Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 1 Using the principle of "going against its will, the Ming Dynasty will perish"
On the 22nd day of the eighth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign (1628), Emperor Xizong died without an heir. His younger brother succeeded him, and the fifth prince, Zhu Youjian, ascended the throne as Emperor Chongzhen.

With his father and elder brother dying suddenly one after another, the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil. The seventeen-year-old young emperor, having just ascended the throne, was exhausted after several days of turmoil.

On the 25th day of the eighth month, around 5 PM, as the sun set and the sky was ablaze with crimson clouds, the capital of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be stained with blood, looking like a battlefield and giving the impression of endless war.

The Forbidden City was filled with densely packed armored guards lining both sides of the entrances and exits, as if facing a formidable enemy.

In the Imperial Study of the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen, who had just ascended the throne, sat leaning back on the dragon throne with his head bowed, seemingly asleep from exhaustion.

His drooping head looked somewhat eerie; if he were forced to hang himself on Coal Hill, his head would likely be drooping in the same way.

However, this was not Coal Hill. At this time, he was surrounded by more than one eunuch. In addition to Wang Chengen, there was Fang Zhenghua on his left and right, and Wei Zhongxian was also standing in front of the imperial desk.

Wang Chengen and Fang Zhenghua both stood respectfully with their heads bowed, while Wei Zhongxian was secretly observing the young emperor who was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

His expression was like that of someone performing a Sichuan opera, sometimes gloomy, sometimes cunning, sometimes disappointed, sometimes worried, and sometimes even revealing a hint of panic.

"Boom!" A rumbling sound suddenly rang out in the sky, like the thunder of war drums, and it lasted for a long time.

a bolt from the blue!

What does this mean?

Standing before the imperial desk, Wei Zhongxian was startled and turned to look out the window.

On the dragon throne, Chongzhen suddenly opened his eyes and slowly raised his head.

Where is this?

He was clearly sitting on a plane bound for Beijing when the plane inexplicably flew into a thundercloud. Then, a blinding white light flashed, and he lost consciousness as if he had blacked out from drinking. When he opened his eyes again, he was already here.

The Ming Dynasty?

I am the newly enthroned Chongzhen Emperor!

Zhu Jue subconsciously looked down at the five-clawed golden dragon on his chest, his mind instantly filled with confusion.

Emperor Chongzhen, the ruler who brought about the downfall of his country!
Although he did not study literature or history, he still knew a little about this period of history.

The Ming Dynasty had only seventeen years left before it collapsed!
The Ming Dynasty is currently beset by internal and external troubles, natural disasters and man-made calamities, rampant corruption among officials, a corrupt bureaucracy, an empty treasury, and widespread suffering among the people.

What followed was a period of continuous natural disasters during the Little Ice Age, leaving the land barren, the dead starving, peasant uprisings erupting one after another, the Jurchens constantly raiding and invading, court officials vying for power, and traitors colluding with the enemy and betraying the country.

The Ming Dynasty was terminally ill and beyond cure. What could be done?

Zhu Jue did not panic. He was just thinking that if one's mind is clear, one will not be alarmed even if the sky falls. The most important thing for those who achieve great things is to have a firm mind.

He is a prominent figure in the business world, having built a multi-billion dollar business empire from scratch. He has seen it all.

His past life flashed through his mind like fleeting clouds, and he felt no reluctance.

Now that he has come to the Ming Dynasty, which is on the verge of collapse, he has no fear.

Since we've come here, we should make the best of it. Now that we've taken the throne, we should consider how to secure our position and protect the Ming Dynasty.

To use the words from my previous life, the Ming Dynasty was merely on the verge of bankruptcy due to mismanagement; it was not beyond saving.

When it comes to management, running a business empire seems similar to running a feudal dynasty; it's difficult for those who don't know how, but easy for those who do.

He has considerable experience in managing and operating poorly.

Why did the Ming Dynasty fall into bankruptcy due to mismanagement?

This business is run by people, not automatically. Problems with poor management are almost always human problems.

The reason why the Ming Dynasty was poorly managed boils down to one problem: the misuse of personnel.

The core competence of those in power lies in recognizing and employing talent. It seems that Emperors Tianqi, Taichang, and even Wanli were completely unable to recognize or effectively utilize talent.

Leaving aside figures like Shen Yiguan, Fang Congzhe, Han Kuang, and Ye Xianggao, his predecessor, Emperor Tianqi, failed to make good use of Wei Zhongxian, which led to the current situation.

Who was Wei Zhongxian?
This guy is a truly treacherous and ruthless villain, and he's a natural counter to those hypocritical civil officials—that's his specialty.

Petty people can be useful, but their strengths must be utilized, and the more petty they are, the more they need to be kept in check and not allowed to run rampant.

Emperor Tianqi, however, disregarded Wei Zhongxian's special talents and treated him like Zhang Juzheng, entrusting him with all state affairs and letting him run wild!

Who was Zhang Juzheng?
His ability to govern the country, if not the best in history, is certainly unmatched. Wanli Emperor reigned for forty-eight years based solely on the wealth he left behind.

Emperor Tianqi treated Wei Zhongxian like Zhang Juzheng, and as a result, he only reigned for seven years before dying suddenly at the age of twenty-three!

That's not how you use the word "petty person".

After Taichang's sudden death, the Ming court was already fraught with crises. The Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party both wanted to usurp the imperial power, control the Ming Dynasty, and seize profits. If they were not given enough benefits, they would die suddenly!

It was right for the emperor to use Wei Zhongxian, this treacherous and ruthless villain, to deal with the civil officials. However, when using him to deal with the civil officials, he had to be made to focus all his efforts on dealing with them. Wei Zhongxian could not be distracted by other matters, nor could he be left to run amok.

For example, when it comes to governing a country, Wei Zhongxian had to rely on civil officials. Even someone as powerful as Zhang Juzheng had to use a large group of civil officials to govern the country.

This is a contradiction. If you ask him to deal with civil officials, you also ask him to use civil officials to govern the country. He will most likely be used by the civil officials instead!

When the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions all flocked to Wei Zhongxian's side, he had already begun to be led astray by the civil officials. The court was originally a battleground for the Donglin faction and the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions for imperial power. Keeping the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions around would be like raising a tiger to cause trouble.

Wei Zhongxian thought that the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions who joined his cause were now his own people. Little did he know that once these factional civil officials infiltrated the eunuch faction, Tianqi and even Wei Zhongxian himself would be in grave danger.

Nowadays, all the civil officials in the Ming Dynasty court want the emperor to be a puppet. They form cliques and fight for power, but when it comes to the emperor, they all have the same attitude: suppress him, or kill him!
All because if they wanted to seize power and profit, they first had to depose the emperor and prevent him from holding power.

If the emperor were in power, what power would they have to fight for, and what benefits would they have to seize?

Even if Wei Zhongxian seized power on behalf of Emperor Tianqi, it was still the same as the emperor seizing power.

If they could make Taichang die suddenly, why couldn't they make Tianqi die suddenly?
Therefore, Tianqi died suddenly and inexplicably!
This is the result of misusing people. A villain like Wei Zhongxian should be kept under control and allowed to deal with the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party. If this guy is allowed to treat the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party as his own, it would be strange if nothing went wrong.

So how do you handle a petty person?
There are no shortage of petty people in this world. Regardless of past or present lives, there are plenty of petty people. Naturally, there are also many ways to manipulate petty people. For example, Zhu Jue can easily use tactics such as finding fault with someone, taking advantage of an opportunity, using someone else to do his dirty work, and fighting like the snipe and the clam.

With this thought in mind, he slowly raised his head and stared at Wei Zhongxian in front of him without saying a word.

This fellow has triangular eyes, a thin mouth, a hooked nose, and is as thin as a monkey—a typical villainous face. He truly is a villain.

Wei Zhongxian panicked under the watchful gaze.

Why did the young emperor suddenly become like a different person?
Those sharp eyes seemed to see right through people's hearts!
Originally, the young emperor was just a fair-skinned and delicate young man, but with this change in his eyes, he seemed to be a completely different person.

He actually felt that the young emperor had a unique kind of pressure from those in power, so much so that he could hardly breathe.

Is this what it means to become an emperor?

Tianqi was also an emperor, so why didn't he feel any pressure from him?

He finally couldn't withstand the seemingly all-knowing pressure and lowered his head slightly.

Seeing this, Zhu Jue said sternly, "Eunuch Wei, the Emperor is only in his early twenties, hardworking, and physically strong. You and the Emperor fell into the water while playing together, why are you unharmed while the Emperor suddenly died?"

Ah!
How can this matter be explained clearly?
Wei Zhongxian really didn't know what to say, because this matter was just too absurd and unrestrained.

He's over sixty and has lived a life of luxury for many years; his health is deteriorating day by day.

The late emperor was only in his early twenties and worked as a carpenter every day, so his body was exceptionally strong.

He even pretended to help the late emperor, which meant handing over tools and helping to carry things.

The late emperor could work for hours on end with an axe, saw, plane, and hammer without any problem, but he would get sore and tired after working for even half an hour.

He was in such poor health that he fell into the water while swimming with the late emperor, who died suddenly, but he was completely unharmed!

How can this be explained?

The little emperor probably doesn't think I did it!

His eyes darted around for a while before he said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, this humble subject truly does not know what happened."

This little braid must have made you panic, right?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue feigned a hint of doubt.

He wasn't asking randomly; he was using this as an excuse to find fault with Wei Zhongxian.

There is no doubt that Emperor Tianqi was not killed by Wei Zhongxian.

This is because there will never be another emperor in the world who favors this fellow as much as Tianqi did.

Wei Zhongxian was certainly well aware that changing the emperor would bring him no benefit, only harm.

This fellow must also know that the power of eunuchs depends on the emperor's grant; without the emperor's favor, they have no power at all.

He was certain that Wei Zhongxian wouldn't dare plot to become emperor, which is why he dared to use this matter to control the man.

So, why did Apocalypse suddenly die?

All because those civil officials were powerless against Wei Zhongxian!

Wei Zhongxian trained 10,000 armored guards to protect him at all times, even when entering the palace, making his defenses impenetrable.

Even if they could make Tianqi and Wei Zhongxian fall into the water together, there would be a large number of people to rescue them, and they would be powerless to do anything about it.

Therefore, those civil officials could only kill his patron, Emperor Tianqi, and then use this incident to instigate Emperor Chongzhen, who succeeded to the throne, to deal with Wei Zhongxian!
Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "My brother died suddenly. Who do you think I should suspect?"

You really did suspect me!

How can this be good?

The Imperial Guard, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Imperial Guard, and the Eastern Depot are all under my control. If the young emperor doesn't suspect me, who else would he suspect?

Wei Zhongxian was horrified and said, "Your Majesty, this matter really has nothing to do with me."

I know this matter has nothing to do with you, but I want to seize this opportunity to make you panic and make you more difficult to deal with.

You control the Beijing Garrison, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Imperial Guard, and the Eastern Depot, yet you can't even protect the emperor. How do you explain that?

Zhu Jue remained expressionless and said, "Eunuch Wei, plotting to harm the late emperor is punishable by death by a thousand cuts and the extermination of nine generations of your family. Do you know that?" He was not exaggerating.

This is historical fact.

Historically, Emperor Chongzhen listened to the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party, and decided to sentence Wei Zhongxian to death by slow slicing and exterminate his entire family!
At that time, those who impeached Wei Zhongxian were the Qi-Chu-Zhe faction who had joined his ranks!
Emperor Chongzhen may have felt that by taking advantage of the situation and dealing with Wei Zhongxian, he could seize control of the court.

As a result, the Donglin Party and the Zhejiang Party continued to take turns controlling the court. Emperor Chongzhen replaced fifty Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, killed two Grand Secretaries, six Ministers of War, seven Governors-General, and eleven Governors, but it was all in vain!

Zhu Jue naturally wouldn't listen to the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party. Wei Zhongxian was still quite useful. If used well, he could uproot the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party and deal with them all. The premise was that he had to be controlled and not let them run wild.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian was terrified and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, I did not harm the late Emperor! How could I possibly harm the late Emperor?"

This guy is so scared he's incoherent. We've got him under control enough; it's time to take back the power.

I must take this opportunity to gradually reclaim power in the court; I cannot allow you to control everything.

The Emperor is the ruler of this Great Ming Dynasty.

Although I am no longer Zhu Youjian, this world is now mine. Do you think I can let you control the world with one hand?

Zhu Jue said with a solemn expression, "If your brother's matter really has nothing to do with you, then there's a huge problem. Why do you think they would harm your brother?"

Why did they plot to murder the late emperor?
The late emperor didn't care about anything.

Wei Zhongxian was truly flustered and confused at this moment, and his mind was not quite clear.

He pondered for a while, then said helplessly, "Your Majesty, this humble subject does not know either."

If you had known fear, you wouldn't have ended up like that in history.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "Your brother has too much faith in you, do you know? You control all the power in the court. If they don't kill your brother, how can they seize power in the court?"

That makes sense!

If the late emperor hadn't died, I would have been the one to call the shots in the court.

The saying goes, "A new emperor brings a new court." Does this mean the young emperor no longer favors me?
Wei Zhongxian quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I have always been loyal. The affairs of the court were all entrusted to me by the late Emperor. I do not wish to control the power of the court by myself."

Are you loyal?

Zhu Jue then feigned a solemn expression and said, "If I were to favor you as much as my elder brother does, do you think they would let me off the hook?"

If you trust me, they will harm you too?

That's entirely possible!
Wei Zhongxian was taken aback for a moment, then quickly pledged his loyalty, saying, "Your Majesty, I swear to protect you with my life."

What good is it for you to swear to protect them to the death?

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "My brother has passed away. If I continue to favor you as he did, they will definitely try to murder me and then find a prince who listens to them to inherit the throne. They have probably already chosen a prince. At that time, you will be the culprit who killed two emperors in succession, and you will surely be torn to pieces and your entire family will be exterminated!"

You wouldn't kill me just to save your own life, would you?
Wei Zhongxian panicked and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will be very careful and they will not have another chance."

How do you prevent this?
You have a huge number of people from Qi, Chu, and Zhe provinces under your command!

Zhu Jue slowly shook his head and said, "Eunuch Wei, do you know who is loyal and who is treacherous under your command? If it weren't for the problems under your command, would my brother have died suddenly?"

Who is loyal and who is treacherous?

Who can tell the difference?
He has too many scoundrels under his command, and he himself is a real scoundrel, so he naturally knows what they're thinking.

He initially flattered Wei Chao and Wang An in order to climb the ranks, but after he did so, he harmed both of them!
How many of these sycophants who fawn over him can be trusted these days?

Wei Zhongxian felt like his mind was in complete chaos.

He thought for a moment and then said simply, "Your Majesty, whoever you think is in the wrong, I will deal with them immediately."

How many officials in the court today are truly without fault?
At this time, the Qi-Chu-Zhe faction, the Donglin faction, and even the Xuan faction and Kun faction had probably already banded together to seize power in the court.

To you, the emperor, they are allies; they are our enemies, you know?
Yet you still consider the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions as your own.

This is like inviting a wolf into your house, you know?

Can you protect my life and fortune? Did you protect Tianqi? Relying on yourself is worse than relying on anyone else!

Zhu Jue slowly shook his head and said, "I don't know who has a problem. I only believe that Cheng En and Zheng Hua have no problems. Here's what we'll do: you draft an edict to promote Cheng En to the position of Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial and to be in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration, and to promote Zheng Hua to the position of Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial and to be in charge of the Eastern Depot."

Chongzhen was originally waiting for Cao Huachun, because Cao Huachun was his close companion who had accompanied him since childhood, and the two had an exceptionally close relationship.

Unfortunately, Cao Huachun had already been sent to Nanjing to await punishment by Wei Zhongxian, and the eunuch Xu Yingyuan who later served as his attendant was a confidant planted by Wei Zhongxian in the Prince of Xin's mansion, so Chongzhen naturally did not believe it.

At this moment, Zhu Jue no longer needed to wait for Cao Huachun; he decided to promote Wang Chengen and Fang Zhenghua first.

Both of them came from the Prince Xin's Mansion. Historically, Wang Chengen accompanied Emperor Chongzhen to commit suicide at Coal Hill, while Fang Zhenghua remained loyal and unyielding, fighting to the death.

This is loyalty interpreted with life, there is no doubt about it.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian's expression changed.

The Imperial Horse Administration controls the Imperial Guards, and the Eastern Depot is even more powerful. The young emperor is trying to seize his military power!

At this point, can he relinquish his military power?

What if the young emperor takes away his military power and then punishes him?
He rolled his eyes for a moment, then forced himself to say, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, but Cheng'en and Zhenghua are only in their early twenties. If they are promoted to Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial and concurrently in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration and the Eastern Depot, I fear it will cause controversy."

You've probably gotten so used to being in power that you want to treat the emperor as a puppet.

This is not a good habit, I must help you correct it.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue immediately put on a pig-kidney-shaped face and said coldly, "Eunuch Wei, is this your loyalty? You don't even listen to me. What use are you to me? If you want me to trust and use you like my elder brother does, then listen to me and do your job well. I will guarantee your safety. Otherwise, I guarantee you will be torn to pieces and your entire family will be exterminated!"

Anyone who questions his decisions will be met with his domineering attitude; people in his previous life called him the domineering CEO!

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian was greatly startled.

To be torn to pieces and have his entire family exterminated!
Who is not afraid?
Anyone who says they're not afraid is brainless. Who can stand being cut thousands of times? Even a few cuts wouldn't be enough!
He quickly lowered his head and said, "Your humble servant dares not."

You're dead if you dare!
Zhu Jue coldly said, "If you don't dare, then draft the decree. What are you standing there for?"

I!
Wei Zhongxian hesitated for a long time, his face turning red, before awkwardly saying, "I dare not hide anything from Your Majesty, Your Majesty. This humble subject is not qualified to draft an edict."

Oh, I forgot you're just a petty hoodlum who never went to school.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then waved his hand and said, "Bring me the blank imperial edict. Cheng'en, you write it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen immediately knelt down at the small table next to the imperial desk.

Seeing this, Wei Zhongxian could only take two blank imperial edicts from the bookshelf next to him and hand them over.

Soon, Wang Chengen wrote the imperial edict and respectfully presented it.

Zhu Jue took the imperial edict, glanced at it, and then asked, "Eunuch Wei, do you know how to sign and affix your seal?"

This means he should obediently hand over the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot.

If he dares not to pay, the consequences will be severe.

Left with no other choice, Wei Zhongxian picked up a red pen and signed his name on the imperial edict.

He would then write his own name, which meant that he had told his confidants that he had agreed.

Seeing this, Zhu Jue took the imperial edict, personally stamped it with his seal, and then solemnly handed it over, saying, "Cheng'en, you shall immediately take over the Imperial Horse Administration and thoroughly reorganize the palace. Zheng Hua, you shall take over the Eastern Depot after Cheng'en returns."

Wang Chengen hurriedly accepted the imperial edict, bowed respectfully, and took his leave. Fang Zhenghua then carefully tucked the edict into his bosom.

Wei Zhongxian stood there anxiously, unsure of what to do.

This guy can't even tell the difference between the king and the queen anymore; he needs to be put on hold for a while.

Seeing this, Zhu Jue simply looked at the memorials on the imperial desk.

This was sent by Wei Zhongxian on the orders of the real Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian. Zhu Youjian was truly diligent; he personally handled all the memorials.

The number of memorials submitted to the Ming Dynasty court was extraordinary. In just the three days since the emperor ascended the throne, there were already three stacks of memorials piled up, each stack being two or three feet high.

There was a small stack in front of him, seemingly only a few portions, which must be the most important matter.

Leaving aside the other memorials, this most important matter naturally needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

He glanced briefly at the imperial desk before picking up the memorial in front of him and reading it.

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but frown.

Zhang Minghe, the governor-general of the five southwestern provinces and minister of war, submitted a memorial stating that the rebels She Chongming and An Bangyan had gathered more than 100,000 men and occupied Shuixi, plotting to rise again. He requested that a large army be mobilized to encircle and suppress them.

Wu Zhiwang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Governor-General of Shaanxi, reported that on February 15th, Wang Er of Chengcheng killed Magistrate Zhang Douyao and rebelled. Wang Jiayin, Yang Liu, and Buzhanni of Fugu followed suit. The two groups of rebels had gathered several thousand people and captured Yijun County. He requested that a large army be dispatched to suppress them.

Yu Zigao, the naval commander of Zhejiang and Fujian, reported that there were eighteen pirate groups in the waters of Zhejiang and Fujian, plundering merchants and attacking naval ships, and requested that a large army be dispatched to suppress them.

The governor of Liaodong and the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Bi Zisu, submitted a memorial to the throne, stating that the Liaodong garrison had been in arrears with its pay for more than a year and requesting the court to allocate grain and pay.

General Yang Jiamo of Gansu submitted a memorial stating that Gansu Garrison had been in arrears with its pay for more than a year and requested the imperial court to allocate grain and pay.

He originally thought that the Ming Dynasty was only affected by peasant uprisings in the northwest and raids by the Jurchens in the northeast.

Who would have thought that the She'an Rebellion in the southwest was still unresolved, and there were eighteen pirate groups in the southeast, and the imperial court still owed the border troops an unknown amount of grain and pay!

This time he wasn't faking it.

He couldn't help but frown.

The situation in the Ming Dynasty is now more critical than he imagined.

(End of this chapter)