Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 27 Li Zicheng: I am very patient
Finally, Huang Lijie put down his teacup and spoke:

"Enough! Our Great Ming Dynasty has lasted for more than two hundred years. The mere debates in the imperial court are nothing. Any difficulty will pass."

Upon hearing this, the other three people in the cabinet office also nodded slowly.

The emperor has only just ascended to the throne.

Emperor Wuzong reigned for a full sixteen years, but in the end he still obediently fell into the water.
Let's lie low and wait for our opportunity.

While various factions within the imperial city were pursuing their own agendas.

The eunuchs that Zhu Youjian secretly sent to Shaanxi finally arrived at their destination—Yan'an Prefecture in Shaanxi, the area most severely affected by the disaster—after traveling day and night.

In fact, when they first entered Shaanxi Province...

The group quickly realized what it meant to be horrified.

at the very beginning.

They could also see families fleeing the famine together.

Then gradually fewer and fewer famine victims fled, and some starving people, looking emaciated, began to appear, searching for food everywhere.

The starving people initially tried to beg for food from government offices.

Some officials even give out bowls of "staring porridge," but this usually only lasts for one or two meals.

Some authorities simply drove the disaster victims out of the area.

Ever since.

Tree bark, kaolin clay, various snakes, insects, rodents, and ants—almost anything that could be stuffed into the stomach—they had all seen people eat it.

When they arrived in Yan'an, they were utterly shocked.

The farmland throughout Yan'an Prefecture was scorched by the sun, resulting in large areas of cracked soil; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the land was barren for miles around.

Moreover, a very eerie and peculiar phenomenon also emerged in Yan'an Prefecture.

Large groups of starving refugees, their cheeks sunken and bodies emaciated, huddled together on the main road, where the flow of people was greatest. If any of them could not bear the hunger and collapsed, it was a serious matter.

Then this group of people will swarm in and devour it.

When they first saw this scene, the group almost vomited, but they quickly got used to it.

Because there are just too many such scenarios.

They visited several counties in Yan'an Prefecture, and on one occasion they were almost captured and eaten alive by starving people.

If those starving people hadn't been so weak that they couldn't run, they probably would never have had the chance to return to the capital to report back.

I had planned to report back immediately after gathering this information, but considering that the new emperor has just ascended the throne and is now in a time for diligent governance, I decided against it.

If we do more things for His Majesty now, we will have a greater chance of rising to prominence in the future.

After some discussion, the group decided to visit the prefectural and county towns again.

On the busiest street in the county town, they saw a different scene.

Some rice and flour shops had ready-made grains on display, but the prices were dozens or even hundreds of times higher.

After showing these business managers a sufficient amount of gold ingots, they then saw mountains of rice and flour piled up in the business's warehouse.

The group instantly understood.

Since ancient times, merchants have pursued profit, and hoarding goods for speculation has been an unchanging rule.

But the problem is.

Without the covert support of the local government, how could these merchants have dared to do this?!
Don’t say anything else.

Starving people would definitely loot this place, but these merchants are now brazenly reaping huge profits.

However, the group did not go to the government office to investigate, as their mission was to conduct a secret investigation.

And they're not stupid.

If they went there rashly under such circumstances, they would die on the spot.

After getting a general understanding of the situation within Shaanxi Province.

The group didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately set off back to the capital.

Everything I have seen here must be reported back to His Majesty as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the longer it is delayed, the greater the possibility of a large-scale popular uprising will break out in Shaanxi.

Meanwhile, at Yinchuan Post Station in Mizhi County, Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province.

Li Zicheng once again failed to get his wages.

Having failed to get his wages, Li Zicheng had no choice but to put away his fawning smile and return home dejectedly.

There was nothing he could do; the entire Yan'an Prefecture was suffering from a severe drought, and he wasn't the only one at the post station owed wages and pay.

Although life was tough, they managed to survive by borrowing money from all sides.

They are much better off than ordinary disaster victims.

After all, he was a member of the court, and now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the situation might improve soon.

Frustrated, Li Zicheng could only console himself in this way.

However, the recent troubles are not limited to not receiving the salary.

Another thing is that a matchmaker from his hometown recently arranged a marriage for him.

But he only understood after making some inquiries.

It's not something to be happy about when someone tries to find a wife for a bachelor like me.

The main issue is that the person he's being asked to marry is making him a little nervous.

The betrothed was named Han Jin'er, who came from a wealthy gentry family in Mizhi County and had a very good family background.

The problem is that this Han Jin'er is a thoroughly notorious slut and a whore.

Han Jin'er had two extramarital affairs, but because her family was too powerful, she was not drowned in a pig cage. Instead, she was divorced by her husband's family.

This is only the second time that it has been discovered.

Behind the scenes, things are all unclear; who knows exactly how many people Han Jin'er has slept with?!
To talk about this kind of woman to yourself is like making yourself wear a worn-out shoe that everyone else has already worn out.

Li Zicheng was furious when he first heard the news.

However, after returning home and thinking about it for a while, he gradually calmed down.

Well, given my current situation (a penniless and powerless bachelor), it's really not going to be easy for me to find a wife.

There are three kinds of unfilial piety, and no one is the greatest.

I also have to consider the matter of having children to carry on the family line.

For the sake of this paramount task, I should just bear with it a little longer.

Anyway, I've endured it all these years.

Moreover, it's possible that the woman named Han Jin'er will become more restrained after marrying him.

Maybe.

"What a fucking world."

Thinking of this, Li Zicheng sat on the dilapidated threshold of his house and sighed.

Some days ago.

He suddenly felt a shiver run through his soul for no apparent reason, and at that moment he thought his luck was about to change.

It turned out that it was even more difficult to get my salary for this month.

This made him realize that his unrealistic idea was somewhat ridiculous.

To be honest, Li Zicheng did have some ambitions to achieve great things when he was a teenager.

He fantasized that he would suddenly gain the emperor's favor through a series of fantastical coincidences.

Then he defied fate and became a valiant general charging into battle under the emperor, how impressive!
He's barely in his early twenties now.

The awful days of hardship, exhaustion, and barely enough to eat had completely broken me.

Li Zicheng sat on the threshold, staring blankly at the sun-baked, cracked earth not far away, lost in thought.

　A peasant uprising broke out in Shaanxi in 1627, and the uprising quickly expanded to a large scale. However, Li Zicheng did not actually join the uprising until 1629 (he was laid off and unemployed in 1628).
　　He probably had no intention of rebelling before this.

　　The reason is as follows: In 1628, he married a woman who had a history of infidelity. After bringing her home, she cheated on him again. He couldn't help but kill her before fleeing and joining the rebel army.

　　Therefore, I think his path to rebellion was a process of an honest man being driven to desperation and completely turning to the dark side.
　　PS: This represents only the author's personal opinion.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)