Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 9 Our family is from Wei Si, Hebei!
"Wei Si, stop pretending."

Zhu Youjian's voice was very soft, as soft as a feather, drifting down.

Wei Zhongxian prostrated himself on the ground, his body stiffening almost imperceptibly for a moment.

Wei Si...

How many years has it been since anyone called that name? Thirty years? Or forty years?

So long ago, he himself had almost forgotten.

At that time, he was a street urchin in Suning, Hebei, who spent his days eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring, living a carefree life.

If it weren't for that thuggish gambling den, he would never have abandoned his roots to enter the palace.

But how did this new emperor know this name?

Everyone in the palace thought his real name was Li Jinzhong.

The new emperor is only seventeen years old and, until the day before yesterday, he had been living in seclusion in his palace, completely unaware of everything.

How did he know this name that he had buried deep in his memory?
The sudden uncertainty gave rise to fear, overturning all thought processes.

He instinctively wanted to maintain that facade of honesty, loyalty, and even a bit of dullness and weakness.

This was his invincible weapon for decades, the most important reliance he relied on to climb from a penniless hoodlum to the all-powerful Emperor.

Wei Zhongxian slowly raised his head, and in an instant, blood seeping from his forehead slid down his deeply lined old face.

Blood mixed with tears and snot made him look utterly pathetic, ridiculous, and comical.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty...This old servant is guilty, this old servant is guilty! Now I only hope to beg for my retirement, and I beg you to show leniency in consideration of the kindness I showed you in serving the late Emperor..."

He wailed and kowtowed again, begging for mercy, repeatedly pleading, "Your Majesty, please have mercy."

Zhu Youjian stared expressionlessly at the head on the ground that kept kowtowing, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

He didn't say anything more, but simply picked up the hot tea that Zhou Yu had brewed for him again.

The afternoon sun shone through the latticed windows, casting dappled shadows on the golden bricks of the main hall. Tiny dust particles floated in the air, and everything seemed so tranquil.

Only the sound of Wei Zhongxian kowtowing repeatedly echoed in the empty hall, sounding so hollow.

Zhou Yu sat to the side, barely daring to breathe, her round almond-shaped eyes wide open, her heart pounding with nervousness.

Good heavens, is this the scene of the new emperor taking the throne and purging the powerful eunuchs?
She couldn't help but steal a glance at Zhu Youjian, only to see his gentle, jade-like face framed by sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, as he sipped his tea calmly.

Zhu Youjian turned his head in confusion, which startled Zhou Yu, who smiled guiltily, wiped the sweat from his palms on the couch, and then picked up the teapot to pour tea for Zhu Youjian.

Time passes minute by minute.

Wei Zhongxian's kowtowing became slower and slower, and the force of his kowtowing became lighter and lighter.

He felt an intense itch on his forehead, as if flesh was growing out of it, but the pain from each hard tap made him shudder.

How to do?How to do?
The new emperor's thoughts are as deep and unfathomable as the ocean; he cannot fathom them at all.

He could only express his "loyalty" and "innocence" in this most primitive and humble way, pinning his hopes on that one in a million possibility.

Finally, Zhu Youjian put down his teacup.

A soft "bang" made Wei Zhongxian's body tremble violently once again.

Zhu Youjian slowly stood up from the throne, but instead of looking at him, he strolled to the "Great Ming Unified Map" in the hall.

He stretched out his hand, his fingertips gently tracing the mountains and rivers on the map.

"Wei Si, tell me, isn't the land of the Ming Dynasty beautiful?"

His voice was calm, as if he were chatting casually.

The sound of Wei Zhongxian kowtowing abruptly stopped.

He froze, completely bewildered.

“Beautiful…beautiful…” he could only mumble in response.

"Yes, it's beautiful." Zhu Youjian's fingertips slid down from Shanhaiguan.

"Liaodong, Zhili, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan..."

"But this beautiful land is actually dotted with shrines dedicated to you, the Nine Thousand Year Old?"

He turned around, his gaze finally landing on Wei Zhongxian, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"It seems that there are countless people in the world who are grateful for your kindness."

"Then what am I?"

Wei Zhongxian felt ice-cold all over his body, and was sweating profusely.

"This old servant is willing to clear out all the shrines inhabited by living people and offer up all my family property, only begging Your Majesty for mercy..."

Wei Zhongxian was about to kowtow again, but Zhu Youjian raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Wei Si, don't overthink it."

"You are destined to die."

The sound of Wei Zhongxian kowtowing abruptly stopped.

He froze, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning.

Zhu Youjian walked a few steps in front of him, leaving himself enough room to be on guard.

Only then did she stop and look down at him, her eyes filled with peace, not murderous intent.

So... stop pretending.

"Let me have a good talk with that Wei Si, and with the real Wei Zhongxian."

"Don't insult yourself, don't insult me, and especially don't insult my imperial brother."

"If you keep pretending like this, you'll probably face more than just death."

These few words, spoken plainly by the ruler who holds power, are incredibly cruel.

Wei Zhongxian was completely devastated.

Wei Zhongxian was completely devastated!

All pretense and all wishful thinking were shattered at this moment.

The mask he had maintained for decades finally cracked open with a "snap," revealing the true face beneath it, a face long distorted by lust for power and fear.

He stopped kowtowing and slowly, very slowly, raised his head.

What a face it was!

Gone was the trace of naivety and humility; in its place was a complex expression mixed with horror, despair, and a hint of... ruthlessness.

His eyes, no longer clouded and obsequious, became sharp as an eagle's, fixed intently on the young emperor before him. Then, slowly, bit by bit, he straightened up.

His back was no longer bent in the arc of years, but stood straight, like a javelin that had been dormant for many years.

In that instant, his entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation.

If he was a groveling old dog just now, then he is now a lone wolf driven to the brink of despair, ready to fight to the death.

"Wei Si... what a Wei Si..."

He muttered to himself, as if speaking to someone else.

“My family… my family has been acting for decades, and we’ve almost forgotten that our original name was Wei Si, not Li Jinzhong, not Wei Zhongxian.”

"Yes, my family is from Wei Si, Wei Si from Hebei!"

"Haha...hahahaha..."

A dry, bitter laugh escaped Wei Zhongxian's throat, growing louder and louder, filled with endless sorrow and self-mockery.

Zhu Youjian looked at him quietly, nodded, and showed a hint of approval on his face.

"This is the kind of Your Excellency I envision. Only now can we continue our discussion."

He walked back to the throne, sat down again, picked up the teacup, and gently blew away the foam.

"I know you are a smart man, and I also know that you have some skills."

“Otherwise, if it were merely loyalty, my elder brother wouldn’t trust you so much.”

Wei Zhongxian's laughter stopped abruptly. He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp: "What does Your Majesty wish to discuss?"

There is no turning back now.

Since he was going to die anyway, why should Wei Si be afraid to risk everything?
At this moment, he seemed to have returned to the day when he castrated himself to escape gambling debts.

That day, what was cut off was his manhood; today, what he's gambling with is this crippled life.

"Let's talk about what happens after you're gone, then we'll talk about what happens in your life." Zhu Youjian's answer was simple and direct.

"Killing you would be as easy as turning my hand."

"But if we kill you on charges of treason, it means killing half of the current court and the power that my brother has worked so hard to unify."

"I have just ascended the throne and do not want the court to descend into chaos."

"I don't want to repeat my brother's mistakes and spend years trying to quell the factional strife."

He paused, his gaze becoming deep.

"Therefore, you will die."

"But you need to die a meaningful death."

"On the chessboard, even sacrificing a piece has its uses. If used well, it can be a key move."

Wei Zhongxian merely sneered upon hearing this and did not reply.

He simply got up from the ground, sat cross-legged, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face.

The handkerchief was too small and there was too much blood, so after wiping it haphazardly a few times, he simply threw the soiled handkerchief on the ground.

He looked coldly at Zhu Youjian and asked in a deep voice, "What does Your Majesty want me to do?"

“It’s very simple.” Zhu Youjian held up one finger. “Among the eunuch faction, who are truly vicious and greedy, and who are merely sycophants and followers of the crowd? I’m sure you have a real account in your mind.”

"I want this ledger."

“Write it down, and I will accept your favor.”

Wei Zhongxian fell silent for a moment.

???

You are the emperor.

The supreme ruler.

Under the shade of three trees, what cannot one desire?
Why bother getting the so-called "real ledger" from him when you can kill whoever you want?
It doesn't matter anymore. This world belongs to your Zhu family. You can do whatever you want with it.

Wei Zhongxian couldn't understand it, and he was too lazy to think about it anymore.

He took a deep breath, suppressing all his emotions, and revealed his true nature as a gambler.

"Then what will our family get?" he asked, emphasizing each word.

Since it's a transaction, we need to look at the price.

Zhu Youjian smiled.

He enjoys talking to intelligent people.

"First, apart from you, I will not kill another member of the Wei family."

"Secondly, all titles and positions will be stripped away, and all family property will be confiscated, but I will leave you 100 hectares of land to be looked after."

"Third, a dignified way to die: out of grief for the late emperor, hang oneself, thus avoiding the pain of being torn apart."

Wei Zhongxian's pupils suddenly contracted!
Inch-cutting.

What virtue or ability did Wei Zhongxian possess to deserve such a brutal form of dismemberment?

He looked up at Zhu Youjian, the new emperor, whose face showed no disgust or hatred, only a faint calm.

Damn it, damn it!
Why is it that despite all my efforts, I am still just like I was back then, completely unable to control my own destiny?

Seeing that things had come to this point and there was no way to avoid it, Wei Zhongxian's gambler-like courage suddenly arose.

He suddenly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and raised both hands forward and back together.

He bowed and said, "I...accept the decree!"

　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　1. "寸磔" is equivalent to "凌迟" (lingchi). In official documents of the Ming Dynasty, the former term was generally used, while the latter term was not.

　　2. Wei Zhongxian, whose original name was Wei Si, changed his name to Li Jinzhong after entering the palace.

　　The surname Li was avoided due to castration. Jinzhong, on the other hand, was a commonly used auspicious name in the palace.

　　Later, due to the forced relocation of the palace, he avoided the presence of someone with the same surname as Consort Li and changed his surname back to Wei.

　　Later, he personally bestowed upon him the name Zhongxian and the courtesy name Wanwu.

　　I have some doubts about the character "Wanwu". What kind of eunuch would be so straightforward as to say that his character is "Wanwu"? Mainly, I haven't found any historical records to support this, so everyone should just keep it in mind.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)