Star is dim. I'm afraid Your Majesty's time is running out... It would be better to abdicate quickly and still be the Duke of Shanyang!"

[For a time, there was much discussion throughout the country about the abdication, and the people were eager for change!]

[And the "Yellow River Clearing" is just an appetizer. The various auspicious signs that follow are still on their way...]

[In the 89th year of Chongzhen, the Yellow River became clear!]

[In the 90th year of Chongzhen's reign, the East China Sea was at peace!]

In the 91st year of the Chongzhen reign, a unicorn was presented from Southeast Asia...

You are caught up in a nationwide campaign of persuasion, with a multitude of auspicious signs appearing, as if even the heavens are supporting you...

……

(End of this chapter)