Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 174 The Forbidden City (Bonus Chapter by Silver Alliance Leader Nuanyang1314)

Outside the Meridian Gate, thousands of civil and military officials gathered and stood.

All that could be seen were birds and beasts; the scene was truly magnificent.

"Even during a grand court assembly, it's impossible to gather this many people, is it?"

Lin Dao rode up the forest road, a flick of his whip asking, "How many are there? Three thousand? Four thousand?"

Wei Zaode hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the number of officials to be appointed in the capital should be over four thousand."

"There are so many."

Lin Dao was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected that the Ming Dynasty had several thousand officials in the capital alone.

No wonder 30% of all kinds of supplies are lost before they even leave Beijing.

So many people want to eat well, use good things, and live well. If not 30% of them are well-off, where will they get the benefits to live a good life?

A large number of armed rebels marched into the palace in a mighty procession.

Correspondingly, the Guan Ning Army, which had previously searched for the emperor's whereabouts in the palace, withdrew in an orderly fashion.

Lin Dao wasn't stupid; how could he possibly allow the Guan Ning Army and the Beijing Garrison to remain in the city?

They were all assigned to leave the city and stationed at designated locations.

"Ok?"

Lin Dao saw that among the Guan Ning army soldiers leaving the palace, some were carrying out headless corpses.

Wu Sangui hurriedly explained, "General, they are all soldiers who do not follow military discipline."

"Those who robbed goods and harassed palace maids have all been dealt with according to military law."

"Hmm~"

Once an army loses its discipline, it becomes the most ferocious bandits.

The Guan Ning Army was well-supported, so there were far fewer issues related to this.

If it were Zuo Liangyu's soldiers, they would be even more bandit-like than bandits.

Lin Dao asked Liu Sandao, "Have the patrol arrangements been completed?"

"General, seventy patrol units have been arranged to patrol the entire city and enforce martial law."

"Anyone who dares to take advantage of this opportunity to commit crimes shall be killed without mercy."

A large forest has all kinds of birds.

The same applies when there are many people.

In times of chaos, all sorts of audacious and reckless people, freed from shackles and constraints, dare to do anything.

At this point, severe punishment must be used to deter wicked people.

"Don't just patrol the streets for prevention; you also need to take the initiative to eliminate potential threats."

Lin Dao looked at the dense crowd not far away and shouted, "People from Shuntian Prefecture, Wanping County, and Daxing County, step forward!"

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

Before long, dozens of officials from the capital, dressed in shabby clothes, stood up timidly.

The official robes of civil officials in the Ming Dynasty were embroidered with birds.

The official robes of military officers were embroidered with animal figures.

Some people in later generations said that the court was full of beasts, and considering their actions, this was indeed the truth.

"You all seem to know the city very well."

Lin Dao gently instructed, "You will act as guides, leading the soldiers to find the city's foxes and rats, and to raid the beggars' hideout."

"Bring plenty of bamboo poles and wooden sticks; don't let any of them escape."

The officials in the capital breathed a sigh of relief; instead of executing them to establish their authority, they were given tasks to perform.

This is a good thing.

If things go well, he might even be able to continue serving as an official!
They immediately put in their utmost enthusiasm and took the initiative to lead the way to find the hideouts of those shady forces in the city.

Lin Dao has always eliminated these entities that contribute nothing but oppress the people by physical means.

There are no city foxes and village rats that cannot be eliminated.

Only those corrupt officials protected by powerful figures are truly difficult to eliminate.

There was another commotion in the crowd, and dozens more civil officials dressed in animal costumes ran out, claiming that they were also officials from Shuntian Prefecture and Wanping County and Daxing County, and were willing to serve the commander-in-chief.

"The reason they didn't come out before was because they had ulterior motives."

"If you come out now, you are deceiving and fooling me."

Lin Dao gestured to Wu Sangui with his eyes, "It's up to you now."

Wu Sangui immediately led his servants to rush forward and knocked all of them to the ground.

They tied a rope around his head and dragged him away cleanly by his hair.

Next, these people will undergo brutal torture.

Lin Dao believed that Wu Sangui, who was skilled with bowstrings, could extract more wealth from Li Zicheng than Li Zicheng did.

Thousands of officials in the capital instinctively stepped back in unison.

This general doesn't seem as amiable as he appears.

Only after the rebel army had completely taken control of the palace did Lin Dao ride his horse inside.

The famous Forbidden City.

As he rode his horse across the Jinshui Bridge, Lin Dao suddenly burst into laughter.

"This is way more impressive than driving in."

The crowd didn't know why the commander was laughing, but they all joined in the laughter.

Arriving at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Lin Dao dismounted and walked along the imperial road, which was carved with coiled dragons and set against the backdrop of ocean waves and flowing clouds, to the platform.

Looking up at the plaque, which reads "Establishing a Perfect Principle and Fulfilling Difficulties".

This plaque was commissioned by Zhu Di.

Jianji, derived from the Book of Documents, means "the emperor establishes the ultimate goal of the world," implying that the emperor himself is the ultimate goal of the world.

Suiyou comes from the Book of Documents, which says, "The Supreme God descends upon the people. If they have a constant nature, they will be able to pacify their ways and govern well."

It means to appease all people and establish order in the world.

"Hey." Lin Dao withdrew his gaze. "Where's the Son of Heaven~~~"

He stepped forward and entered the vast Golden Palace.

The Golden Palace, also known as the Supreme Golden Palace.

Built during the Yongle era, it was initially named Fengtian Hall, and later renamed Huangji Hall.

The Tartars later renamed it the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

This place is truly the central hub of the world.

The most eye-catching thing inside the hall is the dragon throne, which looks magnificent and resplendent.

Lin Dao took out his phone to record a video and walked around the main hall.

Seeing that Lin Dao did not sit on the dragon throne, Wu Sangui and the others all had strange expressions, but they quickly disappeared. Then they went to the Zhongji Hall (Zhonghe Hall) and the Jianji Hall (Baohe Hall) behind it.

I was very relaxed along the forest trail, constantly taking videos and photos with my phone.

Beyond the Jianji Hall lies the Heavenly Street.

This is the dividing line between the imperial court and the harem.

Further along, you'll reach the territory of the imperial harem.

For more than two hundred years, this place had been the private domain of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

Today, with the complete collapse of the Ming Dynasty, all that was once majesty and sacred inviolability has become nothing but worthless paper.

Stepping through the Qianqing Gate, the first thing you see is the Qianqing Palace.

Further on, you'll find the Hall of Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

When we were in the three main halls, we didn't see anyone else except the soldiers.

Upon arriving here, one can finally see the crowd gathered at the foot of the palace wall in the distance.

They were all palace maids; there was no sign of any eunuchs.

"Commander."

Wu Sangui stepped forward and reported, "When I attacked the palace, the eunuch Wang Xiangyao opened the city gates to welcome me."

"A traitor to his master." Lin Dao's words sealed Wang Xiangyao's fate.

Wu Sangui understood immediately and took a few steps back.

"I'm sorry, Eunuch Wang, I spoke up for you, but unfortunately the Commander-in-Chief won't forgive you."

In front of Kunning Palace, a large number of palace maids had gathered, all of them looking fearful and uneasy.

Wu Sangui reported again, "General, the Empress, concubines, princesses, and others are all in the hall."

He had previously strictly forbidden the Guan Ning Army from harassing them, precisely because Lin Dao had some peculiar hobbies.

"Oh?"

Lin Dao frowned slightly, stepped around the area, and headed towards the Kunning Gate to enter the Imperial Garden.

Separated by a large number of personal guards, Wu Sangui, who had been following along, gazed thoughtfully at Lin Dao's retreating figure.

'From this perspective, the Commander-in-Chief is not a womanizer.'

'As expected of someone destined for great things, he sees beauty as nothing.'

Only such outstanding individuals can conquer the world!

Lin Dao toured the Forbidden City, but of course, he didn't come for the sake of the empress, concubines, or princesses.

He came for the Chongzhen Emperor.

If nothing unexpected happens, Emperor Chongzhen should be on Coal Hill.

Once you exit Shenwu Gate, you'll reach Coal Hill.

The official name of Meishan is actually Wansui Mountain.

This is a mound made of piled-up earth.

It is said that Zhu Di, in order to strengthen the military defense of the palace, piled up all the coal for the palace at the foot of Wansui Mountain, hence the name Coal Mountain.

Unsurprisingly, after the Manchus entered the pass and occupied the capital, this place was renamed Jingshan.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, Lin Dao instructed his bodyguards to "go up the mountain and look for them."

The guards obeyed the order and marched up the mountain to search carefully.

Coal Hill is called a mountain, but it's really just a mound of earth, and it's not very big.

Before long, the guards came down to report, "We've found the Emperor!"

Wu Sangui suddenly realized, "So we've ended up here."

When he first entered the palace, he always thought the emperor was hiding inside.

The Forbidden City is said to have 100,000 rooms, and searching each one would take a very long time.

Moreover, he thought that even if the emperor wanted to die, he was more likely to jump into a well, so he searched the well but not Jingshan.

"Whoo~~~"

Lin Dao took a breath and stepped forward.

The others naturally followed.

As expected, Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in a Taoist robe, was hanging on a crooked tree.

There was another person accompanying him during the funeral.

"General~~~"

The soldiers stepped forward and put Emperor Chongzhen down. After searching him, they found a will on his chest.

Lin Dao waved his hand, indicating that he would hand it to Wu Sangui and say, "You read it."

Wu Sangui hurriedly took it, opened it, and read it aloud in front of everyone.

"I am of meager virtue and lowly in rank, and have offended Heaven, but it is all because my ministers have misled me."

Wu Sangui paused at this point.

It was clear that the emperor harbored deep resentment towards his ministers.

"I have no face to meet my ancestors after I die. I remove my crown and cover my face with my hair. Let the rebels tear me apart, but do not harm a single commoner."

The will was short, expressing his dissatisfaction while also revealing his self-blame.

Especially the last sentence, "Do not harm a single civilian," that alone is enough to uphold the bottom line.

Lin Dao stepped forward and examined the corpse of Emperor Chongzhen.

He wasn't wearing a dragon robe, but a Taoist robe.

Her hair was disheveled and covered her face; one foot was only wearing a sock, while the other foot was completely bare.

The news must have been too sudden, and the person must have been in a great panic.

The loyalist troops suddenly rebelled and attacked the Forbidden City.

Most of the Beijing garrison also joined the rebellion.

In the end, only the soldiers of the Imperial Horse Administration and some of the Embroidered Uniform Guards risked their lives for the emperor.

The Imperial Horse Stable's soldiers fought fiercely.

If it weren't for the Guan Ning Army's retainers' fierce resistance and Zhu Chunchen's defection, they might have been able to drive Wu Sangui out of the city.

Once the eunuchs opened the Meridian Gate, everything would be over.

"I'm taking over Li Zicheng's job."

Lin Dao raised an eyebrow, his gaze slightly narrowed, and he muttered to himself, "In history, Li Zicheng failed to achieve his goal and instead lost the Han dynasty's rule."

"I can't do such a thing."

"Eliminate external threats, embark on the Age of Exploration, and with sword and plow, seek our promised land for all the people of the world!"

"Hmm, the Classic of Mountains and Seas would be quite suitable."

(End of this chapter)